My baby tree

Could also be titled: "An indication I might be ready for that second child"

We've planted trees in our backyard , and I couldn't be happier about it. We're planting two more, but the first two are in the ground and growing as we speak.

One of them we did the old-fashioned way and just bought on sale at Menards, but the other I bought from an on-line nursery. Buying a tree off the internet seemed a little risky, but it's been dubbed the "fastest growing tree" and I had to see what all the hype was about.

We got home on Saturday to see the FedEx truck leaving, and I couldn't wait to check out the tree. I turned the corner and didn't see it, I looked around the porch - nothing. Finally, I looked down to find a box roughly the size of a loaf of french bread.

Did I feel ripped off? Not exactly, the website had clearly stated the tree would be somewhere between 8 and 12 inches high, but part of me had decided that was probably a typo and they'd meant feet. The other part of me just turned a blind eye and figured it was worth it - I mean, c'mon, it's the fastest growing tree!

So, we take it out of the box and it's this tiny little stem with like three leaves, and if I do say so myself - completely adorable. I read the "how to care for" directions (that I never read) and followed them completely. I placed it on the porch to let it get used to the light, and I watered it using one of Evan's rx syringes.

Meanwhile, I'm plotting ways to document its alleged "fastest growth ever," and I realize what I'm devising sounds an awful lot like a scrapbook or dare I say...a baby book. So, if you've tired of the never-ending pictures of Evan doing this or that, the blog might be getting a new subject.

The more "mature" tree, or as I may start calling it, "the big sister," (don't ask me why it's a girl - I have no idea) feels more like a Humane Society puppy we've given a good home and probably saved from being euthanized. It's not the prettiest tree just yet, but we've brought it into the VerWaynia fold and plan to love it as our own.

FYI, trees are much easier to care for than babies (um...duh.) We bought this innertube thing you wrap around your newly planted tree that will leak water to it on a regular basis and only needs filling every couple of weeks. Maybe I'll stick with trees for just a while longer.