Would you like some cheese with that w(h)ine?

Stress usually motivates me and keeps me going, but last week it knocked me over, straddled me and mercilessly pummeled me deeper into the ground. I felt suffocated, overwhelmed, tired and emotional. I was quickly unraveling at the seams and felt like giving up.

Uncle, Uncle! Stop beating me into submission. I'm done.

Looking back, we had a lot going on to tip me over the edge. I visited with a neurosurgeon about possible back surgery which was upsetting, not because of potentially going under the knife (which is upsetting in and of itself) but because he wouldn't. My case isn't clear cut (ha!) enough and he wants to run several more tests first to get a better diagnosis. I left his office in tears, more frustrated than ever. And really wishing House actually did exist. Perhaps he could at least figure out what the hell is wrong with my broken back. (It was also frustrating since I couldn't seem to connect with my hot-shit doctor who seemed more robot than human and, I really need to connect with the guy who may be cutting into my back...)

Every single night, Jon had to work late. Extremely late. Like, not only missing dinner and putting Logan to bed and spending some quality time with me late, but crawling into bed at 4am late. Consistently. My husband was having an affair with his work and I missed him.

Logan came down with a 24-hour fever. He wasn't eating and kept waking up throughout the night. He insisted on being rocked, held and comforted. Because Jon was working late hours (see above), he barely had energy to shut off the lights before stumbling to bed. Because I was the primary caretaker and keeping the house in order each night after work, I barely had energy to lock the doors before calling it a night. (I just noticed yesterday that his lower right canine tooth may be working its way through; not sure I'm looking forward to more teething right now!)

Once Jon's work calmed down, he headed off to the gaming conference that he had planned on attending many moons ago. But, because of the rough week, late nights and feverish child, I wasn't sure I could juggle caring for Logan on my own for a full day, let alone two or three. It was the start of a long weekend and I was already losing steam.

We were also dog sitting our friends' two yellow labs, I was working both early and late hours managing two big client launches and attending an all day training.

Oh! Let's not forget about my chronic back pain. It hasn't gone away, I just don't talk about it. What's there to talk about? It's still around, nagging and annoying me in every way possible but slowly becoming a part of my "normal" life. I'm actually handling the pain fairly well, but it's mentally exhausting and can really wear you down after awhile. (It's worse when Aunt Flow visits and of course, she hit me over the head this weekend as well. Yippeee!)

But all of that was a walk in the park compared to the emotional roller coaster ride that literally turned our marriage upside down the minute Jon and I started arguing over discussing our Estate Planning questionnaire the other night (because who really wants to talk about when you die, really?). And before you know it, Jon and I had one of the larger fights of the century our relationship.

Several hours later, after we had both calmed down, we talked late into the night. We ended up talking about how stressful the last week had been for me; how hard it was on us, on our marriage. I got weepy (again). And just as I launched into specifics of my neurosurgeon visit, asking Jon "what do you think?" I heard the familiar snoring and catching of his breath.

Jon had fallen asleep.

Given the fight we had just been through and the opening up that I was doing, I suppose any normal person would have been pissed at their husband falling asleep mid-conversation. But you know what? I didn't care. I was glad we were back to talking (even if he fell asleep on me!). And, more than that, it actually felt good to get a lot of my concerns, my fears, my stress, off my chest.

I fell asleep exhausted, but smiling knowing we were already in a better state than just a few hours previously, and hey! we managed to clean out a bulk of the garage (true Spring cleaning) earlier that day which was amazing, so take THAT Mr. Stress! Maybe I'm not giving up that easily, after all.

I guess sometimes you just need a mini-breakdown to right yourself back on course.

Sumo Wrestler

Lately anytime Miss Veronica puts the girls' hair into pony tails,
several of the boys want in on the action too, Logan included. :)

Logan said COOKIE!

This morning, when Logan refused to eat anything, Bree pulled out a bag of graham crackers / cookies and asked if Logan wanted one. He nodded yes and then to both our surprise uttered the work cookie..! I have to believe this is the work of PBS and a certain blue monster.

:)

Memorial Day Weekend

Yesterday we quarantined ourselves all day due to a nasty fever Logan had caught, out of the blue (I actually noticed it late Friday night). He was hitting temps around 102 and just NOT feeling like himself. And, for about 20 of those 24 hours, he insisted on being held and rocked; nothing else would do.

It was exhausting, particularly in the middle of the night when Jon and I were zombies and Logan would fall asleep, or near asleep, and ask to be laid down in his crib. We'd thankfully oblige and then 10 minutes later he'd wake up screaming again, wanting to be held and rocked for another 45 minutes. It was a VERY long night for us all.

In any case, he woke up today as if none of that had ever happened (of course). We decided to hit our favorite breakfast joint, only to discover the wait was WAY TOO LONG. So, we went to our next favorite place, which also happens to be down the street from the Hickson's, who joined us for some wonderful company. After brunch, and some playtime back at their house, we headed home so Jon could make his way up to the city (for a gaming conference he's been wanting to attend) and I could put Logan down for his nap.

When Logan woke up from his nap, I decided the two of us would take a fun bike ride to a nearby children's store that I'd been wanting to visit for awhile but have never gotten around to it. Lakeshore Learning focuses on educational materials - and there's not much more I can say but that it was awesome. The only thing that stopped me from buying EVERYTHING was that we had biked to the store and I couldn't necessarily bring it all back home. ;-) So I limited myself to a few arts and crafts items, as well as the obligatory balls and cars that I never can leave a store without these days. Logan was in 7th Heaven and frankly, so was I.

Once we got home (it was a nice bike ride too! about 4 miles round trip), I whipped out some paper and finger paint, stripped the kid, and plunked us both down on the kitchen floor. We had fun making a mess; even Izzy got a little coloring done (he laid down right smack in the middle of our artwork, what did he expect?!). :)


After cleanup, bath, dinner and pj's, we hung out in the den for awhile - where Logan mastered walking clomping across two rooms in Mommy's big tennis shoes (he has loved wearing both of our shoes for some time now, but just tonight he actually managed to WALK in them!) and straddling poor Hunter, one of the Jodoin dogs we are dog sitting this weekend, which was hilarious (especially when Hunter finally got up to move to another room and Logan slid back on his butt with a thump).

All in all, a great Sunday and weekend play day. And boy, am I beat.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. :)

Our Counting Machine

This week has been crazy hectic - Jon's been burning the midnight oil, at both ends, with work and I've just been trying to keep my head above water, juggling my own busy work schedule and primary parenting duties this week.

In any case - I didn't get a chance to post a significant new development! I can't remember when exactly it happened, but one night this week while Logan was sitting in the bathtub (not taking a bath, he just likes to climb in there and play with his toys), I heard him COUNTING as he slapped the little foam ABCs against the side of the tub.

uun...
doo...
eee...
ore!

He got to number four, before he then started saying two over and over again (and if you say "one" he'll immediately say "two" but that's it, not "three" or "four"), so I'm not sure he knows yet what he's reciting or what it means. I get the feeling the school does a lot of counting with the kids and he's just picking up on the words, and that the sound of "two" follows the sound of "one".

But still, it was pretty amazing and tons of fun to hear him babble on his own! :) Yet another thing that we can focus on and help him to learn more and more of!

Uh oh, ¡Se Cayó!

One of the things I loved most about studying linguistics was the opportunity to peer into another culture through its use of language. Depending on how the language is used can give you an indication on how that particular society views life, relationships, norms, expectations... the list goes on and on.

I always thought it was funny that one way to say "I dropped it" in Spanish is "se cayó" which literally translates to "it fell".

You see the thought process there?

It wasn't MY fault. It was the object's fault.

Damn object. Why do you keep falling? All. On. Your. Own.

If Logan was more articulate, I'm pretty sure he would have had the same thought process, and the same excuse explanation for me, tonight.

What? I didn't throw it. I didn't even drop it, Mom.

It fell.

Bike Ride

We just got a new bike for me (a Mother's day present I guess?) partly so I could join Jon on his bike rides and partly because the child carrier we bought for Logan doesn't fit on Jon's bike.

We decided to meet Jenn/Robert and Kim/Molly at the downtown Campbell Boogie on the Bayou festival this morning - taking my new bike and Logan's seat out for a test ride.

It was friggin' hot (we're suffering thru another heat wave this weekend), even at 9:30am! But we had a blast and more importantly, Logan loved it! So much, in fact, that he got upset when the ride was over and we had to take him out. I guess that's better than him not liking the bike ride at all, right? :)

Like Mother, Like Son

Some of you may have read my mom's comment to a recent post of mine - where she described how similar Logan's actions have been to my own.

Today, Logan did one better than that Mom. He decided to do exactly what I did when I was small.

Today, he decided to stick a couple of rocks up his nose.

Yes, just like his mom.

Only, I was at least twice his age when I did it. And, I stuck up half as many as he did. So there.

His school called me this afternoon to let me know that he had stuck a couple of rocks up his nose while on the playground. They were able to get the first one out without any difficulty, but the second one was stubborn. And, my son was stubborn. Fighting the teachers the whole way (he HATES when anyone touches or picks at his nose), giggling like crazy and trying to stick the rock back up farther as they tried hard to pull it out.

*sigh*

They finally did get it out after much fanfare and for another half hour or so, his nose bled on and off (that's when his teachers finally called me).

I'm sure they wondered why I wasn't more upset or alarmed than I was. But c'mon. He was okay and it was pretty fucking funny. All I could do was laugh.

Sooooooo like his mother.


For those that are worried: I did call his doc and they weren't concerned - they said the bleeding was probably due to irritation from the rock and to just swab the inside of his nose with Neosporin, which I did, and put a cold compress on his forehead if he continued to bleed. When I left him with my dad this evening - so that I could head up to the city for another night out with Jon - he was doing just fine and the bleeding had all but stopped. :)

The Toddler's Creed

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is a stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back.
If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged.
I am toddler!

(received via one of those random email forwards and ohhhhhh so very true)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aunt Catherine sketched a drawing of a pic I posted a few months ago and gave it to me for Mother's Day this past weekend. Since this blog is basically a digital version of a baby journal/scrap book, I decided scanning it and posting it here for all to see would be the best place for it.

Thanks again Catherine! :)

17 months old

Logan has really turned a corner in speaking this last month which, for me, has been a fantastic delight. I knew once he had picked up "UH-OH" and began repeating it incessantly throughout the day, that his vocabulary would explode soon thereafter.

And I was right!

Some of the new words he's picked up and now uses pretty regularly are: juice ("ooce"), bottle ("baba"), please ("yeah" or "yeese"), thank you ("tank u"), Elmo ("ehmo"), ball ("ba"), book ("boog"), dog ("awg"), car ("gah"), balloon ("buhbuh" - or else he's saying bubble, who knows). :)

You'll notice none of these words are the words he signs for - and there is a reason for that. He still signs for "more", "milk", "help", etc. When we have tried asking him to say those words, he repeats the sign again and again as if to say: I ALREADY SAID IT! Why do you keep asking me to repeat myself?? Just hand me the damn bottle already.

So, I decided to start asking him to speak other NEW words instead. We actually started with please and thank you since I figured it can never be too early to teach the kid some manners, and that tactic proved successful. Once he started vocalizing those two words, and saw our pleased reaction, he started using more and more words with each new day. It's been super great - and we never get tired of hearing him try out yet another new word on us. :)

It's fascinating watching him grow up before our very own eyes.

Logan has also picked up a lot of speed in the last few weeks. The pitter-patter of little feet running through the house is a constant and when it's not, I'm always on the lookout for trouble that our little one has gotten himself into. He has not yet mastered jumping, but tries every chance he gets, usually stomping on top of a toy or teetering at the edge of some piece of furniture, ready to take the leap of faith.

He's still crazy about throwing anything he can get his hands onto, although now he's also interested in swinging his hands (like a golf club or bat) to hit objects (usually balls) with, and watch them soar across the room. And because that's not enough, he's recently learned how to kick, running and kicking balls at the same time, clear across an entire field front lawn! :)

Even though he is quite the tumbler, and loves to rough house with Daddy (every night before bedtime, they roll around on this huge body pillow), he is also extremely affectionate, and continues to wave hi, bye and blow kisses (even if they are sometimes open-mouthed).

He has recently become much more aware of going to the bathroom. He recognizes when he's pooping or has just finished, grabbing his crotch or tapping his diaper to let you know. And, when asked if he's just pooped or peed and needs his diaper changed? he'll tap/grab his crotch again and nod yes.

This particular development took us completely by surprise, since I didn't expect to start potty training until he was much older (I've heard/read that boys take a lot longer and usually don't start potty training until much later) and, none of the teachers at school have been teaching him or practicing the signs with him. Instead, he's just picked it up all on his own! We have yet to set him up with a little potty or pull-ups to begin practicing at home, but we'll be doing that pretty soon since it's such an exciting step forward for our growing boy. :)

Logan has really come into his own; becoming much more curious, independent (combing his own hair, brushing his own teeth and putting on his own sunscreen or lotion are just a few of his favorite things) and feisty (I have NO idea where he gets it from). Add to that his huge increase in communication and I would say that overall, I've liked this age the best so far.

Showing off a Mother's Day necklace Logan made for me at school.

Still, there are some parts of it that will leave any mother a bit empty hearted. Since, now that our big boy can do things on his own, he has started to go to bed without a bottle (still rare, but it has been known to happen) and almost always points to his crib when he's done with his bottle and ready to be laid down to fall asleep.

Which is sad for us since it wasn't too long ago that he couldn't fall asleep on his own, needing to rest his head on our chest, shoulder or cuddle in our arms before going down for the night. And those times are definitely something that we both (already) look back fondly upon.

The smile's great but we've still gotta work on him blinking during a flash. ;-)

Happy Mother's Day!

Eating Popsicles, drawing with chalk, kicking balls around and soaking
up the sun. Hope everyone is having as relaxing and enjoyable a Mama's
day as I am. :)

(If you look closely, you might be able to see the scrape across his entire forehead and nose, due to a face-plant on the sidewalk. Whoops!)

A new pool

Yesterday was a big day. We got a new pool!


Ok, so I lied. We didn't get a new pool. We don't even have a pool let alone a new one. But, we did get new water shoes, courtesy of Mr. Robert and his wonderful hand-me-down collection (thanks Jenn/Jarrod!), which were perfect for the hot weather outside yesterday.


Yesterday was an in-service day at Logan's school, which meant that Jon and I had to take shifts watching Logan while juggling work calls and emails too. Jon slept kept a close eye on Logan during the morning while I took the afternoon shift. Amazingly, Logan slept for a good part of the late morning/early afternoon (4.5 hours - a new record I think!), and because it was Friday, it was pretty quiet at work too thank goodness!

We also said our goodbyes to Uncle Kai in the morning, who packed up and headed off to LA to move into this new pad. I know he's really going to miss Logan (us too, but he and Logan were pretty good buds) so it was sad to say goodbye. I figure this will just give us an even better excuse to go down to Disneyland sooner than we really should. ;-) Good Luck Kai!

And finally, it was also my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Zafu! Logan is blowing you a kiss from afar. :)

Jon and I ended the day up in the city. We had a sitter come by to take care of Logan for the night (she was an old teacher of his) while I took the train up to the city to meet Jon and his co-workers for some pizza and the Star Trek movie. Loved it! We didn't get home until 2am, but luck was on our side and Logan slept in until 8:30am this morning, giving us that extra hour or two of much needed sleep. Yippee!

Grumpy Old Man

Yes, that is what I am. I have little patient for peddlers of false promise and hope. I am annoyed by fear mongering. But this is a classic tactic, spread the fear and then sell your brand on the future promise of eradication of said fear. And it especially pisses me off when this occurs while I am holding a hungry, tired, grumpy 17 month old in my arms. It is obvious they know no one wants to hear it, or they wouldn't start with round about questions, faulty logic, and improperly applied correlations. It would be much more honest if they would just say what they wanted, instead of beating around the bush thinking they can lead you to some universe shattering epiphany. Sorry, I'm all epiphanied out for today. Please be on your way. Perhaps I would be less cynical if they would leave when I state I have no interest in what they have to offer. I mean, I could at least write it off as someone wanting to share in what they perceive to be a great find... But when I tell them I am not interested, and lets not forget I have my hands full with a cranky little man, and they do not leave, it has gone from sharing to peddling. And it goes from peddling to cramming when I again state I am not interested, and they still don't leave. At this point I drift away for a few moments, to a scene in my minds eye where I am escorting them off my front porch with a shotgun. But the joy only lasts a few moments as I mentally snap back into the moment. I shut the door on them, they can stand where they like, but I am done being cordial.

I don't go to their home, interrupt their day, and try to peddle my particular brand of hokum down their throats. If you have not already figured out who I speak of, then here is a hint: It rhymes with Shmehova Shmitness. If this offends you, then good, take my house off your list of those to bother.

I said good day!

No more than three minutes alone...

I swear. I was out of the room for only a few minutes.

I can't even describe the panic and laughter that both hit me at the same time, the minute I saw my son shoving thousands of blueberries in his ears.

It was another one of those "What were you thinking?" moments but with a few expletives thrown in the middle.

We quickly marched off to a bath and detailed ear inspection (which he hated me for, of course) before bedtime. *sigh*

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Tonight we met with my parents and Kai for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant (La Milpa) in honor of Cinco de Mayo, but mostly to celebrate Uncle Kai's fabulous news. He just got a new job as a Pharmaceutical Engineer at McGuff Pharmaceuticals - YAY KAI!!! :)

Sadly, the company is located down in Orange County, which means this Friday Kai will be moving (back) down to LA to start his new job and new life. We will definitely miss him, but are so super excited about this new opportunity for him that it more than makes up for it. Plus, his new pad is just a hop, skip and jump away from Disneyland, so I suspect we'll be visiting him very soon. ;-)

Last week a few readers complained I didn't have enough pics of Logan and Mama Me posted on the blog. If you know Jon, you know that if you ask him to take any pictures he'll take one, or maybe two quick snapshots at most, without framing the shot or really caring if your boob is hanging out or your double chin is showing. So, I tend to be the family photographer.

In any case, last Friday morning when I picked Logan up from my parents, I decided to grab my dad's camera and take a few shots of him perched perilously on the kitchen stool, eating pears for breakfast. And, remembering the requests of some Mommy/Logan pics, I asked Uncle Kai to take a few of me and Logan.

I leaned down next to Logan and asked him if he'd give me a kiss since, what's cuter than a toddler planting a big fat wet kiss on his mommy's lips? Right?


Oh, that's right. Full on mouth to mouth action because my son hasn't quite figured out that kisses are with CLOSED lips and not attacks to your face like he's biting (or licking?) you.

Yes. That's definitely cuter.

(Click on the pics to get to the rest of the series taken that day)

Giving Birth to Boys

An excerpt from a recent Dooce post about her daughter's play date and the inevitable pile of toys that resulted.

At one point I was like, wait a minute, how did you guys manage to get this box of games down from the top of your closet, Leta? She didn't say a word and instead slowly tilted her head to the side while slyly turning up the corners of her mouth. And I knew instantly that I should just carry on with my life without being burdened by the answer to that question. I imagine that the exact same exchange happens almost every hour with women who have given birth to boys.

This is EXACTLY what I have in store for me. EXACTLY.

Typical Monday Morning

I've been scurrying around checking emails, tidying up the house and packing up the car to (finally) get out of the house this morning. Logan was quiet in our room, but I figured it was because he was so entranced by Sesame Street.

I came in the room to put on his sweater, sunblock and load him in the car, and here's what I found.


Poor little guy passed out with all the lights on and TV blaring. I understand, I'd do the same thing if I didn't have to get my ass to work and participate in a Bake for Hope bake sale today! :-P

Update: If the above weren't cute enough....

I decided to let Logan nap for a few and was working in the office when I hear some shuffling and movement on our bed. I thought perhaps Logan woke up, but DANG it's awfully quiet still. I creep into the bedroom to see how he's doing and find Lola has snuck up on the bed herself, snuggled right next to him. :)

One of these things is not like the other

I often wonder what the hell goes through my kid's head - about anything really - but usually when he puts stuff away or reorganizes things in our house.

How is this supposed to be the appropriate spot for the Clorox wipes?


Then again, it's easily accessible and right at Logan's eyesight, as opposed to hidden away and hard to reach underneath the kitchen sink. And, Mommy uses these anytime anyone in the house makes a mess (which is quite often).

So, perhaps, this is the appropriate spot after all. ;-)

Puddles and Gutters and Snails, oh my!

With rainy weather comes puddles, noisy gutters and slimy snails. All of which Logan discovered for the first time today with much glee. He loved stomping and splish-splashing in the puddles, dropping rocks into the puddles, and popping bubbles that were forming on top of the puddles. He was soaking wet but could care less. PUDDLES Mom! PUUUUUDDDDDLESSSSS!

I think we may be buying him some rain boots this weekend.

Once he got bored of the puddles, it was onto the gutters. He sat for several minutes inspecting the gutters, putting his hand up the gutter, trying to grab the water and put it back in the gutter. He tried stuffing leaves up the gutter and was annoyed when not only would they not stay in the gutter, but they'd stick to his hands too. JEEZ.


Once he saw our neighbor's house had a gutter spouting water as well, it was all mayhem up in these here parts. OHMYGOD what to do what to do what to do!! He'd run back and forth between the two gutters "catching" the running water, peering and leaning and pointing and splashing. I finally had to steer him away when he discovered he could put his foot under the gutter and - forget the puddles Mom - THIS was how you got soaking wet!


On marching back toward the house, we stumbled across several snails making their way across the front pathway. We stopped to inspect them, but the minute Logan noticed the snails quickly shrinking inside their shells (after he tried touching them), it freaked him out. He backed up, alarmed and whimpering as he hovered next to me. I picked one up to show him they were totally harmless - and that's when he decided to touch the bottom of the snail and then put his finger to his mouth. I stopped him before he got that far, but those little snails better watch out. Logan may forget about his veggie Mom and take up escargot instead.


Bath time soon followed, since he was pretty grimy from all the rainy day outdoor exploring we did. Of course, Logan is now IN LOVE with bath time (anything water-related really) and couldn't get enough of it. He loves it when I let the water stream down into the tub like a huge waterfall.


He also loves it when we turn the jets on and get the water super bubbly and loud, massaging his butt. It was tough getting him out on my own (Jon is at a Giants game with my dad tonight and wasn't around to help), but I managed, wrapping him into a little burrito like the good ol' days.


We finished the evening with a HUGE dinner (I guess splashing in rain puddles works up an appetite) and a late bedtime. He passed out in my lap before he even had a chance to kiss me good night.

Sleeping Beauty

What you can't hear from this pic is the purr-like snoring he's doing,
on our way to school this morning.

But his state is absolutely how I feel after the last couple of weeks
that have passed us by in a whirlwind of events. A couple of days ago
was Jon and my anniversary, but Logan wasn't too cooperative that
night so we never made it out to dinner as planned.

Last night, however, I dropped him off at my parents so I could take
the train up to the city to meet Jon for a dinner with his co-workers.
We had a really nice time and got home so late we decided to leave
Logan at my parent's overnight and just pick him up this morning
instead. Even with a full night's sleep, we were both still exhausted
this morning. I think we need a few more withdrawals from the sleep
bank before we're fully functional again.

This morning Logan was beautiful and jolly and all together his happy
self. I'm not sure what my parents do to him during his stays, but he
ALWAYS passes out like this afterward. It's so damn cute! :)