she's a brave one.

meet Ella.  I like to refer to her as our "stubborn little princess".  dainty on the outside (any little bump or bruise is proceeded by an onslaught of tears and howling), but determined on the inside (she's very skilled at wrapping you around her little finger).

I had Ella in last week for her five year check up. of course this entailed getting her kindergarten shots 

I never know what the right approach is about getting shots: do you tell the child and risk having to drag them to the appointment by their pinky toes? or do you just leave them to be surprised and risk having the child run screaming out of the exam room? 

knowing her worry-ish personality and the raid of questions I might receive, I chose the latter.

fast-forward through the appointment.  she's healthy as a horse.  it's shot time and I'm fretting about the level the decibels might reach in this tiny room.

finally, the nurse comes back into the room carrying ohmygoodness five needles and has me sit on the exam table with Ella in my lap.  the tears are already welling up in my eyes in anticipation of the pokes this little one must endure. (I'm such a wimp myself, when it comes to needles) Ella, on the other hand, sits calmly.  so far so good.

I start wincing: bam, poke, sting, ouch, bang.  and not one peep out of her.

unbelievable.  we were both speechless.  "www-ow", the nurse finally stammers.  "you are such a brave girl!  the best I've seen in a long time! this calls for a special prize!"  (hmmm...how about a disney vacation or a caribbean cruise?  no?)  

she settles for a bracelet and a sticky hand.  ah yes, the infamous sticky hand that quickly loses its stickiness due to its ability to attract lint and dirt from every surface, therefore causing its owner to become easily frustrated because it's not sticking anymore.  you know the one. 

now she's all set for kindergarten.  and I have a feeling she's going to be a smart one, too.

-happy friday!