Vital Signs

Meet Dexter. Isn't he handsome? Over the last few months I have spent a lot of time with him and I feel like I know a lot about him. I have fixed his teeth countless times, polished them, and done endless x-rays on him. ENDLESS x-rays. Seriously. (Not my favorite part of the dental assisting thing) Anyway, this week we had to pass off taking blood pressure. You've had it taken, right? They put the cuff around your around and pump it up and you can feel your pulse going crazy in your arm. (I just want to establish that we all understand the concept) Yesterday we were getting set up in the operatory rooms to check off that we know how to do vital signs. Cherys and I get all ready and we are waiting for a teacher to come over and watch us do it when I hear a voice from the next operatory. "Are we supposed to take Dexter's blood pressure?" And everything in me stopped. And I looked up at my teacher to see what she would do. (She is the nicest woman in the world and so patient.) She looked stunned for a moment. And she kindly replied that no, we weren't doing it on Dexter, he doesn't have a blood pressure. Crap, he doesn't even have an arm! He is a creepy head on a three foot steel rod! I realize we aren't attending a prestigious medical university. But for craps sake. To think that in three weeks we will be released out into the real world.

One Week without a Thumb...

Today is Sammy's one week anniversary of having no thumb to suck. This kid continues to amaze me. Just when I start to think I may have her figured out, she switches it up and keeps me on my toes. I was very concerned about her mental happiness when we decided to take this big step and have an appliance put in her mouth to keep her from sucking her thumb. It wasn't a decision made lightly and I knew that it would have a huge impact on her. Getting it put in was an ordeal that made me fall off the wagon and get me back on the Dr. Pepper. Apparently I was the only that it had a bad impact on, because she is doing FABULOUS!!! I simply cannot believe how well she is doing and behaving and I'm wondering why we put this off for so long. Besides the $$$$, that is.
I noticed for the first day and a half that she would keep lifting her hand to suck her thumb and put it down, and by Friday she stopped doing it. On Saturday night when I asked her how she was doing with it, she told me that she hadn't even thought about it all day. WOOHOO! Now we just need to teach her how to talk clearly with all those wires in her mouth....
Sammy, we are so proud of you! Keep up the good work!

Gettin' our Teeth Did

(Cue the music from the movie Psycho)

Know what these are? It's a thumb crib for Sammy. Yes, it is time. She is nine and has refused to quit and I feel she is too old for this habit. And believe it or not, she doesn't agree with me. And she was none too happy to go to the orthodontist yesterday to have it cemented in. I know that those of you who really know Sammy are finding this hard to believe.

This process started two weeks ago. I took her in and they did pictures and x-rays. And she did really good! I thought maybe some maturity was happening and it made me feel good. Two days later I had (made) Nate take her in to get the molds taken of her mouth. That turned out to be a little tricky, but it got done. And yesterday was the day. The appointment was at 2:00. We got there and she signed it, yet refused to go to the back waiting room. And then I got her back there and she refused to brush her teeth. And then she wouldn't get in the chair. And then she wouldn't open her mouth. The orthodontist came over and inquired about her age and when he learned she was nine, he was all, "Oh, she should be able to do this just fine." I laughed and snorted quietly and sat back to watch.

She stuck that thumb in for the last time and sucked as if her life depended on it. And she thrashed her head around and wouldn't open her mouth. So I pried that thumb out of her mouth and she started screaming bloody murder. Keep in mind that we haven't put anything in her mouth yet. They need to fit it and adjust it before we can cement it in. She is screaming and all the other kids are staring at her in amazement so the orthodontist comes over to help and she yelled at him. Dig me a hole. He had to get firm with her and he left to see another patient. So the assistant puts her hands by Sam's mouth to get going and Sam slaps her hands away. Dig me a deeper hole. So now I am furious at her but I'm in a room full of people. Anyway, we continue on and we finally get it cemented on. It took 40 minutes! We got home and she was complaining that it was poking her in the mouth. I informed her that if she had behaved and let them do their job they would have adjusted it properly.

Now here is the part where I can feel nice. She looks miserable. I'm sure it is uncomfortable to have these wires in her mouth, but she is having to deal with her emotions in a way that she has never had to do before. I can see the cloud of misery hanging over her head. But guess what? She had no troubles falling asleep last night. And she is so miserable from the pokey wires that she hasn't really complained about not being able to suck her thumb.

Now this is the part where I'm not very smart. A couple days ago I realized that her semi-annual dentist appointment was today. The ortho yesterday, dentist today. Sam doesn't do well at the dentist. No, really, she doesn't. I called the dentists office this morning and asked them to give her their toughest, firmest hygienist. I just couldn't have another afternoon like yesterday. They were laughing at me, but they complied. And she did great! She even let them do fluoride on her teeth and last time that one little bit took about 20 minutes. They found a bunch of cement left over from yesterday that was poking her in the mouth and she let them take that off, so she is a little more comfortable. The bad news is....she has one cavity. So I get to take her back. Stay tuned.....

Words of Wisdom

Last night around the dinner table, Megan was telling us of her school assignment. The kids had to come up with a favorite idiom and then draw a picture of how they interpret it. Megan chose: The first step is the hardest one to take. So we started going around the table coming up with silly sayings and imagining how we would draw them.
Nate has a couple of cowboy logic books that we dug out. Since I've had nothing to blog about, I thought I could impart to you some words of wisdom.

*Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.
*If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'
*When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or a person, don't be surprised if they learn their lesson.
*No tree is too big for a short dog to lift his leg on.
*Nobody ever drowned himself in his own sweat.
*Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.
*Share your wisdom, not your prejudices.
*Always say please when you tell someone to shut up.
*Don't let anybody's opinion kill your belief in yourself.
*When you disagree, try not to be disagreeable about it.

I have to admit...the first one is my favorite! They are even more funny when I try to picture how to draw them. Do you have a favorite saying?

Easter Week

Our Easter fun started on Monday! And good thing, too. I took Sammy to the orthodontist on Monday to get going on an appliance to get her to stop sucking her thumb. They put spacers in her teeth in each quadrant to move her teeth to make room for whatever they need to do. And she did surprisingly well. All the prayers that I uttered in desperation must have been heard. So we get home and she starts moaning and complaining about her mouth. And I'm sure it is uncomfortable. I offered her some Tylenol, but she refused. And kept moaning and complaining. But then something magical happened. The UPS truck came down our street and stopped in front of our house. Easter package from Grandma Kitty!!! Thank you! Just the distraction she needed. I'm never quite sure how my mom packs so much in such little boxes. I think she could enter a competition. As you can see, it was like Christmas!

This has been the last week of my radiology class. Yay! I have not liked this class one little bit. However, by the end of the course, I felt like I had an understanding of it. I ended the course with an A! WooHoo! My last class is Fundamentals of Dentistry and I'm feeling confident that I can get an A and if I do, I will graduate with straight A's. Only six weeks to go until my externship. Tell you what, I was sure nervous to go back to school, but I'm even more nervous to go and put all my knowledge to work. On real people.
I earned the nickname of Princess Grumpypants this weekend. Nate thinks it's cute. I don't remember the last time I have been this grumpy. Two days? Three?
Saturday we had a great opportunity to feed dinner to the missionaries. The last two times we have done it have been a lot of fun. (Not so much the first time) After dinner we sat down to dye some eggs. We thought we would try something new for us this year. We didn't hard boil. We never eat them all, and it stinks, so why do it? And we only broke one. And it was Nate. Heehee.



We have church at 8:00. IN THE MORNING!!! The kids thought it would wise to wake up at 5:00 to do baskets and the egg hunt. I don't think so. We did baskets in the morning and the girls we DE-lighted. Sammy is addicted to Ferrero Rocher chocolates and Megan loved her big tub of gum. They also got a new book, a big Dr. Pepper and some other stuff.
Then it was time to get ready for church, and everyone accused me of hogging all the hot water. A- I didn't. In and out and I didn't even shave my legs. B- Feel free to go first. Anywho, the girls were excited to finally wear their new dresses that are fun to twirl in!After church we came home and I decided to give myself an Easter treat. And I had a Dr. Pepper. It had been 15 days. And it was sooooo good and refreshing. And I only had one then I went back to water. Everything in moderation. Next up was the Easter Egg Hunt! Ready, Set, Go!
It was turning out to be a great day and fun afternoon. Then after all the gifts and fun, Sammy got really mad at me and ran away. She packed up her backpack and her birthday money and her American Girl doll and left. She made it clear across the street where the Dana's kindly gave her sanctuary. And after she had told Diana of all the injustices that she has to suffer through, Diana let her know how hard it is to live at her house, and all the chores she would have to do and all the rules she would have to follow if she lived there. Sam went out to the couch to think about things and promptly fell asleep. Sitting up. Big shocker that she was tired. Eventually the Dana's had a family dinner to go to, so Nate went over and lugged her home. She tried to go back, but Nate firmly put an end to it.
All in all, it has been a really nice day. We bought ourselves a ham, I made funeral potatoes, and Diana gave us a loaf of her homemade bread. Miss our families, but we will see you all next month!

Day 8

I am still alive. Eight days sober and I didn't even turn to heroin to get through the withdrawals. I have been physically and emotionally sick. Really. Yes, I had a Dr. Pepper problem, but if I can do it, anyone can. But the caffeine deficiency has limited my ability to think and form words. Can't blog easily.
I have to say....although I haven't been feeling good, I do feel like I have more energy. What a surprising side effect! This week Megan and I made strawberry jam. I had never made jam, I try not to be very domestic. And I baked banana bread. And I helped the girls de-junk their room. And I didn't kill anyone. So, good news!
Some of you have asked me, WHY? Why indeed. I am well aware of how bad soda is for the body. But lately I've had a lot of dental work done and I'm pretty sure that if I didn't ingest so much soda, my teeth would be in better shape. That's why. Sigh.
Tonight I saw an ad for it on the television and my mouth started to water. Still standing strong...