Smiles, swings, squeals & shoes

This past Thursday was Josiah's first visit to the dentist. I've been thinking about this milestone for quite some time, going back and forth as to when the right time is to begin the check-ups. Some folks will tell you to wait until a child has lost all of their baby teeth and some will tell you to wait until all of a child's baby teeth have come "in". But did you know that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that a child's first oral health risk assessment be conducted as young as 6 months of age with the eruption of the first tooth? Although, looking back at Josiah's dental history, his first tooth did not erupt until he was 8 months of age. So we won't be making Laney's appointment for a few months yet.

Why so young, you ask? I, too, asked this same question, so I did some research...can you tell I miss the office? Answer: The CDC reports that dental caries is perhaps the most prevalent of infectious diseases affecting our nation's children. More than 40% have dental caries (aka cavities) by the time they reach kindergarten. YIKES! It's important to establish a good "dental home"--brushing, flossing, diet, and flouride--before permanent teeth inhabit your child's mouth.

I was amazed with how well Josiah behaved. But what was even more amazing was the dental office itself. When we walked into the waiting area, the first thing we noticed was this huge boat--a mini waiting area for kids inside the waiting area for adults. An Interior Designer sure had his/her thinking cap on when this room/office was designed. Josiah thought this was the coolest! There was a TV in the boat showing a movie...it definitely made filling out "new patient" paperwork a breeze when I knew that Josiah was entertained by the fact that there was a boat inside. He kept singing "Row, row, row your boat". When they called Josiah back, I immediately got nervous. I thought that this kid is NOT going to cooperate: he's NOT going to lean back nor is he going to open his mouth. On the contrary.....I lifted him up onto the chair, and he immediately asked me if he could lay down. WHAT?! The DA then said, "Sure, you can lay down. You can watch the movie on the ceiling.". WHAT?! Sure enough, there was a flat-screen monitor on the ceiling playing the same movie he left out in the boat. Why can't they have something cool like that in General Dentistry offices? That would definitely make my experience less sweaty. Anyways, Dr. Linda then came in to conduct Josiah's first oral health risk assessment. I'm proud to say that he has a BEAUTIFUL smile with 16 BEAUTIFUL teeth (8 on top & 8 on the bottom). In addition to receiving a really cool "big boy" toothbrush, we were given the "green light" to begin using "real" toothpaste (up until last week, he has been using the toddler toothbrush with the training toothpaste). I couldn't have asked for a better visit to the dentist. Unfortunately, I have an appointment for next week to assess a crown. UGH!

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I think we may have finally reached Autumn here in South Texas. Instead of the 90's and 100-something's of Summer, we have recently been blessed with mid-to-high 80's. Not quite perfect, but I'll take it. And because we've been cooped up in the house and other air conditioned establishments for the last 3 months, I took the kids to one of our community parks on both Friday and Saturday. Josiah had a blast climbing, sliding, and swinging while Laney hung out in her stroller in the shade of the pavilion. With the breeze, it was quite nice in the shade. Josiah doesn't mind the sun...as long as he's having a good time, he could care less that he's sweating, unlike his mother.

Here are a couple of pics taken from our visit.

I just love how the Palm Trees decorate the landscape.

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Laney turned 5 months old on Saturday. I say it each month, but really, "Where does the time go?" I am definitely enjoying her the more she outgrows the "baby" stage. Just in the last month Laney became so much more interactive. She definitely has the "social smile" down pat; she just can't wait for her daddy to pick her up when he walks through the door; she gets super excited when I approach her with her cereal bowl (I've started feeding her 1-2 T cereal 1X a day); and just in the last 2 weeks, Laney has started talking more. We're not talking about soft cooing here...she fills our house with squeals. It puts a smile on my face each time I hear her. It's so much fun.

(Sorry for the poor video quality, I used the vide0 function on our digital camera instead of using the actual video camera)

Just look at those chunky legs...she barely fits in the Bumbo.

Additionally, I weighed her about 2 weeks ago, and she weighed about 17.5 lbs. That's about a .5 lb weight gain in 2 weeks...so she's still on track to Sumo Wrestle. Unfortunately, I think that it's her status as a "chunky monkey" that she still has not rolled over. Well, that, and my thoughts that she's lazy....or smart. Why do all of that work when she knows that someone is going to come and get her. However, while she may not be breaking any records for rolling over early, she is sitting up quite well on her own and has started transferring toys from hand to hand.

I can't wait to see what she does in this next month.

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Josiah loves playing in our closet. He just loves shoes. You've seen the picture a thousand times...the little girl, playing dress up in her mom's dress, pearls, and high heels. Well, Josiah enjoys dressing up, too....by wearing Mommy's shoes. While Randy did NOT think this was amusing...I laughed and just HAD to get the camera.