A Look Back: 8/14 - 8/20

Friday, 8/14:

• Took Lily to get her cavity filled. Turns out she had two cavities, not one. 
• Lily had nitrous so she would be relaxed during the procedure. It worked. She sat perfectly for everything.

Sunday, 8/16:

• My blow dryer was on it's way out so I needed to pick up a new one. I decided to go to Target, alone! Even though I specifically went for the blow dryer, I decided to pick up the rest of Lily's school supplies. I shopped around, checked out, got in my van, drove away, and remembered one very important thing...

I NEVER BOUGHT THE BLOW DRYER!! Ugh.

Tuesday, 8/18:

• Went to a Mcdonald's, with the playground inside, for dinner so Lily could run around before bedtime. While there, two things occurred:

1. There was a family of six with one more on the way. Ages ranging from about three to about twelve. Lily was playing with the two youngest one's. The oldest, a girl of about twelve was wearing a tank top. I really wanted to go up to her parents and tell them to stop on the way home and buy that girl a training bra. Seriously! She needed one, bad. There are a lot of pervs out in the world, and this girl should not be walking around with her little girl boobies hanging out for all of them to see. Unfortunately, as my mom always says, "It's not mine."
2. While Lily was off playing, another little girl came up to Killian and Piper who were in their stroller. A nice, quiet girl with very long black hair in pigtails. I asked how old she was. She just looked at me. I asked, "Are you seven?" She gave me a look and said, "No." I asked, "Are you six? Eight?" She looked at me and said, "I'm four." Four? Really? This girl was super tall! Too tall to be only one year older than Lily. But, she was four. Anyway, she was making Piper laugh by putting her nose to Piper's hand and face. I wanted to tell the little pre-schooler not to touch Piper's face, but I felt weird about it. I have no problem telling an adult, but this innocent little girl made me feel like it was wrong to say something. Many times, the parents will say something to their kids, but her parents just ignored the fact she was even at our table. Maybe they didn't speak english? All the while, all I can think about is if this girl had her immunizations. Is she sick? Is anyone in her family sick? It was a little stressful. Next time I will definitely be as polite as I can be and just say, "Please don't touch the baby." 

• Lily tries to play catch with piper...

Wednesday, 8/19:

Lily: "What's your favorite animal, Mommy?"

Me: "I like giraffes. What's your favorite animal?"

Lily: "I like Piper and Killian." 

• Been watching Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated with Lily. It's on Netflix if interested...and you should be. This show rocks! Seriously. It was on for two seasons from 2010 to 2013. Even though they don't have the original theme song to Scooby Doo! Where Are You? I still sing it for Lily. She loves it. Here is her version of the song...

A Cavity?

Lily eating yogurt

Lily actually likes brushing her teeth. She doesn't eat too many sweets. She loves drinking water and only has a small juice box once a day at dinnertime. She would rather eat vegetables than anything else, so why? Why does my little three year old girl have a cavity?

My heart sank deep into my chest as the dentist confirmed what I already guessed. The very small black dot on Lily's back, left molar is in fact, a cavity. "How does a three year old get a cavity?" I asked the dentist as she was finishing up her exam. "Lack of brushing or not brushing good enough. Mom, you really need to help her when she brushes. Do you?"

I felt like I failed in some way, or at least, that's how she made me feel. Fact is, I do help Lily brush her teeth. I help her every morning and every night. Lily brushes, then I brush. I also pay close attention to that back, left molar because six months ago, the dentist mentioned they were keeping an eye on it. So have I failed as a parent? As a mother?

I made the appointment for Lily's filling and got out of the office as quickly as I could. I was a little embarrassed, truth be told. I felt like I was being judged. In my head, all I could think was, "I actually do brush Lily's teeth with her twice a day. I know some parents who have such a hard time getting their kids to brush even just once a day. Why is Lily the one who gets the cavity?" When I got home I did some research on cavities in toddlers. I found out that I wasn't the only parent questioning why this occurs.

I found out that dentists will blame the parent. They blame lack of brushing. They blame not flossing. That definitely is part of it, but there could be another reason why a three year old can get a cavity - family history. Read this article: The Surprising Truth About Cavities posted on parents.com.

So I'm not a failure. Sure, I could floss more with her, but really? She's three. I'm lucky I get a chance to actually brush her teeth since she loves brushing them all by herself like a big girl. She likes to floss, but when I say it's my turn, she has a fit. "Lily big girl! Lily do it! Not Mommy! Lily!" Yes... all exclamation points!

So we go back next month to get the cavity filled. Now I have to make the choice of having them attempt to fill it with or without nitrous oxide. Things I wish I didn't have to worry about. As a parent, I can only assume there will be so many things I will be worrying about and this is just one grain of salt from the bottle of life.