Pierced Ears!

We've been meaning to take Abigail to get her ears pierced before I go back to work, so yesterday, we did!  I know every one has their own opinions about having a baby's ears pierced, but in my family, it's pretty much a tradition that baby girls get their ears pierced when they are just a few months old.  When Michael and I talked about whether or not we should get Abigail's ears pierced, we agreed that we wanted to get her ears pierced while she is young so that she is too young to be scared or worried about what's coming, and young enough so that she won't remember it.  I got my ears pierced in the same doctor's appointment as when I got my first shots when I was just 2 months old.  Thinking about it now, if I hadn't gotten my ears pierced as a baby, as pretty as I think it is to be able to wear earrings, I'd be too scared to go get my ears pierced.  That's why I'm thankful my mom got mine done when I was young.

For Abigail, we just wanted to make sure we got her ears pierced after she received her first shots, and that she gets them done at a time while I'm home with her just in case she's in any pain or anything.  Surprisingly, though, it was a lot easier than how we originally thought it was going to be like. We had asked Abbie's doctor about how to go about getting her ears pierced, and she recommended that we take her to the mall, because that's where she had gotten her daughter's ears pierced when she was also a baby.  We took her to Claire's at the Cerritos Mall.  They apparently do this all the time because in fact, there was a line of people waiting to get their ears pierced.  We were first in line and the lady who was going to do it totally put us at ease.  While she was setting up, I saw that the people behind us in line had 2 daughters (around age 7 or 8) who were going to get their ears pierced.  The whole time they were waiting, the girls were crying and telling their mom that they were scared and didn't want to get it done anymore.  Seeing that reminded me of why I wanted to get Abbie's done now while she was young.

Anyways, it took just a minute, and it was done!  Michael sat in the chair and held Abigail while the lady pierced her ears.  It made me a little sad at first because the baby was so happy, looking around and smiling-- totally unsuspecting.  Her ears were pierced one at a time, but within seconds of each other.  She cried, but as soon as I picked her up and held her, she was fine.  By the time we paid and walked out of the store, she was already smiling again.  :)

Here's a video of her ears getting pierced:

I agree with my friend who said that it's more traumatizing for the parents.  I think I cried just as much as Abigail did, but only because I was so scared for her.  That's why I felt so happy to see how lively and animated she was for the rest of the day.  I gave her some baby Tylenol afterwards, just in case, but she really was fine.  Better than fine, actually.  She was her same happy little self.  :)  Even later that night, and even this morning when I was putting on the cleaner they told me to use on her ears and earrings, she's smiling and happy.

Here are some pictures from right afterwards: