...fight or flight...

I have a very typically shy and calm 7 year old.  There is not a lot that gets her worked up except she readily admits that she does not know how to tease, and can't handle it.  She is very smart and knows and uses words that I don't think any 7 year old should know.  When we are alone together (without the 4 year old) it's almost like hanging out with your best friend.  It is quite possibly the most amazing thing, to "hang out" with your daughter.  (When paired with her sister, however, she is silly, loud, crazy, annoying...)

She is 48 pounds.  She has great manners.  She is kind.  She would not do anything to intentionally hurt anyone else's body or feelings.

Come at her with a throat swab though, and watch the heck out.  Because the 48 pounds of sweetness turns in to the Incredible Hulk.  And I am NOT exaggerating!!!

It all started earlier this week with a complaint of a sore throat.  But, there were no other symptoms and she has been acting fine.  This lasted 3 days.  Until yesterday, when her throat "really" hurt, but she had  just come in from playing in the snow, so if it hurt too bad, she wouldn't have been outside playing, right??  But, no.  Because when I went to kiss her, she was hot.  Like, really hot.  So I took her temperature.  102.  WHAT???  How did I not know?  How long had she had a fever?  I AM A HORRIBLE MOTHER!!!  WHY DIDN'T I LISTEN TO HER???

So, I immediately went to the medicine cabinet and found not one, not two, not three, but FOUR bottles of EXPIRED Tylenol and Ibuprofen.  And did I mention that the state was in a State of Emergency and no one is supposed to be on the roads unless it is an emergency?  Oh, and we live in the country and our roads are typically horrible...so, yeah.

So, I called my friend, asked what she would do, and proceeded to give my daughter alternating doses of expired medicine to bring her fever down, with a promise to call the pediatrician as soon as it opened in the morning.  (I did try to call the office, but they had shut down early due to weather and I did not think it was an emergency enough to call the exchange...)

We got in quickly and went through her vitals and the nurses brought out the swabs.  And that is when all hell broke loose.  My calm daughter turned in to a kicking, screaming, hitting maniac!  So much, that our pediatrician (who we LOVE and think the world of) came in...from the next room...to give my girl a little lecture on not hitting or kicking the nurses.  AWESOME!  And then, we proceeded to try again for the test.

It looked a little something like this...  I was sitting on the table, M was between my legs.  My legs were wrapped around hers, my arms were wrapped around hers.  The doctor was completely wrapped around me to hold Merrick's head still, while one nurse opened her mouth with that wooden thing so the other could swab the back of her throat.  It took four adults to get one throat swab from a 7 year old.  And it made me sweat.  Like, a lot.

She was freaking scared and I had to hold her tight afterwards while she cried and told me why she went crazy...she was afraid she would swallow the sticks.  I mean, think about it.  Someone coming at you with really long cotton swabs in your mouth and it feels like they are sticking them down your throat!  It scares me too.  But at least I know I won't swallow them.

My girls definitely has some fight in her.  Which I kind of like.  Because I know that if someone ever tries to hurt her, she will most assuredly give them a run for their money.

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