The Family Dentist

I note some discolouration of Missy's front tooth. The headache begins, the dizziness follows, and I have to steady myself.

What is that spot on Shemily's left incisor? My breathing quickens, I feel faint, and I have to sit down.

The A-Bomb claims his teeth hurt! The palpitations start, a sweaty episode is upon me, and I have to lie down.

This is my biggest fear. DECAY.
AC is a dentist - his kids can't have rotten teeth!
Their dad had booked them in for a check-up. As the appointment drew near my anxieties worsened. I began to regret every sneaky treat and sugary bribe that had ever passed the children's lips. The time eventually came for me to face the consequences of the sucrose behavioural therapy I had employed with such frequency. It was a grey and miserable day that we made the journey to AC's place of work. I was anxious and the kids were hyper (with excitement... not sugar). Not many people like going to the dentist and the sight of AC in his dental tunic armed with motorized instruments was deeply uncomfortable for me.

First in the chair was Missy. Understandably a little apprehensive after her last visit to the dentist, she took all of 30 seconds to succumb to her dads charm. She loved having her teeth tickled and was rewarded with not one, but two princess stickers.

Up next was the A-Bomb. Eager would be an understatement. He launched himself into the chair and prepared for blast-off. With his space goggles on he was ready for the mission to commence. Laying perfectly still he giggled the whole way through his check.

I don't know who was enjoying themselves more.

Shemily wouldn't even sit on the chair, or look at her dad, but was happy to take the stickers on offer and run. The little tinker.

My fears were washed away like mouthwash down the spitoon. AC gave us a clean bill of oral health and we were all caries free, at least until April 2012.  

AC felt it necessary given the nature of this post to include some basic dental advice, but I said no. Seeing his disappointment I buoyed his spirits by agreeing that if anyone should ask any dental related questions in the comments section, he can answer them. Geek.

In Vogue

The moment breakfast was finished Missy disappeared up to her bedroom and into her 'changing room'. She reappeared a few minutes later adorned in this seasons most sought after outfit - The School Uniform. To Missy's dismay the school dress code prohibits the wearing of jewellery, but being the trend setter that she is (to her sister), Missy accessorised her latest ensemble with the help of a permanent marker. She 'tatooed' her freshly bathed body with thick black markings. Thankfully most were hidden by her cardigan because not even wet wipes could remove her rebellious scribblings... so it was with high spirits she finished readying herself for her first day of school.

The walk to school was a pleasure. Despite being along a main road, the only collision was between the scooter borne A-Bomb and the pavement.

Once in the school playground it was as though I had released a captured guinea pig. Missy vented her excitement by scurrying around the playground at high speed. You would have thought she'd be hard to keep an eye on in a playground full of children dressed exactly the same, but her high pitched squeals made her easier to track.
The school bell rang.

It was with a twinkle in her eye and a tear in mine that we parted. Missy is not naturally confident in new situations and seeing my little girl so full excitement in spite of her apprehensions left me bursting with pride.

The Alnwick Garden

We decided to take the kids somewhere special, somewhere other than the play park, the garden centre, or the nearby field. We had our sights set on The Alnwick Garden. But it's hard to 'big up' an outing to a garden to a 2, 3, and 5 year old. Our announcement of this special trip went down like a lead balloon.

Once there, our first stop was The Serpent Garden; a winding of bushes with a different water sculpture around every bend. It didn't take long for the kids sullen moods to give way to pure excitement.

"In some species, mothers eat their young"
Quote by AC

Once the kids were sufficiently soaked we went in search of more fun, though nothing could compare to the enjoyment they found in being cold and wet. The rest of our time was shared out between The Bamboo Labyrinth, The Rose Garden, finding discreet places to let the children wee, and The Cherry Orchard.

But we couldn't take the kids home without first letting them partake of the fun to be had on the diggers. This was easier said than done. There were eight diggers to be shared amongst the thousands of visitors. Kids can be savage-like when put under such strain. Thankfully The A-Bomb is no different and he was able to secure himself a digger.

Literary Classics

We're keen readers in our house. The most sought after books in our home at the moment are: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Moonfleet by John Meade Faulkner, The Troll by Julia Donaldson, and The Great Tiger Rescue by Missy Kingprawn.

This weekend we discovered a hot new favourite... 

The Argos Catalogue

He's rather protective over it, spends hours browsing it, and even requested  it as his bed time story this evening. 

Infestation

Despite having lived in this house for nigh on 3 months, The A-Bomb is still getting use to it's layout. Yet again he ran full speed into one of the walls and banged his head. I scooped the little blonde bullet into my arms and took him for a cuddle on the sofa- not that he needed it (his head has taken harder knocks than that) but I'll take any excuse for a cuddle.

September 2010: The A-Bombs head did this to the car windowscreen.....
no tears were shed.

On inspection there was no sign of any injury, but there, amongst his soft blonde locks was a HEADLOUSE. Whilst informing the A-Bomb of the discovery Missy informs me that "I had one of those in my hair and I just flicked it away".  Whilst congratulating Missy on being so pragmatic, I immediately checked her hair.

I had identified the host.

I was feeling a little flustered. I knew this time would come but still felt the shock that comes from discovering your childrens heads are infested with blood sucking insects.
It was moments later that I evacuated the kids into the car and departed for the pharmacy in search of a cure.
Walking out of the store with a bottle of Hedrin left me feeling slightly relieved, but I was itching to get this stuff on the kids heads and eliminate the parasites.

I had to bide my time though because it needed to be left to work over night and it was not yet time for bed. In the mean time I put the comb to good use. The A-Bomb didn't yield any more. The Host however needed alot more attention. Each comb rendered a good haul. Great satisfaction comes from capturing the mites and I soon found that I was actually begninning to enjoy the task and it was with a bit of annoyance that I had to stop due to Missy's protestations. It had been like an hour or something though.

As bedtime approached we prepared the kids for what lay ahead. Missy loves creepy crawlies and couldn't understand why we would want to rid her scalp of the friendly woodlouse.  Bless. The A-Bomb was petrified and the only way to get compliance was with bribary. Shemily didn't have a clue what was going on and smiled the whole time.

Once the kids heads had been doused in Hedrin and they were tucked up in bed it was my turn. AC did the honours.  Having my hair combed and then having the lotion massaged in was heavenly, I felt like I was being pampered at some expensive la de da spa. I could of let it go on forever but it obviously wasn't the same relaxing experience for AC. Once the job was done things came to an abrupt stop.

Summary:  Headlice aren't too bad- there are some subtle perks.  More irriating than the headlice was parting with the £12.73 for the Hedrin Lotion.