SHOTS. And not the fun kind.

And Will thought tummy time sucked...

Yesterday the little guy had his two month immunizations, a potent cocktail of four separate and equally painful jabs in the chub of his legs. We chanced it and took him to a new office and man, am I glad we did. It's called the Continuum Center for Health and Healing and yes, it's just as floaty as the name suggests. (The place offers leech therapy. For reals.) But after spending his last two doctor's appointments in a gritty clinic on the Lower East Side we decided it was time to trade up. ($800 a month on health insurance ought to be good for something.) Let me tell you, this place was nice. Not as nice as the pediatric ophthalmologist we took Will to when he scratched his corneas but pretty melonfarming swank. (That visit was fascinating; a total peek into how the other half live. Unlike the small and sterile exam rooms I'm used to, his had flat screen TVs and those beautiful, clear sinks that look like bowls. The doctor was decked out in a gorgeous - I suspect custom made - suit and accompanied by a Gal Friday whose sole job was to trail behind and write down everything he said. I was pretty certain this guy was the emperor's new clothes until he was able to diagnose Matt and I from across the room. ("You and your husband have practically the same prescription, except that you have an astigmatism." Spooky.) As if that weren't cool enough, he was able to tell us when Will will likely need glasses (around age 8) and mentioned that when first saw me, he thought Susan Sarandon was back in the office. (To which I replied, "She must've been really, really tired.") Anyway, the Continuum Center was very Zen - everything was circular or draped in silk, much as I picture Oprah's bedroom. Luckily the doctor kept the flake factor to a minimum. Will is healthy and happy, albeit a touch on the puny side. (He's only in the 25th percentile, weight-wise. Perhaps it's my natural competitiveness or love of standardized tests but 25th percentile seems a bit remedial.) His lack of weight gain may be due to the fact that Will has tongue tie (surgery!), but she also suggested adding formula twice a day to fill in the gaps. Hopefully the extra calories will have the added benefit of prolonging his sleep, at least until we can contact the SLEEP SPECIALIST she recommended. You read that right - SLEEP SPECIALIST. Have you ever seen two more beautiful words? The doctor did say that we shouldn't contact them until Will is older - in her experience, sleep training is rarely successful before four months - but the fact that there's someone out there who can help... Do you hear angels? Because I hear angels.

As shitty as the shots were (and oh they were), the Center got huge points for the way they treated the little guy. They dimmed the lights to make the room more cozy and put pillows under his head and feet. They also had me breastfeed him while they gave the shots (to help soothe him) and waited a few minutes between them so that he could relax and recover. Now if only they offered something to help the parents relax...