Adlani asked me to get rid of his curls for the summer so he’d be cooler (not that it’s been very hot so far). I obliged, mostly because I thought it would be fun to give him an interim mohawk. He got SO UPSET about the mohawk! He ran off crying and hid in his room, saying that he looked like a freak and his friends would all think he looked like a jerk. I was shocked! Since when does he care about how he looks? I guess it had to happen eventually but I wasn’t expecting it until at least middle school. I hope I didn’t cause permanent psychological damage.

Before:

With the interim mohawk:

Debut of the new buzzcut at the 8&Under heat of the July 4th pie-eating contest at Old Sturbridge Village:

.

In case anyone wants to see a larger version of my new profile picture, here it is. It was taken by one of my fellow campers in 1997, when we stopped for a break while traveling through Botswana.
.

.

This morning I took all 3 kids to see their new dentist – Dr. B., who is Dr. C’s partner. They took us all into the exam room where we watched a cartoon about – what else? – going to the dentist. Then the kids each had a turn in the chair, where Dr. B took their photo with a web-cam to put into their record, counted their teeth, measured their spacing, checked their bite, etc. As each of them finished he pressed a button and a hygienist magically appeared to whisk them upstairs. He spent a little extra time on Norah since it was her first visit, but she was very cooperative for an almost-3-year-old.

While I was downstairs with Norah, all hell was breaking loose upstairs because Adlani didn’t like the taste of the toothpaste. ANY of the flavors. He was pushing the hygienist’s arm away, tearing off his bib, and jumping out of the chair, while crying actual tears. I did what I could to help and then Dr. B took me aside for the discussion about caring for my kids’ teeth. He told me that the condition of my teeth affects the condition of my kids’ teeth, which doesn’t bode well for the future since I just had my 5th crown with another 2 scheduled. He gave me a food journal to fill out for each of the kids for 5 days before I come back (alone) for an appointment to discuss the plans for their treatment. Aliya has a crossbite and will need braces, which they sometimes put on as early as 9 years old.

Everyone had x-rays with no major mishaps or equipment breakage, and Norah did SO WELL with her first cleaning. She didn’t cry and she followed all the directions. Aliya did too, but that’s to be expected. Adlani…well, that’s to be expected too. They all left with goody bags filled with loot – Disney-themed toothbrushes, floss & flossers, dental mirrors, timers for brushing, stickers, rings – they were better than some birthday party goody bags we’ve received! The whole office is a really warm, casual atmosphere, and everyone is SO nice. We met Dr. C but I think we’ll usually be seeing Dr. B, which is just fine by me. Eye candy can’t give you cavities, right?

.

For Aliya’s birthday party last year, she asked her friends to donate money toward a water buffalo instead of bringing gifts. Luckily she wasn’t planning on buying one for a family pet, it was a donation for Heifer International, a really great charity that gives farm animals to families living in poverty. It’s pretty amazing what one animal can do for a family.
.
Heifer International has a farm out in Rutland Mass., and each year they have an International Fair. I’ve been wanting to go since Kelli told me about it, and I’ve had it on my calendar for almost a year. So I dragged the whole family plus Sherry and Devin over the river and through the woods from camp to the farm a couple of weeks ago. The admission price was $5 for adults, FREE for kids. What??
.
The farm had all kinds of activities and the kids had a great time. There were 8 homes from different countries, each with an activity for the kids – making bricks, prayer flags, butter, fish kites, etc. There were lots of animals and we got to see goat milking, sheep herding, and a horse show, plus we had a hay ride around the farm. I think the kids’ favorite activity was probably the piñata. In fact, I think that was probably Ben’s favorite too (video footage below). I, on the other hand, was too paranoid that someone was going to get smacked with the stick to really enjoy the piñata. My favorite part was visiting the homes from other countries and being reminded that most of the world does not live under the mountains of clutter that we do, and dreaming that someday I’ll be able to put away everything I own and walk through my house without taking my life into my hands..

It was a fun and beautiful day.

.

This morning I got all the kids up VERY early for a 7:30 “social visit” at our new pediatric dentist’s office. Tara HIGHLY recommended Dr. Carapezza when I told her how much Adlani hated going to the dentist. The poor little guy had 4 cavities when he was about 3 1/2 and I literally laid on top of his legs, held his hands, and held his torso down with my head while 3 people attended to his head. Every time we went, he completely cleared the room that was supposed to hold 4 kids having various procedures, because of his screaming and thrashing. And that was WITH the gas. For $100 worth of gas not covered by insurance I’d expect better results than that. Maybe I should have tried the gas myself – it would have taken the edge off the whole experience.

Anyway, Tara seems to love Dr. C, and he has TVs – SOLD! Aliya’s (regular adult) dentist has already said that she’ll need braces and Norah is due for her first cleaning so I decided to make a fresh start and take all 3 to Dr. C’s. The kids each received personalized books in the mail about their upcoming visit to the dentist – very cool. At the social visit everyone got to sit in the chairs where they’ll have their exams, cleanings, and x-rays. There were stuffed animals all over the place with giant teeth – a little freakish to me but the kids thought they were cool. The hygienist, Michele, explained everything and sent each of the kids home with a Mr. Thirsty (suction tube) to drink out of, toothpaste to try, plus stickers, rings, erasers, etc.

On the way out I stopped to verify the time of Adlani’s cleaning on Wednesday, and the receptionist told me that the appointment was for ALL 3 KIDS to have cleanings simultaneously! I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad idea but what the heck? So far they’re really excited about their new dentist and I am too. Adlani’s old dentist was ok, but honestly, I couldn’t stand the receptionist ladies there. I was afraid to call and change an appointment, even with plenty of notice, and they seemed impatient when I couldn’t just take the first appointment they offered. Life is too short to deal with snippy people. That’s my new motto.
.