wish me luck. and 2 pieces of great news.

Tomorrow is the big day. It's all I've been able to think about since I woke up this morning. My tooth hasn't hurt all day today and I told Kent it must be a sign that I don't need to go in anymore. He insists that I still go.
I was going to put up a poll entitled "keep it for a ridiculously large sum of money or just yank the dang thing (who needs their back molar anyway?)" because I convinced myself that I am going to need a root canal and our insurance doesn't cover them. Apparently root canals are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. I stressed myself out so bad that I actually called my insurance company to figure out why they'd pull my tooth but not fix it. Turns out they recently changed their dental plan for adults and now DO cover root canals on molars (after authorization once the dentist confirms the validity- because I'm sure there are so many dentists out there doing root canals when not necessary?!?!) . I really almost cried it made me so happy. Then- that same day (Friday) I went to the mailbox to find a letter from WTOL 11. I opened it up to find a gift certificate to a local steakhouse for FIFTY BUCKS! I won an online drawing that I entered last week! I am so excited. I enter these contests ALL of the time and I actually won one!!! It almost makes up for the fact that I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. Oh, dear. I hope I make it. Wish me luck. Maybe I'll try to get some pictures to post.

saturday

Today we went to story time with Mrs. Claus. Zeb didn't care about her at all. I think he just thought she was an old lady. He wanted to jump out of her hands and get the cookie and milk they were handing out. Check out his rosy red cheeks. They've been like that all day! His eczema gets worse with the weather! Poor rugrat. He itches like crazy.He did however really enjoy the snow afterwards. It's the first time that enough has actually stuck for him to run around and play in. It really stressed him out that it stuck to his shoes. He kept looking down and saying "shoes! shoes!" in exasperation.

definitely a post for zeb admirers.

This is a pretty dang long video as far as kid videos go. Only family members are required to watch the whole thing. Notice how he says "dude" at the very end.
I have been desperate to find things to work on with Zeb now that the air has dropped below 20 and he isn't supposed to be outside much (pulmunologist's orders). We've got a great little leap frog game that helps him learn his letters- and I found the greatest website with infant/toddler games on it! Here is Z man learning the alphabet- basically just repeating sounds- but he's pretty darn good at it (I think). Some of the letters are pretty hard for him to say- but he tries his hardest. He can recognize and name about nine letters without any helps. Our goal is to know them all by the time rugrat number two shows up! I think he can do it.

If you want to check out the site with the activities- here it is.

Here you go alicia m. I'm really bad at getting around to these- but here goes.

Seven things I can do
1- talk. I have the gift of gab.
2-blog. I have been an avid journal writer for years- the blog has sort of taken over.
3- teach. it is one of my favorite things in the world to do.
4-run while pregnant. love it.
5- laugh at completely inappropriate times.
6- find good deals, freebies, sales, etc.
7-get addicted to ridiculous tv shows like "Real Housewives of Orange County" and "Project Runway"

Seven things I can't do
1-eat just a few m&ms.
2-keep my mouth shut when people act ridiculously.
3-go to the dentist. I get major anxiety every time.
4-fall asleep without Kent tickling my back. I'm soooo spoiled. every night now for over four years.
5-not poke kent when he's sore. I love to see him squirm.
6-drink carbonated water (really, it makes me gag- including the airborne tablets in water- but I'm fine with pop)
7- listen to voice mails. DON'T leave me a voice mail- I WILL NOT get back to you.

Seven things I love about Ralph (that attract me to him) in no particular order.
1- his laugh.
2- his smell (is that weird?).
3- his intelligence.
4- his kindness.
5- his spontaneity.
6- his teasing.
7- his eyes.

Seven things I say often
1- that's ridiculous!
2- deeelicious!
3- so inappropriate!
4- look at me in the eyes, zeb.
5- I don't understand whining- use your words, zeb.
6- are you joking?!
7- any superlative. I have a problem with them. I always use them.

Seven people I admire
1-kent - he loves me so much.
2-mom- she's the most talented and wonderful woman I know.
3-dad- the smartest man in the world.
4-metta- the sweetest person possible.
5-daysa- the stinkiest cheese there is.
6-laney- she looks just like me!
7- my seminary students- for getting up so early every day as teenagers!

Seven favorite foods
1-m&ms
2-pizza- just about any kind will do.
3-crazy bread (Little Caesar's)
4-peach drink (the calorie free crystal light off brand made by walmart) I drink an ENTIRE pitcher EVERY day.
5-potatoes (any kind but fries or chips)
6-brown sugar (makes EVERY thing better)
7-hot chocolate with lots of cool whip on top

Don't look too closely if you're grossed out easily (mom).

I have a freaking toothache and I want to DIE. Why do teeth have to hurt so bad ? I have a filling that fell out a bit ago (along with a small hunk of my tooth) and I scheduled an appointment to get it taken care of. I had to reschedule because of one of Zeb's appointments but it wasn't causing me any pain at that point so I wasn't stressed about the postponement (plus the dentist did take x-rays and saw it and wasn't too worried). Things have taken a turn for the worse and now I'm near self tooth extraction (okay- so it isn't THAT bad- but it still hurts). It doesn't help that I HATE going to the dentist. In Utah it was bearable because I had Dr. Peacock. Now I go to the scariest most horrendous dentist's office known to man. It's the only one I could find covered by our insurance. I called today to try and get in sooner than next Thursday and the receptionist told me I could go in tomorrow but the one dentist available only REMOVES teeth. She wanted to know if I still wanted to come in. Are you joking me!?! No, I don't want to LOSE my tooth. I got bumped up to Monday with a cavity filling dentist. To give you an even better idea of the horrendousness of this place, I will share with you a little about my first experience there last month. It's downtown and I was greeted by three signs on the front door of the office.

sign #1
"no prescription pain killers or medications are stored at this facility"

sign #2
"no weapons allowed on the premises"

sign #3
"any harassment (i.e., swearing, yelling, inappropriate conduct) directed at staff will result in permanent loss of services"

Also, when I filled out my new patient information sheet/questionnaire, one of the questions asked
"which of your teeth would you like to keep?" It really asked that. I answered "ALL!".

I'm trying to convince Kent to miss class so that he can come and hold my hand when I get the work done on Monday. I have no idea why I fear the dentist so much. Something about the drills and the shots in the mouth make me ridiculously sick to my stomach. I have dentaphobia. Apparently there is a "Dental Phobia Treatment Center" in New York- maybe I should look into it.

Here's my real toothache. It looks bad, huh? I'm terrified that it's going to be something FAR worse than a double filling. Kent assures me he saw much much worse in Nicaragua. Unfortunately that is NOT comforting and provides no solace. The dentist said he just needed to fill it, but when it comes to teeth I'm a worst case scenarioist. Wish me luck.

I'm obsessed with how he says "shoes". Really that's all that I wanted to post- but I thought I'd put up of few of his other regular words too! He RARELY says "mom" so I am VERY lucky that I got it on video. Usually he'll say "bob"- and then giggle hysterically knowing he is saying it wrong.
I love that he is talking! He loves to say "some more" when he wants more food. He asks for "hot dogs" and "rolls" and even can point out and say "Jesus" in all of the pictures at church. He knows everybody's names back in Utah (we've been prepping him for Christmas) and can name most of his trains (fergus, diesel, thomas, toby, etc). It is AMAZING how fast he can pick up new words now. He will even finally say "please" insted of signing it!

back to real life

This morning was rough. I hadn't had to get up at 5:56 for seven whole days. Ralph went back to school too- so the rugrat was all mine all day :) I also went back to my daily cleaning routine (which isn't all that routine). During the break I was complaining to kent about how much I really dislike cleaning- I don't care that the house always gets dirty again- I certainly have NO complaints about Kent's contributions to the housework- and it isn't that I feel like it's all that I do everyday- It's just that I hate to clean. I enjoy a clean house but it isn't something that I have to have. I do it because I know that it needs to be done and that a clean home makes for a happier home. Kent decided to do some research and found this list for me online. It's entitled "How to make housecleaning fun!". It's ridiculous- and the only two steps that I agree with are six and seven. Plus, how does "wearing a smock or apron with pockets" make housecleaning more fun?!!?

1.Don't start your house cleaning until you have some lively, upbeat music playing in the background.

2. Assemble all of your cleaning tools on a cart you can roll from room to room.

3. Add a little fantasy to your house cleaning! Pretend you're cleaning your home in preparation for a visit from your favorite celebrity. Who would want their idol to see a dirty house?

4. Wear a smock or an apron with pockets for brushes and other small tools to give you easy access to them and make your cleaning task easier.

5. Eliminate clutter!

6. Have a reward planned for after you've completed your house cleaning.

7. Have a maid service come in once a month and give you home a deep cleaning.

8. Clean with gusto! Think about all the calories you're burning in the process...

9. Get the whole family involved.

10. When cleaning, make sure you're wearing the most comfortable clothing and shoes possible.

Be alone and enjoy it!


I think we should move to China and hire an Aiee for 1.50 an hour like Kent's cousin Heidi.