Mommy's turn to write...

Something just "happens" to you when your baby is sick. Everything stops. Time stops. Your thoughts about what you need to accomplish that day stop. And you forget what time it is. What day it is. What season it is. It all happens in the exact moment when you hear a different cry and you know something is wrong.

This morning, TJ woke up at 5:30. That' pretty normal...only his cry was a different cry than it usually is. When he typically wakes up, he talks for awhile, he makes noises, plays with his books and a toy, and then stands up and shouts for us to come get him. But this morning, he cried. A painful cry. And when I went into his room, he was still lying down on his tummy. His arms were underneath him with his little butt in the air. His eyes were closed and he was moaning. When I talked to him and touched him, he didn't react. He just cried. I knew the moment he didn't look at me that something was wrong.

The hours that followed have been horrible for TJ. He won't eat, take a bottle or even swallow a sip of juice. Tim and I are completely consumed with his pain. He's winced and groaned and burned his way up to a 102+ degree fever. His little eyes are red and he's kept them shut nearly all day. His face is white with red blotches from his fever and probably crying. His little body is so limp...he just suctions his weak arms around Tim or me. I can't believe it's already 6:45. Today has flown by...though we haven't done a thing except try to console our little guy.

TJ has made me find another part of me that I didn't even know existed. A selfless part. A part that would do anything to make him feel better, or even understand that he won't feel sick forever. I would do anything. I guess it's at moments like these when you can smile for a split second, just knowing that you are a mother. Or a father. And there is a child on this earth who is yours...who you will love and protect completely and forever.

If you could, please just say a quick prayer for TJ. Our little family would appreciate it ever so much.

love, tj's mom

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"TJ the Screaming Red-Head"

Today, Mommy took me to the Y again for the 5th day in a row. It's supposed to get me used to the child care center...and yet I've cried every day I've been there. My second day, I made it halfway through, but nevertheless, I became a screamer.

Well, today was no different. When Mommy dropped me off, I clung to her like a little monkey. The lady in the red smock had to pry me off of Mommy...and I started to cry. Mommy said 'i love you, tj' and then vanished. She's trying to make me tougher but it's really hard for her. (I must remind you that I am good in the church nursery and with my new Sunday night group)

As Mommy was coming to pick me up, she saw a lady down the hallway walking out of an emergency exit with a little red-head with a light blue shirt on. That's what I had on. Her Mommy instincts kicked in full force and without thinking, she took off down the hall. When she got to the lady, she saw the little boy's face and realized it wasn't me. So, she covered pretty well and said "let me get that for you" and held the door for the lady. Nice save, Mommy!

Mommy did the walk of shame and came back down the hallway to get me. She stood in the pick-up line and said "tj the screaming red-head, please". My face was blotchy and soaked with snot and tears. I practically jumped into her arms and smothered my face into her shirt. Then I gave her a kiss and she consoled me and had a talk with me. She told me that I was the most important little boy in the world to her and that she waited 28 years for me...and that she would never leave me. Ever. I have to remember that. I'll work on it.

By the time we got to the car, I was squealing and singing. I now say Mom-mom-mom sometimes...but mostly Dadadada.

I am so lovable! love, tj the screaming red-head

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Fire Engines and News Choppers

Right now, I am sleeping through a huge apartment fire that's going on right across the street from us. The news chopper is practically shaking the house and yet I'm sound asleep. I think it was from all the crying I did at the Y today.

I hope all those people are okay. Mommy is watching it on the news right at this moment. Okay, time to get back to work.

love, sleeping tj

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The Church Lady

Sunday turned into the perfect day for me! I fell asleep on the way to church and Daddy carried me in on his shoulder. I woke up when everyone started singing so Mommy and Daddy decided to have me try the nursery again. Mommy took me in, handed me over to "the grandpa from The Parent Trap" and signed me in. She told the man it was hit or miss with me and not to hesitate to page her. Throughout the service, Mommy and Daddy kept checking the pager to see if it had gone off and they just hadn't felt it vibrate. They started worrying that it wasn't working or something like that. But...it was just ME proving them WRONG!

When the closing song of church began, Mommy and Daddy darted to the nursery and looked in the door to see me sitting on the floor playing with a ball. Mommy said "we're here for TJ" and the lady said "i'm sorry, you can't have him back. we want to keep him!" The lady then told them that I didn't cry a tear or even frown. And that I really liked the big, red ball. When I looked up and saw Mommy and Daddy looking down at me, I started to whimper and crawled right over to them. They hugged me like they hadn't seen me in forever. Boy were they PROUD!

I took a great 3 hour nap when I got home (can you believe this?) and then got ready for another field trip. My Mom and Dad had their first small group meeting with people they hadn't even met before. Without giving you too long of a story, Mommy met another Mommy at church who she knew from a recruiting visit when she was looking at colleges. This other Mommy invited her into their small group and that's the recap on that. So, we drove to another part of Charlotte and met a bunch of other families with one little girl or guy each. Mommy and Daddy had a great time getting to know some new friends. I went into the playroom with the other little guys so that the other grown-ups could talk about church and God. Mommy came to get me when they were done with adult time, and the Mommy who was watching me said I didn't cry at all. She actually said that I was "all business" when I played with the toys. She told Mommy that I pounded on a kiddie table, and put some blocks in the holes and had this "all business" attitude the whole time. How silly! : ) I am so cute, and I know it.

Oh, my new favorite foods are turkey sticks, cooked carrot bites, and CHEESE! Mmmm.

I love everybody!!! love, tj-good-boy

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Isn't it Ironic?

So, yesterday I wrote a blog about how I don't sleep anymore...but today I was back to my good ol' sleepin' self again! I got up at 5:15am (pretty normal) and then took a two hour nap mid-morning...then a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon. Mommy and Daddy were ecstatic! Mommy got to catch up on her sleep too. Wow-how nice of me!

Daddy mowed the lawn today and I watched him the whole time. He and Mommy had big smiles on their faces the whole time that I pressed my cute-as-a-button face against the door. They can't even describe the feeling it gave them to see me like that. Awwww.

Mommy is going to test out her knee and go running now while Daddy takes me to the store to buy deodorant. My Daddy goes through deodorant like you would not believe! My Mommy thinks he eats it or something. Well, at least he smells good...it's better than the alternative!

Since I was born, Mommy has not baked a single batch of cookies that she hasn't burned. Why? Because she so intent on taking millions of pictures of me that she forgets or turns off the timer and runs to keep me from eating a plant or something. Poor Daddy has to eat burned cookies.

Gotta go! Love you guys! TJ-sleepy-pants!

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To Sleep...or Not to Sleep

Lately, I've been choosing NOT to sleep. My naps have gone from nearly 2 hours...to about 20 minutes. At night I've been getting up at least once...sometimes two or three times even. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I miss my Mommy and Daddy. Maybe because my silly mouth just hurts so badly. Maybe it's because I had a bad dream. But whatever the reason, I just need to nuggle with my Mom or Dad for awhile and then I go back to sleep.

Last night, Daddy took care of it all. Mommy just couldn't do it, so Daddy stepped up at 2:15 and 4:30. He changed me and rocked me back to sleep the first time. Then, at 4:30, he changed me again and gave me a bottle. I fell asleep that time too, only it took awhile. By the time he got back in bed, he had 30 minutes left to sleep before getting up to run with his friend. He's Mommy's hero. HipHipHooray for Daddy!

My Uncle Ben as a new girlfriend...if he lets me, I'll post their picture next time I write. My Mommy likes her very much. That means a lot too because she's pretty picky and protective of her big brother. Yeah Uncle Ben. Cristy is so nice and I like her too!

Well, I love you all! G'nite...it's naptime. For a teeny bit of time, of course. : (
Love, TJ

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Tears...

Seriously, this is the same look my Mommy had on her face the first day she drove a car too! What a nerd!!!!

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Daddy is King of the Chomper Game!

I am a great climber! Daddy taught me how to climb up steps and I'm so good at it now. I just scramble right up those little mountains and get to the top as proud as can be! Today, Mommy and I climbed the stairs and I made it to the top carrying a present for Daddy the whole way! I ripped through a magazine and took a little souvenir of the paper in each hand. When I got to the top, I squealed then crawled into Daddy's office with my paper present for him. Of course, he was thrilled, as you can imagine. Don't parents loooove homemade gifts?

Mommy and I decorated for fall and Halloween today. Mommy said she can't wait until she gets to hang up my "artwork" from coloring or from school projects. I think I'd like to make her a macaroni necklace first. That way, she can wear it proudly to all the business dinners that she has to go to with my Daddy. Won't she be the talk of the party?! : )

Well, my 8 teeth and I have to go back to sleep now. Love, TJ

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I love germs.

i got to go to a concert with my mom and dad and grammie and poppy the other night! it was at my poppy's school and it was an acapella group. they did all the singing and instruments with their mouths. the beatboxing was great! they are called praise a pella and i jumped for the first half of the concert. after that, i was tired and fell asleep in the middle of a loud song. i actually got to introduce the group because principal purdy took me up on stage with him at the beginning. i just stared and was a little scared but i did a great job not crying. mommy and daddy held their breath the whole time, i think.

i'm practicing a new skill called clapping. i miss my hands most of the time when i try to clap them together, but once in awhile i get it to work! then i hold my hands together and shake them up and down. right now, that's clapping to me. i think i'll get the hang of it soon. : )

my favorite place to crawl is into the bathroom. therefore, i love germs!!! here's a little proof...this picture is of me in mommy's and daddy's bathroom. silly me.

well, i gotta go play with scooter's chain again. talk to you later, guys! tj

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silla ulta compacta

my spanish is terrible...but do you know what silla ulta compacta means? it means collapsable high chair. yep! and i got to use it at my grandma's yesterday. it was fun! i didn't feel much like eating dinner and i made a face when i ate some chicken. so, mostly i just played with my cars and blocks. i had a great time slappin' my hands down on the kitchen floor and making noise. i pull myself up everywhere and scooter and vader were both nice to me...but not to each other. scooter terrorized vader for awhile. he made mommy and daddy very angry. mostly mommy. but that's nothing new. he likes to get on mommy's nerves but she still loves him very much.


mommy said "tj no-no" just before taking this picture. doesn't the look on my face just scream "what? what? i'm not doin' anything bad...hehehe". yep, that's me! mr. innocent.

to those of you who speak spanish well, please forgive me if silla ulta compacta means something completely different than i said it did. i have a hard time remembering things from the day before sometimes. does that get better or worse with age??

i have a cute bellybutton! love, tj

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Party and the Park

i look sad in this picture...but i'm not. i'm climbing on my little piano. i like to sit in the seat and reach the keys...then pound on them. i look like linus from snoopy and the peanuts characters.

today, my daddy won the river run half marathon. it was unbelievably humid and raining. the trees in the park just held it all in and made it pretty hard to breathe. i'm so proud of him! i got to see him at the 1/2 mile mark, and after he finished. i was in the car at the 7 mile mark or so, and only my mommy got out. it was raining to badly, so i sat in the car with grammie. he was winning already by that time. what a man! did i say i was proud??

silly park rangers kept me from seeing him at the finish. i forgive my mommy for saying some bad words. she was very frustrated but daddy understood. can't break the rules. even if you're leigh bodden.

yesterday, we got to see my grandma and grandpa and auntie melissa and uncle bill and all my other family members. it was great!!! i was pretty good but still out of my element so i was kind of a momma's and daddy's boy. i have tooth #7 coming in so maybe that was an issue too. i watched a lot of corn hole and jumped just about each time the bean bag hit the board. it was fun though!

it was my grandpa's surprise 60th birthday party. i had such a good time. i even got to try some birthday cake! i liked it so much that when my mommy's said no-no when i wanted more...i gave a little squeal. she didn't give in though. she's tough. (sorta) my grandpa and grandma watched me play with my new driving toy they got me. i turned the wheel and sped up and slowed down and the noises were great! i giggled a lot. i also loved watching the big screen HD tv. that was awesome. i'm such a man!!!

auntie melissa kissed me and ate my hands and i loved it! lots of people played peek-a-boo with me too and i liked it! games are fun. can you believe i'm almost 10 months old? my mom and dad can't!

this afternoon, i watched the browns lose...and i was sad. but at least i got to sit and play and watch it with my daddy and my grammie and poppy. that was nice. then everyone got to take a nap while daddy tickled me and fed me. i like my daddy time. it's the best! i also like to slide around on the new floors at my grammie's house. the tore up the carpet and finished the floors so they're nice and slippery. makes my slippery knees and go perfectly with the slippery floor! yeah for crawling!!!

more later! i love you easter bunny! tj

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Sonny the Dog

My sickness is OVER!!! I've been sleeping much better lately and I haven't been as creepy or crabby! I do have a lot to say but I'm so tired right now. As seen in this picture.

Quickly, I will tell you about Sonny. Sonny and I have a lot in common. We both love our backs scratched, we both spend our time on all fours, and we're both smarter than Scooter. (Awww, God bless little Scootie Guy!) Sonny is the dog that my Mommy fell in love with. She found him on petfinder.com and wants to rescue him. He's in a foster home right now but we visited him to see how he and I would get along. We were visiting for a good 20 mintues and I started to whine because it was time for my nap. He ran right over and sat straight up in front of me. Worried. Looking at my Mommy and Daddy as if to say "well, geez, do something! the kid is crying!". My Daddy's eyes even lit up when he saw Sonny and how cool he was. Mostly, Daddy was just going along with the new dog idea because he loves my Mommy and is very good to her. But I think he kinda likes the handsome and very obedient Sonny.

We're taking Scooter on our next visit to see how those two get along together. The idea is to hopefully have Scooter behave better in the house if he has a pal. An "alpha dog" pal. Scooter is great with me...my Mom and Dad are thrilled about that. He's just mostly bad with everything else. No worries. Scooter is not being replaced. (Unless someone really wants to give him a good home...hint hint.)

Hehehe! Love, TJ the Dog Rescuer

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business in the front...party in the back!

well, that title was my segui into talking about my mullet. some of you may be sad to know that my bullet is now gone forever. i had my first "sorta haircut!" i didnt need much cut, just my lengthy mullet in the back. i have tons of hair on the top of my little head, but not much on the sides. so, daddy held me while mommy cut my wings off. at first, they were a little bit sad. but now, they see what a cute little boy haircut i have...and it shows off my sweet little neck even better!

i went to go see a possible brother for scooter the other day. more about that in my next blog. probaby later today. it is time for my nap!!!

love, tj the mullet-less boy

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sweaty little man

oh man, i just do not feel very good. i woke up this morning at my usual time of 5:35. but instead of standing up and singing and talking for awhile, i just rolled around on my back and whimpered. when mommy rescued me, i was all sweaty and hot. i had a fever of 101.3 !she changed my clothes and my diaper and then took me downstairs for my bottle. after drinking 8 oz like a champ, it ALL came back up. it got all over my tummy, all over my mommy's tummy, in her hair and even all over her neck and mouth. daddy actually heard my throwing up from upstairs. (he was getting ready to run 25 miles) he ran downstairs and he and mommy changed me, cleaned me up and gave me tons more kisses. then daddy set mommy and me up with remotes, phones, blankies, bottles, juice and stuff.

i fell asleep on my mommy for 2 1/2 hours. in the darkness of the living room, i just slept. and sweat. i woke up and just wanted to snuggle. but now i'm playing with scooter and chasing him around. mommy is making me see the doc today. at least i won't get a shot!!!

my daddy and mommy are taking me to look at adopting a doggie today. daddy thinks mommy is crazy for wanting to rescue a dog when we're already out of our minds busy. but, he's humoring her and letting her go see sonny. he's a 9-year old german shepherd mix who needs a family. we're gonna see if we like each other. we'll tell you how it goes!!!

love, tj

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