Last spring and summer when I was making an average of two trips a week (and sometimes more) to the fertility clinic, Ella almost always came with me. Even though she had just barely turned two, she was familiar enough with the routine that she knew which buttons to push on the elevator when we got there and that she had to sit very still on my lap while one of the nurses drew my blood. Every time we were brought back to an exam room, Ella told me where to put my shoes and even pulled down the stirrups on the exam table for me.
Since I got pregnant, she has also been accompanying me to most of my OB visits. She weighs herself at each appointment after I get weighed, and at home she often imitates the doctor by measuring my belly with a tape measure or pretending to listen to the baby's heartbeat with whatever toy she thinks looks most like a fetal doppler that day. (Today she "checked my belly" with a toy syringe, a dog bone, and a can of dog food from her doggie vet kit.)
Well, last Thursday morning, Ella was in the bathtub playing with the cap to my shave gel. I had my back to her and when I turned around a minute later, I saw her holding the cap very intently between her legs. At first I was confused, and then it dawned on me. Yep, the cap was the right size and shape...Ella was attempting to pee in a cup.
I think it is a good thing that pretty soon we won't be having to make quite so many trips to the doctor.
