I'm in recovery hell. I hurt and will be going back to bed soon. I'm under the influence, sorry if this doesn't make sense.

I woke up early Saturday with my stomach growling. I'd tried to eat a big dinner Friday night, but I guess I danced it all off at The Belly Up. When I got to the office they were running behind. There was a sweet older couple in the lobby. They were speaking to each other really loudly and it gave the rest of us a chuckle.

Finally they call me back. I was hoping to be immediately greeted with a gas mask and then peeled off the floor. No such luck. While I'm waiting, the little old woman from the lobby goes under. She's in the chair to my left. I can't see but I can hear everything. I'm in the chair hungry, tired and nervous. She starts moaning and screaming.

They have to ask her repeatedly to keep her hands down and to breathe through her nose. Then the drilling starts. Sweet Baby Jesus the drilling! I fully expected to see the staff walking around in those hard hats with the protectors to keep the sparks off their faces. And the suction! Good lord it sounded like they were sucking off her whole face!

And all the while the beeping of the heart monitor she was attached to was so irregular, at times I was afraid a trip to dentist would turn into a Grey's Anatomy episode but without the McDoctors. It was awful! I was trying to relax and breathe but listening to her did nothing for my nerves*.

I was in the chair so long, her procedure ended and another person sat down. She was a teenager with her mom. She was crying and begging to be put under but her mom said no. Her mom told the hygienist that she had a friend who went under and is now permanently in a wheelchair and she didn't want her daughter to be put to sleep. Great. I hadn't even thought about paralyzation!

Finally, it's my turn and I can't wait for the drugs so I don't have to hear anymore. Once they gave me the sedative I didn't even have time to count back from 10 to 9. When I woke up, they hustled me right out the back through the storage room. I don't remember getting in the car or handing her the camera but my mom took this video (blood alert, consider yourself warned).



I put tea bags in my mouth to help the clotting. I've spent the weekend mostly in bed eating cut up noodles, smashed bananas, pudding and drinking microwaved smoothies (to take the chill off).

The doctor warned me that I may have small holes in my sinus cavities because the upper teeth were so impacted. And I think he was right. When I swish the mouth rinse my sinuses burn. Also, my glands are swelling. I'm waiting for the dentist's office to call me back. Infection? I'm going back to bed.

*I found out later that the woman is 96. They couldn't put her all the way under because it's too dangerous with someone her age. I feel bad for wishing she'd shut the hell up and get hold of herself.

A Little Inspiration for Your Weekend

Cutting the Apron Strings

Even though living in So Cal means we get to be outside year round, I love spring and summer because of how long the days are. I told Drama Kid a few days ago that we're going to be spending more time outside after school. Today he took me at my word and kicked off his shoes and socks as soon as we pulled into the drive and started playing with his tether ball. We had about two hours for snacks and playtime before martial arts.

Having been out of the house for most of the day I was anxious to re-enter the Land of Always On Wireless and check Twitter emails. Our house is two levels, but not the typical split level. The front door opens to the family room with the dining room and kitchen to the left. The bedrooms and secondary baths are downstairs at the back of the house. The computer is in the spare bedroom. It took awhile to get used to, but after two scorching summers I'd much rather sleep downstairs. But I digress.

My little guy has always been independent, fearless and I-will-not-stop-moving-until-I'm asleep active. I've tried to encourage him and not stifle these traits. As much as they scare the heck out of me at times, I know how important and valuable they will be to him as he gets older. Even when he was little I wasn't the type of mom to follow him all over the playground and go down the slide with him in my lap. I didn't want my worryness to rub off and make him timid or overly cautious.

Now that he's getting older, I am trying (not always successfully) to cut the apron strings more and more. A few weeks ago we were at the park and he started doing the pee dance. The other boy he was playing with also had to go so his dad and I headed to the bathrooms. Drama Kid followed the boy and his dad into the men's room. I was a nervous wreck. Even though I could hear him and he was with an adult, it still felt wrong.

So now I'm in a quandary. I was the one who said we'd be increasing our outside time, but I can't keep an eye on him and be productive at the same time. Today I had the front door open, along with the garage door and the door leading into the kitchen, and the window in DK's bedroom since his room is on the side of the house and I could hear him if he was in the front patch of grass yard. And, God love the kid, he put out the "slow, children at play" sign all by himself.

But if he went down the driveway, or across the cul de sac to the open space, I couldn't hear him at all. I spent a lot of time running up and down the stairs to check on him and didn't get a whole lot done (which is why I'm writing this post at midnight). How do I balance productivity with safety? By the time we got home from martial arts it was time for homework, dinner and bedtime. Am I being Paranoid Helicopter Mom?



Do you stay outside with your kids? How old were they before you started giving them a little more freedom? [Insert obligatory when I was a kid I wandered the neighborhood barefoot until the street lights came on story here] Am I doomed to spend the summer catching up on my blogging commitments after everyone else is in bed?

Image from here

Wordless Wednesday: The Best Burger in San Diego

... is at Hodad's in Ocean Beach.