Is There a Pattern Here?

I am thinking of renaming this blog "Adventures in Potty Training". Seriously, is there anything else going on in my life??? This doesn't even have anything to do with MY kids!!! Jeremy and I have nursery duty in the one year class at church every other Sunday. All of the kids have turned 2 at some point this year, so guess what? Yep, they are potty training!!!

Yesterday we had a group of 6 kids and strangely enough, only one of them was one of our "regulars". I got the scoop on the other 5 from the teacher who had them the previous hour: this one is in diapers, this one will try to potty standing up, this one wants to sit down, I haven't got this one to go yet, but they just had a snack, so try again in a few minutes, etc. Okay, no problem, it's only an hour and a half, what could possibly happen?

Well, to start out with, as I was cleaning up the remaining snacks and thinking "as soon as I get done here I will see if JD needs to go potty again", JD announced from the corner of the room behind the Fisher Price kitchen set, "I PEE PEED". Oh maaaaan!!!!

His parents had dressed him in big boy underwear so not only did I have to clean him up and change his clothes, but the carpet in the corner needed addressing as well. When that was taken care of I let some of the others try to potty and while everybody wanted to try, only 1 little boy was successful.

At that point I suggested Jeremy get the "Bye Bye Buggy" (seats 6) and let's take the kids for a ride around the building. As we got them lined up a the door, it became clear that someone was very stinky! So I asked them who it was since usually they can't wait to tell me when they need their diaper changed. All of them said no except for our little regular attender who wouldn't even look me in the eye.

Okay, Mr. Jeremy is going to load everyone up and I will be right back with EC. Now in the past 4 years I have changed A LOT of diapers, but this poor little guy had some bad stank in his drawers! I had to do a preemptive strike with the air freshner before I could even get started changing him! Whew!!!

I went to put EC in the buggy and Jeremy says, "I think we've got another". I thought he might be kidding, but oh no, he was not. Turns out 4 of those kids had pooped in their diapers in less than 10 minutes. How nice! I can't tell you how happy I was to be vacating that room for a while. I sprayed extra air freshner and left the fan on with the door open.

When we returned, I asked the 3 with Pull Ups on if they wanted to try to potty again, and of course, they did. Mostly they like to flush, but they did give peeing a good effort. I was proud of them.

Here is the part of the story where my lack of boy raising skills become very obvious. It was little JD's turn again. I was told he liked to stand when using the toilet, but he insisted on sitting for me. So there I was, crouched down beside him, waiting, and when I looked to see if he was going yet, I noticed that when little boys sit, their peeing parts point out, not down. Yes, this was, in fact, news to me!

Before I could figure out what to do or enlist the help of my husband, he started to pee. And it shot right past me and onto the opposite wall. In an effort to make it go into the potty, I just screamed and stuck my hand in front of it until he was done. Then JD and I started laughing as we called for Mr. Jeremy to bring us LOTS of papertowels.

What a way to end the preschool year. Next Sunday those kids will be moving up to the 2 year old class so let's all PRAY for those teachers shall we? :)

Too Funny

I just heard the most hilarious song on Bethany's blog and I have to share it. Once you hear it, you'll know why! :)

Listen here...

Frozen Assets

No, I am not talking about a court ordered freeze on anything that I own, nor am I talking about the collection services and semen sales of assisted animal reproduction (which is what came up when I googled it). I am talking about this. A simple yet revolutionary idea that I feel will transform the way I feed my family.

When I first heard the term "Once a Month Cooking", I didn't think I had a big enough freezer and I didn't know what kinds of meals could be frozen. I mean, I avoid the frozen dinners in the store with all their additives and preservatives and junk like that. But after checking into many a website on just such an issue, it turns out I can prepare any of my family's favorite dishes in advance, possibly making some changes like adding shredded cheese after thawing and just before heating up to serve.

As for the freezer room, the advice I'm finding states that freezing most things in freezer bags and standing them upright works with most refrigerator/freezer combo's. So I am totally going to give this a try. I've said before that I just hate the dinner time dilema. What are we going to have? Is it thawed? What can we eat with that? How can I prepare it?

Yesterday I took an inventory of what was already in my freezer. I won't be able to fit one weeks' worth of meals in there until I clean it out. After making my list I got out a calendar and put a meal on each day, and guess what...turns out we have enough food already in there to eat a meal almost every day until August 15th!!! Why do I always feel like we have nothing to eat?

Lack of pre-planning is what my friend Michele told me and she is right. Already in a few hours on one afternoon I have planned my meals for the next 3 weeks. It's such a load off!!! Now I just look at my calendar to see what I need to thaw for that day and I can make a simple grocery list for fresh fruits and veggies to accompany my meals. I believe there will be much less waste this way too.

And another thing that kept popping up on these website was how much money the women were saving. One woman boasted about spending less than $175 for a months worth of food for her family of 5 (not including the weekly trips for milk, bread, fruits, etc). I am really excited about that since I am too embarrassed to even mention how much I spend on food for one month. It's ridiculous.

And it all boils down to, once again, PRE-PLANNING! So let me find my membership card to Sam's, take out the stack of coupons I always forget to take to the store with me, and sit down for an hour with a pen and paper to write out a list. Then all I will need is a whole day in my kitchen to see how great the possiblity of cooking once a month (TWELVE TIMES A YEAR!!!) can be. Wish me luck!

Toilet Training...It's Not What You Think

Toilet training in my house is not the every day, run of the mill, teaching a child how and when to use the potty and what the toilet paper is for. In my case, it's more about showing my youngest one what NOT to do (and he's not even old enough to USE the toilet yet)!

..."No no, Emery, do NOT just stand there hitting the toilet paper roll so it spins really fast and makes you laugh, all the while making a mountain of clean tissue all around your feet!!!" (Side note: no matter how hard you try, you cannot get all the toilet paper back on the roll evenly so nobody else notices that it has already been taken off.)

..."No Emery, do NOT try to close the lid to the toilet while your sister is sitting on it. Hitting her in the back of the head and making her cry is NOT funny. Stop smiling!!!"

..."No no, Emery, that's yucky!!! Do NOT put your hand in the toilet water and then put it directly into your mouth. Gross!!! Do NOT put it in my mouth either!!!!"

And then there was today..."No, Emery, do NOT throw your diaper in the toilet to watch it float! Oh wait...No, No, No...leave it there...don't take it out and shake it!!! Ugh...I need to change my clothes."

He looks so proud, I couldn't help but take a picture. These toilet training issues would be much easier if I could either a) get Savannah to flush when she's done her business or b) close the lid when she's done her business or even c) "Savannah, at least shut the door if you are not going to flush or close the lid!!!" AHHHHH!!!! My sanity...how I miss thee!!!!!!

1 Peter 2:2-3

Weekly Memory Verse: "Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

Summer's Tastiest Treat

To me there is nothing better than slicing up a fresh, juicy watermelon on a hot summer afternoon. Sure, watermelon alone is very delicious, but for me, everytime I take a bite, especially one that contains a seed, I have memories that come flooding back, making each mouthful that much sweeter!

Grandma Mary. For anyone reading this that was lucky enough to know her, you know what I am talking about. For everyone else, let me explain.

There wasn't a summer that went by that she didn't buy a watermelon. While she was cutting it into thick, mouth-watering slices, much bigger than I would be allowed at home, with the biggest kitchen knife I had ever seen, she would talk about how much she loved to eat watermelon.

She'd talk about eating watermelon when she was a young girl and explain how she and her sisters would have seed spitting contests. Then she would challenge anyone sitting on the front porch with her to a match, confident in her seed spitting skills.

"Heavenly Days Magee!!!" she would exclaim as I slobbered and sputtered and my seeds fell at my feet. We'd laugh and laugh. By the time we were through, her front porch was covered with sticky black seeds, and in genuine Grandma Mary style, nothing was ever said about the mess.

But the best memory of all is one from the summer when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My favorite past time that year was torturing my younger sister and for some reason, everyone was on my case about it! So there we were, Gram and Jessica and myself, eating watermelon slices in the front porch swing. As the swing was on the forward motion, we would try to spit our seeds over the porch railing and into the flower beds below. I was jealous of my sister, who had apparently inherited Grandma's spitting abilities. Her seeds were flying through the air as mine flopped into my lap!

I don't remember exactly what happened, but it was probably uncontrolled giggling that caused Jessica to breath in and swallow her watermelon seed. We were always told it was okay to eat the white seeds, but NEVER eat the black ones. She looked at us with panic in her eyes and I knew this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. "Don't worry," I said, "you haven't ever eaten any dirt have you?" She looked even more worried and I went on, "and what about water? You don't drink water, do you?" Grandma let it continue for a while and then she started to speak. I thought I was about to be scolded for lying to my sister and making her scared, but instead I heard, "That's right, and don't forget about the sun. If you drink water and get in the sun, that seed will just grow and grow in your belly."

I couldn't believe it! A grown up had gotten in on my fun! That was so awesome. I will never forget it. And neither will Jessica...Ha!!! :)

I don't know what kinds of memories my kids will take with them as they get older, but I hope relaxing during the dogs days of summer, with a sticky piece of watermelon and Mom waiting to squirt them off with a hose, is one of them. I know it will be one of my favorites!

All Girls Weekend

I had a completely fabulous all girls weekend. I left at 10:00 Friday morning and got home Sunday around 1:00. I did nothing but work on my scrapbooks and loved every minute of it! I didn't even mind when a storm blew in on Saturday afternoon and lightning hit so close it set off the fire alarms for an hour and a half. I was thankful I didn't have 2 kids with me whining and crying about the noise. Of course there were a couple of grown women there who were doing that, but they were not my responsibility!!!!

Yesterday was a blur of trying to get the kids back into our routine and also get Daddy from the airport. It didn't work out too well considering we all took LATE afternoon naps and didn't even get up for dinner until 7:30! That's usually when Emery goes to bed. So I will be attempting a schedule again today and also swimming my way through a large pile of laundry that has accumulated over the past 5 days.

I Survived Hell Week

Remember those shirts from college? I never had one myself since I wasn't into being a sorority sister, but I do recall seeing them all over campus. I wish I had one now. I would wear it proudly to my all girls weekend I am leaving for in the morning.

Somehow, in the past 6 weeks, I was able to pull together a weekend full of nothing but working on my scrapbooks. It seemed like a perfect weekend at the time. Planning it while Jeremy was out of town so it didn't seem like, he was gone, then suddenly, I was gone. But now I have my kids spread all over town for the next 3 days since both of their parents are off recharging themselves.

Thankfully we have a wonderful family who loves our children and are happy to spend time with them when we need a break. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Aunt Irene, Nana, and Aunt Jessica for making it possible for me to have a weekend to call my own. I am FOREVER indebted to you!!! :)

And now, I'm going to go finish packing...

Seriously? It's only Wednesday?

It is now 12:45 and I just put both kids down for their naps. It's about an hour earlier than normal, but in my defense, this is what I've been dealing with for the past 6 hours:

1. (After a VERY lengthy conversation with Savannah...) "Yes, I PROMISE there are no sharks in the lake behind our house."

2. (To strange man walking around in the woods between the lake and our house with a DNR shirt on...) "No, Sir, I didn't know our boat ramp was on county property."

3. (As I asked Savannah if she would like to wear her Dora flip flops outside...) "Why do you have that blank look on your face? You do speak English, don't you? Hablar Espanol?"

4. (After much crying surrounding the Miss Spider's Sunny Patch sprinkler, which as I was hooking up to the hose falsely imagined my children laughing as they played and splashed in the water..."thanks Mom, your the best" I thought they would say. Instead...) "C'mon you two, I think our yard is big enough that you don't have to fight over the same patch of grass that you both want to sit on!"

5. (After asking Savannah twice to please stop playing with her cup that way, and her ignoring me, lunch went flying to the floor. And then...) "Why must you wait until I yell to do what I asked? Wouldn't it be easier on both of us if you did it the first time when my voice is soft and sweet? Do you like it when I yell? HUH???? DO YOU???????"

6. (This conversation ensued right before naptime as we were getting dried off from playing in the sprinkler...)
Me: "What are you doing?"
Her: "Combing Emery's hair."
Me: "Do you think you are doing it nicely?"
Her: "Yes I do."
Me: "Then why is he crying?"
Her: "He's crying?"
Me: "Would you like for me to comb your hair that nicely?"
Her: "Ummm, I will try harder to be gentle."
Me: "That would be great. Thanks."

7. (To woman on the phone that called to confirm my spa appointment...) "Yes, thank you, I will be there in the morning for my manicure, pedicure, facial, and deep tissue massage...what?...You'd like to include an extra 30 minutes for no charge?...Sure...Thanks!"

Oh, wait, that last one was just the fantasy voices in my head. Sorry! Jeremy leaves tonight for Las Vegas and won't be home until Sunday. I was originally asked to go and he even offered again last night if I wanted to join him. Now the offer is looking pretty good. The whole "Vegas Scene" is not my thing, but at this point, hiding out in a hotel room with room service and the Lifetime channel is looking pretty good. I guess I have a few more hours to decide. :)

Healthy Baby Boy

Emery had his one year check up today, weighing in at 21 pounds, 6 ounces. He is almost off the charts in height, but only 25th percentile for weight. I guess he may be a tall, slim fellow.

Well, let me rethink that. I don't know how much longer he'll be "slim". After we left the doctors appointment, I let Savannah choose where we would have lunch. Of course, she wanted to eat at "Old McDonald's". She got the usual McNugget Happy Meal, Apple Dippers, and a chocolate milk. She ate about half.

Emery got a Hamburger Happy Meal with Fries and white milk. He ate all of that, plus some of Savannah's nuggets and apples! You would have thought I hadn't fed him in days!!! :)

My Everest

When I wrote about Savannah's love of Pull-Ups back on May 20th, I told myself I would not revisit this situation again in this public blog. Primarily, to save her any future embarrassment, but also, I don't think my child's bodily functions make for very entertaining reading. However, today was such a mentally and physically exhausting day, I believe it may have been a defining moment in my life.

First, let me set the scene by saying that yesterday, I started experiencing PMS symptoms from hell. I usually get a little unnerved during that oh so wonderful time of the month and have been known to be a little edgy, but yesterday I was actually trying to get something done and the constant interruptions were pushing me past edgy, and right into being down right RUDE to the youngsters.

I know, I know. And I feel bad about that. I wanted today to be a new day. I got the kids up and we met Grampa for breakfast at IHOP. Then we ran some errands and came home. I was chatting with friend on the phone before lunch when the sh*t hit the fan. Or rather, the floor!

To give a little more insight into the whole situation, about 5 weeks ago Savannah decided she didn't like to poop and just wasn't going to do it anymore. Not even in a Pull-up. Well, this created a huge problem because as I have figured out, there is not much I can do when a stubborn 3 year old sets her mind to something that only she can control. I started feeding her anything that might get things moving, and even though she was having the urges, she refused to succumb to them.

I talked to the pharmacist and bought some laxatives and suppositories. I'll spare you the details on how fun those were to administer, and just skip right to the part where I am nervous taking her anywhere because I never know when those suckers are going to start working! And remember, this has been going on for FIVE WEEKS!!!!

After the first week, I called her doctor for advice. She called in a prescription laxative that will not cause dependency. We've been on that since June 27th. Savannah still does NOT want to POOP! She holds it as long as she can, and I am truly amazed at how long that is!

So fast forward to yesterday at church. She went in her panties. Not the first time this has happened at church, but this time I packed spare clothes in Emery's diaper bag so we didn't have to go home like last time. I didn't think too much about it because last week she announced twice, "Mommy I have to go poopy", and I sat with her in the bathroom and she was so happy because it didn't scare her anymore. I never dreamed anything would happen like today.

Right before lunch she was holding on to her bottom and I knew she needed to go, so I told her to sit on the potty for a while and see what happens. Just then my friend called and as I was talking to her, Savannah was whining about sitting there. In a few minutes I went to check on her because the whining was now crying, and I found her sitting on the stool we use for washing hands, only now it is safe to say that instead of sitting "on" a stool she was sitting "in" a pile of stools. Are you with me?

My mouth just flew open and I didn't know what to do. None of the baby books I read could prepare me for that one!!! Where was that chapter on "10 Ways to Clean Up Diarrhea without Getting It all over the Child, Yourself, and the Bathroom Floor, Walls, Sink, Garbage Can, etc."?

I was in shock and just started comforting Savannah. She was scared and felt really bad about what she did. After cleaning up, I fixed the kids lunch and then called Jeremy to let him know what had happened. When I got off the phone with him is when the crying started. I just DO NOT know what to DO! I feel so helpless about all this. When I got everyone in bed for naps, Jeremy called me back to see how it was going and I just sobbed into the phone. Then I heard Savannah. "Mommy, I pooped in my panties."

OMG, I can't stop crying! "Mommy why are you sad?" Yep, more tears!!! Uncontrolled now. Jeremy is still on the phone listening to all of this. Then he says, "I'm coming home". "NO! I'VE GOT EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL", I shout into the phone, feeling like he thinks I'm a failure! We hang up but I know he's coming anyways.

It turned out to be a good thing he was here. She had one more accident before the night was over. I don't think I have ever cried as much as I did today. Never before have I felt so defeated in Mothering. Maybe in anything! Potty training Savannah is definitely "My Everest".

A Quick Trip to the Aquarium

Took this great picture yesterday outside the Aquarium of 2 of my favorite people. My other favorite little person had to stay home with a babysitter due to a bad cold he is trying to get over.

The Aquarium in Atlanta is very nice and I recommend going there. We didn't plan enough time to get there (plus I was running 20 minutes late) and so we only had an hour to spend inside. I definitely want to go back sometime when we can take our time and just watch the fish. It's so peaceful. (If you can block out the child having a temper tantrum next to you, that is!)

I really liked the penguin display. They have a cool photo op spot there that we didn't want to wait in line for, but will do that the next time. (And just a side note to the person who recently told me she heard a child stole a penguin from the Aquarium on a field trip and took it home...I find that VERY hard to believe after seeing where they keep them. Either that story is false or that kid is Houdini).

Jeremy liked the sharks, especially the whale sharks, and Savannah said her favorite part was the otters. I was really glad to hear her say that since by the way she was acting at the time, I would have said what she enjoyed the most was playing with the "moving sidewalk", or whatever they call that thing. She just loved it! :)

Romans 6:23

Weekly Memory Verse: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Coming out of the Closet

I cleaned out the kids closets on Saturday. What a job that turned out to be! I ended up with 2 giants stacks: one for Goodwill and one for a Garage Sale. Since they are so young, they are only wearing their clothes for one season. By the time that season comes back around, they are in a bigger size. It just seems like such a waste, seeing all those clothes piled up on the bed that they won't wear again. It makes me wonder: are they blessed or spoiled? There is a fine line there I believe.

Since I was making a donation to Goodwill anyways, I decided to go through my own closet as well. There are a lot of clothes in there too, so why do I always feel like I have nothing to wear? It doesn't make sense, I know. I think it is a woman thing. And then there's that thing that happens, you know, they call it bloating, where all the things that fit last week are now uncomfortable and putting on anything exept a muumuu will make me cranky and bite the heads off unsuspecting family members. Well, gone with the muumuu's. And the sweats. And the maternity clothes (won't be needing those anymore!).

And now, after a spending an entire weekend cleaning, sorting, folding, piling, boxing up, and loading, I have very good news...I need to go shopping!!!! :)

Big Plans for Thursday!

I am so excited! I just reserved our tickets at the Georgia Aquarium for Thursday at 4:00. There has been a lot of great publicity about the aquarium since it opened last fall. Just check this out from their web page: "Georgia Aquarium opened on November 23rd as the World’s Largest Aquarium. With 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and more than 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe, you’re sure to see things you’ve never seen before!"

I know that Jeremy and I will love it and I bet the kids will too. Here is more: "Georgia Aquarium is very proud of what we have accomplished over the last four months. We welcomed our millionth visitor in 98 days. We have hosted more than 362,000 guests again in March, bringing us closer to serving three million guests by the end of the year. Our numbers are astounding, and we aren’t even in peak season yet. Atlanta officials have announced that Atlanta is having their largest tourism boom since the 1996 Olympics, due mostly in part to the opening of the Aquarium."

Well, we are going to do our part to boost the Atlanta tourism. And here is a funny little fact I found under Safety and Security "No guns, knives, lighters, matches or fishing poles are permitted inside Georgia Aquarium". Fishing poles??? Can you imagine? That would be hilarious seeing someone walking into an aquarium with a fishing pole!!! :)

It's Not What You Think

In case you saw me today and wondered if my swollen, purple right eye was from trying to make amends with the person whom I offended (see post July 7th), it was not. I am still up in the air about what direction to take to resolve that problem and anyways, I would hope that the individual in question would not slug me in the eye for giving a sincere apology. No matter how awful it sounds coming out!

It turns out my eyelid is puffy and sore due to a sty. Lovely!

Restoring Relationships

It is easy to tell from yesterday's memory verse that we are studying "Righting Wrong Relationships" in my Masterlife book this week. On the first page I read that my goal for the week is to evaluate my relationships with others and seek reconcilliation where needed. I immediately thought this would be an easy week for me. I don't have any hard feelings toward anybody right now, and certainly no one else has anything against me. After all, I am practically perfect in every way...oh, wait, that's Mary Poppins.

But as with other bible studies I've done in the past, all it takes is for me to think "this doesn't apply to me", to have a whole lot of stuff thrown in my face that was lurking just below the surface and that I was totally unaware of. It turns out I do have a relationship that is in jeopardy and it is my responsibility as a Christian to do all I can to restore it.

Anyone who knows me can tell you I hate to admit my faults and then, oooh, it hurts so bad...do I dare say it? Apologize! Because I would never treat someone unfairly. If I was mean and gave someone a piece of my mind, well, then they DESERVED it. They PROVOKED me. I wasn't wrong. They were and I was just letting them know it!!!

I have been struggling with what to do about the whole situation. I'd like to just let bygones be bygones and not drudge up the past, but I don't think God is going to let me forget about it. I was listening to the words of a song today that were "let my life song sing to You" and it immediately hit me that until I have all my relationships in order according to His word, my life song for Him is way out of tune.

I am accepting any and all prayers I can get on this situation. Not only do I need to be able to love this person again, but I need to learn to forgive and let go of the hurt that I was doing so well ignoring last week and is now up in my face every waking moment of the day! :)

Matthew 5:23-24

Weekly memory verse: "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

One of the Many Stupid Things I Do

Just ask my husband. I do a lot of stupid things. But this one takes the cake. It ranks right up there with self mutilation. Nice, huh? Any other nail biters out there? Yeah. Ya hate yourself for it, don't ya? Me too.

My sister recently printed an article written by Anderson Cooper titled: "The Agony of Adult Nail Biters". I really cracked up as he described the heirarchy of biters. I have never given the habit as much thought as he apparently has, and while from the sounds of it, he is not planning on quitting, I would like to stop.

Interestingly enough, I can still remember why and when I started. There was a girl at my high school, I'll call her "RH". She was somewhat popular with the boys and she had this nonchalant, sassy attitude, that when combined with biting her nails and flippantly rolling her eyes, was SO COOL! (Remember, I am like, uhhh, 16). So I decided I wanted to be like her!

So now, here I am at age 34 with this disgusting habit. The problem with trying to break it is that I do it without thinking about it. Last week I noticed that my nails really looked nice. They had grown long and it made me nervous because I knew what my subconscious was thinking, "mmmm, I can take care of that...who needs clippers and an emery board?" One day while waiting at the drive thru to pick up Jeremy's dry cleaning it started. I pushed back a few cuticles, then noticed a hang nail. I pulled it out and then next thing I know, I am parking the truck in the garage, less 10 beautiful fingernails. Ugh, I did it again!!!

I suppose a positive spin on the situation is that it's probably a good thing that "RH" wasn't smoking "cool" cigarettes!!! :)

$21.99 plus tax

That is what it costs to buy a large tub of baby formula that will last, roughly, one week. In other words, that is $23.53 a week, $94.12 a month, or $1,223.56 a year!!! I am so excited to announce that Emery is now in the weaning process and should be drinking milk with the rest of the family by the end of the month.

I am thinking that the savings out of the grocery budget should be put into the "Jodi's Buffet She Loves for the Dining Room" budget! Questions? Comments? Donations? (Not you, Jeremy)! :)

Happy Birthday Emery!!!

Our baby boy turned 1 year old today! We had an excellent party with the best friends and family anyone could ask for. I just had to post the picture of him that was taken a year ago at the hospital. Yes, that 9 pounder actually came out of me!!! After 2 days of labor!!! And one episode at the hospital where Daddy seriously thought I was dying!!! Those are just a few tid bits I will be able to guilt him with for the rest of his life! :)

I've been trying to think of something significant to write for this milestone, but honestly nothing is coming to mind. Emery is definitely "all boy", as they say, referring to the way the little guys like to play hard and are constantly on the go. A positive note on this is how well he eats and then sleeps. His favorite toys are balls, of which he now has plenty of choices (thank you all for the lovely gifts!) and wheels. When he does decide to sit still for a while, he likes to sit and try to put things together. Very analytical, I think.

He could take it or leave it when it comes to the TV. His passion seems to be music. He will stop whatever he is doing to dance and clap when he hears a song start to play. Music always puts a big grin on his face. And my favorite thing about Emery is his laugh. I've probably said it before, he has the MOST hilarious laugh I've ever heard.

As I close this post take a look at the birthday boy with his cake. He didn't get too messy, which was a surprise to me, but he enjoyed eating the frosting and then smearing it in his hair. Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!!! We love you sooooo much!!!!!!!!!!