The potty! YEA! Asthma. Boo. Nathan and the girls!

The Potty!
Elliot peed in the potty for the 1st and 2nd times ever last night! Woo hoo! Of course there was a bit on the floor first, but I was very proud! The second time he even went all by himself without anyone knowing 'till he was sitting down doing his thing!
I thought that was even more impressive since we've hardly even mentioned the potty to him for over a month while the kids have been on-again off-again sick. Then last night he had his diaper off for awhile, and there you go! Tonight while we were out he was obviously upset at having to pee in his diaper, so maybe this is the beginning... of something beautiful (ha ha!)
Nathan shared in the excitement and being proud of Elliot, which was awesome, and then was bound and determined to empty the pee into the toilet from its removable potty compartment. Okay! Kids!!
Asthma, boo, hiss!
Well, Nathan's been diagnosed with childhood asthma, and the doctor said Elliot sounds like he'll have it too. This is the end (I hope!) of our LOOOOOONG round of being sick here, including much coughing. I just pray they'll outgrow it, which I think happens a good amount of the time, although, there's lots of asthma in the family.
Of course, it's not what you want for your children, so I am a little sad, but honestly I feel a bit better to have some kind of plausible explanation for all the coughing. I really am praying with faith that they'll outgrow it. A friend gave me a passage from Isaiah 43 recently which talks about coming through great trials unscathed, which really encouraged me that the boys would come through this time of sickness and be perfectly fine (it's been a good 5 weeks or so of almost constant viruses around here, for anyone who doesn't know!). (They aren't on any inhalers or anything, they have something similar in a tiny patch they can wear for 12 hours if things are acting up.)
HOWEVER, it's the time of year for reflection and counting your blessings, and I think I could be a lot sadder about this asthma thing except that I am aware of A LOT of much, much, much worse human suffering all around the world. Israel and Palestine? (Charlie Wilson's War is a timely movie to have a look at life over there, we just watched it). So much of Africa? Just about anywhere outside the developed, free, West? Even close to home, there are children with much more difficult illnesses and obstacles. Children who bring that same magic to their parents' lives as Nathan and Elliot do to our lives here.
Thinking of the magic of children, I want to thank God for the very special arrivals of Jana Lynn and Luke Paul Johnston, and Megan Yvonne Stacey in 2008, and the healthy growth and upcoming birth of our new little niece in February 2009!!!

Nathan and the Girls
Well, we always assumed that if we get to adopt some children one day, they would be boys, but Nathan informed a family friend here tonight that he doesn't like boys, he only likes girls. Oh! Don't give up hope for a granddaughter I guess!
This is part of Nathan's present fondness for the gentler sex. Building off his amazing attachment to Cousin Tara, Nathan has got himself a girlfriend at daycare, Suminyee (or something like that). The daycare staff know all about it. Apparently she's quite a cutie, and the last I heard she and Nathan were being quite good, staying on the sidelines together while some other boys had a fight (that was Nathan's story, anyway!).
If you ask Nathan if he has a girlfriend, he's as likely to tell you about Suminyee as he is to tell you he has 4 girlfriends! Or 5! Suminyee, Cousin Tara, and we're never sure who else! He also picked out a backup dancer in his Hillsong Kids Christian video who he "really likes." You only see her for about 5 minutes during the whole DVD, but he likes her!!
Romeo!
We're just happy he finally knows the name of one of the kids at daycare!
Well, it's 9:42 on New Year's Eve. I really gotta go to bed! Sleep, it's oh so sweet!
With lots of thanks, and curiosity about the year ahead,
God Bless You!