Please Pray for Linus

I am not technically smart enough to put the button on here but I think I at least have the blog link right.  I have been watching these little guys since before they were born.  Little Linus has had a rough time in this world and needs all your prayers to get him home soon to his brothers and Moms. 
http://astoryoftwomoms.blogspot.com/

Down By the Station

A few weeks ago Lori and I were driving to a flea market and we drove over railroad tracks.  Baylor really got excited about seeing a train but there was none coming. Being two and being a boy he was very upset about it.  I told him we would call Grandma and Grandpa to see if they could find him a train to ride. This bought me some time as did stopping at the Middletown Hummelstown Railroad to look at their trains.   When we got home we called them and he asked them to find a train for him to ride.  I talked to Mom and told her about it and asked her if she could look up or call Strasburg Railroad to see when they open for the season.  I did not wait for her a looked up their website and found out they opened the following weekend.  We made plans to go on opening day. 

Saturday Baylor and I were on the road to their house at 7:20.  He did not know we were going for sure but I know he had a good idea what was going to happen that day.  We headed out to the station and it was pretty crowded already.  It was very obvious that this was heaven for little boys as they were every where.

This is the coach car we choose as it was close and looked empty.

The coal stove kept the car toasty warm.

The cars are beautifully restored and it is traveling though time sitting on the velvet seats with the beautiful lamps and windows. 

The cars started out empty but was packed by the time we pulled out at 12:00.  Baylor and I shared a seat and Grandma and Grandpa sat on the other side of the aisle.  Baylor was enthralled by the whole experience.  He did not move from my lap until we headed back to the station. 

Our friendly conductor collecting tickets. 

Engine 475 pulling in to hook up the the train.  It runs backwards for the trip out and when it switches at the end of the tracks it is facing forward to pull into the station properly.  They have this all figured out!

  We did see a red fox in one of the fields. It was an uneventful trip to Paradise, the town where the tracks end and the engine switches ends of the trains and pulled us back into the station. When the engine was switching Baylor ran over to sit with my Dad to see it go by the train.  He stayed there for the rest of the trip.  I had to move the back of my seat so I was facing forward for the ride back to the station. When we got off the car, we ran up to the other end of the train to see the engine re-hook up to the front.  It is amazing how large the engines are. They shovel a half a ton of coal just for the short ride to keep the train moving.

We stayed at the station until the trained pulled out at 1:00 on the dot.  We noticed the cars were only partly filled so I know for next year to go at the second run!  I think we will take him again this spring because he enjoyed it so much. 

I have been off line for over a week because a storm knocked out the router and Verizon in it's infinate wisdom kept sending the tech to the wrong address.  They fixed the internet and all is well again.  I know there was life before the internet but I did miss it.  Mark, I am fine and not sad, just not connected! 

BFN

I had my blood test today and the nurse called and confirmed it was a negative.  I had a feeling that these possible signs I am feeling are side effects from the hormones I am taking right now.  Lori has decided we can try again as long as we can do it through our local OB office and not drive down to MD for everything.  I need to call my nurse tomorrow to see if they can do it because if so then I want to start in a few days when I start the next cycle.  It was a sad afternoon and I received a lot of support from so many people.  I am truly blessed to have my friends around me and willing to go through this emotional roller coaster each month. 

So here's to next time and maybe the third time will work! 

Nothing special

My beautiful family relaxing on the couch!  I love Baylor's smile! 

I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was washing dishes.  He had a small scrub brush and was running the water.  The sink was super clean as was the floor when I mopped up all the water. 

He loves to cook with me and he was making a cheese sauce for the Beefaroni we made for dinner with our friends. I was worried about him being at the stove with it on but he did really well not touching the burner grate.

This is Cullen who came over with both his Mommies as Baylor asked when I told him Cullen was coming over to play.  We made rainbow cupcakes for their visit.  Cullen liked his a lot!

And Baylor did too.

They played really well together all afternoon. When Amy ran out to pack the car they looked out the window at her. They looked so cute together and I love Cully's curly locks.

They are about 6 weeks apart but Cully is definitely taller than Baylor. 

Baylor liked holding Cullen's hand even if Cullen was not into it. 

He has such a cute grin and was quite a crack up the whole play date.  We love visiting with them and wish the lived closer.

New Car in the Neighborhood

This was my Subaru Forester that I have owned for the last 5 years.  I loved my car and it had the coolest horn.  I was broken and had no authority but it made people laugh.  Baylor loved it also.  But with a car seat there is not much room for grandparents when we want to go places together.  And since we want to expand our family more room is needed. So I begrudgingly agreed to trade it in on this...

A 2010 Toyota Sienna. A total Mom Minivan.

I cannot believe I have to drive it.  With the Subaru, that has the coolest horn remember, I at least felt still like a Lesbian and a Mom.  Now, well not so much a lesbian and more a soccer Mom.  I am not sure Baylor even knows what soccer is.  But his has a great view with his car seat in the middle. 

I am sure everything will be fine but I am still grieving the loss of my little green Subaru Forester with the awesome horn. 

Day 20

Today is a week since the first AI.  Do I feel pregnant? No.  Should I? Not really. 

Grumpy Old Men

Why do baby boys always look like old men?  Meet Ian Daniel Fletcher.  He is the son to my oldest friend Stacey and her husband Marshall.  She is not really old but I have known her longest. My first 12 years of life were spent with a dad in the Air Force.  We moved every 3-4 years and I was not a good correspondent and friends would move too.  I meet Stacey in 8th grade and we have been friends ever since.  We have not been too close for the last 13 years because that was went I went to the dark side.  Her religion is very central to her life and my lack of faith was always an issue with us.  When I started dating women, that was the beginning of the end.  We parted ways and I was in the beginning of my downward spiral with my girlfriend at the time.  I alienated a lot of people at that time and she was one of them.  She kept in touch with my parents and still calls them Mom and Dad.  My mom was the only other person she wanted in the delivery room other than her husband. 

Stacey, Mom and Ian

Ian slept pretty much the entire time we were there.  We sent Marshall away to go take a nap.  For a few minutes he had his eyes open so I took advantage and had him try on the hat I made him.  Babies can pull off a look like this! Back to my story, Stacey got married about 8 years ago and we only saw each other if Mom and Dad had us over at the same time.   A few years ago Stacey called me to apologize for they way we 'split' and that she would like to try to be friends or something like that.  I accepted her apology but we don't live close to each other anyway.  My life was on the right road but it is hard to be around people who have to start every conversation with, "I don't approve of your life, but...."  I have a lot of people in my life who don't care and it is a lot easier to be around them. And her and her husband never do anything separately so there was not much incentive to pursue anything.   

The year I was pregnant they moved to Branson, MO for their jobs and I went to Mom's to say bon voyage.  We went for a walk and she started with the "I don't appove of how you got pregnant but I am happy for you if this is what you want."  Great, some things never change.  I always ask people questions when conversation dies down and I asked about her best friend Sharon because I knew her too.  Stacey said she is like you.  I told her I always suspected as much and let it go.  Even Lori who saw a picture of Sharon years ago asked if she was a lesbian and at the time I don't think Sharon knew she was.  I thought her coming out is why I got an apology because she cannot hate Sharon for being gay because they share the same faith.  Stacey never wanted children and I remember very clearly the conversation we had about in the car we we were in our 20s and even were on the road to Millersville we were when we had it.  She married a man who did not want to be a Dad either so they were well matched.  Imagine my surprise when Mom told me last spring that they decided they wanted to have a baby.  I remember them coming to my parents unannounced on Father's Day and I almost asked her in the driveway 'Are you pregnant?'.  Why else would they be there?  8 months later on February 18, he arrived after a 36 hour labor.  We are glad to have him in the family.  He looks like Marshall.  And Al, Stacey's dad, Al because baby boys look like old men until they fill out. 

Baylor stayed with Buddy and they had a great time.  Baylor has always loved to nap on people and my parents do not approve of such things so imagine my surprise when we got back to Mom's and I saw this. 

Dad said he just asked to sit on his lap and in two minutes he was asleep.  He slept for about 2 and a half hours! On Dad!  He told us they went outside, took a walk, picked up sticks, and stones.  They had lunch, read stories, and had a great time together. 

He was happy to see me when he awoke and asked me if I went to see Stacey's baby.  I never told him where I was going and Dad said he said something to him about it while we were gone.  When I was on the phone with Stacey when she was in labor I had Baylor say Hi.  I gave him the phone and he asked her if she was having her baby.  He never did say hi though.  Hopefully he can see the baby soon because he is very interested in him.  Hopefully, he can be interested in a new baby in our house and hopefully we will have one!