Pulling Teeth

Big brother Nate pulling on Jake's loose tooth. Youngest brother, Zach: Ah! I can't watch!!

When I first saw these photos, it reminded me of one my brother sent a few years ago, wherein all the kids in the photo had one or two missing front teeth. Everyone in the photo was just around 7 or about to be, and, at that age, it’s a right of passage to lose your two front baby teeth! These photos are of Sweetie’s nephews, and though quite recent, Jake’s other front tooth came loose and went by way of the Tooth Fairy as well! As with most things related to childhood, it’s amazing to be reminded of how nature works…growing pains, the magical nature of baby teeth…tooth pulling methods! I think I remember my brother coming up with a contraption where he tied one end of a string around my loose tooth and the other end to a doorknob. Can you guess the rest of this story? 😉

Jake minus one tooth, but still smiling!

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Swim Classes for Fun, Exercise and Safety

When my daughter was 7 months old, I enrolled her in a “Parent and Me” swim class. I needed something to break up our monotonous day of sleeping and eating. I was nervous and a bit afraid in the beginning because I didn’t know how she was going to react to being immersed in water, or if she might slip out of my fingers and swallow pool water. But on the flip side, isn’t this what swim classes are all about? It would be a good idea to introduce her to the sport and learn water safety.

Four years later, she is still taking swim class and she’s good at it! (Her swim teacher calls her a mermaid.) My husband and I were so amazed how well she picked up this activity. Neither one of us are swimmers, but seeing our daughter learn how to hold her breath, tread water, backstroke, and master the freestyle, definitely makes us very proud of her.

Through the years we have had many swimsuits. Since Miranda is in swim class year-round, we buy one new swimsuit every season because of the amount of wear and tear she puts these swimsuits through. For the last year or so, Miranda has been selecting her own swimsuits. This season she’s hand-picked Strawberry Fields one-piece swimsuit from the le•top Spring 2009 Collection. She likes the strawberries and flowers that adorn the yellow and white polka dot background. She also likes the big pink flower on the front. Most especially, she LOVES the hat! She can’t wear it to swim class but according to her, “This is perfect for when I go to the beach!”

This fruity fresh collection is available in stores now in sizes newborn to 6X. Use our store locator to find the nearest le•top retailer.

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