My oldest son had a partial extra tooth (a mesiodens) up in his gum, where it was blocking his adult tooth from coming in (and thus the baby tooth wouldn't fall out because there was no pressure on it). We had to have the mesiodens and the baby tooth removed surgically, and the dentist said it could take six months before the adult one would come in. Sure enough, it did take six months (and is still taking its time; three months after it broke through the surface, it's still not in all the way, but it's coming). I wouldn't worry too much yet, but you might inquire at your her next dental checkup. Our dentist said that if it wasn't in by a year, he would want to take more in-depth x-rays to be sure there wasn't a problem.

Just (((HUGS))) and prayers.

Yes, but I was pregnant each time, so I think there wasn't much milk available. I just had them move over in the bed, so that they were on the other side of my husband, and they just cuddled up with him and slept that way. My current baby is 18 months and still nurses at night; night weaning him now would cause tears, although he really likes his water bottle (it's a Klean Kanteen with the sport cap), so if I get tired of nursing him at night, he's often happy if I hand him the water bottle instead.

We really, really like the Graco MyRide, though it's a big seat. (We have the larger Graco infant seat, and the MyRide is wider and longer than the infant seat, even.) However, it also puzzles nicely with other seats (like the infant seat). It will fit a newborn, and our now 4yo was comfortable rear-facing in it until age 3. Our now 7yo fit in it (forward-facing) until age 5. I recently had to replace our MyRide because of a car accident, and the newer model MyRide is even nicer -- infant support padding (which I haven't used because my baby is 18 months, but it seems very nice), and a really nice head support for older babies (my 18mo seems comfortable in it), and a lot of nice padding around the upper head support wings (great for older toddlers/preschoolers). I want to say that I've heard good things about the Triumph as well. The Cosco Scenera also gets good reports, especially for a secondary seat. Radians are nice because they are narrow, but I also want to say that they're pretty tall. Also, the "only seat you need" might not be as helpful if you also want to pass seats down to another child. But I also think (and I would definitely research this) that Radians have a longer lifespan than other seats -- 7 or 8 years instead of the usual 6. (But do check on that.) So it might make sense just to get a couple of Radians to use for the long haul. If she wants a forward-facing only seat (which I wouldn't recommend for the 1yo yet if she doesn't have to), we also really like our Evenflo Maestro (and again, I replaced it with another of the same). Our 4yo has been using it with the harness for a few months and will eventually use it as a high-back booster. Britax (Marathons, etc.) also get good reviews but are pricey, and I don't know what the best options for which ages are with those.

Joanne, just (((HUGS))). I'm sorry.

When we did that (both giving and receiving), it's called "seller assist," and what it means is that they can finance some of their closing costs into the loan. Sometimes qualifying for a few thousand more in a loan isn't a big deal (especially spread across thirty years), but coming up with the 20% down payment plus the several thousand for moving and closing expenses can be hard for a young couple. It works like this: you offer the house for sale at 100K, and it'll take 5K in closing costs. (Just for round numbers, and I'm ignoring the down payment for this purpose.) What you actually do is offer the house for sale at 105K, with 5K in seller assist. The buyers get the mortgage for 105K and don't have to bring any cash to the table. You walk away with the same profit of 100K. I don't think it makes you look desperate. In the right circumstance, it makes you attractive to a couple who otherwise couldn't afford all the cash costs of buying.

Our cats are only semi-helpful mousers. One of them actually ate a mouse out of the trap and left the head. Gross! We've had good success with putting peanut butter in a snap trap, but you also have to seal up holes where they're getting in, and be very vigilant about keeping all food products put away carefully. We have an old farmhouse too; it's tricky.

I vote for doing both as well! We loved Getting Started With Latin so much and will start it with our third grader next year. Our current fifth grader is also learning French alongside Latin. I studied French in high school and Italian in college, and Italian is actually quite easy to learn, IMO; I think it is easier than French, especially pronunciation. It was fun! Learning Latin has helped with organization and thought processes for my fifth grader (in addition to helping her understand English grammar and roots of English words), because it's very logical. When translating Latin sentences, she follows the same steps -- look for the verb; okay, now look for the subject; okay, now you need a direct object; etc. (Also, this child memorizes things very easily and is smart but tends to be disorganized. Latin is an ego boost for her because she's really good at it, and it stretches her brain gently but without being frustrating.)

My DD is a 5th grader, using WWE4, and there's no copywork, at least as far as I can tell (she's not finished many weeks of it, 7 or so). There IS dictation of several sentences. My second grader's WWE2 does have copywork one a day a week; he's on about week 10. The first day is a reading, and the student narrates (but doesn't write anything). The second day is a line of copywork from the reading; the third day, the parent dictates that same line to the student. The fourth day is another reading, narration, and dictation of part of the narration.

Another vote for Vos! But also, we have really enjoyed the books by Susan Hunt and Richie Hunt, Big Truths for Little Kids, the ABC Bible verse one, and particularly Discovering Jesus in Genesis (and Exodus).

I think I used TT a few years ago, but for the past couple of years, I've used H&R Block's TaxCut online. The free version works for us, and it's really easy to use. The only thing that's a pain is that unless you want to pay $20, you can't import all the data from the previous year, but it only took me a few extra seconds to enter all the stuff in.

Correct. We just have the WWE2 and WWE4 student books and don't need the small hardback book. I originally thought I'd just get the hardback book instead of WWE2 for my second grader, and then I realized that it would take me a lot of time to find, copy, etc. the passages, and it was worth the few extra dollars for the full student book. Also, I don't have my kids write in the student books; they write on paper that's appropriate for their skill level. For the second grader, I copy the copywork passage for him onto his paper. You can also just buy a copy of the student pages if you do want to write in the books and reuse them from year to year. I'm getting WWS for my next-year sixth grader, and I think I'll just buy the e-books for both of them (student book and teacher book) and possibly for WWE3 for the next-year third grader, unless I find a really good deal on the paper books.

Also, if your DIL will be breastfeeding, your son may feel a bit left out, but wearing the baby is a great bonding option -- what about an Ergo or other dad-friendly baby carrier? And, congrats!

How about a copy of one of his favorite childhood books to read with his new baby?

Thank you so much for posting the direct links -- I really appreciate you taking the time to do that! I think I wasn't having much success because I'm looking at it with my iPad and Notability, and the bookmarks on the left weren't coming up. I'll check it out with my desktop, but in the meantime, I am able to get the full grammar workbook. :)

My DD is a good fit for Saxon, but I don't make her do all of the problems. She tends to make careless mistakes (copies wrong, or doesn't finish a problem, or whatever), so our deal is this: if she gets 90% or better on a test, then for the next five sections (until the next test), she only has to do the odds or evens (depends on the day, and sometimes I swap out a few). If she doesn't get 90%, then she has to do all thirty problems for the next five sections. This has really encouraged her to take her time, write neatly, double-check her work, etc. We remind her to go back over the test to be sure she has answered all of the problems. I've seen a lot of improvement in her organizational skills in the past year (she's 10, going on 11 and has worked through 5/4, 6/5, and half of 7/6 in the past 18 months or so). Rarely does she actually get a problem wrong because she doesn't know how to do it; it's almost always a careless mistake of some sort. She doesn't love math, but Saxon works well for her. Why she likes it: she can "chew" on concepts -- one day, she'll need me to walk her through a problem, the next day only a hint, the day after that -- mastery. There are also always problems that are easy for her, which is an ego boost. Plus, if there's a concept she doesn't like, at least she's not stuck doing an entire page of that concept. Also, she hates silly and goofy -- LoF did not appeal to her *at all.* However, Saxon uses subtle humor, like "Johnny has six appleseeds," and she LOVES that sort of thing, getting a reference that maybe not everyone gets. In my DD's case, she *can* copy correctly but needs to do so carefully, and I think learning to do that, to compensate for her own issues, is a good lifelong skill for her. If she really couldn't copy correctly, I'd copy it myself or find a different program.

I borrowed them from the library but didn't like the tone. I appreciate narrative (like SWB) but thought that Hakim was too chatty and talked down to the kids. Unfortunately, I haven't found something I like better; I really wish SWB would write a one-volume US history. We ended up using H. E. Marshall's This Country of Ours (which we loved but only goes up to WWI) and will use parts of the later SOTW volumes and parts of Christian Liberty Press's A Child's Story of America (which I don't love; it's too conservative "all Democrats bad, all Republicans good" for my liking, so I edit when reading aloud, but it includes things like John Paul Jones, which TCOO didn't include at all).

Yeah, that sounds fairly familiar. I would aim to get one or two things done a day and not worry about the rest. And I'd make those one or two things things that my big kids could do independently, or that I could do while nursing the baby (like reading aloud). You're still recovering and making a lot of milk -- the demands on your body should not be underestimated. Be gentle to yourself -- the baby will settle into a routine soon, and it'll be easier, but it takes some time.

Sounds like a great birth! Congratulations -- he's gorgeous!

Like this? http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Digital-Adapter-iPhone-Touch/dp/B008ZRQNGK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1358610235&sr=8-4&keywords=ipad+digital+av+adapter If you wouldn't mind asking him, that would be great -- thanks! I'm still not getting it to work.

I think all of my mortgage companies have required title insurance. I definitely think it is a good idea. Also, OP, if you didn't know to already, do set aside money for a thorough home inspection. Ours have been around $300-$500, depending on what needed to be checked (radon and water in this house, for instance), and that will need to be paid separately from closing, so you can't finance it even if you're financing other closing costs.

Yeah, this year, I am. I'm not usually too much of a germaphobe, and colds don't bother me, but this year, we are taking a few extra precautions, because I just don't want to deal with the flu. We're avoiding the library (I send DH or DD to pick up holds), and at unavoidable places like the grocery store, I wipe down the cart (which I don't normally do), and nobody's allowed to use public water fountains right now. Even with "just" four kids, colds and flu just take a long time to work through the family, and I just don't want to deal with it. So far, no flu.

Yes, this. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. Btdt; it's not fun.

I'd ask friends for recommendations, but I'd also talk to your local bank or credit union. If you trust your realtor, you could also ask him/her. When we bought our first house, we were clueless about everything (we were actually intending to rent but couldn't find anything decent in our price range, and buying a fixer-upper was the better deal), and our realtor had a friend that was a mortgage broker. She recommended him, and we were new to the area so we didn't have any local friends; he turned out to be great, and we used him for that house and for our next house as well. ETA: I didn't comment on your other questions, because the last time I bought a house was 2006, before everything crashed, so I really don't know what the answers are these days.

Ah. I looked it up. Okay, maybe I need to get that. Thanks! Ikwym; we do have an input button, and I tried every setting on it. No dice. I'll see if DH has any suggestions about it, though. Thanks!