Jesse's first trip to the dentist, and a hectic morning

I just got both my kids in bed for naps, and I am sitting here sort of wide-eyed and stunned having intense braxton-hicks contractions  as I shovel mini-marshmallows in my face by the dozen.  It's been that kind of morning....

My day care provider had to shut down for the day due to illness, so the hour and a bit that I had to get myself and the kids out the door was frantic as I was on the phone calling and texting the world.  I could not find a supply teacher to cover my shift, or someone to take Janna for me, and I was sort of panicked come 7:30.

Well, my last resort call was to my lovely friend, Rebekah Potter.  She has to be one of the most helpful and wonderful people, but she is my last resort because she has a 6 month old, 20 month old, and just turned 3 year old to deal with on her own.  However, her husband has a new job where he has some mornings off- and  so I thought If they were both around without plans, I would ask if  they would take Janna for me.  I called and Seth was home and said it was no problem, they had no plans, and would love to help.  "What's another one to add?" I think they said. Yay! Thank you POTTERS! You saved my day. 

Well, I got to work just 2 minutes late, and the chaos continued through the morning.  The before school program had a new bus driver who was really late picking up the before-school kids.  So, I was tied up outside waiting for the bus while the preschoolers arrived, and poor Lindsay was inside with her baby and all these kids being dropped off by herself.

The first few weeks of pre-school are always a hard transition- and today was no exception.  Of the original 4 or 5 who have a really hard time leaving mom or dad, there are a few who continue to cry, and a few seem to adjust quickly.  But then there are always new kids who start up out of the blue.  Anyways- it was a day where all of us teachers had at least one child attached to us crying while we were trying to run the program and interact with all of the other kids.  As crazy as it can be, I like the challenge of helping kids adjust and juggling all the demands, but it sure is tiring!

After my morning shift, we scarfed lunch, picked up Janna, and had to head to Jesse's first dentist appointment.  I was hoping to be able to just have Jesse to deal with, as I thought he might be really freaked out by the experience, but I had a snack and toy for Janna to hopefully entertain her.  Here they are in the waiting room.  Jesse was genuinely very excited about the dentist as I had been prepping him with the promise of a "chair ride," "teeth counting,"  and maybe even a sticker if he was really brave.

Well, Jesse was awesome!  He hopped right into the chair and made pretty impressive small talk with the dentist.  I really thought the light, buzzing toothbrush and having stuff shoved into his mouth would make him cry- but he was fine.  The only thing he didn't like was the water being squirted then suctioned out of his mouth.  That made his eyes water up a bit and he kept looking at me with these desperate eyes!  Janna was fascinated by the experience and sat still in my lap watching everything with wide eyes.  At one point she was reaching for the tools and saying "ahh" and poking at her teeth.  I think she was asking for her turn, next.  Jesse was looking a little frazzled by the end, but we made it through and he even attempted a smile at the end for me.

Wow.  I really don't feel like this blog captured the juggling and craziness and vibe of the day.  But you just have to trust me, it was nuts.   I felt like I needed to debrief after that busy morning!  I also feel like I'm in desperate need of a power nap- so off I go! Thanks for reading, I'm out.