A Wee...Wee Problem

+++I will be tastefull in this blog as it might embarrass my little man someday+++

Wee have a problem.
It is not a huge problem, but a wee problem.

The day Graham discovered he had a "wee" I knew wee were in for it.  You can weefresh your memory with that link if you have forgotten.
Ever since that hysterical day wee have not been able to get him to leave "it" alone.  There are several times during the day that it bothers him.  These times happen to be after he wakes up from sleeping all night and after his nap.  He will often shout at the TOP of his lungs "MY WEE WEE HURTS!"  This has been shouted all over my house, in the carpool line at school, in every grocery store in Henry county and in nice quiet places like the doctors office or the library.  Needless to say, wee have gotten used to these "attacks" and have learned how to deal with them. (Usually some loud shushing and throwing a hand over his mouth).
The other day Graham discovered a way to alleviate this "discomfort" for himself. 
As wee were in the booth at Truett's I turned to see my sons two hands down his pants and diaper. 
I pulled them out quickly and said, "Graham...what are you doing?"
To which he replied in a normal tone, "My wee wee hurts"
I said, "Ok, but why are you putting your hands in your diaper?"
He said, "just cause".
REALLY?  How did my two year old know to respond like that?
Ever since then I have seen him do this many times:
Watching TV (hmmm...did he pick this up from Daddy?)
Reading a book
Even outside while riding his bike.  He has one hand on the handle and one hand in his pants!
(that's talent...I don't care who you are!)
So on one hand wee have solved the problem of the wee wee shouts, but now I always wonder "where exactly have those hands been?" 
Oh well...another challenge in this mysterious world of boys.  So while I try to figure this one out, I will just look at this adorable face and thank the Lord for my funny and precious little man.



The Signing of the Santa Treaty

I am still learning about the exciting world of...boys!  Not that I haven't been a careful observer my entire life, but this is the first time I have ever lived with and raised one!  So these "boys" are always coming up with something new to show me and to teach me.
Take for instance...bad guys.
Somehow my two year old has developed an interest in good guys and bad guys.  I don't know where he picked it up...I think it was just engrained in his soul.
Suddenly things are very black and white with him.
Right....wrong
Yes.....no
Hot.....cold
Good guy....Bad guy (but it really sounds more like goo guy, bat guy when he says it)
I am quite certain that I have never sat down with him and labeled his toys good guys and bad guys.  And I know for certain that I do not point out people in a restaurant and label them...
Graham however, does.

A few weeks ago we ventured to the magical world of Disney.  It was amazing.  Everything about the trip was perfect.  From the weather, to the kids behavior, and even me walking 3.5 billion miles while being 25 weeks preggo and horrible vericose veins.  We had several hilarious events happen, but one in particular started showing me that my curious little man is really trying to figure people out.
At dinner one night Graham kept looking over at the table beside us and pointing.  We would quickly put his hand down and tell him not to point.  He continued this for several minutes before he put a few words to his pointed finger.  It took me a few seconds to realize what he was muttering, but he kept saying, "Uh Oh...bad guy" over and over again.  I ignored it at first because it was very quiet, but then he started feeling threatened by the older man with the long white beard.  So he said it louder, "UH OH...BAD GUY!!"  I quickly shushed him and turned to the gentleman.  This was when I realized that he looked very similar to the dreaded Santa Clause.  Graham and Santa do not have a good relationship.  I apologized to the man but he just laughed.  (Thank goodness Santa has a sense of humor. ) 
A few weeks later we were leaving the park when Santa pulled up in an old BMW wearing a red t-shirt.  (side note...I find it very interesting that Santa where's red in the off season!) Even from a distance Graham could spot the thick white beard.  As soon as Santa got out of the car Graham shouted, "UH OH...BAD GUY!!!"  To which Santa responded with a very sweet wave.  I said, "No baby, that's Santa Clause"  This caused Graham to pause.  He looked at the man and said, "hmmm...Da Clause?"  (That is what Graham calls Santa.)  I said, "yes he is a good guy"  and that seemed to suffice.  Graham politely waved. 
I don't know for sure, but I think they signed a secret peace treaty at that moment.  To Graham, Santa is now a "goo guy".  I think I'm going to run with this one for the rest of the year and maybe we will get a good Santa picture this time...it's worth a shot!

Attack of the On-Sale Detergent

There is no other way to describe it...we were attacked.

I found a really good sale the other day at Wal-Mart on laundry detergent.  It was one of those giant bottles that weigh about 22 pounds and you grunt when picking it up...off the bottom shelf of course.
After I got the mama-jama detergent home I realized that I would be putting it on the top shelf of our laundry room (note the first mistake).  After some heaving and hoeing I got it up there. 
For the next few days we did laundry as normal.
Then it happened.
The shear weight of the giant thing was just too much for our shelf.  During the spin cycle the detergent decided to fall off the shelf.  Of course it couldn't just fall and land on the washer; it had to hit the washer and then hit the floor.  When it did this about 15 1/2 loads of detergent spilled all over the floor.  The sound was incredibly horrifying.  We thought a car had driven through our laundry room (yea...cause that's logical).  Luckily Tim was here when it happened...so he was able to clean it all up.
After it was all cleaned up we proceeded to place it back on the top shelf (note the second mistake). 
About a week later I was in the kitchen when that car drove back through our laundry room! 
I instantly knew what the sound was and sprinted into the laundry room to find about 22 loads of detergent on the floor...and the wall...and the ceiling!  This time the jug had hit so hard that it blew the main lid off and dumped even more detergent out!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  My entire room was blue!!!  It smelled really nice, but it was going to take me FOREVER to clean it all up. 
I came up with the genious idea of wiping it up with a load of dirty towels and then throwing them in the wash.
When it was all said and done I had a very clean smelling laundry room.  The ceiling still has blue spots on it...but that's ok.  It's a funny reminder for me.  Plus it will help me to remember that every sale at Wal-Mart is not always a good sale.

Loving my new son

To my darling Ezra:

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant with you my son.  I have not blogged about you yet because it hasn't seemed real.  Life is so busy with your sister and brother.  We go to school everyday, play ball and trucks, clean house and cook dinner.  You have been on my mind this whole time, but just recently  you have wiggled your way into my heart...literally.  I have recently begun to feel you move, and just like that you are real.  I am even starting to sense some curiosity in your little being.  You love to kick at the seatbelt when I am driving.  It is almost every single time I get in the van to drive.  It always makes me smile. 
Today we got to see you again.  You have grown so much.  Weighing in at a whopping 12 ounces!  The doctor said you are super healthy...which makes Mommy so happy.
Your brother and sister saw you today too.  They were so excited to see you move your arms and legs and most of all to open and close your mouth.  You have become incredibly real to them today.  Your 2 year old brother has even started lifting my shirt and kissing you saying, "Wuv you Ra-Ra" 
That has quickly become your nickname:  Ra-Ra
Your real name, however, is Ezra Chastain Holland.
We feel very strongly that the Lord your God has given you this name.
The Hebrew translation of Ezra is "Helper" but I have also read other translations which give you the title "He will bring the people back to God" 
That's a pretty tall order...but I know God already has big plans for you.
Chastain is your middle name.  That was mommy's maiden name.  You come from a long line of strong Chastain men, but your Chief is the strongest.  He will be a good man to look to for wisdom.
Holland is your last name.  You already show the strong Holland traits in your profile.  This is a good name.  One that you can be proud of and look back through the generations and find men who loved the Lord.
We are proud of your name, my son, and we hope you will be proud of it too.

Here are some pictures of you!

Just a wee little peanut at 8 weeks.  We called you June Bug at this stage because all we knew was that you would be arriving in June 2012

 Looking like a real baby at 16 weeks!  This is when we found out you were a boy!  Dr. Dozier let me get a sneak peak of you because she is so cool!

Really plumping up at 20 weeks!  We saw you move around and open and close your sweet little mouth. 

So rest well my son.  Eat a lot and continue plumping up.  I cannot wait to meet you in a few months and hold you. 

Until then, give me lots of wiggles!

I love you-Mommy



Adventures in Improvising

As a mommy I have learned many, MANY things about myself.  Some of these have been character faults while others have been much prouder moments.  The other day I had one of these proud...yet not-so-proud, moments.
We have recently purchased a minivan.  It's awesome...there's just no other way around it.  One of the features that I love about my mini is the way I can walk to the back and change a dirty diaper without getting cold or wet or showing my kids private parts to the rest of the parking lot. 
Well, the other day Graham was playing in the van while I sat up front and finished a phone conversation.  Just before telling my friend goodbye I realized that he had gone to the backback (as we call it) and pooped.  Immediately I knew I was not equipped to handle the situation...I had no diapers!  Luckily I was at the diaper capital of the world...Walmart.  After scouring through the van I found one partially wet wipe.  (Not sure what it had been used for prior...but it was about to get dirty again) 
After changing his dirty diaper I proceeded to put on his clothes without a diaper...to which my little boy responded with a hearty laugh (he apparantly likes to go commando).
After I gathered everything together we ventured out into our one cold day of the year...it was 12 degrees that morning...BRRRRR!  Graham responded with a gasp and his hands went straight between his legs.  At this point he began to realize diapers do many other things!  We dashed inside and caught our breath.  Immediately I began scanning the area looking for the baby aisle.  I knew my time was limited so we quickly made our way to the diaper aisle.  After grabbing the first pack I could get my hands on we bee-lined it to the bathroom.  As soon as we reached it I saw the sign screaming at me "OUT OF ORDER!" 
Wonderful! 
What am I supposed to do now?
It was only 9am on Monday morning and Walmart was very slow.  My knee-jerk improvising skills kicked in at this point and I knew I was about to have a naked kid on a random aisle in Walmart...but I didn't care.  I had to get my commando lovin' boy in a diaper quick before his chocolate milk beat me to his britches. 
I started walking up and down the aisles scoping out which one would be the most inconspicuous aisle.  Which one had the least amount of security cameras pointing in that direction.  And which one a fellow mother would least likely travel down to judge me. 
And then I found it!
The toolbox aisle! 
Who buys a toolbox on a Monday morning at 9am? 
I knew I was safe.
Since my little man is super smart I knew I would have to explain what Mommy was about to do to him in the middle of Walmart. 
I told him the bathroom was broken and I would have to change him right here in the store.
He responded with a big grin and started pulling on his pants like, "get these off of me...I'm a nudist in the making!" 
After I stripped him down I threw the diaper on him as quick as I could.  It was the worst diapering job I have ever seen.  But I didn't care.  My kid was covered!!! 
When it was over I realized that I did a pretty good job of improvising on the spot.  Am I proud that I got my kid naked in the middle of Walmart? 
No.
But I am proud that I could figure out what to do in that situation.  It gave me one more ounce of confidence that I needed to take on the soon arriving adventure of my new little guy. 
Who knows...he could be a nudist too!

Let the Anticipation Begin!!!

I realized today that it has been two months since my last blog post...that's just sad.

Do I think that nothing has happened that is note worthy? 
Is finding out that number 3 is a boy not worth writing about?
Do I think that diaper-less Wal-Mart trips are not worth talking about?
Is synchronized poo-ing worthless to mention?
How about getting attacked by laundry detergent?
Or losing your two year old...at your own house?
What about Christmas and our Christmas trip?
Ok...so I have a lot to talk about...and as soon as I'm not completely exhausted at the end of the day from teaching a 5 year old, potty training a 2 year old, and growing an 18-week gestationalite...I'll write about it.
Until then...I'll let the suspense kill ya!  =)

The Trinity...from a 5 year old's point of view

I love to carpool!!!  (I know that doesn't fit with my title...but it will make sense later)

One of the things I love about carpooling, besides the savings on gas, is the conversations that take place in the backseat between a 6 year old boy and my 5 year old Lilly (or Lillian as she is preferring these days.)

We carpool with my bud Annie and her kids.  On Monday's and Friday's I drive us down to school.  There are always interesting conversations that take place; like the fact that Reid wants to marry Lilly but she always shoots him down with the comment, "Reid only God knows who I am going to marry...and it's not you!"  I keep telling her this playing hard-to-get is just making him want to marry her more.  But the conversation on Monday took the cake for hysterical.

The setup:
As we were driving we were listening to Christmas music.  This made Reid think about his favorite music group.

The dialog:
Reid:  "I like the band Switchfoot because they sing about God."
Lilly:  "I believe in God"
Reid:  "Me too"
Lilly:  "I believe in God and Jesus too!"
Reid:  "They are the same person"
Lilly:  "Well I believe in God and Jesus...and SANTA CLAUSE!" 
---insert a swerve in the driving because I was stifling a laugh---
Reid:  "I don't believe in Santa Clause"
Lilly:  "WHAT!!!!  Well then, you are not getting any presents this year"
Reid:  "Yes I am...he always brings me presents"
Lilly:  "Not if you don't believe in him!"
Reid:  "Well God doesn't want us believing in Him and in Santa Clause"
Lilly:  "Yes He does!!  We need to believe in all 3!"
Reid:  "But God and Jesus are the same!"
Lilly:  "Well if you don't believe in Santa you are not getting any presents"
Reid:  "Yes I am"
Lilly:  "Reid...I am done arguing with you.  I'm looking out my window now"

Conclusion:
I felt like I should interrupt...but their little minds were really trying to figure it all out and it was so cute! 
Lilly has no idea what the Trinity is, but I like her take on it.