High Maintenance Mom

S took B and N to the dentist in July. B has one really deep cavity that will require a baby root canal and one cavity that needs to be filled. N has pre-cavities that require special toothpaste. We felt we had neglected our child even though I spend countless hours making sure they eat healthy whole grain food that is low in sugar. In addition to feeling like awful parents, we were also angry with our dentist. B was in for a checkup before starting kindergarten and again to try to remove his two front teeth (see Having baby teeth pulled by the dentist. Apparently the dentist didn't x-ray during the first appointment and only x-rayed the front teeth on the second...

Many of B's friends started to lose their baby teeth when they were five but because B's teeth came in late, I assumed he would also lose his late. When he turned six and still didn't have any loose teeth, I decided to push on a few of his teeth and I was surprised to see his bottom two permanent teeth growing in behind his baby teeth. We were very excited he was finally getting adult teeth but when we showed them off, we were told they might need to be pulled. The dentist told me not to worry. We'd make an appointment in five weeks and if the teeth weren't out, they would be pulled. After they were pulled, B's tongue would move the adult teeth into place. It sounded relatively simple and although I hoped they would come out naturally, his teeth didn't loosen before the appointment. When the dentist saw the shark teeth he immediately told us he needed an x-ray and we would most likely need to see an oral surgeon to have them removed...

If you or your children need surgery or you are going to be giving birth, it's helpful to think about and find the comfort items that will make you feel better. My list includes "chick-flick" movies/tv shows, comfy clothes, food, and ice packs. My favorite items that I brought to my recent gum surgery were bought for a long flight, the Bucky Fuzzy Wuzzy neck pillow and the Bucky Eye Shades with Earplugs. I was allowed to use the neck pillow, eye pillow, and ear plugs during my surgery. They really made me feel comfortable. I also had my iPod with music but due to the sedation, I really didn't care for it...

I had gum surgery 10 days ago and am still recovering. In my quest to find things I can eat (drink?), I've been revisiting many of the foods we gave to our kids when they were younger. My favorite appliances, not including the TV/TiVo which provided entertainment for three days of icing my face, have been our Waring Bar Blender and Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender. I use each of them at least once a day. I started with smoothies and from there have been looking for additional nutrients in a blended form - much like I did for my kids. One of the challenges I face is that I can't digest dairy foods or handle lots of sugar. Many smoothies, puddings, and soft comfort foods contain a lot of sugar so I've had to work hard to find things that won't make me miserable. Below are a few of the foods I've been eating. The next post will cover other comfort items...

My son is 11 weeks old and while we just celebrated a full nights sleep, we also morned the arrival of his first cold. I was extremely annal about my toddler going near him the first few weeks and have been a hand washing fanatic since my daughter was born two years ago. Sometimes bugs just get through the barrier of hand washing, cautious sneezing and coughing and good vitamins. My son is doing so well, all things considering.

I had been using my humidifier to soothe my baby when a friend showed me their white noise machine (Marpac White Noise Machine Sleep Mate Sound Screen 980 Dual Speed Sound Conditioner) which can be purchased via amazon.com.

Know anyone with dry or sensitive skin? How about someone who could benefit from aromatherapy before bed? Or maybe someone who needs a game to learn how to wash hands? High Maintenance Mom, California Baby, and SquidSoap want to help out two lucky High Maintenance Mom readers. One set of California Baby samples and one SquidSoap plus California Baby samples will be given away in June...

The other week I had an intense two day meeting on campus. As I was walking back to the office, happy to have completed the long two days, I decided to stop by preschool and see if the teachers wanted the leftover cookies I had baked for Valentine's Day. As I opened the door I heard someone say, "wait, she's right here." It turns out B had fallen on the play structure and had cut his lower lip. It was bad enough they wanted me to check on him...