ode to dr pike

i remember my first trip to the dentist. his office was downtown and there was a sliding glass window in the lobby, where the receptionist sat. the first time i went, for some reason my mom left me there in the lobby. when they called my name , i hid under a table. that pretty much sums up my feelings about dental visits to this day. and i have had a lot of visits in my 45 years.

so when ruby was home and “meet the dentist age”, i wanted her to have a different experience. after asking my wise friends with children where they went, one name came up several times, dr pike. i made an appointment for her to see dr pike.

our first visit we were running late and i was worried about not being there on time. little did i know that appointments are fluid and i needn’t have fretted. we arrived and sat in the lobby for a few minutes watching the looping video of a chimp brushing his teeth. then we were both ushered into the back room, me for a tour and meeting with dr pike, ruby to the treasure chest to pick a toy.

dr pike is a diminutive man, with a smidge of white hair and a friendly smile. he is in his late 60’s to early 70’s i would guess. i liked him immediately. he showed me around the office and explained the new philosophy of kids dentistry- no fear and no pain. the staff are all young and friendly, there are 3 dentists and 8 or so hygienists.

meanwhile, ruby had gone off with one of the hygienists and was sitting on an exam table happily brushing the teeth of a large ugly stuffed monkey or creature of some kind. wearing bright sunglasses she looked ready for a day at the beach. the exam room is big- and reminded me of a summer camp cabin. it was filled with about 7 or 8 exam tables all loaded with kids getting dental care. there is a cage full of gerbils, a fish tank and several treasure troves filled with toys and flashing tooth brushes. she let them clean and examine her teeth and had a great time.

when i took hazel last week for her first visit, she was a little shy and didn’t really want to let them do her teeth. so they were flexible and sat her on my lap to do the exam.

we went on a wednesday morning and madison was there. madison is an 11 year old golden retriever. madison was laying on a kids lap on the exam table while the kid was getting a filling. we’ll be going on wednesday to get our care from now on so we can get our pooch fill! dr pike rocks!

this and that

some amazing places i have been:

floating in a boat down the colorado river through the grand canyon surrounded by friends.
hiking on a remote section of the great wall called jinshangling
standing at the summit of mt st. helens on may 19, 1979 ( yep nearly one year before it blew)
scampering on the beach collecting agates at mermaid beach on a glorious fall day
hiking the kalaulau trail on the north shore of Kauai the day my dossier was logged in to the ccaa when i was waiting for ruby

a few things you may not know about me:

i used to smoke and quite cold turkey in 1989 with altoids as my tool.
i love to read, with a penchant for those tomes located near the grocery check out stand.
my morning cup of java is a glorious moment
when my kids are tucked safely in bed asleep is another glorious moment
i wish i'd become a mother sooner

the first day of school illustrated

end of summer fun

the big k

ruby starts kindergarten on monday.

i can’t avoid being cliché- where did the time go? in some ways i feel as if i have always had ruby in my heart and in my life. yet i know that i lived 40 years without her. what did i do with myself when i wasn’t packing lunches, folding little clothes or stepping over toys in the living room?

woodstock elementary school is a cute blue building with columns built before 1910. its pained robin’s egg blue and has several playgrounds. snuggled next to a park with large conifers, its storybook . although ruby won’t be walking to school because we are too far away for that, on monday she will carry her new lunch box and backpack and set off to kindergarten at woodstock.

she had her assessment for kindergarten this week and we met her teacher miss smith. miss smith seems very nice and has the reputation of being very intuitive about sensitive kids so i am relieved that ruby was assigned to her room for the english portion of the day. she’ll have regular kindergarten in the morning and mandarin kindergarten in the afternoon. the day begins a 8:10 and ends at 2:45 ( i think).

since she has been at tucker for 2 years, the routine of the day should feel familiar to her. the difference of course is more kids a longer day , no morning snack, and a short lunch period! for my glacially paced eater, this is a concern for me. i’m brainstorming as many high protein foods to tempt her with that i can.

mia, her pal from tucker maxon, is in the other class which i know she’ll be sad about. but its good for her to be meeting new people and i’m sure she’ll enjoy the excitement of k . fortunately we know lots of kids at the school so there will be familiar faces everywhere.