JD is doing so well with potty training. We do better with peepee than #2, but I have heard from lots of people that it is normal for them to get one and not the other right away. Sometimes he will tell us he has to go and sometimes he will just go right where he stands.
I was worried this week with him at Mrs. Jerri’s house. Sometimes they do well at home and not at daycare or visa versa, but he did well. Monday he had an accident while napping, but Tuesday and Wednesday he did wonderfully. Then I totally forgot his bag on Thursday and, yep, you guessed it, 2 accidents! UGH! Thankfully Michael brought it to her very early that morning so he wasn’t running around with nothing on his bottom!

I have found a downside to potty training that Crys warned me about but I didn’t think it was going to be as bad as it is: the SMELL OF THE BATHROOM!!! OMG!!! JD has not figured out that he can control the path of his stream yet and has just watched it arch off the toliet! So, I walked in there tonight to give him a bath after we had been gone all day and all I could smell was urine!! OH GROSS!! Those of you who know me well know that I cannot stand bodily fluids!! I will never understand why guys–of ALL ages, might I add–can’t seem to make it IN THE POTTY!!! I have cleaned many public bathrooms in my day and the men’s room is always the worst!! So, tonight, after JD went to bed I went on a cleaning spree!! I took the Clorox Cleaning Bleach spray and drowned the toliet and floor with bleach. Then I actually took a scrub brush and scrub the toliet and floor around the toliet! I bleached his little seat, the toliet bowl brush and everything within a few feet of the toliet!! Then I washed the tub and all the toys (just because they needed it, not because of pee) in bleach as well. Finally I mopped the floor. Then, once it has dried, I am going to spray it with Hard Surface Bleach Spray. So, my son’s bathroom doesn’t smell like pee now…and won’t until he wakes up tomorrow morning and misses or sprays again!! But, even with all the stinky smell, I will take it over changing diapers!!!

I thought I would add some pics of his boxer briefs! How cute that they make little boys undies to look like men’s!!! LOVE IT!!

I never thought I would say those words as much as I have said them in the last two days. Monday we started potty training. It is past time, I think, but JD doesn’t care what I think. Personally, I have always believed that if a child can tell you that he has gone poopie and needs you to change him that he should be going in the potty. Well, as all mothers know, what you thought before children will be shoved back down your throat by your own child. So, around a year and half we decided to start putting JD on the potty hoping it would encourage him to go. Well, he says no, then no again, and then no once more. So…it’s Spring Break!! And while all my friends and students are enjoying a week of “Fun in the Sun” I am sitting in the bathroom looking at pee pee and poo poo. What fun!! But, I had no plans this week, so it is the perfect time to potty train. But……..

OH LORD GRANT ME PATIENCE!!! JD is a ham. If he has someone’s attention he is going to do everything he knows how to keep you entertained. Crystal was helping me yesterday (God bless her!) and she realized that you had to leave JD in the bathroom by himself or he won’t concentrate. JD has issues concentrating on the task at hand (he is 2, you know). At this very moment JD has been in the bathroom for 10 minutes. I know he has to poopie because he has been tooting for the last hour. But, instead of going he is in there singing to himself. He doesn’t need an audience. Maybe he is enjoying the acoustics of the bathroom–don’t we all sing in the shower?

So, any advice would be greatly appreciated and needed!! Until he figures this out I will need lots of prayer for patience and extra money for the extra laundry (I guess I am saving money with no diapers, so that evens itself out). Keep praying for JD, Michael and myself and send any words of advice my way!

Until the next time…I want to see some poopie!!!!

I read a blog that I just had to share with everyone. This blog is one of my former students who is now a junior at WF. I read her blogs and I just wish I knew as much as she does when I was her age. She is so in love with God and is truly living as His daughter. To imagine this much Godly knowledge at the age of 17 is amazing. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her life. She is amazing!! Oh, and for those of you with kids, she is a great babysitter!! So, to Lauren, here’s some blog love! Seersucker and Sundresses

These are the sad words I keep hearing from JD…even in his sleep. Its 6:30 Tuesday morning. For the first time all night the hospital is quiet. All night babies cried and machines beeped while JD whined in his sleep that he wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed. It is pitiful. He is feeling so much better. He ate yesterday, wanted to get up and play and joked around with my family. He isn’t drinking as much as I wanted him to, so we had Sheriff–you know, from the movie Cars–call and tell him to drink his juice or he’d be “in a heap of trouble, boy.” (Thanks, Papa, for doing whatever you can for your grandson and doing a great impression!) It didn’t work, but we tried.

Sunday was the worst day here. Fever spiked to 104.8 after they had given him Tylenol and Motrin. He was so sick. All day he would tell me to hold him. He would put his arm around my neck and have me lay with him and just squeeze him so tight. Every time the nurses or doctors walk in he will start saying, “I want my mommy. Hold me, mommy! HOLD ME!” Once the fever finally went back around 101, he started feeling a little better.

Yesterday, Monday, he felt fine once he woke up. I knew it was going to be a good day when very early in the morning he was quoting Cars to himself. It was sweet. Not only will he quote it but he will give his opinion on the characters and what he thinks they should do next…oh, did I tell you that he WASN’T watching the movie when he was quoting and commenting? He was just randomly yelling out, “How would I look in Dinaco Blue? DINACO BLUE” (Chick Hicks) It was sweet. Yesterday consisted of him watching movies, an Easter Egg Hunt, coloring and me trying to get him to drink. Overall it was a good day. He kept trying to get off the bed and go home. He said that Cali, Michael’s cat, misses him and he needs to see her. I think he is trying to think of any reason to leave the room. Me, too!

So, I sit, awake since 5, waiting for Dr. Ed to show up. I hope he sends us home today. I don’t know much more that I can do to keep JD entertained. Thank you so much to all my friends and family for bringing him stuff he can play with and color. It really has helped waste time. I am grateful to you all. Special thanks to Pastor Crooks and Mrs. Thersea for coming by yesterday. When Pastor Crooks was here JD had just been woken up from his nap to do vitals and was not too happy about it. JD pulled his blankie over his head and hid the entire time. He was awake because he kept looking at the pastor from beneath the blanket but wouldn’t acknowledge him or speak. Sorry, Pastor. When Thersea came I had just started Cars so, of course, JD wasn’t paying a lick of attention to anything else going on around him. She brought him a super cute stuffed dog and balloon that he didn’t even look at while she was here. Though he did claim it as his whenever anyone tried to look at it after his movie was over. Thank you both for visiting yesterday. It calms my soul.

Thank you to everyone who is praying for JD. I can feel the prayers. I keep having moments where I think I am going to lose it and just cry and the Lord just lays His healing hand on my soul and I calm down. I can feel every prayer. Thank you!!!

I do ask that you pray for my family and myself in the next few days that we don’t get sick. Crystal is already feeling the pains, my stomach is not right and Michael wasn’t feeling up to par yesterday either. We girls leave for New York Friday…everything is paid for and nonrefundable. We can’t get sick!!!!!!!!

Ok…Dr. Ed just left, 6:57am (ok, doctors start WAY too early!!) and said that he wants to see how JD wakes up and will check back at lunch. Oddly enough, JD slept through us talking, so Ed wasn’t able to see or hear the title of this blog. Oh, please let us go home!!!!!!!

You would know on the most beautiful day of the year JD is too sick to move! He started throwing up at 12:30am and hasn’t stopped yet (it’s 2:30 pm as I write this). I can’t keep anything down in him. Now he has a fever and just threw up the medicine as soon as I gave it to him. My poor baby. I hate when he gets sick! It is so sad!!

So, now it is 5:30am…as I was writing the top of this post Dr. Ed called me back and said we needed to admit JD into the hospital. Ed met us up here and said that he was glad I called because this is a nasty virus. He said it last anywhere from 3-5 days and gets worse before it gets better. JD’s fever has gone up and down and as of a few minutes ago, it was 102.8. The nurse, God bless them, said it was a good thing because fever means his body is trying to fight off the infection. So, I will try not to panic as his fever creeps higher and higher. He is so lethargic it’s pitiful!! For as upbeat as JD alway is, today (or would that be yesterday?) has been sad!! He doesn’t like the IV or when the nurse checks his stats. He cries and screams and tells her to go away! He has kept down the little bit of popcicles that he has eaten and the water from the last few hours. He last threw up at 7 last night, so lets hope he keeps down everything today. I have no idea when we are going home. Ed said this was a “one-day-at-a-time thing and we would just have to see how it goes.” So, keep praying for my baby. God is listening, I know.

Thanks to everyone who has called and Facebooked (yeah, I just made that a verb). Sadly, no one is on Facebook at 5am so I am here with no one to talk to!! I will try to update as the day progresses. I have the computer here with me in the hospital, so when I get a moment I will. Thanks everyone!!

Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful organization. We are building a home for a former West Florence grad and I think it is wonderful! Friday I bet my students they couldn’t raise $200! Well, they did. So, tonight I got my hair done. Yes, I did. So, I am posting pictures for your eyes. Might want to put on sunglasses!

Ok, so I think I am getting my hair done tomorrow. Yes, blue corn-rows….OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Oh, and did I tell you that I have theater tickets for Wednesday night? Yes, that means that I will be going to the theater with blue hair. Yep, that may be the first time that has happened at the new theater!! But, like I said, it is for a good cause. My students raised almost $200 in less than a few hours. I am excited. Florence will be building a new house and the blue hair will just be a drop in the hat. Totally worth it!!

Our school is raising money for Habitat for Humanity. We need to raise almost $6000!! I came up with an idea of making paper bricks and selling them for a $1. The junior and senior class have raised a lot of money and the freshmen class, well, not so much. So 2 other teachers and I have posted a challenge. If we could raise more money then the juniors and seniors then we will have blue hair next week. Yes, blue hair. I told them I will get blue corn-rows next week. Well, I thought that wouldn’t be met…I was SO wrong! They bought almost $200 is less then an hour!!!!! So, I have to find someone to braid my hair next week. OMG! What have I gotten myself into!?!?!? I will post a picture!

I have to tell you about this weekend. My son is so romantic. I love it!!!

1. Crystal and Tim got home Thursday and we were able to see them Friday after school. Now, let me start off by saying that JD did NOT like his Kiki and Tim to be gone so long. He kept asking when he was going to see them and if they were still on the boat. So, when we got to Kiki’s house Friday he was all too excited about seeing Kiki and Tim. The whole evening he kept walking up to Crystal and kissing her hand. It was too sweet. He really loves his Kiki!!

2. When we got home Friday night, Michael had left me flowers in the kitchen for Valentine’s Day (isn’t that too sweet!!). When JD saw him he said: “Mommy, those flowers for you?” “Yes, JD.” “A present from Daddy?” “Yes.” Then he grabbed my leg, squeezed has hard as he could and said, “I love you, Mommy!” Oh, just break my heart into pieces!! I love my two men!! Isn’t that the BEST Valentine’s EVER!!!?!?

3. Saturday I told JD that we were going to see Tyner. Oh, he was too excited! He looked at me and said, “I buy Tyner flowers and give her hug?” Oh, he just steals my heart! So, yes, I bought Tyner some flowers and balloons and had JD walk them into her house. She was amazed! Then he hugged her! Oh, that was just too cute! He was so happy with himself.

Isn’t he just too romantic! I love it! I hope that it keeps up throughout the years! Wouldn’t he just be a heartbreaker!!?!

Julianne Hough’s: “My Hallelujah Song” (Click on the link to watch the video)

 ”Life is more than just how many breaths you take but moments that take your breath away…Look at me, can’t believe I finally made here, feeling like I’m where I belong, singing my hallelujah song!”

What an amazing concept. Life really is about how many moments take your breath away. What have been those moments in your past? The video show a wedding, birth, graduation and coming home from war. What are yours?

My moments, in order as I can remember them:

1. When I realized who God really was. I can remember listening to our assistant pastor and thinking, “Yeah, I get it now.” Then getting baptized. I was nine.

2. The first time I twirled in front of a crowd at Memorial Stadium here in Florence. I can remember, my chin up, facing the press box, thinking, “Yep, this is it. Wow…people are looking at me. I totally got this!” It as such an amazing feeling to be in front of a crowd. Still, to this day, it takes my breath away to perform in front of people.

3. When I first saw Michael. Honestly, my legs turned to jello and I fell down. I remember getting up and telling the girl next me: “That guys is MINE!” Took Michael awhile to figure out I was chasing him, but he finally realized it.

4. Hearing Reed cry for the first time. Allison and I were pressed against the door listening. They wouldn’t let us in the birthing room. When we heard him, we cried and cried. I just wanted to get to my sister…I knew she needed me. I have no idea if I breathed the entire time she was in labor.

5. Seeing Michael at the end of the aisle. It was my dream day. Daddy by my side, Michael in front of me, all my friends surrounding me. My wedding was perfect.

6. The first day my students walked into my room. Did I breathe that entire first year? I don’t think so…I was so scared…still am sometimes! Teaching is a huge responsiblity from God.

7. Being in the room when Addie was born. Hearing Momma say “Um, baby” and seeing her head. Addie made her entrance in a way only Addie could have.

8. Ryan…oh, how I love that kid. I have from his first day. He’s so cute!

9. When I realized I was pregnant. “Uh, Michael, do you see the second line?” Oh, my goodness. I’m pregnant!?!?! WHAT!!

10. Hearing JD’s heartbeat…can this really be happening inside of me?

11. When the doctor said that I was going to have JD in just a few moments. What?!! Oh, my…am I ready for this? I better be…it’s happening NOW!

12. Hearing JD…seeing Michael cry when he first held him…seeing JD’s furrowed brow. That is MY child! Michael saying, “Gina, that is your child. He looks just like you.”

13. Everytime I see Michael holding JD…all the love in Michael’s eyes. It is truly a breathless moment…every time.

14. Hearing JD, watching him, loving him. God, thank you so much for my child. Is he really mine? He takes my breath away everyday. Gosh, I love him.

15. Knowing that God still loves me and wants what is best for me. How? I don’t deserve this. His grace and mercy take my breath away. Can you “imagine” what you will do that day? I can’t.

What are your moments?