Nerd years come early

Braces and glasses. Poor guy. This will be the year that sucks for Nathan.

The move to Hinesville
New school
New friends
braces
glasses
Eric going to school for 2 months and possibly deployed.

May have to get a puppy to offset all the emotional upheaval.

So we went to the orthodontist on Monday. He's recommending a 2 phased-approach. Braces on the 8 adult teeth he's already got, plus a couple of extractions. That's for the first 12-18 months. Then a retainer for 1-1/2 to 2 years (good luck with keeping track of that!). Then perhaps another round of braces on the adult teeth that come later. Hopefully round 1 will be enough.

Eye exam came today. His obscenely long eyelashes (courtesy of the Cryer male genetics) made for a difficult exam. Luckily, the professionals only tested him as 20-40 in each eye - unlike the 20-70 that the pediatrics clinic did. But we're going ahead to get the glasses. Should be ready in 7-10 business days.

So, between the braces payment plans and the glasses - to all our loved ones that we exchange presents with at Christmas - be prepared for 3rd ID t-shirts and coffee mugs. 'Cuz that's all our budget will allow for ;)

Teeth, Nose, Eyes, Hamstrings

This has been a week of doctor visits for Nathan. It started with a much-delayed dental visit last Friday. I have been a bad mom. I haven't been good about taking Nathan to the dentist. I've never had a cavity, so I didn't really think about Nathan getting one. Reality check when he had to have his eyes, ears and teeth checked before we could enroll him in Georgia schools. Dentist on post noticed 2 cavities. Oh the guilt! It's my fault. I feel so bad. (Of course, Eric could have just as easily taken care of this, but still!)

So anyway, I take Nathan to the dentist on Friday. He can't believe the kid's already got 8 adult teeth. But, Nathan's got an underbite - which we already knew - and he's apparently got an adult molar trying to grow in funny. So in about 15 minutes, I'm going to take him to the orthodontist for a consult. Now, if you are in the military, and in fairly good health, then your healthcare costs are practically nil. HOWEVER, braces are a whole 'nother story. Hopefully the guy will just want to keep an eye on his growth. As Nathan has grown, the underbite is not as bad as it was when he was little. His original dentist didn't worry about it. Said that you don't want to do anything too soon, while he's still growing.

Anyway, then I took Nathan to have a sports physical. Not sure what sport to get him into at this point, but we need to have this done in any case. Well, the doctor says that he's going through a growth spurt, so we need to work with him to stretch out his hamstrings twice a day. Nathan had an eye-opening experience getting his hernia checked.

Then they checked his eyes. He tested 20-70 in each eye. Now, when his eyes were tested a month earlier, they passed him. Same clinic, same eye chart. So, either the nurse last time was incompetant, or his eyes took a dramatic turn for the worse in a month. Hmmm. He's got an eye appointment on Wednesday. Sigh. Eric is now blaming me for this. I had glasses when I was 8, and he didn't get glasses until he was 12. So obviously, it's through my genes that he's eyes have failed so young. Ha-ha. He's SOOO funny.

And finally, Nathan's got a spot on his nose. I asked the doctor about it. "Looks like ringworm. May not be. If it is, it's so early, it could be anything." !!!! So now we're dabbing goop on his nose twice a day.

After we stretch out his hamstrings.

Eric's idea of heaven

It's 60 degrees on a Sunday evening. Eric is grilling NY strips on the backporch. We beat Tech last night 65-21, and are now #3 in the BCS. He slides open the back door to tell me (very excitedly) that he's heard both the Bee-Gee's Saturday Night Fever, and Abba's Waterloo on the radio while he's out there.

Can it get any better than this?

Sooner Magic

We've been busy...

So Tuesday Nathan and I went to Savannah as part of his class's field trip. COLDEST MORNING OF THE YEAR! We spent 4 hours wandering outside, looking at historical markers and statues. I don't really think the kids cared about a plaque detailing the founding of Freemasonry in Georgia, but by gorsh, the teacher was bound and determined to read every single word. Of course, between the road traffic and her making them stand in a long line, I'm sure that none of the kids in the back had a hope of hearing her. Those of you with access to our flickr account can see the other pics that I took on the trip.

I'm not crazy about Nathan's teacher, but I did get some enjoyment out of watching her trying to get 22 extremely excited 1st graders ready for a field trip. She started out talking about the rules - stay with your buddy, stay on the sidewalk, don't talk to strangers. Then it was on. Almost every kid in the room started waving their hands wildly. As she called on them, they all started their 'stranger danger' spiels. "If someone offers you candy, run away." "If someone grabs you, you need to kick and scream or they'll kill you." At least 4 kids mentioned the getting killed possibility. She finally put a stop to all of that. "Okay, no more stories, does anybody have an actual question?" I'm telling the truth - the next kid to raise his hand asked, "How did the civil war start?" Rather than simply saying, "good question, but not something we're talking about today. We can talk about that at another time," she actually tried to answer! Long rambling 5 minute answer. !!!! Sheesh...

The mystery photo is Nathan's hands-on project for his Paiute report. It's a wickiup, kinda like a teepee. Eric and I were hoping that I could just go get a mortar and pestle, which he could use. But nooo, he wanted to build something. However, like a typical little boy, he wouldn't make the effort to collect the supplies until the day before. Then he comes home and announces the wickiup should be on a posterboard, and it should have a background, and there should be trees and a blue sky. Yeah, for all that, we should have started a lot sooner. Makes me remember the time in 5th grade when I came home and told Dad that I needed a science project by the next day... Anyway, Eric and I worked on the construction, while Nathan tackled the painting and overall aesthetics. He just walked in the door and said the teacher gave him an A+. (She better have!)

The last is my first quilt made in the new house.

we got a bleeder!

So Nathan's bestest friend in Georgia came to play today. Eric is convinced that he has the best angry face on a kid that he's ever seen. Judge for yourself.

Next time when your mother tells you to stop rough-housing, do what she tells you! Eric had his tushy kicked by a couple of 7 year olds. (Imagine that - Eric rough-housing WITH the boys!) Shaving will be a challenge tomorrow...

Now THAT'S a parade!

The digital version is better at http://www.stewart.army.mil/. This pic is in the Nov. 13th edition, section A, page 8.

Eric is playing the bass drum on the left. He's marching directly in front of the tuba player. You can see his eyes and hat, and his right arm out as he's about to hit the drum. He's in a direct line with the second 'm' in the the word Communities in the title of the picture.

Kinda of like playing Where's Waldo.