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.

Still Here...

Things have been busy the past week or so. We thought we lost our digital camera at the school after AJ's Christmas program, but got it back yesterday....yippee! With the camera missing, I was only able to shoot video on Christmas morning. I haven't gotten anything off of either camera yet, so be patient...Christmas tales are coming...

On a side note, I will be a single mom again for a few days at the beginning of January. Hubby and his best friend are headed to New Orleans for the BCS Championship game. (Yes, this is the same friend he went on the August cruise with....and no, I haven't run away for my own trip yet...I'm still open for suggestions.)

She's Still Sleeping

(AJ's job since we put up the Christmas tree is to push to button to turn on the lights and start the angel moving on the top. AJ calls it "waking up the angel." )

Overheard yesterday evening...

Daddy: "AJ, you wanna wake up the angel?"
AJ: "She sleeping."
Daddy: "I know. Do you want to wake her up? She's been sleeping all day."
AJ: (pointing to the window) "See the window, Daddy?"
Daddy: "Yes."
AJ: "It dark outside. She sleeping."

Given how early it gets dark these days, our angel is going to be very well rested...

Futbol game

On the way to church yesterday, we passed the fields at Cullen Park. As always, there were teams already playing.

AJ: "Look Mommy, they playing football!"
Me: "Actually sweetie, they're playing soccer."
(Pause)
AJ: "No Mommy. Not playing soccer. They playing football."

Once again, I can't really argue with the kid...(See my last post as to why my explanations are just not working...)

Joseph Who?

If you are familiar with us, you will remember that AJ has a fascination with God and Jesus. We like to think that he remembers Him being with him in the hospital when we could not be. Since it is Christmas-time, AJ is surrounded by lots of nativity scenes and pictures of baby Jesus. He always makes sure to point them out to me.

The problem seems to be with Joseph. AJ will look at a nativity scene and name everyone except Joseph. I have been trying to lead him into it by pointing to each person.

"Who's that?"
"Baby Jesus."
"And who is that?"
"Jesus mommy. Mary."
"Who is Jesus daddy?"



"God."


Well, I can't argue with him on that.

Updating the baby book

I got to enter another date in AJ's baby book last night. He undressed and put on his pajamas ALL BY HIMSELF. We made a HUGE deal out of it with high fives, hugs and kisses. He was grinning ear to ear and was very proud of himself. Over the weekend he started having me just turn the bathroom light on for him, and he did everything else on his own while I was in another room.

His big thing right now is getting to push the button to turn on the Christmas tree lights all by himself. He likes "waking up the angel" on the top.

My little baby is turning into Mr. Independence....

American Soldier Needs Our Help

A friend's nephew, who has been deployed in Iraq with the U.S. Army has recently suffered a tragedy.

On December 4th Alex Shew and his wife Cassie were expecting their first child. Nevertheless, MaKenzie Michelle Shew was born on November 8th. She weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces and everything about her seemed healthy. MaKenzie was released from the hospital earlier than expected. Because MaKenzie was born early Dad (Alex) was unable to get back from Iraq in time for her birth.

This past Sunday Alex and Cassie awoke to discover that McKenzie had passed away. Although the autopsy results are not complete the death is being ruled a case of SIDS.

As an active duty soldier in the Army, money is very tight for Alex and Cassie. They simply do not have the money for MaKenzie's funeral expenses. Alex has received an interest free loan from the government so that he and Cassie can have their daughter's funeral. Alex has not asked anyone for help; nevertheless, his Aunt (our friend) has set up a memorial fund to help pay for the loan.

I know that all of you will keep Alex and Cassie and this entire family in your prayers as they go through this troublesome time. I hope that you may find it in your heart to send a few dollars to help Alex and Cassie pay for their beautiful little girl's burial. I have included the information below if you can help.

Thank you for your love, support and prayers. Remember to give your little ones an extra hug and kiss this evening and thank God for His blessing on their lives.

Donations can be made by mailing a check or money order made out to MaKenzie Shew Memorial Fund to:

MemberSource Credit Union
10100 Richmond Ave
Houston, Texas 77042
Account Number: 659850-4

Alternately, you may drop off your donation at any of MemberSource Credit Union's branch offices or a Shared Service Credit Union location. To find a branch or Shared Service Credit Union location near you go to the following web address: http://membersourcecu.locatorsearch.com/index.aspx

Thank you...

Hi-ho the dairy-o

We went up to East Texas for the long Thanksgiving holiday. Much fun and food was had by all. On Friday, we all went to Jefferson, TX to ride the Santa Train along the river to see the Christmas lights. Of course, AJ had a blast riding another choo choo train. Unfortunately, he wasn't so enamored of the Santa that was there. We had to put people in between AJ and Santa to run interference, because AJ would completely flip out whenever he saw Santa. It's just like he does with the Santa at the mall. Doesn't want to go NEAR him.

Funny side note -- AJ was playing with some toys in the living room on Saturday afternoon. One of the toys was a small stuffed cow. He turned the cow over, pointed to the underside of the cow, and told me "the cow have milk." He then proceeded to lift the cow up to his mouth like he was drinking the milk straight from the cow! Umm...okay....this is new knowledge...

On Sunday, we all went to lunch after church and ate pizza with the Mayor. He and his ladyfriend are very nice people. He has been Mayor there for 28 years...we all felt very important...lunching with the big wigs...

Prematurity Awareness Month

For anyone who didn't already know - November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Here are some startling statistics:

• Babies born at 23 weeks gestation have a 17% chance of survival.
• Babies born at 24 weeks gestation have a 39% chance of survival.
• Babies born at 25 weeks gestation have a 50% chance of survival.
• 1 in 10 premature babies will develop permanent disabilities, such as lung disease, cerebral palsy, blindness, or deafness.
• 50% of babies born before the 26th week are disabled; 25% of those severely so.
• There is a greater risk of severe disability and lower cognitive function results for boys compared to girls. This supports the theory that male sex is an important risk factor in extremely premature infants.
• In 2004, 12.5% of US babies were premature (less than 37 weeks). That is an 18% increase over the rate in 1990.
• In Texas, that rate is 13.7%.
• That accounts for 1 in 7 babies.

Through my blogging this past year, I have discovered many other women who are living with children who were very premature. Reading their experiences has made me feel a lot less guilty and a lot MORE blessed. Although he was born at 26 weeks, AJ was growth restricted, and at only 18 ounces, was measuring the size of a 23-weeker.

My world has been blessed with this tiny baby whose life could have turned out so differently. The following ladies have been a true inspiration to me:

• Christy at Following Elias.
• Nicole at Who Cries Over Spilled Milk.
• Kyla at The Journey.
• Katie at Ramblings of an Interrupted Mom.

There are numerous more stories out there available through the March of Dimes. So if you see a small child who maybe seems a little "different" or "small for his age", remember what a survivor he/she may be. Give that little miracle a special smile and a special prayer.

BUSTED

I so TOTALLY got busted by a three-year-old last night.

I was experimenting with some baked spaghetti for dinner. We sat down to eat dinner. AJ took one bite of his food and said, "I want a meatball."

Me: "Sweetie, there's a meatball in there. Mommy just cut it up for you."

AJ: (digs around in the bowl for a bit) "Mommy that's not a meatball -- that's PEPPERONI!"

Hubby smirks in my generally direction and mutters "busted!" under his breath at me.

I had never heard AJ use the word "pepperoni" before...I guess the days of him believing everything I tell him are gone...and he's not even a teenager yet...

And you know...it wasn't even really about him catching me in a lie. It was the snarky tone of his voice when he did it!

It's like...

New fad for the month seems to be similes. AJ is constantly telling us how something "is like" something else.

A packet of mayonnaise or ketchup at a fast food joint "is squooshy -- like Mommy."

A box truck driving down the road "is like a garbage truck."

A bird sitting on a power line "is like Zazu, from Lion King."

Last night in the bathtub he was playing with his shampoo visor that has a crab on it. "Mommy - a crab...like a lobster....she pinch. No! No! Lobster! No pinching you friends. Not nice."

A Night at the Museum

On Thursday night, the three of us attended a function at the Museum of Natural Science. It was an after-closing affair. That was nice, because there were no crowds. AJ absolutely LOVED the dinosaurs. We were not allowed to leave for the night without going to each one personally to say goodnight. We also found AJ quite interested in a short film about water vapor molecules. He even asked me yesterday where the "paper mall-cools went". While walking through the gem and mineral section, Hubby commented to me about a huge geode on display. AJ walked by us and declared, "that's a geode." Mr. Smarty-Pants Myna bird!

Note to self for our next visit: Do NOT take the three year old into the dark 3-D Imax to watch "Sea Monsters of the Deep" thinking he would enjoy the fish. I apparently wasn't paying attention to the title Sea MONSTERS....a sea monster with a very long neck and very very sharp pointy teeth came at him in 3-D. Not. Fun. At. All. He was still scared even after I took the 3-D glasses off of him. We had to leave after about 5 minutes of the movie.

Where Are Your Parents?

Other people's kids irritate the crap out of me. This was extremely evident at the Fall Festival we took AJ to last night. Turns out it was just an arena filled with about 8-10 giant inflatable moonwalks. The place was overrun with kids (and unfortunately adults) who have no consideration for the fact that they weren't the only ones there to enjoy themselves. Kids were allowed to run completely wild with no parent in sight. More than once, AJ was frightened to even go into a moonwalk because there were older kids in there fighting, wrestling and generally trying the tear the place up. And NO ONE SEEMED TO CARE! Where are these kids parents? What are they being taught other than to push everyone out of their way to get what they want? More often than not, we ended up carrying AJ around to keep him from being trampled by packs of kids on a sugar high.

And did I mention that this was a church-sponsored festival?! So. Not. Going. Back. AARRRGGGHHH!!

Halloween Memories

Halloween, 2004 - still in the NICU.

Costume was a bib that was more of a blanket.

Halloween, 2005 - Big hit as a cute scarecrow.

Halloween, 2006 - Wouldn't keep the clown nose on.

Of course NOW he wears it all the time.

Halloween, 2007 - A firefighter cute enough for his own calendar!

AJ's Big Adventure, Part Deux

After a HUGE day out with Thomas on Friday, we headed up to see Granny and PawPaw. They had some work that they needed some help with. Everyone pitched in to help - I was on the small tractor mowing, Hubby was weed-eating the pond-side of the dam, and AJ was helping Granny and PawPaw pick up the sticks and branches that had been knocked down by winds. AJ was often spotted dragging a branch much larger than himself and placing it in the front bucket of the tractor to be hauled away. His next chore was to help PawPaw drive the tractor around to dump the branches. (And yes, Hubby had to go up in the bucket of the tractor again with the chainsaw to trim branches back. He's starting to get the hang of it!)

AJ's Big Adventure, Part One

On Friday we took AJ to the Texas State Railroad to ride Thomas the Tank Engine at the Day Out With Thomas All Aboard Tour. We didn't tell him where we were going; he thought we were just going to spend the weekend with Granny and PawPaw. When we drove into the TSRR park, he saw a Thomas banner and got realy excited. When Thomas pulled into the depot, his little face just lit up! He was actually face to face with Thomas! Very cool. There were tents set up with different activities and entertainment to keep him busy until his time to board the train. The look on that child's face when he got on the train was absolutely PRICELESS!

When he went to bed last night, I turned to blow him a kiss as I closed the door.
He whispered, "Thank you, mommy."
Me: "What, sweetie?"
AJ: "Thank you for taking me on 'venture..."

Lack of Concentration

Daddy and AJ were (trying to) play a game of Memory/Concentration. Daddy explained the rules and the game began.

Daddy: " Okay, AJ, turn a card over...what's that?...oohh, a turtle. Turn over another one....oh, a crab....sorry no match."

(Daddy takes a turn with no match.)

Daddy: "Your turn...pick a card....Oh, look - it's a turtle. Where did you see a turtle before?"


AJ: (proudly) "In the water..."



Umm...yeah...but I don't think that was the answer Daddy was looking for...

HIJACKED - again!

I regret to inform the regular readers of the blog that the rightful blogger has suffered a Kafkaesque metamorphosis into a big ol' slimy germ. As a result she has been banished to the "Sickie room" until which time the germ decides to morph back into my lovely wife. I hope this happens soon, AJ and I are hungry.

Since germs are not allowed to write blogs (this would make them feel welcomed and we don't want to make the germ feel welcomed so it will go away soon) I have hijacked the blog again.

I want to tell everyone what great week AJ has had this week. It started Tuesday when both Mommy and AJ had dental appointments. AJ and I dropped Mommy off at her dentist and then drove over to AJ's dentist. If any of you are in the Katy or far west Houston area and need a Pediatric Dentist I highly reccomend Dr. Randy Hollenberg. Everyone over at his office is just fantastic. So this is AJ's first time in the "big chair." I'm seeing disaster written all over this. AJ, however, surprises me and is very interested in everything and extremely cooperative. He opens his mouth and allows the hygenist to clean his teeth and when the doctor comes he opens as wide as he can so the doctor can examine his teeth. In the end, I told AJ how proud I was of him and his little face just beamed. I know he was proud of himself.

After the dentist, since we were near AJ's pediatrician I decided we should go get AJ's flu shot. So AJ and I went over to pick up Mommy from the dentist and then drove over to Cinco Ranch Pediatrics (another great choice for parents in far west Houston or Katy). Before we go in, I tell AJ that he is going to get a shot and I need him to keep being a brave little boy. He says, "Ok".

Mommy gets a flu shot too (this is not what made caused the previously mentioned metamorphosis!!). Mommy goes first to show AJ that it isn't bad. AJ watches and then when it is his turn he bravely puts his arm out and receives his injection. A little flinch but no crying or whining. I beam proudly at my big boy.

Tuesday evening his Tae Kwon Do class. I tell AJ that he needs to listen to his instructor closely and do what is asked of him. AJ says, "Ok". During his Tae Kwon Do class AJ his marvelous and does everything that his asked of him. The instructor hands out tokens at the end of the class to the kids when they do well. The tokens can be saved to earn little prizes. AJ gets his first token!! He walks out of the class holding his token and just beaming. He knows that he has just accomplished something big and is once again very proud of himself.

On Wednesday AJ tells me that he was brave and he got his teeth cleaned. I never knew the dentist could be such a life changing event.

Thursday morning, Mommy's metamorphosis is complete. I am now a single parent. I have to 1) get myself out of bed (not an easy task), 2) get AJ out of bed (a little easier than me but not much), 3) get us both ready to leave, and 4) throw an antibiotic tablet at the germ in the "Sickie room". On this daunting morning my little boy is an absolute jewel. He wakes up, hops out of bed and is fully cooperative while I get him ready. He does, however, want to play with the germ because he thinks it looks like his Mommy. I try to explain that the germ is not his Mommy but I don't think he believes me.

Thursday night takes us back to Tae Kwon Do. Once again AJ "hits the ball out of the park." He listens to what all the instructors tell him and performs admirably. I beam proudly at my little boy. He is very excited and happy.

I like this little boy. Now how do I keep this one around instead of that stubborn, uncoopertive one that comes around every now and then?

Continental Dinner

My (barely) three year old child spent dinner last night explaining to me that penguins live in Antarctica. Then he told me the names of the other continents.

This kid scares me sometimes...

Not nice

Conversation in my house on Saturday~~~

(Me snuggling with AJ and watching TV)
AJ reaches over and pokes me in the abdomen,
AJ: "Mommy, you squooshy.."
Me: "Umm...thank you sweetie."
(AJ crawls across my lap).
AJ: "Mommy, you got wrinkles."
Me: "I think I hear Daddy calling you."

Birthday Party

Thursday the 27th was AJ's birthday. His day started off with a doughnut for breakfast at school. Then in the afternoon, Daddy and I took cupcakes and punch for a little party with his class. The kids all sang "Happy Birthday" to AJ before he blew out the candle.

Dinner was a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's for pizza and games with Mommy and Daddy. We had a great time. It was a VERY full day for him.

Saturday was his big party. We ordered a moonwalk, slushie machine, and catered fajitas. Some of his friends came and had a big Thomas-themed day. All of the kids were given conductor hats, train whistles, and noise-makers. AJ played in the moonwalk until way after dark. It wasn't picked up on time, so AJ and Daddy were even able to play in it on Sunday.

Little Ninja

AJ had his second Tae Kwan Do class last night. He is the smallest in the class (everyone else is 5), but he is doing his best to keep up. He alternates between a huge grin and an intense look of concentration. He did much better last night than last week. We still need to work on his listening skills...

But isn't he just the cutest thing!!

I'm still sorting through the pictures from last week's birthday festivities. Be on the lookout for a picture-laden post for that...

Happy Birthday (The Story of AJ)

I was never good with babies and kids. I was the baby myself, and spent my whole life around people older than I was. Babies made me nervous. I knew even less about little boys.

Imagine my surprise.

I think we were planning to take a vacation somewhere. It occurred to me that I couldn't remember the last time I had a period. I wasn't too concerned since they weren't that regular anyway. But we decided to take a pregnancy test. It immediately came back positive. I had recently started a new job and didn't have insurance yet. Fortunately, we have a friend who is an Ob/Gyn and he agreed to examine me. Hubby and I figured that I was about 4-6 weeks along. Doc started with an internal ultrasound. To his amazement, he found a HUGE head! He quickly removed the wand and got the regular ultrasound set up. As he measured, he asked how far along we though I was. Looks like we had it all wrong -- I was measuring 12 weeks pregnant! Apparently I had missed my entire first trimester...I was due on New Year's Eve.

Since I'm diabetic, we spent the next few weeks going to see Doc twice a week to set my insulin doses. I'm too chicken to give myself a shot, but Hubby was all too willing to tell me to "assume the position" twice a day so he could give me an insulin shot in the butt.

Everything seemed to be going fine. My sugar was fine, but Doc and I discussed the possibility that I would need a C-section because babies of diabetics tend to be on the large side. An ultrasound at 23 weeks confirmed that it was a boy. We decided on the name Anthony James (AJ for short). Daddy didn't like the name "Tony", so this was a nice alternative.

At 6 months my feet started to swell a little. Hubby was monitoring his blood pressure at home, so I started checking mine too. One Wednesday evening, I was checking my blood pressure while Hubby was getting ready for church. My pressure was a little elevated. Hubby mentioned it to Doc at church that night, and was told to have me stop by his office the next day.

On September 24, 2004 we went to his office after work. He did a short examination and left the room. When he came back in, he told us that I wasn't going home that night and asked me which hospital I wanted to go to.

We went home and grabbed a few things before checking in at Memorial Hermann Katy on Thursday night. I was put on a monitor for the night and was not allowed out of bed. By about 5:30am the next morning, the hospital decided I should be transferred. They were too small to handle a potential high risk delivery.

It was a Friday morning during rush hour, and they didn't want me off the monitors long enough to ride to the hospital. A tropical storm was due to hit the Houston area that day, so all of the Life Flight units were hangared. They found a small medical helicopter out of Conroe that was in air. They picked me up and took me on the 8 minute flight to Memorial Southwest.

Friday was a flurry of neonatologists and high risk specialists. I apparently had low anmiotic fluid along with my borderline pre-eclampsia. AJ kept compressing his cord and cutting of his circulation. I was given a bed and informed that I would be there for the rest of my pregnancy. A blood pressure cuff took readings every thirty minutes. Nurses came in to draw 6 vials of blood every 6 hours, then every 12 hours. I was started on steroids and surfactant to help with lung development in case we had to deliver and magnesium sulfate to prevent the risk of seizures from the high blood pressure. (P.S. Mag is some NASTY stuff and would require a post of its own!) I settled in. We brought in pictures and things from home to make the hospital room more cozy.

On Sunday afternoon, Doc visited me with news. He said he couldn't explain it, but all of my bloodwork had gone in completely (good) the opposite direction than they expected. I might be able to go home on bed rest in about three weeks instead of three months. The high risk specialist would be back on Monday to check my progress.

Monday's ultrasound was not good. AJ was now getting reverse flow through the umbilical cord. He had not grown much since the ultrasound three weeks earlier. He was becoming growth-restricted. The doctor said we would need to deliver now. The neonatologists at Memorial Southwest were on call, but could take up to 20 minutes to arrive when needed. The decision was made to move me again.

We were on the road again - this time to the "mother ship" - Memorial Hermann Medical Center. This time I was transported in an ambulance with Hubby and my parents following behind. I was checked in at 2:00pm on Monday, September 27th. Within a few minutes, a nurse informed me that I was next in line. WHAT?!

A parade of social workers, specialists, and neonatologists came in to give us an update. The scenario -- few babies this small survive; the ones that do survive have severe medical and developmental problems. There were risks of deafness, blindness, brain bleeds...the list went on and on. It seemed pretty hopeless. I was terrified. Hubby and I asked for a few minutes alone to consider saying goodbye to our little one.

At 6:00pm I was taken in for an epidural. At 6:34pm, tiny little AJ was delivered. He weighed only 18 ounces and was 10 inches long. Hubby heard a small sound from the next room while they were working on him. He assumed it came from somewhere else, because how could something so small make any noise? Turns out it really was out little guy.

It was late the next evening before I got to see him for the first time. A week later I was able to hold him for the first time.

The next two and a half months were spent driving from Katy to the Medical Center every night. At six weeks old, AJ finally reached 2 pounds. He was fed through a tube until he could be taught to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time. He had an umbilical hernia and two inguinal hernias. His thyroid was not functioning properly, so he needed medication for that.

On December 8, 2004 the doctors decided that he was basically just taking up space. They were a little nervous because they had never discharged a baby who was still so small, but they couldn't find a medical reason to keep him. At the doctor visit the day after he was discharged, he weighed exactly 4 pounds.

He had surgery at 6 months old to repair the inguinal hernias. The umbilical hernia repaired itself. He takes one small pill each day to assist his thyroid. His eyesight and hearing are completely normal. He is testing developmentally within his age range.

As of a week ago, he finally made it to 28 pounds. He's still a little small for his age, but he makes up for it with a lot of spunk.

He makes me laugh; he makes me cry; and he frequently frustrates and infuriates me. And he melts my heart when he looks at me and says, "I love you, Mommy."

Happy Birthday, my little miracle! God must have something really special in mind for you...

Who Lives Here?!

There has been a flurry of cleaning and organizing around our house lately. Most of it in preparation of AJ's birthday party this Saturday. Some of it because I'm tired of looking at all of the clutter. One of my projects this weekend was cleaning out the cabinet next to the refrigerator. This is where we have kept all of our alcohol. Please let me preface this picture with the disclaimer that we never drink. We have maybe 2 drinks a year...but for some reason Hubby keeps bringing home bottles from our vacations.

We look like a bunch of alcoholics!!

Even AJ decided to hide!

Accidents (Weak stomachs beware)

Why is poop so fascinating to kids?

Anyone familiar with AJ knows that he's kinds of scrawny and small for his age. Unfortunately, that makes it hard to find clothes (and underwear) that fit him. His clothes tend to be baggy enough that anything in his underwear has the potential to fall out. More than once he has left a "trail of rabbit pellets" behind him on the way to the potty after an accident.



Last weekend, I left him playing with toys in the living room while Hubby was working on the laptop and I was cleaning another part of the house. I returned to the living room to find AJ smashing something onto the top of his Duplo blocks. He looked up to tell me he was "making dots". It didn't immediately click with me what he was doing until he showed me one of his Little People dolls and informed me "Derek poo poo on hisself". To my horror (and disgust) I realized that he had taken out what he had deposited into his underwear and stuffed it inside the hole on the bottom of his Little People. This apparently was also what he was using to "make dots" on his Duplo table.



As punishment for not paying attention to what he was doing in the same room, Hubby was left to clean up the toys while I cleaned up the toddler.



I am SO hoping there are no surprises left for me to discover at a later date....



Totally nasty~~~~~

More randomness

Saturday was spent on another round of cleaning to prepare for AJ's birthday party. This day brought us outside again to pull all of the dead weeds out of the back flowerbed. AJ got bored after about thirty minutes of "helping* us" and decided "I hot. I wanna go in my house." This is a phrase he would repeat OVER and OVER and OVER until we finished weeding...

(*Helping us consisted of filling up the bed of his Tonka dump truck with the pulled weeds and rolling them to the trash can for disposal.)

Hubby and I were working on something at the side of the house when we heard a loud CRASH and scream come from the garage. AJ was apparently trying to climb the 10' ladder in the garage, fell off and pulled it over on top of himself. I took him in the house and put ice on his head, because that's where he said it hurt. It wasn't until later that day when I was helping him potty that I saw the big red scrape and bruise on the middle of his back.

On Sunday we almost had a wreck on the way to church. While driving down the freeway, a spider fell from the headline of the car and landed on the steering wheel. Anyone who knows us, knows that Hubby is EXTREMELY arachnophobic. He just about had a stroke and ran off the road yelling at me to do something. I finally managed to chase it off the steering wheel, across his lap and onto the floorboard. I imagine we were quite a sight to the other drivers on the road.

(Completely on a side note: AJ is either becoming modest or more independent. I took him to the potty yesterday and he told me to leave the room before he would pee.)

Randomness

We went out of town for Labor Day weekend. Hubby and AJ picked me up at work on the way out of town. AJ was singing "We Are Family" over and over again until he finally fell asleep.

AJ's new word for this week: "Empire". He was watching "Star Trek" with his Daddy and picked it up from the show. Now he wanders around asking me what the empire is doing.

Plans are coming together for AJ's birthday party on the 29th. Hard to believe he's going to be 3! I think the party may be a little extreme. There's a 5 in 1 moonwalk, catered fajitas, pinata, and a margarita/slushie machine. What do you think? Too much?

Sunday afternoon we decided to get brushes and bleach and scrub the hardiplank on the back of the house. AJ played with his "water table" in another part of the backyard while we scrubbed. When we finished, I started pulling wees from the flowerbed. While bent over in the flowerbed, I got a shot of cold water on my backside. Apparently AJ figured out how to use the sprayer nozzle at the end of the water hose. He sneaked up behind me and shot me in the butt! When I screamed and turned around, he was very proud of himself, standing there laughing. Daddy came up about that time, and I thought I would have to pick him up off the ground because he was laughing so hard...

Monday, I took the day off work. My back was hurting so much I had to have help getting out of the bed to go pee.

We are still trying to book the last cabins for the group cruise out of Galveston in February...all deposits have to be in by October 1st.

Things are getting busier and busier...

Wardrobe Malfunction

There seemed to be a little confusion when we picked AJ up from school yesterday afternoon. He was wearing someone else's shorts and underwear. The little boy who owned them was wearing AJ's clothes. We were a little concerned about how this could have occurred until we remembered that they had "splash day" yesterday. The teacher must have switched their clothes when they changed out of their swimsuits. We needed to switch them back before we left the school, and AJ decided that I should do it. Then we had a minor meltdown because he liked wearing the Scooby Doo underwear...

He never seemed to stop chatting from the time we got home until he went to bed last night. He barely even ate any of his dinner because he had so much to say. He's getting a bad habit of repeating what he wants about 912 times. I had a headache, and told him "I understood you after the first 47 times"... Daddy fell out laughing at me. I however, just needed the incessant repetition to stop...

I know I have been getting more sporadic with my posting, but work has really picked up and there hasn't been much time.

Nine Words Women Use

I like this, so I thought I would share it.

1) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2) FIVE MINUTES: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3) NOTHING: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4) GO AHEAD: This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it!

5) LOUD SIGH: This is actually not a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6) THAT'S OKAY: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7) THANKS: A woman is thanking you. Do not question or faint. Just say you're welcome.

8) WHATEVER: Is a woman's way of saying &*^$ YOU!

9) DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I GOT IT: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to #3.

Test Results

I got a little bit of encouraging news this morning. My latest results are in from my quarterly blood tests. My Hemoglobin A1C level in May was 6.9; it is now down to 6.7. My total cholesterol is down 35 points. And I have lost 6 pounds. I haven't been doing anything really differently since that last tests in May. Maybe I'm getting a side benefit from living with Hubby's dieting ways.

Speaking of hubby....he left yesterday for his cruise to the Bahamas with his best friend. AJ hasn't really been too upset about it yet. I told him Daddy is on vacation. He seems okay with that. I get to be a single mom this week.

Yea?!

Discombobulated

Why does it seem like one glitch in a well-made plan can get you completely off for days after? I had a simple business meeting planned in Dallas last Thursday. I was to fly there on the 8am flight and come back on the 5:30pm flight the same day. I could travel light, as I was not staying for long. Unfortunately Tropical Storm Erin decided to make landfall that very morning. Although it did not hit Houston directly, we were on the "dirty" side. It was raining BUCKETS as we headed to the airport in the dark of the morning. By the time we took off, things had started to clear.
Unfortunately, another band of storms hit Houston during the early afternoon. All flights in and out of Houston were cancelled. HUH?! We had to scramble around to get me a hotel room in Dallas. I had no medications with me, no clothes, and no cash; I barely had a hair brush with me. I was confirmed for an 8:30am flight on Friday morning and had to convince one of my Dallas coworkers to pick me up at 6:45am and drive me to the airport.
Again, Hubby had dropped me off on Thursday and was now gone to work and unable to pick me up Friday morning at IAH. After a few phone calls, one of my Houston coworkers came to pick me up on his way to work.
Now everything seems to be in "catch up" mode. AJ started his new class yesterday. I have to help Hubby pack, as he is leaving on early this Sunday morning for a cruise to the Bahamas. I will be a single mom for the week. I am planning our company picnic for this Saturday. Hubby will be back just in time for us to leave town for Labor Day. The weekend after Labor Day we will go out of town to visit my parents. The following weekend will be major cleanup to prepare for AJ's birthday party on 9/29.

And did I mention that we are still running a travel agency business on the side?...

Promotion

When we went to pick AJ up from school on Friday, a letter was waiting for us. We always figured AJ would change to the next class (300) when he turns 3 at the end of September. I was not prepared for a letter saying that starting next Monday, he will be promoted not to Room 300, but to Room 350! They're not waiting until his birthday. The promotion letter explained some of the changes AJ will have in the next class.

- They will primarily work in groups of 4 children who will rotate together through different "centers", with specific tasks to complete in each center. When they complete the tasks, there are "free centers" they can choose to play in.
- Centers will include phonics, writing, library/ listening, gymnastics, music, computer, and Character Counts. (That sounds like a neat program...)
- They will have a daily 30 minute Spanish lesson.
- They want the kids to be there no later than 8:30am and stay until 5pm to get the most out of all the rotations.

My baby is growing up too fast. His Daddy was trying to get him to say how old he is this morning. (Trying to get him to say 3.) AJ kept answering "I'm five!" Halfway to the school he declared that he was 6, and by the time we got to school he said he was 7.

I wasn't prepared to have to deal with this yet! Geez, I feel old....

Toddler Idol auditions

Ok, I've been playing with the video camera again...so shoot me...

AJ was standing on his bed, with a sword "microphone", making his very best audition tape for "Toddler Idol". (Just in case they ever want to start one...)

http://www.mydeo.com/videorequest.asp?XID=3406&CID=120248

Fun with Exercise

I know what you're saying to yourself....."fun" and "exercise" are mutually exclusive. As you may have read in a previous post, Hubby has been working out to the Dance Dance Revolution game. AJ really likes to dance, too. I just HAD to post some video of AJ exercising. The video borders on long (about five minutes), but parts of it are just too cute for words!

Now get out there and get your groove on....

(Sorry the video is rather dark. It was 8pm....and pay no attention to the pile of toys AJ put in the corner before he could dance.)

A message from AJ's Dad

Cindy has always said that she would give me the password and let me post on her blog if I wanted to. I've never felt like I have had anything important enough to say until now. However, it is midnight on Saturday morning and my family is currently sound asleep. I however, am wide awake and I have been forced to hack into Cindy's blog account because I have something important to say.

This weekend is my high school class' 20th anniversary reunion. This really doesn't interest me very much as I have not kept up with very many people from high school. Actually, I have kept up with only one person. My high school class had something like over 500 members in it. And only one of these was ever important enough to me to keep up with. At any rate, my friend asked me to come out to an unofficial reunion event tonight at the Firehouse Saloon. Since I do not get many opportunities to spend with my fried as he lives in the Dallas area now I obliged, despite the fact that I never cared for the "bar scene" even in my younger days.

Now as any of you that I have attended one of these events is aware everyone that you run into (whether they know or knew you or not) feels obliged to ask, "What have you been up to?" Yeah, like I am going to give you the history of my past 20 years. I don't even remember your name. Nevertheless, as some point during the evening and amongst the conversations I was forced to ponder what has happened to me over the past 20 years.

Has my life turned out as I expected it to? Am I where I wanted to be by this time in my life? Have I acheived my goals?

Again, if you have attended any of these events I would be willing to bet you can answer some of these questions in a very similar manner that I can. In case you are interested, my answer to all three of the above questions is a resounding no. However, the answer to the more important question is a resounding YES. What is that question? Am I happy with my life?

Over the past 20 years I have had many experiences. Some good and many not so good. In fact, my life has not turned out at all the way I expected. And I am nowhere near where I thought I would be. I don't know if I have acheived my goals. I must admit that I was never sure what my goals were.

But I am very happy with my life. I am not rich and successful (at least in the way that the world defines these phrases) by any stretch of the imagination. Like most of you I have had to scratch and claw my way to where I am today. But I am here and I have done it (to quote Frank Sinatra) my way. But most of all I have two things that nobody from my high school class, none of you, and in fact nobody else in the entire world will ever have.

This leads me to the reason I have hacked into Cindy's account.

Several years ago I lost a somebody that was the most important thing in my life -- my mother. My mother was my best friend and my greatest cheerleader. Whatever I chose to do or not do my mother was there to support me. No offense to any of your mothers or any of you mothers, but my mother was simply the greatest in the world. You would have to know the entire history to know why and I don't have time to tell you. This is already getting long. Now you are probably wondering about something that I lost. Because as is His way God took something valuable away from me only to replace it with something even better.

My wife has become my one and only cheerleader. She is there to support me in anything that I choose to do or not do. Best of all, no matter what happens my wife is always there to love me, comfort me and be with me. She truly has become my help mate and my confidant. She is my wife and my best friend. And nobody in the entire world will ever have my wife. She is mine and only mine - and I hers.

Cindy and I have been through some great time over the last several years. We have also been through some of the hardest times of our lifes together. Those of you that have been reading Cindy's post for a long time know what those hardest times are. If you don't you are going to dig back into the archives to find out because it is a long story and this is already getting long.

Nevertheless, I have one more thing that nobody in the world will ever have. I have one possesssion that is more valuable than all the gold ever found, lost, and to be found in the world. That one thing is my son, AJ. It has been nearly 3 years since AJ entered our lifes. In those three years I have experienced times that have put my faith in God to the test and I have received blessings beyond my imagination. This evening, before I left AJ brought me a few books to read to him. I read the books to him, albeit begrudingly at the time. In fact, I now feel guilty about this. These moments that I spent with the little guy are so priceless, when he looks at me and says, "I love you too, Daddy" I realize that every experience that I have ever had in my life, every path that I have been down as been to be this little boy's daddy. This is the job I was meant to have and this is the job that I embrace. I am proud to be AJ's Dad! And nobody else can ever say that.

However, I also look at AJ and I grow frightened. Frightened that I can not live up to the expecations that AJ has of me. Frightened by the very job that I embrace and love. But that leads me to the last thing that I have. But this thing is free to everyone. I have a Lord and Saviour that will always stand with me to guide and counsel me with the wisdom to do this job. A God that has promised me all the riches of Heaven and Earth. Afterall, it is the Father God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit that has led me through all these experiences to bring me to here. To this place that I love and that I am happy with.

I am richer than any of you can be because I have Cindy and AJ. Nevertheless, I pray that every Daddy out there can be as rich as I am.

Cindy and AJ: This is meant for both of you to know how much I love both of you -- and I want everyone to know. Thanks for being my family!

Now, this has gotten pretty long already. If you will excuse me I need to email my wife the new password to her account so she can continue to bring you her Adventures in Toddlerhood. Thank you for allowing me to ramble on about my blessings and my family.

So THAT"s what a navel is for!

After bath and before bedtime last night, AJ was cuddling with me in my chair. He decided he wanted me to read his "Jesus book" again. About halfway through the book, he tells me he wants to go to Jesus' house. "I 'na see Jesus house, mommy."

I pointed to his little chest and told him that Jesus lives in there. In his heart.

AJ lifted up his shirt, pointed to his navel, and asked me if Jesus went in through his belly button!

Now THAT'S classic!

Elmo is Zeus

AJ seems to like his Spanish class every week at school. Yesterday as we were driving down the road, AJ kept repeating, "Hola, amigas" over and over again. We were on our way to church, so this was often interspersed with "I wanna see Jesus. I go to Jesus house."

So we started playing with him on other phrases. You know, to stop the monotony or obsessive repetition....So Daddy tried to get him to say, "Te amo". Things progressed, and eventually we hear "Elmo is Zeus!" from the back seat.

Elmo is Zeus = Te amo, Jesus

Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Just Fooling Around

Had to take AJ to the doctor today. He has a bad sinus infection. I'm too lazy to write anything, so I'm unloading the camera....

Milestones and Jay Coes

This is my 100th post! Start the fireworks!

AJ has been speaking so well lately that I tend to forget that I still have issues with his enunciation. He woke me up by whimpering in the middle of the night on Monday. When I went into his room, he was sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked up at me and said, "Jay Coes. I want Jay Coes." Huh? I patted him on the head, told him everything was okay, and tried to get him to lie back down. "Mommy, I want Jay Coes." Again, I'm getting nothing. Haven't the foggiest idea what the child is talking about. After repeating it a few more times, I got down on my knees to give him a hug, and realized he had pee'd on himself. AHA! Got it! "Dry clothes, baby? You want some dry clothes?" "Uh huh."

I peeled his wet pajama bottoms off and put on fresh underwear. He was perfectly happy, and went back to sleep....

Last night he saw a picture of a rocket in outer space in a book and has now decided he wants to ride a rocket. Not any rocket, mind you. A RED rocket. And he wants to go to the sun, the moon, and Saturn. He wants to take Chicken Little to a spaceship and meet some aliens...

Okay, sweetie, I'll work on that for you.

Fun Friday

Today was AJ's quarterly visit to the endocrinologist for his thyroid testing. Poor baby now recognizes the lobby of the Memorial Hermann Professional Building, and starts pouting and whimpering when you take him in the door. His quarterly visits require a trip to the lab where a parent (Daddy) has to hold him while the nurse draws two vials of blood from the tiny arm of the screaming toddler. He did really well today; was quite the brave soldier.

AJ now weighs 25.2 pounds and is 35 inches tall. This sounds great until you realize he is going to be three years old in another 2 1/2 months. Poor scrawny kid...but considering the size he started out, he's actually pretty big.

Speaking of "scrawny"....Hubby has been on a diet for the past month. He measures portions carefully, counts calories and fiber intake, keeps a detailed online food journal, and has begun exercising. We have the "Dance Dance Revolution" game for PS2. It has a nice workout mode that we think is a lot more fun than "real" exercise. It tracks how many calories you are buring while dancing. Well, he has lost over 12 pounds since he started. This afternoon when we got back from the medical center and obligatory guilt trip to the zoo afterwards, Hubby carried a tired toddler back into the house. When he put AJ down, he stood up and his pants FELL COMPLETELY DOWN AROUND HIS ANKLES! Tee heee....I could barely get out of the car to come in the house because I was laughing so hard... He's doing really well at keeping with his program. He worked off 2,000 calories last night after we got home, and is going at it again right now while I blog.

I took some funny video of one of these nightly workouts that I need to figure out how to post. We have an older dance mat that is not connected to the PS2 that we lay down for AJ while we are working out. AJ loves to dance along next to Daddy...it's very cute.

All dressed up and no place to go

This is not the first time this has happened. It looks really cute, but could be a little disturbing if he keeps it up.

Today when we picked up AJ from school, we walked into his classroom, and he came running toward us wearing a frilly, organza, princess dress! His teachers told us that he picked it out himself, and put it on all by himself.

The child can't seem to get himself dressed in the mornings, but he can put on a pretty dress! Here I thought we were making progress because he has started being able to pull his pants up by himself after he goes to the potty....guess that's not as glamorous as cross-dressing....

Deep Thoughts

A very well-rested 33-month old (after a FOUR HOUR nap) just wanted to cuddle with me yesterday evening. He had many deep and meaningful things to say...

AJ: "God tell me..."

Me: "What did God tell you, sweetie?"

AJ: "God tell me....ummm...Jesus...Jesus love me"

Me: "God told you that Jesus loves you?"

AJ: "Uh-huh."

Me: "That's very nice. What else did God tell you?"

AJ: "uuummmm......God tell me......read my book!"

Me: (astonished at the possibilities of where this conversation was heading) "Really?! What's in the book?"

AJ: "uuhhhh................THOMAS!"

(I'm pretty sure now that he wasn't talking about one of the disciples..)


Oh well....this morning when Daddy and I went to wake him up for school, Daddy asked him "who loves you?"
AJ's answer? "God"
Daddy: "Who else?"
AJ: "Jesus"
Daddy (clearly looking for a different answer) : "Who else loves AJ?"
AJ: ".....my friends"
Daddy (clearly AJ is not taking the hint) : "Anyone else?"
Mommy (helpfully, in a low whisper) : "mommy..."
AJ (whispering back to Daddy) : "Mommy!"

I WIN!