HELP!! Should I Let the Dentist put my Two Year Old Under General Anesthesia?

Okay, I really need some insight on this one...

My two year old daughter, you know Ruki :), went to her first dentist appointment today. Despite our daily brushings, she had two cavities in her molars. One is small, and the other is huge. The dentist said my toddler needed to be put to sleep - general anesthesia - to get a filling on one tooth and a filling and a crown on the other.

I almost cried right there in the dentist office. I must be a horrible mother, right? Well, actually from what I've been reading on the web, it might have been the extensive night nursing we did for almost two years that contributed to it, who knows? What I do know, is that she has a huge cavity and it would probably be irresponsible of me to just let it sit until her baby teeth fall out naturally. Only being two, that might be five years from now!

But general anesthesia?? That seems so intense for her little body. If she needed surgery for major illness, obviously it would be a no-brainer, but for dental work? I've done some internet research about nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and conscious anesthesia, but many articles say for her age, general anesthesia might be best. Her dentist gave me a stack of paperwork and waivers to sign before I get the procedure done. A waiver has to be signed by her pediatrician also. If its so safe, whats with all the waivers??

Has anyone had an experience similar to this? I will continue my research and ask her pediatrician, but I need some moral support, suggestions, anything you can offer! May God guide us on the righteous path!

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentist - click here to see what they say about general anesthesia

Surviving the 2nd Pregnancy

YES! I'm pregnant... AGAIN! I know, it's wrong to disappear for 9 months and come back 8 months pregnant! Believe me, though, I've been busy. You know, the usual, going to school, tending after baby #1, who is actually a giant sized toddler now, but insist on everyone calling her BABY lol. This post is about how I have managed to come this far, with the mercy of God, and still be somewhat sane and enjoying life.

I should probably be getting paid for a blog like this, because I am clearly promoting a bunch of products, but unfortunately I'm volunteering the advertisements because these items truly have helped me survive over the past 32 weeks!

Comfy, yet stylish, Pink and Black Nike Air. I broke down and spent $100 at the local Lady's Footlocker, but I found them on sale on this site.

Bio-Oil- feels good to rub on the growing baby belly, plus fades old stretch marks and prevents new ones! I also use Burt's Bees Tummy Butter just cause it feels good and makes my skin soft as a baby:)

Merona Wrap-Around Wool Maternity Coat. I knew in November that my belly was growing fast and I had to invest in a maternity coat. But luckily for me, I found a great one without too much investing, paying $59.99 on Target.com

Tea. Chamomile to unwind and Black tea to stay awake. A pregnant body is going to do what it wants, but at least the teas made me stop and take a deep breath, bringing some peace to a hectic, sleepy, insomnia-filled pregnancy.

PRAYER - last, but certainly not least! Taking some time out a few times a day to be quiet and offer worship to the Creator is a must! When life seems to be escaping me, and I feel confused and overwhelmed, I just thank God that I am living and breathing and have people that love and care for me! I thank God for my little ones and for their health. Pregnancy can be a very stressful time, but it's important to appreciate the little things- the kicks and wiggles, even the sickness is a sign that a life is growing inside you!

St. Jude Children's Hospital

So I woke up around five-o-clock this morning wedged in between my toddler and a cold wall. I had to go the bathroom, but I did not want to leave the comfort of my warm bed. As I paused for a moment, the raspy sound of an old woman's voice came drifting from the television I had forgot to turn off before I fell into my deep slumber.

Squinting my eyes, I looked on the screen and saw a three year old boy named Reagan. He was diagnosed with childhood leukemia and passed away eleven months after being admitted to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I began to feel very sad. I looked over at my little one, sleeping so soundly, with not a care in the world. Then I thought, "That could be my child in that hospital. That could be Ruki."

And the tears came flowing down my tired face.

I imagined myself being some billionaire philanthropist and giving St. Jude's, or any other children's hospital, a million dollars or more. But I am not a philanthropist, I am just a writer. So, today I am writing to urge everyone to donate your dollars and your prayers to sick and needy children wherever they may be. Don't wait for a tragedy to happen to you or someone you love to start caring. Care now. Give now.

I let her cry herself to sleep...

... for the first time! Ruki never slept in her own room or even a crib, and she is breastfed and I'm always home with her... but enough was enough! I finally weaned her about 3 weeks ago. Thank God, she has been doing great! But I feel like it is time I start putting my foot down for her sake and for my sanity.

She has been going to daycare for the past couple weeks to enable me to focus on my schoolwork. She only goes 3 days a week, but I have seen vast improvements in some aspects of her conduct. For instance, the child who could not sleep without her mommy by her side, lays down and sleeps for 2 hours every day she is at the daycare. This made me think, hmmm? What am I doing wrong? Why is it so hard to get her down for a nap at home?

It all started with the mug I had just finished eating my vegetable soup out of: "Ruki, don't touch the mug!" But it was too late, before I knew it my favorite mug was shattered to pieces on the floor. It was 1:30pm, an hour after I tried to get her the lay down and go to sleep. I lost it.

I'm usually very much a push over, and Ruki knows it. I told that child to lay down and I meant it. I was stern and unrelenting. She threw a tantrum, she threw pillows off the couch, she screamed at the top of her lungs, and for a last burst of protest, she took off her diaper and threw it as far as she could.

As hard as it was, I just ignored her. I had never done that before. In her 22 months of life, I was always at her beckoning call. While I don't regret my "attachment" form of parenting, I realize that was it time for me to "man-up".

Update! Update!

Hey! Hey! Change the baby- I mean toddler, marinate the salmon, check email, check classes, feed Ruki, clean food off Ruki, attempt to do assignments for school, take shower?, brush teeth, try to teach Ruki to brush her teeth correctly, tell Ruki to sit on potty, look for weekend children activities, call exterminator, call cable guy, hmmm what else? And that's just the list for this morning!

So yes I have been busy! Unfortunately some of my friends and family have been moved to the back burner- I don't return many calls these days. But I must say its cool to know I have the kind of friends who are very loving and understanding- Thank God!

Between school, Ruki, and traveling to Philly things have been quite hectic. I'm enjoying being close to my family. Yesterday we went on a fun hayride and pumpkin patch! Ruqayyah was throwing hay on "Pop-Pop". This morning Ruki preferred the yogurt to the oatmeal, so the oatmeal became more of an art project, Smooches!

Bouncing Baby to Healthy Toddler

The past 6 months have ben a cpmplete whirlwind! Here's the update- I'm still breastfeeding. Ruki has 13 teeth (OUCH! just kidding). She is the size of a 2 year old and has the shoe size of a 3 year old! And I couldn't feel more blessed! My baby says lots of words (NO!, baby, eww dirty!, Mommy, DaDa, NaNa, Pop-Pop, HOT, ect...)and is healthy: THIS IS WHAT I PRAYED FOR: a healthy child. I never cared about my baby's gender, skin color, hair texture, or stature. While I was pregnant I just prayed for God to have mercy on me and give me a healthy baby. Thank YOU Allah!

Giving my Breastfed Baby Formula...

I should have just named this blog entry- LOL! I really thought I was going to give my 13 month old formula after being strictly breastfed since birth! HA! This experiment went totally wrong. You might be asking Why? Why now? The move actually came from the desperation to get caught up on my schoolwork.

I always hear about how formula fed babies sleep soundly through the night from an early age. I read on askdrsears.com that phenomena is due to the hard to digest milk curdles that form in the babies stomach. I am a stay-at-home mom, who co-sleeps with her baby, so I was never pressed to have bay Ruki sleep all the way through the night... until now.

Ruki is at a stage in her life were she is chronically teething and suffers from extreme nighttime hunger and separation anxiety! She nurses off and on the entire night, usually without fully awaking. However, if I try to sneak downstairs to get some housework or schoolwork done, and she rolls over to nurse, she awakens and wails until I return.

So basically, tonight I was at wits end and opened a free sample Enfamil sent me in the mail. First I put the strange white mixture in a bottle. The bottle entertained her for about 20 minutes- she chewed on the nipple, then she found out that if she jerked the bottle violently, the white liquid would shoot out in spurts. Then it just made her angry, so she hurled the undrinken bottle through the baby gate into the kitchen and started to cry.

Relentless in my efforts, I transferred the formula into her sippy cup. Well, this just made her plain MAD! She threw the cup down after one sip with disgust and anguish written all over her face. I insulted her intelligence. I insulted her gourmet taste. She will not be fooled!

So I sat on the couch and breastfed my little angel to sleep and instead of getting right to my schoolwork, I am blogging about my little princess.