Sometimes a journey is... Just a way to get from place to place!

It's not that I am not aware of "what day it is." I am.  I have been avoiding media, however, except as reported to me via The Spousal Unit.

The reason for this is that today was The First Dentist Appointment for Cartoon Ranger.

Short version:  Imagine the <sarcasm> fun and hilarity </sarcasm> of guiding a small person through an initial dental visit (brushing and exam).  Now imagine that the small person cannot abide having his head or face touched without permission.  <quoting some commercial or other> "Yes, it's that good." </quoting>

In CR's favor, he was WONDERFUL in preparation for said visit. We went to the dentist's website, saw pics of his office (they have a game room with video games and a flat screen TV), and read books about dentist office visits.   All those good "social stories" kinds of things that are recommended by therapists everywhere.  He was very positive about going. 

Until he had to wait longer than anticipated. To be fair, we HAD been waiting quite a while.  At one point, he just sort of snapped. Zero to sixty in a heartbeat.  We had to leave the waiting room and go outside to calm down.

This happened a few times.

In the office, (complete with flatscreen installed in the ceiling to watch Nick Jr. or ANYthing else the patient wanted to watch) (maybe even Discovery Home), the little guy came unglued.  Poor kidlet.  We tried and tried, but the whole dental chair exam was not for him today.

On the plus side, as I wrote the relatives, while he was screaming (I was holding him the whole time, but he was still screaming) the dentist could clearly see all his teeth.  All the way, I'm guessing, to his esophagus.

In the end, his teeth were pronounced to be very healthy. His lungs certainly lack nothing, either.  He got to go to the treasure box (he had, after all, endured a power brushing and exam) and was more than ready to go home.

So was I. I felt like I'd run a mile. Without a break for water.

So it's been kind of a day in the House O'Quill. Maybe I'll turn in early tonight, still avoid the media, and watch some silly movie that reminds me to value the honesty of a small son who is frightened, even when it can be embarrassing.

Or there's always Pride & Prejudice.