Drew version 2.5

Andrew Michael is 2.5 today. Happy Half Birthday, to my little man! :)

At 2.5, Drew:

* Is working on potty training. Normally, I wouldn't rush the torture that is toilet training, but I am trying my hardest to avoid having 2 in diapers. :) He is done so much better than I thought that he would! Most days he only has 1 accident in his pull-up - I think that is pretty good! I'm hoping that he will get it completely figured out in the next 17 days. A girl can dream, right???

Little stinker!

One day, he came out of the bathroom like this...

and then pulled this number. (Disclaimer: It was a brand new potty seat and he was about to head to the bath.)

As you can see, he is taking potty training very seriously. ;)

* This is a really random quirky thing, but I thought that I would include it for posterity's sake... Wade, Clayton, and Drew do the whole "Hi-5 up high, down low, in the hole, you're too slow" thing. Drew always makes the hole using his index and middle finger. It's so odd! He does it the same way every time. I have no idea why, but it looks like this:

Crazy kid!

* Drew talks like he is so old! It pains my heart at times, but I know that is just part of having an older brother. He used to say "Hold you?" when he wanted us to pick him up. In the last few weeks, he has corrected himself to say "Hold me?" I was sad to see that one go!
He also says things like, "Delicious!" "Check it out!" and "Makes me nervous!" Those phrases sound so cute with his little 2 year old lisp. One day he said, "Piece me?" "Piece me?" I was puzzled until I figured out that he had picked up the phrase, "You want a piece of me?" from his brother. Yeah, that didn't go over so well. Clayton got a long lecture about being a good example. Oh my...
Another new big kid term that he has been using is "Mom" - what in the world??? A couple of weeks ago he said, "You okay, Mom?" I almost burst into tears! I was quick to correct him by saying that my name is "Mommy." :(

* We always know when Drew has done something naughty. He gives himself away by hiding. Clayton will tattle on him, and we always know whether to punish him or not. If he is hiding, he is guilty, for sure!

* We sing a few songs before bed each night. Drew really likes "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." When we let him pick what to sing is "in His hands," he always, always says "Coc-dials, Lakes" (translation: crocodiles and lakes).

He also loves "Deep and Wide."

* On an almost-daily basis, Drew asks for the same 2 things. "I ride school bus 'day?" and "Go hospital 'day?" I have no earthly idea why he is so fixated on those things, but it is an every day occurrence. Wade teases about hiring a school bus to take Drew to the hospital when Owen is born - it would fulfill his lifelong dream! Ha!

* Drew loves to have his back or tummy rubbed really softly. He will curl up in our laps and ask, "Rubber back?" or "Rubber tummy?" We are powerless to resist his cute way of phrasing his request. :)

* Drew has started getting into the dress up phase. He will go into the costume bin and come out with the getup that he wants to put on. So far, Woody and Spiderman are his favorites.

* I got a little video of our 2.5 year old tonight. He is looking a little ragamuffin-ish, but it is still pretty cute (if you can ignore the crazy hair).



A few notes:
* I turned the screen towards him, so that he could see himself perform. That is why the video isn't exactly centered.
* Wade has nicknamed Drew "Drew-fus." So, now the child thinks that his name is "Drew-fus." Awesome.
* Yeah, feet on the dinner table... not our finest moment. Emily Post would be so proud...
* I don't know if you can understand him or not, so I'll translate. He says that he is Mommy's baby, Daddy's buddy, and Clayton's best friend ever. Sweet thing!
* He still sometimes says that he is having a baby sister. After countless corrections, he still waivers between sister and brother. He has no idea what he is in for!
* Baby Bobos? I don't know where that one is from either. I'm guessing from Diego and the Bobo Brothers???


My Sweet, Sweet Drew,

What a good-natured kid you are! You are happy 99.9% of the time, and that makes you so much fun to be around. You love life and squeeze every last drop of goodness out of each day. I hope and pray that you always have that same sweet spirit! It sure is an inspiration to your Mama. :)

I can hardly get over the fact that your place as the baby of our family will shift in just 17 days! I know that there will be bumps in the road, but I also know that you will make the transition well. Whenever we talk about you being a helper with Baby Owen, you say, "I carry Mama's diaper bag!" You came up with that task all by yourself, and I am so very grateful for your assistance in hauling around all of our gear. Ha!

You are at such a fun age and I enjoy you so much! As sad as it is to watch my baby boy grow up, I love watching you learn new things. If I could freeze you at this age, I would gladly spend the rest of my days raising a 2 1/2 year old version of you! But, I know that I would be missing out on all of the fun that is to come.

I adore you, Precious One!

Love,
Mommy

Good Friday

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5

Today our family is wearing visible reminders that Jesus died for Daddy, for Mommy, for Clayton, for Drew, and for Owen. We did this same thing last year on Good Friday, and it was such a moving reminder every time that I looked down at my hand. I want for my children (as well as Wade & I) to take the crucifixion personally. Jesus suffered on the cross for each one of us. I pray that the magnitude of his sacrifice is never forgotten!

Idea found on the Mustard Seeds blog. If you should choose to do the same thing, remember to use a permanent marker.

Duh, duh, duh, duh...

another one bites the dust!

Clayton lost another tooth today. He now has a huge gaping hole smack dab in the middle of his bottom gum.
Gracious me... I hope that the rest of those little teeth hang in there for a little while longer!

Mother Goose Festival

Clayton's little school is just precious! They really stress the importance of public speaking, and each grade has a "festival" where they perform in front of the parents. It is a great way to train the kids to speak in front of crowds. All of the festivals have a different theme - Ancient Egypt and Greece, Medieval Europe, and Colonial America for older grammar students. The Kindergarten festival has a nursery rhyme theme, though. ;)

Clayton performed Little Boy Blue, and did a great job! He said that he was nervous, but you sure couldn't tell. :)

Little Boy Blue

Clayton's class with their teacher

Little Bo Peep is one of Clayton's best friends :)

They had lunch, cake, and games after their performances. Clayton's team won the first game, and he was a little excited, as you can tell. :)

After the festival, the principal stopped me in the hall to chat. We fell in love with Mrs. C. from the moment we met her - she is amazing! She spends a lot of time in the classroom and really loves the kids. She asked me how I liked the performance and asked about the baby. She was very encouraging and kept saying how excited she was for our family. Then she said, "Mrs. Carpenter, I did have a question for you... I understand that Clayton wants to change his name to Reid. What is that all about?" Ha ha! I explained the whole situation to her and she laughed. I love that she is so involved with the children that she knows even the smallest detail about my kiddo. :)

Dying & Hunting Eggs

This Spring, in our Tuesday morning Women's Bible Study, we did Beth Moore's new Revelation study. It was so challenging, but so, so good! Such a blessing...

Our study ended last Tuesday. Two of the ladies in our group planned an Easter party for the kids from Bible Study. It was so much fun! They dyed eggs and had an egg hunt. I was busy dodging dye (why did I wear a white cardigan???) and trying to keep track of my monkeys, so I didn't take many pictures. It was a great party, though!

Owen's -1 month birthday!!!

Y'all, the countdown is on! Baby Owen will be here in exactly 1 month! This pregnancy has gone by so fast, and I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that we will have a newborn in our arms in just 4 weeks and 2 days (but who's counting???).

At my last visit to my OB, we discussed Owen's birthday. Dr. N. had tried to schedule my C-section for May 9th, but the hospital was booked. So, we are now scheduled for Tuesday, May 10th at 7 am! Dr. N. was quick to say that if I went into labor on my own, we would just do the C-section whenever that occurred. I assured him that won't happen - my babies have to be surgically evicted. Ha!

He hasn't done all of the measurements to predict Owen's size yet - I am guessing that he will do that next week. He did measure his head and reported that he "has a big noggin." ;) Surprise, surprise!

A fun fact about Owen's birthday... His birthday will be 5/10, Wade is 2/11, I am 8/12, and Clayton is 3/13 - 10, 11, 12, 13, get it? Poor Drew is left out of the pattern with his birthday being on 10/23. I'm sure that he will not be nearly as neurotic as his mother, and will not give a rip about my fun little pattern discovery. ;)

My biggest fear right now is that Baby Owen won't transition well after the C-section. Both Clayton and Drew spent some time in the NICU immediately after birth because they had amniotic fluid in their lungs. I would love, love, love it if Owen didn't have to go through that. I have never gotten to spend those first few hours with my baby, and that is definitely my heart's desire this time around. If you think about it, we would really appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby with dry lungs. :)

I can't wait to kiss this little face!

Family Field Day

Our church hosts a community outreach a couple of weeks before Easter called Family Field Day. It is such a fun day, and a great event to draw visitors into our church. There are games, bounce houses, pony rides, food, etc. - all for free! I know that it is a blessing to many, many families.

Drew, Gracie, and Luke - these kiddos were all born within 5 days of each other. So fun!
Drew - 10/23/08, Gracie - 10/25/08, Luke - 10/28/08

Our precious babysitter was so sweet to take Clayton all over and do whatever he wanted to do. She is such a doll! He even got his face painted like Spiderman.

Drew liked the bounce houses best!

Me, Abby, Holly, and Caroline :)