The things that are Teddy

Teddy,

I have not really had time to write you a letter recently, but I thought this was as good a time as any.  You are really getting up there, you know 2 years old is the beginning of a whole new world.  In all honesty lovey, I cannot believe it has been two years.  It seems like literally a minute ago I was pregnant in the August heat waiting for you to arrive and here you are now, a little man.  You went from being that blobby little (well, let's be honest, you were a big baby) baby to this walking, talking, tantrum throwing, hugging and kissing little man.  I just marvel everyday at what you are learning and what you are picking up from the world.  Like today for example, you decided to start screaming the word "Booger" out complete with demonstration in case I was not clear what you mean by booger.  You are just so funny.

You love to sing.  Even when you are upset, you like to sing.  I have no idea where this came form but sometimes when we are just being quiet, I can hear you humming you favorite songs (either Pop goes the Weasel, or the Sad Little Puppy song).  You also love to give people hugs.  You are quite social and you especially love your family.  My favorite part of every day is when I come in the door and you run to me for a hug--it literally makes my day.

You are not a great sleeper.  I have no idea what we did wrong, but you are still not a great sleeper.  But I love that when you wake up in the middle of the night, you ask for us, Mama, Dada, and one of us comes to you.

You have a very mischievous side to you.  Your face has a particular look when you are about to do something and hope not to be caught.  I laugh at you and gasp at the same time because I am not sure where you get both the idea and the courage for some of your stunts.  You were crawling and walking early and you have not stopped since that time.  You are learning to play tennis now and make contact with the ball.  Sometimes you prefer to play golf with a tennis racket and do the best Johnny Mac we have ever seen with a racket, but most of the time, you really just want to hit the ball and see us clap for you.

You have been telling me a lot about your girlfriends from school and your best buds.  You seem to really be enjoying being around other people.  I can tell you that you get that from me; I love doing things with other people and I love my friends so dearly and I am sure you will too.  Always remember that the measure of a man is what he does when no one is looking and when he does not have to do anything.

You like to entertain everyone.  You make noises, play with their faces and do funny things for a laugh.  Sometimes I think you don't even know why its funny but you know others are laughing so you do it more.  I love this about you and I hope you never lose that exuberance.

The things that make you Teddy are the things I love most about you.  You really are out little man.  We cannot wait to see what you will become but I am excited to be there for it.

Love always and forever,


Your Momma

Teddy aka The Natural Disaster Azer's 2nd Birthday

Ready for Tennis!

Well, I would be lying if I did not admit that I have a "flair for the dramatic" and it appears that Teddy's may have inherited that same streak--in spades if his 2nd birthday week is any indication.  It is certainly unheard of in the DC area to have an earthquake, and well, to have a 5.9, it is probably a once in a lifetime event, but to follow that up with a Hurricane named Irene, well, that is just Mother Nature acknowledging a truth we know all too well, Teddy is a force of nature! (My personal belief is that Teddy ordered this up just to make sure EVERYONE knew it was his birthday so they would not forget but I am never sure what all that babble really is....)

Not Happy at all!

Preschool Party

Well, this one did not go quite as planned.  I picked up my parents, GrandNan and Pawpaw, who flew in just in time for this party and we rushed over to celebrate with cupcakes.  We got there and lo and behold, Teddy was NOT happy, in fact, that would be an understatement.  He wanted to GO HOME and he wanted to GO HOME NOW, no cupcake, no singing, no laughing, let's go people.  So we ended up leaving in the middle of that one because those other kids were loving those cupcakes and who am I to disturb a great cupcake.  As soon as we got to the car, he was fine, as if nothing has happened and he was readdy to hang out with GrandNan and Pawpaw...Weird.

Birthday Extravaganza

Teddy's 2nd Birthday extravaganza was to be held at the tennis center at the Club, followed by music with Groovy Nate and cupcakes.  (The Club literally asked me to cancel the party at 11:30 that morning and I almost blew a gasket, who cancels 3 hours before a party, but we got it straightened out.  I think people actually thought somehow a hurricane was going to be in Alexandria and did not realize that this would be less than any severe thunderstorm we have had this summer....oh well.)



Tennis Experts Jack "Bjorn Borg" and
Jesse "Sampras" Azer and Teddy "MacEnroe"



The Tennis party was so MUCH FUN!  I give major credit to the pro's who were able to entertain kids from ages 2-7 for 45 minutes in an organized fashion.  Teddy insisted on having his racket at ALL TIMES and tried out every single racket they had.  Pearl and Mason were the tennis champs for sure, hitting everything in sight and showing some real skills to these kids.  The adults got in on the action as well and I think tired themselves out instead of the other way around.

Avery Liou telling Teddy NO!

Groovy Nate was so fun and Jack led the team on this activity.  The dancing and singing was heard by everyone in the Club and I am sure they all felt it too and were afraid it was an aftershock during "Pop Goes the Weasel" which is for sure Teddy's anthem.  When he pops, he POPS!  Teddy also decided that he liked this kid he saw in the mirror and he liked them so much he decided to kiss that kid A LOT!  We would look over and see Teddy just kissing that reflection of himself over and over (I think he gets this from Adrian, I pretty much hate mirrors, I like to just pretend I know what I look like and stick with how I look in my mind vs. reality).  Then he decided that he wanted to love on Miss Avery (the only toddler lady at this shindig) and he came over and asked for her hand, to which she replied loudly NO.  Hilarious!  Her Daddy was so proud.

Rocking out to Groovy Nate

Temptation is hard to resist and Teddy decided he wanted to skip dinner and get to the cupcakes (maybe he is my kid after all).  Every time I turned my back, he had a new cupcake in his hands.  So I did what every Mother would do, I sent him to his Father with his bright red sticky hands! Needless to say, he slept well and basically asked us to put him to bed early!  We genuinely appreciate everyone who came to the party, sent us notes or called to say Happy Birthday to Teddy!

Things I Have Learned

Regardless of what party I plan (my wedding, a brunch, Teddy's 2nd Birthday) some weather event is going to interfere.  I need to somehow fake out Mother Nature and pick one date, then change to mix her up.  I have also learned that my child has a "lot of energy" as compared to other children.  He likes to express himself in many different ways, by screaming, crying and dropping to the ground and slamming his fists and kicking his feet. (Wonder where he gets this from? As I look around innocently.)  My Mother says he is going to be a "corker" and I am not sure what that means but he is our little (natural) disaster and we love and adore him!  Watch out world, Hurricane Teddy coming through!  If you are patient, God will reward you with more than you ever thought possible.  Thank you for teaching me that Teddy.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY TEDDY! We love you more than we can say and more than you will ever know!  You are a precious gift, tantrums and all, and we love your spunk and cannot wait to plan your next birthday already.  Much move, Mommy and Daddy

P.S. Your stats have improved, 26.3 pounds (35%), and 34.5 inches tall (50%) as of your 2nd birthday wellness checkup!  May God continue to bless us with your good health!



Snuggle Time with GrandNan



Birthday Hugs with PopPop and Baka



Hanging out with Jake and Amanda




Loving on Auntie Viv

 



Pop Goes the Weasel



Feeding Nana









The amazing Cars cookies!






Can you believe they got them all on the line?



Daddy and Auntie Viv



Dancing with Nana and Pawpaw









All Shook Up

Today was a monumental day for sure and we can check living in San Francisco off the list of possible places I am willing to move to (I mean, the first requirement is that when I ask for tea, the next question better be sweet or unsweet, but apparently that is asking too much) if we leave DC (not sure that will ever happen, but you never know....).  Around 1:45 today Adrian called me for the usual "watcha doin" call and we discussed some random stuff and then I said, "hey, my office is shaking" and he said "wait mine is too."  I hung up and that is when the REAL shaking began, I was not entirely certain what was going on but I knew enough to crouch down and watch my head for falling objects.  Time was sort of still because it probably was only 10-15 seconds but it felt much longer and I was dizzy and sort of nauseous.  Someone asked what happened and I said I think we just had an earthquake.  They then told me that was next to impossible and that it must have been the construction across the street but I told them that Adrian felt it and he was being evacuated and that we should too.  Then we all evacuated, which was a little like mass panic.  (Some jackass had the nerve to make fun of me for leaving and I thought you jerk!  I mean if you wanted to sit there and wait for the sky to fall, be my guest, but I am going to err on the side of caution knowing that no building in DC is built to earthquake standards....)

Once outside no one had phone service and very slow email service.  It was hard to know exactly what happened and in the back of mind I was worried it was some sort of terrorist act but then someone got info that it was in fact an earthquake and we sort of all breathed a sigh of relief.

I then made the decision to get my car and leave to check on Teddy.  Then Adrian finally got through to me and told me they had closed his school as a precaution.

So many cliches came to mind but it really looked and felt like being in a snow globe, all shook up, you now, shaken, not stirred, etc.  So Teddy, you can officially say that you braved your first earthquake, a 5.9/6.0 and came out smiling little man! Now, we just have to weather Hurricane Irene this weekend for your birthday, which is so apropos, because you really are shaking up our world as our little hurricane!

The Terrible Two's

Adrian had to leave us last week for, gasp, 6 days and nights.  It was the longest stretch we have all been apart since Teddy was 2 weeks old and he went to NYC for almost the same amount of time. Thank goodness I had just finished a huge deal and was not overly stressed for this time period.  My parents decided to come up for the weekend and help with Teddy (because trust me, I needed it, as you will read later).  

We had a great time on Friday, doing all kind of fun things like the pool and playing with GrandNan and Pawpaw.  We even bought Teddy his first BIG BOY bed.  I was determined to get this done with my Dad here to help, so I refused to wait on something to come in and only bought what they had in stock at that store, so we did what the Beverly Hillbillies perfected, and loaded up the car and headed out---mattress and all!  My Mom thought is was hilarious and insisted we have a picture of us driving home with a mattress attached to the car. 

Teddy also got a haircut and he HATED it.  My parents took him and everyone, including the barber, had to hold him down to get it done.  (Thankfully I was spared this trip and was getting my pedicure and enjoying that instead of being freaked out about whether the barber would cut him as he jerked and screamed.)  Teddy kept thinking that Nana and Pawpaw had moved in with us so when they left and we came home, he was disappointed to find they were not there.  He really loves their visits and we do too!

Teddy has also decided that he is a Big Boy and will tell me what he wants and does not want, regardless of the situation.  For example, if I give him a cup of water, he takes it from me while yelling "MINE,"  as if that Dixie cup were a gold chalice that I was coveting.  Or, he will see me with a popsicle and come take it from me and then say "MINE" ignoring the idea that something may not be his.  And I would admit that saying "MINE" might equal "Want" except that he knows how to say and express those desires as well, trust me we get that a lot too, especially at night when he is trying to avoid sleeping.  We had a photo shoot and he was AWFUL, I mean, truly AWFUL and the photographer said to me, "don't you just hate the Terrible Two's?"  Up until then it had not dawned on me that this is what people were talking about, i.e. that my sweet little boy would become this enraged monster, almost like he was on a roid rage or something, and be so possessive of everything.  Then a parent tells me, oh wait, this is nothing, wait until the Truly Terrible Three's hit.  Great, something to look forward to, but I will say that Teddy has come back around to giving me kisses, which I will take as a tradeoff for these Terrible Two's!   

Mama MUST wear Shoes

Teddy likes to put our shoes on and walk around, which is in and of itself, hilarious, because he tries his hardest to go as fast in our shoes as in his shoes.  He picked out some flip flops of mine this morning and brought them out to play with (and he was hilarious trying to walk around in my flip flops).  When we were leaving to go downstairs, I walked out barefoot because my shoes were downstairs.  Teddy says "No Mama, shoes, shoes!"  and points to the flip flops.  I told him my shoes were downstairs but he was adamant that I put on shoes before we went downstairs.  So I put them on and we went downstairs.  But then I got busy gathering everything he needed for school and the pool that day, including his new milk (Yay, we are allowed to try Soy Milk now!), etc.  When I was dropping him off at school, I happen to look at my feet, and you guessed it, I am wearing those flips flops today for work.  Hilarious!  Every time I look at my feet it makes me smile thinking about my precious boy picking them out for me!

The Good Stuff (or the Karma of Friends)

I think we all take for granted the small and insignificant things in our lives, like just playing outside in the water on a hot day in summer.  I think that being a parent you learn to appreciate things in a way that you may never have before.  I think that children can inspire us and move us in ways that we never knew possible.  I think that if you wait long enough for the "good stuff" that you are rewarded with really great stuff.

I am so lucky to have so many friends that I lean on in many different ways and who are a fountain of strength for my insecurities about, well, honestly anything and everything.  We have been through the trials and tribulations of college, grad/law school,  marriages, babies and a host of other events (both significant and insignificant) together.  We have discussed the pros and cons of everything from TV shows to new relationships and babies.  I can barely think of a time when these friends were not at a event either in person or in spirit, always cheering me on and wanting the best, whatever that was (or is).

Now that I am a mother, it's so good to see them and get another dose of their perspective and support.  Sharing with them my fears and crazy indulged fantasies of the worst case scenario as we prepare for Teddy's endoscopy on Wednesday made me so much stronger for this week.  You see, they helped me work through my fears in a way that I could voice them and hear them reasoned out without sounding crazy.  It's those moments with your friends that is the Good Stuff, dear Teddy.  The reward of being a good friend is having really great friends who love you unconditionally (faults and all) and support you with the truth (the good, bad and ugly), all the while making you feel loved and appreciated (thank you, thank you, thank you).  That is really Good Stuff and I am so lucky to have that, which is less a testament of me as a friend and just another way that I am blessed beyond measure.

You are going to wonder one day why I kept this crazy blog and who all these people are in the crazy photo books that I made for you.  I am here to tell you that each person in this blog (either in photo, name, spirit or otherwise) has shaped your Mother as a mother and has truly been part of your life from, well, before you were born.  You are so lucky that I somehow had this crazy wild idea to go to UVA I mean even now looking back it sounds sort of crazy for that girl then), join a sorority (Chi Omega, pearl girl at your service), then work in Richmond at Capital One for a year, move to Miami for law school, then Dallas for work, marry your Father (that is a story for a whole other post son, way too many things there), move to Alexandria and have you.  So many insignificant moments led me to that and so many people participated in each of those stages in ways that I cannot even individually recount, but it all matters because it all led me to you, my love.  You are the Good Stuff, you are what makes it fun to wake up and see what the day brings and dream about the future.  Your Father and I have a whole life built on fate working so mysteriously and all the contributions of these people helped us get to you, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

To my friends, both far and near, thank you for shaping me, as a person and a mother.  I am forever grateful for everything and love you dearly.

Hay there, need a Lift? or 2? or 3? (or the story of your 2nd Birthday in Jonesville)

Like many families, we split the holidays amongst my family and Adrian's, which is no small feat given the distance and drive.  (Umm, I know we used to live in Texas but being 7.5 hours by car in the same state might as well put us in Texas.)  We spend every 4th of July with my family in Jonesville, which has also become Teddy's birthday party weekend with my family.  This year we decided on a John Deere tractor party because there are currently 3 things that Teddy is obsessed with (1) Trucks, (2) Tractors and (3) Busses, so you can imagine that the drive across 495, 66 and down 81 was full of him pointing these out to us (and I find that I even do it sometimes when he is not in the car with me because it is that much a part of his routine).  Given that my parents place lends itself to tractors, that seemed appropriate.  My Mother went all out with decorations, even going so far as to personalize them.  Now we are all prone to mistakes, and many of them fortunately are in our mind, therefore never exposed, but Mother dear had one come out in public.  You see, she had the decorations emblazoned with "Happy 2nd Birthday Teddy 07/27/11."  Yes, she got the date WRONG and I can see why because we are having the party early (in July) and his birthday is the 27th (of August).  Too funny and just another funny story for the record books of Teddy.

We celebrated in style with family and friends.  As usual, my parents went all out on the gift front buying Teddy not 1 power wheel but 3, so he is covered on that front.  He also fell in love with the Pirate water table, which also started a water fight between Mommy and Daddy that ended up with poor Teddy slipping on the water (Bad Parents).  Teddy loved having Philip around and, as Cara said, it was like seeing a glimpse into their future mischief.  Teddy taking off and wanting Philip to follow, much as we would make plans to run away and were almost successful once except we hid in a closet for 3 hours while they searched all over town for us (and then suffered some serious spankings).  They both loved the pool as well and had a lot of fun splashing. (Aunt Connie thinks Teddy is ready for full on swimming lessons and she would know, she taught me!)  Everyone showered Teddy with gifts and he had a really fun time, especially when it came to eating the icing on his cupcake--who knew icing could bring such joy?  Uncle Bobby was certainly part of the festivities and Teddy had so much fun with him and of course being totally spoiled by him. 

Speaking of the pool, Adrian thought he would be sneaky and try to push me in the pool in the middle of the party.  Little did he know that meant he was going with me.  As Cara said, at first I was shocked to be going but then I realized I could pull him in with me.  Needless to say, it was a sight!

I think however, the best party was the water gun fight that came in two parts.  Part I was between Adrian and me prior to the pushing in the pool.  I hid behind my Nanny because, let's face it, no one messes with Nanny and survives.  Apparently Adrian did not care, so he sprayed and got her too.  She REALLY let him have it and it was funny.  But Wes must have missed that because the next day we had Part II of the water gun fight and Adrian decided to sit out so we decided to water gun him from the pool.  He got smart and put my camera on and sat beside Nanny.  Wes aimed to miss her but got her and she was NOT happy.  Though I tried not to laugh, it was a sight.  Don't get Nanny's hair wet boys or suffer her wrath!


One of the highlights for Teddy was a tractor ride with his Pawpaw.  He got to go on ride on the tractor and even drive.  A big thing for a boy obsessed with tractors.