The Birthday - Part 2

This year, Bradyn decided that she wanted to have a Hotel Transylvania birthday party at home.  What might that involve you may wonder?  A few 'scary' decorations (have you tried to find Halloween decorations in February?) and renting the movie for 9 kids to watch.  We actually had a lot of fun.  I was up bright and early Saturday morning to make the special bone treats - straight pretzels with mini marshmallows on the ends, dipped in melted white chocolate.  Yum!  (sorry - haven't figured out how to rotate the photos yet)  We also had vampire smiles (red apple slices with mini marshmallows for teeth and almond sliver fangs), but somehow I didn't manage to get a picture of those.

We then headed off to gymnastics, picked up the birthday cake and rushed home at 11:00 to do the last-minute preparations.  As Bradyn's friends arrived at the stroke of noon, they saw the 'marquee' on our front door, indicating the movie time.

 

As they entered, our very excited birthday girl gave each child a ticket to the show - often before they could get their coat and shoes off.  They were told that they had to keep their tickets in a 'safe place' and not lose them, or they wouldn't be allowed to go into the theatre. (I was actually quite entertained by the fuss everyone made over keeping track of their tickets)

While the girls enjoyed a leisurely lunch of pizza, veggies and treats.....

The boys gobbled their food down and were off to play with the playmobil and super-hero figures, while admiring (and desperately wanting to play with) Bradyn's lego creations in the library / play room.

At last, it was time for the feature presentation.  We moved Bradyn's ticket booth into the stairway, and she took everyone's tickets so they could enter Reeves Theatre.

I was relieved that there were no arguments about who was going to sit where, and all of the children seemed to really like the show, even though some had already seen it.  No movie would be complete without popcorn being served and I was thrilled where there were only about a dozen pieces on the floor to be cleaned up afterwards.

After a few games ("Pin the Wing on the Bat" and "Pass the present"), everyone was very anxious to have cake and get to the presents.  Bradyn chose a cupcake 'cake' called Scary Night to go with our theme.

The neat thing I noticed this year when Bradyn opened her gifts was that she was actually reading her cards - because she can now!  LOL  Thank you again to everyone that spoiled our little Miss B.

Happy Birthday Bradyn!

On her actual birthday morning, Bradyn was very anxious to open more presents (and really, what kid wouldn't be?).  We agreed on just one, and saved the rest for that evening.

I've already gushed about our fun birthday dinner at Pizza Hut, but I think this photo is adorable.  Even after her dinner arrived, Bradyn insisted on finishing her homework before diving into the pizza.  I swear - I was telling her to eat and forget about the homework (for a change).

Mmmm yummy, greasy cheese pizza. 
 

B was totally hamming it up for Mamarazzi, and I was eager to indulge her on this rare opportunity.  She'd make a face, I'd take a picture, she'd beg "Let me see it mom", we'd have a great laugh (full, light up your face belly laughs), and she'd say "Take one like this".  This is her angry face....

And her scared face.

I think this was definitely my favourite birthday yet.



Happy Valentine's Day

Seven!

Do you get tired of hearing me say "I can't believe how old she is!"?  I'm sorry, but it's true.  Seven!  I have a seven-year old daughter!!  How the heck did that happen?  Last night, after we read stories, I cuddled with Bradyn for a little while as we listened to Harry Potter on CD.  When I told B that I wanted to savour the last few minutes I had with my 6-year old, she said "I'm sorry you're sad Mommy".  I couldn't even begin to explain my feelings to her.  Yes I was sad, but it was a bittersweet sad, not a 'bad' sad, you know? 

As I'm looking back over the last 6 birthday posts tonight (7 if you include her actual birth day), I can't get over how much Bradyn has changed.  The nearly 9-pound, dark auburn-haired baby that grew into a chubby blonde toddler, is now a 56-pound blonde beauty. 

(LOL.  OK, if I'd been drinking fluids as I typed that, I would have spit it across the room.  Let's pretend that big gap in her smile isn't there for a moment.....Sorry, that's not fair - she's still beautiful... right now it's just in a goofy-looking kind of way.  Regardless, I love that little girl with all my heart, even if I'm not used to her new smile yet.) 

Unfortunately, Kevin has been working brutally long hours this week, so he was gone before we got up this morning.  When I went in to wake Bradyn up, she was quick to tell me that she felt different, and was trying to convince me that her arms and legs had grown longer overnight.  For the first time in weeks, Bradyn popped out of bed, ate and got dressed.  You see, she's seven now, so she's a big kid.  When we measured her, we saw that she had grown 1.5 inches since October (but not overnight).  She got to open one gift this morning, but the rest had to wait until tonight.  Bradyn was in a great mood this morning and we were laughing a lot.  Such a nice start to the day. 

I picked Bradyn up a little early from after-school care today so that we could go out and celebrate her birthday at the restaurant of her choice - Pizza Hut (thankfully, they have a GREAT tropical shrimp gluten free pizza).  I have to tell you, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Bradyn tonight, although I wished that Kevin could have joined us.  We had a lot of fun - we talked, she told me about school, she told stories, she did her homework in the restaurant, we joked, she was doing all kinds of crazy poses for Mamarazzi, and she ate her dinner in less than an hour! (belive me, you have no idea what a big deal that is) 

When we got home, Kevin was heading off to bed, but he was able to stay up long enough to watch Bradyn open the remainder of her gifts (thank you everyone!).  B & I snuggled again tonight, and then it was off to dreamland for her.  What a great birthday.

We had Bradyn's birthday party on Saturday, so I'll post some of those photos this weekend but, until then, enjoy this one of the toothless beauty, loving her birthday dinner at Pizza Hut. 

Happy Birthday Big Girl!

3 Teeth Gone

There was a lot of excitement in the Reeves household last night, and it was NOT the good kind.  I will warn you now - if you have a queasy stomach, don't read on, and don't look at these photos.

I was working late last night, and called home at 7:00 to check in and say good-night to Bradyn.  About 25 minutes later, my phone rang.  It was Kevin.  I could hear Bradyn wimpering in the background and, in a very serious voice, Kevin said that she had hit her face on the table and knocked out 2 teeth.  My first thought was 'whatever' and promptly said "you're an ass - that's not even funny".  When he assured me that he was serious and was asking what he should do, panic set in.  My baby had bashed her face, was bleeding, I was at least 50 minutes away, and I didn't have the full story yet so my mind was racing, imagining the worst.  Then I started to feel faint, and hot, and had to lay down on the floor (good thing I wasn't actually there - a lot of help I would have been).  I hung up, called my sister, peeled off my sweater, called my dentist (got the message on his machine that he's away until February 18th), called the stand-in dentist (no answer), called 3 walk-in clinics near our house (all closed), called Kevin, called another clinic, called my friend Diane (I figured she has a boy - she must know where the clinics are that are open late.  Turns out she was at the mall so she actually walked to the one there and they were closed), called Kevin again.  Between calls I was shutting off my computer, throwing files into my bag, and trying to figure out what the hell had actually transpired.

On the drive home, I was trying so hard not to speed, but it was tough.  I talked to Kevin again (hands-free, not breaking any laws) and he said Bradyn wanted to go to the hospital.  A light bulb went off and I suggested that he call his dentist to see what we should do (why it took 35 minutes for me to come up with that one I'm not sure, but it may have had something to do with the panicking that was happening).  Dr Chou assured Kevin that since they were Bradyn's baby teeth, and that the teeth had not broken off in her gums, there was nothing to 'worry' about.  Yes, her gums were going to be raw and sore, but they would heal.  If she had knocked out her adult teeth, they would have been having a very different conversation.  I just wanted to hold my poor little girl.  I asked Kevin to put her in her PJs and then cuddle with her on the couch until I got there.

When I walked into the living room an agonizing 30 minutes later, I scooped Bradyn up and sat down with her on the couch.  After cradling her for a few minutes while kissing her head, I noticed the dried blood on her hands and cheek.  She had a cloth on her mouth, and wasn't talking much.  When she pulled the cloth away to show me, my stomach lurched.  There was pooled blood where her upper right, front centre tooth had been, and the other one was barely hanging on, pointed at a very awkward angle.  She covered back up and, when I was brave enough, I asked to see again.  This time I pulled out her swollen bottom lip and saw the 2 cuts on the inside of her lip, and the small pool of blood where the bottom right centre tooth had been.  (To be fair, the bottom tooth had been very loose and the adult tooth was half grown in, so it wouldn't have taken much for that baby tooth to be knocked out.) 

Dr Chou had told Kevin that we should just pull the other front tooth out because otherwise, Bradyn would end up swallowing it while she slept.  It didn't even phase Bradyn that it took Kevin 4 tries to pull it out (the kleenex kept slipping) - she said it didn't even hurt.  Um, OK.  I guess a little more trauma at that point was nothing.  We went into the kitchen so Bradyn could rinse her mouth with salt water and, while I watched her, I noticed that the white caulking around the sink was now red.  I started looking around the kitchen and noticed the blood-stained cloths and paper towels.  I think I may have layed down on the floor again at that point.

So, in the end, I pieced the story together..... Bradyn was sitting on the edge of the couch watching TV, with her feet on the floor and her legs split into a V.  She was wiggling around, lost her footing and fell forward, smacking her mouth on the wooden coffee table.  Kevin, who was upstairs, heard a big thump, followed by silence, then screaming.  As Kevin went down the stairs, he was met by Bradyn coming up, hands at her mouth, blood everywhere.  He ushered her into the kitchen so she could spit into the sink, picked up Bradyn's two teeth and put them on the counter.  Between attending to Bradyn and calling me, he managed to keep his cool and take care of our baby girl like a pro.  I am just soooo grateful that it was Kevin attending to Bradyn and not me.  What an amazing guy.

As if it wasn't awful enough that Bradyn had bashed her face and lost 3 teeth, what REALLY broke my heart is when she started apologizing!  "This is all my fault - I should have listened to you when you told me not to fool around while sitting on the couch." (we've warned her a hundred times that some day she'd slip and hit the table)  "I'm so sorry I made you almost faint mommy."  "I'm sorry I got blood all over."  Can you believe it?  What a little angel.

Kevin had been disappointed that Bradyn wouldn't let him take a picture of her before he got her all cleaned up and into her PJs.  Sorry Kev, but don't doubt the powers of Mamarazzi.... 

I'm not posting the really close-up shot - too bloody.  Trust me when I say her top gums look like hamburger.

Not just one tooth for the pillow this time, but 3!  I can't help but think "Gross" when I look at the word on Bradyn's PJs....

 

The tooth fairy left Bradyn an extra toonie to compensate for the trauma involved with this haul.  Since one of the toonies has a different picture on it, Bradyn has declared it her 'lucky toonie'.  Sure would have been nice to have that in her pocket yesterday.....

My stomach lurched one last time as I went in to check on our sleeping angel.  Apparently her gums were still oozing and she was drooling in her sleep.  uggghhhh 

Today, Miss B is looking a little better, but her gums are really bruised, and there's still a lot of dried blood. (You know that heavenly scent of a baby's breath when they've been breast fed?  The smell of iron in Bradyn's mouth is the exact opposite!) 

Like the trooper she is, Bradyn's accident has not slowed her down.  She woke up after 9 1/2 hours of sleep and went to her first advanced youth gymnastics class this morning at 9:00 am.  She did great!  Although her food has been cut up into much smaller sized portions today, she's eating as usual. 

I can't imagine me ever getting used to this new HUGE gap in her smile (or the slurping sound as she swallows) but I think I better.... those teeth were not ready to come out yet, and there's no sign of the adult ones coming in.  I think we'll be staring at that gap for a LONG time.