Happy 2nd Birthday, Aidan! Happy 30th Birthday, Chad! Happy ?? Birthday, Kathy!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet 'lil boy, who is growing up so quickly! Shockingly, there are no photos of his birthday party, aside from the cake (the first picture was taken about a week prior). The reason? Well, first you need to know that Chad and his mom, Kathy, share a birthday the day before Aidan (we almost had 3 generations on 1 day; instead, Aidan was born on my grandparent's 50 wedding anniversary). Anyway, us kids got together to buy Kathy a new toy: specifically, a Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera. So of course, we celebrated Kathy and Chad's birthday, too, and then got to use said new toy. Eventually I'll play around with the footage we shot, and see if I can come up with a few pictures. For his part, Aidan greatly enjoyed his Pirate ship cake and was actually really into opening his presents. All of his presents, in fact. He EVEN said thank you! We're so proud of him!

In continuation of his birthday celebrations, we spent Monday evening (his actual birthday) in Hudson listen to MN Orchestra play in the park. It was nice to listen to music while chasing Aidan around the park. He was riding his Strider bike and I got a lot of good comments on it. Today, celebrations culminated with a trip to the Como zoo with Alan. Favorites were the sea lions (which I incorrectly identified as seals, which is now what Aidan calls them...oops), giraffes, lions, and emperor tamarins. A great day was had by all!

And now we are thoroughly exhausted!

Save the Internet!

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

A new normal

It has been said that you never fully get over the loss of a child - you just learn a new normal.

I believe this is definitely the case with us.

In our case, a new normal involves applying for a new job, or two, and scheduling the tubal ligation for the end of July.

And of course, hanging with the best little daredevil a Mama could ever wish for...

A Hermaphrodite's Afternoon Tea

Ants on a Log, the toddler version:

I commonly make this snack for the boys' after-naptime snack. Today I decided to make the grown-up version for Chad as well; after working 13 hours with no lunch break (ahem, OSHA), I figured he'd enjoy a snack. I swear it started innocently enough, but before long, things escalated. So, this is what Chad came home to:

I call it "A Hermaphrodite's Afternoon Tea"

It reminds me of a quote my friends and I used often in high school: Boredom breeds insanity.

Indeed.

Permanent birth control

I'm contemplating having my remaining tube ligated. My doctor will do it if I wish, so I don't have to wait for some arbitrary age. We think we're done; will we ever know for sure? I really don't know.

Dedications

To my two lost souls, A Prayer for Baby:

Never to have known you, but to have loved you.
Never to have held you, the way mothers do.

With you I bury my hopes and dreams
For an unknown child I'd never seen.

But I also bury the love in my heart
And the sadness of knowing that we must part.

And I pray to god to do for you
All the things that I would like to do.

And to keep my baby safe from harm
To laugh and frolic in springtime's arms.
-Anon

To Aidan, my sweet boy, you are everything I could ever ask for and more in a son. Thank you for all your hugs, kisses, and cuddles these last few days. Thank you also for finally learning how to say "I love you" and for saying it often.

To Chad, my husband, thank you for your support and your patients during these last few weeks.

And because life goes on, and my beautiful boy Aidan is such a joy, I will end this post by linking an excellent video of him riding his new (and beloved) Strider Bike.

Click Here for the Video!

Caitlin Lehmann

While wandering around MKA last Friday, I came across this dedication right next to the entrance to the girl's locker room. I cannot express just how proud I was to see this. Though it's difficult for me to believe that it really has been nearly 8 years, I am happy to know that Caitlin's memory will live on.