For the record, no.  I didn’t need to have any teeth pulled.  Nate, on the other hand, did.

Yesterday, he had a dentist appointment to get a couple of teeth pulled.  His four front teeth that were growing in didn’t have enough room.  Nate’s orthodontist suggested he have his two baby teeth (the canines) pulled out, in hopes of freeing up room and allowing his four grown-up teeth to come in straighter.

Well, let me admit…I was not on my A-game yesterday morning.  My plans were to have Maxim sleep in and then, we’d drop him off at school on the way to the dentist.  (In all fairness, we’ve been hit HARD by the sniffles, coughs, and scratchy throats around here.  I figured he’d be able to get some rest to help fight off this crud we have all been consumed with.)  Well.  I should have known.

There were tears and perhaps some gnashing of teeth (not by me…but by Maxim) when I told Maxim that we were taking him to school and then heading on to Nate’s dentist appointment.  In some blind side and perhaps me being a wimpy parent moment, I agreed that he could come with us to the dentist.  Then, I’d take them out to lunch and drop them off at school around noon.

Two problems here.

1.  My timeframe was completely off.  (This happens often.)  I was completely UNREALISTIC about how long this would take.  I thought with Nate’s appointment at 10:45, we’d be outta there in twenty minutes or thirty minutes tops, then swing through and grab a lunch and have the boys to school by noon.  I don’t even know what to say.  Except for DREAMER.  I always believe I can do fifty things in a ten minute time period.

2.  I was not taking into account that Nate was having TWO TEETH PULLED.  Two baby teeth that were perfectly happy staying all wedged in up in his gums.  Two teeth that would have roots that were about two inches long.  And leave DEEP PITS that looked like the BLACK HOLE.  Two teeth that would make Nate’s gums throb like no other.  And did I mention that I didn’t bring the children’s Tylenol?

We arrived to the dentist appointment (not to brag, but only one minute late) and Nate mentioned something about me going back with him.  Friends.  I couldn’t.  You see, I have NIGHTMARES about losing my teeth and having bloody gums and completely other gross and disgusting teeth dreams.  I couldn’t sit back there holding his hand without passing out or wanting to curl up in the corner of Dr. Walker’s office in a fetal position with my thumb in my mouth.  So, NO.  I let Brave Nate go back and Maxim and I stayed in the waiting area.

After BRAVE Nate had his teeth pulled, Dr. Walker discussed what our next two hours would look like.  Watch for bleeding.  Don’t eat right now.  Maybe go shop a bit.  (He really said this…my dentist knows me well.) Keep clean gauze pads wedged up in the BLACK HOLES.  Give Nate the highest dose of children’s Tylenol that he could handle.  Eat something soft for lunch, but only after an hour and a half (to allow time for the blood to clot).  Then, after lunch, assess the situation.  If needed, apply more gauze.  “And in no time at all, he’ll be fine,” said Dr. Walker.

Well.  I’ll be.  Again, can I repeat…I was sooooo not on my A game for this.  I had no idea that pulling a few teeth would be such an ordeal.  Clearly, when two teeth are pulled that are not even an ounce wiggly, there are bound to be some issues.  As in PAIN.

So, with a package of gauze pads in hand, a toy for Nate (brave kids get toys at our dentist’s office), a container holding Nate’s two baby canine teeth with THE LONGEST ROOTS EVER, and not an ounce of children’s Tylenol in my possession, we left the dental office.

Our brave little guy!

First stop?  Barnes and Noble.  Because books make everyone happier.  Second stop?  Target.  Because the novocaine was wearing off FAST, so Tylenol needed to be purchased.  And by our third stop, we were doing okay again.  It had been almost two hours and Panera was calling our names because they have the BEST soft foods.

So, in all of the teeth pulling and what have you, Maxim, Nate, and I were able to have a nice lunch date.

A wonderful lunch date complete with laughs, careful eating, and spending time together.  And here are two more things I enjoyed while we ate at Panera’s …

Nate’s chocolate chip cookie

Yes.  Nate is so much like his mama.  He ate the inside portion of the cookie.  The softest part of the cookie.  The BEST part of the cookie.  And left the crust.  Friends. I do that ALL THE TIME.  (I had to keep reminding him to chew with his very back teeth.)

Our storyteller, Maxim 🙂

This little guy makes me laugh.  When we have lunch dates, Maxim loves to have me to tell stories (especially the story about Sunny the horse who chased my brother Ben and me when we were little).  Well, today he asked for that story again, then changed his mind and offered to tell Nate and me a story.  So, we heard all about Indians, a pack of mountain lions, an eagle, and more from our wonderful storyteller.

And that was our day.  A good ending to a painful morning of teeth gnashing by one and teeth losing by another.  And I hope you will learn from this mom…when teeth are getting pulled, don’t forget to pack the Tylenol.