Dentist Recommended, Mother Approved

Yesterday was checkup time at Kiernan's dentist. I'll make this quick...it went well.

I never realized when I was growing up how much parents have invested, especially emotionally, in dental checkups. I know, big surprise. Add this to the long list of things that should be obvious that continually dawn on me as I get further into parenthood. I just didn't consider, as a child, that the results of my various checkups were a source of angst and pride for my parents. Just never occurred to me. I remember how crushed I was upon the news that I'd gotten my first cavity. I was totally focused on how that made me feel, and not at all really aware of how my mom must have been feeling as she broke the news to me that summer. Yes, part of my crushed feeling was that shame a child feels upon disappointing his parents, but as far as awareness of how she actually felt about it...that didn't really enter into it.

From this side of the fence it is so different. We go to the dentist with Kiernan for his checkup and we are in suspense far more than he is. Granted he is only five (and three-quarters...ahem), so he's far more interested in the cartoons showing on the flat screen television mounted on the ceiling. As the hygienist works on his teeth I find myself in absolute suspense. When she praises Kiernan for his oral hygiene, I feel a sense of relief accompanied by joy. And pride. My boy has good oral hygiene! Hooray!

Kiernan barely hears it. He's trying to listen to Dora the Explorer above him. A show he never ever requests to watch at home. But, you know, it's the tv. We all tend to go a little bit blank when we fall into its tractor beam.

Anyway, the checkup went exceedingly well. Just a tiny bit of plaque on one of the new molars growing in in the back of his mouth. Not a big deal and easy to let happen as those things are just barely coming in, which is exciting too. The hygienist taught us how to augment our brushing to take care of those. Eventually the dentist herself came to check out Kiernan and praised his teeth as well. Very nice.

There was something for everyone on this visit to the dentist. I was particularly pleased as I've become quite...um...let's be nice...insistent...upon using an actual sand timer for brushing so that we go the full two minutes. Two minutes is a lot longer than you think it is when you're brushing a five-year-old's teeth, or when he's doing it himself. Starting to be faithful to using the timer made me feel I was being annoying and anal, but it's been a good policy, especially as he takes over more the actual brushing responsibilities himself. So Kiernan got some cartoons. I got some validation. What was in it for the mother, you ask?

Well, the dentist had some advice for us concerning Halloween. I expected her to warn us all about eating too much candy, which she did. What I did not expect, was this: "So when it comes to Halloween, you really should eat more chocolate than candy, okay?"

Permission to eat more chocolate. It's a shame she's only a pediatric dentist.

After the appointment we went out to dinner at a restaurant of the patient's choosing. Of the alternatives presented to him, I wanted to opt for a cool Japanese restaurant called Musashi, one of those places where the chef comes and cooks at your table. But I knew he wouldn't choose that place. The only things they serve there that he will eat are rice and miso soup. That's it. And of those two choices you can only really bank on the former on any particular night.

No, I knew he would choose an all-you-can eat soup and salad place called Souplantation, which I think he hears as Muffinplantation in much the same was as Ginger hears "Blah blah blah" no matter what you say to her. That was fine since I am a big fan of soup, even if I did have a hankering for some Japanese. To the cavity-free go the spoils.

After dinner Kiernan worked on the last of his homework for the week. In First Grade the homework is given out as a packet on Friday, and is due the following Friday. No homework is to be done over the weekend. It is parceled out over the course of the school week. The final assignment was a creative writing assignment about an adventure, in this case a trip we took a couple years ago to Hawaii. Kiernan and I worked on the brainstorming for the piece early in the week, and he completed the actual writing with his mom. She let him choose the medium for writing his final draft.

Picture For This Day

My mom texted me this blast from the near and far past yesterday.


Thanks Mom/Nana! We love you.

Picture of This Day

I realize I've posted a couple of pictures like this one, and one quite recently, but I love this image. Kiernan reading in the sunlight in the late afternoon. It's like the heavens smiling down upon the reader. Even if he is reading Calvin & Hobbes. Again.

I love how much he loves Calvin & Hobbes, since it's my favorite of all comics EVAR. The Far Side comes second. It's not particularly close, but it's close-ish. I say "close-ish" because while Bill Watterson finishes easily first--so far ahead he can afford to relax for the last few yards and break the tape at a trot--after Gary Larson there's really no one else.

Anyway, I love that he gets it. I love that he responds to the humor and the art. And the vocabulary is a huge benefit because of the way Watterson writes. We just have to be careful, because Calvin is...um...shall we say, less than a role model. Many of his words and most of his attitudes are not what we want our son adopting. But there's no doubt that reading this--just as reading anything of value--expands his mind.

Tonight it got me a little bit, though. Just before today became tomorrow I took Kiernan to the bathroom for his middle-of-the-night potty run. As I steered him back to bed he asked me, "Daddy? Is the Bogey Man a real thing?"

I know where he got that. Sigh. How do you answer that in the middle of the night?

Well...you just let him know you're looking out for him all night long. Always watching out for him. Then he takes a deep breath, gathers his blankets around him and goes back to sleep.

That's being a dad.

The Hidden Fortress

I'm going through pictures from the last few weeks--er...months--when the posting was just a tad light here at The Creeping Kid and lifting out some shots I like to share with you. As I'm working back from the present, there'll be some thematic overlap. A couple of days ago I posted a PfTD that Wendy took of Kiernan in a fort. She took this took this picture when I was off on a long hike. My family had given me the weekend off, basically, and I'd elected to use the time trying out a couple of nearby hikes that were new to me.

So in this weird and short little post I'll put up a couple more fort pictures that I particularly liked, and a couple of hike pictures. Yes, the two hike pictures have nothing to do with the main focus of this blog--Kiernan--but I thought I'd share them anyway. It's worthwhile to know what the parents are up to from time to time.

But first, how about another fort picture?

This is Kiernan suspended on the infrastructure of the dining room table. I'm telling you, this fort was substantial. It took up almost all of our big family room, taking over our favorite chair (the reading chair), most of the dining room table chairs, and the dining room table. Luckily we eat almost all of our meals outside now, either at our cool outdoor table on the back patio or in the tent I set up with Kiernan a few days ago. So the monopolization of the family room by Fort Keirnan was no big deal. For a few days anyway. Until it began to drive me nuts and I just had to vacuum.

There was no fort for a week or so after that. Now the fort has reappeared in Kiernan's room. But that's a picture for another post.

As I mentioned above, I was off on a hike when the above pictures were taken. The hike I took on day one was absolutely wonderful. It ended up being between five and six miles of hiking (perhaps a bit more, as I "explored" some trails that weren't strictly a part of the hike). It's been awhile since I've gone on a hike this extensive, and I've never done it alone, so this was a nifty adventure.

The hike I took on this day was the La Jolla Valley Loop, and it was gorgeous. Not overly difficult, but strenuous enough to make me feel it. Here's a shot from early on...

One of the beautiful things about hiking, especially here, is that you can get out in the middle of nowhere after not so long a drive. It's cool to see the above picture when I think of how crowded and crazily populated this area is.

The hike involved some zigzagging up the canyon, working my way up past a waterfall (dry this time of year), combined with walks through huge open grass fields, all punctuated by sweeping views of the Pacific as I made my way around the back side of the loop. Here's a shot of one of those:


Took me about three and a half hours, and it was time very well spent.

Thanks to my family.

Picture For This Day

Took this picture after our recent trip to Colorado. We're on the shuttle bus from LAX to the Van Nuys bus terminal. Wendy and Kiernan reading in the late afternoon sun.

August, 2010

Picture For This Day

This is from a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure what date exactly, but I know it's from before Kiernan started First Grade, because those bags behind him are full of supplies for his class. Why this picture? I don't know. I love pictures of him reading. Also, I really like the light in this picture. And the reflection.

Okay...the real reason is he's reading 'Calvin & Hobbes'...and I love that. Yes I feel conflicted about it...but really I love it.


Sometime in the late summer/fall of 2010.

Picture For This Day

Going through a bunch of pictures and I found this one. I can tell it was taken by Wendy, as it uses a flash and I almost never do that. I just cannot stand the way most flash pictures look, so I avoid using one at all costs. But this picture is just beautiful. A wonderful picture. Good job, Wen!

This is from a couple of weeks ago when we were in a major fort phase. The family room was dominated by a fort for a good week, and every blanket in the house was pressed into service. This shot is from inside the fort.

I include a picture by Wendy as she is out of town, visiting with her sister and mother in Colorado and waiting for the arrival of the family's newest member. Wendy will be back home tomorrow, and we can't wait. Both because we miss her, and because I had to make waffles again this Saturday morning. Again! Oy. I need her here to make some pancakes or french toast for the boy. Seriously.

Have a great weekend.

Picture For This Day

Wendy and Kiernan were out shopping last year and found this tent on sale, so they picked it up. Months later I finally decided to try and set the thing up. This was part Labor Day goofing around with my boy, and part frustration after a camping trip I'd planned for this weekend with a friend of mine fell through. Kiernan helped me set up the tent, saying at one point in the process, "Dad, this is a great collaboration!"

I plan to work camping into our lives this upcoming year. And not just in the backyard.

Oh...not for nothing but how old does he look in this freaking picture! Sheesh.


Monday, September 6, 2010

Picture of This Day

On this, the third day of First Grade. You can just see the maturity developing.

Wendy is out of town, visiting Aunt Amy in Denver and looking forward to the birth of Amy's first baby. As is my wont, I try to capture a picture to send out to Mommy. As the class lined up I requested the "I Love You" hand sign. This is what I got. So this is the picture Mommy got on her phone.

Today after school Kiernan's new teacher told me and Oliver's mom (Oliver is in the red shirt above) that the two of them are very well-behaved in class. She told us this without prompting, which was a great thing. Just yesterday I was wondering about this with Oliver's mom. The two boys are so crazy around each other sometimes. Were they like this during school? To say the two of them act like a couple of apes on speed when they're around each other after school would be to understate. It's very cool to hear that they act like civilized boys in class. Hopefully this continues.

I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised. We saw the same story play out in Kindergarten. And, you know what? I'm gonna include a bonus pic at the end of this post. It's from Kiernan's most recent playdate with Oliver. The shot is the two of them sharing a snack and reading together. During a playdate. I provided the snack. The reading together was their idea.*

Great kids.


*Be assured they also beat the ever loving crap out of me in an epic pillow fight during this playdate. Lest you think these things are all intellectual pursuits.

First Day, Season Four

Yesterday, September 7, 2010 was Kiernan's first day of First Grade! Very, very exciting.

We had to get up a little earlier than usual because the school day starts a half hour earlier than it did in Kindergarten. Also, as it was his first day he got to choose a special breakfast: waffles. As I am the waffle expert in the house this meant I had to get up when everybody else in the house got up; usually I can sneak in some extra snoozing since I don't require makeup or playing with Bionicles in the morning.

After waffles we headed outside for the traditional first day of school photoshoot.


Kiernan is not always cooperative when it comes to having pictures taken. Which is why a large number of the pictures I take of him tend to be candid and casual shots, not posed pictures. I prefer catching moments like that anyway, instead of asking for a pose. But even then, if he catches me snapping a picture of him while he's doing something he may hide his face or turn away from me because he just doesn't feel like having a picture taken. Of course it varies and there's plenty of times when he's a total ham and wants us to capture a moment. It just seems like a lot of times we really want a picture he doesn't want to stand still for it.

No problem this morning. The coolest thing of all, though, was when we were heading outside to take the traditional first day shot (like last year's, or the one before that) and he said, "We can take it with Guinea Pig, right?" Wendy and I looked at each other with this beautiful mixed feeling. He's still our cute little boy who will not go to sleep without his GP (or, rather, his coterie of guinea pigs now: Guinea Pig, Tiny Pig--pictured, left--Linny Pig, and Shiver Pig), but you cannot help but wonder as a parent how long this is going to last. Every first day picture has had Guinea Pig in it. How long before he rolls his eyes at the thought of that? How long will we be able to get away with the first day picture at all?

Meh. I don't want to think about that right now. Yuck.

So off to school we went, all nervous and excited. We got there early, and good thing too since we had to park a good ways away. It seemed like every family brought at least five cars. The other reason we wanted to arrive early was the fact that the school this year has a different layout. Kiernan's school now includes middle school kids, and because the middle school and elementary schools are using the same site, new bungalows had to be brought in and new slabs laid over the summer. Just a month ago Kiernan's teacher-to-be still didn't know where her classroom was going to be. So we approached the school grounds wondering what it all would look like.

The First Graders are all in four class bungalows, connected in twos, so that Kiernan's class has a doorway connected it to another First Grade class. The four bungalows are pretty snug together, so that it seems like the First Grade is set apart, sort of its own little community in much the same way Kindergarten was set apart last year. I'm not sure if this impression will hold as we spend more time at the school, but that's my first impression. I'm happy with this, because I've been a little nervous about the introduction of middle school kids to the campus. The administrators assured us last year that the two populations would be separate, but I was having my doubts about this as I saw the construction progress over the summer. The way the bungalows are set apart reassures me, but again we'll have to see how it plays out.

It was cool to see Kiernan dash into his classroom and check it out. See where his desk is going to be and find out who was going to be in his class this year. He's most excited that his friend Oliver is in his class (that's Oliver with him right over there-->) , and also his friends Sylas and James. He knew those three going in, but found out a couple of others when he got into his classroom for the first time. The classroom looked great. For as little time as they had to set up for the first day of school, the teachers did a fantastic job turning generic modular classrooms into homey little spaces.

In short order the warning bell sounded and we all went outside for lineup. The kids then marched back into their classrooms without us. And that was that. We parents watched the doors close, then looked at each other. Happy. Proud. A little lost. A little shell-shocked. For me it was bittersweet, as these moments usually are. Like any parent I now understand all the jokes about summer finally being over. The last couple weeks were particularly taxing and I began to wonder if school would ever get here. At this moment, however, it suddenly seemed that summer had been far too short.

He marched into his classroom without a tear, with nary a complaint or concern. He's ready for school. My boy is a bona fide First Grader. How about that?