Xavier's First Dental X-Rays
Greetings to everyone.
Rebecca and Xavier had dental appointments today. For Xavier, it was a routine exam and practice at getting his teeth worked on.
But today the dentist wanted to get X-Rays.
When Xavier learned this, he grew nervous. He asked us about the procedure, what the cards in the mouth were like, etc.
We drew some pictures of the films and apparatus, which calmed his concerns.
At the dentist's office, he watched Mom have X-Rays taken and her teeth cleaned. He had more questions, but this time about the X-Ray machine and how it worked.
We left Mom in the hygienist's hands and went back to the waiting area. There Xavier learned the basics of X-Rays. He wanted to understand how X-Rays can damage you when taking a photograph does not. When he learned that with a camera the light reflects from the object, but X-Rays pass through the object, he understood.
Soon, his turn came up. The hygienist tried the smallest films, but the corners dug to deeply into the soft tissues of his mouth.
She then tried the ring holder, but that also proved too large for Xavier's mouth and comfort.
At last she opted for two films which fit across his mouth, which he bit down on to hold in place.
This form of X-Ray loses a lot of detail, but still gave great pictures of his teeth.
We got to see all his adult teeth under the gum line, waiting for their time to push through. The dentist thought that will start when Xavier nears his eighth birthday.
Epiphany Celebration 2020
Greetings to everyone.
Today is the ecclesiastical celebration of Epiphany.
At the church we attend, the normal sermon/homily is replaced by the children telling and acting out the story of Jesus' birth, the shepherds and the wise men.
Xavier wanted to be in the show this year, and (unlike last year) we had it in our calendar to get to church early enough to let him be in the show.
Xavier was excited right up until we started down the hall to the dressing room area. Then, he decided he wanted to sit in the pews with mom and dad.
It took five to ten minutes of working with him to convince him to join the cast.
The initial "it'll be fun" etc. gave way to mom's declaration "you're going to do it." Still, that did not help.
We looked at the available costumes, going through cows, horses, ponies and lambs. We even found a chicken costume, which we tried to tie into Minecraft: "it's a Minecraft chicken" we told Xavier.
It was to no avail. We pulled him to the side and asked him to talk through his fear of joining the cast. His explanation distilled into a single phrase: stage fright.
We talked him through the stage fright by promising him mom and dad would get seats close to the front of the church. That assuaged his concerns.
Mom helped him dress as a chicken, and dad headed to the sanctuary to make good on the promise of close-up seating.
After that, Xavier was good to go.
His Halloween costume from 2018 was the homemade mouse costume. We donated it to the church. A young girl, four or five, thought the Manger Scene could use a mouse and wore Xavier's donation.
You can see the mouse sitting between Joseph and the bear.
Xavier said afterward he was glad he joined the cast. When asked why he did not keep his chicken head on, he explained he could not see with it on his head.
Christmas 2019
Merry Christmas to all!
Xavier's sixth Christmas (seventh if you count his time in the womb). How time flies. He has excitedly waited for today since Thanksgiving. He has led the charge in decorating, baking cookies and turning on the Christmas tree and lights. When we put up the tree this year, we had to find and wear our Santa hats. He even wore his Santa hat to school twice.
With so much excitement brewing (Xavier went to bed late and had some trouble falling asleep as one might expect), he awoke later than he has these last several days. His face lit up when he did get up and round the corner to see the tree lit up (without his help), his stockings filled, his treat for Santa nothing but an empty milk glass, cookie crumbs on a plate, the apple Santa asked him to remember (for his reindeer) missing and a note from Santa.
Xavier excitedly read Santa's note thanking him for both the snack and the apple. Together we sat in the dark and looked at the lights, discussing the presents under the tree.
No longer able to sit still, Xavier hopped off the couch and inspected all the gifts under the tree. He found two new ones not there last night. He read the tags and they read "From: Santa"
"Hey, Dad. This wrapping paper is the same as ours," Xavier noted. He immediately noticed what I had hoped he would not: our parental error in not checking what wrapping paper had already been used. Oops!
Like the Grinch, I had to think up something and think it up quick. This year has been difficult in keeping the Santa story going. A number of classmates have chipped away at it. "Well, maybe Santa used our wrapping paper," I answered. "Maybe Santa sent one of his elves to get the paper to wrap the gifts."
He bought it. "Yeah!" he exclaimed. Then, his patience at its end, he ran to find Mama still sleeping in bed. "Mama!" he cried, "Santa sent an elf to use our wrapping paper!"
With Rebecca now up (and after she grabbed her first mug of morning coffee), Xavier tore into Santa's gifts, likely forgetting about the parental faux pas of the wrapping paper. However, that paper mistake will rattle around in his brain in the years to come, eventually bringing a reckoning.
After Santa's gifts, Xavier opened his presents from Mom and Dad. He did not so much as ask as he pulled them out from under the tree, stopping just short of tearing into the paper. With a nod from us both, he ripped into these as well.
Xavier was sure to bring the presents for Mom and Dad to us. He wanted us to open ours as well, and to enter into the present-opening joy of the day.
Once the immediate family gifts lay unwrapped, and their identities kept secret by the decorative paper exposed, it was time to call the extended family and open the gifted they had shipped. In all of this, Xavier's enthusiasm never waned.
What was his favorite present this year? Hard to say at this point. We thought it was the marble maze (he's wanted one for years). Aunt Kathy's camera gift blew the marble maze out of the water; that camera released a tiny paparazzi. Of course, Xavier had not yet discovered the upgrade to Minecraft I installed on his computer.
Camera or Minecraft upgrade. The jury is still out.
Xavier spent the rest of the day playing Minecraft or stalking family and guests in the house with his camera. He got some descent pictures of squirrels in the yard also. We did have to discuss with him when it was inappropriate to take pictures after he burst into the bathroom where Mom made ready for the day.
We had several guests over today. With a later than planned dinner, we watched a movie and snacked (Xavier spent the time figuring out the new "toys" in Minecraft).
After a fine dinner, Xavier finished the day playing with a Hot Wheels track one of our guests brought for him, then took a bath. After another movie, Xavier hit the sheets an hour past his bed time and fell to sleep.
Christ is Born!