Dear Rebecca,
               You had a grand time at the Doodlebops concert. If anyone ever asks you what your very first concert was you will have to tell them that back in 2007 you went and saw The Doodlebops in Louisville. We got you a concert T-shirt because if you go to a concert you have to have a concert t-shirt. That tiny toddler sized shirt cost us $25 but like I said if you go to a concert you have to have a concert t-shirt. We also bought you a Doodlebops pledge flag with a glowing ball on the end of it. That set us back another $20 but I remember how you longingly looked at the toys they sold when we went and saw Disney Princesses on Ice and I figured that it was your day and I wanted you to be the happiest girl in the world on your day. Then we went and bought you another toy from a vendor inside the concert hall; another $20 gone. We spent way too much money. I really wish we hadn't bought that second toy because your favorite from the very beginning is your pledge flag or as you call it, your Rooney stick. Rooney is a character from the Doodlebops; you may or may not remember that. Your Mom & I enjoyed watching you dance around to all of the Doodlebop songs and looking at your happy little grin but as far as entertainment for us goes regarding the show we much preferred Princesses on Ice. You watched the Doodlebops on your portable DVD player on the way up there but I think you had been Doodlebopped out by the time we came back home because you didn't want to watch it on the way back.
      We went straight to the hospital after the concert so we could visit with Aunt Mary for a little while before we came home. Your Mom went to go upstairs to the NICU to see Desaray. You and I still haven't seen her. They quit letting Mom go up to see the baby because at first they thought Desaray was your Mom's grandchild. That floored your poor young Mom that they thought her older sissy was her daughter.
      Aunt Mary got out of the hospital Wednesday afternoon and she has been staying with us for the past few days. That's why I am posting this blog from the desktop instead of the laptop. Aunt Mary is sleeping in my chair. She's sleeping in my chair because she is still very sore from the c-section. She was five weeks early so they had to cut her vertically instead of horizontally like they did with your Mom when she had you. I reckon she will stay with us until they release Desaray and they can both go home to the squalor that is Hazard Kentucky. I took Aunt Mary to the hospital yesterday morning before I went to work and she spent the whole day up there with her baby. I talked to her when I got off from work to make sure that she didn't need a ride home and she was on cloud nine because just moments earlier she had finally gotten to hold and feed Desaray. She said she just couldn't quit kissing her. I am glad that Aunt Mary finally got to hold her baby. She had Desaray Saturday morning and didn't get to hold her until Thursday afternoon. I couldn't imagine having to wait such a long time to cuddle and kiss my baby. I got to hold and kiss you just minutes after you were born and it was the most magical moment in my life.
      David, Desaray's father finally came back today. He was here for the delivery but he went back to Hazard that same day. I have to say that I just can not begin to understand what he is thinking leaving his newborn daughter who is in the NICU for almost a whole week. Aunt Mary said that she sent him back to Hazard to keep an eye on Papaw Lawrence who is still in the hospital down there. I would have told Aunt Mary that if she was so worried about her father then she should go back but I was going to be staying with my baby. I don't care if it was Papaw himself, if I had to make a choice I would choose to be with my child. My attitude had recently softened towards David but this latest incident makes me wonder what in the world he is thinking. My child would have come first, second and last in my concerns. I really just don't understand.
      The past few weeks you have been entering your terrible two stage. You have made your Mom cry on more than one occasion. You say NO to everything and you keep repeating it even after time outs and even after spankings. You will not behave to save your life. Your Mom got some results from threatening to call the Easter Bunny and telling him that you were being naughty but only marginal results and Easter is this Sunday so that ploy will not work for long. I hope you get out of this stage soon because I was torn yesterday after work because I wanted to come home and see you and Mom but I dreaded the clashes that I knew you and I would eventually have. It wasn't too bad yesterday afternoon but you did show yourself a little bit. You had better start listening to us.
      The weather has been typical for spring in Kentucky. Last weekend and earlier in the week the temperatures were in the high seventies and the sun was shining. I cut the grass for the second time this spring and treated it with some Scott's weed and feed, you played outside in shorts and short sleeves, we sat out on the front porch and blew bubbles using your vast collection of bubble wands, we grilled steaks one day and ribs the next out on the grill and basically had a grand old late spring type of time. Then the storms came. They came on the 23rd anniversary of one of the greatest storms in Kentucky history; the tornadoes of 74'. I was only six at the time but I remember the tornadoes of 74'. It was a very scary experience. Anyway, I was watching an anniversary show dealing with that big storm on channel 18 when they broke into programming telling people to take cover that there was a massive storm system on the way and the possibility of tornadoes were great. Of course I was just moments ago looking at the devastation that tornadoes could bring so I was probably a little too cautious when I packed you and Mom up and took you to Granny's house so we could ride out the storm in the basement. The storms came and went and did a little damage here and there but it was really only a typical spring storm but it did ring back the cold weather. I even heard tell of snow flakes outside of the factory yesterday afternoon.
      As I said in my last post I had been losing my internet connection quite frequently. Well, I don't know if you could say I figured out the problem but I do think I fixed it just the same. I called the cable company to see if the problem was on my end or their end. It was on my end. My connection worked perfectly when I plugged the modem directly into the desktop. I had a problem with either my ethernet cables or my router. I figured I would buy some new cables this weekend and see if that fixed my problem but first I decided to upgrade the firmware on my router. That seemed to do the trick for a little while and then I lost my connection again. I plugged the cables back into the desktop and went searching online for a solution. I found out that many people had been having trouble with the new firmware update but they had been having some luck with a third party linux firmware upgrade so I decide that I would try it. The website said that there was a minuscule chance I could break my router by using this method but the chances were so slim and the benefits of this new firmware was so great that I should go ahead and try it. I printed out the instructions and downloaded all of the stuff would need and began my task. I got through the first two steps without a hitch but then I could go no further and I couldn't go back. I had been one of the minuscule number of people who had killed their router. I had to purchase another one. I went to Best Buy yesterday and purchased a new router, or rooter as your Aunt Mary so disastrously called it and a new ethernet cable in case that was the original problem. I got home and set everything up and now things seem to be working great. I suppose I will have to give it a couple of days to make sure that it is actually fixed before I celebrate. I thought I had it fixed when I upgraded the firmware. I was feeling ten feet tall and bullet proof. Then it went down again.
      I don't know if we have mentioned this or not but your Mom resigned her position at Taylor Manor about two weeks ago. We have really enjoyed having your Mom home all of the time recently. It's been very nice. After two weeks off of her job she is ready to go back to work. She went by there the other day and told them that she could work weekends if they needed her. The head nun said that she would let their new weekend girl go and that your Mom could take over the weekend shift. They seem to like your Mom out there a whole bunch. She goes back to work next weekend. The money was tighter than we expected it to be. I had started putting 10% of my net check into the 401K while your Mom was making good money at Taylor Manor and when she quit we felt the pinch from losing that 10% and her two or three hundred dollars every two weeks. She missed her patients as well. She really likes Sister Agnes and Mother Ellen as do you. I also think she may need some time away from you & I occasionally to recharge her batteries and her patience. I know I am not going to relish getting up with you every weekend day but I'll learn to live with it. I am very proud of your Mom. I told her that I see her getting her CNA license and instead of going somewhere else and making ten to thirteen dollars an hour she will stay at Taylor Manor making eight dollars an hour but they will make it easy on her scheduling wise to go to nursing school so she can get an LPN license and then she will go to work at Taylor Manor as an LPN and then eventually she will get her RN license with a specialty in geriatric wound care and then she will be making a whole lot more money than I do. That's what I see in store for your Mom. It certainly would be nice. She likes Taylor Manor and she loves the people and the people love her and I think that's worth a whole lot plus it's right here in Versailles.
      Well, I am going to close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca and the yet to be named unborn child living in Mommy's tummy!

Dear Rebecca & Unborn Sibling
            It seems your dad is convinced that I have quit blogging all together. Maybe he thinks that because I am home now I have a buttload of time on my hands, but that is not the case. I've actually been busier than ever trying to get the house in order and taking care of you and your new puppy, Wal-Mart. It seems puppies are harder to take care of than babies. Of course I knew that, but I also knew that you desperately wanted a puppy. So I got you one. That is what I do, because I am a sucker. You've even told me, "I love you, sucker". You are such a funny little girl sometimes.
            I woke up a few minutes ago wanting to post a blog just to tell you that I am just as excited about going to see the Doodlebops as you are, I think. If for no other reason than I cannot wait to see your reaction. I know you will have a good time but I am excited about what the day holds in store.
            Daddy spelled Desaray wrong. Actually, Aunt Mary spelled Desaray wrong, as you can well see. I tried to convince her otherwise but she's letting David's mother do the spelling and well, that's what she came up with. I would not spell it that way but it is not my baby but there you have it. Desaray was born too early so she is having a hard time breathing due to the fact that her lungs are not fully developed. She is a big baby but she is immature in other ways, as in her lungs, blood glucose levels and blood pressures. They said that such things were not uncommon for diabetic mothers, but I was diabetic with you and you didn't have any of those problems. Aunt Mary was not exactly particular about taking care of herself when she was pregnant with Desaray and now I believe that she regrets it. I cried like a baby when I saw how hard it was for Desaray to breathe, her tiny body was struggling to catch air so fast. I thank my lucky stars that I was particular about taking care of myself with you and that I will be as particular about taking care of myself with this baby as well. I love you dearly I want you to know and I am hoping you have a fantastic time at the concert today. I should get some more rest so that we can all feel good for the concert in the morning.
         Mommy loves Rebecca and her unborn sibling!

Dear Becca,
            I keep losing my internet connection so I don't know when I will actually get this blog entry posted to the internet. I've been having a heck of a time with my connection the past week or so. I hope it's adelphia's problem and not mine. I really don't care to get into any big project rtying to troubleshoot and repair my internet connection. Anyway, for future reference it's six after midnight on April Fool's Day.
      It's been another busy week this week. Early in the week things were pretty normal except you had just a touch of diarrhea. Late Tuesday night your diarrhea got extremely bad and your little tail became incredibly raw. We decided that your Mom would take you to the pediatrician's office. Wednesday morning at two in the morning your Mom frantically woke me out of a sound sleep and said that you had to go to the emergency room. You came into the bedroom right after she did; you were crying and said that you were hurting and needed to go to the hospital so we went to the hospital. We really didn't find out anything at the emergency room. I called in to work Wednesday and slept while your Mom took you to your pediatrician. They ran a whole bunch of tests and gave us a bunch of instructions that were diametrically opposed to what was told to us at the emergency room. You are getting better now that we have some medicine for you.
      Aunt Mary came to Lexington Thursday and they decided to keep her here and deliver her baby this coming Wednesday. Her blood pressure was dangerously high and the baby was huge for the current stage of gestation. Your silly crazy Aunt Mary simply did not want to stay in Lexington. She wanted to go back to Hazard. Her boyfriend, David pleaded with her to stay in Lexington so his baby would be okay but for some unimaginable reason she wanted to go back to her backwater hole in the wall. All of her doctors pleaded with her to stay, your Mom called Aunt Mary and tried to reason with her and then I called her and told her that she was just being flat stupid and selfish regarding her tiny baby. She told me that what I said to to her in concert with David's concerns convinced her to stay. She immediately regretted her decision even though it was the only responsible decision she could have made.
      It turns out that she did indeed make the correct decision because at about five in the morning yesterday morning, Saturday she delivered her 8 pound 8 ounce daughter, Desiray Paige Melton via c-section. Your Mom rushed to be by her side because she was petrified. Mom stayed with her through it all. Desiray is a little early so she is still in the NICU. Your Mom has seen her a few times but you and I haven't laid our eyes on her at all as of yet. Your Mom might tell you more about it later when and if she ever puts up another blog post.
      We are going to see the Doodlebops in Louisville later today so I had better start thinking about going to bed. It's now 12:43 in the morning. Daddy loves Rebecca and his currently unborn son or daughter!

Dear Becca,
               Boy, did we ever spend too much money yesterday. Most of it was on necessary stuff but some of it was stuff we, or rather you and I wanted. I reckon that those kind of days will be over now that your Mom no longer works. Oh, by the way, your Mom no longer works at Taylor Manor. She gave her two weeks notice last week but they told her if she wanted to quit earlier on account of Papaw Lawrence being sick and Aunt Mary about to deliver her new baby, Desirée or Desirae; I really don't know which spelling Aunt Mary and David have decided on.
      Your Mom and you went grocery shopping yesterday morning while I slept. When y'all got home shortly after noon we left for Lexington. We stopped for gasoline and headed to Golden Corral where we had a really nice lunch. We then went to a cheap furniture place called American Freight because they had a twin mattress set for $78. When we got there and looked at it we were shocked at just how wafer thin the set was. We decided to go ahead and buy it and get you a better one later on down the road but they didn't have it in stock and couldn't get it until Thursday. We decided to look elsewhere. I'm glad we decided not to get it because we hated it. We then went to a place called Factory Direct Mattresses and we ended up purchasing a $200 set for you there and it was in stock. We are much happier with this mattress set. We loaded it on the trailer and noticed we wouldn't have room on it for your new bedroom suite.
      We decided to go to see the ducks and fish at Lexington Green, which was one of the things we had really been planning on for that day. You had an absolute ball. I was holding you up and you were throwing food into the water for the ducks and the fish and you looked at me with the biggest smile on your face and told me that you thought this was fun. You had been looking forward to this all day long and I am glad the experience met with your liking. We took you there a long time ago when you were just barely beginning to talk. You enjoyed it then but you had an even bigger time this time. After the ducks we went inside Joseph-Beth Booksellers and you played on a wooden train table they had set up in the children's area. You do love trains fro some unknown reason.
      We then stopped and got something to drink and then headed back home to unload the mattresses and let your puppy, Wal-Mart out to use the bathroom. We were back on the road within twenty minutes. We drove to Value City Furniture where we were supposed to pick up your new bedroom suite. We passed Toys "R" Us and you started talking about how there was toys in there and you could play with them and have fun. We told you that there was toys at Wal-Mart as well and that was where we were going after we picked up the bedroom suite. We pulled around to the loading dock and rang the bell but no one came. You and your Mom went around front and spoke with someone inside the store. It turns out that contrary to what we had been told twice earlier they did not have your bedroom suite and anyway pick-up ends at six on Saturday and it was 6:15 at that time. Your Mom was fit to be tied. She is pregnant and hormonal so she probably got justifiably snitty with them. They agreed to deliver it Wednesday and set it up free of charge and credit our checking account for the price of the rails we had purchased for your bed, $42.
      While your Mom went back into the store to finalize that deal you and I went to Toys "R" Us. You had an absolute ball in there. You saw a dollhouse and you said that you had a dollhouse. I noticed that the dollhouse you had sat next to the one you were looking at so I told you that there was your dollhouse. You informed me that it was not your dollhouse. Your dollhouse was the next one down. The one I had pointed out had an African-American family and you knew that your family was white. I didn't even notice that. You have a quick little mind. You looked at dolls, toy pianos, play kitchens, balls, electric cars, tricycles, a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse play set, toy dinosaurs, a rolling corn popper and a lot of other stuff. We decided to purchase a bubble mower for you because you do so love bubbles. We probably shouldn't have because you are already spoiled rotten. We also bought a pair of pink, purple and white tie-dyed croc type shoes for you. On the way to Wal-Mart out of the blue you said that you loved me because I bought you a bubble mower. My heart just melted. Lately you have taken to saying that Mommy is a woman, you are a little girl and I am a king. When we tuck you in at night we tell you a fairy tail with you as the star princess and if you are a princess that makes me a king. Your Mom says you will always think of me as a king; I hope she is right.
      We got to Wal-Mart and you went with Mom to pick out your comforter set for your new bed and I went off on my own. I needed a few items. I bought a new razor, a new beard trimmer because you destroyed my old beard trimmer, some razor cartridge refills, some allergy medicine, a new set of needle nose pliers, an electric meter so that next time your Papaw says he needs a meter to diagnose an electrical problem I'll have one, some spare tail lights for the Explorer, some treats for Wal-Mart and something I just wanted, a computer magazine about the new Windows operating system, Windows Vista that came on this laptop. You got your comforter set, a set of sheets, a new pair of earrings with safety backs and three new summer outfits.
      We went through the drive-thru at Popeye's Chicken because your Mom's sugar was low. Then we came home. We took the dog out again and set your bed up in your bedroom. I know you don't have your bedroom suite but we had promised you that you could sleep in your new bed last night so we sat up your mattress set on the floor. You snuggled right into your new bed and went straight to sleep.
      We all had a really great day today. You and I enjoyed having your Mom home with us on a Saturday for a change. Well, I'm gonna close out this post. And as always Daddy loves Rebecca and the yet to be named unborn child living in Mommy's tummy!

Dear Becca,
            It's been one heck of a week. As you know from your Mom's previous post your Papaw Lawrence is very sick. There for a while we all thought he wouldn't make it; he is still in very serious condition but he is doing much better. Your Papaw Lawrence has proven to be an extremely resilient man. He was nearly sliced in two as a young man when he jumped into a swimming hole and ran into a car hood that was below the water, he was shot six times almost twenty years ago, the resulting damage has nearly killed him numerous times and he has had lots of other problems that would have killed any normal man. I just think he is too ornery to kick the proverbial bucket. Anyway, as I said before, he is doing better but he remains in very grave danger.
      All of this drama began Monday afternoon when your Aunt Mary called your Mom with the news. Mom was extremely upset and wanted to rush down there to be by his side but she was afraid to make the drive by herself because it was raining throughout the state. She asked me to drive her down there. I came home and went to your Mom's work and picked her up. We packed some items for her and a few things for you because you would be spending the night with Mamaw & Papaw. I had to put air in a low tire, we got some burgers to go from McDonalds and then we hit the road. We got on the interstate around six o'clock. I must have flew down there because we arrived at Coal Ridge Road, where your Aunt Mary lives, a little after 7:30. I stayed and talked to Aunt Mary and your Mom until about 8:20 and then I headed back to Versailles so I could go to work on Tuesday. It took much longer to get back than it did to get down there because it was raining much harder and the mountain roads are pretty tricky after dark. I got home around 10:40; took a shower and got in bed by 10:55. My normal bedtime is between 9:30 and 10:00 so I knew I was going to be in trouble the next day.
      Surprisingly enough I felt really good all day at work Tuesday. I wasn't sleepy at all. I have no idea what that was all about. After work I went down to Mamaw & Papaw's where you were having a flat out ball. We decided that you would spend the night down there again Tuesday night because if you went home with me you would have had to go into daycare early the next morning. I stayed with you all afternoon long. We had beef stew that Mamaw made and then you followed the boys, Jon and Jake down the hill and you attempted to play basketball with them. They are not nearly as good at sharing as you are right now so you ended up getting frustrated and crying. I came down the hill and put you on their trampoline. You had an ever loving ball. You hopped and ran all over that trampoline. When it was finally time for you to head back up the hill to get your bath you threw a fit. I eventually got you back up the hill and I ended up giving you a bath in Mamaw & Papaw's tub. I dried you up and got you ready for bed and then we watched a cartoon on television and then Mamaw, Papaw and I took you into your very own bedroom at Mamaw & Papaw's and put you to bed. Mom called from Hazard and sang you a lullaby over the phone. BY this time it was way past your regular bedtime but you always stay up later when you are down there. That's what visiting with your grandparents is all about I reckon. As soon as I left you hopped right out of bed and snuck down the hall. Papaw saw you peering around the corner and he told you to come to him so you climbed up in his lap and watched a good piece of the Andy Griffith Show until it finally dawned on you that what you were watching wasn't a cartoon so you made him change the channel. I got home and wasn't tired at all so I ended up staying up until a little after 11:00. I knew for a fact that tomorrow was going to be a bear because I had to go back to Hazard to get your Mom.
      I woke up the next morning and climbed into the Explorer and headed to work. While I was driving your Mom called and asked me to blow off work and to come and get her right away. I told her I would leave work at lunch and go get her then. The day wasn't nearly as hard as I had imagined because I knew that I would be leaving at lunch. Eventually my lunch hour came and went and the still hadn't sent anyone to let me go home. I was getting kind of antsy by now. Eventually someone did come to relieve me twenty minutes after they should have. I was thinking of the miles I could have covered on the interstate in twenty minutes but finally I was on my way. It was smooth sailing from here on out, or so I thought. I stopped at Sonic and bought some lunch and headed across Lexington. As I was about to get onto the interstate I heard a funny noise coming from the tire that had been low the other day. I started to pull into a Shell station to check it when it blew out. I limped onto a side road next to the station and noticed that the tire was way beyond salvaging. I climbed out of the truck and went to get my jack and stuff. I had never changed the tire on the Explorer before so I had to read the directions about how to get the spare free. I eventually figured it out and got ready to change the tire. I laid down to put the jack under the truck and quickly noticed I was laying in a mud puddle. I found an old towel in the back of the truck so I laid it over the puddle and it actually worked pretty good. I began jacking up the truck and wouldn't you know it, the jack handle broke. I had to climb under the truck and jack it up using the tire tool. It was extremely slow going. After about thirty minutes of lifting the truck up one millimeter at a time I thought I had the truck high enough to change the tire. I didn't want to jack it up any higher than I absolutely had to. I pulled the shredded tire off and grabbed the spare but it wouldn't go on. It was still too low. I put the old tire back on because I didn't want to crawl under the truck with just the bottle jack protecting me from being crushed by the weight of a falling Explorer. I spent another ten minutes or so jacking up the truck some more and then I got the tire changed and that's when I noticed the spare was half flat as well. I pulled into the Shell station I had been heading for originally and put some air in the tire and finally at around one o'clock I got on the interstate. Mamaw thought it was a bad idea for me to leave work early to go get your Mom but after I had so much trouble changing the tire I am oh so glad that I did.
      I got into Hazard around 2:30 and ended up having to wait for your Mom to get back from the hospital. She eventually arrived at Aunt Mary's, where I was waiting for her and with her she had the cutest little chocolate colored puppy you ever did see. She had finally gotten you your second dog. If you recall, your fist one was killed by our neighbors dogs about three days after we got it. Actually this little puppy was your third dog. Your Mom had gotten you another one this week but it had been stolen out of Aunt Mary's car while she visited with Papaw Lawrence. That's Hazard for you. While she was visiting Papaw Lawrence he woke up a little and saw that your Mom was there for him and that made her feel much better. Your Mom cleaned up the puppy carrier and the puppy because he had pooped all over it and then we started out for home. Your Mom's blood sugar was extremely low as we cam into Jackson so we stopped at Hardees and got us a bite to eat. We finally got down to Mamaw & Papaw's at around 8:00 or so. You were extremely exited to see your puppy. I think your Mom did good with that puppy.
      We got home and you and your Mom took a shower together and you played with your new puppy for a few minutes, watched half an episode of Max & Ruby then we put you to bed. Your Mom & I watched a half hour show, I took a shower and we got in bed ourselves. It was still well after ten o'clock that we settled in for the night.
      I was really feeling the strain of running back and forth to Hazard all week and staying up well past my bedtime for three nights in a row that next morning. I went to work and trudged through it. While I was there your Mom called with the news that Aunt Mary, who had scheduled an appointment for some tests to be run at the UK Medical Center regarding her pregnancy, might deliver that Thursday night or early Friday morning in Lexington. I was kind of excited for some reason. I have no idea why. Later that night we found out that they were going to send Aunt Mary back to Hazard. I think she may have insisted that she go back to Hazard. That little backwards podunk town has some strange draw for her. Your Mom had originally intended to go down to Hazard when she did deliver but since she has been away from us so much this week I think she has decided against that. Your Aunt Mary has gestational diabetes like your Mom had with you and now has again with your unborn sibling. Your Mom was a carb nazi when she was pregnant with you and she is again now that she is pregnant again. She's the only person I know that can lose weight while they are pregnant. Anyway, I don't think Aunt Mary is taking her gestational diabetes as seriously as your Mom takes hers. When we were down there a few weeks ago she was drinking the sweet tea and sugary sodas like they were going out of style, and eating tons of bread on top of all of it. She told us that she quit taking her insulin because it took the skin of of her tongue. Your Mom thinks she is full of crap. Aunt Mary is only thirty-four weeks but is measuring at forty-two and I would have to assume that it's because she has not taken care of her diabetes. Your poor Aunt Mary is as wide as she is tall these days.
      I came home from work Thursday and sat in my chair and relaxed while your Mom fixed us all some spaghetti for supper. I at two plates full and had a big tiff with you because you are truly into your terrible twos finally. You like telling us "NO" and we don't like hearing it so you have bumped heads with your Mom and me a time or two lately. Anyway, I sat down for a few minutes after supper and checked my E-mail and surfed around a little on the internet and then went to bed at eight o'clock. Finally I got a good nights rest.
      I must have been wiped out by the week because I was still worn out all day at work on Friday. While I was trying not to fall asleep at work your Mom was busy taking care of choirs that needed to be done. She paid the taxes on the Explorer, bought a new tire for the Explorer, got the oil changed in the Explorer and shopped for a mattress for you. She had a very busy day. At the oil place they told her our brake lights weren't working. When Papaw & I got home from work he helped me fix the problem and as always when I say he helped me what I really mean is he did it while I stood back in total awe. It seems that when I my tire blew out my brake lights became loosened on one side and broken on the other. He figured all of this out without a meter and he said he couldn't do it without a meter but he did anyway.
      Later Friday evening we met Mamaw & Papaw at Sonny's Bar-B-Q and enjoyed a nice supper with them. Your Papaw really liked the ribs and you really liked the corn on the cob. Your Mom said you ate so much your belly was poking out. Of course my belly is always poking out and now so is your Mom's but she has a baby in her's I have no excuse. After supper we went and got you an ice cream. We came home and I took your puppy, that we ended up naming Wal-Mart out for potty break while you got ready for bed. It was super late for you. You fell asleep in the car on the way home. Mom got you ready for bed and Wal-Mart, your Mom and I tucked you in for the night.
      It's been a rough week but now it's over. I think Papaw Lawrence will be okay and Aunt Mary is still pregnant. You got a puppy who you love dearly and I think he feels the same way about you. You tell everyone you see about your new puppy every time you see them. I hope this dog has a very long and happy life with you. I hope he's still around when you go off to college.
      Well, I've stayed up way too late and if your Mom was to wake up I would get yelled at so I had better close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca and the yet to be named unborn child living in Mommy's tummy!

Dear Rebecca,
            Hello my little sweetie pie. Right now I am down in Hazard Kentucky without you and without Daddy. It's breaking my heart to be away from the two of you but right now Papaw Lawrence is not doing so well. Hopefully he will be alright, but it really doesn't look all that good. I hope you remember Papaw Lawrence. He sure thought the world of you; after all, you were his first granddaughter.
      I have seen a lot of my family since I've been down here, some I haven't seen in several years. I saw my Uncle Freddy and My Aunt Shirley, My nephew Bobby and his new wife. These are probably people you will never see. But it was nice to see them. Gosh Bobby has grown right up. I remember when he was little bitty. He's real cute now, and he used to be sort of an Ugly Duckling. Unlike you, who have been beautiful since the day you were born.
      Right now you are sleeping down at Mamaw's. She's taking care of you for me while I am down here. I miss you something fierce, bit I know you are having a fantastic time. You really have a wonderful time when you are down there. You love Mamaw and Papaw better than a little hoggie loves slop. I am getting really sleepy and I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and I want to be really well rested. I think I am going to go and lay down and try to get some sleep. I love you Rebecca!

Dear Becca,
            It's kinda late on a Sunday night. I didn't get the opportunity to post a blog earlier this weekend so this one may not be too long. Right now you are in bed asleep while your Mom & Dad are watching House, a show about a brilliant but incredibly obnoxious doctor.
      Thursday I went down to Mamaw & Papaw's where Mamaw was watching you. I took your kite and started flying it where you could see your kite but not me. You hollered in excited joy about your kite. You rushed outside where you saw me and there was even more excited joy. You wanted to fly it right away but first we had some supper of pigs in a blanket, baked beans and potato wedges. You didn't eat the pigs in a blanket because you told Mamaw you didn't eat pigs. We went outside and flew your kite and we both had lots of fun. On the way home we passed the new middle school where you said you were going to play football,meaning soccer when you "turned into a kid"; I asked you what you are now and you told me that you were just little. I then asked you what I was going to turn into and you said I was going to turn into a grandpa.
      Friday after work I went and picked you up at Granny's where Mamaw was watching both you and Granny. We then went to Value City Furniture and picked up our new chester drawers. You and I then picked up some supper at the Steak & Shake drive-thru. We then came home where Papaw helped me move the chester drawers into the bedroom then I did Mamaw & Papaw's taxes on Turbo Tax. Mamaw always did my taxes until I started using Turbo Tax and for the past two years I have done their taxes using my copy of Turbo Tax. I think next year they plan on buying their own copy of Turbo Tax.
      Saturday was just like any other Saturday. Mom went to work and you and I stayed here at the house. Sunday Mom was here with us and we had a reasonably nice day. The past week or so you have been resisting naps and have been a true terrible two year old. You have more or less stopped listening to your Mom and me. When you get a nap you are as good as gold but not when you skip your nap.
      Well, I'm gonna close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca and the yet to be named unborn child living in Mommy's tummy!

Dear Rebecca,
                     Right now you are playing outside while I watch you from inside the kitchen door (it's open) because I don't know how to fool with the brightness on this here laptop thingy. Daddy is good with this stuff but I am barely able to type on this tiny little keyboard. My fat fingers are everywhere. I went to the doctor today and heard the heartbeat of your new little sibling. I can't wait to find out what this baby is because i am itching to get busy on whipping this house into shape for the new arrival. There is lots to do. I hope that I am able to make it to my scheduled C-section so that I can go ahead and have plenty of time to get ready. I went into labor at a really inopportune time with you because we had just moved into our apartment.
         I heard from Aunt Mary today. She is in the hospital from complications and discomfort that comes from her pregnancy. If she would watch her blood sugar like she should she may not feel so bad. I tried to tell her that the last time we were down there (this past weekend) but I really don't think Aunt Mary listens to me very much. Papaw Lawrence is still in the hospital from his surgery and he is not doing very well from what I hear. They put him back in ICU because he has a bad infection I would like to go down there to be with the both of them but I have to work tomorrow and I really don't know what I could do for either one of them right now.
           I have an ultrasound scheduled four weeks from now so hopefully I will get to know what your new sibling is. Aunt Mary is having a girl and Alicia just had two boys, big boys. Twins. There are lots and lots of little babies coming into the world. I can't wait til ours makes it here.
            Speaking of work, I don't think I am going to be able to much longer. My belly is getting bigger and bigger and it is getting harder and harder to sit for twleve hours every Saturday. Not to mention the fact that I want to spend the last few months of this pregnancy making you feel extra special, because you are. I have taken you outside the last few days and you have really enjoyed it. Yesterday you literally danced a jig, kicked your foot up and proclaimed that it was "WARM OUTSIDE! WOOHOO!" You are an outside kind of girl. I am getting ready to bring you in because the sky is darkening and it looks like it may rain. I know you will hate that but it is time. Well, Mommy loves Rebecca! And her sibling!

Dear Becca,
            You're beginning to understand what is happening to our family. I think it's beginning to dawn on you that we will soon be joined by a tiny little newborn. Just last week we went out and purchased a new big girl bedroom suite for you. This past weekend, on our way home from Hazard you kept talking about how much you wanted to get back home to your "favorite crib" and just tonight you told me to take the laptop out of my lap so you could climb up with me so I could feed you your sippy cup. Once the baby gets here I believe you will be fine but it will take some adjusting on your part and your Mom & I will absolutely have to pay lots of attention to you and give you lots of hugs and kisses. I love you more than life itself and I can't imagine letting you feel like you're be replaced.
      Your Papaw Lawrence is doing much better according to Aunt Mary. Mom couldn't get any specific information from Aunt Mary so I can't give you specifics.
      Your Mom thought she was going to have to go back to Hazard. Aunt Mary is in the hospital herself. She might be in labor but it's too soon fro her to deliver so they will stop the labor if they have to. Your Mom couldn't get too much information out of Aunt Mary on that front either. All I know is that you will not have a younger first cousin tonight. Your Mom is going to go down there when she does deliver though.
      Today was especially nice outside and when Mom took you outside you spun around, danced and declared that it was finally Spring. Mom played with you outside for a good long while and then took you to McDonald's where you at every bit of a chicken mcnugget happy meal. I came home and found you and Mom outside blowing bubbles. Mom went inside to talk to Aunt Mary on the phone while you & I went out back and played on our swing set, talked to Idgy, the dog that lives next door and played some baseball, which you called football. All sports played with a ball are called football in your two year old world.
      I'm gonna close out this post and get something to drink. Daddy loves Rebecca and the yet to be named unborn child living in Mommy's tummy!

Dear Becca,
               I am sitting in a Super 8 hotel room in Hazard right now. The Super 8 has high speed internet service and I have a laptop. It's so cool that I can post a blog to our website clear down here in Hazard. Your Mom is lying on one of the double beds and you are lying right next to her watching a Pink Panther marathon on a channel called Boomerang. Your Mom and I had Boomerang when we had a satellite dish but we can't get it now that we have cable. Boomerang shows older cartoons with no commercials. This is the first time you have ever seen The Pink Panther and you like it a whole lot. I'm glad we finally found that because we were getting kind of sick of the new fangled cartoons on the Cartoon Network.
      Why are we in Hazard? As you know, Papaw Lawrence is very sick right now. We decided to come down here Friday morning. Your Mom had a doctor's appointment early Friday afternoon so after that we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch and headed on down to Hazard. My head was throbbing so Mom drove us down there. She did a fine job. I even managed to nap on the way for a few minutes. You watched Happy Feet, a movie about a dancing penguin on your DVD player on the way down here. I think we have finally figured out a way to set your DVD player up in the truck so that you aren't able to kick at it.
      Papaw Lawrence had his surgery Friday night and he is still in an artificial coma because of the pain he would endure if they woke him up. I suppose it could go either way with Papaw Lawrence at this point. I know that if something was to happen to your Papaw Lawrence your Mother would be extremely upset. We all hope he is okay.
      We stopped at Aunt Mary's as soon as we got down here and then went and checked into our hotel room. We like staying at the Super 8 when we are down here because it is so much better than the Days Inn and so much cheaper than the Hampton Inn. We won't even consider any other hotels around here because all they are is party spots. We decided to get two double beds because you are big enough to sleep in a regular bed now. We used to get a kingsized bed and put you in a pack and play or we would stay with Aunt Mary but we are never very comfortable at Aunt Mary's. We really like our room. We have a nice desk to set the laptop on, a fridge, a microwave, a nice big television, an ironing board and iron and a coffee pot. It's roomy and clean. I immediately logged onto the internet because I just think this is the neatest thing since sliced bread. Your Aunt Mary showed up shortly after we got here in the hotel room. You, your Mom and Aunt Mary went to the hospital to see Papaw Lawrence while I stayed here and laid down because my head was still splitting. I managed to nap a little and I felt much better when I woke up. Y'all got back to the hotel room and we all visited with Aunt Mary for awhile. She left and we went to bed. You started out lying with Mom in one of the double beds but you decided you wanted to sleep with me in the other bed so you switched and went straight to sleep. During the night you spilled some chocolate milk in the bed and woke up crying because you were trying to sleep in a big wet spot. We switched sides and you went right back to sleep while I tried to figure out how to avoid the big wet spot. Eventually we all got to sleep.
      We all woke up the next morning and had doughnuts and went to the lobby to partake in the continental breakfast offered here at the Super 8. We decided to stay another night so we could wait and see if there was any improvement in Papaw Lawrence. We went and picked up Aunt Mary and went to Ponderosa for lunch. It was absolutely terrible. I think it was terrible the last time we were down here as well but I had forgotten just how bad it was. We won't be eating there again. I have fond memories of Ponderosa from when I was a child. Mamaw, Papaw, Aunt Lynn and myself would go to the Ponderosa that used to be on Southland Drive every Friday night and then we would go grocery shopping. Anyway the Ponderosa here in Hazard doesn't compare to my memories of my childhood.
      We then all went and visited with Papaw Lawrence in the hospital. You didn't go in to see him because they threw you out of his room last night because you are too young to be in the ICU. They are a whole lot more strict about the rules and regulations here than they are in Lexington. There wasn't much improvement at all. One of the nurses told Mom that whether or not he survived would depend on how much he wanted to live.
      After the hospital we all went to the nice Wal-Mart here in Hazard and did some shopping. We bought some toiletries because we came down here with nothing. I got you two new kites; another Spongebob kite and a Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends kite with Blue on it. We also bought you a new pair of canvas sneakers, two pair of summer shorts, three summer shirts, a dress made like a set of overalls, and an outfit that included a pair of shorts, a yellow top and a pair of yellow jelly type sandals. We also got you a new blue rubber duck, some cheap cups that will not be as crappy as the one we borrowed from Papaw Lawrence's girlfriend and some bath crayons. I got a set of headphones for the laptop and iPod, some screen cleaning pads and a cheap mouse pad because my laptop mouse doesn't want to work too well on the surface of this desk. We also bought a bottle of Excedrine Sinus medicine and a bottle of Motrin for the headache that had returned.
      We came back here and visited with Aunt Mary for awhile. Then your Mom went to the Captain D's down the road and bought us all some fish. We ate and your Mom and I watched you and Aunt Mary play with each other. Eventually it was time for Aunt Mary to go back home so you and I took her back to her home while your Mom stayed here in the hotel room and took a bath. We got home and I played solitaire while you and Mom watched Pink Panther. Right now your Mom is sound asleep and you are laid out like you are the most tired little girl in the world but you are still into The Pink Panther.
      The time changes tonight so we all will lose an hour of sleep. Well, you have officially gone to sleep. I just now turned The Pink Panther off. All the lights are out and I am using the glow of the computer screen to see how to type. Oh, by the way, todays name for a boy is Marlin Lawrence Lanham and he would be called Little Marlin by the family and just marlin to all others. Of course that will most definitely change by tomorrow.
      I had better lay down as well because I have to drive back early tomorrow afternoon. So to you, unborn child of mine may I say, Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease and Daddy loves Rebecca and the yet to be named unborn child living in Mommy's tummy!

Dear Becca,
            I have felt like crapola all day long. I think I might have some type of sinus infection. I am okay early in the mornings but as the day wears on I get extremely stopped up and my head begins to hurt and the pain intensifies with every passing minute. I think I might go to the doctor and see if I can get something for it.
      I got home from work this afternoon intending on taking some sinus medication and a few tylenol and laying down for awhile. It didn't work out like that. Your Mom was very upset when I got home. Aunt Mary had called her and Papaw Lawrence was being prepped for emergency surgery. As you may or may not know, I hope you know, Papaw Lawrence has a colostomy bag. A piece of his intestines are outside of his stomach and apparently that piece died. It has been dieing for the past year but he's been afraid to get it taken care of because the last two times he's had to take care of such a problem he has come close to death. Now he has to take care of it. They are doing a five to six hour surgery even as I write this to reroute his entire intestines. It's a very risky surgery and your Mother is very worried about Papaw Lawrence. I certainly hope he comes through this, for your Mother's sake.
      She wanted to go down to Hazard this afternoon when I got home. I told her I couldn't take her because I had work tomorrow but she said she would drive herself down there and I could put you in daycare before I left for work. She decided she didn't want to drive down there by herself so she kind of freaked out when I wouldn't take her. She later apologized for overreacting but there really wasn't any need for her to do that. She cares for her father and she was worried about him. Aunt Mary is going to call us when the surgery is over and let us know how it went.
      Uncle Rodney's Dad, Butch passed away this past week. We went to the visitation yesterday, even you; your second trip to a funeral home. Your first was when Granny's sister Lila passed away. I really didn't want to take you but all of our baby sitting options were also at the visitation so we dressed you up pretty and took you with us. Oddly enough you had a good time. There was doughnuts and sandwiches in the kitchen of the funeral home and Jon, Jacob and Sissy were there and you hadn't had supper yet so you stayed in the kitchen with the boys eating. We only stayed about an hour or so.
      Butch's funeral is in West Virginia where he was born and raised Saturday. Mamaw & Papaw are driving over with Aunt Lynn and Uncle Rodney. Papaw is going to be a pallbearer. It's very sad for everyone concerned. Towards the end Butch was excited about the possibility of seeing his late wife, Carol in heaven and that's the best way to think about things like that. I really didn't know Butch all that well but I don't think he was ever truly happy since Carol passed away.
      Earlier this week you and your Mom came and picked me up from work and we had a nice little day out. We went to buy you a new big girl bed and ended up getting you an entire new bedroom suite. We want to get you into your new bed soon because the new baby will have to have your bed and we have read that it's not a good idea to move you out of your bed and the baby into it all at once because you might feel that the new baby is encroaching on your territory so we are going to get you set up in your new bed early. The bedroom suite includes a headboard but not a footboard, a dresser and mirror and a night stand. It's pink. I wonder if you have enough pink in your room. Your walls are pink, your switch plate is pink, your toy box is pink, your television is pink and just about everything else in there is either pink or trimmed in pink.
      After we bought the furniture you wanted to go to Toys "R" Us so we stopped by there for awhile. You played with a toy train set they had set up. You played for a good long while. You saw some dinosaur toys and now it seems you are into dinosaurs because you told Mom today you wanted a dinosaur for Easter. Alas, you got so heavily into looking at toys that you refused to listen to me when I called for you so you did a time out there in the store and we left. We then went to Wal-Mart and got a few odds and ends. You kept asking for stuff and because you are a spoiled child I kept saying yes. It wasn't big things you wanted though. You wanted some goldfish crackers, some child size ice cream cones and stuff like that. We came home and gave you a bath and put you down for the night.
      Today you and Mom went about some important business. First the two of you went by Taylor Manor and picked up Mom's check then to the bank to deposit it. Then y'all went by the Early Childhood Development Center, which is the Woodford County School District sponsored preschool to see about getting you into preschool. They told your Mom that they don't test a child until they are three and they have a test in August and since you will be three at that time we will have you tested then. They are going to test you for speech impediments and the like. I hate to say this but I hope they think you have one because we would get a break on tuition and I don't know if we could afford preschool at the full price. Your Mom says we will afford it because she wants you to have every opportunity possible to succeed in your education and preschool will give you a big leg up. I also want you to succeed so I reckon we will figure something out when the time comes. It'll be rough though because that's the exact time that we expect your new brother or sister to make their grand entrance onto the stage of life and we'll have us another little mouth to feed and another little but to keep in diapers. I certainly hope that you are potty trained by then though. You're doing very well in your potty training and I see no reason why you can't be nearly there by the time the baby gets here.
      After y'all checked out the school you went to Georgetown where your Mother signed up to retake her skills test to be a CNA. It's a pity she failed the first time. Her teacher in Georgetown couldn't believe she failed. As you know it wasn't your Mom's fault she failed. She was sick that day with stuffy ears and couldn't hear the heartbeat to get a proper blood pressure reading. After that Mom took you out to eat at Wendy's or burger King or somewhere like that. She had promised you that y'all were going to go to the McDonald's Playland. When you passed it you reminded her about it. She told you that you had already eaten and then you suggested that the two of you might get some ice cram. So that is exactly what the two of you did. You got ice cream at McDonald's and had a big time playing with the other kids in the Playland area.
      Your Mom is sixteen weeks pregnant with your new little baby brother or sister. Everyone seems convinced that we are having a boy. I am as well and I am very excited about that but we are having a heck of a time coming up with a boys name. We have decided on any number of names for a boy but after a day or two one of us or the other changes our mind. The last name we had decided on was Elijah and he was to be called Eli but now your Mom has had second thoughts regarding that name. I don't want a name that ends with a "Y" like my own name, Danny. I think those names are childish and no grown man wants a child's name. I don't want an unisexual name like Morgan or Robin because those simply sound gay. I want a name that sounds masculine yet classy and refined.
      Well, that's about it for today. When we first started this blog your Mom used to close out with a silly little saying. Eventually she stopped doing and I don't think that's fair to the newest part of our family so I will have to do it myself. So to you, unborn child of mine may I say, Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease and Daddy loves Rebecca and the yet to be named unborn child living in Mommy's tummy!

Dear Becca & Sibling,
                   Hello my dears how are you both doing? I know how you one of you are, one of you is in my tummy. One of you is taking nap, I think. At least I hope. Daddy is taking a nap, I know. If you are not still sleeping it is untelling what you are doing. Note: Becca, I am on the phone with Daddy. You are still sleeping. I discovered that I really liked name Joseph the other day, if the baby is a boy. I don't known what Daddy will think about it though, he wants to name the baby Ethan if it is a boy. You still want to name the baby Jack. If it is a girl we will of course, name the baby Rachel. Then we will have our Rachel and Rebecca.
      Daddy and I just remembered something we both wanted to mention in the blog last night. You asked Daddy if you could have another ice cream and he told you no. You then proceeded to come into the office where I was and ask me if you could have another ice cream, We had to get us a big laugh out of that because that is just what kids do. I of course, told you No as well. One ice cream is enough. I told Daddy that it would be the first of many times that you would do that.
      I got to see you before I left for work this morning. You woke up shortly after the alarm went off. We are going to have to think of something different with that alarm because it is so loud that it wakes you up every time. By the time the new baby comes it will be waking up the both of you.
      I had to stop this post at work because Mother was getting a little bit agitated. It was a pretty decent day all in all though. However, I missed you and Daddy terribly. I especially missed you, Becca. I was looking through all of your pictures and you were so pretty and it made me long to reach out and hold you. I hate being away from you for that long. When I go back to work after this new baby I don't know that I will signing up for any twelve hour days. That's too much time at one stretch away from Daddy, away from you, and now away from the new baby.
      I mentioned the name Joseph to Daddy and he said he does not like it. He is afraid that everyone will start to call him Joe. He asked me if I liked Tyler and I said No. I am afraid that everyone will call him Ty. We both like the name Issac a lot and I think it would be cute to have our little Rebecca and little Issac.
      I brought a pizza home from Pizza hut for us to eat for supper. You were excited to see me but the first thing you asked me was "Where's our pizza?". You knew that I was going to go out and get it and you were looking forward to it. You ate a good bit of it, too. Then you and I took a shower together and Daddy took a shower by himself in the other bathroom. We all took relatively lukewarm (well, at the end it was downright COLD) showers as Daddy was washing the whites at the same time we were bathing. We really need to get our water turned up. I am really proud of you and Daddy the both have you have been doing laundry all day and been doing a fine job of it. Daddy even picked up the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher for me. He's a good Daddy and a good husband. You're a good daughter and I love you 'to pieces, as we say.
      There were a thousand things I wanted to write to you about and I had them all in my head today, but they just disappeared when I got busy at work. Aunt Mary is coming up for a little baby shower tomorrow. You and I went out and bought her some things for the baby. After the shower I think you and Aunt Mary and I are going to go out to the mall and maybe to Gabriel Brothers. Daddy will like that, it will give him some alone time. I have to pick up shampoo and nightgowns for SIster Agnes tomorrow, so don't let me forget. Remember, Mommy Loves Rebecca! And (Namless) or Rachel!

Dear Becca,
            We had a fabulous day yesterday. I know you weren't feeling too well yesterday. I was told that you were very quiet and lethargic all day long while you were hanging out with Mamaw, Jacob and Jon. According to Mamaw you perked right up when Papaw got home from work. You do love your Papaw. Papaw dropped me off at our house before he came home. It was extremely windy yesterday and March is the month for flying kites so I went to K-Mart and bought two cheap ones and a really nice one. I took them down to Aunt Lynn & Uncle Rodney's, where everyone was at, so we could all fly kites. I walked in the door and you were very happy to see me but you really got excited about flying kites. You wanted to make them go up in the air. I bought a Barbie kite and a Spongebob kite for you and a really nice six foot kite for the boys.
      We all went out in the big field and you chased the tail of your Spongebob kite, your favorite while I tied to get it launched. Then an amazing thing happened; the kite began to rise into the sky and it kept right on rising. It rose so high that I ran out of string. I have never successfully flown a kite before in my entire life but today was different. Papaw was flying your Barbie kite and Jacob was trying to get their big one up. Jon was bugging me to let him fly the Spongebob kite since I already had it up. All the while you where laughing with glee. I eventually let Jon take the Spongebob kite and I went to see if I could help out Jacob with his kite and then another amazing thing happened. That kite took off too. I kept letting out more and more string while I tried to dodge Jon and the Spongebob kite. I had that kite even higher than the Spongebob kite because there was much more string with the more expensive one. The string reel was much fancier as well but it tended to take on a mind of its own and I ended up getting my fingernail bruised by the thing. I was in the zone though so I still kept feeding out more and more string. I might be exaggerating some but I swear I had that kite a hundred feet or more high. Then the unthinkable happened. A big gust of wind came along and snapped the line and the kite went sailing across the field. I was so disappointed by that. About the same time Jon crashed the Spongebob kite into the barb wire fence. I went to untangle the line from the fence and I asked Jon to help but he got two lines from two different kites so tangled up that both kites were more or less grounded for the day. Papaw came and helped me get the kite untangled from the fence. I had about five to ten yards of line on your kite so I sent it up again. You wanted to fly the kite so I handed it to you and let you fly it all by yourself. You did a fabulous job. You had the most adorable look of total concentration on your sweet little face. You and I had a great day of kite flying.
      I bought the kites mainly for the boys because they are going through a tough time right now. Their Grandpa, Butch, Uncle Rodney's father has cancer and has been very sick for several days. It wasn't too long ago that they lost their Grandma, Carol to the exact same form of cancer. Everyone is really tore up over it. I feel so bad for Uncle Rodney. I thought maybe the kites would be a fun little activity to kind of get their minds on something else for a brief moment. I think they had some fun. I feel bad for Allison too. She is such a good girl and is at and age now that she knows all too well what is happening and I know she must be hurting.
      Well, I have some stuff I want to take care of on the computer in the office, soon to be the nursery, so I will close out this post. And as always, Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Becca,
            Daddy pointed out that I had only written one blog this month and there have been some goings on I need to write about so I figured I would sit down and write one to you today.
You and I took a trip to your doctor today because you have been feeling puny for the last few days. On Monday I came home and your fever had gotten all the way up to 103. I figured we'd wait this out a couple of days, that it was probably just a cold and I didn't want to be looked at funny at the doctors office for rushing you up there for a little cold. I wish we had went on and went Monday now; you have the flu. The doctor had to swab your throat and you didn't like that at all. It made you gag and cough and you cried and cried. The doctor couldn't tell anything from that test so he decided to take a blood sample. I think you preferred to gag than get your finger poked and squeezed. The nurse poked your finger and you squawled and squawled. You did pretty well though for a two and a half year old and I was extremely proud of you. You informed me that you wanted Donald's for lunch, which is what you call McDonald's, and of course I said yes.
      After I called Daddy and Mamaw and told them what was going on we got into the car and headed on our way. When I pulled into the McDonald's parking lot you informed me that Mamaw took you to "Zoli's". Which is, of course, Fazoli's. I asked you where you wanted to go, McDonald's or Fazoli's, and you picked Fazoli's. So we went in and ordered a number four to share which is two pieces of pizza and a side of Spaghetti with Marinara. You chose the Spaghetti over the pizza. You really like Spaghetti. You ate a good bit of it, too. I am also sure it was easier on your little tummy than Pepperoni Pizza. We had some sugar free lemonade with our meal and you informed me that it was DEEEEE-YICOUS.
      When we got home we both went to the potty and then you settled in on the couch with some juice and a blanet to watch Lilo & Stitch. I came in here to sit down and write this blog and before long I heard you go into the bathroom again. I told you to come here and you said no, that you were going to go poo-poo. I went in and helped you down with your panties and stuff and you sat up on the potty big as the world and went poo-poo all by yourself. I was so very proud of you. Then we washed our hands and put on a new pull-up and now I hear you watching Dora and playing in the living room. We are going to have to treat you extra special while you have the flu, not like how badly we treat you now, ha-ha. You're going to be even more spoiled than usual, though, and I hope that helps you feel better. Well, Mommy loves Rebecca!

Dear Becca,
            Your Mom must have been extremely tired this evening because she went to bed at 6:30 and is still fast asleep. It was just you and I most of the evening. After work I had asked Papaw if he could stop off at Krogers for me so I could get some hot dogs and some hot dog buns. That's what we had for supper. We all watched a little television and then I gave you a bath. While you were in the bath your Mom went to bed. I got you out and dried and dressed you for bed and then you hung out on my lap playing with your Mom's hand held computer. You announced that it was your favorite. Then we watched an episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, twice and then I put you to bed. I have never known you to go to sleep so easy. You asked for a story then changed your mind and decided you wanted a lullaby instead. I sang you a Hush Little Baby, which is your favorite, gave you a kiss and a hug and told you I loved you and started to leave. The only thing you said as I left was that you would see me tomorrow and I haven't heard a word from you since.
      You haven't been feeling that well these past few days. Yesterday daycare called and said that Momma was going to have to come get you because you had a temperature of 102. It freaked your Mom out. She had Mamaw watch you while she went to work but she left early to be with you. We got you some Tylenol Multi-symptom cold medicine and some regular Tylenol chewables. They seemed to bring your temperature down a bit. I gave you one and a half chewables when I got home and the other half when I put you to bed.
      Your Mom was supposed to post a blog post today but I suppose she was just too tired. Her belly is getting bigger with your new brother or sister and her body is stretching in ways that are painful for her. Well, it's fortyfive minutes past my bedtime and I still need to take a shower so I will close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Becca,
            We all had a pretty nice weekend. Friday you & I went to get some cash from the ATM to pay the daycare for Thursday because we have ran out of checks. We stopped for automobile fuel and then we went to give the daycare their money. You thought you were going to stay and you cried and hung on to my neck with your head nestled into my chest. After we left you were fine. We then went to Wal-Mart in Lawrenceburg and got a bunch of groceries, two new summer dresses, insoles for my work shoes, and a gallon of bubbles. We went home and blew bubbles for awhile until I got too cold. You wanted to stay outside but I was cold so we went in. Mom showed up shortly thereafter and we had tomato soup and grilled cheese grilled on our George Foreman grill. You stayed up later then usual and went to bed.
      Saturday was a pretty typical Saturday. Mom went to work and I stayed home with you. Later in the day Mamaw & Papaw called and told me to look outside and there was a strange brand new Nissan Pathfinder. It looked exactly like Aunt Lynn & Uncle Rodney's new Pathfinder but it was silver. It turns out that Mamaw & Papaw had went out and bought one nearly exactly like it. You and I took a little ride in it and you announced that you liked Mamaw's new truck better than her van. I think she does too.
      Turns out that Mom got Sunday off so I stayed up late and slept in. You got up at your regular time and Mom got up with you. The weather was pretty nice this morning so she took you outside and let you ride your tricycle that Santa brought you this past Christmas and then the two of you went to the backyard. You wanted me out there too so she came and woke me up. I went outside and played with you in the backyard while Mom went the grocery store to buy stuff to fix on the grill. She came home and we had grilled burgers, chips, mac & cheese, cottage cheese and soda for lunch. You went down very easily for your nap after lunch and your Mom and I watched some television in peace. You woke up and we had a grand time with you for the rest of the day.
      Well, it's late and I have to take a shower and go to bed so I will close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Becca,
            Look at you, ain't you beautiful. That's what you said to Mom today when you came into the living room today wearing two shirts that you put on yourself. You just now came in here with your pajama bottoms on your head with the legs hanging down on each side of your head and announced that you were a bunny. Mom & I both laughed heartily. We took some pictures of you and then I told you I was going to sit down and write you a blog. You thought that was a fabulous idea. You rushed across the room and brought me one of your wooden blocks and told me you wanted me to write you that block. We've been writing all over your block with a green crayola. You are so much fun.
      Last night was kind of rough for all of us. For some strange reason you didn't want to sleep at all last night. You started out just hollering for Momma & Daddy. Momma thought maybe you would drift off to sleep if you had a movie to look at. I went into your bedroom and put on a movie for you and left. That's when you started screaming. Eventually Momma couldn't take it any longer so she went into your room and laid down on your bedroom floor and started to watch the movie with you but that didn't work either. She left and you started screaming again. We even tried to let you sleep with us but you kept trying to kick Mom's pregnant tummy and we couldn't have that so we had to put you back in your room. Eventually at around three this morning you went to sleep. Mom said you woke up around your normal time and didn't take a nap. You're a little stopped up right now but I don't see how that could cause the kind of problems we had last night. Mom said if you have another night like last night she is going to take you to see the pediatrician.
      Granny comes home from the hospital Monday. We'll get to see her a whole lot more when she does but I don't think Mamaw feels like she is ready to come home just yet. I'm hoping she will feel more at ease at her own home even though I don't think she likes it as much living in the house as much as she liked living in her own apartment.
      You're sitting on your picnic rug eating cheese slices and watching Max & Ruby on Television right now. I don't know what we would do without TiVo. We've always got your favorite shows ready to go for you. When I was growing up I only got to watch cartoons on Saturday Morning. I've told you all about the Saturday morning cartoons from years gone by. Now there's cartoons on twenty-four hours a day on three or four channels. When I was growing up we only had three channels to watch; when the weather was clear we could get four or five whereas you have access to over a hundred channels. You picked a good time to be a toddler.
      Well, I'm gonna close out this "block" now. If I can talk your Mom into it maybe this weekend we'll go get you another pair of earrings. You lost the $100 pair I got for mom that she couldn't wear and the next pair we tried irritated your ears so we had to take them out and let your ears heal. I think they look and feel fine but what does Daddy know about earring holes. I've never had my ear pierced; Papaw would have ripped it out the hard way. I hope your holes haven't closed up yet. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Becca,
            Well, it looks like the tab key is working now. I'm getting this laptop pretty well put together. I've had lots of fun doing it too. There's been some frustration but the frustration only makes success that much sweeter.
      What went on this week? Let me see. Monday, as you know I got this new laptop and on Tuesday I went out by myself after work and bought some milk and some Chinese food from Wok n' Go. I brought it home and you set up the TV tray in the kitchen and set up two chairs and you & I sat there and shared some Chinese food. It was fun.
      Wednesday was something special and not just because it was Valentines Day. There was snow in the forecast for early Wednesday morning and your Mom had an appointment with her ob/gyn; she didn't really want to try to drive in potentially treacherous conditions so she asked me to take off work and take her to her appointment. I was only too happy to because I wanted to be there for your new baby brother or sister's ultrasound. We got up that morning and sure enough the cars where covered in ice. We took you to daycare and we were on our way to the doctor's office. The roads didn't seem too bad at first but when were almost at the doctor's office we had quite a scare. I was braking at a light at the end of Lane Allen Rd. where it crosses Nicholasville Rd. and I started to slide. There were cars in front of us and I was sliding right towards them. I guided the truck toward the curb because I didn't want to hit the cars in front of us. I was going to take it up on the curb if I had to. I was also at the same time trying to get control of the vehicle. I let off the brake and started tapping lightly and I got it under control well before we came to the cars in front of us or the curb. It wasn't really that close but it certainly was scary. Your Mom told me that she felt vindicated about asking me to drive her and I have to agree. While your Mom is an excellent driver, I don't believe I would trust her in icy conditions simply because she has never driven when it was icy.
      We got to the doctor's office and went in for our ultrasound. I watched the monitor as the tech looked for your little sibling and when I saw the actual shape of a baby I hollered out in glee. It was just so amazing. As we watched our youngest child on the screen, lo and behold, he or she turned over and we could see it as plain as if she or he were laying next to us. That's something I will never forget. We found out that she was about a week farther along than we had originally been led to believe. She is now thirteen weeks pregnant. That puts her due date around August 22nd or 23rd. The doctor told us he planned on scheduling a c-section and that is usually done two weeks before the due date so that puts it around August 9th. Pretty cool, huh?
      After we got out of the doctor we went to Red Lobster for a Valentines Day lunch. We both had a very nice lunch and then we went to Staples where I purchased a tiny mouse for the new laptop and then on to Thornton's where they had a good deal on laptop carrying cases. then we came home and watched a television show and then I went to get Sissy from her orthodontist and your Mom went to pick you up from daycare.
      I forget what happened Thursday and not much happened Friday.
      We got our tax return this past Friday and now it's all gone. We gave it all to Mamaw & Papaw for things dealing with this house.
      Well, I'm going to close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Becca,
               Guess where I am sitting as I type this blog post. I am sitting in my recliner. We got our new laptop today and I am setting it up. You are on your picnic rug eating cheetos and your Mom is laying on the couch. She found out today that she has a torn tendon in her knee and she can't take painkillers because she is pregnant.
      The tab key isn't working. I'll figure it out later. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  I should be in bed already because I have to readjust to first shift. They are sending us back a week earlier than planned. I'll be glad to have my evenings with you again instead of my computer. Speaking of computers, we are expecting the laptop Monday; I'm excited!
      Gotta hit the proverbial hay before you wake up again. You haven't slept well tonight. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca & Sibling,
               Hello children. That is one huge step I just took. We have another Ultrasound Wednesday and I am still holding my breath until I see the 'sibling' on the screen. I know everything is OK but I still can't let myself breathe easy until the 3 month mark, which, by the way, is also on Wednesday. The other huge step that I took today is the fact that I bought myself a Maternity Shirt. It's pink and awfully cute. It says "Beauty, Brains, & Belly". There is another one out there I want to get on Wednesday that says "Expecting Greatness".
      Rebecca, right now you are taking a bath. You told me that I had to 'Go Away'. So I slipped around the corner to write you this blog and I keep hollering at you to say something to me and you are getting very aggravated. I can't say I blame you. If I was trying to relax in a warm bath I'd want to be left alone, too. We had a pretty good day together, you and I. When you got up this morning we spent an hour filling out your Valentine Cards and now they are all over the house. I'm going to have to gather them up. You had big fun putting the stickers on the cards. Then we got Daddy up for some lunch then we all laid down to take a nap. When Daddy got up to leave for work, He dropped his wallet out of his pocket and we had to take it to him at work and put it in his truck. We also bought him a water and a Newspaper and we were well on our way home when discovered we hadn't left the wallet in his truck after all. We got back just in time to see your dear old Dad on his break. He was glad to see us, as always. We were glad to see him too. Then we made our way home and we stopped at K-Mart to have us some dinner and pick up the aforementioned Maternity Shirt. You ate a whole hot dog (well, the weenie of it) and some fries. I had a hamburger and a few fries and the rest of your cookie, which I should not have done. I just stood there mindlessly munching after you handed me your cookie and started playing with the toys. You've had three large poo-poos today so I reckon you must have a little bug or you must have eaten something that disagreed with you. You just told me a moment ago after I had to pause this blog and get you out of the tub that your butt hurt. I would imagine it does. I put some thick lotion and powder on your bottom but I don't know how well that helped you. You don't seemed to be unable to eat though, so I am not too worried about it. You just asked me for some more dry Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. You are watching your nightly episode of Max & Ruby.
      With you, Rebecca, I craved Fried Chicken. I never really cared for Fried Chicken all that much until I got pregnant with you. Then one day we had some at church and I couldn't get enough of it. I know everybody thought I was a hog over in the corner with an entire 8-piece bucket. I didn't particularly care, though. I wanted us some fried chicken! I also used to sneak and spread peanut butter on the fried chicken. I know people with think that is gross, maybe a little weird, but not nearly as weird as this: Right now, I am craving Close-Up toothpaste. I know that I can't eat the stuff, so I just brush my teeth with it as often as I can. Also, I would love to take a big honking bite out of a bounce sheet. Yes, a bounce sheet. I think they smell good enough to eat. Of course, I didn't feel that way before I was pregnant with your sibling, Rebecca. And of course, I know better than to take any bites out of any sort of dryer sheet. The only other food I seem to want to eat is something that I really can't tolerate because of the gestational diabetes: Cereal. Cereal is chocked-full of carbohydrates. I can tolerate about a half a serving size with some milk and that's it. Any more than that and my sugar shoots to the moon. Oh well. I reckon I will have to put off my cereal cravings until after you are born, 'Sibling'. I can't wait to know what you are; I hate calling you that. Of course, after you are born, I will probably no longer crave cereal.
      Well, it's almost time for Rebecca to go to bed so I had better sign off of here for now. Mommy loves Rebecca - and her Sibling!

Dear Rebecca,
                  I'm very sorry I couldn't go with you & Mom to see Granny on her birthday. I called and wished her a happy birthday but it just wasn't the same.
      We're now in the coldest stretch of winter we have seen all year long. The roads were supposed to get bad yesterday so instead of you going to day care I took you with me to work so you could ride home with Papoo. First we stopped by Professional Optical and they said all they had to do was order me another arm for it. They put one similar on until the new one comes in so I can now wear the glasses. We walked in and even though it's been a long time since you were there you remembered that they have toys. You told me you were going to go play. While I waited for them to fix my glasses I watched you play with a Jack in the Box and big Legos. After they had my glasses fixed I told you it was time to go and for you to put the toys up and you did it without even the slightest whimper. There were other people in there and I was so proud of what a well behaved little angel you were at that moment. It wasn't that way earlier in the day. I told you it was time to come and get your shoes on and you told me no; you were playing. I hollered at you and started counting and the next thing I saw was you swinging around the corner and running up the hall as fast as your legs would take you. I really didn't like you telling me "No".
      As I was saying, when we got to the factory after we had my glasses fixed I got you our and proceeded to take the car seat out and when I turned around you were laid down in the parking lot making a snow angel. We were on the extreme far end of the lot and it was way before anyone gets off work. That's why I was comfortable turning my back on you. Still I took you over to the grass so you could make your snow angels there. You had big fun making your angels and making snow balls. You like making snow balls. You tried to do it the other day but you didn't have any mittens so your Mom put some socks on your hands but that didn't work out as well as you would have liked. We bought you some mittens the next day. I told you to wait for Papoo to come out of the factory and to throw snow balls at him. You thought that was a grand idea. It was such a funny site. Papoo cam out like with his lunch box and trudged toward his automobile like he has for the past thirty years but this time there was a little two year old girl slinging snow at him. I wish I had brought my camera. It was such a sight.
      You are spending the night with Mamaw & Papaw right now. I know that your Mom misses you but I also know she will appreciate the chance to sleep in. You told your Mom last night on the phone that you didn't want to come home, you wanted to spend the night down there and so you did. Yesterday before your Mom went to work she gave you an ice cream cone and as you were happily licking away on it I asked what you loved better, Daddy or Ice cream. You aid ice cream. I assumed you would say that about anybody so I asked you what you loved better, Momma or ice cream and you said Momma. You are a mischievous little thing. You were just teasing Daddy because I know that you love me.
      Mom had some cramping last night and it concerned her a bit. She said it hurt but there wasn't any bleeding. She seamed cool about it. I on the other hand was freaking out. SHe called her ob/gyn's office and they told her that since we have already seen a viable pregnancy in her uterus and she has had a c-section that it was more than likely her expanding uterus pressing against the scar tissue from the c-section she had with you. That made me feel so much better. I'm looking forward to being a Daddy again. I know your Mom was kind of upset that I didn't get all excited and happy when we first found out but I am certainly excited and happy now.
      Well, it's almost six in the morning and I should have already been in bed so I will close this post out. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                     Today is Granny's 90th birthday. We all went up to the hospital and stayed with her for most of the day, except for Daddy who did not go with us because he had to work. I know he wishes he could have been there, though.
                     You and I made Granny a cake for her birthday and it was a big hit. Mamaw had two store bought cakes but everyone was more impressed with your cake. You were the star of the show as usual. I think Granny had a real good birthday but like I told Mamaw, we could have all left and just left you there and that would have been perfectly fine with Granny. She only had eyes for you today. You love her dearly and she feels the same way about you. You were surprisingly well-behaved and I was really proud of you. Everyone thought you were super cute, all of the nurses and CNA's did too. You told Uncle Mike that everyone makes over you. He said he had to agree. You are so funny sometimes.
                  You got to sit up on Granny's bed and help her blow her candles out, and you also got to eat a big rose icing off of Granny's cake. She couldn't concentrate on opening her presents for staring at you. Granny loves you so much, little girl. No one got any attention from Granny today but you. You mean the world to Granny and I adore that.
                  You rode with Mamaw on the way home and well stopped at DQ for a late supper. Mamaw treated us so that was nice. You had a hot dog that you didn't eat along with some french fries that you also didn't eat and an ice cream cone treat that you also didn't eat. You also had a massive poo-poo, or what you call a "Monster Poo-Poo" at the DQ and they didn't have any changing tables. So I just had to have you bend over and wipe you over and over and over again there. Then I had to half-way wrap you up in a diaper so that I didn't have to fully undress you just to get your pull-up on. Needless to say, that was quite an excercise trying to get cleaned up, wrapped up and bundled up in a unequipped bathroom. We got on our merry way and your rode home with Mamaw and we all met up here at our humble abode. Thats when I plopped you in the bathtub to finish cleaning you up from our DQ fiasco and I noticed that you had red splotches all over your chest and back. I freaked out and called Mamaw who thought you had the measles or the chicken pox and to be honest, that's what I was thinking, too. But I called Pediatric and Associates after hours and they said they thought it was a viral rash and that you needed to stay away from other children and especially pregnant women. Well I informed her that there was no avoiding being in contact with at least one pregnant woman, which is, me.
              After your bath, I got you all dried off and lotioned up and got you some chocolate milk and you watched Max & Ruby. Then we brushed your teeth and put you to bed and you didn't have much trouble going. Before bed though I gave you a dose of benadryl because the nurse said that would be alright and she also said if you got too itchy we could rub you down with 1% hydrocotrisone cream. She doesn't seem to think that much is going to amount of it but to call her back if you get a fever or the spots get purple or blood colored. I hope they don't, but I am not sending you to daycare tomorrow just in case. I am going to send you to Papoo because he likes hanging out with you. Also, if you are contagious I really don't want any of the other kids getting it. Well little girl, I just checked my sugar and it was 120, which is perfect for two hours after a meal. I am going to go give myself my shot, have my snack and hit the hay. I am flat exhausted. Remember, Mommy (and your Great Granny) loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  Hey, little girl of mine. I am really very tired right now. I came home Friday night from work and set about playing on the computer and I really got into some serious stuff and it got later and later but I just wasn't tired at all. I ended up laying down at around 6:30 Saturday morning but I still couldn't sleep. You and your Mom woke up and she went off to work. A little later as I was fixing your breakfast she showed up took you to work with her for a couple of hours so I could get some sleep. You came back around noon. We had some lunch and watched an episode or two of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, that's a cartoon we both like about a foster home for imaginary friends owned by old Mrs. Foster. We both get a kick out of it. After we watched Foster's we both laid down for a nap. I have been so screwed up with my sleeping this weekend.
      We all went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon. You broke my glasses that I just got in December. You really shouldn't have been able to break them so easy so it really wasn't your fault. Luckily I can wear my safety glasses from work until we get my street glasses fixed or replaced. I am going to take them back to Professional Optical Tuesday and see if there's anything they can do. I really don't want to have to purchase another set of frames. I don't think that would be fair since I haven't had these glasses that long anyway.
      Your Mom and I took turns taking a nap when we got home from the grocery store while you, who needs it most because you are two, didn't nap at all yesterday. We were going to watch Super Bowl XLI together but your Mom said she was real sleepy so I told her she could stay in bed and she was very grateful. She didn't care anything about football anyway. I sat down to watch it with a bowl of the chili your Mom made for us and some Frito's Corn Chips. I watched the first ten minutes or so and then, since I was watching this on TiVo I fast forwarded through it until I saw the score change and then I would look at what happened and then run it forward again. I watched some of the Super Bowl commercials and then I got up to come in here and play on the computer. I think I am computered out this weekend. I did an overhaul of your online photo album and I deleted lots of stuff that I haven't worked on in years and never will again and I changed locations for all of my pages.
      I also purchased a new laptop computer with the new Windows Vista operating system from Dell. I'm using Windows XP on our desktop computer which is also a Dell. As I was shopping for the laptop I saw where they had a Palm Z22 for well under a hundred dollars so I purchased that as well. I think both your Mom & I both are more excited about the Palm than about the laptop. We plan on getting Pocket Quicken and American Baby pregnancy tracking software to go with it. It comes with just about everything else your Mom may need. I just checked and it has already shipped. I just hope someone is at home to pick it up when it comes in.
      Later today after I get up and get ready we are all going to see Granny. At the moment she is still at St. Joseph's but she is scheduled to go to the Cardinal Hill rehab floor at Good Samaritan Hospital where I was born. It's her 90th birthday today. Your Mom made a cake for her but it came apart so we are eating on it. I think she's going to make another one later this morning. We probably need to stop by Sav-a-lot and buy some paper plates and plastic forks. I'm sure she will have lots of visitors and I'm sure they will want to share her birthday cake.
      You will be happy to note that w.bloggar is now posting to this blog website. Before we had to go to blogger.com and do in manually. I know you don't care about this or even know what I am talking about since it's all ancient 2007 technology. I just wanted to mention it because I'm excited about it.
      I'm done. I'm going to watch some television and go to bed. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                        Tonight I got off work early so that I could go pick you up at the daycare. I was so very happy to see you because I had missed you terribly all day. All I wanted to do today was to stay home and play in the snow with you. Unfortunately my time was demanded elsewhere and I didn't get to do that. I miss you so when I am away from you, especially on days like today. You have never really seen very much snow and you were quite enthralled with it. You kept trying to eat it off the car.
                        Anyway today you went to day care and I know you had fun. When you asked where we were going this morning and I told you that I was going to the doctor you informed me that you were going to work, you were going to work at the day cae. You are funny little thing sometimes. You got to stay with Papaw and Mamaw yesterday afternoon and I know you really enjoyed that. You haven't been getting to see very much of them since Granny has been in the hospital. When they brought you home you just had to doctor them with your doctor kit. You gave Mamaw a pill and told her it was an old pill and that now she could die. We all had a big laugh out of that. I had to give Mamaw some Coffee Mate for her coffee and I told her not to get pulled over because the cops would think that powdery white stuff was something illegal. I put it in a little baggie for her.
                           When we got home today we had a supper of Mac & Cheese and Tuna, and a side of Peas. We also had some Diet V8 Splash which is pretty tasty if I do say so myself. You kept calling it your good juice. Then we played in the floor after I cleaned up the kitchen some then we got you dressed in your jammies and we cuddled under your pink blanky on the couch watching Spongebob until Daddy called. Then we got your teeth brushed and got your milk shook and made chocolate. You like to "Shake milk and make it chocate" as you say. Now you are resting quietly and I am trying to post a little blog before I lay down for the night. It will be soon because I have to work tomorrow. I just wanted you to know how much I missed you today. Mommy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  Greetings & salutations, Rebecca Lynn Lanham. Your Mom found out the other day that she had gestational diabetes. We knew she was going to get it but we were kind of surprised that it came on so soon in her pregnancy. Just like when she was pregnant with you she has become a food nazi. She must count or measure everything that goes in her mouth and nothing does go into her mouth until she has taken her glucose levels. I am very proud of the way your Mom handles herself when she is pregnant. It all goes back to the fact that she is a very good mother, even before her children are born.
      I got our taxes filed and the IRS and the KRS has already accepted both our federal and state returns respectively. The program says we should be getting our return around the ninth of this month but last year we got it about a week later than the program said we would. I expect to get our return around the fifteenth of the month. We're gonna get back $3,012 dollars. We have decided to keep the twelve dollars so we can go out and paint the town red or maybe a very pale pink on that kind of money. We have to give the rest of it to Mamaw & Papaw for taxes and insurance on our house, plus whatever is left over for emergencies that we might run into.
      Well, Not a whole lot else has happened the past few days. I'll close out this post now. Daddy loves Rebecca!