#BoetObi's Diary: visiting pediatrics in NYC ...

As we moved in to NYC in May,. tons of adjustments have to be done
Well, that's for sure...
And that includes the kids' schools...

Waktu kami pindah di awal bulan Mei, Bo baru saja menyelesaikan ujian tengah semester. Agak tricky juga sih, soalnya itu artinya kami akan berangkat dan pindah sebelum Bo menyelesaikan kelas 1nya di SDN 01 Cipinang alias SD Kuda Laut.

Sayang memang, tapi apa hendak dikata, tugas tidak bisa menunggu dan berangkat duluan terpisah dari suami dan anak-anak juga bukan pilihan ideal. So akhirnya, kami pun berangkat berbekal raport tengah semester. Setelah mengecek laman sekolah umum di NY, daftar dokumen yang perlu dipenuhi untuk pendaftaran murid baru pun kami dapat. Salah satunya adalah kartu imunisasi.

Well, complete record of immunization is one of the prerequisites to register for school here in NY City.

We had the same requirements when we enrolled Bo in his Jardin d'enfants back there in Geneve, Switzerland.

But this time, we have Bo et Obi.

Well, it's not that complicated or confusing if the list of obliged and supplementary  immunization lists in every country is the same. But it is only natural that the lists might be distinguished from one another as every country faces different risks in term of communicable diseases.Not to mention different weather and other geographical factors.

For Bo, it was a bit complicated as he has 3 immunization cards.
Yuuup...three cards :)

welcoming Bo to the world...

One set from Melbourne, Australia, when he was born. Such a brief period but important phase of developing his immune system

One from Jakarta, where he stayed till 10 months and finally one from Geneve, where he spent most of his childhood. I feel like I start collecting immunization cards here :)...

here's the list from GE...

So, we have to combine them all to get a complete set of immunization that Bo has had. And is not that easy at all as we have slightly different lists here

By the time he moved to NY with us, Bo is required to have more immunization as we have, unsurprisingly, different immunization requirements. He had to go through blood test to check his immune system, compare the lists and decide what to add. I felt so guilty looking at all those shots that have to be given at the same time but Bo really stood out for it.

For Obi, it's a different story :)

She has one set from Geneve, as the crucial first 7 months of her life was spent there, then one set from Jakarta as well, pretty much the same as Bo's. Quite colorful, I can say...





Soo...that's about the cards :)..

Another complication we had at that time was that it was the last days of registration Obi's UPK. UPK stands for Universal Pre-Kindergarten, the free pre-school program provided by the NYC Government. No wonder the place is quite limited and the price for private Pre-K can rise up to USD 1000 for full-day program.

 Since the registration for this program started last March, we had to rush and submitted the application form as soon as we can. That means, on that day. Yuup, that particular day...

So up we went searching for pediatrics for my Bo et Obi...asking around, getting some info from friends who have kids with the similar age, browsing the internet, consulting with our insurance agent. Then we finally decided to get to Dr. Robert Yu to be the Doc for our kids. Lucky us, he is so used to consulting with Indonesian parents, so we managed to get the appointment directly on that day. Alhamdulillah...knowing how tricky it can be to get an appointment, I felt so blessed and relieved :). 

So, right on that day, we went to the Doc and the kids seemed to enjoy that very first visit. For sure, they loved the overall interior, boosting colorful walls with children's favorite cartoon characters and cute animals. That's, of course, before the needles were involved.

Obi loved the panda she found on the cabinet where the Doc examined her immunization list and gave her the shots. All smiley ..in the first 10 minutes...

go green for today...

Well, who wouldn't love Nemo swimming around you? I love thaaat...
While waiting for the shots, Obi was exploring the rest of the room as well...

swim with me...

I suddenly miss diving....

Then the Doc decided to  give Obi Haemophilus influenzae Type B (Hib), Pneumococcal Conjugate, Varicella, et MMR, as required by the NYC Health Department as well as Education Department. Jadi imunisasi tambahan ini disesuaikan dengan daftar imunisasi wajib bagi seluruh anak di AS.

While Bo got an extra dose of Polio, MMR, Varicella and TDAP (tetanus diphtheria). All in one day...But alhamdulillah, the kids were fin after all those shots. No fever at all,  just scolding mommy for letting the Doc give them shots :).

So, after 4 shots in a row (with a little kicking and screaming :) ), Obi and Bo had completed their immunizations cards and we were all set for the enrollment of the new schools. And Bo et Obi got stickers  (transformers for Bo et princess for Obi :)) and lollypop ..I normally don't give them the sweet things like that but I guess they deserve to have one..

Here are more snapshots from our visit to the Doc :)...
How's you kid's visit for immunizations?
Bagi bagi dong pengalaman mengajak anak-anak imunisasi :)

after the shots...puffy eyes from crying.. 

what's on TV, Bang...