First Trip to the Dentist, II

It feels like just yesterday that I took Kyle and Owen for their first trip to the dentist. It was actually almost exactly four years ago. They were three years old, so cute, and so eager. This past Friday afternoon, Meera had her first dentist appointment.

In some really poignant ways it was like deja vu (Meera now = 3 years old, so cute, so eager, and in so many ways just like her brothers in her pure joyful engagement with most all of life). And in some really poignant ways it was so different (the boys were rambunctious highly spirited twins, whereas Meera is a sweet mellow singleton; with the boys we have no dental/genetic/medical history, whereas with Meera we have that all; the boys suffered from early malnutrition so we worry about their teeth, whereas Meera has had the most privileged of beginnings). None of this is lost on me, and as an adoptive mother, trips to the dentist with K & O always seem to bring a lot of particularly strong thoughts and feelings up to the surface for me.

I made appointments for all three bambinos this time, so I took the whole crew together (by myself! which I consider quite a feat!). Kyle, Owen, and I had been prepping Meera all morning for her big First Trip to the Dentist. We read her our Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist book, we talked about what a dentist is and does, and the boys role played the entire thing with/for her (with dramatic flair). She was prepped and ready when the time came.

When the dental hygienist called Meera’s name in the waiting room, Meera jumped right up and with a huge smile held the hygienist’s hand as they walked down the hall (with me trailing 10 feet behind!). Meera hopped right up into the seat with Bunny. She was a superb patient while she had her teeth cleaned and examined for the first time. No cavities! A toothbrush to bring home! And all was good. I was so proud of my girl.

The boys have always loved going to the dentist every six months, and this time was no different. They too have no cavities (and never have), and I was once again reassured by the dentist of their rock-solid-genes and their amazing lack-of-any-signs-of-early-malnutrition. Every time I hear that I get the lump in my throat: a flood of gratitude and awe for my boys’ life stories.

On the drive home we had to stop at the grocery store for a few things. As a small token of my appreciation for their superb tooth-brushing and their exceptionally good dentist-visit-behavior, I bought each of them a Silly Putty. Which the three of them played with in every which way imaginable for the rest of the afternoon.