When we scheduled the appointment the woman told me that they would try to clean his teeth, do two upper and two lower x-rays as well as an exam if Connor would let them but not to expect too much out of the first visit. I actually thought Connor wouldn't have too much of a problem with it because he likes when we brush his teeth and he's really outgoing...doesn't really care who is talking to him or even holding him. We talked during the last several days about how the dentist and his helper would probably put their fingers in his mouth and how they would help him brush his teeth, take pictures of his teeth and talk about how important it is to brush them. He seemed excited. As we pulled up to the office I told him that he'd probably even get a new toothbrush from the dentist. His reply? "But I already have a toothbrush! Let's go home and get it!" I should have known based on those two sentences that the visit was not going to be as great as I'd imagined!
There was the obligatory fish tank in the waiting room (don't all dentists have them? It must be an ADA requirement!) and lots of books about teeth and lots of age appropriate toys. The women in the office were sugary sweet and the hygienist that came to get Connor asked him all sorts of questions about his shoes (they light up when he walks) and baby Logan and had him wave to more fish as we walked down the hall. He loved meeting Mr. Squirty (the water sprayer thing) and Mr. Thirsty (the water sucker thing) and picking out special Spiderman sunglasses to wear. He picked out a PINK toothbrush (much to the hygienist's surprise, of course) and got a chart to mark every time he brushes his teeth. He got a ride on the dental chair - up and down and laying back and sitting up. Logan even got a coupon for a free exam after his first birthday! But...then it was time to get down to business.
Apryl (yep, that's how her name was spelled), the hygienist, then showed Connor the "Tooth Tickler" - the thing that helps clean your teeth. She had Connor smell the toothpaste - it was cherry flavored - and asked if the Tooth Tickler could tickle Connor's teeth. He said no. She convinced him to try just one and let him do it standing up, since by this point he was pretty determined to get out of this place. I mean, come on lady, the water spraying and free stuff was cool and all but do you really think you're getting that gloved hand in MY mouth?? :) She was able to do the two top front teeth and then Connor was done. No more of this! Get me out of here! There were no tears but he was definitely uncomfortable and not about to open his mouth for that crazy Tooth Tickler again!
Apryl gave up and said she'd go get Dr. Abrams. She moved us to an exam room with a door, at which point I thought they were going to close it, strap him down and clean his teeth whether he liked it or not, but it turns out there was just more room in there for all of us (oh yeah, it was a big ol family outing - all 4 of us!). Dr. Abrams came in and was very nice and Connor liked him right away. They had Connor sit straddled on Jeremy's legs and lay back so his head was in Dr. Abrams' lap. Connor let him poke around a bit, counting his teeth and joking about how there might be teeth in his nose or his ears which made Connor laugh. The good news? He doesn't have any cavities, teeth and gums look good and he has the proper amount of teeth for his age - 20! He has a narrow jaw so he'll likely have some crowding problems (read: need braces!) when he's older but that's really no surprise given our family history! So, the visit started out well, had a frustrating middle, and then ended up ok. They reassured us that almost all kids do this and that his next appointment would likely be better. So...he goes back in August for try #2. :)
We also took the boys swimming tonight and it was Logan's first time in a pool! He was only in for about 10 minutes but seemed to have a great time. He was surprised at first but then relaxed in Jeremy's arms and floated around - even kicked a bit! Connor loves the water and spent a lot of time going down the toddler slide and copying the kids in the swim classes around him - jumping off the side into Jeremy's arms, floating on his back (which he's remarkably good at) and hanging onto the side and kicking as hard as he could. Logan starts swim class in a couple weeks which should be fun for him. It's a parent/baby class which Jeremy loves to do so it'll be Logan and Jeremy in the water singing songs and blowing bubbles and maybe even going under water! Connor's class starts a few days later and his class is (gasp!) the first one where we aren't in the water with him! Ack! We have to let him go in the water by himself? Well, ok, he'll be in the very capable hands of a teacher and we'll be right there watching (and of course taking pictures) but still! By himself! In the water! He's so growing up...
Anyway, if you've made it through all that text, here are a couple of pictures from today for your reward!
Logan and Jeremy enjoying the pool
I almost forgot! Logan crawled 3 or 4 feet today with his tummy off the ground the whole time! He has been doing the same jumping thing in the last video where his tummy touches each time he lunges forward but yesterday and today he's really been concentrating on staying up on his hands and knees. All four limbs worked in unison today to create REAL crawling! See? You had to read all that to get to the good stuff :) Sorry...guess I'm rambling a lot today!
Sounds like fun!
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