EXTRACTION

I had a wisdom tooth extracted this morning. It was growing at a strange angle and causing a problem with the molar in front of it.

I'm terrified of the dentist, natural fear with the huge addition of a dreadful double extraction as a teenager. The reason I still have crooked teeth is because the orthodontic treatment would have required several more extractions and that cosmetic reasons alone weren't worth the agony. I'm lucky to have found an excellent dentist recently - he's very kind and patient and understands just how frightened I am.

I've been dreading this morning ever since he told me a fortnight ago that the extraction had now become necessary. Terrified, shaking in the chair, terrified. Unfortunately in my state of terror I got the appointment time wrong and arrived 30 minutes early, that seemed to prolonged the agony of expectation but actually served to settle me slightly. The injections and extraction weren't as bad as I'd anticipated - as I'd tried to tell myself in advance, but unfortunately the tooth in front broke when the wisdom tooth was pulled, so now I have another appointment before Christmas for a temporary filling and will then have to have a further appointment next year to permanently fix the problem. Being the worry-wort that I am these are likely to play on my mind, meanwhile I'm topping up on the pain killers and waiting for tomorrow, by then I hope to have stopped shaking.

PS Comment away but please don't ring, I'm trying to sleep through it and I'm a bit of a wreck at the moment!

SPOTWATCH!

Alice's poxy looking spots on her hips disappeared overnight and the rash over her shoulder/collarbone has spread slightly but not turned poxy. For now, I don't think that she has chicken pox but she continues to be grumpy - but that could be teeth!

ALICE UPDATE - BEHAVIOUR, FOOD, TEETH, PT AND SLEEP!

Alice's behaviour has been quite challenging at times recently. Until now, as long as I'd prepared her well enough and talked situations through in advance, everything would usually be OK. Now all bets are off. She doesn't want to cooperate as often and as more vocal in her objections.

Eating is becoming more of a challenge too. At about 2 years appetite is supposed to suppress as physical development switches to mental development, this didn't seem to happen for Alice - her capabilities have expanded incredibly (as expected) but her appetite didn't really reduce. However in the past few months catering to her appetite has become a challenge - the number of foods that she'll eat has decreased significantly, as has the amount she eats. I usually serve her main meal at lunchtime and that's not too bad, but at suppertime I usually give her a choice of more snack type meals and increasingly she refuses most offers, only eggs are a guaranteed success (but she can't eat them EVERY night!)

Teeth - there's finally sign of her 2 year molars, the bottom ones have broken through (but still need to grow up) and are causing some distress, especially at night. Still no sign of the top ones. I have a feeling this could drag on for a few more weeks (or even months).

PT is going very well - she goes several hours between visits and is more reliable about whether she needs to go or not, though I'm still being more persistent at crucial times (before journeys etc). In recent weeks the only changes of clothes that she's had at nursery have been due to nappy failures at nap times or adventures playing with water! There've been more changes at home, several a day for a few days and then a week or more of success.

Sleep has been patchy. Alice is back to napping consistently at nursery but won't at home, but a car journey at the right time of day induces sleep in minutes - Alice wasn't great at sleeping in the car until she gave up naps! She's back to sleeping in the cot almost every night, she seems to be calmer through the night when she's in the cot. But she's also taken to waking as I go to bed - last night she wouldn't settle, so she came in with me with some very strict rules (staying over her side, not kicking or hitting mummy, we both sleep or she moves back) and it worked - I'm still talking through what I expect before bedtime when I remember and those nights seem to be calmer.

All in all it's incredible how quickly she's changing and growing, but she's still wonderful and incredible - just in a more challenging way!

INSPIRATION STRUCK AFTER 11PM!

. . . not usually my most productive time of day . . . Alice was having a bad evening . . . ended up in bed with me for an hour or so, but after she'd calmed down she still couldn't settle down to sleep, so she ended up in the cot and slept through til 8.30.

Meanwhile, I was wracking my brains about her temperature etc.

TEETH!

I checked this morning and I think that her final set of molars (for now) are rumbling. She smiled when I produced the teething gel and we've had smiles and giggles already this morning!

MORE CATCHING UP!

The grumpiness continues sporadically - I continue to blame the rumbling teeth. Of the 8 that were moving, 6 are now through at least in part. Alice said 'Aaah,' tonight when she saw me with the teething gel!

Life's been really hectic recently - lots of paperwork to do and now more organising to get the beach house sale and move organised.

Yesterday was really busy - hence no posting! We went into A'g, collected my sewing machine and ran a few errands (got ABSOLUTELY soaked!) before going on to a new activity in the morning - soft play. The soft play was great - playmats, ball pool, activity climbing bit (for when she's toddling and climbing) including slide and a bouncy castle. It was very social - I knew about half the mums there - and several grannies came along when they heard we were there, it was lovely to introduce Alice to them and good to catch up. Alice was very clingy to begin with, but by the end of 90 minutes she was much more confident but didn't go more than a metre or two from me. She had a wonderful time and was so exhausted that it was a battle to keep her awake in the car!

Then I was a grown up for the afternoon!!! I know that there's no greater responsibility than caring for children, but I had an afternoon off. The Magnificent T looked after Alice and I went for an afternoon of pampering. Alice had great fun with T and her son C - they got her on her feet and when I came home she showed me that she can walk 5-6 steps unaided between people. Lots of pride - from me and her!!

Today? Swimming, still clingy, it's taking a lot to get over the Christmas break. Quick trip to the vet's - Daisy's arthritis has flared up but I'd taken the correct measures already. Then, after Alice's lunchtime nap, a trip into local town to collect the Chinese artwork that's now been framed and an impromptu visit with J and D.

2 more good days, we're very lucky.

LIKE MY NEW DOOR KNOCKER?!

Alice has had 8 teeth for months. The next lot started rumbling just before Christmas - 8 have been moving all at the same time, poor baby. She's got very good at saying 'Aaahh,' to let me look at what's going on or to apply teething gel, but it's not always very wide open, so sometimes it's difficult to see.

On last inspection, a couple of days ago, 5 of the 8 had broken through, 1 completely. Since then the symptoms have risen again and another is definitely through.

Yesterday she was a little grumpy. Last night she went to bed without issue, but coughed through the evening. She continued to cough this morning and had a green and runny nose - so I cancelled our swimming date. On and off through today she's been grumpy again, picky with food (most unusual) and a very slightly elevated temperature - but no more cough! The teeth are definitely bothering her and she doesn't often complain.

Spirits were raised with the help of a few white chocolate drops - used in a bonding exercise - taken from Mummy's lips. My girl'll do almost anything for chocolate - not that she gets the chance that often.

ALICE'S DAY IN 1 PHOTO

Hands constantly in her mouth . . . dribble . . . lots of dribble . . . rosy cheeks . . . nasty nappies . . . sore bottom . . . high temperature . . . and a little grumpiness (only a little) . . . swollen gums . . . teeth!

Poor baby. x

TEETH!

Her 5th tooth made an appearance last Saturday, I had a close inspection this evening while applying teething gel - the one above No5 is now showing, and so is the one on the other side at the bottom!!

So 4 real teeth and 3 just beginning to show through.

THE LATEST TRICK!

She's been doing this since yesterday - sticking her tongue out, sometimes for a minute or more at a time.

She's teething heavily at the moment, the 5th tooth is just visible (lower left, 2nd from middle) and the one above it is very close to coming through. So she's a bit grouchy and very dribbly, fingers in her mouth and rotten nappies, poor baby.

TEETH!

Alice has been showing signs of teething ever since the last tooth came through.

For the 5th night in a row she objected to having her teeth brushed, so I checked (yet again) - but this time there was an extra one!! She now has 4 teeth and 1 more just showing (bottom on her left.)

She ate well at breakfast and lunch, but at supper she was grumpy and didn't eat half of what she normally manages.

The new tooth definitely explains yesterday's toxic nappy, could it also be the cause of yesterday's vomiting and the reason for declining food tonight?