Today was dentist appointment day for Aaron – time for his four month check up and cleaning. Yes, he goes every four months because his dental cleaning skills are not at the top of his list of priorities. And for Aaron, today was GO OUT TO EAT LUNCH AND GO TO WAL-MART DAY……….with a little unwelcome side trip to the dentist to mess things up a bit. The dentist visit was a necessary evil that he had to endure in order to obtain his chief objectives.
Aaron does fine at the dentist, although that’s easy for me to say as I sit in the waiting room…….far away from Aaron’s open mouth. I used to go back with him for his visits in order to just give him the comfort of my presence, to rub his arm and keep him calm, and to be able to rescue the hygienist if needed. Aaron actually has always done well at these visits but there have been times that he has gotten a little impatient and wiggly……….and borderline hateful. Once he shook his fist in the air. Only once, at least that I know of. I put an end to that very quickly with the promise of NO lunch out and NO Wal-Mart if he did that again.
Now I don’t go back in the exam room with Aaron. I’ve convinced him that he’s grown up enough to do this dental visit on his own. It would be nice, though, to just be near Aaron when he has his mouth open and no words coming out. But he does great without me……….except he told me during lunch today that he accidentally bit the hygienist’s finger while she was working on him. Oh my! I asked what she said and he told me that she said, “Ouch.” Hmmmm…….I wonder if I should call and check on her. She didn’t seem hurt when she came out with Aaron to talk to me. Anyway, Aaron had no cavities, and his teeth were fairly clean, so we left happy.
And Aaron left with something in his hand that he had taken off the counter while I made his next appointment. I thought it was a free calendar, but when we got in the van and I looked at it, I saw that it was a whole pad of coupons. I told him that we don’t need all those dozens of the same coupons, and he said, “But Mom, they’re coupons and I want to cut them out.” Oh good grief, Aaron! So back in the office we marched and we returned the pad of coupons, much to the laughter and delight of the nice staff……..who also gave us two Wendy’s Frosty coupons. Aaron wasn’t that impressed with those, though, because they are already cut out. As we once again walked out, I told the staff to check their purses…….you never know what else Aaron may have taken. I haven’t gotten a call yet so maybe we’re good.We stopped at TGI Friday’s for lunch, for which I had a coupon…….one of three that Aaron had already torn apart on those serrated lines that he can’t resist. Sigh. Aaron chose chicken tenders to eat after making sure that they were boneless…………a salad with Ranch dressing, and even an extra dressing on the side that he dumped immediately on his salad even as I was telling him that it was extra IF he needed it…………and French fries. He hopped up before his food came and before I could stop him he had gone to the front counter for his required toothpicks. Fourteen. He got fourteen toothpicks……..and when he offered to return them to the waitress later, she kindly told him that he could keep them.
As the meal was winding down, our waitress asked if Aaron would need a box……but soon she returned and saw that Aaron had eaten every bite. She commented on the fact that we wouldn’t need a box after all, and Aaron said, “I’m sorry I ate it all. I’m sorry!” So we both assured him that it was fine for him to eat it all, and he was happily relieved. Our waitress was very nice, but I imagine she was a little puzzled. Aaron tends to have that effect.
Off we headed to Wal-Mart, where the first thing I did was direct Aaron to the bath section. I had promised him a buff-puff on a stick and he was excited to buy one. Later, as our items were being rung up, Aaron told the cashier, “My mom bought me a puff ball on a stick!” He further explained to her that he couldn’t reach his back in the shower and that now he could. As he loaded our bags in the cart there at the register, he heard someone yell out the name Aaron. He put his hand over his heart in shock and looked quite alarmed, which made me laugh as I assured him that it was another Aaron being summoned. He told the smiling cashier, in a rather breathless voice, “I have the name Aaron.” She and I both smiled, and I had the feeling that she was rather enjoying her unusual customer with the name of Aaron.We walked past the nail salon, which so interests Aaron and which he has wanted to visit. “Mom, I heard they have men in there.” Who knows? Maybe someday I’ll let him try it…….but NO polish! And soon after that you would have found Aaron and me looking down through a large grate in the parking lot at the drainage pipe that so fascinates Aaron. He excitedly told me about the pipe he recently saw in Old Town that was “pushing water up out!!” And I wondered what people thought of us standing there looking down through that grate, but I didn’t really care because I was having fun with my special boy.
Aaron loves reading personalized license plates, and trying to guess what they mean. As we drove away from Wal-Mart, the car in front of us had the name “Wurtz” on their plate. “Look at that license plate, Mom!” he exclaimed. “That’s the stuff on your face!” “No, Aaron,” I said through my laughter. “That would be warts.”
Wait! Did he mean MY face?!
We stopped at the vet for dog food, where Aaron had to share the “Wurtz” and “warts” story with Charla as she rung up our dog food. And Aaron got to pet Kato the cat, who was just shaved and looked so adorable with her puffy tail and legs and face……..and who promptly gave Aaron a few little bites when he wouldn’t quit picking her up. As we left, Aaron happily told Charla about his good report from the dentist…….clean teeth and no cavities! “Do you ever have the dentist say your teeth are clean?” he asked her.
Oh Aaron! Time to go home! You need to keep your mouth busy with your bubble gum tape I bought you. Or your Sour Cream and Onion Pringles. Or your flavored water.
Yeah, it was a fun time for Aaron at Wal-Mart for sure. And a fun day for me with our boy that has the name Aaron.
He Said What?! 