a little of this, a little of that

*Wow. I can't believe how many people's kids have needed braces! Almost sounds like the norm. I don't remember many people wearing braces when I was a kid. Not that it was uncommon, but I don't think there was more than a handful of kids in my class that wore them. Maybe I'm just not remembering correctly. I didn't have them, though I certainly could have benefited. My teeth aren't overly crooked or anything, but I do have a nice big gap between my front teeth. Anyway, I'm just curious...

Did you wear braces as a kid? Are they more common today, or is that just my imagination?

*We've altered our plans for the weekend a bit. Instead of hitting both Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga, we've decided to just focus on Saratoga. For one thing, we didn't realize it would be so expensive to go to Fort Ticonderoga. And for another, if we get home before 1:00pm on Sunday, we won't have to pay an extra $30 to the kennel. And it looks like there's plenty to do at Saratoga alone...along with the visitors center and the battlefield tour, it looks like they've got at least one nice hiking trail (we can't ever seem to pass up a hiking trail). So I think that's going to give a full day of fun right there.

*Baker went to the vet yesterday. He needed to have another blood test to see how his thyroid meds are doing. The good news...he'd lost 2.2 pounds in the last 3 weeks. Of course, we're a little worried about how he's losing the weight...after about a week on the meds, he went on a hunger strike. He used to act like he was starving to death all the time, and now you have to cajole him to eat just a few bites. But it is good that he's losing weight...and the meds seem to have done wonders for his energy level, too. He's like a puppy again! He chases the kids around the back yard, and he doesn't sleep for 20 hours a day anymore.



*I'm beginning to wonder if the potty issues will ever end with the Maxidoodle. Don't get me wrong...I'm still incredibly grateful that he started using the potty at all. And apart from occasionally peeing his pants at preschool, because he's nervous about using the potty there, he's doing very well with that end of things. The "other" issue however, is a whole 'nother story! He's had problems with constipation since he was 6 weeks old. Of course, they always say breast-fed babies don't have such problems. WRONG. Anyway, he's been on medication for years. Thought things were finally straightening themselves out, until the whole "using the potty" thing came up. We expected problems. We dealt with problems. We thought all problems had been resolved. But all of a sudden, after doing fine for a month or so, the problems are back. Several "accidents" a day caused by trying to hold it instead of just going to the bathroom. He knows that we're getting a bit frustrated with this behavior, and with the constant cleaning out of poopy underwear. So, last evening, being the big can-do kind of boy that he is, he tried to deal with the mess himself. When we discovered him in the bathroom, he was clad only in a t-shirt, had poop smeared across the counter, and was standing there holding his dripping wet Lightning McQueen underwear over the toilet. Bless his sweet little heart, he had tried clean up his own mess and wash out his underwear in the toilet. Of course, the resulting mess to both the bathroom (which I had cleaned a mere 3 hours earlier) and to himself was a hundred times worse than if he had just called for help to start with. But I tried to look at the bright side...he was trying to be a helpful big boy.

Well, now that I've left everyone with those unsavory images, I suppose I should be off. Need to pack for our little jaunt, and Annie and I are running behind on our schooling for the week as it is. Hope everyone has a truly wonderful weekend!