Dentist, Fit Kids, & Chick-fil-A

Braden had his 2nd ever trip to the dentist today for his semi-annual check-up and cleaning. He did surprisingly well when we took him for his first visit 6 months ago, so we weren't too worried about going this time. Braden was very excited to go this morning, and was thrilled that Daddy was able to meet us there! He ran into the building, headed straight for the fancy Thomas the Train play table in the waiting room, and informed the other boy and girl there that he "always" plays with this train. I thought we were off to a great start until the hygenist came to take us back to the exam area (which is a very bright, happy, open room with multi-colored non-scary looking dentist chairs and TVs in the ceiling all showing Tom & Jerry). He grabbed my hand as soon as we made it into the hallway, and very reluctantly got up on the exam chair. He was OK with talking to the hygenist about what flavor of toothpaste he wanted (bubblegum, of course) and the prizes he would get when he was finished, but not so much when she asked him to lie back on the table. David told me to go sit down, and we waited patiently for the pediatric dental experts to work their magic, but it was not happening. David finally had to do it "the hard way," which meant physically holding Braden down on the chair so the dentist could look at his teeth. He cried for just a few minutes, and was actually laughing by the time it was over (the dentist's polishing toothbrush tickles, you know), so all ended well. He got two stickers on his shirt (Optimus Prime and Wall-E), a sparkly bouncy ball, and a new Tigger toothbrush. He was a happy boy once again! I am SO glad David was able to come. We decided that he will take Braden to his next appointment in July so Mommy can avoid the potential stress and manhandling involved. Plus, baby brother will be here by then, so Daddy will probably have to take him regardless. Whew!

After the dentist, we headed to the first "Fit Kids" class of the new year (Braden's weekly exercise class at the fitness center) where he proudly told his teacher, Ms. Shawna, about going to the dentist, showed her his stickers, and then shared his bouncy ball with a new little boy.

After Fit Kids, we went to Chick-fil-A for more playtime and lunch (which is our routine every Wednesday). There is a really sweet lady who works there who always takes our order. If more than one person is working at the registers, Braden makes sure to go to hers. She has definitely won him over. She's always been super nice, but lately, she's been going out of her way. Last week, she dug through the kids' meal toys to find one of two Franklin books he didn't have yet, and then came over with the other one he was missing by the time we were finished eating! Today, we ended up with double prizes in his bag (they were stuck together), so I asked him to take one back to the counter and tell her that it was an extra. I think she thought he was asking to trade it for an ice cream, so I tried to explain that we still had a prize, that this one was just an extra one, but she insisted on giving him the ice cream anyway. I wish I knew her name, but I don't. She's always wearing a jacket (she sometimes works the drive-thru window also), so I haven't ever been able to see her nametag. Maybe next time we go, I'll remember to just ask! If I knew her name, I would write a letter to the manager telling him how wonderful she is.