dr. seuss.

clint and pratt are headed to the clinton presidential library for the dr. seuss exhibit.  clint read about it opening in the newspaper, and thought pratt would love it.  he was right.  he's pretty pumped.  so much so that we didn't have any trouble getting him dressed.  (and just to remember.  dad ironed pratt's clothes.  and made our bed.  rockstar! of course, i immediately thought, "i'm the worst wife ever.  i feel like all i do is complain about how much i have to do.  and here is clint, on his day off, making the bed.  and getting pratt dressed."  i'm crazy.  really.  i know.  you don't have to tell me.  i know i am.)

so clint, if you're reading this, thank you for making pratt's day.  he's so lucky to have you.  and so i am.  i remember outings with my daddy.  they were for sure some of my favorites.

also, as they were walking out the door, pratt stopped and said, "oh wait dad! i have to give mommy a hug and kiss."

melts my heart.

29 weeks.

and now, time begins to stand still...



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

overheard...

at our house this morning.

p: mom, i need to go potty.  pee is coming out!

me: go potty.  you can do it alone.

p: no, i can't mom.  it's too dark in there.  i miss the hole.

me: it's not that dark.  don't be so dramatic.  

p: it is that dark.  help me, mom!  help me!  pee is coming out!

so i go turn on the light.  let me say...it really wasn't dark.  he just wanted me to go in there.  manipulation.  he's the king of it.  so i turn on the light and walk out.

p: fank you mommy.  now i can get it in the hole.

about a minute later, i hear...

p: uh oh.

me: what is it?  what's wrong?

p: don't come in here, mommy.  just stay where you are.

he exits the bathroom and immediately walks into the kitchen to me.  he walks directly up to me and says...

p: i'm gonna need some paper towels.  i missed the hole.  even with the yite (light) on.

of course i walk in there.  just to see.  because as good as he is, i'm gonna have to clean it up after him.  i mean, there's NO harm in him trying to clean it, but you know...i'm gonna have to clean it too.

me: oh pratt.  what in the world!? did you stand to pee!? why is there pee all over the floor!?  

p: yes, boys stand to pee.  dad said so.

me: well...well...(i'm trying to form my sentences carefully here.  i don't want to go against what clint said.  after all, it's right.  but not inside.  not yet.  he's not tall enough.  but i don't want to make him feel small.  and not "big enough". )

p: (INTERRUPTS ME): mom, don't be so dramatic.


it's unreal.  un.real.

love it.

i don't get to use clint's good office camera anymore.  it's always being used for dental cases :( boo.

anyway, i have it today to work on the website/facebook/etc.

and was downloading a bunch of pictures and came across this one.

yes.  he was being a superhero with a cape on.  just for pratt.  AND that is clint's childhood blanket that grandma teddy made for him.  and he is obsessed with it.  clint, not pratt.  i rarely get to use it.  sometimes pratt gets to use it.   but really, if truth be told, clint hides it so he's the only one that can use it.  yes, grandma...he DOES!

anyway, i remember this night.  and i'm so glad i got a picture of it.

we love daddy.

the coolest.

i've said on here before that clint's grandparents, grandma teddy and grandpa joe are some of the greatest people ever.  they have loved me from day one.  they have always treated me as their "grandchild".  not as "their grandson's wife".  i'm lucky that they love me.

and as much as they love me and clint...they also love pratt.  and max, too.

a few weekends ago, we were at their home when i mentioned a stroller i wanted.  i was telling nancy about it, and grandpa was sitting next to me.  i didn't really think he was listening to me because how much interest would you assume your grandfather had in a stroller?  i was wrong.  :)

i made the comment that my mom and i might go in together to get it.  because it was expensive.  but it was supposed to be the best.  and don't we all want the best for our babies?  and i clip coupons, dang it.  so i save money.  and i rarely buy myself anything...so i feel like when i want to splurge, i can.  well, i don't really feel that way.  i rarely splurge.  but i was ready to splurge on this.  my parents and husband are laughing at me right now because i never can save anything.  i always have good intentions, but never save.  clint does that.  not me.  does "living in a van down by the river" mean anything to you?  because that's where we would be if i were in charge of finances...

back to the story...when we were getting ready to leave that afternoon after lunch, grandpa said to me, "send me a link to that stroller.  i'm getting it for max."  i argued and argued.  but it didn't matter.  nancy and grandma said it was because i was naming the baby after him.  wesley is his middle name too :)

but i know that i could have named this baby johnny popper fulks and grandpa would still do grandpa things.  and request that i send him a link.  because he loves us.  and the baby too.

i didn't email him the link.  i thanked him and joked with him about it.  but didn't do it.  less than 24 hours later, i got a call from nancy asking me to please send grandpa the info on the stroller because he had been online himself trying to find it.  and they would much rather me get the one i want than some random stroller that they needed to send back.

that's how cool he is.  he's online.  with no problems.  and he can google better than me.  pretty darn cool.

here the stroller.  it has a bassinet and a toddler seat that goes up to 55 pounds.  and it has an attachment for our carseat.  awesomeness.  the bassinet can be used at home, and then you just pop it on the stroller.  it's really great.  and already, pratt loves it :)  and yes, the tag is still on it.  call me minnie pearl.  i don't care :)

thank you again, grandma and grandpa for the fantastic stroller.  we love it already!  and we love you too.  so, so much.

hilarious.

...

a few things.

one. i will never underestimate the memory of a child again.  ever.  ever again.  we saw geese the other day flying over our main road.  they were landing in a pond nearby.  clint showed them to pratt.  explained that they were geese.  and the difference between them and regular old birds.  somehow he remembered.  because yesterday the wonder pets came on.  and he looked up and saw geese flying, and said, "look mom.  those are geese."

this adds so much pressure to the immense pressure i already feel.  he really is a little sponge.  and it makes me feel even more guilty for the times when i just want him to play alone.

on that thought.  of playing alone.  i was reading my sleep book last night and came across something that literally made me scream, "praise the Lord!"

dr. weissbluth was talking about the changes in a toddler when a new child comes along.  about how they will have trouble adjusting to the new schedule.  and how the attention taken away from them...put on the new child will be hard for them.  and sleep problems most likely will result.  (getting out of bed, refusing to sleep, etc.)

he said it's all just "inevitable".  and "nothing to stress about".  that the first child must learn to cope with these changes.  because life is about sharing.  and taking turns.  it reminded me of something a former professor always said.  that life is better when shared.  i couldn't agree more.

i have been worried about how to approach the new sibling with pratt.  i've wondered if i should do things differently..you know, give him more attention until the baby arrives.  but i'm not going to.  because i feel like if i try to make him my key focus....try to put all my attention on him at this point, it will only be harder when the new baby gets here.  and let's be honest.  the kid gets attention 99 percent of the time.

i'm not silly enough to think that pratt will want to be a mother figure to this baby.  i don't expect him to want to cuddle him.  but i do expect him to be kind.  and respectful.  to think he will want to hold him, swaddle him, love on him...just seems silly.  maybe it's because he's not really like that.  he can be like that.  but it's not really his personality.  although, he is really sweet to the herbit crab.  i heard him talking "baby talk" to him the other day.  so idk.  maybe he will want to cuddle with the baby...but i'm not holding my breath.

two.  pratt has fallen in love with poptarts.  i know they are crap food, but his pediatrician once told me to take him sonic and let him eat anything (in any quantity) off the menu.  so i feel like poptarts are at least as healthy as sonic tator tots.

anyway, he only eats the crust.  he says the middle is "sticky".

happy tuesday!