When I was pregnant with A, I was in my junior year of college pursuing a BA in psychology. I remember very clearly, and still have evidence that I used to doodle her name in my notebooks. I remember thinking that I needed to practice writing her name so that when I took her to the doctor and filled out all those papers, it would look just right. Looking back it seems kind of silly, but today, as I was filling out her new patient paperwork at the dentist it hit me that my baby is really no longer a baby. Sure, I’ve filled out paperwork for her before, days after she was born, but this time it was different. She’s a little human being now, not a small alien we used to the call our ‘loch ness monster.’ She’s a real person, albeit totally influenced by me :)
Dental Technician: Do you want some SpongeBob toothpaste?
A: No, my mommy doesn’t like SpongeBob.
It’s true. I don’t like SpongeBob (my computer accepts that spelling as correct. wow, SpongeBob, wow). I think he’s a little mean and a little much, but that’s just for us.
She’s growing up. Leaps and bounds lately it seems. Completely diaper free, even all night. This, the love child of a mother who wet the bed until she was thirteen five. Haha, yes, it’s true. It’s time to come clean. Skeletons in your closet are messy, so I guess I’m cleaning it out, one secret at a time :) No, not really, we’ll just stick with this one for now.
Anyway! The dentist went superbly. She didn’t whine, back-talk, protest, or cry. Well, besides protesting SpongeBob :) Her pediatric dentist said to keep doing what we were doing (only brushing at night, ha! but we didn’t tell her that) and that her teeth looked great. I’ve always thought that fluoride left on the teeth is what caused fluorosis, but it’s actually swallowed fluoride that causes teeth mottling. News to me. Ms. Dentist said to use a smear of regular adult toothpaste and have her NOT rinse, leaving a little fluoride on the teeth to help fight cavities, which she didn’t have! Praise God! Woooop. Daddy does most of the teeth-brushing ’round here, so I’ll have to give him some credit too. Sugarless gum with sugar alcohols in it is actually good for teeth (including little ones), because it helps increase saliva which helps things not stick onto the teeth as much. At least that’s what my dentist said! :). It’s a good thing, because go through a pack of gum every two days around here!
The dentist did mention that we should start thinking about curbing her finger sucking habit ASAP. Yikes. A, also being the love child of a mother who sucked her thumb until second grade (there’s another skeleton for ya!). When I talked to A about just thinking about the time to stop sucking her fingers she responded “But mooooommy, I can’t close my eyes without sucking my fingerssss!” Oh boy. I remember when she started doing that; the hub and I were so pleased that she was self-soothing! LOL.
I ended her dentist milestone by attempting to paint some serious artwork on her toes. I had a pedicure last week and left with a wonderful beach scene, feeling inspired to try yet another girly mommy-daughter thing on her. I think they turned out alright for the first time :)
Subscribe to Dinner & Discourse by Email
Dinner & Discourse 