4:45 AM I had a foot in my side and a small little voice saying "my belly hurts Daddy". I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said "yes, I think I do". I got him up and tried to get him to poop and all we got was a dribble of pee pee. I tried to get him back to sleep but he was UP.
Da Da got up too and we sat in the main room of the hotel for a while and boom, JH vomited for the first time. 20 minutes later we got #2, then after some mucus medicine, we got #3. Our poor boy is just not feeling well. We think the coughing was causing him to vomit so often.
Once we knew he was himself again and after he ate a little breakfast we got ready and I dropped Da Da and JH off at the Chandler mall and I went to the office. It was really odd going in to a real office after almost 3 years working form home. I had my review and before I knew it all the team was headed out for lunch so I called Da Da and we met everyone for a quick hello and we took JH back to the hotel for a nap.
After I finished work, Doug, Chris, and Kevin came by and we had a box :-) of wine and talked for several hours. Jonathan played, climbed on us, and babbled on without a care in the world. It has been amazing to have people that I have known for decades to meet Rick and JH. I fully believe Jonathan Harper will grow-up knowing some incredible people.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Jonathan Day 219
We were all out like a light at Midnight (MT) last night and surprisingly slept until 8:00 AM. JH woke-up in a happy little mood and said "we're in our hotel room Da Da". I ran down and got coffee for the adults and poured JH a mug of chocolate milk and then ran to the grocery store. We had bought a case of water for the room last night when we stopped before checking in but left it under the shopping cart.
We all went down and had a nice breakfast and took a drive around Phoenix. I wanted Rick to see where I spent almost 25 years of my life. It was great being here and I miss so many people here but MI is our home. We love living in our little town and all the people and family we have a car ride away.
My friends Mykle and Doug held an open house at their lovely home in central Phoenix for all my friends to come and meet JH and Rick. It was amazing seeing so many people that I haven't seen in almost 3 years. JH was all over the ladies and was seen several times holding hands and saying "want to come play?". We also received so many amazing gifts for Jonathan today.
I wonder what I did to deserve so many wonderful things in my life. I have a great partner, a beautiful loving child, and amazing family & friends. Life is good and I am grateful.
We all went down and had a nice breakfast and took a drive around Phoenix. I wanted Rick to see where I spent almost 25 years of my life. It was great being here and I miss so many people here but MI is our home. We love living in our little town and all the people and family we have a car ride away.
My friends Mykle and Doug held an open house at their lovely home in central Phoenix for all my friends to come and meet JH and Rick. It was amazing seeing so many people that I haven't seen in almost 3 years. JH was all over the ladies and was seen several times holding hands and saying "want to come play?". We also received so many amazing gifts for Jonathan today.
I wonder what I did to deserve so many wonderful things in my life. I have a great partner, a beautiful loving child, and amazing family & friends. Life is good and I am grateful.
Jonathan Day 218
It's 1:12 AM-ET and luckily I wrote the stuff below on the plane or I would not have the energy to post. More tomorrow :-)
The plan was to wake-up really early so JH would sleep the entire way to Phoenix, oh well. We’re 45 minutes in to the flight and he hasn’t stopped talking or truing to get his seatbelt un-latched.
Jonathan had his 30 day follow-up appointment this morning to check on his eyes. He is healing well but has a small cyst on his lower left eye where one of the stitches left some scaring. We have steroid drops that we need to put in for 10 days and then we’ll take him back in May.
After seeing the Dr we went and had Dim Sum and JH was really good. He kept talking about the chop sticks but we’re still not comfortable giving our freakishly strong little boy a potential weapon. We have seen what he can do and it’s not pretty.
We headed to the airport almost 3 hours before our flight and surprisingly he didn’t have much time to spare. JH started to fall asleep 10 minutes before we hit the parking garage and I resorted to calling Auntie Jo Jo to talk to him on speaker. Those that know Jo know she can be loud: it didn’t help.
We got to the security line and were shuffled to a special line for employees and military. JH did really well and didn’t seem to be bothered by any of the process. We boarded first (love flying with a toddler) and have been happily sitting here on our 4 hour journey. We’re so hoping he goes to sleep soon J Right now he is making Elmo tickle me while I type this.
I must admit, I was worried but so far all is well.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Jonathan Day 217
So the video above isn't too interesting and he really doesn't say anything cute, but he's running. We played in the basement all evening and JH ran like crazy. I had my old Dell set-up with a monitor on the other side of the basement and he ran back and forth so he could play Thomas, and watch Thomas at the same time.
JH was pretty funny and snarkey today. He kept doing the "is this where it goes" game when he knew where IT goes :-) He was very loving and playful when he wasn't whining. So, remember I said Da Da wasn't feeling well earlier, we are all getting sick now. We all have sore throats and are sniffling. We'll all soldier on and have an amazing time in AZ this coming week.
JH had oatmeal with 5 prunes cut up in it this morning and all is well again on the potty. The last few days he has been really pushing to get a little piece of coal out. I think we'll always keep prunes on hand. For lunch I made Chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and he ate pretty well for being sick. Dinner we went for Mexican again and he gobbled up his "chips and sauce" like crazy; then he ate some chicken enchilada.
It's 8:30 PM and he has only been in bed for about 20 minutes so we're all pretty tired. Having dinner out always puts us behind and there is so much to do to get ready for our trip....night.
JH was pretty funny and snarkey today. He kept doing the "is this where it goes" game when he knew where IT goes :-) He was very loving and playful when he wasn't whining. So, remember I said Da Da wasn't feeling well earlier, we are all getting sick now. We all have sore throats and are sniffling. We'll all soldier on and have an amazing time in AZ this coming week.
JH had oatmeal with 5 prunes cut up in it this morning and all is well again on the potty. The last few days he has been really pushing to get a little piece of coal out. I think we'll always keep prunes on hand. For lunch I made Chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and he ate pretty well for being sick. Dinner we went for Mexican again and he gobbled up his "chips and sauce" like crazy; then he ate some chicken enchilada.
It's 8:30 PM and he has only been in bed for about 20 minutes so we're all pretty tired. Having dinner out always puts us behind and there is so much to do to get ready for our trip....night.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Jonathan Day 216
I was thinking how funny it will be for JH to look at all these videos when he gets older. There are a total of 5 pictures of me that I know of when I was his age. We had a 8MM of one of my toddler birthdays but that got lost in a move years ago.
JH was making a muscle in the video above. He flails his arms around jerking them up and makes a scrunch face. The restaurant was pretty dark so it's hard to see how funny it was. We took this the day before his surgery in January. BTW he is doing great and has his 30 day follow-up appointment on Saturday.
JH had waffles this morning and sat at the table for more than an hour leisurely eating and watching Little Bill. It's nice when we have no place to go and the morning is relaxed. Da Da is fighting a cold but just to get JH out, took him to MI city and they did some shopping and had lunch Long John Silvers and JH entered a coloring contest and got to wear a pirate hat. I'll work on getting the picture Da Da took.
After they returned JH tried to take a nap but wasn't very successful, he laid in his room humming and singing. I was caught-up with work so at about 3:30 PM we all went to the basement to play. JH played trains while I did a little cleaning of drywall dust from the furnace room. Da Da finished all the door pulls and tracks for the sliding utility room doors. Now all we need is furniture and counter tops and we're done.
This is something I haven't talked about but JH has a full sibling that was given up about 18 months before Jh was born. His name is David and last we heard he was in the foster care system. I have very little info on him but started calling agencies in the same state Jh was born assuming that David was born there too, nope. I talked to Sherry (who we got JH from) and she said David was in Texas. Both Rick and I have been having dreams about David and how he is part of our family. Who knows what will happen; next week I'll start making calls to Texas :-)
JH was making a muscle in the video above. He flails his arms around jerking them up and makes a scrunch face. The restaurant was pretty dark so it's hard to see how funny it was. We took this the day before his surgery in January. BTW he is doing great and has his 30 day follow-up appointment on Saturday.
JH had waffles this morning and sat at the table for more than an hour leisurely eating and watching Little Bill. It's nice when we have no place to go and the morning is relaxed. Da Da is fighting a cold but just to get JH out, took him to MI city and they did some shopping and had lunch Long John Silvers and JH entered a coloring contest and got to wear a pirate hat. I'll work on getting the picture Da Da took.
After they returned JH tried to take a nap but wasn't very successful, he laid in his room humming and singing. I was caught-up with work so at about 3:30 PM we all went to the basement to play. JH played trains while I did a little cleaning of drywall dust from the furnace room. Da Da finished all the door pulls and tracks for the sliding utility room doors. Now all we need is furniture and counter tops and we're done.
This is something I haven't talked about but JH has a full sibling that was given up about 18 months before Jh was born. His name is David and last we heard he was in the foster care system. I have very little info on him but started calling agencies in the same state Jh was born assuming that David was born there too, nope. I talked to Sherry (who we got JH from) and she said David was in Texas. Both Rick and I have been having dreams about David and how he is part of our family. Who knows what will happen; next week I'll start making calls to Texas :-)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Jonathan Day 215
Pretty routine morning here, after breakfast JH went to Carley's for a few hours. Da Da worked on some final changes to the guest room and I worked. Today was a quiet day and with JH gone and Da Da futzing around the house, I was able to actually get ahead at work.
Da Da picked JH up at 3:00 PM and since I was on a call they went right down to the basement. I went down after my call and we played for about an hour before coming up for dinner (before my last call). JH and Da Da tried playing in his room during that call and all I heard was an array of barn yard noises being yelled from his room. Minutes in to my call Da Da's cell phone rang and JH yelled at the top of his lungs, "Da Da your phone is ringing"; I was a little distracted :-(
After work we went down and blew-up the bouncy toy in the video. He LOVED it and we can't wait until Jonathan's cousins Damian and Avery visit.
I could ramble on about his potty activities but I'll spare you tonight.
Da Da picked JH up at 3:00 PM and since I was on a call they went right down to the basement. I went down after my call and we played for about an hour before coming up for dinner (before my last call). JH and Da Da tried playing in his room during that call and all I heard was an array of barn yard noises being yelled from his room. Minutes in to my call Da Da's cell phone rang and JH yelled at the top of his lungs, "Da Da your phone is ringing"; I was a little distracted :-(
After work we went down and blew-up the bouncy toy in the video. He LOVED it and we can't wait until Jonathan's cousins Damian and Avery visit.
I could ramble on about his potty activities but I'll spare you tonight.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Jonathan Day 214
The first thing out of Jonathan Harper's mouth this morning was "I want to go to the basement and play trains". Then he said that his belly was making noise and he wanted breakfast. Da Da made him french toast while I got signed on to work.
At 9:00 AM off they went to Carley's house. The day was pretty uneventful until after 3:00 PM when JH and Da Da walked in and I saw that smiling face. He saw that I was on a call and was very quiet while Da Da got him ready for a nap. He slept until about 4:00 PM when Da Da took him down to play trains.
I had a call until 5:30 PM and after I went down to "play trains too". We had fun playing until it was dinner time and it was VERY difficult dragging him away from the basement. The video above is me trying to get him to play basketball and all he had was trains on the mind.
He's asleep and we're ready for a relaxing night of TV and a glass of wine...who am I kidding, a couple glasses of wine :-)
At 9:00 AM off they went to Carley's house. The day was pretty uneventful until after 3:00 PM when JH and Da Da walked in and I saw that smiling face. He saw that I was on a call and was very quiet while Da Da got him ready for a nap. He slept until about 4:00 PM when Da Da took him down to play trains.
I had a call until 5:30 PM and after I went down to "play trains too". We had fun playing until it was dinner time and it was VERY difficult dragging him away from the basement. The video above is me trying to get him to play basketball and all he had was trains on the mind.
He's asleep and we're ready for a relaxing night of TV and a glass of wine...who am I kidding, a couple glasses of wine :-)
Monday, February 21, 2011
Jonathan Day 213
I had a light morning so I was able to help Da Da get the cabinet doors put on and collected all the trash in the garage for pick-up tomorrow. It was a nice day and after work JH played trains down there while Da Da and I completely finished hardware and cleaned the shelves. Sad that our basement is now nicer than the main floor of our house :-P
JH ran around like a wild man and had a blast. We used the cabinet boxes and made a fort but forgot blankets so the fort wasn't very comfortable. This week we'll continue to bring stuff down to make it more comfortable. We won't have furniture for us until we rent the Chicago condo out. JH is SET-UP and has his toys and we're looking for a bean-bag chair next.
On the way home from getting JH at Carley's he kept saying "my stomach hurts" so I called Christy to see if he ate something odd. She said he had pasta, grapes, and Cucumber and seemed fine. When we got home I put him on the potty and he sounded like a machine gun! Poor little guy had really bad gas and didn't want to express himself in front of people.
Dinner was good and JH behaved himself. Since we played downstairs until after 6:00 PM, everything was running a little late tonight. We finally got him brushed and in bed at about 7:15 PM. It was a good day for us all.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Jonathan Day 212
It was a pretty quiet morning. After breakfast we all went down to the basement and while Da Da hung cabinets JH and I played trains. Da Da built a double track with bridges and caves so we were able to have 4 trains going at the same time. JH sat on my lap and kept leaping up when one of them got in trouble, "purple Thomas fell" "OH NO, red Thomas is stuck".
My first meeting wasn't until 2:00 PM so we played until 1:30 PM and then we laid JH down for a nap. He was babbling loudly at 1:55 PM and Da Da went in to deliver the warning; take a nap or you'll be punished. Two minutes later he was fast asleep and we actually had to wake him up at 3:30 PM.
The snow is almost gone since it rained here all day. If we get a good sunny day we can probably bundle him up and go to the park soon. We had more than two feet of snow 10 days ago so now his little legs can RUN RUN RUN. The yard has little lakes so our yard won't be playable until we get some real heat.
JH had salad and 1/2 of a sandwich for dinner; he sure loves his veggies! Tonight we'll let him stay up a little later since he napped so long and late today. Tomorrow he goes to Carley's again so Da Da can get the last of the cabinets done.
My first meeting wasn't until 2:00 PM so we played until 1:30 PM and then we laid JH down for a nap. He was babbling loudly at 1:55 PM and Da Da went in to deliver the warning; take a nap or you'll be punished. Two minutes later he was fast asleep and we actually had to wake him up at 3:30 PM.
The snow is almost gone since it rained here all day. If we get a good sunny day we can probably bundle him up and go to the park soon. We had more than two feet of snow 10 days ago so now his little legs can RUN RUN RUN. The yard has little lakes so our yard won't be playable until we get some real heat.
JH had salad and 1/2 of a sandwich for dinner; he sure loves his veggies! Tonight we'll let him stay up a little later since he napped so long and late today. Tomorrow he goes to Carley's again so Da Da can get the last of the cabinets done.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Jonathan Day 211
I don't have much to say about JH since I only got to spend about one hour with him this evening before bed. There was no sitting nice because JH was already 30 minutes past bedtime after he finished dinner. My calls don't start until later in the day tomorrow so I'll try and get a video of him playing with his new trains. I brought them all down to the basement today and unsuccessfully tried putting a track together. I think I'll stick to banking and cooking and let Da Da "create" :-)
Goodnight.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Jonathan Day 210
JH quietly laid in bed until Auntie Jo Jo opened his door when he yelled, "good morning Auntie". Jo did EVERYTHING for JH today. They played trains all day long; Auntie Jo Jo brought JH a box full of Thomas Trains, buildings, and tracks. Thank you Damian Justice for giving your cousin your trains :-)
Da Da and I pretty much finished the basement today. All we have left is to install a few doorknobs and roll out the rugs. It's amazing that we have added 700 sq feet of living space and we cannot wait to start using it! Tomorrow morning we hope to get the TV installed and then it's ON.
In the afternoon we all went for Mexican food in MI City and JH kept saying "I don't want Mexican", "I want chips and sauce". He was charming as usual and said please and thank you each time the waiter came by. It's so nice to have Jo here to take JH to the potty and hold his hand in stores. We need a nanny :-P
This evening Jo made us home-made pizza and JH we watched several shows while Jh sat nice. We had to sabotage him at about 7:30 PM so he would could put him to bed. No nap and so much activity and he was sleeping in 10 minutes.
Da Da and I pretty much finished the basement today. All we have left is to install a few doorknobs and roll out the rugs. It's amazing that we have added 700 sq feet of living space and we cannot wait to start using it! Tomorrow morning we hope to get the TV installed and then it's ON.
In the afternoon we all went for Mexican food in MI City and JH kept saying "I don't want Mexican", "I want chips and sauce". He was charming as usual and said please and thank you each time the waiter came by. It's so nice to have Jo here to take JH to the potty and hold his hand in stores. We need a nanny :-P
This evening Jo made us home-made pizza and JH we watched several shows while Jh sat nice. We had to sabotage him at about 7:30 PM so he would could put him to bed. No nap and so much activity and he was sleeping in 10 minutes.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Jonathan Day 209
Daddy's little helper.
How we all slept until 7:30 AM I'll never know. JH was fed, pottied, washed, and shuffled off to Carley's house. We were very rushed this morning and most of the day. By the time 2:00 PM rolled around (time to pick-up JH), Da Da ran out the door about 1:55 PM.
The good news is the basement is 90% done. I took tomorrow off work so I can help get the final projects complete. Aunt Jo Jo is coming tonight so she and JH can spend the day together while we're working. I'm as excited to see Oakley as she is to see JH.
Da Da fed JH dinner (Hot Dogs and Scrambled Eggs) while I cooked dinner. He actually liked it; he's not a big meat eater and I wanted him to have protein. After he ate JH sat at the table while we ate and he kept asking for "a bite". I made a Lemon Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus. JH kept asking for "beans", anything green is a bean to him. I'll bet he ate 8 long pieces of Asparagus.
We tried to sit nice and watch Dinosaur Train but JH was just too jumpy. He made it 10 minutes and we were off to bed.
How we all slept until 7:30 AM I'll never know. JH was fed, pottied, washed, and shuffled off to Carley's house. We were very rushed this morning and most of the day. By the time 2:00 PM rolled around (time to pick-up JH), Da Da ran out the door about 1:55 PM.
The good news is the basement is 90% done. I took tomorrow off work so I can help get the final projects complete. Aunt Jo Jo is coming tonight so she and JH can spend the day together while we're working. I'm as excited to see Oakley as she is to see JH.
Da Da fed JH dinner (Hot Dogs and Scrambled Eggs) while I cooked dinner. He actually liked it; he's not a big meat eater and I wanted him to have protein. After he ate JH sat at the table while we ate and he kept asking for "a bite". I made a Lemon Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus. JH kept asking for "beans", anything green is a bean to him. I'll bet he ate 8 long pieces of Asparagus.
We tried to sit nice and watch Dinosaur Train but JH was just too jumpy. He made it 10 minutes and we were off to bed.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Jonathan Day 208
The video is one from the weekend when Ki Ki and Michael sat with JH.
It was another early morning for us. I volunteered to get JH this morning and let Da Da have an extra 1/2 hour of sleep. JH had a Banana and a Blueberry Waffle for breakfast. He had a meltdown when I started to get him Chocolate Milk and he wanted Pink Milk (Strawberry). I had him lay back in bed until he could promise me he would be a nicer boy.
Da Da got up and got JH ready to take to Carley's house and I worked in my office and he worked in the basement. At 2:00 PM I went and got him while Da Da finished painting. When I got to Carley's house they were all playing in the front yard; it was 50+ here today. Jh was squirting colored water on the snow with a spray bottle. Again, taking him to Christy (Carley's mom) has been a great experience.
After work we drove to MI City for dinner and another gallon of paint. We stopped at an Asian Buffet and JH kept saying "another bite please Da Da", "thank you so much Daddy" and the table of moms and their gaggle of kids just stared at us. The waiter kept leaning down and saying what a good boy!
JH is in bed now and Da Da returned to the basement to peel tape of the baseboards and do some touch-ups. I think I'll grab a glass of wine :-)
It was another early morning for us. I volunteered to get JH this morning and let Da Da have an extra 1/2 hour of sleep. JH had a Banana and a Blueberry Waffle for breakfast. He had a meltdown when I started to get him Chocolate Milk and he wanted Pink Milk (Strawberry). I had him lay back in bed until he could promise me he would be a nicer boy.
Da Da got up and got JH ready to take to Carley's house and I worked in my office and he worked in the basement. At 2:00 PM I went and got him while Da Da finished painting. When I got to Carley's house they were all playing in the front yard; it was 50+ here today. Jh was squirting colored water on the snow with a spray bottle. Again, taking him to Christy (Carley's mom) has been a great experience.
After work we drove to MI City for dinner and another gallon of paint. We stopped at an Asian Buffet and JH kept saying "another bite please Da Da", "thank you so much Daddy" and the table of moms and their gaggle of kids just stared at us. The waiter kept leaning down and saying what a good boy!
JH is in bed now and Da Da returned to the basement to peel tape of the baseboards and do some touch-ups. I think I'll grab a glass of wine :-)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Jonathan Day 207
Da Da did the 5:00 AM potty trip with JH this morning. I think we'll try and get to bed earlier tonight so we're ready for our little rooster tomorrow.
Jonathan spent 5 hours at Carley's today and came home with a beautiful finger painting. When I went to get him he ran to the fort and hid. They had turned the dining table in to a blanket covered fort. I love how creative his days are turning out to be.
Da Da did school with JH before dinner and he did really well. I hate that I forget 90% of the funny things he says during the day/evening. I think I need that vacation to AZ at the end of the month. For dinner we gave JH Mac n Cheese and I cut up prunes in to it. He kept saying "I want more raisins". He hasn't been as regular as we would like so we thought the prunes would counter act the Mac n Cheese.
After dinner we sat and watched a few episodes of Dinosaur Train and JH entertained us with some pretty goofy noises. Da Da was doing something that was making him belly laugh, and that was making us laugh so hard. As you can see by the video clip (taken by Ki Ki and Michael) this child is all personality!
Jonathan spent 5 hours at Carley's today and came home with a beautiful finger painting. When I went to get him he ran to the fort and hid. They had turned the dining table in to a blanket covered fort. I love how creative his days are turning out to be.
Da Da did school with JH before dinner and he did really well. I hate that I forget 90% of the funny things he says during the day/evening. I think I need that vacation to AZ at the end of the month. For dinner we gave JH Mac n Cheese and I cut up prunes in to it. He kept saying "I want more raisins". He hasn't been as regular as we would like so we thought the prunes would counter act the Mac n Cheese.
After dinner we sat and watched a few episodes of Dinosaur Train and JH entertained us with some pretty goofy noises. Da Da was doing something that was making him belly laugh, and that was making us laugh so hard. As you can see by the video clip (taken by Ki Ki and Michael) this child is all personality!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Jonathan Day 206
This morning it was my turn to get JH up and give him breakfast while Da Da got to sleep in an extra 30 minutes. Jonathan ate a banana and a yogurt and was good. I offered eggs or french toast and he said "I'm good Daddy, I'm full".
We both dropped Jonathan off at Carley's this morning and he immediately ran to the dining table where Carley was coloring yelling "i want to color too". We think spending several hours a day playing with someone his own age is really helping. He looks forward to going and almost every day he comes home with an art project. Today he tore what he made to bits while I was driving home after picking him up :-/ Maybe I shouldn't tear the junk mail in the car for something to do; he may be copying me.
After work we ran to MI City to return some blinds and buy JH a new pair of jeans at Pennys. We had to get a 4T because his 3T jeans are flooders. He is getting so big! I have no stories or things to write because I'm so tired after putting a few hours in the basement tonight. I swear, it's almost done so we'll be writing how much fun JH is having down there soon.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Jonathan Day 205
Da Da slammed breakfast and hit the basement to finish the flooring. Michael and Ki Ki were kind enough to sit with JH today while I helped with the flooring. They arrived at about 10:30 AM and went down to help. Da Da got so much done that by the time I got there to help we only had about 1 hour of work left. Then we drove to MI City to get the final supplies to finish.
The photo above is one Michael took of the Snowman he and JH made while we were gone. They had a great time and when we got home after 3:30 PM they had just put JH down for a nap/quiet time. He laid in his room for about 30 minutes and had played so hard all day he fell asleep. Ki KI and Michael wore him out today! I think they will ALL sleep well tonight. Michael went in to say good-bye to JH and came out with him in his arms and JH was hugging him. I know he has won over both of them and you can tell that he loves all of our friends up here so much.
SO, I'll say THANK YOU again to Janine, DJ, Ki Ki, and Michael for the time they spent with Jonathan Harper this weekend. It was great for us to work and not worry about having to stop to go pick him up. People always say how lucky JH is to have us and we respond by saying how lucky we are to have him. This weekend I realized how lucky he really is to have so many different people in his life that truly do love him. Family is what you make it! It doesn't require blood relations to make a healthy family; it takes love and respect.
I'm going to stop writing now and go watch the monster truck push the choo choo around the train track.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Jonathan Day 204
Today was busy busy busy! Da Da hit the basement while I tended to JH until Janine and DJ arrived at Noon. It went really well for us until the we realized that the flooring we bought was not going to work! We ripped what we had laid down up and returned the flooring and bought much better stuff.
At about 5:45 PM we came up and had finished almost 50% of the new flooring and WOW it looks great. JH was smitten as always with Janine. I'm not sure who puts what spell on who :-)
They all seemed to be having fun.
We ordered pizza and had a nice time getting to know DJ (Janine's new boyfriend) and had a great time. It was a great evening and JH loved having visitors.
We're exhausted so I'll try and write more tomorrow. That's what happens when someone watches your child all day and you work your hind end-off!
At about 5:45 PM we came up and had finished almost 50% of the new flooring and WOW it looks great. JH was smitten as always with Janine. I'm not sure who puts what spell on who :-)
They all seemed to be having fun.
We ordered pizza and had a nice time getting to know DJ (Janine's new boyfriend) and had a great time. It was a great evening and JH loved having visitors.
We're exhausted so I'll try and write more tomorrow. That's what happens when someone watches your child all day and you work your hind end-off!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Jonathan Day 203
4:45 AM this morning! JH was repeating, "I have to go potty". I stumbled to his room and took his PJs off and marched him to the potty. He's been doing this thing lately (mostly with #2) where he says "I think I'll go a little more" or "I have to do a little more please". Since he was going #1 I wasn't playing. I put him back to bed and told him It was the middle of the night so go to sleep.
5:15 AM I heard him chattering again so I went in and started a movie.
6:45 AM I hit Da Da on the shoulder to wake him up and said, It's your turn.
Finally at about 7:30 AM Da Da woke me and asked if I could take JH to Carley's so he could get our guest room painted before Auntie Jo Jo gets here tomorrow night. It looks great!
On the way to Carley's this is pretty much how it went:
JH - Carley has a kitty
Daddy - What's his name
JH - Huh?
Daddy - Is his name Barney
JH - Nahhhhhh
Daddy - is his name Buttons
JH - Nahhhhhh
I guessed at least 20 names and each time I got "Nahhhhhh".
Da Da picked JH up at about 2:00 PM and had to run to MI City for some blinds while I finished my work day. When they got home JH had been napping in the car and was a crabby monster. He went in his room and crawled in to bed and went back to sleep.
After work we went to a Mexican place for dinner and JH kept saying "I want chips and sauce", Again, we're so lucky he eats about anything! He was laughing so hard at dinner that people were starting to stare. I say at 5:15 PM who the heck cares and if you don't like it do what we used to do (before becoming parents), ask to be moved.
The video above is our ride home from dinner. JH had a bath, a nice and warm, and is watching Dinosaur Train sitting nice. He just said "that's Dr Scott"; Dr Scott is a paleontologist that talks about Dinosaurs between episodes. We like that he's actually paying attention and learning.
5:15 AM I heard him chattering again so I went in and started a movie.
6:45 AM I hit Da Da on the shoulder to wake him up and said, It's your turn.
Finally at about 7:30 AM Da Da woke me and asked if I could take JH to Carley's so he could get our guest room painted before Auntie Jo Jo gets here tomorrow night. It looks great!
On the way to Carley's this is pretty much how it went:
JH - Carley has a kitty
Daddy - What's his name
JH - Huh?
Daddy - Is his name Barney
JH - Nahhhhhh
Daddy - is his name Buttons
JH - Nahhhhhh
I guessed at least 20 names and each time I got "Nahhhhhh".
Da Da picked JH up at about 2:00 PM and had to run to MI City for some blinds while I finished my work day. When they got home JH had been napping in the car and was a crabby monster. He went in his room and crawled in to bed and went back to sleep.
After work we went to a Mexican place for dinner and JH kept saying "I want chips and sauce", Again, we're so lucky he eats about anything! He was laughing so hard at dinner that people were starting to stare. I say at 5:15 PM who the heck cares and if you don't like it do what we used to do (before becoming parents), ask to be moved.
The video above is our ride home from dinner. JH had a bath, a nice and warm, and is watching Dinosaur Train sitting nice. He just said "that's Dr Scott"; Dr Scott is a paleontologist that talks about Dinosaurs between episodes. We like that he's actually paying attention and learning.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Jonathan Day 202
It's sort of difficult to get breakfast, potty, and a little play in before Da Da has to load JH in the car and take him over to Carley's house. JH loves going there! Today he stayed an extra 2 hours while Da Da did more painting in the basement. One more day and he should have it almost done.
Saturday Janine is coming to watch JH while we start the flooring. We're hoping we get it completely laid on Saturday but if not, Jo said she is coming up Saturday night and will stay for some time on Sunday. Have I really been blathering on about that darn basement for 3 months? Before JH Rick and I were able to build our deck and pergola in a weekend. Life is way different, but also way better.
After work I took JH to Hardings Friendly Market (grocery store in town) while Da Da took a power nap. While driving JH said "are you driving Daddy?", I said yep and he said "thank you for driving Daddy". While pushing him around in the cart he saw a man walk by and said "is that Da Da?", I said, no that's not Da Da! ( in a playful voice). Then he pointed to a pack of ground beef and said "Is that Da Da?"....this went on until we got to the check-out lane :-P He is SO funny when he gets playful.
I gave him dinner while Da Da ran to Linda and Neil's house. He ate like a little piggy and made me laugh several times. The drama of the day was trying to find his choo choo trains. We tore the house apart finally thinking he must have thrown them in the trash; they were under his bookcase! Drama over and the trains started running again.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Jonathan Day 201
Jonathan went to Craley's house again and was happy as can be! Taking him on a daily basis is really turning out to be a good thing for him.
JH came home from Carley's with a valentine Carley made him last night and a paper airplane he made today. It's amazing that he is actually doing crafts and creative things. We need to get better at doing things like this at home too.
In the afternoon we ran to MI City to get another gallon of paint and some groceries. It was nice to get out of the house since the snow is more than 2 feet high and we haven't been out too much lately.
Dinner was fun and playful having a salad and homemade pizza. JH kept saying "this is spicy", but kept eating the pizza. It really wasn't spicy but I put red onions on it and they had a little bite. Weeks ago when Michael, Janine, and Ki Ki came over he was all over the red onions in the salad.
Before bed JH and Da Da played with his paper airplane until he smashed it. Then Da Da made another that actually flew :-) Linda and Neil came over to see the progress in the basement and for a little wine and cheese. It was a really good day!
JH came home from Carley's with a valentine Carley made him last night and a paper airplane he made today. It's amazing that he is actually doing crafts and creative things. We need to get better at doing things like this at home too.
In the afternoon we ran to MI City to get another gallon of paint and some groceries. It was nice to get out of the house since the snow is more than 2 feet high and we haven't been out too much lately.
Dinner was fun and playful having a salad and homemade pizza. JH kept saying "this is spicy", but kept eating the pizza. It really wasn't spicy but I put red onions on it and they had a little bite. Weeks ago when Michael, Janine, and Ki Ki came over he was all over the red onions in the salad.
Before bed JH and Da Da played with his paper airplane until he smashed it. Then Da Da made another that actually flew :-) Linda and Neil came over to see the progress in the basement and for a little wine and cheese. It was a really good day!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Jonathan Day 200
It was a milestone day today, we took JH to a babysitter who lives in town with a 2 1/2 year old girl. When Da Da dropped him off at 9:00 AM and left after about 10 minutes JH didn't bat an eyelash. He was playing with Carley coloring and having a blast! When Da Da picked him up at Noon JH ran to Christy and said "save me Mommy"; he called her Mommy because Carley was calling her Mommy all morning.
The first thing Christy said when Rick walked in was how polite Jonathan was all morning. He says please and thank you almost 100% of the time. We're really happy they got along and decided to take him there all week for 3 hours a day. At dinner he was being cheeky and Da Da said "you must have had too much fun at Carley's" and JH said "yea, I did".
The day is coming to an end and JH is sitting nice watching Dinosaur Train. I'm betting it won't last much longer because he's getting squirmy :-) I forgot to mention when I woke-up and turned the coffee on this morning JH jumped out of bed and said "Daddy, I want to see Gramma". I think he really enjoyed having Gramma here for almost 10 days; in fact, we all did.
Great Gramma Update:
She is back at the nursing home and received a blood transfusion to replenish the blood she is losing from a leaky valve. We're still hopeful but every time the phone rings we worry.
The first thing Christy said when Rick walked in was how polite Jonathan was all morning. He says please and thank you almost 100% of the time. We're really happy they got along and decided to take him there all week for 3 hours a day. At dinner he was being cheeky and Da Da said "you must have had too much fun at Carley's" and JH said "yea, I did".
The day is coming to an end and JH is sitting nice watching Dinosaur Train. I'm betting it won't last much longer because he's getting squirmy :-) I forgot to mention when I woke-up and turned the coffee on this morning JH jumped out of bed and said "Daddy, I want to see Gramma". I think he really enjoyed having Gramma here for almost 10 days; in fact, we all did.
Great Gramma Update:
She is back at the nursing home and received a blood transfusion to replenish the blood she is losing from a leaky valve. We're still hopeful but every time the phone rings we worry.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Jonathan Day 199
We had our one and only home study today! It seemed to go very well and the person that came out said "you have nothing to worry about" and now all we need to do is wait for 5/17. On May 17th it will be 6 months and that's the minimum time allowed to finalize an adoption in Cook County.
Jonathan was very good today and impressed Michele the social worker. He was interactive with us and also played by himself while she interviewed us. As soon as it was over we loaded the car and headed "home" to MI. It's snowing like crazy but it's good to be home.
Great Gramma is still hanging on but not doing very well. We're all on pins and needles hoping for good news. This is a difficult time for all of us.
On a lighter note, JH just had dinner and is running around like a bunny. He ran to the bathroom and while jumping on the potty, he hurt his leg/butt and ran out here crying "my butt, my butt". I refused to kiss his butt, but gave him a hug to make him feel better.
Our latest weapon with JH is to say "don't you ........." like "don't you go poop" and boom ding, he poops!! When we tell him not to count he counts from 1 - 12 immediately. I think next we'll tell him to NOT pick the winning lottery numbers :-)
Jonathan was very good today and impressed Michele the social worker. He was interactive with us and also played by himself while she interviewed us. As soon as it was over we loaded the car and headed "home" to MI. It's snowing like crazy but it's good to be home.
Great Gramma is still hanging on but not doing very well. We're all on pins and needles hoping for good news. This is a difficult time for all of us.
On a lighter note, JH just had dinner and is running around like a bunny. He ran to the bathroom and while jumping on the potty, he hurt his leg/butt and ran out here crying "my butt, my butt". I refused to kiss his butt, but gave him a hug to make him feel better.
Our latest weapon with JH is to say "don't you ........." like "don't you go poop" and boom ding, he poops!! When we tell him not to count he counts from 1 - 12 immediately. I think next we'll tell him to NOT pick the winning lottery numbers :-)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Jonathan Day 198
Today started pretty nicely with Da Da sleeping in an extra 15 minutes on his birthday. I had a card from JH ready when Da Da woke-up and JH ran up and said "happy birthday Da Da", and then wouldn't hand over the card.
We had French Toast for breakfast and after a bath for JH we loaded up the car to come to Chicago. Gramma was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM, we got a call at 1:00 PM that Great Gramma VanDerSnick / Junker was being taken to the hospital. We know very little as I write this other than Gramma V is on the train back to Moline and Great Gramma is stabilizing. Great Gramma is 90+ and loved by so many. When we show JH pictures of her he immediately says "that's Gramma Junker".
When we got home from dropping Gramma off at the train JH was going potty and I was hugging Da Da and I told him I loved him, JH said "I love you too Da Da", looking over at us while he was on the potty. He is so sweet and has had so much tragedy in his life we don't want to completely shield him but are careful to keep things lite.
We have our rescheduled home study tomorrow so Da Da couldn't go home with Gramma or drive her home. I know this is very difficult for him! We are all hoping Gramma Junker pulls out of this like she has several times in the past. We're all pretty numb right now and know we need to focus on Jonathan and our visit with the social worker tomorrow morning. Good thoughts for us all and a speedy recovery for Great Gramma.
We had French Toast for breakfast and after a bath for JH we loaded up the car to come to Chicago. Gramma was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM, we got a call at 1:00 PM that Great Gramma VanDerSnick / Junker was being taken to the hospital. We know very little as I write this other than Gramma V is on the train back to Moline and Great Gramma is stabilizing. Great Gramma is 90+ and loved by so many. When we show JH pictures of her he immediately says "that's Gramma Junker".
When we got home from dropping Gramma off at the train JH was going potty and I was hugging Da Da and I told him I loved him, JH said "I love you too Da Da", looking over at us while he was on the potty. He is so sweet and has had so much tragedy in his life we don't want to completely shield him but are careful to keep things lite.
We have our rescheduled home study tomorrow so Da Da couldn't go home with Gramma or drive her home. I know this is very difficult for him! We are all hoping Gramma Junker pulls out of this like she has several times in the past. We're all pretty numb right now and know we need to focus on Jonathan and our visit with the social worker tomorrow morning. Good thoughts for us all and a speedy recovery for Great Gramma.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Jonathan Day 197
Gramma V. is writing tonight. Here are her words:
Hello everyone! I have been enjoying myself immensely here in Michigan with my 3 favorite boys! (the other one is at home) Tried to sleep in this morning ....but no luck. JH was on a roll! Everyone had their breakfast and Rick and Jon headed down to basement to work. I watched JH and got him bathed and dressed for the day. Grandpa and I bought JH a Thomas The Train and track yesterday and JH has been playing with it ever since we brought it home. Who knew......a simple toy that goes round & round could amuse a 2 1/2 year old to the end. At noon, I fixed JH a turkey & cheese sandwich with chips. He ate it all and wanted more. I then peeled an orange and he ate 3/4's of it. Such a good little eater he is!!!! I laid him down for a nap, but of course that didn't work. So he laid in his bed and talked to himself, and giggled at times. Wonder what he was thinking about? Maybe best if we didn't know! After about an hour I went in and retrieved the poor boy! Has been a very good boy all afternoon. Rick & Jon came up and gave up work for the day. We have been just enjoying the rest of the afternoon together. I have enjoyed myself so much this week with JH. It's nice to be around JH and get to know his little personality. I could go on & on but will go for now.
With all my love to my 3 favorite guys, Gramma V.
Hello everyone! I have been enjoying myself immensely here in Michigan with my 3 favorite boys! (the other one is at home) Tried to sleep in this morning ....but no luck. JH was on a roll! Everyone had their breakfast and Rick and Jon headed down to basement to work. I watched JH and got him bathed and dressed for the day. Grandpa and I bought JH a Thomas The Train and track yesterday and JH has been playing with it ever since we brought it home. Who knew......a simple toy that goes round & round could amuse a 2 1/2 year old to the end. At noon, I fixed JH a turkey & cheese sandwich with chips. He ate it all and wanted more. I then peeled an orange and he ate 3/4's of it. Such a good little eater he is!!!! I laid him down for a nap, but of course that didn't work. So he laid in his bed and talked to himself, and giggled at times. Wonder what he was thinking about? Maybe best if we didn't know! After about an hour I went in and retrieved the poor boy! Has been a very good boy all afternoon. Rick & Jon came up and gave up work for the day. We have been just enjoying the rest of the afternoon together. I have enjoyed myself so much this week with JH. It's nice to be around JH and get to know his little personality. I could go on & on but will go for now.
With all my love to my 3 favorite guys, Gramma V.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Jonathan Day 196
TGIF! It's been one week since our little guy had his surgery. One week ago we were all worried about him and his recovery. Kids are so resilient!
Today was pretty routine with me working and Gramma watching JH while Da Da completed some trim work in the basement. At lunch we drove to MI City and had Mexican food for lunch. We're SO lucky that our boy isn't a picky eater; he likes Dim Sum, most other Asian foods, and vegetables.
After lunch we stopped at Mejier and Gramma bought JH a Thomas train set. After we got back he sat for almost 2 hours playing with his new train. He laid on the floor and watched it and at one point he actually started to fall asleep. Gramma woke him so he would be able to sleep when we put him down.
We just got our goodnight kisses and it's time for Daddy, Da Da, and Gramma to chillax.
Today was pretty routine with me working and Gramma watching JH while Da Da completed some trim work in the basement. At lunch we drove to MI City and had Mexican food for lunch. We're SO lucky that our boy isn't a picky eater; he likes Dim Sum, most other Asian foods, and vegetables.
After lunch we stopped at Mejier and Gramma bought JH a Thomas train set. After we got back he sat for almost 2 hours playing with his new train. He laid on the floor and watched it and at one point he actually started to fall asleep. Gramma woke him so he would be able to sleep when we put him down.
We just got our goodnight kisses and it's time for Daddy, Da Da, and Gramma to chillax.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Jonathan Day 195
We missed our home study today due to the bad weather :-( We'll know tomorrow if they are able to reschedule for Monday. The good news is once that's over and if it goes well we'll be done with pretty much everything. They "reviewers" have until February 28th to submit their recommendations to the judge.
Today while I worked Gramma stayed with JH. Da Da puttered around in the basement getting some lights hung and continued cleaning. The day was pretty uneventful and that's not a bad thing! Tomorrow Da Da will start laying the floors while Gramma and JH make more dinosaur houses and watch his school DVD. I hope for a light day so I can get my hands dirty in the afternoon and help with the floor.
JH and Gramma are sitting nice watching Dinosaur Train. Since he didn't nap we'll try and get him to bed a little early tonight. Last night when we put him to bed he started crying "arm things, arm things", we stopped putting them on last night since his eyes are healing so well. We actually worried that he would rub his eyes and he never really did.
I'm out of anything good to write since with Gramma here, I havent spent much during the day time with him :-o
Today while I worked Gramma stayed with JH. Da Da puttered around in the basement getting some lights hung and continued cleaning. The day was pretty uneventful and that's not a bad thing! Tomorrow Da Da will start laying the floors while Gramma and JH make more dinosaur houses and watch his school DVD. I hope for a light day so I can get my hands dirty in the afternoon and help with the floor.
JH and Gramma are sitting nice watching Dinosaur Train. Since he didn't nap we'll try and get him to bed a little early tonight. Last night when we put him to bed he started crying "arm things, arm things", we stopped putting them on last night since his eyes are healing so well. We actually worried that he would rub his eyes and he never really did.
I'm out of anything good to write since with Gramma here, I havent spent much during the day time with him :-o
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Jonathan Day 194
I stayed in bed until Da Da came in at about 7:15 AM and said "don't you have to sign on to work?". I did, but for some reason I was dragging!
Gramma was dreaming about the basement and thought she heard noises of me and Da Da working down there, so she ran out of bed and to Jonathan's room, and threw the door open and he said "Hi Gramma". We were still sleeping :-)
Today was a busy day for all of us. Gramma and Da Da tag-teamed taking care of JH this week. When one was painting the other was up here building houses for Jonathan's dinosaur. He has been on a big dinosaur kick lately.
I don't have much to say since I worked all day and just finished a little bit ago. I'll leave it to Gramma and Da Da to jump in and add comments.
Health update - JH is doing great! His eyes look great and none of us have seen them wander at all since the surgery. btw - he was a poop machine again today!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Jonathan Day 193
JH looks great today! is swelling is completely gone and the red is starting to subside. We had a nice day today with Da Da spending most of the morning with JH while Gramma spent more than 8 hours priming the basement. At 9:30 PM Nanny Linda came over for 3 hours so Da Da could help Gramma. The basement looks so amazing! For anyone that has seen the old basement you will not believe the (almost) finished product.
I heard Da Da asking JH what letters and numbers were while they were playing in his room. Da Da said what letter is that and JH said "it's a U Da Da" and i went over and it was a U! This went on for a few letters and then he started getting the old "huh?". When JH doesn't want to play anymore or doesn't know the answer he says "huh?".
Dinner was nice tonight. Gramma made pork chops for Da Da and I made steaks with mushrooms and onions for me and Gramma. All of us had Asparagus and Bernaise sauce. JH ate plenty of all our foods and wanted "sauce" on everything. It's great that our 2 year old eats Asparagus and Bernaise :-)
I think Gramma is really missing Grandpa! She has been worrying about him a little lately and really wishing he had time to spend with his grandson like she has. We all do!
I heard Da Da asking JH what letters and numbers were while they were playing in his room. Da Da said what letter is that and JH said "it's a U Da Da" and i went over and it was a U! This went on for a few letters and then he started getting the old "huh?". When JH doesn't want to play anymore or doesn't know the answer he says "huh?".
Dinner was nice tonight. Gramma made pork chops for Da Da and I made steaks with mushrooms and onions for me and Gramma. All of us had Asparagus and Bernaise sauce. JH ate plenty of all our foods and wanted "sauce" on everything. It's great that our 2 year old eats Asparagus and Bernaise :-)
I think Gramma is really missing Grandpa! She has been worrying about him a little lately and really wishing he had time to spend with his grandson like she has. We all do!
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