I never updated about Noah’s first dental “surgery” and now he’s had a second one.

Yep, you heard me. A second one.

See, about a week after his first surgery, I noticed the tiniest of grooves on the other side of his mouth in relatively the same spot as the last one. I kept an eye on it and it seemed to be getting bigger so I brought him to the local dentist. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Dr. W and ended up seeing a different dentist who didn’t have the best bed side manner but did know her stuff. She immediately referred us to Dr. P (formerly known as Dr. P², since the original Dr. P is out of the picture).

So Tuesday, we trekked up to Newnan and stayed in a hotel (graciously provided by my in-laws) where we watched Hell’s Kitchen, The Nanny and otherwise enjoyed a short break from home. Since Noah couldn’t have anything to eat or drink after midnight for the procedure the next morning, we were trying to avoid having to drive him up to Newnan while hungry AND tired AND fussy. Noah did relatively well that night, sleeping a solid six hours without wanting to nurse, which is pretty unusual for him. I did pump him full of squash and applesauce before I brushed his teeth and gave him a good nursing and I hope it helped. Whatever did it, he slept through and we got him to the clinic.

When we got there, we waited a good thirty minutes before they got us to the back where one of the dental assistants tried to tell me that a predisposition to cavities just couldn’t be genetic and that it HAD to be the breastmilk that was causing Noah’s teeth to get cavities. While I can say that he doesn’t need to nurse all night or all day long without having his teeth brushed, I can’t say I agree that I should suddenly switch to cow’s milk because someone without a dental degree says so. She also couldn’t get through to her head which tooth had the issue and kept asking if the “filling” (his crown) came out, so I’m sure you can imagine why I am skeptical of anything she had to say to me.

Anyway, when Dr. P saw his teeth, she confirmed that he had two brand new cavities. Thankfully they were pretty small since we had caught them so early (score one for vigilant mommy, finally!) and said he didn’t need the Versed to be sedated for the procedure (so we starved our kid for 8 1/2 hours because…?). Not that I want to put anything into Noah’s body that is unnecessary so we were thankful – at first.

She swore that the papoose board would be the best choice, as it would take longer with Joshua holding him (squirmy) so I went against all of my natural gut instincts, personal fears and intelligent thought and agreed to try it that way. What I didn’t know, until they had already started, was that they weren’t going to give my little baby boy ANY numbing medicine whatsoever! Both fillings were done within five minutes or I would have raised far more hell but I will tell you, I will never. ever. ever subject my son to that again. Parents that are reading this and are debating on using the papoose board on a toddler without sedatives or pain medicine – DON’T! It’s traumatic for the parents and it isn’t easy even for our resilient toddlers who scream for five minutes while a stranger puts them through pain (necessary procedure or not). Since Noah is so young, I don’t expect him to remember any of it and after a nap he was back to his normal, sunny self but I can’t forget the way he was sobbing in my arms after I yanked him out of that stupid papoose board. And I mean yanked – as soon as they scooted back and said they were done, I was ripping the velcro apart and scooping him into my arms.

I trust Dr. P as far as knowing her stuff. I know she did a good job and this visit was a huge contrast with the other one, where he needed a tooth extraction and a crown. With that one (I’ve already written this much so I may as well keep going), we went to Newnan the night before, where Noah woke up every two hours wanting to nurse. I think he fell asleep on the hotel floor three times and I would promptly move him to the bed. That was a fine night…not.

That time they got him in within two minutes, weighed him and then gave him a carefully measured dose of Versed. Within twenty minutes, he was giggling and snuggly and trying to play with his car and ball but not really able to grip well. Within forty-five minutes of being given the dose, he was about to fall asleep and actually did so in the assistant’s arms as we were made to leave the room. They extracted his tooth (I need to get a picture of this posted, actually – yes, I kept the tooth) and put a crown on the tooth next to it to prevent any cavities or weakness. He woke up screaming for mommy (mostly because he was around strangers) and immediately went to nurse. Within a few hours he was back to normal and within 48 hours he was mostly healed up. It was nerve-wracking for me but not traumatic for any of us in the least.

So, you know, two entirely different experiences and I can say that I preferred the first one, though I preferred the lack of severity of the second (fillings versus extraction). I’m not entirely thrilled with Dr. P’s practice anymore but since we’re leaving, I don’t think it will be an issue. The reason has a lot to do with how she handled the fillings but also that, though she claims she is a “big proponent of breastfeeding”, she did everything she could do get me to wean Noah. First it was about night-weaning. Then it was about weaning during the day. Then it was about sippy cups (we’ve told her he’s already using sippy cups and have done for a year now but she insinuated we must not be).

Her dental assistants also don’t know that breastfeeding is a clear liquid and actually cautioned me against breastfeeding Noah after the first procedure because “dairy would mess up his tummy”. Mind you, I don’t expect dentists to know an excessive amount about breastfeeding but I do expect a pediatric dentist to at least be aware of the current recommendations by the AAP and WHO, as well as the basics in regards to the infants in their care (clear liquids, not dairy, etc).

Maybe my mama bear side has just come out and I’m protective of my son. It’s also no secret that I’m a lactivist at heart…but I just can’t understand why someone would choose to work with infants and young children and not take the time to learn simple facts about other important areas of their health. Maybe I’m wrong to expect that much…but I don’t think so.

Whatever the case may be, I’m just happy Noah is happy and healthy.

I rarely do meta tags or keywords but since this entry may help other parents, I am.
Keywords: toddler teeth, versed, sedation, dental work, pediatric dentistry, papoose board, breastmilk, breastfeeding, sippy cups, cavities, fillings, crowns, weaning, grooves in baby teeth

Okay, so, I’m sure you have gathered from the posts I imported tonight that we’re moving, or at least, we’re trying to. After much deliberation, Joshua and I decided that it would be the best course of action, provided that we could get the money together. There simply aren’t enough jobs in this area for it to be plausible to stay. Even if Joshua or I were to get a knock-our-socks-off job tomorrow, there is no guarantee of job security or that we would be able to find another job if that one were to fall through. At this point, we’re just recycling applications and that’s just not doing it for us.

Besides, when I moved out here for Joshua, I knew I wouldn’t want to retire here or stay forever. I like it just fine – small towns have their charms, especially this one – but I don’t like the school district or the extreme isolation (The Pioneer Woman would laugh her tush off at me right about now if she were to read this – as if). Moving away was inevitable and this way, we can get back on our feet and let my family enjoy some time with Noah while he’s young. I know that I’ve been worried that my grandmothers wouldn’t bond with him appropriately (though it seems they already did) and I’ve been worried for my mom, who has been in quite a bit of emotional pain that she couldn’t see Noah grow up this past year and a half but now that will change.

However, money, or rather the lack thereof, is our primary driving force. Joshua and I don’t seek to be rich. We simply want to be debt-free and stable. There is scripture about how you cannot serve two masters and I do feel that debt sometimes gets in the way of my relationship with God. (Most of the time its my beef with certain “holes” in scripture but I’m working on those.) I long for the day that I can save up for a purchase without feeling the niggling guilt that the money should go towards paying off a credit card.

Anyway, before I ramble on like I usually do, there is my update. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll probably be spammed with my pingback links. Sorry. You should know better than to follow me. ;-)

This entry is imported from my LJ, where some significant updates have been made that I have not yet written about on this blog. It’s pretty obvious from the context what the Big Deal is though.

I am so tired that I don’t want to be awake but I haven’t had my “me time” tonight. Well, I guess I have now, but Noah fell asleep about thirty minutes ago and I’m used to around an hour or two before I go to sleep. If I don’t unwind I end up stressed out the next day.

I think tomorrow will be a good day though. We’re going out to the recycling center to get some newspaper for our fragiles and we’ll start packing those up. We’re also still rooting through our stuff…it’s amazing what we have and don’t need. I’ve been tempted to go through Noah’s toys because he has so many and he’ll get more but it’s hard to do that. Everything has sentimental value for me. Maybe I’ll grab the stuff that I absolutely can’t get rid of and that he doesn’t play with and stick it in his baby box to deal with some other time.

Clothes are another thing that are hard for me. Memories are attached to EVERYTHING but I don’t want my life to be lived in the past. I need to make room for our future, as corny as that sounds. Even if this falls through and we’re stuck here, we need more space.

On a cuter, more journal-type note, Noah did something adorable today. (Yeah yeah, what’s new? =P) He went over to the computer desk and got our attention for something. Joshua offered the mouse – no. He offered the top DVD on Noah’s stack of DVDs (we didn’t pack his) – no. He offered the entire stack – yes. Then Noah proceeded to pick up each DVD case, consider it and then put it back down. Oswald kept his attention the longest and it really looked like he was reading the back of the DVD case the way someone reads the back of a book. Oswald was put down though in favor of Bob the Builder, which Noah brought over to me with this adorable pleading expression. Joshua was already headed to the room to get his laptop and I said, “Daddy is gonna do it! Go get Daddy!” so Noah GRINS and runs after Joshua.

He was incredibly impatient while Joshua got the laptop and was singing “Bob! *gibberish* Bob!” down the hallway along with Joshua who was singing the theme song. He kept handing me the DVD case because Joshua was taking too long (according to mister impatient) and kept trying to mash buttons on the laptop to turn the movie on while it loaded. Then, when it turned on, he sang along to the theme song (and Noah has NOT seen Bob the Builder often) and clapped and cheered when the characters did.

I can’t believe it, but I can. He’s so brilliant and he has such a strong, amazing personality. He’s real and incredible in every way. I guess I really do have a toddler, huh? Eep!

This entry is imported from my LJ, where some significant updates have been made that I have not yet written about on this blog. It’s pretty obvious from the context what the Big Deal is though.

Joshua had a job interview yesterday. Of course, once we finalize our decision to move and tell his parents, he gets an interview. He went, because we figure whatever we can earn is good, except it wasn’t a “definite” like his grandmother said it would be (surprise, surprise) and the uniform would cost way too much up front. Between the uniform and gas (not to mention the time it would steal away), we’d basically break even. Not worth it. He’s supposed to go back Monday with an “answer” to her “question” (that lady is weird) but we decided he would pass.

I earned another $20 today by selling my “Game Collectible” plushies. We have Noah’s open plushies plus his back-up set (he loves them) plus my original set that’s actually softer and more vividly colored than Noah’s. So we’re good, if we ever regret selling off the plushies or whatever.

That puts us at $60/$2000, technically. We may have the answer to our problems but I am hesitant to write about it just yet. Being who I am, I stick with “it isn’t definite until it’s done”. I don’t expect to move to Houston until we’re physically there. There is still the bright glimmer of hope that is what keeps me going. Each box we pack means we’re closer to a new life. Each item we sell means we’re closer to getting back on our feet. I’m making plans. I’m feeling life again.

I don’t know what I’ll do if this doesn’t happen. I don’t really want to think about it.

This entry is imported from my LJ, where some significant updates have been made that I have not yet written about on this blog. It’s pretty obvious from the context what the Big Deal is though.

My excitement hasn’t really dampened today. If anything, I’m more excited because I’m thinking of all the things we can DO. I’ll have a church again, for one. My walk with God was always stronger when I went to Wilcrest. Even if they’ve changed, it’ll be a place to reconnect with my Christian roots. I also know they have a fabulous children’s program, which is majorly important.

And Mom. Spending time with Mom is so important to me right now because I just don’t know how much time we’ll have left. She’s not that young anymore. She isn’t old, not by a long shot, but 51 isn’t a teenager, either. I want this time with her while I have it.

And Gregory. I have so much I want to teach him and time I want to spend with him. I have a lot of regrets that I need to make up for. And he’s so excited about being an uncle that I want him to enjoy some time with that while Noah is still itty bitty.

And my grandparents. All of them. I talked to my grandmother today and she was practically crying tears of joy at the mere IDEA of spending time with Noah or going to his second birthday party. Or spending Thanksgiving with me for the first time in ten years.

And then there is work. I am actually excited about the prospect of working outside of the house because I know Noah will be in capable hands (Shannon is more than capable but she’s a scenic 30 minutes away in the opposite direction of any job). With both of us working and free babysitting, we would be on our feet in no time!

And the idea of living in HOUSTON, next to everything, with my cousins and friends surrounding us…I wouldn’t have to be a recluse anymore. I could go do stuff! Picnics in the park during the Spring and a multipass to the zoo and museums and Metrorail and holy crap I’m about to explode with happiness.

This might not work. This very well could not work. But I don’t care because I am enjoying the reprieve from the depression, no matter how long it lasts.