Much better!

Things are going much better with the ears. We found the ultimate motivator - she spotted Hannah Montana earrings at the store, and I explained that if we clean her ears twice a day, EVERY day, she can get those earrings and wear them. Last night, she told me she needs to lose another tooth so she has money to buy Hannah Montana earrings. Is this kid hilarious or what?

A big thank-you goes to Dr. Renee, the world's GREATEST vet, who offered to let us have some lidocaine to help Emma's ears feel better (with doctor approval, of course). We didn't end up needing it, but it just warms my heart to know how much Renee cares about our girl (and all our furry kids, as well). If you want a really great read, check out her blog here

Yesterday, we had a kindergarten field trip to the local children's museum. Not only did Emma have a wonderful time, we found some terrific career options for her.

She could be a vet, like her beloved Dr. Renee...



A chef...



A bus driver...




A farmer...



A pilot...



Or a ROCK STAR!!

I'm know I'm not the only one!

Every time I think of tomorrow's inauguration, a little chill goes up my spine. I get a little teary-eyed. I can't help it - back when Barack Obama won the election and made his acceptance speech, I told my husband, "I think I'm in love" and I still feel that way (for the record, his response was "I think I am, too").

The road ahead is going to be hard for most of us, but for a little while tomorrow, we can put those worries aside and celebrate this historic event. I can't wait.

It's not going so well.

Emma is terrified of letting us touch her ears, and won't touch them herself. She knew before we pierced her that we would have to clean them and turn them, but we had to hold her down to clean them last night and this morning. I let her watch a YouTube video of a girl cleaning her earrings, and she was excited to be a big girl, but then she screamed and cried when we actually went in the bathroom to do it.

If anyone out there has suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I hate to take the earrings out, because I know she'll regret it and want them back. She's just built it into a scary thing in her head. We work so hard with her to help her get over other fears, and I don't want to just give up without trying to help her get comfortable with this.

We're going to keep at it for at least a few days - we're going to Grandma and Grandpa's tomorrow, and maybe she'll let Nurse Grandma help out. Wish us luck!

They grow up way too fast...

For the last month or so, Emma has been begging us to get her ears pierced. She's asked before, but when we dropped the subject, she'd forget about it. Not so this time. She kept asking, so I started looking into it. I quickly decided I didn't want to take her to the mall - I'm just not convinced that the guns they use are sanitary, since they can't be completely disinfected. I looked into taking her to a local piercing studio/tattoo parlor, but they wanted $50. For ears! And you have to pay more for the studs you want!

I kept looking...and Emma kept asking...and I finally found a product that is sold to doctors for piercing. It's a pre-loaded, one-time use apparatus that comes in a sterile package. They had smaller, pediatric-size studs, which were perfect for Emma's tiny little lobes. And the studs were surgical stainless steel, another important thing, since it minimizes the chance of reacting to the metal. If you are interested, you can read more about it here

Before I ordered the kit, I had Emma take a look and asked her again if she was sure she wanted her ears pierced. "Yes!" So I placed my order, and Emma waited impatiently for four whole days. The kit came last night, and I showed her the piercers and had her watch the video on the website. Asked again if she was sure. "Yes!" Then we went to YouTube and watched a few videos of little girls getting their ears pierced. Asked again if she was sure. "Yes, yes, yes!" And she ran off to pretend to pierce the ears of all her stuffed animals and dolls.

After school today, we went over to my best friend Denise's house, and got to work. See how grown-up Miss Emma looks!

If it's Wednesday, it must be pinkeye...

How do you know Emma's been back to school for two days? It's easy - the crusty, weepy, bloodshot eye is a dead giveaway.

We're off to the pediatrician this morning, hoping she doesn't pick up something worse while we're there, and thankful the snow is gone so we can actually get there!

Happy New Year!

We indulged in an old family tradition last night: fondue! Fondue was our New Year's Eve meal of choice when I was a kid (not sure how that started - I need to ask my mom about it). Back then, we did a hot oil fondue, dipping pieces of meat and veggies into the oil to cook them. These days, Chad and I do a cheese fondue. Could there be anything better than gooey, melting cheese, with wonderful bits of bread, steamed potatoes, and other veggies to dip? Emma thought it was pretty cool, and we had a lot of fun.





Emma went to bed at her usual time, and we (old folks that we are) crawled into bed around 10:00. The fireworks in the neighborhood got so loud around 10:30 that Emma joined us in bed, and we all snuggled in the new year together. It sounds much more idyllic than it was - Emma was in and out of sleep, kicking us in the kidneys. Our dog was terrified of the fireworks and was cowering in any cave-like space she could find. The fireworks themselves were extremely loud and went on for hours. Eventually Chad went into the guest room, because Emma wouldn't go back to her bed and there just wasn't enough room for the three of us. So, Emma slept well, Chad is STILL asleep in the guest room, and I'm exhausted. Sounds like a normal day to me!

Happy New Year to all my friends out there! I hope 2009 brings you everything you're hoping for.