Dentist visit, and some thoughts on volume control

Drake and I had dentist appointments this morning. I realized at 10:08 that we had our appointments scheduled for 10:00, and so I frantically called the office and was rescheduled for 10:45. (We made the 10:45 appointments!) I feel like such a space cadet. I was thinking of leaving that part out, but then I remembered I titled our blog Real Life for a reason. Anyway, Drake did much better than he usually does at the dentist office. This is the first time they've had us in two different rooms at the same time - usually I'm there when they clean his teeth - and I actually think that not having me in there was very helpful. Drake was a lot more calm and cooperative this time, but from the next room I could hear him telling the hygienist that yes, he does brush his teeth every day, but usually only before bed, that mommy says we should do it twice a day, but we don't usually. And we hardly ever floss. Oops. The hygienist that was cleaning my teeth said, "Now he's telling on you!"

And they told me that there's a spot on the enamel between two of his molars that is getting soft. So we DO need to floss him. I just have such a time trying to get floss back there between those teeth. They're so tight that to get the floss through always seems to hurt him when it finally pops through. The high price of cavity-free teeth...

Anyway, Drake did so well that I decided to take him to the McDonald's in our old town (where we lived in an apartment for about 9 months before we got into base housing) for lunch. He was so excited because he got a Transformers toy in his Happy Meal! That was only the beginning of the excitement, though, because Levi decided to throw a big, long tantrum sporadically throughout our attempt at eating lunch. Pretty much whenever I looked at him, or tried to hand him food or drink, or didn't hand him food or drink, he arched his back and screamed and cried. And threw everything on the floor. And squirted his juice box all over the place. And would not accept help of any kind. He was just "in a mood." And although it was only noon when we started eating, I guess he was exceptionally tired, because he passed out in the van on the way home and is currently napping in his crib.

Unfortunately, screaming has become a common method of communication for him lately. It's usually an attention-getting tactic, to let you know he's serious about whatever it is that he's trying to say. Often, though, it's also a frustration/rebellion thing (like today) or a just-because-I-like-the-sound-of-my-own-scream thing. That last one has been the case on many recent commissary trips. (When my mother-in-law was visiting in May, she captured a full-blown Levi tantrum on her cell phone video thingy. Not too long ago, she told me that she had been watching Levi's tantrum again! :) So I guess that's proof that the screaming and tantrums have been going on for at least a couple of months...)

And while we're on the subject of volume, Drake is also a LOUD kid! Adam and I are constantly shushing him. This is a totally different thing than Levi's issues, because Drake's not upset or throwing tantrums, but just really excited about whatever it is that he's talking about. I have been told too many times how I was the same way as a child...okay, and Adam still tells me to quiet down sometimes when I'm really on a roll about something. I know that Drake doesn't even realize he's doing it, but nonetheless...the decibel level between the two of them really grates on the nerves. Love those boys, but I sometimes wish they had volume control knobs built in.

Molars and Coloring

First, let me just say that Drake has been waiting to lose a tooth for a very, very long time. And he's still waiting for that, but the next best thing has happened - his first 6-year molar is coming in! It's been several weeks since it began as a noticeable bump under his gums and kept stretching higher and feeling more tender. Well, it has finally broken the skin. So Drake is the extremely proud owner of an erupted 6-year molar! Here are some pictures so that you can share in his joy! ;)

A new tooth!

And there it is! Hope you're not squeamish about looking into people's mouths. Well, at least there are no visible food particles or anything...

Onto our next topic - coloring. I will begin this by saying that we've been trying to do about 15 minutes of "schoolwork" each day this summer with Drake, just to make sure he doesn't forget his letters, numbers, and how to write his name. And I do mean trying, as in not always succeeding to do this each day! It's actually been going pretty well, and maybe I'll post some more on that later. But apparently all this readin', writin', and 'rithmatic has caught the attention of Little Bro, because the other day I found him under the kitchen table with Drake's pencil and paper, and he was "coloring" away on the paper. Hmmm...I thought, this is new. I don't know why it had never crossed my mind to let him color before. I think Drake had tried coloring by this age. I guess it's a second child thing; they seem so much more like a baby than the first one did at the same age! And the fact that ours are so far apart in age makes it even more so. So anyway, after the pencil-under-the-table incident, I decided to let Levi try coloring a little more safely, like with non-toxic, blunt-tipped crayons while sitting down in a chair. He really loves it! Here's his first coloring project:

'Ooooh, look what I've got here!'

'And I'm actually allowed to do this!'

'Maybe I could take just a little bite?'

'That was fun. Now I think I'll crinkle it up.'