Another Tooth Bites the Dust

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for one of Avery's teeth to come out because the replacement tooth has already come in behind it. It is so loose, I just want to 'pop' it out. But she will have nothing to do with it. It's practically just hanging there.

In the meantime, Ian is talking to me this morning and what do I notice? A tooth gone! We have yet to actually see one of Ian's teeth that has come out. All we see is a hole in his mouth. I didn't even know that particular tooth was loose! I've been watching another one that's loose.

I figure he either lost it in his bed or he swallowed it. Hmmmm, I think I'll just stick to searching his bed for it.

Looks Innocent, Right?

Ian looks innocent enough holding these wooden mallets, right?.
BUT....add in the words he is saying....., "Bennnnn....come here....NOW!" Not so innocent anymore!

Oh, She's Sooooo Me!

We've been working on getting Avery to stop sucking her finger. So a friend told me about this stuff called Mavala Stop. Goes on like fingernail polish, stinks to high heaven, and tastes worse than fingernail polish. The first time I put it on her, I took the time to try to explain it all to her as to why she needs to stop sucking her finger. She seemed to be okay with it. We even have the bribe going.....when she's stopped for a certain number of days then she gets to go to the store and pick out something she wants. Luckily, I'm catching her earlier than my sister, who just got her 8 year old to stop....but had to bribe her with an I-pod! Whew, I get out cheaper!

I put it on her and she calmly walks away. As she's walking I can hear her under her breath saying, "I'm NOT going to stop sucking my finger." All going okay for a few days, with only minor hissy fits. Then Jim catches her sucking her thumb! Oooh, she's a smart one! So, the next time I make sure to put it on all fingers and thumbs. She didn't like that at all. Cried and cried. I consoled and consoled.

Yesterday when I put it on, she got upset, but not too badly. Then she walked away. Then, she came back, walked past me, and smartly said, "I washed it ALL off. Hmph." NOT a smart thing to say! So I brought her back to me and put more on! Little did she know, you can't just wash or wipe the nasty stuff off. That's the beauty of it!

It's like one of those cartoons, where the character tries everything in their power to accomplish something, but it just doesn't work. I don't think she even realizes that she's doing fine not sucking her finger. She just keeps trying to outsmart me. She's funny to watch, but "OH, she's just like me!"

Bitter Sweet Field Trip

Well, I went to Ian's first field trip of the year. Ian had a great time. Mom had a difficult time. I was in tears before we left and almost left early. I felt like an idiot having the teachers try to console me. Will I ever get past all this? Okay, here's what happened.

First, it's so hard on my heart when I see the kids have difficulty with Ian. They tell the teacher every time he even touches them (and I caught one that told when Ian never even touched him). And when Ian gets a little (okay, a lot) loud, I can see some annoyance in their faces. Okay, now let me give the real story. I am WAY hyper-sensitive to all of it. Truth is, the kids weren't really that bad. But to me, that's what I see.

Second, I felt it was best if Ian didn't ride this wagon pulling tractor thing. No adults could go on it, and if Ian had an inkling to stand up, he could have easily fallen out of the moving vehicle. The risk wasn't worth it to me. Did Ian care? NO! He happily waved bye to the other kids. Me, however.....I hated it. I hated that I even had to think about any risks. I teared up a bit at this point, but managed to suck it up because they were going on a hayride right after (adults allowed).

Third, while the kids were on this ride, we thought Ian had a poopy. Due to a miscommunication, the school did not bring the pull-ups I packed in his backpack (the same backpack his sack lunch was packed in). Luckily, I had one in the van. The walk to the van was a nightmare. I couldn't get Ian to understand that he wasn't leaving, but we had to change him. He screamed, he got angry, and he plopped himself down several times. We get to the van, I took his pull-up off....it wasn't even dirty!!!! He must have just had gas. Now this meant: 1) no more pull-ups left cause I had to put the extra one on him after I ripped off the one he had on; 2) I put him through all that for no reason. I felt horrible. Now in hindsight, he was probably trying to tell me he wasn't dirty.

Fourth, because of that whole episode, Ian missed the actual hayride! Again, he didn't care. I don't think he even knew. But I did. So, as we stood there waiting for them to return, I choked back my tears and decided it was probably best for me to leave (I met the school bus there). When I tried to tell his teacher and the aides......the river flooded. I couldn't open my mouth without crying. I'm sure they thought I was a crazed parent. I told them Ian was doing great, but that my heart just couldn't handle it. They were so sweet, and I see the concern on their faces. Long story short, they talked me into staying. I'm glad I did. Ian really did do a great job and had great fun, and the other kids really did do great with him.

I just want to feel like a normal parent sometimes, instead of always worrying or getting upset over the 'missed' things, especially when it never seems to upset him. Argh!

Cute Stuff

Isn't he adorable! This is from his PPCD class. I'm not sure what the story is, but all the kids get to dress up like scarecrows. We have the same picture of Ian when he was Benjamin's age.















This was a sheet Ian did at school. The boy can write his name....pretty darn good too! I have to admit, this is something I would never have believed he'd be doing at this point. But, I also have not had very high expectations either. I suppose this is pretty normal for most of us during this journey. But as of late, I have learned to start raising the bar. So, when we do his homework, I really push him as far as he'll let me. I've been so proud of him. We got a note from his teacher last week that was soooo encouraging. She said that he reads all his sight words and that he's getting close to counting 5 objects one-to-one correspondence (touching each object when he counts it). My peacock feathers were quite proud!

Avery is doing great in school as well. I'm bummed that this private school only goes to kindergarten. I would love for them to add grades. She is really challenged and doing good meeting the challenge. Her writing is improving, she's trying to spell words on her own, and she does an awesome job at reading. I have also really enjoyed becoming good friends with a few of the moms from last year and this year. We've started meeting once a month for a "mom's night out". It's been great.

Thanks to great friends and family, I have been able to go to all three kids' first field trips this year. Makes for some really cute pics!

Ellie, the dog, is doing pretty well. Still in puppy stage. We went and had her spayed a week and a half ago. She developed this ping pong size lump on her belly. I knew a small lump was normal, but this seemed a bit large. So I took her in and they gave her some antibiotics for it and said it was more than likely due to over-activity. Bad parents! Well, come to find out, while I was gone for 4 days, Jim was making sure everyone, including the dog, was happy and well-exercised. Oops.

Okay, that's my update on things for the most part. Til next time....

Can He PLEASE Stay This Little?

"A clue! A clue!" "Wat dat?" "Where Ben? "There e is!" "I coming!" "Ellie, sit!" "I pooped." "Snack, pease." "Tank you, daddy." "I did it!" "Night,night." "No!" "Honey, you can't love a duck!" (this is a song they sing at school) "Open it pease." "Hi Avery!"

These are just a few of the fine phrases my little Benjamin says. And I wish I could put the voice sound on my blog. It is soooooo incredibly cute to hear him in his tiny little voice.

I have just been so blown away by how he has been able to communicate his wants and needs to us. While it's not always distinguishable, most of the time we can figure it out. At this age (3), Ian was only saying single words. I'm sure it has a lot to do with Ian was the first kid, Benjamin is the third...being able to listen to two siblings talk all the time.

I know they have to grow up...just life. But, oh, he's soooooo adorable just the way he is!

Everyone Should Have a Bethany in Their Life!

Where does the time go? It seems everytime I try to sit to catch this thing up, I get distracted and on to something else. Then, the next thing I know, what I had planned to write seems quite outdated. Oh well, that's life I suppose.

So, Jim and I had our 11 year anniversary on October 2. We had planned for a get-a-way night at a B&B that Jim found....he's a great planner. Long story short, the way we thought it would work out was not going to work out. We were hoping to start out early and not come home until evening on Saturday. Our sitters' plans had a different idea. So we needed additional back-up. So, after another failed attempt, I decided to call Bethany. Who is Bethany, you ask? Bethany is the only 14 year old we would ever let watch our children. She's not 14 anymore. She's now 2nd year in college. She is incredible with the kids and loves them sooooo much. She started babysitting for us when we just had Ian. She is creative, mature, responsible, loving, fun, and remembers all the 'extra' stuff for the kids (ie. pills, baths (even when not asked), bedtime routines, etc.). I never have to worry about whether or not something is getting done....yes, I still call - - - I AM a mom!

Anyway, she goes to college an hour and a half away. I called her up, told her our dilemma and without hesitation, she agreed to come up to watch the kids all day Saturday. So, now we have an overnight place for them (thank you, Grandma and Papa) and Saturday is taken care of.

Saturday morning comes. We finish breakfast (yummy), and get ready to head out for our fun for the day. As we were figuring out how long we had before we needed to head back, we started pondering the option of staying another night. Could we?....dare we?....ask Bethany to stay the night with the kids????? Yep. So, I called her, made our request, and again, without hesitation, she agreed! I started crying, and told her I wish I could get her to understand what a blessing this was to us. She said she loves the kids and since she came up just to watch them, she didn't make any other plans for the weekend.

There you have it. Everyone (especially families with special needs) should have a Bethany in their life! We love you dearly, young lady!