The Latest Misadventure

Just when we seemed to be clear of the bronchitis that has plagued our home since late August, lo and behold, a new malady strikes! While no one is sick (I think . . . hope . . .), little Abby had her biggest-yet accident.

Lydia took this picture of Abby . . . look at those pretty teeth!

On Saturday evening, Jer was pushing Lydia on the swing while Abby stood beside him, waiting her turn. Apparently she decided to help push, because she moved forward and the swing hit her full in the mouth, throwing her about four feet backwards.

Of course, she bled and cried. Jer picked her up and ran her into the house, expecting a lip/tongue injury. He laid her on the table and then called to me, sounding a little panicked. Her lip and tongue were fine (and she still has no bruising around her mouth)--but her left front tooth was gone!

We consoled her, got a wet cloth and some ice, and eventually stanched the bleeding. I called our dentist emergency line and left a message, and we were pleasantly surprised that the dentist called back in about 10 minutes--saving us a contemplated trip to urgent care or ER.

The dentist advised us to wait out the weekend and take her in for a check on Monday. Basically he told us most baby teeth roots dissolve on their own, there wasn't much he or we could do, and she'd just have to wait about five years for the adult tooth to grow in. She's cute with the gap, but I miss the pretty little line of teeth!

Abby did quite well over the weekend. We gave her tylenol a few times in the course of Saturday night and Sunday morning, but since then she's been pretty much her normal self. We kept her out of nursery on Sunday morning, though she begged and whined to join Lydia there. She still wants to play rough with Daddy and her siblings, and she doesn't like the "softer" diet to which we've tried to relegate her.

Amazingly, she's also done a great job avoiding thumb-sucking. Initially she whimpered a little when we asked her to keep her thumb out of her mouth, but I've seen her reflexively put her thumb up to her mouth and then consciously pull it back. Maybe her thumb-sucking days are over!

Monday morning Jeremy and I split kids and ways to make both my OB appointment and Abby's dentist appointment work. He took Josiah and Abby to the dentist, while I took Lydia with me (she was disappointed to miss out on the video games in the dentist's lobby and the prize at the end of the visit!).

We just took the kids in for their six-month cleaning last Thursday, and all three did very well. They hopped up into the chairs like pros, opened their mouths on command, happily complied with the hygenist's and dentist's instructions, and gleefully got their prizes when we exited. So we were glad to have that good experience to bank on! Abby was actually excited about going back to the dentist (and felt special that only she needed an appointment).

Well, Monday's dental check ended up including an X-ray that showed Abby's tooth had not been knocked out like we thought. It had been jammed back into her gum--so far that we could only see an edge of white (which previously we assumed to be some of the root). It still makes me shiver to think about how painful that would be!

Thankfully it looks like the tooth did not hit the adult tooth up in her gum--so we're hoping there's no long-term damage to permanent teeth. Apparently the gum will probably close over the little tooth. The dentist said there's a 50/50 chance the tooth will then descend again (so she'll teethe all over again) and come in okay--probably a bit crooked, but potentially fine for use until it drops out in a few years. But if it doesn't descend, he'll need to extract it. So we have an appointment for late November to check on its status and potentially extract it. Hopefully it will come back in!

The other main concern is that Abby could develop an abscess up there in her gum, which could affect the adult tooth if it's not swiftly dealt with (and, of course, it could be very painful). So we'll be watching for that.

So our brave little girl is poorer one tooth, at least for now! We're trying to prevent further injuries to the area (more challenging than you might expect with the way these kids play!) and praying that tooth comes back in to be usable another few years. Meanwhile, Jeremy has encouraged Abby to practice her "pirate face" to show off her gap . . .

(Oh, and Josiah convinced Abby that a "sticky eyeball" would be a great choice of prize. She proudly showed it to me when I met up with them at Jer's work. Josiah was thrilled to have gotten a prize as well--just for playing computer games in the lobby while Abby got checked out and got her X-ray! He chose a "sticky hand.")

These Funny Kids

Here are some funny sayings from the kids that I've collected of late . . . I love that all three of them feature in the funnies now! 

Skyping with Grandma in Dubai--she reads them books and they take turns holding the phone

1. Play

Abby to Lydia: "You 'posed to obey me, little monkey!"
Lydia: "Baaa! Baaaa!"
Abby: "No! You a little monkey!"
(Lydia dearly likes to be a "little lamb" these days.)

 Lydia

Abby: "Baa! Baa! I'm a doat! Let's butt horns todether, Li-ya!" Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea that will turn out beautifully!

 Abby

Lydia, playing outside with the coupe car: "I'm a daddy. I take my key. I'm goin' to work. Bye!"

Lydia

Jeremy tried to teach Josiah to play War when we were on vacation. Josiah loved winning each round of cards and enjoyed looking at the cards themselves. He commented to me during one of their games, "Mom, I think maybe you should be a queen when you grow up."

Josiah came in one morning from playing outside.
Me: "What were you doing outside?"
Josiah: "I was fighting a dragon. I was being bery brave."

Abby and Josiah

Abby, on the brink of angry tears and in a demanding voice: "Li-ya! You my SISTER! I wanna hold yours HAND!"

Lydia on left, Abby on right

2. Poop

Sorry, toilet humor (whether or intentional or otherwise) seems to come with the toddler/preschooler territory!

One day while changing Lydia, I must have expressed my distaste for her diaper contents through my facial expression, because she exclaimed (animatedly), "Wow! What's THAT face?!"

Lydia's crazy face

Abby on the toilet: "You have a bum, Mama? I have a bum."

Abby trying to imitate Lydia

Josiah, thinking his observation of anatomical differences is a great joke: "Hahahaha! Abby and Li-ya pee out of their BUMS!"

This is what Josiah calls his "happy-mad" face

I was changing Abby's diaper during nap time and said something about the smell.
Lydia, from her bed: "Abby has da nastiest poop in whole world?"

 Lydia

Josiah, commenting on his poop: "Wow! That shot out like a bullet!"

3. Piety

Josiah: "Why do robbers steal money and food and stuff? They want to serve idols?"

Josiah at dinner: "Why don't we listen to the Holy Spirit?"

Jeremy's 30th Birthday

Here are some pictures from our vacation commemorating the momentous event of Jeremy's entrance into his thirties! Despite cream that wouldn't whip, I managed to make a mint chocolate chip/oreo ice cream cake for him, which was a hit with everyone.

My aunt Janelle and cousin Ellen also have July birthdays, and Aunt Janelle's was a big one--65! So the family gathered for a big celebration with flaming matches on the store-bought cake (I think this was Jeremy's idea).

Reenie attended in style, with her homemade Jurassic Park sweatshirt . . .

Soccer!

We signed Josiah up for the preschool "rookie" soccer league run by a local Catholic parish, St. Francis Xavier. It's popular with lots of families in the community--there are 19 teams in the rookie division (4s and 5s) alone! Unfortunately, they apparently have a problem with coach shortages (coaches are all volunteers) . . . so Jeremy shouldered the unexpected responsibility of being our team's coach!

Josiah was less than enthusiastic about it after the first practice. But with a pep talk and a promise of reward for good attitude, he perked up considerably for the second practice and gave good effort at all the drills.

He was pretty excited to get his uniform--and his sisters were pretty jealous! They want to know when they can play soccer, too. Both like to try on his socks and cleats, and Abby has chosen a particular knitted shrug that she calls her "ooniform" and wears around the house.

It seems many teams consist primarily of people who requested to be on a team together--because their kids attend the same school, they know each other from various activities or church, etc. Ours is thus more a random conglomeration of the people without a pre-existing clique. Jeremy has had quite a challenge trying to corral everyone, balance too little parental involvement with too much, keep the wild kids under some semblance of control, and teach a few skills.

 Josiah and teammates at the first game

The first game was mostly chaos. Our team scored about half the other team's goals, since the kids didn't have a clear idea of which way to direct the ball and were eager to kick it into the nearest goal. Victoria, the lone girl on the team, is one of the best players. She clearly has older siblings who have taught her something about soccer. If she gets her feet on the ball, she usually gets it into a net.

 Pre-game talk from the coach

Josiah kicks at the ball when he's near it, follows the pack when they're running, and generally listens to instructions. But he often asks Jeremy for a break to get water or check out the snack situation. He told us his favorite part about soccer games is the snacks. So far, for our two past games, two different families have provided an unprecedented amount and variety of treats in the snack bags that Josiah finds far more interesting than running around the field.

 Water break

Getting ready for kick-off (Josiah is in the middle) 

The second game this past Friday was perhaps some improvement on the first--at least the kids had a pretty clear idea of which goal to kick the ball into! But some of the wild kids were wilder than before, and some parents don't really assist in controlling their children. Some of the kids seem to think soccer is more akin to football, so they dive for the ball and end up with a pile of others on top of them. Some play dirty, trying to kick or grab other players. Some have potty mouths. Josiah reports back to us lots of the words and antics he observes!

While the season will be a challenge for both father and son, I think overall it's good for Josiah (and maybe Jeremy). I hope our little bud picks up a few soccer skills along the way!