Toddler Milestones on a Friday

I took my son for his 18-month vaccination last Friday. I was nervous about the appointment because at his 12-month vaccination, the nurse warned us that this one would involve three needles. He’s a lot more aware of what’s going on around him now, so I was worried that this visit might be a little traumatising for both of us.

As we sat in the waiting room, I noticed how empty it was. When I was a child, there were always toys to play with. Then I thought about it and realised: who would want their child playing with toys that had been sitting in a room full of sick people? It’s probably a good thing most doctor’s surgeries have removed the toys from their waiting rooms.

The doctor called us in and performed a thorough check, which involved taking his temperature and waving a stethoscope in his general direction before walking out and leaving us in the capable hands of the nurse.

The nurse chatted with us while she prepared everything, which helped me take my mind off the situation. We joked about her missing pen and how people always steal the good ones.

Then it was time.

She pulled a sticker sheet with sea creatures out of her drawer and handed it to him. This was really helpful as we have recently been talking about different sea animals, so I was able to point out the ones he recognised, which helped keep him busy.

She administered the first vaccination to his upper thigh and although he cried for a second, it was nowhere near as dramatic as I had expected.

We continued chatting about the stickers while she gave the other two injections, one in his other thigh and one in an arm. Each time he cried a little, but quickly got over it.

I was so relieved that vaccination time was over again… at least for a few months.

After that, I was due for a vital caffeine hit. I’d decided as a treat, I would buy him a babyccino. I’ve only had one babyccino experience and it was so terrible, I hadn’t been game enough to try again. I bought him one on his first birthday and the café staff brought it out in a glass, on a ceramic saucer.

I’m sorry, do they not understand the “baby” in babyccino means a young, small human who hasn’t quite grasped the concept of not throwing cups and plates yet?

Thankfully, this café seemed to know what babies were. They brought the babyccino out in a small takeaway cup. It even had a lid and a straw!

As I handed it to him, he instantly pulled the lid off, and I thought we were about to have a huge mess on our hands. I quickly got the lid back on and showed him how to drink it by mimicking drinking from the straw.

I handed the cup back to him, and he took a long, satisfying sip with a big smile on his face. I think it’s safe to say he loved the babyccino. Once he was done, he kept saying, “More please.”

I managed to keep him busy with snacks while I finished my coffee.

Then it was time for our usual Friday morning Rhyme Time session. We walked across the road to the library, and as we entered, he started clapping and saying, “Yay,” clearly recognising what was about to happen.

I parked our pram in the special “Pram Parking” zone and got him out. We were one of the first people there, so he had plenty of room to run around before it started. Instead, he ran right up to the front where the TV screen displayed the words to the songs. He kept saying, “Singing, singing,” and he sat himself down in front of the screen, eagerly awaiting Rhyme Time.

It was at this point I had one of those bittersweet parenting moments.

Despite the vaccinations, I’d had a wonderful morning out with my little boy. And even though he’s still my 18-month-old baby, he’s growing up so quickly.

I felt proud, happy, and sad all at the same time.