6th month checkup

Ben went to the doctor's today for his 6th month checkup. Our appointment was at 8:45, and, after making a stop for McGriddles, we arrived 10 minutes early. We watched baby after baby go in before us until, about 40 minutes later, we approached the window and asked them what was going on. Annoyed, the receptionist shuffled through papers until she found Benjamin's slip. Her attitude instantly changed. "I'm sorry," she said. "We had a mix-up. Next time, come up to the window and tell us." I wanted to reply, "Yeah, because you all are so damn approachable," but the receptionist, as usual, would not even look me in the eye. I realized that it wasn't worth it. About twenty minutes later, and one hour into Ben's usual nap time, Ben started flipping out. He threw his pacifier on the ground and squirmed in my arms. He let out a few of his new shrieks he's been working on. The only thing that would calm him down was holding him like a newborn baby, so me and Ryan took turns holding him like this, which looks ridiculous because he is massive. We struck up a conversation with a lady in the waiting room who'd had the same (horrible) doctor that I had, whose name happens to be Dr. Racine at Redlands Community Hospital. She told me about how Dr. R made fun of her when she couldn't walk, and I told her about the time that jokester tried to make me induce labor so it would fit into his schedule and how he made fun of the noise I was making WHEN I HAD A BABY'S HEAD STUCK IN MY VAGINA. Another lady with three kids turned around and said, "Yeah, I had him, too." Sometimes I feel isolated because I don't have any friends my age who have babies, and it felt good to commiserate with these women. We finally were called into the back and Ben was weighed (19 lbs, 14 oz.) and measured (28 in.). He likes the sound of the tissue paper on the patient bed, so he was temporarily satisfied. I tried feeding him, and he ate, but then spit up a bunch on my arm. His eyes started getting that crazy look he gets when he doesn't sleep, and I hoped this would all be over soon. I told the doctor that I felt a molar growing, but she didn't believe me and said she'd never seen that in her years of doctorhood. I swear I feel an edge, and my mother-in-law does too, so we'll see what happens. Maybe Ben's an anomaly. She also advised us to stop his 3 o'clock feeding, so tonight we will try it. I have a funny feeling that won't go over too well. After the doctor left, we had to wait another 30 minutes for the nurses to give him his shots. I had to pin him down so they could get a good angle in his little baby thighs, and his face instantly turned red. He cried and looked into my eyes as if I had betrayed him. But a minute later, he forgot what had happened and we were finally on our way. When we got home, I held him in my arms and sang him the Carousel song by Joni Mitchell. He grabbed my finger and touched it to his cheek and closed his eyes, falling asleep in my arms. I gently placed him in his crib, and he sighed and nuzzled against the mattress.