Dear Rebecca,
                  Your Mother came home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon. She's still in a lot of pain and she's still very sad over us losing the baby, but the physical pain will eventually subside and we will learn to deal with the emotional pain of our loss.
      At this moment you are in bed, either asleep or watching Teletubbies on video. We don't normally turn on the television when you lay down because we feel like that is an incredibly bad habit to get into but tonight you were especially upset when you had to go to bed because we have visitors, Papaw Lawrence and Aunt Mary. Papaw Lawrence got out of the hospital his self and instead of heading straight back to Hazard Aunt Mary and Papaw Lawrence decided to spend the night and we are all going to go to Golden Corral for breakfast in the morning. I'm glad that Mama is getting to visit with her family because this is something she probably needs right now.
      I haven't been able to work on my yard like I would have liked since we found out about your Mama's pregnancy. It's been a nightmare. I was finally able to get it mowed Thursday but the grass clippings were all over the yard. Mom said it looked like the yard had fur. This afternoon I went down and borrowed Papaw's trailer and bagged the yard. It took me all day and was hard work. The yard looks much better now though. It's supposed to rain tonight. I hope it does because I could use the water on my poor yellow yard.
      I got up with you this morning because I didn't think your Mom was up to it this morning. When I got up I thought to myself that since it was Friday morning you could watch cartoons and then I realized that you can watch cartoons any time you want because we have cable and TiVo. When I was a wee lad all I had was three network channels and a kid only got to watch cartoons on Saturday morning. At that time and even up till today but only on a limited basis the networks aired cartoons every Saturday morning. My sister, Aunt Lynn and I would get up early and get us a big bowl of Honey Combs or Golden Grahms and settle in for a morning of Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny/ Road Runner Hour, The Pink Panther, Thundar the Barbarian, The Hanna Barbera Laugh-o-lympic, The Smurfs, Speed Buggy, Land of the Lost and a whole bunch more over the years that I can't think of right now. You live in a great time to be a kid when it comes to cartoons.
      Before I let you go I'm going to give you one little news story that came out this week. When I was growing up and going to school in the seventies and eighties we learned about the solar system and we learned that there was nine planets but this week scientists demoted every child's second favorite planet, behind Earth, to a dwarf planet. Poor old Pluto is no longer a planet and the solar system that you will some day learn about now only has eight planets. I don't know why but that made me kind of sad.
      Well, I'm gonna close out this blog. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
               Mama is still in the hospital but I think they are going to let her go home tomorrow. Dr. Youkilis told her she could go home tonight but we both thought that she might be better off spending another night in the hospital because she still has tons of pain. I still haven't mowed my yard. I really must do that tomorrow.
      This is the first day ever in your life that you haven't seen your Mother at all during the day. You seem to be taking it great though because I got to see you for a few moments in front of the house and when you thought I was going to take you out of your car seat you told me you didn't want to go with me. I know you are having a ball with Mamaw & Papaw, Aunt Lynn & Uncle Rodney and all of your cousins. I'm very grateful that we have someone we absolutely totally trust with you like Mamaw & Papaw.
      I'm closing this post now. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  As I'm sure you know from your Mom's previous posts, we lost our new little baby. The last week has been such a struggle for all of us. We had become so excited about the prospect of having another fuzzy headed little baby and then we found out that it wasn't to be so. I think that the only thing that has made this nightmare bearable is your presence. I don't think any of us really understand just what an incredible miracle you are. You may be the only child we ever have and you know what? That is perfectly okay with both your Mom and myself. Of course we would love to be able to give you a little brother or sister but if that is not in the cards then that is just fine with us because we have you.
      The nightmare still isn't over yet either. Friday your Mom had some methotrexate shots to clear out her tubes from the ectopic pregnancy which is actually a pregnancy in the tube. She was supposed to have a little pain and some bleeding but last night her pain became so sever that we had to go to the emergency room at Central Baptist. They admitted her to the hospital that night and she is having to stay for yet another night. I hope she will be able to come home tomorrow because we both miss her. Mamaw is watching you right now because I have to get up in the morning and go to work; I missed work today and stayed with your Mom in the hospital. There is a slight chance that they might have to do surgery on her and that would possibly damage her fertility and we do want to try one more time before we call it quits regarding having another child.
      Your Mom has been through so much in her short life. First of all she was raised dirt poor in one of the poorest counties in the country, there was the thing with her mother that maybe you know about, her father really couldn't be the kind of father that she really deserved after that, she had to make her way through a corrupt and uncaring foster care system, she was raped at such a young age and became pregnant with your brother, Dylan as a result of that rape; then the system took her first born child away from her at birth, she has had six pregnancies, yours and your brother, two miscarriages and now two ectopic pregnancies not to mention the things that we have been through. Your Mom has lived a hard life and you should at all times show her the proper respect due her.
      Today wasn't all bad though. We found out some great news. Aunt Mary is pregnant! I really didn't think she was ever going to get pregnant but she sure enough has. Both your Mom and myself are both so excited for her. It's also a little sad because we figured that her due date was almost exactly the same as the due date for the precious child that we have just lost. It would have been so neat for Aunt Mary and your Mom to have been pregnant together. I suppose that just means that we will love her baby just all that much more. Your Mom will have to help Aunt Mary in a lot of ways because if you don't mind my saying this, Aunt Mary seems to me to be kind of naive about the whole miracle of life concept. You may not be a big sister, yet but you are going to be a big cousin.
      Well, I'm gonna close out this post. Thank you, Rebecca for being who you are. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  From now on, at least for a little while, this blog will only be to you. As I am sure you gather from my previous post, we have not yet been blessed with the miracle of another birth. Your brother or sister was growing up in the wrong place inside Mommy's tummy. It would have gotten too big to survive and caused Mommy's tummy bad troubles and that would have been the end of both of us. So unfortunately the doctors had to stop the baby from growing any more. Mommy is very sad but you brighten her day every time I look at you.
                  Tonight we rented a movie called 'Hoodwinked' and watched it. It was a modern funny spin/spoof about Little Red Riding Hood. We really enjoyed that movie while we all ate 'Nese' (Chinese) as you call it and laughed. Then I was going to share an ice cream bar with you but you decided you wanted to eat all of it yourself. So I had to get my own. They are low carb ice cream bars and I have to say they are pretty good. Even Daddy liked them.
                    I was crying a bit in the truck today after we picked you up from Mamaw's and you piped up and said "No Cryin' Momma!" Daddy and I both thought that was the cutest thing. I know that you are too young to understand any of this but it's funny how you seem to be the only one who knows what to do or say. I know that I am blessed beyond all measure to have you in my life. I love you more than words can say; God gave me an angel the day he gave you to me. I know that I am so very, very lucky to have recieved such a gift. I never thought I would have any kids; then I got you. Someday perhaps God will send us another one.
                  It is time for you to go to bed so I will cut this short.. Remember now and Always, Mommy loves Rebecca! You have my heart, little girl. You always will.

Dear Unnamed Child,
                                          It seems that we will indeed, never know you. The doctors confirmed that you are a tubal pregnancy and had to administer methotrexate injections to us today. You don't have enough room to grow up in my tubes and eventually the tube would have ruptured and killed us both. I can't begin to describe how very sad I am about never meeting you. Your father and I were so excited about having another little baby in the house. I know that we will never know each other in this lifetime but I want you to know that you were loved beyond measure from the minute we found out you were there. And if God had seen fit to send you along you would have been loved and cherished beyond imagination. It feels so cold to have to say good-bye to my little baby that I will never know. I know that Rebecca would have loved you and treasured you just as much as we would have. I will never, ever forget about you. You will always have a place in my heart. I love you.

Dear Children,
                  We have had a scare today and we are still very scared. Mom has been having some pain on her left side. She has had an ectopic pregnancy before and she just wanted some reassurance that this pregnancy isn't ectopic as well. An ectopic pregnancy is when the egg is fertilized not in the uterus but in the fallopian tube. We went to see the doctor today and he told us that it did indeed sound like an ectopic pregnancy. There was no way for him to be able to tell for sure so early in the pregnancy so he told us to consider this as an ectopic pregnancy until we find out different. That's a hard thing to do. He's asking us to assume that we will never know our child. That is a hard pill to swallow. We are trying to stay positive about the whole situation but the fear is still great. We will not know anything until later this week or early next week, hopefully.
      Well, this was just a short note to update y'all on how things are progressing to this point. I'll close out this post now. Daddy loves Rebecca and his unnamed child!

Dear Children,
               Yesterday Mom, Dad & Rebecca went to Cici's Pizza for lunch. We had planned on going straight over to the UK Medical Center to see Papaw Lawrence but it was about an hour too early. We decided to take a little drive through downtown Lexington. We came to Triangle Park and Rebecca hollered out "Waterfall!" when she saw the fountains at the park; so we stopped to let her see them. There's a fountain right on the corner of Main & Broadway; a few little girls were splashing in it in their bathing suits and Rebecca wanted to splash too. Rebecca is spoiled so she got to splash in the fountain with her clothes on. Momma went across the street to the Civic Center Shops to buy you a wildcat outfit to wear to go see Papaw Lawrence. She bought an outfit and we put it on you after we were finished at the park and it was the crappiest piece of clothing we have ever purchased. It was stained and the silk screen writing was all screwed up. We would have taken it back but you spilled soda all over it later that day when we went to Wal-Mart where we put a hundred dollars worth of fall/winter clothes on layaway for Rebecca. We had a pretty good day yesterday.
      Momma's appointment with her baby doctor has been moved up to tomorrow. I can't say I am sorry to see that happen because I would like to see a doctor so he can tell us that everything is as it should be.
      Well, Rebecca is with Mamaw right now at the store. I went to pick her up at Granny's but she wanted to go with Mamaw. Rebecca, you should be back any minute now so I will close out this post and start fixing you some supper. You are having a hot dog, a few chips, a cheese slice, pickles, ketchup and a clementine orange. We both love those little expensive clementines. Daddy loves Rebecca and the unnamed child!

Dear Rebecca,
               Well, what do you think of your Mom's big news? Pretty exciting, huh? This was not the big announcement that I have been promising you for a little while though. That may be postponed for a year or maybe two. But hey this is even better. Wow, a second child. I am amazed. I thought we had been struck by lightening when you came because to tell you the truth I had kind of given up on being a father by the time we found out about you and now we might have a second child. That is beyond my wildest dreams.
      Like I said before, I went back to work this past week. Monday we did something we have never done before. I took you swimming at Falling Springs on a Monday after I got home from work and we both had a ball, especially me. It was hot at work Monday and I was all sticky and miserable and while the water in the pool was surprisingly warm it was such a refreshing experience. I tried to take you back Thursday. We went out there and I paid my money; you are still free until you are three, and we both got in the pool. Ten minutes later they blew the whistle for everyone to get out of the pool because a storm was coming. I should have checked the weather before heading out to the pool with you. We were both extremely disappointed. You cried on your way out of the pool and I felt like crying. We'll try to get a few more days in before the pool closes down for the summer and even after that we might go to the indoor pool. It won't be near as much fun because in the outdoor pool you can wade around and play on the jungle gym type thing they have in the pool and go down the children's slide.
      Monday you went down the slide and some little girl who was maybe four or so was trying to climb up the slide. You bumped into her good and got a fat lip out of the deal. You cried so hard and I felt so bad. That little girls mother didn't make her apologize or anything. I was livid. Eventually you cried your self out as I held you in the deeper end of the pool and you went down the slide again. I know you had to have gone down the slide twenty times at least. I was so very proud of you.

Dear Unnamed Child,
               I am your father. I can't wait to meet you. We found out about you this Wednesday. Your Mom had originally taken a test just a little while back but it was negative but she still felt she was pregnant. She paid a dollar for the original test. Just recently we have had some issues with your Mother paying a dollar for things that really should cost more, like batteries for my digital camera that last all of seven pictures. She decided to go out and spend a whole whopping five dollars on a real test and there you were on the test in all of your plus sign glory.
      Your Mother has been pregnant six times and she has two living children at this point. So, as you can see she has had a few heart breaks so if she doesn't post as much to you in the beginning it will be because she is afraid. She was the same way when we began this blog for your sister back in December of 2003. I am nervous as well. I have my hopes up and have already made a page for you on babycenter.com so we can track your development.

Dear Children,
               I'll be addressing you like this from here on out I suppose. I barely post enough now as it is; Lord knows I can't address individual posts to each of you so I reckon y'all will just have to share. Unnamed Child, your hard copy will be much thinner than Becca's and that is because she takes up so much of our time so we can't post like we did when it was just Momma & Daddy; So blame her.
      It feels kind of impersonal to address my child as Unnamed Child but we really don't know if you are going to be a girl or a boy. If you are a girl your name will be Rachel Marie Lanham and if you are a boy we are leaning to Ryan Marlin Lanham. The girls name is set in stone and has been since before your sister was born but we have always been undecided about a boys name. I like Ethan but your Mom doesn't care much for it and she likes Benjamin but I can't see you as a Ben. Your Mom initially didn't care for Ryan at first because there's a restaurant in Lexington called Ryan's but I think it's grown on her. Anyway, though it may sound impersonal I will be closing out my posts with the following salutation, at least until we know more about a name or a gender; Daddy loves Rebecca and his Unnamed Child!

Dear Rebecca,
                        Hello my little sweetie bird. Right now you are taking a nap. I want to be taking a nap but I also wanted to write you this blog before I lay down for a snooze.
                        There is big news, little girl. We may be having a baby brother or baby sister for you to play with and help take care of. Daddy and are pretty excited but we aren't trying to get our hopes up too much. We've had bad luck before, but then again we've had wonderful luck with you, my little sweetie pie. We are so proud of you, you make us so happy, and it would only make us happier to see you having fun with a little sibling of your own. We were worried about you growing up all alone and hopefully now, you don't have to.
                     You and I have had a wonderful day together so far. We got up and had some cereal and watched an episode of Max & Ruby and then we got dressed and went to K-Mart where we filled Daddy's prescription and we picked out a brand new nightgown for you with a puppy dog on it. We also looked at some baby stuff and some toddler beds and almost bought the newest baby a little giraffe sleeper but we decided we didn't want to jinx it, even though the little sleeper was super cute and only five dollars. It looked like the little giraffe sleeper we bought for you not so long ago when you were just a little bitty thing. You held your new nightgown all the way home and you called it your "Favorite Dress". You are the sweetest little thing and I love you more than words can say. I know we've done a lot of things that were fun together these last few weeks and you've said and done a million cute little things but I am so tired right now that I can't think of a single one of them. Mostly what I want to say to you is that you are still my best girl and my best friend and you always will be. You are the light of my life and watching you and your brother grow up together will be the most rewarding thing that God could have ever given me. I thank him for you every day... I love you, Rebecca. I promise to write more soon.

Dear Rebecca,
               Well, I have to go back to work tomorrow. I'm really not looking forward to it. I guess that the best way to look at it is that the sooner I get back to work the sooner Christmas will be here and the sooner something else your Mother & I have planned might happen. I have had a great time with you the past three weeks. You have been an absolute joy to be around.
      You are still an excellently behaved little girl but you are developing a stubborn streak. It used to be that when I told you to come to me in a stern voice you would obey right away; now we seem to have minor productions out of situations like that. You usually eventually do come to me but a time or two or maybe three or four I have had to run you down. I think I'm doing an okay job of disciplining you though. I have learned that your Mother is a bit more lenient with you than I am. I'll tell you to do something three times and if it's not done on the third time something will happen that neither of us like. We do use spankings but we also use time outs and we deprive you of privileges if the offense has to do with the abuse of the privilege. Your Mom will beg and plead with you to obey her because she hates to punish you. She eventually does punish you if you remain stubborn but she hates to see that bottom lip poke out so much. I can see where she is coming from because I hate seeing that poked out lip as well but maybe eventually you will learn to jump as high as I did when I was a wee lad. I think that all in all I was a pretty well behaved kid growing up. There were maybe a few hiccups in high school but I was never into drugs or anything destructive like that. High school kids are going to be stupid and make some mistakes along the way but I had enough decent raising that I didn't get too stupid.
      I didn't take you to daycare Friday because I wanted to spend my last day of vacation with you. We had a grand time. We spent all day Saturday together as well because your Mom had to work.
      My camera is not dead you will be happy to know. It's just that your Mom has been purchasing our batteries at the Dollar Tree and you are not going to get a decent set of batteries for a dollar. I was so glad that the camera isn't busted. I was super bummed out over that. I would have loved to have had a brand new camera but we have so many other items on our plate right now that we would have been lucky to get a new camera by Christmas, if then.
      Mamaw & Papaw, Aunt Lynn & Uncle Rodney and the kids left for Florida last night shortly after midnight and got into Orlando around 4:30 or so that afternoon. They are in Orlando and have no plans to go to any of the Disney parks. I just can't fathom that. I would have to go to see Mickey Mouse. Papaw says it's because I am a big kid and in a lot of ways he is correct. I do love Disney World. We hope to take you some day. I went when I was a child and I went quite a bit when I was dating my ex-wife, Christy Hess, because she lived in Florida but the best visit I have ever had was the most recent one. Your Mother & I went in 2000. It was her very first time in the Magic Kingdom and to see the look on her face when we stepped through the gate and she saw Cinderella's castle for the first time was priceless. I hope to one day have that experience with you. Anyway, everyone will be back next Sunday. We were going to look after Sadie but Mamaw & Papaw decided that Ruffie would be too lonely without her so they left her down there. I think Butch, Uncle Rodney's dad, will be looking after the dogs this year. As you will recall we looked after them last year.
      Your Mom bought a bicycle for herself Friday morning at Wal-Mart in Frankfort. We didn't really intend on purchasing one when we left the house so we took the car and it was not a fun ride back home for either you or your Mom because you two were made quite uncomfortable by the bike we had wedged into the car. I dropped her and her bike off at work Friday afternoon and she rode it home. She said it nearly killed her. She wants to ride it a bit on the bike path before she begins using it as transportation to and from work because she says she needs to get used to riding again. Aunt Mary had a bike down there in Hazard that her ex-husband, Kelly Sacra, bought before he found himself another lady to put up with his incredibly low intellect. He never had any money but it never stopped him from buying the best of whatever he wanted so I'm sure the bike is top of the line. I just hope it hasn't been stolen yet. There are some unsavory characters down there in Hazard, Becca.
      I'm going to close for now. I probably won't post again until next weekend. I know I am going to be flat dead this coming week after being off for so long. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
               This is the last day of my three week vacation. Actually I only had two weeks of vacation and the last week of layoff. I am a little worried because I haven't received my unemployment card yet and I usually get that early in the week that I am laid off. I suppose it will all work out though.
      We had some bad news earlier this week. Your great-great Aunt Lila passed away. She was such a card. She danced the chicken dance in an actual chicken suit at Aunt Louise & Uncle Tommy's 50th wedding anniversary party earlier this year or maybe it was last year, I am not sure. You just looked at her like she had lost her ever loving mind. I have some pictures of her at the baby shower your Mom had shortly before you were born of her in a big old pair of panties. I also have one of Aunt Lila and Aunt Lynn in the panties together. If you want to know what Aunt Lila was like then just imagine her a whole lot like Aunt Lynn.
      The visitation was Wednesday. Your Mom had to work Wednesday so you and I went to the big outdoor pool at Falling Springs. I think I screwed up a bit while we were there. There has been an oppressive heat wave in the country for the past week so I thought it would be a nice way to keep cool by going to the pool. The water was bath water warm but you certainly did enjoy playing in the water. We got there at 1:20 that afternoon and didn't leave until 5:20. I kept you well protected with regular sunblock applications but you still got a little burn. I on the other hand didn't use any sunblock on myself and I ended up with a mild case of sun poison. My burn isn't as bad as it could have been because I already had a little tan to begin with.
      I just realized that our digital camera is screwed up. You can only take a half dozen or so pictures with the camera on a set of brand new batteries. I hate having to purchase another camera especially since there are so many other things that our money could be going for. There may not be as many pictures of you in the coming months because of the faulty camera but eventually we'll get another one.
      Well, I'll close out this post now. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
               We had a pretty good time yesterday. The three of us went to the Cracker Barrel for lunch. You had a scrambled egg and orange juice; Momma had the Sunrise sampler platter which includes two eggs which she had scrambled, biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, baked apples, country ham, sausage, bacon and grits; I forgot what my breakfast was called but it included two eggs which I had over medium, hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy, bacon and grits. I ate your Mom's grits because she doesn't care much for them. Your Mom and I also had a large orange juice and coffee.
      After lunch we went to the children's museum in the Victorian Square. It's called the Explorium now I do believe. You had a real good time. You got to sit on a statue of Barbaros, the horse that won the derby a few months back, you got to play in some water, crawl through a model of a human heart, sit on a big molar inside a huge mouth and a whole bunch of other fun things that you seemed to enjoy. Your Mom says that your favorite part was climbing inside a cave that was set up as a geology exhibit. You just liked climbing around inside the cave.
      After that we went and had some ice cream and rented a few movies. We got Final Destination 3, Sin City and March of the Penguins. You watched the penguin movie with us and you seemed to like it a lot. You wanted to kiss the baby penguins on the screen. You had to get the penguin that we got you at the aquarium last week. I'm glad we rented that movie.
      Well, I'm gonna close out for now. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
               Yesterday was your Mom's birthday as you already know. Your Mother & I had a very nice time. This morning when you saw your Mother's cake you were convinced that it was your birthday again and you kept pointing to yourself and telling yourself happy birthday. We told you that it was your Mom's birthday but you would have none of that nonsense. A little later we took you to Mamaw & Papaw's for the day so we could go out together and have some adult time together. We missed you as soon as we pulled away. We like getting time to ourselves but we hate not having you with us. You are such a part of who we are that we kind of feel incomplete if you are not around.
      Your Mom & I went to Logan's Steakhouse for lunch and then we went and saw a movie at the new Cinemark Theatre at the Fayette Mall. We saw M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie Lady in the Water. The critics have been vicious in their opinions of the film. We really don't pay much attention to critics because they are oftentimes wrong. We both enjoyed the movie. We then went to Wal-Mart and bought a whole bunch of art supplies and some Flintstone gummie vitamins for you; we also purchased a necklace and a Dean Koontz paperback for your Mom for her birthday. We then went to get you from Mamaw & Papaw's. We enjoyed watching you play in the tent we got you for your first birthday that I just got around to setting up this week.
      You do love tents. Every night recently after you give your good-night kisses you tell us you are going under your tent now and then you pull the blanket over your head. It drives your Mother crazy because she still has it in her mind that you will suffocate under your blankets. I tell her that you are old enough now that you can simply remove your blankets at any time you wish. If you can root your Momma & Daddy around in our big old bed like you do whenever we let you lay with us then you would have no trouble at all with a blanket.
      The three of us went to the Kroger store after we got back to Versailles from Mamaw & Papaw's and bought some groceries and then we came home. Your Mom fixed you a supper of pizza poppers and an orange and after you ate we all had some of your Mom's birthday cake. I got up super early yesterday morning and baked her a cake for her birthday because she has always harped on the fact that I had never made her a birthday cake. Anyway after the cake I gave your Mother a Harry Potter book that she has been wanting. Your Mom gave you a bath and then we all watched some Little Bear and then you went to bed. Your Mom & I stayed up and watched a couple of episodes of House and an episode of a new show we enjoy on the USA network called Psych. Your Mom went to bed after that and I watched a professional wrestling show called TNA Impact. I know wrestling is absolutely fake and kind of white trash but I think it's funny.
      Like your Mom said we went to the Newport Aquarium this past weekend. We all had a grand time. You even got to pet a real live shark. There was one place in the aquarium where there was glass floors with water underneath where you could look down and see the fish. When we cam up to it you just stopped in your tracks. You really weren't too sure about stepping on it. It looked just like a big pool of water. You looked down at it and up at me while I was standing on the glass and you took one hesitant step forward and then another and you smiled up at me like you thought it was all such a neat trick. You also enjoyed looking at the baby gators but as your Mom said your favorites were the otters and penguins. My favorite was the huge tanks with all the big sharks.
      Like your Mom said, you took your first out of state trip that day as well. We had a fabulous adventure in Ohio. The last sentence is a reference to a line from Duck in one of your Little Bear episodes. We all stopped at Frisch's Big Boy in Georgetown and had almost comically bad service. Your Mom, Mamaw and Aunt Linda all had a go round with the night manager.
      I have enjoyed spending these last two weeks with you. You are even becoming a little bit of a Daddy's girl which I love. We are both going to hate it when I go back to work the week after next. You have come to expect me to be asleep in the bedroom when you wake up in the mornings and when I go back to work I will be long gone by the time you raise your pretty head off of your pillow.
      Well, it's getting late and I really should think about going to bed soon so I will close out this post for now. I will get your Mom to tell you in her next post about how you are becoming a little hypochondriac. Your knee hurts, your heart hurts, your head hurts, your toe hurts and even your nuffin hurts from time to time. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  Hello my sweet. As you know by now, tomorrow is Mommy's birthday. I will be 29 tomorrow. In all my twenty nine years I have never loved anything or anyone as much as I love you. You are the light of my life in every way and this year on my birthday I give thanks for everything I had to endure to get to you and Daddy. I have the best husband a woman could ask for and the sweetest little girl on the face of the planet. I have people who care about me and a decent job that helps pay the bills. Today someone asked me what my biggest birthday wish was and I honestly couldn't give them one. All of my dreams have come true and all of the wishes I ever wished for are right here at my finger tips. No one is as lucky as I am.
            Well as you know we went to the Newport Aquarium. You were the best little girl and behaved so well that I almost forgot you were two. You only got aggravated and pitched a little fit toward the end when you were getting sleepy. We went with Mamaw & Papaw, Aunt Linda and Granny and of course You, Me, and your Dear Old Dad. It was a nice trip up there and we stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way and had a big breakfast. You mostly ate oranges off of everyone's plate so we could have ordered you a drink and let you share in the biscuits and gravy and that would have been great. When we got there you saw the river and were in awe. You said "See Water Da-da?" and he informed you that he did indeed. The line was sort of long for the Aquarium and when we got there the place was jam packed. You stopped and admired everything for a good long while and I think some people were a tad impatient with us because we took extra long because of you and Granny. In fact I can't recall one person that was nice to us on that trip. Except for maybe the lady you met at the otter exhibit. She said you were the most polite two year old she ever met, according to Daddy. Daddy is so proud of you he could bust at the seams. Your particular favorite exhibits at the Aquarium were the Penguins, and the Otters. Although you enjoyed all the fishies, snakes, turtles, birds of prey and things of that nature, you were enthralled with these fuzzy and feathery creatures that you so often see on cartoons that you enjoy. You got scared of a man in a scuba diving suit feeding the fish when he waved and made silly faces at you only trying to be nice. Ever since then you have let it be known that "Man care me" and you were "Cyin" and of course, that he " Got Helmet". You remember that stuff 'until this day. I am unsure if you will ever forget it. I hate to think that your foremost memory of that trip was being scared.
               After the trip Papoo drove over the bridge into Ohio just so that we could say we all went out of state. It was your very first time in a state other than Kentucky and like the rednecks we all are we made a big deal of it. I don't think you thought too much of it because the road was the same road we had traveled the whole way there. However, as Duck would say, we did have a fabulous adventure to Ohio. Or at least almost in Ohio. You even got to get a Penguin and some Candy at the Candy store and Gift Shoppe at Newport Aquarium. Then we made our way home and stopped in Georgetown for something to eat. We stopped in at Frisch's and had a fiasco that I would rather not tell you about because Mommy and Mamaw almost tackled a waitress (and I use the term loosely) and her manager (also used loosely) because they felt the need to make a scene over three dollars.You did get to have a yummy hot fudge cake however and that was a sight to see because you had your whole face covered in fudge. You're so cute.
                  Mommy has had to work a lot since Daddy has been off but it has really been a blessing for us that I have this job because now we don't have to stretch out money out so tight week to week. We've always had what we need and the basic comforts of life but Mommy's job allows us to do things like go to the Aquarium and take you out to eat from time to time and just have a good time in general. Soon Mommy's money will be saved so that she can go to school and further her education so our little family will be even better off later on down the road. I want to do whatever I can for you but always remember that I will spend every spare second with you my sweet because there's nothing better than being with my little baby and her Daddy.
                  You had a terrible night last night and got up on several occasions, Daddy said. You didn't get much sleep and I am hoping that you do better tonight, I really am. You've got to be a big girl and sleep in your own room. On that note I am going to let you go and put out the office light, finish my soda and lay down on the couch. I don't want to disturb Daddy and the couch would feel better on my back tonight anyway. I love you, my sweet little baby bird. Sleep tight!

Dear Rebecca,
                  Yesterday was your very first day of day care. From what we heard from the staff at Haley's Way Day Care you did okay considering this was your very first time for any extended period without someone you have known all your life. You would get interested in whatever was going on there and then you would go to the door and look out and cry a bit and then you were okay again for a few minutes. When I asked you if you wanted to go back you told me "Go back. Later."
       Both your Mother & I are very proud of you. Your Mother shed some tears over leaving you but everyone concerned feels like this will do you great good. You will still be going down to Mamaw's two days a week but Fridays will be your day care day. We want to socialize you with children of your own age. Gymboree was okay for that but you always had Mama there and at this point in your life you would rather hang out with Mama or Daddy than play with the other children. We want you to learn to interact with your peers. I never had that opportunity when I was a child and I think I have suffered as a result. I don't think I socialize very well.
      We dropped by Taylor Manor Nursing Home where your Mother works for a few minutes because I thought that your Mother would enjoy seeing you after you got out of day care and I was correct. After that we went over to Granny's and visited with her and Mamaw for a few hours. You & I went upstairs where you banged on Aunt Linda's piano for a good long while. We got home about the same time your Mom got off from work and then we hung out for awhile. You watched The Doodlebops and an episode of Little Bear and then you went to bed.
      We're all going to The Newport Aquarium tomorrow. I think you might really enjoy that. You do so love to see fishes swimming about. Mamaw & Papaw are coming with us and I think maybe Aunt Linda will be joining us as well. I have never been myself and am looking forward to it. I asked you today if you were excited about going to see the fishes; you didn't answer me. A little later you asked me if I was excited. You asked, "Dadda Cited?"
      I said I was excited and then you informed me that you were also excited. The exact words you used were "Becca too".
      I've had a pretty pleasurable week with you this week. I have loved being woken up by you all week. I hate being woken up but being woken up by you does take a bit of the sting out of it. It's been unseasonably warm this past week so we haven't spent a whole lot of time outdoors where you would prefer to be but a cold front moved in today so next week should be much cooler and we will spend a whole lot more time outdoors.
      My 20 year high school reunion is tonight but I am afraid I will not be attending. I would have liked to attend but there are some personal issues that kept me from going. A guy I graduated with is a stand up comedian who played the local comedy club last night and there were supposed to be a bunch of people from my class go to the show but I also decided not to attend that. I reckon I'm just an old fuddy-duddy.
      I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday and your Mother was called today about an appointment that she will be scheduling. I know that information seems like a silly and useless piece of information to record for posterity but hey, they might be important appointments or maybe not.
      Your mom works later today from seven in the morning until seven this evening so I will be getting up with you in the morning so I had better hit the proverbial hay; plus I am kind of tired. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                                 Hello my sweet. I had such a fun day with you today. I was off of work today and as you already well know, Daddy is on vacation. I told myself last night before I went to bed that I was going to clean the house up today and I fully intended on doing it when we got up this morning but you were so cute coloring your pictures in the color wonder book that Aunt Lynn got you for your birthday that I just had to join you. We had a good time coloring in the floor together, you and I. Then and I went and made us some toast for breakfast spread with marshmallow creme for you and butter and jelly for me. You're not big on peanut butter and you will eat jelly but you make less mess with the marshmallow creme because it doesn't drip from your toast. In addition to that you really do like it a lot. Daddy had a good idea when he got it for you
         After breakfast we watched the Doodlebops. You do love the Doodlebops. It's a Canadian show that has three singers dressed up as .... I don't know what they are dressed up as. I reckon they are dressed up as Doodlebops. One is pink, that is a girl, DeeDee, one is blue, a boy named Rooney, and one is Orange, another boy named Moe. Moe plays the drums and DeeDee plays the keyboard and Rooney plays your favorite, the guitar. You always make it a point to show me the guitar in the show. Maybe someday we can get you some guitar lessons when you get old enough. You like that show because it is so musical and you love music. Granny gave you a harmonica of hers and you have been tooting the daylights out of that thing. Funny thing is, you don't sound half bad on it. You sound better than me or Daddy either one.
               After the Doodlebops I took a shower while you watched little bear and then we blew dry my hair and curled yours a little bit. It looked really good for about two seconds until you went and rubbed your head across the living room carpet. After our snack of a lemon cookie we went and woke Daddy up and Daddy didn't see a curl one anymore. You told him all about it though and also about how it was 'too hot' for you to touch. You are so smart. I know that we go on and on about that but you are two and your vocabulary is huge. More than any other two year old I have ever heard speak. You have even started asking little questions like "Is it my turn?" or "Is it wet?" Or "Did you broke it Mommy?" I get more and more amazed by you every day and I couldn't be more proud of you.
            After we woke Daddy up we all got dressed and drove to Lexington where we went to Mi Mexico for lunch. You had a taco and Daddy and I both had a Chimichanga lunch special and Daddy had a great big old mixed drink which he said didn't do much for him and you and I had a virgin strawberry daiquiri to share but you didn't share hardly an ounce of it with me. You really really liked it. In fact you called it an "I Team Drink" - which as you well know now means and Ice Cream Drink. Then we went by the Movie Store and you ran all over that place like a wild monkey. Daddy even got you in trouble once and smacked your bum bum, although he says he is too afraid to smack it too hard in public because crazy people might call the police. Well, I tell you one thing little girl, you don't get spanked often, but when you do it still isn't hard enough to make a dog wince. You already know by now that Mommy and Daddy are head over heals in love with you and hate to get you in trouble for any reason. Lucky for us, (so far) you are a pretty good girl. You were going to get a movie at the movie store but because you were in trouble you didn't get to get "LeRoy and Stitch". That made me a little sad because your dear old Mom loves Stitch: I would have watched it with you end to end. I know, by now you already know that your dear old Mom is a kid at heart. That's okay because that means that you and Daddy and I will have us one grand life together.
              After the movie store we went to Baskin Robins where Daddy and I had a chocolate sundae and you had a scoop of bananas & strawberry ice cream on a cake cone. You kept spooning at your cone and when Daddy couldn't eat any more of his sundae you decided that you would take over and got ice cream all down the front of your shirt. Luckily it was an old shirt. Then we went to the Dollar tree where we bought batteries and a few other odds and ends that we needed plus some color and shape Pooh flash cards for you, some plain paper for you to scribble on, and you got a "grab bag" full of surprises. A grab bag is a bag of stuff that is a surprise for kids in stores such as that. Mommy used to get them at a place called the "Second Handy" store with her Mommy when she was a very little girl. Sometimes these bags were filled with toys and other goodies like candies for me; other times that had a lost shoe or a half colored in coloring book. That was just the way it was. The ones at the dollar tree are much nicer. I think from now on you will get a "grab bag" whenever we go to the dollar tree. You got to play flowers, a hawaiian lei that I won't let you wear because it is made out of plastic bags, and a kit to make paper dolls. You and I will do that together this coming up Tuesday and I know that will be fun. This coming Sunday you, me, Daddy, Mamaw and Papoo are going to the Aquarium. I can't wait to see your face light up at all the fishes and penguins and whatever else we may get to see while we are there- like sharks. They even let you pet them now. However, I don't think that I will be doing that. You can knock yourself out petting them. I like my fingers. A close encounter with almost losing them once was enough for me.
               After the Dollar tree we came home and you took a nap and so did I. We were both very tired. When I got up you got up a few minutes later and I went and got Daddy and he took you down to Mamaw and Papaw's house and I think you may be staying the night, if you have clothes. Daddy and I are going to spend the evening together doing laundry and watching movies. Sounds like a blast doesn't it? You would rather be down at Mamaw's playing and running around, I know. Daddy has a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I know that you will enjoy a nice long visit in the country.
            On another note, next week you will be starting day care one day a week. It will only be for three hours a day, unless of course Daddy has to work late, and they only charge five dollars an hour up to four hours. After that it is thirty dollars. That is very expensive for the whole day but you won't be doing that often, if ever. That's a nice day care though and it is still cheaper than any other day care I have checked into over the last few weeks. I was looking into day care because Mamaw and Papaw are going to Florida in August and Mommy and Daddy have to work. Auntie Linda said she would take care of you but Auntie Linda gets busy with things an awfully lot so I decided it would be the responsible thing to do to look into day care facilities as a back up. Anyone with kids already knows that you can't depend on one sitter and one sitter alone. Unless of course it's Mamaw. She's always been really good about keeping you whenever I need her too. She loves you very much, little girl. You're the one that almost wasn't for her. You're the one that almost wasn't for all of us. We all love you beyond words. Back to the daycare; I know two of the girls that work there personally and your Aunt Lynn knows the woman that owns it. It's a nice place and I can't wait for you to meet some nice friends. I know this will be so good for you.
            Well Daddy will be back soon and I want to do Quicken (our checkbook) before he gets here. I love you, my sweet little baby bird. I will miss you to pieces until I can see you again! I know you have fun, though. Mommy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  This was the first day of my vacation. Well, it really wasn't a vacation day because I didn't get paid for it. It was, as they call it at G.E. a "lack of work" day or more accurately it was inventory day. Anyway I have two weeks of vacation and then I'm laid off for a week so I have three more weeks off and I am as pleased as punch about that. Maybe you and I will get to go swimming at Falling Springs a whole bunch while I am off.
      I had another bought with cellulitis this past week. I came down with it while I was here Tuesday night after work. I had a small temperature, I was chilling and I was so very sore. I hate it when I get that. I went to bed directly after you. I had a very restless nights sleep Tuesday night. I was up and down all night. I woke up around 3:30 in the morning and sat up for awhile. I was still very sore but my temperature had broken. I thought about trying to go on into work but after I stumbled on the way to get my work clothes I decided to call in. I think I made a good decision because I went right back to bed after I called in and ended up sleeping until 10:30 Wednesday morning and I felt so much better. My leg was still a bit red, swollen and sore but I wasn't quite as sore and the soreness along with the fever is what really makes cellulitis such a burden. Well, maybe if some things your Mother & I have in the works pan out I will not have to worry about cellulitis for much longer. Enough about that.
      As I was mowing Monday afternoon I noticed that we had a small rabbit burrow in our backyard with three tiny baby rabbits. I showed them to both you and your Mother and you we all enjoyed looking at them. I was looking forward to having three little tiny baby bunnies living in our backyard. Then tragedy struck. I had planned on making up a happy story about how the three baby bunnies grew up happy and healthy in our backyard but I really don't believe that would be the right thing to do. One of the bunnies survived and two of them passed away. I was very disappointed by that. I was more excited about the rabbits than either you or your Mother. One rabbit made it and I suppose that in the wild that is what happens.
      I'm sure I will be writing a lot more often in the next few weeks so I will close this out. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
               You really do love fireworks. You had a ball on the fourth. We had a few lame fireworks down at Mamaw & Papaw's after our annual barbeque. You enjoyed them but everyone primarily enjoyed watching Sadie freak out over the fireworks. It was super late when we got home and we intended to put you straight to bed but there were so many good fireworks going off all around our house that we decided to sit out in the back yard with you and watch some real fireworks. You had a ball.
      I see where your Mother told you about your getting your ears pierced. That is such a big deal. I'm gonna close out this post. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
            It is very early in the morning here on Saturday morning July 8th 2006. I woke up at about three and laid in the bed til nearly four thirty and I never could get back to sleep. I finally came and laid down on the couch but when I started to drift I got worried I wouldn't wake up in time to make it to work today at seven o'clock. I am thinking of taking you with me for a little while today so that Daddy can get a little more sleep and maybe mow the yard. We'll see.
            Before I forget I want to tell you about a little conversation you and I had together one late night last week when you woke up and laid on the couch with me. You saw a kitty cat on your sippy cup and you said "Momma, Kitty Cat!" to which I responded "Oh Yeah? If you had a kitty what would you name it.?" You then informed me you would name it Kitty. I asked you if you wanted a cat and you shook your head yes. I asked if you really wanted a cat and you said "No." I said how about a doggy, if you had a doggy what would you name it? You then informed me that you would name your doggy "Doggy". I asked if you really wanted a doggy and you said "Yes Mama!" That little conversation was so sweet. I think in all my days I will never forget just lying there with you talking deep into the night about what you'd name a cat or dog if you had one.
         Thursday I was in the bedroom putting my earrings in after you woke up from your napand you asked me "Whassat?" amd I told you they were Mommy's earrings. You said "Becca Earrings!" So I got down my little box of earrings and we searched all through them for some clip ons. I couldn't find any although I am sure I have some somewhere so we hung two hoops over top your ears. You looked a bit silly but you thought you were the cats meow. When we got done putting on our make up I took the earrings off of you and put them away because they had little beads on them and I was worried you might get them off somehow. You fussed and hollered and said "Becca Earrings!" I asked you if you really wanted some earrings and you told me that you did. Or rather you said "Becca earrings!" once again. So I told you we'd take you to the store and get earrings put in. You hopped down off my bed and excitedly ran to get your shoes. You weren't even dressed yet. I fought to get you dressed while you were running to and from the door wanting to go to the "stoe".
            I had to go to Wal-Mart anyway and return some bras that I had bought for Sister Agnes. You really like Sister Agnes and I am so glad because she thinks you are the sweetest thing that ever walked the earth. So do I. Anyway I decided we'd get your ears pierced at Wal-Mart so I called on the phone to see what steps I had to go through to get that done. They told me I had to come and get a paper and get it notarized at the bank and when we got there that was the first thing I did. When I got that done the elderly woman who was doing the piercing didn't want to pierce your ears because she said you 'wouldn't hold still'. Of course you wouldn't, you are a kid. Kids don't hold still. Who do they think will be getting their ears pierced at Wal-Mart? Not eighty year old women. It will be children. Anyway, Daddy suggested to take you to the Piercing Pagoda in the mall and get it done, he said they'd probably do a better job anyway when we tallked to him on the phone. I agreed and I wanted to buy him the bath sponge he'd been wanting at Bath and Body works as it was our annivesary and I wanted to get him a present.
         We went to the mall and the lady at the piercing place was taken aback when I told her what had conspired at Wal-Mart. She got you right up in the chair and pierced on ear and then the other. You cried two tears because you wanted to keep sitting in that tall chair and staring at all the pretty earrings. She gave you a sucker and you told her Thank You like the polite little girl you are and then we took off to Bath and Body works where you picked out a pink duck and we got Daddy his sponge. Then it was time to go and see your Daddy and pick him up from work. We all went to Texas Roadhouse and had a real nice time eating there. We came home and played with you for a while, gave you a shower and put you to bed. You've been getting scared at night and I went and bought you a night light yesterday and it seems to be taking care of the problem so far. You went to bed very easily last night and have slept pretty sound all through as far as I know.
            On a different note I took you to get your hair trimmed at Cost Cutters in Wal-Mart and that was a mistake, She didn't do the bangs right and I had to get them trimmed to short for my taste but they still look pretty good to me. They will grow out before long and you will be more comfortable this summer without your hair hanging down in your face all the time and withought having to pull it up on your head morning noon and night. I took you to Cookie Cutters and they fixed you right up.
            Well I reckon that's about all I have to say. I better think about getting dressed and getting you up if I am taking tou with me. I still haven't made up my mind yet. We'll see what kind of time frame I am running on and if you are alert enough to come with when I am ready to go to work. I had a ball with you the day we went out to get your Ears pierced and that can be considered my special gift to you for your second birthday. You are such a big girl now but you will always be my little baby. I love you, baby bird.

Dear Rebecca,
               Happy second birthday, Becca Boo Little. This is my first post of what I call volume four of the hard copy of this blog. I'm sorry I didn't close out the last volume with a summation of the past year. I wanted to but I got so busy editing your birthday party videos that time just slipped right by me. I am also way behind on printing out pictures for the hard copy of the blog but that is because our photo printer doesn't print photos anymore. It will print out text perfectly but the photos look like crap.
      I think you had a great birthday weekend. As your Mother mentioned in her last post, we had your party yesterday because your Mom was supposed to work today. I think you had a ball. Everyone who really mattered in your life was there; Mama & Daddy, Mamaw & Papaw, Uncle Rodney & Aunt Lynn, Jon & Jacob, Allison, Granny, Papaw Lawrence or as you called him once yesterday "Other Papoo", Aunt Mary, Aunt Linda, Aunt Louise & a friend of hers and of course the birthday girl herself. It started out with you getting fascinated with your new basketball goal and then you moved on to your new playhouse. You opened tons of presents and then we all ate. You got in your little pool with Jacob & Jon. You had a big time in the pool with the big boys. I think that maybe Jacob is a bit more patient with you than poor old Jon is. Then we hooked up a sprinkler ring toy you got for your birthday in the back yard. We couldn't have done that if Papoo hadn't helped me put in a new water faucet in the back yard. The old one never worked and that was a big pain in the keister. We had to drag the water hose from the front of the house through the living room and the kitchen out to the deck so we could fill your pool up. That was getting rather old. Anyway, Jon, Jacob and yourself had a grand old time running through the sprinkler. Eventually things wound down and everyone left. We decided to put you down without a bath or shower because it was extremely late for you; probably around 10:30.
      The next morning your Mom woke me up around eleven o'clock to inform me that she was ill and had called in sick at work. She asked if I could let her sleep and get up with you. I was glad to get up with you and allow your Mom to sleep in because it was obvious that she didn't feel very well at all. We watched an episode of Bob the Builder which you really seem to like and we started on your new copy of Cinderella. You seemed to enjoy it but by this time you were tired so I put you down for a nap. When you woke up I opened a can of play-doh that you had gotten for your birthday at the party last night and we played with that stuff forever. Your Mom woke up as the two of us sat on the kitchen floor making pancakes out of hot pink play-doh. You rushed to show your Mom what we were up to when you heard her coming down the hall.
      I had planned on taking you to the pool while your Mom was at work and since she wasn't feeling very well I thought I would kind of let her relax a bit today so we decided to go ahead with our trip. After lunch your Mom got you ready for a trip to the pool at Falling Springs while I got myself ready and away you and I went. We drove through the Colony and into the Village when I realized that I had completely forgotten to bring towels so we had to go back to the house. Once we had our towels we were on our way again. I noticed as I drove by our old house on Powhatan Trail that it was for sale again. I wonder what the asking price is. The house is three times better than that old house and the neighborhood is five times better that the old neighborhood but I am curious about what they are asking and I will be especially curious to know what it brings when it finally sells. Finally we make it to the pool.
      You see the pool and become very excited about it. We have to wait in line at the reception desk while the receptionist deals with a bunch of children checking in or rather trying to check in. It seems that there were six girls all aged fifteen except one that was maybe five or six and the receptionist told them that there had to be someone at least sixteen years old with them for the youngest one to be allowed entry. They have some stupid crazy rules out there and some individuals out there are way too strict in the enforcement of these stupid rules. You didn't like waiting at all. You kept informing me that you wanted to swim. Eventually we made it out to the pool. You had a big time. You went under a whole bunch but I think maybe the chlorine in the pool was too strong because eventually you started rubbing your eyes a lot and telling me that you didn't want to go under the water anymore. There was one funny thing that happened today. We were wading in the shallow part and you saw a lady sitting on the edge of the water sunning herself. She had a very tiny bikini top on and you walked up to her, pointed, looked back at me and said "Daddy boobies!" and I thought I would have liked to slide under the water but since the water was only six inches deep I just turned three shades redder than what I already was, which was quite impressive since I had a nice burn by this time.
      I also ran into an old friend from high school while we were out there, Daniel Padgett. I was best friends with his brother, Matthew Padgett in school. Daniel had a little sixteen month old girl with him named Samantha Padgett. If Daniel still lives here in Woodford County you will be going to school with her in the future. What shocked me was the fact that some young girls went on about how pretty Samantha was and didn't say a thing about you. I was taken aback by that. That had never happened before. Your Mom says that the older you get the less people will be commenting on how cute and pretty you are. I still don't know how to take that. I am used to all the praise you have gotten in the past two years. I reckon all of this is just the rambling of a crazy daddy.
      We left the pool after about two and a half hours. When we got home you got in your own little pool but the water in your pool was down right hot so you decided to play in your new playhouse. I decided to set the toy sprinkler up for you and you ran through it a bit but quickly lost interest. That's when I had an epiphany regarding your sprinkler ring toy, a lawn chair and a neat way to beat the heat. I sat the lawn chair in the middle of the ring and sat myself in that lawn chair and lounged under the beating sun in complete and total comfort. I had the most wonderful time watching you dig in the dirt under the pine tree all the while adding to my already considerable burn.
      Mom eventually called us in for supper, left over burgers from yesterdays cookout, mac & cheese, cucumbers and ice cream. At supper your Mom told me that she had spoken with a doctor via the telephone and he told her that she was probably suffering from the effects of a mild heat stroke. Mom gave you your shower after supper because I think she missed spending more time with you on your birthday. We all sat in the floor of your room and had a grand old time playing and talking. You then watched an episode of Little Bear and part of an episode of Bob the Builder and then we played with you for awhile longer and then we put you down. You did not want to go to sleep at all. You hollered for us for what seemed like forever but eventually you got to sleep.
      This is the longest post I have done in awhile. I'm pretty proud of myself. Your Mother read over it a few minutes ago and ended up correcting about ten grammar and spelling errors so I don't know if I should be proud or not. I'm just kidding. I'm closing out the very first post of volume four now. Daddy loves Rebecca!