Open Wide

As many of you know, Kyrie has really struggled with anxiety concerning all things medical. This has stemmed from the traumatic testing she has gone through because of her urinary reflux and resulted in fear towards almost all medical situations. We have been working with Kyrie to overcome some of this anxiety, including taking her to speak with a pediatric therapist.
Recently, we took Kyrie to the optometrist for an exam. Figuring that an eye exam had to be one of the least stressful, it would be a barometer for the extent of Kyrie's anxiety and for the effectiveness of her therapy. Thankfully, she did really well with just a little bit of anxiety when she got some eye drops. With one "good" appointment behind us, we knew we needed to attempt going back to the dentist.
Kyrie's first dental appointment did not go well at all. She was terrified and crying before the exam had even begun. I had to hold my screaming, crying, scared-out-of-her-mind baby girl in my lap and hold her down so that the hygienist could look at and brush her teeth. Not our finest hour. In fact, it was the hour that first convinced me that we needed to take Kyrie to talk to someone about her anxiety.
Flash forward to today. It's been more than six months since that first visit to the dentist. Since then we've been to therapy, read books about the dentist, watched Mommy & Daddy at the dentist and, of course, talked and talked about the dentist.
Today, she was nervous and worriedly asked to sit on my lap, but did not balk when she was told that big girls sit in the chair. This visit was a world apart from the last. She cautiously touched the dental tools that were explained to her, answered questions quietly and opened her mouth wide to show her teeth. She needed some prompting with the last one, but she still did it. I stayed right by her side the entire time, touching her hand or leg when I could see the worry building up. She got through the entire visit without a single tear or angry protest. The hygienist (who was also there for Kyries' previous appointment) was very impressed! Both the hygienist and the dentist said that her teeth were beautiful!

Though she was very nervous, Kyrie was very brave today! Knowing what my baby girl has gone through and how scared she has been of this appointment, I cannot fully express how proud I am of her bravery. I was so concentrated on being bright & bubbly (and when you think of me, aren't those just the exact words that come to mind? yeah right!), prompting her with excited questions and expressing excitement over every little tool that I couldn't think about or process the weight of the moment. But sitting her now and reflecting not only on today's appointment, but every horribly sad & traumatic appointment that she has had to endure, her bravery brings tears to my eyes. Where I once only knew dread, I now feel hope!