Today is just one of those days. Everybody has them....me and Ree are having one together.
Ree had a babysitter last night, an exceptionally honest babysitter who let me know Ree was awake passed midnight and had just fallen asleep.
This morning I was exhausted and Ree was exhausted and I was plenty worried about my exhausted bank account.
Then we went to our first Dentist appointment. Ree did fabulously (although I can't imagine it going over well the next 5 scheduled visits.) She had TWELVE (yes, 12. One dozen) cavities. Twelve cavities. Holy cow you have to try to brew that much decay. We weren't exactly shocked to hear the news but we were surprised she had over four cavities....we were pretty sure she had a couple......well, she had TWELVE.
She's going to need to have two-three fillings a week for the next five weeks. The back molars are all receiving root canals and silver caps and the front teeth will have white caps. Cosmetically, the holes in her smile will be filled. She is very excited about that. I'm excited for the laughing gas.
We also have doctors orders to follow: Ree can only drink water, no snacking in-between meals and NO sugar. That is ZERO SUGAR. The kid was raised on sugar and now we've got to quit cold turkey. The next few weeks are going to be difficult. I can't imagine any of this is fun for her.
We have been having so much fun together.....but now that Ree is comfortable with me and trusts me, is familiar with my routines and my generosity....she's starting to show more and more defiance each day. She knows I will not "whoop" her and she knows my home is a safe place.......so it makes sense that now she feels safe enough to act out the way all kids do. We are practicing using our listening ears, being a big girl, staying in bed at night, coming when I call her, keeping her seat belt on, etc. etc. etc.
I'm exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. I'd be lying if I said I didn't hide in the bathroom for 20 minutes to write this. Ree is on the other side of the door building a play-doh/block/marble/tupperware kingdom for her Frozen figurines. She's already memorized all the words to the song, "Let It Go."
We have also started going to therapy once a week on Tuesdays at 4pm and I'm trying to get her into my old pediatrician's office for a physical. We ALSO are starting preschool for the first time! This girl is way to brilliant to waste another day. She will thrive in school. She finna be great.
Another interesting topic for debate: am I doing her hair right? We get a lot of stares from people in public. They either say "What a cute little girl!" or "That white girl's made her hair all nappy." To the folks out there who see Ree's hair: I AM TRYING. We deep condition it twice daily and I twist the ends and wax the hairline just as I was told. The braids and beads she arrived with were looking disastrous, so we have gone au natural. I think she is absolutely adorable. She likes the extra "pillow" at night. At the Shedd Aquarium she ran up to a boy with a big smile on her face and said, "Look at my nappyhead!" She's also loving the trips to Target to find sparkly headbands. We try, we try.
To all of you active, patient, hands-on parents out there, God Bless You.
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