The tooth fairy is scary

Today was Gryphon's first day of kindergarten.  In preparation, last night we picked out her clothes, packed up her backpack, talked about what she would take for lunch, and just generally got ourselves overly excited.  When morning finally came, it was lovely and cool outside - it FELT like the first day of school should. . . except of course that Gryphon awoke with a full on case of the Gryphon grumpy's.  She's been feeling badly on and off for a few days, with minor fevers now and again mainly in the afternoon, but I hadn't thought much of it.  In fact, I was convinced that at least some it it was growing pains (see the last paragraph here).  So, like a good mother, I doped her up on Tylenol, fed her, clothed her, and sent her on her way.

With the morning to ourselves, Fletcher and I had a grand old time.  Which led to her going to nap a bit late, which meant of course that she got pretty pissy when I had to wake her up from nap a bit early.  All because selfish mommy needed to get mason jars from Logan Hardware (thanks for the tip Lana ) in order to jam and can some of the big bag of beautiful peaches  I bought last weekend from the Bloomingdale Farmer's Market .  

I know, I digress, but for a good reason.  Outside the hardware store was a street musician playing the saxophone.  Fletcher was enthralled.  I mean really enthralled.  We stopped to listen for a second on our way in to the store, and on our way out Fletcher dropped a dollar in his case.  At which point he stopped what he was doing, said thank you, then serenaded her with a wonderful rendition of 'Summertime'.  She was glued to the spot, swaying with the music.  A whole crew of folks stopped and watched because really, it was a great image.  (Of course, my camera was in the car.)  And, like a good little audience member, she applauded when he finished.
Tangent complete.
So off we went to pick up Gryphon.  And out she came with another case of the grumpy's, and a fever to boot.  Her loose tooth was hurting, her head was hurting, and she was a tired tired girl.  So, like a good mother, I doped her up with Tylenol again, called the pediatrician and left a message, and tried to figure out a way to get her to get that damned tooth out of her mouth!  I kept worrying that it was going to fall out at some inopportune moment and she would either swallow it, choke on it, or lose it.  So, the google on the interwebs became my guide. . . ah the stupidity.  Finally I stumbled upon this page, with a passel of generally irrelevant suggestions considering how far gone this tooth looked.  But suggestion number four proved to be a winner.  
Offer your child some salt water to swish around their mouth. If the tooth is already very loose, it may fall out. Play a game of swish and spit with plain water, flouride mouth rinse or salt water.
Now we know that Gryphon has some serious phobias.  Anything that tastes remotely of any  flavor, other than something sweet, is totally off the cards, so we used plain old tap water.
And voila!  

So, I'm thinking, whew, excellent, great, done, maybe she'll be all fine tomorrow.  Then the pediatrician's office calls and says, "It sounds like she might have a tooth abscess.  You should bring her in.  Now."  And I get paranoid and darling Cecily takes Fletcher, and Gryphon and I undertake what is generally considered a trip designed to turn even the sanest one of you into a lunatic - that is, the drive from central DC to Falls Church, VA, via I395S and I66W, at 5:30pm on a weekday.  The 11 mile trip took just under an hour.  And several minutes off my projected lifespan.
So, long and short, we didn't have an abscess, but a sore throat instead.  But no strep throat, apparently, which is a really good thing, because then all the good mother crap I've been tossing around would have been a real crock, because who send their kid to the first day of kindergarten with strep throat?  Definitely not a good mother. . . 
The cherry on top of this sundae of a day - which, you'll remember, included the first day of kindergarten, a serenade by a saxophonist, a fever of nearly 103 (oh, I hadn't quite mentioned that, huh?), a mad dash to the pediatrician -  is that Gryphon is apparently afraid of the tooth fairy.  She grilled me in the car on the way back from the pediatrician, "But, what IS the tooth fairy?  How does she know to come?  Do girls get girl tooth fairies and boys get boy tooth fairies?  What is she going to do to me?  How will I know she has come?  No, really mommy, WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO TO ME?????"  Given that my mother wrote and illustrated a book about the tooth fairy that Gryphon and I have read together countless times, Gryphon's freak out was a bit of a shock.


So, Gryphon's newly lost tooth is currently under MY pillow.  I hope the tooth fairy brings ME something.

Butterflies

We went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History last wednesday, and Gryphon came prepared for the Butterfly Pavilion with her magnifying glass.  This picture made me smile.

Potty time! Excellent!

Several months ago, Fletcher showed signs of being ready to potty train.  If I let her walk around naked, she would come tell me to put her 'britches' on her when she needed to pee.  So I started putting her on the potty and reading books to her.  And she wouldn't go.  And she wouldn't go.  And she wouldn't go.  Then she started to get resentful of getting put on the potty, and would hop off and pee on the floor.  So, we stopped.  

But lately she's shown an interest again. . . so we've been talking about the potty.  Today, SHE DID IT.  Peed on the potty!  Woo hoo!  Awesome!  Excitement!  

Now, one might think that I am excited because my darling lady is hitting a monumental milestone, learning new things, and growing up.  Or maybe that I was tired of changing diapers all the time - which is true, but when you've been doing it for five years straight like I have, you have it down to an art form.  

But no.  Really, I am just so excited at the prospect of not spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars a year on diapers.  

Catch up

Yes, I have been a slacker.  Apologies.  Six weeks without writing is a bit of a problem.  See, I have all of these incidents in my head that I MEANT to write about, ideas that I've MEANT to flesh out, pictures that I've MEANT to post.  And with each one that passes that I don't get around to posting, it becomes more difficult to write the next one, because I think "Oh!  I should write about that thing that happened three weeks ago that I meant to write about then before I write about the thing that happened today!"  And then I write about neither.

So, I'm here to play catch up.  In brief:

• Both girls are swimming.  Like fish.  Underwater.  And Fletcher still has no fear.
• Gryphon went to Nana and Monkey's house for a week.  She had lots of fun and rode a horse and went to the safari park and went to a 3D movie and generally got to do whatever she wanted which was awesome until she came back.  Real life catching up with her, like not being able to do pretty much exactly what she wanted to do exactly when she wanted to do it was a bitch.  But considering the amount of fun she had, I say it was worth it.
• Fletcher gave up her dummy.  Actually, I think in the end it was me that gave it up.  Amusingly, she did not seem to have much of a problem letting it go.  Apparently it was just my addiction to being able to instantly quiet her down on the bus or in the museum that kept it around.  As a result though, she's talking.  A lot.  And singing.  A lot.
• Gryphon was back at school camp for two weeks.  Chinese is coming along incredibly.  She keeps translating things for me.  
• Fletcher lives on a pure protein and carbohydrate diet.  It is beginning to worry me.
• Gryphon has her first loose tooth.  A very loose tooth.  Is there some sort of initiation process with kids where they are taught by their slightly older peers that when a tooth is really loose, it is really cool to wiggle it, push it, click it, and generally go bizarre things with it using their tongue?
• Fletcher saw her first movie in a movie theater yesterday.  Ponyo.  Go see it.  It will make you smile.
• I might have a part-time work at home gig managing a Capitol Hill dog walking service.  Maybe.  Woo hoo!
• The part-time gig is important because man the economy sucks and our house value has plummeted and we need the cash!
• Darling Husband leaves for Burning Man on Friday morning.  I have a week of just me and the girls, the first day of kindergarten, and maybe a job starting, all without adult backup.  Yikes!
• My dad had a hole drilled in his head this morning.  We don't know yet what they found.  

OK, there.  That is my update.  I will be more prolific moving forward.

As for that thing that I wanted to write about today that I couldn't write about because there was the giant backlog of things that I hadn't gotten around to write about that I somehow managed to put into bullet points above?

Gryphon looks positively chubby at the moment.  Like, stocky.  Now, compared to other children, she still looks like a wisp of a child, but for her, she looks huge!  And she's been taking naps for the last two days.  Unbidden, just put herself down for naps.  And she told me yesterday that her body hurt.  You know what this means don't you?  Sometime in the next couple weeks I expect that she will, overnight, grow three inches.  

Red Letter Day!

I love having a free pool one block from our house.  It means that with no more planning than "hey, girls, get your bathing suits on" we can take a nice dip on a nice day.  Our pool isn't fancy, in fact it could use some work, but hey, a pool is a pool, right?

So normally we go straight for the baby pool when we get there (it is a pretty good baby pool - sloped entrance, good size, depth from a few inches up to one and a half feet), put our bags down, and hop in.  Then, after awhile, Fletcher decides she wants to jump in the big pool.  Gryphon sometimes comes with us, or, if she's found a friend in the little pool, stays there while Fletcher jumps into the big pool.  Gryphon is not a fan of jumping in the pool, and has not been a fan of going under water.  Indeed, she has been a bit skittish in the water.  She would grab on to the closest adult, all arms and legs, squeezing like a boa constrictor.  This year, she's been taking more chances, has put her face in, and generally has been a bit more confident.  But as a rule, she has preferred to stay in the baby pool.

A note on Fletcher jumping:  SHE HAS NO FEAR. None.  Period.  At all.  She jumps in, I let her go under, and pull her up only after she kicks her feet.  In reality, she usually comes almost all the way up on her own.  She also likes to try to get away from me.  Yes, she tries to push me away while in four or five feet of water.  And yes, she is only two and a half.  So sometimes I let her get away, just to remind her that she probably should indeed have just a little tiny bit of fear, to be on the safe side.  

But I digress. . . 

Today, Gryphon came to the big pool.  She held onto the side while Fletcher jumped in.  And then, at a point when I wasn't totally paying attention, said something along the lines of "Mama, I'm going to really try it today."  And before I had a chance to comprehend. . . 

SHE LET GO OF THE WALL AND SWAM!!! 

Out she went, about five feet or so, and turned around and swam back to me!  I was so excited!  I was giggly!  I said to the two young men sitting on the side of the pool "Hey! Did you see that? She swam!  That was her first time!"  They looked at me with that look of slight disdain that only a teenager can muster, with a little bit of humor thrown in for good measure.  I then told every lifeguard, and the pool manager too!  I'm still a little bit giddy!

Needless to say, Fletcher then wanted to go back to the baby pool and Gryphon wouldn't get out of the big pool.  It looks like our pool habits will be changing. 

After another half hour of swimming (which included of course baby sister trying even harder to get away from me and swim on her own, because FIFFIN did it - I wouldn't put it past Fletcher to be swimming on her own by the end of summer), we came home and, as is our usual practice, sat on the front stoop and ate popsicles.  

Ah, summer.

Oh, and as a slightly sad, for no good reason, postscript:  When we left the pool, Fletcher said "Mama, carry me."  Now this shouldn't seem like such a big deal, but it was to me.  Up until then, she had always said "carry you" as in my question "do you want me to carry you?"  So she's starting to figure out pronouns, it seems.  And growing up.  

Childrearing via Craigslist

My friend Geoff forwarded a link today to one of the most bizarre Craigslist ads I have ever seen:

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Actor needed for emotional role – One day high pay

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Date: 2009-04-17, 12:52PM EDT

My deceased aunt gave my two kids a Cocker Spaniel a few months back. The dog has been a terror and become overwhelming for me. I am a single father raising two young children. I cannot face telling the kids that the dog must go. I have found a good home for the dog, and just need someone to transport the dog, and play the villain. 

Premise: You will be the dog walker hired by daddy (me) to walk Skittles. I will introduce you to the kids, and you will tell them you are going to help Skittles get her exercise when Daddy is too busy to walk her. At that point you will walk Skittles to your car and take her to her new family 20 minutes from my place. Then return holding just a leash. The story will be that Skittles broke free of the leash and took off. At this point prepare for crying, things being thrown at you, and possibly cursing. My kids are young and dramatic, their girls. 

Pay will be $500. The job will take roughly 2 hours at best. 

This job is ideal for an actor looking to diversify their role base, or someone who genuinely likes to make children cry. Acting experience is a plus, but not necessary. Please inform me of any prior experience in this kind of situation. 

• Location: DC, MD, VA
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• Compensation:

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I wonder if this dad overwhelmed dad ever found an actor to fit the bill?  

But more importantly, doesn't this seem like a bit of a parenting cop-out?  I mean, really.  We had a dog.  We couldn't care for him anymore because he needed more attention and space to run than we could provide.  We explained that to the girls (who were four and one at the time).  And they missed him, but they got over it.  Life lesson taught, life lesson learned.  (Admit your mistakes when you get in over your head, and do something about it.)  

Such an elaborate plan, just to not have to tell kids the truth.  But maybe I am being to hard on him.  Thoughts?

As for more life changes. . .

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

Several weeks ago, Darling Husband and I made a pretty big decision.  Really, a pretty HUMUNGOUS decision.  The kind of decision that generally speaking makes people's jaws go slack (right before they shout 'WHAT?').

We are moving.  Again.  And not just moving to another suburb, another state, or across the country.  We are moving back to Australia.  

I am aware that I cannot drop that bomb without further explanation.  In brief:

1)  Quitting my job put some things in perspective for me about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

2)  Darling Husband is not too thrilled with his job, either.  (UNDERSTATEMENT!)

3)  The economy in the dear ol' US of A sucks.  But even during this global economic meltdown, Australia's economy is kind of like an economy on antidepressants:  although it is harder to make gobs and gobs of money than in the US, but nobody is going to totally fall off a cliff financially.*  

4)  Everyone in Australia has access to healthcare.

5)  There is no gay marriage debate in Australia.  It is a non-issue, because domestic partnerships are legally binding for both heterosexual and queer relationships.

6)  The Australian government actually invests in parks, social services, renewable energy, and oh so much more.  In other words, many of the things that I fight to get the US political machine to take care of here, they are already done in Australia.  (I know, it is not perfect!  Cop-out?  I don't really think so. . .)

7)  Having worked on the Obama Campaign last year, I think I saw too much of the sausage being made, so to speak.  I'm tired of fighting for proper governance and government, when I have the option of living somewhere where the fight is already MUCH further along.  

8)  Our Dear Daughters are beginning to show signs of really needing a slower lifestyle.  A more mellow lifestyle.  For that matter, so are we.

This list will continue to grow. . . but that at least provides a taste of the reasons. . . 

WHERE????

Bellingen, NSW.  Again, jaws tend to go pretty slack at that announcement.  For now I will say that we found it nearly eight years ago now, by accident (Darling Husband was driving from Canberra to Brisbane, which is a REALLY LONG WAY, and found Bellingen on the way.  He stayed for a night, and fell in love.  We went back together maybe a year later.  And fell in love with it again.  More on why, and what we intend to do there, later.  For now, just imagine living in a lush river valley, with pristine surf beach 25 kilometers to the east and rainforest 25 kilometers to the west, only a 40 minute drive from a city of 70,000 people with an airport and a university. 

WHEN?!?!?!?!

One year - summer 2010.  It will take that long to get our lives in order, on both sides of the Pacific.  

The funny thing is that when we came to the US back in 2004, we came with a specific purpose.  That purpose was for Darling Husband to experience living in the US (since he hadn't, and I had spent three years in Australia) so that we would then be able to TOGETHER make a decision about where we wanted to settle, and where we wanted the kids to grow up.  And we had gotten so caught up in just trying to LIVE, that we had almost forgotten about our stated purpose.  I'm glad we remembered.

So, from here on out, we have a brand new goal to strive for.  And I intend to document, in gory detail, all of the insanity involved in moving countries (which, by the way, I have done THREE TIMES ALREADY**, but never, of course, with two children in tow).  Enjoy the ride!

* More on this later.

** 1998 - USA to China, 2000 - China to Australia, 2004 - Australia to USA