By Julie Loose baby teeth creep me out. I was one of those kids who would wait until each tooth was dangling by the tiniest of threads before I would get the nerve to pull it out. I thought I had more time before I had to deal with my own kids' loose teeth. I was wrong. Interestingly, Ellie's first adult tooth worked its way up behind one of her bottom baby teeth—frightening the bejesus out of me with its seeming hugeness and odd placement. Several text messages to family, worried googling, and finally a phone call to the dentist assured me that this is just "shark teeth," a fairly common occurrence, especially among children who have petite jaws and tight teeth. (The dentist had already informed us that Ellie's teeth are on the crowded side, a likely sign that orthodontics may be a part of her journey to adulthood. Excellent!) The remedy recommended was to wiggle the baby tooth and "help it out." Well, there was no way I was going to be involve...

By Julie Kid birthday parties always make me feel a bit as if I've been hit by a dump truck. It's two days later and I think I have now regained full consciousness. Of our two kids' collective nine birthdays so far, this is only our second real birthday party—the full deal with other peoples' kids, invitations, favors, etc, etc, etc. Mostly because they are highly stressful and demand lots of small talk with other people, something this ISTJ and INFP avoid wherever possible. But our baby turned four and the prospect of a birthday party she could invite her friends to put a huge smile on her face. So we rented our local indoor inflatable playground for two hours and had us a party. Pros: The "play" portion of the party was dead easy. Everybody loved it. Somebody else had to clean up. Cons: I couldn't go crazy with the crafty decorations, treats and doodads I originally planned because it was a package deal with little room for customization. (OH, WAI...