Madeleine (left) and Emily (right) (once again in clothing of their choosing!) showing off their new toothbrushes after their first visit to the dentist.
Madeleine and Emily "cleaning" the dentist's sign with their new brushes. They had previously cleaned the floor, chairs and a wall or two. Brushes were sterilized upon our return to the house!On Thursday Emily and Madeleine hit another milestone; their first trip to the dentist. We had explained to the girls that the dentist was a doctor who took care of teeth and he would count how many teeth they had and maybe put a special little mirror in their mouth. Apparently there was some post-good night conferencing Wednesday night because Thursday morning both girls announced they were not inclined to visit the dentist. I was informed "No know dentist.", nice to see their mother's social phobia has been inherited. So, we set off with the agreement we would just look at the dentist's room to see if it was nice. However, once we saw "the room" we were hooked - it had a small TV with PBS on and toys!
I had been a bit frustrated with the office staff as they refused to mail the registration forms to us in advance. In an effort to not be the outnumbered mother whose children dismantle the waiting room while she fills out the forms, we had gone to the office (during regular business hours) three weeks before the appointment to pick up the forms in advance so I could fill them out in peace (this was the option I was given when I was told they didn't mail forms). However, the office was closed, this was discovered after getting two toddlers out of their carseats, up a narrow flight of stairs and down the hall - in the rain (insert inappropriate language here). And so, I went to the office: 1. o.k. in the knowledge I had twice tried to protect the waiting room, 2. secure in the knowledge we would probably destroy something, 3. muttering that the dentist had better be good with kids to make this worthwhile.
The dentist was fantastic and the girls had a wonderful time. He was very low-key and gave them a ride on his "magic chair" and allowed me to "brush" their teeth for the actual exam. They were not quite convinced they liked his gizmo that shot water and air, but as it wasn't used on them, there wasn't too much fuss. His attitude was that it may take 4-5 visits to actually get them to sit in a chair for a cleaning - at this point it is about showing kids the dentist isn't scary (which is exactly what we were looking for). The good news is - teeth are right where they should be, totally healthy and "sparkling white". I didn't mention months ago we had to start bribing them with stickers just to be allowed to brush the teeth; this is a case of ends justifying means.
In other news we have discovered yet another issue to "discuss". In the early days of potty training there was often a "disagreement" regarding who got to use the facilities first and/or who got the "big potty" and who was relegated to the "little potty". Now that we are trained and have a little bit of "holding" ability, the "little potty" has literally been thrown away (I hated that thing) and I have figured out Madeleine goes in and gets it done, while Emily takes her time and you have a chance to do a load of laundry, cook dinner and possibly catch up on correspondence while waiting for her. So, generally, Madeleine goes first and Emily waits, then it is her turn. The other day the girls were in the family room and having a rather heated discussion regarding whose turn it was to use the "poppy". I went flying into the room as the bathroom is the ONLY room with a potty. It turns out the girls were playing with their Fisher Price Little People house and the plastic figures were having a tough time waiting in line in the bathroom. If you can't fight about an issue in reality, feel free to do so in imaginary play!
In other news... on Friday the girls were given their first taste of pomegranate. I wasn't sure they'd go for it, but generally if a new food is going to be a success the first time out it is usually a fruit or veggie (we aren't too fond of meat and poultry). So, I told the girls the "red beads" were like "red raisins" (Craisins) which we go through by the pound and they gave it a shot. The "red beads" turned out to be so popular, it had to be explained that too many of them would hurt your tummy.
