Since Jack is at school and Braden is totally zoned in to a new learning app we have on the iPad, I thought I would take a minute to do an update!  My mom and I took Jack and Braden to the dentist on Friday and I had a feeling it was going to be a bit interesting for Braden boy since he is very strong and when he doesn’t want to do something, well, he doesn’t do it!  When they first got there they were both sitting in the chair together and I thought it was all going to go well but when Braden had to get out and do his own exam, he wasn’t thrilled.  The dentist asked if we thought Braden was going to “sing” and if we should go in to a private room and I told them I am sure he would “sing” very loudly so in the room we went.  It took all of 2 minutes of Dr Chaet looking at this teeth and putting on his first fluoride wash but Braden was not happy.  I have said it a million times, this child is unusually strong and he was pulling out all the UFC moves in there including the one where he can wrap his legs around my waist and practically break me in half!  Jack did well out in the big boy chair.  He had his teeth cleaned, wore the glasses they gave him to protect his eyes from the light, and by the time we left the office most of the ladies were sporting their green Jack Morton Foundation bracelets.  Dr Chaet said Jack’s teeth look great and that made me happy because I was a little nervous about the decalcification he has on some of his teeth but he thinks it is from before all the work he had and nothing new.  We go back in 6 months for Jack and he said that “Killer”, or Braden, can came back when he is 30.  Of course this is all said with smiles and I can say that if you are looking for a great dentist or orthodontist for your kids, Dr Chaet and his team are top of the line.  They are great and Jack actually loves the office so it’s a win/win situation…and I am sure Braden will come to love it too!  You can find there website here… www.smilesbyapdo.com

A few pics…notice Braden’s mouth wide open…that’s what he does now when we tell him to smile!!

Yesterday we received the long awaited “Babba Box”  If you don’t know what that is…go to www.babbaco.com.  I totally should have thought about this idea because it is smart and easy.  This lady, Jessica Kim, is a mom herself of little ones and thought it would be a great idea to have a whole team of people (pediatricians, nannys, moms, psychologist…) get together and put together a box that you little one can get every month as sort of a planned activity.  I try and think of things to do with the kids but there are times when you just run out of ideas and then this box arrives and it is amazing!  This month’s theme for the box is “Feelings” so when we got it yesterday I didn’t really know what to expect.  Jack was super excited to get it!  Inside every box are activities that you will create, explore, story tell, and connect on the computer with.  Jack get’s to create sock puppets and feelings face magnets so he can learn to express when feelings he is having, explore with magic glasses that have mirrors in them so he can see behind him and with these “feeling glasses” he can try and identify what others are feeling and use a journal to log it for 5 days, story tell with a book that they give you about others and being a sharing, caring person, and then connect with some apps for the iPad which is what Braden is doing now.  As I write this is sounds as if we are all full of glitter and rainbows, but you get the point.  It is something different to do and it is a learning experience as well. Each box provides activities that use your child’s motor, cognitive, and creative skills and it’s all wrapped up for you!  The box comes with everything you would need to do the crafts down to the glue and scissors.  It is really great!  So if you are a friend of mine and have kids my age, you will probably be getting one of these boxes as a gift for birthdays because I love it that much.

Here are the magic sunglasses!

Jack decided to go and change while I was putting Braden down for a nap so we could make his hand puppets and he came back in his Hamilton High jersey…he asked if it was too big…

Sock Puppets!

While they were drying we checked out one of the apps…he was laughing so hard at the song!

Braden was now up and not so sure about it!

Warming up to it…

Ooops! Pulled off a “hair” and thought he broke it!

Now for fun…

Jack is doing good after all of his dental work on Monday.  His mouth was more sore yesterday than the day before, but he isn’t really much of a complainer so he has been running around like normal.  The past two nights though have been a different story!  On Monday night Jack was up from 11-4:30 AM…he was saying that his legs hurt, his legs were itching, he was cold, he wanted water, he was scared of the dark…really anything and everything.  I am not sure if it was because of some different types of meds he got during this mouth work or if it was just him having a bad night.  He was exhausted yesterday and actually took a nap which was the first time in a very long time that he did that.  Last night he was up until midnight saying he was scared and that his legs were itchy and that his mouth hurt.  I gave him some Tylenol for his mouth and he did well the rest of the night.  Hopefully tonight will be better for him!

We have been having fun here with our little Elf on the Shelf, Luigi.  Jack really looks forward to coming downstairs every morning and seeing what the Elf has been up to during the night. It is fun to see him to excited.  We have been talking a lot about the REAL meaning of Christmas and I think he is really understanding what I am talking about.  He is excited for Christmas morning…he said, “Christmas will be so fun.  My whole family will be here and I love my family.  It’s so nice to be together, isn’t Mom?”  I am happy that even after all that he has been through and all the “spoiling” we have done, even though we were advised not to, that he is just as sweet as ever and so caring about everyone else.

Speaking of others, we are all really excited about bringing toys to PCH for the play room for Christmas.  I think we will do our first shopping trip with the donations we have received next weekend and then hopefully another one right before Christmas.  Since Zac’s only days off this season are on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we will probably go down there on one of those days.  Thank you for the toy donations and for the monetary donations so we can get more for the kids.  Please, if you can, donate so we can give back.  We will post some pictures next week after our first shopping trip!  We cannot wait to bring some smiles to the hospital on Christmas!

Here are some pics for you!

Jack did great this morning!  We got to the dentist office around 10 and we talked with anesthesia and the dentist for a bit and then got started.  Dr Turner gave Jack a little shot in the arm of a medication to knock him out a little bit so he could take him from me to get the IV started.  It was definetly different from being at PCH with Dr Maze, but it went well.  Jack fell asleep within a few minutes and Dr Turner took Jack back to get started.  About a hour and a half later, they came out and got us and took us back to see Jack sleeping soundly.  We looked at his teeth and they look wonderful.  His little cavities are gone and he does have some caps on this back teeth but it is a great feeling knowing his teeth are healthy again.  Jack woke up in a pretty good mood and wanted to play games on my phone and then go home.  He complained on the way home that his mouth hurt but I think it was more that his mouth felt funny because it was numb on the bottom.  Once we got him, he started eating and really hasn’t stopped.  He is running around now like a crazy kid and very happy.  All is good!  We go back in about 4 months for a cleaning but other than normal cleanings, hopefully he is all done with dental work for awhile!

Nikki went with me today since she knows I don’t like to be alone when Jack is under anesthesia.  Today is Nikki’s birthday and I am sure the dentist office is not the place that you want to spend your birthday, but she did!  Happy birthday to my little sister.  I am not sure we would have made it through the past couple of years without her.  She has been my rock when Zac is gone and has gone above and beyond for my family.  Thank you Nikki for everything!  We love you!

We have had a good weekend…Zac surprised the kids and came home on Friday for the weekend.  Jack as through the roof with excitement!  I told him he had a very big surprise coming and when he saw his Dad driving down the street he almost couldn’t believe it.  He said it was the best surprise ever!  The trip is a short one, but much needed by all of us.

Jack has his dental appointment at 10:00 tomorrow and he will be put under anesthesia for about 2 hours of while they work on his little teeth. The chemo and the lack of brushing (due to low platelets during treatment) really did a number on his teeth.  Thankfully the damage is only to his baby teeth and it didn’t get through to the root yet so that’s a good thing.  We tried to arrange it so Dr Maze could be with Jack for anesthesia, but the dentist can’t do work at the hospital so that messed things up a little.  Dr Maze went ahead and spoke with Jack’s anesthesiologist for tomorrow, Dr Turner, and he really liked him.  I am sure Dr Maze told him how much he loves Jack and what a nervous wreck I can be when Jack is under for a long time so that makes me feel better.  He told me that Jack will be just fine and to call him when he wakes up so he knows.  It was so sweet of him to go out of his way to make us comfortable with a new situation.  Dr Turner called me yesterday and he is very nice and didn’t want to leave any questions unanswered so we would feel most comfortable.

The dentist told us that Jack’s mouth would be pretty sore tomorrow so we are expecting him to not be too happy tomorrow after he wakes up, but we will see.  Say your prayers that all goes well for him!

We also want to thank everyone who is donating and bringing over gifts for the play room at PCH.  We know that we can stock that room with tons of new toys, book, and movies!  Thank you so much and if you can, please help us make this great for them!!