First Dental Checkup

Sarah had her first official visit to the dentist on Thursday.  She came with me to my last cleaning and sat on my lap watching intently the whole time.  She let the dentist look in her mouth and count her teeth with the metal pick, but that was it.  This time, she had a real checkup.

I scheduled back-to-back visits for us, thinking that watching me would increase Sarah's comfort level.  When the hygienist said she was first and asked her to get in the chair, Sarah and I were both surprised.  I was afraid we were headed down a bad road, so I got in the chair and had her sit on my lap.  She wasn't too excited about opening her mouth for the hygienist, and she didn't want to lie down at first.  I finally convinced her to lie back on top of me, but she held her head up. I would have bet money that the hygienist wasn't going to get into her mouth.

Then, Sarah laid her head back and opened wide.  The hygienist touched each of her teeth with the pick, and she didn't move.  When the hygienist picked up the polisher, I figured it would be a deal-breaker, but Sarah opened up again and actually let her polish her teeth!  When it was time to rinse, the hygienist sprayed water in Sarah's mouth, stuck the green vacuum thing in, and Sarah instinctively closed her mouth around it.  You'd think she'd done it a hundred times!  The hygienist said she was the best two-year-old she'd ever had.

When the dentist came in, Sarah was a little nervous again, but she cooperated with the exam.  The dentist said she has large molars and lots of space between her teeth, which bodes well for her adult teeth.  We may even avoid braces!  She has a class 3 underbite, which the dentist said may correct itself.  We'll just wait and see.

While I had my teeth cleaned, Sarah busied herself with the play garden they had, but kept coming over and sticking her face right in mine to see what the hygienist was doing.  She's a nosey one!

Sarah left with a bag full of goodies, including bubble-gum-flavored toothpaste (does it seem wrong to anyone else to make toothpaste candy-flavored?), a little two-minute hourglass to time her brushing, and Crayola flossers.  She spent the drive home checking everything out.  She was so excited to show Daddy!

She's always loved brushing her teeth (and hated having me brush them) and can spend five minutes doing so.  I think the timer will come in handy to limit her brushing, rather than encourage it.  She loves the flossers and is working hard to get the hang of them.  I hope she maintains her enthusiasm for dental hygiene.

Watching Sarah at the dentist, I was struck by how far she's come in dealing with health professionals.  Less than two years ago, she would scream if a doctor touched her.  Now, although she's still cautious, she can be brave and do what's asked of her.  I think it's a sign of her growing trust in the world, and Don and me.  She's come such a long way from China.

A Bird in the Hand

Last Saturday, we went to the annual Bird Festival at the national wildlife refuge where I used to work.  It was a cool, overcast day, but the birds didn't mind, and neither did we.  The highlight of the festival is the bird banding demonstration.  Biologists and volunteers trap songbirds by stretching big nets between trees, then collect data such as species, sex, weight, and dimensions from each bird.  They put a tiny identifying band on one leg and release it.  By re-capturing birds in future years, researchers can learn about their migratory routes and lifespans.

Sarah was fascinated by the process and watched intently as the reseachers worked.  When given the opportunity to release a bird, she balked at first, and I had to hold my hands under hers as the woman placed the tiny, vibrant Canada warbler in them.  After the first time, though, she was hooked and begged to do it again on her own.  It's amazing how delicate these birds seem, yet they fly thousands of miles each year between their wintering and nesting grounds.  Nature is truly awesome.

Girly Girl

Sarah got her hair cut yesterday.  She always attracts a lot of attention at the salon -- customers and staff alike fawn over her.  She's pretty shy about it now, but I can foresee a day when she'll eat it up.  When she was done, Connie curled her hair.  It was too cute!  We then hit B*rnes and N*ble for a new Biscuit book (a reward for taking naps again, which I'll cover in another post) and G*mboree for their big sale.  She got new sunglasses, a necklace, and a bracelet.  Walking around the mall carrying her shopping bags, she hardly resembled the rough-and-tumble farmgirl I'm used to!

 

Spring, a Birthday, and Mother's Day

I haven't blogged for a while, so this will be a catch-up post.  Just bits and pieces....

The weather has finally gotten nicer.  We went for a hike at the state park near our house last week.  Sarah is quite the trekker these days.  She just loves the outdoors.

Yesterday was Don's birthday.  Although he wasn't too excited about celebrating, Sarah sure was.  She helped me wrap presents and make a cake, and she made him a card.  We went out to dinner last night, and as we pulled out of the driveway, she said, "Happy home."  She learned "Happy Birthday" on S*same Street and practiced all week.  Of course, when the cake came out, she was mum.

Things are finally starting to grow in the yard -- my tulips and daffodils by the mailbox are blossoming, and the first asparagus is just about ready to pick.  Sarah has developed a taste for rhubarb, of all things, and loves to march through the unplanted garden to the back corner where Mom or Dad breaks off a stalk for her.  She then wanders the yard chewing on it.  Yuck!

As I expected, Sarah also loves digging dandelions with Mom.  I pop them up and she pulls them and stomps the dirt back down.  She and I could do this for hours, given our obsessive-compulsive natures.

For about a year, Sarah and I have been attending a monthly "Music Monday" at a local dance studio.  A warm, energetic woman named Wendy leads kids from baby to preschool age in song and dance.  Sarah is very shy and insists on sitting in my lap on the outside of the circle while the other moms and kids move around and sing.  She won't even let me tap my foot or clap my hands.  When the giant parachute comes out, she watches the other kids ride in a circle and run underneath.  Last week, we finally had a break-through.  She let me move to the music, and when the parachute came out, she said she wanted to ride.  Wendy and I almost convinced her to get on, but she backed away at the last minute.  Maybe next time!!!

She's started singing songs at home.  For a few days, she was singing one that I just couldn't place.  It sounded so familiar, but all I could make out was "dream" at the end.  Finally, Don guessed -- "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."  She's since added "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Wheels on the Bus."

Sarah still loves to sit with Cadi the Lab and share her Cheerios.  Lately, when she needs to refill her bowl, she gets up and says, "I'll be right back -- don't make mess!"  Poor Cadi...she's never made a mess with the Cheerios.

We had our first real Mother-Daughter conversation the other day.  The school bus went by, and Sarah said she wanted to ride it.  I told her she would ride it to school one day.  She said, "Mama ride school bus, too."  When I said I would stay home, she insisted, "No, Mama ride school bus."  I told her that when she rode it, she'd be ready for me to stay home and not to worry about it (big talk -- I know I'll be a wreck when that day comes!).

Her favorite lunch these days is "pappy-JJ" -- peanut butter and jelly.

It's hard to believe that today is my second Mother's Day.  On the other hand, Sarah and I (and Don) have been through so much together already.  She has been very affectionate lately, and it just makes my heart sing!  Her hugs are to-die-for.  Yesterday, she woke up at 4:45 a.m. and never went back to sleep.  Since she doesn't nap anymore, I wondered how the day would go, especially since we were going out to eat.  I hoped she might fall asleep in her highchair, which happens occasionally. 

After she finished lunch, she called, "Mom" and held her arms up to me.  I took her out and asked if she wanted to rock a bit.  To my surprise, she said, "Yes."  It's been a while since she let me rock her to sleep, and it was pure bliss.  She was a delight the rest of the day. 

At 4:10 this morning, I heard her yelling in her sleep, "No, no, no!"  I lay there imagining that she was having a horrible nightmare and wandered if I should wake her.  A few minutes later, she called, "Moooom!"  I went in, and she was sitting up.  I started to comfort her, and she said, "Cadi Dog no Band-aid!  Dada Band-Aid, Mama Band-Aid, Sarah Band-Aid...Cadi Dog no Band-Aid!"  Apparently, her dream wasn't as horrific as I'd feared.

She asked me to sleep with her, and I crawled in.  A few hours later, I awoke to find her head on the pillow next to mine...a great start to Mother's Day.  Soon, Sophie the Cat had joined us, and Don came in to capture the moment:

As I opened the card that Don so lovingly wrote from Sarah, I asked her what it said, and she replied, "Mama's baby!"

Before I became a mom, I was very sensitive to all the attention and adoration that moms receive from society and the media.  I bristled at the portrayal of moms as more important than other women.  I still do.  Being a mom does not make you inherently better or more valuable than non-moms, except in the eyes of your child.  And that's what I love about being a mom. 

Motherhood is generally protrayed as a selfless and generous act, but to me at least, it seems like a selfish one.  I wanted to be a mom because I longed to be the most important person in my daughter's life...the one to nurture, protect, and teach her.  I thrive on that.  Despite all the challenges she presents, I am happier than I've ever been.  I've never felt more valuable as a human being, and it's all because of one little person.