Mini Me

Anna burst into tears when I picked her up from school Monday because her throat hurt so badly. When I asked her why she didn't ask to go see the school nurse, she said, "There wasn't time. I wanted to get all my work done!"

I was able to get her into the pediatrician's office, and her strep test was negative - yea! But that means its a virus; nothing to do but wait it out. Her throat hurt worse on Tuesday morning, and soon she was weepy at the thought of going to school. Since Anthony was out of town, there was only one choice... go to work with me.

This isn't such a bad option. First of all, my work is pretty friendly to this situation. Its easier to deal with a kid than to cover an entire missing doctor's schedule. If she wasn't febrile, she wasn't contagious (according to the ped's office). Plus, Anna is very self sufficient. She packed herself a bag of notebooks, chapter books, and a DVD while I walked Colin to the bus stop.

Most of the time, though, Anna watched me in surgery. I'd be happy if she stayed at my desk and took it easy, but she kept asking what she could do to help. She held a lip out of the way while I pulled some teeth, cut a few sutures after I tied them, put lube in an anesthetized cat's eye, and comforted animals a lot. While my technician Luis was recovering a patient, she plopped down of the floor next to him and lounged in the cage, helping monitor the golden retriever's recovery. She was a little grossed out by rectal temperatures, anal glands, and blood in general, but overall she amazes me.

On the drive home she was pretty tired, and in the evening whining a lot about her painful throat. She stayed at home with me again today (I was off), but tomorrow I think it will be back to 3rd grade learning.