Now Who (Besides Us) Would Refuse This Child Candy???

Today was a very busy day. I took a half-day off work to go to the National Zoo with Samantha's class. Now, when I talk about Samantha's class, I mean Samantha and Bella. A huge orange bus for two 2-year olds, me, Steve, Bella's mommy, Bella's nurse, the teacher and two aides. Yes, there were 7 adults (plus the bus driver) and two children. And we had a blast! What a fun time! Bella's nurse had never been to a zoo before, so it was almost as much fun showing her the exhibits and the animals as it was showing two rather disinterested, over-tired kids. We got to see the underside of a sleeping panda, a hippo's dental work (or lack/need of), orangutan excrement on the sidewalk (narrowly missing passersby as it fell to the ground from a sky cable to the delight of another school group, I might add), snakes, crocodiles, elephants, prairie dogs, lions and other assorted creatures. Samantha and Bella went in costume, and were just the cutest little kids in the park! Bella was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Sammi, well, you can see Sammi's costume in the photos above.


After work, Samantha got to go trick-or-treating. Last year wasn't as much fun because we had to take her around in her stroller, which was pretty hard to get up and down driveways and doorsteps. This year she walked a bit and conned us into carrying her a bit. And, man, did she score! Little Miss Cutie Pie managed to get people to give her lots of candy, none of them any wiser to the fact that Sammi doesn't eat candy. I hear some of you gasping. Nope, Samantha has never eaten candy. Actually, the only real reason she doesn't is just because we haven't tried. She spent so long not chewing anything that we were always cautious about anything we gave her. So when she did start chewing, candy just never made it onto the menu. Not like we delude ourselves into thinking she'll never eat candy--of course she will. We're just not offering it up right now. Besides, the bulk of the candy she got in her little bucket was peanut-based, and we haven't introduced her to peanuts yet, either (more Reeses cups for me!!!). I think I heard kids should start on peanuts around age 3. And I'm dying to give her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!!!


On a related note, Samantha had her second dentist appointment last week. She'd had her first right around her first birthday. The dentist was shocked that her teeth are so nice--she kept going on and on about how beautiful her teeth are, and the fact that they're all in, except her 3-year molars which are on their way in (her gums are swollen and Sammi's been grinding a bit lately and chewing her straws back there). I have absoutely no idea how that dentist managed to get her to open her mouth, not only long enough to inspect it, but long enough to clean her teeth, too! Shocking! My little girl keeps on amazing me daily.