Did you know Layton's 4???

That's right! My oldest baby is not a baby anymore! It seems like over night he went from being a tantrum-throwing toddler to a more reasonable little boy. He even looks older! He is so much into pirates these days, and every TV show that he watches has a pirate episode so he's in hog heaven when they run those episodes. Have you ever noticed that? There's a Pirate Dora, Pirate Wonder Pets, and a Pirate Backyardigans! There's even a Pirate Mr. Potato Head! We, of course, had a pirate birthday party, complete with a treasure hunt! I felt very Martha Stewart-ish when planning his birthday party! I made the invitations on the print shop that I got for Christmas, and I made the cake! (with the help from a how-to video http://www.bettycrocker.com/.

We let him wear his pirate costume from Halloween, and several of the guests wore their own pirate gear too! Here's a picture of him and his cousin, Tyler. They are such cute little pirates together!

It just seems so hard to believe that it's been four years since we were so scared to bring this little (8 pound 14 ounce) baby home. Here are some things that we actually did (such rookies!):
1. I actually held him, while crying, and said, "I'm sorry that we're so poor, and I'm sorry that your Mama's fat!" Like he cares!
2. I actually put him in his swing, unbuckled, turned it on high to rock him asleep, fell asleep from pure exhaustion on the couch, and woke up to him on the floor. Then I went hysterical, crying again, and called Trey to come home because I just knew I had horribly injured our son!
3. I acutally boiled his bottles to the point of melting them so then I had to go buy completely new bottles!
4. I was actually afraid that my big huge mammoth b-words were so big that they would literally suffocate him so I quit nursing after 3 days and cried again when he took to the bottle so easily!

And some things that we still do, even though we're now more seasoned parents:
1. We still use All Free & Clear in the laundry, Dove soap for sensitive skin, and scent-free shampoo to keep their delicate skin soft as silk.
2. We still keep sanitizer on hand at home and have some stashed in my purse and the diaper bag. Although that may come from the teacher side of me, not just the neurotic parent.
3. I still have the nurse's line on speed dial, and they still know us by name, and I don't have to remind them of my children's dates of birth.
4. I still google every weird symptom or weird stage that they go through just to make sure that they're normal.