Dentist

Since our last dental debacle, we have been searching through different options of dental care in our area.   There are many wonderful places outside of our city, but we really wanted to stay as local as possible.  I called several different places and finally re-called one office, made an appointment for one daughter, then asked about what could be done for my other child.   People are much more open to working with you when you are an investment! ; )

These were the cutest little child sized benches in the waiting area!

Charlotte was so, so, so happy to finally have her turn with the dentist.  Sam and I were allowed to go back, but it is not something they want to continue.  We'll see. ; )

In the picture above, I am asking C what a dentist looks like.  I asked FL in the picture below.  The mother and son behind them were very amused by our girls.

Here, the girls are both doing dental work on their stuffed animals...

Overall the visit went well.  C was nervous, but let them do everything they needed to do.  She has some spots on her teeth that might be stains, but we are going to watch and brush the heck out of them in the meantime.  I do give the girls gummy omega 3 vitamins (good for brain/emotional health for kiddos that haven't had optimal nutrition), and gummies are the worst.  I hate to sub the drops for this because they love their vitamins so much that they FREAK OUT if we miss them.   C even makes sure I take my vitamins and give the dog her medicine, etc......   They don't forget!

The dentist reviewed FLs X-rays and examined her teeth.  The plan is basically the same as the other dentist, but they are going to leave FLs front tooth alone at this point and not do anything reconstructive, which is fine.   She will have everything done at one of the local hospitals at one time.  I hate to put her under twice in one year, but it has to be done.  Unfortunately, the wait is long and it will not take place until the end of September.  She's started complaining of pain off and on again (She never tells me, I usually figure out that is what is bothering her), so I may see if they have a wait list to move it up.  I'm glad it's scheduled, though!

They asked me if we flossed the girls teeth.  I told them I was doing good to keep the girls clean, clothed and fed.  Surely I'm not the only parent that doesn't floss their preschoolers' teeth regularly?!  Or never?!!!

The best part was that C got her much coveted little plastic bag!  She's been weeping over not having one like "Fo'a Yin" any time she gets a little tired or cranky.  ; ).  All is right with the world now.  : )

But, good night, I don't have time to floss their teeth!  I barely get to bush my own twice a day!

Happy Father's Day, Papa!

Sam is so special, so the girls and I wanted to make sure his first Father's Day was a great one.  We made him a few small gifts, but that just didn't seem like enough.  So, I asked the girls a few questions about their Papa.  Later, we went into Papa's closet and I let C and FL each pick out an outfit they thought Papa would wear.  Here are the results,ute as can be!

I don't know who had more fun... Me or the girls!

They even picked out shoes:

Below is the question and answer session.   They were precious!   If some of the answers seem a little hard to understand, remember that they are very little, one is just now learning to speak words and English is not their first language.  Also, one of my little people was just not in the mood to give me answers. ; ). It is what it is!  Enjoy!

Charlotte's Q and A:

 What is Papa's name?

Domas Adam

What does Papa do all day?

Work.

Where?

Bekfas, eat, eat, eat!  Papa EAT!  Huuuuug.

What does Papa do at home?

Kwean kitchen.

What do Charlotte and Papa do together?

Woom (points to our bedroom).

Tell me more about that.

Shawyotte, F'yin, woom.

What does Papa look like?

(shows me a smile with lower teeth touching upper lip)

Is he big or small?

BIIIIIIG!

what color is Papa?

Bahlue.

How old is Papa?

uuummmmm.... four.

What do you like best about Papa?

Uuuuuuh, Gowy Be (Glory Be - Gloria Patri, I think).  Paise Gah (Praise God - the Doxology), Deedus Lub Me (Jesus Loves me), pay (play), Carlos (a puppet at church)!!!!!

Flora Lin's Q and A:

What is Papa's name?

Pay (says and signs "play").

What does Papa do all day?

Boom Boom.

Papa is with Boom Boom all day?

(nods)

What does Papa do at home?

Pay (says and signs "play").

What do Flora Lin and Papa do together?

(Unintelligible. Won't answer even though I ask again and again)

Beeh (Beach, I think - not cooperating)

What does Papa look like?

(grits lower teeth to upper lip.  I ask again, she points to her teeth)

How old is Papa?

Hee (says three and holds up fingers).

What do you like best about Papa?

Hays!(says and signs "grapes"  I ask to confirm and get a nod)

Oh, silly girls!  You are so fun!

And Papa enjoyed his day and his surprises.

He is a fantastic father!   We love you soooo much!

First Trip to the Beach

On Fathers Day Weekend, we had our first trip to the beach with the girls.  The night we arrived, we took C and FL to the beach just to walk around and dip their toes in the water.   Unfortunately, it was too dark for pictures, but, oh, how they enjoyed it!  And let it be known that if you take a child to the beach in their clothes they ARE going to get wet no matter what you do!  ; ).    Let's just say that within the first five seconds of being near the water, Flora Lin was ready to sacrifice herself to the sea gods with no fear...

The next morning, we took it easy and got ready to go to the beach.   C has been struggling with fear as we've been reading, talking and preparing to go to the beach the past few weeks.  Any new event where she is not sure exactly what will happen causes her great anxiety.  We've read fun books, bought special toys, swam in the pool, visited the splash pad and talked and talked and talked about EXACTLY what would happen.  She was not so sure that we wouldn't leave her.   "Mama, Papa not leave you at beach? "  "Mama, Papa never leave you!" And "Together beach - not leave you!" Have been phrases that I have been asked over and over as the day to go grew closer.   You can see some of that worry in her sweet, little face.   FL just rolls with it and does things like moonwalking in the sand...  Yep!

Some wonderful friends of Sam's lent us their beach apartment and park pass to Topsail (thank you, thank you!) which is much less populated than the public beach.   Such a pleasant place!   The surf was a little rough and very loud, but it was so beautiful out.

The girls were tried from our long, hot trek in the sand to find a good spot (Sam and I were, too!).  It was worth it, though.  The dunes and natural areas of the park were beautiful!  I'd love to explore the whole thing, but maybe in the winter!

Once the girls recovered from the walk and me taking pictures, they found their silly again!

Charlotte was most looking forward to digging in the sand with her new pail and shovel!  She could have played in it for hours and hours!

Flora Lin liked it, too, but was pretty quiet.  Bright sun can still be overwhelming for her, the surf was so loud and this was such a big, new experience for such a little person!

We all really enjoyed just sitting on the edge of the water together, watching the waves break and exploring the wet sand.

I took this picture right as a big wave broke close!  The surprised expression on FL's face is so cute!

I even got a few minutes to myself just watching the beautiful scenery.  I think this is my first beach trip as the responsible adult!  As a child, I never knew why adults would just sit there under an umbrella most of the time at the beach...  Now I do! ; )

This picture doesn't quite capture it, but the shoreline was such a bright, cheerful array of colors.

This was our little spot.  The girls spent a long time just playing with the sand and the buckets.

Proof that I was there and an active parent!  I had to lean so close to FL to talk to her because the waves were so loud.  She was a good little sport, though.  They both were.

Another wonderful quality of the beach...  Its ability to quickly put children right to sleep.  Even reluctant ones!  ; )

This was their first time in big kid beds and bunk beds.  Not surprisingly, FL was all about being on the top bunk and climbing up!   C was not.  At all.   I love that they are soooooo different!

It was a great first day!  I am so proud of how the girls handled such a big, new experience! : )

Little Mermaids in the Making!

We have some upcoming beach trips, so we've been taking the girls to my parents' house to get used to the water and swim a little.  Swimming and pool time is great for their gross motor skills, development, bonding with us and sensory input.

The first time in, they were just taking it all in and trying to figure it all out.  Now, they really look forward to it!

I was surprised how quickly FL took to the water.  She doesn't even mind being splashed very much.

And she is just as happy and silly in the water as she is on land!

As with most new things, C is excited and wants to try, but is very apprehensive.  I am hoping by going slow and making it fun we can build up her confidence.

This girl?  We are going to have to watch her!  She grows bolder by the minute!

I had the opportunity to take them by myself one afternoon to try out their swim rings and rafts for the beach.  FL liked looking through the little window in her raft at the bottom of the pool.  Her trust in us amazes me!

Once C was able to relax a little, she enjoyed herself as well.

And his little stinker decided not to wait for her turn and later let herself silently float off of the steps while I was at the other end of the pool with C.  She was just hanging out like a buoy in the sea with a big grin on her face!   We are really going to have to watch her!

They are both enjoying the water (FL taught herself to lay back and float with her feet up like this!), 

And I am enjoying sharing this activity with them!

Blackberry Pickin'

The girls and I met up with some friends and went blackberry/blueberry picking at a local farm.   I've done this by myself for years and last year did nothing but dream about having C and FL with me the whole time!

Well, now it's a reality! : )

It was so, so, so hot...even at 9am.  The girls were very well behaved, though.  Blackberry picking was fast and they had little "helper" buckets for the girls.  : ).  Once they figured out they could EAT the blackberries that's all I heard the rest of the time!

  Blueberry picking was slow and I could tell the girls were getting close to being NOT ok.   I brought cool rags, water and a snack for the girls, but by the time we got to our ice water and cool rags, they were warm!   We had to go back to the blackberries so I could finish up and get the girls cooled off quick!

They were so cute, though, and a pleasure to have with me!

It was fun to have my daughters with me on one of my little adventures that I used to do by myself.

Now we have lots of blackberries to make Papa a cobbler for Fathers Day! : )

My Little Spicy Sunshine...

Is one determined kiddo!  We had a major, major accomplishment today!

She drank every last bit of her milk out of this cup through a straw!!!   That's big for 3 month post op palate repair!

She worked sooooooo hard using all of the skills and prompts we've been working on.  At first, I helped.  Then, she wanted to do it all by herself.   It wasn't easy for her, but she NEVER gave up and was so proud of her accomplishment!   She smiled so sweetly whe she finshed and we were cheering for her.  She said and signed, "Drink like Charlotte!  Like Charlotte!"   

We're so proud of you and your hard work, Flora Lin!   I love that you are so determined and so sweet!  Way to go, big girl!  : )