"Mom, what are we doing here?"

Were the first apprehensive words out of the Girl's mouth as we pulled into the parking lot at her pediatrician's office yesterday morning. I told her that we we were there for her three-year check-up and also mentioned that the doctor was going to take her stitches out. Bad move on my part as it became quite obvious that she was ready to keep those stitches in for the rest of her life. While we were in the waiting room I tried to reassure her that she wasn't going to get any shots and that getting her stitches removed would not hurt. Unfortunately, she didn't believe me and an hour later we left the doctor's office without stitches but only after a half hour ordeal which involved a lot of very loud screaming, one legitimate trip to the bathroom, another trip to the bathroom which was only a stalling tactic and the use of a papoose board to restrain the Girl in addition to myself and three nurses holding her down and as still as possible so that the doctor could remove the sutures. Oh, and I unintentionally lied as she ended up having to get the 2nd dose of her Hepatitis A vaccine, a fact which she immediately pointed out as soon as we were in the car, "You said I didn't have to get a shot!"