Someone Lost Two Teeth

Hi there, 

Let me start with the biggest news of last month: Amy has two less teeth. Unfortunately they didn't come out the "natural way." A little over two weeks ago the kids and I were walking in the mall and Amy slipped (she was wearing flipflops and the floor was slippery). Since she was only walking, I didn't think it was anything big, but I saw as she fell and my first question was, "Are your teeth okay?" I don't know how she managed to do that, but poor baby fell straight on her top teeth (well, lip, I guess). First she said her teeth didn't hurt only her legs, but within a few seconds I could see the blood and within half a minute everything on her (and the floor) was bloody. It looked pretty bad. The manager of the store we were happen to be in at the moment took us to her office and asked if she should call the ambulance. I guess she didn't think it looked good, either. We waited for Amy to calm down a little and then we left. (Thankfully we ran into one of Chris' uncles just a few minutes before the accident so he was able to help with Haley while I tried to help Amy.)

Amy hurt her top front teeth twice before, and both times she refused to close her mouth, so the blood just dried on her teeth and gum and it looked yucky. It wasn't any different this time either. Except now she did it for 4 days straight. So the blood was dried on it for that long (since she didn't close her mouth the saliva wasn't able to get to it to clean it a little at least). Long and ugly story short, she threw up over 30 times in 2 days after she fell and the dentist had to pull her top front two teeth out. She doesn't like not to have those teeth, but she is getting used to it and I think she is almost fine by now. She is convinced the permanent teeth will cut through anytime. Only 4 more years, dear Amy.

Haley has been such a great baby even though she got little attention when Amy was so sick. She didn't seem to mind playing by herself. She loves to share (her toys, food, or anything for that matter) and tried to make Amy smile while she was feeling sad.

Amy and Haley likes to play together, I think they are best at hide-and-seek. Amy is an excellent hider, but Haley seems to find her nonetheless every time. So they truly enjoy playing that game. They also play crawl tag (so it's fun for Amy, too). It was Amy's idea, by the way, I am not that creative.

Haley took her first steps shortly after her birthday, but wouldn't take more than 2-3. She can walk really well holding one of my hands (or even just my clothes), but when she lets go she feels unsafe, I guess. Amy was walking at 10 months, so I was hoping Haley will, too, but she is not rushing it. : )

Chris has been busy working at IU (Indiana University in Bloomington) this past month. The company he works for does the pyrotechnics (among other things) at ALL IU events, and lately there's been a lot of those. The last one was a football game this past Saturday and he arrived home at 2:30 am after which he taught Sunday School next morning. He is also doing school and is halfway through his first semester. I'm not sure how he juggles family, work, and school so well, but he is doing amazing. The kids love him and I am in love with him. : )

And lastly a confession. I am one of those moms who never understood how other moms can have stories about their kids drawing on the walls, ruining this or that, etc. I always thought, "where were you when all this happened?" Well, today my 4-year-old daughter colored our living room wall with extremely bright crayons. And where was I? I was nursing Haley in the other room just before I put her down for a nap. So yes, I apologize to all the moms I questioned when they told me their "crazy" story.

Amy and I were always together until she was 15 months old. I didn't even go take a shower without putting her in a highchair and moving the highchair in the bathroom. I thought everyone did that. So how can they do crazy stuff if you are always there???

But with two kids, it's impossible to always make sure they are not doing anything "wrong." Yesterday I found Haley in the bathroom playing (splashing) the water from the toilet. Yup... So again, I apologize. And hope I learned from this. Just because you haven't experienced it yet, doesn't mean you won't. Remember that whinny, screaming 2-3 year old at the store? Remember how you thought your kid will never be like that because they will know better (because you raise them "right")? Well, remember that next time your kid doesn't behave the way they should. And I am not saying it doesn't matter how you raise them. It matters a great deal. But just because you raise them to behave well doesn't mean they always will. So don't think that the screaming kid in the store is necessarily a reflection of their parent's lack of disciplining. Anyway, I am sorry, again, for ever thinking that way!

And to finish on a good note, here are a couple of pictures of our princess:

Post for Women

Hi there,

This is a post meant to "start a conversation." I will share some of the practical things I learned since I became a wife, and I would love you to leave a comment with useful tips, too! So please do!

In no particular order:

1. If you cut baby wipes into two, four, or even six (depending on the size of the wipes), you can save a lot in a year. A package (60-70 wipes) lasts about a month. I cut them into 4 pieces (plenty enough for the size of an infant bottom), and I use as many as I need (which can be lots when I deal with a messy diaper). So you don't have to cut back on the number of wipes you use, but why use those huge wipes for that tiny area? Give it a try, you will see how much easier it is. (If you have any questions, just ask me!)

3. A great website we let Amy use is pbskids.org. There are plenty of educational games and good shows there. She learned a lot from playing these games and watching these shows. Not all of them are for all ages, but they are all very good. Some of the shows look silly, but when you actually watch them, they are really good.

4. If you are breastfeeding your first child, ask for help if it hurts. When I breastfed Amy (for the first two months) I thought I will die each time I fed her. Well, as it turns out (and is "proved" by Haley), if you are doing it the right way, it shouldn't hurt. 

Also, nursing Amy for 2 months, I thought I had no more milk because I wasn't leaking anymore (like I did before) and so I automatically thought I didn't have any. But just because you don't leak doesn't mean you don't have any more milk. I could have breastfed much longer with Amy had I known that. So again, don't be shy or scared to ask someone who breastfed before if you have ANY questions.

After both Amy's and Haley's birth my boobs got super hard. I didn't know what to do when I had that problem with Amy, but they told me how to deal with it when I had Haley. As it turns out, the baby has a hard time latching on when the boob is hard, the milk flows slow, and there is a greater chance the baby will scar your nipple. Had I known this with Amy, I would have been able to deal with it better then... 

5. Along the lines of breastfeeding... If you need to take a medicine and you are told you can't breastfeed while you do so, make sure to double check that info. (A free online source: http://e-lactancia.org/) Most medications are safe (even antibiotics) to take while nursing. When you are told you shouldn't take it while breastfeeding, ask what the risks are to the baby.

A good breastfeeding site is kellymom.com. 

6. Switch your kids toys every so many moths. Only have some toys out (enough that they can entertain themselves, but are not overwhelmed by them), and put the rest away. Then when they are bored of those toys, switch them with the ones that were put away. I am not sure how well it works with older kids, but it sure works with young ones. :)

7. Make an e-mail account to your kids when they are born and write to them (attach pics and short videos) frequently. You can give the address to them as a special gift.

8. You can make lots of crafts from toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, cereal boxes, etc. Look around your house and be creative!

I will add to these when I can think of something else.

Addition #1: Teach your kids sign language at an early age (even as early as 6 months). A good free online site is http://www.babysignlanguage.com/dictionary/a-d/. We taught both of our girls and Amy was always able to tell us what she wanted way before she could speak. She signed "eat" when she was hungry, "milk" when she wanted milk, "drink" when she was thirsty, "sleep" when she wanted to sleep, she learned to sign "please" when she asked for something and to say "thank you" when she received it.

Click on the picture to
enlarge

There are about 20 very basic signs that can help tremendously before they learn to speak. After that, it can still be useful to use sign language (for example to tell your child to say "thank you" when you are out and she forgets). We also use it when Amy is sick and feels too weak to talk. (Haley already uses a few signs, too.) I highly recommend signing to all moms.

Do you have a quick recipe you want to share? Or a good advice/tip for women? Do you have a "go to" website? Please share!