Why You Should Take Your Baby or Toddler to a Pediatric Dentist

Today was one of those days that every parent fears. We had just gotten home from playing at the park and it was right before lunch time.

I was walking up our wood stairs carrying Harper (with her back to me) and I tripped and fell forward. I tried my hardest to protect her as we lunged forward, but it all happened so fast and her face hit the step. 

I panicked. I felt the force of the fall and I knew it wasn't good. I picked her up and immediately knew she had hit her mouth because the area between her nose and mouth was already red and then she started to bleed/cry and I was absolutely terrified. 

We were able to stop the bleeding and I frantically placed a call to our dentist's emergency line. I talked her through what happened and she instructed me on how to examine Harper's mouth and teeth and what to look for (bleeding at the gums, loose teeth, etc). Harper was crying, screaming (rightfully so) and exhausted from playing at the park. We were able to look inside her mouth just long enough to check that no teeth were loose and that her gums weren't injured or bleeding. Our dentist told us to give her some Tylenol and watch her closely.

It appeared that her teeth had cut the inside of her lip when she fell. She was so tired that we laid her on a blanket on the couch and I sat with her and watched her sleep. Her lip began to swell more and more and the area between her nose and lips was already starting the beginnings of what is sure to turn into a black and blue mess. My poor baby :(

To my total surprise, when she woke up about an hour later, she was smiling and acting totally normally, as if nothing had happened. Her lip was so swollen and her upper lip looked so battered, I couldn't believe it. I gave her some yogurt and fruit to see if she would eat and she did.

She continued to act normally for the rest of the day/evening and we noticed that the swelling on the outside of her lip began to subside. The inside of her top lip is still pretty red and swollen (I will spare you the photos I texted to the dentist). The dentist told me that the bruises and swelling will likely take a couple of weeks to completely subside. She called me later in the day and texted with me which was so reassuring. Above and beyond for sure.

(my poor sweet baby�)

I'm so glad Harper is okay, but I have just been beating myself up about what happened. I know it was an accident, but I feel so terrible that a) it happened and b) how much worse it could have been. I just feel so awful that I caused her so much pain and discomfort.

I'm so glad that we saw a pediatric dentist about a month ago for Harper's first check-up. I got a card in the mail from our insurance company right after Harper's first birthday saying that I should make her a dental appointment. It seemed really early to do that, (because she only has like 8 teeth), but I asked around and was recommended a local practice. 

We had such a fantastic experience there. Our first appointment was more about discussion and education- what is our current brushing routine?  does she drink juice or eat candy, etc? It was more of a conversation about how to prevent cavities and how to brush correctly to encourage your child to develop a good oral hygiene routine.

After the initial talk with the dental hygienist, we went to meet the dentist and she actually looked at Harper's teeth, did a very quick cleaning (as Harper screamed) and reiterated the importance of twice-daily brushing.

At the time, she also reminded me that she is on call 24/7 for dental emergencies. I remember her saying that and the moment I turned Harper around after we fell today and saw the blood coming out of her mouth, I knew who to call.

Anyway, I guess my point is that even if it seems silly to take a 1 or 2 year old to the dentist, it's  a good idea to have conversations about oral health early (and get tips on how to encourage kids to enjoy brushing---we're still working on it). It's also wonderful to have a pediatric dentist to call in the case of a dental emergency. Ours even offered to come into her office to see Harper tomorrow if things started to look worse. It saddens me to realize things could have been much worse--- but it would have been incredible to have immediate access to a pediatric dentist to perform and exam and do x-rays, etc.

(bruised and swollen, but happy as can be)

I'm still very shaken up by what happened and with time, I'll have to forgive myself. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend�here's to a better tommorow�

If you are local, I cannot more highly recommend Pinnacle Pediatric Dentistry. This isn't a sponsored post, just a PSA that this can happen to anyone, no matter how careful you are and having access to a dentist for your child is very comforting when something like this happens.

Family Photos!

A few weeks ago, I shared a little summary of our recent family photo session. Basically, it was a total disaster. Harper decided she wasn't having it and had meltdowns and tantrums until we left. #toddlerlife, for real.

Our photographer, Crystal, from Crystal Lynn Photography (I found her via Marissa at The Simple Swan!) assured us that she got some good shots despite the limited time and non-screaming/crying facial expressions.

I was plesantly surprised by the photos and I'm excited to share them with you! Though I wish there were more that captured Harper's true personality (the sweet, happy, mischevious and funny girl we know)--- they sure did capture how she felt at the time they were being taken and I think we will look back on them and have a giggle--- and they'll definitely make it into a wedding slideshow.

my dress- zara  |  sandals- tory burch  |  earrings- kate spade (love these two similar styles 1, 2)  |  bracelet- j.crew

harper's dress- baby gap  |  tutu + sanadals - zara  

kevin's shirt- j.crew factory (similar) |  jeans- express 

the ONE smiling photo, LOL!

she usually loves "playing airplane" but this face says it all!

 "mommy nooooooo"

This was cute--- she spotted some dolls in a window of a store and smiled for a few moments!

 I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Harper Reese-16 Months Old + The Houston Zoo

Yesterday, Harper turned 16 months old. As she gets older, it's nearly impossible to get photos of her (especially if you ask, she will laugh and run away) so I'm sharing photos from our trip to the Houston Zoo today as part of her 16-month update.

This month Harper's language really exploded. I remember being a little worried at her 15-month checkup that she wasn't saying many words (to which my pediatrician replied "don't worry, my son didn't talk until he was 3, and now he works at Google). Thanks for the reassurance, doctor.

About a week or two after that check-up, it was like someone flipped a switch and this girl started to say new words practically daily. It's awesome. She even talks to herself in her crib in the morning. If she wakes up earlier than usual we just let her hang out for a bit chatting and flipping through books.

Favorite Moments, Memories & Milestones:

new words:

"wawa" for water

cheese

bubbles

open

purple

oh no!

uh-oh!

this

ba ba ba for sheep

up up!

staaarr (said drawn out, just like that)

hi

bye

baby

all done
"nay nay" for horse

She also started to say "I don't know" (but it sounds like one word)--- she shrugs her shoulders and puts her hands up by her sides. It slays me, it's so cute.

Loves the song "wheels on the bus." It is now part of our bathtime routine. To keep it fresh, I make up new lyrics to the song and sing about things that wouldn't actually be on the bus�like a cow. I also sing that "the star on the bus goes twinkle twinkle twinkle" and "the spider on the bus climbs up the water spout" because she loves those songs too. She looks at me all the time and does the "wheel turning" motion with her arms and says "buh buh buh" so I will sing the song. It's adorable.

At night when she is ready for bed, she goes to the gate at our stairs and turns around and waves and says bye to Lulu.

She knows her shapes. One week at daycare they learned aboout shapes and I try to reinforce what she learns there while we play. You can watch a video here and here.

She knows some of her colors and is getting great at puzzles and matching them correctly.

She cries hysterically if you take away an eating utensil. If this girl has a spoon, she uses it, even if it means most of her soup ends up in her bib pocket

One day she saw a mom holding her newborn baby on the blacony on the house across from ours and now whenever she goes to the window she points and says "baby baby" even if the baby isn't there. Sometimes, the baby will be there and she will alert me to it. I hope our neighbors don't think we're staring.

Harper had her first pigtails in her hair this month. Her hair was finally long enough!

She loves stickers--- she likes to put them on herself, windows, books, toys.

She loves to color- you can check out some of our favorite coloring tools here.

She likes to put laundry into the laundry basket and put things in the garbage�sometimes she tries to take things out of the garbage can and now we have clear packing tape on it so she doesn't try to dig in there. My husband is thrilled I taught her that.

She knows most of her body parts and will point to them when we ask on her own body, or ours. She likes to dig inside my bellybutton. Laughs really hard when she does it. It kind of hurts, but it's cute.

She is very playful and mischevious. Always testing boundaries and playing little games with us.

Likes to play a game where she offers us food and then is all "psych!" and pulls it away and laughs and laughs.

Has been a total daddy's girl for the last few weeks. It's always "dada dada dada."

She answers questions with yes or no all the time now.

She still loves to dance. We regularly "get down" to some tunes. She's got moves, y'all.

She often brings Lulu his octopus toy and laughs when she throws it to him. She loves watching him run around the house.

Harper's dress- baby gap  |  bow- happinessliveshere

I hope you had a great weekend! We had so much fun at the Houston Zoo, definitely check it out if you're ever in town. We bought a membership so we can go all year, especially when the weather gets cooler. We got there early enough to see the elephants get baths, including the baby elephants and it was adorable!