it wasn't so bad!

tomorrow marks a week since i had all 4 wisdom teeth removed. i was honestly more anxious about being completely sedated than the actual extraction and recovery. it's a simple, routine procedure, but my imagination and lack of faith would get the best of me... and i worried about not waking up. but at the end of the day, i rested in the truth that my God is sovereign and He knows my days.

the procedure on friday morning was completely uneventful, and within 30 minutes, i'd woken up to a mouth full of gauze and a totally dry throat. i was a lot more lucid than i expected to be, though brian says i was telling him how to pay the receptionist. i don't remember barking those orders... sorry, honey! i just really needed a glass of water! we got home, and i felt really good for the rest of the day. my male nurse gave me two pain pills for my first round of meds instead of one pain pill and one antibiotic... he was mortified once he realized what he did, but the pharmacist in my family told brian that he just made my day psychedelic. :) and it was indeed a pretty good recovery day! i slept a lot of the time and just enjoyed the peace of isolation for a day without being in pain! i didn't mind the ice cream either. unfortunately, the pain meds were too strong for my stomach to handle, and i could not hold food down while taking them. i was pretty worried that i would get dry sockets from the vomiting... so on friday night, i chose to go to bed in a little bit of pain rather than continue down the road i was on.

you can imagine my delight when i woke up saturday morning in NO PAIN! i was elated. i still stayed in bed and took it easy, but the kids were able to visit with me more. ethan and caroline giggled as they climbed up in bed with me to hang out for a little bit, and amelia joined them when she woke up from her nap. it wasn't long before she was trying to get situated next to me, and that little stinker elbowed me square in the jaw. OUCH! visiting hours were over effective immediately. when the ban was lifted later, the kids enjoyed snacking on pudding in my bed.


and i suppose this is a peace offering for clocking me earlier....


so after two days of hgtv and ice cream, i decided that i was glad i'd waited till now to get my wisdom teeth removed. i should've done it back in college, but it was just never a convenient time. and my experience was a breeze compared to postpartum recovery. if i would've had this done in college, it would have clearly been a seemingly rougher recovery, and oh the horror of having to stay in bed for two days. i would miss so much! now fastforward 10+ years to present day... some cuts in my mouth compared to birthing a baby?! bedrest where no one is allowed to bother you!? time to read a fiction book?! procrastination is not always the most horrible thing.

sunday night, i ended up in a good bit of pain... i worried that i was getting dry sockets, but the pain was quickly resolved with a heating pad and some ibuprofen. i woke up with the same jaw pain monday morning and ended up staying in bed most of monday. this was disappointing because i'd already been out and about a little bit, and we'd planned on having a fun family day together. instead, i slept most of the morning while brian dealt with the kids for the 4th day in a row. i was so thankful that he was home for that day. and i was thankful for the cash and cari marathon on hgtv. since then, i have figured out that i am just going to wake up in a moderate amount of pain every morning. i don't know if it's the way i'm sleeping or if i'm clenching my jaw when i sleep.... or if this is just a normal part of recovery.... but it HURTS. and it's not really a pleasant way to wake up. but we've got our routine. brian gets up, heats up my bucky, and i take some ibuprofen. i lay with the bucky on my face for a good 20 minutes and usually go back to sleep and dream about being somewhere really hot. (ha!) within 30 minutes, the pain is completely gone. for the rest of the day. i really wonder if this is normal or not... i have a follow-up appt. on monday, so i will be sure to ask about it then.

insert shameless infomercial:
i have never really been a fan of heating pads. i don't like being hot, so why would i want to put something hot on my body? i've used my bucky from time to time, and it's always been wonderful, but i've never just needed it. until this week. oh my goodness, do i ever love my bucky now. brian's mom bought it for me ages ago. probably before we got married... and that thing has been my constant companion this past week. it's warm, soft, and smells like comfort. it is worth every single penny. mine is an old-school version, so it is not quite as stylish as the ones you see to the right here. :) but when it's smothering my pain in comfy heat, i really don't care what it looks like!

so there's my first week as a wisdom-tooth-extraction survivor. it could've been much, much worse. i could've done without the barfing and the pain every morning, but compared to some stories i've heard, i'll take it. thank you for your prayers. now if i could just get the house put back together....

a nervous checklist

i'm getting my wisdom teeth removed first thing in the morning....


soft foods? check.
no straws? check.
hubby home for the next 4 days? check.
beautiful weather for my children to enjoy outside while i'm inside? check.
comfy bed waiting for me? check.
stack of movies? check.


i guess i'm as ready as i'll ever be. i am totally dreading this except for the whole-day-in-bed part. your prayers are greatly appreciated!

happy valentine's day!

a new 'do for the new year

i've been saying for a while-- a long while-- that caroline needs a hair cut. a part of me has been putting off caroline's first hair cut because i love her long curls... and another part of me just hasn't taken the time to do it. but it's been getting increasingly more tangled and full of rat's nests... and it was just getting way too long. so on new year's eve day, i decided that it was time for a trim. here is one last picture of those long curls....


i just picked a length and began to cut off her hair. i didn't even google it.


i really didn't know the best way to keep it straight across the bottom with all the curls, but i figured her curls were pretty forgiving... so i didn't stress too much. at one point in the middle, i pulled down on a curl, cut it, and then it boinged up a lot higher than i thought it would... so there's a place in the center that isn't quiiiiiite even.... but she's not really ever standing still long enough to notice it!

"mom, did you really cut off all this hair!?"


never fear, caroline's hair is still really long and curly.


after i finished her trim, i thought that caroline's hair could use some layering and shaping.... but i was not brave enough to try that. so it looks kind of flat for now, but maybe aunt kristie can help me give it a little more bounce! here's the before and after from the day of her haircut: december 31, 2010


5 inches cut off! when i stretched it out, it was 9 inches long. quite a trim!


amelia's favorite thing to do these days is whatever caroline is doing.... so i took the opportunity to give my baby girl a little trim too. amelia's wispy blond hair was quickly approaching mullet status...


i knew amelia's hair would not hide mistakes as easily as caroline's.... but that didn't stop me from just snipping away.


amelia did great, thanks to a little movie to keep her attention. she was so proud of her new haircut!


here are amelia's before and after shots....



after i finished amelia's hair, brian suggested that i flip it out. i love that he thought of that. :)


"i wanna see!"


mommy's first attempt at cutting hair was a success!


we went out with brian's family for new year's eve later that night, and aunt kristie won the prize for noticing the girls' haircuts first! i never did get around to posting about new year's eve.... you can check out kristie's blog and my flickr page if you just can't get on with 2011 without knowing about our new year's eve. :)

buy this cd. trust me.

you know a kids' worship cd is a good one when just about every song is a convicting one.... walking with the wise by sovereign grace music is worth listening to even when the kids are in another room. this album is right up there with seeds family worship in my book. these songs stick in your head, and you don't mind at all! i do have to warn you, though. if you don't want your children hearing songs about their sin or what Jesus has done for them, you will not like this CD. at all.

in a nutshell...
right-on theology + musically well-done = a hit at our house!!!

and i just noticed that the album is available to download for $5. are you kidding me!? skip your starbucks or chick-fil-a today and download this album! following the link above will enable you to listen to samples, but here are some of the lyrics that get me choked up every time....

from the song "i don't have to hide":
when i have done something i know i shouldn’t do
and I’m tempted to hide it
when i have spoken words
i know i shouldn’t speak
and i want to deny it
if i confess my sins,
i’ll find mercy
blessed is the one who fears the Lord
and admits his sin
blessed is the one who trusts the Lord
who alone forgives
Jesus died so i don’t have to hide anymore

from the song "make me wise":
make me wise, make me wise
so i’m pleasing in Your sight
Lord, i want to bring You glory
so i’m asking You to make me wise

from the song "to tell the truth":
to tell the truth is what i want to do
because You love the lips that speak the truth
to tell a lie leads me away from You
so help me, God, to tell the truth

ok! last one!

from the song "all ears":
i wanna be all ears when Mom is speaking
all ears when Dad is teaching
there’s a lot i don’t know
and they’ve been around a whole lot of years
and have covered some ground
their words will make me wise, so i’m all ears

have i convinced you to buy this yet? once you listen to it, i'd love for you to leave a comment telling me about your favorite song on the album. (sovereign grace did not ask me to promote their album. and if they did, i guess i'd have to use capital letters, huh!?)