Christmas Eve Pictures

Juice Is Evil aka Dentist Visit

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 31 - 2010

I haven’t had a chance to post about the kids dentist visit yet amongst getting the Christmas pictures up and the whole worrying and waiting posts yesterday. I thought I’d do that today. Color this my public service announcement post.

Pato and I have 2 very different views on juice.

I think that juice in moderation is ok. But that’s one or two glasses a day. Moderation.

Pato thinks that if you get 100% juice that it doesn’t matter how much you drink because it doesn’t have sugar in it.

Natural sugar. Juice has natural sugar.

I have tried to give our kids milk and water their whole lives. Jordan is the only one of my children who will drink water on purpose. He doesn’t drink anything else. Ever. If he’s thirsty he grabs a glass of water. It’s actually kind of impressive for a kid who is almost 12.

The other 3 it is like pulling teeth to get them to drink anything else.

I knew better. I truly did. But I didn’t fight as much as I should have.

Until this last dental visit.

They were checking Kat’s teeth and the dentist said, she has 5 cavities. My mouth dropped. I said, she brushes her teeth all the time. Her and Alyce LOVE to brush their teeth. Jordan, I have to sit on him to get him to brush his teeth. (Not really, but he is not one to brush his teeth unless he has been reminded 15 times.)

The dentist said that they weren’t cavities caused by not brushing. They were cavities caused by too much sugar. I was sitting there thinking, racking my brain. Too much sugar? They get a sweet maybe once a week. I don’t make desert hardly ever, I don’t buy candy hardly ever. They never drink pop unless they are stealing a drink of my diet pepsi when I’m not looking. Light bulb moment – juice.

Could it be from juice?

She said yep. That’s the number one cause for the cavities like this I see.

Crap.

She also said that Kat had one week to pull her loose tooth and get the one next to it loose and out or she was going to pull them when we came in for the fillings. I’m not quite sure why the one next to it had to come out – something about one pushing the other one out of the way when it came up if they didn’t come up at the same time.

We’ll jump ahead a few days here and then go back.

The tears are cuz she fell down and I was taking another picture to distract her.

She asked me to pull her tooth the other night. It was just hanging by a thread so I popped that puppy out. Notice she has fillings already. That was 2 dentist visits ago. My old dentist who just retired said that some people it doesn’t matter how much they brush they get cavities….I had asked him then the same thing. Why does Kat have cavities and Jordan doesn’t. I just didn’t get it. If he would have mentioned juice then Alyce wouldn’t have to go through what she is going to go through.

Ok back to the dental visit. Alyce hopped up in the chair. EIGHT cavities. I just about fell over onto the floor. Horrified. Horrified. This is 8 cavities since her last visit in JUNE. She’s never had a cavity before, but 8 at once..that has to be a record. I think they get weak teeth from me. I had fillings in every tooth when I was younger. It wasn’t because I didn’t brush my teeth either. There has to be something to that predispositioned to get cavities thing also. I brush my teeth 4-5 times a day. When I finished nursing Katiana I had 9 cavities. The dentist actually told me not to brush more because I was going to brush the enamel right off my teeth.

Alyce has an appointment on Jan 5 to get those cavities filled. I have to give my 4 year old valium when we get to the dentist. Then she has to be sedated and wrapped in a pediwrap to keep her from falling off the chair – that’s their reason behind it. I can’t be back there with her.

Not happy.

After Kat’s appointment yesterday I am in a rush to find a new pediatric dentist before Alyce’s appointment.

Our old dentist always let me go back there with Katiana. He had no problem with it. Well, the new dentist that took his place has a problem with it. I had to let her go alone for her 5 fillings and to have her tooth pulled. I was …pardon my language, I don’t use this much on my blog, but I was pissed. Not just angry. Full on pissed off.

When Kat came out she was ok until she got in the car and then she started crying. She said it didn’t hurt so much when they were doing it but that it hurt really bad now. They told me she’d be numb for 45 minutes. She wasn’t. This was 5 minutes after she was done. She cried all the way home. She kicked my seat trying to deal with the pain. She cried until the ibuprofin kicked in.

Then she told me that someone back in the dentist area said to someone else, sometimes we just take x-rays for the money. Excuse me? Where in the world would my 6 year old get that from if someone in your office didn’t say it?

After she had her first fillings – which you can see in the picture there were a few – she didn’t cry at all. She left there like it was just a normal day. Her mouth was a little sore but nothing like what it was yesterday. By the next day she was fine. She got up this morning complaining about her mouth hurting again.

It was not a good experience for her at all.

I’m going to check with my sister in law’s pediatric dentist and see if they take our insurance. She said they use lasers for fillings. I don’t think I can make Alyce go through this by herself. Not with as much pain as Katiana was in yesterday.

I just don’t get the whole not going back in the room thing. I’ve always been in the room for my kids fillings. My mom was always in the room for our fillings. WTH?

I saw them take a screaming 2 1/2 year old (who had been given her valium and was still screaming) back – her mom in tears because they wouldn’t let her go back. The little girl had a cap that fell off.

Not cool. I just talked to my mom and she said that not letting us go back is bull. She actually was a dental assistant for both my old pediatric dentist and the kids’ dentist who just retired and they both always let the parents back. There is no reason not to. We’ll poke a hole through the kids’ if they turn to look at mom. Whatever.

Here’s to finding a pediatric dentist that I like. I don’t think I’ll ever find one that I like as much as I liked mine when I was kid. Dr Braley was the most wonderful man. He let me go to him even after I turned 18. I saw him until he retired when I was in my early 20’s. I wish he still was there to see my kids. I wouldn’t have to worry with him.

Oh well…another day…something else to worry about.

That’s how it goes as a mom isn’t it?

Have a great day!

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Update To Waiting And Worrying

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 30 - 2010

If you read my post this morning, you know that I’ve had a long couple of days full of worrying about my IUD. My OB wanted to see me at 1:30 today. I went in and had blood drawn and then they did a vaginal ultrasound.

I left the OB not knowing any more than when I went in.

The ultrasound showed a very thick uterus lining, thick enough they could tell I missed a period. There wasn’t an obvious baby peaking out but they told me that they couldn’t tell me I wasn’t pregnant.

Positive – my IUD was in the right spot. Always a good thing.

I had to wait for the blood test results to come back.

They said it could be Monday before they got back to me because they are closed tomorrow.

I at least felt like I wasn’t going crazy about all this any more. They could see I hadn’t had my period. I swear I haven’t had a period. I’ve been racking my brain, did I have one in December and I just can’t remember it? No, I didn’t have one.

Well, I didn’t have to wait all weekend. My OB just called me. The blood test result come back negative.

Phew

We are waiting another week then testing again.

HUH?

Ok, we’ll test again. So…I’m not pregnant this week but I might be next week. That would suck.

After that test, they are going to jumpstart my period with progesterone.

She said she doesn’t like people to miss periods a lot. When the lining builds up like that overtime it can cause abnormalities in the uterine wall leading to precancerous things.

Do you know who you’re talking to?

Obviously not.

I’m high strung, you don’t give me what if’s. Now I’ll worry about that.

I’m not a hypochondriac – I don’t think I have all these ailments. If there’s a possibility of it though (say if my doctor mentions it), then I worry and worry until the possibility has been eliminated.

It’s who I am. It’s what I do.

She doesn’t know me at all yet.

My OB office had 3 doctors before. Since I’ve had Christiano they have added a 4th and she hasn’t met me yet until today.

You think there would be a note in my chart saying do not mention small possibilities to this patient. She’ll worry a lot about them until we rule them out.

You know, like that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is trying to get a peak at her records.

As of right now though, all is good in Heather land. No looming births on the horizon. Well, other than my little sister’s and we’re excited about hers.

I just wanted to update you all with what I knew.

Have a wonderful night!

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Waiting and Worrying

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 30 - 2010

READ THE UPDATE TO THIS POST HERE.

I wasn’t going to post about this until I knew an answer either way, but then I thought I try to be honest about everything that is going on in my life on my blog. Life isn’t perfect and neither am I. Whether it’s depression or problems with the kids, I blog the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, I might as well blog the things that keep me up tossing and turning until 4 in the morning and then get me back up at 8 right?

I have had an IUD in for 2 years this coming April. I have the paraguard IUD which is the copper IUD. No hormones, no reason for my period to be late. I’m not nursing anymore and haven’t since Christiano was 18 months, so that isn’t it. I’ve been regular again since about 15 months post partum.

I was taking a shower on Monday night and got to thinking. When was the last time I had my dot. (We call it a dot in our family. My sister started it when she was younger. I’m sure if you think about it, you’ll go ohhhhh. )

Anyways, I couldn’t remember when. I came out and asked Pato, do you remember when I had my period last? No. I sat down with a calendar and figured that on November 19 I was starting to feel like I had a UTI and I was blaming on the period I had just gotten over. (I remember because right after that I had the nasty bladder/kidney infection that flared up.)

It is now December 30. I am about 2 weeks late.

Late.

There is a reason I have an IUD in.

I have 4 kids.

I adore them.

I don’t want anymore.

Paraguard and IUDs in general are probably the most reliable form of birth control at 99.4%, nothing to remember, nothing to break, it’s all good.

So where the heck is my dot?

I keep reminding myself that I had this scare once before at about 1 year post partum. I hadn’t gotten my period back yet. My doctor wanted to take a test at my check up. I hadn’t been worried about it at all before that because I was nursing. Then I started worrying, it came back negative. Mother nature visited like a month later finally.

She’s been regular ever since.

I took a test the night before last. Negative.

Yippie!

I was sure my period would show up. You know, you are counting the days. You’re late. You take the test. Your period shows up 5 minutes after the regular result.

I started breathing easier. Then last night Pato and I had an argument, I went from yelling to crying in 2 seconds. It was a stupid argument too. He said, take the other test. You are so sensitive right now.

That could mean my dot is going to make an appearance too.

Yay!

Not this morning. I took another test this morning. Negative.

Where the heck is mother nature when you need her?

She always makes an appearance at the most inopportune times but never when you WANT her to show up.

I’ve got another call into my doctor to see what they want to do.

The main thing I’m worried about right now is a tubal pregnancy because your risk is higher with an IUD. I looked that up online while I was waiting and it said that tubals should show up on a pregnancy test but that it might take longer for the HCG to build up enough to detect it.

The other thing I’m worried about is what if I am? Everyone’s reaction. I can just hear it now. Doesn’t she know how to use birth control? I heard that when I found out I was pregnant with Christiano (my sponge/condom baby). Yes, I do know how thanks. I have an IUD in.

5 kids? I have a friend Melissa who has adopted 9 children. I call her super mom. She truly is. I think she is fabulous. I have another friend, Blythe, who has 5 boys. She’s super mom too. I don’t know if I’m super mom. I try.

If I was, do you know how many changes would have to happen? We would HAVE to get a house. No more messing around, no more putting it off, no more hemming and hawing over decisions. You can only have 6 people in our apartment. They’ll make you move with more than that. Our apartment isn’t small for an apartment, it was actually nice and roomy when we moved in and 2 kids. Four kids has made it a tad more crowded with stuff: toys, clothes, etc. I’d have to get a new car. I have my 2008 KIA Rondo which sits 7, but it’s not going to sit 2 car seats and 2 high back boosters. What we have in it now is about as much as you can do and the family vacation to Ohio was not as comfortable in that car as it was when we’d go to Ohio in my old mini van.

I’m not pregnant. The test would come up positive eventually if I was right? So, if I’m not pregnant, what the heck is going on with me that I am so late? This isn’t a day or two. We’re going over 2 weeks now. I’ve always been on time, usually 2 – 6 days early every month. It’s just weird.

It’s never going to show up now that I realized I’m late and am stressing over it.

When I talked to the doctor’s nurse the first day I took a test she said are you having any symptoms?

Yeah, I feel like I’m going to puke.

I don’t think that has to do with morning sickness though.

Not cool.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I’m sure when they call me back they are going to want to run a blood test or something.

Kat’s got a dentist appointment this morning.

All kinds of fun rolled up in my day. I’ll see if they can schedule anything tomorrow. I have to wait for Jordan to get home too. In fact, if we did it tomorrow, he could watch the girls and I could take Christiano with me to run the test. The doctor is just right up the street. Heck, if we did it tomorrow, that gives mother nature 24 more hours to get this party started already.

Ok, now you all can put my mind at ease and tell me that you’ve been that late before and you weren’t pregnant. You have a friend that was the late and finally got her period. I really could use some stories like that rather Googling pregnant with IUD. That does nothing but keep me up all night long reading how many people have become pregnant with an IUD in.

Have a wonderful day.

I’ll just working on not throwing up.

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My Life

Ebay Shipping and Handling Out Of Control

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 29 - 2010

Is anyone else out there a huge ebayer like I am? I rarely buy anything before I check on Ebay or Amazon and see what I can get it there for.

This morning I was looking up Android tablets because I really want a tablet and I came across this listing -

You can click on that to see it bigger.

I always check US only because I hate waiting 4 weeks to get something from China. Unless it’s something I don’t really need, I want it yesterday. I had to double check and make sure this wasn’t being shipped from Antarctica. Surely that must be it? Someone had to trudge to the ends of the Earth to get this tablet. And to ship from Antarctica, well, that has to be costly. Which shipping company raised their rates so high? I really don’t want to use them anymore.

This irked me.

It’s dishonest and a way to screw people over.

Can you imagine someone who is new to Ebay or someone who is a little naive or someone who isn’t anal about checking shipping costs like I am, placing a bid on this (some sellers do start their bids out that low knowing that they will sky rocket on the last day), and getting your invoice for $300.94? uh – duh – what?

Little old lady sitting at her computer thinking, my grandson has been talking about one of those fancy schmancy new fangled tablet thingies. He said it’s not a notebook with lined paper in it. I miss those days when lined paper made him happy. A piece of paper and a pencil could keep him busy for hours. $200. $400. $699 for an apple? Why you can get an apple at the store for $.99/lb. What is this world coming to? Oh wait, this one is only .99. I’ll get him that one. He’ll be so happy that I got him this for his birthday/Christmas/graduation/etc. I’ll tell all my Bingo/Bowling/Sudoku buddies that he said I’m the best grandma ever. Take that Dolores and your high falootin’ snooty ways. Invoice arrives, she has a heart attack. Not cool Mr(s) seller. Not cool at all.

Come on Ebay sellers, let’s make it half way honest over there. If you want a higher price, start your bid higher, add a reserve, there are different ways you can do it other than charging $300 for shipping and handling.

Unless that cardboard box you’re mailing it in is made out of gold or something.

Or it will arrive at my door in 3 minutes after the auction ends via a time warp or something. I’ll justify $300 in shipping charges if it includes time warp action.

Otherwise, you’re just hoping that someone won’t notice your out of control S&H charges and you’re hoping you can screw them over that way.

Bad bad Ebay seller.

I miss the Ebay of days gone by when it was the regular person, sitting in their house, selling stuff that has been collecting dust over time. I think businesses like the one above have ruined Ebay. If you search high and low you can still find some old school Ebay sellers, but it’s getting harder and harder to find them.

Ebay, can we go back to the way it was and get rid of sellers like the one above?

(Note: This wasn’t the only seller doing this. It’s just the highest one I saw.)

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Stuck In My Head

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 28 - 2010

So I thought I’d get it stuck in yours -

You’re welcome!

While I’m doing Debbie Gibson – I loved this song. I forget who she is singing with. Gold star for whoever can tell me!

Have a great night!

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Birthdays tomorrow!

YouTube

Christmas Pictures

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 28 - 2010

I edited a few of our Christmas pictures yesterday then spent the day working on the digiscrapping freebie that I put up and never got a post up. There weren’t many pictures that I considered “usable”. I was snapping away, from my spot on the floor because I couldn’t get through the mess to take up close pictures without breaking a body part. You’ll see. Plus, the kids never sit still while I’m taking pictures of them opening presents. I’ll think I have a great shot and they move their head or they’ll whip a piece of wrapping paper up in front of their face. It’s awesome I tell you.

I don’t know how anyone takes those beautiful Christmas morning pictures of their angelic children opening presents. Maybe it’s because I have 4 hellions? I say that with love. They got spunk.

Christiano opening his train plate set. He hasn’t wanted to eat off of anything else since he opened it. Child LOVES trains.

Can you tell she doesn’t feel good? This was right after we got home from the ER and the ear infection diagnosis. Her Canon Elph that I got her off of Craig’s List. She wanted a camera but I wasn’t willing to put out a lot of money on a good digital camera for a 6 year old. Problem was it came with a cord. Not the cord that charges it. A cord that connects to the computer. Now I’m waiting for the charger that I ordered off of Amazon to get here so she can actually USE her new camera. She can’t hardly wait. A Christmas present you can’t use. That’s always nice.

Nano in his train pajamas opening another present. Told you he loves trains.

Leecy and her kidzoom camera I got her. You’d see more of the camera if someone hadn’t stuck their finger right in front of my lens as I was shooting. Had to crop that out. Favorite present for her. Except now she can’t find it. It’s in the toy box I’m sure. I’ll have to search so we can show you her pictures she has taken.

BFC dolls for both girls!

Barbie and her horse

What do you know, I do have a 4th child. See what I mean about getting around to take pictures? Boxes everywhere. Jordan opening his iPod. Yes, that’s an iPod. We hid it in newspaper and a big box. Don’t mind my sock baskets behind him. We don’t actually put socks away. We just hunt. That’s sarcasm dripping in my voice there.

I used lots of newspaper.

iPod!

iTunes gift card. Woot woot!

He piled up his presents and took them to his dad’s, where I am sure he has been serenading his dad on his electric guitar all this time. Well, that and playing on his iPod touch and his new PSP that he has been BEGGING for.

He wrapped up his DSi and put it under the tree for Katiana since he got a new PSP. I would have kept both if it was me, but I’m selfish like that. He on the other hand is an awesome brother who feels bad that dad broke Kat’s DS when he stepped on it because someone had left it on the floor.

I should have taken a picture of the aftermath. I try to keep up with the wrapping paper as they open the presents, but then you have all of those boxes to open. You could not walk through the living room.

I had a mess to clean up in Kat’s room because I think Junie was confused by all the chaos and used Kat’s carpet as her personal potty.

She was fine once we had the boxes out of the way.

I need to take a picture of the clothes I got for Junie. She even got a black lace Flamenco dress. Yes, I dress my dog up for special occasions. Ok, I dress her up all the time, but she has dresses for holiday dinners with the family.

I need to edit the pictures from my Secret Santa over at Avian Avenue. The birds got some fabulous toys. The ones I put in the budgies’ cage were destroyed within hours. I stuffed the jolly ball with rolled up newspaper after they pulled all the finger traps off and they have been working on that since yesterday now. I’m telling you, budgies are small (you might know them by the name most people call them – parakeets, but they are actually buderigars. Parakeets are actually any of the various small slender parrots, usually having long tapering tails. There are a bunch of different breeds. – learn something new here all the time don’t you.) but they can do a lot of damage to a toy quickly with those itty bitty beaks.

Favorite things the kids got?

I already told you Alyce’s Kidizoom Digital Camera. Jordan’s was probably his iPod touch but the Sony PSP might be his favorite. Or, it could be the ax his dad got him which will be staying at his dad’s house. His dad said he was going to have to hide it or Jordan would take it to bed with him. Katiana’s? Probably her Canon Elph Camera she hasn’t gotten to use yet. Christiano’s favorite gift was his trains, trains, trains!!! Honestly out of all of the trains, it would probably be the Thomas & Friends Rock Quarry Run. He LOVES playing with it. It’s been his go back to toy since Christmas.

Me? I got money from mom and dad, a couple of night gowns from Pato and a promise for new boots. He waited until Christmas Eve to go shopping for me and couldn’t find any boots that he thought I’d like. Katiana made me a clay coaster in art class. Jordan got me leather gloves. Alyce made me tons of pictures and Nano told me I love you most-er a 1000 times.

That was Christmas! Next up, New Years!

Have a great day!

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Happy New Years Digiscrapping Freebie

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 27 - 2010

One of my friends on Facebook had asked if I’d seen any New Years digital scrapbooking kits out. I found a few (if you have one, link us to it in the comments! She’s still looking!) and thought, it’s been forever since I designed. I want to make something. I’m still into doodling doodling doodling, so I made some doodles for you guys to use if you’d like.

(Click on the image to see it full sized.)

Just a little fun.

16 PNG black n white doodles

11 of the doodles are also colored in – I have to thank Yvonne at SDD for that. She has these colored CU papers that I turn to into I have to color something in. I love them! I don’t see them in her store anymore, but she has lots of other fabulous CU and Personal things.

There is also an ABR brush set (not colored in) for PS and 16 JBR brush tips for PSP. Just delete what you don’t need to save you some space.

Download here

Don’t laugh at my pig. In some countries a pig on New Year’s is good luck. Plus, my grandpa taught me how to doodle a pig like that when I was itty bitty. Don’t ask what I was thinking with the funky bird. We’re calling it a good luck bird. (The pig is wearing the hat in the preview, put it on whoever you want.)

I’m hoping to be back with a regular post later.

If not, have a wonderful day!

P.S. I should mention my entire store is 65% including CU as I decide what direction I am going to take it. I’m thinking scripts and doodles. What do you think?

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Christmas Eve Pictures

Posted by Heather Manning On December - 26 - 2010

Someone broke the tradition of going out for Chinese on Christmas Eve for dad’s birthday. I think it was dad. He said the family is getting so big and Christmas time is tight for everyone so let’s not go out to eat. We’ll just get together. And so we did. We went to my brother’s house. He’s the closest one to me which was awesome since it was getting yucky out. We had turkey and fruit salad and green bean stuff and my SIL’s famous cheesy potatoes and I broke my poor niece’s heart by scarfing down half the olives. I was starving. I’m sorry Mikayla. I should have brought more. I think in the last few days, I’ve eaten my weight in fruit salad and now need Lipofuze. Kidding…though not about eating my weight in fruit salad.

I took tons of pictures. Went through them and narrowed them down to my favorites. You know this is going to be a very long post anyways, right?

My baby sister who was exhausted. I can safely say (now that she’s told her work) that I am going to be an Aunt again and that Mikayla is going to be a big sister. I couldn’t say anything until she broke the news to her work. Do you know how hard it is to wait to share something like that?

The big sister to be – Mikayla. Her father has her trained well. Every time I asked her to smile for a picture, she ducked down and hid her face. Little poo!

My son did the same thing. Turned his head almost every time. So, back of Nano’s head and Pato.

Alyce and Jadah – can you believe Jadah is going to be 5 in January and Alyce just turned 4 this month? Time flies!!! They are both growing up to be so beautiful!

Another pair of beautiful girls! My niece Taylor and my niece Sydney.

Miss blue eyes can never have enough pictures taken of her.

My brother looks like a giant here. I was on the floor and Steve was, well, standing up.

Another one who loves to have her picture taken. Syd again.

Thank you Kat for that lovely face. And Jordan and Syd.

I don’t remember Syd’s hair ever being this long and I think it’s gorgeous! We’ve just got a family full of beautiful grandkids (my mom and dad’s grandkids, not mine…I don’t have any.)

She was so much fun! I finally have a person willing to put up with my constant snapping of pictures.

There’s that beautiful face Katiana. Her hair is getting long too. It’s almost to her waist. She said she’s going to let it grow to her butt now. I say she needs to stop complaining when I brush it then.