Another first...one of the last

Yesterday Samuel had another "first". Just off hand, I think it might be his last first. I've been thinking about how I need to get him to the dentist for a long time...like...a year. I read somewhere, probably a parenting magazine, that their first dentist appointment should be when they have about 8 teeth. Samuel didn't cut his first tooth until after his first birthday. Actually, it was after he started walking. But it wasn't long and they all came in rather quickly. So he's had his 8 teeth for over a year. And that's about how long I've been putting off the dentist. Mind you, I'm not like most people and I don't really mind going to the dentist. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but as I've only had 1 cavity and never needed major dental work (except for braces), I don't mind my routine visits.

I was hoping it would be a better experience for Samuel. All in all, it wasn't bad. Our "check-in" time was 8:40 am. It took me about 5 minutes to do the paperwork and at 9:15, we were still in the waiting room. Not a big deal since their were more than enough trains and toys to entertain. Honestly, I think we could have stayed there all day as far as Samuel was concerned. But, around 9:20, things started to go downhill.

First, we met the hygienist, Natalie. She was great! Honestly, I think she was hand-picked for Samuel. Her mom had CF. She was familiar with the clinic doctors at PCH. They moved from Kokomo, IN to Arizona to escape the humidity for her mom's health. During all this small talk, we tried to get 2 x-rays of Samuel's teeth. Funny! We got 2 crooked pictures that actually weren't that bad, considering he was squirming the whole time but not how you'd normally see teeth.

Then, we went into the room were we discussed Samuel's meds, the effect it could have on his mouth health and pacifier usage. And don't forget the conversation about taking juice to bed. Natalie told me our action plan, meaning how I was going to hold Samuel down while she brushed, flossed and fluorided. Then the dentist would come in and we'd do it again.... Repeat conversations and wrestle the screaming boy.

At the end, good news all around! No cavities! I hope he inherited my enamel-of-steel. He's got one more tooth coming in (explain his constant runny nose?) and our brushing method is approved. Our method: 2 toothbrushes, 1 for him, 1 for me. He has his turn brushing, then mommy takes a turn brushing. It works for us. Even though he was NOT a fan of Natalie and the dentist, all was forgiven when we came out of the exam room and he got his token to get a price. He chose the bouncy ball. And he even got a blue balloon that lasted more than 5 minutes! It ended up on the ceiling of our next errand stop but it was OK.

All around, it was a busy day with the dentist, his story-time arts and crafts class, which he now loves, and fwim lessons. Since Samuel has become LOTS more comfortable in the water, we started him in swim (or, as he says, fwim) lessons. By the word "lesson" I mean, play. There is just 2 other boy in his group lesson, which lasts for 25 minutes. The other little boy is the same age and a natural fish. Samuel just wants to play with the toys while I hold him. A bit annoying but what am I going to do, leave him alone in the water? Since it's Monday-Thursday for 2 weeks, I'm hoping it will at least help him get some idea of what to do in the water. I can see, though, that our work is not even close to being over.

I suppose that's all for now. More news to come, I'm sure. More news like, how I'm doing on this C25K thing and eventual 1/2 marathon training. It's fun but not in the heat! And I've been having a hard time getting out of bed that past few days.

Oh, and no pics today. Sorry.