A conversation with the dentist

Ellie had a follow-up visit with her dentist today, just a quick pit stop for a cleaning and application of a fluoride treatment. The cleaning went well, and when we were leaving, the dentist handed us an information sheet. He explained that, in order for the fluoride polish to have the best and longest-lasting effect, we should avoid hard or chewy foods, hot liquids, and alcohol for the rest of the day. He finished up by saying, "So, no beer today, okay, Ellie?"

She replied, "No, beer is for Daddy. I drink milk."

Our future American Idol?

Ellie loves to listen to music in the car. Her father burns CDs with an almost completely random variety of songs on them, and she'll have one favorite song each week. This week it's the song "Alone" by Heart. Whenever we get into the car, she says, "I hear 'Alone', please?" I then cue it up and play it for her. When the song is over, she asks, "Can you go back to the beginning, please? I'm figuring out the words."

Permission to listen freely

We have a box in our home which we call "The Naughty Bin". Whenever 3-year-old Ellie is naughty, one of her favorite books or toys goes into the bin. If she is good, she gets to choose one thing to take out of the bin.

Well, today she asked her father if she could take something out of the Naughty Bin. "I'm good," she told him.

Jason replied, "You have to be good all the time."

She thought for a moment, then said, "I let you listen to radio in car."

First dentist visit

Ellie had her first visit with the dentist this week. She politely declined when the dental hygienist invited her to brush her teeth at their sink, explaining that she wanted to use her own "Dumbo" toothbrush. But she answered the dentist's questions and opened her mouth for his examination with no fuss or resistance. He gave her a clean bill of health, but laughed about her thumb-sucking habit. He asked her, "Is your thumb delicious? Does it taste like chocolate?" and Ellie thought about this very seriously for a moment. Then she replied, "No, strawberry." My literal three-year-old! We'd had strawberries with breakfast, and she still had some of the juice under her nail.

On the way out, I stopped to speak with an acquaintance in the waiting room. Ellie settled down happily with a toy. I thought this was wonderful, until I tried to get her out of the office.

"Ellie, let's go out and look at the fountain!"
"No, I'm still playing."
"Ellie, it's time to leave. Remember? We're going to the eye doctor and we have to do Mommy's allergy shots."
"No, I'm still playing."
"I'm counting to three, Elena, and then we have to leave."
"Noooooooo! NOOOOOOO!"

In the end, I had to peel her off the toy, throw her over my shoulder, and haul her out of there. She screamed at the top of her lungs all the way out. Once outside the door, she proceeded to treat me to a full-on tantrum, lying on the ground and kicking and screaming. A father in the waiting room gave me a sympathetic grin and said, "I never thought I'd see a parent dragging a kid OUT of the dentist's office kicking and screaming!"

The taste of the season

Ellie and her daddy had the following exchange at lunch today:

Ellie: "I ate strawberry."
Jason: "Good! Was it delicious?"
Ellie: "Yes."
Jason: "That's because they're in season."
Ellie: "No. I just ate the season."
Jason: "Oh, you ate the season?"
Ellie: "Yes."
Jason: "What did it taste like?"
Ellie: "Strawberry juice."