Mouth full of Metal

Phase 2 of orthodontia is under way. Emma was scheduled to get full braces on Thursday but instead came down with really painful strep throat. We rearranged everything and moved the appointment to the following Tuesday. This gave her a chance to enjoy a weekend with her troop at a corn maze and then camping metal free.

She was not looking forward to it but was such a good patient. Jim picked her up at school and treated her to some preemptive pain medication and a muffin from Starbucks, and brought her to the appointment. They said that it took a really long time. They have spreaders they put in to hold the lips and cheeks out of the way but even with that another tech had to come over to help hold Emma's mouth open wide enough.  Jim also said one of the brackets came off and had to be reattached. It was quite the ordeal. Poor thing. I felt really bad for her.

Emma was miserable and in pain. They put in brackets that hold rubber bands as well as odd blue pieces on her molars called turbos to prevent her from biting down and popping the brackets off. She could only eat applesauce that day because everything else just hurt. Her saliva glands went into high gear with all of that stuff in her mouth, so she had to deal with that as well. That night religious ed had the living rosary and she had to lead a Hail Mary. She said she sounded bad but it didn't bother her.

The next day that same bracket popped off again so we had to go back in. Emma was so sore she was wincing at any touch and had a few tears roll down her cheek. Apparently that tooth is rotated so the bracket is on a corner instead of a flat edge. When our dentist saw her she decided that her mouth was way too stressed and that they wouldn't do rubber bands until December.  Emma's mouth needs time to get used to the braces and the wires will do some of the work and hopefully rotate that tooth in the mean time.

The extra saliva and the pain have eased. Em can eat most things again. The mouth full of metal is her new normal and on she goes. She is so resilient.

What is it that you are doing?

    My days get blurred as I move from one event, to a chore, to the next place to go or thing to do. I am afraid sometimes that we do too much and rush the kids around too much. But really I think the rushing and tasks impact Jim and I the most. I say this because the girls all seem to have plenty of time to create and play. In the blur of my day and their piles of paper and string, I'll get glimpses into their worlds. My interest and sometimes a sense of apprehension are piqued and I ask "What is it that you are doing?"

   I'll walk by Rachael who at some point between activities has turned a box into a loft bed, complete with ladder, bedding, desk and chair. She doesn't seem to need very much time to start on some new endeavor. Recently Rachael decided that she wasn't getting the result she wanted from her finger knitting so she made a loom, out of crayons, rubber bands, and a cardboard tube. With this loom she then made a blanket for Speckles. I wonder when all of this happened and I wonder too what else I missed.

   Today I went outside to check on the girls, to discover that Rachael was painting our little blueish green plastic rocking horse - brown. Water and dirt make a great brown paint.  She works so fast and changes projects so swiftly I can't keep up. I am in awe of her. It is humbling to realize that she works on a different level and at a faster speed than I do.

   Emma too blows me away. We were playing an online logic game called Civiballs from the site www.coolmath-games.com and the speed with which she visually solved these physics problems left me with my mouth open. You should try and let me know if it is just me who thinks these are challenging.

     I have to remind myself that God knows what he is doing and that He will give us the grace we need to parent them well. We just need to remember to ask. 

Little Bal - lal- let

     There are gobs of ballet classes out there but I needed one that fit perfectly into our life. It took a whole lot of effort but I did find a great pre-school ballet class for 3 and 4 year olds on Tuesday mornings. It is called creative movement and Bridget loves it. She and Sarah put on their leotards and pink tights eagerly each Tuesday morning and as soon as Rachael and Megan get on the bus we head out to dance class.

      Bridget has been talking about doing bal-lal-let, as she calls it, for a year now. She used to love to watch Megan during practice last year and knew since Sarah took dance she should be able to do dance too. It is a big perk for Bridge that she gets to take dance with her best friend and cousin, Sarah. They are amazing students, they pay attention to Ms. Elaine and follow her instructions well. I am so pleased with the class. They learn ballet positions and stretches while using their imaginations. They walk like flamingos with pointed toes and do plies pretending they are making diamonds and doghouses. She reads them part of a story that is a traditional ballet version of Sleeping Beauty, complete with pictures and then they get to put on wings and colorful skirts. They end with each girl performing her own dance and the others are the audience.

      When we get home and I start making lunch, the girls play ballet class in the living room. Bridget would stay in her leotard and ballet shoes all day if I let her, but she is willing to take them off so that they stay nice for class. She asks me most mornings if it is bal-lal-let day and is so excited when the answer is yes.

Fitting in time for the adults

   As I type on this chilly Tuesday, Emma is napping on the sofa. She came home from school early with a sore throat and I am waiting for a call from the doctor to see if we can get her in for a culture. This is easy to make a priority - obvious. It is the other stuff that is hard to prioritize.

   School started and we fell into the pit of over-activity. Between school, sports, scouts and religious ed our September had more "parent/back to" meetings than we wanted to attend, but of course did. Those are all done and now we just have to make sure the kids are dropped off, picked up and cheered on appropriately.

Frequently it is adult activities that get canceled. I have missed my, once a month, night out with the girls more than I've made it, Jim misses or is late to poker regularly and Jim and I are frequently taking time off work for kids' appointments. This season is incredibly demanding of our time and I know that Jim and I need breathers. So in this mix we squeezed in a poker weekend for Jim to hang out with the guys, and this weekend Octoberfest. I have brunch tomorrow with local moms and I am starting a ballet stretch class in the evening. Then Friday I go to Eucharistic Adoration with my sisters. Jim and I even went out together one evening while Emma babysat. I have to remind myself that it is not selfish to do things for our own benefit occasionally. I try not to feel bad that Jim is home with the kids, and I try not to resent the nights it is me home. We both need to reset so that we can be available and cheerfully willing to help with the homework, work through a fight, and create a Halloween costume all while figuring out what is for dinner.