deep breaths

Mid April Katie had to get some shots to be registered for kindergarten. I was really concerned about how she'd do; a couple days earlier she had a mini tantrum when she was bit by an ant. I was sure that her shots were going to be just as traumatic.

The night before (as I was tucking her in) I broke the news that she was going to have to get shots the next day. Her response: "I think they're going to tickle."

We'll see about that, I thought.

The next day we went in and I could tell she was nervous, but she held it together very well. Right before the Dr. administered the first blow, she told Katie that it would help if she took deep breaths and blew out all the air when the Dr. told her to.

She did so good, there wasn't a single tear or even a little yelp. I was so impressed. I couldn't get over the difference of the two circumstances. I asked her how she was able to be so brave and she said "I just took deep breaths."

I learned from Katie that day that there are going to be painful things that we can't avoid in life. I am still trying to be brave when facing those challenges, but now I have a new weapon in my arsenal: deep breaths.

I used deep breaths when in the hospital waiting to get the show on the road. I was really nervous that morning, so I asked Steve and my dad to help out with a priesthood blessing. That helped quite a bit, and paired with breathing deeply, I felt like everything was going to be ok no matter what happened.

picture of Camilla taken by Mariana the day after she was born

Ironically, I have also used this handy new tool when dealing with Katie issues since then. It's amazing what I have learned from her. It's like she said "Mom, this is how you can deal with me." She's a great kid any way, but she is still a kid-we all have our moments don't we?