December 2008

The month flew right on by and, while it seems to have gone so fast, thinking back one month now seems like ages ago.

week one

At some point in November my computer stopped connecting to the Internet, so I was limping along without it for a while, and trying to back up my data before anything worse happened. At some point during this week it finally gave out.

We also had four Christmas parties this week, but only made it to three of them. Still made for a very busy week.

week two

We had some snow, and this was the week of helping out at school.

I helped the kids in Jemma's class with their reading. I'm so glad we've moved on from, "See Dick run. See Jane run," to more interesting and humorous books for beginning readers. The series they're starting with is great - the words are simple, but they tell an entertaining little story that the kids enjoy. Like in "Tin Man Fix-It," a tin man is helping someone else dig when Sid, a big kid, rides into him on his skateboard and breaks him. Tim ends up fixing him with six pins.

As a new parent, I have to admit, that I somewhat dreaded the stage of development when kids are learning to read. But I loved it when Jordan was at that point (he picked it up very quickly) and I'm enjoying it with Jemma too. It's not trying my patience like I thought it would.

I also got to join some other parents in the kindergarten classroom doing various learning centers about winter holidays. I was in charge of Hanukkah. I borrowed a menorah, which really intrigued the kids, and brought a dreidel with some shiny pennies for them to play with. It was too loud in the classroom - with three other centers going on at the same time - to really teach them about Hanukkah and why it's celebrated, but the visuals were good and they loved the dreidel game - especially since we made sure they all left with the same amount of pennies.

I was going to help out in one of Jordan's classes this week too, but they ended up not needing me. I don't know what the protocol is for volunteering in the classroom for Junior High, but I'd like to. It's a good thing teachers are willing to communicate by email anyway, I can sort of stay in the loop with them.

week three

Finally got my computer up and running again. It was a pretty easy fix (restoring Windows), but not something I want to repeat. This was a week of work, work, work. It felt like it anyway. Normally I only work three days a week, but this week I ended up working four.

On Friday there was a huge snow storm. Jordan went to hang out with friends after a half day of school and we all braved the weather to go to Jemma's school Christmas concert.



I got ambitious (considering...) and started making some chocolate covered pecans, with caramel filling - otherwise known as turtles. They were being consumed almost as fast as I could make them, but I did manage to package some up for a few neighbors.



The big news of this week was Greg getting his mission call on Thursday. For as many people as I've known (brothers, sister-in-law, etc.) who have served missions, this was the first time I'd been there when a call was opened. I wasn't even around when my own call was opened - and Chris didn't open his own either - but those are stories for another time. Greg's going to Colorado Springs in February!


week four

By this time I really hadn't done much in the way of shopping for gifts. Luckily, a lot of cousins had come to town (American Fork) from St. George so Jordan and Jemma had a sleepover Sunday night and spent the day there on Monday. It was great to have some time to run errands and wrap gifts without the inquisitive kids around. Later that night we went down to say Happy Birthday to Greg and brought Jemma and Brielle back for a sleepover here.

Tuesday I worked and Wednesday, of course, was Christmas Eve.

Thinking Ahead

Are you familiar with the term "paradigm shift?" It's what I'm unexpectedly experiencing. The past ten days were deliberately kept pretty open on my calendar, but I just looked at next week and see that it's going to require some energy and planning ahead.

I’ve been released from my job as Relief Society Secretary and called to teach Jemma’s primary class. I know, I KNOW I should have read the lesson last week when I first learned that I’d be teaching tomorrow. But I just read through it this morning, and tonight the thought of teaching about Talents is feeling more daunting than I had anticipated.

On Monday I’ll be spending time in the kindergarten classroom helping the kids learn new words and read simple books.

Tuesday and Wednesday I’ll work all day as usual, and I can’t ever seem to fit much else into those days.

Thursday I’m in charge of a half hour art session at the kindergarten. A half hour is not that long, and yet it can feel like forever when you’re trying to teach/entertain/interest 23 five and six year olds. I need to be prepared with an idea, a presentation and a project. Oh, and all the supplies. I’m thinking of doing a pumpkin mosaic, but I’m open to ideas and suggestions!

Is there a pattern here?

Thursday is also show-and-tell day (something scary) and I have a follow-up appointment with the periodontist. Maybe I’ll get some stitches out.

Friday, of course Halloween. Did I really wait until the last week to stock up on candy for the trick-or-treaters? Jordan is still deliberating over a costume.

But now, I’m just having a game of pick-up-sticks with Jemma.

The Trouble with Halloween

Arrrgh, the costume dilemma.

Early in the month Jemma was deciding between being a princess, Supergirl or a unicorn. I was hoping the unicorn idea wouldn't take root, so when we came upon a Supergirl costume at Target and she gushed over it I bought it. I usually avoid store-bought costumes, but it's been relief to know the decision is made and we have all she needs. Although she did mention she wants me to make her a blue an red trick-or-treat bag. We'll see.

Jordan, on the other hand, is 12. In case that doesn't explain everything, this is a very tricky age for costume selecting. I was hoping maybe he would be done with trick-or-treating, but his friends all have plans to dress up and go out. He's thinking Bob Marley. I'm thinking, whatever's easy. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

I'll get back to posting with photos...sometime.

Re-Entry

I've officially made my reentry back to normal life by getting up this morning and going about my usual routine (except I skipped the hour I would normally be at the gym). I'm feeling pretty well, just the expected discomfort of having my mouth still covered with what they call "bandaids," the plastic. It's like wearing a retainer again...only different.

The kids had more fun than they can seem to account for playing with cousins and hanging out with their MorMor and Papa.

Update

I wonder if I've alienated many readers with that last ultra-long post.

I wonder if I should admit that today is worse than yesterday.

I ate some Wisconsin Cauliflower soup last night - my favorite. It was so good and made me feel somewhat normal. I went to bed (at 9:30 I think) feeling hopeful and almost fine.

Woke up sometime in the night shaking with pain. Took a painkiller and went back to bed.

Got up this morning in hopes of making a scrambled egg to eat with the antibiotic (which is supposed to be taken with food). A sweeping feeling of dizziness and nausea sent me straight back to bed.

I just got up again, carefully, and warmed up the last bit of soup so I can get back on the antibiotic schedule (it's very important with the mouth being the breeding ground for bacteria that it is).

Had a thought to do a nicer post (about the Halloween book).

My head feels heavy.

By the way, I had thought maybe I could use these low-key days to sort through all the digital photos on my computer, back them up and organize them. There were a few other low-impact, and more important, things I thought I could accomplish too, but those plans are starting to fade. The physical being and the mental being are quite closely tied together. I feel useless.

Deja Vu

The same apricot tree today that was covered in snow on Sunday.

Last July I had a gum graft along two-thirds of my lower gum line. Yesterday it was evened out as the other third part got it's graft.

I'm propped up in bed against some pillows, feeling swollen and hungry and groggy. I'm typing and holding a small baggie with ice cubes against my cheek. I'm not in pain, as long as I'm holding still. As soon as I move around or talk my mouth and face start to throb. This is the reason Jordan and Jemma are at my parent's house. The key to recovery, I was told, is exactly what I'm doing today - nothing. It's fall break, so school's out. It's perfect weather for fall break - sunny and pleasant looking.

Too bad my camera's photos are not worth 1000 words. This is a photo of the canal just down the street. It's so beautiful today with the light coming through the trees and the reflections in the water.

Here's your warning: stop reading now if you want to be spared the gory details. The last two paragraphs are good though.

It's interesting to think about how our minds and memories play tricks on us. There were some details from my previous experience that I remembered well - like how the procedure itself wasn't so bad, but waking up the next morning was painful and strange. I remembered having time to read (Pillars of the Earth) and watch movies (mainly the long version of Pride and Prejudice). The memory of a quiet afternoon spent reading and dozing wasn't so bad.

I had forgotten about the constant taste of blood for the first day or two (blech) and the cumbersome feeling of the plastic guard that fits completely over the roof of my mouth and all of my top teeth as it is covering and protecting the donor site. I forgot that I can't smile or swish the mouth rinse as directed.

After the first time I wondered if I had been talked into an unnecessary procedure that left me feeling out of sorts and unable to eat normal food for 20 days all for the benefit of the periodontal industry. Sometime in August I began realizing that the left side of my mouth was much less sensitive than the right side, with a constant awareness of my bulked up gum tissue over there. I also noticed that I'm already experiencing the phenomenon of creeping attachment (this is a good thing). In other words, the gums are actually covering more of my teeth, like normal gums should. A couple of weeks ago I saw my childhood dentist and showed him my gums. He was extremely impressed and said it was a beautiful graft. So I scheduled the next appointment.

To get the record straight, and give you more detail than you probably ever wanted, my top gums are fine. When I was 12 I had braces. This is probably what caused the gum tissue along my lower gumline to begin it's recession. That, and most likely a genetic disposition to thin gum tissue. Over the years more and more of my teeth have been exposed. I had convinced myself that it didn't bother me at all, although I was a little nervous at the sight of the roots of some of my teeth that were beginning to show.

And so the Free Gingival Graft. After the first round I did a little research to find out exactly what it involved. This resulted in maybe too much awareness yesterday.

They numbed my mouth (only half of it this time) and gave me some nitrous oxide, which was great because I felt quite happy even though from the motions and positioning I knew they were slicing a pocket along the entire length of my lower teeth on the right side. There was a lot of suctioning and gauze after that. Then they very quickly cut the tissue off of the roof of my mouth, removed the nitrous (I was wishing they would leave it on for a while longer) and began tying off the tiny vessels. I could feel the pull of the sutures as they made a cross-stitchery on my palette. Then some reconstruction, I imagine - I don't know since I couldn't see it - of the just-harvested tissue, placed it in the freshly opened pocket and began tacking it together with more stitches. After that the assistant pulled my lower lip out in a very uncomfortable position while the perio repeatedly pounded my gums with gauze. That was the worst part. Then a squeeze of plastic to cover up the graft - it will remain covered for two weeks - and the installation of the guard over my top teeth. The transplanted gum will grow together with the existing gum within a matter of days. And the roof of my mouth will repair itself seamlessly - again - within the next few weeks.

Why they handed me a mirror before I even sat up in the chair I don't know. Did they want my approval? Or just to show me how beat up I looked? I didn't have any interest in regarding myself at that point.

yikes

I felt pretty fine until the numbness wore off and then I felt irritable. There's pain, not unbearable, but it's triggered by the slightest movements. I'm sporting a John McCain-style chipmunk cheek. I don't think I had swelling like this last time, but it's not abnormal.

I just ventured outside to get some fresh air and take a few pictures. Some of the leaves are changing now.

Yesterday was more notable for my brother Mark and his wife Suzanna because they welcomed their new little baby boy into the world. His name is Luke and I hope I get to see him soon.

I was very happy to see my dad looking well yesterday too. He was just out of the hospital after an 11 day stay. He's one who knows a lot about pain and discomfort and healing. He also knows about having a positive attitude and enduring. And nice, as always, to see my mom. She's very nurturing and energetic. Also, Chris brought me a giant strawberry milkshake from McDonald's for dinner. So it's not all that bad.

Today

What about Fall?

What the...

I was in the kitchen listening to the vice presidential debate from the TV in the living room.

Every once in a while, an outburst from the three guys in the living room:

"OH, Noooooo...."

and then

"Yeah, baby!"

This amused me, and somewhat confused me, but then I remembered the football game. And the convenience of picture-in-picture.