Three Thought Thursday: Episode 25

1. Yesterday was Kolbe's first official dental procedure. (other than a cleaning) Before he was born, he developed a little pocket up in his gums where his cleft is. The pocket itself isn't a problem right now, but food and liquids are able to get up in to the pocket which has led to decay in his right front tooth. The plan was to do a crown on this tooth to prevent further decay but after beginning the procedure, the dentist found that his "shark tooth" (a tooth that has grown in behind his front tooth) was too close and decided to just do a filling instead. At first he doubted that Kolbe was old/mature enough to make it through the procedure. He normally doesn't even attempt it on kids younger than three without putting them completely under. He was so impressed with Kolbe at his first appointment that he decided to go for it with him. Kolbe came through with flying colors. We showed up around 8 and they had him drink some special medicine (Demerol) to give him a somewhat sedated demeanor. After hanging out for about an hour while the medicine took effect, they took us back and got started. Kolbe was a little nervous when they made him lay back on the chair and hooked him up to the blood pressure monitors, but he quickly relaxed and was nothing but compliant for the rest of the procedure. They hooked him up to some nitrous oxide before injecting his gums and finishing the filling. It only took about ten minutes total. The dentist had told me that if at any point they had to hold his arms down, they would just stop the procedure all together; they weren't going to restrain him. But Kolb kept one hand on his blankie and the other on his belly the entire time. He was absolutely great and did everything the dentist asked him to do. Didn't even flinch at the creepy drill noises! What a trooper!

2. Ok, I'm traditionally an American sports fan (football, baseball, basketball...), but I have to admit that I've gotten a little bit hooked on the World Cup. I'm sure my brother Pat would have a heart attack to read such an admission. And don't get me wrong; I can't bare to watch an entire match start to finish. Not enough offense. It's like watching a football game that ends 7-0. Or watching hockey. Or watching nascar. I have to have something else to do while watching and just look up when I hear the crowd or the announcers get excited. But I will admit that I was a bit peeved when I discovered that Kolbe's dental appointment would take place during America's game against Algeria. As soon as we got home I pulled it up on the ol' tivo, clicked play, and watched it from the beginning in super fast speed, only keeping my eyes on the score box  in the top left corner. If the score changed, I would stop and watch the goal. But it never did. Till the very end. And what a great goal and win for the U.S.A! I definitely was excited that we won and am pumped that we're headed to the round of 16. Now will I become a big soccer fan? Probably not. But hey, it gives me a sport to get in to until football season starts.

3. Tomorrow is June 25th, the glorious day of my birth. A day that held such excitement in many years gone by, but seems somewhat inconsequential now. Yea! I'm twenty-eight! (...snore, snore...looks down and files nails...) But really, I suppose, it is something worth celebrating. All life is worth celebrating. And twenty-eight years ago my awesome mom did her best to bring mine out into the world. And I've been loving it ever since. Mark has been reading a book that I gave him for Father's Day and one of the chapters was about asking yourself the question How do you want people to remember you when you die? I told Mark that I wanted to be remembered as someone who loved God, who loved her husband, who loved her children, who loved her family, and who loved life. And it's true. I love those things more than all else. So I suppose my birthday is another chance to celebrate the opportunity I have to continue to love those things with all my heart until God calls me home. I'm not one of those people who fears getting old. You won't see me getting botox to hide my wrinkles. I already have some right now. And I actually like them. They're evidence of many smiles, countless conversations, and lots of laughter. I hope that someday I'll be a wrinkly-faced old lady with time-worn hands. Evidence of a life well-spent.