Amazing! Part 2

Haley had her filling appointment on Saturday.  She was so good.

I have titled this post "Amazing! Part 2", because that is what her dentist kept saying. 

"She is amazing, Mom."

We arrived a little early so that Haley could watch the train go around the track near the ceiling of the waiting room.  They have a giant button on the wall that kids can push that operates the train.  It is Haley's favorite thing about the dentist.

They called her in and she sat down in the dentist's chair.  The hygienist asked her if she wanted to watch a movie.  She said "yeah."

This has not worked well in the past.  They have a really space aged system that looks like virtual reality glasses with headphones.  The last time we tried this she did not like all the stuff that we put on her head. 

She chose Pocahontas.  They got her set up with the video and the earphones.  Then we waited. 

Well, I waited.  She was fine, laying back watching a movie.

I don't know if you will be able to see this, but she is looking at me in this picture.  She did this a lot.  Of course, she is doing it now because I got the camera out, but she looked at me a lot during her appointment.  I just kept smiling at her.  I was trying to be reassuring.

So after this the hygienist put the "Happy Air" mask on her.  We decided to use the Happy Air just so that she would lay still.  She had it when she had her tooth Wiggled Out and she seemed fine with it.  Haley chose strawberry for the scent of her Happy Air.  It went just over her nose.  She laid there watching her movie and breathing in her Happy Air for a long time.  The dentist was busy with other patients.  I am sure Haley was feeling fine, but I got more and more nervous as time went on. 

I started wishing they had offered me the Happy Air instead.

The hygienist offered her a Popsicle.  A little while later she offered her another one.

Eventually the dentist came in and got everything under way. 

Then not only did Haley have the movie glasses, the earphones and the Happy Air face mask on, in her mouth she had the drill, the suction, the thing that looked like a scissors that was holding her mouth open and two pairs of gloved hands.

She just laid there.

I know that all of that is not unusual for someone who is getting a tooth filled, but this is a little girl that up until very recently wouldn't let me put my finger in her mouth to check to see if her new tooth was coming in.

I am sure that the Happy Air had something to do with it, but even so, she was doing so well.

The doctor explained what she was doing to Haley the whole time.  Not technically of course, but in a way that was reassuring to Haley.  She told her that she was going to brush her teeth when what she was really doing was drilling.  She kept telling Haley that she was doing a really good job and she kept telling me that she was amazing.

Every once in a while her feet would twitch, she would tighten up her leg muscles or she would flex her foot.  I don't know if at those times she was feeling something or dancing to the music of Pocahontas.  It made me nervous.  When she did that I would reach over and rub or pat her leg.  I was worried that she was feeling pain.  They didn't use any kind of numbing agent. 

She never made a sound.   

At one point she gripped the arm rests.  I patted the hand closest to me and she reached for my hand.  I held it for a while.  She held my hand and then she relaxed and let go.  She grabbed the arm again.  Still no sound.

When they were all done she gave me a high five.

She wanted to get up, but they wanted her to lay back and breathe straight oxygen for five minutes.  She was still watching the movie.  The doctor told me again that she was amazing and left the room.  After the five minutes was up Haley got to choose something from the prize room.

I had a little more trouble with this appointment than she did apparently.  It took me a while to feel calm again.  Haley seemed fine though.  She said her tooth was better.

The moral of this story is:  I should never underestimate my child.  She amazes me at every turn.  Just when I think that something will never happen for her, or that something will be traumatic or she won't be up to the challenge I find out that she is. 

That she is strong. She is smart. She is capable.

She is amazing.