My Babies are Growing

We're potty training. It wasn't something I intended to do this summer, but from what I've been reading it is time. The biggest clue I read about was when the word "No!" was used frequently, or all the time, by the child. Yep, that is Clay's favorite word it seems. I'm not totally sure he understands the concept, but he does hate it when he has an accident so we're building on that.

I've caught him a couple times with wet pants on today trying to push a bench up to the toilet. Maybe he is getting it.

Last night at bedtime he was protesting, but mixing his Slovene and English. He usually says, "No bed." Last night he was saying, "konets (end, stop, finish) bed".

Thadeus is working on more teeth so the bibs are back out. He drools so much when he's teething! He also seems to have a great disinterest in nursing this week. I'm steaming some carrots and apples for him while I type. I did that once before and he seemed to really enjoy them. I think he wants to be involved more and more in whatever Clay is doing. So unless he's so tired he's about to fall asleep or we're alone in a dark and quiet room he just isn't interested.

He's more interested in other people in general. He's figuring out that Daddy is a lot of fun because when Daddy is holding him he gets thrown up in the air. He's got it figured out that Ivana will cater to his every need and therefore enjoys her company too. Mommy is no longer his one and only resource for joy. ...I'm taking it in stride:(

"What's up, Doc?"

I had a checkup with my doctor. She wants me to go get my blood sugar tested b/c Thadeus was such a big baby. I don't want to go, but I might anyway. I've never had my sugar tested and maybe it wouldn't hurt? I'm sure they won't find anything out of the ordinary.

I hate going so long with no post. I think of things daily to write about, but it's a matter of finding the time to actually sit down and type. Ivana's school schedule has let up quite a bit. She won't be able to take the week-long 'matura' this month as planned, but she will still finish her GED in time to start university this fall. The matura is a week of exams that are needed before "graduating". I guess it would be like our SAT or ACT.

Clay has learned to shrug his shoulders and say, "I don't know." when asked a question. Thadeus is trying to wave. The farmer's horse has had a colt. My spinach, lettuce, carrots and onions are coming up nicely. I tried to plant grass where I cut the trees up, but I'm starting to have my doubts about that.

We finally had the dreaded meeting with our landlord last night. It went remarkably well. I feel like we can walk away from the table without having that pretend niceness with her. She said that she realizes that the contracts have been signed, this is the way it is and she's not going to push us out the door. We are still trying to look for something to purchase and Timothy went to the bank this week to see what will be required of us. The hardest part will be that we'll need 30% of whatever the cost is for a down payment. With housing prices what they are in Ljubljana that's no small potatoes. Anyway, it feels like the pressure is off for us to get out in a hurry and we can take our time to find the right house for us in the right location.

Sunday we went to look at the space our church plans on buying. It's only a couple miles from where our QSI school is going to move to, which is only a few miles more from where Timothy's office is. Everyone is so excited about this church move. Our friend Romana, who is disabled due to severe arthritis, was so funny. Timothy said something about having an elevator since the property we're going to buy is not on the ground floor. She said to him, "No, we'll have a healing service outside and people can walk up on their own."

The place we're meeting in now is a dance school during the week and there's a disco ball hanging from the middle of the room. I told Romana that we're going to buy a disco ball and hang it from the middle of the new sanctuary for the first service in the new place. She told me to leave Egypt behind! What a quick wit! She's a great person.

A House of Righteousness

Timothy went to Zagreb, Croatia with Steve Telzerow after church yesterday. Steve was going down to visit one of the churches and Timothy offered to go along for the ride. I think I woke up around 11:30 last night when he got in. I hope he has some good stories to share. We haven't talked yet this morning so I feel like I haven't seen him in days.

Last week Timothy got convicted about all of our pirated movies and music. He asked me for a couple bags and into the trash they all went! Woo Hoo! This is something I've prayed for. I didn't like it, and said so. After I had my say I prayed and then left it up to God to do the rest. I was so proud of him for acting on it completely as soon as he was convicted. He told Ivana if she had anything in this house that was pirated she was to do the same. She made a list first of everything she'll want to buy! I also have a list of movies I would like to purchase.

I hadn't written anything about Ivana lately... At the wedding three weeks ago, the pastors from Nova Gorica and much of that church family came. Ivana's boyfriend, Peter, is living with the pastor since his return from the center in Spain. The pastor and his wife stopped Timothy during the reception to discuss what they've been seeing. I won't go in to all of that, but Ivana and Peter have been told they need to cool their engines. After many discussions Ivana has agreed that she needs to give him a lot of space right now. She's not talking to him on the phone or anything. She says she doesn't understand (which confuses me b/c if you see the whole situation I don't know what there is to not understand) but she also said she's willing to make a step of faith.

We haven't said, "You may not call him, talk to him, see him, etc." We have said that it would be best for him to completely leave him alone, but then we left the door open for her to make her own decisions. We didn't discuss this once and then leave it at that, but we've brought it up several times and talked until we were all on the same page. She's also been talking to Barbara Telzerow which helps her a lot.

Sometimes we worry because if we give the slightest hint of a suggestion Ivana takes it and runs with it. I worry that the center in Spain taught her the wrong kind of submission and that someday it will get her into trouble. So, I'm also trying to teach her to get confirmation for things from two or three "witnesses". Timothy and I are both starting to feel like her level of maturity is growing to where she's becoming a peer and not a daughter. When she came to us she was about 15 and in the past year and a half she's grown about 10 years. Then, so have we!

Brotherly Love

The boys got their first bath together. They enjoyed it. They always seem to enjoy their together time. One morning Timothy put Clay in Thad's bed. Ooh! The giggles of delight! The bath time fun came to an end when Clay slipped and bumped his elbow. Thad is such a sensitive little thing he cried more than Clay.

Thadeus is not actually crawling, but has developed quite an "army crawl". He's pretty speedy. This new found independence is very much enjoyed and is preferred to being held! "No problem, Kid." The boys played together tonight, Clay trying to explain to Thadeus that they were puppies. I don't think he got it, but he relished the positive attention he received from Clay while he tried to keep up with him around the kitchen.

The boys and I walked to the little grocery store this evening. Well, I walked. Clay rode in the backpack and Thadeus in the small stroller. I think it's about a mile up there and Timothy picked us up on his way home from work. We played on the playground for a couple hours until he came. Clay mastered climbing up the slide the wrong way. Thadeus and I sat in the grass and clapped our hands.

Clay has discovered the wonderful world of sock lint. One morning recently while he was getting dressed he sat down and pulled his toes apart one-by-one and said, "Nope. Nope. Nope." That's if there was no lint. If there was lint he said, "Yep!" and set to getting it out from between those long toes.

This morning I opened their bedroom door to see if Clay was awake yet. Thadeus normally gets up around 6 and then Clay makes an appearance about an hour later. He was lying there with his eyes open, but wouldn't speak to me. Okay, I walked away. A few minutes later he came to his door and was whispering something about it being open. He closed it in my face and we heard him run and get back in bed. Not exactly a morning person I guess.