November – As each new school year begins, kids everywhere get their annual checkups and inoculations. OK, so we actually went in November instead of August. With a gentle but firm reminder from her school, Daddy and Grandma hauled her unsuspecting little self to the doctor for a checkup and vaccines. Aliyah would like to demonstrate this process for those who may be unfamiliar.
First, you show up at the doctor’s office in a cheerful outfit. This is important as it makes a young lady feel confident.
Aliyah recommends pink and purple for maximum cheeriness, but you can get creative with your own favorite colors.
I *am* happy. What!
As soon as its our turn, we get our weight and height measured. That’s fun because we get to take off our shoes and explain why we stuffed rocks and acorns in our socks.
We also get our temperature taken, in our ear if you can believe it! What will they think of next? Look up our nose to get our eye color??
Then we get to go to an exam room and count out all the rocks and acorns with Daddy. Fortunately this can take a while, because the nurse and doctor can take a while themselves. If you have a book, your grownup can read it to you! And there is a nice big padded table you can sit on. They thoughtfully provide paper to draw on, but you really need to bring your own crayons, as the doctor invariably forgets these important details.
Next up is the hearing test, which was super fun. We get to raise our little hand every time we hear a noise out of the noise maker thingy. What is that thing even called?
Oh! Oh! I know the answer — it’s “beep!!” 
I solemnly swear to listen to my Grams
‘Lil Bunchkin got three innoculations, but she asked that we not take pictures, so we didn’t. She was very brave and only cried a tiny bit on the third shot. Who could blame blame her? Not Dad, not Grandma.
As a reward for stellar cooperation, Aliyah got THREE amazing stickers, one for each shot. Jasmine, Aurora, and Ariel, a trio of superstars who hardly cry at all when they get their vaccinations. Then she came along with Grandma to get some blood drawn. Except she got to watch, not experience the joy first-hand, lol. She liked this much better than getting poked herself, and hopefully it will help her be more, er, sanguine about getting her blood taken when its her turn.
Well that was so much fun that guess who fell asleep in the car going home? Yesss! Baby fell right out. All in all, a fun outing and the best part? STICKERS! And no more shots for you, Little One, until next fall. Promise!
