Toothie

All of my boys were/are late to get their teeth.  Dean will be 2 in a few months and we're still waiting on some of his chompers to pop through.

For this reason, it wasn't a huge surprise when Ry was late to loose his first tooth.  This didn't come as any sense of comfort to the poor kid, especially when he was the last of his friends to get a visit from the Tooth Fairy. 

So imagine our surprise and delight when he lost #1.  Only to be followed by a literal loss because he misplaced said tooth about 5 minutes after it fell out of his face.

So we wrote a note and lo & behold, the Tooth Fairy still came.  Cut to yesterday when he was eating an apple, and out popped #2.  I put it in a plastic bag so we were sure not to loose it.  And whaddaya know - we lost it.

Phil whipped up this note and all was well with the world:



I don't know where all of these teeth are going.  I figure (a) Sammie is stock-piling them for some doggie arts & crafts project, or (b) There really is a tooth fairy scooping them up. 

I calculated that we'll eventually work through 80 lost teeth (I did that math myself).  Hopefully we get this under control before the other boys get into the mix, otherwise Sammie is going to build up quite a collection.

The Hills Are Alive

There’s a right of passage every parent must go through…the glorious children's concerts. At our daycare, they like to fancy it up by calling it the Winter Gala – which I have to say I appreciate because it does make the whole thing feel pretty special.

First up was Dean. I have no pics or video because it was pretty chaotic, plus he kept trying to hit the other kids with his sparkly red top hat. I know this sounds pretty awesome but I felt too ashamed to record it.

So next up came Cha. I only included his grand entrance, which cracked me up because he just lit up when he saw me (it’s not often that I feel this appreciated).

Then the grand finale. Cole channeled his inner Von Trappe child and belted it out for his fans. I’ll spare you the whole song – it feels like it goes on longer than the actual Sound of Music movie - but here’s a little snippet to whet your whistle.

The good news – they all performed much better than years past when we were pretty much boo’d out of the room for our unruly children. And since I didn’t fess up to the crowd that Dean was mine, no one pointed a finger at the mom with the hat-hitting-kid.

Score one for motherhood.

The Low Down

I was clearing out the pictures on my phone when I realized - there are a ton of pics I haven't posted for the 1 or 2 loyal people who read this blog. So here's a treat just for you!

We were in Target the other day and Cole got himself all jazzed up. I actually like most of the things he picked out...he's like my little accessories apprentice

Whenever I had an ultrasound of Dean he always had his hand over his face, exactly like this. So weird to see those ultrasound pics translated into real life

Bathtime mohawks

Whenever I see a face like this and a body moving at full speed, I know that either (a) Someone will soon be crying (b) Something spilled (c) Something broke, or (d) All of the above


Cole loves his swim lessons. Thumbs up for the pool at the Y...thumbs down for the haircut

Showing off his "beautiful hair" (clearly better than the pic above)

Snug as a bug in a rug

Dean had surgery a few weeks ago (he's doing really well - thanks for all your thoughts). I'm such a sucker for a baby in a hospital gown

Sammie has a new-found love for Ryan

Best part of the night...snuggle time with Grammy

Ry discovered the Star Wars section at the library (i.e. Heaven)

Do not be fooled by this angelic face. He is schooled in the art of deception

Ry had a dentist appointment the other day and came home BEGGING to floss his teeth. I figured I would document the moment so I could show it to him during his hygeine rebellion in the teenage years

So there you have it, a glimpse into the last few months as seen through the lens of my iPhone. I realize now that I've conditioned the kids to getting their picture taken - the other day I took out my phone to check an email and Charlie said, "CHEESE!"

6 Months

I have a very specific memory frozen in my brain.

My neighbor stopped in to check in on me after Dean was born. At the time I was sitting on a stool outside of the bathroom, trying to convince Cole that going to the bathroom on the potty was a good idea.

I was balancing the baby in my lap as I nursed him. Charlie was trying to pull himself up to a standing position by tugging on the back of my shirt. Ryan was screaming in the other room that he needed help with his Legos.

Needless to say, my neighbor turned around and immediately walked out of the house.

I wasn't sure that we would make it past those first few months, but we did it. I've never celebrated a 6 month birthday before, but I figured we earned this one!

Happy 6 months to you little Deanbo.

The Latest On Our Littlest

Honestly, these kids love Deanbo. Sometimes they love him a little too much and we have to call off the dogs. ("Charlie, don't sit on top of your brother!" "Cole, stop licking the baby!" "Ryan, do not take Dean out of his crib and put him in your bed!")

Sometimes I think Dean isn't so sure about this place, but he's a good sport.

The Latest On Our Littlest

Well there's not much to report on Dean, but I felt like I needed a post on our little man.

He's almost 3 months old and is waking up out of that newborn haze. The boys have nicknamed him "Deanbo" and I'm hoping that it's sort of like Rambo. He's going to need some super-human strength to contend with 3 older brothers.

Their hugs and kisses are a little rough, but they have the best of intentions. Love you, Deanbo.