BUMBO (and other short stories)

A friend of mine is having a baby any day now and she and I were at someone else's baby shower recently when we were commenting on all the gifts as they were being opened (because you have to be entertained during that slow motion show somehow!) when my friend mentioned that she wanted to get a 'Bumbo' for her baby. So, I figured out that the Bumbo was the thing that I had been seeing on the baby isle at Target and considering whether or not I wanted to get it. So, I said, "Don't buy one! I'll get it and will be done with it by the time your baby can use it, so I'll pass it on." It's easier to justify the expense knowing that it will be used by two babies (and probably many more! - not mine though.)

So, today I made the Bumbo purchase. I don't know why this thing cracks me up so much! It looks like he is sitting in a puddle of melted mint ice cream (mmm.... ice cream...) or some sort of quick sand or something. It is hilarious. And boy, do the other kids love it! After I had gotten everyone settled for the night, I went to pick up the living room, and there in the Bumbo, someone had put Elmo to hang out for the night!





The best part of all is when I go to take him out of it. I lift him up and his thighs get stuck, so the whole chair comes up with him. He looks like he has got his bottom stuck in a bucket! Love it.


On another note, I am preparing for the trip of the century! Actually, I'm just going to California for the weekend, but with all the leaps and bounds it is taking to get there, it feels like the trip of the century.

My sister and brother-in-law are getting married in San Diego on Saturday (congratulations, Andrea and John!), and I am dumping kids on a couple families and heading out to the West Coast A.L.O.N.E!!! Geoff is flying there for the weekend instead of home, so that we can both be there and have a bit of a vacation for just the two of us. I am so dang excited! Other than the occasional date once a quarter or so, we have not had a weekend like this for SIX YEARS! I'm not complaining. Six years have flown by, but I'm just saying... I've taken trips alone, and he's always on a trip :-) somewhere, but never together! Woo-hoo!

So, I'm packing up and doing extra laundry and such to get ready. I can't thank my friends enough for taking all the kids. I will owe them big time. It's a huge deal to keep someone else's six month old baby for a weekend! (You rock, Kelly!)

What else is going on?

Oh, Logan split his lip open this evening while playing basketball on the driveway. It's not very bad at all, and luckily when he came into the "infirmary", dinner was ready, so that distracted him. Then he said it was going to be fun telling everyone about it at school tomorrow. I love that guy!

On yet another note: I got crazy this afternoon and offered to have two friends kids over while they passed out cookie dough for the school fundraiser (I felt sympathy for them, having myself been the PTA Queen in the past). So, although the children were perfect, I got a glimpse of what 3-year-old triplets might be like and then thanked heaven that we got all our kids one at a time.

That's my update. I'll check back in after my whirlwind vacation!

Barack Obama 08. I'm calling it.

Big buzz is going around about the new McCain scandal published on the front page of the New York Times. Frankly, I couldn't really care less. And frankly again, would you have a "romantic relationship" with this guy?


Me neither. But I could have a girl-crush on the "lady in question".
She's not bad to look at. But I digress...

McCain probably didn't have anything inappropriate to do with this woman, but I wonder if we, as American's in general, care weather he did or not. Everyone loves (possibly past tense nowadays) Bill Clinton and he was about as immoral as they come. I'm so saddened that in today's day and age, an extramarital affair is not only ignored, but seemingly expected -- especially among groups such as the wealthy, politicians, and almighty Hollywood. So, how will this really affect the McCain train heading for D.C.? Will it derail it?

We're running out of options. I think Hillary's campaign is dying a slow, ugly, and painful death. Huckabee is a minor-leaguer. (Plus, I can not bring myself to even imagine a president named Huck.)

Obama is the only option left. Even if this scandal doesn't hurt McCain's bid for the White House, I really feel like this country in general may be done with Republican Presidents for a while and want to try something new. Hillary Clinton is not new. Even McCain seems like old politics now -- he is at least chronologically old. One thing for sure, Obama is new! Have you heard him speak? He's like a cheerleader at a pep rally and a TV evangelical preacher all wrapped in one. He can sell out a professional basketball arena (a big one) and have them begging for more. He's been likened to the Beatle's and JFK. Its nuts.

**Now, I'd like to insert here a comment about Mitt Romney and say something to the effect of "there wouldn't be any stories like this about Mitt..." But who knows what people would have dug up to try to smear Mitt. Maybe its better that he's out. I can't decide on that one. But I would feel safe to say that there wouldn't be a story about an extramarital affair.**

So there. I'm calling it. Barack Obama 2008. I'm not endorsing him, and wouldn't mind eating my words later. These are interesting times my friends. I'm just saying.....

Gone baby, gone.

The title of this post does not refer to the recent movie directed by actor Ben Affleck and starring his little brother Casey Affleck - (Rated R, haven't seen it, although it has created a bit of Oscar buzz). No, sadly, it refers to my brain.

Tonight is Scouts for the boys. Logan's Wolf badge has been sitting in the 'junk bowl' on the counter for what seems like forever. So, I decide I am going to be Super Productive Mom today and finally get it patched onto his shirt. I pull out the "Badge Magic" and get it on lickety split. I was also thinking what a great kid Logan is because he has never nagged me to put the patch on and is probably feeling different from all the rest of his den each Tuesday night, but still doesn't bother me to put it on. So, while applying the badge, I am chiding myself for not doing this ages ago because it only took two seconds, I notice that there already is a Wolf badge on and I have just put the second badge where his Bear badge should go.

How the heck did we get two Wolf badges?!? And when did I put the first one on? Then I realize that Logan is in the Bear den and finished the Wolf thing at the end of last school year.

So, I pull off the second Wolf badge and am left with a perfect diamond of glue on the shirt ready to collect lint and dirt and who knows what for the next few months until we get a Bear badge to cover it up. (Now for sure he won't feel different from the rest of the den.) And how long is it going to take me to get the Bear badge on...? Sheesh.

Now I have an ice pack on the glue diamond in hopes of peeling it off. I figure it took heat to apply it, maybe cold will UN-apply it. Maybe? What do I try next, peanut butter? (I'm half kidding.)

So much for being Super Productive Mom. I won't make that mistake again! I will say, however, that the Badge Magic (sold at your local Scout shop) is awesome and works great!

We had a barn raising today.

One of my favorite movie scenes is in the film Witness with Harrison Ford. He is hiding out in the Amish community to protect his murder witness. During the course of his stay, there is a scene where the entire Amish community spends the day putting up a barn for a newly wedded couple. Litterally, the whole community comes and they put up a barn in one day. Everyone has a job and they just jump in and get it done.
Well, Church for us today lasted all of four minutes and ended with a barn raising. We sat down on "our" pew to listen to the prelude music (Geoff had gone early for a meeting), and soon Samantha had to go to the bathroom. I sent Maren with her. A few minutes later, Maren came back and said "Samy is really sick. She just threw up!" Crap. I asked if she made it in the bathroom. "Nope. It's right over there." She points to the doorway of the chapel. Nice. So, I went over and the barn was being raised.... People all over were cleaning up Samy's half digested oatmeal. I went into the bathroom to find her and a couple other people were helping her wash up. It always impresses me when the whole "community" just diggs in and does a job. It's most impressive when it is at the end of a ward activity and chairs and tables are being cleaned up and put away so fast it looks like they are flying through the air. The motivation being that everyone wants to get home, but today, the motivation was just friends being neighborly. I love it.

Since we've been home, Samy unloaded one more batch of oatmeal on the rug by the back door -- we needed a new one anyway -- and has dry-heaved quite a few times since. Poor little baby. I will say that she has been a champ about getting every drop into the purple 'throw-up bowl', though.

Happy Freakin' Valentine's Day

The kids and I had a great day. Every one woke up to a valentine card at breakfast with love from mom, along with heart-shaped pancakes served on red plates with valentine napkins!

Dressed up for "Fancy Nancy" day (Maren) and armed with bags full of treats, party supplies and goodies all around, we were out the door at 7:15 am! (Yes, heart shaped pancakes at 6:30 in the MORNING - that's how dedicated I am!)

After all the kids were gone, Samy and I made heart-shaped brownies and chocolate chip cookies for all our friends and neighbors (Okay, I baked the stuff while she watched Wonderpets and Dora - less mess. But she helped bag it all!) Then it was off to school for Logan and Maren's parties. Christian was perfect, strapped into the Bjorn. Samy sat at Logan's desk and acted better than some of the third graders. I just left her there while I went to Maren's party. (The teacher is very cool.)

I served up ice cream sundaes for Maren's class, and then led games for Logan's class. Dropped off our baked goodies to friends on the way home from school, and ordered Papa John's heart shaped pizza for dinner. When I got home, there was a box on the doorstep with a beautiful bouquet of roses from Geoff.

Poor Geoff. He called at about this time to tell me how his day had gone:

Usually he flies home from the west coast on a midnight flight Thursday night. He gets home at about 6:30 am on Friday. Well, this week, he was going to surprise us and he had scheduled a 12:00 noon flight today so that he could be home and have dinner with us on Valentine's Day (He's way more sentimental about this day than I could ever hope to be!). Well, he got on the plane at noon, beautiful blue skies and not a cloud in site. During take off, a bird flew into the engine and sparks went flying!!!

A BIRD! Can you imagine!?! What luck. Needless to say, the flight didn't go on as scheduled. Poor Geoff. The best laid plans..... So, instead of being home for dinner, he sat in an airport for five hours until they could get him on a different flight and will supposedly be home about midnight. How about that! Like I said, happy freaking Valentine's Day! Bless his heart. On the bright side, he'll get to sleep in his own bed one extra night this weekend. Woo-hoo!

7 Things

Lauren tagged me to list 7 little known things about me.

I've thought about it off and on for a few days in between laundry loads, and it is pretty hard. I can't figure out if it is because I think I am an open book, or I just have no memory/thought process. Who knows! I'll do my best.

1)Hold on, I'm thinking.....Oh, here's one! I was proposed to via walkie-talkie while caravanning from southern Virginia to northern Virginia. The ring and a note were buried deep in a giant Tupperware full of Skittles. Geoff kept telling me that I had to eat all the Skittles before we finished the drive. I figured something was up and dug into the Skittles to locate the ring box. When I found out what it was, I almost crashed the car. (I was driving the new one!)

2) One of my biggest pet peeves in the entire world is water drops on the kitchen floor. Another that comes in a close second, well, probably first, is people disregarding school zone speed limits. I could just wring their necks!

3)When I was a young girl, we lived a pretty humble life, so my Barbie’s swimming pool was the biggest stock pot we had, and their cars were either shoes or shoe boxes. Barbie never complained. She still always managed to be stranded on an island with Ken after a plane crash and made out with him. She even had some nick-mo with the 'Six Million Dollar Man'! Barbie had a good life!




What number am I on? Okay;

4) Two things when I fall asleep at night. A) I always have to have the TV on with the timer set for 60 minutes (if it's set for 30 min, I worry that won't be enough time, although I am most always zonked out within 10 minutes). And B) I fall asleep frighteningly similar to Lilly from TV's "the Munster’s": flat on my back, straight as an arrow, head raised slightly with a pillow, and my hands clasped or folded over my midsection. The only difference between Lilly and me is that I don't sleep wtih the flower stem in my mouth.

Now as a side note, Geoff works out of town and only sleeps at our house on the weekends for the most part, so when he's home, I fall asleep quickly with my back turned to him. (Just kidding, Geoff.) ((Not really everyone else!))

5) Another "when I was young": I used to want to be an actress. As a young child (7 or 8), I remember doing audio plays on our tape recorder with the cool little microphone that you plugged into it. Then in High School and College, I did some plays and was actually decent. I won a couple awards in state competitions and school "awards" programs. People wrote in my yearbook that they were sure I would make it in Hollywood. (This one cracks me up thinking about it.) But I have to say that to this day, I will still watch a movie and often think that I could have done that-- and possibly done it better! (Watch out, Julia Roberts!)

6) I L-O-V-E going to movies by myself (not on a Friday or Saturday night) and enjoy going to lunch (not dinner) and sitting at a table with just me and a good book. I guess I'm a bit of a loaner sometimes.

7) I earned money for my Church mission by working as a bar maid at an Irish Pub. Ahhh, the good old days!

There you go! Thanks for the Tag, Lauren. I need to go to bed, because that took a lot out of my brain -- but it was well worth the pain. Look at me: I'm a poet and don't know it!

We do nothing...

... but I am so stinking busy, I can't stand it. The best part of all is that a good portion of my day is spent at home. And what am I doing all day at home? Yep, Laundry. Okay, okay, there is a good chunk of that time spent on the phone with various girlfriends, but thanks to portable phones, it can all be done at the same time! (I love the miracle that is the 21st century -- or are we in the 22nd now?)

So, I've been wanting badly to journal/blog, but haven't had the time to really sit down and get it done. I've been making a list of things to write about, so I will post a couple things now -- just kind of random thoughts....

Jackie sent me this picture, to help me through my grief with the whole Mitt debacle, and with her permission (she is hilarious, by the way, check her out!) I am posting it because I think no one says it better than Jimbo does here:

That just tickled me!

So, moving on (I have no good segue): For months -- possibly a year -- Eric has been hounding us to get him a cell phone. We've denied because it just wasn't necessary. Well, now the three school-aged kids are in school programs (Magnet-type schools) that take them on the bus to the next town which is a solid 30 minute drive from home. Along with that, they have started to participate in academic decathlon, Destination Imagination, the drama club (?!), and other things that keep them after school some days. I now feel like I want them to have some way of contact/communication with me when they are away from home like that. There will also be Scout hikes and camp outs and other reasons to make a very good case for finally getting a cell phone for the kids.

SO, I go to Target and get a $14.99 phone that you add minutes on from a card that you buy (you know what I'm talking about), and set it all up for the boys. I introduced it to them on Saturday as our 'Family phone' so that no one child gets ownership of it and it can be used by whoever is in need of it for a particular day. No one was really thrilled about having a phone (I interrupted prime Gameboy DS time). I thought I was going to be praised high and low for this, but I got nothing. I think the glitch was that it wasn't for anyone in particular and we can't program the ringer to play "Rock Star" by Nickleback. Well excuuuuuse me!

Here's the kicker: Eric missed school on Monday because he blew chunks on Sunday night about 11 pm. So he said on Tuesday morning that he was either going to morning or afternoon tutoring to make up what he missed. If he went to morning, it would only be for about 20 minutes before school starts so he would have to go for two or three days. Whereas if he went after school, he could get it all done in one day. So, I said; "Do you want to take the cell phone and if you decide to stay after school you can call me to tell me you are not on the bus and I need to pick you up?"

He said, "Nah, I'll just go in for the next two or three mornings."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Remember this is the guy who has been nagging for a phone for all this time. Crazy. So, there sits our new phone. All charged up and nowhere to go.

100 days of school

Maren had to make a three dimensional object with 100 of the same things. For example, last year Logan made a guitar out of popsicle sticks. So we were talking in the car (where most discussions take place nowadays) and couldn't decide on anything that we could work. She didn't like my ideas and I didn't know how we could manage to make any of hers. So Samy pipes up and says: "How about a birthday cake!" Mmmmm, cake... That's my girl! So Maren and I agreed that a birthday cake with 100 candles was a perfect idea. Here is our final product.

I'm pretty proud of myself, I mean Maren. She took it to school today and said (She's home sick now -- threw up twice and is now dancing with Barbie in the Nutcracker, I guess it's past.) that several kids thought it was a real cake. The teacher loved it. We're gettin an A!!

What's going on in my head today

A couple things that are quite sad, that prompted memories. I'll explain: Driving on the freeway today, there was an 'Amber Alert' posted on one of the big marquees at the side of the highway. It said "Kidnapped child. Austin Texas. Gray VW." It just made my heart sink. I immediately remembered Spring Break a couple years ago. On the first day of any extended holiday/vacation from school, I tell the kids that if we clean the house really good, then I will take them to Toys R Us to buy them a new toy that they can play with for the whole week/vacation and not fight with each other or say there is nothing to do, etc. (This does not apply to Christmas vacation when they get way too many gifts as it is.) So, we were at Toys R Us, (I had just four at the time), and we had made our rounds, everyone had chosen the magic toy that would make them an angel for five days. They had all been behaving beautifully; everyone was in a little line like my ducklings, when we rounded the corner out of electronics to go pay for our haul. I took a head count as I do about every 30 seconds when we are all out, and there was no Maren. You all know the feeling: the sinking feeling in your stomach, the million thoughts racing through your frantic brain.... I was very calm and turned to the store manager who for some lucky reason was right near me. I said "my three year old daughter is missing." He asked what she was wearing, and thankfully I remembered. Within seconds, there were employees at each door and an announcement on the loud speaker said; "We have a code Adam." Then the manager called for Maren over the loud speaker and said that her mom was looking for her. He was saying something else when Maren bopped around the corner not 20 feet from where we were standing with the Manager. Then relief. I didn't even get mad at her or anything (I vaguely remember a lecture on the way home, but relief was my first response.) It turned out to be no big deal, thankfully. I was so impressed with the quick response that Toys R Us had and the awesome action plan, but I just hate that feeling when you can't instantly see your little ducklings.

Okay, so back several years (okay decades) earlier when I was a little girl about the same age as Maren (6). Grandma Thomsen took me to Downtown LA to go to the big Robinson's department store. It was totally a treat because we went on the bus (it was my first trip on public transportation), and for some reason it was just Grandma and me -- no other brothers or sisters.

When we got downtown and went into the gigantic department store, we road the escalator and the elevator and went to every level and looked at a million wonderful things (I still have a fondness for department stores and wonderful things...) So, on the way out, I asked Grandma if I could go on the elevator and she on the escalator. She agreed and told me exactly which button to push and said she would be there when the doors opened (You could do things like this in the late 70's/early 80's). I pushed the button and when the doors opened... no Grandma. So, I got off and looked around, then got worried, then got lost, then finally found someone who worked there and told them I needed help. Very soon, I was reunited with Grandma -- she had said go down one floor, and I thought she said go down to the first floor. As scared and shaken up as I was nothing compared to the red rings around Grandma's eyes and the fearful look on her face. Poor Grandma. Now I for sure know how you felt.

To this day, if I go to the store with someone, I panic a little if we split up for any reason.

Super Tuesday: Let's discuss.....

I know it is taboo to talk about politics and religion. But whatever. It is my blog and I will taboo all over the place if I want to. Do I sound snotty? Well, dang it, I am mad as heck and I just have to vent. I am mad at most of America and I would like to smack John McCain's smug face. (Okay, I realize I am in cyberspace and I should tone down because I could get into trouble, so no, I am not threatening McCain or anything like that, I am simply stating my opinion. See First Amendment.)

Moving on: I'd also like to smack Mike Huckabee. Here's why: (Conspiracy theory alert!) I think McCain and Huck are in cahoots to oust Romney. I think that the only reason Huck is in this thing still is to divert attention away from Romney. Okay, okay. Yes I like Romney. Yes he's a Mormon. Yes I'm a Mormon. But I will say that his being a Mormon has very little to do with having my support. Let me say that as a practice in general (there are some exceptions), I go out of my way, pay more money, even some times go as far as to get less quality, by NOT doing business with persons of my faith. In the beginning of this campaign, I leaned towards Fred Thompson. I thought his ideas aligned more with what I believe and want for this country. When Fred dropped out, I actually liked and was leaning towards Huckabee. Yes, Mike Huckabee! John McCain was never at the top of my voting list because I don't agree with his ideals, his morals, and his politics. I think he is trying to prove (and sadly it may be working) that if you stick around long enough and run enough times, you will get your parties nomination and perhaps the White House.

Name recognition. And here's why I think that: In an article I read, a woman was asked whom she voted for at an exit poll. (I won't say which state she was in, because I don't want to offend the non-ignorant people from that state.) She said, "Well, I wanted to vote for the most conservative candidate, so I voted for McCain." WHAAATTTTT!

McCain, from my observations over the last few years (no I'm not a pundit but pay as much attention as I can) seems to have become increasingly more liberal as time has gone on. Hey, maybe this was his strategy, to be more moderate, and get the independent and the undecided vote. Who knows? But I do feel like they (McCain and Huck) are working together to nudge aside Romney and sad as it is to admit, I think they have done so effectively. Ho hum...

Now, having said all that, I can not be so bold (or reckless I think) as say, Ann Coulter, to go so far as to say that I will not vote for McCain and in fact, vote for Clinton instead of McCain. If John McCain does in fact win the GOP nomination, I think we (the GOP) in my opinion will have to band together and go ahead and vote for him AS WELL AS vote GOP for the House and Senate. I think if we stay away from the polls because we don't like McCain, we are in effect voting for the Democrat candidate. Even if we are to 'write in' our candidate, it is still more than likely a wasted vote or a vote for the other side.

It is a gloomy day for me here in Texas.
Poor Mitt. Go and invest your millions, in order to make more millions so that you can spend millions again on another campaign in a few years. Maybe then we will realize that Politicians are ruining this great country and we need someone who's actually been in the economy to help fix the economy.

Okay, I feel much better. Have a good day.

The End of a Great Era

For Family Home Evening last night, I printed a coloring page with President Hinckley on one side and "my feelings about President Hinckley..." on the other. Our lesson was to journal about our impressions of President Hinckley with his passing away on our minds. It was a good reason to contemplate what a great man and prophet of the Lord he was.

For me, I think the best part about our dear Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, was that whether it was via satellite, in a giant conference center, or a baseball stadium, I feel like he made every single person within earshot of his voice feel like we were his most favorite grandchild. That is a huge feat and great accomplishment.

One of my favorite memories of him was during the dedication of the Houston, Texas Temple, he said that as he was being driven to the temple, he looked around at the gigantic mansions surrounding the temple and said; "I hope none of these belong to any of our members!" His great wit will be greatly missed. What a great servant, example and man.

Now with the calling of the new First Presidency of the Church, I am excited for the gospel to go forward just as strong and true as ever. God bless President Monson and his counselors. These are exciting times.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I was around 8 or 9 years old, one Sunday during a primary lesson, the teacher asked us all what we wanted to be when we grew up. My response was that I wanted to be a mom. Now keep in mind the importance the LDS religion places on family and mothers in particular. I didn't give this answer because of that, but it was genuinely what I thought I wanted to be when I grew up. The teacher burst into laughter. Then the children all laughed along with her and the teacher asked what I really wanted to be when I grew up. I felt embarrassed and dejected but still wanted to be a mom although I changed my answer to something else.

Then I went through a period in life (particularly when I was babysitting age) when I decided that the last thing in the world I ever wanted was children. For example, my brothers, Clay and Darren, remind me of the time when they walked into the living room at our house and one of our nephews was an infant and propped at the corner of the couch and just crying his lungs out. I didn't make a move to hold him or take care of him at all. (He was totally safe, by the way). I remember that incident and recall that I didn't really even register that there was a baby crying near me -- the mothering instinct of tuning out must have already kicked in!

I went through my adolescence wanting to be a lawyer, a journalist, a meteorologist, and finally a school teacher. Being a mom never really popped back into mind, although I don't recall wanting to not be a mom, I guess I just assumed that at one point I would be.

When I finished Junior College and was accepted to Whittier College to focus on my teaching degree, I met Geoff and moved across the country to have a relationship and get married. Then the kids came. And came, and came....

But look at me now! I'm a lawyer and a judge (I'd put referee in this category too): I represent the victim and the accused; I impose punishment, and mediate arguments between parties. I'm a meteorologist: I report the weather each morning and advise what clothing should be worn for each day. I'm a teacher (and the principal): I teach reading, writing, shapes, songs, moral lessons, etc... each and every day. And look here, now I'm a journalist (sort of), along with a host of other occupations that is too long to mention. But the best (and admittedly at times, the worst) job of them all is MOM.

Along these lines, this week Samy's homework for school was to dress a paper bear as what she wanted to be when she grows up. When she came home with the naked bear, I asked her what she wanted to dress it as. She said something about a doctor. I was thrilled at the high ambitions of my little girl and said "You want to be a doctor when you grow up?" She said, "No. I want to be the person that goes to the doctor."

A patient? She wants to be a doctor's patient when she grows up? What does this mean? She wants to have a chronic condition, or just be a hypochondriac? And how am I (I mean she) supposed to dress a bear to represent that? Put it in a body cast?

So I asked if she wanted to be a mail lady, a mom, a dentist, a garbage collector - anything other than a patient. No to all of the above. Finally I asked if she wanted to be a Police Officer. She said yes to the Police Officer because she could, and this is a direct quote: "shoot people and put them in jail when they do bad things". That's my girl!




It will be really fun to see what Samy chooses to be when she is a grown up and remember back to her police bear (and aspirations of being a patient).

What did you want to be when you were a grown up?

Samantha

Samy has been busy lately. The biggest event for her was when we went to the dentist recently and Samy was told that she no longer had to use a pacifier. Let me explain, because I am not a big fan of a 3 year-old who uses a pacifier: About a year and a half ago, Samy had an exam at the dentist wherein the doctor told me that she has a slight underbite (her jaw/chin sticks out more than it should and doesn't align with her upper teeth properly). To remedy this, the dentist said that she should start using a pacifier to help push the upper teeth out to meet the bottom teeth. (As I write this, it brings a weird picture into my hear with this little girl and a mouth full of teeth sticking a foot out infront of her -- not the case).

So, I went out and bought a couple pacifiers that she would use for nap time and bed time. I did not want her taking the thing all over the place unless I had a sign to put on her that stated something to the effect that it was a medical necessity for my two-year-old to have it. Usually in our family (and I know everyone is different, and that's okay), we get rid of the pacifier at about 9 months to a year - if it was ever really used at all. The first night I gave it to her, she held it in her had and kind of looked at it wondering what the heck she was supposed to do holding this all night. I put it in her mouth and told her to suck on it. From then on, she was hooked! She looked forward most nights to going to be so that she could have it.

The next couple times we went to the dentist, I asked if it was enough and should we stop the pacifier, she kept telling me to let her keep it until the next time, and the next time. By now Samy was completely dependant on the dang thing to sleep, so I knew it was probably going to be hard to get rid of it when the time came.

The time came! We went to the dentist on a Tuesday and the doctor explained to Samy that she didn't need to have a pacifier any more and that she shouldn't suck on her finger either -- she had started sucking her pointer finger (weird) in place of the pacifier sometimes. Samy was totally fine with it until that night came and she was again reminded of her advise from the dentist. I told her that she could have it until Sunday, then we would have to get rid of it. She said okay, and cherished her last few days with her pacifier.

Sunday came and she was very good about saying good bye and putting them in the trash can.





The next couple days were great and she went to bed wonderfully. By Wednesday, though, she was asking for it and went as far as to ask me to go to the store and buy a new one (the child is way too versed in shopping. I take full responsibility for that.) So, I printed the pictures of her throwing the pacifiers away, and taped them to her head board. So far so good. I'm proud of her. That was a big grown up thing to do, getting rid of something that provided you with comfort and security. Good big girl!