More 'Darndest' Things

As promised, we have compiled another list of the silly things we've heard the boys say . . .

From Aden:

"Mommy, we're going to have you potty trained before this baby comes."

(Daddy recently went 'tubing' down the river with the high schoolers.)
"Daddy, when my head gets taller, I am going to be able to go with you down the river."

Another one that is closely related to the above:
"When my bottom gets bigger, I will be able to sit in that big chair."

One of Mommy's favorites, heard almost daily at dinnertime, and at many other times: "Mommy, is there anything I can help you with?"

During our recent time of illness:
"My cough is still hurting, but it's probably going to get better in two years."

When he saw the new bunk beds:
"Oh! I wanted wood!"

"Probably" is a very popular response to many questions:
"I'm probably not all done yet with my dinner." or "Probably, I am going to go to Bubu Jim's house when I wake up from my nap."

After spilling vanilla on her clothes, Mommy commented that all she could smell was vanilla. Aden immediately responded, "I'm going to call you Vanilla Girl."

Aden often enjoys helping with the discipline process, particularly when it involves Wiley. Last night as Daddy was correcting Wiley, Aden repeated everything he said. Daddy interrupted, "Aden, I'm the Daddy," to which Aden replied, "Well, I'm the Aden."

Apparently at age 3, boredom is already beginning to set in, though at rather odd times. As we sit down to eat, or when he sits on the potty, Aden will sometimes say despondently, "I need something to to do."

And Wiley's contributions to the list:

"Not!" - In response to questions that begin, "Wiley, are you ... ?"

"Self!" - This was his declaration every time he got out of his new big boy bed, all by himself, for about the first week.

"Help!" - Apparently, Wiley has picked up on the diaper changing process quite a bit, realizing that sometimes four hands are better than two to get him cleaned up. Lately, he has enjoyed calling for reinforcements himself, just as he lays down for a change, and even before his diaper comes off.

"Toilet!" - As Wiley starts in the potty training process, we sometimes hear him call out "Toilet!" as he runs to the bathroom. Usually we discover that he just went. But it is a start . . .

"Hiding!" - This is usually heard from another room, and is often followed by a one- or two-word description of where we might find him: "Hiding, table!" or "Hiding, chair!"

As we hear more from these boys, we'll begin to compile another list. Most likely when we publish another installment of quotes, Wiley will have a larger part in the list, as his one-word remarks grow into longer sentences.

What's With All the 'Spots' Wiley?

Wiley presented a textbook case of roseola this week. He ran a high fever for about 2 or 3 days, which slowed him down considerably. He stopped eating and had Mommy and Daddy scratching their heads. Mommy worried about yet another ear infection and took him to see Dr. Susan on Wednesday morning. Thankfully, both ears looked fine. When the fever vanished, we noticed a rash on his tummy . . . and the back of his neck . . . and his back. So we called "Uncle" Dr. Bill, beginning to wonder if it was related to the fever. Sure enough, it was a case of Roseola (a.k.a. Baby Measles, Sixth Disease and maybe a handful of other names). Now that the rash has appeared, we are in the last stage and will just wait it out - and see if Aden comes down with a fever in the next few days.

Getting Ready for Baby

Aden and Wiley have become more and more curious about the new baby coming to our house. While Mommy has been trying to finish all her unfinished projects before things get even crazier and busier at home, the boys have been preparing in other ways. Wiley has a growing awareness of Mommy's growing abdomen. He often pats (or slaps) her tummy, saying, "Baby!" Aden has offered to share his blankets with the baby, and has started reserving things for the baby, from space on the couch or chair, to books to read together, to food. Yesterday afternoon, walking home for a snack, he began thinking about the baby.

"Mommy, does the baby have a mouth?"

"Yes, Aden."

"Where is the baby's mouth?"

"It's under his nose, just like yours."

"When we get home, I'm going to share my animal crackers with the baby. . . . And he'll probably still be hungry, so after nap I'll have to share some more with him."

We've also noticed that the boys' stuffed animals either have babies in their tummies, or have become babies themselves, needing diaper changes and cuddling frequently.

Perhaps Mommy's favorite realization has been Aden's innocent grasp on her responsibility in the process. When we are on walks, we have sometimes explained that Mommy can't carry the boys like she used to - she is carrying the baby in her tummy now. Yesterday morning Aden sincerely commented, "Mommy, thank you for carrying the baby in your tummy."

Christmas In July

Thanks to the generosity of a Pittsburgh, PA District Church we visited on our home assignment in 2006, just after Christmas last year we received a shipment of 32 Woofi puppies. The Woofi puppies are special stuffed animals - on the puppy's collar, there is a series of colored paw prints, with a tag explaining the significance of the colors:

Yellow is for God and His love
Black is for sin
Red for the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross
White for the purity he gives us when he lives and works in us
Green for growth in the Holy Spirit, and
Purple for sharing the gospel message with others.

We planned to give the puppies to children at the hospital at Christmas, but they didn't come in time; so we tucked them away, waiting for a rainy day. A couple of months ago we found a perfect opportunity . . . only to discover that someone had beat us to the fun and passed out trinkets to the children just the day before! So we packed up the Woofi's again and waited a while. This morning was another rainy day - a great day for "Christmas in July" - and the boys were excited about inviting the Dooley girls to join us in the endeavor. We put the puppies into Aden and Wiley's baby bilums and headed for the hospital. Mommy had also printed out Bible verses to go with the colors. The Scripture references are on the Woofi's tag, but are all listed in English, so Mommy had translated them to Pidgin.

We had a lot of fun passing out the puppies and visiting with the patients, with the help of a couple of volunteers here on the station. It was a treat for us to take time to show Christ's love in a tangible way, cheering other children and giving them a cuddly reminder of Christ's love and the message of the gospel. As a bonus, there were just enough puppies for each child on the wards, and for each of the Dooley girls and Aden and Wiley to keep one, too.