“I’d better put it under my pillow”, he said. “But I hope there isn’t any more tooth fairy rubbishness…”

“Wha? What do you mean Tomo?”

“You know. There was that time she didn’t come. Then about two nights later she came, left a pound and the tooth. And then there was the time she took the tooth and didn’t leave a pound…”

“And there’s the tooth she left in the bathroom on the travel plug for about three months…” chipped in Richy Rich.

“Oh,” I said, “I hadn’t noticed that”.

what do you think?

notice the gum line isn't smooth anymore...

and here…

big bump up on the gums

waking up from pm nap

even while sleeping, the drool keeps coming

]]> http://mrsoulmark.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/oh-yeah-forgot-this/ Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:39:55 +0000 mrsoulmark http://mrsoulmark.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/oh-yeah-forgot-this/ I totally forgot to write in my last post about Dylan’s baby tooth extraction last Tuesday. One step closer to all adult teeth. Of course, Dad did the extraction. It’s my job, even in Ohio

Of course, we celebrated with a trip to East Coast custard!

After that, we had a bonfire in the back complete with s’mores and chasing fireflies. The rain storms came a little later in the evening, of course!

We are now almost back down South. Waiting on our food at Cracker Barrel.

Thanks Missy, John, Henry, Charlie and McKinley! See you in August!

Mini started up her banshee cries around 0415hrs.  Thank goodness I’ve not dried up yet – when changing her nappy, cuddles, rocks and snuggles in my bed (last resort) didn’t stop her screeches, it was sheer heaven for my poor ears to just whip out a boob.  Instant silence.  Well, except for the slurps (she’s a noisy and messy eater).  Though to be fair she then whimpered on and off all bloomin’ night.  I think she finally fell asleep about 0600hrs.

So you can imagine how grumpy I got being awoken by a wet slobbery mouth cupping over my nose, closely followed by a jab of a 14 month old finger right up my left nostril.  Crikey, I think she managed to tickle my brain.  When I yelled in shock and horror, she giggled and shrieked in triumph.  Minx!

I guess the reason for all the hassle was that she cut her 5th tooth (remaining top incisor, her left) yesterday (23rd May).  So I guess soon she’ll have a normal baby smile rather than her current jagged, higgledy-piggledy mouth.

Maxi and Midi look both ways whilst crossing the road

Today seemed to be all about my eldest.

She cut her 4th tooth yesterday – her upper right incisor.  So soon she’ll no longer look like Fang.  The 2 teeth either side of it are microns below the surface.

Remember I said I was in denial about her walking?  Well, she walked 3 definite steps towards her beloved eldest sister, Maxi Minx, on Saturday.  Then 7 little tiny steps yesterday.  Today she screeched and shouted every time she stood unaided and I wasn’t watching.  When I turned round, she’d smile winningly and start to teeter forward a step or 2.  Obviously she is becoming a little applause junkie!  I don’t mind – I find it endearing that mine and The boss’s approval and attention are so important to her.

I was updating Mini’s little My Baby’s Journal book with how I felt about her walking, and a big blank paragraph hit me: “I first pointed when…”  Crikey!  I’d never noticed her pointing before!  She kind of waves in the general direction of things, but that’s it.  Today, though, she made up for it, pointing at everything and decisively declaring: “At!”  It’s such a ladylike little point, unlike Midi Minx’s thuggy jab-point with her middle finger: she holds her hands in a perfect little EMP hand gesture.

While waiting 45 minutes for the car that was “just going to be another 15 or 20 minutes” (bloody garages…), me and Mini had a lovely play and chat.  At home I have too many distractions and things I have to be getting on with; when her sisters are home, I’m too busy with them.  So it was really wonderful just to ‘be’ with my baby.  She was really working her cuteness and trying so hard to make me laugh.  She is as obsessed with hats as Maxi Minx was mad about shoes at the same age.  Maxi’s 3rd word was “shoe”; Mini’s 3rd word is “hat”.  Well, ‘at.  She pats her head to sign ‘hat’ and had a lot of fun hauling her sunhat on, off, behind her head, on my head, trying to insert it in my ears…  And tonight she thoughtfully repeated, “‘at. ‘at. ‘at”, comparing her sunhat and Daisy the Cat.  She kept trying to copy my overly-enunciated Hhhhhhhattttt.  Cccattttt.  And she’s pretty close to saying her sister Midi’s (real) name, to Midi’s delight.

Before when he would bite all I had to do was bop him on the head and firmly say ‘No’, easy as that.  When he would lick me I would praise him and give him a treat, if I had one handy.  Eventually after a few days he stopped biting and everything was fine.  But that was months ago.

When he started this new burst of biting, I checked out his mouth, thinking he might be teething.  I noticed that one of his canines was missing and a couple more looked to be ready to go.  He was definitely teething, and so I knew that the biting would only continue as the pain in his mouth grew.  But I also knew that if he formed a bad habit as a result of this, it would be nearly impossible to break.  I tried my old method to get him to stop biting, but to no avail, so I did what I always do when I have a question about him and looked on Google.

I already knew that dogs bite as part of their play, but what I didn’t know was that the the other puppies in the litter will help them learn the rules to safe biting.  Typically what happens is when they are being bitten in a way that is not friendly, the puppy will let out a little high-pitched whine and the offending puppy will cease.  The article then went on to say that puppies growing up without other puppies around will not have this natural deterrent to biting, which in hindsight makes absolute sense.  It was then suggested that whenever Sturm bites me I should do my best to replicate the yelping of another puppy and eventually he would learn to not bite me.  I tried it out a few times and he would stop biting me instantly, then give me a weird look as if he expected to see another puppy where I was.  Now I just have to stick with it.

The fact that he is losing his teeth already is also quite impressive.  They were already pretty big and honestly, even though it seems like it is so soon for him to be losing them, I thought they would always be there.  Maybe that’s just me not wanting him to grow up.   I was vacuuming the living room just before I sat down to type this and I found one of his canines on the floor.  I picked it up and saved it, even though I told Madeline I wasn’t going to save his teeth.  She doesn’t have to know though.  Pretty soon his adult sized canines will come in and his bites are going to hurt.  That will be some serious incentive to stick with this portion of his training.  I just hope I am not already too late.

SMILE!

Start the school year with a healthy, beautiful smile — just in time for school pictures. The final days of summer are perfect times for back-to-school dental check-ups. It’s back-to-school across America, and it’s time to focus on ways to brighten students’ smiles for learning success and adorable school pictures. As the school bell is set to ring — and with one in four children having undiagnosed tooth decay — now is the time to give students a solid foundation for future dental health. Proper oral hygiene is a great way to start the school year off on the right foot. A complete and comprehensive dental exam can spell greater success in the classroom.

Despite recent improvements in dental care in the United States, tooth decay is still one of the most common childhood diseases, according to the American Dental Association. It is five times more common than asthma in 5-17 year-olds, according to the association, and affects more than one fifth of American children aged 2-4, half of those aged 6-8 and nearly 60 percent of those aged 15, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Cedar Rapids Smile Center (www.cedarrapidssmilecenter.com) loves to help children smile through preventive, comofortable dentistry.  Here are some tips to help brush-up on dental hygiene:

• A Good Cleaning. Your child may think he or she is old enough to brush their own teeth, but until they reach the age of six, make sure to take command and help them brush at least twice a day, using a pea-sized amount of ADA-approved toothpaste. Make sure older children brush at least twice a day, too.

• Don’t Forget in Between. A toothbrush can’t get into every nook and cranny so it’s important for parents to floss their child’s teeth.

• Eat Well. Make sure your child eats a balanced diet, stays hydrated, and seeks healthy options for between-meal snacks. Do not put your child to bed with a bottle. We encourage use of a cup as their first birthday approaches.

• Visit your Dentist. Book routine visits for professional cleanings and check-ups as recommended by the American Association of Pediatric Dentists and your dental health professional.

For any questions on dental health please call the Cedar Rapids Smile Center at 877-217-8590.   We love seeing kids smile!  If you are looking for dental care for your child or family, we offer FREE exams and FREE x-rays for New Patients.  Just mention our blog!

…from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

Q. When should my child first see a dentist?

“First visit by first birthday” sums it up. Your child should visit a pediatric dentist when the first tooth comes in, usually between 6 and 12 months of age. This visit will establish a dental home for your child. Early examination and preventive care will protect your child’s smile now and in the future.

Q. Why so early? What dental problems could a baby have?

The most important reason is to begin a thorough prevention program. Dental problems can begin early. A big concern is Early Childhood Caries (formerly known as baby bottle tooth decay or nursing caries). Once a child’s diet includes anything besides breast-milk, erupted teeth are at risk for decay. The earlier the dental visit, the better the chance of preventing dental problems. Children with healthy teeth chew food easily and smile with confidence. Start your child now on a lifetime of good dental habits.

Q. How can I prevent tooth decay from nursing or using a bottle?

At-will breast-feeding should be avoided after the first primary (baby) teeth begin to erupt and other sources of nutrition have been introduced. Children should not fall asleep with a bottle containing anything other than water. Drinking juice from a bottle should be avoided. Fruit juice should only be offered in a cup with meals or at snack time.

Q. When should bottle-feeding be stopped?

Children should be weaned from the bottle at 12-14 months of age.

Q. Should I worry about thumb and finger sucking?

Thumb sucking is perfectly normal for infants; many stop by age 2. Prolonged thumb sucking can create crooked teeth or bite problems. If the habit continues beyond age 3, a professional evaluation is recommended. Your pediatric dentist will be glad to suggest ways to address a prolonged thumb sucking habit.

Q. When should I start cleaning my baby’s teeth?

The sooner the better! Starting at birth, clean your child’s gums with a soft infant toothbrush or cloth and water. As soon as the teeth begin to appear, start brushing twice daily using fluoridated toothpaste and a soft, age-appropriate sized toothbrush. Use a “smear” of toothpaste to brush the teeth of a child less than 2 years of age. For the 2-5 year old, dispense a “pea-size” amount of toothpaste and perform or assist your child’s toothbrushing. Remember that young children do not have the ability to brush their teeth effectively.

Q. Any advice on teething?

From six months to age 3, your child may have tender gums when teeth erupt. Many children like a clean teething ring, cool spoon or cold wet washcloth. Some parents swear by a chilled ring; others simply rub the baby’s gums with a clean finger.

My son was hit in the mouth with a bat and his front permanent tooth was knocked out. What should I do?
Your child must see a dentist within one hour of the incident. If you wait any longer, the chances of the tooth being successfully re-implanted are poor. If you can, rinse it in cool water; don’t wipe it or scrub it. Place it in a glass of water or milk, or gently wrap it in a clean, damp cloth until you get to your dentist’s office.

Teeth that have been knocked out will almost always require a root canal, but they can often survive for years if treated within one hour after the injury.

To protect your child in the future, have your dentist fit your child for a mouthguard and consider purchasing one or more tooth-saver boxes for your home and your car. These boxes are designed to hold and protect a knocked-out tooth until you can see a dentist.
Click here to learn more about dental first aid kits.

My daughter fell and bumped her front baby tooth and now it’s dark. Is it dead?
Probably. The discoloration may mean that the impact has broken a blood vessel at the tip of the tooths root. Here is one note of encouragement: Baby teeth often survive blows that would kill a permanent tooth. Take your daughter to a dentist right away and have the tooth examined.
Click here to learn more about dental first aid kits.

My son chipped his front tooth. How difficult will it be to fix it, and how long will it take?
If you find the fragment, bring it with you to the dental office. A fragment can occasionally be bonded back onto the tooth. Even without the broken piece, a dentist can often restore the tooth to its natural appearance in less than one hour.
Click here to learn more about dental first aid kits.

What should I do if my child has a toothache?
Call your dentist immediately. Some dentists recommend that, until your child can be treated, you should rinse her mouth with lukewarm water and apply cloth-wrapped ice to her face. Dentists do not recommend that you apply heat, and you should never put an aspirin on the tooth or gums. Aspirin is acidic; placed on a tooth or against the gums, it can produce burns. If you’re going to use aspirin, make sure it’s swallowed.

Finally, children who complain of a toothache often have food lodged between their teeth. Gently flossing the area of discomfort may provide immediate relief.
Click here to learn more about dental first aid kits.

How can I prevent injuries to my child’s teeth?
If you have toddlers, make sure your house is childproof. This means sharp corners or protruding knobs and handles on furniture have been padded; if this isn’t possible, lock the doors to the rooms with this furniture. When your child is in a stroller or car, make sure she is strapped in firmly. Never let your child stand on a seat or sit in your lap while you are in a car.

Mouthguards can prevent injuries in older children. Most dental injuries occur in your neighborhood, not on the gym floor or playing field, so a mouthguard should ideally be worn during all rough play, even if it’s just in your own backyard.
Click here to learn more about dental first aid kits.

I say teeth, and teeth they are, but they are still super tiny, probably only about 2 mm for the first one and even less for the second. Furthermore, these elusive little teeth are proving difficult to catch on camera, but pictures will be posted as soon as I can get a clear shot. So, when are we supposed to start brushing this little puppies?

PS – I am aware that the Tooth Fairy is usually the one who takes teeth away but in this case, I swear she’s the one who dropped them off.

Note: Contrary to the cartoon below, Niko does not seemed to be bothered by teething. The only sign he shows is a steady river of drool.

While Niko was chomping on my finger this morning I sensed something other than the usual smooth gum line: a ridge, a peek, something jagged, not the usual. But do you think I can get a look at what’s there? Not a chance. Every time I try to see, Niko moves his head or tongue around so it becomes impossible, but I can feel it. I am just not sure if the white tip has poked it’s way through or if it is just getting ready to do so. Either way, we’ve entered a whole new world here, and there’s no going back. I guess it’s time to get Niko a toothbrush.

He was born with a cleft palate, which was fixed at 10 months old.  Even with that we still do not know if his teeth problems are due to the cleft palate, or if he is just unlucky enough to have these problems that need to be corrected so young.

He has several issues, some of which will not actually be fixed until phase 2 when he is a teenager.

Right now phase 1 will include:

• a spacer attached to bands around two of his top teeth that will be used to stretch his palate.  This is needed to fix the left side of his teeth, which have one type of a crossbite, where he has an underbite.  He could have this in for up to 6 months!
• a couple of weeks to a month after the spacer goes in, he’ll need to have some braces attached to the top four front teeth.  He has a few issues that this will need to correct.  The first is a gap in his front teeth.  The second is a different type of crossbite, where his teeth meet and not overlap.  The third issue is an adult tooth that we are waiting to come in that is coming in sideways will need to be turned around.

If more of his adult teeth come in during the treatment, then she said we could fit in a correction for them as well and not have to deal with it later.  He does have an area where we had a baby tooth pulled out (we had three teeth pulled in the back when he was 5 years old due to problems with them) and apparently there is an adult tooth missing where that baby tooth was that we didn’t know about until now.  She said that may not be a problem in his case and she can use that space.  He has a lot of teeth up top that are coming in on top of each other.

So now what are the next steps and how much is all this going to cost?

I didn’t want him to have to deal with the rest of 2nd grade and new braces all at the same time.  I’ve requested to have the spacer put in after he gets out of school for the summer so he has some time to get used to it and we can help him with cleaning around the appliance in his mouth.  Plus we’ll need to turn the spacer once a day for the first couple of weeks to slowly stretch out the palate and it’ll be easier to do with him at home.  We have to keep an eye on his palate and make sure it doesn’t tear where he had his surgery.  It shouldn’t be an issue because the doctor that performed the cleft palate surgery did a tremendous job with very little scar tissue, but she said to watch just in case.

He’ll be going in on May 31st for the records appointment.  That’s where they put a file together on him, take an extra x-ray, put bands around two of his teeth that the spacer will fit into, and make an impression of his teeth so they can have the spacer made.

Oh and they’ll need a $400 deposit that day to get everything started.

Depending on the insurance we have at the time, we should get it back.  The cost of phase 1 is $1500.  Our current insurance will pay for everything.  Assuming we have this insurance at the time.  We’ll have to see what happens in May!  Regardless, I’m not worried about the cost right now.  The important thing is that my son gets this taken care of before it’s more difficult to fix later.

At least they have a payment plan/financing if our insurance falls through in any way!

The spacer should be ready to put in around June 14th.  Everything else is a wait and see from there!  It’s really going to depend on how well his palate stretches and how quickly the remaining adult teeth come in.

Is anyone else dealing with braces with their children?

2.  Gems

3.  Silver

The tooth is out. The Man and I were in bed last night, in the dark, about midnight. Son 1 aged 5y 4m pitter pattered up the stairs.  The lights went on. ”My tooth has comed out! Look!  Look!”  The Man was up. “Have you got it?”  “Yes!”  Something went on in the bathroom, Son 1 clambered on board.  I am on Night Nurse for my cold, and I think I may have been asleep before the lights were switched off again. This morning when I woke up I was almost off The Man’s side of the bed.  Son 1 was sound asleep next to me.  I could hear The Man and Son 2 aged 2y 5m in battle: “I WAN’ MUMMY CHANGE MY NAPPY!” “Mummy’s still in bed.” “I WAN’ MUMMY COME DOWNSTAIRS! I WAN’ MY BESSBESS!”    ”You can have your breakfast when I’ve changed your nappy.” “I WAN’ MUMMY CHANGE MY NAPPY!”  Son 1’s hedgehog head poked up from the quilt. ”Where’s my tooth?”  We couldn’t find it in the bathroom, so down we trailed to find The Man. He’d given up on the nappy, and was in the kitchen feeding Coco Pops to Son 2.  He sent us back upstairs to look among the toothbrushes, and there it was.  Little. Unrooted.  Sort of shorn off at the bottom.  Son 1 has a little white line in his gum.  Remnants of the lost tooth?  New one coming through? I have no idea.  I am torn between my regret at not getting that last picture of the baby tooth smile, and my relief at finding, after closely peering, that the little lost baby tooth is white.  Not yellow.  No holes or brown bits.   One out of twenty has survived the sweets and chocolate and cakes and juice and biscuits and jellies and raisins which Bad Mother did not fight hard enough against.

Son 1 was very keen to go swimming.  With the Big Slide. This meant the Town Pool, and swimming in sittings – Son 2 first in the Baby and Toddler session, and then Son 1 afterwards when they let all the gadgets off.   Son 2 is lovely in the pool.  He didn’t want to swim, and it was freezing so I don’t blame him.  He played with his sea horses, sat and splashed in the shallow end, swam over to the ladder and climbed up and jumped in, holding hands, and spent a lot of time in the spa pools, which were much warmer.  He did a bit of swimming, though not much, and liked riding on my back very much.  At 20 to 11 he announced: “I binished simming,” and started striding out.  “We can’t get out till Daddy comes with Son 1,” I told him. “You’re going home with Daddy, and I’m staying here with Son 1.”  We sat in the bubbles till they arrived.  The Man and I swapped boys. Son 1 was in rash vest and shorts and was desperate to get in.  He was great value too.  We played sea creatures, he was Prince Eric washed up on a shipwreck and I was Ariel, we fought the fountains, beat back the waves and sat under the waterfalls with a surfboard as our umbrella, we went up the stairs to the flume and sped down and round and round and down.  Son 1’s swimming is great – he crossed the deep end on his own while the current was on, and kept his head above water the whole time.   After an hour, he was too floppy to swim, and decided he wanted to go home. After just three more goes on the flume.

The Man was grappling Son 2 into the Big Pram when we got back.  “You have to go with Daddy so you can have a sleep in the pram,” I told him, as he became Iron Bar Boy. Off they went.  Son 1 chose Charlotte’s Web, and wanted to ring Grandad to tell him about the tooth.  The Man and Son 2 came back. “Mummy! Look what I got!” A pack of M and S raspberries. Four left. “What happened to the rest?” I asked. “I eated them!” “Did you have a sleep?” “Ess!”  “No he didn’t,” growled The Man.  Both boys were knackered.  Son 1 did puzzles, Son 2 watched Scooby Doo.  Nanna came round for tea.  They flipped between charming and bloody awful.  They were so tired we put them both to bed together, Son 1 with his tooth in silver foil under his pillow. “Do you want to show it to Mrs Smiley tomorrow, or do you want to leave it for the tooth fairy tonight?” “I want the tooth fairy to have it.” He was asleep before I left, and I extracted the tooth and swapped it for a pound coin in foil.  The tooth is now in my purse. I am having a little silver tooth box from the christening stuff in the jeweller’s.  The tooth fairy will probably leave it under my pillow tomorrow.  If I get a lunch break tomorrow.

Baby teeth are our first set of teeth.

We can also call them milk teeth.

When we grow up we’ll be having new teeth.

They are called permanent teeth.

This is how I lost my baby teeth:

In the morning we went to a farmer’s market and we bought some ‘keropok lekor’.

I ate ‘keropok lekor’ on the way home and when I was taking the last bite I saw my baby tooth on it!

I was surprised!

Fortunately I did not eat it together with the keropok.

I showed my mother my baby tooth.

My mother cleaned the tooth and keep it in a safe place.

Later when my big sisters came back home from their silat class I told them that I lost my tooth.

I am so happy that I had lost my first baby tooth.

Now I have another small permanent tooth and I think I’m going to loose another baby tooth soon

“Yes, so you must take good care of it”, she replied.

“Haha. The senior baby tooth”.

***

I woke up with an itch on my upper left tooth. With a torch light, I looked at the itchy tooth. Obviously there is a small hole on it.

That means I have to break my life time record – my first dentist visit after I left secondary school.

“Did you see the hole on it?”, the dentist asked, giving me a small mirror and show me the hole on my tooth.

“Uhum…”, I replied.

“It is a baby tooth. You still have a baby tooth”.

“Baby tooth…”, I repeated in disbelieve.

“Do I need to remove it, since it had hole in it?”

“We’ll see. We try not to remove it. Otherwise you’ll have one tooth less.”

“Won’t the primary tooth grow out after the baby tooth is removed?”

“No. In certain case, the primary tooth is absent. So the baby tooth remains.”

After few minutes, the drilling starts. I wonder what makes people so anxious when they see a dentist. Is it due to the drilling sensation inside their mouth? Somehow I rather enjoyed it when the dentist is scrapping my teeth with the hook-like tool. Probably that’s how the crocodile feels when it open its mouth for the birds to clean its teeth.

Fifteen minutes and my baby tooth is safe again.

]]> http://oneneatthingaday.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/12-3-09-ritterschlag/ Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:32:26 +0000 Sean http://oneneatthingaday.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/12-3-09-ritterschlag/ I HAVE RETURNED! I have swum through endless oceans of time and space, past the universe, past reason, PAST SANITY! in search of wisdom! knowledge! good schools! reasonable access to public transportation! AND WISDOM! I have sat with elders of a gentle race this world has seldom seen and talked of days for which they sit and wait, when all will be revealed. Ooooo, and it was heavy, baby! I BRING YOU!…

Um…

(searches pockets)

…Some crumpled cocktail napkins, half a circus peanut and a spiral-bound notebook with “BEWARE THE MIDGET” scrawled on every square inch.

Hmm.

Y’know, I was kind of thinking this Prometheus thing would be way cooler than this…

Anyway, you’re probably wondering why you haven’t seen me here since, dear gods, since August. Well, one reason is that I was just burned out from blogging. It happens… usually with a little more warning than I gave. I can’t believe that anyone missed me, but if you did, I’m sorry.

But I have another, much more legitimate reason for not blogging (at least for the last month)! That’s right, it’s National Novel Writing Month! 50,000 words in 30 days! Pure hell! Now I know what those American POWs felt like on the Bataan Death March… if those POWs had been forced to type over 200 pages of Courier New 12-point in 30 days! “Raust schnell, American dog! Your metaphors are trite and your plot derivative! Another night in The Box for YOU!” [1]

And you know what? I did it. I have a first draft of an urban fantsay novel about revisionist dragons, complete with one character undergoing a sex change when I realized I needed a romantic subplot. Now all I need is about 20 rewrites, and I’ll have my first novel!

Kill me. Just kill me now.

Anyway, I could continue Shanoah’s muppet thread with, say, this Baby Tooth version of a dragon dance, courtesy of MarshalGrover…

But I think, in honor of my novel about revisionist dragons, I think I’ll go with a short about revisionist dragons. This is Ritterschlag from the Institute for Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction Film Academie of Baden-Württemberg, the only movie that dares ask the question: “Why do dragons keep kidnapping fair damsels?”

Courtesy of axiomcodex.

You’re lucky I didn’t post something about sex changes.

[1] Yes, I know my Japanese are speaking German. And you know what? I don’t care.

Vivienne Westwood’s Spring 2010 collection looked like something the local lady hobo would wear after raiding the Salvation Army’s rejects. This was a mess all around. I wish Viv would get back to doing beautiful gowns without the busy fabrics and jumbled ensembles. I didn’t see any corsets in her collection, which for is basically what she’s famous for. My motto is ‘Do what you’re good at’ and also ‘Don’t eff with something that doesn’t need to be effed with.’ Like my dentist keeps hounding me to pull this one baby tooth I have. Yeah, I still have one baby tooth. Weird, but true. But, it doesn’t hurt me , it doesn’t look too FUG (I assume) and I still can eat food comfortably. So why pull it!? Anyway, the point is: Vivienne needs to refocus on the gown and stop with all the BS prints. She needs to ‘simmer-down now’ as Cheri Oteri would say!

photos: Style

your first tooth. It looks to me to be in the wrong spot. But I guess we'll just wait and see....

Well. Look what I found this morning: a new tooth coming through! You’ve been a bit grisly for the past few days, with a few screaming episodes in the afternoons. Yesterday was particularly bad, but you had your four-month immunisations yesterday so I figured it was due to that.

But, this morning I was rubbing your gums as you seem to like that at the moment, and felt that “grain of sand” feeling in your gum… On closer inspection, there is a patch of white and it appears to be a tooth! Mind you, not sure it’s growing in the right spot – it seems to be coming out of your gum beneath the tooth ridge rather than on it. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Good for you.

Big you.

Growing.

And the doctor has advised that the latest research about allergies suggests you should try to start on solids now, at four months. So this week we might give that a go. I’ve been teetering about it as there is so much literature out there that is contradictory – six months, four months, blah blah. But you’re growing a tooth, so I reckon you might be ready for a bit. So your Dad and I think we’ll try a little. And since I can’t walk properly yet it will be others that will have to help with the mess!

love you

mum

P.S. You’re four months and one week old.

He was sitting as docile as a little sheepy before he spotted me.

The little bugger was all squirmy and a little vocal about not wanting to get his diaper changed 2 seconds prior to this shot.  His personality took on a sudden change once mommy picked him up.  All smiles now.  And still looking quite baby!

Here daddy and baby are watching Elmo and Andre Boucelli sing “Time to Say Goodnight” on Sesame Street You Tube.  This one is going to be totally cultured.  Can you see him hold Elmo as he’s watching?

See how tiny he really is?  He’s so cute!  And he’s taken quite the liking to the two-legged mode of transportation.  With assistance, of course!

So we finally got a family shot!  In action!  Pretty adorable stuff don’t you think?  Baby was intrigued by ever crack and pebble on the sidewalk, it was so funny!  Happy Birthday, Chauncho!  You’re a fine child, really one of the best looking babies out there.  If you check out the ‘rents you’ll see why!  That’s my most unbiased opinion.  =)