Slacker

 Andrew FINALLY lost another tooth!  There are two in front there that have been loose for months.  He was so excited!  He put it in a Ziploc bag & taped it to his door downstairs.  (He's too much of a roller to not lose it under his pillow.)  Then, the slacker Tooth Fairy didn't show up!  :( 

Then he realized he hadn't lost a tooth since he moved to the basement & the Tooth Fairy must have just missed the notice from Jesus who tells Santa who tells the Easter Bunny who apparently was too worn out delivering eggs to pass on the message.  Oh, well.  Instead he made this awesome map on LARGE paper & hung it upstairs.  In case you need a little explanation:  He shows the door of the girls' room (also below) exed out, then leads her down the stairs, though another door, past the washing machine, where the baggie is taped to his new door (circled).  Great for an early morning laugh!  So glad she was a slacker.  Extra glad the map worked the next night!

Terrible Twos

Baby Andrew was a challenge. He drooled all over, screamed, didn't eat, was cranky, wouldn't sleep... you name it. Of course, we were also first time parents so we didn't know that this odd & exhausting behavior usually was directly related to teething. Then all of the sudden a beautiful new white crown would pop through those gums & we would sigh in relief that this wasn't just a new phase in our little one.

Rebecca was easier to peg (since we had a clue). With a little ibuprofen before bed & usually a quick rub of Orajel to counteract the screaming around 3 a.m., we made it through just fine.

Teresa was a breeze. Sure, she would get a little clingy (which I loved since she's not generally that way), only want to drink & eat yogurt, & sometimes would cry in her sleep, but that was pretty much it. She rarely even got the ibuprofen & managed just fine.

But now we have encountered the terrible twos... two-year molars that is. ( The motherly mind is a marvelous thing & I somehow forgot just a couple of short years later that teething isn't really just a year-long endeavor... it's like... eight. ) She now has all those not-so-lovely tendencies & more. Specifically, between teething & potty-training, she wakes up over & over & over again at night running to me for solace. And, no, we haven't been as quick to medicate because we just never have with her... that & she'd probably bite my finger off in the process. ;) I feel like we have a newborn for as often as we've been up at night! But, this too will pass. It's another chance to savor those toddler snuggles & offer up the sleep disruption for one more special intention. My list is pretty long, but I bet you're on there. Praying for you tonight. =]

One through, three to go!

Up close & maybe too personal

Eek! That's one crazy jack-o-lantern face!

***

One of Andrew's favorite parts of school is "buddies". Each Kindergartner is paired up with a 5th grader that they get to play with at least once a week. Last time they did a science/art project together! They traced the little kids on paper, colored, & cut it out. Then they added a variety of organs to their bodies. Andrew was telling me all about it.

"My brain is here inside my skull. Then there's my heart & lungs behind my ribs. Down here is my liver & stomach. Then it's my big testament & my little testament."

Two down...

eighteen to go! Thanks to Meg for the fabulous idea of sticking lost teeth in a ziploc baggie & taping it to the wall... the Tooth Fairy hasn't missed one yet. ;)