This Lenten Journey

"funny coincidence" of the day - and by that I mean, not a coincidence at all...

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent. This year, I am setting aside one hour a day for prayer and God time. It's something that I really should be doing all the time, but I have not been consistent with how many times a week/how much time a day I am really spending with God, so might as well start now! I so many times make the excuse that I am at church often doing church activities and having genuinely good fellowship with God and others...but that doesn't change the fact that God wants me to seek him out personally every single day. I am planning on making this much more than a 40 day resolution. It's what I want my life to look like. Once, I heard the story of a woman who took tithing so seriously that she literally tithed her time to God daily - that's right two and a half hours a day with the Creator of the Universe. That's serious business. And imagine what would change in our lives if you and I took time with God that seriously!!!

Anyway, recently, I re-read the book of Genesis during my quiet times, and so I decided that I would go back through Exodous next - see what God had to show me in those words. Interesting that I decided that eariler this week without really realizing how much this would relate to Lent. I am beginning my 40 days of Lent (which symbolizes Jesus' 40 days in the desert being tempted by Satan) while reading the story of how Moses led the Israelites out into the desert...for 40 years...

Lent is a time for Christians to participate in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving - in order to "empty" themselves before coming to celebrate Holy Week. If we allow God to break down the barriers we have put up in our lives, allow him to break our very selves, we give him room to come in and show us that he wants to be our healer. It's a time to remember that "we are dust and to dust we shall return". We are great sinners. We are in desperate need of a Savior. We need someone to come fill up the void that sin leaves in our hearts. Stories of being in the dessert...stories that we know so well take on greater depth and personal meaning when we are walking this Lenten path.

Some people are rather critical of Lent saying that it focuses too much on sin and not on redemption, but I pose that the opposite is true. We need to recognize how great our sin is in order to recognize how much GREATER our GOD is. It is not in vain that we make this journey. Remember...after their 40 year journey through the desert...the Israelites reached the Promised Land.

"Broken things are precious. We eat broken bread because we share in the death of our Lord and His broken life. Broken flowers give perfume. Broken incense is used in adoration. A broken ship saved Paul and many other passengers on their way to Rome. Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them."

~Archbishop Fulton Sheen

PS - and this is on a much lighter, but related note, Roman was reading a book today that had a picture of Jesus on the cross. He looked at it for quite a while and then looked at me and said "ouchie Jesus". I cried a little. :) I can't wait until he can understand more about the pain that his Savoir endured and how he chose the pain because of he loved Roman so much.

Sick Boys...

Not fun. Roman started with the flu on Saturday morning...while we were driving to Ames. Took a long time to clean that up...then two more times in his crib on Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday he seemed to being doing better - just not quite himself. Today, though, it seems he took a turn for the worse. He hasn't gotten sick again, but his schedule is usually as follows:
Wake-up: 7-7:30
Nap: noonish...usually 1 to 2 hours long
Bed time: between 7 and 8

He is usually going going going like crazy all day long...

Today went something like this:
Wake-up: 8:30
Nap: 11-11:45 and again from 1-4:30
Bed time: Said "I'm tired" at 6:30. I put him to bed at 7

He has been really dragging all day. Poor guy!

To make matters worse, Joe got sick last night. He doesn't get sick all that often, but when he does, he gets REALLY sick. So, I've been nurse for the day. Any tips, Kim and Kathleen?? :)

Childbirth Part 2

I wanted to say a little bit more about the things that I hope to be the same and the things that I would like to be different during labor and delivery with Judah. Obviously, some parts of labor are completely out of my control. You never know what will happen that will change your circumstances. Therefore, knowing that much of what I'm about to write falls under the category of "idealistic thinking", I will say that I am not counting on things going exactly this way.

1. I would like to have another drug-free birth. For this, I have been (and, am sure, I will continue to be) deemed "crazy" by many. :) And I totally understand why. Let me start by saying that I don't think there is anything wrong with getting an epidural. I would never look down on someone who did. I know how hard it is, and I know that everyone's circumstances are different. Each woman needs to do what's best for her and for her baby in the whole birthing process. So, just FYI, no judgement here. :) Nevertheless, I really liked (and by that, I mean, at the time, I hated) experiencing every feeling, and each painful part of the process. I think it made me appreciate it more. Also, I am not comfortable with being out of control...ever. Joe will definitely tell you this is true. Ha ha! I think that not being able to walk around while I was in labor and after delivering, would make me more nervous than the pain. I really liked the adrenaline of being in the moment and how wide awake Roman was when he was born.

Kim tells me that I must have a freakishly high pain tolerance...and maybe that's true...but it was crazy pain. Both my mom and my mother-in-law had drug-free births. My mom's labors were 4-5 hours ...I was really hoping I was going to get some of those genes passed on to me. :) My mother-in-law, Suellen, had labors that lasted DAYS - we are talking 30+ hours. Her shortest was 16 hours. They both endured pitocin as well. They are pretty much my heros. So, hopefully, I will have the strength to do that again.

2. Speaking of pitocin, I would really appreciate if we could all just take a moment and pray that I don't have to do that again! :) Seriously. My thoughts on how to (please God) avoid pitocin:

• Wait as long as possible before going to the hospital. (Assuming that my water doesn't break on its own). Mmmmkay, I waited 7 hours last time...I thought that was pretty good. But, honestly, I didn't really need to be there quite yet.
• Walk. A lot. Again, I thought I was doing well with this, but reflecting on the situation, I could have done a lot more...maybe go for a run next time? Yeah right....I don't run when I'm not pregnant.
• If my water doesn't break, I don't think I will have them break it for me. For me, it did not speed up labor. At all.

To me, thinking about giving birth without pitocin, is like thinking about Heaven. It's got to be 100 times easier.

3. I would like to have a shorter labor. This, of course, I have zero control over. Just a nice thought.

4. I would like to have the Judah put directly on my chest after he is born. We couldn't do this with Roman because they found meconium when they broke my water. So, immediately after he was born, they suctioned him out to make sure he hadn't breathed any in. This also prevented Joe from being able to cut the umbilical cord.

5. I would like my baby to breastfeed well. Roman was not good at nursing. For me, this was, by far, the hardest part of being a new mom. I wanted to breastfeed exclusively...and I had read a whole bunch of books on nursing. I thought I was really prepared and that things would go smoothly. Each time I tried to nurse him the night he was born, he fell right to sleep. He had a lot of trouble latching on at all the first week. Later, the lactation consultants told me this had a lot to do with the shape of his mouth...his bottom lip was set back farther and so he had a hard time latching on. So, much of the struggle with nursing was also out of my control. It's hard to be convinced of that, though, when it's your body that makes the milk. I felt like I should be able to make it work. So many times Roman and I would sit and cry together because we were both so frustrated about it. We supplemented with formula a bit at the begnning, but he finally got the hang of nursing and I felt like things were going well. Then, we went back to see the lactation consultant, and found that he was losing weight. We were so frustrated to have to supplement again. The lactation consultants in Ames were awesome. They assured me that I was doing everything right and that I couldn't make him nurse. They told me that I wasn't letting him down by nursing and supplementing with formula. They gave me a lot of good practical advice for how to keep nursing and a lot of emotional support. To make matters worse, I had mastitis. TWICE. I was one of the lucky people to get flu symptoms with it - and, seriously, it's probably the sickest I've ever been. After the second time, my milk supply was never quite the same. I tried everything. I took herbal supplements, called Fenugreek, to try to increase my milk supply. I pumped like it was my job. I drank crazy amounts of water, and herbal teas that were supposed to help your milk supply. Nothing seemed to do the trick. So, we ended up supplementing with formula for most of the time that I nursed. I was able to nurse until Roman was 9 months old, which, considering how much we struggled, was pretty good. I would like to nurse Judah at least a year. Here's how I am going to try to make the nursing process go more smoothly:

• Nurse right away. I did this with Roman, but hopefully Judah will stay awake!
• More kangaroo care.
• No pacifier for the first 2 weeks. I didn't specify this when we were staying at the hospital when Roman was born, because I am not opposed to pacifiers. But, until Judah is nursing well, I don't want him to have two different sucking motions to learn.
• Hopefully, I will be more relaxed in general this time around, and the more relaxed mom is, the easier it is for baby to nurse.
• Pretty much, I plan to do everything I did last time, just more of it. And just pray that Judah is quick to catch on. :)

Well, I think that's all for now. I'm sure there's more that I'm not thinking of right now. Any suggestions, let me know!!

Things You Hear When You Live With Boys...

1. Joe and Tony brought home Papa Murphy's pizza and cookies tonight...YUM. I was putting Roman to bed while they were "cooking". I came out to see the oven door wide open, and both of them bent over looking in at the cookies.

Joe: "Whoah, those spread out."
Tony: "Yeah, a lot."

The cookies, for the record, were really good - just a little bit square-shaped. Tony cut them apart with the pizza cutter. :)

2. At dinner, Joe was telling Tony about a couples' group that we are in at church, Love and Respect, which is fantastic by the way! Joe was telling him that he really related to what the speaker was saying when he talked about the fact that men would rather physically die for their family than have to say "I'm sorry". I was kind of laughing about how ridiculous that sounded to me.

Tony: seriously "No, but I would really rather fight a grizzly bear."
Joe and Me: laughing hysterically
Tony: smiles and thinks about it for a while..."I think I could outrun a grizzly."

Childbirth

As I my pregnancy with Judah is progressing, I have been thinking a lot about childbirth and what that whole experience was like with Roman. Inevitably, it will be a different experience with Judah. I know that there are some things I would like to do differently, and other things that will be different because each birth just has it's own unique circumstances. It is fascinating to me to hear other women talk about their labors and deliveries because, no matter how it happens, it's life changing...and it's beautiful.

I want to tell about Roman's birth here (and Judah's later) so that I (we) can see how different and yet how amazing both were/will be. :)

Psalm 127:3-5

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

We found out I was pregnant with Roman in October of 2006. I was lucky enough to feel really great during most of my pregnancy...I wasn't sick and I genuinely loved being pregnant. We decided that I would deliver at the hospital, but with a midwife.

I loved feeling Roman move inside of me. It's such a miracle to have life within you. This is all sounding lovely isn't it?? ;) It was lovely...until about the last 2 weeks of being pregnant.

In case you didn't know, I have a phenomenal husband who made it a priority for me to stay at home with our children. So, as of June 1, 2007, I was officially a stay at home mom. My due date was June 14, so we decided I should just be done with work at the end of May. It was great to have those two weeks to rest, finish preparing our apartment for a new baby, and have some quality time with friends and family. Let's just say, though, that I started to get a little antsy. The nesting instinct had definitely set it. By the end of the first week at home, the house was spotless, all of Roman's clothes were organized and put away, I had done all of the laundry in the house, and I was ready to have a baby. To give you an idea of how neurotic I was, our vacuum was broken a the time...needed a new belt of something? I don't know - all I know is it was not picking anything up. Joe did not see this as a problem...much less an urgent matter as I kept pointing out to him. He came home one day to find me on my hands and knees picking things out of the carpet, and decided he could make the time to get it fixed. :) Seriously, I told you I was neurotic. Who does that??

The last week, I was starting to feel like I really didn't want to be pregnant any more. We tried all the "natural induction" theories...you know...eat a lot of spicy food, etc. Nothing. For some reason, I just really thought that I was going to have the baby before my due date.

June 13 came (the day before my due date) and still nothing...not even 1 contraction, no sign, whatsoever, of Braxton Hicks. Joe was taking a summer class and so we decided that, after dinner, we would go to a coffee shop and I would help him study. As we were sitting at Burgie's, (probably 7 0r 8 pm) I started feeling a lot of pressure. I didn't think too much of it, I just thought Roman must have been laying in a funny position. I excused myself to go to the restroom and realized that I was spotting a little bit. I came back to tell Joe, and we decided that we should head back home so that we could call the midwife and see what she thought and so that I could lie down and rest. My midwife told me that if I wasn't having any contractions and if I wasn't bleeding heavily, I was probably just dilating more (the day before I was already dilated to 4cm) and that it could be the beginning of labor. She recommended that I go home and try to get some sleep so that I would be rested if I did, in fact, go into labor. So, that's what I did.

Right around midnight, I started having contractions...about 1o minutes apart consistently. Of course, I was trying to rest in between them...but come on, how can you rest when you know your baby is on his way??? Sometime in the middle of the night, while I was laying there wide awake and timing contractions, I decided to take a shower and Joe finished packing our suitcase and put it in the car so we would be ready to go. We both layed back down to try to get some more rest. Joe actually slept. I did not. (This was actually a good thing because I needed him to be rested - he was my birthing coach, after all!) I laid there and thought about what Roman would look like and every once in a while I would wake Joe up to time a few contractions. Finally at about 7 am, the contractions were 5 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute each. We called and told the hospital we were on our way.

Now, I wasn't in pain at this point...just a little uncomfortable and ready to get things moving. We checked in at the hospital and around 8 am. The nurse asked me about my pain level - which was minimal at the time - and she told me (thankfully) that she wouldn't ask me about it again. I told her that I appreciated that as my desire was to have a natural, drug-free birth. My midwife came in shortly after that and told me I was dilated to 5 cm. She said that they could break my water for me and that might speed up the process of labor. So, we did that and waited. And waited...and waited. At 2:00 that afternoon I was still only dilated to 5 cm. I kept pacing the halls with Joe doing everything I could to try to speed things up...but it was just not working. So, at 2:00 they started me on an IV of pitocin. (Because a woman needs, for the health of her baby, to deliver within 24 hours of the water breaking, they often give pitocin to make contractions stronger - and hopefully speed up labor in order to avoid performing a C-section). **More on this later...

Anyway, once the pitocin started, the contractions really became difficult. I was in a lot of pain and I was doing my best to cope and remember things that we had talked about in my birthing class. To be honest, I don't even know what we did for the next, oh, NINE HOURS. That's right. Nine. Hours. Excruciating. I remember trying every position we could think of - generally, I was most comfortable standing - but keep in mind, I was going on pretty much no sleep so all I wanted to do was lay down. I did pretty well in front of my nurses, who were AMAZING by the way...I had one that stayed with us from 2 until about 7, just sitting quietly most of the time, but doing anything she could to make me more comfortable. But, poor Joe...

Since I had the IV for pitocin, he would help wheel me into the bathroom every time I needed to go. He would sit on the edge of the bath tub and talk me through the contractions. He was fantastic. The whole time...he was seriously everything I needed him to be. I would cry in the bathroom and tell him I couldn't do it anymore. He would point out how far we had come in just one day, and assure me that we were going to see Roman soon. He was so encouraging - telling me how strong I was and how I was doing the best thing for Roman.

I remember asking my nurse at one point, how long she thought it would take for me to deliver since I had the pitocin. She said "oh, I would say by late this evening. I think 9 would be the latest you would deliver." Sure. Nine o'clock definitely came and went...so did 10 and 11. I talked myself through a lot of labor by telling myself that the pain is normal, it's worth it, and it will be over soon. I would get to see my sweet baby boy!! I think the hardest part for me, was not knowing when it was going to be over.

Finally, at around 11:00 pm (23 hours into labor!) the other midwife (the first midwife left when her shift ended around 7pm) came in to check and see how dilated I was (also, checking to see how dilated you are when you are having contractions = PAIN). Anyway, I was at 9 and a half cm. I told her I wanted to push and she said that during the next contraction I could try and see if the baby's head came down any further. Thank God, it did. They started setting up for delivery.

This, for me, was the light at the end of the tunnel...this was the last stage!! I knew that after this part, the majority of the pain would be over and I would be holding my son. I actually liked pushing because I could feel the progress - I knew we were getting somewhere...namely, the end of labor :). I pushed for about 50 minutes (it seemed like 10) and finally... at 12:10 am on June 15, 2o07, Roman James entered the world. His first cry...seeing his red hair for the first time...and holding that sweet boy...the craziest part, is that it was worth all of the pain. So cliche, I know, but I would do it over everyday just to see his little face and those wide eyes looking up at me. Those precious first moments and days will not be forgotten.

It's definitely a God moment. God created this life - a combination of Joe and of me...but a unique person all his own. God's child, entrusted to our care. It's a moment when you realize what's really important in life. It's a moment when you understand the suffering of the cross and the love that Christ has for his people. Words will never, ever do it justice.

James 1:17

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights

Ultrasound

Hello friends!

First, if you haven't heard...we have picked a name for our sweet little boy...Judah Gerard. YAY! We are super excited about him. We picked Judah because it is a Biblical name. Judah was one of Jacob's sons - and therefore the patriarch of the tribe of Judah...through which the whole Messianic line came.

I wanted to share with you about our second ultrasound - it was on Tuesday and it was so nice to see Judah again. We took Roman with us this time so that he could see his brother...and he LOVED it! At the beginning of the ultrasound, Judah was still kinda sleepy - he even yawned - which totally melted my heart!! Finally he started getting a little more lively and moved around enough that we could see all of his organs and we did get some good pictures this time...which I will scan ASAP so you can see him!

Roman was very excited to hear Judah's heartbeat again and to get to see a "movie" of him. He kept saying "Watch Judah again". :) So so sweet!!!

Anyway, just wanted to give you a brief update...more soon!

Nutrition at the Pometto House

Just a heads up - this is not the most riveting post I have ever written...it is rather lenghty and super random...but it's my life.

Roman has the reputation of being sort of a picky eater...which is strange, because I am about the LEAST picky eater ever. Joe isn't really picky either, so I guess Roman is the weirdo. :) Anyway, these are his favorite foods right now - it's not that we don't feed him other things...these are just his faves. (I know - so nutritious. I'm definitely not supermom in this category...but wait until the end of the post!!)

• chicken nuggets
• cheese
• macaroni and cheese
• pizza
• chips or pretzels
• raisins
• anything sweet

Sidenote: I came home from leading my high school girls' Bible study the other night and Roman came running over to me, holding his sippy and said "POP!" Hubs got a death glare for that one. :)

Joe: "it's just a little bit of caffeine free orange pop..."

Seriously...he keeps talking about pop now. Pretty sure all the other moms were judging me when Roman asked for pop at the library last week.

Okay, now that that embarrassing list is over with...let me tell you about what he usually eats on a daily basis:

Breakfast: milk, fruit (he does LOVE fruit so we have that going for us) - usually bananas, cantaloupe, watermelon, apples, grapes, or pears. And his new favorite is clementines. ("cwementimes") and dry cereal, toast or oatmeal. Pretty balanced breakfast...not bad.

Snacks: sometimes he has needs snacks and sometimes he doesn't - usually at least a glass of juice - and if he is hungry maybe some goldfish crackers or raisins.

Lunch/Dinner: sort of depends on what he had for other meals...try to get all the food groups in there...here are a few options:

• I make him try some of whatever we are eating...but obviously when the boys in my house love jambalaya - I don't think it's fair to expect Roman to eat something so spicy. Although, he does love to yell "Jambawaya!"
• Meat: usually chicken nuggets or ground beef if it's in spaghetti or lasagna. (but, here is the good news!! This week I got him to try turkey lunch meat!! This is huge, people. I was beginning to think he was a vegetarian. I warmed it up and that seemed to do the trick. Who knew? Today at lunch he actually said "I wub turkeys"! I was so proud. :)
• Carbs: wheat crackers, pasta (usually macaroni, spaghetti, or lasagna), grilled cheese
• Dairy: milk and a cheese stick - this is a STAPLE in Roman's diet. He asks for cheese at least 5 times every day.
• Veggies: I am proud to say that Roman now eats green beans, peas, and carrots! Also, he is getting to like cucumber - he still only eats a few bites, but he does eat it. Okay, so we have a ways to go in this category, but it is improvement.
• Fruit: usually more fruit either of lunch or dinner
• Dessert: try to give him something not terrible for you - like graham crackers - usually he ends up wanting "bite" of whatever we are eating - he is a big fan of chocolate...don't know how he could have acquired that taste! :)

So, all in all, we are getting there...but if anyone has any suggestions or amazing kids' recipes, pass them my way!!

A few things aside from nutrition:

Roman's new favorite game is singing into a microphone. Our house is chock full of them, so they are pretty easy to come by. The child was born for the stage.

Roman bumped his head the other night - so we got out an icepack. Right. It's really a pointless thing to do since he can't even sit down for 5 seconds. The poor boy is destined to be black and blue for life. :) Anyway, we accidentally left it out overnight, so Roman and I were playing in the living room the next morning and he went over and picked up the now-room-temperature-pack. He looks at me, holds it up and says "broken". so so cute.

Roman loves coloring...so today we were doing just that, and I told Roman we should draw a tree.
Me: "How about a CHRISTMAS tree!?" I start drawing

Roman: messing with the crayons and watching me carefully

Me: "What color is the Christmas tree?"

Roman: "gween"

Me: "good job! What goes on top of the Christmas tree? Do you remember?"

Roman: "Hmmm...Star."

What a smart kid!

Roman loves the library. This week, one book we got is about being an astronaut...so his new words of the week - that you might hear him saying randomly while doing a puzzle are: "astwonaut", "cwew" (crew),"o-bit" (orbit), "sat-a-wite" (satellite), "Gwa-bi-dee" (gravity), "out-a space", "space miss-on"

I think that's all for now. :)

Nothing Can Hinder the LORD

Recently, I have started using a devotional book, called David: 90 Days With a Heart Like His, by Beth Moore. It has been such a blessing to me! Each day's devotion is pretty short - it's usually less than a chapter of scripture, a couple of pages of her commentary, plus some questions and space for journaling. It's been nice because I usually do my quiet time when Roman is napping -but the last few months, I have been trying to get him to have a quiet time with me...which, for a 19 month old, is a rather difficult task. Each entry in this book usually takes me about 15 minutes...which is just about right for Roman to sit and look at his Bible (and most of the time, other books or puzzles, too!) Anyway, then I can always do more when he's napping, but I also make sure that I at least have spent that amount of time with God each day.

Anyway, that was a long introduction to tell you something quite simple, yet so profound that I ran across in scripture the other day. I was reading from 1 Samuel about Jonathan and his armor carrier defeating a large group of the Philistines. Jonathan says this before they attack:

1 Samuel 14:6

"Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."

Just from this statement, we learn several things about Jonathan...

1. He is admitting that victory cannot come from their own strength and ability.

2. He is admitting that the odds are not in their favor (there are only 2 of them against a large group of Philistines).

3. He is admitting that victory is not guaranteed, but that God can, by His strength do anything with a willing vessel (or 2) :)

How would my life be different if I went into every situation with that kind of faith???

Roman Sings Veggie Tales Theme Song

If you're not familiar with Veggie Tales, they are fantastic videos for kids that teaches about Bible stories through characters that are...yes, vegetables. Roman is obsessed wtih Bob the Tomato, and actually told me the other day that he wanted to "hold Bob". Interesting.

His favorites right now actually come from a Bible Heroes set...and include "Rack, Shack, and Benny" and "Josh and the Big Wall". We actually didn't let Roman watch any TV or movies until a couple of weeks ago, when he was sick...we introduced Veggie Tales because I really trust that they are teaching him about God, and teachign him good morals...but I am sure our lives will never be the same. :)

So, just fyi...when Roman sings he is saying "If you like to waltz with potatoes, up and down the produce aisle...Have we got a show for you! Veggie Tales...broccoli, celery...gotta be...Veggie Tales" and that seems to be the stopping point. You'll notice that he really likes the word "aisle". I'm sure you would have all understood every word clearly had I not given you the lyrics...but just in case....

This one's for Lindsay...

That's right buddy, you requested more "classic Roman moments" and you're gonna get some...

I talked to Lindsay on the phone last night about posting more funny things about Roman...I don't know how, but he must have overheard because he has been putting on quite the performance in the last 24 hours. Yes, this all literally happened from then until now. Yikes.

1. Roman and I are playing blocks last night...he picks up a stack and says "four, free, two, one..." I am waiting for him to finish...looks at me and says in a sort of annoyed tone, "...say bwast off".


2. Roman is drinking milk out of his sippy while we are playing (it is about lunch time and he is getting tired, so at this point I understand that it is difficult for the child to control his emotions). He starts getting a little panicked about milk. This is how it went down:

Roman: "MILK!"

Me: (standing up to walk to the kitchen) "Do you need some more milk?"

Roman: "MORE MILK!!"

Me: (reaching into the fridge for the jug) "Roman, if you would like more milk, you need to ask nicely...say "milk please".

Roman: (in a literal break down - now there are tears and everything - he desperately yells) "IT'S ALL GONE!!!"

I did finally get him calmed down enough to say "milk please" through the sobs. Wow.


3. (This is my personal favorite) So, this morning Joe was downstairs studying for his investments test...pray, friends! It's a SIX HOUR test...he takes it next Friday! Anyway, when Roman knows that Joe is in the house, it's pretty much like torture if they are not playing. So, after a couple of hours of studying (and Roman pleading) we go downstairs to "find Daddy". He talks to Joe for a little bit - bangs on his drums a few times, and Joe offers to put in a Veggie Tales so he can at least sit with Daddy for a bit. Perfect time for me to check my e-mail, right? Let's just remember, folks, that Roman is 19 months old...and he definitely thinks (and acts like) a two year old. He must NEVER be left alone. So, I go into the computer room, and a few minutes later, I walk back out to see Joe studying and Roman missing...Veggie Tales still blaring.

Me: "Uh, Joe...where's Roman?"
Joe: "I don't know - I thought he went in to find you"

Perfect.

I walk into the bathroom to find Roman brushing his teeth...with Tony's toothbrush...in the toilet water.

Needless to say, after what seemed like hours of trying to sanitize Roman, we made a trip to the store this morning to buy Tony a new toothbrush.



Big day at the Pometto house. :)