Revelation!

So, after how many months of giving Jane a nightly bath (definitely over a year) something finally clicked that the allergy doctor said when we first visited him with questions about Jane's rashes. He had mentioned a seemingly horrible alternative to the bath, and I had immediately disregarded it. Until now. Imagine this- take a pair of feetie pajamas, the ones that zip all the way up to the chin, and get them wet. Soaking wet. Then put them on the poor child in question. Finagle another pair of dry feeties over the wet ones, and set the timer (15-20 minutes, the same length as her usual bath). Then just take them off, slather on lotion, put a new dry pair of pajamas on, and call it a night.

Why I suddenly remembered this alternative I don't know, but I'm so grateful to that doctor. We gave it a whirl...and Jane loved it! She was showing off her "wet jammies" and talking about them the next morning. What a timesaver. And she (and the parents who take turns with bath duty) can actually join the rest of the family in pre-bedtime activities. Now, we won't disregard the bath altogether. She still needs frequent baths from a pure cleanliness point of view, but to have another option for those nights when she is definitely not dirty is pure bliss...

Toothless

Gene lost his tooth! After only 24 hours of being loose, it came out. And he did it all by himself...he was eating snack when I heard a shout and saw him waving the little tooth. Thank goodness I didn't have to wiggle it out- I remember my mom doing that once.


Do you see the space, on the bottom?

He was so happy to have it out, and immediately decided what he would wish for- ten dollars and twenty five cents. We had told him the tooth fairy usually just brought money, and not presents. But we neglected to tell him the tooth fairy doled out only single dollar bills for each tooth. Luckily he is a pretty easy-going kid, so he took that fairly well.

Once he found the dollar, I told him he could decide what to do with it- spend it, or save it. But he had just seen a line on Google about sending money to the survivors in Haiti, so he wanted to send it to them. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning. But he put it in his bank for the afternoon. Now I just have to remember that noble goal in the midst of the hubbub that is our every morning!

Update

It's been a busy week for me, and boring for the kids until yesterday. I spent all week cleaning up and cleaning out the basement, and now we officially have a "play basement"!!!

There's not much in it, just an old trampoline and a few scooters but it is somewhere for the kids to run around and get some exercise, which is what we've wanted for a few winters now. Gene has already started learning to climb up one of the supportive poles, and is very proud of himself.

In other news, Gene finally has a loose tooth. And I realized I am squeamish about loose teeth. I'm trying not to pass that on to him, but it's hard when he wants me to feel it! He's wishing for a basketball hoop and a new basketball (since he somehow heard the tooth fairy grants wishes) but I told him he'd just have to see, and the tooth fairy usually just gives money. Luckily, we have had an offer of a basketball hoop just today, so we may be able to grant that wish after all:)

And here's a picture of Gene snuggling under his new Christmas comforter...he's been known to sleep till 8:30 since he got it- the great thing about being warm! He was just under a pile of baby blankets until Christmas, but he had definitely outgrown them and was waking up early because of it.

He loves it!

Finger Coordination

I am always amazed when one of my younger children can do something that an older child has struggled with. In this case, it is rolling toilet paper. I have tried for years to teach Gene and Lucy how to roll their own toilet paper. They do it now (I don't wipe for them anymore) but it isn't with any great finger finesse. I know because I have tried to teach them to roll lengths of toilet paper to fill a basket for Jane (she still toilets in the kitchen...and wipes have to be within reach) and they found it extremely difficult.

Well, this morning I went to fill the basket, and Jane said, "I will do it". She took the toilet paper roll of my hand, and like a little expert she started unrolling it. Once I helped her tear a piece off, she gently laid the piece on the floor, smoothed out all the wrinkles, and rolled it up. She insisted on rolling about 8 or 10 pieces, and filled up her basket all by herself!

Preference for English

Gene was looking at all the Christmas pictures we have received from friends over the last few weeks. He pointed to our friends Betsy and Mark, and asked who they were (it's been so long Betsy!). I explained they used to live here, but moved to Minnesota because Mark had a job there. Now he knows his geography fairly well, especially the States, but I guess we haven't talked about regions where languages are spoken, because he declared, "I want to live in Michigan always...where they speak English."

Mitten Socks

Jane can put her socks on her feet, and take them off...and does so on a regular basis. Today, though, she decided to challenge herself. Could she get completely dressed, with socks on her hands? It was funny to watch her- she get her underwear and pants on, and then got stuck on her shirt. And she started complaining that it was too hard!