here, fishy fishy fishy

the bean visited a new dentist over the weekend, so we could get a second opinion on the treatment for her little teef. and this time, we went with a referral from a very trustworthy source - MommyBelle. her two kidlets go to this dentist and they all love him, and that was enough for me.

like the first office, this one was bright and cheerful and full of fun, kid-friendly stuff. the bean was drawn to the waterfall in the corner like a moth to a flame.

but that 2-year-old attention span kicked in, and she moved on to a new toy she found in a corner.

when we were called in to an exam room, she was delighted to find that there was a tv mounted on the ceiling that was playing the movie she was halfheartedly watching out in the waiting room. i hoped this meant that she'd be somewhat relaxed when it was actually time for the dentist to do his thing.

but i should've known better - and dr. eddie sure did. he spoke to her soothingly and worked quickly and efficiently in checking out her teeth, even though she was bawling loudly and doing the kind of crying where she's so angry, she's red and shaking like a leaf.

so, she does indeed need some major work done - those two little teeth on either side of her top front ones have huge cavities in them and are going to need baby root canals (!) and crowns (!!!!). yikes. and at her age, the only way to do it is to knock her little ass out. quadritriple yikes. he explained that only 5% of dentists in the state of california are trained and licensed to do the anesthesia, and during the process, there's always a second doctor present to constantly monitor the patient. he gave us some brochures and stuff to take home and read, including one with all of the contact info for the doctor he calls in for his "sedation days."

as the bean calmed down and we dried her tears, she was excited to pick a toy out of the treasure chest and a balloon from the bunch that was taped to a wall. like at the other appointment, she happily accepted a sticker and a swag bag with another new toothbrush and other oral care paraphernalia.

we left the office and couldn't stop talking about the difference between the two appointments. dr. eddie was so much more trustworthy and came across as much more knowledgeable and, well, non-shady. not to mention, his fees? less than HALF. amazing.

later, we hopped on the freeway again - this time, heading south towards the beach to meet up with my parents for dinner at captain kidd's in redondo beach. this place is an old favorite, and i have fond memories of going with a big group of family, spreading newspapers out onto the tables and banging away happily at fresh crab.

i walked around the familiar layout of the fish market, reminiscing and snapping away.

like i always do, i picked up a cup of smoked fish salad and bay shrimp cocktail.

my mom stepped out of the box (she and my stepdad always go with the tried-and-true fish & chips, and he didn't stray) and ordered one of the daily specials, a whole pompano served with fries and steamed veggies. i'm not gonna lie, he looked a little creepy on the plate (and pretty damn pissed off, too). and sadly, mom wasn't pleased with her choice as she pronounced it bland and really tasteless. bummer.

the bean ate some of her chicken strips and fries, but was content to stretch out between the benches and babble about everything she saw: "fish! scary. chicken. i. am. full. ice cream?"

having skipped the steamed crab this time around (my nails were pretty long, and i really didn't want to have to deal with digging around for my dinner that night), i chose a simple skewer of grilled shrimp with fries and green salad. the hub's grilled swordfish looked quite tasty too, and i think his was the winner of the night.

on our way out, the hub and the bean stopped to check out the live lobsters and crab in the big glass cases.

the next morning, i woke up to the bean holding me by both cheeks: "mama! (for some unknown reason, i'm "mama" lately instead of plain ol' "mommy") wake up! choc-wit miwk! choc-wit miwk, pweeese?" i was super groggy and really just wanted to go back to sleep, but she was relentless. and because it was so stinking funny and cute, i couldn't be grumpy about it, either. so i dragged my ass outta bed and got her a cup of milk, and that's how my day started.

she ended up falling asleep on the way to church, and after some debate, we decided to let her sleep and skipped the service altogether. heh. we took a long, slow route home which included a stop at a little hole-in-the-wall for a breakfast burrito. well, for me, anyway. the hub is back on his low-cal, almost no-carbs kick and he just smirked at me as i dug in.

dudes, this thing weighed about six pounds, was about 8 inches long, and was stuffed with three eggs, cheese, potatoes, and...pastrami.

that evening, we met up with brother wan and his girlfriend along with the ILs for a quickie family dinner at the yard house. we wanted to hear all about the new gig - he just started working with the company that provides all of the food/catering for the NASCAR circuit and we're all so excited for him. he's been stuck at a dead-end job managing a restaurant out in BFE since he graduated from the le cordon bleu program a couple of years ago, and he was stoked to get back to doing actual cooking with fellow professional chefs. he looked tired, but happy.

after perusing the kids' menu with the bean, she settled on a plate of buttered noodles. she colored and danced around and talked to everyone and entertained us all until the food was served.

and then she continued to provide amusement for the table as we watched her dig into those noodles with the grown-up fork.

my crunchy ahi salad should've been really good, but it was sprinkled liberally with finely chopped cilantro. i hate cilantro. the merest hint of that awful flavor just kills a whole dish for me, and after suffering through half a dozen mouthfuls of it, i gave up and just ate the tuna with a side of jasmine rice.

and that was my weekend. how was yours?