Bye Bye, Baby!

My little girl lost her first tooth tonight! Although it is exciting not only for her but for me too, I feel as though I've finally lost my baby. That darn tooth has been hanging in there for quite a while now. I was "positive" that she would lose it last weekend, but no, it stayed in there, even through very chewy candy and lots of wiggling! It took us all day today, some more chewy candy, a popsicle, and a little children's tylenol, but we finally got that tooth out! During the entire ordeal, Bug was whining and fussing, laughing and playing... She was a bundle of emotions and she wasn't sure how to react. It was great when she could turn her tooth sideways, she loved the funny looks...

But the pushing on the tooth wasn't so great because she was scared. At one point it looked like we weren't going to get the tooth out tonight, but I was afraid not to since it was so loose. I thought for sure she would swallow it. When we finally got it out, I washed the tooth for her then she got her tooth pillow that I made her, and was very careful when putting the tooth inside. She was so proud of herself. She called Papa and Grandma and told them "It didn't even hurt! I was brave." Now she's sleeping peacefully, dreaming of the prize that the tooth fairy will leave her!

More Fun...

There are several common English words that are nine letters long. Each time you remove a single letter from them, they still remain English words - from nine letters down to a single letter. What are the words, and what words do they become after removing a single letter at a time?

The first word is "Startling"

• Remove the "l" and the word becomes "Starting"
• Remove the "t" and the word becomes "Staring"
• Remove the "a" and the word becomes "String"
• Remove the "r" and the word becomes "Sting"
• Remove the "t" and the word becomes "Sing"
• Remove the "g" and the word becomes "Sin"
• Remove the "s" and the word becomes "In"
• Remove the "n" and the word becomes "I"

Another word is "Stringier" or "Splitting"

Other words include:

Cleansers

Splatters

Drownings

Wrappings

Starvings

Trappings

Although these words are disputed because they are in plural form and some feel that this isn't the way the puzzle should be.

Test Your IQ

I found this fun little test and thought you all might like a try. Good Luck!
http://www.testriffic.com/iq/

Dentist

The kids had a dentist appointment today. It was Bear's first time to a dentist and Bug's second... Normally Bug gets hysterical when it comes to doctors, and even her 1st dentist appointment didn't go as well as hoped. She screams, kicks, slaps, cries and gets very mean with everyone.

This time, we explained to her that she needed to be brave for Bear. She needed to show him that there really was nothing to be afraid of. We knew Bear would have no problem with the dentist because he is the complete opposite from Bug. He has never cried during doctor visits, and even shots have never bothered him. He does not cry at all.

Well today Bug grew up. We transferred her dentist to the new Granger dentistry at Granger medical, because this is also where their pediatrician is. We got them situated and they both sat still for x-rays. Then they had the privilege of watching a television on the ceiling while wearing cool headphones, and they did great! Bug was so brave! There were no tears, no wiggling around, not even a whimper or any clinging on for dear life. They got new tooth brushes, flossers, a prize from the toy chest, and a A+ for great teeth.

They don't have any cavities, and their teeth look great. Bug almost lost a tooth over the weekend, but it's still hanging in there. We did find out that Bear has a 60% overbite, but we were told that they don't do anything about that at this age. I was so proud of Bug for her amazing bravery that I cried today. I couldn't believe the changes in her. I am in awe of how completely calm she was. We were so impressed by their behavior, that we stopped on the way home and bought them an extra surprise. Good Job Kids!!!

Tooth Fairy Pillows

I found the templates for these cute little pillows on a homeschooling site. These things are great! When the kids lose teeth, they will just put their tooth in the little pocket, then the tooth fairy can get to it without trying to climb under a pillow with a sleeping child on top. It took about 30 minutes each and the kids love them!

Loose Teeth

Bug's bottom front teeth have been barely loose for quite a while now. It does seem really early for her to be losing teeth, but considering that she got both of those teeth by the time she was 4 months old, it's really not that early. I did a little research on the internet just to make sure, and it said the average age is 5-6 years... Well, she'll be 5 next month, so it's alright. As of yesterday morning, the tooth on her right was looser than the left, then I gave her an apple. After the apple, she complained of some pain when she pressed on the teeth. I explained that the apple probably pressed on the teeth when she bit into it, and she was ok with that. This morning I checked her teeth again, and now the left tooth is alot looser than the right, and I'm not sure, but when I wiggled it, I thought I heard a clicking sound, like the tooth was rubbing against another tooth under it.

I figured that because her teeth weren't very wiggly, they probably wouldn't be ready to come out until around her birthday, but this morning, they seemed really wiggly and now I'm thinking they may come out in a week or so. I guess we'll have to wait and see. They may tighten up a little again. Bug is really excited for her teeth to fall out, because she knows all about the tooth fairy. But for me, things are a little less exciting... actually it's a little heart wrenching. This is just another reminder that my baby is growing up and is actually no longer a baby! I mean, here it is barely 2007, and she's losing 2 teeth, turning 5 and starting her kindergarten schooling all in one year! How cruel is that? I know I'm supposed to be excited for all of this, but it just seems like the first 4 years went by way too fast.

I know it doesn't do any good to dwell on it, since her teeth will fall out regardless! I guess it's just hard for me to say goodbye to the baby girl I had. I know she grew out of the baby stage a long time ago, but to me she was still a baby... She had her baby teeth, she wasn't in school yet, and she hadn't hit the 5 year milestone. It's amazing to me that someone can grow so quickly, without any time at all... *Sigh*

Blah

So it seems that I always catch the latest virus that is going around... And it seems that I always catch these viruses around the holidays. Papa and Grandma took the kids on Thursday and brought them home Friday night. I noticed when they brought them home that Bug sounded a little bit congested. I wasn't too worried though because I knew that the kids had been playing in the hottub all day. That night was horrible though. Bug woke up several times complaining that she had a stuffy nose and that her head hurt. Finally Jeff gave her some Tylenol and sent her back to bed. Next, Bear woke up and said that he had wet the bed. The next day we all felt horrible... I woke up feeling exhausted from the night before, it was obvious that the kids were in fact sick with a cold, Jeff was also exhausted, and I began feeling like I had the flu.

Throughout the weekend, I continued to feel lousy as I have had an upset stomach and everytime I eat, it just gets worse. The kids are still recovering from their colds too. I guess this is the season though. I shouldn't complain, I could have the full blown flu.... Luckily I just have a stomach that doesn't agree with me, and a head that keeps pounding. I know it could be so much worse. I'm not too worried about the kids getting the flu, Bear has only had the flu once in his life, and I think Bug has had it 2 or 3 times. But never very bad. I hope that this winter is easy on everyone!