Extra Happy!

I've mentioned the immense fear of the dentist that Linus has before. My poor baby has calcium deposits on her teeth. Her teeth actually come in this way. Unfortunately, it has to be scraped off with a sharp object at the dentist's office. I'm sure it's rather scary to have it done at such a young age (she started at 18 months). We were thrilled when her dentist told us that it's very rare for adult teeth to come in this way too. Poor Linus is among the rare. Her adult teeth are coming in with this stuff too. Thankfully, it doesn't come back after it's been removed.

I dread the dentist as much as she does. A trip to the dentist turns my sweetie into a serious wild child. There's lots of screaming and crying involved. And it's not just me! Haha--it's only Linus.

Before our trip today, I let her know that they would have to scrape her new adult teeth (bottoms). She lost her teddy bear last week as part of a punishment when she got in trouble at school. I promised she could get the teddy back early (she wasn't due to get it back until tomorrow), and we could go to dinner anywhere she wanted tonight. I told her that if she got scared, she might want to think about her teddy or dinner.

When the hygienist called me back, I was thrilled with the report that she behaved fabulously. No cavities? Oh, great, but I'm far happier that she behaved! The hygienist gushed about how well she did, which thrilled Linus (and me). Then the dentist complimented her behavior too. Oh yeah, he also said she brushes very well and mentioned no cavities too. :)

As we were walking to the car, I said, "Wow, Linus! I'm so proud of you! No screaming and no crying? That's great! I'm knew you could do it! I knew it! Yeeeaaaaa Linus!" Without a second's pause, she added, "And no biting! I didn't even bite the lady, Mama!" Um, yeah, she *may* have even bitten the lady in the past.

On the way home, I was praising her again, and I asked her if she thought about her teddy or dinner to help stay calm. She said, "Yes, I did, but I thought about God more. He surrounded me and helped me stay calm. I knew I was ok, Mama. He's real, you know?" That completely melted my heart. And then she added "...and I watched some tv." :)

My baby is growing up! While I'm thrilled she's becoming independent (it was her first time back there without me), I'm just not prepared for it. I'm glad for her, but a little sad for me.