The dentist wasn't so bad...

At least not for Logan. Actually, both kids did very well sitting for the dentist, having their teeth cleaned, etc. The hygenists demo'd everything on me first so the kids knew what to expect. They especially liked the cleaning instrument - she put it on their fingers so they could feel it vibrate and they both laughed at that.

We knew Daria's mouth was a wreck, and it is. The dentist took one look in a referred us to a pediatric dentist would could help us evaluate and determine which of the issues should be tackled first. Logan has a bunch of cavities in his permanent molars, but other than that, his mouth is looking pretty good. Phew! We were expecting to have to shell out big bucks for both kids, but right now, it's looking like it won't be quite as much.

And, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the causes are. If it's poor nutrition, lack of fluoride, improper brushing, no toothpaste, etc. Scott actually had to show the kids how to properly brush their teeth when he took custody of them in Ukraine. I suppose the orphanages don't have enough manpower to pay attention to everything. At least we're catching it now. I feel bad for Daria because I have a feeling that the work that will need to be done in her mouth will be quite painful for her. And, she definitely does not need to lose any more weight by not being able to eat solid foods for a few days.

The kids are still enjoying school, and have done well on their homework so far. We have to push Daria much harder than Logan with school work, but hopefully by the time the next school year starts in July she'll have the hang of things and be a bit more interested in learning. She seems to do well with a lot of encouragement and positive reinforcement about the work she's done, so we're doing a lot of that. Logan still has a tendency to jump in and answer things for her, so we're working on stopping that as well.