Just the Facts About a Poop

It’s a well known (and often perplexing) fact that the topic of many conversations with my sisters and my dearest of friends centers around poop. It’s all a bit too much information for our husbands and they usually clear the room suddenly, obviously disturbed when our idle chit chat takes this inevitable turn.

So this post should simply feel like a routine conversation for most of you – but should I be actually telling you this news of the day we all know it would simply be a segway into a much deeper conversation revolving around poop and ultimately digressing into other bodily functions. But for the squeamish at heart who may be reading this I will leave you with this simple fact…

Nico pooped in the potty!

Enough said… until the next time we talk…

Dibs and Drama

A trip to the movie store turned into an insatiable craving for Dibs (bite sized, chocolate coated ice cream treats).

Hope spotted these delectables in the check out counter and her ravenous desire to devour the small tub took over. An unsuccessful argument ensued…

I would not buy the Dibs at Blockbuster for a mere fortune, but I agreed to walk next door to the grocery store and purchase a full size tub of Dibs (promising an abundance of flavors) for a fraction of the cost. And just to make it more enticing (and stop the incessant demand for Dibs NOW) I vowed to buy two tubs of Dibs.

All to no avail…

The whining and threatening intensified. Crocodile tears threatened to make an appearance and I was banned from all future birthday parties and was the recipient of multiple threats of life long silence.

But there was no silence…

The threats persisted and the drama became exaggerated: slumped shoulders, feet dragging, tears immanent, and a last dying wish for a measly (albeit costly) tub of Dibs.

Apparently Hope was not going to live to make it the mere 30 second walk to an abundant supply and multiple flavors of Dibs. Fifteen minutes of failed reasoning and futile bribes fell upon the deaf ears of my determined child.

A final dramatic plea plagued with threats and retaliation (a few mere feet from the ice cream isle in the grocery store) prompted me to recant my generous offer and firmly walk (ok, drag!) Hope out of the store, buckle her in the car, drive her home and put her in bed.

No movies, no Dibs!

I promised that you would not die if I did not buy you Dibs at Blockbuster but because you were convinced that your fragile body would surely wither away without them I offered to buy you twice the amount just a few feet away.

You threatened to cut off all communication yet you continued on and on and on demanding Dibs at Blockbuster.

Oh Baby Girl! I cannot wait until you learn the logic of reasoning. But I suppose that you cannot learn this lesson without a bit of drama. Perhaps this performance was the first step towards your understanding…

And people say that teenagers are hard to reason with… they obviously have not conversed with Hope!

Persistent and relentless my baby girl is! (I have no idea where she gets that from so I default the blame to Roger J ) When Hope finally grasps the concept of logic and reason and incorporates those skills into her manipulatives we are all in for a serious bout of trouble.

And yet I wouldn’t trade any of this for the world. I have a confident, determined daughter temporarily hell bent on Blockbuster’s Dibs.

Your persistence (once perfected), your logic (once learned), and your reasoning (once honed) will take you far. I love you more than you know baby girl – drama and all!

Baby Girl is off to Kindergarten

I simply cannot believe that my baby girl...

went off to kindergarten this week...

Hope will always be my baby girl - from newborn to toddler, off to kindergarten, middle school, high school or college - forever my baby girl!

Finally… Finleigh!

With the news of Barb’s impending induction we scurried to Seattle (on Monday).

And we waited…

We spent Barb’s birthday celebrating their last night at home without a baby.

We assembled the crib, ironed the sheets, straightened the ruffle, tied bows on the bumper and basked in all the intricate details and individual design that went into completing Baby Renker’s nursery.

And we waited…

A failed attempt to induce at the clinic sent Barb to the hospital to be induced with an alternate method (on Tuesday).

We were so excited to soon meet our niece or nephew.

And so we waited… (and drank some wine).

And waited… (and drank some more wine).

Pitocin was finally started (on Wednesday).

We were excited once again.

And then we waited…

Pitocin was stopped.

Pitocin was started.

Other methods to induce were attempted.

We went shopping at Target.

And we waited…

Pitocin was started again (on Thursday).

And we waited…

We finally saw some slow progress.

And so we settled in to wait…

But a very, very short time later we listened with our ears pressed against the door and screamed in celebration when heard the news – it’s a girl!

Finally… Finleigh Rae!

Mama and Papa are madly in love with their beautiful babe and are clearly crafting a brand new Love Story – with their daughter, Finleigh Rae, as the shining star of this enchanting tale.

To see pictures of my one and only niece click here - absolutely adorable.

My Mental Madness

Here is a recap of a typical summer day which should explain some of my mental madness.

I try desperately to arouse a sleepy teenager for football without reducing myself to threats (which we both know hold very little truth). I begin to dread the upcoming school year which requires Riley up at 6:00 a.m. for a bright and early 7:00 a.m. start. I realize I haven’t even seen the worst of this early morning routine yet. I ponder my options – allowing Riley to be late for school over and over until he finally figures out he won’t pass his freshman year by arriving two hours late every day… withholding his allowance if I have to enter his room more than twice to get him out of bed and in the shower… resigning myself to the fact that regardless this is going to be a continuous battle… and worse, realizing that I will also have to awake at the crack of dawn now and finding myself really dreading this school year altogether.

We argue over when football starts – Riley desperately trying to sneak in a few more moments of sleep while my blood begins to boil, rapidly raising my blood pressure… I have rearranged my entire work routine all summer, meticulously monitoring the ever changing football practice schedule, driving to and from work all through out the day minimizing the times Riley has to walk – all because I feel guilty that he has to walk home after 4 hours of football only to turn around again in a few short hours for his next round of daily doubles.

Yet my expertise on the practice schedule has been questioned and I no longer feel guilty but rather encouraged by the thought of actually working a full 8 hours without interruption as I resolve to make Riley find his own transportation to and from football. My guilt suddenly subsided when my expertise was doubted and I no longer feel obligated to give him a ride.

But as I drop Riley off at football (hopefully for the last time) he thanks me for the ride and then begins to chat a bit while he waits for others to arrive. He asks me if I have to stay home today with Hope because of his practice. I do (he watches Hope on Fridays except when he has practice) and he asks if he can watch her in the afternoon for me so I can get some work done.

My guilt surrounding his intense football schedule quickly returns – pumping adoration through my heart and clouding my better judgment. Ahhh, what a sweet teenager I have. I will at least see that he gets a ride home today and then I will reconsider cutting off my generosity should another early morning argument ensue.

One Last Summer Trip to the Beach

Our last summer weekend found us relaxing at the beach, enjoying some unexpected sunshine, swimming in the ocean, listening to the roar of the waves, and relishing in the salty ocean air.



To get a glimpse of our weekend click here.

I'm a Big Boy Now

Our littlest babe finally decided to pee in the toilet (twice) tonight!