I Heart Our Pediatrician - Part 2

OK, so you know I love our pediatrician. I think I made that clear in Part 1.  Here are some of the actual reasons why I think he is a great doctor (Aside from the vast medical knowledge.)

1. He has a fantastically caring personality.
2. He doesn't rush in and out of the appointment's. He takes time for each patient and their crazy parents.
3. He is not judgmental about whatever style or method of parenting you have chosen and makes you feel good about your choices. I can go in there feeling like a parenting failure and by the time I leave confident that I am doing the right things.
4. He will do whatever it takes to make you and your child comfortable and safe. (Doctors visits can be scary to a child!)

It is this last point that leads me to today's story: Honeybee's 2 year check-up.

We were doing fine until I put Honeybee down on the table.  The familiar crinkle of the paper set her into a frenzy.  She knew that papered table means doctor and doctor means shots! Unfortunately because we have an old house,  at her last 2 appointments she had to be tested for lead which is worse than a just a  normal shot.  

She fought me to get undressed and fought the nurse to measure her height and head circumference. We didn't manage to get weighed because she flat out refused to leave my arms.   She was still clinging to me when Dr. Awesome came in a few minutes later. The second she saw him, the crying resumed. 

"Hello, How are you?" Dr. Awsome said to her "Oh, not good?" He had closed the door and was standing in the farthest corner of the room from us. "OK, the bad man is going to stay over here- far away from you" I think I let out a bit of a laugh at this point. Dr. Awesome is the farthest from being a "Bad Man" that there is!  He spoke to Honeybee softy and with his head down a bit, kind of slouching.  It reminded me of  something I was reading about if you encounter ( i think it was) a bear, that you don't look it in the eye and you look down so that you don't appear to be a threat to it or challenging the bear's authority. 

Anyway, Honeybee stopped crying after a few minutes but was still hanging onto me. I could have let go and she would have been stuck to me like a koala!  Dr. Awesome, to a step towards us. Honeybee let out a whine. He stepped back. 

What he did  next I never would have expected.  He walked over to the window (slowly and narrating his movements to Honeybee the whole time) and pulled the curtain panel over himself. He was now completely hidden behind a (very stylish- not the hospital type) curtain panel. He proceeded to conduct most of the exam from there peeking out only as necessary.  Now, how many doctors would go to those lengths?  From what I hear of other pediatricians not all that many.

He finally had to come out of hiding and finish the exam but by this time she had calmed down considerable and let him check her ears and heartbeat and such.

Then, after we discussed her picky eating habits,  he said to her (which I loved) " So, I usually encourage you to do challenging things but torturing your mommy- That is just too easy!  How about we try some vegetables this time?"

I hope he doesn't plan on retiring in the next 16 years!