Friday, September 25, 2009

Beautiful Day

We set out for a walk around the yard after Hugo's nap today. The weather is just lovely right now. A perfect day for exploring and running and playing in our yard.

While walking down the drive, this dragonfly flew right into me. The thing was huge and completely surprised me! He sputtered about the ground but didn't make it very far from our feet. He had been injured by something, we don't know what. We did have fun picking him up, ever so gently, and examined him until he felt bold enough to fly off the edge of our fingertips. Eventually I felt bad for poor Mr Dragonfly. I imagined that his death was near and that he might like a little privacy. We left him amongst the woodpile and continued about our walk.


Our family doctor had ordered a lead test for Hugo awhile back. I've been a chicken momma and tried my best to ignore her wishes. I've been so afraid of the idea of Hugo being stuck with a needle to draw his blood, hasn't happened since he was a baby and that was a traumatic experience for me. To defend myself, I was incredibly hormonal and weepy that first week after his birth. I cried over just about anything. Still, I made Cesar hold him while I waited outside the room. Our baby Hugo screamed like a banshee and turned bright red all over his body. The experience was hard on Cesar too. I remember him sputtering about the tech saying how she did it all wrong and must not be used to babies, it was kinda cute. Big boy Hugo has seen me at the lab with my sleeve pulled up and the needle stuck into my arm a plenty with this pregnancy. He usually becomes a little concerned and says how he doesn't want me to get hurt. I've always told him it doesn't hurt and that I'm just fine, he needn't worry. He doesn't have a concept of what is happening, what the red stuff is, he refers to my blood letting as peeing.

Today our Hugo was a brave boy. He didn't want to go. I tried my best to explain what was going to happen and that his doctor said it was a very important test to have done because we live in such an old house. I even fibbed a little and said that his school wouldn't let him come back if he wouldn't do the test. I thought I could see some wheels turning in his head with that one. He didn't fight me about going, he just dragged his feet a bit and whined a whole lot. I told him that when it was all over, he could have a special treat. Treat! His mood picked up remarkably quickly. I gave him a choice of a lollipop or a doughnut. Doughnuts won out, big time.

Once at the lab parking lot he didn't want to exit the van. I reminded him of the doughnuts and out he jumped! He played with cars and looked at a large book of animals while I filled out his paper work. We had the office to ourselves and I was glad of it. When the nurses, there were two, were ready, Hugo and I sat in the big chair marked #1, he balanced on what is left of my lap and gently leaned back against my tummy. He pulled down the big upholstered arms in front of us, I told him we were in our own private spaceship. Up we rolled his sleeve. As the nurses began to busy themselves with preparing his special Garfield bandage and cleaning his arm with alcohol, the weepiness returned. I was asked to hold his torso and other arm steady. One nurse braced his left arm while the second nurse placed the needle. She was great. Only needed to stick him the one time. He cried. A lot. They filled two vials and I did my best to be calm and whisper in Hugo's ear about what a brave boy he was. How I was so proud of him. How cool it was to watch his red, red blood flow into the tube. He's a boy, isn't he supposed to like that sort of thing? He continued to cry, but he didn't flinch or jerk his body once. I really did believe that he was a good trooper. I can remember my mother needing to trick my into visiting her at the doctors office only to discover their plan of ambush, needing to administer a long overdue shot for me. I was in high school. Hugo was a brave, brave boy today.

Hugo scored three stickers from a nurse and a trip out for doughnuts and chocolate milk on me with a phone call of congratulations from Papa. He chose one vanilla frosted and one chocolate frosted doughnut, both with sprinkles. I had a maple frosted one. I let Hugo taste my maple doughnut. He didn't want his plain ole vanilla and chocolate anymore, he only wanted my maple doughnut. This was a problem. Maple frosted doughnuts can be tricky to find and though I was happy to share a taste with my brave boy, I wanted the rest of my maple frosted doughnut all to myself, thank you. I told him that on our next visit to the doughnut house, as he calls the place, he needed to remember to order a maple doughnut. That really means that I need to do the remembering and most likely will need to do some reminding of what a maple doughnut is and some convincing of the fact that he did indeed like the maple frosted doughnut, a whole lot!


4 comments:

millie said...

Luke had to have a lead test to enter K b/c of the house we lived in and I remember it was really hard on me. Partly b/c I too was pregnant (8 mo) and partly b/c I had Emry watching too. I didn't know how either would react...and how was i going to help them both at the same time with such a large belly in the way??? it turned out fine...he barely even cried. We went out to coldstone to celebrate everyone's bravery!

Hey Harriet said...

Brave Hugo! I'd be willing to have a lead test for a maple frosted donut. Or maybe not. Needles make me very squeemish! And as I've never tried a maple donut I'm not sure if the pain would be worthwhile ;)

KristyKay said...

Such a brave boy! You didn't tell me you had that looming in your plans.

Maggie said...

I like the bee pic headlining your blog now. And the posts on 'nesting' or getting ready for the girls. I like posts on planning, buying, storing, organizing, etc.--one of my fetishes. :)