Gotta Gotta Gittle

Meet Sydney's puppy named Gotta Gotta Gittle (Gittle sounds like little):

Meet Sydney's other puppy, Mama Gotta Gotta Gittle:

And the happy family...

Just in case you're wanting to run out an get a Gotta Gotta Gittle for yourself, we got her several years ago in a McDonald's Happy Meal with Little People figures. But if you like big dogs, Mama Gotta Gotta Gittle is made by Fisher Price and is still for sale in most toy stores! (Thanks, Miss Marsha!)

Bed Made

Abby made her bed today without being asked. She didn't tell me right away, just waited and acted like it was normal. I was so excited I had to take a picture.

Bartender?

Abby and Sydney threw up this morning (Happy Fathers Day, Daddy). I've been in "give-them-one-tablespoon-of-clear-liquids-every-5-minutes" phase for hours now. Sydney did sleep for 2 hours but Abby was up.

Instead of jello shots in shot glasses I'm serving them jello water in medicine cups. I feel like a bartender.

Looking forward to the part where they sleep and can eat when they wake up. Gotta go - the 5 minute timer is going off again.

Snaggled Teeth

Breakfast was eventful today. Abby was eating cinnamon toast and held up a white thing to ask me what it was. At first I thought it was something that came out of her nose (gross, I know) but then I realized what it was so I said, "Abby is that a TOOTH?" She started crying hysterically and tried to put the tooth in her mouth, blood pouring out. She was telling me that she didn't want it to be a tooth. Oh, my heart sank.

Part of her response is probably my fault. We are having her 5-year portrait that we've been saving up for on Wednesday. It was supposed to be two weeks ago but Mitchell (the photographer) and I both had conflicts and needed to reschedule. At Abby's dentist in January the hygienist said she thought we had about 6 months before she lost any teeth. I was feeling pretty confident and told several people I wanted Abby to have some color (a tan) in her picture but didn't want her to lose her teeth first. Plus Stephen tells her if she doesn't brush her teeth, they'll fall out. :)

It's not as bad as I thought it would be, even. When Abby smiles her normal smile, her bottom teeth do not even show. My friend, Greta, called this morning and she told me Mitchell had actually made some one's hair stand up in a picture so I feel very confident that even IF we got an all-teeth smile, he could add some white where there is none.

However, I have been on the brink of tears all day, and it has nothing to do with the portrait. Abby has been very quiet all day. I saw her struggling at lunch to chew the bread on her sandwich and it just broke my heart.

I took her to Publix with me during Sydney and Brody's nap time. When we were waiting to get her free cookie, Abby asked if I could please be the one to tell the Bakery lady, "Thank You." (She didn't want her to see her missing tooth.) I told Abby that it would mean so much more coming from her and she quickly said she was going to change her mind and say it. I'm glad she was tender-hearted about it.

Later in Publix, Abby pointed at something on the chip aisle. I thought she wanted Sunchips. I told her we had chips at home, asked what she wanted (annoyed a little that she wasn't using words) and she pointed to a pack of costume/dress up jewelry hanging up. I asked her why she wanted it. She said she didn't want it but she was showing me the woman's smile - you couldn't see her bottom teeth. That made Abby smile a little grin. I was happy to have a grin at this point in the day.

Stephen has taken her on a date to Toys R Us. I am sure she will have lots to smile about when she gets home. I am planning to reinforce the idea that beauty is fleeting but that God looks at our hearts and that is what we need to be most concerned about.

Having said that, I am still a little sad, too. Abby is losing her baby-ness. With every baby tooth that goes she will become a little more grown up. I don't know why this phase from preschooler to school aged child has been harder for me than all the other phases, but it has.

I think tomorrow, when she sees all the other older kids at the church building that can stick their tongues through their cute little snagged-toothed mouths she will be fine. Abby doesn't like to be the pioneer if she doesn't have to be. I can relate because I am the same way. Fine to lead when I have to but very content to follow when someone else wants to lead.

Anyway, the tooth fairy will leave her something tonight under her pillow. We decided that quickly this morning. How MUCH to leave her is the question?!?

Abby showing me her teeth a few days later

Sleeping

We like sleep in the Fowler household. I forgot to set my alarm clock last night and didn't hear Stephen get up. Brody woke me up at 8:30 a.m. Sydney woke at 9:00 a.m.. We all woke Abby up at 10:30 a.m. We were eating breakfast by 10:35 a.m. I have no idea what time we should eat lunch.

Abby's Dance Recital

Abby did such a great job at her dance recital this year. She was so excited about it she was begging to go backstage early. The song her class danced to was "Happy Birthday, Princess". She watched Miss Melanie and did EVERY step. We were so very proud of her!

Gran, Abby and Nana

Cleveland Park

Our friends, Amy and Rusty Hutchinson, organized a fun day for our small group yesterday. We had yummy pies at their house then walked to Cleveland Park to play bocci ball and to play with the human rubber band. It was so much fun!

Our ever-so-talented friend, Sabrina Lewis, took these pictures of the kids: