Ellie and I had a rare treat today and spent the day together. I decided that she needed to go to the dentist because it was time for her six month visit and she has lost most of her baby teeth and her adult ones are starting to come in. I'm anal about teeth, so I decided that I should get a check up too! We drove with Danny to Beijing to go to a dentist I found through United Family Hospital, which is the hospital preferred by most expats in Beijing. Danny had to go to a meeting at headquarters, so we had a quick lunch with him and off we went to Sunyi, an expat area of Beijing. Of course, I organized this trip around going grocery shopping - how perfect, the dentist was right next to Jenny Lou's!!
The first thing El said when we parked in the strip mall was, "Mom, everything is written in English!!". I think it is surprising for El when she can actually read the signs and the store names. Most are written in Chinese, so we basically have no clue what lies behind the doors!! We went to the dentist office first and filled out a gajillion papers, and, just to make sure I understood, I signed "the I am financially responsible" paper about 10 times!! We were called back promptly at 1:00 and were happy that the room was clean and had modern equipment. The only real difference I found throughout both of our appointments was that the dentist actually did the cleaning! Ellie asked me to go first. They used that high pressure water cleaning device (have no idea what it is called, I just know I don't like it). I really don't like getting my teeth cleaned, so she sat there and watched me wince occassionally. By the time it was her turn, she started crying and begged the dentist not to use the sprayer - I don't blame her!! He said he doesn't use it on children and she ended up having a wonderful appointment. He was very gentle and explained everything he was going to do before he did it! My overall impression was that it was a very clean, professional office and we will definitely go back - next time with the whole family!!!
After our appointments, I tried with no luck to retrieve money from the ATM (I exceeded my limit yesterday buying the piano!!!). I was hoping that Jenny Lou's would accept my Visa, and thankfully, they did!! Ellie took forever picking out cereal - it was ALMOST like a US grocery store with half an aisle devoted to cereal! She is used to choosing between 2 or 3 different kinds, so imagine having about 30 in front of you! I splurged on Bounty paper towels - about $4 per roll, but so worth it!! We loaded up on snacks for our trip next week and for Ellie to eat on the way home! She was so cute, she kept asking how many minutes it had been since her flouride treatment. She knew she had to wait at least 30 minutes before she could eat!
I used my last bit of money (40 RMB) to buy a grande vanilla latte - I cannot leave "mini America" (as Jen calls it!) without a Starbucks!! We had a lovely ride home watching the sunset against a perfectly clear sky!! I know it was only a trip to the dentist and some grocery shopping, but I will take whatever alone time I can get with my daughter!!
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2 comments:
So sweet, Kim. It's so hard to find time with our girls now that they're in school full-time. The extra time we spend with them now is so precious! I don't know about you, but I was so much happier during the summer months knowing that Maddison was with me every day. Don't get me wrong, I did get tired of the girl. There is just something special between a mother and a daughter. Although, now that Ben is getting older, I'm finding how he always wants to make me happy and take care of me. He's also sticking up for me when John points out certain characteristics of mine. (not too many of course b/c we all know that I am perfect!) Kids are so much fun!
That sounds like a wonderful day together, Kim! Sometimes it's the simple pleasures that are the best.
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