Whirlwind of Emotions

Guilt
Anxiety 
Peace 
Stress 
Joy
Love
Pride

These are all emotions I experienced yesterday because of my kids teeth.  You see, yesterday both of my kids had their teeth cleaned for the first time in longer than I'd like to admit.  Let's just say, this is the first time they've been to the dentist since we moved to Florida.

Part of the reason is because money has been tight.  The main reason is because the last time they were at the dentist it didn't go well.  They tried to get x-rays of my son and he gagged non-stop (no vomiting thankfully) and they weren't able to get anything worthwhile.  My daughter did better, but only because I told them not to bother taking x-rays of her teeth.

So how did yesterday go?  Better and worse all wrapped into one.  My son's teeth got a clean bill of health.  No cavities and they were even able to get x-rays.  He didn't complain at all.  They did recommend that we see an orthodontist because his teeth look like they will be crowded, but nothing that's particularly urgent.

My daughter did great getting her teeth cleaned and x-rays as well.  Even with the cavity we knew she had.  Unfortunately, I learned that my daughter's "perfectly straight teeth" are actually so tight that she has cavities between two teeth in 4 different places.  We knew she was going to need one filling but we learned she's going to need more.

The one we knew about is the worst of them all and it looks like we caught it before it got to the nerve.  Moments ago I found out that there was a cancellation that will mean she can be seen on Monday rather than 4 weeks from now (when she was originally scheduled for).  Praise God!  I'm so happy we have an even better chance of getting it dealt with before it gets to the nerve.  Pray for us that Monday will go well.   That we did catch it in time and that we both make it through witout any mental trauma. 

It may have been a whirlwind of emotions for me, but thankfully, my kids seemed to be even keeled all day (and my daughter is looking forward to being able to eat pain-free again in the very near future).  And I think it's safe to say we found a dentist (and team) we all like and trust.

My Poor Baby

I think it's safe to say that the mommy guilt is very strong right now.  A few nights ago my daughter complained that one of her teeth was bothering her.  "The same one from a while ago," as she said.  Last time I told her to floss that area well and she said got something out and that she felt better.

This time, I decided to do the flossing so I could see what was going on.  It was between her back top teeth so it was not easy to reach much less see, so after getting a popcorn kernel out I had her lie down on the couch so I could see the area better.  I noticed that part of her tooth looked funny so I brushed the area a bit more and found that it looks like her tooth formed strange and I think that has created a pocket area where she now has a cavity.

This is very surprising to me because she has my husband's teeth.  You see, he can (and in fact did) go without seeing a dentist for 5 years and have the dentist tell him that his teeth are perfect.  In fact, the dentist pretty much called him a liar when my husband said he hasn't been to the dentist since he'd seen him 5 years prior. 

There are a couple difference between them though.  1. My husband is a religious flosser.  I'm pretty sure my daughter isn't (but she's going to be) and 2. My daughter still doesn't use florinated toothpaste.  You see, neither of my kids are good at spitting (my son in particular) so rather than have them swallow florinated toothpaste I've opted to use non-florinated toothpaste.  Needless to say the spitting practice has commenced in our house because this needs to change.  Yesterday!

Not only was I able to get my daughter a cleaning appointment for next week (the required precursor to getting the tooth fixed), I am planning on attending a pediatric dentistry talk given by our new dentist tomorrow night.  I'm hoping it will give me some insights on how best to deal with my kids dental issues.

More than that, right now I'm just praying that what they have to do isn't very invasive.  My hubby had a tooth pulled when he was a kid (to make room for his adult teeth) and it is a traumatic experience he still remembers with horror to this day.  I just pray she doesn't have one of those experiences (especially since her brother is already paranoid of the dentist too). 

It's bad enough that I didn't catch this sooner.   I'm not sure I can handle the guilt if she has a really bad experience too.

So Proud... And Guilty

I am a working mom.  Most of my work is done from home, but the nature of real estate means occasionally I need to show a house (or a few) or go to an inspection, walk-through, or closing.  Two nights ago, I was contacted by a client who I knew was seriously looking, asking how soon we could see a property that had just become available.  Because of my schedule and her work schedule we met at 5:45 yesterday.   That is right around when my family normally eats.

And here is where the guilt comes in.  My hubby had 5 hours of sleep the night before so he had gone to take a nap.  I didn't want to bother him since he's been working hard on a project lately.  My kids are very obedient and know what they are and are not allowed to do (they don't even eat candy they are given at church because they know they need to ask), so off I went leaving them with instructions on what they could do while I was gone.

The house I was going to see was 15 minutes from my house, so I figured I wasn't far away nor would it take long.  I left at 5:30 after having my kids eat a snack, thinking I should be back by 6:30 to feed them (I was going to bring back pizza so no waiting for me to cook would be involved). 

As if I didn't felt bad enough that I was going to make them wait till 6:30 to eat, my client saw the house and decided she wanted to put in an offer... NOW!  So rather than go to my house, I went to my office to work up an offer.

And here is where the pride comes in.  When I realized I was going to be late, I called the house (note: I have not given this number out to anyone.  I don't think my hubby even knows the number.  Not because I don't want him to, but what's the point really).  The only other phone calls we get on this number are phone spam.  I recently taught my 9 year old how to tell if I'm the one calling.  I also programmed my cell phone number into the phone so he could call me if he needed.

Well, he picked up the phone right away (I was thinking I'd have to call a couple times back to back before he answered).  I told him that I was going to be later than I though and that they should try to find something simple and small to eat to tide them over till I got home.

As I'm on my way home from the office, I realize that my son had called me, so I called him back real quick to see if I needed to go to the house rather than the pizza place first.  He said he and his sister were hungry and wanted to know when I would be back.  I told him I was planning on making 2 stops (pizza & gas - I was running on fumes).

He said that was ok.  They understood that what I was doing was important for the family and that they could wait a little longer.  Needless to say, the pizza was a hit (I didn't actually tell them where I was getting dinner from).  The doughnuts I bought at the gas station as additional guilt appeasement didn't hurt either I'm sure.

Oh, and the offer I worked up....I should hear back on that tomorrow morning.