Another round of shots

At 8:30 this morning Alea had her latest round of immunizations and was such a little trooper.  At this age you look at them smiling and playing and say to yourself,  she has no idea what is about to happen, hence the look of surprise after the first one goes in.  She had one shot in each thigh and only cried for a short minute after the second one.  This cry, which comes after some bout with pain, is always the most heartbreaking.  It sounds different than any other cry.  It's funny, as a mother you learn to translate each cry and tend to the child's needs accordingly.  If they cry for a diaper change, you change it.  If they cry for a bottle, you feed them.  If they are lonely, you stay close.  This form of communication can be very powerful if you know what to listen for.  The cry that comes after an accidental fall or in Alea's case a very necessary shot (or jab as the Brit's say), speaks very loudly to my most basic motherly instinct to hold her close and comfort her as best I can.  After a little hugging and a kiss on the cheek, she was back to her old self and even smiled and waved good-bye to the nurse.  What a little trooper.