Audrey and the Tooth Fairy

In addition to the power outage last week while Billy was gone, there were several other mishaps and frustrations.  Topping the list was when Thursday morning, after the kids and I were all dressed and ready to go, Audrey tripped walking down the stairs to the garage on her way to the car.  I was putting Barrett in the car, and just heard her start wailing.  I ran to her where she lay stomach down on the concrete floor.  Her mouth was full of blood.  While I talked to her to calm her down, I also ran into the house to get some paper towels.  After a couple of minutes, it was clear that the blood was from a tooth, not a lip.  Ugh.

Fortunately, our dentist opens at 7.  I had the number in my cell phone, and called at 6:55 right as we got on the Interstate.  They were open and told me to bring her straight there.  Score!  I was just approaching that exit, and I was there in less than 10 minutes.  After the dentist took some x-rays, the prognosis was that the tooth needed to come out.  I needed to get to work, and the dentist recommended we wait a couple of days to extract it to give Audrey some time to prepare herself.  I think he was also looking at me a little bit when he made that statement, and I readily admit I was not expecting my daughter to lose a tooth before lunch when I woke up that morning.  Honestly, I think Audrey handled it better than I did.  I was dreading trying to explain to her why that had to be done.  But, by the time we left school that day, she was telling me how cool it was that she was going to lose a tooth before she was even 5 and the tooth fairy was going to come to her house. 

So, today was the day.  Audrey went with her daddy to the dentist this morning.  15 minutes later they called me to assure me that Audrey had been brave and didn't cry. The dentist even gave her a little pink "treasure chest" to store the tooth in.   She was so excited, she had her teachers take a picture of her and send it to me at work.

Before

After

Billy and I never intended to keep up the rouse of the tooth fairy, just like we don't for Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.  However, given the trauma of the week and the fact that this myth played a part in her willingness to be brave and go through with the procedure, we are going to let it slide this one time.  When Audrey showed me her tooth in its chest tonight, I asked about putting it under her pillow.  She seemed reluctant, so I recommended she write the tooth fairy a note and ask if she could leave this one tooth after she looks at it, since it is the first one Audrey has lost.  She immediately ran downstairs and asked her dad to tell her which letters to write.  She was even more excited about that idea than I had anticipated.  So, tonight before she went to bed, Audrey tucked the note and the pink chest holding her tooth under her pillow, and I am sure she'll dream of tooth fairies all night.



Dear Tooth Fairy.  Please don't take my tooth.  Love Audrey AN

West County Observation #4

Having grown up in the country, I am fully aware that it is never completely dark outside in West County.  There are always street lights, store signs, stop lights, and more lit up any time the sun is set.  That is why it was so odd and unnerving this past Thursday when we lost power.  I happened to be working from home that day because the previous day, and when I work from home, I sit at our kitchen table and am facing a window that looks out to the west.  I saw the skies grow darker.  A cold front was moving in, and 10 minutes of heavy downpour was followed by very strong wind.  I could hear our house creaking and could see the trees in the neighboring yards bend and twist from its force.  About an hour after the rain, I noticed my computer was acting weird.  That's when I realized I didn't have an internet connection, and went into the office to investigate.  When I tried to turn on the light, it didn't work, and I realized we had no power.  When I left to pick up the kids about an hour after that, the skies were still lit by the sun. 

On the way home, I decided we'd go out to eat if we still had no power; there was no way this momma was going to make dinner in the dark (especially since Billy was out of town all week).  by the time I was nearing home after picking up the kids, the sun had set.  We drove past Plaza Frontenac, and it was completely black.  I must say that I am thankful for whatever power source continues to run the stoplights at major intersections when they have no power, because if it wasn't for that, I might have gone crazy.  We got into Kirkwood and saw a few stores with power, including a Pasta House Pronto, which is where we ended up eating.  Audrey expressed interest in tacos for dinner, so I was headed toward the Qdoba by West County Mall, but as soon as we passed into Des Peres, all power was off.  Everything except the stoplights on Manchester was dark.  The stretch of Manchester near the mall is always busy and never dark, so it created an eerie atmosphere.  When I realized there was no power at Qdoba, I decided to turn around and head back to the Pasta House.  However, turning around was a lot harder than I thought, because there was no light except my headlights.  I made probably a 15 point turn before I got back on Manchester headed in the opposite direction. 

When we finished dinner, our power was restored.  The well lit parking lots and store windows were all back to normal.  This experience did give me a deepened sense of how much I take for granted the amenities around us and took me back to my days in Bond County.  I am actually a little disappointed the power was on when we got home, because I wanted to show Audrey what it is like to use candlelight to do things around the house.  I guess I can always do that anyway, but it is much more likely when forced. 

Do-Re-Mi

The past couple of weeks, we have noticed that Barrett like to hum to himself.  Until this past weekend, we thought he was just making up songs.  This weekend, however, we came to realize that he is humming specific tunes.  And, thanks to his sister, his current tune of choice is Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music.  He can say "Do" very distinctly, and sometimes he makes out a "So."  All of the other words become mumbled or he just skips them altogether and hums.  The tune is distinct though.  I am pretty sure that a perfect stranger could figure out what song he has stuck in his head by listening to him.  It makes me smile to see him starting to enjoy music.  We're just going to have to teach him a few more songs so the rest of us maintain our sanity. 

Snow Schedule

Growing up in a small town, when it snowed, we either had school or we didn't.  If it started snowing mid-day, we might get an early dismissal.  Living in the city now, we've discovered the "snow schedule."  That basically means starting later than normal with the hope that the roads will be clearer and traffic will be better.  The problem is that when every school in the city is on snow schedule, it just moves rush hour back by two hours. 

This past week, we had another 4 or 5 inches of snow that fell Tuesday afternoon and evening.  The kids school closed a couple hours early, so I was fortunate that my office had let us go home early to work from home as well.  Then, on Wednesday morning, I got up early in anticipation of slow traveling on the roads.  I watched the school closings scroll across the bottom of the news screen, and did not see our kids' daycare listed.  By 6:30, we were all piled in the car and driving only slightly slower than usual on the snowy roads.  I was on it, and I was going to be at work on time by 7:30. 

We arrived at the daycare downtown at 7:10, only 10 minutes after they open.  Something looked amiss.  There were tons of parking spots open on the street and in the lot across the street. There were no lights on in the building.  I paused, and took a good look around.  There wasn't one person to be seen.  I called Billy to see if he was still at home.  He was and looked at Facebook, and at approximately 6:30, the daycare had posted that they'd be on the "snow schedule" today.  The late start wasn't even posted before I left the house.

By that time, it was approximately 7:20.  I couldn't drop the kids off until 9:30.  I was more than a little perturbed.   I was going to be late to work.  So, I called my boss.  She kindly recommended that I bring them to work for the couple hours.  It was a brilliant idea.  I could feed them breakfast in the cafeteria and they could say hello to my coworkers.

I pulled away and headed to work.  I was going to make the most of this, but that didn't prevent me from being pretty frazzled.  In the parking garage, it was so weird to unload my kids with me in addition to my purse and computer.  Audrey was a little timid with the revolving door to exit the parking garage, and Barrett snuggled close to me while we walked from the garage to the front door in the frigid wind.  I let Audrey go first into the revolving door to enter the Bank; she moved reluctantly, which meant she wasn't quite all the way in the door when it turned.  Her boot got stuck.  One of the law enforcement officers had to pry the door, but she was freed and unharmed. I was too relieved that she wasn't injured to be embarrassed by the lobby full of people gawking at us as they waited to go through security. 

Once we made it through security, we dropped off our coats in my office and headed to the cafeteria. I was struck by how Barrett didn't know what to do on the elevator.  Audrey spent the first three years of her life living where elevators were part of our daily commute.  Barrett, however, rarely sees them. 

Once up in the cafeteria, Audrey chose what she wanted to eat and we ordered our food. Some kind coworkers  helped me get the food to a table, and Barrett shoved biscuits and gravy into his mouth while Audrey played with her waffle.  Some more coworkers stopped by and chatted while they ate.  I was starting to relax and get less frazzled.  We spent the next hour walking through the department where I work.  Barrett was extremely timid anytime we were talking to people.  However, as soon as we got into an empty elevator, hallway, or my office, he reverted back to his normal wild-man personality.  One of my coworkers gave him a little rubber duck, and initially he just smiled at her and held the duck tightly to his chest while he snuggled against me.  When we got to my office where it was just us, he was running around saying "squeak, squeak" and shoving the duck in his sister's face. 

After a bit more socializing and visiting with my coworkers, I was able to get them to school.  When I picked Audrey up from school later that day and asked her what she thought of my work, she responded with three things.  First, she was glad she wore the outfit she had on because so many people complimented her on it.  Second, my work has a big cafeteria with lots of good food.  And last, she liked coloring with highlighters in my office (at home she has to use her markers to draw) and was glad that I put the picture she made up on my desk.  I couldn't help but smile. 

Goodbye G

My father-in-law always says you shouldn't get sentimental about a car.  I always thought he was right to say that, until recently. 

Last week, we bought a 2011 Infiniti M37x from my parents.  Audrey was with them when the bought it, so my mom calls it Audrey's car.  I guess it was always meant to be.  When my parents dropped off the car Friday, my mom brought a few pictures of Audrey in the car the first day they had it.

The unfortunate part of buying the M is that it meant we said goodbye to the car that we've had since the first year we were married.  In January 2006, we bought our 2003 Infiniti G35 from my parents (notice any patterns here?), and it became Billy's car.  For the past 8 years, he has driven that car almost every day.  Today, we signed it over to a new owner, and we said goodbye to the G for good.  We said goodbye to the car that drove our baby girl home from the hospital.  We said goodbye to the car that got me to the hospital to deliver said baby.  We said goodbye to the car that, even at 11 years old, still felt cool to drive.  We said goodbye to a car that has taken us many miles across Missouri, Illinois, and even to Gulf Shores, Alabama for the Ballinger nuptials this past August.  As I sit here writing this, it is hard to believe it's been 8 years.  Time really does fly, just like that car.  Goodbye G...we will miss you!

Having Fun Indoors

The past few weeks have been frigid outside, so we've spent much of our time inside trying to stay warm.  Here are some of the fun things we've been doing to keep ourselves entertained.

The piano has been fixed, tuned, and sounds like it's brand new.  Both kids love to "play" it, but I think mommy and daddy are enjoying it just as much as they are. 

 

Barrett is growing into his toddler-ness, and as a result, frequently throws fits when he doesn't get what he wants.  Usually, he is mad because he wants mommy to hold him, and as much as I love to snuggle with my bubby, I realize that he needs to learn to play on his own.  Lately, I have felt the need to capture some of these tantrums in photos, because his facial expressions are just so funny.  Here is a classic series where he first tests the waters to see if he gets a reaction, then goes into full-on wailing, and then the classic pouty face when he realizes I am not going to submit to his whim. 

 



 

 For Audrey, we've been phasing out naps during the day, so on the weekends, while Barrett is napping, she gets some quiet play time.  She really seems to enjoy the opportunity to play her way, uninterrupted by her brother.  Her way usually involves princesses, fairies, babies and always lots of jewelry and other accessories. 

The Batman car that my brother and Laurenn got Barrett for Christmas gives the kids an opportunity to burn off some energy.  They push each other around on the tile floors.  More recently, they have also found it hilarious to take turns falling off the Bat car, or in Barrett's case, falling under it. 

We have also spent some time watching movies.  Audrey is on a big Mary Poppins kick, so we have probably watched that 3 times in just as many weeks.  Audrey watches the entire thing, completely engrossed.  She also enjoys singing the songs and dancing around like the Chimney Sweeps.  She has a hard time understanding some of the words, because of the accents, so I frequently find myself translating.  ("They are saying 'Step in Time,' not 'Steppie chime.') Barrett likes the idea of it, but his attention span only lasts about 10 minutes. He does really enjoy holding the remote while he's watching though. He can now say "remote" too.