single digits

We're leaving for a combo family visit & vacation tonight. Since I've been losing weight, a lot of my clothes are too big, so last night I went down to the basement to try on some of my boxed up "summer - too small" clothes. I pulled out the first pair of shorts, thought they looked like they might fit, put them on, they were a perfect fit! I took them off & looked at the tag, so I could dig through and find whatever else was that size. Imagine my surprise....they were 8's! Yes, eights!

I knew that didn't seem right, so I tried on some others, and sure enough, only 2 pair of 8's fit me. The rest were too small. I think the 2 pair that fit were just big girl 8's! So I don't know if they are my fat skinny clothes, or my skinny fat clothes, but I was pretty proud to fit in anything with a single number on the tag, even if I know they weren't true 8's.

I doubt I check in while we're on vacation, and we'll be gone for almost 2 weeks. Hopefully I'll have lots of fun stories to share when I return! Have a GREAT July 4th!

has it really been a year?

One year ago today, Scarlett made her grand entrance. You can read all about it here. I am so weepy today. Her first birthday seems to be affecting me a lot more than Matthew's did, I guess because by the time he turned one I was pregnant with her, so I knew I would soon go through all the "baby things" again. I also think the day was more exciting - with Matthew I was induced, there weren't any of those "is this is?" moments - I was hooked up to an IV and monitors the entire time. With Scarlett, there was no time for an IV or monitoring...it just happened. I actually remember David pausing from packing my bag and saying "this is exciting" - he really was so excited. Not to say we weren't excited with Matthew, we were THRILLED to have him, and very excited when we finally went to the hospital to have him, it was just different, and hard to put into words.

I did find a "timeline" of the morning Scarlett was born that I had put in an email to a friend, so I'll share that here this morning:

• 4:15am - contractions started


• 9:53am - called David to come home from work (I know this from looking back at my cell phone later)


• 10:38am - IM'd friend who was going to watch Matthew (had talked with her earlier but IM'd her to let her know we were heading to the hospital)


• 10:57am - called my parents to head here to take care of Matthew (again, from cell phone time log) - we were on our way to the hospital


• 11:20am - got to hospital


• 11:38am - Scarlett's official birth time

Happy Birthday Princess!

WFMW: Change of Clothes

With 2 children still in diapers, I'm looking for any way I can make the diaper bag lighter. I realized one day when I had it packed full that I needed to eliminate some things. I decided that instead of taking a change of clothes for Matthew and a change of clothes for Scarlett, that I would only take one. Now I take something that fits Matthew, but is made so that I can put it on Scarlett too...it's just really big on her. I only remember one time that I had to use her extra change of clothes, so in the event that I need to change her, I don't mind if she wears Matthew's clothes for a little while. In all honesty, I could probably stop taking a change of clothes for Matthew, I don't remember the last time I needed one, but that with that darn Murphy guy & his laws hanging around, I'm sure that as soon as I left home without them, we'd need them. If you have opposite sex children, like I do, you'd want to be a little careful about what you choose as your extra set of clothes. I don't mind if Scarlett wears boy clothes for a bit, but if she was the older child I probably wouldn't carry a dress as the extra clothes. :)

So taking just one change of clothes, to fit the bigger child, works for me. It saves a little space in my diaper bag...in the winter it saves a lot of space! To see more great tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.

wow, wowowowow

Last night we went the big fireworks show here. We weren't sure how the kids would hold up since it started a good bit past their bedtime, but they did great. We left home around 8pm, not sure how long it would take us to cross the bridge, park, etc. We were there in plenty of time, parked and wandered down the river to a playground by a little after 9. We let Matthew & Scarlett run around and play for a long time - they had a blast. Matthew loved playing around all the other (almost all older) kids, and Scarlett enjoyed it too. I stuck pretty close to her since it was wild with all the children running around. A lot of little girls adored her though, coming up and rubbing her cheeks or patting her on the head. I heard lots of "baaaa-beeee" shrieks.

When it got close to showtime, we wandered back up towards the car a little ways and found a spot to watch the fireworks. They set them off from 3 huge barges in the middle of the river. Beautiful! We didn't take the tripod so I doubt we got good pics though. Matthew watched the fireworks and said "wow!" then he's say "wowowowow" and "I lub fireworks." He really had a blast! Scarlett let out a lot of delighted squeals so I think she enjoyed it too.

We got home around midnight & got the kids to bed. Unfortunately Scarlett woke up at 6:15 still! I didn't go to the gym because I overslept! I have to get up at 5:30 to get there in time for the class I attend. Oh well...it was a fun night but we had a LONG day today. The kids didn't nap well (ok so they hardly napped at all) which made for 3 GRUMPY people by suppertime (2 kids + a REALLY grouchy momma!). David had to mow tonight so I was quite relieved when I got them to bed! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

note to self:

Self, don't EVER, under ANY circumstances, buy prunes for Scarlett again. No matter what they are mixed with, the results stink.

And self, should you ever forget the above warning and feed her something with prunes again, use disposable diapers until it's out of her system.

Blech.

a GREAT weekend

So as I posted Thursday, our anniversary was Saturday night. I told David he was responsible for planning our date, and he did a pretty darn good job. We went to a comedy club and saw Ted Alexandro. I don't remember the guy's name who opened for him, but they were both funny. Heck, even the MC was funny. But Ted, he was really funny. Granted, it's been a while since I've been to a comedy club, but we got a lot of laughs.

One of the things the MC stressed was having a designated driver. When he asked the audience who was a DD, only 2 people showed their hands. So then he proceeded to tell us if we were giggly we might be too drunk to drive. As we were leaving, we walked past a limo & the driver was on his cell phone. I overheard him say "What am I wearing?" It struck me as hilarious, I guess because when I think of someone on the phone & the conversation being "what are you wearing right now?" ya know, my mind just goes to the gutter. So I got the silly giggles, and NO, I was not drunk. I could not stop giggling about it and as we made our way down the block, the MC crossed the street and was beside us. I think because of my uncontrollable giggles, he thought I was drunk & started chatting us up. I think he wanted to make sure one of us was sober enough to drive.

We went to a little burger place for dinner, mainly because we were a little worried we didn't have enough time to go to a "sit down" place. We also went to a great little bakery & had dessert....I had a chocolate turtle brownie & David had a custard something. They were both delish. Yummmy.

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. David pulled out a little bike we have for Matthew & he walked it all over the deck. His feet barely reach the pedals but after a few hours outside he seemed to get the hang of pushing the pedals. He would walk with one foot & have the other foot on the pedals, so maybe he'll figure out to put both feet up soon.

We have finally gotten the pool nice & clean, it's actually algae-free, but the temperature has dropped and the water is only 70*. We pulled out the solar cover so hopefully it will warm up quickly. I'm not swimming in 70* water. Not since my kayaking days have I been in water that cold!

darn that murphy guy

Who the heck does he think he is? Making laws that interfere with my plans! Just my luck that it's nice and sunny (and HOT!) all morning while Matthew and I play outside, but then this afternoon, when he and Scarlett are both napping, and AFTER I've gotten the laundry taken care of (well almost, there's a folded load, a load in the dryer, a load on the clothesline, and a load in the washer so there's not much I can do right now), I decide to put my swimsuit on, grab my book and the baby monitors, and head out to sit by the pool. Wouldn't you know - it's cloudy! Next time I'll check for sun before putting my suit on.

How many grammar rules did I break with that mega run-on sentence? Bah.

they're good kids... *updated

*update at bottom

My kids are good kids, really, I promise. I know I complain about them some days, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. The good days & moments far outweigh the bad. If my kids are so great, why can't I find a sitter?!?! When we were taking them out of daycare, I talked to several of the teachers and assistants who babysit on the side. They all willingly (well they seemed willing anyway) gave me thier phone numbers. Not a single one that I asked said she doesn't sit, although one said she doesn't very often. All of the others quickly said yes. But so far I've had no luck actually getting one of them to sit for us.

Here's the really whiny part of my post. Saturday is our anniversary. Eleven wonderful years. We should go out and celebrate, right? But we can't do it because we can't find a sitter. I can console myself with the fact that we did enjoy 2 date nights while my parents visited, but it isn't the same. Oh well. I guess aside from a "Happy Anniversary" it will be just like any other Saturday. Which is ok, really. But I'm still frustrated that every time we've tried to hire a sitter it hasn't worked out.

Now I'm freaking paranoid. Why don't they like my kids? My kids are perfect! Really. And yeah, the thought crossed my mind that maybe it's me they don't like, but come on - how could you not like me? (ha!) Even if they don't like me, I'll pay well and they don't have to spend much time with me anyway!

**Update - well, I have a good friend who lives not too far away and bless her heart, she read my blog today and volunteered herself. She's an angel. I won't go into many details here since it's not my place to talk about her (except to say she's an angel!) but basically it's an awkward situation and I'm reluctant to ask her for help with the kids. Maybe it's just as awkward for me not to ask, I dunno...it's just not the situation I'd like it to be. I am pretty sure she understands, which makes me really grateful that she can get through *my* awkwardness about the situation and offer herself up to help me out. I'm not sure I deserve such a good friend, but I'll count my blessings that she's in my life and pray that the situation changes soon.

WFMW: Hotel Bargains

For when you want to take a vacation, or you have to go somewhere & need a room for a night (or more), but you want to save money on the room, what do you do? We usually use Hotwire. Hotwire lets you put in search parameters and gives you results with "star ratings", amenities, and prices. The prices here have always been much lower than what I could find anywhere else and I've never had a problem with the room or hotel that I've received.

The first time David & I used it I was very leary. We were going to the ACC basketball tournament in Charlotte, and everywhere I looked for rooms they were coming up either full or priced around $200/night. We talked about camping, but really wanted to stay closer to the city. He finally found a room on hotwire that claimed to be 2.5 stars, for $29 a night. YES! $29 a night! Like I said, I was very leary - I expected us to get there & find a dump. I figured it was worth going ahead & booking, with the understanding that if it was a dump we lost that money & we'd find somewhere else to stay, even if it meant getting out of the city.

I was so surprised when it told us the hotel was a Candlewood Suites. No, it's not a top of the line hotel, but 2.5 stars is pretty accurate. Most importantly, when we arrived it was very clean, quiet, a GREAT hotel that I would stay at again, and a GREAT GREAT bargain! I LOVE a good bargain!

Other good deals - one of my best friends booked a room at a 4 star in NYC for $89/night. Turned out the hotel was the Waldorf. We went to Hawaii for our 5 year anniversary - booked a 5 star room for $129/night - when we checked the hotel's website the best rate was $439/night. We never would have paid that much for a room, but it sure was nice to stay there!

We booked a room for our vacation coming up - $79/night for a 4 star. Booking through the hotel site, the best rate is $176/night. I like saving money.

I know a lot of people like priceline so what I do is check hotwire first, to see what the best rate I can get (and I won't stay at anything less than what they claim is 2.5 stars). Then I go to priceline and put in a rate that is a little lower than what I get on hotwire. If they match my price, I've saved even more money; if they don't, I go book on hotwire.

I love a bargain and now that we're a one income family it's even more important to save money. That is what works for me. For more great tips, head over to Rocks In My Dryer.

hit by a car!

Since I've been trying to knit wool diaper soakers, I volunteered to help a woman test a pattern she wrote. She wanted some experience knitters and some complete newbies, well HELLO! Complete newb here. The bummer is that it is a "in the round" pattern and I need to buy needles. Well, the local Joanns & Michaels didn't have the sizes that I needed, so I decided to visit the local yarn store. It has awful hours so finally I decided I'd just put the kiddos in the bike trailer used as double stroller & take a nice walk. It's only about 1.5 miles from home & it's nice neighborhood streets.

Well we are approaching an intersection and I see a car pull up. The driver stops at the stop sign but there is traffic coming on the other street, so she has to sit and wait. I proceed to cross the street and suddenly I realize the car is MOVING! She was not moving when I started crossing. I quickly moved the trailer (and kiddos) to the other side of me, and banged on her hood several times, and shouted (profanities). Finally I got her attention but she hit me and the edge of the bike trailer. I'm glad I got it kind of out of the way. I walk over to her window, and see that she is TALKING ON HER FREAKING CELL PHONE! ARGGGGHHHHH! I was beyond pissed. She quickly apologizes and starts to drive away. I had a few more not so nice words for her about how she needs to hang up the phone and concentrate on her driving since she obviously can't handle the two tasks at the same time, and that she needs to learn to watch for pedestrians too...I was really angry. Well who wouldn't be after getting hit by a car?!?!

After I walked away I really regretted not calling the cops. On one hand, it seems kind of petty to call them, no one was hurt, blah blah, but on the other hand, what if I hadn't noticed that she was moving? What if I had Matthew in the umbrella stroller & Scarlett in the sling? They wouldn't have been as protected then. What if she doesn't learn to pay better attention and next time the result is worse? So yeah, I wish I had called the cops. Part of me also just thinks it would have served her right to have to sit there for the 15-30 minutes it would have taken them to show up. She'd have gotten a ticket too, at least one, possibly two...and frankly, when you hit MY CHILDREN (even if they're in their stroller and even if it's just a bump) then yeah, I think punishment is deserved. Yeah, really wishing I had called.

To top it all off, I was really disappointed in the local yarn store. The needles I needed would have cost me $24 to buy - I can order them from an online store for $13, including shipping. They also had a great yarn selection, but again, very overpriced. AND, no one in the store even spoke to me. While I *hate* pushy salespeople, I do like to be greeted when I walk into a small shop like this. If I had been properly greeted & asked if I needed anything, I probably would have spent the money on the needles, since I'm anxious to get started on the pattern testing.

Can I bring her home?

We had a lovely weekend, the weather was BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL and we did several fun things. I went to the gym, to a boot camp class. Yeah, it kicked my butt, but I was glad that I did it. I will be back this Saturday. I had asked around at the gym about it, couldn't find anyone who actually went, but the instructor of the class I go to on Tues/Thurs said it was tough. She encouraged me though & told me just to go at my own pace. Well this class was intense...it wasn't in the classroom, we went outside. We played soccer, we ran, and ran, and ran...then ran some more. We did push ups, situps, modified pull ups, some weights, jump rope....lots of stuff I have never done, I think I worked muscles I didn't know I had. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get out of bed Sunday, but after a long soak in the hot tub Saturday night, I hopped right up yesterday. (Should have soaked again last night - this morning I was pretty slow getting up!)

So that started my weekend off right, then I went to lunch & a movie with a friend. We saw Sex & the City, which was really good. I was not sure how I felt about a movie, because I liked the way the series ended and didn't want to see them "mess it up" - but all in all I think they did a good job with it.

Sunday started off lazy, but we decided to take Matthew to his first movie. Horton Hears a Who was playing at the dollar theater. We had to wake him up early from his nap, and Scarlett ended up missing her afternoon nap, but we thought it would be fun. And it was, until 20 minutes in when Scarlett was so overtired & got hungry too - she got fussy & wouldn't eat, so I took her out. She ate & settled down, but when I went back in the theater she fussed. So David & Matthew enjoyed the movie while Scarlett & I enjoyed the lobby. That was ok, at least Matthew had fun.

While Scarlett & I were in the lobby, I had the opportunity to do a lot of people watching. One woman amazed me - she came out of a different theater with a little girl who looked to be a little older than Scarlett. The poor baby was screaming and the mom offered no comfort to her whatsoever. They sat down on a bench, side by side, and the woman held the girl down. I understand toddler tantrums, but this was no ordinary tantrum. The woman commented loudly "I know you're sleepy but that's too bad." I think I gasped out loud! I mean, I knew Scarlett was sleepy but I cuddled her, walked her, "shush'ed" her...trying to make her settle enough to go to sleep. It amazed me that this woman was treating her child this way. It broke my heart to sit there and listen to this little girl cry, and watch as the mother acted like she was only angry that the little girl wouldn't stop. I also saw how Scarlett reacted to this...she is young but I think she was aware that it wasn't good. I had her in my lap, facing me, and the woman and girl were on a bench across from me, so Scarlett had to turn and look over her shoulder to see them. But she would turn and look and then look up at me & lay her head on my shoulder. I believe she *knew* that I would never hold her down to cry when she needed me. I can't explain it.

I really wanted to scoop that little baby up & bring her home with us though. I can tell myself that the mom was just having a bad day, but I can't make myself believe it. It makes me so sad to think that's the norm for that precious little girl.

an evening out

Earlier this week David suggested we go out for burgers one night. We picked Thursday and he suggested that Matthew, Scarlett, & I meet him at work around 5:30. Normally this would be fine, but yesterday Scarlett napped forever! She took a 3 hour nap in the morning and then another one in the afternoon. Finally at 6:20 I went upstairs and made a lot of noise hoping she would wake up. I hate to wake a sleeping baby, and figured there was no reason to wake her so we could meet David at 5:30, but after she'd been down 3 hours I decided enough was enough. David decided to just come on home, I nursed Scarlett, and off we went. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, but I knew it wasn't a normal place, it was farther away. Finally we arrived at Sonic! Until now there haven't been any Sonics in this area, and we've missed it...more for their drinks than their food, but it was nice to see they are expanding to this area. BUT, the line was SO long - they had the drive to the restaurant blocked off and had signs in the parking lot (it was an outparcel at a Meijer) directing Sonic customers to go to one of the lanes in the regular Meijer lot. When we followed the signs we realized there were 2 lines of cars - one for drive through and the other for the parking stalls. There were roughly 10 cars waiting for parking stalls and about 15 waiting for the drive through! We decided since it was already about an hour past our normal supper time, it wasn't worth the wait.

We ended up going to Wendy's and heading off to a park. The park was on the river, and it was really nice. We picnicked and then walked down to the end of the pier. There were tons of people out fishing and we saw 2 different guys reeling fish in. Matthew was amazed at it - I think next time we're in Georgia we'll have to take him to the pond! He wanted to touch the fish, but we didn't let him since we didn't want him to stink all the way home! :) We also watched boats in the river, fed some seagulls, and then headed to the play area. Matthew took his first spin on a merry go round, with some much bigger kids. They were standing up so he did too, but then suddenly he wanted to sit down but couldn't with it spinning! He kind of fell down and David quickly stopped it so he wouldn't fall totally off. He immediately wanted back on.

Scarlett climbed all over the equipment, not seeming to mind the other kids running around - she did her own thing, but climbed steps and went down slides without any problems. She also went through some of the tunnels but stopped half way through so I had to go in and "chase" her out! Matthew found a playmate, a little boy that I guess was probably around 4. The other little boy was a little bossy but then I heard Matthew tell him "no it's MY pirate ship - my drive first." I was glad he didn't let the older kid boss him too much. Scarlett wandered over to another little girl so I chatted with the mom while they played near each other. The other girl turned one last week, and it turned out that the boy Matthew was playing with was her child as well. If we had been near home I would have tried to set up a playdate, but we were about 20 miles away. I'd rather meet people in our neighborhood...

We let time slip away and didn't get home until after 10. Both kids napped great yesterday so they were in good moods the whole time. When David was getting Matthew ready for bed Matthew kept talking about his day. David asked him what his favorite part was and Matthew said "my mommy". Ah, melt, melt. When David told me that, Matthew looked at me & said "I love you mommy." Oh yeah, more melting. It's nice to know I top the playground, fish, boats, rivers, feeding seagulls, picnicking, all that fun stuff!

Now that I've shared Matthew's favorite part of the day, I'll share two of my favorite things. Scarlett is very active when she nurses - she's curious and nosy about everything so she frequently pops on & off the breast to see what's going on. This drives me bonkers. Sometimes though, when she pops off, she smiles up at me then sits up and kisses me and goes back to nursing. She also will stop and smile and pat me on the cheek. I love these moments.

One of my favorite things I've noticed Matthew doing lately is accidentally making Scarlett laugh. When this happens, he realizes it and he does whatever it was over and over again. For example, she thinks it's funny when he sneezes. So he'll notice that sneezing made her laugh & then he'll fake sneeze again & again, just to make her laugh. I love that he loves her enough to want her to be happy and laughing.

Life is good.

ouch ouch ouch

Yesterday I was outside playing with Matthew & I got stung by a wasp. It got me in that spot where butt meets leg. It hurt. The pain was worth than childbirth. Ok, maybe not really, but at least with childbirth I knew there was a great reward. What's my reward for the wasp sting? A swollen ass this morning! It hurts to sit, it hurts to step over the baby gate, it just plain hurts. ARGH!

Trying to be positive, I remind myself that it's a good thing it was *me* that got the sting and not Matthew. I'd hate it if he got stung. I also think I need to pick up some dip to have handy in case of future stings. I can remember being grossed out when Papa pulled his snuff out of his mouth & stuck it on MY arm when I got stung, but what do you know, I don't remember it hurting like this one! I think there are a lot of folk remedies and I can't say for sure that it worked, but after this swollen & sore (butt) cheek experience I figure it won't hurt!

Maybe I wasn't as bad as I thought

I am proof that you can splurge every now & then and still lose weight. I was pretty surprised this morning to see that I lost 2 pounds since last week! So surprised that I stepped on & off the scale several times. I won't be dining at the Melting Pot again soon, but I'm pleased that I was able to enjoy it and still see results. One great thing about Weight Watchers is that I haven't yet felt like I was denying myself.

I've been a BAD girl

Whew...first, sorry for the lack of posts lately. My mom arrived last Friday (May 30) then my dad joined us Thursday for a long weekend visit. I dropped them off at the airport this morning. It was such a great week, I will post some things from that soon. First I just have to mention what a bad girl I've been lately. This Weight Watchers stuff has been far easier than I expected. I have developed some great habits, found some healthy snacks, figured out an exercise routine that works for me (most days!), and it's working. In talking to my parents, I realized that David & I have lost Matthew & Scarlett, in weight! No, we haven't LOST Matthew & Scarlett, but we've lost their weights...David has lost what Matthew weighs & I've lost what Scarlett weighs. It's pretty amazing to think of that when I pick them up!

Weight Watchers is very flexible, and I LOVE that about it. David & I snuck in two (yes, two!) date nights while my parents were here. We went to a movie and of course we had to have movie theater popcorn. Somehow the previews just aren't the same without that bag in hand. Yeah, the previews, because my bag always seems to be empty before the feature starts! But that's ok, I don't go back for more because I don't want to miss the movie. On date night 1, we shared a large popcorn at the movie. We did get a diet drink though...surely that balances things out??? ;)

Date night #2 was really a treat - we went to the Melting Pot. Can I just say yummmmmm? We tried to make good choices, but one of the things we agreed to ahead of time was that we were going to really enjoy our meal, and not worry TOO much about the points. The nice thing about fondue is that you pretty much have to eat slowly, so I think that was a big help. We did go "whole hog" though and have the four course meal - cheese, salad, entree, and chocolate. I could have done without the entree, but the cheese & chocolate are to die for. After these date nights, David weighed at the gym yesterday & said he was down 5 lbs from last week when he weighed at the gym. I hope he did manage to lose 5 lbs, but I'm sure I didn't. I'll actually be happy with one pound this week, since I also had mom's meatloaf and homemade mac & cheese. And I missed the gym this morning due to having to get my parents to the airport.

Don't worry though, I'm back on the wagon tomorrow. And actually, I don't think I truly fell off the wagon - I was aware each day of my choices & the consequences. I did try to make the more fattening foods substitutes instead of eating them in addition to my normal things...every little bit helps!

Ultimately, I enjoyed my treats and I'm watching it a little more closely now. I'll get on the scale tomorrow and hopefully see that I lost a little something, then I'm starting a new week - no worries!

Prayer / Good thought request

Often we see stories about tragedies in the news and for me, it is much harder to read when the tragedy involves a child. This request is not for someone I know, I have never met them and have no "real" relationship with them. However, I am part of an online community for clubfoot support, specifically for the Ponseti Method. This tragedy relates to someone who is also part of that community. Dr. Ponseti is a true pioneer in the world of clubfoot treatment, developing his methods over the last 60 years. He is an awesome doctor who does awesome things for families, seeing patients from all over the world, often as a "last resort" before major surgery. One of the many things about his method for correcting clubfoot is that it does not require surgery in many cases. I could write a huge post about how wonderful Dr. Ponseti is, but I will save that for another day. What I really want to focus on here is the family that was seeking his help. The mother and daughter traveled from Georgia to Iowa via Angel Flight. Angel Flight is a made up of a group of pilots who volunteer their time and equipment to fly people for medical treatment (at no cost to the person who needs their services). On the return flight, the plane crashed. The pilot and mother were injured but the real tragedy is that the daughter was killed. You can read more details here.

If you could please take a moment today to say a prayer for everyone involved in this. The pilot was obviously a caring person to dedicate much of his time to the Angel Flight cause and I cannot imagine the feelings and emotions he is going through. I can't even try to think of how the mother is feeling...I really do believe losing a child has to be the worst thing that could happen to a person. It brings me to tears every time I think about it. If you're not the praying kind, please think good thoughts for them, that they are able to heal and move forward through this awful time.