Tooth Fairy Disappointment

An open message to the Tooth Fairy: After the stunt you pulled last night, I'm not sure Noah will be wanting you to visit any more. Read on...

After losing his first tooth yesterday at lunch, Noah dutifully put his tooth in his "tooth pillow" (lovingly made by Nana) and waited for bedtime.

Tooth Fairy, you did not forget to visit since this was Noah's first lost tooth and you wanted to get off on the right foot with him.

This morning Noah woke up extra early crying. I went to his room to see what was wrong.

Noah: "The tooth fairy didn't bring me anything."

Me: "Are you sure? Let's check."

Noah: "It's just a toothbrush."

Me: "Did you check the pocket of your tooth pillow?"

Noah: "There's nothing."

Me: "Well, what is this?" (as I hand him the folded bill)

At this point, it was still dark in his room. He wanted to turn on the light and see what his "dollar" was.

Noah: "A five dollar." Then he hangs his head and starts crying again.

Me: "What's wrong now?

Noah: "But I wanted a 100 dollar."

Me: "I'm sorry, sweetie, but the tooth fairy doesn't ever pay $100 for a tooth.

So Tooth Fairy, you can see why you may not be welcomed back with open arms. You didn't exactly live up to expectations. I will work on him, but I cannot guarantee you any more teeth from Noah. You really ought to do a little market research and make sure you are paying children enough for their teeth. Otherwise, you may find yourself out of a job.

Lost Tooth or the end of innocence?

Today was a major milestone type of day. Noah lost his first tooth!

He has had several teeth in varying stages of "looseness" since summer. Two weeks ago at the dentist, I was told that he really needed to get this particular tooth out since the adult tooth was coming in behind it. I could either have Noah work on it or have the dentist pull it. As the dentist pointed out (thank you Dr. Krueger), it would be far cheaper if we could get it out instead of having it pulled. So for the past two weeks I have prodded and cajoled Noah in this task. And today it happened. I asked him at lunch if he had gotten that tooth out of his mouth yet and he started to wiggle it. This tooth has been hanging on by a thread for a good week now and all it really needed was a bit of a yank, but Noah wasn't having any of that. After just a couple of wiggles, out it came.

Noah was, of course, very excited. In fact just a little while ago as I was getting him out of the bathtub, he was singing a song about how he lost his tooth and the tooth fairy was going to come tonight. (Hopefully, the "tooth fairy" does not forget in the next couple of hours.) It has clearly been a banner day for my little man. I now have him working on the other bottom front tooth because the adult tooth is visible beneath the surface of the gum and it won't be long before it breaks through. His top two front teeth are also loose as well as the tooth next to the one that just fell out. Apparently, he is going to lose his baby teeth the same way that they came in- all at once.

Now by this point, you may be wondering about the title of this blog. Clearly, this is a happy occasion so why did I add the doom and gloom of "the end of innocence" to the title? Well, you see for me the physical milestones are the ones that affect me the most. The fact that he is off to kindergarten (real school) in five months doesn't really get to me, but I had to hold back a few tears at lunch today when this happened. While it is obviously a wonderful thing that my son is growing up, it is also a little sad for me. All this growing up that he is doing is happening so quickly. He continues to morph in front of my very eyes. I have often called him my little man and when things like this happen it becomes very clear to me that that is what he is.

(Note: The photo was taken just a couple of minutes after the tooth came out. The bleeding had largely stopped, but it is still pretty "raw" looking. I was also having trouble convincing him to keep his finger out of the hole so the bleeding would stop.)

Be It Resolved

Here we are just a few days shy of March and I have not yet made this post. Let me explain...

I tend to avoid making New Year's resolutions. I think they are just a convenient way for people to say they are going to make a change without truly committing to it. We all know the jokes and the statistics when it comes to resolutions. Basically, they are doomed to failure. However, I do have some things I want to accomplish this year. So I delayed writing this post so that the things I commit to truly have meaning. I just got delayed a bit longer than I thought I would.

All of that being said, here are a few goals I am setting for myself for 2010:
1. Read more- I LOVE to read. I simply don't indulge this passion nearly enough. The year got off to a good start with 12 books read in January, but I have fizzled in February, paying as much attention to books as I do to this blog.
2. Blog more- I started this blog to capture all of the little things and I find myself waiting (and waiting and waiting...) for something interesting to blog about. As any parent can tell you, the really interesting stuff happens in the routine of the day. My posts don't need to be mini-novels. A line or two chronicling something funny Noah said or did would be just fine.
3. Scrapbook more- I am officially over three years behind. This is another thing that I enjoy, but just don't take the time to do. (anyone else sense a pattern here?)
4. Grow more of our own food- I have learned a lot about the production of the food that we consume and it is frightening. If I could talk Sam into tilling up the entire backyard, I would, but a nice plot along the lines of what we had before we had a swing set would be nice.
5. Cook more- Now before you go thinking we are off to a restaurant or getting carry out most nights of the week, we do cook and eat most of our meals at home. What I am talking about is cooking the way our grandmothers used to- from scratch. Enough of the pre-packaged, overly processed edible food-like stuff you can get at the grocery. I am going to learn to take whole foods and make wonderful meals.

Now for things I want to do less of (since it seems I have a lot of things I want to do more of listed above):
6. Yell less- Hi. My name is Kim and I am a yeller. I could mount a defence, but I really need to work on this one. Yelling especially rears it's ugly head when I am overstressed. It accomplishes very little and leaves everyone feeling bad.
7. Procrastinate less- I like to be organized (maybe to a fault at times) and I think that I have gone too far in the other direction and now I simply accomplish nothing. And when I look around I feel so overwhelmed by what is facing me that I put it off even longer.
8. Facebook less- Facebook has been wonderful for getting back in touch with family and friends, but it is also a HUGE time waster. No wonder there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day when huge chunks of it are lost when I log into Facebook. Facebook, I love you, but we need to see other people. We can still go out now and again, but I am going to have a lot less time for you.

I know there are probably a dozen other things that I could list, but I think I have hit the highlights. I may add things later. I may post updates from time to time as to how things are going. But I must remember that I am imperfect, I am a work in progress. I have set the bar and I will achieve these very attainable goals. It will require some effort, but I know I can do it. And there is no backing out now because as soon as I hit "publish", this is set in stone (well not really, but I have to make this sound good, right?).

The Christmas Letter

Once again forces have conspired against me. It is one day my hope to send out a Christmas letter to friends and family. You know the ones- a one page synopsis of everything we did in the previous year. Is it a little tooting your own horn? Well, yes. But I want to do that every now and again. Especially since I am a stay at home mom and my horn never gets tooted (but that is another story for another day). This year I was lucky to get Christmas cards out.

I wanted to take a family picture in front of the Christmas tree for the card. Yes, a picture of Noah alone is nice and is truthfully all anyone really wants to see, but it would be nice if everyone knew that Noah does indeed have parents. I expressed this desire to Sam, but I am not sure that he was really listening. Nearly two weeks passed and he asked if we were going to send out cards or not. (Try to conceal annoyance) So we took the picture a couple of days later, uploaded the photos and had cards printed which I then picked up at Target.

Then it happened. I got sick. At first, I thought it was just a cold. After a week, I went to urgent care (it was Saturday and I just couldn't ignore my symptoms any longer). They diagnosed me with strep throat which I have never had and prescribed an antibiotic. Three days later and I was still miserable and my Christmas cards were still waiting to be sent out. I went back to urgent care and this time they told me I had mono. A couple of years shy of 40 and I have mono- "the kissing disease"! And still my Christmas cards wait.

I finally muddled through finding all my addresses so I could send out those poor cards. I would ordinarily have a nice list already put together from the previous year, but our computer had crashed way back in February and I had a few addresses here and a few there so I had to find them all. I could barely muster the energy to do this let alone write a letter. Plus it was just two days before Christmas. The cards had to go!

I won't go to all the trouble of creating a letter here. It isn't all that important and frankly it would just take too much time and energy at this point (it has already taken me a few days to get this post written). Suffice it to say, 2009 was a challenging year for our family. We all visited the ER once, Sam and I each made two trips to urgent care, and of course Noah has had growing pains of his own as any 5 year old does.

However, we are blessed beyond measure. Sam's job is secure in an economy where there are plenty of people who cannot say the same. We have a lovely, little house that we can afford the payments on in a time when record numbers of people are losing their homes. We have plenty to eat and clothes to wear. We are surrounded by family and friends who love us and share their lives with us. Who could really ask for anything more?

Maybe 2010 will be a better year and I will FINALLY get to send out a Christmas letter....

Death of a Feminist

Note: This took place nearly two months ago. I posted it as my status on Facebook at the time, but kept telling myself that I needed to blog about it so that I could preserve it for posterity.

Noah and I were having a conversation in the car one evening after a trip to get some milk. Noah said, "I want to play Wii." I said, "We'll have to see what daddy says. He controls the TV when he is home." Noah, "Well, I control the man cave TV. Mommy, you control the kitchen." Me (sarcasm dripping from my lips), "Oooh, do I get to control the laundry room, too?" Noah, "Yes, you control those two things."

As funny as this conversation was, I have to admit a little piece of me kind of died inside. By staying home with my son, am I teaching him all a woman can aspire to be is a wife and mother?

I have always considered myself a feminist. You know equal rights (and responsibilities of course), equal pay for equal work, and so on. I really struggled with the decision of whether or not to take Sam's last name when we married. I was afraid of losing my own identity. (In the end, I just decided that it would be easier in the long run.) And when Sam said it was really important to him for me to stay home with Noah, I think I must have had a small stroke. Are you kidding me? Me, stay at home?!?! I relented with the stipulation that if after six months I was not happy being at home, then I could go back to work.

Of course, I love being at home (most days), as I am still doing it five years later. This conversation with Noah really freaked me out though. I want him to grow up believing that women are his equals. They are just as smart and just as talented and just as everything as a man. I want him to respect women and love them and be nurturing. Keeping it all in perspective, he is only five! His world at this point is still so small. He didn't mean anything by what he was saying. That is his observation of his world.

All my friends rallied on Facebook and helped me remember that I AM doing the absolute best thing for him by staying at home. That he will learn everything that I want him to learn because I am the person that I am and he is my son. And so a feminist did not die, but simply realized that she needs to have patience.

I love you, Noah! You constantly challenge me and teach me new things about myself.

Summer Fun

Since summer is good and over. In fact, winter is knocking at our door. Thought I would post a photo retrospective of some of the fun we had this summer.

Concrete step meets eye= First trip to ER (and hopefully last but probably not) and a really nasty black eye.

Learning to play soccer and having a lot of fun!

On the giant water slide at our neighbor's house. Thanks, Julie and Lori!

At the Fourth of July Parade in Carmel, Indiana. Goofing off before the fun gets started!

There were of course many other things that are not included here- running through the sprinklers, covering the driveway with sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles, riding bikes, playing with the other kids in the neighborhood, and just generally being a kid (both Noah and mommy).

It was everything that I truly wish for Noah's childhood to be. Lazy, carefree days with lots of time to be and do whatever he can dream. Thank you summer.

Unplugged- An Experiment

-Distraught by the fact that the average kid spends several hours a day watching TV and only a few minutes in nature.
-Worried that boys tend to be diagnosed at a higher rate with ADHD.
-Concerned that obesity, diabetes, and a handful of other woes are on the rise.

I decided that we should endeavor to get outside more this summer.

Since Noah is not yet 5, him being outside more inherently means that I am outside more. I will admit to letting go and sending him outside (even out front) by himself. We established rules (no leaving the driveway without asking) which he follows pretty well most of the time. And I check on him frequently. It hasn't been easy to send him out without constant supervision, but I know we are both better for it. I had the run of the neighborhood as a child and as much as my paranoia and the world today will allow, I want that experience for Noah as well. I want him to be a "free range" child.

He has made friends with a lot of the kids here on our street- younger and older. It doesn't matter. He loves to play with them all and has different experiences depending on whom he is playing with. I sometimes see him just sitting in the grass and just being- which for a child, especially a boy, is a valuable skill that I know will benefit him in school. He is fascinated by the world around him and is asking questions about it. Thank goodness for the internet as it makes answering his questions a lot easier. He is less concerned about what is on television and more concerned about who is outside to play with.

And as I said, I have been spending more time outside too. This is an accomplishment as I hate to be too hot or too cold. If I could find a place that has year round highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s, I would move there in a heartbeat. A natural consequence of being outside more, I don't spend nearly as much time watching TV or on the computer (Facebook in particular). At first, it really bothered me. I felt a little out of touch with everyone. But I gradually grew to love the fact that it had been days since I turned on the computer, that I wasn't waiting to see who would post what next to their Facebook page, that I was getting to know my neighbors (actual contact with living people instead of virtual contact). Never mind the fact that I have developed quite a nice tan from so much time outside. I can't rememer the last time I had this much color.

So for the better part of the summer I have been "unplugged". I would say that it has been a successful experiment. We have all these gadgets that are supposed to make our lives easier and more comfortable. And on some levels, they do those things. But on another level, we are being robbed of something more fundamental. So I guess another way to look at this experiment is to say that I have plugged into my life. I know our lives are richer and more fulfilling for it too.

So everyone out there will have to forgive me if I don't get right back to your email or respond to your latest Facebook post or request. I'm a little busy hanging out in the driveway with my son and any of our neighbors that care to join us. We are running through the sprinklers, playing with sidewalk chalk and bubbles, and enjoying the summer evenings. School will start all too soon and I want to soak up every minute of summer that I can.

Next blog post- Summer Memories (but not any time real soon, I'm busy plugging into life!)