CJ Get on Your Belly

Ok, so C.J. and this belly time thing will not be easy. She has the spirit of her mother and father in her. Which in most cases would be a good thing but for this we have a struggle on our hands. Now we are taking things slowly but we want her to at least make attempts. Today the sitter said C.J. was not having any of that belly time. So when we arrived home Mommy (who would not be as nice about it) attempted and she had some success. With assistance, C.J rolled over a bit.

When Daddy got hungry we had to change spots so you know the time would be different. We had her on her activity mat and she pulls the toys from above so I moved them over to make her roll. BINGO!...we had some success. So much so that after a bit C.J. got comfortable on her side, stuck her thumb in her mouth and the next thing I knew, she was napping.

Even though Mommy and Daddy go about it two different ways we both are on the same page. We want C.J. to get the proper time she needs. So we both have made the decision to change the way we end the evening. We just want to make sure our Princess is getting all the attention she needs.

Today C.J. and I listened to Mommy sing. I will not tell you how C. J. frowned a few times when her mother sang. The funny thing was that she was singing, Giving You The Best That I Got by Anita Baker. Clearly C.J. and Daddy did not share that sentiment. We even chuckled a bit to some of her riffs and octave jumps. Mommy does her best but she should let Daddy handle the singing obligations for now. We love her nonetheless though.

So I will let you go for now. I just ask that you remember to pray because prayer changes things.

NOTE TO C.J.: Today in history there was a catastrophic tragedy in the country of Haiti. A 7.0 earthquake hit and sent chaos throughout the city. Your daddy knows a lot of Haitians and has a lot of Haitian students. When you pray at night always remember that we are all brothers and sisters and to always pray for peace around the world. Haiti will never be the same. Even today it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. When you go to school learn about the true history of the country. The real stuff will not always be in the textbooks you learn from but no one can hide the truth from you...go out and search for the truth.

Off to the Doctor

Well these visits come once a month but they feel like they are always one right after the other. The great thing is that all of the visits have been positive. C.J. is really beginning to warm up to the thought of needles and the doctor. He even stated that fact today in the office. He said that she is really growing up temperament wise.

Again we are so grateful to have found a great doctor for her that has hours conducive to those that work. We realized today that C.J. has to step her tummy time up. Over the break we noticed her getting a little lazy. I guess she said I have Mommy and Daddy here, and that means I will milk them for all it is worth. Funny thing is that Daddy gave in and the spoiling was mutual between the two. So Daddy assured Mommy today that he would spend more of his time with C.J., belly down.

C.J. is really growing up right before her daddy's eyes. She is talking, ok babbling. She likes shiny things. She is very alert and her grip is strong. She is growing to be quite independent too. Which of course Daddy loves. Pretty soon she will be doing push ups and dribbling drills, lol.

So today was another routine day. The sad thing is that there is no football on tonight to watch together. So we will now go sit down and chill out for a few so we are recharged up for tomorrow. As we go,(because C.J. is right in my lap limiting my typing to one hand), you all remember to pray because prayer changes things!

Thank God It's Sunday

"I'm blessed just to be here. Just to be in the land of the living. I've got another chance to testify, of how good God's been to me!" Those were the words echoed by the choir this morning in church. If everyone would utter those same words to someone else, Daddy said we would be fulfilling our mission to tell the world about Jesus. I have to admit that the song touched me today. Just knowing that God grants us another day with health and strength gets me excited.

Today we actually got out of the house with a whole lot of time to spare. We were able to stop for breakfast and still arrived to Sunday School a half hour early. It was a great day outside and a great day to worship together as a family. Family together in worship is something I try to lead my family in doing all the time. We pray together daily and you can catch us sometimes having our own little praise service in the house. Being a preacher's kid, C.J. will be around the church a lot. However my prayer is that she understands that there is more to church than just going. I hope she understand that she must accept the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal savior. Mommy and Daddy's profession of faith will not help her. It will be an example but she must profess it on her own.

Tonight we sat and watched the tenth annual Celebration of Gospel together as a family. That is until the three became two because C.J. fell asleep. One thing C.J. already knows about her daddy is that he celebrates gospel music daily. Gospel music is in my pores and pours out daily. I just pray that what C.J. hears will resonate as messages on how to live and how to give God all the Praise.

Today was a great day and I pray that all our Sunday evenings can be shared this way. Home, together and in Worship! You all pray as we retire tonight. We know that prayer always changes things!!!

Daddy is at a Meeting

Let me begin by saying God is a great God and is worthy to be praised! A big shout out to the man upstairs for bringing me out OK from an accident this morning. When you are doing the will of God, He will take care of you. When I came home this evening I told C.J. that they tried to take me out, but it will take much more than that to keep her daddy down! I am OK, the truck will be OK and my meetings were very productive.

This was the first Saturday that Daddy tried the two meeting format in order to be with his Princess and Queen a little more. I will give myself a B+ for today. I was home in time enough to play with C.J., talk with the Queen, have dinner and enjoy a funny movie. This really means a lot for me because had I not made a conscience decision to change the way I did things, I would have let things get out of control. To sit and laugh with C.J. as Mommy and I relaxed on the love seat is a great feeling.

I never want C.J. to have to contend with her daddy always being in meetings. I do not want C.J. having to schedule her life around my business and involvement. That would not be fair to her nor would it be the responsible thing to do as a father. The word says I must take care of home first before any other tasks are done. This will create harmony within myself, as well as with my family and with my business.

So as we now prepare for Worship tomorrow I thank God for all He has done thus far in my family's lives. Also for what He is going to do. I thank Him for speaking to me in different ways and showing me that if I continue to surrender to Him, He will direct my paths. So you all get ready for Worship too and while you're doing that, remember to pray because prayer changes things!

Dance The Night Away

Today as C. J. and I patiently waited for Mommy to come out of work a great song came on the radio. The song was ole skool by a group named Switch. The hook of the song simply stated that, "There'll never be a better love". It was a great sentiment so I decided to play it once we were settled at home. As Mommy read Daddy and C. J. practiced the two-step they will perform on a few occasions to come.

The moment was very special to me because C. J. was actually focused on what I was doing. She will look at me as I glide across the room singing to her and motioning her arms the way they would if she was more active in the dance. I will have you know that she does hold on to my hand though and she lets me lead. We have not danced in a while and tonight it felt good to dance with her.

C. J. is growing so fast I notice. Today I was speaking to one of my students and she expressed to me that in no time she would be walking and running around. I told her that I would race C. J. at least until my knees can not hold up anymore. So we are at the first Saturday of the new year. Hopefully my plan of having one busy Saturday a month will work out. I planned things like this to focus on my family and to spend more time with C. J. and Mommy on the weekends. Wish me luck my friends and as always please remember to pray because prayer changes things and situations!

Daddy Bath Day - January 7th, 2010

Thursdays used to be IHOP night but since the winter is upon us we stay home. I will have you know when the weather breaks we are back at IHOP on Thursday nights! So with nothing to do Thursday night has become Daddy bath night. Now if you could see how organized and systematic Mommy does this you would understand why she is a little worried when "CJ" and I get ready for bath time.

So you have to see this girl/ As soon as she touches the water she begins to cycle like she is riding a bicycle. I pause and ask her to stop. She continues to kick because it is funny to her. I tell her to stop but she looks at her Daddy and begins to chuckle like a drunk man at a bad joke. So what does Daddy do? He joins in the laughter and attempts (but fails) to stay dry.

We then go to the next phase of bath time and which is to grease her up like a turkey and get her sleeper on. Tonight we handle that without incident. Sometimes she might pee on the pamper or the changing pad or even you if you're too close. From there it was off to the task of putting her to sleep. Now Mommy usually goes in the room, closes the door makes it silent and dark and nine times out of ten she falls asleep before CJ. Daddy on the other hand stay in the living room and watches television. Tonight CJ and I watched the College Football National Championship. Well CJ did get to see the first minutes of the first quarter because soon thereafter she was knocked out. I laid her in her crib and I am out here enjoying the rest of the game alone.

So another Daddy Bath Night came and is now gone. Tonight I would give myself an A-, simply because it was a little later than it ought to have been. However, it was a success! So I am going to enjoy the rest of the game. You all remember to pray because prayer changes things. Tonight even though they are down, I still say Hook Em' Horns!

Note to CJ: Just wanted to let you know that today you wore your Giants dress. Even though we did not have a great season we support Big Blue. Next year when I buy you the next size up you will rock it for a winner!!!

Sensitive Dad

In my line of work one thing I do a lot of is reading. Today I read something that made an impact on my day. In the essay I was reading the applicant stressed the need for parents to share with their daughters how important their bodies are. She urged parents to help them understand that their bodies belong to them and that no one should abuse it in any way. She began the essay with the question, what is rape? I knew I was in for more than I bargained for from that point.

You all know I have a soft spot for women in general. No woman should ever be harmed in my opinion. When a little girl is taken advantage of, my soft spot gets filled with rage. The rage comes because whenever I speak to, look at or listen to any young lady all I hear or see is C.J. I just do not see how anyone could every even contemplate laying a hand or inflicting any type of pain upon a young child in a vulgar manner. As you may have already figured out the essay went on to announce the worse, that indeed the applicant had been a victim of rape.

Immediately my heart sank. I hurt so much that I needed to take a break from reading. I looked over at my shrine of C.J. and could only shake my head. How could someone be so cruel? Why did this young lady have to go through this? How has this affected her progress? How does she view herself now? All of these questions ran through my head. Soon a spark of light entered my mind. This young lady's grades were stellar. This young lady was able to stare her experience in the face and gain strength from it. She had taken the initiative to be an ambassador of education to parents on how to educate their children about themselves. This young lady is one who does not make excuses but makes examples for others to follow. I quickly referenced the poem from yesterday and this is a young lady of strength.

So I plan to follow her suggestion and when the time comes I plan to educate C.J. about herself and her body. I never learned a lesson from a prospective student applying to college before but today that essay changed my life. I ask that as we remember to pray we include this young lady and any other victims of sexual abuse in our prayers because we know that prayer changes things.