The Tooth Doctor

Two weeks ago Finley had his first trip to the dentist (aka the tooth Doctor).

Unfortunately his first visit was an unplanned emergency trip and not just his normal first check up.

THE INCIDENT:

Finley was playing on our futon upstairs and trying to get away from me when instead of grabbing the arm rest (made of wood), his hands missed and his front teeth caught him on his way down. OUCH! Poor little guy.

WARNING: Graphic pictures ahead!!!

THE TRAUMA:

His lip immediately started swelling up and as soon as I opened his mouth blood was dripping down his teeth.

The blood was coming from his gums which ended up being severed and hanging when the impact occurred. (sorry for the graphic nature of these pictures). I immediately called his regular doctor and they refereed me to a pediatric dentist. I rushed him over there and luckily no permanent damage had been done to his teeth. The X Rays did not show any trauma to the roots. That just left his dangling gum to deal with.



THE PROCEDURE:
The dentist thought that the best course of action and easiest recovery would be to cut off the dangling part of his gum. Finley did really well while they x-rayed him, checked his teeth, and gums up until it was time for the procedure. In order to cut off his gum they needed to strap him down to the table in this papoose looking wrap so he wouldn't be able to move his arms or legs.


As soon as I wasn't allowed to hold him anymore he lost it. Poor little fellow was crying and crying! Which of course made me completely break down in tears. I had been doing just great up until that point. The procedure was very quick and soon Finley was able to go and play while we waited to be discharged.



THE REWARD:
For doing such a good job and being such a brave boy the dentist gave him this cute stuffed bear (even though he is hugging the bear here in this picture, it should be noted that when the dentist tried to give him the bear immediately after the procedure he threw it to the ground). All in all I was very proud of Finley for doing such a great job and getting over the trauma very quickly. But this was not the first dentist visit I had in mind!

THE CHECK-UP:

Two weeks later we were back at the dentist so they could check on his gums.

I am amazed at how fast they healed up. The first day after the procedure his gum line looked really funny and David was worried about one gum line being significantly higher than the other (you know for when Finley is a model :)). But after only a week his gums looked completely normal and you can barely notice the gum line difference.

Our second trip to the dentist was much more laid back and enjoyable.

No longer were we nervous and anxious.

We had fun pointing out the animals in the jungle themed office.

We entertained ourselves by taking pictures of, well, ourselves and looking at them.

THE CLEANING:
After the check up on his gums was over the dentist offered to go ahead and do his first official check up while we were there. We learned about how to take care of our teeth and what things are good and bad for them. Then Finley had his teeth cleaned, counted, and they put some fluoride on his teeth. He was a little squirmy and whiny during the process, but he did really well (especially compared to the 6 year old that was running away from the dentist kicking and screaming).

Finley even practiced brushing these funny 'real' teeth on this monkey.

THE DISCHARGE:
The best part of our trip to the dentist was playing with this activity school bus after we finished the check up.

Finley was in heaven! This kid loves school buses!

I am glad that his first emergency visit to the 'tooth doctor' didn't permanently traumatize him. I think we are going to be alright.

New York Getaway!

This past weekend I left Finley home with David and hopped on a plane to NYC!

What would make me do something so wild and crazy?

My sister produced, well co-produced, her first tap show!

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

The trip started off in typical 'dorrance' form when my mom realized she left her cell phone in my car and her debit card at home. Nice. Here she is trying to see if her phone is lost in her cavernous purse by calling the phone. Not so much.

Little set backs never get us down though!

Upon arriving in NYC we were greeted by our hired car which turned out to be a limo! Loved riding in style. We definitely felt important.

When we checked into our hotel located in Times Square my parent's room got the hook up with this fantastic view of the Chrysler building. You could also see a corner of Times Square.

It was fun being in such a populous area and near lots of stores. I was able to go do some shopping in the mornings when all the sleepy heads were still in bed. (My internal alarm clock did not let me sleep in very much)

Even though it is always fun to visit the city, I never understand why people want to live here...too crazy for me. Give me trees and hills people!

Friday night we met up with my good friend Rizzo from High School. She was able to join us for dinner and the show. So great to catch up with friends!

Luckily my dad was able to see the show too. He arrived Friday afternoon from Spain, ate dinner with us, saw the show, spent the night, and then flew out early the next morning to Las Vegas. He sure is one busy man!

Onto the show! It was amazing! It was so clever, raw, artistic, and emotional. The best dancing I have ever seen! I can't even put into words just how good it was. Here is one review, and I will post more soon (and here's another!). Michelle's dancing and choreography were da bomb!

Here are two of the tappers from the show Nicholas and Carson. Nicholas is also in STOMP with Michelle. It was fun to see so many friends in the show!

Here we are greeting Michelle post performance. Did I mention that all of her shows sold out? Originally there were only suppose to be 3 shows, but when all of those sold out they added one more. And then that one sold out in 24 hours! Yay!

Even though we kept crazy, late night schedules, there were times I wish Finley could have been there with me. Like when I saw this firetruck...

which was attached to this Ferris Wheel inside of the Toys R Us.

Or when I saw this huge moving dinosaur inside the store. Finley would have died and gone to Heaven!

But I think he would have most enjoyed seeing Elmo out on the street and...

riding the 'F' train or subway with Mimi.

Saturday afternoon we got to go and visit Michelle's apartment. I think I was the only there who hadn't seen it yet.

It was so fun to visit her in Brooklyn and catch up with her and Mishay.

We got to see the show again on Saturday night! It was even better the second night. Here is Michelle with co-producer Dormeshia and tap legend Josh Hilberman. There were lots of tap peeps there to see the show. If only we had been there Thursday night when Dule Hill was in the crowd. Dang!

We also got to hang out with Michelle's good friend from College, Angelina. She flew in all the way from Los Angeles to see the show! Now that is a good friend!

Even though it was amazing to see the show and fun to have a getaway without the baby, I still missed him lots and was glad to come home on Sunday. And of course I couldn't return home without some gifts for the little man!

What can I say...this kid loves Fire Trucks!

They did film the show Sat night so I hope to put up some links to the dances soon. My favorite was this piece called 'Three to One' which starred Michelle, Mishay, and one other modern dancer. It was the best thing I have ever seen Michelle in! So different, raw, and emotional. It totally made me cry! Congratulations Michelle! We are so very proud of you. And as mom said post performance ... "She has arrived".

Food Storage Fare: Storage Porridge

As Natalie (and Finley once he masters full sentences) will tell you . . . I am very cheap. I prefer the term frugal, but will accept "cheap". As such, in the footsteps of Jeff Smith of Frugal Gourmet, I have decided to start a series of blogposts entitled "Food Storage Fare" which will detail some excellent, lowcost meals that can be made using a food storage product as the main ingredient. First up . . . what we lovingly refer to as "storage porridge".

This first installment was inspired by an article I read a couple of weeks ago that suggested making your own "gourmet" oatmeal as a healthy breakfast choice. But have you ever been staying in a hotel or gone out to breakfast at a fancy restaurant and considered getting the oatmeal? If you have, and have any sense, you have probably taken a look at the price and quickly reconsidered. So, I worried that this healthy breakfast choice would break the bank. But after looking into it, I realized that this "gourmet" oatmeal breakfast was practically the cheapest, I mean frugalest (is that a word?), breakfast treat. I'm talking you could feed a family on a "dollar a day" cheap. And it is really easy to make . . . just boil the water with the salt, add the oatmeal and cook for about a minute on medium (stirring constantly), then serve with your choice of toppings!

So, what does it cost to make a "gourmet" bowl of oatmeal? Here are a couple of our favorites, with price information. These are just a couple of variations, but you can really make oatmeal with about anything you might have available. The first one is Natalie's favorite, and has actually turned her from an oatmeal "hater" to a willing "partaker". Enjoy!

The "Cravin' Craisin"

1/2 Cup Whole Oats - $0.06774 ($2.10 for a 2.7 lb can from the Cannery)

3/4 Cup Water - Free

1/16 Teaspoon Salt - $0.00035 ($0.69 for 1lb box)

1/16 Cup Pecans - $0.18225 ($7.29 for 8 oz bag)

1/16 Cup Craisins - $0.03469 ($6.29 10 oz bag)

1 Teaspoon Sugar - $0.00191 ($5.30 for 6.1 lb can from the Cannery)

Total Price: $0.28694

Maple Medley

1/2 Cup Whole Oats - $0.06774 ($2.10 for a 2.7 lb can from the Cannery)

3/4 Cup Water - Free

1/16 Teaspoon Salt - $0.00035 ($0.69 for 1lb box)

1/16 Cup Walnuts - $0.08375 ($2.68 for 8 oz bag)

1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup - $0.29146 ($14.99 15 oz bottle)

1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar - $0.02619 ($1.98 for 2 lb bag)

Total Price: $0.46949

Berry Tasty

1/2 Cup Whole Oats - $0.06774 ($2.10 for 2.7 lb can from the Cannery)

3/4 Cup Water - Free

1 Teaspoon Salt - $0.00035 ($0.69 for 1 lb box)

1/16 Cup Walnuts - $0.08375 ($2.68 for 8 oz bag)

1 Strawberry - $0.26667 ($3.99 for a pint)

1 Teaspoon Sugar - $0.00191 ($5.30 for 6.1 lb can from the Cannery)

Total Price: $0.42042