Our Big Welcome Home

We are back home from a great vacation on the beach in Florida, and I am now sitting down to the computer for the first time since we left. The house where we stayed for the week had no Internet service so I took a much needed break from the technology world. I feel really behind in the blog world but hope to catch up over the next hour.

I have lots of fun pictures to sort through tonight from our trip. Eli had such a great time this past week. He flew on a plane, walked on the beach, and saw the ocean all for the first time. He talked about it all the whole way home. His enthusiasm for every new thing he saw was just priceless. I loved watching him take it all in.

It is nice to be back home again today and even better to have a few surprises welcome us back. Before we left for vacation, I checked one last time on a bird's nest that we had been watching over the past week. This mama bird was very determined to make her nest in my hanging fern. I fought with her for several days at the beginning and would take her nest out every time she started making a new one. Poor thing made three nests in the same plant. I thought it would be pretty hard to water the plant with a nest in the middle but she just wasn't getting the message! Eventually, I came out one day and found that she had made another nest and put four eggs in it. So, I decided to let the nest be, and I have been carefully watering the plant from the side underneath the nest. When I walked up to water the ferns tonight I gave the plant a little shake to see if mama bird was inside. Instead, I heard the sweetest little squeak.

There are three baby birds in the nest and still two unhatched eggs. She must have laid another egg after we left because there were only four to begin with. Although this nest has been a bit of a nuisance to me, I must admit that these birds are really cute. Eli really thought they were great and it will be fun to watch them grow over the next week or two.

Our other big surprise came when Marc and Eli were in the bathroom unloading our bath stuff tonight. (I should probably add in here that Eli tells us at least fifty times a day when we are home that he wants to go potty. He LOVES his Elmo step stool and Sesame Street seat for the big potty and will take any opportunity to use them. Marc and I actually quit asking him if he wanted to go because in a five minute period we might end up putting him back on the seat ten times. It was quite exhausting getting a diaper on and off and I just haven't felt like he is ready enough for a pull-up. He usually squeezes out some every time we put him up there but it seems like he goes just enough for us to let him flush the toilet. Ha!) So, tonight when I was unpacking in the living room I heard Eli tell Marc, "Eli need poo-poo in da potty." Since Marc had just changed a poopy diaper (and since Eli has never gone #2 in the potty) he told him that he didn't need to go. But when Eli insisted, Marc helped him onto the potty and he actually went! We were both screaming and cheering for him. I think he thought we were crazy, but he sure loved the chocolate candy I gave him as a reward. :) With only six months to go, I am more hopeful after all that we will only be taking one baby in diapers to Africa!

Well, I guess I should start sorting through the pictures from the week so I can show you all our vacation!