It Finally Fell Out!!

Well, I guess fell isn't really the right word...since Daddy pulled it out. But it was ready and hanging on by one of those little gummy threads (eww I know). Caitlyn wasn't too scared when Matt was going to pull it. I had reassured her that it wouldn't hurt and she probably wouldn't even feel it. I had to let her know that there was going to be a little blood, cause she gets freaked out about blood. I guess I don't see a medical profession in her future huh??

Matt gave it one little tug, and out it came. There was MINIMAL bleeding, thank God, and no tears what so ever. Once it was out, she didn't even realize that Matt had pulled it out ;) She is so psyched!

We had to clear up a couple misconceptions though. She was under the impression that she would be able to see the new tooth immediately. I told her that it wasn't underneath it just yet. To which she promptly replied that the Tooth Fairy would just "zap" one in there with her wand tonight when she makes her visit. Ummm, no. So we had to have a discussion about a new tooth needing to grow in there. She is a little bummed about that. But as soon as she sees the new one coming in I am sure she will be able to understand it a little better.

Here are some pics of the new gap in the pretty smile of hers:

Musings of a little girl

Several funnies that have come out of her mouth in the past week:

On making cotton candy
C: Mom how do they make cotton candy?
N: with lots and lots of sugar.
C: I think they use cat fur and add sugar and water. And it tastes so good that you don't even know it's cat fur.

(yuck!)

On Fathers
N: (to Caitlyn while hugging her) I am so glad that God gave you to me for a daughter.
C: (hugging me) I am so glad God gave me you as my mother.

.....pause as she thinks for a moment.

C: I am so glad that God gave me Daddy as my father.

.....pause to think again.

C: (pulling away from me and putting her hand by her mouth as though she is trying to whisper) You know Mom, God is really everyone's Father though right?

Switching things up a bit

So I upgraded my account...pretty much because they tell you to. So I figured I would get a new template as well. Well now, all of the fun little things that I had added are gone. But see, I anticipated that. So I quickly copied and pasted all of the html into a word document first. Sounds brilliant right??? Yeah well I thought so too. Until I discovered that this fancy new version of Blogger no longer requires html to add all those fun little things I had. So now I have to figure out where in the hell to add them with this new version. All the fun is mine. If it can't be located easily, well then let's just say that there will be nothing added ;)

I am not thoroughly convinced that this is the template that I am going to stick with either. So don't be surprised if in the next few days it changes about 400 times. So I guess it's a good thing that I can't figure out how to change anything cause if I change or add a link I will probably change templates and lose the damn thing again. It all balances out I suppose.

The silly tooth of Caitlyn's still hasn't fallen out. It's been over a week now. And she won't wiggle it, with her finger or her tongue. She says it feels funny. Love those sensory issues huh? But she will let me wiggle it, and it is getting looser...slowly but surely. By the time this stupid tooth falls out, there will be another one right behind it ready to come out as well.

Ballet

Caitlyn started ballet today at the park district. And she absolutely loved it! The best part of the entire thing was that she got to wear her leotard and tights and ballet slippers. After all, isn't that what really matters when you are participating in any sport???

She wishes I was an octopus

I was cutting Caitlyn's dinner this evening. And in true Caitlyn fashion, she was asking me to take her sweater off while I was cutting. After telling her that she needed to just wait until I was done with what I was doing she leaves the room. That's when I hear:

"I wish you were an octopus. Then you could take my sweater off and cut my food at the same time."

As opposed to her taking the stpid sweater off by herself???

A loose tooth

It's official! The days of toddlerdom are gone now. Caitlyn has her first loose tooth. It's one of the bottom ones. Surprisingly enough, it's actually her very first tooth that came in as an infant. Since the day that Cate has turned 5, she has been asking me when her teeth are going to start falling out. So needless to say, she is very excited. Although, I do think that I am tad bit more excited than she is ;)

She had a sleepover at Grama Rita's last night and when she was brushing her teeth this morning she told Grama that her tooth was hurting her. Lo and behold, Grama wiggled it...and it is really wiggling in there. I think it's hysterical that she didn't even realize it and had to be told that she had a loose tooth.

So now my biggest fear is that it will fall out at school and get lost or she will end up swallowing it, or some other tragedy to ruin the perfect goodness of it all. So I am thinking that in about 2 days I will make her eat an apple to help things along :)

Some Christmas Pics

Just realized that I didn't post any of these, so I will take care of that now. The girl had a fantabulous Christmas...receiving an obscene amount of new toys. She got a few boardgames that she absolutely loves (and mom doesn't mind playing so much either :P), she got her Barbie guitar which was a huge hit, the moonsand came, which she promptly said looks much easier to use on tv than it really is, along with a slew of other toys that I am certain will be forgotten in a month's time.









And finally, the Christmas dress. She looked like such a little angel in it this year. It's hard to believe just how grown up she is looking these days. Long gone are the baby pudgy cheeks and such :(

Matt's Christmas Present to Himself

Last night while Caitlyn was at Grandma Rita's, Matt and I headed over to Jade Dragon Tattoo to get this little goodie. It is something that we had been thinking about doing for a year or so. And the other day Matt finally decided that it was time.

It is an exact replica of her footprints that were taken when she was about 2 weeks old. Everyone in the place was in awe that her feet were so tiny. We had people coming up to us and asking us if we really had a 1 pound baby, I guess it is a little shocking if you have never come across such a teeny one :P

Caitlyn is absolutely thrilled with it. She keeps asking Matt if she can look at it and she just stares and stares. Both Matt and I are very pleased with how it came out. So pleased that he is already talking about getting another one :S

Merry Christmas to you

Merry Christmas to my girlie and my husband! It has been a wonderful morning and I am sure the day is only going to get better. Caitlyn is so very excited this year and it is such an awesome thing to watch! Christmas is now meaning something so very different to me than it ever has before as I watch her excitement.

I hope that everyone has a fantastic day celebrating their own miracles today.

The Winter Assembly

Caitlyn had her winter assembly on Tuesday. Her class sang "Must Be Santa" and I must say that despite all of the words in the song, they really did a fantastic job.

Caitlyn wore the cutest little jumper (that I snagged at Kohl's at quite the discount). I think she was more excited to wear the dress than she was about singing on stage. The teacher also had santa hats for all of the kids.

We have also finally signed up for ballet. Which the girl is wayyyyy psyched about. She prances around the house on a daily basis telling me that she is practicing for dance class. She has also made it a point to tell anyone and everyone who will listen that she is starting dance class in January. In June, they have a recital, which I can't wait for ;)

Here are some pictures from the assembly....Christmas pictures to follow after the holiday.

Before we left the house


In line to go on stage


Singing "ho ho ho" with her arms out as Santa's belly (can you even find her in the middle there??? I really need a camera with a better zoom)

Zoo Lights

The weather here has been unseasonably warm again. So this past weekend we took advantage of it and headed off to Brookfield Zoo on Saturday. Every year, they decorate the entire zoo with tons and tons of Christmas lights. Of course, it was terribly crowded, because everyone in the city and surrounding suburbs had the exact same idea as us. But a fantastic time was had by all.

On the lion at the entrance (don't all kids who live in Chicago have a pic of themsselves on this lion???)


In the belly of a kangaroo


The giant ornament


And of course they had tons of "creatures" to take pictures with


On the buffalo


Even Uncle Bobby wanted to get on the buffalo (yeah, he's an adult?)

Deck the Halls

Caitlyn is singing Christmas songs like mad these days. Yesterday she was singing Deck the Halls. It went a little something like this...

"Deck the hall with balls on journey."

I will never hear that song without thinking of the incorrect words again.

Learning to Read

Caitlyn is learning to read this year in kindergarten. And I have to say, it really is an amazing process to watch unfold! Before she started school this year, she was able to read and spell a few words. But now she is really making the connection between letters and sounds. Everytime she says a word or gets a pencil in her hand, she is trying to sound out words and spell them on her own. And it's even more amazing when we are out and about and she sees a word thst she knows and she gets all excited cause she can read it. So everywhere we go now, she is looking for words that she can read.

Here's an example...I put on a shirt yesterday that said "let it snow." And when she was standing in front of me, she yells out "IT!!!" All excited and proud of herself cause she read what was on my shirt.

In school, they are allowed to sign up to bring in a book and read it to the class. Naturally, being who she is, Cate had to be the first to sign up. SO she brought in one of her phonics, I can read, books. And sheh most certainly did stand up there and read the entire thing to the class! Now she is on the hunt every night for a book that she can take to school and read to her friends.

Painting the Town

Caitlyn is so very excited about Christmas this year. And not just the getting gifts part, she is truly excited for all of the decorations and the parties, and basically everything that encompasses Christmas. Yesterday we were driving to the store and from the back seat I hear "Oh my God!" in this squealy sounding voice. She tried telling me something and I couldn't even understand what in the world she was saying through all the giddiness in her voice. Finally I told her to slow down and tell me what she was so psyched over.

"Mommy they are even decorating the town for Christmas!"

With the largest cheesy ass grin I have ever seen in my life, she was in awe of the lights that were on the trees and lamp posts on the busy street! Now mind you, we were right outside the mall, and they always decorate those for the holidays. However, when we pulled away from the mall and into the suburb across the street, they too had decorated their trees and lamp posts. So in her mind, she now thinks that Chicago decorates the "town."

So we here in Chicago are under a winter storm warning. The funny thing is, besides the fact that it was near 60 out for the last 5 days, is that my mother said this was going to happen. And not just because she was being pessimistic or anything. When we went to bingo on Monday, she had mentioned that this is the same exact weather pattern that we had before the blizzard of 1967. Well, if you know my mom, you know that she can sometimes spew information that she really has no idea about. But it had me curious. And lo and behold, upon googling "blizzard 1967" it was, in fact, damn near 60 the few days prior to the storm. Hmmm. Either or, I am thinking that we are going to get a punch in the face with this snow. We have had some pretty mild winters here the last few years and I am thinking it's time for that wonderful woman we call Mother Nature to once again let us know exactly who is in charge.

Mother of the Year

This would be the award that I would not be getting! Besides the fact of being horribly neglectful here, I am awaiting the call from DCFS.

Caitlyn comes into our bed every morning. And really, this isn't a big deal to either of us. She isn't allowed to come in until the sun is up (or she would be in there as soon as we were). If she comes in before the sun is up, I can usually shag her back to her own room. Typically, she comes in around the time that Matt is getting up for work, so it works out nicely.

Sunday morning she comes in as usual. I hadn't gone to bed until almost 4 am, apparently some insomnia issues going on. It must have been somewhere around 6 or 7 that she came in asking to get in bed with us. Now, I don't know what I was dreaming about or how deeply I was sleeping, and at the time, I wasn't fully functional. Though, I can see it all very vividly now.

Caitlyn: Mommy can I get into bed with you?

Mom: leans out of bed (had to really stretch) and slaps child square on the cheek. Then lies back down to resume sleeping.

Caitlyn: Look of horror and shock, graps cheek, begins crying.

Mom: Realizing what I have just done to my poor girly, swoops her up and starts kissing and hugging and apologizing....profusely.

Joke of the entire day (by Matt of course)....

"Caitlyn don't _________ or Mom might slap you in the face."

(asshole)

Soccer Banquet and a Halloween Party

Caitlyn has finished the soccer season. They had a banquet on Saturday and the kids were allowed to wear their Halloween costumes. It is supposed to rain here on Halloween so I am glad that she was able to get another chance to wear the costume without having to worry about wearing a coat with it.

The coach gave all the kids trophies. And Cate is chatting nonstop about getting her very first trophy. Anyone that will listen to her gets an earful about how this is her first trophy and how excited she is.
Here she is with her trophy and Maya (her new best friend).


Here she is in her costume. Notice the smile. Her newest "thing" is that she doesn't want to show her teeth when she smiles. And when I ask her to, I get this weird looking face. Not sure what is going on with that, but hopefully she is out of it by the time school pictures roll around.


We also went to a Haunted House after the banquet. She was just dying to go to one...so we finally caved and took her. I picked one that I knew would be short, both waiting in line and walking through the house. So we chose the one at the police station. It took all of about 37 seconds of her being in there before she cried and said she wanted to leave. Luckily, the entire thing was only 2 minutes long. So I held her and kind of stayed back from the group so that everything coming out would scare them and not us. When it was over, she said it wasn't that bad, But I don't think that she will be asking to go to another one anytime soon.
Here she is outside in line for it (again with the goofy ass smile).


Other than that, not a whole lot going on in our worlds right now. Parent teacher conferences are coming up in a couple of weeks. That should be loads of fun. We got the note to sign up for them telling us that each will last about 8 minutes??? Most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life. But I will go along with the program and if my conference "just happens" to last longer than the 8 minutes, oh well.

Courtesy of my Papa

REVENGE

An old man and woman were married for many years, even though they hated each other. When they had a confrontation, screaming and yelling could be heard deep into the night.



The old man would shout, "When I die, I will dig my way up and out of the grave and come back and haunt you for the rest of your life!"



Neighbors feared him. They believed he practiced black magic, because of the many strange occurrences that took place in their neighborhood. The old man liked the fact that he was feared.



To everyone's relief, he died of a heart attack when he was 68. His wife had a closed casket at the wake. After the burial, she went straight to the local bar and began to party as if there was no tomorrow.



Her neighbors, concerned for her safety, asked, "Aren't you afraid that he may indeed be able to dig his way up and out of the grave and come back to haunt you for the rest of your life?"

The wife put down her drink and said, "Let him dig. I had him buried upside down......."

Mr. T

This has got to be the funniest thing I have seen in a loooong time.

Catching Up

Well, I met with the teacher the day after the "incident." Without rehashing everything, let's just say that she now knows to take my daughter's complaints seriously from this point on. I also think that I scared her just a little bit. A few days after I met with her, I emailed her a question and also wanted to let her know that Caitlyn would be going home with one of her friends and her mom. The email that I got in return was disgustingly nice. Over the top nice. The kind of nice that when you read it, you know the author made a conscious effort to be nice. But I am so okay with that. As long as Caitlyn is reaping the benfits of my visit, that is all that matters to me.

We dog sat for Magee a couple of weeks ago, and I am just now getting around to uploading the pics from his visit. Caitlyn loves when he comes to stay for a couple of days. Matt on the other hand....well, let's just say it makes him thankful that we have cats and not dogs.

Here's the girl with Magee doing what they both do best.


Matt's football season is almost over, so he will be home in the evenings again. Which is good? I get so used to him not being home that it is strange when he finally is home before it's dark.

Caitlyn is gearing up for winter. We had some snow showers here last week and she was convinced that there was going to be no less than 8 feet of snow. See for yourself....she is all ready to go and frolic in it.....

The Kindergarten Teacher

So I figured when Caitlyn started school that I would have a leg up on most situations because of my profession. This hasn't proven to be true so far this school year. Let me just say that I am less than pleased with the kindergarten teacher. We'll take this point by point....the last, which happened today, has completely pushed me over the edge.

1. Caitlyn learned to write her name in all capitals. Now I know, I shoudl have taught her to write it using lower case letters. However, capital letters are easier for children to write. Incorporate Caitlyn's weakness in fine motor skills and it is no surprise why she learned capitals letters first. The teacher wants their names in all lower case. Fine, agreed. When my child writes her name at the top of the paper in all capitals, what purpose does it serve for the teacher to circle it and write her name in lower case letters OVER what Caitlyn has already written? Here's my thinking, since you're rewriting it anyway, just write the damn thing yourself. Secondly, how can she see the way it's supposed to be written when you have written over what she has already written and now it looks like a bunch of chicken scratch??? But this I can get over...we are working on it at home.

2. There is an assignment that is completed a few times a week. The children are to cut out squares with pictures on it and paste them in sequential order. Fantastic activity. Unless you're Caitlyn. She cuts fine. However, the pictures that are on the edge of the page, she doesn't cut that edge out. The piece of paper is still in a square, just has a little bit of the edge of the paper left attached to it. She hasn't cut the heads off the people in the pictures, she hasn't torn the paper, it's nicely cut...all but that damn edge. Teacher's note on every friggin one of them...."poor cutting skills." Actually my child has saved herself some time and been very resourceful if you ask me. Not to mention, the goal of the activity was sequencing, NOT cutting. Were the pictures in the correct order? Yes! then let's move on please. But okay, I will work on that issue as well.

The next 2 points are warranting an email to the teacher, cause I don't see how I can work on them at home without the proper information from the woman.

3. There is a behavior system in place in the classroom. Fan freaking tastic. All classrooms for the most part have them. There is an incentive chart in Caitlyn's folder and she gets a smiley face, sad face, or in between face each day depending on how her day was. Now we got this beautifully written note about carrying this plan over at home and helping the children to get smiley faces, etc. Caitlyn got an in between face yesterday. When I asked her what it was for, she had no clue why she didn't get a smiley face. She did know that she didn't have a good day, but couldn't tell me why. Now I ask you this, how in the hell am I supposed to discourage whatever behavior warrented the in between face when I don't know why she got it??? Yeah that part about the communication between home and schools regarding behavior wasn't in that beautifully written letter.

4. This is the one that has me the most pissed off. Caitlyn woke up this morning and told me that she had a headache. I figured it would go away a short time later and she would be fine. I left work early today, cause I am feeling liek shit courtesy of Matt and Cate passing their germs to me, so I went to pick the girl up from school. She came out and right away told me that she still had her headache. I asked her if she told her teacher. "Yes." I asked what the teacher said. "Oh now your head hurts?" Which I thought was an odd response, so I asked Caitlyn if she had told her teacher that something else was bothering her. She said she told the teacher that her stomach hurt her, to which her teacher replied she shoudl try going to the bathroom. Fine, would have probably been my response as well. But when she mentioned that her head was hurting shortly after she said her stomach was hurting, your response is snarky like my kid is lying???? And here's the kicker, she came home and threw up and had a temp of 102!!!! So needless to say, my child expressed her issues and wasn't taken anywhere near as serious as she should have been.

I am fuming about this last one. Why in the hell would the teacher, at the very least, send Caitlyn to the nurse??? What in the hell do they send kids to the nurse for if not an upset stomach and a headache? I guess if Cate puked all over her damn room, she may have thought twice about being so quick to assume that my child was lying to her.

So needless to say, an email has been sent, and if no response is given within 24 hours, the woman is going to have an irate parent on her hands.

Ahhhh the joys of being "that" parent that usually irks the hell out of me during the school year.