Open Up!

I'm beginning to realize there is a long list of duties that fall in a mom's lap, not the least of which is the daily care, feeding and nurturing of her kids.  Unfortunately, the kids come part and parcel with a lot of behind-the-scenes busy work.  Like containing the never-ending stream of artwork that spills out of backpacks after school, or the insurmountable task of organizing family photos.  Or, the "What's For Dinner?" question to answer every day. 

Most importantly for these little humans, though, is being responsible for their health!  In this house, someone (including Five) always needs to have doctors' visits scheduled, and now dental visits are becoming more frequent, too.  Tessa and Annie are (too) quickly approaching two years old, and the older girls hadn't been to the dentist in a year, so it was time for some visits.  I didn't realize we'd be able to get them in so soon, and so...together.  The office was able to schedule all four girls at the same time.  I was a little hesitant about this scenario, considering I'd be bringing them by myself while Matt was coaching baseball.  But, I knew the older girls love the dentist, having been there before.  Every kid gets to pick out a DVD to watch, and the dentist there is amazing.  So, in my head, I was really only worried about the twins' reactions to the experience, especially with my attention divided. 

Here are the munchkins before we left.

I needn't have worried.  As it was, my attention was definitely split.  I felt like I was in a sitcom where the character needs to be in two places at once, except I had to be in four places.  I would sit with each kid for a few minutes, listen to a little lecture about flossing from the hygienist (I know! I know! It's hard enough to brush four kids' teeth, never mind flossing!), see any trouble spots, and then say, "I'll be right back!"  Down the hall, I'd repeat the process, including watching Megan get her first X-rays, which she took in stride.  Tessa and Annie did sooo well, without a cry from either of them!  It helped immensely that Dora was playing  in the background.  I don't think a root canal would have phased them, as long as Dora was there.

How many 3-year-olds do you know that would sit through an entire cleaning with their mom running to other rooms more than half the time?  Bridget was such a big girl!!

And Tessa was an unexpected superstar as well!!  I left her with her hygienist for a good 15 minutes, and she didn't bat an eye!

Megan was a pro for her X-rays!

Sadly, we did have one cavity in the mix.  Megan has a small cavity in the back of one of her front teeth, most likely a result of drinking milk from a bottle for so long (2.5 years).  Oops.  But, we caught it before it became a huge problem, and she's happy to go back and have it filled while she watches another movie.

We walked out of the appointment in pretty good spirits, considering how well everything had gone.  It could have been a disaster, so I was feeling pretty proud of myself...until I found a parking ticket on the van!  I guess I was a little distracted getting these photos out in front of the office, and I ended up feeding the wrong parking meter!  I may be able to handle four kids at the dentist, but parking gets me every time!