Wesley's Trip to the Dentist

We are very lucky that Wesley only has 2 very minor, very fixable issues as a result of his early arrival:
1.) He has a speech delay - not in his comprehension/language, but in his articulation of sounds.
~ and ~
2.) He has very little enamel spread sporadically throughout his mouth, resulting in decay/cavities of his molars... regardless of how often/well we brush and floss.

Today was his second of four visits to repair and fix all of his teeth. Our current dentist repairs one tooth at a time, using nitrous oxide. During our consult about the repair, we were very concerned that Wesley would NOT stay still. They told us that there is the option of a papoose should that happen, but they rarely use that. And should that not work, the child would be referred out to a dentist that uses anesthesia/sedation. When Hannah had her teeth repaired (she also has very little enamel most likely because she was born at 35wks), she was given a "cocktail" of meds that made her pass out. I carried her to a room where she was placed on the papoose board with monitors and given nitrous oxide. During this single visit, the dentist repaired all of her issues. It was nice to have it done at one time, but it was also VERY nerve wracking experience.

Wesley's 'elephant nose' He LOVES it!

So, when it came time for our very first visit, I was expecting it to be a complete disaster. I was betting on the fact that Wesley would wind up in the papoose (for safety reasons only) and, most likely, being referred out. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect his to do great, but he did! During the shots he did not even flinch - I don't even think he knew that something was going on! About halfway through, she turned off the nitrous because he was acting as if he might throw up. From this point on, he became a bit antsy and fussy, and by the time she was finished, he was inconsolable and remained that was for almost 2 hours - it absolutely broke my heart and made me want to cancel all of the remaining appointments.....

Fast forward to today. Having done this before, he knew what was going to happen. This had me very anxious as I knew today could go either way, but once again, my wee man proved me wrong! This time, he was a little more fussy throughout the entire time, but was still awesome. The dentist turned off the nitrous a few minutes before she was through and, once again, he became a bit antsy and fussy until all was done. But, unlike last time, once I held him, he was done fussing and walked out on his own 2 feet - drooling and smiling!

She is amazing!

I am super impressed with not only our youngest, but the dentist. From the time we left the house to the time we pulled back into the driveway was about 45min! Her portion - from getting into the procedure chair to leaving was a whopping 9min - I timed it!



Only 2 more to go, and I am sure they will be just as good as the first 2! 

One of the MANY Joys of Homeschooling

About once a week, we pack up our school and take it to the library to do. Today however, we went to a different library that not only had books and videos, but blocks, costumes, a giant abacus, and puzzles as well! I am not sure who was more excited to see this as it proved a great bribe incentive for the kiddos to finish their work. There were also Popular Mechanics for Kids videos - our obsession and another great incentive!

The kiddos did a great job with their science, math, and spelling/handwriting while there and as promised, once they were finished, playtime *quietly* began!

Mr. Wesley the Cow!

 

 

 

Lil' Robert really enjoyed the abacus!

Hannah and Wesley building!

Lil' Robert building.

The finished house!

Hannah LOVES the puzzle tables!

Robert built a tower taller than himself!

We left it cleaner than when we found it!

Shot Day

Since our kiddos birthdays are so close, I always schedule their well child visits together. On these days, I have never had more than 1 child get shots. So, when I scheduled all 3 to get their seasonal flu vaccines and for the older 2 to get their varicella, I thought it would be no big deal.... Boy was I wrong!

Hiding in hopes they would not get shots!

We started with Lil' Robert. I was sure that he would do fine since last year, he did not flinch during his flu shot. Well, as soon as he sat in my lap and I wrapped my legs around his and bear hugged him, the screaming began - way before the needle touched his skin! By the time the shot began he was absolutely hysterical and requiring another person to come in and help. After the first, he calmed just enough to where I could love him without him fighting me.... and then he realized there was another one coming. At this point, Lil' Robert and Hannah were in tears screaming for their life. Meanwhile, Wesley just sat in the chair with his eyes HUGE watching what was going on. This entire scenario with Lil' Robert lasted all of a minute, but felt like a solid 10 minutes.

Mommy got one as well and did NOT cry!

Once Lil' Robert was done, the nurse left just long enough for everyone to calm down and prepare for round #2. No sooner had the nurse walked through the door and Hannah let out her ear piercing screams and Lil' Robert went into hysterics again. We had to hold Hannah still and keep Lil' Robert away because he wanted to protect his sister at all costs - even if that meant getting in the nurses way! The only saving grace with Hannah is that she received them in her thighs, so it took a whopping 30 seconds from start to finish. Once the nurse was done, she gave Hannah a tissue and took her to get a sticker - she returned happy as a lark with the nurse ready for the youngest Riker!

Our absolute favorite doctor - he has taken care of Daddy, Mommy, and Lil' Robert since August '05 and Hannah and Wesley since conception. An incredible man!

Wesley sat on the table with his thigh exposed. We were talking to him and telling him what was going to happen and before we knew it, the nurse was done. No scream. No tears. No movement. NOTHING. Wesley sat perfectly still and did not make a sound! We were all a bit incredibly shocked!

Afterwards, we took them to Chick-fil-A for some nuggets and ice cream!

Yummo!

Outside Fun

In Florida, there are 2 seasons - Summer and Almost Summer. We are still in summer and to celebrate this, the kiddos will often shower outisde! We use the waterhose and keep all of the necessary cleaning supplies in a bucket waiting for those days!

During one such day, I just happened to have my camera!

Happy ?? Birthday, Grandma!

There is a closely guarded secret in the Riker Family and that is Grandma's age! Well, because she is so secretive about it, we just have to flaunt it! Her last milestone birthday was shortly after we had moved to Jacksonville and, let's just say we took FULL advantage of it! We hosted a surprise party for her, which included a surprise trip from her brother in New York. And just so that all were sure as to just how old she was, we had the cake shaped into those 2 numbers!! It was great fun!

This year, it was a little low key. We called her that morning and wished her a Happy Day, and I am sure she thought that was all she would get from us - well, she was wrong! A few hours later, we showed up with pizza and cupcakes singing Happy Birthday and disrupting everybody trying to work! Even Father Thahn came in to see what was going on! Everybody had a great time and Grandma was able to know she how much we love and appreciate her.

This day is always hard on me though because I cannot do the same with my children and my parents. When it is Grammie and Grampy's birthday, we can send a card, send a present, make a phone call - we can't just show up with cake and pizza to disrupt the flow of their day. It hurts, but I know that right now, we are where we are meant to be and if God should call us to live elsewhere, we will go in a heartbeat. Just like we did when He called us to live here.....

Anyhow, here are some pictures from our Birthday feast!

How dare we use manners.... especially at the rectory!

She was SO proud of herself!

Icing Mustache!

Grandma did not want her picture taken, but I got one... mid sentence!

My Heart :-)

Why is America Sad?

This picture is very poor quality, but I wanted to capture my sweet daughter...

Yesterday, we went to the library. On this day, the flag was at half staff because of the turmoil between the US Embassies in the Middle East. Once Hannah saw this, she began to sob - hysterical, can't breathe sobs. In between breaths, she would say somthing about America or the United States and sadness. Finally once she calmed enough to be coherent, she asked me why America was so sad? Why America had to cry? In as basic terms as possible for a five year old, I told her that bad things were happening to Americans everywhere.

She paused for a moment and then had one simple piece of advice: We should all be friends!

The 1st Commandment

Robert has begun the preparation to receive his First Penance and First Holy Communion. To do this, he attends CCD Classes at our parish every Wednesday night. Because he is Home Schooled and not in Catholic School, this leaves 1 day a week for his teacher to adequately prepare the students. If you do some basic math, you will realize that between today, September 12, and his First Holy Communion, May 5, there are ONLY 34 Wednesdays - And that is assuming that there are no breaks and that he attends each one (which I assure you he will!) - Each class is 60 minutes. So, in a maximum 2040 minutes, I expect our son to learn and be prepared as best he can be?! I think not! So we have started teaching him here at home. this has been going on for a while now, but we have now have the curriculum the church wishes us to use.....

The other day, Little Robert and I were sitting on the couch working on the Act of Contrition. It begins with the words My God.... After I said this, Little Robert looked at me in shear horror. I asked him what happened and he could not answer. So I continue on with our lesson and ask him to repeat it to me. He gets the first two sentences 100% correct except for the second word - he will not outright refuses to say My God! It is ALWAYS My Gosh.....

I must say, I am one proud mommy! He has that first commandment down!

Dressing up in Mommy's sweater and glasses :-)

Anatomy 101

Wesley has become such a riot lately.... and he knows it! He will do all sorts of things just to get a rise out of us and lately most of his antics have been at naptime when Daddy is at work.....

Today, as he was getting in bed, I informed that if he was even considering getting out of bed, that I would beat his little tail. (Side Note: I do not beat my children and I never will. However, I do believe in spankings if needed and warranted. This was a simple threat) He looks at me in complete seriousness to inform me that "this" (as he pulls his pants down) is NOT a tail!

Boy do we love that little guy!

Our "you will have a child just like you" kid! He gives a run for the money!

Jacksonville HomeSchool Zoocademy

This year, the kiddos are going to HomeSchool Zoocademy for the first time. It is once a month for 3 hours. I drop the older 2 off and them go have fun, with only 1 child! I do not know what to do with myself during those 3 hours as I have some freedom. Wesley and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves this first time! We stayed at the zoo 'just in case,' and of course, it all went great.

At first both kiddos were timid. They would be away from mommy AND each other - I had to pry them off of me to go through the doors into their classrooms! But in the end, they could not stop talking about it and we look forward to all of the classes for the months to come!

Hannah with her new lunch box ready to go in!

Lil' Robert not so ready!

In the end they both had a great time! Robert made a salamander and Hannah made a turtle!