potty training continues

potty training lessons of the week:
1. dean does well when forced; i.e., when his choices are peeing on the floor or in the toilet.
2. dean does not do well when his bowels are either diseased or unbalanced. i won't go into how i know that exactly. let's just say thursday evening was not my favorite time this week.

in other news, troy (months after i made my list) went through the baby names book and made his list. here are the only coinciding names we came up with independently: brigham, hal/henry, reed, sid/sidney, ty/tyrus. thoughts, anyone?
pregnancy continues to go well, although i think it's a little more achy this time. i feel like i should only have maybe 4 weeks to go based on my energy level and aching back, but i really have about 9. so it is getting close, and i'm trying to be patient and not wish away the time i have with "only" two kids because i don't want to be pregnant anymore. i do well most days, and the boys are really cute about my belly. dean likes to play games with binko (that's his name for the baby) and ask me if binko is having a party for him, or laughing because dean is being silly. max likes to be soft ("kaah") on my belly, stroking very gently. i think he's picked up "binko" as well--he says "eeko" sometimes when dean is asking me what the baby is doing.

i have had many moments this week of pure joy and gratitude for my family. i have been in awe of how beautiful my sons are, how precious their lives are, and their absolute joy in finding an ant on the sidewalk and letting it crawl on their arms. i am living the life i always wanted, and i think i'm learning to appreciate it while it's happening. my loving husband makes things fun again when i can't give any more, which happens pretty often these days; my two boys are learning every day, working on becoming who they will be; my body responds well to the rigors of pregnancy and lifting my solid 20-month-old so often; i have good people all around me who have been or are where i am in life and are full of encouragement and help for me; i know my Heavenly Father knows me, loves me, and approves of my efforts to keep a good home and raise our children in light and truth.