Wow, 2 posts in one day. Yes, occasionally I am guilty of doing this. I'm loving the Five Ingredients Friday recipes I've gotten so far today, keep them coming!

I've got some news and some loose threads to sew up, so here goes:

1. The tables have been turned on me and my blog has been spotlighted over at Princesses, Dogs, and Chaos. Thanks Jenn! Stop by Jenn's blog for a peek. I've disclosed some tidbits about myself that you haven't seen before, for enquiring minds that want to know!

2. There's a new baby in the family! No, we haven't been matched again (not yet anyway), but my niece has arrived! Hooray, finally a girl to offset all the little boys we have on our side of the family!

She was born last Friday weighing 5 lbs., 15 oz. She was 18 1/4 inches long. Isn't she a beauty?! Since she's a preemie, she wasn't due until mid-July, she's currently in NICU. They were worried about her lung development, but she came out screaming! Now they're working on getting her to eat better and gain some weight. Other than that, she's doing well.

I wish I didn't live so far away. It'll be a while before I meet her. Thankfully, my family is good about taking lots of pictures. I nearly cried at the sight of a picture of my youngest brother (the only sibling that wasn't a parent), holding his baby girl. He's going to be such a great daddy!

3. If you don't want to hear about poop, avert your eyes, because I'm excited about this and I'm feeling the need to share! Last week, I decided to try to teach Snuggle Bug the word, poop. As I was changing his dirty diaper, I told him, "Poop. Your diaper has poop in it. You pooped." I even showed him his poop inside the diaper, to help him visualize what I was talking about (yes, I know, gross). He obediently repeated, "Poop" several times for me.

My hope with teaching him the concept of poop was that he'd tell me when he had pooped and needed a diaper change, a step towards potty training. He's much too young to start potty training, but it doesn't hurt to get him thinking along those lines, right?

This weekend I was wearing a ratty t-shirt with white paint on it, leftover from our house remodeling efforts. Snuggle Bug pointed at the paint splatters and said, "Poop."

"No, honey, that's paint," I explained to him. It's all so confusing, I'm sure.

Now for the exciting point to this story (well, exciting for me). Oronzo called to tell me that this morning, he went to get Snuggle Bug up from his morning nap. As he walked into his nursery, he was was assaulted with the ripe smell of Snuggle Bug's most recent poopy diaper. Oronzo pulled him out of the crib and stripped off his shorts, setting him on the floor as he turned to grab a diaper and some wipes. Snuggle Bug sat on the floor and proudly informed Oronzo, "Poop, poop, poop" while pointing to his bottom!

Yes! My instructions are working! Oronzo laughed at the fact that Snuggle Bug was stating the obvious, but I'm thrilled that the concept is sinking in. Our baby is so smart!

4. I don't know if I've mentioned that the visit from my dad last month did a world of good! When he left, I felt more connected to him than I have in a long time. We talk more frequently on the phone now and it's not just superficial conversations like it used to be. Who knew that one visit could make that much of a difference! God works in mysterious ways.

5. I think I've discovered my next BOTW, if she's willing to participate. I'm winding my way through her archives and loving it! When I'm done, I'll email her to see if she'll play. Stay tuned for that next week.

Okay, I think that's it for now. Part 9 of our adoption journey will be coming soon.

Have a great weekend everyone! And keep those recipes coming!