diaper laughs

Sammy & his Daddy have a blast during a diaper change...

Potty Time

I've been wanting to write this blog for a while but I had to get a really good picture of Sammy on the potty first.

My good friend Lindsay told me about Diaper Free Baby while I was pregnant with Sam. I secretly thought she was crazy - this would be too time consuming and besides, Hannah wasn't even potty trained yet. But after seeing the success they had with Jack and reading the actual book, I decided to give it a try. When Sammy was two months old we ordered his little Baby Bjorn Infant Potty and I started putting him on it during diaper changes. The book is really encouraging and helped me to understand Sam's "potty cues." Babies tell you when they're hungry and tired. Why can't they tell you when they have to go to the bathroom? Babies don't want to sit in their own poo and pee any more than we do!!

Sam will use his potty, an adult toilet (if we're visiting friends or out in public) and the other day he peed outside while we were hiking. He's so awesome!!

Potty time is now a family event. Hannah helps make the sign for potty while Sammy's actually using his potty and our families are learning Sam's cues so they can take him if he needs to go. It's not about 100% success, we just want him to be comfortable using the potty so that he'll choose to go when he's older and can walk. Plus it's so much fun!! He looks like a little naked buddha on his potty!!
~Heather

A Hiking We Will Go...

Apparently hiking is our new family hobby. So yesterday we went back to the same place we went last week, but this time we took the other path (the path more taken.) Even though this hike was a little harder than our previous one, it was more fun and we ended up in a beautiful spot on the Chauga River. Hannah and Bobby got in the water - I thought ahead and packed swim trunks for Bobby and a swimsuit for Hannah. Sam decided to get in though and I wasn't prepared for that so he had to swim in the buff.

Bobby found the tiniest baby frog for Hannah. She was a little nervous about holding it but loved looking at it and talked about it even after we got back home. She and I were also amazed at a huge spider web we found on the trail. It was beautifully crafted but I would hate to see the size of the spider that was the architect! I'm starting to get the hang of hiking. It's so much fun and I truly enjoy watching Hannah play and discover new things. Plus it's just us...no TV, phone, chores or any other distractions. What more could you ask for?
~Heather

The Old Man & the Thumb-sucker

My dad is outnumbered - 1 wife, 2 daughters and 3 granddaughters. We have a tendency to convene at my parents house. We're girls so we talk loudly and non-stop. After about five minutes my dad will leave and go to "the store" to hang out until he's sure we've all left.

My dad had given up hope of a grandson. We were told that Madison was going to be a boy but she "turned into a girl" after she was born. So when I was pregnant with Hannah my dad didn't want to know what we were having. But as I've previously stated, we're girls and we can't keep a secret (especially Madison). Now Hannah is Papa's buddy. And he absolutely adores her. He's forever giving her money to spend at WalMart, slipping her cookies & tubs of honey butter at Ryan's and supplying her with Cream Soda.

When I was pregnant with Sam, my dad once again didn't want to know what we were having. This time it was Bobby who spilled the beans while we were discussing the relevance of Family Restrooms. We all looked at my dad and he had this big goofy grin on his face. He's always wanted a grandson to pass his "carpenter tools, guns and trucks" to. (Like Bonnie doesn't fix things around her house and I've never shot a gun. And I know Jessie would probably love to drive a big ol' truck around Walhalla.)

Now I also want to point out before I begin this next part of my tale that my daddy is not the affectionate type. My mom has always been the one to give us kisses and hugs. My dad shows his love in other ways (giving us a house, giving money when needed, fixing things for us -he's a giver). So yesterday the kids and I went to the fireworks stand to hang out with Daddy while Bobby went on his 10 mile run. Shortly after arriving my dad took Sam and was holding him so Sam was facing the highway and could watch the cars go by. My heart melted as I watched Daddy holding Sammy - two of the three very important men in my life. Daddy was bouncing Sam on his knee and talking to him but occasionally he would gently kiss the back of Sam's little fuzzy head. I've never loved my Daddy more than I did at that moment. My dad is the affectionate type after all!

My parents can barely work their DVD player and they certainly don't own a computer (if they did I'm sure the great World Wide Web would completely blow their minds!) So I don't know if Daddy will ever read this but I just want to say : I love you Daddy and I'm so proud and blessed to have you as my Father. And you're the best Grandfather in the world!!
~Heather

The Hike

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both." --"The Road Not Taken" Robert Frost 1920

There is no delicate way to say this: Heather is not an outdoors person. But, she has told me, for the sake of her kids she would endure many hardships; pain of death, torture, dismemberment, and, worst of all, hiking. So we set out. Even before we left, we could here the thunderstorm coming. I had checked the radar before we left and assured Heather that is was nothing more than just a little rain. As we neared the place where we would begin our journey, I could see Heather nervously watching the sign for any sign of light in the sky. When we got out of the van a mere 7.5 miles from our house thunder clashes grew louder and louder. Still no lightning, though. As I saw Heather's apprehension, I asked her if she wanted to just call it off, even though I was sure we were in no danger. She was determined for the adventure to continue, for the sake of her kids. So, I strapped Hannah to my back and Heather strapped Sam onto her front and we continued. For anyone reading this wanting to see this story end in disaster, you can stop reading now. We didn't get caught in a storm or lost in the woods. We simply walked along a well defined path until we came to a point where we could see Cedar Creek; specifically a place where there was a nice waterfall and shallow pool where Hannah might swim. Getting down to the water was a bit of an adventure as it was a pretty steep hill, but we made it down safely with the kids. Heather endured it like any mom should, but like few moms would. She carefully and gracefully navigated the steep grade; not thinking about how much she might dislike hiking, but how great it was that we were doing something like this as a family. Getting into the pool of water was more difficult than I anticipated. And the water was over waste deep and freezing! I stripped Hannah down completely and then climbed down into the water. The fish constantly nibbled my toes and feet with no apparent fear of humans at all. I pulled Hannah in for about two minutes when she decided it was too cold to swim and asked to get out. She ran around on the river rocks splashing in the shallower part of the pool for about half and hour. Heather sat with her feet in the water as she fed Sam with the rushing waterfall as a backdrop. No other people around but the four of us. It was scenes like this that I dreamed of when we started our family. All of our hearts long for family; and I praise God that He has granted me such a privilege. We all redressed ourselves to the degree from which we had disrobed. I attached Hannah to Heather's back and I carried Sam in his pouch as we left. Getting up the hill proved much easier than coming down, though it took more physical effort. From a physical standpoint, I don't think I've ever been prouder of Heather. She made the hike back to the van with no problem. I briefly went down another fork in the path before catching up with Heather and Hannah, but I decided that was an adventure best left for another day. All agreed that it was fun and a good way to spend the afternoon. Could it be that Heather is becoming a mountain woman?

Our Own Nudist Colony

If someone were to stop by our house on any given day, they might think that we're running a nudist colony. Hannah apparently believes that she has to completely strip to her birthday suit before playing in her sandbox. Just the other day, Josh was here so Bobby could help him work on his car. Hannah wanted to play in her sandbox so I took outside and told her, "Hannah, you need to leave your clothes on because we have company and it's not polite to run around naked." I went back inside to start on some chores but went to the window after about five minutes to check on her. She had already taken her shorts and underpants off and was working on her shirt. I gave up. A short time later I again looked outside to check on her but couldn't see her. I went outside and found her standing (still completely naked) next to Josh, who was hunched next to his car working. He hit the nail on the head when he called Hannah "a little exhibitionist."

And in an effort to understand Samuel's "elimination communications" he will often go diaper-less for a few hours. Or if Hannah has just used the potty (again she has to strip from the waist down before using the potty) she will play for hours before getting dressed again. But it's summer and it's a lot cooler to run naked than to wear clothes. Just be grateful that the adults in our house are always fully dressed!!!
~Heather