Not So Tough

Katie is the cavity queen.

Long live the queen.

She had her 2nd appointment to finish with her new filings and it was awful.

As she lay on the chair, feeling the hurt and pleading with me with her big, blue eyes, I just wanted to cry.

This is the same thing that happened when she went in for her tubes.

Why is it that I can never remember that I am just not this tough?

But it got me to thinking about sacrifice and kids and love.

I felt so helpless as all I could do was watch her suffer. I held her hand. I tried to reassure her, but I had to let her have this experience, because in the end, it would be for her own good.

And isn't that so like life?

We go though trials. And sometimes they are really difficult experiences. But we are never alone. And most likely, these experiences will be for our own good.

And sitting with Katie today, I had a tiny glimpse of what our Heavenly Father must feel for us...as we suffer.

I would have gladly traded places with Katie today. I would have taken her pain and felt her suffering if it meant that she didn't have to. Because, surely it is a lot easier to do the suffering ourselves than it is to watch someone we love suffer -- especially our own child. But...I have to let her experience life, just like I am experiencing it. And hopefully, I (and Katie) will know the good and appreciate it more because we have had to have the bad.

I know what we experienced today is just such a small fraction of what others we know are going through, but I grateful for still for the remind that my Heavenly Father loves me.

O Happy Day!

Mikayla got her braces off today!

She could not be happier.

They had to leave 4 brackets on until she gets her retainer...but they are off!

Before:

After:

Isn't she lovely?

Poor Baby

Joe had to have a gingivectomy this morning.

He has braces and has had a hard time keeping his gums healthy...and it finally reached the point where he needed to have parts of his gums removed.

He looked so sad and miserable.

But he was a good enough sport to let me take his photo before he went to lay down.

Isn't he just so sad?

What Did You Think Would Happen?

The kids went to the dentist, and I have to say that I am just so pleased that my kids like the dentist.

I have a real phobia, but the kids all look forward to it and do so well.

Josh actually had to have a cavity filled and was a little nervous. He has a major gag reflex and we have to worry about him throwing up on the dentist. It hasn't happened yet...but, I am sure it's just a matter of time. (BTW, Josh also went to the orthodontist to be fitted for a permanent retainer. They had to do molds...and man...that was close. He almost had to use the bucket they gave him.)

They had to give him a little laughing gas to keep him calm during the procedure. They said he would be a little loopy...but really, who could tell the difference?

Anyway...now that I have done all this bragging about how much my kids like the dentist...you just have to know it doesn't end well.

This was Katie's 2nd visit to the dentist and I have to say it went far worse than the first visit, which I hardly thought was possible!

She would not even sit in the chair! She got all crazy, foaming at the mouth, screaming bloody murder when they even tried to brush her teeth. We gave up on that and just asked the dentist to look at her teeth in lieu of an actual cleaning.

So...the dentist gets her laying down and tries to count her teeth and check them for any obvious problems. Simple enough, right?

And wouldn't you know...in the middle of all the screaming and teeth checking Katie clamped down on the dentist's finger and would not let go.

Ack.

It was awful.

I think we might skip our next visit.

: )

I'm Horrible, I Know

Poor Troy.

He had to go to the dentist today...and he looked so miserable when I went to pick him up...I just had to take a picture.



I know. I'm horrible. It's my cross to bear.

On top of his pain and putting up with a wife who insists on photographing everything, I don't think the drugs wore off all the way, because Troy offered to take us out to dinner...at a restaurant. (I KNOW!)

Anyway, thanks for putting up with my awfulness.

And just for fun, I just thought I'd share a couple of Becky-isms.

When we went outside today there was a little butterfly sitting on the porch.

Becky looks at the butterfly and immediate looks at me and says, "I didn't see that one coming!"

And later on the car ride home Katie was getting very fussy. Becky tried to comfort her, but nothing seemed to help.

Becky turns to me and say, "Mom. She doesn't want anything. What are we going to do about that?"

phew. Glad to know we're in this together.

Money Well Spent?

My Emma has been complaining that there are not enough blogs about her.

(Is she her father's daugther, or what?)

So today, after spending the morning at the orthodontist, we have this post.







Let's call it:

Ode to the Expensive Retainer

Thou piece of expensive steel.
Thou bits of pink and blue plastic.
Oh, but you cost, how much I cannot say.
An arm, a leg, a pound of flesh.
What madness is this?
Bad teeth we have. That is all.
And now, retainers too.

What can I say? Spending thousands of dollars on little bits of nothing makes me a nutty.