Afternoon in the Life: A Trip to the Pediatrician | Staten Island, NY | Documentary Family Photography

In those early years with our little ones, we as parents are often consumed with questions about how our children our growing and developing. Are they eating enough vegetables? Drinking enough milk? Getting enough sleep? Will they EVER stop teething? (The answer to this one is, not soon enough.)

April turned 18 months old recently, so armed with my camera and my list of questions, we made our way to her scheduled checkup at our pediatrician's office. (We've trusted the doctors at Premier Pediatrics with our kids for almost five years now, and we wouldn't take our kids anywhere else, they're amazing!)

We arrived on time and found a seat.

It's all fun and games in the waiting room. Because we're goofballs.

In the waiting room at Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island, NY, Family Photojournalism.
Waiting to be called in at Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island, NY, Family Photography
Family photo in the waiting room at Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island, NY, Documentary Photography

Once we're called in, April knows something's up, and she does not like it. We spend the rest of the visit trying to console her, and explain to her that she's ok, and this is all for her own good. It turns out 18 month olds do not understand this logic.

Getting weighed at Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island, NY, Family Documentary Photography
Trying to escape getting weighed, Documentary Family Photography at Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island, New York
Checking baby's height at Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island New York Family Photography
Baby crying at the Pediatrician, Staten Island, NY, Family Photojournalism
Getting baby's ears checked at the doctor, Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island, New York

Soon the exam was over, and everything looked great. April is a healthy height and weight, albeit a little on the small side. And she calmed down once it was all over and she was back in dad's arms.

Dad and baby at the doctor, Premier Pediatrics, Staten Island, NY, Documentary Family Photography

You might be wondering, why would I would choose to document all this crying? The simple answer is, because this is part of our life right now. It's a documentation of parenting, which includes the good, the bad, and everything in between. Maybe one day, April will have children of her own. And when she experiences something very similar in her own parenting journey, I can show her these photos, and she can find comfort in knowing that even though time passes, some things never change.