Conor Goes to the Dentist

I stayed up late last night rereading some of my favorite Nicholas Sparks books. Today I had the opportunity to interview him on a conference call through Blogher, and I wanted to have my questions in order. I reread Nights in Rodanthe, because the film based on his book is due out next week. I must see it. Especially with Richard Gere and Diane Lane paired again. And I reread Three Weeks with My Brother, because I just really like it. I spent much of the morning doing research in preparation. I didn't want to ask anything that I could find the answer to myself. My reading and research only made me more fond of him as a man and as a writer. Having the opportunity to talk to him this afternoon was a humongous thrill for me, as I've been a fan for many years, so stay tuned, and I'll post all about that very soon.

But besides being immersed in Nicholas Sparks today, Conor had his first trip to the dentist! I have never taken a 2 year old to the dentist before, but I'm aware that the ADA recommends that babies even younger go for check-ups, and since we have great dental insurance, we made an appointment. I talked with Conor about it for the week leading up to today, how he would go to the nice dentist and the dentist would look at his cute teeth and make them shiny and take all the germ bugs off. He seemed excited. Of course, he doesn't talk, but a mother knows.

What a blessing it is to have a pediatric dentist! There are so many toys and books and movies playing and fun things to do and look at, that even when it was over Conor didn't want to leave. He sat in the dental chair for a bit, but in the end the dentist decided it would be easier for him to hold still if he sat facing me on my lap and then reclined back into his on a pillow. He was right. Conor went into a trance as he lay there, but he sure was good and cooperative. He got all his teeth polished and cleaned. And we got the early diagnosis of "this kid's gonna need braces". He is a serious thumb-sucker (the dentist encouraged me to have him kick that habit as soon as possible. Yeah right. Let me get right on that.) and his teeth are big. Overcrowding already. Runs in my family and Adam's. Oh well. No cavities though, thankfully.

Conor posed for some pictures with his dentist and then promptly ran back to the play room. He wasn't happy to leave. But he was excited to show Daddy his sparkly teeth, so that was a good enough diversion to make a break for it and head back home.