Dentist

I just realized I never blogged about Frank's first dentist appointment.

We got there at 8:50am and signed in. I'd filled out all the paperwork at home. (I downloaded them from the website. Yay, internet!) It's a nice office- it's done in an aquarium theme, with a HUGE fish tank right in the middle, which Frank loved- he'd asked me on the way in if this doctor would have fish!

We got called back and went in, and Frank became Mr Clingy. He refused to let go of me- I had to carry him in. The hygenist had me sit in the chair and put Frank on my lap, and she reclined the chair with us that way.

Frank never stopped crying and screaming the entire time she was checking and cleaning his teeth. I felt bad for her, and for the dentist, both having to sit there and listen to that the entire time, but they both laughed it off. "it doesn't matter to us," the dentist, a very nice woman, said. "If he's crying, his mouth is open, which means we can do what we need to do!" I had to laugh, because I hadn't thought about it that way!!

"Besides," the hygenist added. "He was a vcery good patient. He didn't try to kick me, bite me, or push my hand out of his mouth. He just laid there and cried."

I stared at her. "Um...do those things happen often?"

"Oh, yeah, occupational hazard. You should have seen the black eye I got last month when a kid kicked me!"

Day-um! I'll have to remember that next time I think my job is hard!

Anyway, Frank's teeth looked great; in their words, we are doing a very good job brushing his teeth, and need to keep up the good work, as well as start flossing. We haven't gotten on that yet. I'm pretty sure that'll be super fun.

Don't piss off the parents.

It seems that the entire afternoon staff in Frank's classroom has been changed. This happened the week after Darrel had a discussion with the director about the diaper-changing issue. It wasn't just us complaining, either- I found out from another mother that she had complained about the very same thing! Darrel had the discussion with the director, rather than me, because the day after I had decided that a "come to Jesus" meeting needed to be had, he happened to be the one to drop Frank off in the morning, and he ran into the director.

Personally, I think he arranged things so he could be the one to have the discussion because he knew how much of a rage I was in the one afternoon when I got home and opened Frank's diaper- it was clear, by the condition of the contents, that he hadn't been changed in a long time.

But, really, I had spoken to the head teacher not once, but twice, about this, and there's a big note for the afternoon staff saying which kids need changing. I don't like getting people in trouble, but my kid should not have to fear getting his diaper changed because of how much it will hurt, nor should he have to walk funny because of the size of the load in his pants.

Anyway, it's been much better the last couple of weeks, all around. He's wearing pull-ups during the day, and regular diapers at night. He hasn't asked for big boy underwear in several days, but there's been a lot going on, so I guess it hasn't occured to him. Also, I found out why he chose that particular day to ask me for them- one of his bestest friends, K, came to school that very day wearing big-girl underwear for the first time. ;)

Party!

Frank's "Friend Birthday party" was yesterday. Yeah, it's only two months after his birthday. Anyway, we held it here, and invited the kids whose names he mentions most often. Seven of them came, as did the two kids of friends of ours from college; the daughter is a few months older than Frank, and the son is five.

We set up the folding table adjacent to our kitchen table.

Judging by the fact that the kids were very reluctant to leave (two of them had to be carried out by their parents), I'd say it was a success! I had some games planned, but when the kids arrived, they all swarmed over Frank's toys, and they all were playing so nciely, I decided to bag the games. They arrived at 10:30am, and played for about a half hour. I then had chicken nuggets ready to be served, so we called them to the table. While they were waiting their turns to be served, they had pictures of fire trucks (the theme) to color. (I white paper on a roll I laid out beforehand and taped to the tables, just in case an enthusiastic colorer strayed off the paper.) They ate their chicken, chips and pretzels, and then ran back to play. We cleaned up lunch stuff, and got things ready for the cake. at 11:40am, we called them back to the table and sang Happy Birthday.

This plate is the set we had, with matching cups (which we didn't use- we used juice boxes) and napkins.

The cake was done by a bakery just down the road from us called Baker's Perfection. They also did our wedding cake, and they are fabulous! Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Morris County and need a cake for an occasion, go to them. They actually took a napkin I gave them and replicated the design for the cake! The cake itself was actually one of those pull-apart cupcake things, with buttercream icing- man was it good! And, as perusual, I ordered way too much, so we have a lot leftover. I'd figured the parents would eat some too, but only one or two did.

I handed out goodie bags, and the last child left at 12:30pm. Normally, this would have been when we put Frank in for a nap, but nope, not yesterday- it was then Niece #2's birthday party, 45 minutes away! Frank slept 20 minutes in the car on the way down, and not at all on the way home. We got him to bed at about 8:45pm last night, and he was quiet a good 12 hours! Darrel said he woke around 4am from a nightmare, and he stayed up with him a bit, but then he didn't call for us again until about 8:40am. I, of course, was wide awake at 7am, but that was okay, because I'd slept well and had gone to bed around 9:30pm.

Niece #2's party was fine, a normal family party. I showed Niece #1, age six, how to use my digital camera, and she went around and took some pictures. She seemed very interested in it. She's quite painfully shy, and doesn't say much, but if you ask her questions she'll nod or shake her head. I feel bad for her, and I worry about her.

Potty training

Or, excuse me, toilet learning, as the books insist on calling it now. "It's a child, nto a dog," the books all say. WhatEVER.

My son just turned three in September. He's in a class with 22 other kids at daycare, and he is only one of four who are still in diapers. It's been a problem for a few reasons, msotly because I'm not entirely certain they remember to change him in a timely manner. Frank tends towards diaper rashes. He always has a low-grade kind of rash, but it's been really bad off and on since the school year began, and he tranferred into the next older class. I find it telling that the rash gets worse as the week goes on, and gets better over the weekend.

He balks at using the potty, and has never shown any interest in it, so we decided, after realizing that peer pressure was not going to get him interested in it, that we were simply going to make him sit on the potty at various intervals throughout the day. They do it for us at school, too. He sits, and cries each time we make him sit, and so far, he has done nothing in the toilet.

Now, this week...Tuesday when he and I got home from school, and I changed his diaper, he randomly asked if he could wear his big-boy underwear. (I had bought about eighteen pairs at various times recently, of different characters, to try and get him interested in them.) I agreed- He put the underwear on (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), and a pair of sweatpants, and we went downstairs, along with a towel to spread on the couch where he likes to sit.

Twenty minutes later, he stood up. "Mommy, I'm wet." Okay, upstairs we went, with me praising him for telling me right away. (He'll let a load of pee or poop sit in there for hours if we let him. He never tells us. I gave him a sticker for telling me right away.) We changed his underwear (Cars this time) and his sweatpants and went back downstairs. Twenty minutes later, lather, rinse, repeat.

Yesterday, same deal, except with the second pair of underwear, he pooped instead of peed. I will only say that cleaning that pair of underwear was not the most fun I have ever had.

Today, again. The second pair he again soiled, but this poop was...less solid than yesterday.

I threw the pair of underwear out. Yes, I do realize underwear cost more than diapers, but I simply could not bring myself to try and clean this pair. It wa shard enough to get them off him without retching.

I'm not sure if letting him wear big boy underwear with him not really doing anything in the potty is accomplishing anything, but he does get a thrill when I tell my husband each evening about it anhd his teachers in the morning about it, so I guess I'll let him wear them as often as he asks for them.

Teachers' Convention

I have today and tomorrow off for Convention. I'm not going, but I do have things I need to get done around here, so it's nice to have a couple of days. Frank is going to the dentist for the first time tomorrow morning, at 9am. Yeah, so not looking forward to that. Too bad I had that appointment scheduled, though- I could have gone into the city to see the Yankees' ticker-tape parade tomorrow! Oh, well, I'll probably have a better seat in my living room, anyway. One day, though, I want to go see a real ticker-tape parade in NYC.

Yes, the Yankees won their 27th World Series title last night, amidst, of course, lots of people grumbling about how they "bought" this title, because they have more money than all the other teams. Whatever. If money was the key to it, why don't the Yankees win every single year? Anyway, I fell asleep for the seventh and eighth innings, but woke for the last out in the ninth. Darrel stayed awake for the whole thing, and then some- he ended up sleeping in his recliner, and was awake again and watching highlights when I went downstairs at 6:30am today. I'm just SO glad I don't have school today, so I don't have to go through the day feeling like I've been hit by a Mack truck!

I have to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend, too. I am way behind where I usually am at this point in the year, and have to step it up if I'm going to finish everything by Thanksgiving!!

October is really over??

Wow. Huh. Well, there wasn't much going on for me to blog about, I guess. I managed to make it through an entire month without calling in sick. That's something of an accomplishment.

Haloween here was warm, but rainy. Yeah, way to go, weather guys- no rain for trick or treating, my ass! We bought about a thousand pounds of candy to hand out, based on last year's trick or treat numbers, and got maybe 30% of the numbers we had last year. I let the kids grab handfuls of whatever they wanted- we hand two bowls, and towards the end, I let them grab a handful from each bowl. Yes, I was in fact That Lady Who Gives Out Tons of Candy. :D

Frank dressed up as Thomas the Tank Engine, and. despite the rain, he enjoyed trick or treating. We went to eight houses before I decided it was time to head back home. Not that he actually will eat any of his haul, except for the green lollipop he already started sucking on last night; however, he does enjoy showing off what he got and counting and sorting it all: "Look, Mommy! I got two of dat and tree of dat!"

This Thursday and Friday is Teachers' Convention. Friday morning, Frank has his very first dentist appointment. I think I may need a Valium for this one. I told them he has Sensory Processing Disorder, so we'll see how it goes!!

We are having the birthday party for Frank's friends from daycare here at our house in two weeks. We've only invited seven kids, but, *whimpers* help me. It's only an hour and a half, but I hope having a whole bunch of preschoolers running around my house doesn't drive me off the deep end! It seems like the trend, for the most part, is for the kids to have their parties at these big-box gym type places and invite the whole class. Frank doesn't really like those places much- they're usually too loud, for starters. So we figured invite the kids whose names Frank mentions most often and have it here. Some free play, a couple of goofy games, snacks and cake, and they all go home. At least, I hope that eats up one and a half hours!

Niece number three's party is that afternoon, too, so after his party, Frank goes in for a short nap, and then we go to that party! Oh well, at least he should sleep well that night.

I have about half of my Christmas shopping done. I am hoping to spend Thursday getting the other half done.