Trust

I played the part of dentist for Abigail for the second time this evening. The first time was shortly after we got home from China. One of her lower teeth was quite loose and she made motions that she wanted it out. So, I sat her down, grabbed the tooth, and yanked it out. She didn't flinch a bit. It must have hurt because it did bleed for a while. But she didn't show it. When she first came home she was very stoic. She never cried.

The matching tooth on the other side of her mouth has been coming loose lately. I have asked her a few times over the last few days if she wanted me to pull it out. Up until tonight, she has refused. I think she has been poked and prodded one too many times by doctors and dentists in the short time she has been with us and was getting wary of anything involving pain. Her tetanus shot a couple weeks ago was probably the clincher.

This evening she finally got sick of it and told me she wanted it out. I could tell she was very hesitant, but she did want it out. She has been showing a little bit of a sensitive side lately. The stoicism that she showed for the first tooth was gone and I could tell she was a bit fearful, but she REALLY wanted it out.

So with Abigail on my lap, I cradled her head in one arm and played dentist with the other. She laid there looking up at me with those deep brown eyes, trusting me completely. It was both humbling and gratifying at the same time. Several weeks ago, she was a stranger, now I have her on my lap, performing what amounts to oral surgery without anaesthesia, and she trusts me to do it right.

It was rather difficult to grab such a small tooth with these big Dutch paws of mine, but I did start working on the tooth, trying to work it out. This time, I could tell when it hurt. When she reacted, I tried to change tactics to minimize what she was feeling. At one point, there was even a tear in the corner of one eye.

I carried her up to the kitchen so she could rinse her mouth out and we finished the job there. The satisfying "clink" of the tooth falling into the sink signalled that the task was complete. We all congratulated her on what a brave girl she was. And I was happy that she could show so much trust, even after such a short time in our family.