Dentist Appointment in Which She Used Up Her Good Behaviour For the Whole Day

So Miss A had her first ever dentist appointment the other day. You know those times that you sometimes have with your kids when they are so well behaved, so sweet, so perfect even, that your heart swells and you feel like you might just be doing a good job of this parenting thing after all? I had one of those times when we went to the dentist. She was so amazing that I'm fairly confident that the dental assistant we had would be talking about her to all her coworkers. "What a sweet heart!" "What a well behaved little girl!" etc.

Here is some photographic evidence.

This is when she is learning about how the chair goes up and down.



Here she is practicing opening wide for the dentist.



Getting her teeth checked and counted.



Showing off her treat for being so well behaved. (I'm sure every kid gets one regardless.)



And then we left. And everything fell apart. She would not listen to a single thing I said for the remainder of the day. It was actually ridiculous. She is usually challenging but this was so much worse. Like I had to chase her around to get her shoes on when we had to leave a place. She flopped on the ground like a limp doll when I tried to help her with her jacket. That sort of thing. The only thing I can think is that she used up all the good behavior she was capable of for the day during her dentist appointment.

I guess I should be grateful that there wasn't any bad behavior inflicted on anyone else. It just kind of amuses me that we must have left the staff at the office with such a good impression. If only they'd spent the rest of the day with us.

Just in Case

I don't want that last grumpy post to be the one you are all stuck with in case I do actually have this baby in the next few days. I'll admit though, while I was sitting in A's room last night at 2am and she was telling me that she just wanted to stay "wif you" and I was all bitter and tired and painy I was imagining the kind of post I could write about that today.

Instead I'll post a couple of pictures. Perhaps the last of the belly that compels total strangers to say all manner of dumb things to me. Such as yesterday. Gas Station. Kindly older gentleman who is pumping my gas...

"When are you due?"

"Next week."

"Oh! You're gettin' pretty big!"

Grit teeth. Smile. Nod.



My hair looks shorter in that picture but it is actually just pulled back. I had it done on Monday. This is what it looked like when it was actually done nicely, I was less grumpy and actually felt kind of attractive.

Good and Bad

Good – This awesome temporary shade I purchased for Miss A's room seems to be helping her to sleep better. As in, not get up at 5:00 AM angry because the sun in shining into her room and waking her up.

Bad – My jaw/head/neck has been aching since Friday. A side effect from the wisdom teeth removal. I thought I wouldn't have to be taking drugs anymore. No such luck. I wanted to go to the gym this morning but I thought it would just make my head pound more.

Good – There has been a language explosion happening here. A has started using some humorous expressions. “Oh Boy!” “Oh My!” “Uh Oh!” and my favorite which I have yet to hear “Holy Moley!” (I say that one.) Also “Please” (Pronounced Peas) is music to my ears.

Bad – She seems to be teething again. Complete with runny/stuffy/snotty nose, chewing anything and everything and a generally HORRIBLE demeanor. She is not a kid I enjoy taking out in public at present. Unfortunately never going out is not an option. Swimming lessons tonight should be good times...

Good – I spring cleaned my entire house this weekend. I still have no idea how I was able to do it. I haven't been able to clean this much at one time since before Miss A was born. It feels amazing to have everything clean at once. My OCD is kicking in though and I'm picking invisible specks of dirt up off the floor.

Bad – It has been raining since Friday. That means we have pretty much been cooped up in the house. No walks, no playground, no yard work. Nothing. Ugh. We all need to get some fresh air.

More Bad – I broke our digital camera. Peter if you read this before I get a chance to tell you, I'm sorry. I feel just shitty about it. It was a gift. I'm not sure if it is going to be worth it to fix it. I suck.

That Totally Sucked

*This is a really long post. It's funny in parts and I think it's interesting. If you're bored just check out the pictures. Except the gory one's if you have a queasy stomach.*

When Peter found out I was getting these teeth out his exact words were “Let me know if it's worse than childbirth.” I found this hilarious and informed him that I was certain it wouldn't be even though my birth experience was really great. I think the reason he said that is because he would rather give birth than have two wisdom teeth removed.

Well sweetie, now that the ordeal is over and the teeth are gone I can honestly say – it WAS worse than childbirth. And no one was more surprised about that than I was. Perhaps it is just because the memory of A's birth has faded. And I think I had a ridiculously easy birth. Even so, my wisdom teeth removal sucked. Let me tell you about it.

On Monday night for the first time I started to feel a little panicky about the whole idea. I started thinking about getting needles in my mouth and I started thinking “I don't want to get needles in my mouth.” I forced myself to stop thinking and fretting about it because it would do no good.

A decided to help me out by getting up at 3:00 am, staying up until 4:30 and then getting up for the day at 7:15. (Which by the way, totally messed with my ability to get ready) I wasn't running too far behind and managed to get A to her Grandma's and then get to my appointment on time. Thanks to Elizasmom I had my MP3 player ready with Disintegration by the Cure on it. Coincidentally that was the album I listened to for the last two hours of labour and during A's birth. I guess it is the soundtrack to my most painful moments in life. Fitting if you've ever heard the album. (if you haven't I strongly recommend going out and buying it RIGHT NOW.)

I had remembered before going in for the appointment, when my mind had wandered back to the needle thing again, that they had numbing gel for your cheeks so the needles wouldn't hurt so much. That gel is much more powerful than I remembered it being. So the needles didn't hurt that much after all. At first I was concerned about the fact that freezing was all I'd be getting before they forcibly extracted enormous teeth out of my jaw. Then they left me on my own for a while listening to Robert Smith and gave the freezing a chance to really take effect. And boy howdy, did it ever!

I have never been so numb in all my life. My entire lower jaw, tongue and even my chin were completely numb. They came in to poke at my mouth to see if I'd say 'Ouch'. I didn't. Then the hell began. As I mentioned yesterday they informed me that they would need to cut off the tops of both teeth so that they could maneuver them out. I strongly believe that the fact that they needed to do this was the main contributing factor to how awful the whole procedure was.

My MP3 player was as loud as it would go yet I could still hear the awful noise of the tooth saw thingy. Also, I could smell... what I can only describe as burning tooth. I was told that the tooth cutting tooth “shouldn't hurt” that I “should only feel vibrations”. Well let me tell you it felt a whole lot worse than just vibrations. I can't say it hurt exactly but the sensation was really awful and caused my legs to involuntarily begin trembling. This leg trembling intensified the longer they continued the tooth sawing until it became full on leg shaking which was moving up into my torso and at times even to my head. The dentist asked me if I was 'okay' a couple of times, to which I replied 'yes, I'm fine'. I hate to ever admit that I am anything other than fine in those sorts of situations. I don't know what my problem is.

So they extracted the first and 'easy' tooth after much cutting and reefing. I was happy that the dentist didn't put his foot on my chest for leverage. Then they took a small break which I was grateful for. I took deep breaths, steadied my spazzy legs and just regrouped in general. They whisked in once more and set to work on tooth two, left tooth also known as the tooth that would not be removed in one piece or without much sawing, yanking, breaking apart and coming out bit by bit. By bit. I seemed to get a handle on the leg shaking by contracting my bum muscles. I now have the hardest butt in the world. Then they took another break. This time in the middle of the job.

I was nervous. My brain was working over time. Was something wrong? Did I have some kind of freakish wisdom tooth that they had never before encountered? Were they consulting dental journals? Was I dying? (Just kidding) Also during this time I noticed that a really needed to pee. I knew what a hassle this would be and my dentist and his assistant had disappeared somewhere to draw diagrams of how the heck they were going to get my stupid tooth out. I assessed my need to pee. I wasn't sure how horrible the conclusion of this tooth removal would be and was concerned that it may be so bad that it would cause me to wet myself. Therefore I decided to ask permission to go.

My dentist seemed a tiny bit perturbed. I'm pretty sure he thought I was a wimp with my shaky leg business. I was all, “DUDE, you totally should have seen me have a baby. Not wimpy AT ALL. I totally rocked childbirth.”

Now that I had an empty bladder, they carried on to finish the job. It wasn't more awful than before, just the same level of awful. When they had finished I didn't realize it because I didn't have that same feeling of a large piece of tooth being removed as I had on the other side. All of a sudden the dentist was stitching it up. Because I didn't realize they were done I thought perhaps they had given up and asked about it afterwards. “No, we got it all.” the assistant cheerily told me. Great, all done. Only stitched on the one side. I was amazed that I didn't feel them at all. As opposed to my stitches after A was born. THAT was the part that hurt.

If it is at all possible my face felt even more frozen after they were finished. It felt like my tongue was hanging out of my mouth. I had to feel my face to make sure it actually wasn't. When I attempted to speak it was really garbled and hard to understand. I had the tiniest inkling of what it would be like to have had a stroke and be unable to speak clearly. It was not a pretty picture.

(A Picture of me imitating what I felt like.)


The best part was I didn't have to pay to be tortured. I just signed my name on the dotted line and left. Cool. I went back to my mom's place and she proceeded to take care of me and feed Miss A her lunch. We then went home and A had a nap. I SHOULD have had a nap but instead rewarded my own bravery with a little PS2 Sims 2. My sweet, lovely Mama came back to make my family supper. My supper consisted of mashed potatoes, gravy, and mashed butternut squash. And chocolate puddin' for dessert. I ate slowly and carefully and still it was tender.

To those of you still with me here... Wow! Good for you. This is a stupidly long post. I just needed to get it out there. Now for those of you with a weak stomach skip past the pictures of my extracted teeth and me pulling my cheek over. They are a bit gross. But enjoy the rest.

(These are the yicky ones.)






Lastly, if you think this was awful I consider myself lucky that I am not going through what my good friend Bon is going through these days. Even if you don't know her... go over and give her some love.

(Sorry to disappoint but I pretty much look normal. This face looks surprisingly (or not surprisingly) like my 'labour face', no?)

Wisdom

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM sharp I will be sitting in the dentist's chair having two of my (bottom) wisdom teeth extracted. They are through the gums but badly impacted. This is a picture that I found on the internet that pretty much looks like my x-rays did.




I have needed to have them out for a number of years but haven't been able to afford it until now because now we have insurance. Hallelujah!

The procedure was explained to me. I will only be frozen, they will break/drill the tops of both teeth off and then they will have the room to pull them out. Of course I stupidly asked some of my clients to tell me their wisdom teeth removal stories. Some were good, some were bad, some were very bad. The general consensus was that most people are knocked out or given a drug that basically knocks them out. I am slightly concerned that I am not being given these drugs. I'm wondering why it is that I am only being frozen. I guess as long as everything goes well the freezing will be enough. Cross your fingers for me.

I can't say I'm looking forward to it. I am relieved to be having it done. I am glad that the day is almost here so that I don't have to think about getting it done anymore. It will be nice not to have irritated gums anymore. It will also be a relief to not have to worry about my teeth crowding any further because of them.

Needless to say I'm not sure how I will be feeling and thus I'm not sure how much I'll be writing this coming week. I am supposed to be working the following day. I hope I can speak normally, don't look like a chipmunk and don't look like I've have the crap beaten out of me. However, regardless of how horrible I look (or not) I will take pictures to share with all y'all. I know. You can't wait.

Worn Out, Worn Down and just plain worn...

I don't think I've complained for a while. So I'm due for a good rant.

I am tired. So tired that I'm sick. You know when you sort of get a cold from sheer exhaustion? That's what I have. My nose is runny and I've been fighting off a headache all day.

This fatigue is the result of several nights of poor or just plain rotten amounts of sleep. I have chosen to believe that Miss A is teething. She has cut both of her first molars on the top despite the fact that there is no sign of her top cuspid (fang) teeth or anything on the bottom other than the two central incisors that she's had for months now. This chart tells you approximately when all of their baby teeth are supposed to come in. As you can see A does not follow this chart in the slightest possible way. The only reason I care is because the fact that her teeth are coming in all willy nilly means I had NO FLIPPIN' CLUE what teeth she might be cutting. Knowing might help to explain her crankiness and help me to respond accordingly. At the moment I'm assuming she's cutting both her top and bottom molars. Why? Because I can't imagine her being more irritable and miserable than this.

It seems to be affecting her appetite hugely. The kid who normally eats everything and anything can't even tolerate the old stand by foods that she'll ALWAYS eat. Actually, I think her appetite is fine it is the fact that eating hurts that causes her to eat less. Last night at supper I made one of her favorite meals. She ate an adequate amount but then when I gave her yogurt which is always well received she actually threw it on the floor when I wasn't looking. When I asked her “Did you throw your yogurt on the floor?” she replied “No.” I then tried some ice cream thinking it would feel nice and cold on her sore mouth. This should have been a huge hit. After a few mouthfuls she refused this as well. If the kid won't eat ice cream then there is definitely something wrong!

The worst thing of all is that due to my lack of sleep I also lack patience. She is more needy and demanding and I am less equipped to deal with her behavior. Doesn't parenting sometimes seem like the cruelest joke is being played on you? Like – Although you are totally unable to deal with the slightest thing, such as spilling a tiny bit of cream on the counter without bursting into tears, you have this toddler who is completely unreasonable and inconsolable to look after. I almost start laughing sometimes because I can't believe how ridiculous things can be. Those are the times when I feel like I must really be going crazy.

Anyway, I am crossing my fingers for a good nights sleep tonight. Which will also make this fatigue sickness thing disappear and turn me into a perfectly patient, happy, wonderful mama by tomorrow. Yup. That's gonna happen.

Deaf by Thirty-Five

Things have been a little low around here the past couple of days. There's been some lack of sleep due to really bad headaches and teething. Temper tantrums (Miss A's) have been at an all time high. I've been asking people I know with children if they can feel their eardrums rattle when their kids scream, because I can. The general consensus has been “no”. Bad news for us I guess. I'm predicting that Peter and I will be stone deaf by the time she's five, if not sooner.

I keep asking myself if there is something more I could be doing. I've tried various things. Ignoring her, getting cross and raising my voice, being calm and trying to calm her as well. Nothing works. It's like a hurricane that you just need to wait out. To be honest I'd like to put her outside at these times and board up my doors and windows.

Of course I've been getting a lot of advise. Some I've asked for and some I haven't. I take this advice differently depending on my mood. The most promising thing I'm told is that she'll grow out of it. But then I ask, “when?” and no one knows.

I love her, she's a great kid but lately there have been days when I think “I just can't handle another tantrum, I can't.” But then she'll have one because she doesn't want to get out of the bath or because she doesn't want her jammies on or because life is just so HARD!!! And somehow I get through it and put her to bed. Then I play Unreal Tournament which usually makes me feel better.

So because I had an adequate amount of sleep last night and I'm in a pretty good mood I'm welcoming any advice anyone might have on dealing with temper tantrums. Specifically for 18 months olds. Reasoning with her just isn't happening yet. Ready...Go.

4 - 0

Yet another top tooth. Score: Top 4, Bottom 0. The bottom gums would be totally getting beaten if this was a competition. The top gums are superior. The two middle bottom teeth seem to be trying very hard to come from behind but they just can't seem to make it happen.

I have a couple of theories. One is that bottom teeth don't really matter. My bottom teeth are horribly crooked but my top teeth are straight. My point? It doesn't matter, I have a nice smile because it's the top teeth that count. Who cares if she never gets bottom teeth, right? My other theory is that one of the reasons that my sweet baby has never bitten me whilst nursing is due to her lack of bottom teeth. I could be wrong but if I'm not then it's another reason to be glad they haven't arrived yet.

Can you tell I'm paranoid and just making up excuses for why the absence of bottom teeth is okay? I know it's stupid. Who cares? They'll come. She's not a toothless freak, etc. If I am this crazy over her lack of teeth just think about all the things I'll obsess over when she is older. I need to chill. Tell me to chill.

Three!!

There was so much Bah Hum Bugging going on in yesterdays post I thought I'd try to lighten things up a bit. How can anyone be in a bad mood when faced with this picture.



Can you see yet another tooth? Yep, that's right, a third tooth. Oh the excitement! You can see a fourth on the other side is not too far behind. Unfortunately it would seem that each new tooth is accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting. That combination is bad at any time of day but as I mentioned at the end of yesterday's post having to deal with it at 5:30 after stupidly not going to bed until 1:00 am is the worst. Hey, I'm not Bah hum bugging. Just sayin'.

She was back in bed by seven and then woke up again at the usual 9:00 am-ish time. She woke up happy and normal. As though she didn't remember all the retching and dry heaving she had been doing several hours earlier. I wish I had that same amnesia regarding my first four months of pregnancy. If I did I may not be so absolutely terrified to get pregnant again.

Anyway, she is a happy three toothed girl. And I am a happy (just keep telling myself that) only slightly exhausted Mama. So we're doing good. Have a happy day!