Better

Finally, after 3 and 1/2 weeks, I seem to be getting over this cold. Everyone else in the family had it too, but they were all only sick for a couple of days or so. I've actually felt like I had a bit of energy yesterday and today.

I finally found a denist that I think is a good fit for me. Today he fixed several problem fillings that previous dentists had done poorly, and also some other issues. I was really impressed with his chairside manner, his demeanor, his knowledge about both traditional and alternative approaches to dental health, the thoroughness and goodwill with which he answered all my questions, and the good quality of his work.

My front teeth look so much better now--I'm no longer embarrassed to smile. And my back teeth in one quadrant of my mouth are fixed so that they're smooth, pain-free, and no longer have gaps and shelves under and between fillings that serve as food and floss traps. I'm very pleased.

The one bad thing was that I had to have so much anesthetic to have 4 different teeth worked on. It made my lip swell up visibly huge, and numbed my face all the way up to my eyes. Apparently the eye nerves were affected by the anesthetic, because it actually messed up my vision for a few hours. And I think there was enough of it spread through my system that it sort of made all my muscles relaxed. That made walking a bit of a challenge when I got done. :)

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After the appointment I was so dizzy, tired, weak and having trouble seeing (because of the anesthetic affecting my eyes) that I didn't feel I could safely drive. So I hung out at Trader Joe's, leaning on a cart for balance and trying to walk it off for as long as I could before I had to go get the kids from the sitter so she could pick up her daughter for school.

I still don't feel quite normal (wait a minute--what's normal?), but I'm sure it will have worn off completely by tomorrow. These sorts of things always affect me more and take longer to wear off than for most people.

I'm sitting on the sofa with the laptop right now, relaxing while Mira picks up all the kids' toys, the remote control and any other random objects she finds and brings them to me, hoping I'll give her a treat.

Mira is doing so well with her training. She is getting quite good at picking up shoes and toys and putting them away in their respective bins. She's learning how to turn lights on and off. If I give her something and ask her to take it to DH, she'll find him and give it to him even if he's in another part of the house. Then she'll deliver something back to me if he asks her to. She finds my phone and brings it to me when it rings. She picks up things I drop (or anything I point to) and hands them to me to save me from having to bend over. She can even pick up a dropped credit card on a hard floor--quite a feat for a dog. And, if I hand her money or a credit card she will hand it to the person I indicate, even if she has to do "paws up" on a counter to hand it to a cashier.

Yesterday I started introducing her to the electric shopping carts at a grocery store. It will take a little bit of practice to get her used to working with one, but I think that will help so much in conserving energy on shopping trips if I really need to go shopping on a day that the pain and fatigue are especially bad. Right now she thinks the cart is some strenge beast that's trying to steal me away, I think. :)

I'm working with Mira with a laser pointer, too, so that eventually I'll be able to indicate a specific item on the floor, on a shelf or across the room for her to get and bring to me. She's pretty good at telling when I'm getting toward the end of my energy or am about to have a migraine or a "crash" and alerting for me, too.

Mira loves to jog on the treadmill the SIL The Mentor and Biology Teacher BIL gave to us, and that helps a lot on the days I don't feel up to walking her much.

She has been doing marvelously well in being more comfortable around both people and other dogs, so much that I've been able to start working with her regularly in non-dog-friendly places like stores.

On another note, the kids and I are adjusting to a new homeschool schedule. We added some new subjects, and my mom helped make schedules for the layout of the day and for what the kids need to do in each subject per day. It's so helpful to have that more organized, with times built in for breaks and periods where I can relax a bit while the kids work on things they can do idependently or have recess, in between the more teacher-intensive subjects.

Even Ebee has some educational things and Montessori activities to do while the older girls are doing school. The goal is to get everything done between 9 and 2, but we're still working on that part.

DH's job is going really well, and as always he is a huge help to me. And now, I'm going to go spend some time with him while the kids are gone at AWANA. :)