The Tooth Fairy's Ripping Me Off

"Mom, I think I swallowed my tooth." So says my six year old son.

"Why do you think that?"

"One's coming in way back here, and I don't remember one falling out."

Ah. So I had to explain that, as we grow and our mouths get bigger, we grow molars, or "big teeth" back there to fill the space.

Dmitri was relieved to hear he hadn't swallowed a tooth and missed out on a chance to collect a dollar from the tooth fairy. Until he connected more of the dots...

"Hey!" He pouted. "I get a tooth, but I don't lose one? The tooth fairy's ripping me off!"

I didn't have the heart to tell him how the IRS works... :)

Visit to Santa

The local hardware store had a visit from Santa, so I took the littles to see him. I figured it would be less crowded than the mall. Hm. Maybe... not!

The kids had fun coloring, though.

 

And getting their faces painted. 

And writing letters to Santa (and coloring the back!) while they waited.

Until they finally got to see the "big guy."

 

 

I can't believe how big these two are getting! Not so little anymore! *sniff*

Bugmania!

The museum had a cool insect display, so we decided to go.

Giant bugs!

 

 

 

And what was even cooler?

 

 

 

They moved!

 

 

 

The kids also got to go to a bug class. And see lots of different insects in cases.

(Some weren't in cases - I don't want to talk about the wolf spider that bit the handler and got away for a minute! Eek!

 

 

They made crafts too.

 

Totally fun!

 

Ambiguous News

Finally, a good profile picture of the little guy!

Love how his little hand is curled up by his face...

Today was the "re-check" ultrasound, because he was in a funky position last time, and just a little too small for them to see everything they wanted, like the fingers, the toes, the four chambers of the heart, the spine...

The good news is, they found everything they needed this time, he's still a boy :D - and I got video. The bad news is, either the software or the USB cord isn't working to transfer it to the computer, so I can watch it, but you can't! Wahhh!

The ambiguous news... our little guy has a very teeny tiny slight curve in his spine. There's no evidence of spina bifida, or a neural tube defect or anything like that. His mobility isn't effected, and there are no other defects that they can find in the heart, brain, etc.

Of course, all the literature I can find on the Internet conflicts, and varies from: "We conclude that abnormal spinal curvature in the fetus is a significant finding, whether mild or severe" to "Spinal curves are relatively common in the general population. Most curvatures are mild to moderate, while only a small percentage severe enough to warrant treatment."

So reassuring.

Not.

I don't know if the OB is going to want follow-up ultrasounds but my guess is that he is. *sigh* What I hate is not knowing for sure. And I'm having flashbacks of my pregnancy with Blake, where they found his kidney "slightly enlarged" at sixteen weeks. The cascade of interventions that followed, including an ultrasound every four weeks after that, an amniocentesis at 38 weeks to check lung maturity, and an induction soon after... ugh. Just the thought of it makes me want to cry.

And of course, there was all the awful, painful testing afterward, to find out that nothing was wrong with him at all...

This is what happens, I guess, when you open Pandora's box.

The doc who came in said, "I can't guarantee anything, but this seems very slight, and there are no other indicators. My guess is that some day he'll get an x-ray and say, 'Hey, mom, did you know I have a slight curve in my spine?'"

We can hope, I suppose, but in the mean time, I'm hormonal...and except for that perfectly rounded string of pearls without a little dip in the middle, I don't know the difference between what's normal and isn't - and when you mention "spine" and "abnormality" in the same sentence, a pregnant woman has a tendency to panic...

So I'm trying not to look at this as bad news, but rather... ambiguous news. We don't really know. Could be something. Could be nothing.

Unfortunately, you can't shut Pandora's box. Once it's open, you just have to live with it.

Sometimes I think denial isn't such a bad thing after all.

Let's Talk About Sex

The sex of our baby is......

(You did realize I was talking about that kind of sex, right? )

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A BOY!

 

 

I thought for sure we were having a girl. My pattern so far has been girl, boy, girl, boy... so I was in line for a girl. And we both wanted a boy, so that, of course, meant for sure it would be a girl...

But it's A BOY!

Now to go break Zoe's heart and tell her it's not a sister...

*sigh*

Oh, and I have to go back in ten days, because I'm 18w2d and they couldn't see as much as they wanted and baby was being VERY obstinate about position (he was breech and comfy and not moving thankyouverymuch!)

So more pictures and a video next time!

psst... did I mention? It's  A BOY!

Halloween Fun

The local hardware store had a free little Halloween thing, so we took the kids. Since their school forbids both masks and any "violent" costumes or weapons, neither of them will be able to wear their full costumes. *sigh*

Batgirl and Wolverine might as well get some use out of them before trick or treating!

 

Even if Wolverine is missing a tooth...

They had fun in the bounce house.

And playing in the fire truck. 

Dmitri tried on the fireman's coat. It was a little big. :)

They entered the coloring contest.

 

 

Even Blake colored something. 

Plus there was face painting. 

Both of them got a bat. 

 

 

And then we went home full of punch and cookies. 

Zoe said, "Today was a fun day!" 
 

Results

We had an OB appt today and I finally got my official nuchal scan u/s results back - my risk of having a baby with Downs Syndrome went from 1 in 113 to 1 in 2241, and my risk of having a baby with trisomy 13/18 went from 1 in 201 to 1 in 4001. 

Whew!

Also heard the heartbeat... the midwife couldn't find it last week, but we heard it galloping along just fine today. And we set up my anatomy ultrasound at 18 weeks - two weeks earlier than I expected.

I think we've decided to find out the gender. The kids are fighting over which they want - brother or sister - and I think getting the disappointment over now is better than waiting until the baby's actually here, kwim?

So we'll know what we're having in four more weeks...

Secret Gender

When I was a kid, I always hunted for and found my Christmas presents.

I've never been big on surprises. Most of the time, to me, surprises have been pretty disappointing. I like anticipation, but only when I know WHAT is coming. I like seeing the light at the end of a tunnel, and already knowing that it's not a train!

So the decision to keep the gender of this baby a surprise was a tough one for me. But my first was a surprise. My ex wanted a girl, and I did, too, and that's just what she was, but we didn't know until the moment she arrived. Granted, the OB announced it, and they whisked her away to the warming table to be suctioned, and I didn't see her for a while. 

But it was a surprise. 

We didn't want to know the sex of our second baby, either, but when the tech asked and I told her no, we didn't know to know, she mouthed the word, "Boy!" to the other tech... and Pandora's box was open.

So resisting the temptation with baby number three and four was just too difficult. And Michael wanted to know, too, so I figured, why not? People could buy us gender-specific things (and since it had been so long since I'd had a baby, I had no baby things left!) which they were begging to do...

But I was going to stick to my guns with this baby. It was going to be a surprise, no matter how tempting it was to find out at that twenty-week ultrasound. A nice bookend to my first pregnancy.

Now I'm re-thinking that, but it's not my curious-kitty instincts that are changing my mind. What I didn't count on were the other kids having very strong preferences for one gender or the other. Zoe wants a sister. She very adamantly wants a sister. And Dmitri wants a brother. And they are fighting about it constantly, which gender it is, and who's going to get what.

I'm trying to imagine the disappointment and resentment - inevitable, with one, if not the other - at the birth. That's gonna suck. It should be a joyful time, and I really don't want to have to console a first-grader because the baby isn't the gender they wanted. *sigh*

So, selfishly, I'm wondering if I should just find out now, and tell them so they can get the disappointment over with, and then get used to having either a brother or a sister? That way, there will be no big surprises for them at the birth. They'll already know if we're welcoming Luke or Lucy... 

I suppose it makes the most sense. And hey, I love finding out secrets. I'm fourteen weeks today, so that ultrasound is six weeks away. I still have time to consider and think about it.

But I think I'm now leaning toward finding out.

Your WHAT?

Zoe: "Mom, where's my diarrhea?"
Mom: "Your WHAT?"
Zoe: "My diarrhea! It was right here on the table!"
Mom: "Um... what do you think a diarrhea is?"
Zoe: "A book you write in that no one can look in!"
Mom: "Oh, you mean a DIARY!"

Kindergarten Graduation

Well, their first year of school is officially over.

They wrapped it up with a great big party. Lots of food!



And lots of playing.





And tons of games.



And today they graduated! Class of 2020.



*gulp*

Look, Ma, I gradimitated!



Gotta love the hats!



The teachers read three things about each kid as they came up - the thing they liked best this year, what they would do in first grade, and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Lots of Nascar drivers and veterinarians!

My kids, though... LOL




ZOE
The best thing this year was: the zoo
In 1st grade, I will: be good
When I grow up I want to be: a princess

DMITRI
The best thing this year was: recess
In 1st grade, I will: learn more about spiders
When I grow up I want to be: amazing

Time for cookies!

Robin's Egg Blue

Dmitri came into the house cradling this the other day. Gives a solid definition to "robin's egg blue" doesn't it? There's still baby bird-gunk on it and everything! I put it away for him, so he can take it in for show and tell on his day. Very chagrined at first, Zoe went out determined to find her own. And look at that - she did!

Wordless Wednesday: SharkBunny

Note the fuzzy feet. And the tiger paw.

My son's creation. :)




SEE MORE WORDLESS WEDNESDAYS HERE

Six Year Old Kisses & Underwear

Stop.

The.

Insanity.

A school suspended a six year old for kissing a second grader on the bus.

Yeah. Okay. This whole "zero tolerance" thing has gone way beyond any sort of common sense.

Just a few weeks ago, Zoe had an accident at school. They didn't call me - instead they just put a note in her backpack, changed her into the school's "spare" size 6X set of pants and underwear, and asked me to wash and return them in the note. Which was fine.

Except Zoe was going through her backpack on the bus and her underwear fell out. The bus driver found them, and she made a big deal of coming out to talk to me about it. When Zoe explained she'd had an accident in school, the bus driver backed down and said, "Oh, she didn't tell me that."

Did she think Zoe was flashing the other kids? What?

It just seems to me that the first reaction nowadays from schools (and anyone involved with schools) is an overreaction. Instead of using their heads, they let their fear lead them. A six year old kisses a second grader, a pair of underwear is found on the bus, and all of a sudden bells and whistles are going off? I understand being a mandatory reporter, and of course, if you discover real abuse, you should do something.

But something like this? Come on...

Life is complicated enough for adults, never mind the kids, without adding this sort of suspicion and stress. And when the adults in their world suddenly become wary of everything... it definitely makes things pretty confusing and bewildering for a six-year-old.

If You Take a Mouse to School

Dmitri: There was a mouse in our school!
Daddy: A mouse! What grade was he in?
Dmitri: Umm... our grade
Daddy: A mouse in kindergarten! Did he sit by you?
Dmitri: (laugh) No!

Daddy: Can he count to 100 like you?
Dmitri: (laugh) No! Dad! My teacher screamed like a little teeny baby!
Daddy: Did you scream?
Dmitri: No! (scoff) I’m a brave mouse boy.