getting rid of the "sugar bugs"

with a week to kill between returning home from europe and the beginning of the bean's first session of summer school, the first order of business was getting the bean's dental issues taken care of.  since her last visit to the dentist had been nice and easy, i tackled the appointment solo.  i usually require moral support for things like this, which the hub is always happy to provide, but the bean was all easy breezy about it.  after i assured her about 98340387532 times that she wouldn't have to endure any shots, that is.  and so we got up early one morning to brave the traffic on the way to her 8:30am appointment.

luckily, summer often means lighter traffic - plus access to the carpool lane.  we pulled up at the dentist's office with time to spare and checked in with the receptionist.

she was pretty excited to see that the movie on the screen above her was one of her favorites.

pediatric dentists are the best.  she was at ease with him and nodded enthusiastically as he filled her in on what she could expect during the next 45 minutes or so.  i'd explained to her that she'd probably be breathing in some air through a mask while they did their job to fix her teeth, so she was prepared for when it came her way.  the dentist let her pick which "flavor" of air she'd get to breathe in, and when i heard the choices (bubble gum or strawberry), i just knew she'd go with option A.

sitting across from her in the corner of the room, i could smell the sweetness of the nitrous oxide she was taking in.  she was visibly relaxed and engrossed in the movie, which made it easy for the dentist and his assistant to get their job done.

less than an hour later, the bubble gum air was turned off and she was a happy camper with a "pillow" for her "sleepy teeth" to rest on.

in the car, she showed me what she'd selected from the treasure chest and then marveled at the weird feeling in her mouth.  "i can't feel my lips, mommy," she said.

i can't look at that picture and not cackle really loudly.  it was so funny, and she giggled right along with me.  luckily, it only lasted for about an hour and then she was back to normal.

back at home, we busted out the travel board games that she's become addicted to.  and pretty damn good at, i must say.

oh, those faces.  they kill me.

open wide

last week, i was forced to suck it up and face one of my biggest fears in life:

dun dun dunnnnnnnn!

you guys, I HATE going to the dentist. and i should probably be ashamed to admit how long it'd been since my last visit. seriously, it's an embarrassing length of time. but as i was sitting in the bleachers at the bean's gymnastics showcase, i popped a piece of gum in my mouth and was hit with a crazy wave of pain in one of my back teef. it was seriously intense, and i knew that i simply couldn't avoid it any longer.
 

i managed to find a dentist just down the street who had good yelp reviews (shut up, that's important!), accepted my insurance and even had an opening for me that very afternoon. sold. 

before i could chicken out and decide that i could just power through the pain like i've done in the past, i found myself here.

it was not my finest hour, people. 

but it wasn't as bad as i'd expected. after taking 18 freaking x-rays, we learned that i have zero cavities (something about having an alkaline mouth instead of acidic.  i dunno) but that my lower (super duper impacted) wisdom teeth need to come out. quadrant deep cleanings come next, and then regular visits after that and i'm good to go. 

a few days later, it was the bean's turn. i was even more nervous for her based on past experience, but as it turns out, she's definitely grown up and gained more confidence. 

of course, it helped that she had her brand new rapunzel doll by her side. and then it was even more awesome when she laid back in the chair and caught sight of the movie playing on the monitor just above her:  "tangled."

the hygienist was really sweet and friendly, and put her at ease right away.
 

i dreaded the x-rays for her, after just having gone through the gag-inducing process myself. happily, hers went a lot more smoothly...and quickly. just five-ish for her as opposed to my 18.  plus, her little lead apron was way cuter. 

cleaning and polishing, check!

after an easy exam with the dentist, she got to pick a prize from the treasure chest and accepted a little bag with new dental gear inside. 

unlike me, however, a thorough examination of her x-rays revealed a few small cavities. we also got a sneak peek at the adult teeth that are steadily making their way to the surface. her bottom two front teeth are starting to wiggle ever so slightly, which has her over-the-moon excited. 

looks like her very first visit from the tooth fairy is in her not-too-distant future!

crowns are cool

the bean slept right through yesterday's earthquake. heh.

as for me, i flipped out slightly, thinking of what the day was going to bring and fervently hoping it wasn't an omen of how it would turn out. sheesh. so much for my "eternal optimism." somehow, i managed to fall back asleep - for another hourish. the alarm went off at 5:30, and off we went.

the bean woke up just before we left, smiling sleepily and chattering quietly in her car seat as we battled traffic on our way to the dentist's office in arcadia. the stupid ass black cat that scampered across the street as we drove along didn't help my anxiety much. i wanted to get out and kick the shit outta that thing. and as we got closer and closer, i got more and more nervous and tried to cover it up by chatting and smiling brightly for her. she's already figured out that she doesn't like the dentist's (and doctor's) offices, so i guess i was just trying to make everything okay. ugh.

she didn't balk when we entered the office, but she clearly remembered it as she pointed at the plasma on the wall, checked out the waterfall in the corner, and scoped out the video games.

we'd gone to target and bought her some fun new minnie mouse jammies for the occasion, and she remembered as i took a picture of us and she asked to "see 'em?"

the dentist and doctor/anesthesiologist came out to greet us, ask a few questions about her medical history (during which we shook our heads "no" to every question), and check her heart and breathing. she sat quietly and allowed everything to happen without incident, and i hoped that was a good sign. she accepted a bright red bouncy ball and smiled at the staff, and i tried to relax, despite knowing that the anesthesiologist carried a syringe in his pocket that contained the stuff that would make her woozy.

the hub took her into his arms and i tried my damnedest to distract her with a fun book, but she knew something icky was coming. and it was - the syringe came out and was plunged into her left arm as quickly as possible as she screamed out in panic. she wailed and reached out for me, and i took her in my arms, held her tight, and watched her as the crying subsided into a blank stare at the opposite wall. we'd been warned that it could be a disturbing sight, watching the shot take effect and our sweet baby fade into a silent, unfocused lump.

i'm tearing up again at the memory. it really was tough to watch, and i did my best to remember that it was going to lead to great results. after all, she needed the procedures to ensure healthy teeth, and i tried to focus on the positive. but all too soon, the hub gently took her out of my arms to lay her down in the dentist's chair and i followed with blurry, tear-filled eyes. hers were still open, but she was really out of it and when i smiled and waved, blowing her kisses and telling her i loved her, i knew she hadn't seen or heard me.

as soon as she was in the chair, the staff got to work. the hub turned, saw me watching, and walked me back out to the waiting room. "i'll stay and watch - just relax and have a seat out there and i'll come out and keep you posted," he said. one of the assistants saw me and came over with a handful of kleenex, which i accepted gratefully.

and when i was out of anyone's line of vision, i cracked. i bawled like a freaking baby, people. but my vanity never leaves me - i carefully dabbed under my eyes to make sure my mascara wasn't running. ha! not even kidding. i sniffed and wept and watched my tears fall on the floor, and the hub came over to rub my back and let me know that she was doing really well. the IV was in place, she was completely out, and her heartbeat and breathing were strong. i relaxed a little, knowing she was in good hands, and eventually picked up a magazine to flip through as we waited for the pros to do their thang. "she's taped down to the chair, and i don't think you want to see her like that," the hub said. and he was right. i was already in about a thousand pieces after having seen her all drugged up, and i knew he'd watch over her.

the hub went back and forth between the waiting room and where the bean was, giving me updates as often as he had them. and we were thrilled to learn that the two teeth that we'd been so concerned about had healthy roots after all, which meant they wouldn't have to be pulled out and she could just get little crowns on them till they fall out.

right around an hour after they'd begun, dr. eddie came out and announced that everything had gone perfectly. she was moved into another chair one space over, so that she could continue sleeping and they could prep for their next patient. here's where all the action'd been:

she was propped up with a little shoulder roll and a "pillow" for her head, allowing for easy breathing. they hooked her up to another monitor that would let us know when she was starting to come around, and said that the longer she slept, the happier she'd be when she woke up.

he showed us her x-rays, pointing out where the work had been done and also where her permanent teeth were forming, which was really cool. she's got some big toofers coming in a few years. and i couldn't stop looking at her and brushing the hair back from her face. i just wanted to hold her and give her hugs, but i held back and let her sleep it off.

the anesthesiologist saw me snapping away and gathered dr. eddie and his staff to take a group pic. haha! awesome.

after about an hour and a half, the monitor went off and she finally woke up. she looked around with glassy eyes, and i dropped everything and rushed over to pick her up. the doctor came over to check her out and remind us that her coordination and balance would be off in a big way - "keep a hand on her shoulders so she doesn't lean back and fall out of your arms." she didn't say anything and was still out of it, but she was awake and she looked wonderful to me. we wrapped her in the blanket, bid adieu to the office, and headed home.

in the car, she sat quietly and moved her head from side to side slowly while i watched. she picked up one hand and pointed to the cotton ball taped to her wrist where the IV had been: "band-aid? i got a band-aid?" and then she noticed that something was off and opened her mouth wide and moved her lips around. "feels...weird," she said as we laughed. she was still numb from the anesthesia, and kept making funny faces. oh, i was so happy to see her smile.

the faces continued when we got home.

it didn't take long before she decided she wanted to get up and play. i followed her every move, watching her teeter on shaky legs. and she thought her clumsiness was hilarious:

after climbing up and down on the couch and the chair, with me like a shadow, she put out her hand and said this:

she spent most of the afternoon defying the warnings we'd been given: "she's going to be really sleepy all day long and won't want to do much." instead, she was up and around, just like any other day...until about 5:00, when she finally crashed on the couch.

how do you spell "relief"? s-o-g-l-a-d-i-t-s-o-v-e-r.

gonna hurl. or cry. likely both.

by the time you read this, hopefully everything will have gone well and i won't have puked my guts out from anxiety.

the bean is scheduled for her big dental appointment at 7AM and i'm completely freaking out over it. the anesthesiologist called over the weekend to answer questions and give us more details about what to expect, and while the hub seems to be taking it in stride, i am seriously paralyzed with fear.

they're going to give her a shot to numb her, and then put in an IV that's going to knock her out. they'll spend about an hour doing the x-rays, checking the two teeth that brought us in to begin with, and if the roots are still healthy, putting crowns on them. if they're not, they'll extract. yikes! and then they'll do a cleaning and she'll be done.

she'll be groggy for a while, and her coordination and motor skills will be off for a few hours - but since the procedure is so early in the morning, she should be at 95% by dinnertime. and since it's so early, we can just scoop her up out of bed and bring her in her pajamas.

please send your happiest, shiniest thoughts our way today. kthxbai.

here, fishy fishy fishy

the bean visited a new dentist over the weekend, so we could get a second opinion on the treatment for her little teef. and this time, we went with a referral from a very trustworthy source - MommyBelle. her two kidlets go to this dentist and they all love him, and that was enough for me.

like the first office, this one was bright and cheerful and full of fun, kid-friendly stuff. the bean was drawn to the waterfall in the corner like a moth to a flame.

but that 2-year-old attention span kicked in, and she moved on to a new toy she found in a corner.

when we were called in to an exam room, she was delighted to find that there was a tv mounted on the ceiling that was playing the movie she was halfheartedly watching out in the waiting room. i hoped this meant that she'd be somewhat relaxed when it was actually time for the dentist to do his thing.

but i should've known better - and dr. eddie sure did. he spoke to her soothingly and worked quickly and efficiently in checking out her teeth, even though she was bawling loudly and doing the kind of crying where she's so angry, she's red and shaking like a leaf.

so, she does indeed need some major work done - those two little teeth on either side of her top front ones have huge cavities in them and are going to need baby root canals (!) and crowns (!!!!). yikes. and at her age, the only way to do it is to knock her little ass out. quadritriple yikes. he explained that only 5% of dentists in the state of california are trained and licensed to do the anesthesia, and during the process, there's always a second doctor present to constantly monitor the patient. he gave us some brochures and stuff to take home and read, including one with all of the contact info for the doctor he calls in for his "sedation days."

as the bean calmed down and we dried her tears, she was excited to pick a toy out of the treasure chest and a balloon from the bunch that was taped to a wall. like at the other appointment, she happily accepted a sticker and a swag bag with another new toothbrush and other oral care paraphernalia.

we left the office and couldn't stop talking about the difference between the two appointments. dr. eddie was so much more trustworthy and came across as much more knowledgeable and, well, non-shady. not to mention, his fees? less than HALF. amazing.

later, we hopped on the freeway again - this time, heading south towards the beach to meet up with my parents for dinner at captain kidd's in redondo beach. this place is an old favorite, and i have fond memories of going with a big group of family, spreading newspapers out onto the tables and banging away happily at fresh crab.

i walked around the familiar layout of the fish market, reminiscing and snapping away.

like i always do, i picked up a cup of smoked fish salad and bay shrimp cocktail.

my mom stepped out of the box (she and my stepdad always go with the tried-and-true fish & chips, and he didn't stray) and ordered one of the daily specials, a whole pompano served with fries and steamed veggies. i'm not gonna lie, he looked a little creepy on the plate (and pretty damn pissed off, too). and sadly, mom wasn't pleased with her choice as she pronounced it bland and really tasteless. bummer.

the bean ate some of her chicken strips and fries, but was content to stretch out between the benches and babble about everything she saw: "fish! scary. chicken. i. am. full. ice cream?"

having skipped the steamed crab this time around (my nails were pretty long, and i really didn't want to have to deal with digging around for my dinner that night), i chose a simple skewer of grilled shrimp with fries and green salad. the hub's grilled swordfish looked quite tasty too, and i think his was the winner of the night.

on our way out, the hub and the bean stopped to check out the live lobsters and crab in the big glass cases.

the next morning, i woke up to the bean holding me by both cheeks: "mama! (for some unknown reason, i'm "mama" lately instead of plain ol' "mommy") wake up! choc-wit miwk! choc-wit miwk, pweeese?" i was super groggy and really just wanted to go back to sleep, but she was relentless. and because it was so stinking funny and cute, i couldn't be grumpy about it, either. so i dragged my ass outta bed and got her a cup of milk, and that's how my day started.

she ended up falling asleep on the way to church, and after some debate, we decided to let her sleep and skipped the service altogether. heh. we took a long, slow route home which included a stop at a little hole-in-the-wall for a breakfast burrito. well, for me, anyway. the hub is back on his low-cal, almost no-carbs kick and he just smirked at me as i dug in.

dudes, this thing weighed about six pounds, was about 8 inches long, and was stuffed with three eggs, cheese, potatoes, and...pastrami.

that evening, we met up with brother wan and his girlfriend along with the ILs for a quickie family dinner at the yard house. we wanted to hear all about the new gig - he just started working with the company that provides all of the food/catering for the NASCAR circuit and we're all so excited for him. he's been stuck at a dead-end job managing a restaurant out in BFE since he graduated from the le cordon bleu program a couple of years ago, and he was stoked to get back to doing actual cooking with fellow professional chefs. he looked tired, but happy.

after perusing the kids' menu with the bean, she settled on a plate of buttered noodles. she colored and danced around and talked to everyone and entertained us all until the food was served.

and then she continued to provide amusement for the table as we watched her dig into those noodles with the grown-up fork.

my crunchy ahi salad should've been really good, but it was sprinkled liberally with finely chopped cilantro. i hate cilantro. the merest hint of that awful flavor just kills a whole dish for me, and after suffering through half a dozen mouthfuls of it, i gave up and just ate the tuna with a side of jasmine rice.

and that was my weekend. how was yours?