Keep People Out Of Your Face

Some people may say I am teaching her to be mean. Daddy says he is teaching her to create boundaries and demand respect. I play this game with C.J. called, "Get Me Out Yo Face." What I will do is invade her personal space by putting my face as close to hers as possible. She will usually smile, but then C.J. will mush me out of the way. I clap and congratulate her and tell her, "Even Daddy, keep folks out of your face."

You have to understand, folks, that C.J. will need to know how to defend herself. The first line of defense is the personal radius one creates around their person. Now I also teach her to smile and giggle...to overall have a great time and enjoy life.

Tonight is turning into a rough night. C.J. is clearly sleepy but is refusing to go to sleep. We came home tonight, she scrawled, she played in her playpen, and she made great use of the walker. All of these things we know tire her out, but she is still going like she is the energizer bunny. These are the moments where Daddy and Mommy differ in opinion, but we somehow work it out to show a somewhat united front.

So I just did the dirty work and put C.J. back in her crib. She is still yelling and whining, too. So pray that she will soon drift off to sleep. We know that prayer will change things, people, and certainly this sleeping situation.

What A Difference A Day Makes

OK, yesterday Daddy fell asleep, that is the story and I am sticking with it. Honestly, it is the truth. I laid down to watch House of Payne and the next thing I know it was 1AM and I was waking up to move to the bedroom. The computer was still on and I looked to type but I was led to my bed by sheer need to sleep.

So today was the first time I realized how quickly babies mature. Yesterday C.J. continued to roll everywhere she wanted to go. As long as she did this we could keep up with her and did not have to worry about where she would get so much. Well, today is another day, and just that quickly, C.J. is now scrawling. I said it properly too. She has mixed crawling and scooting all in one. I actually have video footage that I will cherish for a while. It is these moments that you always want to witness and hold dear to your heart. The only problem is that she gets into stuff she should not be near. She was messing with picture frames, moving DVD's around, and finding every fragment of anything the broom did not get up. So this weekend we will be do some first steps to child proof the areas she frequents.

I am going to end here today because this is a high note. Now it is time to get the video camera ready because she will be walking in no time now. I pray I am around for the first steps she makes. If I am not I will have clear directions left with the camera to ensure I witness those moves just as if I were there. So tonight I leave you with a smile on my face. I hope your evening was as great as mine. I will pray for you as you continue to pray for me. We all know that prayer changes things, people and situations!

NOTE TO C.J.: Even though you were all over the place wrecking things tonight, you put a HUGE smile on your Daddy's face! Continue to be the exploratory and inquiring mind that you are developing into. You are great and will continue to be great as long as you demand greatness from yourself!

April 13th

Today was swell. I dropped my CJ off and when I came home she was sleep. TBC

Listen C.J.

Having a Diva for a daughter is going to help me launch a very lucrative publishing company pushing my own literature. One book will be the same phrase over and over again with pictures of C.J. in different situations. I would simply be telling her to listen to Daddy. C.J. is now very exploratory. She sees something and she wants to know what it is. The problem with that is she goes into prohibited areas to find things. She puts herself in harm's way and does everything her Daddy instructs her not to do. Stay here C.J., do not put that in your mouth C.J., you're going to hit your head C.J., do not lean too far back C.J., stop spitting C.J., and the list goes on. I will admit it is exciting to see her doing new things but it would be even better if I was able to keep up.

My Diva daughter demands to be heard. I wonder where she gets that from? Answer, her Mamma! C.J. will look at you and if she does not gain the response she seeks, she will begin to get loud. If you continue to look at her and not respond, she will get louder, and louder, and louder. Sooner than later I get irritated and usually pick her up to shut her up. I know it sounds harsh, but listen folks, even I, the loudest man on the planet, need silence at times. She is also scooting with near perfection. Daddy is still waiting for her to lift that belly off the ground and crawl but my stomach would be tired too if it ingested as much as C.J. puts down.

I know, I know, I know, fathers should not hike on their daughters but a joke is a joke, and if she fits it, then so it is. C.J. will learn soon enough that she better be able to utilize quick wit when dealing with her paternal side of the family. She already has her laugh down packed, now she just have to study her Daddy and absorb some of his great comedic material. Today was a good day for us. We got to play on the floor together despite her not listening to her Daddy. It is alwaYS a great time bonding with her. These are the times we all wish for. (Ok, sad excuse to quote Dru Hill but I am keeping it!) So remember to pray folks, and keep in mind that prayer changes things, people, and situations!

Quiet Sunday

When you're sitting in the front of the church and you hear a sound and you do not even have to turn around to find out who it is, you know you have a loud baby. That is normally the case with my Princess, C.J. That girl seems to like the excitement that comes along with worship service. I am always afraid that she will see me up in the pulpit and will begin to holler out to me like we are at home playing with each other. Though I would probably laugh about it later; at that moment, I would want to scold her royally.

Today C.J. was unusually quiet in church. It could be that her two teeth are hurting her that much. There is a possibility that she is actually learning that in church, especially when your Daddy is up preaching, C.J. should be quiet. Perhaps it was because her talking buddy Jayla was home sick today. Or could it have been the reality that C.J. slept through her Daddy's sermon. When I asked Mommy, who said others had remarked about her silence, she told me it was because she was asleep.

Now I must admit, Daddy really likes noise during worship, as long as it is relative to the flow of the Spirit. So when C.J. and her cousin Jaylen yell out on cue, it works. They usually can time when a Hallelujah or Amen are needed to complete a thought. It helps the preacher keep his pace steady. So today I would have liked to hear a little noise, just a little bit from my C.J. Maybe I played too much music before church, and while driving to church, and she got her worship in and then needed to rest up. In any event, she was quiet and that is a good thing. One thing I want her to learn early is that worship is exciting, but you must pay attention at certain times. I hope she also learns that sometimes you have to get loud while getting your praise on!

So today was a quiet day for C.J. and that is OK. When you're quiet you allow the Lord to come speak to you and you listen better. So keep the prayers flowing. We know that prayer changes things, people, and situations.

Humpty Dumpty

The old nursery rhyme says that Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall and had a great fall. Today was C.J.'s turn to play Humpty Dumpty. No parent ever wants to hear that sound. You cringe just thinking about it. The sound is more of a THUD! I was not here but I felt the pain in Mommy's voice when she called me to share the news. The good thing was that I did not hear C.J. All her limbs were fine and she was acting normally, so for now, all is well. Babies will fall, run into things, stumble, and a lot more. You do not wish to see it but you become faster than the speed of light when you are the witness to the great fall. You scoop your baby up and soothe them...most of the time more than they want to be soothed.

Daddy had to work today so I had to think about how C.J. was doing the entire afternoon. I would call Mommy to check in on her and she would tell me that she was OK. Truth be told, I was calling to make sure Mommy was OK. When I arrived home, C.J. was making noise like she always does. She was being her giddy self which helped me be at ease a bit. Then, I settled in and held her. She proceeded to throw up on me, which I did not appreciate, but of course Daddy did not mind. I just wanted to hold her and let her know that Daddy was home. She was still sleeping when I left out early this morning.

I just went in to check on her and she was sleeping well. I pulled her thumb out of her mouth, and as my Princess normally does, she placed it right back in with the quickness. Of course I will worry about her. What Daddy would not? She seems to be OK and I will continue to check in to satisfy myself. So today marks C.J.'s first fall. No bumps or bruises so I would say she fared well. Not like poor Humpty Dumpty, who with all the king's horses and all the king's men could not be put together again. So when you pray tonight say a little prayer for C.J. that everything will be OK. C.J. knows that prayer changes things, people, and situations.

Off to the Sitter

One thing that always sticks out to Daddy from his marriage counseling is this. "Never stop dating." So when Mommy invited Daddy out to a movie and lunch he eagerly accepted. There was only one thing wrong. Where was C.J. going to go? As of late C.J. has made it difficult to go out and enjoy a meal. She is not terribly bad but she will start whining and crying right when the food comes. LOL, we recently had to leave a restaurant because of her noise. Little did I know that Mommy had everything planned out. When you organize a date you have to put all the pieces of the puzzle in place. Mommy decided to send C.J. to the sitter for a few days this week and today would be one of those days. Daddy got up this morning and drove C.J. to the sitter, and that way Mommy and Daddy could go on our date.

Now C.J. going to the sitter is never a problem because the sitter and her family absolutely love her. They are upset when we do not bring her. I will admit I enjoy hanging out with C.J. when I am off but today was a great day just to chill with Mommy alone. Sooner than later, I began to miss my little homey so we hurried along to get her. C.J. made a stop to the beauty salon today. Daddy needed a trim so he went to Mommy's place where they have a barber on duty. Mommy came in with him and C.J. got to see a place she may frequent in years to come. The beautician was ready to go too. She asked Mommy to let her get at C. J.'s hair.

It was a great day even though the weather took a turn for the cold. Everyday that God creates is a great one. C.J. is down early tonight even though it is a Friday. She seems a bit tired and she has a long day full of her Auntie Brandie and her cousins to rest up for tomorrow. So you all continue to pray for us and others. We all know that prayer changes things, people, and situations.