My friend Toni is leaving today to visit her fiance in South Korea for 3 weeks, after which she has to fly back and finish planning her upcoming nuptials. If I didn't have a baby, I would ditch Tortoise for a few weeks and go with her so that we could have all kinds of fun whilst her workaholic man saves the world. Alas, responsiblity demands that I be here to give Hatchling his morning bottles, kiss his boo- boos, and read "Goodnight Moon" one- hundred and four times a day.

So, Toni, after a safe flight, I hope and pray that you find a good friend to take you into town while you are on base. I hope she is lots of fun, a true kindred spirit. Mostly, I hope you don't like her more than me.

Hatchling can now retrieve things I tell him to (like a ball), he can make the baby signs for 'more' and 'hungry' (and uses them frequently), and he sits in my lap now when I read him a story (which he picks out and tells me he wants me to read to him by throwing the book at me... we'll be working on manners soon...). I love being a mommy!