Mom! Dude!

I'm going to be taking a brief break from blogging for a while.....to enjoy and lap up every moment I can with my newborn daughter, Marley. She arrived safe and sound at 9:25 PM on Saturday, June 20, 2009. 6 pounds, 8 ounces and 18.5 inches long. 8 and 8 on her apgar. She is a beautiful, healthy baby girl with the blackest, fullest head of hair I've ever seen on a newborn. Pics to follow when I can....but she's safe, she's ours, and she's home. Many thanks for all your prayers and support.

It began with an article I found, "Potty Training in One Day" and we followed that up with the one book I always swore I would never buy, "Everybody Poops". In the days leading up to the big day, we tried talking to Alex about it. He had #1 mastered for many months; our trouble now was getting him trained for #2. Here's how it went. Mommy: Alex, we need to talk. Tomorrow is going to be a very big day for you. Alex: Uh-huh. Mommy: Alex, would you like to not to wear pullups anymore, not like your little baby brothers do? Alex: OK. Mommy: You're a big boy now, and you need to learn to not poop in your diapers anymore. Alex: OK, mommy. Mommy: Did you know that everyone poops? Alex: Uh-huh. Mommy: And grown up boys poop in the potty! Alex: Yeah. Mommy: Andrew poops and Austin poops, but they poop in their diapers, and they're babies, and that's OK for babies. Alex: OK. Mommy: But you're not a baby, you're a big boy, so

So 2008 was well underway....we celebrated Valentine’s Day with candy and small toys, and then went on a few days later to celebrate Austin’s 1st birthday. I could not believe it....Austin, a year old already. We kept the celebration small. Pizza with the family at my parent’s house, then with a chocolate cake to dive into and gobble up afterwards. What a crazy year it had been We got home early from Austin’s first birthday party because baby Andrew was scheduled for surgery the next day. I have not mentioned it yet on this blog, but Andrew was born with Amniotic Band Symdrome. You can learn more about it at While Casey was pregnant with Andrew, he at some point during his development got his right hand caught in the amniotic sac. The amniotic sac, which is fiberous in nature, wound around the middle, ring and pinky fingers on his right hand, causing a disfigurement. His middle finger is intact, and has full function, mobility and circulation, but looks a little creased at the

So here's another one of Alex's enlightening conversations. It was the day after we'd been to Busch Gardens, and we'd gotten up and gone to church and brunch that morning, so it had been a very lazy afternoon, with everyone napping to catch up on our sleep. We were all a little tired and lazy, and I really wasn't in the mood to cook a lot, or have the boys be fussy about what I cooked, so it was pretty much let everyone eat whatever they want, as long as it's leftovers, or something very easy. Alex is a little grouchy, and it goes like this: Mommy: What to do want for supper? Alex (grouchy): I don't want supper. Mommy: Are you not hungry? Alex (whiny): Yes, I am hungry! Mommy: OK, so what to do want to eat? Alex (whiny): I don't know. Mommy: Do you want chicken? Alex (huffy): I want breakfast. Mommy: Well, that's OK Do you want eggs and sausage? Alex (grouchy): No! Mommy: Well, what do you want? Alex (whiny): I want nuff