Shoe She

On the way home from AJ's school, Hubby and I were discussing what he wanted for dinner.

Hubby: "I'm in the mood for sushi."
AJ: "Daddy, what's shooshi?"
Hubby: "It's yummy rice rolls. Maybe someday I'll take you out for sushi."
AJ: (excitedly) "YEA! And I won't even throw up!"

I wish I felt the same way...ugh...

Journey of a Wise Man

This year AJ is finally old enough to really be getting into Christmas. He asks at least twice a day if it is Christmas Eve yet.

He is particularly infatuated with our Nativity set. The figures stand about 18" tall and include Mary, Joseph, Jesus, 3 Kings, a Shepherd, a Donkey and a Camel. AJ is very concerned about what happened to the shepherd's sheep...he even went and grabbed his Little People sheep from his Fisher Price barn to place with the shepherd. Hubby came out the next morning and wanted to know why there was a tiny sheep in his nativity scene. AJ explained that the shepherd needed something to watch.

I got to go on the journey of the wise men... AJ wanted to pretend to be a wise man and bring a present to Baby Jesus. He picked up his drum, handed me a toy and pointed us toward the other end of the house. Using the overhead light from the living room as a star, we followed the light through the entire house until we got to the nativity set under the tree. AJ knelt down and started playing "rum pum pum pum" on his drum for Baby Jesus.

It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen him do. And even more special because it was so spontaneous. When you ask him what Christmas is about, he doesn't hesitate to tell you it's about Baby Jesus...I've got a pretty cool kid.

Wordless Wednesday - Iron Chef?

Mommy, You're Wrong

That kid is just getting too smart for his own good. He's taking all of the fun out of me playing with him.

At dinner Tuesday night, we saw a bronze statue of a cowboy outside the restaurant. AJ noticed it and made several comments about it. On the way out to the car after dinner, I told him "say goodbye to the cowboy."
His response: "Mommy, he doesn't talk. That's just a statue."

Yesterday in the car on the way home from school he was playing with an Elmo puppet that he took for show and tell. When his Daddy asked him something goofy about Elmo, AJ's response: "Daddy, Elmo is just a toy."

See? Just humor me sometimes, okay?

On the bright side, my birthday was on Tuesday, and AJ made it rather special...
Daddy: "AJ, where do you want to take Mommy for her birthday?"
AJ: "To a ress-raunt"
Daddy: "Which restaurant should we take her to?"
AJ: "uuummmm...McDonald's!!"
(We ultimately ended up at Taste of Texas...)

AJ also kept telling me that it wasn't my birthday if I didn't have a party hat. And he wanted to know if I was going to have a "bouncy thing" (moonwalk).

Biggest gift: While we were sitting at dinner, AJ WROTE HIS NAME!
(well, okay, his "J" was upside down, but it was the first recognizable letters he had ever written for me)

Randomness About November 18

Guest blogger: AJ's Dad

November 18 is Albania Independence Day, Haiti Army Day, Oman National Day, and YWCA World Fellowship Day. Go out and celebrate!

On November 18 the Roman Catholic Church memorializes the dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul in Rome.

On November 18, 1307 William Tell shoots an apple off his son's head.
On November 18, 1793 the Louvre in Paris officially opened.
On November 18, 1894 the first newspaper Sunday color comic section is puplished. Consequently on November 18, 1928 Mickey Mouse debuts in NY in "Steamboat Willie".
On November 18, 1932 "Flowers & Trees" receives the first Academy Award for a cartoon.
On November 18, 1960 the Copyright office issues its 10 millionth registration.
On November 18, 1966 US Roman Catholic bishops ends rules against eating meat on Fridays and US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

Many, many, popular and famous people (for their time) were born on November 18. I won't list a bunch here, take my word for it. But what I find most interesting is that there is a lot of muscians, composers, singers, etc. born on November 18 (this will come into play soon).

November is International Creative Child & Adult Month (this will also come into play soon).

Finally, on November 18, 196? (thought I was going to do it didn't ya'?) my wife, the person that irritates me to no end, but nevertheless, that I love entered this world in Houma, Louisiana (my gosh, I didn't marry a native Texan!). For those of you who read Cindy's seven facts about herself you know that she is a percussionist. However, Cindy is very gifted and talented in music (hence why I find it interesting that many muscians, composers and singers share her birthday). And, while she won't freely admit to it, living with her all these years has shown to me that Cindy is very creative. Consequently, Cindy has provided to me the greatest treasure of my (our) life: my four year old son, who is proving to be equally, if not more, creative than Cindy.

I hope that you will all join me in wishing Cindy a very blessed and happy birthday today! I love you, dear!


PS: May I PLEASE know where you want to go tonight now??

Deja Vu

I have been tagged by THREE different people (KimboSue, Nikki, and Margaret) within the past few days and all with the same topic. I guess that means I need to do it...although I did just do a version of it last month. You can just read it here:
http://ajmom.blogspot.com/2008/10/randomness.html

And I guess since I got tagged with it again, I just proved my point that nobody was reading it the first time :) And since I can't find anyone who hasn't done this one yet...If you want to play, go ahead. Enjoy!

Sweet

On Friday night Hubby, AJ, and I went to a luxury suite to watch the Rockets play basketball. It was a great night, and they won...but the best part of the night was when AJ asked, "Daddy, why are all these other people in my hotel room?"

Wordless Wednesday - It's a Bird...It's a Plane

Four year checkup

This morning AJ went to the pediatrician for his 4-year-old check up. It turned out to be quite a traumatic experience for the little booger. He went through:

1. 6 vaccinations
2. 1 finger prick to test for anemia (NEGATIVE)
3. hearing test (A LITTLE OFF DUE TO CONGESTION AND FLUID IN HIS EARS FROM A COLD)
4. vision test (PERFECT 20/20)
5. peeing in a cup for further testing

He has finally reached the 30 pound mark on his weight! YIPPEE! He was 30.2 lbs and 3 ft 3 in tall...we're finally making some progress on that growth chart.

His poor little legs are going to be pretty sore from all the shots, so we'll have to come up with a very special treat for him this evening.

I know it's not Wednesday...

but isn't this just the cutest kid ever...

Profound Conversations - UPDATED

Here are some of my recent conversations with AJ:

AJ: " What is that, Mommy?"
Me: "I don't know, sweetie."
AJ: "But Mommy, yes you do know. You know everything."
Me: (laughing) "Sorry, sweetie, Mommy doesn't know everything. Who told you that?"
AJ: "Daddy."


AJ: (examining a toy figure) "Mommy, I can't find the mustache."
Me: "Do you know what a mustache is, baby?"
AJ: (pointing to his upper lip) "Yes, it's a thing that goes right here."
Me: (nodding) "Is it some hair on your upper lip?"
AJ: "Yes. It's hair on your lip that the boogers hide in."


AJ: "I want some M&Ms."
Me: "Tell Daddy to give you two M&Ms."
AJ: (in the other room) "Daddy, I want some M&Ms."
Daddy: "How many do you want?"
AJ: "Five."
Daddy: "How many did Mommy say you could have?"
AJ: "Two."
Daddy: "Then how many do you think I should give you?"
AJ: "Five."


AJ: (from the backseat while we are going to school) "Mommy, your head is not as bigger like Daddy's..."

Table Trouble

I'm beginning to suspect AJ doesn't like crowds or a lot of noise. He is very similar to me in that.
Usually, we drop him off at school so early that there aren't really very many kids there yet. It's pretty laid back and he picks out a table and goes to sit down by himself.
On the occasional days that he gets dropped off a little later, the reaction is quite different. Those are the days when he looks around at all of the occupied tables, listens to the other children talking/yelling, and gets clingy. He won't pick out a seat, even at the table where his own classmates are sitting. He doesn't mind sharing the table, but he needs to be the first one there. It's like he needs everyone to come to him. I don't know if he's overwhelmed or just needs everything to revolve around him?
Thoughts?

Randomness

I have been tagged by KimboSue for a meme.

1. Link the person that tagged you.

2. List 7 random/weird things about you.

3. Tag 7 people.

4. Inform them they've been tagged.

Random Stuff About Me (that I'm willing to share...):
1. I started clogging when I was 12 years old, was a choreographer for our group, and even competed.

2. I am also a percussionist.

3. I'm left handed.

4. I don't know how to swim (or even float).

5. My sister is 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days older than I am.

6. I graduated third in my high school class.

7. I LOVE old movies...I'm talking about the ones pre-1960.

I don't think there are even 7 people who read my blog, so I guess if anyone wants to participate, then feel free...

Wordless Wednesday - Meet Me Under the Apple Tree

My new 4 year old

It's really hard to believe my baby is now 4 years old. He had a party with some of his friends on Saturday and spent the rest of the weekend playing with all of his new loot.

His haul?

Thanks to his "church girlfriend" - 300 teeny tiny Legos that will be all over my house on a regular basis.

From his Aunt S - a V-Tech learning laptop that he has already offered to let his Daddy check email with.

From his "school girlfriend" - transformers

From one of his buddies - dinosaurs and airplanes to attack them with

From Mommy and Daddy - his own Fisher Price "fp3" player with headphones. We have loaded it with over two hours of his own music and stories. Now he wants to "listen to my phones" all the time...

And enough Hot Wheels stunt tracks and race cars to make a lap around the living room. The trick is getting Daddy to stop playing cars long enough for AJ to enjoy them.

A look back:

AJ's first birthday

AJ's fourth birthday

This Day in History

On this day four years ago, our journey with prematurity and parenthood began. I went to see my doctor after work that day because my blood pressure seemed to be a little elevated and my feet had begun to swell. I was 25 weeks and 5 days pregnant.

After doing the requisite "pee in a cup" that I had been doing at every doctor appointment, I was informed that I would not be going home that day. He was arranging a bed for me at the local hospital. Pre-eclampsia was setting in and he wanted me on a fetal monitor and bed rest. I would likely be there for the duration of my pregnancy.

We had no idea at that time, that the duration of my pregnancy would only be another 3 days. That was on Thursday, September 23, 2004.

One year later, on September 23, 2005 we were preparing to evacuate for Hurricane Rita and had to cancel AJ's very first birthday party.

I sit here today in an office that is still without electricity after Hurricane Ike, preparing for my miracle baby's fourth birthday. And as stressful as those few days and weeks were in 2004, I am thankful for my sweet, healthy little boy.

Ike goes on

We had power last night. Had some friends over who were without electricity to enjoy the A/C for a while. Unfortunately, the lights went out again at 4am. It finally came back on at 11am.

There are trees and fences down everywhere.

Don't think we'll be going to work tomorrow...

Update on Ike

3:35pm - the winds have started to pick up now. It has finally started sprinkling. The kids outside playing with their kites are having a little harder time now.

4:00pm - it only rained for about 5 minutes. Not enough to even get the sidewalk wet. The sun is shining and there is a nice breeze. We have turned off the A/C and opened the front door.

6:00pm - They say that hurricane-strength winds have now hit Galveston. But here in Katy, it's just a little overcast, and the wind hasn't really gotten to us. A few gusts now and then, but not much.

7:55pm - the wind is staying pretty steady right now. Some pretty decent wind gusts. Getting a little harder to see what's going on since it's getting dark.

10:55pm - now getting tropical storm force winds. The power just flickered but came right back.

11:30pm - power has gone out. Hasn't really started raining much - it's just the wind. Can't post until we get power back.

3:15am - I think it's the eye of the storm. It's gotten pretty calm.

4:00am - That was DEFINITELY the eye. The winds are now much worse and are coming from the other direction. This side is MUCH worse than before!

6:00am - the power flickered on. Then off just as we started celebrating. It's hot in here.

10:00am - Still windy and raining, but not bad. Still no power. It's really stuffy.

2:00pm - if we don't get power back soon, I will likely be childless. AJ is bored and is driving me absolutely BONKERS.

3:00pm - HALLELUJAH! We just got the power back on. Hopefully everything in the fridge and freezer is okay. We were very careful not to open them while the power was out.

Hunker Down

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Or so the local media would have us believe. After the latest forecasts on Hurricane Ike, I was a little worried. It seems to be drifting closer to the Houston area. At my house in Katy we are told to expect sustained winds of 81 mph if the storm goes in near Freeport on its present course. If it tracks a little further north into Galveston Bay, I actually end up on the clean side. We will be preparing today by clearing out space in the garage so that both vehicles will fit.

My biggest concern is the large pile of lumber in pieces within 10 yards of my house. They have pulled off the boards that created the form for the concrete foundation on the new house they are building. They have not bothered to clean up the construction site at all. I will take pictures of this hazard and let the builders know that if any of that stuff ends up in my house through one of my windows, they WILL get the bill for the repairs.

Other than that, we'll have AJ and the kitty sleep with us on Friday night. Or board up the window in AJ's room and put an air mattress on the floor in there with him.

We'll try to keep updates coming and we can. Stay safe, everyone!

You Gotta Ask the Right Questions

Daddy: "AJ, did you go to kick class today?"
AJ: "No."
Daddy: "Didn't you and S* go to kick class?"
AJ: "Not kick class. We went to the cafe."
Daddy: "What did you learn in the cafe?"
AJ: "We. didn't. learn. anything...!"
Daddy: "Well, what did you and S* do in the cafe?"
AJ: "Kicked."

Just like in the interrogation room. You can eventually break them down...

Ridiculously Early

So the EXTREMELY LOUD noises outside my house this morning at 5:30am? Yeah...cement trucks pouring a foundation next door. About 6 feet from my front door. AJ and the cat were terrified.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the one morning lately when we have actually gotten out of the house on time? Yeah...cement truck blocking my driveway so I couldn't get out.

It's gonna be a long day.

THAT didn't go as planned...

Every year, Hubby and family gather for a big get-together at his aunt and uncle's house outside of Orange. This year we didn't have quite as many people (only 25 instead of last year's 75). We were having fun anyway, until they called a mandatory evacuation of Orange county for 6am Sunday morning. We were being forced out of our hotel room, and needed to make a choice. We could get in the traffic with everyone else and head back to Houston. Or we could go somewhere else and enjoy the rest of our holiday weekend. We headed north and went to my parents' house. The storm track looked like they may get some tropical storm-forced winds, so we helped tie everything down there and visited for a couple of days. Now we are home and, just like after Hurricane Rita, need to put out the sprinkler in the yard.

YIKES! I just caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see a mouse scurrying across the top of my desk! I'm outta here!

NOT Wordless

Well for once, we have some good news.

As you recall, AJ had an orthodontic "spacer" device installed by the dentist a couple of weeks ago to correct his crossbite. We were told that he would need to wear it for about 3 months. Well after only a few days, I was able to tell a difference. My baby's smile was looking more like Bucky Beaver...

His appointment to get it adjusted was on Monday. The dentist looked in his mouth, looked at the chart, looked in his mouth, started doing some measuring...Then he said to his assistant, "We have some over-correction." Well, DUH! His two front teeth are all you see when he's talking!

Anyway, Dr. H decided to remove the device and see if AJ's teeth fall back into place. So instead of being a "metal mouth" for 3 months, he only had to wear his "de-tainer" for two weeks! (Downside, he has to be on soft food for about a week. Small price to pay...)

Fun Monday

This is my first official foray into the mania that is called "Fun Monday". Today's assignment is as follows:



What funny trivial fact do you remember that you probably should have forgotten a long time ago?



Anyone who knows me also knows that my head is chock full of useless information. I can't get anyone to play Trivial Pursuit with me....I just can't get enough of this kind of stuff. So here goes...



1. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.



2. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'



3. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil.



4. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.



5. Coca-Cola was originally green.



6. In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'.



7. In the 1500's, most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.


7b. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the bath water..



8. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.



I'm off to enjoy all of the other Fun Monday entries....to fill my head with more useless information.

Chores

AJ will be 4 at the end of September, and he just started in his new class at daycare. I know there will be new rules and new expectations, so Hubby and I want to set up some more responsibilities at home, too. We bought a little "chore chart" to put stickers on. He gets a sticker for each day that he does that assigned task. He will earn rewards like a trip to Baskin & Robbins for ice cream, going to the park, and taking a trip to the zoo.

Now we just have to come up with some chores for him to do. I just don't know how much to expect out of him without setting him up for failure or frustration. What should a 4 year old be expected to do on a regular basis?

I'm open to suggestions...

Thunthine

AJ went to the dentist yesterday morning to have a spacer apparatus put in his mouth to correct his crossbite. He was very brave, sat completely still, and only whimpered a couple of times. However, now his poor little mouth is sore. He doesn't want to bite or chew anything; and he didn't talk for several hours after it was put in. He now talks with a slight lisp...

This morning on the way to school he asked:
"Mommy, why the thun have more thleep time? Why the thun not have to get up and go to thunshine thool?"


That's a very good question, my sweet little boy...

AAARRRGGGHHH

Well crap on a cracker -- now he has an EAR INFECTION!

(And on a side note - there are now purpura spots showing up on his arms and elbows...)

Tired of being sick

Conversations with AJ yesterday:

(Wiping at the purpura spots on his leg) "Mommy, I all done with these. You get some water and wipe them off."

(Last night at bedtime)
"AJ, are you ready to pray?"
"No. I do it myself."
(AJ puts his hand on top of his head) "Thank you Jesus for loving me in my heart. Thank you God for make me not sick anymore. Amen."

At the point that my three-year-old starts laying hands on himself, I have to leave the room. I can't deal with this much longer...he's breaking my heart.

New answers

An update on our progress:

Thursday, AJ woke up and was able to walk normally and wasn't complaining of any pain. We took him to school as normal. When we went back to pick him up, his teacher informed us that after naptime, he started hurting and couldn't sit normally in his chair. She propped him up and got him as comfortable as possible. By the time we got there to pick him up, he couldn't walk and his knee was swelling again. The red spots have spread over more of his legs and elbows.

Only problem? It was the other knee. The swelling and excrutiating pain has now traveled to the other leg.

We took him home and gave him a dose of Tylenol with codeine to try to help ease the pain. By 6:30pm, we decided that we needed some answers. At the very least some strong IV antibiotics. So we loaded everyone in the car and headed to Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in the Medical Center. By the time we got to the Emergency Room, AJ could not be moved without much screaming and his left hand was also starting to swell.

At about 10:00pm, a resident came into the exam room to look at AJ. He decided pretty quickly that it is not an infection. He said he needed to check a theory and would come back after discussing with the attending physician.

They returned around half an hour later with a diagnosis. AJ apparently has Henoch-Schoenlein Purpura (HSP for short). HSP is an inflammation of the small blood vessels. The vessel begin to leak, thus forming the pitichiae and red spots. It also causes fluid to build up painfully in the joints and causes swelling. They don't know what causes it, but they know that there is no cure for it. The only thing to do is to manage the pain and try to make him as comfortable as possible. It will eventually work itself out and will go away in anywhere from a few days to as long as 8 weeks.

So here we sit, giving him Motrin to try to reduce the inflammation and pain. And we wait...

We got home from the hospital at 12:30am. AJ woke up an hour later screaming in agony. Codeine does nothing to help him. He can't stand for anyone to touch him, so all we can do is watch and listen to him cry.

I haven't felt this helpless since we finally got to bring him home from the NICU...

Not again (WARNING: Long story ahead)

I see irony in the fact that in the mail Friday, we received a bill for AJ's last trip to the Emergency Room. As you may recall, he was vomiting badly for several days and we couldn't figure out why...

Cut to Friday night. I awoke at around 2:30am to the sound of AJ coughing. Only it wasn't a normal cough. I went to his room to find that he had thrown up all over himself and his bed. I woke Daddy up to change the bedding while I cleaned up AJ.

On Saturday morning, AJ woke up at his usual early time. We were scheduled to participate in a campaign walk for Congressman Mike McCaul. AJ decided that he was up for going. We drove to Cypress to meet the other walkers, but while we were in the parking lot, AJ said he needed to throw up again. Which he did - leaning over the curb to puke in the bushes. We brought him home and gave him a dose of promethazine (Phenergen) that he had left over from the last bug. That knocked him out for a few hours. At about 5:00pm he woke up and told me his tummy hurt and he needed to throw up again. Yippee! This time it was so violent that the poor baby even had it coming out of his nose...Another dose of Phenergen and pure exhaustion and he was out again.

He woke me up a couple of times during the night Saturday night to ask for a drink of water. At about 2:30am he woke me up to tell me his leg hurt. From the way he described it, I just thought that he had been lying on it wrong and it cramped or went to sleep. I told him to roll over and sleep on his other side.

Hubby and I were awakened at around 4:45am to AJ screaming in agony. We rushed into his room where he was crying and holding his leg. He wouldn't let anyone touch him; he just kept screaming and crying. We noticed that his right knee looked a little swollen. We thought that he had twisted it somehow. We gave him some Tylenol and he went back to sleep.

He limped into our room on Sunday morning. He seemed to be okay as long as he didn't put much weight on his leg. As long as he sat still, all was fine. When he moved, he screamed and cried out in pain. I wrapped his knee with an ACE bandage and we went off to church. We were going to watch him carefully and take him to his doctor on Monday morning.

When we got to church, a doctor friend came up to check on AJ. He felt AJ's knee (through the bandage) and told us to turn around and take AJ to the Urgent Care Clinic. He thinks AJ has an infection in his knee. Well, crap on a cracker....that's what we need...

We took him to the clinic. The doctor examined him and diagnosed AJ with Cellulitis. Apparently, most people carry about 3 different kinds of staph bacteria on their skin. If they get any kind of injury, there is the risk that some of that staph will get under the skin and cause an infection. The infection must be stopped before it spreads or gets into the bloodstream. AJ was put on a strong antibiotic and some pain medication. We were told to take him home and keep him still with his leg elevated for a day or two. AJ spent the rest of the day propped up on the bed watching movies.

Monday morning, AJ woke up with red spots all around his ankle. Throughout the course of the day, the red spots spread up his right leg and started on his left leg.

Tuesday morning, the red spots had gotten much worse and had spread even farther. So I took him to his pediatrician. She looked at the spots and determined that it was not a rash as I had suspected. She said it was pitichiae (pi tee kee i). She wrote up orders and sent us to the hospital lab to have a CBC and blood cultures done. AJ screamed bloody murder through the entire blood draw...it was VERY traumatic...

CBC came back completely normal, but we will have to wait until Friday for the blood culture results.

Tuesday night at 12:30am he vomited again.

Wednesday morning, we took him to school. The red spots seemed a little lighter. However, I got a phone call from the school at 2:45pm saying that he had already vomited twice. I left work and went to pick him up. He has taken this evening's dose of antibiotic along with food. He has had Motrin for the pain in his knee. He was also given a dose of Phenergen before bed.

Hopefully, he will sleep through the night with no incidents.

We will see what tomorrow holds...

Bummed Out

I guess all good things must come to an end...
We got a message from the endocrinologist's office this morning. Earlier this week we did AJ's bloodwork again to see how he was doing. Unfortunately, my sweet kid will have to go back on his medication after being med-free for two months. His total T4 is low, so he will need to get half a tablet of synthroid per day. They will retest him again in 6 weeks.

That and the LCD screen on our digital camera broke last night while we were at the circus. Now I need to find a new camera. AJ seemed to enjoy the circus. He didn't get much into the acrobatics, but liked all of the animals. He says his favorite part was the clowns. We took pictures; I'll upload them soon.

Bouncy Things

So if there's food and cake, it must be someone's birthday, right?

Well, if you're AJ, that's what it means. We went to a friend's wedding on Saturday. I got AJ to behave by telling him that there was going to be cake later. Just as he was finishing his slice of cake during the reception, he turned to me with a concerned look.

"Mommy....we forgot to sing the birthday song!"

I told him to go tell Aunt K* (the bride). She acknowledged the slip and told him she would fix it. It just so happens, the groom's birthday was the same day as the wedding, and she was planning to have everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to him anyway...

About 20 minutes later, AJ inquired of me. "Mommy, where's the bouncy thing?"

"Well, sweetie, there's not a bouncy thing today."
"Where is it? Is it outside?"
"Nope. There's not one."
"Well where is it?"
"Aunt K* doesn't like to bounce..."
*completely baffled* "She doesn't like to bounce?! Why?!"
"Well, sweetheart, it gives her a tummy ache."
"Oh. Okay."
And off he went, satisfied with my answer...

And with that, I get one baby step closer to being struck down by lightning...

Fashion Critic

Apparently my three-year-old (who wants to wear his cowboy boots with shorts) has turned into a fashion critic.

Before we went on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I went out and bought some new clothes. I went down to the hotel lobby one morning where AJ and Daddy were having breakfast. AJ looks at me funny and says, "Mommy, why you wearing THAT shirt?"

This weekend we went to my parent house to visit. Sunday morning, my Mom came out dressed for church. AJ looks at her funny and says, "Granny, why you wearing THAT shirt?"

My Mom asked him what was wrong with her shirt.

AJ's answer: "It's FANCY... I don't like those flowers."

Quickies from Today

AJ singing: "Smarter than a fizz waiter..."

Daddy: (upon finding all of the doors in the house closed) "Why are all the doors closed?"
AJ: "Cuz I am the door monitor!"

Where are your teeth?

Conversation had with AJ while strapping him into the back seat after school yesterday:

Me: "What did you do today?"
AJ: "I cried in time out. WaaaaWaaaa! Miss T* put me in time out."
Me: "Miss T* put you in time out?"
AJ: "No."
Me: "You just said Miss T* put you in time out. What were you in time out for?"
AJ: "I did not have my teeth on J**."

School policy says that they call the parent if there has been a biting incident. I got no call from them. I have no idea whether my kid bit his friend or whether he's just making stuff up again...



Later that evening:

Me: (noticing an insect bite of some sort on his leg) "AJ, what happened to your leg, sweetie? Did you get a boo boo?"
AJ: (closely examining his leg) "I need a band aid. A car did it. A car hit me on my bone. It was a black car. Look at my bone."

Umm...okay...

Negotiation

AJ really needs to work on his negotiation skills...

Me: "AJ, you have 10 more minutes to play. Then it's time to put on pajamas and go to bed."
AJ: "No, Mommy. Just five minutes."
Me: "Okay, sweetheart."

Independence

June was a busy month full of business and personal travel. We just returned from a short mini-vacation on Monday that I should have pictures of soon.


Our other progress has been kept on the "down-low" because I didn't want to jinx anything. On May 30th, AJ had his regular quarterly visit with the endocrinologist in the Medical Center. At this trip, we got to meet a different doctor. After going through a few questions about AJ's general health and development, the new doctor went away. He came back in a few minutes with AJ's regular specialist. They decided to take AJ off of his medication to see how he would do. We were to observe him and process new bloodwork after one month to see if his thyroid levels stayed in the normal range.

We took AJ to the lab for new blood tests on the day before we left for vacation. His follow-up appointment in the medical center was scheduled for yesterday.

The results are in -- ALL THYROID LEVELS ARE IN THE NORMAL RANGE!

This is big, people! AJ's hypothyroidism is the only lingering effect from his prematurity that he was still being treated for. All of the other myriad of specialists tracking this kid have already released him.

They still want to test him again in another month, but if everything stays normal, he could be completely off all meds.

If you ever doubt that prayer works, I have an amazingly cute, smart, HEALTHY kid I want to introduce to you...

It's Wednesday Again!

So much for Wordless Wednesday. I didn't even realize until a few moments ago that it was even Wednesday already.

I was gone Wednesday through Friday of last week attending a convention in Las Vegas. LOTS of walking and 106 degree heat.

The weekend was a bit of organized chaos that included shampooing the carpet in three rooms, shampooing the carpet in both vehicles, and a trip Sunday evening to the Emergency Room.

We will be leaving on a mini-vacation tomorrow, so this Wednesday will be filled with packing and last minute errands. Then it's off to Louisiana for food and sightseeing...we'll be back on Monday evening.

Headache

AJ was very cuddly yesterday because he didn't feel well. He kept grabbing at his forehead and the back of his neck and crying. During one of his better moments, he touched the top of his head and said, "Mommy, what's that?" I replied, "That's your head."

Then he touched the front and asked again, "Then what's that?"

I replied, "That's your forehead."

His next question?

"Mommy, why I have four heads?"

My Dad: The Hero

My parents' next door neighbor is caring for her twenty-something son who has been a quadriplegic for only a couple of years. He operates his wheelchair with a "blow tube" and has become pretty independent. About a week ago, "J" got a little bored and decided to go over to my parents' property to sit by the pond and watch the ducks. We're not completely sure what happened, but "J" ended up going over the edge of the bank and down into the water - face first! Being strapped to his wheelchair meant that even the water could not float him free.

My father happened to go outside and heard the cries for help. All he could see was "J"s face in the water. Dad ran across the yard and into the water. He managed to get "J" unstrapped from his wheelchair, and dragged him up onto the bank. Then Dad hurried to my aunt's house nearby and had her call 911.

(A little background on my father: He turned 71 years old the day after the incident and has survived multiple heart attacks over the past 30 years...the exertion in the water and trying to make it to my aunt's house naturally got him VERY winded and out of breath. My aunt's immediate reaction was that Dad was having another heart attack.)

Anyway, my aunt called 911 and the fire trucks and ambulances soon arrived to check everyone out. My poor mother arrived home from work to find her driveway filled with emergency vehicles...you can imagine her gut reaction...

Everyone seems to be okay. But we thank God that my Dad came outside in time to help. And that's just what he usually does - help others. He's been a great example to me and now to AJ.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! We love you and are very proud of you!

Wordless Wednesday - Man-eating Shark?

Well, maybe not exactly "man"...

More words of wisdom - AJ style

"Phones don't go in cars. Phones are for doctors; they're not for little kids' parents."

"Mars have bocanos (volcanoes). Bocanos are very hot."

While waiting at a downtown bus stop...
AJ: "There's our bus!"
Daddy: "Nope. That one says U.S. Marshalls on it. Definitely NOT our bus."
AJ: "There's our bus!"
Daddy: "Nope. That's a beer truck."
AJ: "I wanna ride the beer truck."
Daddy: "You can't ride the beer truck, son."
AJ: "Why?"

Yes, we have officially entered the dreaded "why" zone! According to the developmental charts, the "why" stage starts at around 4 years old. Leave it to MY kid to find that one to be advanced in....I think it would make me less insane if he believed me when I told him "I don't know". But he argues with me, convinced that I must be holding out on him. If I just make something up, he tells me I'm wrong, and tells me what HIS version is.

I just can't win...

Another Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - 90 Point Ride...

Out of the mouths of babes

I am really getting a kick these days out of AJ's interpretation and ways of saying things. You know...the concept is there, but it's just a little bit off...

For example, this is AJ's version of "Jesus Loves Me":
*singing*
"Jesus loves me
Yes He know
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones can be strong...
Hurray!

Little ones, little ones, little ones...
Bible, Bible, Bible...
Jesus, Jesus, Jeeee sssuuuuss..."

And "This Little Piggy Went to Market":
*singing*
"Baby Baby
Went to market
To see the little town and stuff."

At the rodeo this weekend, he was cracking us up by cheering for the calves during the roping competitions...
*yelling*
"Run, baby cow, run! That man is gonna git you!"
"Mommy, that farmer's not berry nice..."
"That's a bad horse right there!"

Wordless Wednesday

TEQUILA!

Where's AJ?

So we were cooking dinner and cleaning house and other such evening activities when we heard the toilet seat go up. We looked around and didn't see AJ anywhere. I walk toward the hallway and find AJ (in the dark), shorts around his ankles, lifting the toilet seat. He paused, then turned a walked (shorts still around ankles) to retrieve a stool from in front of the sink. He carried the stool to the toilet, turned around, stripped from the waist down, and climbs up to sit on the toilet.

I walked to the bathroom door and asked if he needed the light on. He answered affirmatively and told me to go away.

In case you weren't paying attention....my little boy TOOK. HIMSELF. TO. THE. POTTY. WITHOUT. ASSISTANCE.

Happy dances and high-fives all around! This is HUGE, people!

On the road again

AJ was well enough for me to keep my business trip to Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. We will leave after work on Thursday to go up to East Texas to visit my parents for a long weekend.

AJ starts swimming lessons on June 2nd. For the first two weeks he has to go every day. The second week of June, Hubby will be a delegate to the Texas State Republican Convention. The third week of June, I have another business trip - this time for three days in Las Vegas.

I'm already tired. I can understand why AJ took a 3 1/2 hour nap yesterday afternoon.

On the other hand, now that Hubby has his own blog, I can leave town without fear of my blog being hijacked!

Hope to have more fun pictures soon...

Late-night Adventure

NOTE to SELF: Do not be surprised if child given dose of Epinephrine at 1:45am is still VERY wired and active at 3:30am. Also do not be shocked if said child wakes up again as soon as the sun wakes up...



AJ started wheezing and having trouble breathing at around 12:30 last night. I gave him the first breathing treatment that he has needed in over a year, but it didn't seem to help. After a couple of minutes observing him, I went in to wake up Daddy. Daddy came in to check it out, AJ barked a cough at him, and we got dressed for a trip to the emergency room.



It appears that AJ has croup again. You may recall the other time he had this problem. He was six months old, and it was our first trip out of town since he was released from the NICU. We were in a very small town in South Texas, and he had to be hospitalized for 2 1/2 days...



We were discharged at 3:00am this morning with prescriptions for steroids and more breathing treatments to do for the next five days. He sang songs and talked to himself all the way home. I swear the kid was high. He woke me up at 7:00am wanting to watch cartoons. Every time he coughs now, he covers his mouth and tells me he doesn't need anymore medicine. It's going to be a long week. We have discovered that AJ on steroids means no sleep. No sleep for AJ means no sleep for Mommy...

Learning to Share

Quick story...

We went out to eat Saturday night. AJ appointed himself as the official "giver of the straws". After everyone at the table had a straw, AJ had some left over. He stood up on his chair, held up a straw and yelled, "Does anyone want this?"

Wordless Wednesday

ROCK THE HOUSE, LITTLE DUDE!

Out of the mouths of babes

Things seen and overheard recently:


On the way to take Hubby to the airport to leave town on a medical emergency, we were listening to KSBJ on the radio and singing along. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw AJ sitting in his carseat, head bowed, eyes closed, and holding up his "prayer hands"...and he seems to always be making up songs. Usually I can't understand anything that he is singing except "worship you"..."Jesus"..."love you God", etc.


(As we were pulling into the church parking lot)
AJ: "Mommy, are we gonna go to church and sing and praise Jesus?"


A couple of weeks ago, our choir director's three-year-old son brought his guitar to church so he could show it to the guys in the church band. After the service, we started looking for him and AJ. We found the two of them on the stage..."JM" was playing his guitar... AJ was holding a microphone and singing... both of them were dancing. They were completely oblivious to everyone else watching them from the back of the sanctuary. Unfortunately, no one had a camera with them to catch the moment.


(Mommy and AJ are reading a book about bugs and animals.)
AJ: "What's that?"
Me: "That's a dragonfly."
AJ: "I eat those."
Me: "Oh really! What do dragonflies taste like?"
AJ: "Tastes like chicken."
(NOTE: I then had to go pick Daddy up off the floor...)


(On the way to the car one afternoon, AJ got distracted and started dawdling...)
Daddy (yelling across the parking lot): "Come on, son! Move your tail!"
AJ (stops, looks behind him, and yells back): "Daddy, I don't have a tail. I got a BUTT!"


(This morning. From the back seat, 6:00am on the way to school)
AJ: "One Sunday morning, Thomas the Tank Engine got bigger. He went faster and faster over the mountains and went to his house."
(A block later...)
AJ: "Bunny rabbit...hairy...hairy...big...big hairy bunny rabbits."
Hubby (mumbling from the front seat: "at least it's rabbits and not spiders."
AJ: "Spiders. The big hairy spider had some food and went to bed."
(Apparently AJ has better hearing that Hubby may have suspected...)
Hubby: "You're checking the bed before I get in it tonight."

Wordless Wednesday

But wouldn't a car seat be a little safer?

AJ's Story and Premature Babies

This is a video montage that we put together in 2005 on the occassion of AJ's dedication at our Church, New Zion Christian Church.

We were recently reminded of this video and the statistics that are seen at the beginning of it. Indeed, these statistics are sobering; however, in the three years since we gathered these statistics the number have only gotten worse.



This video demonstrates the miracles in the early stages of AJ's life. It is also a testament to the power of prayer.

The reason I have decided to share this video again is that I am continuing to try and drive interest in the epidemic of premature births in preparation of the March of Dimes' March for Babies campaign.

The March of Dimes is spearheading the fight against premature birth and its effects on these small miracles. I shudder to think where AJ might be without the vital research that was funded by the March of Dimes.

Please consider helping these babies by either joining Team AJ in this year's March for Babies or by sponsoring Team AJ.

Wordless Wednesday

In honor of the opening week of baseball season....

Learning To Read and Voting

Featuring special guest blogger, AJ's Dad!!!

Yesterday morning was a daddy / son bonding morning (kind of). AJ had a miserable and restless night Sunday night and based on the thick, icky, green gunk coming out of his nose I was pretty sure that AJ needed to go see the doctor.

A visit to the doctor's office confirmed that AJ had a sinus infection.

Nevertheless, he was not contagious and off to school he went. Which he was happy about because he got to go play with all his friends.

So when I went to go pick him up from school he was in a really good mood and very hyper (Ahh, toddlers strung out on decongestants!). I herded him into the van and we began to make our way home. We had to stop at a traffic light at the corner of the street that his daycare is on.

AJ immediately got excited and began pointing to the field to the left saying, "Look, Daddy! Look! See that over there!?".

I looked over to the left and saw nothing but an empty field and replied, "No, AJ. What are you looking at?"

"That sign over there, Daddy! It says, 'Go to school'!"

I looked again and to my amazement was a sign kind of behind the multitude of signs for the various builders in there area. It wasn't extremely visible but it was there. And the sign was emblazoned with the name of AJ's daycare with an arrow pointing the way.

Ok, so it didn't really say "Go to school" but it had the name of the school and pointed in the right direction so I'm giving AJ credit for this one. He passed his first reading test.

On another note. Yesterday was the first day to early vote in the Primary Runoffs. After leaving the doctor's office I stopped at the early voting polling place to cast my ballot. AJ went in with me asking the whole time, "What we gonna' do, Daddy?"

"We are going to vote, son"

"Oh!"

So I get signed in and go to a voting booth. I picked up AJ so he could watch what I was doing as I dialed in my selections. Then when I was finished I let AJ push the 'Cast Ballot' button. AJ has now cast his first ballot. At the risk of getting too political here I am extremely proud to report that my son has grown up to be a Republican!!

In the van a very proud AJ kept repeating, "We voted! We voted!"

I'm so proud of that little boy!!

Wordless Wednesday

Sometimes you just have one of those days....

Words of the Week

"binge-ables" = vegetables

"mocolotive" = locomotive

"lobster-fish" = crawfish. The lobster in his book apparently looks like the crawfish he helped his Daddy eat last weekend.

"nennonaid" = lemonade

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel

I am feeling much better now, even though I occasionally still have a coughing fit. As of yesterday evening, we have a "For Sale" sign in the yard and a listing on www.har.com. Things are quiet at work this week because so many people have taken off for Spring Break.

Now it's time to start working on the next project. It's March of Dimes MARCH FOR BABIES time! The March of Dimes has renamed the WALK AMERICA to the MARCH FOR BABIES. The event in Houston will be held on Sunday, April 27th. Team AJ has been formed again to participate in this year's fund-raising efforts. I am trying to recruit more walkers for our team, as well as seeking donations. So if you are interested in either, you can get more information at http://www.marchforbabies.org/ajs_mom. Even though AJ is doing quite well considering his rocky start in life, I am reminded daily about the kids that have not been so lucky. Through my blogging, I have discovered so many other families who are dealing with the difficulties from a premature birth. There HAS to be an answer to why this is still a growing problem. Anyone with a child should thank God each day for the little miracles they have been blessed with.

I would love to have a big team walking this year...

Just not sure what to say

Well, I am back from an exhausting trip to Cancun, but have been dealing with some stuff since my return. Good news is that I am still a Mommy, and the Hubby did not have to injure my baby while I was gone. These days you're never quite sure who you'll be dealing with - a precious, smart 3 year old or the spawn of Satan...

Upon my return to Houston, I got a text message with a picture of my friend's new baby. She was born on the day I left town. And she's a big girl, too -- 9 pounds, 7 ounces, 20.5 inches long! I have a hard time fathoming how that can be possible; I can't remember how long it took before AJ got to 9 1/2 pounds! Congratulations, M.....and welcome to the world, G!!

Tuesday Hubby and I were working at our precinct polling location. Hubby is the Election Judge for our precinct, and I was one of the clerks. We only had one Republican precinct voting at this location, but there were FOUR Democratic precincts voting there. It was mayhem from the very beginning, and only got worse. The polls were still open at 11:30pm with people still trying to vote who were in line before 7pm. The lines outside got out of control, the Sheriff's department was brought in, and basically the mob trashed the church where the voting was taking place. Hubby and the rest of his assistants had to be escorted to their cars be 6 deputies!

Wednesday, I spent the day coughing....that night I started to feel congested. By Thursday morning, I woke up with bloodshot eyes, chills, and hacking cough. There were things that HAD to be done and out of my office by Thursday afternoon, so I went in to work anyway. By 11am, I was sitting on the floor in my office, dizzy, nauseous, and afraid I was going to fall out of my chair if I tried to get up. My fever rose to about 102, and I felt horrible. I had a coworker driver me home.

Thursday night, my mother called to let me know that my half-sister was in the hospital in Amarillo, and they didn't think she was going to make it. It was snowing and icy, and none of us could figure out how we could get there. Then about 15 minutes later came the call to tell us that she didn't make it. She has been ill for several years with a disease that is similar to MS, but attacks the internal organs rather that the muscles. She left us at 48 years old. My Mom and Dad waited for the weather to clear, and drove up there on Saturday.

Friday I went to the doctor, where I found out that I have bronchitis. Yippee! Meanwhile, Hubby has started coughing like he is trying to hack up a lung or a giant hairball...Cross fingers that AJ's stuffy nose is just a stuffy nose...

The house is almost ready to go on the market. I have completed the Sellers Disclosure Notice paperwork, and am waiting for the realtor to come check everything out this Thursday. We sure had hoped to already have this thing listed....we're behind schedule. Pray for a quick response.

I have been feeling overwhelmed with everything. It seems like it's coming from all directions at once. I don't know whether to crawl under the table to hide or just sit down and have a good cry. On any given day I might very well do both.

Missing Mommy

By: AJ's Dad

So AJ's Mom has run off and left her boys alone for the last two days. She has gone down to Cancun on business. Yeah, "business". I'm sure there is a lot of "business" being conducted down there. Whatever.

Anyway. So all has been going well. One thing that I was forced to promise before Mommy left was that I would not feed her son Taco Bell everynight. Fine. We might get a pizza one night.

The first night we had a Guy's Night Out and went to dinner at the new Hooter's in Katy. AJ had a lovely, young lady flirting with him all night. He seemed to enjoy that. However, at the end of our meal the waitress comes by the table and asks if we would like to have some chocolate cake. Note to lovely, young Hooter's waitress: Don't ever mention C-A-K-E in front of the toddlers. Ok, so the night ended on a bad note as I had to drag a kicking and screaming child out of the restaurant because he didn't get any cake. Day one complete: No Taco Bell

Last night, AJ and I stayed home. I made sausage links and macaroni and cheese. AJ got to eat dinner while watching Toy Story. All in all a pretty good night. Day two complete: No Taco Bell.

It was pretty obvious all day yesterday that AJ was kind of missing his Mommy. Yesterday morning he was kind of moping around when he realized Mommy wasn't there. His teacher told me that he was very cuddly with her and told her that he wanted his Mommy. And about three times last night he told me he wanted his Mommy.

I told AJ that Mommy would be home soon and that when he missed her he should say a little prayer for her. So I taught him a little prayer:

"Dear Jesus, please bring my Mommy home safe to me and let her know that I miss her and love her". He was quite happy about this.

I let AJ sleep in the bed with me last night. After we said our good-night prayers and lay there AJ turned to me and said, "Mommy went to go see Jesus?"

"Oh, no, no, no, son. Mommy just went to Mexico" I replied as I shuddered.

"Oh. What's the Mexico doing?"

Sigh! Come home soon, Mommy!!!

Hen's Two Combs

That's AJ's phrase of the day -- "hens two combs"

For those of your who do not speak "toddler-ese", that would be "enhance your calm"...


On another note -- I keep getting chastised for not posting about playing hide and seek with AJ. I don't think he quite grasps the concept yet. The first time we played, I hid behind the bedroom door while he and Daddy counted. When it was his turn to hide, he immediately went behind the door. He thinks that is the only place you are supposed to hide now. Last week we were playing again. I told him to go hide while I counted. When I finished counting, I yelled, "Ready or not, here I come! Where's AJ?"

Little Toot comes running out from behind the door, laughing and yelling, "Here I am!"

I tried to explain to him that he's supposed to wait in his hiding place until I find him. So I told him to hide again while I counted. This time when I wondered out loud "where's AJ?", I hear giggling from behind the door. Then AJ, laughing, saying, "Here I am...I right here..."

This is going to take more practice...

What's the Difference Between a Duck? *

Daddy: (pointing to a picture in a book) "What's this?"
AJ: "A rooster."
Daddy: "And what's this?"
AJ: "A duck."
Daddy: "And this?"
AJ: "A duck."
Daddy: "Well, actually that's a goose."
AJ: "It's like a duck."

A few minutes later...

Daddy: "What's this?"
AJ: "A duck."
Daddy: "No, that's a swan."
AJ: "No...that's a duck."


* One of it's wings are both the same.

Future Sondheim?

Anyone spending time with AJ knows that he loves to sing and dance. He has become quite adept at writing his own lyrics:

Rain, rain
Go away
Rain, rain
Go away
The old man is snoring
Went to bed
And bumped his head
Couldn't get up
It the morning...


Happy Birthday to my daddy
Happy Birthday to my daddy
(repeat incessantly)

Yes Jesus love me
Yes Jesus love me
Bible tell me so
(and during a conversation about rabbits in the front seat, from the back seat we hear)
Yes Jesus love the bunny rabbit
Bible tell me so

On the way home from Galveston he began chanting "1...2...3...1...2...3...1...2...3..." over and over and over and over....I tried to distract him with "1, 2, buckle my shoe, 3, 4, shut the door"

He began singing the following little ditty:
"1...2...3...
Buckle those shoes
1...2...3...
Shut the door
1...2...3...
Buckle those shoes
1...2...3...
Shut the door
Go to lunch
Get some ice cream..."

Now that I think about it, he may just have an idea there....later, folks!

Out of pocket

It seems like forever since I have posted or spent any real amount of time reading and catching up with my bloggy pals. I started last Sunday working on a show that lasted until Wednesday. I was working 14 hour days, and all while running a fever and a sinus infection. That just left me a couple of days to prepare for our vacation.

We are leaving tomorrow for another cruise for hubby's birthday. We are being accompanied by my parents (on their first cruise) and a couple of college friends. Should be fun.

Still steadily de-cluttering and getting ready to sell the house...

On Monday, AJ went to his regular appointment with the endocrinologist to have a blood draw. During the course of his checkup, the doctor heard an extra noise when he was listening to AJ's heart. Daddy took him to the pediatrician that afternoon. She doesn't seem to think it is much to be worried about, but hearing a doctor say your baby should consult with a pediatric cardiologist is a little scary. The pediatrician calls it a "venous hum". As a precaution, we took him on Friday to have an EKG and chest X-ray. He was an awesome little trooper...we explained to him what they were going to do, and he was very brave. It will take a while to get the results back, but we are trying to rule out a heart murmur...we'll keep you posted.

Too Much Stuff

Packrats should never marry other packrats. They give birth to baby packrats. Then it all spirals completely out of control...

I am in the process of "de-cluttering" our house so we can put it on the market. We evidently need a bigger house, because we now have too much stuff to fit in the current space.

Honestly, though, we have a tiny yard. Now that AJ is getting bigger, we need to find somewhere he can run around and be a kid. We are also operating our travel agency out of the guest bedroom. Which works fine unless you actually want to have some guests.

The past couple of weeks have been a trip down memory lane as we have cleaned out the attic and found things from our childhoods that we still can't bear to part with.

This is going to take a while...

Sitting at home

I awoke this morning to day four of being a single mom (cuz hubby is out of town). He won't be back from New Orleans until late tonight. Anyway, I woke up AJ to get ready for school, and he started the hoarse, "barky" cough at me. Yippee!

At 6:00am I was doing a breathing treatment. Our first in well over a year...it didn't help, apparently that's not what's wrong. I asked AJ if his throat or his ears or his nose or his chest hurt (all separate questions, of course). I was told no to every area. He wasn't running a fever, and wasn't acting sick at all. There was just this cough. I tried to give him some cough medicine. He held it in his mouth and spit it back out all over the white shirt he was wearing. Yippee!

Then I noticed that his left eye was all red. Yippee! Yelling ensued as I (tried to) put a drop of Vigamox in his eye. Now we're definitely going to the doctor.

AJ wants to go to church; not to the doctor. As we waited to leave for the pediatrician, AJ kept calling me into the room to tell me, "I all better now. I not choking anymore. Don't need a shot."

We left at 7:30 for the doctor's office. We (thankfully) haven't had to go there in a while. Unfortunately, during our absence, the doctor moved her offices. I vaguely remembered her telling me that she was building new offices in Cinco Ranch. I drove around the area for a little while until I found the new building.

AJ goes bouncing into the waiting room without a care in the world. The ladies at the desk look at me like I'm just paranoid. I'm beginning to think that myself. AJ is playing with the train table in the waiting room and yelling "ALL ABOARD!"

Little consolation....AJ really is sick. He has a left ear infection and pink eye. I'm not going to work today, and he won't even act like he's sick. He told me the doctor gave him pink eye.

It's going to be a long day...

Fashion Don't

I think I have completely ruined my child's sense of fashion. Anyone who has seen AJ knows he's pretty skinny and really has no butt. It's very difficult to find pants to fit him. He is 3 years old, but his waist fits better into 18 month pants. We bought him some 24-month, but they would just slide right off of him within a few steps. Unfortunately, he is starting to get taller, so many of his pants are turning into severe "high-waters". A couple of months ago, we went to The Children's Place and found some 24-month jeans with an adjustable waistband. They fit him perfectly.

So yesterday, I was getting him dressed for church and put his jeans on him. He looked down and declared, "Mommy, they're too long!" I kept reassuring him that they were fine. But, poor baby, was practically in tears...and kept repeating "but they're too long...too long, mommy."

It was really kinda sad.