Tennyson ~ The Boy with Boundless Energy

If you are familiar with the movie "The Incredibles" you know that Dash likes to run, and run fast. Tennyson has taken to assuming Dash's identity and a more fitting fictional character we couldn't have chosen. Now, until recently Tennyson hadn't even seen any of the movie, but he loves his "Incredibles gah-mmies" so much that he wants to wear them all.day.long. (Seriously, even now as I type this at 3:30 in the afternoon he's STILL wearing them.) I think since the day Tennyson learned to run at the age of 13 months, or thereabouts, it seems he only stops long enough to eat and sleep, harnessing the energy so he can continue to run....everywhere.

Looking at his reflection in the front door wearing his Incredibles jammies.

I try not to let the boys watch too much t.v., and I would imagine many parents use it the way I do, to keep their children in one place and give them moment's peace to clean, do laundry, or shower. Some of his favorite shows right now are "Imagination Movers," "Handy Manny," "Jake and the Never Land Pirates," and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." He still likes "Curious George" and "Thomas and Friends" but he's really been into "Jake" and "Movers" lately. (We saw the Disney Junior stage show in Disney World and he LOVED it!!) It is cute to hear him sing every word along with the theme songs, whether or not they are on t.v.

I think I took this during one of our traditional Saturday
morning viewings of "Thomas & Friends".

I have to admit, I am dreading the Lego-stage, picking up all those little pieces, finding them in strange places, stepping on those tiny blocks. (Trust me, with 3 brothers I know what's to come.) Thankfully for now Tennyson is more than satisfied with his Duplos, especially his "Thomas the Tank Engine" set he's playing with below:

Some time last spring, as we were taking a walk one evening, we smelled smoke and subsequently followed it to a vacant townhouse that was on fire. And sometime around that time Tennyson fell in love with a Welsh cartoon called "Fireman Sam." Ever since then our boy has been obsessed with fires, fire trucks, firemen, fire helmets, anything and everything to do with "fiiiiiire" (as he says it). Even his construction hat is a "fire hat." In March we, along with my sister, Courtney, took the boys to Chick-fil-A where they were teaching fire safety. The boys were thrilled to get helmets and meet real firemen, but the best part was that they let the boys sit in the firetruck!!! I'm telling you, they were SO excited!!!!

Tennyson continues to amaze us with what he says. He's always had an extremely advanced vocabulary (at 20 months his vocabulary spanned more than 50 words!!), and we enjoy the really funny things he says now:

~ The other day I told Tennyson that Tom was almost home (he was stopping by the store on the way home from school) and Tennyson said, "Yep, just one more state." You can tell we had just gotten back from a road trip. (4.6.11)

~ The boys and I had just gotten back home from running errands and within 3 seconds Tennyson had removed his socks and shoes. When I exclaimed that that didn't take him long he let out an exaggerated sigh and said, "My piggie toes were about to melt." (4.8.11)

~ Tom almost always does bedtime with Tennyson while I put Raleigh down for the night. Two nights ago Tom was trying to tell Tennyson a Candy Land bedtime story and Tennyson kept interrupting with details. Tom asked, "Hey, who's telling the story?" Tennyson's response, "Well, I'm telling most of it." (4.10.11)

~ I can't remember exactly when this happened, but a month or so ago I told Tennyson I needed to wipe his hands after lunch and he giggled and said, "Not really necessary, Mommy." Haha!!

In the fall Tennyson potty-trained like a champ. Within one week he was accident free and within two he was keeping the bed dry every night! (Which he still usually does, so long as Tom and I keep tabs on his liquid intake before bedtime.) And a couple months ago we suddenly realized he didn't suck his thumb at bedtime anymore! Honestly, we're not exactly sure when he stopped but he did it without any encouragement or prodding from us. I was SO dreading potty-training and breaking him of thumb-sucking, but thankfully he did them both practically on his own! What a blessing!

And here's one last photo because he's so darn cute!

So that's pretty much the latest on Tennyson. Parenting a 3-year old turns out to be the hardest thing I've ever done, but I am reassured by more experienced parents that it's normal. This is the age where they really start to see what they can get away with. Thankfully, with lots of prayers and consistency it's been a fairly smooth journey. So long as we prep Tennyson and he knows what to expect he's good to go! He's a joy to have around....and it's never boring, that's for sure!

Documenting October ~ Raleigh's Stay in the Hospital

Tom's mom, sister, and niece came to visit for a few days! My mother-in-law hadn't seen us for a year, so needless to say, it was good to see her and for her to see her youngest grandbabies! A highlight of their visit was going to Lohr's Pumpkin Patch so the boys could pick their own pumpkin.

Tennyson took Raleigh's hand all on his own as they walked across the field.

I love this one!

Getting the wagon.

Finally found the right one.

Tennyson was proud of his pumpkin.

The week Tom's family came to visit Tennyson and Raleigh caught a cold from the little boy I babysit. Within a week Tennyson's had turned in to croup and a week later so did Raleigh's. Tennyson responded well to the steroids and was healthy in a few days. However, Raleigh's croup went from bad to much, much worse. On Monday, October 25th, I took Raleigh in to the ER because he woke up in the middle of the night with that unforgettable, awful barking cough and he was definitely distressed. They gave him an oral steroid, but he only worsened during the next 24 hours.

First thing the next morning I took Raleigh in to the pediatrician's office (via my brother because on top of all this our car wasn't working). The doctor was obviously concerned. Raleigh had a high fever, he couldn't even breathe in without "barking," and his little tummy was going in and out (a bad sign to watch for). He tried giving Raleigh a breathing treatment, but in the 20 minutes or so we were in the office his condition worsened. So the doctor came back in and said something to the effect of, "We need to make sure it's not epiglottitis. He has to stay calm until we're sure, because his throat could close up. I've called the hospital. Do not stop at the front desk. Go straight up to the 4th floor and right to room 4164." Okay, then I really started to worry. I called Tom in tears and I am surprised I could even get out, "They are admitting Raleigh to the hospital. Can you leave school?" By the time I had called the pediatrician's office to the time we found ourselves at RMH it was only about 90 minutes.

When I got to the hospital and up to the room, the nurses swarmed on Raleigh. (They later told me that when they got the call that he was coming in they stopped everything because he was priority.) They tagged him with ID bracelets. The respiratory therapists gave him a breathing treatment. Then they wheeled he and I down to get an x-ray of Raleigh's throat so they could determine whether or not it was epiglottitis. The best way for him to stay calm was if he could stay on Mommy's lap, and he did really well! We were relieved to learn he just had a severe case of croup and not something way more serious.

It was unsettling to find out a few hours later that the emergency ENT box in his room was in case he got agitated and/or he couldn't breathe and they needed to do a tracheotomy. It was really a good thing I didn't know THAT was a possibility!

The IV was a nightmare. The nurses couldn't find a vein on his forearm so they turned his arm over and did it on the other side. I was crying. He was screaming. Not a pretty sight. Poor Raleigh had an IV (to give him more steroids), a heart monitor, an oxygen monitor, and a respiratory monitor. So needless to say his movement was very restricted. He was placed on "close observation" and whether or not we got to go home was largely dependent on how he did that night.

I had asked the first nurse for a bed instead of a crib because I knew there was NO way Raleigh was going to sleep in that. She said she couldn't do that and blabbered something about hospital rules. Tom is such a great Daddy and really wanted to stay that night, (My older sister stepped in and took Tennyson overnight.) but without a bed that was going to impossible. So I figured I would just sleep on the pull-out bed with Raleigh. The second nurse was awesome and I had barley mentioned how a bed would really be better before she had rolled out the crib cage and brought in a real bed! What a blessing!

So that day we just tried to keep Raleigh happy. He didn't eat much, so I was SO thankful for breastfeeding. All he wanted to do was nurse, so at least he was getting a little something. Our wonderful church sent a great balloon bouquet, and the principal of Tom's school came by to check on our little guy and brought a HUGE firetruck balloon! Sylvia M. from church came and prayed for him. And my parents came by and brought a singing, light-up dog. What a lifesaver! Raleigh loves that puppy! (And it's as close as he'll get to a real pet! Haha!) My sister and her then fiance (now husband) came and visited for a long time. Despite the circumstances it was nice to have a long visit with them without interruption. Raleigh loved having Aunt Courtney all to himself, too! We also had several friends call or text to say they were praying! It's times like that I am so grateful for the Body of Christ!

Doesn't he look so pathetic?!

This photo isn't the clearest and Raleigh's expression is so sad. :(

The puppy my parents brought him.

Notice how much stuff is on his arm. It was so heavy!

The neat balloons he got!

That night Raleigh slept in bed with me. I was able to keep his head elevated because of the automatic bed and that really helped his breathing. He only "barked" once during the night and none of his monitors went off! So the doctor came in early, early the next morning and checked him out and discharged us. (For some reason it took them another 4 hours and me asking to finally get us discharge papers. Ugh!)

Napping while we wait to be discharged.

Telling Daddy about the trucks below.

You can tell he feels much better!

He liked to sit in the windowsill and watch the cars and trucks in the lot.

So that was it! Our scary, harrowing croup experience. Raleigh actually got it again 10 days before Christmas, but thankfully it's was just a mild case. If your child ever gets croup don't wait, get him/her to the doctor ASAP! Raleigh's was unusually severe, but it's not something to mess around with on any level.

Next, documenting a VERY busy November!

My Darling Boy ~ A Tennyson Update

Ah, finally an update on Tennyson. Poor little guy, now that there is a baby in the house he just doesn't get the blogging time he deserves! Well, Tennyson is doing and saying so many new things now, I genuinely can't keep up. And now that his vocabulary has expanded to include words like "probably" and "convertible," conversations with him have gotten increasingly hilarious. Here are a few examples of some funny things he's said recently:

2.2010 ~ We have been having major bedtime battles with Tennyson that started the day we began to pack up at the old house, so it's been going on for-ever. Anyway, sometime last week I went to check on him around 10:30 or so, only to open his door to find him quietly playing in his room. I calmly said, "Oh, we thought you were asleep." My 2-year old's response, "I was sleeping with my eyes open." Are you kidding me?! Haha!

2.22.10 ~ During dinner I must have been eating quickly (as usual) because Tennyson looked at me and said, "Mommy, you must be starving!"

2.24.10 ~ There is a corner of the rug in our room that was slightly chewed up by some visiting canines a few years ago. On this particular day Tennyson remarked on this (again) and this time I said, "Who did that?" He said, "Cameron and Sara did it." So funny and random that he would blame it on my brother and sister-in-law!

2.28.10 ~ Tennyson came downstairs last night saying something was wrong in his room. So I went upstairs to check it out. He kept pointing at the floor and when I found the tiny piece of carpet he was referring to I told him it was okay, nothing was wrong. He said, "Mommy, I broke you floor."

3.1.10 ~ When Tennyson's nails need to be cut and they are dirty underneath I tell him it's dirt and germs. Today after I cut his nails he looked in the sink and said, "Look at all those germs!"

I realize that since we are Tennyson's parents we think he's something extra special, but Tennyson genuinely lights up whatever room he is in. Everyone seems to be drawn to him, from the teachers at BRCS begging Tom to bring him in to my family who just loves to be around him. As the previous stories illustrate, Tennyson is highly entertaining!

I have been asked (already?!) if we are going to put him in preschool, but truthfully he's knows everything they would teach him anyway. (Besides, we can't afford it right now.) Tennyson has known all his colors and shapes for a year now, but now he can count to 11 ("But this one goes to 11.") Tennyson knows the alphabet and often breaks into the "Super Why" version of it. He knows every letter and number by sight, too, not just singing them. And you can have a intelligible conversation with him like you would a 4 year old. Tennyson recently started asking "What does that spell?" when we are reading to him. He asks poignant questions about things and already wants to know "Why?" and "What is that thing called?" My parents always said the smartest kids ask a lot of questions. :-)

Of course I can't talk about my darling boy without mentioning his ever increasing love of trains. For Christmas we got him Thomas the Tank Engine appliques to put all over his wall. So he often sits there and names all the trains. He can put together an impressive track, too, both the wooden and plastic ones. And his room is now complete with Thomas sheets and comforter, too. It's such a cute boy's room! He spends a lot of time in there just playing trains. It really is quite precious.

Check out the awesome guitar-shaped track he built by himself!

Playing trains with Daddy

Life is never dull with Tennyson around. He talks non-stop, and breaking into "Jingle Bells" and "Little Drummer Boy" are still a common occurrence. He loves to take off his sock and say, "Look, piggy toes!" And then remove the other one and says, "Look, MORE piggy toes!" Tennyson's other new thing is to show up his "food" after he eats something. It started with Tom saying he was going to eat it and Tennyson showing us that it's in his tummy instead. Yes, our boy is ridiculous!

Showing us what he ate, in this case it's carrots and grapes.
Tennyson continues to be a dream big brother, and he and Raleigh have really begun that legendary brotherly bond. Raleigh giggles and laughs just watching Tennyson jump and run around, but he especially loves playing peek-a-boo with him. Tennyson showers "baby brudder" with so much love and affection. I really never expected they would bond so well, so quickly.

Wearing Daddy's snowy boots

This was taken after the big snow on the way to my brother's to watch the Superbowl.

I could write a book our energetic, lovable, funny little boy. Tom asked him last week, "Are you a monkey?" Tennyson responded, "No, I a sweet boy." He sure is.....

Christmas~ Part 2

Let's see if I can actually find the time to sit and get caught up on my blog. Since I am so far behind (Raleigh is 7 months old I haven't even done a 6 month post for him!) I'll just post a few photos from Christmas that I wanted to share.

An overhead view of most of my family while my Dad

read a devotion before Christmas dinner (12.26.09)

My siblings. Yeah, we're ridiculous!


We went to the Harrisonburg Children's Museum on the 26th with my brother, Kyrce, and his family. Here's a fuzzy, yet adorable, photo of Tennyson.

Racing Daddy

Riding the John Deere

Weighing vegetables

My nephew, Holden (3), and my niece, Bethany (3), eating bananas. I love the guilty look!

My sister-in-law, Maureen, and Raleigh (5 months).

The Last Snow at Pointe Drive

The last decent snowfall we got while living at our old home on Pointe Drive was December 5th (other than Moving Day), so the next day I took Tennyson out to play in it. (Tom was working in Harper's Ferry that day.) Now earlier in the year Tennyson did not enjoy the cold, white stuff, but now that he's older he really loved it! The only way I could get him to go back inside was to bribe him with hot chocolate.

Here are some of the priceless pix from that day:

I love the zig-zag path he made.

At the woods' edge, looking for deer.

Meeting Some Great-grandparents

Back in September my maternal grandfather and my step-grandmother came to visit. Since they live in Florida they hadn't met either one of our boys, so it was exciting for them to meet for the first time! Unfortunately we weren't able to get a photo with just them and Tennyson, but I did get some cute ones of them with Raleigh.

Friedel and Raleigh

My grandfather, Papa, and Raleigh

Friedel was absolutely taken with him and asked several times if he could go back to Florida with them. I think she was joking.

My parents with Papa waiting at the airport

My uncle coming in for a landing

Watching the planes

Tennyson loved watching the planes land and take off.

Posing with Daddy by the plane

Sprinkles!!!

One of Tennyson's favorite things to do this summer was to play "sprinkles." Which basically consisted of him running around the yard squealing and having a grand ole' time. These are a few photos we took to commemorate it:

His "game face."

Now that's the face of a happy boy!

Tennyson was practically blue here, he was so cold.

He's already looking forward to doing it again next summer, I'm sure, since he was asking well in to September to go play outside in the sprinkler.