Monsters Monsters Everywhere

I am at once tickled and amazed at how brave my daughter can be. This is obviously a trait she has received from her father, he being THE BRAVE ONE. When I went to her last night as she was having a night terror, she sat up and asked, "Mommy, tell me again how to make the shadows go away?"

This just about broke me right here. When she was little (insert joke here), we used to tell her that whenever she was afraid of the dark, all she had to do was look at every item in her room and think of how it looked in the daytime. "The light makes the shadows go away," we said, "so just pretend the light is on, and you'll remember that there is nothing in here to be afraid of -- it's just pics of you and the fam, and all your favorite toys."

For some glorious, unknown reason, she totally bought this desperate attempt at doling out Hallmark-esque advice. But what's even more amazing is that there she was: holding her head up, sticking out her chest, trying with all her little princess might to be brave On Her Own. She didn't have to be talked down at all - she just went straight to that place.

Of course, a few hours later she was in our bed (on top of me) when I had to leave the room to feed Jax. It was only 4 am, so it was still officially "scary night-time", and Shawn had already left for work, taking his Big Brave Daddy Powers with him. Again, my heart broke when I confronted her with the frightening knowledge that she would be ALONE, and she squeaked, "Okay Mommy". Apparently, I shouldn't have been that concerned. When I came back upstairs about 30 min later, she was still awake, waiting for me. "I wasn't scared, Mommy. I just talked to the witch and the monster and the spider and they were nice to me." Whatever works, man.

JAXSON KEEPS GROWING!!!! Shawn and I are blown away by how much Jax grows every day. Of course, we shouldn't be surprised, what with the gallons of formula he chugs down on a daily basis, but still, the kid is freakin' huge! Also, we're not quite sure he is as "accomodating" as we had originally thought. I'm not gonna lie to you - the kid has become the most high-maintenance little punk you've ever seen. And the lungs on that boy -- he totally reminds me of Yosimite Sam when he gets all "fired up". That, in essence, is Jaxson.

BTW, Shawn seems convinced that Jax is in the clear on that whole un-descended testicle thing; I, however, know better. He ain't any closer to having two regular danglers than I am. From what I understand, they're not necessarily "irregular", (I GUESS looks can be deceiving...), but rather, one of them has an abundance of fluid surrounding it, and if the fluid doesn't decrease by the time he is 9 months old, then he has to have a hernia-like surgery. Or Something. Anyway, he is totally NOT out of the clear -- he's still got one high and one low, but we've got our fingers crossed. He'll need therapy after reading this when he gets older, but don't we all??

Bless his heart -- he does love his sister and his Daddy. He lights up each and every time he lays eyes on Ryan -- every single time, I swear. It's like she's Santa Claus or something. And Shawn totally has him trained -- anytime Shawn comes near him, Jax starts growling; he is sooooo trying to show off for his Father!!! Not that he's the only one; Miss Thang will "Vogue" like nobody's business just to get him to laugh, and then she'll run up and fart in his face, sending all of us into giggles. It's the BEST medicine.

Jax Needs to be Baptized (for Christ's Sake!!)

Okay people. I realize that most of us are new to the blogging world, so I'm gonna hold your hand on a little walk-through. Now, while I started this blog in order to keep everyone informed with stories and pics, there is also a place for you to COMMENT on the various blogs. You will find this area cleverly labeled "comments", and it can be found below each and every post.

Since Shawn and I finally completed the baptismal course for Jax (and let me just say, MOTHER, that there was another woman there whose child was over a year old, so I am not that bad!), we need to get some sort of consensus on when the baptism should take place. The church performs the ceremony every Sunday at 2pm (I believe), and no reservations are necessary, so scheduling is totally up to us. I'd like to get it done before Lea moves to Arizona on October 31st.

Therefore, I think this would be a great opportunity to try an activity involving the COMMENT link! (Imagine me using my very best teacher-voice) If each of you would post your comments regarding best/worst weekend in October, then we can all see what works best for everyone and go from there.

I would like to be able to do it while Honey and Pappy are in town, which really only leaves open October 9, and possibly October 16, though I know that is short notice. Just leave your comments and we can take it from there. -- Much love

One more thing...

So I know I just posted, but I gotta tell ya what just happened: Ryan had come over to me to ask for something, to which I said yes - I think (I wasn't really paying attention - MOTY alert!), and as she walked away, she ripped a HUGE ONE, and giggled softly to herself. So funny -- until the stench attacked my senses, then...not so funny. Ah, yes, today WILL be a good day my friends! :)

Lorena Bobbitt

I totally get Lorena Bobbitt. I mean, I know what she did was "wrong", but man I feel her. If my husband only knew how close I am to going Lorena on his Bobbitt...

I love Shawn very very much, but sometimes I SOOOO wish he wasn't such a MAN. Take yesterday, for instance. We had to rush through swimming (Ryan's reward for not getting in trouble at gymnastics. It's not bribery folks, just persuasion) so he could get home in time to eat and shower before work. This is not the irritating part; I understand about all that, although man, what a buzz kill. Anyway, on the way home from the Y, he gets all bummed out when he hears that all we have for lunch is sandwhich makings. I'm not exactly sure what else he was expecting, but whatever. Once we get home, he barks at me to take Ryan's carseat out of the truck, then as I'm trying to hold a screaming Jaxson, make a bottle, and fix Ryan's lunch, Shawn heads upstairs, saying "Cut me a tomato...if you get the chance." Not, "geez, need some help", or "wow, you really ARE SuperMom". Nope, I get "cut me a tomato". So fine. I channel my inner Donna Reed and cut him a damn tomato, which he proceeds to leave sitting out on the counter as he heads out the door, along with the loaf of bread and his used knife. Normally I let these things go - don't sweat the "small stuff", and all that nonsense - but after a while...AARRGGGHHH!!!!

Anyway, the day goes on, and I finally fall asleep next to Ryan at around 11:30 pm. At about 12:40 am, I hear Shawn come in -- he may have brains, beauty, and braun, but STEALTH is not his strong point. As a result of his noisy entrance, my other favorite man wakes up. I keep still, hoping against hope that Shawn will take the reins and go give Jax his binky, but instead, he clambers into bed, rolls Ryan closer to me and goes to sleep. Unfreakinbeliveable. I'm sure he will use the age-old excuse, "I didn't hear him", but that's just bullsh$t, and he KNOWS it!! So I get up and give Jaxson his binky, a fun game he and I continue to play every 20-45 minutes until about 3:45, when I give him a bottle, hoping against hope that this will hold him off for more than an hour. Then, because God is CLEARLY a MAN, Shawn's alarm goes off at 5:40, and continues to do so for the 10 minutes it takes him to turn it off. At this point, the only person NOT awake is Ryan, which means, yes, Jax is crying. So I think, "okay, clearly Shawn is awake -- he will definitely go take care of Jax." I get excited as I feel the bed move, and begin to snuggle back under the covers. After about 2-3 more minutes of listening to Jaxson cry, I look over at Shawn's side of the bed and realize that no, my Knight in Shining Armor DID NOT go take care of the Dragon; rather, he turned over and went back to sleep.

So yeah, like I said, I TOTALLY get Lorena Bobbitt. If that man doesn't make an appt. with Dr. Chopp THIS WEEK, I'm gonna Dr Chopp it for him.

Watch Your Mouth

It's Tuesday and Shawn is closing, so Ryan gets to sleep with me. Great fun (really) but it does hinder my night life a bit (No "Sex& the City"). I was just trying to add a link to the blog and messed up, exclaiming"Goddoggit" (please don't laugh - I'm trying). Ryan says, "Mommy, I'm big. Can I say Goddoggit?" She's on word-alert after getting in trouble this morning for claiming (aka:lying) that Shawn had called her a B@$#H. I, of course, claimed a George W. (read:ignorance) as to how she ever heard the word (Lea Ann & Ninny),

-- sorry, break in concentration due to having to fight Ryan to turn the channel off of Law & Order(thanks Mom) --

anyway, big long discussion followed regarding "mommy&daddy" words and "Ryan words". FF to tonite's converse:

"No Ryan, you cannot say that word. "
"But I'm big."
"That's a Mommy word"
"Can Daddy say it?"
And so it goes....

I am at this exact moment getting the "you're the worst mom ever" look from Ryan as she is pouting about no "Law & Order". The kitchen is a mess -- highchair still out, dirty dishes, dirty counters, dirty floors, you name it, it's dirty. I do not want to clean anymore. I do not care. My children will not die if the bathrooms don't get cleaned on a weekly/bi-weekly/monthly basis. Whatever. Ryan bathed tonite, and that's good enough. Well, actually, she just sat in a bubble bath and "played" with the washrag I threw in, so I guess that counts.

I know a lot of you thought this site was to be mainly about the kids, but face it: I am my children -- we are one in the same. They eat, I eat; they sleep(ha!), I sleep; they wake, I wake; they poop, I, well, I wipe, and that's close enough. So if I tend to ramble about myself, just deal with it. :)

Ryan did great at gymnastics today, had fun swimming for the 10 minutes that Hitler (aka:Shawn) allowed, and is now playing "hair shop" with my nasty, sweaty, wretched hair. She has just asked me "why is your baby crying (fictional, I'm assuming - I don't hear Jaxson), did I cut his arm?" Jesus, what will her teachers think when she starts school?? Just another reason to homeschool, I guess. Jaxson is a punk of the first order, and Thank God Shawn taught him to GROWL -- how else would he tell me that he's unhappy (which by the way is ALL THE TIME)?

Everyone made it through Rita unscathed, although we still are not sure about Honey & Pappy's house (flooding, etc...). I've posted the requisite pics of the kids from the weekend, hope it satisfies your kid cravings. Also, check out this site: whitehouse.org You'll thank me.

P.S. PB&J sandwiches with Chocolate Chip muffins for dinner tonite. Yes, I am serious. :)

Pappy with the kids @ our Hurricane Rita party 

Honey & Jaxson 9/23/05 

"Fluster Cuck"

As Ryan lay on the couch yesterday with a fever, absorbed in cartoons (all rules off when you're sick!), I was upstairs glued to CNN and the images of millions of people going nowhere on the roads out of Houston. Meanwhile, Dana, Mary, Brandi and Cameron, and Ginger & Nana were actually sitting in that mess!! 13 hours after leaving Katy, Dana & the gang finally arrived (late last night), looking and feeling bedraggled, tired, hot, & hungry. Shawn and I listened intently to their stories of driving 6 miles in 6 hours, of people going #1 & #2 behind bushes on the side of the road (anyone need a pee-tree???), people with messages written on their cars ("fluster cuck" was one of my favorites), and even people having to leave their pets who had died of heat stroke on the side of the road. We are so happy that they made it out safely!!

Meanwhile, Ginger and Nana decided to turn around and go towards Corpus, since it looked like the Hurricane had turned farther away from that area. I am immediately struck by the image from the movie, "Indpendence Day", where the science guy and his father are driving into DC amidst a huge evacuation going the opposite way, when the Dad says, "Look millions of people leaving the city, and we're the only schmucks going in!" :) We did receive word last night that they made it safely, and our thoughts and prayers are with them!!!

Courtaney opted to stay in the Houston/Spring area, and we are trying to keep tabs on her and hoping she makes it through this thing safely.

Since it looks like Rita will most likely attack the Port Arthur area, I have been counting and re-counting our blessings that Honey & Pappy were able to make it out safely and relatively quickly!! With Honey being in such a frail position, I simply cannot imagine them making the trip yesterday (they actually got to the lakehouse on Wednesday) without some kind of serious trouble. We are praying that Nanan, Kevin, Becky, and all of Honey & Pappy's friends and family will make it out safely, and that hopefully their homes will not receive too much damage. It looks like Mom and Dad may have some extended house guests!!! :)

Everything at our place is fine, barring any more panic on my part!! Wednesday evening I tried to pick up some extra supplies at the store, only to find that every other resident in Round Rock was doing the same thing!!! I got a little upset when I couldn't find any water, mostly because if we don't have H2O, Jax don't eat!!! I think I just got caught up in the contagious panic-mode that I saw everyone else in, but luckily Nin came to the rescue by securing 6 CASES of water, extra $$$, and a nice big blow up bed for our company. I cannot express how grateful I am to her and Mom and Dad for being there to help us out -- even if nothing comes of this, just knowing that we will be okay is such a wonderful thing. I know we always say that "Family Comes First", and this is just one of those examples of that sentiment!!

Ryan is feeling better this morning, no doubt out of excitement over having house guests, and the fact that she gets to see Honey & Pappy later today when we go to the lake. Much love to everyone, and STAY SAFE!!!!!!

No Nap for Me!

Well, I was trying to use this rare hour of total peace & quiet to get a nap in (both kiddos are sleeping), but between phone calls and the fact that I just took myself OFF the SB diet and as a result am on a carb-high, that doesn't seem likely. Oh well!! I have my cookies to keep me awake, right? :)

We are getting ready for company this weekend, with Hurricane Rita on the way. Honey & Pappy are on the way to the lakehouse, and Ginger & Nana and Dana and his gang are on their way to this area. Anyone else who needs shelter, we are happy to help!! :)

Jaxson has been busy studying his hands -- and I mean SERIOUSLY studying them -- he stares at them intently and then turns them around slowly and stares some more. Very cool! Later!

The Next Mary Lou

Not a lot to report today...Ryan had her first gymnastics class today, and she looked pretty good! Of course, she got in trouble for "socializing", but what's new? I think this will be an activity that she will want to stick with. Jaxson has been entertaining all kinds of strangers with those shrieks of his, from the parents @ gymnastics, to the people at the grocery store. I think he is beginning to realize the attention he is getting from it, so he's started doing it more often!

One funny little thing Ryan just said to me: I was sitting down and I kind of groaned, because I've overworked a couple of muscles. Ryan asked me what was wrong, and I told her my muscles were sore from excercising. She looked at me VERY SERIOUSLY and said, "Mommy, you have to go slow. Look at my feet (she started stepping very slowly), you see how I am doing this? This is what you need to do. No Running!" :)

TV Time-Out

Ryan and I started a new program to help her gage her tv time. We've made tickets each worth 15 minutes, and she's got 5 hours worth for the week -- as well as 2 "movie tickets". She has used about 5 today, and I'm not sure she TOTALLY understands the concept yet, but once Saturday or Sunday rolls around and she has no more tickets, I think that will help her figure it out!! She is currently sitting in time-out right now because she has a problem yelling at Mommy. We have been talking about "speaking with respect" to ALL grownups -- again, another concept not quite mastered. Still, it's early!!

I'm sure my mother will love this next part: it appears that Shawn and I also need to pay more attention to how we talk. Ryan tried to call Shawn on his phone today, and when she got his voicemail, she exclaimed, "Go Fock it!", which I have a sneaking suspicion is really just a version of, well, you know...

Jax is good .... pooping, sleeping (or not), shrieking, etc...

Ryan starts her gymnastics class tomorrow. We'll see how it goes!!!!!

Ryan and "Charlotte" 

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

We have had a big weekend! Saturday, Shawn closed the restaurant, so since Jax went to bed at 6:30 Ryan and I decided to have a slumber party. We ordered pizza, ate chocolate cake, watched a HORRIBLE JLo movie (is there another kind??), danced to No Doubt, jumped on the bed and had a pillow fight. Oh yeah, we made a couple of prank calls, too! :)

On Sunday we went to church with Menana and then we all met Lea Ann for lunch. Afterwards Menana and I took the kids to see "Charlotte's Web" at the children's theatre. Ryan sat on the front row, yelled at Wilbur, and went right up to the stage to sit next to Fern. She also had a great time HANGING on Charlotte's Web! Farmer Zuckermann had to talk her down!!! Then about 3/4 of the way through, she turned around to announce, "I'm tired of Charlotte's Web!" Oh yeah, all of this was done with her too-big skirt hanging down giving the rest of the audience a great view of those adorable little butt cheeks. Just say No to crack, Ry. However, the highlight of the show was probably when Ryan's crazy Mom got down on her hands and knees, crawled into the front row (right in front of Wilbur), in order to get her daughter to turn around and sit down. I wonder which one caused more of a distraction??? Jaxson pretty much slept through the whole thing, but had everyone in stitches afterwards because he kept yelling and laughing at everyone as we were leaving. I'm telling you, if you haven't heard his scream/laugh, you truly are missing out!! Daddy wanted to go with us, but he had a morning meeting, and then the driving range was calling to him, so he did what he had to do! :)

SLUMBER PARTY!!! Ryan & I had so much fun dancing, pigging out, jumping on the bed, having a pillow fight, and making prank calls!!!! 

Jesus Loves Me

Our life must be God's "Must See TV" for comedy -- he just never lets up!! Jaxson has had a little bit of a cold this week -- a little runny nose and hoarse voice, but nothing else. Last night I was talking to Shawn about how cute Jax's hoarse voice is, but only because it clearly wasn't hurting him or anything. So sure enough, I was up with him half the night last night -- his cute little hoarse voice has turned into a cough, and the poor guy couldn't sleep. He's not running a fever or anything, and he actually is sleeping right now, so hopefully this will clear up soon! Ryan is loving it, though -- because Mommy is so tired today, I've been saying "yes" to just about every request. Watch a movie? Yes! Chocolate cake for lunch? Why not!? I'm still in the running for Mother of the Year, right???

Grin & Bare It

Good Lord!!! Yesterday was one-of-a-kind!!! The craziness of the day can be summed up in one sentence: I made meatloaf. Slap my mouth and call me Fred!! Amy doesn't even eat meatloaf -- hell has frozen over!!! Here's what happened:

It all began 2 days ago when I received an email from "eBay" saying that my account had been compromised and I needed to re-enter all of my info. The World's Biggest Sucker went along and did as I was told, only to stop 5 seconds after entering my personal check card info, thinking, hmm...could this be fraudulent??? I contacted eBay, and sure enough..I'd been had!!! So, I had to cancel my check card and order a new one. Problem solved, right? WRONG!!! Not only did I not have a check card, I was also without checks, since I had run out and just re-ordered, so they have not arrived yet. I had been planning on going grocery shopping, but now that plan was thwarted. You are probably wondering why I didn't just go inside the bank and withdraw $$$, but please, the LAST thing I want to do in 100 degree heat is actually get OUT of the car with my 3 yr old and 5 month old in his carrier -- are you insane?? I'd rather starve!!! :)

Anyway, I took the kids to the library yesterday, and when we got back out to the car, nothing happened!!! It had completely died!!! Luckily, Shawn was running errands for work, and was able to come pick us up. So there we were with no car, no money, and Shawn had to rush back to work -- and didn't come home until 7:30pm!! So, I was stranded. Nothing to eat in the house, no car, no cash to order pizza with, NOTHING!!!! Then, I had a brain fart!!! We had frozen ground meat, which I had dismissed as a meal idea b/c we had no buns or pasta, and really, what else do you eat ground meat with?? Oh yeah -- meatloaf. Just my luck! I had to feed my family, so I did the unthinkable -- I made meatloaf. Vomit x 100!!!!

Here's where the fun really begins. You see, because I had not gone to the store yet, we were out of dishwashing detergent, and since I couldn't run the dishwasher, the dishes had piled up. Wash them by hand?? Yeah, right!!! Unfortunately, I needed some of those dirty dishes to make dinner, so I had to wash by hand. Unimaginable!! Well, this endeavor took a while, and apparently while I was in domestic mode, Jax had awoken from his nap and was "calling" for me. I, however, could not hear him over the running water. At the same time, unbeknownst to me, Ryan was up in her room climbing on top of her dresser to get her angel snow globe that sits on a VERY HIGH shelf. So, by the time I stopped washing, Jax was TICKED OFF -- I ran upstairs to grab him, saw Ryan, and almost lost it. I put her in time out, ran downstairs, put Jax in his swing while I made a bottle -- which made him even angrier (he DOES NOT like waiting!!). So there we were: Jaxson screaming, Ryan yelling at me that Jaxson was screaming, and me yelling at Ryan to sit quietly in time-out. Sounds like fun, right? Anyway, to make a long story longer, I managed to hack out the meatloaf, which Ryan ended up loving!! Who knew???

Snip, Snip!!!

Well, nothing like a good old fashioned PREGNANCY SCARE to inspire your husband to make a vasectomy appointment!! That's right folks, for the past week we have been on pins and needles about whether or not we were pregnant again. Now don't get me wrong -- we love our kiddos, but like a very wise mother of four once told me, "once you've got 3 kids, you're outnumbered!" Never one to enjoy loss of control, I've been quite concerned, but luckily today we found out it was just a scare!! However, Shawn has made an appointment to see Dr. Dick Chop (he swears that is his real name) next week. Thank God!!!

On a lighter note, I was tickled yesterday afternoon when Ryan started jumping up and down, squealing with delight about the "wonderful sparkly fairy crystals" in the air (aka: dust particles). Now you tell me, how could I go and rid her of these wonderful crystals, especially when they bring her such delight???? Guess I'll just have to sacrifice and put off dusting for a while!! :) A positive parent looks at her kitchen and sees it as HALF-CLEAN!!!!!!

Amy

RYAN'S 2005 SANTA LIST #1

(as dictated to Mommy)

Dear Santa,

I wants these presents for Christmas, please.

1. A "Toesie" Doll, like on that commercial that the girl always plays with.
2. I wish I could get all REAL princesses for Christmas.
3. I think I want a Princess necklace with Ariel and Belle and Cinderella and Jasmine and Pocohantas, and Mulan.
4. I want a jewelry box like you, Mom.
5. I want the same jewelry box that Menana has.
6. I want a Barney toy.
7. I want a Mickey Mouse and Minnie toy, and that's all.
8. And that's not all yet. I want Annalise and Erica Barbies, and they have kitty cats.
9. I want to change into Ariel so I can sing "Part of Your World".

(I swear, these are her EXACT words!!!)
Stay tuned for more!!! :)

Just Another Day..........

So, when Shawn kissed by goodbye at 4:30am this morning, I rolled over and grinned smugly to myself as I realized that Jaxson had actually slept through the night!! He hadn't woke up once since we put him to bed at 8:30pm, and that meant I had actually gotten 4 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. This was better than winning the lottery!!! Then 4:45 hit, and Mr. Man was up -- and not just wanting his binky -- he was rip roarin' and ready to go. So it looks like I can either get 4-5 hours of straight sleep, but have to wake up before the crack of dawn, or I can wake up every 1-2 hours and not have to actually rise UNTIL dawn, when Ryan wakes up. Hmmm...decisions, decisions. Other than that, we actually had a pretty good day. Since I was up so early, I actually got all of my housework done before 10:00am, so the rest of the day was open to just play around with the kids, and that was a lot of fun!! By the way, if any of you ever hear me talking about wanting to get Ryan any kind of new, expensive "IT" toy, PLEASE remind me that no matter how many toys she has, all she ever wants to do is have me chase her around the house!! :) Amy

HOOK 'Em Horns!!! How cute are my kids??? We dressed them up for game day, and showed them off at Lea Ann's Chili's, and the YMCA -- they were definitely at BIG hit!!! Although Shawn wasn't quite as thrilled...

Go TEXAS!!!! 9/10/05 

Jax Holds Football!!!  

Jaxson Thomas York 9/9/05 

My Posse -- "Don't Even THINK About IT!!!" 

Virgin Entry!!!

Okay, so, this is my first-ever blog, and I am feeling incredibly self-conscious!! I've kept my own personal journals in the past, but I never really had to worry about anyone else reading them (well, except for Lea& Jen, but then with them, NOTHING is a secret!!) I really just wanted to start doing this as a means of keeping in touch with family and friends who want to hears details about the kids, etc... I also wanted to keep a "life's moments"-type journal for my kids to be able to see when they are older. Now that I have kids of my own, I'm always wondering about the way I was when I was their age, so I thought I'd be pro-active, and kill 2 birds.... Anyway, I'm just gonna go ahead and jump right in....

Ryan got in a little bit of trouble today at the YMCA. Apparently, some older boy (4 or 5 yrs) was messing with her SOCK (intentionally or accidentally? We'll never know!!) This apparently pissed Ryan off, so she scratched him on his face. Now, by no means do I support or condone what she did, but it was kinda funny to see this bigger boy holding a wet towel to his sad little face all because of my sweet little princess. Although I must say, it was a pretty big scratch, and very red! I have to admit that I did feel a little swelling of pride knowing that my kid would be able to defend herself if the need ever arose. However, we did sit her down and explain to her how any means of physical violence is wrong, and she should always talk to an adult if someone is bothering her. So that's my funny Ry story for today. Other than that, she is still in DIVA MODE, bossing me around and alternately claiming that I'm the "best mommy in the whole wide world", AND that she "Doesn't want to talk to me EVER!". Ah, I can't wait until the preteen years!!!

Jaxson is just as big and chunky as ever! He is teething right now, so we are up about 2-5 times a night, plus he eats like a pig, so I often have to feed him in the middle of the night (STILL)! He is so cute, and is having the best time learning all about the wonders of SCREAMING (taught to him dutifully by miss Ryan Elizabeth). I'm sure I'll end up complaining about this later, but I love it when they both look at each other and just simultaneously start to yell! So funny!! I'd definitely say his favorite thing to do is to yell at me. Is it just me, or do I evoke this reaction in most people? He is now eating solids (and I use the word"eating" loosely), mostly rice and oatmeal. He really is a happy baby, and we have a lot of fun with him. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Monday, 9/6/05, he held his first football all by himself. Shawn has demanded that I note that in his baby book, and we also took pictures to commemorate the big event. More on this later...

Amy