. . .Unless of course you have spent the last three days sifting through the poo in your 2-year-old's diaper trying to find the penny he swallowed on Sunday night.
I guess it was good luck that I actually found it, clearly we tried to drive home the message of not putting anything in your mouth, and Lord knows this mamma needs a little luck in her life, but this wasn't quite the way I was looking to find it.
***********
It is full on holiday time and this year I wanted to be organized and ready to go. I had my Christmas cards ordered and delivered by mid-November, I made lists for gifts for the kids, cousins (and even myself) prior to Thanksgiving and had an Amazon cart full and ready for purchase come Cyber Monday.
Not wanting to dive right into the Christmas season and bypass Thanksgiving, I decided that we would get all the decorations down post-Turkey day.
We had a busy four days. We were all over the place and we had a great time seeing family and friends. However, by the time we got back to our place on Sunday around 2:30 we were all done. I tried to ignore the list of things that needed to be done.
Number 1 on that list? The Elf on the Shelf.
Here is where the mommy mind melt kicks in. I have a vivid recollection of talking to my husband about the fact that we had to put the Elf on the Shelf away last year. He was still hanging around post-holiday tree take down and I wanted to make sure the kids didn't discover him on my husband's dresser.
I also kind of remember putting it in a bin.
Fast forward to 8:30 Sunday night, we were about 2 hours post-penny swallow and the kids were in their beds but not quite sleeping.
I sent my husband out to bring down the decorations from the attic of the garage as I tried to decide the best place to put the Elf. He called me from the garage to let me know he couldn't find it and he had looked in "a lot of bins."
I love my husband. He does a ton for our family, but less than 24-hours earlier this conversation happened while he was looking through our diaper bag in order to change QT.
Sweet Husband: Where are the wipes?
Me: They are in the bag.
Sweet Husband: I don't see them, are you sure you put them in here? (Add some tone to this.)
Me: Yes. They are in the bag.
Sweet Husband: They aren't in the bag.
Me: Ok. I am sure there are some wipes here. (We were at his sister's house and there were like 10 kids there)
One minute later I look in the bag and there are the wipes. I am not saying he didn't look for them, I am just saying maybe he should have looked a little harder. So, I was a bit skeptical that he couldn't find the Elf on the Shelf.
The next morning the Lady came down looking for the Elf. I did some quick thinking and said that he didn't come because we didn't read the book first. She bought this as an excuse and I told her he would come that night.
I got home from work and headed straight to the garage. I looked in the Christmas bins that my husband brought down. No Elf. I looked in a lot of bins in the attic of the garage and guess what? That's right we have a ton of stuff that we don't need and don't use up there. There is also a ton of stuff that I would love to use if we just had a little more room! Also, no Elf.
We put the kids to bed, I pulled on a heavy sweatshirt and headed out again. 40 minutes later. . .no luck. WTF? Where was this Elf? Was I going to have to go out to Target at 9:30 p.m. and spend another 30 bucks on this thing? Ugh.
My husband said he would go pick up a new one, but first maybe we should look under our bed. Lo and behold, there he was in his box, hanging out for a year or so, just waiting for us to remember that we never even took him out of the house.
Victory was mine that night and the kids couldn't have been more excited to see him the next morning. Please remind me to move him tonight though!
****************
This is an actual conversation that took place last night as the Little Lady was once again on our bed a full hour and a half after bedtime. My husband was watching some sports talk show on HBO about the documentary "Trophy Kids." They showed a clip of the doc with a little girl golfing. Here is what followed:
Little Lady: Do you remember when Tiger Woods cheated on his wife?
Husband and Me: Um. . .yes
Little Lady: That wasn't very nice of him and now she doesn't even want to be around him anymore.
Husband: Yeah, he wasn't very nice.
Little Lady: I think she went and moved in with her dad.
Actually Little Lady, I am pretty sure she knocked down and rebuilt some huge palatial home in Florida and is dating her neighbor, but I am sure her parents wouldn't have minded if she moved back in.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
No Nanny? No Problem?
Our nanny is away for three weeks.
She came to the U.S. as an Au pair three years ago and hasn't been home since.
She got her Green card at the beginning of November and flew back to Brazil to surprise her mom.
Every time we talked about her plan to go home without anyone knowing she was coming, I started to cry because everyone should have a surprise like that in their lives and I was so happy for her and for her family. She told her mom she was sending a package and then had a friend get a giant box that she could jump out of when her mom opened the door. Tears.
The problem of course is that I am without a nanny for three weeks.
In typical Three Bean style we are winging it.
It would have been nice if work had granted my request to work from home a few days a week, but they didn't and they continue to be less than accommodating to a mom of three who just so happens to have Stage IV cancer. Oh well, more on that another day.
What I am grateful for is the fact that my mom will cover two days a week and one of my little sister's good friends will cover the rest. My husband is stepping it up in the morning routine and is also responsible for pre-school pick up and my sister took QT one morning to help out. I am grateful that she will be away over Thanksgiving and that next week is a short week. But as usual things are usually always easier said than done.
Between pick ups, swim, gymnastics, the bus stop and trying to balance not taking advantage of my mom, explaining the logistics of our lives to someone new, and still trying to get to work on time, I realize how lucky I am to have our nanny, someone who cares about my kids, someone who knows our schedule, knows the crazy that is our lives and who still shows up in the morning even if the kids were rotten the day before.
But you know what? I still wish it was me. I wish I didn't have to leave QT crying "I want you momma." I wish I wasn't stopped by the Lady's teacher in the hallway one morning this week--as I attempted to pick up the Holiday Wish Stars in the office for families who need a little help this holiday season, drop off the bag of food for the food drive and leave the plates and napkins for the Lady's Thanksgiving feast--and have her tell me that the Lady is fine once she gets into the classroom and that she knows the mornings are hard and that "she just wants you."
I'd like to think that the Little Lady also wants me, but every time I have the opportunity to drop her off or pick her up she likes to tell me that she prefers it be her dad (and she would prefer to only be picked up in Minnie-Ru, I guess the old "green car" as we call it isn't good enough for her!). However, I would love to spend a little more time with her, even if it is only for when she tries to correct my pronunciation of "Jared" a boy in her class and "Ratatouille." I think I say Jared with a bit of a NY accent, while she prefers a softer first syllable pronunciation. Her faux French accent on Ratatouille is amazing though.
I think this last year has taught me the lesson of time. It has taught me that things will not always go according to plan and that you can do one of two things--give in or take control. I am trying very hard to do the second. I am trying very hard to put the focus on what is important to me and what I can do to make sure that I use as much of my time to make sure that my needs are met and those of my family are as well.
My nanny will be back two days after my husband leaves for his annual two week work event in California. (Panic! We might get a Christmas tree before he leaves--do I want a living Balsam Fir in my house for a full month? More on this later) I am hoping she had an amazing time. I am hoping her mom realizes what an amazing daughter she has raised and that even though she hadn't been home in three years that what she is doing here is unbelievably important to me.
I am also hoping that sometime soon I can say that I have figured out a way to make things work for me that I have taken control and that the needs of my family come first. I hope to be blogging from my kitchen table, dodging QT's baseball bat that he shouldn't be playing with in the house and making my own pre-school pick up run (in Minnie-Ru of course).
I hope that I can answer that "I want you" with "I am here."
She came to the U.S. as an Au pair three years ago and hasn't been home since.
She got her Green card at the beginning of November and flew back to Brazil to surprise her mom.
Every time we talked about her plan to go home without anyone knowing she was coming, I started to cry because everyone should have a surprise like that in their lives and I was so happy for her and for her family. She told her mom she was sending a package and then had a friend get a giant box that she could jump out of when her mom opened the door. Tears.
The problem of course is that I am without a nanny for three weeks.
In typical Three Bean style we are winging it.
It would have been nice if work had granted my request to work from home a few days a week, but they didn't and they continue to be less than accommodating to a mom of three who just so happens to have Stage IV cancer. Oh well, more on that another day.
What I am grateful for is the fact that my mom will cover two days a week and one of my little sister's good friends will cover the rest. My husband is stepping it up in the morning routine and is also responsible for pre-school pick up and my sister took QT one morning to help out. I am grateful that she will be away over Thanksgiving and that next week is a short week. But as usual things are usually always easier said than done.
Between pick ups, swim, gymnastics, the bus stop and trying to balance not taking advantage of my mom, explaining the logistics of our lives to someone new, and still trying to get to work on time, I realize how lucky I am to have our nanny, someone who cares about my kids, someone who knows our schedule, knows the crazy that is our lives and who still shows up in the morning even if the kids were rotten the day before.
But you know what? I still wish it was me. I wish I didn't have to leave QT crying "I want you momma." I wish I wasn't stopped by the Lady's teacher in the hallway one morning this week--as I attempted to pick up the Holiday Wish Stars in the office for families who need a little help this holiday season, drop off the bag of food for the food drive and leave the plates and napkins for the Lady's Thanksgiving feast--and have her tell me that the Lady is fine once she gets into the classroom and that she knows the mornings are hard and that "she just wants you."
I'd like to think that the Little Lady also wants me, but every time I have the opportunity to drop her off or pick her up she likes to tell me that she prefers it be her dad (and she would prefer to only be picked up in Minnie-Ru, I guess the old "green car" as we call it isn't good enough for her!). However, I would love to spend a little more time with her, even if it is only for when she tries to correct my pronunciation of "Jared" a boy in her class and "Ratatouille." I think I say Jared with a bit of a NY accent, while she prefers a softer first syllable pronunciation. Her faux French accent on Ratatouille is amazing though.
I think this last year has taught me the lesson of time. It has taught me that things will not always go according to plan and that you can do one of two things--give in or take control. I am trying very hard to do the second. I am trying very hard to put the focus on what is important to me and what I can do to make sure that I use as much of my time to make sure that my needs are met and those of my family are as well.
My nanny will be back two days after my husband leaves for his annual two week work event in California. (Panic! We might get a Christmas tree before he leaves--do I want a living Balsam Fir in my house for a full month? More on this later) I am hoping she had an amazing time. I am hoping her mom realizes what an amazing daughter she has raised and that even though she hadn't been home in three years that what she is doing here is unbelievably important to me.
I am also hoping that sometime soon I can say that I have figured out a way to make things work for me that I have taken control and that the needs of my family come first. I hope to be blogging from my kitchen table, dodging QT's baseball bat that he shouldn't be playing with in the house and making my own pre-school pick up run (in Minnie-Ru of course).
I hope that I can answer that "I want you" with "I am here."
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Beat by the Box Tops
I blew my box top load.
125 box tops all taped nicely to Halloween-themed photo copies.
10 per page.
It was just that I had been waiting and waiting for the first contest of the year.
I had been saving those little tiny scraps of paper in a Ziploc bag on my kitchen windowsill the entire summer and what can I say?
I got excited.
This has never happened before.
I am so embarrassed.
The Lady's class didn't win.
We didn't show, we didn't place.
I made up for it by buying entirely too many boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios and deciding that even though I had never bought them before the Pillsbury Grands biscuits were needed in our house because they were 2 for 4 and that means two box tops. (Also, having made them, they are delicious.)
Seriously, I need help.
Send your box tops to Stamford. . .(oh, you thought I meant I needed psychological help? Nope, I am doing just fine but if you happen to celebrate Taco Tuesday in your house tonight try clipping that tiny, tiny box top from the seasoning mix and drop it in the mail.)
125 box tops all taped nicely to Halloween-themed photo copies.
10 per page.
It was just that I had been waiting and waiting for the first contest of the year.
I had been saving those little tiny scraps of paper in a Ziploc bag on my kitchen windowsill the entire summer and what can I say?
I got excited.
This has never happened before.
I am so embarrassed.
The Lady's class didn't win.
We didn't show, we didn't place.
I made up for it by buying entirely too many boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios and deciding that even though I had never bought them before the Pillsbury Grands biscuits were needed in our house because they were 2 for 4 and that means two box tops. (Also, having made them, they are delicious.)
Seriously, I need help.
Send your box tops to Stamford. . .(oh, you thought I meant I needed psychological help? Nope, I am doing just fine but if you happen to celebrate Taco Tuesday in your house tonight try clipping that tiny, tiny box top from the seasoning mix and drop it in the mail.)
Monday, September 30, 2013
Dear Rainbow Loom
You have me hooked.
You have me driving around town looking for Tye-dyed rubber bands and an adequate carrying case.
You have me trying to manipulate tiny colored bands with a hook so small and a frustration level so high, just so the Lady can have a few rubber bracelets to wear.
She hasn't been so excited about something so cheaply made since the days of the Smelly Jellies.
I have watched your how-to videos. I have moved from the "single" pattern on to the "diamond" pattern. Single Rhombus, here I come.
I have mastered the fishtail.
I have spent entirely too much time trying to separate mixed bands.
QT has dumped the entire contents of one of the Lady's carrying cases.
Fifteen minutes after we picked it up the Little Lady kicked over the other one and I found myself sitting on the hardwood floor of my children's bedroom in what I like to describe as "rage-fueled crazy time" only to be seduced by the calming rhythm of sorting each tiny little band into the correct place.
I made a fishtail bracelet on my fingers at work. I promised the Little Lady, and it was probably the most productive thing I did all day.
At a recent street fair a young girl was selling them as she moved through the crowd. She offered them up like a seasoned drug dealer at a music fest. I touched the one on my wrist to let her know I was all good and we both moved on.
Oh Rainbow Loom, I look at the thousands of those bands, each in its tiny section of the carrying case and think "How the hell are we ever going to use all these things?" and "What am I going to do with them once the appeal wears off?"
Until then, I will try not to curse you as those tiny bands pop off the loom, or the case gets dropped, or the bands end up in the dryer, in the fridge and on the floor of the car. I will wear the creations of my daughters proudly on my wrist.
Starburst pattern here we come. . .
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
End of Summer and Start of School
We packed up and headed out to the beach on Friday night. I just wanted one more day to spend on the beach. It was a gorgeous beach day and also a magical one.
Behold. . .
QT stepped foot in the sand! Granted, it took him a while to ease into it, but after playing with trucks on his sand-covered towel, he ventured down to the water's edge with bare feet.
The Ladies got one last day to run and play and we ended the night with some ice cream and a full-on meltdown by the Lady, but really isn't that what the end of summer is about? Ice cream and sheer exhaustion.
The next morning we got up and out early and headed over to Mystic to meet up with some friends. It was another beautiful day and I was charmed by the New Englandness of it all, and I live in New England.
Everyone got a new book from the local bookstore and some more ice cream. We watched the bridge go up a few times then got back in the van and headed home to prepare for the Lady's first day of first grade. On the trip home she lost her second tooth, which is great because when I have to drag her back to the dentist next week they won't have to pull it.
One good thing about the start of this school year was that it was a delayed start. There was no mad dash to get out the door. I made homemade pancakes. I tried to do something Pintrest-y and make the pancake into a shape of a 1. It looked more like a penis than a 1, so I scrapped that idea and had the Lady make her own sign to mark the day.
We were all up, dressed and ready to go. However, there was confusion about what time the bus would be coming and what time school really started. The letter from the elementary school said that they would start at 10:45. The letter from the city said that they would start at 11. We took a guess and headed out. The Lady was 30 yards ahead of me walking out of the driveway, QT and the nanny were behind her in his little red car and I was trying to catch up while at the same time encouraging the Little Lady to maybe hurry up as she tried to maneuver on her Barbie scooter.
After the Lady got on the bus I obviously ran back to the house so I could jump in the van and meet her at school with a giant bag of school supplies, which included four boxes of Kleenex (each with a box top on it and four additional box tops on the outer plastic, which I debated taking for myself, but figured the teacher would put them toward the class total), two rolls of paper towels and an assortment of crayons, markers, pencils and glue sticks.
I rushed the Little Lady into the van and headed out. I knew that the bus was ahead of me, so I was worried that I might miss the Lady getting off the bus. I was super psyched when I pulled through an intersection and saw the bus sitting at a red light while I went through on the green. After it turned the bus ended up being two cars behind us.
As we approached the school, you could see that things were not in order. Buses were lined up at the top of the entrance and cars and buses were backed up onto the main road. I like to think I channeled my husband here as I made a quick move into the church next door, parked totally illegally and got out. The Lady's bus was stopped at the flashing yellow at the entrance to the school waiting to make the turn.
The Lady's school is down off the main road about 100 yards or so. There is one entrance/exit road with two lanes total. The Little Lady and I started walking. People were stopped all over the place, cars were beeping, buses were idling, it was like we were on our way to Max Yasgur's farm. The Little Lady didn't like that the grass was wet, so I lifted her, the giant bag of school supplies, my camera and my purse, and weaved our way down to the front entrance.
The Little Lady could have walked backwards and through molasses and we would have gotten there before the Lady's bus. To say that there was some first day confusion would be an understatement. This year kindergarten orientation was in the morning, so all the parents who had gone with their kindergartners were now trying to make there way out of the school. Chaos ensued.
Ten minutes after the Little Lady and I got to the front entrance, the Lady's and three other buses pulled up. Good thing I met her because at that point they were technically late and all the aides that usually help with directing the students in the morning had already made their way into classrooms.
Gone was that comfortable bubble of kindergarten. I didn't know where the Lady's classroom was and neither did she. But we grabbed hands, made our best guess as to the direction to go and ended up in front of her classroom. I was incredibly relieved that as soon as she walked in I heard another student call her name. I kissed her goodbye, grabbed the Little Lady, stopped and signed up for a few less volunteer spots than I did last year and hoped that the Lady would have a great first day in first grade.
Behold. . .
QT stepped foot in the sand! Granted, it took him a while to ease into it, but after playing with trucks on his sand-covered towel, he ventured down to the water's edge with bare feet.
The Ladies got one last day to run and play and we ended the night with some ice cream and a full-on meltdown by the Lady, but really isn't that what the end of summer is about? Ice cream and sheer exhaustion.
 |
| End of summer fun |
 |
| The Little Lady's new pose. Gone is the cheese face. It has been replaced with the ballerina pose. |
The next morning we got up and out early and headed over to Mystic to meet up with some friends. It was another beautiful day and I was charmed by the New Englandness of it all, and I live in New England.
 |
| Drawbridge in Mystic |
 |
| The Lady outside the bookstore |
One good thing about the start of this school year was that it was a delayed start. There was no mad dash to get out the door. I made homemade pancakes. I tried to do something Pintrest-y and make the pancake into a shape of a 1. It looked more like a penis than a 1, so I scrapped that idea and had the Lady make her own sign to mark the day.
 |
| Best first day of school sign ever! |
We were all up, dressed and ready to go. However, there was confusion about what time the bus would be coming and what time school really started. The letter from the elementary school said that they would start at 10:45. The letter from the city said that they would start at 11. We took a guess and headed out. The Lady was 30 yards ahead of me walking out of the driveway, QT and the nanny were behind her in his little red car and I was trying to catch up while at the same time encouraging the Little Lady to maybe hurry up as she tried to maneuver on her Barbie scooter.
 |
| The Lady before boarding the bus. |
After the Lady got on the bus I obviously ran back to the house so I could jump in the van and meet her at school with a giant bag of school supplies, which included four boxes of Kleenex (each with a box top on it and four additional box tops on the outer plastic, which I debated taking for myself, but figured the teacher would put them toward the class total), two rolls of paper towels and an assortment of crayons, markers, pencils and glue sticks.
I rushed the Little Lady into the van and headed out. I knew that the bus was ahead of me, so I was worried that I might miss the Lady getting off the bus. I was super psyched when I pulled through an intersection and saw the bus sitting at a red light while I went through on the green. After it turned the bus ended up being two cars behind us.
As we approached the school, you could see that things were not in order. Buses were lined up at the top of the entrance and cars and buses were backed up onto the main road. I like to think I channeled my husband here as I made a quick move into the church next door, parked totally illegally and got out. The Lady's bus was stopped at the flashing yellow at the entrance to the school waiting to make the turn.
The Lady's school is down off the main road about 100 yards or so. There is one entrance/exit road with two lanes total. The Little Lady and I started walking. People were stopped all over the place, cars were beeping, buses were idling, it was like we were on our way to Max Yasgur's farm. The Little Lady didn't like that the grass was wet, so I lifted her, the giant bag of school supplies, my camera and my purse, and weaved our way down to the front entrance.
The Little Lady could have walked backwards and through molasses and we would have gotten there before the Lady's bus. To say that there was some first day confusion would be an understatement. This year kindergarten orientation was in the morning, so all the parents who had gone with their kindergartners were now trying to make there way out of the school. Chaos ensued.
Ten minutes after the Little Lady and I got to the front entrance, the Lady's and three other buses pulled up. Good thing I met her because at that point they were technically late and all the aides that usually help with directing the students in the morning had already made their way into classrooms.
Gone was that comfortable bubble of kindergarten. I didn't know where the Lady's classroom was and neither did she. But we grabbed hands, made our best guess as to the direction to go and ended up in front of her classroom. I was incredibly relieved that as soon as she walked in I heard another student call her name. I kissed her goodbye, grabbed the Little Lady, stopped and signed up for a few less volunteer spots than I did last year and hoped that the Lady would have a great first day in first grade.
Friday, August 23, 2013
A Day at the Dentist x3
We survived three kids at the dentist this morning. We had an 8:45 a.m. appointment and even though there were two pre-dentist breakdowns (one about bringing watercolors and another one about trying to erase permanent marker off a case of watercolors in order for me to put the Lady's name back on it in "fancier" handwriting) by both the Little Lady and the Lady, we made it there with time to spare.
We were the first people in the place and as pediatric dentist places go, this one was pretty pimped out with all types of trademark violations. We had Elmo dressed as a knight, a Rapunzel mural, faces of teen stars as well as Dora and Diego plastered on a photo-covered wall of Yankee Stadium, with Mets or Yankee's caps painted on them.
The Lady was disappointed to see that Selena Gomez is a Mets fan.
While we sat in the "stadium style" benches watching the exact same episode of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that I had to turn off before we left the house, about six other kids came in after us.
All six of these children went behind the faux-stone castle door and disappeared into the back before we did.
Did I mention I came prepared with backup? Not only did my husband come but I dragged our nanny as well. I am sure she wanted nothing more than to spend over two hours in a pediatric dentist's office, but as usual I am glad I trusted my instincts to bring her.
I have never brought all three kids to the dentist at once. When they said we can take all three kids at 8:45, I assumed that meant that all three kids would be worked on individually at the same time.
Instead all seven of us were escorted to the dog-themed room that had only one chair. QT obviously loved the dogs and I was super psyched to see that they were playing "Wreck It Ralph" on the two TVs in the room, but it still took about 10 minutes before anything happened. I had to answer the required questions about recent surgeries, allergies, etc. Then I did the requisite lying about how many times they actually brush their teeth. I did cop to the fact that they don't floss, but I didn't list any sugary snacks or recent Kit-Kats that they may have eaten.
It was at this point that I realized that all three of them would be going one after another and not simultaneously. Ugh.
Both Ladies needed X-rays so my husband was able to manage the two of them while I tended to QT. He showed the dental hygienist how he brushed his teeth and didn't seem fazed by anything going on in the room. I was then told that I had to get in the chair and hold him. Holding QT is tough, he is a squirmer and he has a hard head. I still have to tread lightly in the boob area and even though the right side is almost as big as the left, it is still a little delicate. I was hoping for no sudden movements.
QT did great. It literally took the guy two minutes to clean his teeth. The fluoride vitamins they painted on his teeth didn't go over too well, but he took it like a champ. I thought it would be best if I sent him back out into the waiting room with the nanny and the iPad.
Sometimes my children amaze me. I have endured so many tantrums, restaurant meltdowns, doctor's office freak outs that I never know what to expect. Both the Ladies thought the X-rays were cool. They listened, stayed still and did whatever the hygienist and dentist told them to do. They were super happy with the cache of Hello Kitty stickers they got, but the amount of time we were there seemed excessive.
The one sticking point was the vitamins. The Lady walked around with her tongue out practically drooling and I had to clean her tongue off with a paper towel. The Little Lady, who was last in the chair, knew what was coming and did clamp her mouth shut for a time or two until the dentist told her they were princess vitamins and she relented.
QT and the Little Lady have no dental issues. The Lady, not so much. The guy basically said braces by 9 or 10 and we have to go back for some fillings. They had an open 2:30 p.m. appointment today, but I know when not to push my luck. I am not sure if the Lady will be so amiable about going to the dentist after our follow-up but I am hoping that she will continue to surprise me.
All in all we left with about 10 stickers, three toothbrushes, two balloons (much to the chagrin of QT who headed out a bit early with the nanny to check out the play place at the mall and didn't get one) and one super pissed hubby who couldn't find the parking ticket for the garage and ended up having to pay the lost ticket fee.
We were the first people in the place and as pediatric dentist places go, this one was pretty pimped out with all types of trademark violations. We had Elmo dressed as a knight, a Rapunzel mural, faces of teen stars as well as Dora and Diego plastered on a photo-covered wall of Yankee Stadium, with Mets or Yankee's caps painted on them.
The Lady was disappointed to see that Selena Gomez is a Mets fan.
While we sat in the "stadium style" benches watching the exact same episode of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that I had to turn off before we left the house, about six other kids came in after us.
All six of these children went behind the faux-stone castle door and disappeared into the back before we did.
Did I mention I came prepared with backup? Not only did my husband come but I dragged our nanny as well. I am sure she wanted nothing more than to spend over two hours in a pediatric dentist's office, but as usual I am glad I trusted my instincts to bring her.
I have never brought all three kids to the dentist at once. When they said we can take all three kids at 8:45, I assumed that meant that all three kids would be worked on individually at the same time.
Instead all seven of us were escorted to the dog-themed room that had only one chair. QT obviously loved the dogs and I was super psyched to see that they were playing "Wreck It Ralph" on the two TVs in the room, but it still took about 10 minutes before anything happened. I had to answer the required questions about recent surgeries, allergies, etc. Then I did the requisite lying about how many times they actually brush their teeth. I did cop to the fact that they don't floss, but I didn't list any sugary snacks or recent Kit-Kats that they may have eaten.
It was at this point that I realized that all three of them would be going one after another and not simultaneously. Ugh.
Both Ladies needed X-rays so my husband was able to manage the two of them while I tended to QT. He showed the dental hygienist how he brushed his teeth and didn't seem fazed by anything going on in the room. I was then told that I had to get in the chair and hold him. Holding QT is tough, he is a squirmer and he has a hard head. I still have to tread lightly in the boob area and even though the right side is almost as big as the left, it is still a little delicate. I was hoping for no sudden movements.
QT did great. It literally took the guy two minutes to clean his teeth. The fluoride vitamins they painted on his teeth didn't go over too well, but he took it like a champ. I thought it would be best if I sent him back out into the waiting room with the nanny and the iPad.
Sometimes my children amaze me. I have endured so many tantrums, restaurant meltdowns, doctor's office freak outs that I never know what to expect. Both the Ladies thought the X-rays were cool. They listened, stayed still and did whatever the hygienist and dentist told them to do. They were super happy with the cache of Hello Kitty stickers they got, but the amount of time we were there seemed excessive.
The one sticking point was the vitamins. The Lady walked around with her tongue out practically drooling and I had to clean her tongue off with a paper towel. The Little Lady, who was last in the chair, knew what was coming and did clamp her mouth shut for a time or two until the dentist told her they were princess vitamins and she relented.
QT and the Little Lady have no dental issues. The Lady, not so much. The guy basically said braces by 9 or 10 and we have to go back for some fillings. They had an open 2:30 p.m. appointment today, but I know when not to push my luck. I am not sure if the Lady will be so amiable about going to the dentist after our follow-up but I am hoping that she will continue to surprise me.
All in all we left with about 10 stickers, three toothbrushes, two balloons (much to the chagrin of QT who headed out a bit early with the nanny to check out the play place at the mall and didn't get one) and one super pissed hubby who couldn't find the parking ticket for the garage and ended up having to pay the lost ticket fee.
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