Abby's Blood Test

Abby had her 18-month well baby visit yesterday (a month late, but with moving and all, we were just lucky to get one in.) She weighed in at 24 lbs and was 32 inches tall. It's kind of funny that she started out her life in the 95th percentile for both height and weight (9 lbs 4 oz, 21 inches long), but since about 4 months, she continues to hover right around the 30-35th percentile. She's super-duper healthy and right on target or ahead on all of her developmental milestones. She also didn't need to get any vaccinations. They said her next ones will be during her two-year appointment. I was kind of relieved that they weren't going to be sticking any needles in her this time, but then they told me that we would have to get some lab work done in order to check her hemoglobin levels as well as check for lead amounts in her bloodstream. I guess this is kind of standard for many doctors now with all of the lead-infected toys that have been recalled lately.

We headed over to the lab as soon as her appointment was over and Abby did really well in the waiting room. Right before we were called back though, she fell off her chair, so she was a little upset before we even got to the room where they would be performing the test. They had four different people attempt to take her blood and had to use both arms (couldn't find a workable vein using the first arm). It was so torturuous for both Abby and I (she was screaming "Mommy" the whole time) and by the end of the ordeal we were both sobbing for the agony to stop. I kept praying that they would be able to find her vein and after what seemed like an eternity, it was a relief to see that red blood finally enter the little vial that they needed to fill. Abby recovered quickly and was fine by the time that we walked out of the lab.

Last night, as I lay thinking about the whole lab ordeal, I came to the realization that perhaps to some small degree, I can understand a bit better what our Heavenly Father must have been going through when he watched His only Begotten Son suffer both in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross at Calvary. Most of the time when I think of the Atonement, I focus my attention on the sacrifice of our Savior, but last night, maybe for the first time in my life, I received a glimpse into what our Heavenly Father must have felt as he watched his Son in agony, calling out to Him, "Daddy." I'm sure it took every ounce of strength that he had in order to not succumb to the natural parental instincts that he must have felt and help His Son during this most difficult time. I guess I gained a greater understanding of the sacrifice that our Heavenly Father made to allow the glorious and infinite atonement to come to pass.