Slumber Saturday - One In A Million

Today was an interesting mix. I had to work and I wanted to see Hadi play football all while spending the majority of he day at home relaxing. Daddy would like to report that he earned an A+ today because he accomplished it all! As expected CJ woke up pretty early today. Actually when we looked over she had half her leg over her railing. So Mommy took her out of the crib but CJ was ready for action so Daddy hung out with her a bit. It was soon time for Daddy to go leave so he had to lay CJ back down with Mommy which forced Mommy to get up. (She needed to be up anyway, lol!)

Once Daddy returned home he hung out with CJ watching football as he desired to do. he allowed CJ to take a lengthy nap, something Mommy would never do. At one point Mommy let me know that CJ needed to get up. So I got her up and she went all about the house as she normally does. Mommy decided to bathe her and Daddy ran out to the store. When he returned he felt like listening to to music. (Go figure, he always does that anyway) CJ seemed to like the song so he turned it up and grabbed CJ's hands. Daddy tried to do a Chicago style two step with CJ but she was a bit to jumpy. The song was One In A Million by Neyo, link provided for you (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tpl9LtkRRw&ob=av2e) Cute little song too. So ow since CJ took a long nap it 9:00pm an she is still awake. Maybe it is my fault but I did not mean it.

So now I will go watch some more football and anything else I find on the good ole tube. Keep praying folks. Prayer still is undefeated in changing things, people, and situations.

In All Seriousness

Sometimes when you sit down to write you have to pause and think about what is going on around you. There was no coincidence that as I looked for things to watch tonight, A Raisin In The Sun was on. I caught the tail end of the movie where Sonny lost all the money but then he grew up when he would not take money in exchange for his family not moving to a new part of town. I still do not know why it has had such an impact on me but for some reason it has. There is a part of the movie where the mother asks her grandson to come watch his father sell his soul. I pondered on what CJ watches me do? I mean I go to work every day. I pray with my family. I enjoy spending time with them. I try to be an advocate of change in the community. I provide and protect my girls, and I will do anything necessary to ensure their happiness.

The question still remains what is CJ learning from me as her dad? This glimpse of television forced me to look at where we are as a family and where we are going. I'd like to say by the grace of God we are in a good place. However I know God has more in store for us. I have learned to be patient and wait on God. As as favorite song of mine says, "I can depend on God, through the storm, through the rain, through sickness and through pain, I can depend on God!" I really believe this too and I want my daughter to have the same feeling.

Just a few highlights for the day. After staying up way past her bed time last night, CJ slept in this morning. As I left for work she shifted about a bit but she did not wake up. When I came home CJ and Mommy were up and active. We are beginning to have to deal with disciplining her. I know Daddy for sure is dealing with drawing that line. Trying to decipher between what she knows she is doing versus what is developmental. It is a little difficult at this point in time but we are creating the limits and boundaries and the expectations will be laid out soon for everyone to understand. She has to learn that her pretty smile is only for the camera and to make Daddy's day when he is down. It is not meant to get her out of trouble.

As I finish up tonight remember, when you pray to include someone else in your prayers. Prayer changes things, people, and situations especially the one that prays for someone else!

Wearing Down

When I picked CJ up from the babysitter her face looked as if the week had beat her down too. She did not smile or reach out to me. She looked tired and out of sorts. When she came to she began to cry for her Daddy but that was it. She did not have the energy she usually has to be the go-getter we are use too. She was a little under the weather the sitter said so I knew she would sleep a lot when we arrived home. So when I left for church she was sleep and now that I am back home she is still asleep. So you all pray for my Princess to get well. Daddy likes her full of spunk and trust and believe Daddy knows that prayer changes things, people, and situations and can drive sickness away in the name of Jesus.

NOTE TO CJ: Get better!

All By Myself

You knew the day was coming folks. CJ is beginning to realize that she is a big girl. She is becoming more and more independent and she is exploring her surroundings even more than she normally does. She is trying to say new words and she is learning to play. Now some of you may think that one just starts to play but one must learn how to operate the different toys and objects that they find themselves around. Daddy made a statement a few days ago that he was not pleased with how she was interacting with herself. Daddy felt that she spent too much time being around Mommy and Daddy. Her being around us helps her to advance but she needed to learn how to function alone. So this week we have watched her interaction with the things she has, her doughnut tower, her farm, her laptop, and her books. It was great to see her operate her soccer ball too! I will say that she is doing quite well with things too.

Today when we arrived to pick her up from the babysitter I guess we took too long. Within a matter of seconds CJ had made her way to and out of the door. She even said, "Bye, Bye!" So I asked if she had the keys to her own car? She gave no response. It is fun watching her begin to do more and more all by herself. This shows that she has been watching and internalizing different things she has seen while growing.

So I am pleased with CJ's progress and I pray she continues to apply all she has learned. Please continue to pray that she always seeks to be independent but that she never forgets the comforts and lessons from home. Daddy knows that prayer changes things, people,and situations.

Linguistic Development

CJ is beginning to relate words to objects. We were in the car today and she began repeating her favorite letter "E". Something different happened today though, she said something else. Today CJ began to say the word ball. Now Daddy was ecstatic because he would want a child of his to like the word ball. She can put any root in front of it, foot, base, basket, soccer, or any other type of ball for all I care. Mommy did not believe that she was making a relation but Daddy always believes in his Princess. So when we arrived home Daddy parked the car and then went to the back. You all remember the ball from Old Navy right, well it has been in the car for the past few days and today was the time for it to come out. Daddy then grabbed the ball, showed it to CJ, then asked her what it was. CJ uttered the word "ball" once again and Daddy said to Mommy, "See I told you!" She is now beginning to develop her vocabulary and it should be full of very complex words since we read to her a bit. I have to challenge myself to read to her more. You can never have too much reading time so I will read to her as soon as we walk in the door. She likes books too, I snuck a picture of her reading a few weeks ago and she was looking through her Mommy's book today. So it seems as if she has a desire for reading which is great in Daddy's book.

So tonight as your lay your head to your pillow, say a prayer for CJ...that she continues to have a love for reading and that her Daddy makes the time necessary to nurture the skill. Prayer changes things, people, and situations. I want to add this, prayer makes things right. So no matter what gets in the way or creates "busy-ness" God will make what needs to happen, happen.

NOTE TO CJ: Baby, read all you want and can read. What you can not read get someone to read it to you. Books are the pathways to everything you dream of. Books allow you to visit all parts of the world. Books are the key that opens up your mental vault and fills it with knowledge, which leads to power! You will always have a book as long as your Daddy is around, even when you do not want one or have not finished the last one, I will add another to your library. I want to be your tour guide and pilot. I love you a whole bunch and want nothing but the best for you but you MUST want that for yourself.

Green Beans, Please!

Dinner was a little late for Daddy and Mommy today so CJ was only privy to part of the meal. She was offered mashed potatoes and green beans, two items she generally eats. Today was a little bit different. I think CJ is beginning to develop her preferred palette. Yesterday morning Mommy cooked up some oatmeal and mixed peaches in for CJ. She ate the oatmeal but whenever a peach entered the mix, she took it out her mouth to see what it was and then proceeded to eat it separately. Then during dinner I tried to feed her some country style dressing. I will admit it was a different texture, very coarse but damn good. She let it touch her tongue twice but it went no further. She did not care for it at all, which leads to tonight. Mashed potatoes are something CJ loves and eats regularly. Tonight she wanted nothing to do with them, and let Mommy know by spitting them out. Instead she chose to eat a pot of green beans. Maybe she was going with the more healthy side dish. The girl is bright in her own right, you know. Maybe she was saying Mommy and Daddy, from this point on, I will only eat healthy dishes. I mean we have tried to introduce her to a variety of dishes and styles of food with the hopes she will embrace a variety of things. I guess she is now beginning to make her own decisions on what she eats. Hey hopefully next she will begin to lay out her menu so we do not waste our time, lol!

Keep praying folks...things, people, and situations will change.

Sunday - Let's Get Loud

CJ hears it all the time, "enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise!" Or Psalm 150 which reads,

1Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

2Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

3Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

4Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

5Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

6Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

So I guess she asks herself, "What is the big deal about my noise in church?" If praise is suppose to be loud then I have that covered she figures. Daddy is still trying to get better in his dealing with CJ's noise. I mean it really is not all that bad but the noise comes when the sanctuary is quiet. Sometimes you can hear CJ over the choir, she sings with them too. I guess that comes from Daddy and Mommy blasting music around the house. The noise seems to only bother Daddy and Mommy or at least no one has said anything to us in our face. In church you see, the elders always turn around when they hear the slightest sound and they shake their heads. I have watched them closely for the last 30 years (You all figure that out). It always upsets me when they do that because they seem to think they are special or something. So if CJ is making apparent noise I can only guess what hey are thinking. However, you know what. Daddy needs to just let CJ be because she shows that she enjoys herself at church. Mommy and I have agreed that we would never bring toys are anything to divert her attention. We want her focused on the cross, hearing the word and responding as the Spirit leads her too. SO if she gets loud we apologize fore her being filled with the spirit but you might want to get close to her so you can feel the way she does. Then you can say it LOUD, like she does.

So CJ, you keep doing what you do. Daddy will have to learn to live with it and keep it moving. I pray you never let anyone steal your joy from you, not even your Daddy. As always he will pray about it and that will fix his situation all because prayer changes things, people, and situations. Maybe the noise would not be so apparent if others around CJ would been engaged in their own praise party. Just a little food for thought.