She's growing up...

I knew from the moment I had my daughters that I would absolutely not be one of those moms that pierce their infant's ears.  I think it is mean because you can not explain and make them understand when they are so young.  They have no idea what is going on except, OUCH!  Also, the ears will grow.  What will you do when your tiny baby's perfectly centered earrings are now totally off center on her big girl ears?  Never mind the fact that babies are always grabbing their ears anyway.  That's infection and ouchies waiting to happen!  I have always stuck to the idea that my girls can get their ears pierced when they are old enough to want them pierced.

About a month or so ago, Jaden started taking interest in earrings.  One of the girls at daycare has earrings and Jaden would talk about them a lot.  She would also take interest in all of my big, obnoxious earrings and make comments about how she wants earrings.  At our last visit to the pediatrician, I noticed a sign stating that they now do ear piercing!  Perfect!  I would much rather have her ears pierced at a sterile doctor's office than at the mall by the guy that just finished his Taco Bell dinner.  I made the appointment.

As the weeks passed, I talked to Jaden a lot about what happens when you get your ears pierced.  She asked me if it would hurt and I told her that yes, it would hurt for just a little bit and then it would feel better!  I didn't want to sugar-coat it at all.  I wanted her to go in and expect a little bit of pain because if I told her that it wouldn't hurt, I would be breaking trust with her.  We talked about how it would hurt two times; one for each ear.  We also talked about how she had to sit very still.  She told me she was going to be a brave girl.

Sunday night came around and Jaden and I were getting so excited for her appointment the next afternoon!  She couldn't wait to tell her friends that she was going to get he ears pierced!  When I went in to check on her in bed that night, Jaden told me that she didn't want to get her ears pierced anymore.  She said that she didn't want it to hurt.  I sat with her and talked again about how it would be a sharp pinch just for a second and then it would be ok.  I told her that if she wasn't ready, we could just go another day.  I wanted this to be a fun time for her, not scary.  Jaden told me, "Mom, I want to be brave but sometimes brave people cry just a little bit, right?" 

The excitement was back at a smiling, squealing level on Monday morning!  She was so excited to get her ears pierced!  I told her that I would come pick her up at 3:00. 

The time came for me to pick her up and she was all smiles!  We headed to the pediatrician...

Jaden got to pick out her own earrings.  She got to choose from gold balls, silver balls, gold diamonds, or silver diamonds.  She picked the "silver ones with the jewels!"

The nurse came in to clean her ear lobes and told her that she had the perfect lobes for earrings!

Then the doctor came in and they each grabbed a gun.  Jaden grabbed Tweety and helped them count to three!

She was SO BRAVE!  She cried just a tiny bit but it was a brave cry :o)  I am so proud of her!  She looks just like a princess with her jewels in her ears!

Jaden told me, "It just hurt for a little bit and then it was all better!"  She let me clean and turn them last night with no problem. 

When I went in to check on her before I went to bed last night, I just stopped for a little while longer to look at my baby with her earrings.  I came out of her room and Mike was in the hallway looking at photos.  I stopped next to him and he pointed at a photo of Jaden at 5 months old.  "Now she has her ears pierced," we said at the same time.