I haven't told you about Piper's first Halloween, have I? October 31 was a day that tested my patience and, ironically, my daughter was a patient. OK.
We scheduled her two month checkup for that day looking forward to how our pediatrician would dress up, forgetting that this checkup entailed four shots. One, two, three, FOUR shots into Piper's chunkilicious thighs. FOUR. We become mildly amused with our doctor's choice of costume, the tooth fairy, pictured below. (Can you believe this guy is voted year after year as one of the top Seattle physicians?) Of course, we revel in the fact that he praises our parenting skills and the fact that our daughter is absolutely perfect. A trait he takes 100% credit for, by the way. And then come the shots. Did I mention how many she got? No? It was FOUR. Piper did surprisingly well with the pokes while I turned away, freaking inside from all those needles. Passing out moments later, Piper slept well into the afternoon.
And then she woke up.
Realizing what had happened to her, she vented her frustrations by screaming at her highest pitch for TWO HOURS. Two hours of non stop, blood curdling screams. Now, all you parents out there with colicky or unsettling babies, I feel for you. I know you have no sympathy for the couple of hours I had to endure Piper's wails, but maybe you will feel bad when I tell it prevented us from trick or treating! We didn't get to attend our neighbor's Halloween party, nor did we get to answer the door, plop chocolates in bags and admire costumes. Instead, I put a note on the door requesting kids take ONE chocolate from the jack-o-lantern bucket on the porch only to learn later that the one derelict neighbor kid stole the entire thing and one of my neighbors chased him down. Nice.
Oh, and me as a perfect parent? Not a drop of infant pain reliever in the house, so I had to beg my friend Carrie to run out and get me some. Carrie was only hosting the Halloween party, so she had to call her mother to run to the store for me and her mom was so worried about the baby, she ended up locking her keys in her car while at the drug store! (I still feel bad about all that, Carrie! And I promise to pay you back, really!!!). Yeah, you read that right- I haven't even paid her for saving my sanity from all the screaming. Perfect parent *and* friend. That's me!
So, for me and the Pipes, our Halloween was a bust. At least Darian scored some Whoppers for me to drown my sorrows in.
