I have a kid in the DOUBLE DIGITS?

I cannot believe Jessalyn is 10 today. Seems like not that long since she was born! That means she has known Chad half her life, has been a big sister half her life, has had a brother 10% of her life...and that I am officially a DECADE older! Good grief. She got a RipStik (deathtrap) and electronic banking Monopoly and, the piece de resistance - a Wii! I am spectacularly bad at it, but she is pretty good. Let the games begin!

Signing Time! Series Two a Huge Hit!

Anyka and Jessalyn watchd all sever episodes of the Signing Time! Series two - and the results are all positive! Anyka loves the Happy Birthday one and days of the week. They both are working hard to learn all the new signs and are enjoying the increased challenge. The new format took some getting used to, with the Practive Time and other bits in the middle, but they still enjoyed themselves. The rest of Christmas was a hit, with Jessalyn getting som DS games and Heelys (those sneakers with wheels in them) and Anyka getting a High School Musical barbie of Sharpay (against my will) that rapidly became her favorite thing ever.

Waiting for Signing Time!

Anyka doesn't know it yet,but her Christmas Present has already arrived - the first 3 volumes of Series TWO of Signing Time! You have no idea how hard it is for me not to preview them - the last couple of years they have had new DVDs out right at the holidays and I have always peeked. But this year I am resolved. of course, being active on the forum (http://www.signingtime.com/forums/) and the weekly chat (http://www.signingtime.com/chatroom/) has only served to taunt me endlessly about the fun that awaits when she finally gets them and has free reign to play them...but wait I must. Have any of you ever wanted to play with your kids' toys before they get them for a present?

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Technology?!

I figured, OK, it is 2007. I have a 4th grader and a Pre-Kindergartener. I have learned how to text message to save minutes on my cell phone. I have a Digital Video Recorder on my cable service so I can watch shows whenever I want. I make digital srapbooks, have a website and belong to online forums for a variety of topics. It was inevitable - I need to get with the program and start a blog. But I don't have to like it! So hang with me as I share the ups and downs of life using this technologigal marvel called a blog.

Hang on, it is going to be a bumpy ride!

Anyka is doing so well at her new school! Or should I say, her old school? She is more relaxed, better behaved, sleeping better...it is a wonderful thing. She is also thriving under her new "traffic light" behavior system - so simple I can't believe it works! She has a little chart with four colors - green, yellow, orange and red - and the days starts on green, with misbehavior requiring a change to the other colors in progression. A simple "do you want to go to yellow?" can affect change like a time-out never could!

Last night, Anyka was crawling around and slipped, knocking her face on the hard floor. Her two front teeth were loose and bleeding, so I called our ultra-fabulous dentist. He ANSWERED THE PHONE at 7pm on a Friday and asked me to meet him at his office this morning at 9. He looked at her and did x-rays. The good news is, her permanent tooth buds are in there, well formed and look great. The bad news is, she has to have two more teeth extracted. Her two front middle teeth, to be exact. The two on either side are questionable, but we will leave them for now and see how long we can keep them before they have to come out.

Here is how my birthday unfolded:

5:30 am - phone rings. one of my husband's employees, calling in sick. this put husband in an extremely bad mood as it is a particular habit of this employee to be sick on Monday mornings.

7:00 - took a very clingy Anyka to school. Broke my heart to leave with her crying "but today should be a snuggle mama day!" as I walked down the hall.

7:45 - Our team of 5 employees is down to three today, due to one resignation and a vacation. The typical "someone is out" crises ensue.

9:30 - Call from school. Anyka's face, which my mom had discoverd was swollen, is causing her pain and she is complaining. I tell my boss I am taking an early lunch to run her to the dentist but I will be back in an hour. Our normal dentist is not at the office 5 minutes from work, but across town (20 minutes). I sigh and tell my boss it might be more like an hour and a half.

10:30 - our normal dentist takes one peek in Anyka's mouth, goes pale, and makes 8 phone calls until she finds a pedi dentist who can take her in immedaitely. This dentist is 30 minutes away from her office (45-50 from home). Anyka is given a necklace and a pencil with a dental mirror on the end.

11:30 Arrive at emergency dentist only to be told he is not a provider for our insurance. Agree to a $44 emergency exam to at least determine the problem and options for solutions. The ultra-fabulous nurse takes an x-ray and gives Anyka a sticker.

11:55 Ultra-fabulous dentist informs me that Anyka has an absess in two of her molars that is ragingly infected. Both must be extracted immediately if not sooner. Ultra-fabulous office staff has already arranged with Roy's insurance to cover 80% of any charges, meaning my bill will be less than $150 out the door. Impressed, I agree to the procedure. I am told I can be with her the whole time. The ultra-fabulous nurse gives Anyka two stickers.

12:05 Oral sedative is prepared and given to Anyka, who promptly pukes it back all over me. She is cleaned up and given three stickers.

12:25 Nasal membrane sedative applied. She is given two stickers and a bracelet for bravery.

12:45 Sedative is fully in effect, sats are good and nitrous oxide is making her deliciously still. The dentist checks her out and says he will begin in 20 minutes.

1:00 The dentist pulls two teeth, cleans out the sockets and remaining infected tissue, and stitches up the hole. 1:05 Anyka is given pure oxygen and awakes puzzled by the cotton in her mouth. 1:20 after passing the walking test, Anyka is given four stickers and a sugar-free lollipop for being so good. She has a hissy fit when told she cannot yet eat her sugar-free lollipop, until she is mollified by the fact that she can have all the ice cream she wants.

1:25 She has plastered her twelve-dozen stickers all over her arms and legs in the car and fallen fast asleep. 2:15 I drop Anyka off at Roy's. While carrying her up the stairs, totally zorked, I get the benefit of literal mouthfuls of bloody drool on my shoulder. The whole process is comical, carrying my bestickered preschooler, her very full backpack, a Hello Kitty the size of a Buick, twelve dozen gauze pads and the ultra-fabulous dentist's CELL PHONE NUMBER! (Have I mentioned he is fabulous?)

2:30 I arrive back at work, still covered in vomit and blood. I check for emergencies. There are several, and even my foul state cannot keep my co-workers from getting their answers. I manage for about an hour and then beg off for the rest of the day.

4:35 I arrive at the gym in no mood to work out but suffer through cardio and a session with my trainer. By now I am totally fried, but my husband is on his way home determined to take me to dinner so there is hope! PF Chang's here I come!

Ready for a story of incredible bravery? For years now, Anyka has had a phobia of life-size characters - Elmo, Hopkins from Signing Time!, McGruff the crime dog - you name it, she freaked out if it was anywhere near. Meals at Red Robin were plagued by "Is the bird here?" as a panicky Anyka searched the restaurant for a 6-foot robin. When asked why she was a afriad, Anyka replied, "Because I am little, and I am three. When I am FOUR, I will not be afraid and I will shake that bird's hand!" This was repeated over the course of several months, and the adults in her life figured she would eventually realize she was four and push back the deadline. Well, Saturday came and on the way back from her birthday party, Anyka asked if we were going to Red Robin so she could shake the bird's hand. Surprised, I called and got the time that the robin would be there. We headed over, and despite my doubts I took her inside. The bird was across the restaurant and Anyka asked to go RIGHT THEN. So I headed over - and her grip tightened with every step I took. Once near the bird, she extended her (visibly shaking) hand and grasped the tip of the bird's wing. She giggled nervously, shook his wing and said "Get a picture for my scrapbook mama!" So we took a photo. While eating, she was able to talk to the bird every time he came around and by the end of the evening announced that he "is my friend now!". I was so proud of her for facing down her fear!