Today was a big day... for Emma's ears. They got new holes added to hold her pretty new sparkly earrings. This was something I've wanted to do for her since she was born, but I wanted to wait until her third birthday so she would be a little older and her ear lobes a little bigger. But, now that she has started school, spring break seemed like the perfect time to finally take the plunge (pardon the pun, I just can't help it sometimes).
We arrived at her pediatrician's office for her appointment, and I told her that while it may hurt, she would really like her new sparkles earrings. I was a little worried, since I was pretty sure this could be the first time Emma really cried. But I knew I would be there to kiss and hug her so she would feel better, even if she did shed a tear. While we waited for the Physician Assistant (PA) to come in and pierce her ears, Emma happily took a few "selfies" with my phone.
I'm sure she would have preferred to read a Dr. Seuss book, but she loves looking at herself in the front camera on my phone and I wanted to have the camera ready to capture the experience. When the PA arrived, armed and ready, it was time to measure... Twice. At this point, Emma got quiet and started to really analyze what this nice lady was here to see her for. Most of the time, the people she meets at doctors' offices are not THAT interested in her ear lobes.
Then came this white tool that went on her ear lobe. We were singing and clapping together (keeping her hands busy) while the lady drew dots on her ear lobes, but now I had to hold her still.
With a slight look of uncertainty, she jumped at the loud click sound the piercing gun made when it pushed the earring through her ear lobe.
After the surprise from the sound was gone, she noticed how her ear felt and... I cried.
Her face broke my heart and I did my best to comfort her. She stopped in a couple seconds and we started singing again. The PA asked if we were ready to go for the other ear or if she needed more time. I'm a firm believer in ripping a band-aid off in one fast jerk, so since she hadn't shed a tear and was back to singing, we proceeded. Emma, again, began to look cautiously at her as the PA got ready to pierce her other ear.
Again, I held her head to keep her from moving and kept her hands away from her ear. She didn't fight this time (she does not like to have her arms/legs restrained), and then the second loud click came. Startled again, she reacted again to the feeling in her ear and I cried a little more.
At this point, we both needed a big hug so I turned her around and picked her up. I was relieved that she had done so well, but it still hurt to see her upset. She didn't touch her ears or seem to have any issues the rest of the day, and even napped well.
We cleaned her ear lobes in her bath, and while I could tell they were a little tender, she let me wash them and turn her earrings without trying to stop me or keep me away from them.
After dinner, she got to read four Dr. Seuss books with Mommy before bed. Then, there was some snuggle time while watching a little bit of The Voice. After that, it was past her bed time and I put her down. And now it's time for Mommy to crawl into her bed.
