Defender of Jesus

I was taking Sam and Mateo to summer camp at Hayden. Sam starts complaining that he did not want to go to camp anymore. I asked him why and he said "because they talk about Jesus all the time!"  Immediately, Teo jumped in and said "Sam, you need to talk about Jesus. You need to talk to him. You need to pray to him and you need to think about him every day". Then Sam gets defensive and quiet and says "well I do talk to him sometimes".

Mateo

He has made a habit of talking in his sleep. Tonight, I was switching out my pillow with his and he stirs. We get scared as he cries out and says "uhh! I want that...baby".

Omifortidi

Sam "Dad, do you know how to say animals in Spanish?"

Me "Yea, animales."

Sam "No, it's omifortidi."

When Sam does not know the answer to something, he'll come up to you and whisper "whisper it in my ear".  Hilarious. I picked him up from school and he was so excited about his PE class. The coach was walking out at the same time. Sam says, "Daddy, that's our PE coach Mrs. Gorman! Would you like to meet her?" Me, "Of course Sam!". "Mrs. Gorman, this is my dad!". When mom gets home from work I push Sam to tell mom the name of his PE coach. Sam: "Okay, I'll tell you the name of my PE coach!. pss...dad, whisper it in my ear."

Precious.

One morning, I woke Sam up for school, but Teo was being lazy. When it was getting to crunch time, I finally said "Teo, you gotta wake up." All I hear from his bedroom is "You talkin' to me!? You talkin' to me?!". 

Our little Robert DeNiro.

Where did two years go?

Mateo was born...he learned to crawl, then to walk, then to run. He is a brute...now fitting into Sam's clothes better than his own. He loves to wrestle Sam and I'm not sure when Sam let's him win or when he actually does dominate. He talks...and is a joker. He is head-strong, opinionated and needs to get his way. He hates vegetables...loves sweets.

Sam is growing into a big guy. He is smarter than I was twice his age. He loves dinosaurs and can name up to fifty if he puts his mind to it. He is scatter-brained like a mad scientist, often being lost in his own thoughts. He has a lot of energy and can run circles around his brother, who always tries to keep up. Started Pre-K this week and loves his new school. He is a sweet boy, probably why Teo loves him so much.

Lauren is pregnant again...this time she gets the girl, but hates that I get to name her. Moodier than the last two, but happy. Has a bum knee that needs to get fixed after she has the third kid. I still remember that night, coming home to a firetruck and ambulance and being whisked away to ER to have them reset the knee...still remember the scream when they did. She is still the compass to my ship and lets me know when I'm off-course.

I am a jungle gym. I am a sounding board and a whipping boy. I am a proud daddy and an undeserving husband. I drink too much and sleep too little. Should probably go for a jog too. Lost some loved ones this year gained some weight. I fear for what is next to come and excited. I am happy.

More waiting...

Apparently, this is the year of patience. We began the year by waiting on our new house...knowing we had to move and the anticipation that came along with it was hardly bearable. However, everything worked out there...for the most part.

We moved on February 27th, which was a day for a downpour. Moving in the rain is not fun, but if you gotta do it, you gotta do it. The movers had several breaks as they waited out the storm. And the dirt tracks into the clean house was not what the lady of the house ordered. But, it got done and we loved the house.

Then, Sam started to get bites. Not just a few bites, but dozens. We found that we had moved into a flea circus. At one point, I counted over thirty bites on Sam. His back looked like one of a teenage boy that broke out in a bad case of back acne. On top of that, Sam was sick for the first two weeks of March. Our housewarming was not very warm.

However, after two sprays of orange oil and a lot of work on unpacking boxes, we are "in"! Thank God. The impending baby arrival lit a bonfire under us that was only simmered by a mass marathon of moving, unpacking, buying, assembling, buying, decorating, cleaning and finally waiting. Did I mention buying? We now love the house.

The longest month of February has continued into the longest month of March. Baby Mateo is due April 2, however everyone thought he would be early. This was evident in the entire baby pool picking dates ranging from March 18 to March 29. Well, now it's March 30 and we are still waiting.

But, it is a good wait for we know at the end there will be a new bundle of joy and our lives will continue on the adventure of parenthood. With the arrival Sam we were nervous at the thought of becoming new parents. With the arrival of Mateo, we are nervous of Sam being a big brother. He needs to grow up quick, but I know he'll be the superstar that he already is.

Look at this kid!

The Longest Month

So, we got a house in Temple City and we are moving in nine days. We learned we were selected as the new tenants at the end of January and have had to wait for an entire month before we could move in. I have to tell you, it's been the longest month. It has been a month full of excited waiting...very frustrating.

However, the house is gorgeous. It is a two-bed, one-bath with a loft over the garage. Everything in the house is brand new and the kitchen has all the perfect custom built stuff (built-in fridge and dishwasher, awesome stove, travertine floors...etc.). It is also right by Temple City park, which Sam will love.

So, we are moving...again...

Sam is getting cuter and more fun every day. He learns a new word each day and I swear he read his first two words the other day...elephant and mouth. I swear the kid's a genius.

Greg and Mary gave Sam a rocking horse for Christmas and he has slowly began to love it. I don't know where he gets this stuff from, but the other day he used one of his toys as a briefcase and got on the horse like he was going to work. He also always has to have a hat on while riding...where he gets this? Anyone's guess.

Live Poets Society Entry

To become a parent is a life-changing event.

You begin to wonder how your days will be spent.

Your life as you know it is no longer yours,

Morning until night, a day full of chores.

You look at your parents and know what they went through,

The blood, sweat and tears they spent, just to raise you.

A parent's love is never fully known,

Until their child has a child of their own.

The late nights, early mornings and winks in between.

You begin to wonder when your pillow was last seen.

The crying, the burping and yes, tantrums too.

But all of this is worth it when he laughs and smiles at you.

From sit to stand to walk, talk and run,

Never did I think I would have this much fun.

How can a child make us laugh out loud?

Never in my life have I been so proud.

And just when you think you know what to do.

Your wife looks up and says..."Here comes number two."

A new year...

A new year is upon us and what a year it promises to be. It seems than every year from here on out will be momentous, but the first in our children's' lives will be much more so. This year will be filled with challenges and surprises, but here is hoping that it all comes out okay.

The year has started with the annual sickness. We don't get sick much in the Johnston household, but one sickly time always seems to enter in around the time of New Year's. I think it was me that was the originator this time, giving it to Sam and finally to Lauren. The good and bad is that with Lauren getting the cold, it turned into bronchitis and a miserable time for her. But, the good news is that she was taking out of work two weeks early. She is now on disability for the second time in her life and won't have to go back to NICU until (hopefully) August.

The new year has also brought me to my ten-year anniversary for working at The Huntington. I do not understand where the years have gone, but a decade has passed since I was the new guy on the job. Thinking back on all the people that have worked here, I realize that I really have been here that long because so many people have left to other positions...so many friends. I promised Viki that I would stay in this position for at least one year...well, I guess I held up my side of the bargain.

Most importantly, the new year has created a bigger promise to God. Since Sam was born, it has been tough going to church each week because of the huge task of keeping him happy (and quiet) for an hour. It turned into a burden that was easily avoided each week. However, by avoiding the burden, it also created a chasm that needed to be mended. Due to certain circumstances with a friend of ours, the power of God has become apparent in my life that is impossible to ignore. The miracle that He performed over the Christmas season has undoubtedly inspired an entire group of believers that will never forget. Because of all of this we are working hard to not avoid the burden of Sam for 2010.

Another burden that I am trying not to avoid is that of staying healthy. I have done a great job of getting out of shape, hopefully 2010 will begin the pact with myself to stay at a better level of physique. I always think of what would happen in a global catastrophe or Chinese/Russian invasion. Would I be prepared to protect my family and myself if I had too? Right now...the answer is no. I have to turn that answer into yes.

Who knows what the year has in store for us. But, those Russians are crazy.

First of many?

Nursemaid's Elbow...look it up.

So, Sam was playing by the coffee table while we were watching TV on Monday night. All of a sudden, he gets up crying and walks over to me with his left arm limp. It wasn't a death scream, but just a sob that usually goes away in a minute after he gets over it. However, this time, he did not get over it. He sat with me for a while and continued to not use his arm. I checked it out by pressing on the bone and feeling around and didn't feel any brokenness, and he didn't cry when I did this. He only cried when I (or he) tried to move it.

This prompted a call to Lauren's mom, who told us to ice it and put him to bed. Leslie said a call to the pediatrician would not hurt so we did that. The pediatrician said it sounded like nursemaid's elbow, but we should take him to urgent care anyway.

Nursemaid's elbow is caused by pulling the hand of a child that separates the forearm bone out of the elbow socket. Bones have knots at the end of them to keep them in the sockets, however children under four do not have such large knots so pulling them out of the ligaments is easier. Apparently, this is more normal than you think and there is no lasting damage. I guess Sammy got his arm caught in the coffee table and he tried to yank it out.

So, I look up the diagnosis, symptoms and treatment and was ready to put the bone back in place, but Lauren said we should let a qualified expert perform the operation on our first child. Whatever!

Keep in mind that I just put a load of laundry in at 8:45 (in the communal laundry). So, I take out the wet laundry while Lauren packs up Sam and we head to Urgent Care. There were not that many people in the waiting room so we got to see the doctor rather quickly. She checked it out and popped it back in place. I could have done the same thing with less hassle, but I guess I have to earn that trust in the medical field.

So, Sam fussed after she repositioned the bone and she told us to wait a little to see if he starts using his arm again. Sure enough, five minutes later he started to push us away and grabbed the stickers that she gave him...all better! We get down to leave and Sam jumps down and walked out the door ready to explore this new place...back to normal.

So this was the first trip to urgent care, we can only pray it will be the last...but, it won't be.