Just dropping by to say in 6 days (or less) I get to meet my daughter. I think I'm in shock, but otherwise very excited. I'm being induced on Monday if she doesn't decide to show up sooner.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! We're excited for you too, fantasia and family!

This is a story of what happened to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve wer driven out. As told by my niece
Ahe was out for a walk with my mom and turned to her saying.

"Nana, once there was a beautiful garden that God created, it was beautiful and God put two peole in it, you know, Adam and Eve, but then they sinned, first Eve and then Adam and God had to drive them out of the garden and he closed the garden off from them. Then he had to completely get rid of the garden so now all that is left of it is this park."

My mom was like "This is the Garden of Eden?"

And my niece replied, "yes, long ago this was the beautiful garden, but now it is only a park, though it is a nice park."

So that's right folks, the park by our house is what is left of the Garden of Eden....I think I should go write some Bible Historians an say they got it all wrong

(and no one in our family knows where she got that idea from, but there is no convincing her otherwise )

Love that story wrose.

So in the past two weeks, my incredibly active Evan has gone from horizontal craziness (running and running) to vertical craziness (climbing!). I admit, he gets it from me, as I lived in trees when I was little. But it's started to become a problem because in the couple minutes it takes me to walk out of the bedroom to throw away a dirty diaper, he's up the changing table and into my daughter's crib. The other day I was in the kitchen washing bottles and he pushed one of our tall kitchen chairs against the stair rail and start to climb up that, which happens to be open to the other side so he'd drop into the basement. NO!!!
We're looking into building something for him for Christmas that he can climb with minimal injury to him and no injury to Ariel (daughter). We found these cool indoor climbing trees online, though they're not available for sale in the USA, but I think we'll use them as an inspiration for something to build for him.
http://babyecochic.com/wp-content/uploa ... cochic.jpg

Excited I found this thread!

I became a first-time mom to my son Joshua this past April. Not only that, but I have 8 younger siblings (yes, you read that right! ), so this thread totally applies to me. My youngest brother just turned five in October, and he loves being an uncle. And my six sisters (yes, you read that right as well) love being aunts, and are always fighting over who gets to hold Joshua. The other day I went to a church activity with my family, and I got back to the table after getting my food and was like, "Where's my baby?" "Oh, D has him" (using initials instead of names out of respect to my siblings). Later D comes back in, without Joshua, and I'm like, "Wait, NOW where's my baby?" "Oh, K has him." I don't mind having some time to visit and stuff, but every time I go to a church activity with my family it's like Joshua disappears!

Speaking of the devil, Joshua's waking up, so I gotta go take care of him.

well, I know I don't have any children (never will either, I'm not the motherly type) but I was born 3 months too early. I had seizures, I was blind in one eye, and had a blood-clot in the other.

My mom took me to a faith-healer. He and the Lord prayed for me and healed my eye of the blood-clot (not even a scar was left behind) and I never had anymore seizures since then.

But at school when I was around 6 years old, I used to tell my teachers some wildly imaginative stories that I thought were true - which caused the teachers to have conferences with my mother from time to time to confirm if the story was true or not - I still have a wild imagination.

I was so fantasy-based that every time anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I was older, I'd tell them I wanted to be a mermaid. ^_^

Now, I have a child niece and she's starting to act just like me with the whole artist talent that I have. O.o

I am not a child-friendly person. Well I can deal with them, but i feel out of place. Plus I am sour as, while other people are awing when a child cry's, all I am thinking "can someone people shut that child up".

Once I was left with children at work(since when is looking after children in my job description?). I was terrified one was going to be hit by a car( I was in the carpark).

First of all, Fire Fairy, !!! Congratulations on your little Joshua, that's very exciting.

Not only that, but I have 8 younger siblings (yes, you read that right! )

You know what's funny, something about this board attracts large families like yours. There are at least two active mods several emeriti, and gobs of members that come from the same sort family blueprint.
Well, I don't have a ton of siblings (just two!) but I do have a lot of close family members and when we all get together, Evan (the elder) tends to vanish. So I know how you feel.

Plus I am sour as, while other people are awing when a child cry's, all I am thinking "can someone people shut that child up".

I literally loled at this. Not to pick on you at all, but I don't know anybody who thinks a kid crying is cute. I know when my kiddos start wailing, I too am thinking about how to shut them up as quickly as possible. But I know all too well that actually saying that would make the problem worse, and the gentle, motherly thing kicks in and the 'awwws' are to try to make them feel better.

Hahahaha I am useless with very young children. I am not too bad dealing with them at 5+, I prefer less hyperactive children(my little brother and sister) compared to hyperactive children(my cousins). Last time I had to look after my cousins I spent hours dashing about, they were moving from one game to the next like there was no tomorrow, my little brother and sister had given up and gone off to do something else.

Than that time my little brother burnt his hand on a glue gum whilst doing a school project when my parents were out. Oh jeez that went on for hours, because he has no pain threshold...... I have burnt my hand on a glue gun plenty of times over the years and didn't feel the need to even let out a yelp. Though I did ones burn my hand on a grill and carried on like nothing had happened haha.

A couple amusing kiddo stories (to me anways )

Evan has started counting. It goes "2...1...8...9."

And Ariel has started smiling the biggest smiles and occasionally giggling. She is her mommy's girl and loves pattycake.

ETA: Oh, and Evan's current favorite book is 'The Baby Beebee Bird.'

Must show off my babies. I hope you all don't mind.
Here's Ariel, she will be four months next week. We think she's teething as she has started drooling like crazy.
http://s34.photobucket.com/user/fantasi ... w.jpg.html
And this is my Evan. He spent most of the weekend living outside and collecting rocks.
http://s34.photobucket.com/user/fantasi ... m.jpg.html

It's such fun reading all these stories, and love the photos, fantasia!

A belated congratulations to you, Fire Fairy, on the birth of Joshua ... 'though he's nearly 1 year old now!

I'm at the stage between having small kids and having grandkids. Our three children are adults now, but it could be years before we have little ones around again. My heart still melts every time I see a newborn/young baby/toddler. Great years, those. Tiring, yes, but so good!

Awww you have such cute kids fantasia_kitty!!! Ariel has such a happy face! And I just LOVE Evan's big eyes!!!

I was recently visiting friends in Volgograd (previously known as Stalingrad) and they had the most adorable one-and-a-half year old son!!! I spent most of the visit playing with him! He was soooo tiny, but quite strong! But he had such BIG eyes! I spent the whole visit running after him trying to get a decent photo of him, but they all turned out smuged except for one! (I am so proud of that one photo!) So here it is! (It took me three days to get it!)
http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/dasha ... sort=1&o=0

@Fantasia when the simple things like collecting rocks on the weekend were fun. haha in my case it was shells at the beach.

Such cute kids! Love the pictures.

Evan has started counting. It goes "2...1...8...9."

When I first read this I couldn't help thinking of the countdown to rocket launches.