K-cup Coffee Holder is Reagan's new favorite toy

I have heard from a lot of other parents that they wished that they had not spent so much money on baby toys from the store because their babies always find objects around the home that are more amusing to them!  

Reagan became very interested in the K-cup coffee holder that spins around when I search for a K-cup to put into the K-cup coffee-making machine every morning. She is fascinated and just starts giggling.  I took it from the counter and let her play with it on the carpet, and she was easily entertained for 45 minutes.  It's also a great "toy" for Reagan to practice her motor skills because she needs to work to spin the holder carousel around and take out and place back in the K-cups.  Who would've thought?! 

Grass-playing outside in Tennessee

We have learned that Reagan really loves playing in and picking at the grass!  With David working late, often until 9:00 every night, I'm taking care of a baby that just took a long afternoon nap at Day Care and is ready to play in addition to a 110-pound yellow lab that has been locked inside an apartment all day and has the worst case of cabin fever and a full bladder.  So, I take them both out for a good 30-45 minutes when Reagan and I get home from Day Care in our own "backyard" that is the grass and woods behind our apartment building.  I let Hank loose without a leash to roam, and if anyone challenges me that he's not on a leash, I just show them the 9-month baby that I'm preoccupied with!  Hank does his business and sniffs around while Reagan and I walk behind him, pick at the leaves on the trees and enjoy the fresh air until we find a shady spot to sit and play in the grass.  She doesn't smile more than when she's outside on this green carpet!

Adidas sweat suit from Uncle Charlie

Reagan wants to say "thanks" to her Uncle Charlie for the pink Adidas sweat suit!  She's going to be running in no time, and look sporty doing it!

Reagan's Mother's Day Gift

I knew Reagan was creating some sort of Mother's Day gift at Day Care this week because, first, on Monday afternoon when I picked her up, the teachers told me that she might have some red paint on her hands that they missed when washing her up from a project she was working on.  Then on Thursday afternoon, the teachers all wanted to make sure that Reagan was coming to Day Care on Friday and that I was coming to pick her up.  Well, the teachers helped Reagan create a cute little Mom's Day care with her precious hand prints as a 9-month old!  I really wish I could've seen her do the actually "printing" of her hands.  I bet it would've fun to see!  I know those handprints will look tiny a few years from now!

Dentist appointments

David and I both had our 6-month dental check-up appointments this past month.  I went in last Thursday, and I am always eager to get my teeth cleaned because they stain so easily, and when the hygienist scratches and chips off all the light brown stains in my teeth from coffee and just food in general, my teeth look so white afterward!  But it doesn't last very long.  The stains were darkest in between my front teeth, the central incisors and the lateral incisors.  No, I did not know those specific teeth names and, yes, looked them up just now.

So, my hygienist suggested that I use this Colgate "Enamel Health" toothpaste.  She said that my teeth are more porous than normal teeth, and that is why the coffee and food stains appear on my teeth because the teeth absorb the coffee and food more easily.

She also asked me what toothpaste I currently use, and I said that I switch toothpastes, depending on what is on sale at Kroger, but that I now have the Colgate Total Whitening.  She said, "Oh, good!" and said that the Crest Pro Health toothpaste is the worst for teeth stains.  I was confused and asked how a toothpaste could promote teeth stains?!  She answered that basically there is a chemical in this particular Crest Pro Health toothpaste that worsens the teeth stains.  I know that I have used Crest Pro Health in the past, but now I know not to use it in the future.  I thought I would share this for those who also have porous teeth!!!

While I was there, I thought to ask about how and when I should start using an actual toothbrush for Reagan's teeth.  The hygienist said that according to the American Academy of Periodontology, as soon as the first tooth appears, the baby should begin using a toothbrush, but then the hygienist quickly said that, "It's a little ridiculous."  She suggested that I start rubbing the teeth with a wet cloth and then later a soft baby tooth brush but that I should not use toothpaste yet.  Right now, Reagan has two bottom teeth and one top tooth in on her right side.

I was also surprised when she told me that Reagan doesn't really need to see the dentist until she is four years old.  I thought she would go in earlier than that, at least by two years of age, but I have no idea.  I'm also always asking my Aunt Margaret for her expertise as a hygienist for all my baby teeth questions!  David is returning to the dentist next week to get a crown and my top teeth are cracked from when I fainted a few years ago, in addition to the stains and deep molars prone to cavities that I have, so we have our own dental issues.  I'm a little anxious about taking care of a little baby's teeth, too!