Compound Words

Sean often, very often, will call me "Momdee" or "Dadmee." Maybe I'm not spelling it correctly, but do you know what I mean? He combines "Mommy" and "Daddy" by saying about half of each word.

He calls Josh the same concoctions of mommy and daddy. He mushes both words together and makes it a compound word.

Beyond the language hiccup, does it reflect the way he understands his mother and father? Does he think of us as two halves of the same coin, the name of one is also the name of the other? It certainly is not something he has come up with from example; I don't call Josh or myself "Momdee" when talking to Sean. I try to make it a point to model proper words and grammar so that Sean will learn the correct use of language.

If it does reflect his understanding, isn't it a lesson to us? A child's parents are one. It reaffirms what God already tells us; two become one in marriage. The married couple sets the foundation for a family.

Or have I taken this too far? Is it just the imperfect language skills of a two-year-old? Maybe. But even in the little things, I think God reminds us of his plan for us. Reminds us that a husband and wife become one.

Last night Josh had a meeting so I had to get the boys to bed by myself. I am not always so good about getting them in bed on time when Josh isn't around. Sean asked to sleep in my bed, I was tired, so I said yes. So we all laid down in my bed: Sean, Paul and I.

Sean decided to sing to Paul, which he has done before. Sean sang the songs he knows to Paul: ABC's, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, You are My Sunshine, and Wee Willie Winkie, (the version we sing to him where the little boy's name is Sean instead of John).

Sean doesn't get all the words correct, but he gets almost all of them. And it is so sweet to see Sean care about and love on Paul.

As folks have asked me how it is having two boys now, I have realized that I think it is easier having two boys than only one. At least in some ways. Sean is such a help in little ways. Sean can talk to and comfort Paul when I can't be because I'm fixing something hot on the stove or in the bathroom, etc. Sean will often throw away Paul's dirty diaper for me. He will almost always pick up Paul's pacifier, only touching the edges, when it falls out of reach. He will give Paul his pacifier if Paul gets upset. I have even caught Sean talking to Paul, singing to him, giving him a hug and telling Paul they are best friends. That makes a momma's heart melt. I really hope they will be.

The Rosary...

Since Paul was born, I have been trying to be more prayerful. The first week we had Paul at home,  I prayed a Rosary almost every day. In the mornings when Mary and Paul were ready to get up, I would take Paul and pace around the house praying. Sean would follow me around sometimes with his Rosary in hand. The past two weeks I haven't been as good at saying a daily Rosary, but I would get one in here and there.

Today, after lunch Paul was kind of upset and didn't want to nurse. Mary asked me to walk him a little. As soon as I started walking with him, Sean says "Daddy, need your Rosary." It wasn't a question. He went and got my Rosary from my room and gave it to me. I have to admit that I really wasn't feeling like praying a Rosary right at that moment, but I did, and I feel better somehow. I wasn't feeling bad beforehand, but I do feel better.

It is amazing the power of prayer, and even more so are the ways that God reminds us. I never would have imagined my two year old being the one to remind me of the power of prayer!

Going to the fair...

Ah, the fair, what fun!

This boy just can't hold still.

Look... Bunnies!

Chickens?

Tractors are awesome.

Dad, you are weird!

More Summer Fun

Sean and Paul having a good time some morning.

We boys trying a bottle.

Fire. Fire. Yeah, fire! Well, just the pit.

Mama and Paul lounging.

I got it! I got it!

Long walk... short story...

So Sean and I have been taking some short walks lately. He really likes to be outside and I need the exercise. On Wednesday we walked (or rather I walked and he rode in a stroller) to the nearby speedway for a treat. Round trip was about 2 miles (we took a scenic route) and took us an hour.

This morning Sean says he wants to go for another walk. I am thinking ok, this will be good, but I don't want to go to speedway again. We had some library books due soon, and we live in town, or the edge of town anyway,  so I think a little walk to the library will be nothing. It never takes very long in the car, how far can it really be?

2.5 hours and just over 5 miles later we got back home. It was a long walk. I got the distance from Google maps, I think I should start checking the maps and distance before I leave. Then again I may start talking myself out of walks because of the distance. What's that old saying - ignorance is bliss. In today's case though, ignorance is blisters - on my feet.

-J

Project...

So as with most things, everything tends to happen all at once. We had Paul and shortly there after I was given two new refinishing projects. An old library table and a china cabinet.

I enjoy the hands on projects and it gave me something to do while everyone was napping in the afternoons. I started with the table because it just needed to have a veneer removed, then sand, then finish. The china cabinet has several layers of high quality, most likely lead based paint and is going to take a bit more work.

Anyway. I have finished the table. The veneer took almost three days to get off - due to the quality old fashioned construction. It took another two days to sand,  what with all of the corners and various edges and the different levels of sandpaper I used. One day to stain it, a beautiful dark kona wood. Then three coats of polyurethane done throughout the course of a single day - early morning, late evening, and 10 o'clock at night (that was last night.)

The polyurethane has dried, but it needs a few more days to cure. I have moved it inside to help it out. There is much less humidity in the AC. Here are some pictures from the project ad well as a shot of the china cabinet. Just thought I would share.

Paul Romulus

Mommy, Sean and Paul - not quite napping!

Big Brother is Watching! (I think he is surprised?)

I think Sean likes him.

"Awww. Him just a wittle guy!"

What are you doing to me?

OK... Well... I thought I knew how to use blogger, but rather than go back and switch all of the photos around in the order I thought they would be I just left them how they turned out. And no, they are not just pictures of Paul, but the whole family. The last one is just Paul (Please remember that it was supposed to be first.)

I am uber happy to report that everyone is doing well. Apart from a little sleep deprivation at the moment that is. Sean is still adjusting to having the little guy around. He keeps wanting to run around and bump and be as rough and tough as ever. It is kind of hard for him to "take it easy." Don't worry though, he will get there.

Mary is amazing, awesome, wonderful ... I can go on, really I can ... superb, fantastic, marvelous ... I think you are getting the idea. I am just thankful that she is doing so well, and everything went so well for her.

Praise God for healthy babies, wonderful families, super wives, and supportive friends and family. Thank you everyone for your well wishes, cards, flowers, and help.

Will try to post more soon, but I am still getting used to the new little guy too. ;)

He's here!!!!!

I have always admired punctuality and this little guy shows up early. How awesome is that?

Anyway, born at 9:13 in the AM, weighing in at 6 pounds and 2 ounces and only 19 inches, Paul Romulus!

Mom and baby are both doing well.

More to come! :D

-J

I don't know what to say...

Fun at the Park

Sean and I had a great morning. I rode my bike with him over to a park about 3/4 a mile away. We played on the slides and monkeyed around for a while. Sean really liked the swings, but when I tried to swing he kept saying I was too big :( oh well! We still had a good time.

We rode back, and then Sean rode his bike to the end of the street and back. He does a great job even though he could barely reach the pedals on the downturn.

We cooled off inside for a while then got Mary and my room ready for the baby (due in just THREE more weeks!) Dropped the bed to the floor so it is easier to get into for Mary and got the crib set up next to the bed so Mary can reach the baby in the middle of the night.

I think this may be the longest post I have had yet! I guess there is just a lot going on. More soon.

Swashbuckling...

Potty Training Fun...

So yesterday we started to potty train Sean. We may be a little behind the curve on this, but it needed to be done sometime.

We had a good number of accidents yesterday morning but he made it through his nap dry. We did have one more accident right after his nap, then we were dry the rest of the day. He is such a big boy and is doing really well with everything.

So far today, NO accidents! We are having a lot of fun too. We built a big fort in the living room which we are playing in a lot.

The "method" we are using claims a perfectly potty trained child in just three days, so just one day to go after this one. I think Sean is doing great, but I am not sure he will be completely trained by the end of the day tomorrow. We shall see.

Hope everyone out there is doing great and enjoying the excellent weather we are having right now. I will post again soon. ;)

More Summer Fun...

I am not really the blogging type, but I am trying and slowly learning the ins and outs. Mostly I guess I am not always sure about WHAT to post. Anyway, as the summer goes on I will probably start posting less and less pictures of Sean in a pool, but for now I think it is not only a great way to pass the time, but a good way to keep people satisfied with pictures of Sean (and come July, the new little guy - so exciting). So with out further ado, more pictures of Sean in a pool.

Summertime is here...

Finally, summertime is here. School is out, the weather is warm, and we got Sean a little pool to hang out in. Okay, so maybe I will hang out there too, but I have to be a good parent and supervise him. I don't want anything bad to happen.

What a little ham he is. ;)

Paintball...

even little children like it...sort of.

My Birthday!

What a wonderful day ... OK, work wasn't much fun, but the day started with Sean waking me up and Mary coaching him to tell me happy birthday. He did, and so very well. He even sang happy birthday while he ate his cheerios. We ended with dinner out with Mom and Dad, which Sean loves cause we don't usually see grandma and grandpa during the week. Here are Sean and I at the restaurant. Really, just being with family made the day spectacular.

A morning at Grandma and Grandpa's

Went over to my mom and dad's today and as usual, Sean loved it. After visiting with the real cows outside he played play farm inside. Grandma was having fun too.

Summer Blogging

OK. So we haven't been blogging much lately. It is amazing what time and energy we put into so many other aspects of our lives. I just wanted to let everyone know they can start to expect more posts now and through the summer. And to start things off, here is a picture of Sean messing around one morning.

-J