Nathaniel did something today that I can barely do... go to the dentist. Boy, he was a rock star. I was nervous. I had gotten a book about going to the dentist so he'd know what to expect. We read it over the last couple of months. The week of the appointment I reminded him several times so he could mentally prepare. He certainly never seemed excited about it and actually would make an excuse or two about why we didn't need to go. This made me a little worried that he'd be scared.
The day arrived. We headed in. He got right up on the dentist chair. He was a little scared to lean back into the chair and especially looked scared when they moved it mechanically. The hygienist asked him to pick a cartoon to watch (they had a tv on the roof for him to watch) He just said 'Yes' to everything. It was funny. It was his nervous 'Yes' He said yes to cartoons I know he hasn't heard of. Finally I picked Lilo and Stitch for him. Not exactly his favorite, but the best choice I saw.
What was especially funny is that every time the hygienist would start to talk to him he'd open his mouth up real wide. It was cute. He was ready. The hygienist said 'Good job opening'. Then the cleaning started. Nate asked me to hold his hand, which I did instantly. He would follow the instruments with his tongue. You can tell the hygienist was used to kids as he would just move to another part of the mouth. Then trying to explain the sucky up tool to him was funny. Nate didn't really know 'put your lips around it like a straw' meant. A vacuum for your mouth was quite funny to him.
The cleaning was finished and we had a bit of a wait for the dentist to come in - It took all the patience Nate had. I let him get up and move around etc etc. He enjoyed looking at the tools. Then the dentist came in. She was super nice. Again, he was a rock star. He sat pretty still let her look at everything. She went over a few things and we were on our way. No cavities, overall no big dental issues at this point to watch for. Woo Hoo. He then got to pick a toy from the treasure chest, which he loved. Then he got a sugar free rainbow sucker. Then he got a token for another free toy. Then he got a free sonic care toothbrush. He thought it was Christmas.
I just can't believe how well he did. So happy his first dental experience was good. In 6 months I'll let you know how it goes - it will be interesting to see if he wants to go back. That will be the real test.
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