Page 26) July 4, 2000

It's been a long time since I last wrote in this book. Life is good and busy.
Kelli has moved to Brighton.  You have grown up to be a handsome boy.  You weigh 40 lbs. You're very smart and a wonderful grandson.  You are a delight to be with. We play sports all the time.  You also like card games, 'go fish', 'Scooby treats' and 'Kings in the Corner'. Also you like 'Splat' a board game and roller blades.  You can count to 39 in Spanish, read three digit numbers [397]. You're a happy boy and very precious to me. Grown men are surprised at your athletic abilities.
You played soccer on a team this spring.
Last week GG asked you to put Vasoline on your cats arms for control of hairballs." OK grandma." [Your cats are named 'Kit Kit' and 'Grunt']  Knock knock knock.... on the bedroom door. I open the door and see that your hands are covered with Vasoline making it impossible to open the door by yourself. Then I see two cats covered head to tail in gobs of Vasoline...................half the jar was empty!

7-17-2000

You know how to ride a two wheel bike! You're not even 4 1/2 yet!  Richard Stumpf, across the street [Charles's dad] taught you how to ride last week. You were not happy that Charles could ride a two wheeler [he's 5] and you couldn't.... but you do NOW! Your Uncle Tom found out and bought you a brand new blue Shwinn Gremlin and helmet.  YEAH TOM!

8-25-2000
[You are in a van about to touch a door button.]
"Don't touch that!" Angela scolded you.
"Why ? will it blow-up the van? you asked so seriously.
Only a 'boy' would think of such a thing.
Wow! WE [mom & I] are very blessed to have such a wonderful boy.
WE [you and me] started college [Henry Ford Community College] yesterday
You at the 'child care' and me in the class room. What a milestone for us.

MRSA

Wow! lucky me.......I get to tell about getting a staff infection in my right knee while I was on a trip to Michigan. Landed on a Thursday. On Saturday [My mother's 85th birthday] my knee get stiff, hot and swollen.  11-18-2012.  Every thing is well.

"SUPER HUNNY BUNNY TO THE RESCUE!"

The title is what TJ said the other day. LOL My nick name for him is Hunny Bunny. I'm trying very hard to get another blog book published. Frustrated! All is well in NC. This week Thursday will be Thanksgiving. Mack and Sandy are coming for the holiday....WOOHOO! I'm thankful for my family, health, and most important...... the ability to 'day care' my second grandson - Torin".
 Tom just turned 43 and Sandy just hit the first 39 mark.  Mack has been 16 all year and is now the proud owner of his Uncle Tom's former red Dodge Dakota pick up truck. Tom bought it brand new in 1999. I have been in my apartment for 1 year now and luv it!  Speedy and Lily are sitting on the back of the couch, right behind me, while I type this.  My seven birds are sing up a storm. The female Canary is sitting on four eggs.....seems to be the wrong season.  She hasn't had any success getting her many eggs to hatch. I suspect the male Canary is shooting blanks.
TJ seems to understand many things that are beyond the 'normal' boy 2 1/2 years old.  Our 'word' for Tuesday was 'disqualified'.  We were racing cars on a track and I was the 'announcer'.  He has grasped the concept that letters make words, and will ask me 'what does that say'? We are talking about math concepts '1+1=2', but just talking. Torin is very charming.  He says hi to everyone. Yes please or no thank you.  He addresses female adults as Miss Diane, Miss Cindy or Miss Jo and men as Mr. Frank, Mr. Ted or Mr. Tom. These are some of TJ's neighbors on Mersham Court, Charlotte NC. 28269. Mersham Ct. is the second house TJ has lived in. The first was 627 Depot Ridge, Garner [near Raleigh] NC.
TJ get lots of hugs, kisses, fist bumps, and hi 5's.  He gets 'score!' and lots of approval. Torin accepts that his has done something wrong, apologizes saying what he did wrong [sorry I pushed you and then with his arms out wide, asks the child if he/she would like a hug. He's getting better at 'sharing' and not teasing Lily. Most adults are very impressed with his ability to talk easily with them.  All this reminds me of Mack when he was 2 1/2!

Two and a half

TJ was officially 2 1/2 October 1st.  Many things are the same....as to be expected, many things are different.  A noticeable change is the new game of resisting getting into the car seat.  Ditto - the getting into the car.  Torin loves to carry a bag around with some of his toys in it.  We [TJ] were talking to a neighbor outside her house today, and TJ started to tell her to 'go inside'.  Reminds me of my other grandson.  They are not too fond of sharing GG.  I told him later it was rude and not to say it again.  I don't expect my little guy to be perfect.....many adults drink and drive....knowing full well the consequences. TJ doesn't like the 'play room' at the YMCA.  "I'll be sad".  Potty training is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.  Torin is able to move the mouse/curser and left click.  Today we started click and drag.  He seems more excited to go to 'story time' at the library and is doing a great job of self play/pretend.  TJ is a joy!

"What is that called?"

This week was a big step in growing up for TJ.  While I was rubbing my dog's tummy, TJ was helping.  He spotted her nipples and asked, " what is that called?" At 2 1/2 years old, he asked his first question.  TJ has been talking since just after one year old and now has a very impressive vocabulary.  Although he has trouble saying 'three', he says 'free'.... like two, free, four, five.  He can say thumb, this, that, etc. TJ tackles any 3-4-5 syllable words easily.  He free plays very well. And is good at pretend.  But...curiosity and a need to grasp an understanding of his world, led him to his first question. While holding a very small pine cone, TJ's asked his second question a day later, "what is this called?' [He has very large pine cones in his yard].  TJ is good at calling you out on an execration.  He tossed a metal toy truck in my direction.  It hit my knee [I was on the floor with him] and I wanted him to realize he could hurt someone, so I embellished my cry. OOOOOOUUUCCCCHHH I yelled.  He looked suitably remorseful. I asked for and received an apology, "sorry I hurt your knee GG". I was sure I got the message about throwing things, across. A few minutes later, I tossed a small ball [no where near TJ].  "OOOOOUUUUCCCCHHHH" faked TJ!

Corn

Being with TJ is such a delight.  TJ loves beads.  He decided to put a few beads into the silo attached to his toy farm.  GG says, " good idea TJ, the beads can be pretend corn.  That is what farmers put into their silos to feed the animals in the winter."  Which led to a discussion of storing food in winter when plants can't grow. Which led to what happens in spring that starts the cycle of plowing, planting, growing, harvesting, and back to storing.  Every single moment has a learning/teaching component to it.
Lily sat next to TJ when he was sitting in front of his play table.  TJ put his closest arm around Lily.................so sweet.  [He really loves to tease Lily]. Taking Lily for a walk is one of TJ's favorite things to do.  If the leash is in his 'left' hand, TJ says 'left hand'. 'Right hand' if the leash changes hands.  If he drops the leash, he knows to run and step on the leash to stop Lily. 
TJ is amazing, smart, loving, verbal, joyful, physical, and cute.

Damn

What started out as a nice visit to Michigan to go to my mother's 85th birthday party, ended up being quite an ordeal involving a hospital stay.  My right knee got hot, red and painful on the day of the party,Saturday, July 19th.  Not being a doctor, infection was not in my brain.  I thought it was arthritis. The next Thursday, found me in my former doctors office.................... here is my story:

day one - Saturday -the good guys were asleep or on vacation. The bad guys took the right knee. The bad guys are making the knee red, hot and painful. day two - Sunday - the goods guys are not yet aware, that the war is on. day three - Monday - bad guy are laughing day four - Tuesday -. From somewhere there come cold [ice pack] LOL say the bad guys. day five - Wednesday - brain thinks it might be arthritis and googles 'swollen hot knee' day six - Thursday - finally.... AFTER one big giant antibiotic shot in the right rear flank, the good guys wake up. The bad guys sense this and send in reinforcements. The battlefield is so painful, that just THINKING about touching it causes terror. The first general [Doc], sends the battlefield to a second general. This general wants to size up the enemy, so he stabs the battlefield with a very sharp needle; [the brain wants to run away screaming....can't.... bad knee] to withdraw a cannon full of the enemy and send it to the medic, who takes 48 hours to size up the bad guys. In the mean time, the General has order what he is sure are some more good guys into battle. WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED. day seven - Friday - back to the first general so she can send the super good guys into battle through the left rear flank. The bad guys are still laughing from the invasion of the first good guys. Battlefield raging. Much stabbing pain from the lances being thrown, jolting the whole being. I can't lie, things are not looking good. The battle field is huge, hot, red/purple and painful .   day eight - Saturday - With the help of mechanical devices; being, brain and battlefield catch a flight home to NC. Medics have confirmed............the bad guys are staff infection........MRSA day eight - Sunday - THE GOOD GUYS have pushed back the emeny! The battlefield looks smaller. There has been some innocent casualties of war.....loss of appetite [hunger is painful] and the saddest loss - JOY that the brain has worked so hard with other good guys to achieve. Doom and gloom are frequent visitors. day eight - Monday - Back on day four or five, the brain thoughtfully thought that it probably should see a general when it got home. The general pushes all over the battled with his hands, proving that the good guys are winning. "General no. 2 took some bad guys out?" Brain, "Sir! Yes sir!" "Don't like the feel of the battlefield. Go see my Sargent, she will take blood from the being". General receives no reports of war from 1st and 2nd general. "See me in 48 hours." day nine - Tuesday - the brain thinks that maybe the good guys aren't working hard enough. Large red rash around battlefield. More pain. Being resorts to yoga breathing when sleep won't come. day 10 - Wednesday - The nice young general is not happy the battlefield looks terrible. He pushes with hands and declares.."We're sucking as many bad guys out of the battlefield as possible!" Brain says, "NO NO NO No nooooooooooooooo!" Being almost sat straight up to remove the extremely painful assault. General is surprised that cannon doesn't show signs of bad guys [pus]. General says, ' I want another general to consult". "This is general handsome." General handsome asks, " have you put anything on the battlefield.? Brain, " iceycold and biofreeze". "The rash might be an allergic reaction; wash and put nothing on battlefield." The generals pair up secretly to discuss strategy. General young/good looking, "Here is a paper for more/different good guys. Report back in 48 hours" To be continued...................   day 11 - Thursday.  Looks like the good guys are winning. day 12 - Friday.  The general says "call me if the battlefield looks worse. All looks good." day 13 - Saturday. The being takes Lily for a walk then collapses on the bed for hours.  Being calls son to take her to 'Urgent care' where a different General works. New general is very nice, listens to beings sad story and says " you have to go to the hospital, where they have different generals, tests and 'good guys' that will flow directly in your veins."  Being is very sad.  Son takes being to 'Emergency' at hospital.  After much painful poking, being is admitted. The very powerful 'good guys' are flowing directly into beings veins. day 14 - Sunday. TO be continued...................