CJ's World

2010 already halfway gone

2010-07-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Some highlights of the craziness since Tim and I came back from our honeymoon- A YEAR AG0 August 2009.
-we moved into a beautiful perfect 3 bedroom house with big yard we didn't have to take care of, gazebo and fenced in front yard
-Tim and I started "Multicultural Therapy Solutions"... nothing fancy, just a contract with a home health agency (for my OT work) and we translated 210 therapy handouts into Spanish (check it out at www.ottoolkit.com)
-I work full time at University Care Center (nursing home)
-Tim works full time at Catholic Charities refugee services
-CJ has a wonderful home daycare where he is learning Spanish and thoroughly enjoying himself (we LOVE Blanca)
-CJ is potty-trained... we did the intense one weekend training over memorial day weekend this year
-Our house flooded in April and we stayed with my parents for about a month then realized the repairs were going to take too long so we moved into an apartment only .3 miles away... 2nd floor, 3 bedroom, pools, workout gym, playground. All in all we're happy with the apartment, it was too early for a house anyways. Still haven't put any pictures up on the walls though, just in case we only stay here through our 6 month lease.
-So we know we'll be here through December, what life holds ahead of that, currently unknown.
-We LOVE our church, Eastlake Community Church, we volunteer in the 3-4 year old room every Sunday, CJ loves his class (mainly because they have a jumpy). We've met some great families, attended some valuable group sessions and seminars.

I need to post some pictures and video of CJ because he is growing up way too fast. I'll get to that soon.

CJ is a wonderful big cousin to baby Ariana, who was born on Christmas day. He has also befriended my brother Daniel in such a way that I can't help but smile and laugh when their are interacting. They get such a kick out of playing with each other and hanging out. CJ will even ask me if he can call Daniel on the phone and they'll have a conversation with absolutely no words, just silly sounds interspersed with huge belly laughs. It really makes me happy. CJ is so amazing.

The main discipline issues we're working on include:
-remembering who makes the rules (he will actually admit that mommy makes the rules now, that took a while...)
-counting to 20 after being in time out or having a tantrum before leaving time out... (he actually will ask to count to 20 even when he's not in time out but needs to calm down after getting angry, which is great!)
-and the occasional spanking (I've only had to 2x and both times)... it really has worked.

So, we're doing our best at this family thing. Don't think we'll be adding to operation family expansion any time soon. I'd really like to either be able to stay home more if we expand our family or wait until he's in Kindergarten. So, we'll see. No rush. We just need more little cousins for CJ to play with :)
That's all for my first posting of the YEAR!

SO behind

2009-10-21T23:05:00.001-07:00

Yes, I have MUCH to update, but no time to do it justice right now. I just wanted to try out posting a logo I am working on for my new business... I'll have to update soon. Here's what the logo looks like so far. There is a reason for the 3 circles and the colors. Any advice on the look? A website is coming soon too... any and all advice welcome!!

Our temporary new house :)

2009-07-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

We found a house that is literally a 10 minute walk from my parents place. If everything goes as planned we will be moving in as soon as Tim and I get back from Paris. It is only a rental, for a year lease then month to month.

Padre Game!

2009-07-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed an early afternoon Padre game today, complete with trolley ride there and back :)Petco stadium has the most awesome feature I've ever seen in a baseball stadium... a "Park in the Park" for kids. It's a space on a hill overlooking the ballpark, still inside the stadium complete with a mini baseball diamond for the kids to play on, a playground and lots of open space to have picnics, play catch, throw balls. The only problem was that CJ skipped his nap, so he wasn't happy the entire time. But while he was he enjoyed playing some ball and running around!
Oh, the Padres lost, no surprise there :)

Random updates

2009-07-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

We had a low key 4th of July weekend, with a visit from Gma and Gpa Slade and Auntie Kristin and Uncle Dave.

From CJ summer 2009

Fine motor projects CJ's been up to...

From CJ summer 2009

Crazy sock time...

From CJ summer 2009

Playing on Gpa's truck time...

From CJ summer 2009

Riding the train around Plaza Bonita with Gma and Daniel...

From CJ summer 2009

CJ is obsessed with buses, so Gma had the brilliant idea of taking him on a bus ride. CJ loved it.

From CJ summer 2009

Just like Uncle Dan...

From CJ summer 2009

When he first got on...

From CJ summer 2009

Helping with laundry.

From CJ summer 2009

What a big boy

2009-07-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

It seems like he's growing up so fast!!
He has slept through the night and taken 2 hour naps during the day in his new bed. It is awesome!!!! Here's a great "toddler face" I caught of him today while he was refusing help putting on his new sunglasses.

He also learned how to use a water wheel in the tub tonight.

SUCCESS!

2009-06-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

CJ slept in his toddler bed last night and woke up all happy, ran to the door. Upon opening the first thing out of his mouth? "Where's Daniel?" He's going to go through Daniel withdrawal after this summer :( I also have to post video of him saying Aaron later. It is soooooooooooooooooo cute.

Baby Torres

2009-06-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

CJ is going to be a big cousin. We watched Becka's first ultrasound today (she's 12 weeks) and CJ recognized it as a baby right away! It was amazing.

Toddler bed

2009-06-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

CJ has graduated to a toddler bed! Mainly due to the playpen getting too small and not wanting to invest in another crib since we have one is storage. The first night he slept 3 hours and then insisted on sleeping with me in my bed the rest of the night. Tonight he has managed to settle on the futon that is also in his room. I don't mind if he spends the night on the futon. As long as he stays in the room and is not crying or in need of something I'll be ok. The room has been "toddler-proofed" as much as it can be and the video cam shows as much of the room as we can get. I'm hoping the transition won't take too long!

CJ loves dancing

2009-06-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

Ever since Daddy came to visit, CJ has been a hyper little boy! Skipping naps, running, dancing, laughing, playing. Here's a little clip of him doing a little hip hop toddler routine :) We had one scare today when he choked on a piece of orange and I had to put him facedown over my thigh and dig it out with my finger causing him to throw up some. He didn't cry or anything, just stayed fascinated with his vomit. Such a boy! I hope he doesn't make a habit of scaring me like that again! But I think we'll stay away from oranges for a while.

Father's Day with Daddy

2009-06-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

We love you Daddy!

We're enjoying Daddy's surprise visit!!!!!

2009-06-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

I came home from work on Friday to the greatest surprise ever- Tim!!!!!!!!!!! He is here until Monday... so I'll have lots of pictures of our family time to update later in the week. What an awesome husband and daddy! It turned my not so good week into the best weekend this summer!

Special Olympics 2009

2009-06-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend we all went to Long Beach CA to celebrate the Special Olympics and watch Uncle Dan compete in swimming. He won 2 silvers and a 4th place- Go Daniel Go!!

From CJ summer 2009

Who needs Egypt for a pyramid??

From CJ summer 2009

CJ loved the therapy dogs, and they were EVERYWHERE!

From CJ summer 2009

CJ was our entertainment at the hotel Saturday night!

From CJ summer 2009

Uncle Dan's team:

From CJ summer 2009

After his first medal...

From CJ summer 2009

The torch arrived by helicopter for the opening ceremony.

From CJ summer 2009

Mom and Daniel by the torch.

From CJ summer 2009

Battling some sort of virus

2009-06-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Poor CJ had a vomitting episode last night and has been battling a cold for a week now. No fever though, so Dr said just to give it time.
Here are some super cute/funny pictures of him today as he worked through feeling crappy.

From CJ summer 2009

CJ talking to Daddy on Skype...

From CJ summer 2009

Fun at the zoo

2009-06-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a few hours at the San Diego zoo Friday evening. We were kicked out by a group of highschool seniors who were having prom there. Other than that and it being a pretty short visit, we had fun!

From CJ summer 2009

CJ's favorite part was the petting zoo.

From CJ summer 2009

On our way out we passed this peacock that was strutting his stuff right by us.

From CJ summer 2009

Here'a another Daddy memory, from Colorado last year.

From CJ summer 2009

Last summer

2009-06-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

This picture almost makes me cry it's so sweet.

From CJ summer 2009

Can't wait to catch Daddy and CJ doing this again come mid August!

More Daddy

2009-06-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Camping with Laurie and Mitch in Kentucky.

From CJ summer 2009

First baseball game with Daddy

2009-06-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Another great memory: CJ's first baseball game and fireworks in Greensboro North Carolina with Aunt Tattie and her clan.

From CJ summer 2009

Daddy

2009-06-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day, this month I am going to try and post a picture or memory of times with Daddy every day :) It's been fun looking through pictures and finding ones to post. We miss him lots.
Here's a memory from last summer in Provo, Utah. CJ was a little sick and having a snugly day at the pool.

From CJ summer 2009

Good weekend

2009-05-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful low key weekend. Now off to the fourth week of work and getting that much closer to August 4th when I fly out to Egypt to be with my love and bring him home!
The things we mothers do for our kids...

From CJ summer 2009

Tennis balls

2009-05-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that CJ is a ball FANATIC- I mean really. I was flipping through the newspaper ads for sales at stores and CJ was sitting across the floor from me when he, out of nowhere, stood up,ran to me and flipped the page back to the one I was first looking at saying "ball, ball, ball". Sure enough, in the corner there were 3 little basketballs and a hoop. He wouldn't let me turn the pages anymore. We have a kids anatomy book that goes into lots of detail about the human body and goes through all the systems. He didn't care for the book much, until we got to the page showing a boy dribbling a basketball (the page was about muscle contractions). Whenever there is baseball, basketball or tennis on TV he goes crazy.
This morning we went for a walk around to the community playground, where there are 2 tennis courts. We watched some random people play tennis for over an hour. CJ just sat there tracking the ball back and forth. It was my first time seeing someone play with a prosthetic forearm. This man had an amputation right below the right elbow and had what looked like a special attachment to the lump of the prosthesis that allowed him to cup the ball. He was playing so well I didn't even notice the missing forearm/hand until after 45 minutes! CJ of course tried chasing the balls that came close to the fence but was mostly out of range (the balls didn't roll right up to the corner of the fence) well, all except one that rolled right in front of him. So naturally he got excited and poked his hand through the fence hole and grabbed hold of the tennis ball. Once in this position, he was stuck, because the hole in the fence is too small for the ball to go through. I kept saying "CJ let go of the ball, they need the ball to play". Well, the people playing were pretty good and didn't need more than the 2 other balls they had for a little while as CJ squatted with his hand in the fence holding tight onto the ball. It's not like I could just walk onto the court to pry his hand off the ball, they seemed like serious players. Finally, one of the players comes over and says, "oh he can have that ball". I said "oh, no, that's ok he has to learn he can't have every ball he sees". But the guy insisted and CJ was delighted. We sat for a little while longer watching the game as CJ clutched onto his ball watching my every move to make sure I wasn't going to snatch it away. Finally we decided to start heading home at which time I asked CJ to return the ball, to which he didn't respond except with "no" and turning his body away from my while clutching the ball. So I did what I have the right to do as a mom, I took away the ball and he had a fit. I tried returning the ball to the owner and he gave me a stern look and said "don't make him cry, give him the ball, I insist". Not wanting to go over again, that I am trying to teach my son a lesson here, I said thankyou and walked home. Why can't a mother have the last word when it comes to things like this? I know the guy was just trying to be nice, but it certainly didn't help reinforce the lesson that he can't have every ball or thing he wants. Oh the wonders of motherhood.

More fun with Gma

2009-05-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

After seeing these pictures of CJ enjoying watermelon with his long locks before his haircut it made me miss his hair :(

From CJ summer 2009

Enjoying toddler/mommy/gma time at the YMCA.

From CJ summer 2009

Stacking blocks like a pro...

From CJ summer 2009

Fun with paper, glue, ribbons and glitter...

From CJ summer 2009

Nothing beats a Costso smoothie!

From CJ summer 2009

The cool playgroud out by Uncle Dans swim meet practice.

From CJ summer 2009

CJs haircut

2009-05-25T17:53:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness for places like this for toddler haircuts! He LOVED it!

Bday gifts

2009-05-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the wonderful gifts and love!
The purple cloth comes way of my father-in-law from India. And Tim's flowers, candles etc all the way from Egypt. This bday definitely wins for the longest distance gift-giving!

More Disney

2009-05-24T15:42:00.001-07:00

I got in free, since it was my birthday- even if the lady didn't have her reading glasses and spelled my name wrong on my ticket :)

We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, where they have thunderstorms every 30 minutes and the very famous Volcano dessert. It is a HUGE brownie/icecream/caramel combo... very yummy.

Every baby we passed CJ would say "hi baby" and wave. When we were on Mark Twain's ferry ride he found a baby to play peek-a-boo with, it was sooooo cute!

Disneyland

2009-05-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful but long day at Disney. We got up at 6, left by 7 and were there by 8 after parking. CJ was bright eyed and totally mesmerized by everything until about noon when he crashed on Uncle George. He slept for about an hour and then lasted until 9pm when he finally gave into his sleepiness and slept in his stroller, missing the spectacular firework show right under the castle. Between all of our cameras we have 690 pictures and video, but my computer is only letting me upload a few right now and we're heading out to the pool. So here is the beginning of what may be a few postings worth of pictures and video from Disney. Thanks for all the good wishes, gifts, thoughts and prayers for my birthday. It was a great one!

Birthday weekend

2009-05-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

My birthday weekend is off to a great start! I had a not so smooth evening on Thursday night because CJ was up midnight through 2am, just needing to cuddle and have mommy time. I never mind cuddling but midnight isn't the best time! I overslept and ended up waking up with 10 minutes to get ready and out the door. Work was ok in the morning and then a surprise delivery of a beautiful bouquet with Birds of Paradise flowers, Lilies, a teddy bear and balloon arrived. When my co-workers found out they were sent from Egypt from my hubby they were * very * impressed :)
Then... I was working with a patient in their room when the secretary came by and said someone was waiting for me. A man in a tux, with a dozen roses was waiting at the entrance and upon my arrival started singing and dancing as the rest of the staff gathered around. It was such a neat surprise!!! He even did a little tap dance number :)
Then... I arrived home to a beautiful basket full of pampering items (also from Tim!!). I haven't even opened the basket yet because we left straight from my arrival from work up to Laguna Niguel, where my sister lives. She's about 20 min from Disneyland.
Then... we grilled out at my sisters place, opened some more presents from family and had a pinata (CJ had a blast with it). But instead of picking up the candy once it fell out and keeping it, he put it all back into the pinata where it came from. My mom keeps saying CJ has the makings of a surgeon, with all his detail oriented, fine motor tasks.
So, my birthday hasn't even arrived yet and I've already been showered with so much love- thank you everyone!!
Tomorrow we're off to Disneyland!!

Gmas pictures

2009-05-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today was a fun filled day with Gma and Uncle Dan:
- washed toys from the church nursery

From CJ summer 2009

- watched Uncle Dan ride the bus

From CJ summer 2009

- went to Uncle Dan's swim meet

From CJ summer 2009

- watched the garbage truck come by

From CJ summer 2009

- played on a big playground with tunnels

From CJ summer 2009

- played with Uncle Dan and his good friend Roz
... dancing

From CJ summer 2009

This picture is from the 4D movie at Sea World last Saturday.

From CJ summer 2009

I had a rough day after being up at 2am with a migraine, but luckily it went away by 10am at work and atleast I knew CJ was in good hands and having a good time while I barely stayed awake for a full day at work. CJ ran to me so fast when they got home from the swim meet, it was so sweet! I miss him during the day so much!

Brushing teeth

2009-05-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

CJ finally brushed his teeth independently tonight!! He has been battling this routine for over a month now and I've been having nightmares of little cavity critters eating up his beautiful teeth. A few things have helped lately: his fascination with "spitting" after brushing (you'll see him try in the video), watching Uncle Dan brush his teeth, and the most influential thing in him actually brushing his teeth was probably me letting him put a tiny bit of real toothpaste on his brush. The most amazing part of this age is all the learning taking place. He can watch something once and already have a good idea of how to start the task. It's amazing.

Swimming

2009-05-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

CJ had his first experience in the kiddie pool at our local YMCA here in San Diego. He was a bit timid about the water and didn't really want to go in until he found a ball, no surprise there :)

Sea World

2009-05-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

We had fun at Sea World today! Although, CJ did not nap and insisted on being carried the whole time... so I got plenty of exercise :) We'll most likely be back at Sea World throughout the summer, so there will be more to share!!

Fiesta Island

2009-05-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

One of the many blessings of having a brother with Down Syndrome is that you get to experience things you might not have otherwise. He is part of a Therapeutic Rec group that gets together to ride different kinds of bikes to compensate for different abilities, today they were meeting at Fiesta Island. This is a beautiful island (about a 5 mile loop to get around) right on the bay. Dan and my mom rode on a tandem bike while I played with CJ on the most awesome playground I've seen. He went down every slide and stole a balloon from a baby shower (after "asking" for it). Then we hung out with Daniel's Therapeutic Rec gang by the bay and watched the jet skiis, boats, dogs, horses, bikes, birds go by. CJ was enthralled with everything. Sea World was just across the street so we left around noon to head there. Daniel bought a year pass for himself and he gets an free escort pass and a free ride to the front of the lines for his "group" all just for being Daniel. Yay for Daniel!
Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of the cool bikes because I was busy with CJ on the other side of the island at the playground.

Getting ready for Sea World

2009-05-16T08:35:00.001-07:00

CJ has some new Bob the Builder pajamas and insisted on wearing the pants over his normal pants when getting ready for Sea World this morning.

First week in San Diego

2009-05-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

CJ watches Daddy on the computer first thing in the morning. He basically stares into the computer pointing the whole time :) Tim sends him little video recordings in French to watch since the video chat connection is pretty delayed. I'm enjoying my evening (Tim's morning) chat on the phone through skype. This 10 hour difference makes communication a bit tricky!
Gma's beanbag has replaced CJ's "blue chair" as his favorite lounging spot.
One week down, 11 more to go. CJ has already made friends with all the kids on the block and a true ham at Blanca's (the home daycare he goes to a little while my parents need to work and I'm at work). He gobbles up the authentic Mexican food like he always has and has no reservation when it comes to exploring new toys and people. Tomorrow we're heading to Fiesta Island and Sea World, so more pictures and video will be posted tomorrow!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

Seems like we're starting a tradition of spending Mother's Day with the Long side of the family. Last year CJ and I flew out to Nana and Pop in New York where we met up with Mom, Dad, Aaron and Lyndsay. This year we were at home in San Diego with Aaron, Lyndsay, Becka, George, Mom and Dad. We woke up to breakfast cooking by the thoughtful hands of our gentlemen in the home. Then the mothers in the house (my mom, myself and my sister as a to-be mother) were showered with flowers and I got a gift certificate for a full body massage from my mom.
What could be better? Having Tim around. Hopefully next year. Speaking of Daddy, today CJ ran out the front door and stopped at the driver's side door of my mom's car. He said "up, up" very emphatically so I opened the door and let him sit in the front seat. It was hilarious. He had his hands on the wheel trying to turn it, one hand would occasionally slip over to the stick shift and wiggle it and he kept looking down to the peddles wondering why he could reach them. He then started saying Dada dada while looking out the passanger side window as if he was going to drive us to Daddy. It was funny and sad all at the same time. Daddy, when you read this can you make sure to record a video dedicated to CJ that I can post and let him watch over and over again?:) We miss you lots. CJ is not lacking attention here in San Diego, but there is something very special missing and CJ and I feel it.
Tomorrow is my first day of work. I'm not too terribly excited, and keep telling myself "it's only a 12 week contract- I can do anything for 12 weeks". Here's hoping it will be a great experience.

Funny picture

2009-05-10T17:14:00.001-07:00

Uncle George took this picture, which looks like CJ is praying while watching the Arabic video- he was actually just reaching for something on the floor :)

Food in Cairo

2009-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Tim gives a tour of his hotel in Cairo

2009-05-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am going to start posting video Tim sends from Cairo and then labeling the post so you can find all the posts with his stuff easily by clicking the label "Tim" on the side.

Video of Becka and George's news!

2009-05-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

CJ is going to be a Big Cousin!!!

2009-05-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'll upload some video I got of the moment later but it will take a while to upload, so that will be later.
Congratulations Becka and George!!! CJ will no longer be the *only* little one around. Auntie Becka got CJ a shirt that says "I'm going to be a Big Cousin" to share the news with Gma and Gpa Long. It was great!!!

CJ watching his Arabic DVD

2009-05-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

I ordered this DVD of "shapes" in Arabic to add to our language exposure for CJ. It is from this website: http://www.syraj.com/

We made it!

2009-05-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

We really wanted to celebrate our last day by going to Goodberrys (the famous concrete/icecream place in Raleigh) and I wanted to get some more footage of Tim speaking French to CJ. Unfortunately, right when we arrived at Goodberrys the tornado warnings started and it was raining HARD. That didn't stop us from getting the icecream, but we had to find shelter elsewhere (a Chinese Buffet) to actually eat the icecream.

CJ found the basketball hoop within minutes of entering Gma and Gpa Long's house :) I thought it would take him the entire summer to actually make a basket- boy was I wrong!

Date Night

2009-05-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

We had a WONDERFUL date night. We had tickets to opening night of Carolina Ballet's Coppelia- one of my favorite ballets. I think it's one of my favorites mainly because of the memories I have of being in it with Ballet Clasico Infantil in the Dominican. The story is fun and the music score has a great combination of traditional "romantic style" and a more festive and "modern flare". That probably doesn't make much sense to anyone but me and I probably can't explain it further, so I'll stop there :)
Tim was in charge of making dinner reservations and he did a FINE job :) He was trying to keep it a secret, but gave me a HUGE hint when he told me it "sounded like a place I wouldn't like but that there would be plenty of things I would enjoy". So right away I new it was a Steakhouse, since I don't eat beef. From there I don't know how long it took me, but fairly quickly I figured it was the Angus Barn- since I had heard about it from co-workers and patients as being a wonderful Raleigh favorite. Tim tried to throw me off a few times, but I knew that was the plan all along.
The food, atmosphere and service were all great. I had salmon and asparagus and a wonderful salad with warm poppyseed dressing. Then for dessert- which I normally skip when eating out- we had a piece of their signature chocolate pie... yummy yummy yummy. And since they new it was our last date before the summer they brought us a cake with 3 candles representing "past, present and future". How thoughtful!!
The Ballet was wonderful and although it brought back some feelings of wanting to be on stage again, I rather enjoyed being the one watching this time.
Here is a collage of pics from the evening:

From CJ winter 2008

CJ has no idea...

2009-04-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Poor CJ has been a bit confused lately, with all the boxes around and obstacle courses to get in and out of rooms because of all the stuff we have everywhere. Little does he know how much has been planned for him this summer, including, but not limited to: Padre baseball games, swimming at the YMCA, taking mommy/toddler classes at the Y (either with mommy or gma), playing with Gma Gpa and Uncle Dan ALOT, going to the beach, playing basketball with the toddler hoop Gma found, making cookies, AND his first trip to Disneyland on my birthday!

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Isaac, Josie and CJ

2009-04-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

May 2008...

From CJ and friends

April 2009... not so easy to catch them all sitting calmly, this is the best shot we got:

From CJ Spring 2009

2009-04-26T04:52:00.000-07:00

Tomeico planned a farewell get together with all of her contractors and their kids at Pullen Park. It was so nice of them! They even surprised me with a 4 pound bag of my favorite candy: sour patch kids, and a Homedics foot massager :)

CJ was really tired but managed to enjoy the train and the swings a bit. I even managed to get some more pictures of our little one- imagine that!

From CJ Spring 2009

We met up with the Ennis family for hotdogs/hamburgers and playing outside with the kids.

From CJ Spring 2009

Bon Voyage party

2009-04-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed to be close to Mike, Em, Dave and Kristin... even if it didn't last long and it probably won't ever happen again (us living in the same city). Em cooked an absolutely delicious deep dish pizza-- CJ dove into it a bit early and said H-O-T for the first time after he brought it to his mouth as we all said "no CJ, it's too hot". He touched it to his lips and as if agreeing with us stated very emphatically, "HOT"! Since then he has enjoyed saying "hot" whenever there is food around. The festivities included homemade icecream as well (the Farmer tradition). Thanks you guys!

Josie turns 1!

2009-04-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

We are going to miss Josie and Isaac so much. Happy birthday Josephine!

Playing catch with Daddy

2009-04-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

CJ and I are going to miss Daddy so much this summer! I finally got some video of the boys playing catch. Just ignore my crazy voice at the beginning of the clip when I get all excited that CJ put on Tim's glove all by himself :)

Fun at Pullen Park

2009-04-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I forgot to post pictures of CJ's first trip to Pullen park (on Good Friday). We went with Gma Slade and Auntie Kristin.
Enjoying the duck pond and the wind.

From CJ Spring 2009

First carousel ride.

From CJ Spring 2009

Making faces through the trolley window.

From CJ Spring 2009

Swirly slide.

From CJ Spring 2009

Just some thoughts

2009-04-15T13:17:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to get pictures on Easter and then really didn't get any. I have some that I will post later, but just felt like writing a little. Before I forget, if anyone has suggestions for a good quality compact digital camera/video camera that is easy to upload onto the computer let me know!
So, I stayed home from work today because of a rough night of no sleep. CJ had his first projectile vomiting experience which was no fun. Poor guy was miserable all night (tossing and turning, wanting to be held) but then 6.30am rolled around and he was toddling around like his normal self. He apparently didn't need the sleep. It looks like it was an upset stomach of some sort that caused his puking.
I am an emotional rollercoaster these days, with only 3 weeks left until the move to CA. I have a job in San Diego, which I have mixed feelings about. But I am grateful to have a job and to have a mom and family that will be watching CJ while I'm at work.
CJ is learning early the lesson of flexibility... one that I have learned over and over in my life. I just hope CJ always finds comfort and stability just being with his parents, no matter where we live. I keep dreaming of a place we can call home :)

Sick CJ

2009-04-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

CJ has been battling a combination of "molar teething" and some sort of cold/fever since Friday. Poor little man has been miserable. The only thing he really likes to eat these days is frozen fruit... that is, until today when I found the perfect solution:
Mighty Magic Minis
The perfect combination of "slow to melt, fun shapes and perfect size" for a teething toddler. I am a huge fan. Any mothers of toddlers out there definitely need to check these things out (I found them at our local grocery store) but the website has a zipcode search option to find the closest store to you that carries them.

In other news, our potty training continues to include CJ sitting on his little toilet until I say "all done" which is usually after 10-15 minutes. He has yet to actually DO anything in the toilet (today he peed on the floor right after getting off the toilet). But the first step is just getting him used to sitting on it and "enjoying" it as much as possible. We usually play catch while he's on it or play with his LeapPad book.

That's all for now. Looking forward to his Easter suit :)

Celebrating Uncle Dave's 30th

2009-03-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Gma and Gpa Slade flew out to surprise Uncle Dave for his 30th bday. The festivities involved rock climbing in the morning, then Adventure Landing in the afternoon. Here are some of the pictures Gma and Gpa took since I didn't have my camera with me at all and wasn't at the rock climbing part of the adventure.
With Gpa Slade, I LOVE this picture!

From CJ Spring 2009

Trying on Auntie Kristin's shoes :)

From CJ Spring 2009

Teaching Gpa a little bit about climbing...

From CJ Spring 2009

Figuring out his route :)

From CJ Spring 2009

At Adventure Landing...

From CJ Spring 2009

Where did the balls go?

From CJ Spring 2009

Yes, CJ still LOVES balls

From CJ Spring 2009

Porch plus balls = happy CJ

2009-03-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

CJ's favorite place to hang out these days is the porch. As soon as we get home he runs straight to the glass doors and waits until we open it for him. He loves throwing the balls over the porch (which means that we have to walk around the outside and dodge some prickly trees to rescue them). So I try and discourage this behavior but he loves it...
Nobody can come between CJ and his ball :)

From CJ Spring 2009

He makes some great faces when he is concentrating on his throw.

From CJ Spring 2009

Great technique :)

From CJ Spring 2009

He has just started kicking the ball lately (and likes to say the word kick while he's doing it). But throwing is still his favorite.

Mommy and CJ dates

2009-03-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

Tim was in D.C. this weekend and will be back on Tuesday. We miss Daddy but managed to have some fun without him :)
CJ and I explored some new areas on our dates, but Daddy has the camera so I have no pictures to share.
- playing in the toddler play area of Crabtree mall
- pushing his own stroller around the mall
- eating a happy meal at McDonalds and playing in the play area off of Creedmor and Sawmill area (his first happy meal- 4 chicken nuggets, apple slices and milk for $2.90)
- sweeping the porch and making a basketball hoop out of a basket (I actually screwed it into the wall) but CJ decided it would be more fun to toss all of his balls over the porch fence- which we haven't rescued yet
- playing with a basketball and volleyball on the basketball court
- playing with the wood chips at the Baileywick Park playgroud
- swimming at the YMCA (although it only lasted 10 minutes because the water was too cold)
- enjoying Luigi's Italian Ice (he fed me and I fed him)
All in all, a good time. AND I finished our taxes. Woohoooo! The best part was having a 3 day weekend since CJ's sitter wasn't available today (Monday). Back to work tomorrow and Daddy will be back by the time I get home from work :)

Snow day!

2009-03-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

We woke up to 3 inches of snow!

From CJ winter 2008

Out our front door...

From CJ winter 2008

Here are some old photos I haven't put up yet:
CJ loves the laptop and takes in any moment he can get his hands on it.

From CJ winter 2008

CJ will NOT sit down in the bath. He only takes standing baths/showers but loves to dump water on himself with a cup (then tries to drink the water only to find himself gagging from a mouth full of bubbles).

From CJ winter 2008

No voice

2009-02-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a first:
NO voice whatsoever + no Tim to help out (he's in class until 9 tonight)= a very interesting dinner and bedtime routine with CJ
I could tell he was getting angry with me in the car on the way home from work when he started "talking" to me and I couldn't respond. He kept making the same sounds louder and louder, with more desperation each time. By the time we got home I think he realized that something happened to mommy's voice. It's HARD to go through the normal routine without words. He was very adaptable, responding even quicker to my pointing and clapping to get his attention for bath time and while he was brushing his teeth than he does when I use words. It's an interesting experiment. By the end of the night he was also babbling less and using hand gestures more. It reminds me of the studies we watched in OT school about kids of deaf parents and how they learn to communicate earlier, through sign language than other children can communicate through words.
I think I made the mistake of going to work and trying to talk (with the very low whisper that was all my voice could handle) the whole day. Now I have nothing left of my voice. I've been reading about laryngitis and learning that whispering is even more stressful on the vocal cords. The Dr. said it's viral and there is nothing that can be done. So if tomorrow I can only whisper I may take the day off to rest and hopefully be back to normal on Wed. All I can say is I have a much greater appreciation for mute/deaf parents now!

Overdue update

2009-02-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

I've been busy with work, toddler, and being sick- hence the lack of CJ pictures and updates. But Gma Long has been itching for new pictures on the blog, so I am trying to upload some new ones as I write this. A quick update on CJ's favorite things these days:
- LOVES to eat, especially canned peaches/pineapple and really anything that Ivonne prepares for him
- LOVES playing catch with any ball or balloon
- he likes his big legos
- he likes nestling himself in your lap or any surface that looks concave or comfy
- he babbles and sings non stop
- he loves phones and shoes
- he loves plugging the computer power cord in and out of the computer
Since we no longer have Kala around CJ isn't around dogs a lot. But our neighbors have a dog who he has a "timid" relationship with:

From Feb 2009

When we go to the park and Tim and I play catch CJ likes to get in on the action... but he always throws the ball to Tim and ignores me! It's actually very humorous. Tim will throw me the ball, CJ toddles over to me and picks it out of my hand, turns around and throws it to Tim... we did this over and over and over. I better get used to it now- I'm sure he'll always prefer to play sports with Daddy. I'm totally cool with that... I think...

From Feb 2009

The weeks go by too fast and the weekends aren't long enough. But we're enjoying every bit that we can.

Home daycare

2009-01-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

CJ started his first day at a home daycare today. It was WONDERFUL. He didn't want to leave when I came to pick him up!! Ivonne is a mother of 3 (two are in school and she has a 2 year old boy). They are the most well behaved, and good with children, kids I've met in a long time! CJ had 2 good naps, enjoyed making a mess eating spaghetti, danced with Diego (her 2 year old boy), helped clean up toys and generally toddled around playing and being curious. Turns out Ivonne's daughter (in middle school I think)was playing some of Hannah Montana's music and he was dancing to it. I am so glad we found her! They are a Hispanic family, so they speak some Spanish at home but mainly English. I am so very excited we found what seems to be a good fit.
Work has been busy. I've been doing a lot of work with Hispanics coming into the hospital lately- even though I am not there as an interpreter they end up using me as one... which I have the right to say, "no that's not in my job description" (especially since the translators get paid something like $100/hr, and that's not what I'm being paid as an Occupational Therapist!). But for some reason it's hard to get translators/interpreters to come in and doing interpretation over the phone with someone who is acutely psychotic/paranoid/delusional is just not a good idea or even effective. One of the new ladies asked me if I could bring her home with me (she was so excited to just have someone to talk to after 4 days of not being able to communicate). Can you imagine having a mental health issue that is causing you to hear voices or be paranoid and how much more frustrating it would be to then not be able to communicate to the people around you, while they draw your blood, give you pills, make you go to "group activities". I can't imagine.
OK, I'm going to jump around again... back to talking about CJ. So, with this bilingual thing on my mind I thought I'd mention that Tim has been talking to CJ in French for a good while now. I think it's actually a great thing, and if he can keep it up I'll start picking up more than I already do :) I have caught Tim talking to CJ about me... I think it's all good stuff. Then Tim throws in Arabic words here and there. Our son is going to show up at kindergarten speaking an unknown language of Franarabish (French, arabic and Spanish :))I should probably be equally diligent in talking to CJ in Spanish, but he needs to hear English somewhere, right?
Oh, also, while I'm thinking about it. I really enjoyed this segment on NPR on my drive home today: No Cussing Club It's about a 15 year old boy who started the No Cussing Club on his highschool campus. It's now a world wide club with something like 30,000 members. His parents are the authors of a book titled Raising a G-Rated Family in an X-rated World- so it's obvious where his influence is coming from. Anyways, it gave me hope for raising our child :) Thinking of the teenage years has me on edge already. Maybe I should be reading up on the terrible 2's first :)

Inauguration day

2009-01-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

We had the most snow we've seen in NC yet!! 6 inches I think was the total. Of course, this was followed by EVERYTHING being shut down from the daycare to Tim's school and the YMCA. I wasn't very excited about the drive north to work so I didn't mind coming home (I turned around after being on the road 5 minutes and learning the daycare was closed). CJ got his first exposure to snow (wasn't too thrilled about it- I don't blame him). It's nice to look at but I've never been a fan of playing in it or driving in it. Maybe it has to do with my horrible experiences skiing- flying threw a fence, tearing my ACL... not pleasant memories with snow. And we never had snow growing up so it's not like I have all these wonderful childhood memories with it. I like it through the window and on postcards :)
So, we we able to watch the inauguration and loved it. I just wish they would have shown more of the children's choir and band.
Here are some of the highlights of CJ's experience watching the inauguration.

Catching up on sleep

2009-01-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

Since CJ only gets an hour nap now, while he's at daycare Monday-Friday I think he uses the weekend to catch up on sleep. He had a wonderful 3 hour nap today, woke up all bright eyed (didn't want to get out of his crib, check the clip below). We went swimming, where he was clingy and oh so cuddly- which I loved :) He flirted with a little girl that had hot pink goggles on and managed to float on his back somewhat successfully like he had mastered so well in the baby and mom class in Utah. Here's a little movie of him waking up from his nap and trying to get him to eat after his nap.

Life is good

2009-01-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

To start off with, CJ is doing MUCH better at daycare this week. When I come to pick him up he is busy doing something and comes to me without crying. The rest of the evening he is babbling/laughing/very independent around the house. He brought home his first "art" pencil drawing and binoculars made out of two toilet paper rolls. I love that stuff.
The most awesome part of this week happened today when I picked him up. One of his little classmates who started the same day he did was being picked up by her mom. She mentioned that CJ was just "so cute" and the day she spent with her little girl in the class CJ and her little girl danced together and helped each other eat :). I noticed right away that the mom had an accent, that seemed hispanic- but the little girl looked oriental. Turns out the girl was just adopted from Vietnam 3 months ago and the mom grew up in the Dominican Republic!!! That's right, that's where I grew up as well!!! Same city AND same years!!!! We couldn't believe it- I have NEVER met anyone who grew up there the same years I did! We went to different schools but she had cousins that went to my school. Anyways, we will definitely be having playdates- they live about 5 minutes from us and have a whole basement set up as a play room!! So for now we are putting the home daycare on hold, but still looking just in case we find a good fit. But I'm so happy CJ seems to be transitioning well and he has a consistent teacher now. He now only gets a one hour nap during the day and still sleeps 12 hours at night.
At work we are busy setting up the patient care units to make it so all the patients can watch the inauguration on Tuesday. I'm excited about it!
Oh, and Tim and I have a date tomorrow---- life is good.

Weekend happy times

2009-01-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

This morning CJ wandered out of his room with this hat...

From CJ winter 2008

We also recently set up a step stool in the bathroom so he can climb up and wash his hands. He's a big fan.

From CJ winter 2008

Will update later on possibilities with daycare for CJ. But we had a good weekend, including starting a membership at the YMCA.

Looking up

2009-01-09T07:09:00.001-08:00

CJ was his normal self yesterday. Hoping for the same today. In the meantime I am busy at work and very much looking forward to the weekend. Will write more later.

Not happy

2009-01-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

The last thing you want when you pick your son up from daycare is to find him toddling around with a bright red face screaming- looking terrified. This is how I have found him the past two days. Each time the staff assures me that he was bright and cheerful all day and that something had just triggered it (yesterday it was the crying babies in the nursery and today it was because the teacher had just put him down). The only thing is, he is then really cranky and stubborn at home. I know that 1) he is not getting enough fluids because they only offer sippy cups and he has not mastered that and 2) he is tired because he is used to 2 naps and now gets one hour and a half nap or so. So, we're giving him milk bottles in the morning and evening while he continues to transition to the sippy cup to make sure he's getting the fluids and calcium he needs. He is eating a lot more than normal at the daycare (much more variety too, so I can't complain there). But a few new behaviors he's started at home have me worried: hitting me, throwing things very forcefully and basically throwing tantrums. I HOPE this doesn't continue and right now I realize it is part of the transition. If it does continue I may need to pursue another avenue- maybe interview some more stay at home moms looking to watch another child or look at some other centers. It just makes me feel, as a parent I have let CJ down when I see him so upset and throwing tantrums. I tried to hold him tonight when he was upset and he pushed me away (not normal at all for him). So I let him throw things, push me away and sit and cry for about 10 minutes and I just sat about 5 feet away from him holding my arms out to him and he finally came to sit on my lap. But I had tears in my eyes just watching him resist me. Any advice?

First day of school

2009-01-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day working full time and CJ's first day at school (well daycare school :)).
Here's a run down of the day (the best part is at the end):
- wake up to chocolate chip pancakes made by Daddy (2 said CJ and 3 consecutively said I Love U) I'd say I'm rubbing off on him :)
- unfortunately I had a headache and felt like throwing up the whole 35 min drive to work (so I had a plastic bag open on my lap just in case)
- Tim dropped off CJ at school
- I had a crazy day at work (going from part time to full time I have suddenly been given quadruple the caseload/committees- which will keep me busy but may be a little over my head)
- I picked CJ up- although he toddled to me happily he then started screaming when I had to take the big bright ball out of his hands
- Cranky CJ in the evening until he got a bottle (he hasn't quite mastered a sippy cup yet and that's all he gets at school- so I think he was a bit thirsty by the end of the day)
- I sat down at the computer to make some online payments, took out my wallet to do so. CJ kept trying to take my wallet and play with it, to which I would say "no" and take it back.
- Gma and Gpa Slade called via web cam and talked to CJ a little. At some point CJ walked away from the webcam, I was in the kitchen and suddenly we heard a noise in the bathroom.
- I went to rescue CJ from the bathroom (he looked like he just did something bad and was quickly toddling out of the bathroom). But I didn't think twice about it, brought him back out to the living room and closed the baby gate.
- After I put him down for bed, Tim wanted to go to the store and needed my wallet.
- We looked EVERYWHERE for my wallet, I had JUST used it not even an hour ago.
- We checked the bathroom, the floor, in the hamper, in the bathtub... nowhere.
- I decide CJ must have taken it into his room or something, when Tim opened the toilet lid. Yep. In the toilet. The little rascal took my wallet and probably out of spite because I wouldn't let him play with it, put it in the toilet! Now I knew why he had looked so guilty when I found him in the bathroom.
- Luckily I don't keep money in my wallet, just cards- but a few paper copies of insurance. So, they are air drying. Now we know where his hide out for things is going to be- hopefully we'll stop him before it happens next time!
- Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit better :)

Thinking overseas...

2009-01-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

Tim has an itch to live overseas, and he is getting his Masters in International Studies because I said I would be willing to go with him and I wanted him to pursue something he was passionate about. Now with his study of Arabic and the possibility of the overseas place being in the Middle East I am nervous/anxious/terrified at times. I know that not all of the Middle East is in war or a necessarily dangerous place to live. BUT I can't help feeling nauseated and squeamish thinking about taking a little boy to a place where I can't communicate with others and the culture is so drastically different. We don't have any specific places we're considering yet. Once we have more specifics I will be searching for every family blog, book, documentary, positive and negative about their experiences. This is an area I can't just "go with the flow". I grew up in the DR, spent our first year of marriage in Africa. And I have come to the point of realizing some of the positives that can come from growing up overseas. But I also know the frustrations and difficulties of living overseas. I've also never had to be the parent in the situation which is a very big difference. I know Tim and I will find a good fit for our family this upcoming year, I just have trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As for now, I am just finding blogs that are helpful and constructive in viewing the Middle East in a different light than the media portrays. In one of these blogs there was this YouTube posting of a KFC in Cairo run by deaf people:

This blog is written by a mother of a 3 year old girl (the parents are Caucasian and adopted a girl from Ethiopia, now living in Cairo): http://lifewithmayameron.blogspot.com/search/label/Egypt
This one is written by a mother living in Cairo:
http://living-in-egypt-manisha.blogspot.com/
Another blog of a woman living in Egypt:
http://sarahstil.wordpress.com/
If any of the readers of this blog come across any other blogs or writings you think I would find beneficial, please send them my way!
Oh, and in an unrelated note. I finally downloaded all the video camera footage onto the computer with the not so happy discovery that the sound is messed up on it all (very crackly, comes in and out). BUT I did manage to pull some pictures off of the video of CJ with Santa.

From CJ winter 2008

This next one is more true to his reaction to Santa that day.

From CJ winter 2008

New Years toast (we actually toasted to 2009 at 11.45 pm- we're such cheaters :))

From CJ winter 2008

Rock Band Fun

From CJ winter 2008

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

We had a pleasant New Years Eve with the Slade clan. I cooked a turkey which was a success, the clan played Guitar Rock Band (I tried the drums and singing, and was horrible at them both), then we played a game called "What's Yours Like?". Emily won- with an incredible victory of only requiring 3 clues to guess the item. It was a fun game. CJ slept straight through the night, even with all the madness going on in the room right next to his.
Jan 1, 2009 has been very pleasant so far. CJ was up around 7 in a very talkative mood. I was soooooo psyched when I asked him "CJ, where's your ball?" and he toddled over to his 2 balls, picked one up and threw it and patted the other one. I was shocked and soooooo excited!! So a few minutes later I tried it again, noticed his gaze shift over to the ball after I asked him where his ball was and he toddled over to it again. AND he used the sign for "more" when his little cereal puffs were gone and he wanted more. He is starting to communicate!!! I tried to get him to show me where Daddy was, but he didn't respond to it as clearly. My little boy is growing up!!

From CJ winter 2008

Unfortunately, all the footage I got last night is on the video camera and it takes me a bit longer to get that on the computer, so that will have to wait. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and a great day off of work :)

Photo shoot

2008-12-31T10:27:00.000-08:00

So, one of Tim's old classmates from high school is now a professional photographer, with her own studio and business. While we were in PA Tim had scheduled a photo shoot for us. Here are some of my favorite photos of the family.

From CJ winter 2008

This next photo is actually just from Sears, over Thanksgiving in CA. CJ was sooooo sick, but we wanted some pictures to commemorate his 1 year bday.

From CJ winter 2008

And... his Kiddie Kandids free 8x10 on his b-day (for those of you that don't know, every child can get a free 8x10 the week of their b-day from age 1-10, a pretty good deal!!

From CJ winter 2008

Xmas cooking and fun with family

2008-12-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed cooking this xmas!! I have made:
- gingerbread house
- chocolate covered spoons for people at work
- personalized cookies for people at work
- tons and tons of gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies
- christmas tree cinnamon rolls for Xmas morning
- Almond Christmas Wreath bread
I would love to make all of these items tradition for our family from now on :) I have learned that decorating cookies is sort of therapeutic for me. I use a paint brush and love using all different colors of icing that is home made and using design gel. I am excited about exploring all the different possibilities for design gels for cookies. It is amazing what is out there! I am also looking forward to turning our Christmas cards into ornaments and placemats (I just hate getting rid of them after a few weeks or storing them away never to be seen again). I love exploring my crafty side. It brings me back to my childhood days when I would wander around the house restless until I made something.

From CJ winter 2008

We were able to put CJ's snowsuit on, although the only snow/ice around was the little patch you'll see in the picture below.

From CJ winter 2008

I am convinced CJ has Tim's profile. So I took some pictures to try and prove it :)

From CJ winter 2008

Xmas eve pics

2008-12-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Off to PA!

2008-12-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

We're off to PA for xmas! I am at work waiting for Tim to pick me up since I'm already 40 miles north which is the way we're heading. I am very much looking forward to some rest over this break!! And Tim just got here. So here we go!! Prayers for safe travels and a fun time in the snow with CJ!! Merry early Christmas everyone!

Fine motor

2008-12-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

Yay! I LOVE this little desk we found for CJ. It is the ideal set-up for introducing toddlers to coloring and reading at a desk. The desk is angled to allow for optimal posture while coloring :) I was so psyched when I started coloring to demonstrate the cool crayons and their function. Within a few seconds CJ had picked up the crayon and using a pincer grasp started making coloring motions (not pressing hard enough to make marks). These are the movements/actions OT's work on with little kids who have fine motor delays... for months, sometimes years. It's really amazing to see a typically developing little one and how quickly he catches on to things (granted, to me it seems like genius stuff since I'm more familiar with delayed development). Anyways, I love watching him learn new things and listen to all his new babbling sounds :)

From CJ school work

I find myself watching CJs every move and in my mind I am writing out an assessment of all the skills he has and is demonstrating, as if I was completing an OT evaluation. I sometimes think it would be neat to keep a detailed log of his fine motor and gross motor skills as they develop, just the inner OT nerd in me I suppose.

Xmas is coming

2008-12-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I love making xmas cookies and gingerbread houses... and decorating. I am jealous of the beautiful 7 and a half foot tree that Beccy and Ben have. I have decided we're going to get a prelit tree on sale after Christmas this year to have for the upcoming years. My family has always been real tree people, but with our future of traveling all over the place, it might be nice to have a tree that comes with us- to make the holidays feel like "home" by having the same tree/decorations up.
Anyways, I forgot to take my camera to our girl night cookie making party :( AND I did get to decorate xmas cookies in CA- so I think I've had my fix of cookie decorating for this year. Although I wouldn't mind doing some more. CJ supervised my work at a gingerbread house tonight. And... Tim gave me an early xmas present (star shaped mold) which I am making some rice krispie treats in :)

From CJ winter 2008

This is CJ getting ready for bed. Notice the many steps required to get his PJs on him (and this doesn't include the chasing to get his diaper on):

From CJ winter 2008

We have some very cute footage of him dribbling his ball as we walk down the sidewalk, but the file is too big for now :(

I love my son

2008-12-07T17:46:00.000-08:00

I love my son... too much to torture him with dressing him up as a little girl. BUT it's tempting, especially this time of year when all the pretty dresses are out with the red velvet and white trim, mini petticoats, tights, hats, skirts. Oh... I would be spending so much money on him if he were a girl. So, CJ... many years down the road, if you ever read this, please don't think I don't appreciate you and don't love that you are a boy. I just hope some day I will have a girl to dress up and fix her hair. If not, I'll be ok... I just might have to borrow someone else's baby girl for a while :)

Bday, Thanksgiving and Xmas

2008-12-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

We are back from a whirlwind trip to CA. Unfortunately the trip involved a very sick and uncomfortable baby and a visit to the Dr. in CA. The visit to the Dr. was the day before flying back- during which we learned that CJ had a little ear infection and is battling a virus causing his cough/tummy problems etc. Poor guy!! Plus he was a bit overwhelmed with all the people. We really only caught him smiling when he was around his little furry cousins. We also had professional family photos taken, which was a huge challenge considering his sickness :( But we did get a very nice photo out of it... even though most of the photos he just looks so sad.
Now we know what it is like to fly cross-country with a sick baby. I have soooooo much sympathy for all the parents out there who have to travel with little ones while they are sick/cranky!! I hope I never have to do that again.
Here's a little movie of the weekend festivities and the few happy pics we caught of CJ!

CJ is 1!

2008-11-23T11:48:00.001-08:00

CJ's birthday has come and gone. But the celebrations continue. We will be celebrating with family in CA this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. Unfortunately I have met my quota for pictures on the program I use to upload pictures to this blog. Hopefully I will get that taken care of soon so I can post pictures of all the festivities. Thank you so much to everyone who has been so generous with gifts and lovely cards. CJ is definitely not lacking in books, toys and love!!
He must be teething (looks like some molars are coming in) because there is non-stop drool and seems to be a bit uncomfortable. However, he's been a great sport and is being a great one year old!
Since I know that Great Gma and Gpa read this blog, here's a special hello and thank you to you!! We miss you!!

Maddy's b-day video

2008-11-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the video/slideshow of Maddy's b-day party.

Maddy turns 1

2008-11-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

CJ's friend, Maddy, was born 2 days before him! I remember holding Maddy in the hospital and as she pressed up against my tummy CJ kicked pretty forcefully. Perhaps he was jealous of me holding another baby and decided he needed to come 2 weeks early to prevent it from happening again :)She had her birthday party at the Little Gym. It was so cool!! Of course, CJ found a ball- therefore he was in heaven. He would not let go of the orange ball... you'll see in the pictures, not even to try out all the cool stuff in the gym. He got enough of a workout walking around with it. AND he drank out of a straw for the first time and had his first cupcake! I had downloaded all the pictures (54) and was in the process of putting them into a slideshow when the computer crashed. So, I'm in the safe mode now and have found some of the pictures, so I'll post those. Happy birthday Maddy!

From CJ fall 2008

Now, for some reminiscing...
Back in November 2007- Maddy and CJ

From CJ

Here they are in April 2008...

From CJ's World

I can't find the picture of Kim and I showing off our bellies before these two firecrackers came out... but that's probably a good thing (when I see pictures of my belly towards the end of the pregnancy I am in awe that my body went through that).

Brooms, balls, and apples

2008-11-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

CJ is finding these three things fascinating lately. Let me clarify... he picked up the broom and walked around the entire living room area shifting it from hand to hand, balancing it precariously as it tilted back and forth as he walked, twirled it a few times, banged it against the glass coffee table. I have video of it, but for now pictures will have to do. He LOVES balls still, but now is positively dangerous with them... slams them against the floor, towards your head, on your hand etc. And he wants the WHOLE apple, not the cut up little pieces anymore.

From CJ fall 2008

Tennis

2008-11-11T09:56:00.001-08:00

One of my life goals is to be able to play tennis with Tim in such a way that we both actively enjoy it :) That may sound silly, but, he is so good at tennis and my limited experience with it, combined with my lack of hand/ball coordination makes trying to play together more of a frustrating experience than anything. Well, this past weekend we went to the courts and hit the ball back and forth rather successfully. Meanwhile, CJ walked around the entire court, throwing balls to chase.
Tim asked me if I wanted to play tennis tonight! Yay... so, if it's not clear, I am excited because he asked me, which means I was not totally horrible on the courts the other day. Either that, or he's just being the sweet husband he is-either way, I'll take it :) This time we'll definitely take the camera to catch CJ being all cute toddling around the courts catching balls.

Fireplace and toddler

2008-11-07T15:10:00.000-08:00

We LOVE our fireplace, especially since it is all we need to heat our place over the winter months. We had 2 or 3 days of COLD weather, when we turned on the fireplace and found a baby safety gate to protect our little curious one from flames/heat/burns. So, in effort to prevent an ER visit in the near future due to a one year old falling into the pit or just burning his curious hands, we had to give up some of the "charm" of having a nice fireplace now that it is surrounded by 4 linked gates :) So far it has worked great (he hasn't figured out that there is a way to move them all out of the way). Hopefully he'll never get to that place...

From CJ fall 2008

He's getting better and better at walking. We were walking outside with the fall leaves earlier- he looked so grown up! Here he is just walking around before bedtime.
After he goes down for bed, Mommy and Daddy get to go out!

Halloween

2008-11-01T17:49:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, Tim and CJ are battling a cough and a little cold. So Halloween night was an early bedtime and nothing really special. On Saturday we went to the "All Saints Costume Party" at Anna's church. That meant CJ got to dress up in his little chinese outfit (authentic, real outfit straight from China via Aunt Heidi). His friends, Isaac and Josie joined us.

From CJ fall 2008

Then we came home and it was time to relax in his new winter PJs and slippers.

From CJ fall 2008

He also got a flu shot today!

Guess who voted today

2008-10-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

From CJ fall 2008

On the lighter side...

From CJ fall 2008

I caught him in transition into crawling... Mr. baby model :)

From CJ fall 2008

CJ's first baseball

2008-10-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

Since CJ is such a fan of balls, I thought this little toy would be appropriate. He hasn't figured out exactly what role the bat plays- but I was surprised that after showing him 2 or 3 times he tried to touch the baseball with the bat. This is an early b-day present for him :)

We miss Daddy

2008-10-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

Daddy is in Saint Louis for the weekend. So, we're having fun on our own: splashing in the bathtub, trying new foods like black bean/sweet potato purree, I'm experimenting with real pumpkin to make a pumpkin cake or bread... Tomorrow we have a few things in store including: voting, going to a book signing at Quail Ridge, maybe getting started on my stocking project, getting some writing done on an article I'm getting ready for publication. All in all, we'll be pretty busy but missing Daddy terribly.

CJ takes first steps towards basketball!!!

2008-10-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

No words needed... but you have to watch this one :)

First pumpkin

2008-10-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a week of firsts. His first steps (took 3 all by himself towards Daddy this morning). Unfortuntely I missed them because I was on the road to a group home consultation :( But I am sure more are to come. Yesterday we carved our first pumpkin using a cool carving kit with templates. He was not so sure about the whole thing but this morning he crawled straight to the pumpkin and starting laughing and poking his fingers in the holes. We had a barbeque at church today and CJ had his first few bites of chicken- loved it. On the other hand, I introduced him to a whole broccoli, and, well- check out the pictures below of him licking it and then his expression. He is also babbling up a storm. He has made the following sounds/words (obviously with no meaning to him as far as we know :)): birthday, auntie, debt, ok, adelante (already speaking Spanish!)... he just starts moving his mouth and tongue and keeps it going. It is so funny!

From CJ fall 2008

Grocery shopping

2008-10-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Now that the lice are gone, we're back on our feet, out and about. CJ had his first experience "behind the wheels" of a shopping cart today.

From CJ fall 2008

Good sport CJ

2008-10-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

CJ and mommy have lice! NOT fun. So, I've been picking them out one by one (running tally of 36 found on CJ's head!). We don't know where they came from, but since his playmate from church also has them we are wondering about the church nursery. If it had to happen, this week is a good one because we had already planned to have a week off (Anna- CJ's babysitter is hopefully getting a well deserved break). This way we can hopefully get rid of them completely before he's around Isaac and Josie again during the week. These things are pests! And I don't want to use the strong solutions on him so I'm smothering his head in baby oil daily to hopefully kill them. Washing and rewashing sheets etc, and cleaning like crazy. His pediatrician said there is another shampoo out there that is safe for infants but didn't know the name- how helpful was that ?! I'll keep looking.

Anyways, sorry the video of him toddling around isn't working. I can't get it to upload. He now has a hungry hippo walker!

Some pictures from the past few days:

From CJ fall 2008

Watching Baby Einstein:

From CJ fall 2008

Ottoman walker

2008-10-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

CJ has turned the ottoman and the laundry basket into walkers. It is so cute! He is like a roomba vaccuum cleaner (running into things, changing directions... take a look).

More fun

2008-10-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

I finally checked off another to-do in CJ's nursery. I couldn't decide whether I just wanted the letters "C" "J" on his wall or his full name. Here's what I decided on...

From CJ fall 2008

I think CJ likes it!

From CJ fall 2008

CJ enjoying his toys... learning new things every day.

From CJ fall 2008

CJ's favorite toy- the LeapFrog table.

From CJ fall 2008

Just after naptime.

From CJ fall 2008

Caedmon's Call Concert!

2008-10-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

CJ enjoyed his second concert- this time with his Aunt/Uncle clan from Durham. The special occasion, the band we named CJ after was performing at Duke! Caedmon's Call and Randall Goodgame as their opener. Here he is enjoying Randall's opening song about "Bears".

Enjoying time with Em and Mike.

From CJ fall 2008

Band getting ready.

From CJ fall 2008

Quick read.

From CJ fall 2008

We also enjoyed time with Gma Slade this weekend.

From CJ fall 2008

10 months

2008-09-24T10:56:00.001-07:00

Time is flying too fast. Just wanted to write a quick update (sorry no pictures this time). Tim planned a date for us last night which I enjoyed very much. And it didn't even involve a babysitter or fancy clothes. Tim was very creative with this date... hence my blogging about it. While we fixed dinner together (Tuna Kabobs) we each added a song of our choice to an album which we then burned onto a CD. We put the songs in order of when we were exposed to them together. I don't have the list with me... but it includes the song I walked down the isle to (Walking in the Air by George Winston) and the song Tim quoted during his vows. What a great idea! Then he had me pick out my favorite picture of us as a family and we both attempted to draw it (we each chose a different picture). His drawing turned out really good!! I'll have to scan it in sometime. I wasn't thrilled with how mine turned out but I'm determined to try again.
Tomorrow night it's my turn to plan date night, so we'll see how that goes. We're learning to be creative with having dates that don't involve a lot of money or babysitters.
CJ seems to be teething again but we haven't been able to spot the new ones yet.
I'm down to one breastfeeding per day (and that is mainly a snack for him)... I just can't get myself to give that one last feeding up.

Our big play pen

2008-09-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

One of the things we enjoy as a family is playing catch in our backyard basketball court. Although it may sound silly, I just learned how to play catch this summer. So, Tim and I will play catch while CJ sits/crawls/sings/talks. Inevitably it turns into a roll the baseball or softball to CJ and teaching him new tricks. He tries so hard to imitate us dropping the ball so it will bounce. He slams the ball into the ground and then brings it up himself since he hasn't really grasped the release skill. But he picks the balls up with his left hand and then transfers it to his right hand to pick up the next ball. It's so cute!

From CJ fall 2008

If you click on these pictures you can see the video.

From CJ fall 2008

9 months and thriving

2008-09-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

CJ had his 9 month appointment yesterday. The nurse used a word I never thought would be used to describe him, "petite". Hmmmm... apparently he is in the 25% for weight, height and head circumference. He's at 19.9 lbs and 27 inches long. Happy and healthy and perfectly proportional. Well... except for his iron level. He was a few points below what they prefer, so we're back on the iron supplements and eating lots of watermelon. I never knew watermelon had so much iron and Vitamin C. It's the perfect baby food. I just wish you could buy frozen watermelon. Fresh is good, but so messy to cut up.
We're in the process of weaning. CJ is drinking 2 8 oz formula bottles per day. Yesterday he actually had 3 bottles in addition to breastfeeding 4 times. I think he might be going though a growth spurt.
I find myself picturing him crawling towards me on the floors of the hospitals on Mon-Wed when I work. I hate being away from him. But my friend Anna is a great second mom while I'm at work. CJ is learning the meaning of "no"... which I quickly follow up with "that's not for CJ" and then make him come to me or look at me from wherever he is. His favorite behavior that gets the "no" is trying to stick his hand in the VHS player and pressing all the buttons on the machines.
He's so precious, and is more like a "little human" now.
-He's able to use a master pincer grasp for cheerios and gold fish.
-He loves to hold straws and "conduct" and will transfer them from hand to hand, over and over.
-When he wants to be held and is not within arms reach he'll crawl while crying and make his way to your leg, then will continue to cry as he pulls himself up to standing using your pants or skirt and will hold on for dear life until you rescue him.
- He'll cry for 30 minutes for his 2pm nap (while in the curled up, butt in the air position), but then falls fast asleep for about an hour. Well... sometimes I can't let him cry that long, so I pick him up, all snotty and looking totally dishevled. Initially when he sees me after he's been crying a while he'll sream even louder until I pick him up and cuddle.
- Every night I sing to him and kiss him good night while I say "dream with the angels"
- He likes to wave and clap his hands at random times.
- He picks up baseballs and softballs with his left hand (we actually have video of the 20 trials we did) but I have to load it up on the computer.
- He LOVES it when you get down to his level and crawl with him and approach him with the tickle hand.
- Most of all, I enjoy watching him cuddle his daddy and play with his daddy.
I love being a mother and our little family.

We survived

2008-08-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

We're back... and it's been crazy ever since we got back. We had to lower CJ's crib to the lowest position since he can now stand himself up and could otherwise climb out of the crib!
I don't have much time, just wanted to give a brief synopsis of our life since we left Utah:
In Colorado Springs we went to the Garden of the Gods... SPECTACULAR!

It was cooooold!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

We met up with some old friends

And we also squeezed in a wedding, where Daddy and CJ wore matching ties!! But I can't locate the pictures right now.
I worked Mon, Tues, Wed, while CJ was with my friend Anna and her 2 little kiddos. This first week went well! Lots to do around the apartment and CJ's schedule is not as consistent as I would like yet. Hopefully, soon...

CJ crawled after 10 hours in the car!!

2008-08-15T07:56:00.001-07:00

Our first leg on our way home- we survived 10 hours in the car! CJ was sooooo good! AND then, he decided to show off for Aunt Sherry and Uncle Kenny by crawling. He is still struggling through a stuffy nose and a cough, but he doesn't seem to be in pain.
He wasn't fussy, just pouty faced the whole ride (I don't blame him!)

A tricolor mountain in Utah.

CJ walking around Tim's Gma's table (Tim walked around this same table when he was CJ's age).

CJ and Cleo

The video feed of him crawling wouldn't update, so that will have to wait. Here's a picture though.

It's going to be a busy rest of the weekend. CJ and I are flying to Indiana Raleigh to meet up with some college friends, then back home on Monday. Tim will be driving the whole way. Prayers for safe travels are appreciated :)

Last days

2008-08-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

We have one day and a little left here in Provo. It will be hard to leave. I love the size of Provo, small enough to get anywhere within 10 minutes. I'll really miss it when I start commuting 30-40 minutes to work when I get back :( CJ is slowly working his way back to his normal self, although nap time has been a bit of a struggle the past few days.
We went to the park yesterday and played around with a really cool looking tree...
Well, first CJ sported his ability to hold a baseball with one hand:

Love this one...

"I'm concentrating sooooo hard, Daddy, look"

The cool tree

"Mommy, I don't want to let go"

Beautiful sky and rainbow

2008-08-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

As we were heading back to the apartment from the pool, there was a huge rainbow in the distance. These pictures don't do it justice, but captures some of it.

See our car in the bottom corner?

No rainbow here but love the sky:

Poor CJ has been sick with a slight fever, inability to smile the way he usually does, he vomited once, and is refusing to drink/eat much unless it's from the breast. We think it's due to a new tooth coming in (on the top) and have been able to control the fever with infant Tylenol. But it's no fun and kinda scary. All he wants to do is cuddle.

This is the biggest smile I could get out of him yesterday:

Hopefully he'll be better before all of our crazy traveling next week!