Dear Arianna, February 13, 2013

Dear Arianna,
    It turns out that you did fantastic today at the dentist.  They put in a blue mouth guard to keep your mouth held open (which I vaguely remember from my orthodontic years back when I was a child and rode a dinosaur to school).  Then you got a special rub and two needle injections into your gums to make it all numb.  The dentist and the nurse told me you only teared up a little, but were very very brave, and you didn't cry or squirm in the chair.  In fact, they said you started dozing off while they worked.  I like to think you were using your imagination to go to a happy place while they worked.  That is what I do.  The good news is that the cavity that formed on the inside surfaces of your two upper left molars didn't go down to the root, which was great news.  They were drilled out and filled and they matched the color of your teeth with an acrylic filling that matches so well that you can't even tell there were ever cavities there.  You will go back in early April to take care of the same problem on your upper right molars and then you can officially rejoin the No-Cavity Club that your friend Jacob is in.

Super Heart!

    One thing that really made me happy is that while I was talking to your dentist after your procedure, you went up right to another girl about your age in the play / waiting area and just started talking and playing with her.  It really shows to me the huge difference in your confidence and social skills since you went into preschool nearly two years ago.  I am very proud of the girl that you are growing up to be.  I even stayed and waited until her mommy and daddy were done talking to the dentist so that you two could keep laying, since you were having so much fun.  It turns out they drove all the way from Whiting, Indiana, near where Mommy works to come to this dentist since their daughter has trouble with multiple cavities even though she's a daily brushes, too.  From what they said, it is very hard to find a good pediatric dentist, so it looks like we made a good choice.
    Your mouth was a little sore afterwards on the ride home as the anesthetic wore off, but I gave you some Tylenol when we got home and then you were fine within an hour.  You were back to eating, playing, constructing  and crafting and wearing your Daddy ragged as I had to keep working from home after we got back from the dentist.
    In school before I picked you up at 11:30, you went to Ash Wednesday Mass, but I forgot to take a picture of your "gray forehead" before Mommy gave you a shower tonight.  Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, you made a heart in school for Mommy and me, and then you augmented it into a super-heart tonight for Mommy before she came home from her own dentist's appointment.  By how sore Mommy looked, I think you held up even better than her with your own dentist!
    To finish up the night, and to explain today's pictures, you and Mommy made the Valentines cards and goody bags for your class tomorrow.  You wrote your name all by yourself on each of the 26 cards.  It looks like Turlough came to help, too!

 

 

      I wish I could be with you and Mommy tomorrow night and all go out together for dinner, but school beckons   We can do it on Friday  instead, and then on Saturdays  we will celebrate your Abuela's 60th Birthday.  Since today is Hump Day, I can already start looking forward to the weekend!

Love,
Daddy