Emma has the unfortunate luck of inheriting my horribly cavity-prone teeth. As such, the poor kid had some major work coming up and we ended up being able to schedule it for during Thanksgiving break. Originally it was supposed to be a 12 noon appointment which would have been horrid, trying to tell her that she could not eat breakfast, or even drink water, all morning long. Luckily the office had a cancellation and was able to move her up to 8am. So we showed up at 8 and had to wait another hour while they kept working on the last appointment. We finally got called in at 9 and went over the pre-op info.
Basically, we went in knowing that Emma had one large cavity in a rear tooth and it was starting to come out in chunks, along with another cavity in the tooth behind that one. So the dentist wanted to put her under general anesthesia since it would be impractical to expect her to sit still for an entire procedure like this with only laughing gas. Additionally, we had not been able to get any xrays of Emma's teeth as she keeps gagging on the bite wing and spitting it out. So they planned to do that as well while she was sedated.
So I held Emma in my lap as the anesthesiologist gave her a shot in the arm to start a "twilight sedation." The funny thing is Emma already had 4 shots and a blood draw last week at her doctor appointment so I figured she would not be happy about this. I didn't tell her until we were on our way to the dentist. But she just sighed and asked why. I let her know it was something to help relax her before the dentist worked on her teeth. She sighed again and just said, "okay, fine." So I really didn't expect any issues. Well, when the Dr. comes in, she buries her head in my chest and starts whimpering. He is trying to coddle and cajole her with little "It's just a little pinch" and "It will only hurt for a minute honey" platitudes. But then I looked down and the little stinker was smirking while she fake-cried! I exclaimed "Emma Grace! Are you faking?!" and she just giggled and said "okay. fine. Give me the shot" and stuck her arm out! She is too funny!
After a few minutes she started telling me ( I think) that her hand was falling asleep. But she only got out "my hand... my hand... sleep... my..." and was gone. Her eyes were still open but she was completely unresponsive and that is, apparently, exactly what they want to see. So the doctor picked my girl up out of my arms and carried her into the OR while I returned to the waiting room. For a long time. A long, long, time. They ended up working on her until almost noon. Turns out, the one (crumbly) tooth had to be pulled and they inserted a spacer in it's spot. 2 of her rear, lower, molars both had to be crowned, and there were 6 other teeth that needed fillings. *sigh* So much work for such a (physically) little mouth.
Around 11:45, they called me back and Em was starting to come out of the anesthesia. Not pretty. She was crying, and incoherent, and flailing around as I tried to hold her and listen to the post-op directives... Rest, soft foods, clear liquids to start, motrin for pain, etc. Luckily Mom had come with me to keep us company and help if needed so she was able to gather all our stuff while I carried Em to the car and we headed home. The whole drive she kept whimpering.
So when we got home I carried her into my bed and laid her down and she slept for another hour. When she woke up, she was a bit groggy but wanted to go see her cousins (Matthew & Tim were here playing with TJ that day) so I carried her down the hall. In about 10 more minutes she was off my lap and sitting with the boys, showing off her new silver teeth. Apparently each of the older boys have a silver tooth too and it became a badge of honor for Emma. In fact, later that day, TJ was complaining that his tooth was hurting and he thought he should go get a new silver one. Lol. Um, no. I tried to tell them that this was not a good thing and that TJ should be glad to have strong healthy teeth but I think he still wants to be a part of the dental decay club!
Within a few minutes the boys wanted to go play outside and, of course, Emma wanted to join them. I hesitated and asked her if she would rather watch a movie with me. She declined and went to get her shoes on. She did let us know that she was still a bit "Wobbly" so I told her to be careful playing and to take it easy. So how does Miss Emma "take it easy?" By hula hooping! Yep, there she is an hour and a half or so after major dental surgery shaking her hips and hula hooping her heart out. I love this tough little girl I have been blessed to raise...
We made it to the Christmas Tree lighting at church again this year. It was another nice evening of music, hot chocolate, cookies, prayer, & the lighting of the giant tree. The church moved the whole site of the tree from one side of the church to the other in an attempt to thwart the winds and freezing temps of last year. Ironically enough, everything was completely calm tonight. Rather than hats, mittens, layers, & parkas like last year, Emma & I were hanging out in tee shirts this year!
Emma has the unfortunate luck of inheriting my horribly cavity-prone teeth. As such, the poor kid had some major work coming up and we ended up being able to schedule it for during Thanksgiving break. Originally it was supposed to be a 12 noon appointment which would have been horrid, trying to tell her that she could not eat breakfast, or even drink water, all morning long. Luckily the office had a cancellation and was able to move her up to 8am. So we showed up at 8 and had to wait another hour while they kept working on the last appointment. We finally got called in at 9 and went over the pre-op info.
The "Kids Bowl Free" summer program we participated in decided to include a Thanksgiving promo as well. It came in very handy this last week since we were off from work and school for the holiday. So, on Monday morning, Emma & I headed out to meet Erin & Sophia and Stephanie, Gavin, & Brooke. The kids had fun bowling and playing on all the mommy's smart phones while waiting for their turns. Then we took the kids to Shakey's for lunch where they "assumed the position" at the brick wall as we walked across the parking lot... Preparing for kindergarten in public school perhaps? ;-). Emma & Sophia were getting along really well this day and the girls begged for Sophia to come run errands with us so I took both little ladies to the house and then to Tim & Jen's to drop off a turkey. The girls were very excited to have Katie give them makeovers and they thought they were just the prettiest princesses in the world with their pink makeup! We finished the day up with a trip to the library. Can't have a much better Monday than that!
Tim's school was having a community program on Thursday night hosted by "the puppet lady." Apparently, she is someone who works at his site and does all kinds of art projects with the kids. I think that is so awesome, especially considering how few schools even have art at all anymore. Anyway, he invited Emma & I to join them for puppet night and we had a great time using paper goods to make all sorts of silly puppets. Notice the red straw sticking out of Emma's. She made a Pinocchio puppet. Love it. :)
I took Emma, Lucy, & Katie out to Lucy's favorite store - Bass Pro Shop - on Sunday after church. Now, even on a regular day, this store is a kid's fantasyland what with all the things to play with and try out. They have tents to crawl in, bikes to ride, party boats to board and pretend to sail, and a glass elevator that takes you down INTO a fish tank! How could you not love this place. Well, once the holiday season hits, Bass Pro Shop cranks it up even more. They build an entire North Pole where the kids get to do crafts, write letters to Santa, visit Santa (if Mommy can deal with the enormous line), operate model train sets, and play games. Because nothing says "peace on earth and goodwill towards men" like archery and rifle target practice! Lol. Its all in good fun though. There were also demonstrations (and samples!) going on showing how to deep dry turkeys and make Christmas fudge. Yum. The coup de gras for Emma was the winter carousel. She loved it. And the candy canes that were passed out to the riders too! This place is awesome. We will definitely be back at least once more before the year is over. But probably on a weekday to avoid some of the crowds.
