Spring rains = worms

I had such a great time with the boys all to myself this weekend. It rained on Friday night and early in the day Saturday, but by Saturday afternoon it had stopped and we were ready to get out to burn a bit of energy.

Several exciting things;

• The little man can now reach the pedals on the tricycle and actually pedals! He can generally steer, but if we are trying to go quickly, I take the back handle and guide.
• The life order is established, the Big boy leads, the Little man follows. If the big boy stops, the little man stops. The little man has been instructed that he is to follow. The little man seems happy with the arrangement for now.
  
• Spring has sprung and the boys now know the difference between daffodils and crocuses, but really just like finding the colors.
• Worms still come out when it rains. You can still pick them up with a stick. They are still worthy of saving (moving them from the sidewalk to the safety of the grass). And I still rule on the icky factor of being the first one willing to touch with my fingers to show them that it won't hurt. However, I did stop short of showing the boys you could rip it in two and both ends live.
  

The thrill

There are things in life that are thrilling.  There are things that are not.  But, I really love the thrilling stuff. Thrilling in a fun, but not scary way!

I always love the firemen.  DS1 and I have this in common.  Earlier this week we stopped by the fire station in St. Maartin.  Out of the 8 guys in the station only one could speak English (I'm being generous here) and he told us to come back on Friday.  OK, odd request, but I'm willing to comply.  So Friday was the annual day at the fire station, where they brought out all the trucks, let everyone climb on, and had all sorts of demonstrations; we saw the cherry-picker bucket get fully extended and a fake car accident where they brought out a diamond tip saw and cut out a windshield, jaws of life where they cut the top off of a car, and then put the "victim" on a stretcher.  It was awesome!!  We spent a solid two hours there before the beach.  

There were like 100 school kids all there.  It was interesting as they all reacted to DS2.  Frankly, I don't think very many Asians make it to these parts.  The 10-12 year old girls were very interested, and trying to tickle him and such.  He was a good sport, but I did have to pick him up and move him, twice.

Also I accidentally de-tailed another lizard today.  A tiny little guy, which was in the door way and I needed to move him to close the door.  The alternative was to squish him.  The thrill was in that once the tail comes off, it really dances around for a while.  I know, gross, but also oddly thrilling.  

Today the boys helped me gather a large bag of sea shells.  The thrill of the chase, the capture, the was and shine.  

Overall a good day; left with the thrill of what tomorrow brings.  

Complexity of Caring for a family

The parenting stuff is so much more complex than I can handle at times, that I just have to ignore some issues.  

I'm working on integrating the family, getting us all in school/work routine.  This meant getting some of the family's non-emergency care just had to wait.  For example, I'm just starting the Early Intervention Program.  This is the state funded program that helps any child with significant delays in speech, physical or cognitive delays under the age of 3.  As it is state funded, the child has to be evaluated and qualify by their approved people, then the state selects the amount of therapy, type of therapy and therapist (well, for the most part).  The good thing is it's a free evaluation, free therapy, and the therapy is supposed to happen at your house.

From the first request by a parent to final decision on therapy, is mandated to be no more than 45 days, but my process is slowly grinding moving forward. Which makes me feel a bit bad about taking so long to get started.  First, the lady whose job it is to tell me about the program upon my request was sick for a week.  Then, I am requesting  speech help, but they are requiring full developmental evaluation.  That is a nice precaution, but it requires another meeting which is tough on a working mom.  The program is supposed to evaluate the kid in your home, but since DS2 only heard Mandarin until 3 months ago, they decided he has to have a bilingual evaluation, which means we have to take him to a site in Chinatown, for both evaluations. I've already got the pediatrician sending in paper work.  But hey, I'm still waiting to get his hearing tested, so that throws a wrinkle into the evaluation problem I'm just not going to deal with (I actually think his hearing is fine, but the hearing test "should" be a priority due to the common hearing issues associated cleft palate).

Next, poor DH.  In the first month home I probably asked him to move out half a dozen times.  I don't know why he didn't go, and there is no need now.  He has been the last priority in this "adjustment" window.  And as other items get check off the "to do" list, he has risen in my priorities.  What "adjustment" as in adjustment time; reality is our life as we knew it is over.  There has been a structural change.  There is no going back.  But hey, we don't really know what lies ahead.  But I'm sure it is more "adjustments".

I don't even want to go into the job, where I'm excited about a few projects I'm working on but still have not moved them forward as quickly as I wanted to because of, time out for preschool (next post), time out for Halloween, time out for lunch with girls (read mental health), and other work stuff that sneaks up in priority.  

No great conclusion tonight, just admitting its all complex. 

bumbs and scrapes, Dentist

So an update on scrapes, bumps, teeth and DS2's dental appointment.

On DS1, his bandage is now starting to come off. The bump was a good inch and a half, and I love the super glue they use at the ER.  If the wound is not in a highly flexible joint, i.e., hand, elbow, knee, I totally recommend asking for "the glue" rather than stitches.  The thing is that stitches on a preschooler's head never work, the kid just kicks and screams.  But with the glue four people hold him down and then they put the glue, pull the skin close, then glue the bandage right on top.  This was bandage really only starts to come off as the skin grows, shedding the outer layers.  As the bandage gets loose, I trim around the edges, but leave the rest in tact.  

Ok, yes this morning I laid him down, put my legs over him and pinned him to the ground to trim half the bandage off before it got ripped off by a sweater or jacket at preschool.  I think this means I'm as strong as four people in the emergency room department!  Years ago I had a kitty that had to have stitches removed.  That was easier, I wrapped her in a towel, shoved her in a cowboy boot and removed the stitches from the exposed part.  Done in 30 seconds and one short howl. Quick.  With a toddler there's the whole "this isn't going to hurt" chat first.  But last time I had to take stitches out of DH, we had to have that chat along with alcohol and him turning his head as well.  But they all have survived. 

I have two boys, really three if you include DH.  I anticipate going to the ER every six months and feel comfortable with the minor stuff.  I figure at some point we'll have a broken limb in the household, as well as one of them will eventually catch the couch on fire.  I'm the one who will eventually light a pan on fire. When it was confirmed with the pregnancy of DS1 that he was a boy, these are the things I just came to assume.  If I had girls, I don't know, I don't have girls.

I am constantly amazed at the placebo, or more specifically, the power of kisses.  Tears, tears, streaming down the cheeks.  Scraps, bumps, falls, all leading to tears.  However, a couple kisses and they are good to go.  If only that continued through adulthood!

On to dental, DS2 had his first dental appointment. Yes, 3 months into our new lives and I'm just getting to this stuff.  It didn't seem fair to freak him out with sorts of different doctor appointments up front.  As DH said, he hasn't likely seen a dentist so no loss on a month or two now.  Anyway... no problem.  He liked the office, the dentist, the staff, and cried when it was time to go.  They didn't even put him in the chair, he just played on the floor, ran around and when he came by DH the dentist would peek into his mouth.  After a couple peeks, he let the dentist poke around.  He is missing one tooth on the top, by count.  We think it is the one in the cleft, but there is no break in actual teeth; he has a full bite, an under bite.  We'll have to do x-rays down the road to see if the missing tooth is coming in;  in the wrong place, or at all.  

The dentist did a "fluoride treatment".  This goes in the nod your head and say , "yeah, right" category in my book.  He brushed some stuff on his teeth, that I have no doubt DS2 licked off within 30 seconds.  Anyway, the boys are good about brushing their teeth.  Honestly, I was having a tough time getting DS1 to brush his teeth.  But the first time I handed DS2 a toothbrush, he knew what it was for and put it right in his mouth, no complaints.  This was observed by DS2 and he stopped complaining.  Now they both brush their teeth, or as I say "tickle all their teeth" in the bath tub each night.  Ok, I wasn't a stickler about actually using toothpaste.  I was happy they were brushing.  But now 2 months into brushing, the dentist introduced flavored toothpaste with a cartoon character on the tube, which makes it all that more effective.

So anyway, when did you start seeing a dentist?  I really thought about this the other night.  I don't have many childhood memories.  I moved when I was 9 years old from Indiana to Idaho, so I know which memories are pre-nine years old.  I don't remember seeing a dentist before I was nine.  I was thinking about this because I let the boys brush my teeth if they want, after I finish off brushing their teeth.  DS1 asked why I had so much gold in my mouth. Aha, mommie had sooooooo many cavities.  She had three root canals before age 15.  Yeah, you can guess my flossing habits.  And no, I don't remember having tons of candy or juice, so I think weak teeth are a genetic thing.

Again, anyway, my early memories was that when I had a loose baby tooth, my dad pulled it with the pliers.   This wasn't done in haste or anger, but just the way we did it.  We weren't really poor, that was later,  I think it was just the way we did it.  Other kids bit apples, or carmel candy.  I hope to NEVER pull my kids teeth with the pliers.  However, if push comes to shove, I know how to do it.  

So their you go, deep thoughts on bumps, placebos, teeth and dentists.