M-O-M

We've been trying to teach Z how to be quiet and sit still during church on Sunday nights because he's really too old for the nursery and there's nothing for his age during the service time. I'd say that we don't get too much out of the service because most of our time is spent sssshing Z and giving him something else to draw on, etc.

Well this past Sunday night, I had to sing on worship team so I could see him sitting with David from my spot on the stage. He did pretty good. At one point, the sweet girl behind him stood up and raised her hands during one of the songs...and pretty soon after, Z stood up with his hand raised too. It was too cute and I almost choked up a bit watching it. See he does fine during the music part of the service, enjoys singing and listening...but when it comes time to be quiet for a sermon...well, thats' a different story.

After we finished our last song, I was walking down the isle back to the pew where Z and David were sitting and Z walked out in the isle to meet me with a hand full of offering envelopes he'd been writing on. I quickly directed him back to his seat and didn't pay much attention to the drawings..but then I realized what he'd written.

It wasn't just his normal scribbling...he'd actually written M O M several times. I was so happy and yes I almost cried. He's been learning letters at Montessori school for more than a year, but we can rarely get him to try writing them at home. But it's finally all coming together and my baby is actually spelling words by himself and it was amazing that his first one was MOM!! After that he'd written MOP and POP and whatnot and some attempts at things I don't recognize, but the most important one was MOM!

Most of you moms can empathize with me here, because the majority of children say dada before mama and that's just how it is...but fear not, the last shall be first in the writing realm because M is definitely easier to write than D :) WOOHOO

The first big seal

I've never seen anyone react to the announcement that it's dentist day quite the way Z reacts. I went to pick him up early at school yesterday - which he sometimes complains about if he's in the middle of some "big" project." He asked what I was doing there and where we were going and I hesitantly said "the dentist." In and instant he was jumping up and down and flitting around the room telling everyone he was going to get his teeth brushed at the dentist and how awesome that is. Well, okay...hope he always loves it this much.

He talked about his excitement all the way there and how he was so couldn't wait to get a toy after his teeth get all shiny. They've tried the past visit or two to take x-rays of his back teeth, but Z's mouth hasn't really been big enough (apparently it shrinks at the office, because it seems pretty big everywhere else) to get the bitewing things in there. So another attempt at that yesterday and Z tolerated it so well...never moved a muscle while they took the pictures. He loved looking at the images on the screen when they were developed. He went through it all like a champ and then Dr. Combs came in and said he had a small pit in one of his back teeth, not a cavity, but an area that could become vulnerable to decay because of its depth. She said maybe we'd seal it next time. But after we explained to Z that they would paint his tooth and then put a blue light on it and make his mouth light up...he was game. So he sat back in the chair and crossed his right ankle over his left knee and just hung out while Ms. Michelle finished the seal. We were all so proud of him...he saw this as an opportunity to get a reward. So he convinced us to go to Red Robin....because it's Thursday and Red (a girl in a bird suit) hangs out at the restaurant from 5 to 7.

We've gone through quite the big love/hate relationship with Red for a couple years. Red is rather scary...a bird costume with a giant head...reaching out for kids with giant red claws, 2 times the size of most kids heads and then pretending to cry and sulk if the kid doesn't go nuts wanting a hug or whatever. Last night, however, Z was all about asking questions...why doesn't he talk? why doesn't he ever close his mouth? Where does he go potty? Why won't he fit in the bathroom that we use.....oh my the wait staff must've been either highly amused or highly annoyed lol.