I Think Belle's Bib Says it All :-)

Rotting Teeth

So, I have never been a fan of the dentist. I would say that I am someone who has suffered from a mild anxiety regarding the dentist. Half of my problem is that I know I am going to get in trouble for not flossing or taking care of my teeth the way I should.

I am someone who often gets cavities. I feel like every time I head into the dentist a spot of decay will be discovered somewhere inside my mouth. I usually sit and wait through my cleaning for the hygienist to make her discovery and inform me that I will need a filling. Usually I am not surprised.

I also hate needles. Therefore, the dentist has always been somewhere I have gone to get reprimanded and then informed of that I will need a filling which will involve needles. Thus, my dislike for the dentist. This may be why I went through a 3-4 year stretch without visiting the dentist, and ONLY made an appointment after one of my teeth literally broke in half from eating a raw pasta noodle.

Thankfully, I have found a dentist that I really like. I met Dr. Scott Singstock a couple of years ago. He is actually friends with my neighbors. I had expressed to him my dislike for the dentist and he convinced me that if I came to him things would be different. So, reluctantly, I made an appointment to see him. He was a fabulous dentist and didn't do the things that I hated my old dentists for. I had other dentists who would ask me questions while their hands were in my mouth, so I could not answer. I have had other dentists who would breathe into my mouth while they were working. I have also had a dentist that felt the need to tell me step by step everything she was doing, and at one point during a crown said "if you weren't numb, this would REALLY hurt." Thanks...exactly what someone with dental anxiety needs to hear.

So, today was my bi-annual trip to the dentist for my cleaning. I should have stayed home. Although, I think Dr. Singstock is a fabulous dentist, he delivered me the news that I had 5 cavities. FIVE! He tried to sugar coat the entire thing (no pun intended) by saying that it wasn't uncommon for women coming off of pregnancy to have a lot of cavities. This is due to the increase in food that they are eating...aka I stuffed my face a lot more than usual. He was so nice to not yell at me for not flossing (although he did explain the benefits) or guilt me into feeling like I was failing my mouth.

So, I have another appointment in two weeks to take care of my rotting teeth. Scott asked me if I had ever had nitrous---he knows my fear of needles. I have never tried the stuff, but from what I hear it is good. Thank goodness for a dentist that understands me! So sad for a mouth of teeth that are prone to cavities.

Messy Girl

Below are some cute pics of Belle eating cereal. She loves it!! As you can tell, she isn't quite the cleanest when she eats, but we don't care. We think she looks cute covered in food with her belly hanging out!

Paul and I Are In Trouble

Mod Podge

So, I have always had a love for decoupage, or Mod Podge.  It all began in high school and I carried my love for Mod Podge into my college house on Bemis.  My roommates and I decoupaged vases and pictures in order to add a little decorative flavor ro our college house.  To be honest, it looked more like kindergarten work, but we enjoyed it for an evening craft.

I have since Mod Podged stuff for Belle's room.  I made letters with her name, and some random crafty designs for her wall.  I seriously think that this stuff is the best.

So, my crafty self was itching again today.  Often I will take this itch and crochet something, but today I really wanted to make something cool for my house.  Therefore, Mod Podge was needed!  I went off to Michaels and bought a few things.  I came home and Paul was unsure what to make of everything.  I had black paint, a wooden letter, a wooden plaque, a file box, and some jazzy paper.  In the end I Mod Podged some pretty cool items, which I will post pics of soon.  Michaels didn't have everything I wanted, so I had to settle for what I could get today.  I created a plaque with the initial "T" on it over some cute scrapbook paper.  I also created a cute new file box for me and Paul's mail.  Our last system was messy and I hated how it looked. 

My college roommates will attest to my love for Mod Podge, but I promise that my skills have improved.  I will post pics soon of my newest creations :-)

Paul's Favorite Soup

I don't pretend to be an amazing chef, but I found a soup recipe that Paul is obsessed with that I felt the need to share.  It is THE EASIEST recipe and Paul devours it.  I don't always measure very often, so I apologize for the lack of specifics.

MEATBALL SOUP:

• 1 32oz bag of frozen meatballs
• 1 large bag of frozen mixed vegetables
• 3 cans of diced tomatoes
• A small shaped pasta...I put in like half a box
• Beef broth...I put in one of the big boxes, rather than cans
  
• Water...about 4 cups?

Put it all in a pot and let it boil ten minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through.  This recipe makes A LOT.  I usually make it and freeze a huge batch of it to use later.  I also added onions once and it was a good addition to the pot. 

Seriously, I think that Paul could eat this soup for every meal.  I thought I would share it so every other woman out there can appreciate an extremely easy meal that tastes good and makes a lot.  ENJOY!

New Look

I got creative and gave my blog a new look :-) I know it's bright, but it's green and I LOVE green.  I might be obsessed with making new blog headers, so watch out.  The look of my blog might be changing a lot.  We shall see. 

Thoughts about Blessings

Belle had her 4 month check up today and all looked good. She is a healthy little girl and is growing as she should. She still has a big head (90th percentile), a long body (90th percentile), and is still kinda on the skinny side (75th percentile). She handled her shots pretty good. She was crying even before they gave them to her so the shots didn't really make a change in her temperament. She cried about 30 seconds and then zonked out in her car seat.

On my way home, I did a lot of thinking about how much I hate baby shots, but how blessed I am for so many things:

First, I am thankful that I have a child to even get shots. I know many couples right now who are struggling with trying to get pregnant. I think it is easy to forget the hardships, the stress, and the desperation that these couples go through. Paul and I didn't have too many difficulties getting pregnant. Our journey began with a miscarriage 2 months into trying. They called it a "chemical pregnancy," which means the egg was fertilized, but never implanted. This was hard on me and I felt defeated...and we had only been trying 2 months. There were many fears I had. Thankfully, God blessed us with a pregnancy the following month. I only know the frustration and the struggle of what we went through and there are many couples who go through this process with a million more struggles. It is hard and it is exhausting. My heart goes out to couples who want a baby and are trying. I can only pray for them and try to be a support. I can't imagine to understand their story, but I can be empathetic and feel sadness for them. In the meantime, I have been having conversations with God as to why He needs to bless these couples with babies because each of them would be such amazing parents--WAY better than Britney Spears or any of those moms on MTV's Teen Moms.

Second, I thought about how thankful I am to have a healthy baby. It is very easy to take this for granted. Belle was sick a couple of weeks ago and it was really hard on me (I am such a whimp). I just wanted her to feel better and I wanted to be sick instead of her. This was only a cold and an ear infection. I don't know how parents find the strength to watch their child through a terminal illness or any other type of scary medical condition. I am sure that God gives these parents a certain kind of strength and support system to get through these difficulties.

God has blessed Paul and I greatly and I don't ever want to take it for granted. I don't want to take for granted that I am a mother and that my baby is healthy. On the other end, I don't want to forget the families that are trying to get pregnant or have a child with health conditions. They have extraordinary strength and I pray God sees them through every step of their journey.

An Ear Infection, A Touch of RSV, and a Nebulizer

I always knew that baby sickness would never be enjoyable, but I never realized how exhausting and frustrating it can be.

Last week Monday, Belle began to cough and I knew that we were going to be getting a cold. Didn't really alarm me, but I was worried it would turn into an ear infection..which it did. So, we have amoxicillin to knock out the ear infection.

The cough continued to get worse and we brought her into Urgent Care over the weekend, where she was diagnosed with RSV, a respiratory thing. So, we were given an oral steroid to take care of this.

We were asked to bring her in again on Monday to follow up. Belle was a new girl as far as temperment, but still had a bit of a cough. Basically, we were told to keep up with the steroid and to call if she got worse.

Welp, here we are on Wednesday after our fourth trip to the doctor since last Friday. We are now using a nebulizer to help clear out those bronchial tubes so she can breathe better. This better work.

I know that the mothers with more than one kid are probably thinking I need to buck up and that this is no big deal. Kids get sick. Haha. I probably do need to buck up. Either way, I have realized that a sick kid is not fun. The hardest part isn't the sleepless nights or the crabby kid. The hardest part is her little cough and the wheezing in her chest. It's the clogged nose that she doesn't know how to blow! I can't wait to have a fully healthy kid so I can see a few more of her little smiles.

Baptism

2010 Resolution

Well, it is 2010. The past year was extremely eventful and I can only hope that 2010 brings as many blessings as 2009 did.

So far things in the Thompson household are pretty low key. Belle has yet another cold, but I figure that it is just building up her immunity so that by the time she is my age she will never get sick :-) Paul and I don't really make resolutions, although I have been thinking more and more that this would be good for me.

One thing that I would like to do more of is to read my Bible. It's terrible that I don't remember the last time I opened it, and I am well aware that there is a layer of dust sitting on top of it right now. Don't get me wrong, I have chats with God and send prayers up here and there, but I rarely dive into the Bible. I can always use that excuse that I am too busy, but then I think how God must laugh at me when I act like I am too busy to open up His word. How many times a day do I check my email or browse what's happening on Facebook? I wouldn't be too busy to read the Bible once in awhile if I just gave up a little bit of my online social life.

So, that is my goal. Our pastor spoke about doing things "bite sized" last week. He talked about how when we start with a goal we shouldn't just go full force into it, because it we could get exhausted quickly and not want to return the next day. He said that starting to read the Bible could even be just 2-3 verses a day. Either way, it is better than none. I figure that I can't really fail at this goal, since any amount of time spent is better than what I have been doing.

So, there it is I guess. My New Year's resolution is to actually read the Bible. Sounds simple for someone who has been a Christian all of her life...but how easily I feel it is to get comfortable and assume that I have it all figured out and that God can't reveal anymore to me than He already has. Hopefully 2010 brings a surge of spiritual growth in my life and reveals so many new and exciting things to Paul and I.

Here's to a new 2010 and praying I actually stick to my resolution this year (it has to be easier than going to the gym!).