Rapunzel's Child

Michaela had her dentist appointment today.

(OK wait , I am SO TIREWD, that I am having a harf time typing.... can yoiu tell? oh man , now my foots asleep too, arggghhh)

It went well. As well as could be expected out of a kid that's related to me....

She cried. Almost the whole time.

See, I don't like going to the dentist either. I just don't like my mouth to hurt. Or even feel different. You know what I mean? You go and get this cleaning, and your teeth feel......weird. Hard to describe. Kinda like, it's just not the same without that plaque/food/popcorn kernal from last month in that crack between your teeth. They feel disjointed. I hate that feeling.

And I hate it when they try to have a conversation with you while they're using that sharp metal pick. This is a real problem for us people people. We WANT to talk to the hygienist, but we can't. Like some kind of sick torture for outgoing people. Thank goodness it only happens once every six months. Well, unless you need other things done.......like me. Then you have to go like every 2 months, because I can't seem to suck it up and get it all done at one time. That's a lot of torture sessions.

Anywho, Michaela didn't really like the whole experience, but it was pretty run-of-the-mill considering we drove 1.5 hours to get to the specialist. I was expecting something a little more, well, specialized. But all they did was lay her back and go at it. So I asked them what I was supposed to do when she can't get her mouth open. Those times when I can't brush her teeth.

They ended up giving me a special thingy that I can use to at least clean the outsides of her teeth, and a HUGE bottle of mouthwash to use instead of toothpaste (I mean HUGE--the biggest freebee you've ever seen. We're NOT talking a trial size here! I felt really weird trucking that thing around the hospital). But other than that, they were like, it's all part of the package when you have a special needs kid. You can't always get their teeth clean, and there's problems that arise from that, but that's par for the course. They said that they wouldn't "knock-her-out" just for a cleaning, but they would if she needed a lot of dental work done, like cavities (of which, she has none. Woohoo!). So, we're going to try to schedule her regular cleanings around her good times, and if she's having a hard time, then we just won't do anything. I was a little shocked that I was putting more emphasis on oral health than the dentist was, but it made sense too. Putting a kid under has some pretty serious risks, and they don't consider regular cleanings a justifiable reason to do that. We'll just clean what we can, when we can, and save the heavy stuff for when she's able.

***

Replaced her G-tube while we were at the hospital. She'd been complaining of it hurting her for about a week and a half. It was strange because I could tell it was doing good, and wasn't infected. I just had no clue as to what was bothering her. I decided to pacify her mind and put some Neosporin around the site. That was a couple of days ago, and she hadn't complained since. But since I was driving all the way to the hospital, I called surgery and asked them if they would look at it. They ended up changing it and found it to be looking good. So maybe it was all in her head. I can never tell when she's just got a complaint stuck in her mind, and when it's legit.

Poor Mom though. Michaela wanted her to hold her hand through it, but Mom's stomach just couldn't handle the gaping hole in Michaela's belly. I kept asking her if she was ok, but I guess "ok" can change to "uh oh" pretty quick!

***

Got the super-important-all-official-looking document from Chief. Now I just have to finalize all my evidence and wait to get my hearing date. The letter is very specific and all encompassing. They can't possibly deny her with it. I would have to appeal again if they did.....just for the sheer principle of it!

***

On the funnier side, everyone loved Michaela's long hair. I left it down for the first time in a while, and the black ladies couldn't stop commenting on it:

"Girrrll! Where'd you get hayr like dat? Giiirrll! Shanice! Come see this! Check out this girl's hayr. Honey, how long it take you to get a brush thru dat? You eva cut that? It's like Crystal Gail. Mmm, mmm!"

"Let me run my hands in it.......my goodness girl, you blessed. You just blessed. I ain't eva seen hayr like dat on a child. You just let Miss Darita cut me off a little and give me some extensions---HAHAHAHAHA!"

By this time, every woman in the clinic is crowding the door. It's a funny sight to see, all these black ladies cackling about "all dat hayr" instead of working. It IS pretty, though--one of Michaela's prettiest features.

Too bad for Boo though. It kept getting caught everywhere and bothering the tar out of her. Oh, well. Back to the braids.