After having food poisoning on Sunday & being forced to be pretty low-key all day, & Monday morning starting off with my son pooping his diaper then running down the hall & leaving a poop trail in his wake & my daughter crying twice before even leaving for school: once when she couldn't find a leotard (it was in her clean laundry basket, *SIGH*) & once when she realized she left her gloves in the house as we were leaving for school, I was NOT looking forward to my son's 2 1/2 year dental exam this week. Honestly, I almost called & canceled & rescheduled, I was THAT stressed this week.
Thank goodness he loves to get his teeth brushed. That helped. He sees his big sister brush hers & he "spits" like she does in the sink, it's pretty darn cute. And when I'm brushing mine he comes in & stands on the toilet lid & reaches into the medicine cabinet for his toothbrush & says, "Teeth? Mine? Yeah?" So I'm fortunate in that regard.
He is a MOVER though... His sister is 6 years older than he is so he wants to do everything she does. When we first got to the dentist office, he was all over... books... fish... computer... TV... trying to enter the "Staff Only" room :-\ ... video games... Legos... back to the books... etc etc etc...
When we got called into the exam area, he let me hold him for about 25 seconds, then he was on the floor laughing as I fake-tickled him, he'd pretend to try to run past me, I'd grab him & tickle him & he's shriek with laughter. Did that a few times. Then the "scary" dentist came in the exam area. He "hid" under the dental chair. I started to have one of THOSE moments... Parents you know the kind I mean... Your stomach & heart feel like they switch places in your body & you feel your chest get hot & red & your eyes get bug-eyed & you try not to look like you're panicking & you try to keep your voice calm... I swept him up in my arms & tried to speak calmly to him... "Hey sweetie, you gonna be a big boy for Mama? You gonna be Mama's brave boy? We're gonna look at your teeth, yes?" I could feel the hygienist's eyes on us & I'm just PRAYING inside that he's going to behave...
I sat down on the edge of the dentist chair with him in my arms and, after about a minute laid him down in the chair as per the dentist's request. His body stiffened as he laid back & looked like he was about to panic... I'm really worrying now thinking he's gonna throw a huge crying fit... And then... His body just goes limp. The hygienist puts a bib on him, the dentist puts cool orange sunglasses on him, and he lays there & honestly doesn't move for the ENTIRE exam except to open & close his mouth!! I seriously teared up because I was SOOO proud & relieved - it was one of those great "proud Mama" moments when you feel like your heart is just going to burst! The dentist was able to do an ENTIRE dental exam on him. Cleaning, flossing, & fluoride. Very little plaque & no cavities. WOO HOO! Relief... He chose his sticker & goodies & we went to check out. He promptly began to use me as a human jungle gym again as I stand there juggling him, the diaper bag, & my phone (calendar) trying to schedule his next visit. Back to reality. ;)
OH-SO thankful for those few calm, proud moments. THANK YOU SON! I so needed that this week. More than you know!
