If we're not myspace friends we should be.

I added a TON of pictures yesterday and am in the process of adding a ton more.

Introducing The Distinguished Professor and Noted Astrologer Percival L. McFuzzypants-Gerlaugh, being squished half-retarded by his adorable sidekick Marti Pearl

My birthday is coming up. My best girls and I have done some pre-birthday celebrating... here are the pictures. <3



This is about how things have been looking lately.




Hanging out with Bailey and Jenna on Bailey's birthday (Tuesday)




Pre-birthday celebrating with Zaynab and Bailey on a patio!

Please pardon my absence. I'm taking a little break from blogging right now. Its turning into quite a busy summer and I'm finding I simply need a tiny internet-vacation.

I'll be back soon!

<3

Bean is big. I mean, I knew it'd happen someday, but when I look at her I see a real kid. 16 months old today, and as of this week she's saying lots of things clearly enough for me to understand them. The talking has come slower than I expected, but this being my first real experience with a baby, who am I to know?

Her favorite word is "outside" and she likes to say "hi" to things. "hi cat / dog / mom / dad / yaya (grandma)"

She claps every time she passes gas, she dances every time she hears music, and she growls every time she sees a dinosaur or a goat (?).

Last week she pottied on her own for the first time, and is getting really excited about using her potty. She sits and sits, usually with no results, but she "reads" lots of books and runs around naked plenty.

She knows 25-30 signs and uses them often. Her favorites are milk, eat, play, and done.


I don't know that you guys are nearly as interested in all of this as I am, but its good stuff to keep track of, I suppose!

Dear members of the Gerlaugh household, or psychic friends,

Why is there a meatball on the bathroom floor?

Puzzled,
Mama

P.S. Yes, I'm sure its a meatball.
P.P.S. No, I didn't put it there.

(I know, I know, another Kurt Halsey, but I just really love his work.)

Today is a historically yucky day for me. I've had a harder time than usual this year, I'm going to blame it on a mix of hormones and marriage stress.

7 years ago today was the worst day of my life. I was 16 years old. I was concerned primarily with boys, music, summertime, and my best girl friends. I spent most of my time online, at church, or hanging out with my little sister. Life was definitely good.

On June 27, 2001, I was raped. The investigation and many examinations that followed were possibly even more damaging than the attack itself, proving to me only that things were never as they seemed. My trust shattered, my body mangled, and my soul torn apart, I slept for the rest of the summer.

When I was told that I was most likely unable to have children, due to an infection of the uterus I (probably) contracted at the hospital following the attack, I realized something I never even knew I wanted was taken from me that night. It was the hardest thing I'd ever faced. I had always said I didn't want to have kids, that it just wasn't for me, but faced with the fact that it might not ever be an option was more than I could even process. It was too soon to tell for sure, they said, and that was that.

The boys that attacked me live and work in my town, they have families and jobs, normal lives, and I'm positive that this day means nothing to them. This day means so much to me, though...

As I stand next to my daughter's crib and watch her sleep I think about how lucky I am to have her. There's nothing like watching her there, peaceful as can be, with her beautiful brown hair and her dirty little fingernails... she's a tiny miracle, something that was absolutely supposed to happen. She came into my life when she wasn't supposed to even be a possibility, and she's a constant reminder that I'm so much stronger than even I give myself credit for.

Its a hard day, and I have come to accept that over the years, but its also such an important day, one that, in a lot of ways, shaped who I am today. Its taught me so many important lessons, and its given me an amazing sense of appreciation I'm not sure I'd find otherwise. In a way I'm thankful for this experience, for reminding me that every second of being Marti Pearl's mom is so precious.