dear fishers.

dear aunt clara, uncle andy and cousin anderson,

this weekend i got to use my fishing pole for the first time!!! mom read the card to me again, uncle andy. you said, "for you to catch the big one with".

well, not to disappoint, but i didn't get the big one. but i did get really excited and scream "fish" over and over and over again.

we miss you guys. thank you again for the wonderful and thoughtful present!

i love you, pratt.

beetleguice.

pratt's hair is about like mine after a boatride. a tad bit windblown.

and there's just something about these pictures that screams beetleguice...

i pee.

i will refrain from putting this entire post in capital letters...but tonight something big happened.

something really, really big!

PRATT PEED IN THE POTTY!

it started like this. his normal bedtime is 8 pm. but when i tried to put him to bed tonight, he kept crying, "daddy! daddy!" and i just caved. all i could think about was how clint had only been home for 2 hours. and so i gave in. well, he lay with clint on the couch watching idol. he eventually got bored and grabbed one of his books. his potty book from jerrod, brandi and baylor.

it talks about being a big kid and peeing in the potty. about how diapers are used for babies. and when you get big, you use the potty. he loves the book. clint read it maybe once. and at the end of it, he looked up at clint and said, "i pee. i pee".

well, clint being the best dad ever, helped him off the couch and took him in the bathroom to pee. he took his diaper and pajama pants off and sat him up on the big potty. after about 20 seconds, i told him that i'd run up and get his frog potty.



so here they are. trying on the big boy potty.

i grabbed his frog potty and we sat him on it.



and then clint said something that i loved. he said, "pratt, sometimes when i potty, i like to read magazines."

enter this...



and apparently that did it.

we waited probably two minutes. and nothing happened. he just kept sitting there. clint got up to go back to the living room and i was sitting outside the bathroom texting my parents and spencer and nana the pictures when all of a sudden, pratt jumped up, threw his hands up and exclaimed, "I PEE! I PEE!"

i looked down and sure enough...this is what i saw...



and yes. i totally took a picture of the pee. and if you're making fun of me it's because you haven't ever had your child pee in his potty.

honestly. i jumped up and ran around the house screaming and clapping and yelling. and so did pratt. he got so excited that he tried to take the pee to show his daddy!!!

now. i know that this is going to bite me in the butt. and backfire on me. clint says we shouldn't say anything because he will be 4 and still crapping his pants.

oh well. i'll risk it. i was so proud of him tonight. he was so excited about it. i was so excited about it too.

but all at the same time, it's hard to believe that my little baby is old enough to pee in a potty. time really does fly.

happy thursday!

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

it's only 1:13 in the afternoon, and already i need a drink. a strong one. not like a glass of wine. but something with some kick to it. only problem is, i can't. so...i'm writing in hopes that it will be cathartic. and i'll feel better after i get this all down on uh, paper...of sorts.

someone told me that the terrible 2's start around 1.5. well, i believe it.

today while i was feeding you lunch, you had finished your strawberries and you wanted more. i explained to you that you needed to eat one more bite of bbq and one more bite of yogurt and i'd get you more fruit. and listen kid, you totally get this. you totally understand me here. you know exactly what "do this...and you'll get..." means. TOTALLY.

so, you pick up your fork, stab the piece of meat. drench it in sauce and put it in your mouth. only you never close your mouth. as fast as you stuck that fork in, you jerked it back out and threw your head back and laughed.

any other time this would be funny. but not today. it wasn't funny. i didn't laugh. which apparently made you mad. so, you preceded to hurl your fork full of bbq and bbq sauce across the kitchen. it slammed onto the floor and made a mess everywhere. and you laughed. like big time laughed. a chuckle.

this was after you had thrown a fit when i tried to put you in your highchair for lunch. because you had other plans. which involved "cake" (strawberry cupcakes) and "eggs" (reeses peanut butter eggs). i politely explained that if you ate lunch, you could have your choice of either of those things for dessert. but NOT for lunch. they were NOT lunch items.

whatever. you weren't having it. so while i was trying to put you in your highchair you went all stiff on me and i had to use my knee to force you in. the whole time i'm chanting, "pratt. i'm bigger than you. i'm gonna win these battles. just give in child. just give in." over and over and over again. you've heard that chant at least 50 times, yet you still don't ever really just give in.

you refused to eat the meat and yogurt (JUST ONE BITE, may i remind you), so you never got the strawberries. i'm nothing if not consistent. i mean, i try to be. it's so hard. but your daddy always says that's most important. because you will grow up knowing that we tell the truth. and we do what we say we will do.

anyway, you started screaming "more berries!" over and over and over again. i picked up all the plates (after giving you 3 minutes to take a bite of yogurt) and walked over to the sink and washed them. you were still screaming. louder and louder and louder. and eventually you started pounding your tray with your fists.

i just stood at the sink and cried. big crocodile tears. because i didn't know what to do. i couldn't handle the screaming. i was so tired of the screaming. i have no idea where you get that from. we don't scream. i guess it's just another reminder that we are born thinking that everything should always go our way. and that everyone should cater to our needs whenever we scream for something to happen.

and that it's hard work to be patient. and kind. and to put ourselves second.

and you're too small to know this. so as i sit here and am reminded of that, i'm reminded of why God thought i was worthy of being your mommy. because apparently He thinks that i can teach those things to you. and He thinks that i have the patience of Job. which i don't. but maybe He's hinting at something.

anyway, i love you. and i hope you are having a wonderful nap. and i hope you wake up very refreshed. i feel much better. thanks for hanging in there with me. i'll start putting money back now for your therapy in 20 years.

but please remember, i'm doing the best i can. i promise. someday you will understand this.

i love you,
mommy.

dear sweet baby.

and this one was originally from may 20th. again...just for documentation. and in hopes that someday someone will want to read this...

dear sweet baby,

today, as i watched your big brother play with play doh, i got so excited about you.

i can't help but wonder what pratt will be like with you. what he will think and say and do. i know he will give you lots of hugs and kisses. i'm afraid at times, he will probably also hurt your feelings.

and in typical younger sibling fashion, you will try your hardest to be like him. to do things like him. to make him proud. just as my sister did with me.

i find comfort in knowing that no matter what, you will always love each other. and forever, for always...you will have someone else that will have your back. someone that will love you. and take up for you. and fight your fights on the school playground. or maybe tell the other little girls to be nice to you.

either way, i know pratt will be a great big brother. and i guess i just thought you should know.

i love you so much already,

mommy.

dear sweet baby.

i typed this on may 17th. but haven't been able to post until now. just for documentation sake...
dear sweet baby,

last night your daddy and i learned of you. of your existence.

we were super, super excited. as was your little brother. you see, when we are excited, pratt is excited too. so when daddy and i hugged and got all teary eyed, your brother smiled really big at us. because he knows that a hug is good. and happy.

today you are 4 weeks old. you're teeny tiny. i know that your neural tube is closing. i think that by the end of the first month, it will be closed. crazy to think how much you've already grown.

i just want you to know that i love you already. i've prayed for you since i found out yesterday and i will continue to pray for you daily.

you take it easy. i'll do all work. even if that means taking a handful of iron to make you good and strong.

we love you so, so much,
mommy. (and dad and pratt too).

coming in january of 2011...

yep.

a baby!!! a sweet little baby.

we are really, really excited! all three of us.

please keep us in your prayers as we begin this journey. i'll be five weeks on monday. so it's all still pretty early. but i feel like i need to tell. i'm no good at secrets. never have been.

so...here we go! yippee!!!!