Friday, March 27, 2009

Dori and the Dentist

Dori had his first dentist appointment this week. We love our dentist. Dr Scott McKinzie and his wife Kate, who runs the business, are wonderful, as are the people they employ. You should definitely check them out if you need a dentist - tell them we sent you. :D Here's the link to reviews on Yelp (and their website). They sent us a baby gift when Dorian was born and always give him toys whenever James or I come in for an appointment. When James went to see them a couple years ago, there was a glitch with his dental insurance. Kate and Scott wrote off around $1000 worth of dental care because James' dental insurance had expired (through his previous job) but we did not know that. It wasn't their fault but they felt bad they hadn't checked on the status of the insurance before the work was done. It was totally unnecessary but amazing of them to do that for us. They are wonderful people and of course, very importantly, provide the best dental care possible.

We hadn't really considered bringing Dorian to the dentist until he was 3 or 4. However, James and I both had our teeth cleaned this month and we asked when Dori should have his first appointment. They said they could see him now (for a major discount). The dentist can tell a lot already and can make sure there are no major dental structure issues or decay. Dorian brushes his teeth daily so his teeth looked good! The dentist confirmed Dori does indeed have 2 more teeth coming in right now and should have 4 more coming within the next few months. He will need braces in several years as his teeth are crowded (apparently, they can tell how the permanent teeth will come in too). We weren't that surprised...both James and I had braces. I wasn't able to go to the appointment because I was at work, but James said Dorian did well. Of course, as usual, you can't tell from the pictures. He looks so unhappy!


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Dori, Mama & the Newborn

My friend Adeelee recently had a baby...Dori and I took a visit to see Oren, 9 days old (at the time). It was lovely to hold a little newborn again - he was so tiny!!!! I have completely forgotten how small Dorian once was!

The proud mama with her baby boy.
My friend Erika was there too...she was definitely Dori's best friend for a couple hours!

Dori definitely seemed like a toddler, a little boy, after seeing the newborn!

Dori at the Zoo







Dori Eating

Let's play catch up! Lots of picture posts.

Dori is so grown up now! Look at him eat!


Sunday, March 22, 2009

My son too

Everyone is always commenting on how much Dorian is like James. He looks exactly like James. He loves music, especially the guitar, like James.

Well, he's my son too!

He definitely has my perfectionist tendencies...

Thursday, March 12, 2009

School

It's official. Dorian will be starting school in the fall. Why so young? Because he is a child prodigy of course. Silly readers. How could you forget?

Seriously though, we are so excited for him (not so much for our bank account,* but we've always wanted the best for Dorian and believe education is the best investment there is). He will be attending The Renaissance School, a private Montessori school here in Oakland. It was started by my close family friend. I grew up with her kids, attended the same schools as them and sang in the San Francisco Girls Chorus with them. She was like my second mother. She started the school about 15 years ago and it has grown into quite a large school. It boasts nearly 200 students ages 2 to 14 (pre-school to 8th grade). The school focuses on the Montessori methods, of course, but also places a huge emphasis on language and the arts. We loved the presentation and tour we attended and everything Leslie and her daughters (whom I am still very close to; they're like my sisters) tells us about the school sounds magical. Dorian will be taught 50% in Spanish, 50% in English starting at age 2. The goal is to have the children bilingual by age 5 or so and then they start taking classes in a 3rd language as well (for Dorian, this will be French). And not just language courses. No. Math is taught in all three languages. Science too. History. It is not just hype either. My friend Kate's children are actually bilingual (they're young, so aren't quite trilingual yet). It is amazing.

All of the arts have a place in the curriculum. Of course, the emphasis on music makes James very, very happy. Dorian WILL be a musician. He just has to be! ;) We were blown away by the videos we saw. Children as young as 6 singing in harmony. Children composing music at age 9 for the class to sing. Children of all ages playing piano, guitar, violin and harp. And they are so happy. We obviously don't want Dorian to miss out on his childhood. Of course not. We want him to be a child, to play, to laugh, to have fun. Yes, James and I value education very highly, but not at the sake of his happiness. When we walked around the school and visited the classrooms, the children all seemed delighted to be there. They were very well-behaved, articulate, independent and respectful of their environment and others but laughing and playing around as "normal" (non-prodigal) children do. They were adorable. I actually attended Montessori school (I attended pre-school on the same campus!) from age 4-11 and I thrived in the environment. I firmly believe I have the drive I do, the over-achieving qualities, the organizational skills, the independence and the "I can do anything I put my mind to" attitude from attending Montessori schools. We are confident it will be a great start in life for Dorian.

James and I had not actually planned on putting Dorian into school before age 3 or 4. We always assumed James would stay home with Dorian full-time until then. Leslie and her daughter Nathalie made a point of telling us how children develop so much between the ages of 2-5, before most children even begin attending school full-time. If one has the opportunity to place their child in school (in a GOOD school), they should consider taking it. Children's language explodes early on! Age 2 is the optimal age to start learning a second language (actually, even earlier is better) and not just so the child will be bilingual. Speaking two languages activates areas of the brain that stimulates other kinds of learning. I am not going to go into all of it (mostly because I don't want to show my ignorance - we haven't covered the brain in depth in my courses yet!) Anyway, I could go on and on and on about the wonder that is The Renaissance School but I will leave it for another day.

We are thrilled Dorian was offered a place at the school and can not wait to become a part of the community.

*We will gladly accept in-kind donations for Dorian's School Fund. ;)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Friends

Dori has had a great time playing with his friends recently.

Here he is with Rowan:













Out in the park with Ethan:





Playing with Dash:









with Mica:



splashing in the puddles with Gabriel.