Ok, that didn’t work the first time…

It hit us, too!

We’ve Been Simpsonized!

Just for fun, we simpsonized our family. Thought you all might enjoy. We hope that everyone is doing well and we are looking forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks.

4th of July

We hope everyone had a great 4th. The kids were all decked out for the occasion and Katelyn changes everyday.

Matt’s Trip to Jordan

Last night, I returned from a 10-day trip with Operation Smile to Jordan in the Middle East. I didn’t really know what to expect going in; I figured I would enjoy my time at the hospital during the day, then mostly hang out in my hotel room at night reading or something. Well, I was right about the first thing but completely wrong about the second.

I went to Jordan as a “patient imaging technician,” which basically meant I was there to take pictures of the patients before, during, and after surgery. Our team did about 90 surgeries, mainly for people with cleft lips, cleft palates, and burn scarring (we had a burn specialist plastic surgeon with us). It was a very emotional experience for me to see firsthand the drastic, rapid improvements that the team was able to effect in the patients’ lives. I will bring some pictures of the patients up to our retreat in August.

Aside from taking pictures, I also had the chance to watch any surgeries I wanted during the week, and I was invited to scrub in with two surgeons and assist them — something I had never done before. On Monday morning, I was already running on fumes, with the adrenaline from being in an exciting new place compensating for lack of food, water, sleep, and air conditioning. I washed up and put on the surgical robes and gloves for a cleft lip/fistula repair. After an hour of surgery, it became apparent that things weren’t going as the surgeon had hoped, and I realized I was going to be there for awhile. Then I started thinking about how much I could use a cold beverage. And how hot it was in the OR with no A/C. And how I had slept like four hours the night before.

And lo and behold, I broke out in a cold sweat. I told the surgeon that I felt like I was going down, and he told me I could leave. I trotted out of the OR, and lowered my head down to between my knees. That didn’t help any, though, so I figured I should tear off my gown and gloves. I raised back up, and. . . the next thing I knew, my face was killing me and I was laying in a heap on the ground. I couldn’t figure out why, but my face really stung and my neck hurt. I opened my eyes and realized where I was and that I must have passed out. I put my hand to my face and noticed it came back all bloody. What the heck??!

Two nurses found me on the floor and took me to the recovery area. They got my pulse back up from 40, gave me three bags of IV fluid, called in the surgeon to stitch up my lip (when I learned that Betadine tastes really nasty), immobilized my neck with diapers of all things, and wheeled me to CT for some scans. Even though I knew I was going to be okay, it was still really scary to me, having just finished neurology in school and heard about a bunch of crazy injuries from traumatic accidents.

The nurses and doctors there took great care of me. I feel blessed to have come out of it with nothing but stitches, scrapes, neck pain, and some slightly loose teeth. I am pretty sure it could have been a lot worse.

Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with my roommate (a high school guy from PA) and the Jordanian Operation Smile volunteers. They really rolled out the red carpet for us — on the last night, they took the two of us out to three restaurants and insisted on paying every time.

I can’t wait to see you all again next month, and I’m looking forward to talking more about my trip and all of yours. Here are some flossing pics. For some reason, it won’t let me post the one at Petra as a thumbnail. And I can’t make it right side up. Sorry!

Katelyn Elizabeth Bates

Well, she arrived. Katelyn was born at 12:30 pm today. She weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz., was 19 3/4 inches long, and had some black hair. Mom and baby are healthy and recovering well. We feel so blessed to have this little sweetheart in our family.

A Week at the Equator

Besides the jet lag, upset stomach, and itchy skin I have had an amazing week. I was touched by the genorosity and humility of the Brazilian people. It was not only a hard week of extractions and restorations, but a wonderful cultural experience. These are just a few pictures to give you a sense of the adventures that I had while peforming humanitarian dental work. My main responsibility there was to mentor 10 dental students from Nova Southeastern dental school, one of which was Ty Bodily Carson’s cousin. I enjoyed it so much, I hope to make it a regular experience.

Summer is Finally Here

Well, it is starting to warm up around here finally, although from what it sounds like, most of you have had hotter weather than we have. The pool at our apartment complex is open and the kids and I love to go swimming as much as we can. With Afton being almost full term now, things are starting to slow down for us and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of this new sweetheart in the next month or so. The kids are keeping us busy and they are getting sassier by the day. Most of my time is spent preparing for my National Board exam that I will be taking in July. Other than that, things are pretty normal here in SoCal. We are so excited for our August family reunion and are looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Hell’s Canyon Tour with the Evans

On the 18th of this month, Dad and I went on a jet boat tour with Bill and Margo.  A little daring for your mother, don’t you think?!!  I am getting braver in my older age.  We entered the jet boat around 8 am.  It seated 23 passengers but there were only 16 on that tour.  We travelled 95 miles up the Snake River at about 35mph.  During the ride we stopped for breakfast and lunch and the captain gave us some interesting facts about the history of the area along the way.  The return trip was faster at about 45mph and the rapids seemed much greater in size and we were going with the flow.  The weather and scenery were beautiful!  It was a fun and memorable day with great friends.  You should all try it! 

Spring Break In California

 http://picasaweb.google.com/batesfam/SanFranciscoMontereyVacation?authkey=sfv7Ekwtfjs

Here is a link to a slideshow of our trip to San Francisco and Monterey. We had a great time. We miss you all and hope that all is well.