Baby Blur

I'm sitting at one computer trying to read all of my emails and organize my thoughts so I can start to put our house back together after being gone for 2 nights. The amount of stuff and organization that I require when traveling even a short distance with both children is ludicrous when you see it in action. It's worth it, though, because we had a nice homemade meal on Friday and breakfast was taken care of both mornings. Saved us the hassle and cost of three restaurant meals.

The other computer is also on, because I enjoy draining the world's resources for no reason, and playing the screensaver slideshow of our vast library of digital photos from 2002 on. Lots of the pictures are of us and our children, but many of them are of the babies of friends and family, and I'm starting to not recognize them. I have to try and identify the baby by the carseat or other details in the backgrounds of the photos. I guess it's true, then, what they say - all babies look alike after a while. Even my own kids, when they were babies, look very similar at certain angles. It's disconcerting to sit here and squint and think "which baby is that?"

We had a wonderful time on our trip and our children were actually very well behaved, which I did not expect. I'm feeling good. Stay tuned for stories and pictures and pictures of me taking pictures.

Rainy Roadtrip

For the first time in a long time, we are getting rain and possibly thunderstorms too. Perfect timing, since we're taking the kids on a little roadtrip to San Diego, and spending tomorrow at SeaWorld.

I have an aversion to theme parks that developed only in the last decade, as I settled into a jaded life in the Land of Theme Parks. At first I was happy to go when friends or family came to visit. It's always fun to play tour guide and enjoy a day of free market spectacle. But now that I have children, all I can think about when someone says "let's go to Disneyland!" are the long lines, the high prices, the teeming masses of other people's children, the missed opportunities to nap, the public temper tantrums, etc.

On the other hand, as I always say, I can be bought.

I scored some free tickets and a free place to stay (thanks to the kind blogger who pimped for me - you know who you are but I don't; and to my awesome friend Julie) so off we go with a cooler full of kid-friendly food and dashed beach plans to sit in traffic in the rain and get soaked by Shamu. Should be fun. I'll tell you about it when we get back.

Shameless Plug

Some of you know that I have been writing at Parentricity.com for a while...I haven't said much about it because the site is new and was kind of buggy, but I think they've worked it out. Go over and join for free, then you can enjoy the "social networking site for parents." Take that, Facebook! My posts appear in the "ParentRap" section on the home page.

This Is Gonna Hurt Me More Than It Will Hurt You

Kyle had his first dental checkup two weeks ago. I had worried about it for months leading up to the actual day, only because I hate going to the dentist so much myself. I was totally projecting my own fears on to my child. The first in a list of many, I'm sure.

I prepared Kyle for it by telling him that we were going to a special doctor who looks at teeth. Kyle often gives us trouble with toothbrushing, so I warn him that the dentist will be unhappy if his teeth are dirty. Sometimes that makes a difference.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this dentist office, which is nothing like the one I went to as a child. There were two rows of miniature purple patient chairs, toys and colorful posters everywhere, and the dentist took a few minutes in his office to get to know Kyle before we moved to the exam room.

I was also worried because I have heard more than one story of children having multiple cavities at their first checkup, for which they had to be put under general anesthesia to get them filled! I almost swoon with shkeevy displeasure at that thought. I am really quite a wuss when I think about dental work. A few weeks ago I had some old fillings replaced with the newfangled tooth-colored kind, and it was torture. The nice ladies offered me some headphones so I could listen to relaxing music while they worked on my mouth, but I declined. I preferred to know what was going on, staring wildly around me and listening to every word they said as I suffered in white- knuckled terror.

Last night Stewart and I were watching "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" and the parents had their teeth whitened. Any inkling I've ever had about having that procedure done evaporated as I watched those two splayed out in their dental chairs, space-aged apparati aimed at their faces. No way.

So I sat at Kyle's feet, nervously laughing when the dentist made jokes and poked around in Kyle's mouth. I consciously avoided hovering and giving Kyle instructions or trying to soothe him. After all the dentist and hygienist were in charge, and this is their specialty. Kyle was complying with their requests and not fidgeting at all, so I figured all was well. The only problem he had was with the bright light they shined in his face. He wouldn't settle down until they aimed it lower, at his chest.

The verdict: no cavities, and great-looking teeth. I was very proud, and so was Kyle.

Caught on Tape: Brady's First "Word"

Ahoy!

I remember doing stuff like this when I was a kid. Climbing all over the furniture, not stepping on the floor because if you did, alligators would get you, or you would be sucked into an endless fire pit. Tame things like that.

And so, occasionally, I will encourage such games as "Pillow Pie" or "This Chair Is a Boat." It's even more fun when you have props.

Infanity

The true story behind this picture is one of the following:

1. Brady loves the Wiggles so much that he took his pants off.

2. Brady is so frightened by the Wiggles that they scared his pants off.

3. Brady is so shocked that we still play videos on VHS that we shocked his pants off.