Jingle Bells!

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.... okay, I'll refrain!

On Thursday, Isaac and I headed down to Mom's so we could go to the Jingle Bell Parade! I haven't been to the parade in years or any of the holiday festivities. Friday night was the spaghetti dinner and variety show (mainly Shannon's Studio II dancers and singers) at the new high school... not that new, but it was the first time I've seen it! I haven't spent much time with Shannon since we've been back in Ohio, so after the show she treated me to a mocha latte at Tim Horton's. No Starbucks or anything fancy in Waverly... just good 'ol Tim's to end the evening! The parade was Saturday evening, and boy was it freezing outside! Isaac was bundled nicely in lots of layers including baby bunting and blankets. He was comfy-cozy, but I thought my toes were about to break into tiny pieces. I don't think they've ever been that cold! Here are a few pictures of the holiday fun in Waverly, Ohio. Maybe you can go next year! I know you want to, right?!

Tonight at Home...

Here's a video of Isaac tonight. He and I went to K-Mart and Goodwill earlier today. As soon as we got home, he really wanted to play with this little pumpkin my mom gave us. I thought I'd capture a clip of him since we're so bad about it. He'll be in college, and we'll wonder why we didn't video all the sweetness of his younger years! I hope you enjoy!

A Fractured Tooth and TMJ - A Recipe for Trouble!

So, over the past oh I don't know... 5-6 weeks, I've been having some tooth pain on the lower left side of my mouth. It's progressively gotten out of control. I saw the dentist about a month ago for a routine cleaning. I informed him of the pain I felt from one specific tooth. Turns out... it's fractured and needs a crown. I already had so much filling in this particular tooth, so the only option was to crown it... or yank it! I knew it was a problem, which was just my luck. I can daydream about eating a jawbreaker and all my teeth will crack. Or, I can look at a bag of skittles and have a mouth full of cavities.

I knew it needed fixed in a hurry because it was already hurting pretty badly at this point. The hygienist wanted to make sure my insurance would cover such a nasty sight, so I needed to wait a few more weeks to make sure Tricare was on my side! Needless to say, the next few weeks were quite painful in the mouth area. It was so bad that I couldn't talk at times. Maybe the Lord is trying to teach me something about how I use my mouth?! I know He will use whatever necessary to purge the nastiness from my character. Okay, back on topic. Finally, I received the good news from Tricare that they will cover over half the cost! Great news, right? Well, we still get to pay a whopping $336.00. Oh, the joy!

When the dentist put on my temporary crown, I told him about all the pain I was having. He wanted to make sure the tooth was still vital, so he did a series of tests. He told me I wasn't that weird; all the tests revealed tolerable measurements. He thought it best to proceed with the crown but leave the temporary on a bit longer to make sure my tooth settled down. I was to call him if the pain didn't subside within 4 or 5 days. This is when it all gets ugly. The pain was unbearable at times. Ironically, the pain wasn't in my tooth. I had terrible ear and jaw pain. Not a good sign!

This past Monday, I went to Caribou at the Greene with some friends. Shortly after leaving, my left ear and jaw were throbbing so badly, I thought my head was going to pop off. It was excruciating. I could hardly focus on the road. When I got home, Matt was working at the computer, and I couldn't even open my mouth. By this point, I thought I needed to see my Dr. just to make sure I didn't have some coincidental ear infection. Matt thought I should go to the E.R. I just wanted to take some ibu. and get some sleep. I could call the Dr. in the morning.

So... I called the Dr. but couldn't get an appt. for 2 days. At this point, I knew I couldn't wait any longer. Linda came over to watch Isaac for me, and I was off to the E.R. I wanted to rule out any type of ear or throat problem before calling the dentist. Sure enough, my ears couldn't be any healthier the Dr. said. I waited for over 2 hours just to hear her words!

I called my dentist (of course the office is closed on Wednesdays!), but they were able to see me the very next morning. I love them! Now to the end of the story... the crowned tooth is not why I'm in pain. Although it certainly didn't help! I have TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder). I am a big time clencher at night and wear a "Brux" appliance at nighttime. However, the pressure placed on my jaws has finally showed its ugly self! I then had to make another appt. with my actual PCM (Primary Care Physician in military lingo) to get a medical referral. So, next week I'll have a full TMJ evaluation and then we'll see what all I need.

It's crazy how such a small part of your body can make you feel miserable. I had a really bad spasm tonight on the way home from Apex and couldn't talk again. Maybe God wants me to wire my mouth shut or something! I do hope to have everything taken care of very soon. It's no fun having chronic teeth/mouth problems! Dear Lord, I've learned my lesson! Please heal my mouth!

Animal Sounds and Words, Words, Words!

Over the past couple of days, Isaac has become our little animal in the house. He LOVES making animal noises when someone asks him what something says. Now, he doesn't always perform on cue, but when he does, it's a precious moment! He learns new words every day it seems. He's growing up so quickly.

Isaac amazes me with his language ability, particualarly his receptive language skills. From an early age, he seemed to understand what we said to him. When he was around seven-eight months old, I would point out things in his room. After telling him what something was only one time, he could remember it and scan the room to find it. After days of not mentioning something, he still knew what it was. He has a valance in his room with a monkey, lion, and giraffe on it. I would ask him, "Where's the giraffe?" or "Where's the monkey", and he could always find it with his eyes. Over the past few months he graduated to pointing with his finger. It truly is amazing to talk to him and know that he comprehends what I am saying. He learned early on how to praise the Lord. So anytime you say, "Praise God", he'll lift his hands! He signs "please" now, and it took him less than a day to learn it! He talks and jabbers all day long and clearly wants to be in conversation with people. I guess it's no surprise with me as his mother!

My little boy is learning how language works. He is constantly pointing to objects around the house. If he doesn't know what something is, he wants to know immediately and asks, "What's that? or says, "Ooh.. ooh.. ooh". Last night he wanted to talk about the fish on his jammies. He now says fish anytime he sees a picture of one. He is our inquisitive toddler! I love this quality about Isaac, and I hope to cherish it throughout his life.

I leave you with some of his animal sounds and words:

... a duck says... "kak" "kak"

... a lion says... "raahhhhhh"

... an owl says... "hoooowooo"

...a cow says... "mmmmmmmm"

... a dog says... "uh ruh ruh ruh ruh"

... a baby says... "wanh wanh wanh" (my favorite!!!)

... a sheep says... "baa"

... bath... "bap"

... fish... "ish"

... duck... "guk"

... truck ... "kuk"

... clock... "kauk"

... cup... "cup"

... pumpkin... "pum"

... flower... "ow-er"

... mom... "mom mom mom"...

... dad... "dad", "dat", or "dada" (depending on his mood, I guess!)

... light... "it"

... that... "that"

... oh wow... '' ohhhh wowww"

... sock... "ok"

I just had to share all the cuteness and brag about my wonderful son!!!!!!