The tooth fairy is going broke...

Gabriel has lost 2 teeth in the last two weeks and at this rate, I'm worried the tooth fairy is going to be broke.

Unfortunately or fortunately, which ever way you look at it, our son has a very expensive mouth.  He's had more dental work done than well, I think any other person I've ever met.  The good news is that despite his many trips to the dentist for various work (cleanings, cavities, root canals, extractions, you name it), he still likes to go to the dentist.  That is the good news.

The bad news is that he is losing his baby teeth at a very early age.  Just two weeks ago he came to me and said, "Mom, I have a loose tooth" and sure enough he did.  One of his molars, I guess the one you are not suppose to loose until you are 7 or 8 was hanging on by a thread.  After going to the dentist and having to have the tooth extracted, we were told he'd have to have a spacer put in to hold the opening until his adult tooth grows in (in at least 2 to 3 years). 

On the eve of our return trip to the dentist to have the spacer implanted Gabriel came up to me and said, "Guess what Mom, I have another loose tooth" to which I replied, Man I hope it is just a loose cap (or what Gabriel calls his Gold Teeth".  I told him we'd figure out tomorrow and ask when we got to the dentist. 

Sure enough, the very next day, after implanting the spacer, the dentist took an x-ray and learned that indeed his very back molar, the one he's not suppose to loose until he's around 11 was coming out.  Given that these teeth both had major work done to them, the doctor calmed my nerves and said it was probably because of the root canals done on them.  Still I worry.  So since the tooth was loose and his 6 year molars (I understand which is the first of one's adult set of teeth) are starting to come in right behind the loose tooth, I learned that we'd have to have that loose tooth extracted as well.

After getting the second quote for the next tooth extraction, plus the impression cost, the spacer cost and installation charge, I really did wish that Gabriel's "gold teeth" really were gold. 

Being that I am super cheap and that we could save $200 by pulling out the tooth our self, I decided to give Gabriel a little incentive to work on loosing up that tooth himself.  I told him the secret of the tooth fairy.  I said, "Gabriel, did you know that when I was younger I had to have some of my teeth pulled at the dentist too?"  "Really Mom?  Why?"  Ignoring the why question, I continued on with my plan... "Gabriel you know what I found out after having the dentist pull my teeth?"  "What Mom?"  "Gabriel, I learned that the tooth fairy brings more money when you pull your own teeth out instead of when the dentist pulls it."  "Really Mom, I'm going to pull it out right away?"

I know what you are thinking, and I too at this point, was feeling a little bit guilty but seriously $200 is ridiculous for pulling out a tooth that is already loose and going to fall out on its own.  Seriously. 

And once we got home Gabriel was convinced and determined to get that tooth out on his own.  He wiggled it during supper and before bed.  The next day he went to school and wiggled it while he was on the playground. 
That night he decided to show dad just how loose it was.  It was so loose that it was only hanging on by a tiny piece. Gabriel asked Dad to help him pull it out. While Dad, Gabriel and Michael worked on the situation, I took pictures...

ahhhhh

Let's see assistant Michael, if I try to squeeze my finger in here, we can wrap the floss around the tooth and gently pull it out.

Unfortunately after about 10 minutes of trying to maneuver his fingers into Gabriel's tiny mouth, Gabriel decided to take matters into his own hands.

That's one determined kid I tell ya.

But even after several minutes of trying, he couldn't get it out and we went to bed more hopeful for the next day.

And the very next day as I picked Gabriel up from school, he walked proudly toward me with a huge sticker on his shirt that said, "I lost a tooth"  As we greeted he said, "Mom, I lost my tooth!  Now the tooth fairy can come and bring me lots of money!"

And guess what, that night the tooth fairy did come and she brought him double what he normally gets, a whole $2.00.  Seriously, I totally owe the tooth fairy she saved me $198.00.  I just hope he doesn't lose any more because it won't just be the tooth fairy going broke, but Mom and Dad will too.

Until next time,
Angie

Bananas....

Have you ever wondered where a banana comes from? From a tree right.  Well that is a pretty good answer, but have you taken the time to really think about the question... where do bananas come from.  I'm talking about the deeper question of how bananas are made.  Personally, beyond knowing they come from a tree, I had never thought about it. 

However, I recently learned that if you are 4 years old, you do think of such things.  And since 4 year olds (or at least our 4 year old) knows almost everything, he explained it to me the other day.

In case you'd like to know, here's a brief explanation from Michael about how bananas are made....

So, there you go... bananas form from the tree blood, in the wood part and have a case to keep it from getting old.  And now, the next time you eat a banana you can relax because you've been informed of the real answer to the question, "Where do bananas come from?"

Until next time,

Angie

Captain(s) America

This past week my sister and her husband came out to visit us.  It was a wonderful week and although we really didn't have much on the agenda other than swimming and playing, we had a blast with them.

Adam and the boys played swords and shields...Michael's really tough as you can see...

See, he really is...
 Then there was swimming...

The boys trying to show their muscles.

 Oh and Adam claims to make the worlds best sandwich... Michael decided to try it and it must have been pretty tasty because pretty soon the two kids (oops, I mean boys) were fighting over it.

Megan and Adam use to live in Phoenix so we enjoyed going here and there, around the city as they reminisced about the good old days.  Meanwhile, we tried to convince them that they should move back and that it really only got unbearably hot the day they flew in and that once they left our 110 heat day streak ended.  Okay maybe I wasn't too convincing on that but, hey, I tried.

We spent lots of time in the pool and they spent a lot of time playing with the boys.  In fact they helped the boys become Captain America.  Actually they helped them become Captains America.  One day while I was at work, Meg and Adam volunteered to watch Michael.  They said they had some errands but otherwise were free and could watch him.  When Michael found out he would get to spend the day with them instead of going to his structured and routine school, he immediately made up his mind... "I want to stay with Megan and Adam" 

When I returned from work, I learned they had ventured into Target with Michael.  I guess I should have given them the warning that he'd probably ask for everything in the store and it is okay to just repeat "NO" over and over.  I do it all the time and I think the boys come to expect it.  I guess Megan and Adam being the wonderful aunt and uncle they are, were only able to turn him down so many times, before agreeing to by the Captain America mask for him and Gabriel.  Then, desperate to just get through their shopping experience before buying a ton of more toys, Adam had to distract Michael by pretending to be a space commander and that Michael riding in the cart (aka Space Shuttle) was trying to "fly" through "space" (aka the store) without hitting any space debris (aka merchandise).  Although I wasn't there, I'm sure it was quite a scene.

Once home Megan and Adam completed the boy's Captain America get up by creating from scratch a Captain America shield from some cardboard they found in our garage which hadn't yet been recycled.  Take a look for yourself... pretty impressive I'd say.

And then once Gabriel returned home from kindergarten, it was decided that one shield wouldn't be enough and that they'd have to make a second.  And so the process started again...

It required lots of cutting...

 A lot of coloring...

 and I mean a lot of coloring...

 And some watching from the boys...

But when it was all done, man did it look great!

Thanks Megan and Adam for coming to visit and for having so much fun with us.  We hope you'll come back again soon.

Until next time,
Angie

I showed him...

The last time I blogged I talked about how heavy my heart felt in that I wasn't able to experience the boy's first few years of their life.  After Gabriel's kindergarten teacher had given him the assignment to bring baby pictures and items from when he was an infant to share with his class, I felt this may be an event that would spark several questions from Gabriel about how he ended up with us and why the other kids have so much more to share.

Originally he didn't seem to mind at all, and didn't think twice about it.  Originally I postponed the action of digging out the few photos we do have of him as an infant.  However, I decided, after getting the 4th reminder note from the teacher, that she wasn't going to stand for us opting out of this assignment.  So a few days ago, while the boys were resting I dug into my closet and pulled out the special box of stuff we've saved for the boys about their lives before us.

I carefully sorted through the pictures and decided which ones to pull out for him.  Ones that show how precious and beautiful of a baby he was.  Those that show him with his infant brother and ones that are from when we was 2 and 3.  All precious, all pictures I cherish and as I looked at them, I decided it was time to share them with him.

This afternoon Gabriel and Michael were playing when I could tell Gabriel was ready to move onto a different activity.  It was then that I called him to come into the living room.  Gabriel I said, "Do you remember what your homework assignment is for tomorrow?"  "No Mom, what?"  " I continued, "Remember you are learning all about you and you are suppose to take some pictures to school of..."  He interrupted me and said, "But Mom, we don't have any baby pictures."  He paused and that is when I said, "Gabriel, Dad and Mom weren't able to take any pictures of you when you were a baby because we didn't know you then, but honey, we do have some pictures of you when you were a baby." Instantly his face lit up and his confused expression immediately turned into one of excitement.  "Really Mom?!?!?!  Can I see them?"

And at that point I pulled out the 6 pictures I had selected for him and showed him.  One of the pictures is from when he was hours old and I had put them in order from his first moments to his first 3 years.  He carefully picked up each picture and held them gently in his hand.  All smiles he scanned each picture and studied each aspect of himself as an infant.  When he got to the third picture he looked at me and said, "Mom, I was a cute baby.  Do you think so?"  I replied, "I think you were a beautiful baby and look at all of your hair!" 

Together we sat on the couch and talked about each picture about the clothes he was wearing and about how we could see some of his features from even when he was a few days old.  To me, it is his eyes that stand out the most and boy are they beautiful.  After reviewing each picture several times he yelled for Michael to come and look and they sat on the couch together looking at the pictures and taking in each photo.  Then Gabriel carefully took the pictures into our bedroom where Jarrett was and he said, "Dad, I have a surprise, close your eyes."  Then Gabriel excitedly revealed his pictures.  It was obvious he was proud and so happy to have them.

I feel truly thankful that we have some photos to share with him and even though he didn't make it seem like a big deal, it was obvious it was very special to him that we do have pictures of his life as a baby. 

As he goes to school tomorrow with his homework assignment his teacher has been asking for for several days, I'm thankful that this assignment was given.  Although I was nervous how they'd feel about not having very much from the infant years, I've realized they are very thankful for what ever they have.

And now it is time for me to look for Michael's photos because as soon as we packed up Gabriel's baby pictures, Michael said, "Mom, where are my pictures of me as a baby?"

Until next time,
Angie

My heart aches...

Today as I write this my heart feels heavy.  In a strange way, I kind of feel guilty for saying that but the truth is, I feel that way and so I'll say it... My heart aches when I think about them.

Last week, we learned that Gabriel will begin a new unit at school this coming week, a unit called "All about Me"   The purpose of the unit is to teach the kids to like themselves, to have confidence and to be proud of who they are and where they come from.  On Friday, Gabriel came home with a note from his teacher stating that in the next couple of days, the kids should work together with their parents to find some baby pictures that he can bring into the classroom to share with this class.

As you can imagine, this brings up a lot of emotion for all of us in the family.  It is a subject we discussed in length at our adoption classes and we brainstormed many different ways to handle the situation.  I think as adults we can sometimes over think and stress about things and I guess I'll admit, I'm probably guilty of this in this situation also. 

When we talk with Gabriel about this, it doesn't seem to phase him one bit and although he remembers his life with his foster family, it almost seems to him that his life started when he came to be with us.  I, on the other hand, am fully aware of the fact that for the first 4 years of his life, he was not with us and for that, my heart aches that I did not know him, that I was not there with him and didn't get to help him when he may have needed it. 

We knew going into the adoption process that it was a strong reality we probably wouldn't have pictures, mementos or really anything to show the boys from their life before us.  To our surprise, when we learned about Gabriel and Michael we also found out that we would have a few small things to show them.  Thankfully and luckily we feel blessed that their birth mother had taken several pictures and posted them online.  We were given access to some of those photos which I had copied right away and have been saving for the right time to show them (when that day will come, I have no idea). 

As we get ready this weekend for Gabriel to go back to school tomorrow, I decided to browse through those photos to see which baby pictures I could send with him.  I am thankful, very thankful to have several pictures of the boys when they were babies and I have pictures of them with their birth mom who obviously loves them very much.  In looking through the pictures, I am saddened by the fact that I didn't get to hold them in my arms when they were just days old, that I didn't get to see them take their first step or hear their first word.  I am sad that I can't identify how many months they were in certain pictures, because I wasn't there when it was taken.  I feel like I/we've missed a large part of their life and someday when they have questions about what their first word was, or when they started walking, I'll only be able to stare back at them with a blank look on my face... I'm sorry honey but I do not know. 

Maybe this won't be a big deal to them, Jarrett kindly reassures me and says it probably won't be to them.  "They are boys and boys don't really think about all of those things."  I can't decide if he is telling me the truth or if he's just trying to calm my fears.  What ever the case, I guess it still doesn't change the fact for how my heart hurts today.  It is almost like a grieving process we have to go through and maybe it is better I get over this now so someday I can help them, when they start to understand all the emotions that go along with with the simple question, "Who are you?"

I feel like the assignment of taking baby photos to class, for most families is not that big of a deal.  For us, I feel it opens up a chapter in our lives (both theirs and ours) that bring emotions and questionsto the surface  that can be hard to think of answers to.  I want the boys to be proud of the fact that they were adopted, and to understand they have two sets of parents that love them very much. 

As I sift through the poor quality baby photos we do have, I stare into Gabriel and Michael's innocent faces and wonder what it would have been like, if it was me who had given birth to them, had experienced all of their firsts with them.  But then I stop and remember the whole purpose of this new unit at school.  It isn't a unit about me, it is a unit for Gabriel to learn about and to love all that makes him who he is.  His past is a part of that and that is just one of the many reasons why we love who he is.  I try to push aside my selfish emotions and give thanks that his birth mother cared enough to give him life and to bring this kind, gentle and mature little person into the world.  For if she hadn't, he would have never come to be with us and for that my heart would truly ache.

Until next time,
angie

Do I look handsome?

Michael sees Gabriel pick out his outfit for school each night and every morning Michael tries with all his might to try to find just as "handsome" of an outfit as what Gabriel had picked out the evening before.

The other morning I heard the boys up and moving around in their room.  Since I was getting ready for work, I didn't go right in but gave them a few minutes to attempt getting ready on their own.

After finishing up in my room, I went out to see exactly what the boys were doing.  As I opened the door, the boys immediately said, "good morning Mom!" and then Michael said, "Mom, do I look handsome?"

I looked him in the eye and scanned him up and down at the outfit he had picked out. I had no other response than "Oh my Michael, yes you do and I bet you picked out your outfit all by yourself didn't you!"

To which he replied, "Yes, Mommy Gabriel didn't help me at all, I did it all by myself."

Doesn't he look super cute and pretty darn handsome too?

Until next time,
Angie

His first brief...

The boys really aren't sure what Daddy does.  They know he works alot to earn money so we can live, but when you ask him what he does or where he works, they simply say "Downtown"    We've tried to explain that Daddy helps people and goes to court sometimes. 

After explaining that Daddy doesn't go to court becuase he's in trouble, we tried to keep it simple and just says, Daddy writes a lot of things on the computer and works really hard to earn money so we can live.  That seems to work.

Since the boys love their daddy so much and often see him working on the computer, the boys have been begging for quite a while to get to "work" on the computer like him. So just recently we started letting the boys play or "work" on a computer.

Just last week, Michael was hard at it, putting in as many "billable hours as he could" (okay bad lawyer joke), when he was all done, I joked with Jarrett and said he completed his first brief.

Here's a few photos of him hard at work pretending to be a lawyer...



After almost 30 minutes, this is what he typed!  Pretty good I think!  Pay special attention to the last sentence he wrote... I think he was working on a case against Waste Management...



Until next time,
Angie