yoda.

I'm fairly confident that she's a human being trapped in a cats body.



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advent calendar

We set up pratts advent calendar today. And in NO way does he understand that it's only gonna be 1 gift per day. This oughta be fun...










Thank you mom for the calendar! It will for sure become a Christmas tradition!


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sixteen weeks.

16 weeks.

The baby is the size of a turnip. But I feel like it's the size of the marshmallow man. Because I have back fat.

AT 16 WEEKS.

Oh well. I'm making a brain. And a greater and lesser omentum. (one of the strangest and coolest things I saw in gross anatomy). So there.








I can't begin to explain my new j.woww-ness. I just pray that part is over. Ha. Yeah, right.

In other news...





Pretty sure they're both asleep. Hilarious.

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christmas cards from shutterfly.

a few weeks ago, i came across something about free christmas cards on a friend's blog.  i saw "christmas cards" first, and then i saw "free". 

but then i saw "shutterfly".  and the "free" was irrelevant at that point. 

i've used shutterfly for every invitation since pratt's birth.  wait, no...his birth announcements were from tiny prints and pretty much cost me every bit of what was in my checking account. 

anyway...back to the story.  here is the main website for shutterfly's christmas cards. 

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

or here...

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

let me encourage you to go there.  AND...if you go there and order before december 1, you get 20% off all cards and FREE Shipping!  that's a bargain.

christmas cards and i go wayyy back.  my parents get (no lie, here) around 100 christmas cards every year.  maybe 150. it's a lot.  and they have this wooden santa that holds them on the fireplace.  only he holds about 15 and then he's rendered useless.  and the cards get placed in a basket. 

i love nothing more than sitting on the fireplace in camden, flipping through the cards.  we make fun of the ones that have the printed out, typed up, "this is what our family did this year" card.  sorry.  but we do.  because really.  we also make fun of the "greetings from italy" ones.  who cares.  just put the picture from italy and be done with it.  no one needs to know that you spent x amount on a trip to italy.  i'm sounding cynical.  i'll stop :)

if you've ever been to my house, you know i love pictures.  i put them everywhere.  in the bathroom.  in the closets.  i used to have a picture of edward cullen on my ceiling...but then i remembered i was 30...and was worried that might be weird.

i have my birth announcements and 2 christmas cards of pratt matted and framed.  and i see them every single day.  that's what i love about christmas cards.  that you can see the picture, and it takes you back to that point in time.  and you can smell the christmas smells and hear the fire crackling. 

enough, enough..i know.

one more thing.  they've got some great calendars this year too.  not the ones you're thinking of.  not plain, simple ones.  but REALLY CUTE ONES.  check them out here...

http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

okay.  i'm off to wake pratt.  it's 413, and he's been sleeping since 1 pm.  i think it's the rain.  or maybe he's really my child and digs naps that much :)

ps. if you're interested in the free christmas cards from shutterfly....click here

http://bit.ly/sfly2010

have wonderful afternoons!

every day life.

i know that all of you reading this aren't really interested in my daily life.  or what's going on in my head...but i feel like when pratt (and baby 2) read this one day, they will appreciate knowing what we we're doing together as a family.  and what their crazy momma was thinking.  i remember my childhood well, but i don't remember what my mom was thinking from day to day. 

i wish i knew.  because i have a feeling that my thoughts/prayers/hopes/dreams/worries/etc aren't far from hers when i was 2.5 and spencer was on her way to being born.  and isn't that what life is all about?  feeling normal.  sane.  relating to those that you love. 

i think so. 

so.  it's raining right now.  i'm sitting here waiting on pratt to come home.  he spent the night with his nana.  it was a win/win situation.  because nana got to spend some time with one of her favorite people...and clint and i went on a date.  arby's and harry potter and the deathly hallows: part one. 

when we got home last night around 10, nancy texted me.  it said, "okay.  who taught pratt that he needs to read a book while pooping?!"

i couldn't help but laugh out loud.  and fully admit that that was my doing.  i mean, isn't that what going number 2 is all about?!  sitting down to relax and reading a short david sedaris story.  or maybe a good article in national geographic.  or even reviewing the latest albums courtesy of rolling stone. 

right now, pratt prefers, "are you my mother".  the book about the bird who is born and goes on a search for his mom.  it's from sugar.  and he loves it.  he calls it, "the mommy book".  sometimes he requests a simple talk while doing his business.  he will point to the stool across from the toilet and say, "there mommy.  you sit.  and we just talk." 

and so we will do just that.  talk.  about his day.  about life.  about how he feels.  what he likes.  who he loves.  about bugs.  and trains.  about christmas and santa. 
we've got our tree up.  and ernie the elf arrived a few days ago.  we read the book and then voila, he was here.  sitting atop the giraffe in pratt's room.  pratt likes him.  but doesn't really want to touch him.  and he doesn't really like ernie staring at him when he's trying to take a nap. 

as i've gotten older, christmas time is harder and harder on me.  i come by it honestly....thanks dad. 

but more than ever before, i start to worry about kids.  about those kids who have to hear about santa, and stockings and trees and presents.  but who never have santa visit. 

i know that that's not what christmas is about...but more than anyone else, those kids deserve/need new things.  pratt has enough toys to last his entire lifetime.  and the lifetime of two to four other children as well. 

i hurt when i start to think about those kids waking up christmas morning with nothing.  really, i hurt when i start to think about kids in need every day of the year.  something has changed since i've had pratt.  i care about kids more now than ever before.  i think i see their innocence.  and how no matter what, they love you.  and just want to be loved back. 

and so it's hard to imagine all those kids out there missing that.  missing hugs and kisses.  and warm baths.  and warm beds.  it's hard for me to make sense of it.  to really wrap my mind around it.

okay.  i'm rambling. 

i hope you all have wonderful weeks.  it's a short one for us.  clint's off friday.  yay!  i love those weeks.

sunday.

we've had a busy sunday.  pratt wanted to go outside early this morning.  i told him the only way that was gonna happen was if he would put his boots on.  five minutes later, he comes out on the porch with these on...

meet my dishwasher.  i pay him with hugs and kisses and cheese and crackers. 

these are two of my favorites.  pratt helping daddy move hay. 

and my favorite part of a ranger ride....

wild hog.

I'm superstitious. Big time. It's genetic. My dad won't touch fifty dollar bills. Or pass the salt and pepper separately. I could go on and on.

So when it comes to football, if we are winning, I believe changing seats/moving causes major problems.

So last night against LSU. I wouldn't let pratt potty until it was really over. He made a move to the john initially, and Kniles Davis went all limp getting up and the tigers got the ball back.

So. After explaining it to him, and shaking off the bad mojo, pratt went potty.







I think we will call this the "wild hog".

Also, as Meredith pointed out...yes. He's reading national geographic too. Or as he calls it, "animal farm". George Orwell would be so proud.

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buddies.

Pratt has started requesting that his daddy put him to sleep. Here's why...




It's been over an hour since he put him to bed. I wondered what was taking so long.

The other day I said something to clint about how we didn't need to get into the habit of laying down with him to fall asleep. And he said, "he won't always want us to lay with him. I'll do it every night. Lifes too short."

He's right. It is too short. It's hard for me to remember that sometimes...


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dear pratt.

dear pratt,

i hope when you grow up and move away, you miss home as much as me and sugar do.





never forget: moms really are THE best.


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still naked.

Now reading in bed.




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naked.

Naked. As always.

Picking out something to eat. Because he is constantly hungry. But never seems to gain weight. He weighs 26 pounds. And is 38 inches tall.

Craaaazy.


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convo.

several times throughout the day, i'll wish i had the ability to stop time.  and keep pratt at that exact moment for the entire rest of the day.  he says some of the funniest things.  with this sweet little voice. 

don't get me wrong.  he can be incredibly disrespectful.  and do the exact OPPOSITE of what you ask him to do.  even if you use positive language.  like, "let's walk really carefully so we don't fall" instead of "don't run!"  doesn't matter.  he's running before i can even get the phrase out.  and i start to wonder if i've lost my mind about this second child.  things like, "i can't even handle this kid...what makes me think i can handle two of them!?" start to buzz around. 

but...there are times when he's really sweet.  and kind.  and it's those moments i think it will be so great to have another baby.  to love someone else like i love him. 

this morning as we were walking down the stairs, he said, "oh look, there's yoda mom!".  he went on (because he really DOES talk non stop), "mom, i love yoda.  she's a cat.  black and white.  and i love her.  i love ty ty too.  and grapes.  and hot dogs.  maybe i have a hot dog for breakfast?"

it's always a random assortment.  kinda like that commercial where the people all have search overload.  you mention a noun to pratt and he just runs with it. 

would you like a banana pratt? 

banana.  yummy.  i love bananas.  monkeys eat bananas.  monkeys say o o ah ah.
that really is what it's like around here.  one subject to another in 0.3 seconds. 
while in dallas this weekend, he was playing at dave & busters with clint.  we talked him into that instead of chuck e cheese's.  clint asked if he wanted to play skee ball.  pratt's response, "i'd love to!" 

that's his new go to phrase, "i'd love to!"

he gets it from clint.   when he asks clint if he'll play animal farm or choo choos with him, clint always says, "i'd love to!".  it's just so funny that he knows when it's an appropriate response. 

he also has started saying, "i'm fine" in response to certain requests made of him. 

me: pratt, come over here so we can blow your nose.
him: i'm fine.  (of course, that means he's not coming). 

me: pratt, would you like some more fruit?
him: i'm fine. 

he's getting so big.  it's both wonderful and heartbreaking. 

have wonderful mondays.  short weeks!  yay!!

mile 129

Just to document...

My child just took his first whiz on the side of interstate 30. It took him a few minutes to warm up to the idea...but then it was all downhill.

Reminds me of the time my dad let me tinkle behind a gigantic gravel pit on the way home from el dorado.

Good times.


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Two things.

There is a line from "don't tell mom the babysitters dead". It's when sue ellen is at her desk. And her boss, rose, gets a phone call regarding how much longer til sue ellen gets something finished.

And sue Ellen says, "I'm right on top of that rose!" as she's clicking away at her desk.

It's one of my favorite lines from any movie. And no one appreciated it until I met Whitney in college. She got it.

So tonight when my child was sitting at my desk WITH NO PANTS on, I couldn't help but think that if ge could, he'd say, "I'm right on top of that, rose!"







And then there's airplane. Pratts most favorite game ever. He loves it. My legs...well, they need the exercise :)






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happy.

several times throughout the day, pratt will randomly tell me, "i'm happy, mom."

it might not seem like much.

but it's a whole lot to me.  for a long, long, long time i can remember feeling sadness.  worry.  concern.  etc.  even when i was young.  way too young to worry about those things. 

and so i hope and pray that he stays happy.  that would be grand...so, grand.

funny.

Two things I've noticed pratt says a lot...

"Where my b is?"

"No. I not gonna do that. Sorry."

Hilarious. We've tried to teach him that "is" comes before "my". But he's not having it. He just shakes his head and says, "ok. Where my b is?!"

And him telling me "sorry" after letting me know he's not gonna do a certain something...well, it's my own fault. I say that to him all the time.

I love seeing his personality blossom. He's a pretty funny kid.




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olivia.

we've gotten into a bad habit.  before bed, the three of us hop onto mom's couch, (ie. mine and clint's bed.  don't ask.  i think pratt calls it moms couch because i'm always on it.  hey, don't judge me.  i'm over here growing fingernails and skulls.  what have you done today?!)

anyway, we get up there and watch a couple of episodes of shows.  or maybe just one.  it all depends on the time and how tired pratt is.  and really, how tired dad and i are. 

tonight, it was just me and pratt.  first, we watched dora.  it was about 5 minutes from being over...but he knew it.  because he's seen that particular episode a million times.  so he leans over to me, and says, "mom...i watch another one.  bue's cues, dae go, mickey mouse cubhouse, max and ruby, chuggington?  peas, mom!  peas!"

i started laughing because i knew i couldn't tell him no. today has been such a good day.  he's obeyed every time we've asked him to.  he hasn't thrown any fits.  he's really been excellent. 

about the time i was going to say, "yes, sure.  we can watch one more.", he leans over to me, and grabs ahold of my nose.  with his pointer and his thumb.  and he gets right up in my face.  and laughs and says, "o wiv ia, o wiv ia, o wiv ia, honk honk!"

and he squeezed my nose.  i couldn't stop laughing.  it's what i always do to him.  honk, honk his nose. 

and so today, today...he honk honked my nose. 

i love him.

friends.

My sweet baby. Sound asleep in his bed.

From top to bottom: woody, pratt and buzz lightyear.



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needy.

i'm not sure how to juggle being everything i'm supposed to be.

it's like i can do one thing...but not several.  i feel like i know how to be a good mom. 

it takes time.  extra time.  and patience.  and play.  lots of play.  and lots of talk.  pratt has started saying, "let's just talk, momma."  i say that to him alot when i'm trying to distract him.  putting clothes on him is getting harder and harder.  so i use the "let's talk" thing when i'm trying to do that.  we talk about our day.  our feelings.  our loves.  our favorite stuff.  you know, we just chit chat.  last night i heard him crawl out of his bed, and i went in there to find him on his rug with his dog.  the dog talks.  scout.  i asked him what he was doing and he told me that he and scout were "just talking".  hilarious.  i told him they needed to talk in bed.  not on the floor.  i'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes at me and crawled back into bed. 

i've been good at lots of other things too.  a good junior auxiliary member.  a good friend, i think.  a good pregnant person.  i choke down those horse pills every day.  i've been a good housekeeper.  i've kept up with the laundry.  even putting clint's clothes in drawers instead of leaving his full, overflowing basket on his side of the bed so that he's forced to see it and forced to put it up at night.  (passive aggressive...no!  not me)

but i've neglected to be a good wife.  i can't remember the last time clint and i really talked to each other. 

yes, we talk at the dinner table.  but we have a 2 year old child screaming over us to be heard.  to be seen by daddy.  to be laughed at.  and played with.  because he doesn't eat.  last night he had 2 mushrooms, 2 cutie orange slices and that was that.  he was up and ready to play. 

i'm tired.  and grouchy.  and so when clint gives up within five seconds of putting pratt's nightshirt on because he's "not willing to fight", i'm aggitated.  i fight all day with the kid.  that's what i do.  if you don't fight with him, you never win.  you become one of those parents who says, "oh, yeah...you know.  i don't want to fight with jimmy.  so jimmy doesn't go to school. or to bed."  yeah, well.  and eventually because no one fought with jimmy, jimmy is in jail.  i'm just sayin'....

whatever.  i'm a fighter.  i'm gonna fight with him.  because in the end, i always win.  and it's not because i want to win, but it's because i really do know better.  yes, i said it.  i'm officially a parent. 

but back to my role as a wife.  it's probably the hardest one.  because at this point, pratt doesn't really argue much.  i mean, he does.  but in the end, i think he usually understands where i'm coming from when i explain the situation to him.  but clint...well, i can't control him.  i know i'm not supposed to.  but sometimes i wish i could convince him of things.  like wave a magic wand and force him to agree with me. 

it doesn't work like that. 
and so i'm a little lonely.  i mean, i'll be okay.  we will be okay.  i know that. but this time is so full of peaks and valleys.  and i'm in a valley. 

i want a date night.  where we hold hands.  and dress up for dinner.  where he wears cologne.  and tells me that i keep the house so clean.  and that i am such a good mom.  and that he cannot imagine being married to anyone else.

has he said all these things to me before?  yes.  actually he said them last week. 

but i'm in a needy place.  and i need them again today.  and maybe tomorrow.  heck, maybe twice today. 

i'm sorry for the poor, pitifiul me post.  i'll be better soon. 

these days.

pratt has become his pop pop.

one. he's taking really long showers.  like 20 to 30 minute showers.  just playing.  and dancing and talking.  opening the shower door every few minutes to tell me a new story.  or tell me about the bugs he's gonna find at "mommy and daddy and pratt's house" later today.  he likes the water as hot as it will go.  and he stands with his back to it.  and let's it drench him.  when there is a water shortage in saline county, he will be the one most responsible for it.  when there's one in ouachita county, blame pop pop.

two.  he is talking non stop.  and by non stop, i seriously mean that the kid never stops.  he talks about the trees outside.  the cows.  his choo choos.  he talks about olivia.  and his sister.  and his wagon outside.  he talks about yoda and ace.  and about how he used to could wear his camo boots, but now they don't fit.  he talks about how cookie fell off the front step once.  about how he will take care of dad and i will take care of him.  about hot dogs and funfetti cookies.  and icing.  and carter and coleman. 

my mom says that granny used to say my dad was this way too.  i know he got in trouble in school for talking.  i'm NOT looking forward to that...

it never stops.  it never even slows down.  the other night i heard him laughing in his sleep.  so, so funny.

here he is telling me that he thinks he needs "another puppy, mom".  yeah, right.  whatever.

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

i'm not sure when it happened, but at some point, i wasn't looking and you grew up. 

you grew up into this child with a personality.  and a sense of humor.  and you have become this person that i can and do have full conversations with.  i've never known another child like you.  i think i might could have sixteen more children...and not a single one would be like you. 

you make me happier than i've ever been in my entire life.  as birdie says in hope floats, i was a pretty ordinary person for a long time.  for like 28 years.  and then i had you.  and you are what makes me special.  being your mother.  i mean that with every fiber of my being.  what i was taught in sunday school comes back to me.  God first.  others second.  me third.  i'm cool with that.  very cool with that. 

recently, i've had a few fears.  maybe not full out fears...but concerns. 

my friend kristin has two girls.  lexie and ella grace.  you remember them.  i was always amazed at how lexie never really showed much jealousy toward ella grace.  i've asked kristin how she did this.  what she did to keep this from happening.  and her answer was so simple. 

lexie knows how much we love her.  she's never questioned it.  she knows that no matter who else comes along, she will always be special to all of us.  our entire family. 

pretty good, huh?  so true.  lexie isn't threatened by ella grace because she doesn't need to be.  because she knows her worth.  and it's in NO way related to ella grace. 

this has been my prayer for you lately.  that no matter what happens at our house...be it a new baby or anything else the Lord might bring...that you never worry about it.  that you never let it upset your or make you jealous. 

i've said it before, and i'll say it again....so much of why your daddy and i are so excited about this baby is because we know what it will mean for you. 

my sister is my very best friend.  she always has been.  and she always will be.  there isn't anything in the world (that's saying ALOT) that i couldn't tell her.  i could tell her that i killed someone, and i'm positive that she'd be okay with it.  maybe not okay...but she'd love me regardless. 

you, alone, are more than i could have ever prayed for.  you, alone, are more than i could have ever dreamed of. 

when you were given to us...or shared with us...we felt...and still feel that we won the lottery. 

this morning your daddy stared at you for a good minute. just watching you sleep.  i know exactly how he felt because i feel it too.  right in my gut. 

i don't need another baby.  i don't need anything more than you and your daddy.  but i'm thrilled with the thought of loving someone as much as i love you.  and as much as i love your daddy. 
at first, i didn't know if that was possible. 

but i know it is now.  and i know you will love this sibling with all your heart. 

and trust me on this...i can and will love you....no less....with someone else around. 

never, ever, ever forget that. 

xoxo, mommy.

changes.

yesterday pratt and i went to the doctor for my 12 week appointment.

i have to brag on my child for just a minute.  if pratt is rested, and interested...he can be the best child in the entire world.  behavior wise.  if he's not rested.  and not interested....forget about it.  he's like dennis the menace.

he was rested and interested yesterday.  so he was an angel.  he visited with nurse linda while i had to tinkle.  i heard him out there telling her about his dogs, his cat.  how he was a robot for halloween.  how it was called his "b".  how he had a sister in his mom's belly.  etc, etc. 

when i walked out, she said, "how old is he?!  he is SUCH a talker!".  i said yes.  that he was.  that he gets it from his father.  because everyone knows that i didn't talk until i was like 5. 

after she left, i sat him up in the chair beside the table.  and gave him my iphone.  about that time, dr. s walked in.  he got out the doppler to listen for the heartbeat.  this entire time, my 2 year old son just sat as still as a rock in that chair.  never moving.  never talking.  nothing.  just sat there.  watching.  trying to figure out what in the world we were doing. 

about a minute in, dr. s. told me that it's sometimes hard to hear 12 week olds heartbeats because they are so small.  he told me that because i had been through so much emotionally, if we weren't able to hear it, he would get the ultrasound machine and we'd see it.  he's the best obgyn ever.  seriously.  wonderful man.

so that's what we did.  pratt got to see too!  and that's pretty much the first thing he said, "mom!  baby!!  baby, mom!"  he was so excited.  and the baby was excited too.  he/she waved at us and moved around alot.  we got to see the strong heartbeat and everything.  i'll go back at the beginning of december.  and i don't think we will have another ultrasound until around 24 weeks.  at least, that's how it was with pratt. 

thank you for all your comments and prayers and sweet emails and text messages regarding my post about feeling peace.  i cannot begin to thank all of you enough.  feeling alone is a horrible feeling.  i'm very close to clint.  and at night, when it's dark in our room, i tend to open up about my feelings.  and as good as he is to me, and as kind hearted as he can be, i know that there are just some things he doesn't understand.  worrying about a baby growing inside him  is one of those things :)

so hearing your concerns and your worries has been something i needed.  something i really, really needed.  it's so nice to feel normal. 

i'm not sure if i've said anything on here or not, but pratt has had some big things going too. 

he's pretty much all potty trained. down to not even going potty at night.  he wakes with a dry diaper.  and during the day he wears big boy undies.  i guess it's been a week now.  a week today.  i'm so proud of him.  i was talking to allie about it the other day and was telling her that it's so nice to see him grow.  and know that he's healthy.  and happy.  and able to do these things for himself. 

it's not anything i did, really.  i realized he was ready because he was fully aware when he needed to go to the bathroom, so i started praising him when he'd go.  then we slowly moved to big boy undies.  then i promised him a big boy bed if he continued doing so well.  this was big for me because my book stresses not moving them to a big bed until they are closer to 3. 

he continued doing well, and loves being praised.  he gets 2 to 3 stickers every time he goes to the potty.  we put them on our shirts.  on our hands.  on the wall.  on our foreheads.  whatever works really.

we moved him to a twin bed last friday night.  i have a twin bed that was my mothers and mine and spencer's so that's what he's sleeping in.  well, will be in.  right now we just have a box springs and mattress on the floor.  with a rail up. 

he's done really well with it.  naptime hasn't been any problem.  friday and saturday night were perfect.  sunday night i put him to bed and about 3 minutes later, he comes strutting in our room.  says, "look mom!  i got out.  i'm not tired.  i not go to sweep, okay?"

so we started dr. weissbluth's sleep rules.  we made a poster together and decorated it.  and it hangs in his room.  and we talk about every night.  well, we talked about it last night for the first time.  these are his rules:

1. stay in bed.
2. be quiet.
3. close your eyes.
4. go to sleep.

we talked about how sometimes it's harder to fall asleep.  i told him that it's totally okay to play in his bed.  he understood because last night i heard him talking to his stuffed animals.  i told him that i can hear him in my room and that if he needs something to yell for me.  it seems to be working.  of course, we're only one night in, but last night around 330 am, he called for me.  i woke up to, "mom!  mom, help mom!  my b!  my b, mom!" 

i ran in to find him sitting in the middle of his bed with his pillowcase in hand, but couldn't find his pillow.  it was on the floor.  i fixed it. and that took care of that problem.  i think he couldn't fall back asleep until he found his b.  idk. 

but he's done really well.  i'm sure that eventually it will be "if you give a mouse a cookie" over here.  but so far, so good.  just remind me that i had a few good days when i'm complaining and threatening to put him back in his crib when he's 5.  ha.

i guess that's about it.  we play all day.  and at the end of the day, i'm trying to get the house in order so clint doesn't think that i'm the laziest person on the planet.  before this second baby gets here, i need to learn to stop putting things off.  i've got to start finishing things once i start them. 

(somewhere my parents, and my husband just wet their pants....)

that's how we do it...

living in the country is good for several reasons.

hearing the crickets chirp. having a completely uninterrupted view of the stars.

and of course...having an outhouse. of sorts...

or really just having a front porch.



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peace.

I never worried about being pregnant with pratt. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

I wasn't aware of everything that could go wrong. Now, more than ever before, I'm aware. From first hand experience. From knowing people who have lived it.

Idk. I just find myself so worried. And so emotionally restrained. I won't get excited. I can't even begin to think about boy/girl. Etc.

We have a name. Sort of. We like it for a girl or boy. That's all I will allow myself to do.

I won't look at baby clothes. I won't think about the nursery. I won't even type letters out on here. I'm not sure that I'll be able to.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. That's all I can think about.

I find myself praying for this baby at odd times. In the shower. While making dinner. I worry God thinks I'm not being thankful and appreciative. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm just worried. And scared.

And ready to feel peace.


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cb.

as in country boy. 

as in for the first time yesterday pratt went hunting with his daddy and mitch.

here is the before. 

and well, for the after....

let me explain.  i was gone.  in little rock.  eating dinner with allie.  i left when the boys were still gone.  i got a call from clint while i was on the interstate saying that they had been successful.  that scout had treed a squirrel.  i didn't think much of it.  i mean, i NEVER thought this would happen....

so.  i get to the restaurant.  and allie and i have just sat down when i get  text message from clint.  i look at it and then pass it to allie.  i said, "oh look!  they finished hunting!  it's a picture of all of them."

i don't see pratt's hands.  because it's all camo and stuff.  but allie does.

she screams, "oh my gosh, hannah!  pratt's holding a dead squirrel!  in his bare hands!  and i think he has blood on his boot!"

we both flip out.  see for yourself....

apparently mitch stood pratt up in the truck bed and said, "here pratt.  hold the squirrel like this." 

i will kill him.  so if you see him, tell him i'm looking for him. 

and look at pratt's smile.  that's a REAL smile folks. 

i think my favorite part is that he's holding b in one hand.  and a dead, bullet holed squirrel in the other. 

welcome to say.lean county, y'all.

a big day.

My best attempt at a picture this morning to show that pratt is going to kids day out wearing his big boy undies. Mickey mouse clubhouse. Woot woot!!

I sent an extra pair of clothes (and socks, thanks Stacy ;) just in case he has an accident.

I'm crying as I blog this. My little boy is getting to be so big.

What a blessing to watch him grow and learn and love. All while being one of the happiest kids I know.




Have great humpdays!!

Oh, one more thing. Last night I was making a birthday cake. Pratt was playing with matchbox cars on the kitchen floor. He was singing songs and I heard him sing, "daddy, mommy, pratt and sister."

I asked him what he was saying and he sang it again. So sweet.

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halloween.

from around september...maybe before, pratt was confident about what he wanted to be for halloween.

a robot.  or to hear him say it,  "a whoa bot". 

clara found the cutest costume at the children's place.  me, being me, waited until the last minute to order it.  which was good.  because it went from being 30 dollars to 9 dollars.  woot woot!

thursday night we went to spook city.  saturday, pratt trick or treated with nana and papaw and then we had a hayride with the harris' and a few other kids from the neighborhood.  it was clint's idea AND dream.  he loves halloween. 

here are a few pictures.  oh, and that last picture.  well, it's what happens AFTER pratt has some candy. 

so much.

first.  most important things first.  pratt has worn big boy undies all day long with NO ACCIDENT. 

in fact, before his nap, he ran up to me and said, "mom!  i poop!!!" 

which of course you think means past tense, right?  wrong.  we're dealing with a 2 year old here.  it means future tense.  he needs to poop.  so we run to the big potty.  no luck.  he's too nervous.  i would be too.  that thing is like 5 times his size.  it'd be like me being held up by that big giant in "the princess bride" over a truck bed.  trying to poop in a truck bed.  aint gonna happen.

so we ran upstairs to his frog potty.  and abra cadabra!  we have a winner! 

last night i explained to him that he was going to wear a diaper to sleep because it was perfectly normal to need to potty in your sleep.  he went potty right before bed and woke up with a dry diaper!  i've read that that's the key.  when they learn to not pee at night.  idk.  i just know that it's been two days and we haven't had a single accident.

well...actually...we did.  we stopped at the church earlier to potty.  you don't realize which places don't have kid appropriate restrooms until you have a kid who needs to potty.  so at the church, i didn't take his pants off.  i just set him up on the potty.  mistake.  because he tried to you know...point everything the right way...and well, we kind of peed on the back of our jeans.  oh well. 

i had a change of pants in the car.  so everything was fine.

i'm so proud of him. he's becoming such a big, big boy.

on to other things...i'm feeling much better.  there are still times i'm queasy.  for example.  i REFUSE to clean out the fridge.  ugh.  the thought alone gags me.  i cannot open old containers of food.  ugh.  and i don't like to heat food up.  my mom sent gumbo the other night.  paul prudhomme gumbo.  yummy.  i wanted it so bad.  but knew that if i smelled it before it was heated up, i couldn't eat it.  so i covered my nose and heated it.  worked wonders. 

i'll be 12 weeks thursday.  my next appointment is monday. 

here is pratt today.  in his raincoat and boots.  we were prepared for the weather :)