Mira Archives - Page 7 of 36

Sep 14, 2012

Shark Girl Loses A Tooth

I lost my first tooth when I was five years old. Cordy lost her first tooth at five years old, too. So when Mira turned five, I waited to see when her first baby tooth would start to wiggle.

Mira’s excitement at the idea of losing her first tooth has remained high, too. There are many days when she sticks her finger in her mouth, wiggles it back and forth, and shouts, “Mommy! I have a loose tooth!” Of course, every time I’ve checked, not a single tooth has wiggled, even a little bit. (But I usually agreed with her that it did wiggle a little. Can’t crush her hopes.)

It’s been a few weeks since she mentioned loose teeth, and we’ve been too busy for me to think about it. Last weekend, though, she gave me a wide smile as she worked on making a necklace at a community event, and suddenly my gaze was fixed on her teeth.

I thought I saw a little gap between her itty-bitty teeth. “Mira, did you lose a tooth?” I asked her. Her eyes were instantly huge. She gave me the biggest closed-mouth smile she could, and I noticed there was a bit of a gap on either side of one tooth, but not enough for another tooth to be missing.

“Oh, I guess not,” I sighed. “You’ve got a little bit of space around one of your teeth, though. Maybe it’s wiggly?”

It was then that Mira opened her mouth wide to wiggle her tooth and I saw the reason for the space around that tooth: her adult tooth was already coming in, right behind it.

That would be a very impatient adult tooth right behind her lower baby teeth.

I help this kid nearly every day with brushing her teeth. How could I miss another tooth already coming in? Especially one that’s already made it that far and is the size of two baby teeth?

So after we made all of the Shark Girl jokes (because really? You MUST make shark girl jokes when your child is starting to grow a second row of teeth), it was time to get to work on removing that baby tooth. After all, that big tooth needs room to get in there – behind all of the other teeth isn’t a very useful place to be.

It was very loose, and I told Mira if she could just wiggle it endlessly it would probably fall out that day or the next. So she set to work on it, but after a while it hurt and she stopped. I reassured her it would probably fall out the next day. She was a ball of excitement at the thought of losing her first tooth and getting her first visit from the tooth fairy.

That tooth hung on the next day, though. And the day after. She requested apples to eat, brushed it extra-thoroughly, and did everything she could to get it out without actually pulling it out. By last night it couldn’t even stay in line with the other teeth, but wouldn’t come out, either.

During storytime, I asked her if she wanted me to pull it out. She agreed, and I gave it a few tries. Tiny teeth are hard to hold onto with big fingers, though, and I had no luck. “Mommy, I want it out for school pictures tomorrow!” she insisted.

I had to say goodnight to Cordy, so I told Mira she was welcome to keep trying. As I went into the next room and gave Cordy a hug goodnight, I heard Mira yell, “I did it! Mommy, I pulled the tooth out!”

Sure enough, she did. Just in time for school picture day.

We wrapped the tooth in a tissue and placed it in the pouch for the tooth fairy. She woke up this morning and found two dollars in the pouch from the tooth fairy, clipped with two sparkly hair clips for her to wear for picture day.

She assures me this wasn’t her picture day smile.

Now I can’t decide what to do with the tooth. I’ve kept a couple of Cordy’s teeth, but do I really want to keep collecting teeth? Not to mention, this tooth and I have a bad history going way back to when she was four months old. I have some painful memories from that tooth, and it nearly made me give up breastfeeding when she was a baby.

I’m not going to miss it at all. Although I might mourn her cute, straight-teeth smile as I open the savings fund for her future orthodontics.

Filed Under: growing up, Mira ·

Aug 30, 2012

Don’t Let The Praise Go To Your Head

By Christina ·

We signed the girls up for gymnastics over the summer. The once a week classes were our best hope for our two daughters developing any coordination, balance, or the ability to not trip and fall while walking on a smooth, level surface.

Both kids insisted they wanted to take gymnastics for the fall session, so we signed them up again. Last night was the first night of gymnastics, and both Cordy and Mira did a fantastic job. We were really impressed with how enthusiastic they were and how much progress they made in a single night. So impressed, in fact, that we told them on the way home that we had a surprise for them.
“Since you worked so hard tonight at gymnastics,” Aaron told the girls, “we’re stopping for ice cream on the way home!”

“YAY!!” both girls cheered.

“You’re the BEST parents in the WHOLE WORLD!” Cordy exclaimed.

Mira looked at her sister and sighed. “Weeelllll…I don’t know about the WHOLE WORLD, but they’re pretty nice sometimes.”

Filed Under: Aaron, Cordy, daily life, kid logic, love, Mira ·

Aug 29, 2012

Two Kids, One School, One Bus, One Car

By Christina ·

Friday was a first not only for Mira, but for me. Because of our school’s late start for kindergarten, Mira had to wait two days after Cordy to begin the school year. But then the morning came, and she anxiously waited for the bus with her backpack on her shoulders.

Right next to her sister.

It was the first time I was sending both of them off on the same bus, to the same school. I may have a shed a tear. Of happiness.

For once, I didn’t have to keep track of two kids and schedules at three different schools. (Mira did a half day of preschool at a private preschool, then a half day at our local school district last year.) I didn’t have to wait for two bus drop-offs. I didn’t have to schedule parent-teacher conferences at different schools across the city. Logistically, it’s a dream come true.

Mira’s first day started a little rough, though. I let them both ride the bus that morning, even though I had to be there for kindergarten orientation. When I walked into the school, right at the end of breakfast, I saw Mira standing in the middle of the cafeteria with a group of teachers and aides around her. She was crying and they were wiping something off of her. A teacher quickly told me it was orange juice, and it had sprayed all over her dress and shoes.

Nearby, Cordy was yelling at another girl, “How DARE you spill juice on my little sister on her first day! You’re awful!” Cordy was completely incensed, to the point of making the (older) girl cry. I tried to calm Cordy down, assuring her it was an accident and apologizing to the other girl for Cordy yelling at her. Seeing Cordy stand up for Mira was not something I expected for Mira’s first day.

After meeting with the kindergarten teacher, I went outside to say goodbye to Mira on the playground. She was near tears again, frustrated that a group of boys could jump up and grab a bar on the playground equipment but she couldn’t quite reach. I gave her a hug, encouraged her to make friends instead of get frustrated, and then left, hoping she’d keep it together for the day.

The only big problem with Mira’s first day was the afternoon bus. The bus was scheduled to drop them off at 4:30pm. It’s an hour ride, which is long, but tolerable when they go to school on the other side of the city.

Cordy’s first day, the bus didn’t drop her off until after 5:30pm. The driver assured us it was just a first day issue, and they’d be closer to schedule the next day. On Thursday, the bus dropped her off at 5:20pm, with the driver saying, “We’re getting better!” It didn’t feel better, honestly. But I hoped they would get it right on the third day.

The bus dropped the girls off at 5:10pm, forty minutes after the scheduled time. Way too long, in my opinion. It wasn’t a good situation and I wanted an alternative.

And then common sense hit me: hey, I have both kids at one school! I don’t have to let them ride a long time because I’m waiting on another bus that will get here sooner, like I did last year!

So on Monday, I made the choice to pick them up from school. It’s a little inconvenient for me, but one hour out of my day so that my daughters only spend 25 minutes traveling home from school seems worth it. And it was kinda fun: waiting with the other parents by the bike rack and seeing kids faces light up when they come out of the building and see their parents.

Tuesday, I decided to give the bus one more try, only because Mira asked to try it again. And I waited. And waited. And waited. They got here at 5:13pm. Crazy.

I’m incredibly thankful that my kids are at the same school now, and thankful for a job that gives me the flexibility to go pick them up each day so that they don’t endure an hour and a half or longer bus ride home.

I’m also so very happy that both kids are loving school, and even seem to be getting along when together at school. I’ve been told they spend their recess time playing together, which is funny when you consider at home it’s one constant battle of “leave me alone!”

While we’ve had a few tiny bumps in the road so far, I’m expecting a fantastic school year. And now I shall happily fall back into a school year routine and forget the chaos of the previous three weeks.

Filed Under: Cordy, daily life, Mira, school ·

Aug 22, 2012

End of Summer Trip, Day 1: Cedar Point

By Christina ·

Last week we had the chance to get away for a couple of days before the start of the school year. With only a couple of days to get in some fun, we stayed closer to home and traveled up to Lake Erie. Day one was an amusement park adventure to Cedar Point. We went there last summer, and at that time it was the first amusement park for both girls. We didn’t know what to expect last year, but Cordy surprised us by wanting to go on roller coasters, with her favorite ride being the Cedar Creek Mine Ride.

The entire drive up, Cordy talked about how she wanted to go right to the Mine Ride, followed by the Iron Dragon. We were impressed with her bravery, but reminded her that we had to make sure we went on things that Mira could ride, too. Mira, who was too small for anything but the little kid rides last year, was hoping she’d be tall enough to try some “big kid” rides this year.

When we arrived, we had the kids measured to determine ride height. Doing this outside the gate saves a lot of time, because the kids get colored wristbands that let everyone know how tall they are, so they don’t need to measure at every ride.

Mira was leaning in this photo

Cordy added several rides to her available list with her new height of 52″, while Mira was still a little too short for most coasters, but at 46″ squeaked by for the Iron Dragon.

Going on a Thursday in August is just perfect. The park was full but not too crowded, and lines for most of the rides were under a 15 minute wait. (The big coasters of course are a longer wait.) The weather was also gorgeous that day, with a cool breeze from Lake Erie.

After a few warm-up rides, Cordy really wanted to go on the Mine Ride. So Aaron took Mira to the antique cars while Cordy and I took on the Mine Ride. Cordy suddenly got anxious on the ride, which was a surprise considering how much she wanted to ride it. After the ride, she still said it was a lot of fun.

What a difference a year makes, eh?

Cedar Point has three areas specifically focused on rides for kids, so we wound through the frontier area and then into Camp Snoopy, where both girls tried out just about every ride in the area. Mira loved that she was tall enough for each ride, and thankfully Cordy was still short enough for each ride.

Mira as the Red Baron

Eventually we found our way to the front of the park again, and Mira begged to go on the Iron Dragon, since she’s tall enough to ride it. It’s a suspended coaster and has always been one of my favorites. Cordy and I rode it last year, and while it scared her a little she wanted to go again this year.

But as we stood in line, Cordy started to get anxious again. I reminded her how much fun she had last year, but by the time we climbed into the seats, she flipped out. As the shoulder harness snapped into place, she looked at the attendant and cried, “Please don’t make me ride this! They’re trying to kill me!” Want to know the fastest and most embarrassing way to get booted from a ride? That would be it. The attendant signaled for the harness to be released and asked Cordy and I to please exit the ride, with no chance to explain. I’m amazed he didn’t call security over that one.

We waited for Aaron and Mira to finish the ride as Cordy calmed down. Mira came out of the exit beaming and shouting to me, “Mommy, I LOVE the Iron Dragon! I want to go AGAIN!” It appears we now have a coaster junkie on our hands! (I’m so proud.)

Cordy did calm down after a little break, but decided she didn’t want to try any other “big” rides for the day. We were disappointed, but understood that her anxiety sometimes gets the better of her. She still enjoyed several other smaller rides, and I’m sure next year she’ll want to try again. While Mira was bummed that she was too short for some of the other coasters, she was still big enough for the Jr Gemini and the Woodstock Express. Despite being small, she had plenty of thrill moments to keep her screaming and cheering.

Note: Cedar Point has a neat feature called Parent Swap to make sure you can ride the rides. You can sign up at Guest Services, then one parent waits in line for a coaster. After the ride, they give their parent swap pass to the ride operator, and the other parent can then walk up the exit and get on the ride immediately. It’s great for those who still want to ride but have kids who can’t go with them.

In the late afternoon, we played games and browsed the shops. Mira rode the Iron Dragon one more time with me so I’d get the chance to ride it. Oh, let’s be honest – she wasn’t doing me any favors, she REALLY wanted to ride it again. At the games, Mira won a stuffed Pokemon in the water gun races (with some help from Aaron), and Cordy won two stuffed frogs.

We were quickly losing our energy around dinnertime, and took one final ride on the midway carousel before going to our hotel.

long arm, in-motion shot

I loved getting to spend the day having fun as a family. There were so many laughs, and smiles and sighs of happiness. Yes, Cordy did have a meltdown, but those certainly aren’t uncommon for us, and she did recover to enjoy the rest of the day.

The kids got to ride just about every ride they wanted to (and were tall enough for), some multiple times. It felt awesome to see our daughters so happy as they skipped through the park, clutching their stuffed animals and looking for the next ride. We had a good mix of thrill rides and taking moments to relax and get ice cream, play games or enjoy a slow ride on the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad.

and hang with Snoopy

There are still things we didn’t get to see, but there’s so much at Cedar Point that it’s hard to do it all in a single day. I think we can call the day a success, though, judging by how hard the kids slept that night. Mira said she dreamed about growing just two inches by next year so she’ll be tall enough for many of the roller coasters at Cedar Point. She has big plans to conquer them all!

Giveaway!

Want to make some of your own family memories at Cedar Point? I’m giving away a pack of FOUR tickets to Cedar Point for one lucky reader. These tickets are good only through the end of the 2012 season (including HalloWeekends), so please be aware of the short date on them!

To enter, just leave a comment below telling me the first amusement park you ever went to. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you’re randomly selected as the winner. Contest is open to anyone 18+ but be aware you have to get to Cedar Point on your own if you live far away.

Entries will be accepted through August 28, 2012. Good luck!

(And if you don’t want to win but just want to leave a comment telling me how my kids have grown a foot since last year, feel free!)

Full disclosure: I was provided with four tickets to Cedar Point as the result of winning a blog contest. (Thanks, Tracey!) Our wallets will show that no other compensation was received, as it took several tries to win the stuffed animals we went home with. Tickets in the giveaway are being provided by Cedar Point. All opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cedar Point or the folks who witnessed Cordy’s meltdown.

Filed Under: Aaron, Cordy, family time, giveaways, Mira ·

Aug 20, 2012

End of Summer

By Christina ·

School begins on Wednesday, and it couldn’t come soon enough. It’s been two weeks since summer camp ended, which means it’s been two weeks of a new, less structured routine for Cordy that has kept her on edge every day.

I hate this period between camp and school – I can’t keep her entertained when I have to work, but she gets anxious and frustrated by no solid routine. Mira picks up on her anxiety and, right out of the Little Siblings Handbook, chooses to antagonize her. It’s really a two week period of survival around here, and we all celebrate when school begins again.

The good news is that Mira will be attending Cordy’s school for kindergarten. There was some question last year about if they would find a seat for Mira, since the school isn’t our home school and they didn’t accept any students from the lottery. The prospect of having two kids at two schools on opposite sides of Columbus was less than ideal, so I appealed to the principal at Cordy’s school, begging for Mira to be admitted.

Begging isn’t an exaggeration, either. I considered sending flowers and baked goods as well, but the principal told me at the end of May that it was looking good for Mira and to just be patient through the summer.

Patient is hard for me.

It took all summer, but two weeks ago we finally received the letter telling us that Mira was accepted. Whew. Now I only need to worry that they won’t get kicked off the bus for fighting with each other every morning. Or that Mira will make the principal regret her decision when she finds out that Mira is the opposite of Cordy.

Even though I’m counting down the hours until I can hand them their backpacks and send them back to school, we did get the chance to take a quick family vacation before the end of summer. Mini-vacation, I guess you could call it. Last Thursday and Friday were spent in northern Ohio at Lake Erie. (Hence why this blog sat quiet last week.)

I’ll be writing more on it this week, but here’s a quick preview: