Mommy, Don't Kill the Hygienist

So, to ring in the new year in good form, our church is having a 40-day "fast" in which we are abstaining from evil speaking - choosing to walk in love and speak in love. After all, that's what Jesus did, and we are to be imitators of Christ. I have to admit, though, that I broke my fast this morning. Now I have to seek forgiveness for that, and for holding a grudge, because "the incident" happened over 4 hours ago, and I'm still ticked.

Caleb had his second dentist visit this morning. I was SO proud of him, because he was super brave. His first visit was a little rough. He was a little timid. There were a few tears before I could convince him to let them operate their scary contraptions inside his mouth. But, after seeing the mother-lode of dental paraphernalia he got after his first visit, this one was a breeze. No coaxing necessary. He was amazing and, thankfully, the hygienist appreciated and acknowledged his bravery.

The cleaning was over and it was time for the dentist to take a peek. He did his thing and then asked if I had any questions. I asked for some tips as to how to help Caleb stop sucking his thumb. He's definitely old enough now, and we need to get that behind him so it won't do any (more) damage to his bite. The dentist asked me to wait and said he'd have one of the other hygienists come in to talk to us.

After a few minutes, a girl came in and started to talk to Caleb about this PLAN where he'd get to wear a football wrap at night (aka Ace bandage) to help him stop sucking his thumb, since he's such a big boy now. Caleb seemed to be on board with the plan and it was going well. Then, seeing Caleb holding on to his bear, she actually had the nerve to tell him that he was going to have to choose a baby or someone else that was younger than him and give the bear to them.

(@*&**#!)

If you know Caleb at all, you know not to mess with Bear. He's had him since he was one, and he's hardly left his side. As you can imagine, it wouldn't have mattered if she promised Caleb a ride in a spaceship, every word she said after that was NOT okay. She was dead to him, and to me, too, for that matter. Obviously, she doesn't have kids. I'm game to try the bandage, but I'm certainly not going to take his bear away. And I had to reassure him of that SEVERAL times before the tears would stop.

In retrospect, I have to wonder who is more attached to that bear - me, or Caleb. Caleb cried at the thought of losing him. I wanted to knock that girl's lights out for even mentioning the idea. I'm sure it's not necessarily the actual bear that I'm clinging to, just an idea. Just the memory of when Zach and I first gave him that bear. He could hardly walk, but he toddled right up to him and grabbed on tight. Bear was half as big as my little boy. I'm still ready to tear up at the thought of taking away his bear. I can tell you, it's not going to happen. And, I'm thinking we should probably find a new dentist office to visit next time. That hygienist tapped into "mommy bear" territory, and she might not be safe if our paths cross again.

PS #1 - Pastor Bryan, please don't be discouraged by my behavior. It was definitely in no way a reflection on your teaching or your example.

PS #2 - Jesus, please forgive me for not walking in love and please keep renewing my mind, because I'm not sure if I'm done being mad yet.

It's official!

I just got the call yesterday afternoon. I can now officially call myself Sarah Taylor CD(DONA)! After two years of work, I received certification from (what most consider) the most prestigious doula organization in the world. Yippie!!! I'm so excited. Please pray with me that I receive clear direction about where to go with this and how to use this tool. God's placed a call on my heart to help women and now I just need to know exactly how and what that's supposed to look like.

In the mean time, it's a goal attained and now I'll have to figure out what I'll be up to next. Maybe I'll paint the kitchen...seriously.

A Day in the Life

Sorry for the posting hiatus. It's definitely not an indicator of lack of material. In fact, it's almost the opposite - such a surplus that I don't even know where to begin. The things I've wanted to share the most, though, have been the little antics and moments of craziness that could only be found in the day-to-day lives of two little boys...

First, Caleb.

Actually, I should say "the boy formerly known as Caleb". Why? Because if you met him today and I introduced him as Caleb, he'd correct me in a very serious and somewhat frustrated tone to say, "No, Mom. Remember, it's Fire. You're supposed to call me Fire now!" He picked that name a few weeks ago, because he's so fast, and hasn't given up on it yet. Must be a keeper.

He's obsessed with all things "Star Wars" these days, and regularly runs around pretending he's a Storm Trooper - costume and all. We got him a light saber for Christmas, it was the thing he asked for the very most. And Uncle Dave got him a Storm Trooper helmet. It's so big on him that he looks like a bobble head that I should stick on the dash of my car. But, don't tell him that. I'm sure his self esteem is intact securely enough that it wouldn't hurt him any, but still. When he asks you how he looks, please just tell him that he's the coolest Storm Trooper ever and just try to muffle your giggles under your breath.

Yesterday we met my friend Jane for lunch, but we were a little ahead of her. I told Caleb that we were going to beat her there. He said, "Yeah. She's a slow poke. And we're the fast poke team."

Earlier this week, I sent him to brush his teeth before bed. After a few minutes, I figured I'd better go oversee his progress. As I walked down the hall, I saw that he was busy rubbing his head with a towel. I started to lecture, saying he hadn't brushed long enough to be drying off yet. Before I could even begin, though, he looked at me with a pretty bewildered face and asked for help. He said he was trying to squeeze some toothpaste onto his toothbrush and that it got in his hair. How in the world did the toothpaste end up in his hair? Your guess is as good as mine, but sure enough...he had gobs of blue sparkles gunked all over his head.

A few weeks ago, after he woke from his nap, I spent a few minutes snuggling on the couch with him. I put my hand on his chest and felt crusties of dried 'something'. If you have any experience with boys, you know that there's absolutely no telling what that something might have been. I commented on it, saying it was yucky and we needed to wash him off. He agreed, with a worn-out sigh, "Yeah. That's from earlier when I was fighting the dragons. They slobbered on me."

And then there's Owen...

He's busy developing more and more character every day. He's added a few new words to his repertoire, too. He says Daddy all the time and he started saying puppy a few weeks ago. The best part is the accent he added a few days ago. Now, he says them quite forcefully with a pretty convincing Stallone/Rocky accent. It's hilarious.

His latest and greatest antic, however, has to be his recently kindled love affair with my vacuum cleaner. Every time he hears me start it up, he comes running. He loves to hold the handle with me. He's too little to push it, but he just stands there holding it, happy as can be, while he makes a great "vvvroooomm" noise. A few days ago he discovered his favorite feature. The hose. I pulled it off to suck up something hiding back in a corner. He saw the thing and HAD to check it out. I handed it to him, fully expecting him to suction his hand or jammies, freak out and start crying. I should have realized, though, that he was more likely to explore as most babies do...with their mouths. He held the thing right up to his lips and away they went, right down the tube. He startled and got it pulled off while I braced myself for the coming tears. It must not have hurt him, though. In fact, he must have kinda liked it, because he did it again. And again. After the third time I took it away. If I didn't I probably would have wet my pants because he had me laughing so hard. I hope that his next love that results in hickies won't happen for a long, long time.

Oh, my boys! I can't even imagine how boring, tidy and un-eventful life would be without them.