(Note)

(For the blog "baby book")

Today was Kayla's first visit to the dentist, and she did great. We prepared by talking about it and reading Berenstein Bear and Dora books about going to the dentist. I hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst. As soon as we walked into the lobby she said "I don't like this place". I guess kids can sense a doctor's office anywhere. But, before I could answer we got called right back. Kayla's hygenist, Karen, was wonderful. She knew exactly how to interact with a 3 year old. We learned that Kayla has all 20 teeth in and that they look perfect. She got to ride up and down and back and forth in the chair, got to squirt water in her hand and suck it up with the little vacuum and learned that the magic number is "5" strokes to brush your teeth. And Karen was so good that while she was "pretending to tickle" Kayla's teeth she was actually cleaning them - tricked Kayla and I both!

Of course, we're thankful that her dentist, Dr. Rossow, is our friend and Molly's dad. It just so happened that while Kayla was sitting in the chair talking about Molly, in she walked! So Kayla and Molly got to talk to each other.

But, to Kayla, the most important part of her visit was "all the new stuss" she got - a Diego toothbrush (although later she told me that she wished they had a Dora one), Spongebob toothpaste ("Its blue!"), a Cinderella sticker, a yellow bracelet and a green ring. She couldn't wait to show it off to anyone who would stop and listen.

Not a bad first trip to the dentist - friends and loot bags and "sparkly teeth!"