White Lightning Axiom: Redux

We had a fairly interesting evening last night. The major event of the night, perhaps the week even, was the first dentist appointment for the kids. And yes, the fates smiled upon us and somehow compelled the kids to behave in some semblance of sanity. No tooth-and-nail fights from Alexis or attempted inappropriate groping behavior by Jake. It all went oddly well. Of course, the bad news is that Jacob's blackend front tooth is indeed some sort of damage to the root. Most likely an impact with a blunt instrument. No surprise there. That, and Alexis will almost certainly need braces when she gets her permanent teeth. Too much of an overbite apparently. That, and the whole binky thing has been thoroughly condemned. I've been delaying the 'cold turkey' denial of the pacifiers for a month or two now. We've got them to a point where they only really request them in the evening before bed time. Now is the time for men to stand up and say 'NO MORE!'. Urgh. We'll start saving up for the orthodontics bill now. Other than that, no cavities, plaque or other nasties. The brushing at bed-time is actually fulfilling it's purpose. Jacob was his usual wiggle-worm self, but not as bad as I thought he would be. The dental hygienist (Mrs Lydia) was OUTSTANDING with the kids. The dentist, although a bearded man, was warmly accepted as well. I was stunned that Alexis did not go into her usual 'I HATE STRANGE MEN' tizzy and was willing to let him poke about in her mouth. Not something that I would expect from her even if she did understand the unspoken rule of trust granted to those within the medical professions. She continues to amaze me daily.

On the way home, we stopped off at McDonalds and the Pizza joint. The kids deserved a treat for their superb behavior and the whole french fries/chicken nuggets gambit seems to fit the bill. Of course, they had to eat a mouth full of green beans first, With the pending consumption of battered/fried products teasing them from across the table, it was a quickly executed effort.

The rest of the evening went well, but we left Jake in his pull-ups. After dinner, he and the Mrs spent 30 minutes of quality time in the bathroom trying to ... expel waste. For some reason, the kids would much rather use the large toilets rather than the appropriately sized potties we have for them. It's funny to watch them balance over the edge of the seat, strenuously gripping each side with their hands to keep themselves out of the 'drink'. The other day, Jake took a dive and was not even remotely amused. I guess the Mrs and I will need to get an additional 'small seat' that fits over the large one for the upstairs toilet as well. Just in case someone decides to go potty without us (it could happen) and ends up needing our help ... at 0200 in the morning.

Speaking of early mornings, the whole 'no-more-binky' thing did not go over well with the Tiny Twin Tyrants. I was certain that I would wake in the middle of the night with one of them hovering over me with a shotgun or large aluminum bat. They were a bit perturbed when I insisted that it was bed time and they did not need the pacifiers. The Mrs and I heard complaints late into the evening. Jake escaped once and needed to be escorted back but the Haupertonian GM Security Forces. They were consequentially exhausted in the morning due to the agitated sleep that was a result of this. I feel badly that it had to go down this way. Parental duties can be unpleasant sometimes, I'll just have to let it go at that.

# posted by mdmhvonpa @ 7:35 AM