roles.

Clint is 3 for 3 on those claw machines. You know, the ones in walmart, larrys pizza, etc.

Today he won pratt this zebra (thanks Laura :). Pratt was super excited. But here's the deal. He thinks clint should win everytime. Because everytime he's tried it, he's won.



We were on our way back to clints office after lunch when we pulled up in the parking lot. The 3 of us got to talking and basically here's a recap.

According to p, I don't have a job. But I make rules. Along with handy manny. Idk. He's creative.

When asked if clint made rules, he said no. That he "worked".

He does know one thing. And that is that mom and dad love him. Yesterday he told me that miss Stacy (miz tacy) loves him too.

He's smart. :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

booze.

Today I need wine. And a sookie stackhouse book. And maybe a chef to make dinner for the boys so I can be in the bathtub.

I'm taking dinner to someone from Sunday school who just had her third child (I shouldn't be complaining, I know) and had to run to kroger for a few things.

I'm pushing the buggy, trying to keep pratt from choking on tootsie rolls from his Halloween mdo candy bag and he's telling me to grab him some Popsicles.

I was on the brink of losing it. I said, "we aren't eating Popsicles right now."

He goes, "we aren't. Pratt is."

PAGING DR. JAMES DOBSON!!!!

I said, "uh, actually no. Pratt isn't. Mom isn't. No one is. Cause guess who makes the rules!?"

And with a serious face, he says, "d doe (Dora) makes the rules."

Dora. She's slowly ruining my life. Seriously.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

undies.

Is that the cutest butt you've ever seen!? Yes, I know.

We bought some Diego undies Monday and busted then out yesterday. He really loves being naked. I think more than that is that he doesn't like the feel of a diaper.

I can't blame him. I remember those things from after he was born. Those big ole diapers. Ugh. They were horrible. So I get it.

As soon as we have several days in a row, I'm gonna try to do the cold turkey potty training thing. He knows when he needs to pee and the other. It's just a matter of me being on top of things.

We will see what happens.





Just eating some honey Graham oh's, watching Sesame street, with his legs crossed.




Have great humpdays!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

ten week belly.

That's a second time pregnant, ten week (eleven in two days) belly :)

And the uh...other things to go with it.

Seriously. All you first time moms, appreciate the fact that it takes a uterus a loooong time to stretch out the first time.

Not so much the second :)

Last night I told pratt for the first time. I don't know if I should have waited, but I just had this overwhelming urge to tell him. Our convo went something like this...

Me: "pratt, do you know what's in my belly?"

Him: "a bug."

Me: "no, not a bug. A baby. A little baby."

Him: "a baby!"

Me: "yes! It's either a brother or a sister for you."

Him: "it's sister. A sister for me."

From then on, he called her his sister. He asked if he could hold her. He asked if she was cold. He even asked if she could eat his cheerios. We are gonna have a problem if this is a boy :)

Happy Tuesday!!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

willis.

Lately pratt reminds me so much of clint. His eyes. His laughter. His happiness. His friendliness. So much of clint has been passed on.

But then I see this expression...


...and I remember that he's part me too.

Because that, friends...that is my face. My, "what the h" face.

He's the cutest kid ever. I'm sure of it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

the library.

we both really, really love the library. im so happy he inherited this from me. i think we could both live there.

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

when we were in new york city, your pop pop said something that was so smart.  i should have written about it that day, but i didn't have a computer.  and my fingers are too fat for the iphone blog post thingy. 

so i'll try to remember what he said.  we were talking about my aunt betty.  and her sons frank and nick.  we were talking about how great they are.  and how aunt betty raised them very much on her own.  dad said something about how her parenting was not typical.  and how she proved it didn't have to be typical parenting to raise successful, loving, smart, hardworking children.

he said, "she proved that being kind is all you need to be to be a successful parent."

that's a big statement.  you don't realize it now, but it seems that SO MUCH more goes into being a parent.  it's hard.  and tiring.  and at the end of the day, i'm often exhausted.  because i've worked on manners.  and rules.  and consistency.  and i've tried to be what i'm teaching you to be.  and there is so much pressure.
pressure that i put on myself.  and pressure from the outside world.  from the women who don't have kids that stare as we argue in the grocery store.  as i carry you by one arm as you're dangling because you don't want to walk and i'm not letting you down to fight me. 

and when pop pop said that, i thought, "wow.  just to be kind.  that's all i need to be?  and pratt could be good?  and i'd be proud?!"

then about five seconds later it hit me that being kind can be so hard. 

sometimes i want to scream at people who aren't paying attention at the stoplight and cause me to have to sit through yet another light.  not so kind.  not something aunt betty would do.

sometimes i want to stop at that church on the interstate.  the one that always has some verse about how the people running our country are from the devil.  and i want to scream at them, "what would jesus do you big fools!?"  not nice.  never do this.  for many reasons.  mostly, because they will think you're crazy. 

sometimes i want to scream at your dad.  i'm confident that sometimes he wants to scream at me too. 

long road to a short house, aunt betty is a saint.  because being consistenly kind is hard work.
but i think...no, i know it's worth it. 

the best people i've known...and know, were all kind people.  so i'm working on it.  and when you're old enough to read this, you can hold me accountable. 

remind me of this every single day.  i need it.

i love you sugar pie.

xoxo, mommy.

sandman.

For the past several weeks, I've been singing to pratt when he lays down for bed. It's an old song. One you've probably never heard.

Unless you were lucky enough to be put to bed by my adopted grandmother, Joyce.

I've talked about her before. She was one of my moms best friends. And she was very much my grandmother.

She sang a song that I called "sandman". I'm not sure of the real name. I can't find it on google. But it doesn't matter. Because I remember. Like it was yesterday.

It goes like this...

Go to sleep, little pratt
The sandman is coming
He loves you and adores you
And he wants you to be his.
He'll come down from the sky
And put sand in your eyes
He'll come down from the sky
And put sand in your eyes.

When you put the sand in your eyes, you ever so softly run your fingertips over the eyelids.

Pratt loves it. Asks for it. "sandman! Sandman, mom!"

And he prefers you sing it ten times so he can fall asleep while you're playing with his hair. I don't blame him.

Tonight clint put him to bed. Which clint HATES to do. He says he never liked to go to bed. And so he can't imagine that pratt does.

Anyway, I was watching them in the monitor. I heard clint singing don williams to him. And pratt kept going, "sandman. Sing sandman, dad!".

And I heard clint, "I'm gonna have to get your mom for that. Because I don't know that song." I'm sure it killed clint. Some nursery rhyme chosen over the gentle giant. Ha.

Everytime I sing it to him, I feel like Joyce is watching over me. I wish she could have met him. Pratt would really love her.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

one more mom!

Pratt didn't wake this morning until 930. That's late. Really late for him.

It's because he didn't go to sleep until
around 11. It was just us. And he must have watched 4 episodes of various shows from 915 til 11. About 5 minutes before the show was over, he would roll over and say, "mom, one more?! Please! One more!"



How do I tell that sweet face no?

Yeah...doesn't happen.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

first trip to the dentist!

My little boy had his first dental visit today!!! His first "real" cleaning with a polisher and floss and even a trip to the toy chest!!

He did so good for Miss Jennifer who is truly a pro at working with kids. She let him touch everything from her magic mirror to mr. Thirsty.

He was so calm and still and perfect the entire time she worked on him.

And the best news of the day: no cavity bugs!!! Yay for me! Because do you even know what kind of crap my husband would give me if he had had any cavities!?

Here are a few pictures. Seeing him in the chair, holding the mirror, watching everything she did, being so good...it all made me so proud.

For the first time, I realized that I have done a good job with him. That I fail every single day. But you know what, it's not because I don't try. He is good because I work hard at being consistent.

And I needed that little boost of self esteem.

And it was short lived. Because about five minutes after we left, we pulled up at sonic and he hurled a racecar at my head when I didn't get his fries to him fast enough.

So see. Pratt always has a way of bringing me down to size. Reminding me to keep on my toes :)















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

too far away, mom.

yesterday we drove into camden to see tyler and spencer.  tyler's grandmother passed away saturday and so visitation was last night.  as we were turning onto maul road from the chidester highway to go to my parent's house, i saw a house with lots of halloween decorations up.  you know...the ones from walgreens and kroger.  the big black cat that turns her head.  the spider that moves.  etc. 

i stopped and rolled pratt's window down.  i said, "look pratt!  a black cat!  like at kroger!" 
he squinted his little brow together and peeked out his window.  within about 2 seconds, he goes, "too far away, mom!" 

i couldn't help but laugh.  it was pretty far.  but none the less i thought he'd appreciate it.  he didn't.  i'll learn one day. 

he kept talking to spencer about chuck e cheese.  and elmo.  nana took him everywhere his heart desired this weekend while we were gone.  he's still talking about it, nana.  he had such a wonderful time.  he really did make quite the memories. 

oh, one more thing.  whenever clint holds him in his lap to make him cooperate.  like for eating at a restaurant or when we're at a store, pratt will hold his arms out and in the most pitiful voice go, "mom!  help me!"  like it's killing him that clint is making him behave. 

he's bad you guys.  really, really bad. 

but he's also really, really cute.  especially when he's asleep and his lips poke out. 

Prayer.

Tonight I was reading the update on Zoe goss' blog. Erin mentions a friend. Who has a neuroblastoma. His name is Braxton. He will be three in December.

The disease is back and the doctors have basically told braxtons parents to take him home and make him comfortable. Because there is nothing else they can do.

If you were previously praying for me, and my silly worries, instead, please pray for Braxton. And his mom and dad. Because I don't know what you do when someone tells you to take your baby home.

I have such a heavy heart.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

big news!

Well, we have some exciting news!




I'm 8 weeks today! Our first appointment was yesterday where we saw the baby (upper left) and the yolk sac (lower right) and the most precious heartbeat of 165!

All three of us went. And as soon as that baby popped up I began to cry. I tried not to allow myself to be nervous, but I was.

Everyone at the clinic was so nice. And they were all really happy for us.

I've been sick as a dog for several weeks now. Nauseous from sun up to sun down. Dr. S. went on and on about how great that is. I'll take it. I know this is such a blessing and not a day goes by that I don't send up many thanks for this blessing.

We celebrated with lunch yesterday at Pei Wei, dads favorite. :) and pratt loves anywhere where there's chopsticks!







Have wonderful weekends. Keep us in your prayers.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

number two.

my big boy went number two in the potty on monday.  woot woot!

i'll spare you the picture.  because he probably wouldn't appreciate that when he's grown.  but let me say this.  he is naked.  because that's what we do around here.  poo with our clothes off. 

you should try it.  it's freeing.   

oh, and here he is that night.  in his skeleton pajamas.  i asked him to pose for a picture so we could send it to cookie.  and this is what he did.  idk.  you can call him zoolander if you want.  i, IN NO WAY, prompted this.  or even suggested this pose to him.  he did it all on his own.

love.

i took this picture of my dad and pratt the other night. it was with my phone, so it's not that great of quality. but none the less, i love it.

i love how my dad is carrying pratt's b. (his pillow).
i love how they are holding hands.
and i love their shadows layed out right behind them.

the first man i ever loved. with the third man i have ever loved.

all that's missing is clint.