Nappy Time

For the first time EVER in my life, I went down for my nap without crying or screaming. Mommy was elated! But worried, of course, because I was happy to get in my crib. So, she sat by my bedroom door and listened to me talk and play until I fell asleep. What's her deal? I'm growing up into a well-behaved and happy little boy! : )

This picture is of my at Grammie's and Poppy's house. After running around the house and doing laps from the living room to the kitchen, I'd take a break by sticking my head and shoulders into the space...and then squeal It looks like I'm in time-out, doesn't it? Ha! I'm silly!

Here I am at my Grandma's and Grandpa's. Grandma pulled me on the sled while Vader chased me around. I even fell over into the snow on a turn, and I loved it. Hoorah for snow! (Glad we get a break from it down here though!)

Okay, everyone, I love you! Love, TJ

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Sweet Dreams

I fell asleep to Celine tonight. Sometimes it's the Beatles. Sometimes it's Veggie Tales. Sometimes it Michelle Tumes or sweet lullabyes. Either way, God heard everyone's prayers and answered them because I slept like a champ today! I took a morning nap, an afternoon nap, and went to bed so nicely in the evening. The best part? Mommy put me to bed and I fell asleep just like I had started doing before I got sick. What does that mean? Well, Mommy gives me some milk, then I crawl up and put my head on her shoulder and play with her hair, and then she puts me down in my crib and I look up and smile at her. A big ol' TJ smile. I just lay still (is that correct English?) while she covers me up with my blankie. I hold a corner of it, turn my head to the side and smile more. Then that's it. Mommy leaves feeling like she's on top of the world, and I go to sleep. Thank you, Lord! : )

Sweet dreams! love, tj-nite-nite

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Airplanes and Bloody Noses

This is my first smiley face I ever drew. My Mommy held my hand and helped me draw it on the frosty window at my Grammie's house. Yep, we were in Cleveland to see my Grammie and Grandma and Poppy and Grandpa. It was so fun...except that I was a little whiney and I didn't sleep much. I finally got over my croup, but I just couldn't get the "sleep" thing down.

So, the first night in Ohio, I woke up at 11pm and didn't go back to sleep until 6:30am. Yeah, and I wasn't alone. Mommy, Daddy and Grammie took turns with me. I was so sad. I had a tummy ache and my molars were killin' me. It was a hard night. That next night, I woke up at 3am and didn't go back to sleep until I took a nap sometime that afternoon. It got steadily better from there but Mommy and Daddy are trying to recover.

Did I tell you about my plane rides? Well, then let me back up. On the way to Cleveland, I had a tantrum on the airplane. My first one. I screamed to high heaven (literally at 32,000 feet) until the last 20 minutes. I'm not sure why...I just did. I kicked. I screamed. I twisted and turned around and then BAM! I gave my Mommy a bloody nose with the back of my head right there on the plane. People HATED us. HATED us. People were staring and glaring, but I just kept on screaming. Mommy knows I had good reason to do it, she just isn't really sure why. It was definitely hard on her.

LUCKILY, Daddy was with us on the trip home to Charlotte. I was an angel today. I looked out the plane window, played with ice cubes in a cup and ate crackers like a champ. I definitely made up for it. All because my favorite person was with me. My Daddy. He's so cool, I try to fit in his shoes. I've got a long way to go!

Love, TJ

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I confess...

I confess. I'm doing steriods. Yep, I am currently taking steroids but I promise...I didn't know it! I thought they were just vitamins!!! : ) Here's what led me to take the 'roids.

Two days ago, I was cruising throughout life with a cold. Runny nose. Snot bubbles. That sort of thing. I've had it before so I really wasn't too shaken up about it. Well, two nights ago around 9pm, my Mommy and Daddy were downstairs on the couch and they heard this horrific barking noise coming from my room. They looked at each other in silence wondering what the heck it was. As they came charging upstairs, they were hoping whatever it was wouldn't wake me up. Turns out, it was me. I was hacking like an old man. I sounded like a seal when I coughed and when I cried, I sounded like I had laryngitis. Mommy scooped me up right from my crib and she and Daddy assessed the situation. Since I wouldn't stop screaming, I started to wheeze. It really scared them because I had to work pretty hard to breathe.

From that point on, we were up ALL night long on the phone with an on-call nurse and trying to calm me down. I slept for about 3 hours total (from 9pm to 8am), Daddy slept from about 3am to 5am and Mommy slept from 6am-8am. It was awful. They took turns rocking me in the bathroom with the steamy shower on, trying to calm me in my room, in their room, downstairs, WHEREVER! I just felt awful. Daddy even camped out in my room! It was our first sleepover but I didn't live up to my end of the fun. So, I slept a teeny bit in my crib, and then screamed a lot again. Mommy took me into their big bed and we watched whatever was on tv at 4am. I fell asleep (FINALLY) on their bed with Mommy holding on tight. She was afraid to sleep because she didn't want me to fall off the edge. I think she did doze for a bit though.

After that night of agony, I only napped once during the day. I was pretty crabby but okay. We went to the doctor and he said I have croup. Croup! Gross, huh! That's why I'm on steriods...so that my throat doesn't close up and so I can breathe better. Last night was tough too. Mommy and Daddy set up shifts...Mommy put me to bed at 7:15 as usual, but I woke up at 8:15 - screaming. Over an hour later, (still screaming), she put me in my coat and hat and we took a family drive with Daddy at the wheel. We drove for an hour and a half and I fell asleep halfway through.


I did end up sleeping from midnight until 2am. Daddy took great care of me and snuggled with me until I fell asleep again. Boy, was I angry for awhile! I woke up once more and fell right back asleep after Daddy patted me on my little butt. Then, I slept til 7am! Yeah!!!

Still don't feel sorry for me? Two of my molars are coming through and they hurt like crazy. They finally are partly through today so I hope it helps my mouth a bit.

I'm just miserable right now.

Take a look at this picture...I fell asleep when I was eating a morning snack. Mommy was about to give me another piece of cracker when she saw my head down against the tray. Awww, I'm pretty cute.



Okay, we need some rest. Gotta go now! Love, TJ-the-croup-man

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Not even gonna try!

Mommy declared today a "not even gonna try to get anything done" day. Which meant great news for me. I had her all to myself...all day long! No trying to do dishes or laundry or cleaning or planning or grocery shopping...nothing. Nothing but playing with me. And boy, did she live up to her end. You should've seen the house when Daddy got home from his day. Pretty big difference from the usual "close to clean" house. It was a disaster. And a beautiful disaster, it was. : )

It snowed today here in Charlotte. The grass looked like frosted mini wheats. It didn't even cover the ground, and yet all schools were closed and businesses were saying "if you can't make it into work safely today, please stay home." Um, wow. Charlotte is a whole different world.
Love, TJ

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headband like lebron...

hello everybody! i love lebron. my mommy loves lebron. and my daddy loves lebron. know who doesn't love lebron? the cop who gave him a ticket for driving 101 mph in a 65 mph zone. ouch. but something tells me he can afford to pay the ticket.

to show my love for lebron, i have become quite attached to one of my mommy's headbands. she bought it the other day to try and look cute, but i've since taken it from her. i actually took it off of her head, and put it on mine. she thought it was so cute, cool and adorable that she lets me have it all the time now. if it's on the floor with my toys, i wobble right over and pick it up. then, i put it on my head. sometimes it's crooked. well, most of the time it's crooked but i try to balance it just right. then i walk around with it around my head and touch it every so often just to make sure it's still there. lebron, you're wicked cool and all, but i must say that i look cooler in a headband than you do.

i forgot to tell you in my last blog that i've started putting telephones up to my ear like a big boy. i watch my mom and dad all the time, so now i put their phones or my play phones up to my ear. they go nuts when i do this. they think it's the coolest thing. i'm a quick learner...what can i say?

gotta go!
love, tj-the-headband-wearer

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Ooo! Ooo! Zoo! Zoo!

I went to the zoo yesterday! Mommy and I drove to Columbia around noon to meet up with Tenley. We picked her up and headed straight to the Riverbanks Zoo. Wow! I got to see everything from crocs to elephants and monkeys to zebras!

When we got there, I had to have my diaper changed since I drank a lot of water and milk on our drive down. Once I got all clean and dry, Mommy strapped me in the babyjogger and the three of us headed into the zoo. Mommy was nearly jumping out of excitement (except that her knee is still pretty sore! ow!) before we even got inside! She could not wait to see the look on my face when I got to see all the animals.

Our first stop was the bear exhibit. There was a huge, brown bear walking around and roaring. Mommy got me out of my stroller since I couldn't see anything from that low and carried me the rest of the day. As soon as I saw the bear, I pointed right at him. He was nice, and didn't point back. Pointing was kinda the theme of the day. I pointed at every single animal, plant, person, and thing I saw. Tenley thought it was so cute and funny. Mommy did too but she's pretty used to it. (The first thing I do when Mommy or Daddy walks in to get me out of bed in the morning is SMILE...and then point at the light/ceiling fan.) Anyhow, I digress...

After the bears, we hit the sea lions (they were hiding...boo) and then stinky elephants, giraffes and those kinds of cool animals. We spent most of our time at the monkeys. They were INSANE! There 4 four crazy monkeys swinging from tree to tree screaming and screeching at the top of their lungs! I was in awe of them and wanted to just stay as long as I could. I didn't smile or laugh, I just stared. And stared. Just like I'm staring at Tenley in the picture below!

We walked the entire zoo and then sat down for lunch by the Elephant Gift Shop. I ate my sandwich like a good little zoo-guy, and my applesauce and crackers. When we got back to the car, I was all smiles. I held my souvenir giraffe in both hands and laughed while I shook him up and down.

Mommy and Tenley did a little shopping afterwards and I was so good the whole time. By the time we got on the road, I was beat. I watched a little of Elmo in Grouchland and fell asleep in the car for the last 50 minutes. I got to stay up extra late when I got home cuz I was so good. And Daddy missed me...so we played a lot. Boy, did I sleep well last night!

Okay, gotta go play with my toys! love, TJ-the-zoo-lover!

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Watching the grass grow outside...

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mommy cries sometimes too

daddy has been researching cars for awhile and we got to look at one tonight. she was a beauty too! a 1995 bmw...and my mommy fell in love. it was pretty dark when we saw her so daddy's gonna go back again to check her out in the daylight. from what i saw, i'd love to take a ride in that car. hmm, i wonder what we could name her.


after the "car show", daddy and i went inside our cozy house for some dinner and mommy took the envoy to meet her friends at a starbucks a little ways from our house. it takes a lot to get mommy out. i'll vouch for that. she likes to take me places, but she's pretty much a homebody-family-mommy-who-doesn't-like-to-leave-me-for-fear-she'll-miss-something. but this was a special reason to leave. it was her first "girls night out" with her friends she met at church. they're her small group friends and they are so wonderful to my mommy.


gosh, they sat at that starbucks for nearly 2 1/2 hours just talking about how they met their husbands, shared advice about their kids, told funny stories, laughed, and just 'were'. they just 'were'. and mommy loved just 'being'. she had such a great time sitting there with them that when she got in the car and called daddy, she cried a little bit. it's a good thing when friends cause happy tears. i hope i cause happy tears. (yep, pretty sure i do) tonight's conversations made her think about me and the day i was born. and how little i was then compared to now. and how she had no idea how much i would fill her up and change her life.


just shows how much things can change...and how fast. it wasn't that long ago that mommy's idea of fun was much different. but geez, in just a few short years, so many changes have taken place. so many good, good changes (me) have taken place. and mommy loves where she's at in life right now. a place where she goes to sleep at night next to the most wonderful man in the world...a place where i sleep soundly in my crib just down the hall. that's my mommy's life now. thank you God, she says. she knows she's blessed.


oh, and p.s. the fog was so dense on her drive home that she was hunched over the steering wheel like an old woman the whole way home. typical. : )


g'nite world! love, biggles

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Sweetness!

this evening, mommy, daddy and i went to the track. we watched daddy do a workout. drills. speed stuff. it was fun! mommy limped around the track while daddy ran...until an officer of the law came over and gave us a "talkin' to".

we weren't supposed to be on the track with a stroller. campus policy, he said. well, i could have outrun him...but mommy couldn't so i had to stick with her. we had to sit in the corner until daddy was done. mommy didn't feel like arguing with the old-timer. he probably didn't mean any harm. he made barney fife look threatening.

after a great day of playing and walking out in the sunshine (and sitting on the side of the track), we had a great dinner. and leftover ice cream cake from daddy's birthday. we played our usual after-dinner basketball game, and then ended up just layin' around on the floor.

mommy was icing her knee and daddy was on the couch with his face smooshed into the cushion when i was feeling mighty sweet, so i walked from the window ( i look outside a lot ) over to mommy and gave her a kiss. then, i walked over to daddy, grabbed his head in my hands, and planted a big ol' kiss right on his forehead. did they ask me to do this? no. i just did it. and that's what made them gush all over me for the next 10 minutes. i usually give them kisses when they ask me to, but i guess it's sweeter when i choose to do it myself. i'll keep this in mind.

okay, i'll talk to you tomorrow! love, tj-the-kissing-bandit

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Sundays...

Boy, today was packed full of things to do! Sundays aren't really a day of rest anymore...we just keep going and going and going!

This morning, Daddy got up to run early, then we all played some games on the floor and watched Ratatouille while eating breakfast (Mommy made pancakes...with bananas!) I love those! Anyway, then we went to church. Poor Daddy had to sit by himself in the service because Mommy had nursery duty and I was in the nursery too. I work very hard at playing. They have a lot of cool toys in the nursery and I used each and every one of the walkers they had in there. I cleared every shelf of its books and toys just cuz I could. It was fun. I didn't really go near Mommy at all until I noticed how long she was holding Chloe. Chloe is only about 7 months old and she like my Mom a lot. At first I didn't mind, but then I got kinda mad. Cute mad, though.

After church, Daddy mowed the lawn (it was 66 degrees today!) and then we went for a family walk to the grocery store. Mommy still hobbles a bit, but she's getting better. I took a nap shortly after and when I woke up, my Tenley was here!!! I got to play with her and got to meet her boyfriend. I liked him a lot...once I got used to him. He and I played VeggieTales. It was cool.

Finally, we got to go to our small group meeting. That is always so much fun for me...and for my Mommy and Daddy. They love their friends from church and I love my friends too. We play while the mommies and daddies talk. You should see the toy room we get to play in. Wow! I love it. I didn't fall asleep on the way home like I usually do. I was too busy smiling and singing at the top of my lungs. I have new sounds come out all the time and I am very intruiged by this. Hopefully, those new sounds will turn into new words soon.

I love you, everybody! Love, TJ-SleepyPants

p.s. Don't I look like Curious George in this picture???

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Basketball Jones

Hi there!
Today was a hard day for me. I whined or cried pretty much all day. I followed Mommy everywhere and either hung on her pant leg or clung to her arms ... and if she put me down, I cried even more. I'm not sure if it's my teeth or what, but it was a tough day. Know what made me feel better? A haircut!

Yep, a haircut. I sat on Mommy's lap like a big boy and played with Mommy's thumb while the lady cut my hair. She used buzzing clippers to cut the back and the sides, and then used scissors to cut the top. My hair isn't static-clingy anymore!!!! It's fuzzy and cute and looks lighter now. Not so orangy. Hmmm. Wonder if it'll stay that way. We'll see I guess!

Daddy and I have a new tradition for pre-bedtime. We play basketball! Mommy plays too but not as good as Daddy and me. I grab the ball and "walk on my knees" over to the basket and try to shoot it. It doesn't go very far, but I do my best. Mommy will have to take a picture next time so you can get the full effect. I'm pretty sweet lookin'.

I've been going to bed differently too. I have a harder time falling asleep on Mommy. I like to fall asleep IN my bed. Mommy gives me some milk and rocks me, then puts me in bed, kisses me on the head while I'm lookin' up at her, and then covers me up with my blankie. By the time she's out of the room, I'm asleep. Ahhhh. We both like it this way.

Okay, that' all for now. G'nite everyone! Love, TJ

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one more thing...

I forgot an important thing about our Christmas vacation:

Daddy taught me how to high-5!!!

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