For months we’ve been trying to get to the doctor’s for flu shots… the problem with nine people in a household is the propensity for colds and flu’s to rotate through the nine unwilling but easily available hosts. As the last colds disappeared we quickly planned our doctor’s visit before any other bugs settled into our household. Today we (eight of us – Tess is still away) marched off to the clinic for a flu shot.

At our last check-up the Queen Mary doctors recommended a round of flu shots. Apparently the flu bug has made unseasonable resurgence in Hong Kong. I’ve had this shot twice before. I was sold… both times I remained well for the entire year.

In November Tess wrote about the doctor – let’s call him Dr. T – who administered today’s inoculations. If you recall, during a visit with Jasper, Dr. T tentatively asked about the other two triplets. Upon hearing they were well (and perhaps more precisely alive – he knew about their prematurity from Jasper’s case history) Dr. T exclaimed, “Wonderful! Fantastic!” He then suggested we all get flu shots – “as a celebration, possibly,” Tess wrote at the time. I laughed when Tess replayed the conversation to me; therefore, I decided to give him The Flu Shot business. I am not sure insurance will cover the shot, but to keep everyone well I am willing to pay.

We must have looked like quite the crowd descending on Dr. T’s office. Dr. T is known as the medical authority on premature babies outside of the top NICU hospital doctors. But, this clinic is not quite ready to take eight patients in a fifteen-minute slot when other patients are packed in on either side of that slot. (I doubt that’s the clinic’s fault either, says Dad who whispered when booking the appointment, "That’s right, just a flu shot for the eight of us. We’ll be quick!")  The doctor was super quick, completing the shots in record time, but the clinic had regular patients packed in back-to-back. The secretaries felt the load!

The visit provided for some mild entertainment. First, there was the reaction of each patient to the injection and second, the reaction of the people to each patient’s reaction to the injection. Sweet indeed.

Sebastian was extremely brave until he realised the time had come to administer the medicine with Dad first in line. This involved yours truly leaving Sebastian – the doctor want to jab all the adults first. Sebastian didn’t like the idea of me leaving so I took him with me into the doctor’s office.

Dr. T has a terrific view of Hong Kong harbour. A distracted Seb watched the boats as Lita and I each received The Shot in our arms – completely painless. Then Dr. T advised me to pick-up Seb while still watching the boats. All three of us (nurse, Lita and Dad) coaxed Seb. “Ah Sebastian look at all the boats… how many boats Sebastian… what colour are the boats… I spy with my little eye something that floats…” Sebastian answered our questions and bantered on in his sweet voice, providing an endearing commentary of the harbour UNTIL… suddenly he realised this was a ruse for activity focused on his rump.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Two fruitellas later (about ten seconds) and the crying stopped. Sebastian, earlier quite shy towards Dr. T, even mustered up a High Five. We left the room. Mila and De followed for their shots. I carried Sebastian across the waiting room. All eyes fell on him with expressions of, “Oh poor dear, how cute… etc.” The babies were next…

From two rooms away I could tell precisely when Sela received her injection. Sela was FURIOUS that her perfect life had been interrupted by this sharp, painful jab. This baby was very, VERY angry until Lita gave her a glass of water to drink. The Waiting Room Audience chuckled at Sela’s wicked anger. (I am bracing myself for Sela’s teenage years!) The other two were quiet until exiting the doctor’s office. Carys sobbed, huge tears welling up in her eyes and down her cheeks in waves. The Waiting Room Audience could not help but smile at Carys’ pitiful drama. Yes, Carys is adorable and sweet, but wow what a drama queen.

The best reaction of all was Jasper. Post jab, Mr. JJ came waltzing across the Waiting Room floor intoxicated with smiles. (I thought to myself, “You DID give him the Flu Shot, not something else, Dr. T?” The Waiting Room Audience smiled back, firmly under the influence of Jasper’s cheek-to-cheek grin. Jasper lodged not one single grievance from the flu shot. This truly amazed the Waiting Room Audience and me, too, until I figured out why… we’re talking Jasper here… Jasper the Gorger, who doctors believe is now catching up to his true age in growth… Jasper’s big fat bum had saved the day and he couldn’t be happier.

Sebastian and I are off to the airport to pick-up the lovely and talented Tess. Bye!