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3月31日 Just when I needed a laugh!THIS MAY COME AS A SURPRISE TO THOSE OF YOU NOT LIVING IN LAS VEGAS , BUT THERE ARE MORE CATHOLIC CHURCHES THAN CASINOS.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, SOME WORSHIPPERS AT SUNDAY SERVICES WILL GIVE CASINO CHIPS RATHER THAN CASH WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED. SINCE THEY GET CHIPS FROM MANY DIFFERENT CASINOS, THE CHURCHES HAVE DEVISED A METHOD TO COLLECT THE OFFERINGS. THE CHURCHES SEND ALL THEIR COLLECTED CHIPS TO A NEARBY FRANCISCAN MONASTERY FOR SORTING AND THEN THE CHIPS ARE TAKEN TO THE CASINOS OF ORIGIN AND CASHED IN. THIS IS ALL DONE BY THE...
CHIP MONKS! Why?!?!?!ARG! Wesley is screaming his HEAD off right now. He is going to be two years old in May and he is WAAAY beyond the time he is supposed to be sleeping through the night. We have "broke" him of needing to drink milk to fall asleep a couple times now, but I always seem to relapse. Tonight I snuck him off to bed with the milk he had remaining from his dinner sippy cup, but he woke up at 11:30 or so and wants more milk to go to sleep. I went in and told him no, he was not getting any more milk, but I would give him a sippy cup of water. He acted like he was agreeable to that solution... until he tasted the water. Then he lobbed the sippy cup out of the crib and began screaming in earnest. He has been going strong for an hour and twenty minutes. I went in and tried to calm him down but all that did was frustrate me and piss him off more. He woke Colleen up, too. She is all worried about why he is crying and why we aren't doing anything to help him. Adorable, sure, but how do explain to a 3 year old that her little brother is throwing an extended and very persistant temper tantrum? Hopefully she will be able to tune him out and fall back asleep soon.
In other news, the porch situation continues to look grim. They, of course, have continued building the home and with each passing day it appears to us that the porch is becoming harder and harder to fix. We know now WHY the porch is different, but it doesn't help our case. The other subdivision (with the model home) is subject to different zoning regulations that the one we chose to build in. The plans being used to build our home are the standard builder's plans. The plans for the other subdivision had to be changed so that they featured bigger front porches, because that is what the zoning mandates for building in that community. This news leaves me feeling dissappointed, baited-and-switched, and mad at the home builder. It is just the latest on a list of several notable differences between the house we were told to look at as an example of the one we would be getting and the house that they are actually building for us. I spoke to the lady that sold us the house, the lady who is our main contact throughout this process. She now knows how unhappy and dissappointed I am with the builder and I stated several times that I want the porch fixed. I want my bigger porch. I want the porch that is on the model that THEY told me to look at. I wonder what else is different that they "overlooked" that I am going to have to fight for later. I have written my thoughts down and I am going to email them to her this weekend. Every Monday they have a big meeting with the sales people, the construction people, and the corporate people. She promised to read my email at the meeting and to "fight" for me. We'll see... I am so disgusted over it all that I am ready to walk from the whole thing. I know that once I calm down I will find some way to justify it in my mind if they don't fix the porch, but I'm not giving up until the fat lady sings. She may be on stage, in full costume, but she hasn't opened her mouth to sing yet. Anyone got a Magic 8 Ball? A gut feeling? Words of encouragement? Extra rolls of toilet paper for the model home's front yard? LOL
I have pictures of the house now that it has been framed in, but I am not sure about posting them. I try to be somewhat careful online since this is a public blog and the moisture barrier has the homebuilder's logo all over it. They are building in many communities and they are a national company, but I still feel a little uneasy about it. I'll ask Shawn's opinion and go from there. He always has good insticts when it comes to this kind of stuff.
It is 1am and Wesley has been quiet for several minutes now. It's funny how quiet feels different at different times. Usually I have to have the radio on, my water fountain running, SOME kind of background noise otherwise the quiet feels oppressive. Right now, the silence feels like a warm blanket wrapped around me on a crisp fall morning as I stand on the porch watching the sun rise.
HUGS! -Jen 3月29日 ProductiveI'm not feeling so grumpy today, thank goodness.
We took Wes to the doctor, who said he is having quite the allergic reaction to something. She tends to think it is something he is having surface contact with, because the rash is everywhere on his body, except where his diaper covers. The only thing is, I don't let him run around in just a diaper, he always has at least a shirt on, and almost always pants or shorts as well. It could also be a food allergy. She sent us home with some Allegra and instructions on how to elminate things and reintroduce them to figure out what the allergy is. I gave him the medicine and washed all of his bedclothes - sheets, covers, pjs, everything - without any detergent on hot with an extra rinse. Hopefully that will do the trick?
We stopped by the new house yesterday - HOLY COW. What was once a square of dirt, then a big pile of gravel, then a big slab of concrete is now... a house! We totally missed the framing step, they already had the plywood up and the moisture barrier. The first and second stories were done, the stairs were installed. They did not have the roof trusses on yet, they need a crane to lift them in place. They were likely scheduled to do that today, but we are having rainy windy weather and I doubt they would be able to use the crane today.
The porch roof was also framed in and there are 2x4s where the columns are going to be. This does not bode well for our chances to get the porch enlarged, at least in our minds. The fight is not over yet, though. I talked to Bob the Builder (I love writing that!) and he spoke with the district construction supervisor who said that there should be no differences in the porches at the other subdivision and ours. Well... there are! I offered to email my measurements to Bob, but he said that the supervisor asked him to go to the other subdivision today to take measurements and report back. "If" there is indeed a difference (and I assure you, there is!) they will investigate as to why the porches are different sizes. Bob surmised that the porch may have been bigger because it was a model home, but that doesn't fly. First of all, there are two other homes with the same elevation as ours at that other subdivision and they both have porches the size of the model. Second of all, the model is not supposed to differ "structurally" from the house it represents. There are signs all over denoting "decorative upgrades" that aren't available (wallpaper, certain paint treatments, landscaping) but the porch is certainly "structural". I am trying not to let this take on more significance than it warrants, but it is hard. I was more upset than excited when I went to the model to measure and I find that I don't want to look at the pictures for encouragement when I start wondering if all of this work is actually worth it. I'm beginning to feel like maybe it is not.
Regardless, the progress on the house has lit a fire in me to work faster on other projects - I have gotten a lot done today. Besides packing and a ton of phone calls, I've only got one room left (the kitchen) that is not "show ready". We picked a realtor and set a date to put the sign in the yard (4/11). I have scheduled the pick up of the portable on demand storage container (the day before my parents are scheduled to arrive, so that they have a place to park). There is still a lot left to do, so I had better get back to it!
HUGS! -Jen
PS we met our neighbor to the right yesterday, he was very nice. He has a beautiful accent, Shawn and I were trying to figure out where he hailed from originally after we got back in the car. The great news is that he has a child just about Wesley's age, and one just a year or so older than Colleen. Wonderful! There were also lots of people out walking their dogs, it was nice to drive through the subdivision and wave to everyone. 3月27日 GrumpyGot word from Bob the Builder that the porch is the correct size, according to "The Plans". This is not good news. I asked him who I needed to take the matter of incorrect plans up with, he is going to speak with the district construction supervisor and get back to me tomorrow.
This news, along with some random extended family craziness, a sick and alarmingly UNWELL looking Wesley, and a very cranky Colleen have made for an all-around unhappy day.
At least my knee is feeling better, right? Or, at least it did before I mowed the grass. ARG!
Man, am I feeling GRUMPY! 3月26日 Arg! Titles are so frustrating!Hi everyone!
Things are moving right along here, the new carpet and kitchen flooring is in, the kitchen, master bath, and computer rooms are painted.
I have talked to the 3rd candidate for Realtor and her pricing was exactly the same as one of the others, so she served very well as a tie breaker. Also, the one that was so low has since reconsidered and raised her recommendation, now only $5000 less than the other two. But now... who do we pick?!?!
My knees are killing me, especially the left. I am going to need to get a support brace of some kind I am afraid. I was due to prime the hallway today, and paint it tomorrow, but I don't think I can handle climbing up and down the ladder until my knee feels better.
We have had two small glitches with the house so far, at first they got the back patio wrong. It was caught by the builder and the order to fix it was in by the time I called, so that was easy. The second one is more difficult. The front porch is approximately 3 feet too shallow. This is not acceptable to us. The big front porch was a major selling point for me, I am a "front porch sitter". I have plans to sit on the porch and watch the kids ride their bikes in the cul-de-sac. The shallow front porch is not going to cut it. Unfortunately, the builder may or may not fix it. They are remeasuring now, but it may turn out that the porch can not be any deeper due to road set back regulations. I will be ONE UNHAPPY JEN if that turns out to be the case. Seriously, seriously unhappy. They should have an answer for me tomorrow or the next day. I'm going to sit tight and think happy thoughts until I hear from them. Other than that, the foundation is poured, the big huge back patio is poured, and as of Friday the lumber for the framing and the roof trusses had been delivered. They were due to start framing today, but that may have gotten postponed until the front porch situation has been worked out. I'll be going by the site tomorrow, so we will see then.
Wesley has started walking up and down the stairs like a big person. It is proof positive that therapy is working and it is very exciting. He makes sure we give him lots of applause and encouragement when he gets to the top/bottom. If we forget, he will clap and yell "Yay! yay!" until we all chime in. He is a little ham. :)
OK that is all I can think of right now. I am debating working on the hallway anyway. If only I had a new book, the decision would be easy!
HUGS, Jen 3月17日 ^dateHee hee I am so clever! (get it? UP date? HAHAHAHA)
Happy St Patrick's Day!
We spent ours meeting with Realtors. We couldn't have gotten two more differet opinions, either. One is lower than the price I came up with, one is higher. One has 17 years experience, established, sucessful, "old school". One has 6 years experience, his own realty company, motivated as only someone with something to prove can be. Who will we choose? We don't even know yet... I'll keep you posted! LOL
Other than that, I did get the kitchen painted. It looks wonderful (if I do say so myself). I don't think a pro could have done a better job. It is sad for me though. I don't like the tan. It doesn't feel like "my" kitchen anymore. Which, I suppose, is the point.
The kitchen floor installers punked out on me Friday. I KNEW the first time that they called to say that they were running late (duh! they were already 10 minutes late at that point) that they were going to cancel. Nearly two hours and three postponing phone calls later they finally asked if they could just do it the same day that they are doing the carpet. Whatever. I'm only grumpy about it because I pulled an all nighter (ok fine, I went to bed at 4am but close enough!) painting the room that they were supposed to be working in. But I'm over it... really... sort of! LOL
Now I am about to embark on the master bathroom painting. It is next because I am using the same paint in it that I used in the kitchen. Nice and efficient. I only had to buy one gallon of the more expensive "kitchen and bath" paint that way. (Tapping temple knowingly) I'm always thinking. No grass growing here. :)
OK it is almost 10pm. Can I paint the entire master bathroom, two coats, in one night? Stay tuned to find out!
HUGS, KISSES, GREEN BEER, and all that jazz... :) -Jen
PS: Midnight. In a rare instance of "Knowing My Limits" I have decided to call it a night for painting the bathroom. I ran out of paint in the tray and instead of pouring more and powering through, I realized that I made good progress tonight and that I could finish the rest tomorrow. This is worth writing down because it is a Very Rare Thing. I wonder if this a sign that I have reached a new level of maturity?
Naaahhh! :P 3月15日 mmm delicious paint fumes!Been painting the kitchen all day, fun! THey are coming tomorrow to install the new vinyl floor and I wanted to have all of the painting done so as not to have to worry about getting paint on the brand new floor.
The ceiling is completely painted and I have maybe 1/5th of the wall space painted. There isn't a lot of wall due to patio doors, windows, and cabinets but that actually makes painting more time consuming. Instead of being able to use a roller most of the time, I have to use a cut in brush a lot. Bummer!
I have enough slushie and hopefully enough willpower to finish the painting tonight.
I have given up on cleaning the floor tonight, it's not going to happen. The floor installers aren't due to arrive until 10am, that gives me from 8-10 to get the floor pristine. It is important that the floor is nice and clean because they are installing the new floor on top of it.
Sigh. Time to get my sore rubbery arms back to work. :)
TTFN! Jen 3月13日 Answering QuestionsHi there everyone! I had a banner day for comments, wow! I will try to answer everyone's questions...
#1. Why are we packing up so early? We do not want to get into a position where we haven't gotten this house sold before having to move into the new house. The new house is only 4-6 months away from being finished. If we get our house on the market by the end of March/ beginning of April, let's say it takes a month of showings to produce an offer, a week or two to negotiate, then another month to close, we are getting awfully close to the projected finish date for the new house. Also, we are moving everything into one of those portable on demand storage containers, which is sititng in our driveway. The HOA has been understanding so far, but any day now neighbors are going to get tired of seeing it and start reporting me. I want to have it out of here before that happens. We packed everything big that we could possibly live without because we don't want to have to move very much into the apartment we are going to stay at inbetween the time this house sells and the new house is completed. So in a strange way, sleeping on the airmattress is actually laziness on my part. :)
#2. What are we using for furniture in the meanwhile? Wesley still has his crib and changing table, Colleen has gone back to her toddler bed for now. We are sleeping on the airmattress. We are using small plastic carts with drawers as dressers for socks, undies, and PJs. I have gotten rid of all but our absolute favorite clothing. There isn't much in the closets anymore, which does make them look bigger. Downstairs we kept the TV and TV Stand, as well as the X-Box360 and a handful of favorite DVDs. We are using folding chairs like what you would see in a dorm room for seating in front of the TV and I left the kitchen table in this house, because we are considering throwing it in with this house. It really matches this kitchen very well, and will not match anything in our new house even remotely. So at least we have somewhere to eat. Except right now it is all piled up with displaced stuff from other rooms.
#2. Shawn - FoX: Go ahead and work out the CD ripping, if you want. I promise not to report you to the authorities, as long as Shawn promises to buy the CD ASAP. I can understand not being able to wait the course of the shipping time. (And yes, I would turn him in. I threated to turn my parents in for "borrowing" cable, even though I desperately wanted MTV myself. My sense of right and wrong doesn't have a lot of gray area to it)
#3. Spice - I would dearly love to have you and Mrs. Spice come for a visit when we are settled into the new house, but I would have to have you sleep in the garage (right along with Tiger and Shadow) if there were any "spraying" incidents. LOL
I hope I answered all the questions. Gotta run for now, must finish a few things on this PC before Shawn shuts it down tonight. I'll miss you, my very own PC!
HUGS -Jen
PS New pictures of the house are up in the New House Progress Album, we are getting closer and closer to the concrete being poured for the foundation. Yippee!
PPS Wesley is officially down to one day a week for physical therapy. I am so proud of him. Nikki, his therapist, said she can't believe how well he is doing. He has started walking up and down "stairs" - not full sized risers, but smaller practice stairs. That is HUGE! He is also almost caught up with the lower range of normal for his age group. He was evaluated at 8 months behind only 3 months ago, and his leg muscles were atrophied in the left leg and severely atrophied in the right leg. It is just amazing. I wish I could convey better just how amazing and unbelievable it is. I am so proud of him.
OK now I really am off. I mean it...
Just... have... to... hit... Publish Entry. Don't want to face real work... :) So much I could write aboutbut I am too tired to!
Let's do this entry bullet point style:
HUGS -Jen 3月11日 Needing a foot rubShawn and I hauled almost all of our furniture out to the storage box today. Good bye, full size bed room suite (that was split between the two kids' rooms), good bye king size bed (we'll miss you!), good bye dressers (and most of our clothes). Good bye bookcases!
GOOD RIDDANCE couch and love seat... you smell like Old Cat Lady WAY too much to store with the rest of our belongings over the summer in a hot storage box. By the time we would be ready to unpack at the new house, every single thing we owned would smell like cat piss.
(Note to new readers: we waited too long to neuter our cats and they kept marking our sofas as their territory. We no sooner than got them home from being fixed (and sofas cleaned) when one of them (Tiger!) got a urninary tract infection and went right back to peeing on them again. I'm going to try to donate them, because I hate to throw anything away, but I pity the fool who ends up with them).
Anyways, to have accomplished that much is an extraordinary feat for Shawn and I. You would be hard pressed to find two people more out of shape than us, unless you were in a nursing home. Then it might be a draw. LOL
Now that the big stuff is out, it is easier for me to see the little stuff that still needs to be packed. We are down to the wire as far as our timetable goes. I have to finish all packing and get all of the painting done this week to be on target. Provided all tht gets done, next week is the detailed, top to bottom cleaning and then... (drumroll please!) we are putting this house on the market.
If I don't end up posting a lot in the next few weeks, at least you will know why! Plus, Shawn is packing up all my computer stuff Tuesday night. What am I going to do without my own computer?!?! He says I can use his, but I am intimidated by the fingerprint reader sign in doohickey. I don't understand it and I think it is the devil.
Love ya! -Jen 3月7日 Not another blonde joke?!?!A girl came skipping home from school one day. 3月6日 Update on Wesley's club foot progressYesterday Wesley had a check up with his orthopaedic surgeon. It was a bit hectic there, all told there were 5 infants with club foot coming or going the same time we were, all to be seen by Wesley's doctor. Needless to say, we had to wait quite a long time to see the doctor, and when he did come in we only got 10 minutes or so of his time.
He is pleased with Wesley's feet. The club foot stll has good range and excellent flexibility, which means no relapse. Unfortunately, his foot is still pronating (turning in and up) when he "flexes" his foot. This is a strong indicator that he will need the ATTT surgery (tendon transfer), but that decision can't be made until he is at least 3 years old, so we have at least 14 months to work on it. I have accepted the possibility of it happening and I do understand that while it is considered a "major" surgery, in the grand scheme of things it is not all that intrusive and if that is what it takes for him to have a fully functioning foot, then that is what we are going to do.
The doctor watched Wesley walk with his shoes and DAFCO braces (the SMOs aka walking boots) and he watched him walk barefooted. He liked what he saw during the barefoot walk, Wesley walks with his toes pointing out on his right foot, just like his feet are positioned in the brace he sleeps in. He can also walk on his toes, which was a pleasant surprise for the doctor. (Wesley learned it from copying Colleen, who was copying Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses, but that is our little secret)
His doctor recommended less time in the walking boots during the day. He said that Wesley needs to learn how to walk barefooted because it will force him to rely on his own muscles for balance and will strengthen his muscles better than if he only walked in the braces. He made it clear that the daytime braces were a "physical therapy" thing and not part of typical club foot treatment. Every ortho doctor I have taken Wesley to has pooh-poohed my requests for physical therapy. I got the distinct impression from them all that they believed that physical therapy would not help a club foot kid. Almost as if I suggested that Wesley needed Aromatherapy for his club foot. I am just thankful that we have such a wonderful pediatrician, he has been on board with physical therapy the whole time and he was the one that prescribed it for Wesley for me.
I PROMISE you that Wesley would not be walking yet if it weren't for physical therapy and his beloved Ms. Nikki (his therapist). And I am here to tell you that those day time braces have done wonders for him. The difference in his walking ability when he is wearing them versus when they are off is quite remarkable.
To be fair to the doctors, their views on PT are not unfounded. I will say that Wesley has a "difficult foot" and was subjected to questionable treatment and castings from previous ortho doctors before we got to his current doctor. Most kids are only in casts for the first 6 to 9 weeks of life, then they are in full time bracing for the next 3-6 months, so by 6-9 months of age they are in braces only while sleeping and their gross motor skill development is not hindered at all. Wesley spent the better part of his first year and a half in casts, his leg muscles were atrophied and his gross motor skills were practically non-existant at the time he started PT. So his case is quite a bit different from the "typical" club foot. Regardless, I will sing the praises of PT and his therapist in particular for years to come.
As far as the red marks on his feet (I ought to post pictures some time), the doctor is convinced they are from the day time braces. Well the therapist and I are both convinced it is from the night time brace. At any rate, the doctor said that as long as when I push on the spots Wesley doesn't react as if he is in pain, then continue bracing. Call if he seems as if he is in pain. I'll follow those directions, with a grain of salt. If the therapist and I start feeling again like he is on the verge of skin break down (he got to that point late last week), then I am keeping him out of the night braces a few nights to let it heal up some again. That doctor may be an expert in club foot, but I am the expert in WESLEY'S club foot. When it is all said and done, I have the final say.
The final word from the checkup was that his foot is looking good, he has a desirable gait (the way he walks), he is still a candidate for the ATTT surgery, come back in 6 months for a check up, call sooner if we need to.
His therapist told me today that Wes is progressing so well and so quickly that in the next couple of months she should be able to reduce him to one visit a week. She said she was sad to do it because it was so much fun to work with him, and I understood what she meant. Wesley loves her, there is a real bond there, and I can already see how sad it is going to be when he is all finished with PT and doesn't get to see her any more. At least we've got time yet before we cross that bridge.
HUGS -Jen The sink is done!I have about run out of steam for the night, but wanted to say that the sink is done.
If we had one clue about what we were doing and if we had made sure we had all the right tools, right measurements, and didn't lose any pieces along the way (where the HELL did that in-sink erator fiber gasket go?) we would have gotten the job done in one day. It really is a project that should take an afternoon or less to accomplish. But this is me we are talking about and if I can find someway to make things more difficult you know I will. :)
I'm off to write a Wesley foot update. See you soon LOL 3月5日 Marriages in trouble...should most definately not attempt home improvement projects together! (gotcha with that title, didn't I?)
Shawn and I undertook the task of replacing our kitchen sink and faucet this weekend. We started on Saturday morning, thinking that we would be done by mid-afternoon at the latest. Ummm.... yeah. My neighbor told me it was too easy to hire a plumber to do, the guy at Lowes assured me it was as simple as could be and I could definately do it. Obviously their home improvement skills far outweigh the combined skills of Shawn and I.
On Saturday we got the old sink completely out and the old plumbers putty scraped off of everything.
On Sunday we worked on getting the new faucet attached to the new sink, doing the dry-fitting of the sink into the counter top, the new sink silicon caulked into place on the counter top, and all water connections made from the sink and faucet end of things. The problem we ran into was one of measuring oversight on my part. See, the DIY Net instructions said to measure carefully to make sure you buy the same size sink. I measured how wide and how long it was, and how deep the bowls were. I bought a sink that was just the right size, except in stainless steel instead of ceramic (ours was all chipped up after just 8 years of barely getting used, so I don't have much faith in them anymore). The part I didn't take into consideration was that the ceramic sink was exactly 1/2 an inch off the counter top. So yes, the bowls were exactly the same depth of 7 inches, BUT the stainless steel sink sits almost flush with the counter top, making the bowls extend down 1/2 an inch and our pipes were too long. ARRGGG!
So we had to wait until today when I could head back to Lowes, hopefully to buy a piece of pipe with just the connection we needed, just 1/2 inch shorter. I know I was looking stumped as I stood there in the rough plumbing aisle and a very nice lady took pity on me and actually cut 1/2 inch off of my existing pipe so that I didn't have to buy anything new. I had no idea that Lowes would cut pipe for you. They are only supposed to cut the new pipe that they sell, but my forelorn puppy dog eyes did her in. :)
So now we have all the parts we need, in just the right legnths. We are all systems go for getting all the water connections up and water flowing. I even have all of our tools lined up neatly and everything.
But it is not meant to be... Shawn has to work tonight. He is sitting here right next to me and I am sure he is working. Watching Mac vs PC videos on youtube counts as work. right? Ohhhhh maybe he is only watching them to kill time while his PC does the mysterious Work We Must Wait For. (Just kidding, Shawn, kind of)
At any rate, the soonest I will have water in my kitchen is tomorrow. I may try to put it together myself while the kids are napping. I'm not sure how good an idea that is though. We'll see. It is more fun to work with Shawn on it anyways. We always seem to have a good time when we attempt to do things like that. Like the time we decided to paint the computer room ceiling with the textured paint. We had blue paint in our hair and all over our skin and clothes for at least a week. We also had a lot of laughs and even made souvenier t-shirts when we each took the paint roller to the other one in a very unwise paint roller war. I am smiling at that memory. Good times. :)
Wesley had a check up with the orthopaedic surgeon today. I will write a separate blog on it (so that it can go in the club foot category) tomorrow, but suffice to say that all is well and we are due for another check up in 6 months.
I'm off to work some more on my Dead Or Alive Xtreme 2 Swimsuit check list. I've got to keep track of who has what suits, now that I am in the making friends phase of the game. After I bought the fourth duplicate suit I realized that my powers of memorization are lacking and that I better keep a written record, lest I go nuts and hurl the controller through the TV.
HUGS! -Jen
3月2日 My docile little princessColleen had to go to the dentist on Wednesday to have a small cavity filled. She has always enjoyed going to the dentist, but so far all she has had done were cleanings, flouride treatments, and x-rays. Shawn was pretty sure that the good behavior was not going to continue through a cavity filling. I should have bet him money, because she was the most cooperative, willing little child ever.
I have said this before, but it bears repeating. We have a very good dentist. His whole staff is wonderful.
When we arrived we were greeted by name (so cool!) and since we were the first appointment, we got to go right back to the room. They already had the TV on the wall set to the Disney Channel for Colleen. The dentist's assistant sat at Colleen's level and showed her all of the tools that were going to be using to get the "cavity bugs" out of her tooth. They all had names like Mr. Bumpy and Mr. Squirty. Then she put a q-tip soaked in a numbing gel against Colleen's gum where the numbing shot was going in. All the while she was explaining to Colleen what it was going to taste like and how it was going to make her mouth feel. Colleen was cool as a cucumber the whole time, mostly mesmerized by Little Einsteins (a cute TV show we had never seen before).
When the dentist came in you could tell she was happy to see him, which is really cool. They put these kid sized sun glasses on her (to keep any water splashes and light from the spot light out of her eyes). Colleen loves sun glasses. Then the dentist told her that she was going to feel a little pinch (the shot of numbing stuff), if she did you couldn't tell. I was watching her hands the whole time, they never clenched, she never jerked. The needle was in her gum 5-7 seconds and she just laid there calmly the entire time.
She got a small TV break again as they waited for the shot to kick in. Never once did she act like the numbing stuff bothered her. When the assistant asked if her teeth were asleep, Colleen said, "Yeah. My teefs sweeping."
The dentist came back in and got started on her tooth. It was a very back tooth on the top. She kept her mouth open nice and wide without complaint, followed every direction she was given readily, never once showed alarm at having Mr. Bumpy or Mr. Squirty in her mouth. The shrill noise from the tools would be enough to scare any child (and some adults!) but it didn't phase her one bit. I kept a diligent watch on her hands and her legs, looking for signs of tension or clenching, any indications of fear or pain. She was at ease the entire time.
Before we knew it, the dentist was finished. Colleen was very proud of herself for her good behavior. She was so good, the assitant said, that she got to pick TWO prizes out of the prize drawer. They let her pick two prizes every time, and every time she acts like she can't believe her good fortune. TWO Prizes! WOW! This time she picked another container of silly putty and a really pretty marbled blue high bounce ball.
The dentist warned us not to let her suck on her cheek as the numbing stuff wore off, but she didn't try to. She didn't even really comment on the feeling at all, but I could get her to tell me her teefs was sweeping a few more times. She ate a small lunch and took a nap and the numbing was gone when she woke up.
I'd like to tell you that I am amazed at how well she did, but I'm not. I totally expected it to go this smooth (unlike some people I won't mention here, SHAWN!). I am proud of her though, and very thankful that it was a positive experience for her.
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