Dress-up Finnegan

Is it inevitable that a child with a small dog or cat may try to dress up said dog or cat? My daughter was playing with the mountain of dress up clothes she has collected from Build-a-Bear, and decided it was time to try the clothes on Finnegan, who happens to be just slightly larger than the stuffed animals she dresses.

Oh my. He seems to dislike the socks very much.

It turned out to be a great afternoon, and you know what? In the end, I don't think he minded all that much.

On another note, after dress-up Finnegan wandered into the kitchen and spotted a piece of banana on the floor that my daughter must have dropped. 

Utter confusion. He sat looking at it for over 10 minutes before finally walking away (with several backward glances). He wouldn't eat it, he wouldn't even get close to it. Oh, to be in his little mind!

Finally - The First Tooth!

September 18, 2012, A is 7 years and 7 months old, and . . . she FINALLY lost her FIRST tooth! Yay!!! 

You have never, ever seen three people more excited. And no, it wasn't one of the two teeth that have been wiggly for months, but it was the one tooth on the bottom that got wiggly just that morning. Her adult tooth had already come in behind her baby tooth (our dentist calls it shark teeth) and on this morning, the adult tooth finally pushed it out. Well, mostly.  We tied a string around it, and my husband pulled. And because my daughter didn't really know what the heck we were doing, she didn't flinch or put up a fight. One hefty tug later, the tooth was out!

Truly, I'm a little embarrassed to say that it was one of the most thrilling moments of my life.  We waited a long time for this milestone!

Here she is with her loonie from the tooth fairy, along with a special letter. She bought a chocolate doughnut from Tim Horton's with her dollar. A great opportunity for her to order her own treat, and pay for it, all on her own. No eye contact, but success all the same. I am so proud of her.

It's Baaaack

I decided at the end of August that I would take A off her joint pain/inflammation medication and see where we stood with her pain. The fact of the matter is, she hasn't been given an official diagnosis of JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) and I hate the thought of giving her arthritis medication everyday when we don't know if she even has it. And now it's back. Her knees have been hurting, and a new joint joined the party . . . her ankles. 

Oh, I pray we find out what is causing this pain. I don't want to mask it anymore. It's been years, and I think it's time we figure out the cause. Such a brave girl we have.

Meanwhile, she'll use Daddy to help her during those tough times when she can't walk.

Best Friends. Tuckered Out.

The school days are exhausting the both of them. They truly have a special connection, and I'm so glad she has him in her life.

*heart melting*

Tougher than a T-Rex

Well, she's off to grade 2 today. Yesterday was full of anxiety, tears, and anger, but it looks like she let it all out, and was prepared as she could be for the first day of school.

I'm so proud of her. I picked her up for lunch and we talked about her new teacher and being back at school. It's difficult - she's unsure of everything, and doesn't like the fact that things are quite different than last year - but she's hanging in there. It's all we can ask. She's brave, determined, and I know she's capable of this and so, so, so, much more.

She's tougher than a T-Rex! I loved that she picked out this shirt to wear today.

On another note, look what I found on my kitchen chair the other day:

Gotta love those women palaeontologists who can hand feed a T-Rex.

Happy first day of school!