All I Want For Christmas, Easter, My Birthday, Anniversary, Thanksgiving, etc. etc, is 32 teeth.

March 16, 2009

I have been journaling Dallas' full mouth reconstruction over the last few months. I did really well at first and then it sort of dropped off. Oh well! I still wanted to post what I had. It's out of order- starting with March and then going to December and January and skipping his late January and February appointments all together. (I guess we've just been busy and blogging hasn't been a priority). Here's the latest:
Dallas had his last of the major dental appointments last Friday, March 13th. He has spent over 30 hours in the dental chair, and it has been completely worth it! His teeth are still sore today from his last visit, but the bite is already better. He looks so amazing. I really feel like I got a new husband from this whole experience. He is still self conscious about his teeth, but not at all like he used to be. He is still looking forward to the day when his mouth doesn't bother him while eating though. Hopefully it will be soon! I love to see him smile with his mouth open (although now he smiles with his mouth shut just to tease me sometimes). Most of all, I love to see him laugh out loud and not close his mouth quickly to hide his teeth. He can just be Dallas.
When all is said and done, it was worth every penny. In fact, I don't think we have ever invested our money so wisely. We would recommend Dr. P.K. Clark and The White Cap Institute to anyone!

December 22, 2008

Today is a HUGE day in our family. Dallas started his dental work!! Because of many problems (soft enamel, grinding, bad bite, the list goes on) Dallas' teeth have been significantly worn away. We have been getting quotes from dentists and prosthodontists for years hoping that one day we would actually be able to do something about the pain it has been causing him. The day is finally here! Dallas is having a full mouth reconstruction by a specialized dentist named PK Clark that owns the White Cap Institute. He teaches dentistry (and specializes in crowns and implants) and gave us a deal to be able to use Dallas as a model. Dallas is having his entire top mouth ground down today. He will just have temporary teeth for a few weeks until they get the final teeth back from the lab in a few weeks. We took some before pictures so you will be able to see the "transformation". (It seriously feels like he is on Extreme Makeover or something. Except that we are paying for it... and boy are we. Major dentistry isn't cheap).

You can see how his teeth are worn down to the pulp. His molars are even worn down on the outside, if you can believe that.

I stopped in at 12:30 PM to drop off our last payment and to see him. He was completely out of it, thank goodness. He had been there for 4 hours already and he still had a good couple of hours left. I got to see his teeth all ground down and how his gums looked after the gum surgery. His teeth are so small now- about the same size as Will's. They are crowning or capping all of them. His gums look awesome! They are completely symmetrical and beautiful. His mouth was pretty bloody when I saw it. I'm sure he is going to be in quite a bit of pain today.

Dallas doesn't ever smile with his mouth open, so this is the best of the awkward "before" pictures I could get :o). It's bad. He'll kill me when he sees this posted on here.

I picked Dallas up at 3:00 PM. He is hammered! His jaw aches and his gums feel like they've been put through a shredder. On top of that he only ate a small breakfast this morning at 8:00 AM and he lost that because the anesthesia made him nauseated. His temporary teeth are just a plastic insert type thing (it's glued in) and looks different than the final product will. He looks SO DIFFERENT! It is going to take a lot of getting used to because it is such a huge change.

First set of temporary teeth- only the top are completed.

January 2, 2009

On December 30th Dallas was able to meet with the dentist and the guy that will be making his permanent teeth. After having the temporary teeth for awhile we had a few concerns. The teeth seemed pretty bulky and too large for Dallas' mouth, and he also felt that they were too white. He was very self conscious for a few days (who wouldn't be???). After talking with them we feel much better. They are going to scale the teeth down a little bit. Dr. Clark also adjusted the temporary teeth a bit. He shaved off some of the bulk and made them smaller so they look a lot more natural in his mouth. They are still just plastic teeth, but they actually look really good. I am used to how he looks now and I think he looks so handsome! He has another appointment on January 8th to adjust the temporaries a little bit more to make sure they are where we want them so that we can make final adjustments to the permanent teeth.

His gums have pretty much healed from the gingevectomy and are back to a normal pink color. He's glad he doesn't have all of the pain while he's eating or brushing his teeth anymore. I'm sure it has been awful. I watched him brush one time and couldn't believe the amount of blood he spit out.

We also learned that Dallas is getting top of the line crowns made. They will have zirconia centers instead of metal (what most doctors use). It is supposed to be the latest and greatest material for crowns and will keep them from turning grey as they age. The guy that is making his teeth is one of the top in the country. He left the best lab in the country to come to Salt Lake to start up a lab here. He is in such good hands and we feel so blessed to be able to be working with Dr. Clark and the White Cap Institute for this experience. We've been able to see all of the work, time, and experience that is going into his reconstruction and we feel like we are really getting an incredible deal.

One year older and wiser, too

We celebrated Dallas' 26th birthday this last weekend. It was fun to get together with some friends at Tommy's Barbecue (delicious if you are ever in the area), spend time with just our little family of 3.5, and make some new memories. He said that this year he actually feels like he is an adult. Maybe it's the fact that we have almost 2 kids, I'm not sure, but he doesn't feel like a "kid" anymore.

Dallas had to work and do school ALL DAY on his birthday, except for lunch. At his request I made a gourmet meal- chili dogs- and he even blew out the tea light candle on his brownie. (I swear I had birthday candles).

What can I say about the most incredible man I have ever known? I love you. I'm so glad you're mine. I'm so glad you get older before I do!

When you're feeling down...

...sometimes fabulous things happen.

Brown Santa, aka the UPS man, will come and deliver your baby bedding.

Your little boy will play quietly for 2 hours while you zonk on the couch.

A friend will post an amazing recipe that you get to make.

A long lost friend will come for a visit and lift your spirits with pregnancy jokes, education system annoyances, and light political conversation.

Your hubby will pick you up from where you are sleeping on the couch and tuck you nice and safe in your bed.

Jillian will be named Bachelorette.

Your professor will forget you were supposed to have a long quiz on WWII and just give everyone bonus points.

There's an extra 1/2 hour of A Baby Story on TLC.

You will get to have play group with "the Wardies".

Your sister will go to her OB visit and find that everything is wonderful with her new little baby.

Your Mom will call to talk about that ridiculous Bachelor... (we will not mention his name).

Then you can sit back and realize, hey, life isn't so bad afterall.

Bleck

I'm feeling burnt out lately.
Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's because every time I try to move my schooling forward I'm faced with a whole set of new road blocks. Maybe it's because I'm just tired all the time. I don't know, but whatever the cause, all I want to do is cuddle with Will and watch shows and read books. I feel like I only have a limited amount of time to get as much "Will time" in as possible before the baby comes, and other things just get in the way. (Look at me being so pessimistic; I do have it in me somewhere Whit!) Most of what is getting the blame for my attitude is school. Why do they have to make it so gosh darn difficult???!!! I could just scream... actually, I have; those people in the parking lot at UVU think I'm a crazy person. (Maybe they're right). Or, maybe, they are all wishing they could do the same thing.
So, who wants to scream with me? On the count of three- ONE, TWO.....

Done and Done

I bought it (the one from Target)! And the matching blankets... I couldn't help myself. Plus, I had a gift card from Christmas that was burning a hole in my pocket.

Just some small updates that I wanted to document:

1. Will spelled his name yesterday! We were coloring and we finished a page and he took his crayon and was trying to write something small at the bottom, then he said out loud "W-I-L-L-L". So he put an extra "L" at the end- he's not even 2 1/2 and he's brilliant :o).
2. I forgot to note that after the ultrasound the tech said that the baby weighs 1 lb 2 oz already. Don't you think it's such a miracle how quickly these little babies develop.
3. Jason is going to pick Melissa. That's my final prediction.

And here are some cute pictures I wanted to share. Will got bubble bath for Valentine's Day; it was especially fun because he'd never had a bubble bath before. He loves it! The other is my cute niece Lauren at her birthday party. We gave her a Cinderella bath doll, and she couldn't wait for the party to end before she tried it out- so cute!

What about this?

I just found this new set- it's half the price of set #1 listed below. Now what do I do? I seriously LOVE it- it's at Target.

Also, NO, I'm not buying the absolutely adoreable rocking chair that matches the bedding. Just the bedding people. I'm not made of money :o).

I Love it When I'm Right

The day finally came- the BIG ultrasound! I am very happy to report that she is indeed a she. Thank goodness. I am also pleased to report that because of the bet Dallas and I made last night, I will be reaping the rewards of a 20 minute back tickle. He bet me it was a boy and I bet it was a girl. I love winning.

Speaking of winning- my due date is now officially June 29th! The ultrasound came up with that due date and my doctor said there was no reason to keep it back at a date that doesn't correlate with anything. Hallelujah. Now I just have to hope she's a timely little lady and actually comes on time and not late. The ultra sound pictures weren't very good, so I'm not going to post any new ones- the last pictures showed her features much better. The face shot this time just looks like a frightening skeleton to tell you the truth.

I am asking for your help, fellow blogging friends and family. I am having a hard time deciding on which crib bedding set I like the best. I like the following three for different reasons. I am going to post them and then have you vote. I want the nursery to center around (kind of anyway) these ballerina pictures that were my Mom's when she was a little girl. They are adorable. The picture of the pictures doesn't do them justice. So, when you are voting, please pick the set you think will go best with these pictures. I can't wait to hear what you guys think! (Sterling, I know you are just dying to tell me your favorite).

Above are the sweet ballerina pictures...
Bedding set #1 (above)

Bedding set #2 (above)

Bedding set #3 (above)

Matters of the Heart

It's time for me to blog about something very serious... The Bachelor. I'm not gonna lie- I'm typing this right after my favorite person was kicked off. I'm a little upset. And emotional. (I'm pregnant, I'm allowed). I shouldn't be surprised; after all, they never pick the person I like. Jillian. She was amazing! I feel almost as mad as when DeAnna didn't pick Jason. Then I started thinking, who would people have picked for me? Who were they rooting for in my dating history?


Family and friends all had their favorites (only made apparent to me last week again as I found a box of old letters and notes people had given me). What would my life be like if I had let my sister choose for me? Or my friend Andra? I'm here to tell you that it would have been very different. I am so glad I was able to choose for myself. Dallas is the most incredible man I could have ever dreamed up for me. No one else knew exactly how I was feeling when I was dating and falling in love with Dallas. I had to go with how I felt, not what everyone else thought.


So, here's to Jason- I hope he finds someone because I do think he deserves it.

And, here's to Jillian, may you be the next BACHELORETTE!


Yes, this post is all in good fun (with some truth added). Besides that, I don't even have to feel guilty in watching it anymore because my Mom watches too!!!

What We Call Home... and 20 Weeks!!

It's picture update time! I'm just posting the pictures of the upstairs of our apartment because the downstairs is nowhere near being organized! For those who don't know, we are living in Heber (not Logan). We decided it would be best to stay where we already have employment for now. So, with no further ado, here's our new place:

Living room
Dining room

Both of the pictures above and below are Will's room.

Very tiny kitchen... with no dishwasher.

Bathroom

Our Bedroom- still need to organize this room and get our bed on the bed frame.

The apartment is quite nice for being an "apartment", but it is still an apartment. Things are done cheap in places and it needs some TLC, but overall we've been quite pleased.

Above is my 20 week belly picture. I took it by myself, so that's as good as it's going to get- awkwardness and all. She is getting bigger and stronger everyday. I can't wait to see her again at our ultrasound in a few weeks (as I type this she is kicking and rolling as if to say HELLO!) Hopefully at that ultrasound we will confirm that she is indeed a she. (I've been worried about it for some reason. Probably because I've already purchased outfits. I couldn't resist.)

Willisms

Sometimes when your child has a really yucky nose and a hacking cough, you have to focus on those little things that make them special rather than their adorable face. (Because seriously Will, you're cute, but I just can't look at you right now!)

Yesterday I told him, "I love you a million billion zillion." He said, " No Mom, I'm Will Bentley."

At our new place the neighbors have a dog that barks over the fence at Scooter. Will stands on the porch and very loudly yells "Quiet!" to our new furry neighbor.

He doesn't like it if I say the baby is Mommy's baby. "No, Mom, it's my baby." Actually, he says this about pretty much anything that you say is anyone else's, so I guess it really isn't that noteworthy. I still think it's fun to argue with him sometimes.

He now says "Excuse me" when he passes gas or burps. We're on our way to a polite little boy. Do you know a two year old that does this? (Okay, besides James Robinson...) If one of us passes gas, he says "excuse you."

He likes it when we do his hair so that he looks "handsome like James." (That being little cousin James, not Uncle James- although you are also handsome).

Sometimes Will tells you what something is. If you try to correct you he squishes his little face up and says, "No, it's not." As if he already knows everything there is to know about this world.