A Check-up and a Meltdown

Today Brennan visited the dentist. Thankfully he loves going and is a great patient, so it was a super easy visit with a good report and no cavities. My friend Leighann was a great help and watched Bryce during the appointment. So far it had been a good morning; playtime at home, a great dental check-up, and Bryce had fun playing with his friend Jacob. I decided the boys and I would reward ourselves with Panera for lunch.

Unfortunately that is where the good morning ended. Bryce was crying the entire drive to Panera because he was tired. Once we arrived, I told Brennan he had to be an extra good boy because Bryce might be cranky. It turns out Bryce wasn't the one I needed to worry about. Brennan usually gets to pick out a cookie at Panera. He almost always picks the M&M cookie and the few times he's picked a seasonal cookie, he hasn't eaten it. Today he decided he wanted a seasonal flower cookie and when I told him no, he had a pretty epic meltdown.

Thankfully Brennan doesn't really throw fits and pretty much never in public. But today he had a nice little tantrum right in line at Panera. I was holding Bryce which only made things that much more difficult. And it wasn't bad enough that Brennan was crying about not getting the cookie he wanted, he would not stop grabbing the flower cookie from the basket. It was quite embarrassing.

I never even raised my voice though. I bent down to his level and told him I knew he was upset, but that he could have an M&M cookie or no cookie at all. I paid while I was still bent down to the ground trying to maintain a fake smile. The cashier then handed me a pager. I asked Brennan if he'd like to hold it, and he immediately stopped crying and said, "It's number 51" in his normal happy little voice. So happy that the lady paying beside us started laughing. Bipolar much?!?!

Thankfully the rest of the meal was fine. Bryce was great and Brennan got over his meltdown, but Lord have mercy I need a nap!

Oh and here's a picture. He looks so big in this picture from the dentist! Proud of my brave boy and will continue to focus on the positive moments. Growing up is tough!