Milestones in life

When raising a child there are milestones that make you stop and think about your child when they were younger and how fast they are going up.  For me milestones don't seem to be the usual thigs like learning to walk or first day of kindergarten.  Those times were exciting, don't get me wrong, but they are exciting events. I seem to be struck by nostalgia with the unusual milestones.

Friday night was one such milestone for me. Gareth lost his last baby tooth.  That is the last time the tooth fairy will sneak into his room, the last time he will wake up excited about the gold dollar that was under his pillow. 

Thinking back about all the places that Gareth has lost a tooth was fun and sad.  His first 6 teeth he had pulled because they would not fall out even though the adult tooth was growing in behind it.  The first tooth he lost on his own he knocked out while diving behind our big chair in the living room during aneft war.  Then came the tooth he lost at Oneok stadium in Tulsa during a baseball game.  Eight teeth were lost while here in Brazil (1 at a middle Eastern restaurant during dinner, 1 at the beach, and 1 on the airlplane flying to the US)  Another tooth was lost while in Houston to get our visa.  The next to last tooth was pulled by Dr Todd in Broken Arrow since the adult tooth was once again missing the baby tooth.  The final tooth was pulled by Gareth.  He could not sleep, so he pulled his tooth while in bed and woke us up at 11 pm with a bloody mouth and wondering if the tooth fairy would still be able to come that night.

Now that I think about it the progress of losing teeth is on par with the chaos of our life.  It is sad to see that part of our life come to an end, but I figure there is another stage that is beginning.  Now on with the adventure of raising a child.

Back in Brazil

After a 5 week break in the US, we are now back in Salvador.  Actually we have been back a week, but it has been a whirl wind week.  We arrived on Friday, and John's boss came to stay with us on Sunday.  Gareth began the fifth grade on Monday.  The big excitement was the movers arrived with our container on Tuesday.  John and his boss got to help with the movers for a few hours before they had to fly to Mossoro for 10 days.  Thus I have spent the last 4 days unpacking boxes.  I am down to the boxes that John needs to unpack.  All the others are completed.  I still have clutter to put up, but the boxes are empty.

Today I have been just relaxing.  It has been rather nice.  The temperature is like a nice May day in Oklahoma.  I have 2 loads of laundry on the line drying in the sunny breeze.  This morning I made mango juice, pineapple juice, and passion fruit juice in my new juicer.  I also made a nice salsa.  THe kitchen is still small and the counter space is way to little, but having some of my favorite kitchen tools makes cooking so much more enjoyable. 

I took a little time while Gareth and friends were playing to relax in green patio chairs my parents gave us for Easter one year.  They are perfect for our pool area.  I know laying out is a no no these days, but it sure feels nice to sit the in sun with a warm breeze blowing in the palm trees while reading a good book. 

Being back in Brazil is feeling like being at home again.