Hello everyone!

I have posted on this subject before but since there are always new people arriving daily I thought I would post again.

Today I took my daughter who has SWCAH and is 8 and ONE HALF, (gotta add that) to get her blood drawn today. We use EMLA cream still. I think she could take the blood draw now that she is older but heck, why feel the stick if you don’t have to? So we walked in, got her blood drawn and walked out. Now you are all probably thinking, "Gee Laura, that is something exciting to post about."  But it is. Let me take you back to a time when I would agonize the night before about taking my daughter to have blood work done. It wasn’t pretty. I would be stressed just knowing she would be stressed the next day. When she was like three, (we call it the B.E. era "Before Emla"-the time before we discovered EMLA cream), we would get off the elevator and she would instantly crawl up my body because she knew it was the floor to have her blood work done on. She would beg the receptionist to the lab tech to pweeese not have her a "shot"with her sweet blue eyes and blonde hair. I would fight my own tears back and reasurre her it was something that had to be done to make sure she would be healthy, and soon it would be over. Some days she would sob, snot, gag and turn red. Some days she would just cry until she got her sticker. It was never easy and I can remember afterward walking through the hospital thinking I would never see a day blood work would be easy. Well here I am today. Although it has been a while since I saw some tears, NEVER do I take these quiet, calm blood draws for granted. I thank God for every one of them. What we also did for these blood draw days was make it a fun day. Like a distraction. I would say, "We are going to see the ding balls in the lobby (this huge maze of balls that hit bells and blocks to make sound) and ride the glass elevators, and go to the gift shop for a goody after we are done with your blood draws." This would help SO much to keep her focus on the afterward instead of the blood draw. It would get her through those days.

But to get back to the purpose of my post. For all you parents that have to help hold down your screaming, red faced infant, toddler, or child for blood work know, the day WILL come. Not that it makes todays blood draws easier, but let this post serve as a silver lining to those days.  You WILL witness a day like mine today with your own child and you will smile a grateful smile. and always remember-"This too shall pass"