It's so bad.

Pregnant nose + dirty diapers = Very, very bad.

Daddy's Helper

Why is Shirley wearing a sun hat to help Daddy unload the dishwasher?
You'd have to ask her.

Manic Baby

I'm not sure if you can see it, but in the background, the clock reads 10:25. That's PM.

He's Baaaaaaaack!

Brett Favre: Hey, Erin.
Erin: Hey, Brett Favre.
BF: What are you doin' after the game?
E: Oh, nothin'. I just have to ditch this band uniform.
BF: Cool. Uh, I was wonderin' if you maybe wanted to go to the Steak 'n' Shake with me.
E: Oh, um, I thought you were going with that cheerleader, Deanna?
BF: Well, she's going with that guy Richard.
E: Really? I did not see that coming.
BF: Me neither.
[awkward pause]
BF: Uh, is your clarinet stuck in your headgear?
E: No, it'th cool. I do thith on purpoth. It'th a handy plathe to keep my inthtrumentth. [heehehehehahahahahahahaha....]
BF: Uh, ok. I'll see you after.
E: Yeah, ok. Bye, Brett Favre!

Dear Shirley,

Sometimes children are not allowed to do things that parents do.

Like the computer.

I love you very much,

Mama

Yes, that's Taylor Smith. SJ was DESPERATE to see his senior photos. :)

You want?

Survival

Well, look at that, I'm 9 weeks pregnant already.

I have had to use the ponytail trick more than once already, and have actually worn a pair of maternity pants. (Note: maternity jeans FEEL like sweatpants and LOOK like jeans. You go right ahead and judge.)

I'm making it one day at a time, and actually not doing too bad. It's my blogs that are suffering. I miss you, my friends. I really do.

Baby#2, or, BittyWee from here on out, is about an inch long this week and the size of a grape. (I ask you, interweb, how can a grape make my pants too tight already, when all I've been able to swallow without gagging is oatmeal?) Anyway, here's what Babycenter.com says:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long -- about the size of a grape -- and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form -- as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks.

Non-toxic?

Terror

Reasons I am terrified of having Baby #2:
1. Shirley is going to feel betrayed. Think of it. We spend just about every waking moment together, and most sleeping moments. I feel so guilty already.
2. It's not as if mothering a toddler is a cake walk. Is SJ suddenly going to become EASY once there is a demanding infant in the home? I'm fairly sure you can follow my logic here.
3. Morning / all day sickness + the worst cold since the Fall of Man + Toddler = Trouble.

I find solace in a couple of things:
1. Nobody would do this if it was everything I'm afraid of, and almost all of the families I know have more than one child (except those who are just getting started!).
2. Does anybody really think this stuff through? Do I think too hard?
3. I must have had fears about Shirley Jean (I can't for the life of me remember what they were...and they were probably ridiculous anyway), but the joy and fulfillment I've had from my Shirley Girl have made my entire life worth living.

That's about all I've got to go on.

Funny?

This baby that I'm growing better be freaking hilarious.
S/he is killing my sense of humor.

THE SONG

Mama's so happy!

Daddy's so proud!

Pedro's so excited

that we're singin' out loud...

'Cuz Shirley went potty...in the potty chair!

Potty training attempt #1: FAIL

Believe me, if I had known, at this exact moment that SJ was going to do a nosedive off the toilet, I would have put the camera down. As it works out, this perfectly timed photo will haunt her for the rest of her life.
She was fine, by the way, if not a tad surprised to find herself in a tri-pod position on the bathroom floor.

Three-dollars-worth of fun.

Rich and I spotted this slide at a garage sale yesterday. At the time, I thought $3 was a little steep, but it has since paid for itself in hours of climbing, sliding, sitting, clapping and one busted lip. The life of a toddler is a thril! (Notice the three pacifiers? See what I mean??)