Instead of waking up super early, I had decided I'd get Sawyer to school and then come home for a quick shower before the dentist. But when I changed his clothes, I noticed he felt pretty warm. I checked his temperature, and he had a very slight fever. My first instinct was: "He's got a fever so I can't send him to school." But as the complications this created for my morning set in, I did contemplate just sending him anyway. It was obvious he felt fine. He was bouncing around like normal.
I called Ray; he couldn't take him because he was across town showing property. He suggested I call his good friend Jenn, who gladly fills in to keep Sawyer when our regular sitter cancels on short notice or is out of town. She was also busy.
So, I had no real choice but to take Sawyer with me to the dentist. The dental staff is super nice, and they treat us like family so I didn't think it would be a huge problem. My biggest concern was keeping Sawyer contained when I was lying flat on my back with cleaning tools in my mouth.
I explained to him that he was going to come to the doctor with me. I said the doctor was going to check my teeth and use a machine to clean them. He needed to be very quiet, sit still and watch. And if he could do those things and listen to me, we'd go get ice cream afterward. Great parenting, huh? Bribe your kid with a sugary treat during a trip to the dentist.
He was very excited about the ice cream. The whole way there we talked about him being a "good boy" so he could get ice cream.
I took a few toys inside and warned them that I had brought a sidekick.
Amy, my hygienist, is very sweet and bubbly. She and I often talk about Sawyer, so she was thrilled to see him. He was a little shy when we went back into the exam room, so I hoped that meant he'd stay quiet.
And then Amy hit me with the wrinkle I hadn't considered: I was due for a full set of X-rays. Which meant Sawyer couldn't stay in the room.
I apologized profusely, and being the amazing people they are, she asked another hygienist to sit with Sawyer out in the hall while she did my X-rays. He was nervous about leaving me with this stranger, so I had to think quickly about what I could pull out of my hat to get him to go ... my phone.
I have this app on my phone that has a talking kitty. You say something and the kitty repeats it. Sawyer LOVES it. I turned it on and sent them out in the hall. I could hear the voices of Sawyer and Barbara and then the cat. Amy was cracking up, and she did my X-rays with lightning speed.
After that, Sawyer came back in the room and was very well-behaved. He mostly played with the kitty and watched what Amy was doing in my mouth with "Mr. Slurpee." When the cleaning was done, he climbed up on my lap and we rode up and down in the chair. When Dr. Szott came in, she talked to Sawyer and checked his teeth (which he did not care for).
They commented on what a good boy he was and naturally, he dimed me out by shouting, "Ice cream!"
When we left, Charles and Amy let Sawyer get a prize from the toy machine for his good behavior. And as promised Sawyer got ice cream for being so good. Actually, it was low-fat frozen yogurt but he didn't know the difference.
It won't always be this way, so I'm going to take advantage of the bribery while it still works.
This one just cracks me up because his hands look so huge! Gotta love camera tricks!
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