Scout's first visit to the dentist

We got an appointment with the pediatric dentist this week, and we were so grateful. It's the practice that my friend recommended, and the experience was great. Both of my kids loved the office, and Scout was really compliant. Since compliant is not usually a word I use to describe her, though she's learning, I chalk it up to the fact that she's fearless. She sat really well in that big chair by herself, let the hygenist put the apron on her and opened wide and grinned for the dentist, because she's not afraid of them! They put on a little Barbie movie for her on the flatscreen on the ceiling above her head, and G strained to watch it, too.



The report was good. Her other front tooth is a little loose, but he thinks that will tighten up again. He was amazed at how perfect the rest of her face was. He said if her gum tore at all in the process, he couldn't see it. Basically, he explained that a thumb-sucker's teeth protrude a bit, they are virtually unproctected and are sitting ducks when there's a fall with any kind of impact to the mouth. So, if you have a fearless thumb-sucker, you might be destined for the same fate! The dentist also said that there's no need for a spacer, but that as she gets older, we'll have the option to get her a partial for asthetic reasons. Ryan is against it, preferring her mouth the way it is now. I have to say, missing tooth or not, that girl can't help being cute! Everything else was good, and both kids got a little toy at the end. Neither wanted to leave, which I was happy about.



Thank you for all who've sent up some prayers for us. I'm feeling much better about it, and one day, hopefully soon, this will be one of the many funny stories we tell about Scout.

First lost tooth, and it's not G

By now, most of you have heard, and seen, on Ryan's facebook page that my precious baby girl knocked out a tooth. It happened on Saturday, just as I was headed out the door around 12:30. In fact, the car was already running, and I think I must have left it running for a half hour. Anyway, Ryan and I were standing in our front yard chatting with a neighbor, while my dad was helping the kids finish up some lunch. Scout usually sits in her booster seat to eat, but had climbed up onto a kitchen chair and was standing up. That's a trick she repeats throughout the day - climbs onto something, stands up, and then calls for an audience to give her praise for her great accomplishment, though she receives a scolding and some help down. Unfortunately, that day's trick ended badly, with a fall, during which we guess she hit her mouth on the table and then the back of her head on the floor. My dad grabbed her and calmly called us inside. The first thing I saw was the massive amount of blood, and the next was a space where her top, right front tooth had been. Scout stopped crying quickly after Ryan grabbed her, and I got on the phone with the on-call doctor. Garrett didn't quite realize what a big deal this was, since we were all trying to be calm, as to not scare the kids, so he started asking for things and talking to us. My sister immediately swept him off to his room to play and let us deal. Thanks, Aya! We took turns holding Scout, and she soon fell asleep on my dad's shoulder. After hearing that there was nothing more we could do for her that day - the main concern is that the entire tooth came clean out, which it did, big root and all - we put her to bed. She woke up happy, with just some tenderness, and only a little bleeding when she occasionally put her finger in the space. I was most concerned that she wouldn't be able to sleep at night, because she sucks her thumb, but that has not been an issue. She doesn't seem to notice the difference, or just loves that thumb so much she doesn't care.



The reactions have been mixed. I realized that she doesn't show her teeth, unless it's on purpose, so no one has noticed on their own. Of course, all of our friends have been sympathetic and comforting. My friend Raegan even called her pediatric dentist on Saturday to make sure we could get an appointment that week. I was having massive mommy guilt, though it's getting better. I prayed for her a lot that first night, but found I didn't really know what to pray. I mean, what could I ask for short of her permanent tooth growing in overnight? She really is fine, and hasn't shown signs of pain since the first day. So, I started praying for myself. Ryan now thinks it's adorable, and that a missing tooth totally fits her personality and her name. It didn't comfort me much when he said she was ready for our trip to Arkansas this fall. Scout's friend Kylie did not like seeing Scout's "boo-boo" on facebook, and her family prayed for ours after seeing it. Garrett and his friend Cole were both happy for Scout, mentioning at different times that she'd get a visit from the Tooth Fairy, now. I think we'll save the tooth for a few years before we do that. I don't think the Tooth Fairy is supposed to visit you in your crib.



We haven't been to the dentist, yet, though we will this week. In talking to him on the phone, I've learned that there's no need for a spacer tooth to be fitted, though we can do that at some point if we choose to. Until she has molars and is old enough to sit through the procedure, however, we won't attempt it. I don't know how I'll feel as she grows, but I don't think I can look at that space and be reminded of my sweet baby girl falling everyday until she gets her permanent tooth. Time will tell, and in the meantime, let's pray she gets that tooth sooner, rather than later.

The wall came down!

I felt like East Berlin in the eighties... Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but I was so happy to see the wall between our kitchen and dining room come down! Ryan got the kids to help start it, and then finished it after bedtime. G started with the hinges on the doors - yes, there were two doors to close, just in case a wall wasn't enough to box in the space - and he was able to take them off all by himself. Scout took a screwdriver to them after he'd finished, just to make sure the work was done right. Then, the fun began with the first swing of the hammer. G got out some serious aggression, and was very pleased with himself.

Then, after we put the kids to bed, the real fun started. My precious little girl started calling out from her crib, so I went to check on her and ended up rocking her for a few minutes. When I walked back out into the living room where Ryan was working, the sight, and the smell, were nothing I'd expected. Ryan had broken through some drywall to reveal a rat's nest with a couple of dried up, dead rats. Now, my husband has a stomach of steel, and even he was having some trouble controlling the queasiness. He kept it together, though, and finished cleaning it out, since he was more than halfway done anyway. Thank you, Scout, for calling me at the right moment! We'll skip the details and fast forward to the part when we thought we were almost done, and then noticed the buzzing of a huge wasp's nest full of wasps near the ceiling. Luckily, I knew where the wasp spray was, and Ryan took care of it, stomping on most of them to finish them off. Talk about renovation realities, but we survived. After scrubbing my floor with bleach water (the thought of any contamination from that rat's nest touching my precious children's feet was too much for me), we fell into bed, satisfied with a good day's work. Oh yeah, and we showered, too.

Garrett removing the hinges

It's off!

The first swing

A nice hole in the wall

Scout double checking G's work

The aggression comes out

Coming down

The remains of the nest

Almost done...

The open kitchen!

4th of July

We had a great Fourth. My parents came for a visit, and my dad got to appreciate all the hard work we'd already put into the house. Our neighborhood was having a parade, so we thought we'd decorate the kids' wagon and participate. We had almost no time to prepare, so our decorations were white stars that my mom had cut out of paper plates, little American flags attached to the front corners of the wagon and one for each kid to hold, and some red streamers. I was hoping that this would be enough to blend in to the other bikes and wagons for two reasons: 1) I didn't want my kids to wish they were in someone else's wagon, and 2) I was secretly hoping that we hadn't moved to "one of those neighborhoods", where everyone feels like they have to out-do their neighbors. I crossed my fingers as we got closer to the start of the parade that we wouldn't see any battery packs powering light displays, and I am happy to report that we completely blended in! Everyone looked really cute, and the kids had a lot of fun. We saw funny wigs, poster board greetings, and some cute dogs with bandanas. There were people handing out dog biscuits to the appropriate neighbors, lots of waving and shouting "Happy Fourth!", and free Chick Fil-A kid's meal coupons. The kids were pretty hot by the end, but they enjoyed it.

After chatting with our across-the-street neighbors for a little while, we headed to Rudy's for lunch with friends from our class at church. We sat at their outside picnic tables in the shade, and it was a really fun time. The kids were completely worn out by the end and ready for some good naps. Good family fun!