The Strong, Silent Type

Memphis is in a holding pattern. In every way. He has gained less than a pound since June and is still wearing some of his 6-12 months clothes even though he is 17 months old now. I suppose this has something to do with the fact that he is constantly running or dancing and refuses to eat more than one grape at any meal time. I can laugh about this right now because the doctor has run tests and determined that there is nothing wrong with Memphis, he's just "finding his curve." So for now I'm just enjoying that my baby is still little enough to carry around like a little baby.

The more frustrating part of his standstill is in the language department. Here are the words in Memphis' vocabulary:

Wait...you mean you don't see any words there? Oh, well that's because there aren't any. His repertoire consists of nodding his head yes and shaking it no. Don't get me wrong. The kid understands everything. I am quite certain that he has "Cars" memorized. He just chooses not to grace the rest of us with his sweet, melodic little voice.

See this kid?

I know that you are wondering which of the thousands of my kids this is, but cute as he is, he's not mine. He belongs to my friend Nicole. He is three months younger than Memphis and has the vocabulary of your average college student. Don't mistake my mentioning this as jealousy. I'm not jealous. Really.

I know that eventually Memphis will reach six feet tall and become a long-winded college professor, so for now I'm just going to hold my tiny baby boy and enjoy the silence.

Moooooo!

Today Nana (my mom) bought Cody and Carson each a keychain. Cody had spotted them and she would just die if she didn't get one and Nana falls for that every time. So Cody's is a little duck that lights up and quacks when you push a button on its head. Carson's is a cow that mooos and lights up.

It wasn't long after we got home that Carson's cow stopped moo-ing. It was very traumatic.

A few hours later she picked up the cow, pushed the button and out of the blue that thing started moo-ing. You would have thought we had resurrected a real pet. She began screaming with glee, something about how she JUST KNEW IT WOULD START WORKING AGAIN IF SHE JUST LET IT REST FOR A LITTLE WHILE!! And, SHE WILL NEVER PUSH THE BUTTON SO MANY TIMES AGAIN! And, SHE WILL ALWAYS HOLD ON TO HER COW, FOREVER AND EVER!!

Then she turned to Cody and shouted, "CODY WE WERE RIGHT! IT'S WORKING AGAIN! GIVE ME A HIGH FIVE!"

It was a very precious moment.

And then Cody said, "Hey Mom, isn't tomorrow your birthday?"

And I replied, "Yes, I suppose it is."

And then she asked, "So are you gonna be like 70...?"

To which I exclaimed, "Excuse me, but I am no where near 70!"

Moment over.

Yes, I Brought A Note From My Doctor

I certainly hope that I have some loyal readers out there who will forgive my absence. I know it has been forever. The truth is that I've just been too darn sick and tired to be anecdotal. For any of you who are not involved in my day-to-day life, there is a perfectly sound explanation for this. I have a terrible case of toomanykids-itis. Don't worry, it's not contagious. This has been exacerbated by the fact that for some reason we have created a new little ruffian who is wreaking havoc on my insides (and outsides) as we speak.

Yes, we are stupid. Umm...I mean excited.

A lot has happened in the last month, but I can't tell you about it because I have spent it either trying to sleep or, in the case of the last two weeks, watching all of my meals in reverse. I can't help but feel terrible guilt about it because I literally have done almost nothing else. Sure, I helped here and there with getting dinner made or putting kids to bed, but overall Brad has shouldered the tasks of running this household. And thank God he is a man who is willing to do that. And thank God he just started a new job that he hasn't actually "started" yet so he can be home to do that.

I finally got some medicine that I have been fighting for and, while it is not a cure-all, I am holding on to almost everything I eat which is wonderful. I think this baby may be made of some strange substance that I am allergic to. Or, God is just making double sure that I never, ever have another wistful, loving memory of pregnancy. Don't worry, I'm cured.

In other news:

Meyson is really progressing with his guitar skills and it is more fun to hear him play every week.

Brianna auditioned for a national youth choir and made it. It is a pretty big deal and she is very excited.

Cody is preparing to dance in the Nutcracker in a few weeks. She will dance in two of the six performances.

Carson is just Carson. Our little comedian. She has been practicing saying "gir-ul" (girl) because before now she just said "grr" and she has realized her mistake.

Memphis has become obsessed with the movie "Cars." Before he wouldn't even glance at the tv, but now at least three times a day he brings me a dvd or dvd case. It doesn't matter which one he brings me, this is just a gesture that means, "Ok, I'm about to go into Lightning McQueen withdrawal. Will you kindly help me out and start it for me?"

Anyway, I'd like to promise that I'll be around more, but I don't want to inadvertently lie. My sense of humor is just barely still intact and it could go at any minute. And let's face it, without that this masterpiece would be in total ruin.