Only 5 Minutes

So this will be quick. I left the house this morning and CJ was asleep. I even slept later because I knew I would be at work late tonight and she did not budge. So I said a prayer, kissed her and Mommy, and went about my business.

I did not even get a chance to call home today due to my busy schedule at work. I did manage to read a text Mommy sent which prompted me to call home briefly but I had to speak quick because I was off to another function.

When I returned home after making a few stops for CJ, a baby has to have milk and pampers, I saw that she was still awake. She was in the crib though. So I asked Mommy if she would mind (terribly) me picking her up. Between her teeth, she said no(I know she wanted to tell me Yes!). So I picked her up and kissed and hugged her. She did not even let off a smile. Mommy said it was a rough day and I think she was too tired to respond in her normal CJ way.

So I gave her back to Mommy and completed all my nightly duties before laying down. Prayerfully we get more than 5 minutes together tomorrow. I missed her today and I was around a lot of people who asked about her which always makes it worse. So as I finish up, pray my headache goes away, and pray for CJ and Daddy to get more father/daughter time. We all know prayer changes things, people, and situations.

One Step At A Time

Well I am glad to report that Princess CJ took her first step today. Now you must know it was just one step and then she dropped to crawl but it was a step nonetheless. So that is one small step for CJ and notice to the world to watch out because a freight train is about to pull off.

Today we woke up a little later than usual for a Saturday. I prepared CJ and well balanced meal. Waffles, fruit, and milk was the her morning feast. We then spent the rest of the day hanging out. Well Daddy attempted to clean up a little and CJ decided that she would go behind them and mess everything Daddy had done up. Daddy spent a lot of time saying, "Stay out the trash CJ, move form over there, and I'm gonna hurt you little girl!" It was a back and forth chess match and both of us were up for the challenge.

Daddy went to spend some time with his co-workers this evening so when he left home he told CJ that he did not want her to see him tonight. that translates into, CJ, you better be sleep when I get home. When I returned home a short while ago she indeed was sleep but she left her trail of terror. I saw Mommy and asked if she lost the fight tonight and she informed me that she gave up. I could kick that girls butt for messing up all the laundry I folded today. Mark this day in history. CJ WILL fold all this laundry that she mess up when she is older and I mean that wholeheartedly. She will learn that when you mess up you clean up and I will recall this day to her when she is old enough to recollect.

So for now it is time to call it a day and get close to the bed. It has been a great day granted by GOD! So you all remember to pray tonight. We all know that prayer changes things, people, and situations. I do not know about you but I can put a prayer up that fits all three areas. Be blessed!

NOTE TO CJ: With regard to personal space, always know you want people to draw the line. If they get to close or invade your space handle them properly. Today the living room was Daddy's space. You invaded it by messing it up, so now we have to talk about how Daddy will handle you properly. It will be in a loving manner, different from how you will handle others but you will have to be dealt with accordingly. I love you Princess!

The Week In Review

Short work week. Long day. Will dollow up with you in the AM.

Cut and Dry

Today was a basic day for CJ and Daddy. I woke up and prepared for work. Before I departed I paused to pray with my girls as they slept. I called home once to see how CJ's day was going and the report was good. When I came home I greeted CJ and Mommy and then began dinner. The one conclusion Mommy and I made today was that CJ is a nut!

So today was cut and dry. I am getting ready for bed and CJ is sleep. You all remember to pray, prayer changes things, people,and situations. Until tomorrow goodnight.

CJ, Meet Fork and Spoon

So today Daddy introduced CJ to a fork and spoon. We decided to work with the spoon first. So I handed her the spoon and she explored it for a bit. I will add that I did demonstrate what she should do with the utensil first. So she took the spoon and at least put it in her plate. At least she got that part straight, it was down hill from there. CJ decided that her hands were much better to use. So Daddy decided to feed her a few spoon fulls to show her again. After that Daddy decided that if she just held the spoon it would be an accomplishment. She did manage to get two attempts in the mouth. Mommy and Daddy applauded her efforts.

The first day back to work was rough. Daddy really desired to be home. He made it through the day and is already set for the remainder of the week. When I arrived home today she smiled and made her way to me. She wanted to be held so of course her Daddy obliged. We sat for a few then we resumed our cat and mouse game from yesterday.

All in all it was a good day and a great evening since I was with my Princess. You all continue to pray for us as we transition back into the old routine. This time as we transition it is a little different because CJ is more cognisant of the fact that she is being left so we will see how it all goes. We all know prayer changes things, people, and situations. It also makes things right and gives us serenity. Until next time you all have a great evening.

Back To Work

I am sitting here making myself get geared up for work. I am going to miss relaxation a whole lot. I am going to miss waking up with CJ and feeding her. The fussing with her as she gets into everything she is not supposed to get into. I am going to miss rushing Mommy to get ready so we can go out and hang during the day. I am going to miss sleeping late and then deciding that doing that constitutes a great day!

Unfortunately for Daddy he must leave the nest and get back to the wild air out there. He knew it would be rough but not this rough. I spoke with CJ briefly tonight and told her that I would see her when I arrived home from work. Now I have to go throughout the day wondering if and when I come home she will walk to me. I do not want Mommy to call me either. I want to experience it for myself. I have a feeling it will happen soon so I am anxious. I want to be here but I have a feeling that I will see the second attempt at it.

Today CJ and I fussed a lot. We are really trying to get her to know boundaries and that means discipline. We all know that no King wants to reprimand his Princess but we have to. She looks up at me and then pouts sometimes but other times she is not bothered at all for some reason and continues to do what she was doing. I will get that straight sooner than later.

So I will leave her to fuss with her mother and I will come home and save the day! Until next time folks, you all remember to pray (and please pray that I have a smooth transition back into the work world because I am really uneasy about the whole thing). We know prayer changes things, people, and situations!

Where Did I Leave Off?

Before I get to talking too much I want to thank God for blessing me with a beautiful wife and daughter. Also with granting us the ability to take a vacation. He has blessed us with careers and gives us the ability to understand that we need a break from them from time to time. I love my girls and enjoy every moment with them and every moment I think about them when we are apart. This recent vacation Daddy really needed to unwind. I read a little, (and I will finish the book I got halfway through) talked with Mommy a little and chased CJ around a lot. Everything helped to shed some light on different areas of my life and I felt much more closer to the both of them after being away from them for an entire month. So again I praise God and magnify him for all he is and all he does in my life.

There are many questions you may have since the last time I blogged. There is also so much I want to share with you since I last communicated with you.

How was the Birthday BBQ?
How was CJ's first airplane ride?
How was the family vacation?
What did CJ do in Vegas?
The ultimate question everyone has now that she is one year old seems to be, is CJ walking yet?

Well by the end of this blog I hope to have provided you with a full account of how the past few weeks have been and what we have to look forward to. Before I forget, I will be back on my daily grind of blogging. I guess since I will be returning to work Wednesday, I will need the opportunity to unwind once I get home and blogging about my Princess always brings a smile to my face.

So here we go. For you who have not caught on yet, Princess CJ has turned one year old. We decided to do a small family gathering to lessen the number of people we had to invite and to keep things more intimate. Today I mentioned to Mommy that I wanted our children to lead a low profile life. As I said to her, Daddy is a socialite, he is out and about and into everything he can be. Therefore he knows a lot of people, gets invited to numerous functions throughout the year, many of which he has to attend just because. He would rather not have to go, but for political and proper social etiquette, he must attend. So with that said, he has a lot of friends and friends always care about family and want to celebrate momentous events. So once Daddy calculated the number of people who had voiced interest in attending and those he had to invite, he realized that we would need a banquet facility to hold all the people. Then he talked with Mommy and was reminded and had to remind her that the birthday was about CJ. Also that CJ would not recall any of the events that went along with it anyway so we could do something a bit more meaningful. That is when we decided to keep the birthday gathering to the immediate family, which in our case still meant a decent number of people. One thing I must add is that people should realize what is important in life and throwing a large shing-dig for people to enjoy is not what a child's first birthday is about. It is about celebrating a blessing that God has bestowed upon the parents and family.

So we had great food, more than we needed, but it was good. That bbq was better than most buffets on the the East Coast. The children had fun with each other and and most importantly, the Princess enjoyed her day. At one point she sported her shades and was all smiles for anyone who wanted to take a picture. The colors of the day were purple and turquoise. CJ wore a Ralph Lauren Polo Dress (Purple) and some bright white Shell Toe Adidas. She was so cute. Of course Daddy chose to compliment his Princess and wore a turquoise polo!

CJ received many nice presents; money, jewelry, clothes, toys, a children's Bible (thanks Great-Grandma) and the gift of the day was Daddy's beautiful Rocking Horse! We were in a store one day and we saw it. CJ smiled and petted it, so right then and there, I decided that that was the gift she was to have.

The clean up was cool, and we were home in good time for Daddy to get some rest. He needed it because the next morning he had to preach and then we needed to get back home to pack for vacation.

So now we were on our way to Vegas for family vacation. We bought CJ some ear plugs for the ride and actually had them in for a second or two. She took one out and began to take the other one out before we taxied the runway. So then Mommy held her and she dozed off to sleep. She slept for the first two and a half hours of the flight, and when she woke up, she behaved nicely on the plane. To be honest I would give her an A+ for her first time. She took the rocky landing better than Daddy.

Vegas was great! Though many people questioned taking the baby with us to Vegas, I do not regret it at all. It turned what I have defined as a Black Hole for most into a place for family fun. We toured both the old and new strips, saw live bands, dined with maternal relatives, bowled, swam, lounged, got lost, walked four miles, shopped, took pictures with live statues and much more...and boy did we eat! To sum things up, we enjoyed the time away and we are already brainstorming where we will go next year.

Now to answer the ultimate CJ Question...no CJ is not walking yet. When God and CJ are ready to walk it will happen. I used to get annoyed when people would ask that question. I wanted to respond to them in a very negative manner but thank God for patience and the ability to have restraint. Now I just listen and say in my head let's think about all the things you can not do, and laugh. Might not be the best way to handle things but it is what I do. So there you have it all the information I promised you. You are all caught up now.

Now for a few things you might not have asked. CJ is now drinking whole milk and juice. (I must have you know that she only gets one serving of juice a day, as Mommy puts it, she must have healthy drinking habits) She is doing fine with the milk so we said goodbye to the formula! She is also using cups with regularity now. We threw all but three of the bottles away just in case she relapses. She has ended the baby food too. CJ is eating from the table. Pancakes, muffins, grits, potatoes, chicken, spaghetti, vegetables, and more. She even had tofu tonight and ate most of it. Now you best believe Daddy has given her a few sweet treats as well. I do it in moderation because we want her to be healthy. CJ is doing fine with feeding herself too. We bought her a fork and spoon to begin with today, so the messes will be coming shortly. These will be the days Mommy and Daddy will fuss because of the mess CJ will make. I am sure you will read the stories of that soon.

CJ is also coming along health wise. She is still a tall girl and has the lungs of an opera singer. I almost forgot to tell you that she had her first boo boo. Of course she was someplace she was not supposed to be and she scraped her nose. She is OK. It is a noticable scrape but Mommy is treating it properly and we are praying for a clean healing process.

So now I am done for real and we are all on the same page. I will be back to blogging daily. I also will be trying to figure out how I can blog on my phone. That way when I am away from a PC, I will be able to get a blog in when I am supposed to. So as I leave tonight I leave you like I always do. Always remember to pray...prayer changes things, people, and situations.

NOTE TO CJ: Always remember to give GOD the praise for everything! You are a blessing and God continues to bless you daily! Daddy loves you!