Tooth stars and other nice words
Fillings are in. I escorted Dutch into the room, saw her installed on the chair and doped up with laughing gas, and then I left. I left my daughter to get her first fillings all by herself. The dentist said I was welcome to stay, but that they felt it was usually better for parents to go away, and I can see why that's the case, since I was kind of stressed out. Dutch thought it would be fine. She really likes her dentist. I sat in the waiting room reading O magazine and crying over stories about brave women with breast cancer, and finally Dutch and the dentist emerged together. "Mama!" yelled Dutch, "I got TWO tooth stars!"* and she showed me her fillings and then she showed the fish in the fish tank her fillings. Under interrogation, she allowed as how it did feel weird when they put the teeth stars in, but overall it seems to have been an entirely positive experience. I deduce this from the fact that she declared that she'd like to have tooth stars in ALL her teeth.
We had a nice morning, actually. Cook and I both have the holiday off from work and school, and Dutch is off daycare. I took her out all morning so he could get some homework done, and we did some grocery shopping, hung out at a coffee shop, wandered around... we talked about how saying nice things to people makes them feel good, and we practiced saying nice things to each other. On the bus on our way home, I leaned over and smooched her on the cheek, and she said "Mommy! Guess what you gave me with your kiss! Happiness!" I said "Do you want another kiss?" and she said giddily, "MORE happiness?!"
Aww. She did throw some whiny fits that made me feel substantially less warm and fuzzy, of course. Life isn't ALL about tooth stars.
*There are all sorts of weird euphemisms in the world of pediatric dentistry. My online reading suggests that the standard term for local anaesthetic is "sleepy juice."
We had a nice morning, actually. Cook and I both have the holiday off from work and school, and Dutch is off daycare. I took her out all morning so he could get some homework done, and we did some grocery shopping, hung out at a coffee shop, wandered around... we talked about how saying nice things to people makes them feel good, and we practiced saying nice things to each other. On the bus on our way home, I leaned over and smooched her on the cheek, and she said "Mommy! Guess what you gave me with your kiss! Happiness!" I said "Do you want another kiss?" and she said giddily, "MORE happiness?!"
Aww. She did throw some whiny fits that made me feel substantially less warm and fuzzy, of course. Life isn't ALL about tooth stars.
*There are all sorts of weird euphemisms in the world of pediatric dentistry. My online reading suggests that the standard term for local anaesthetic is "sleepy juice."
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