H1N1 Shots

Today the girls and I went for our H1N1 shots. The shots have been available for a few weeks now, so the big lineups have waned and we only had to wait for a few minutes to register. The girls were both pretty chipper about getting their shots, but I was a little nervous. Most of the people I've talked to about it said it hurt like crazy and kept hurting for days. The nurse said I should go first because the girls would cry, but I was all, "My kids won't cry! You don't know my kids!"

Delphine kept assuring me it wouldn't hurt, and indeed, despite my fears, the injection hardly hurt at all. It's a little achy now (four hours later) but nothing like I expected. (I wonder if that's because I had what I suspect was H1N1 last week?)

Then it was Delphine's turn. The nurse had me hold her legs between my legs and pin down her arm, which seemed excessive. The needle went in and Delphine started to cry. "That hurt!" She kept crying for a little while, just enough time to worry Cordelia, then she pulled herself together and it was Cordelia's turn.

Cordelia came up on my knee without hesitation, took off her shirt and made a show of leaving it stuck on her head like hair, but when the time came for me to hold her still she freaked out. I really did have to clamp her down and she still managed a little wiggle while the needle was in her. Then she had a good howl, no doubt freaking out all the other kids in the room. She got a band-aid ("Band-aid!", she sobbed) and then settled down.

Since the shot, Delphine has been fine and Cordelia has been a little whiny. She had mostly forgotten about the shot until she changed into her pajamas and seeing the bandaid reminded her, so she affected a Quasimodo lurch and moaned, "When I put clothes over my flu shot it hurts!" Awww. Then I let her brush her own teeth and she forgot about it again.

Tomorrow Blake's going to get the shot, and we will have a 100% household herd immunity rate. Hooray! And then just two months until seasonal flu shots.