some best days.

I picked Anderson up the other day at Noni's & he insisted they get in the car with us. So they did. And, we drove to the other side of the neighborhood, waved at the bobcat and drove them back home. Just another little reminder of how lucky we are that my parents live basically down the street.
Anderson vetoed the frog Halloween costume. I have no idea where it came from-it was in the tub of fall clothes, so I figured we'd give it a shot. I wasn't really crazy about it either.
Possibly the BEST day of the last few weeks was when I randomly took a Friday off just to hang out with the Bug. Totally made me realize how this job situation is over rated. We started off at McDonald's, where we had hashbrowns. And, apparently picked up lots of germs based on an article Toni sent me that said you basically should only let your kid play on any restaurant playgrounds except for ChickfilA playgrounds, since they are the only ones not growing e coli.
Slide #2-play thing at the mall! We also went to the park, so lots of slides. It was the best day, after all.
He saw the train coming and literally could not get up there fast enough to watch it. I'm really enjoying the stage where he just wants to watch the $5/person train and not actually ride it.
Just owning the place.
We opted for the $1/person train ride & we let 2 other kids get on with us. Was really more fun.
Holy hilarious. $3 at a consignment sale!! He does not get the concept yet, but he likes to get on "Aesson's bike!" and let me push him around the driveway.
Hmmm. Looks like someone has the best day every night, sitting in Jacob's old chair, watching a new truck dvd.
Took A to get a haircut and Brandon met us there. I am so unobservant that I did not see him. Anderson kept saying, "Daddy!" & I said, No, that's not Daddy. But, it was. We had a little family date night of haircut, ice cream & got a pizza to take home. (I LOVE Papa Murphy's!)

More videos. A disclaimer: these are for my purposes rather than to be nice and neat for anyone else so I don't edit them or really even preview the whole thing, I just like to be able to look back at them later. This one is us reading his "A to Z" book. It is awfully recorded, but I am trying to capture his precious talking & he talks a lot with this one. My 2 favorite things he says, in general, are, "Wipe nose, please!" when his nose is running and "Baby girls" about the dogs. I call them that & he has started saying, "Baby girls, outside!" & it is precious/hilarious.

And, yet another awesome quality video. Spoon (by Amy Kraus Rosenthal...LOVE!) is another favorite. Bobble Cole gave it to him & he has named the spoons. He didn't really cooperate with the reading tonight, but I just wanted to capture him in 2 minutes & I think I did. When we get to the page with blueberries or the ice cream page he tries to grab the food & it's so cute, but he was distracted. I promise my child does have pajama pants, despite the fact that he never seems to be wearing any. It's a workout to get the diaper & shirt on, the pants come later.

New bedding & talking

New construction bedding! It is so, so cute. I got it at a consignment store & figured we can use it with his toddler bed, too. His little pillow has a tractor pillowcase that my mom sewed on because he kept taking it off and wrapping it around his head, which was just a tad scary. It also had an awesome bumper pad, but I don't want to assist him in any way with climbing out of the bed. He can basically climb in it, but has not tried to get out yet. This is proof that kids are not predictable because when he was crawling around our house at 5 months old, I would've bet he'd figure the crib thing out by now. I am good with him staying in there through at least kindergarten. Bittersweet. The pink stroller is no more. Anderson has always loved the stroller since he played with Lily's. True to the fact that he is all boy, there is not any sweet pushing a baby around in this. Rather, it has been used as a tractor carrier & a weapon of terror against the dogs. Because we fear for our walls, we have tossed it. Here is the positive: I told Anderson the garbage men are going to take care of it. I think he is so excited that his best friends are going to get it.

Christmas in September! I got Anderson's tubs (yes, plural) of fall/winter stuff out & it was so exciting going through it. I got to relive the sale all over again & picture how precious it will all look on him! I noticed that my tag pile had a lot of color from the clearance tags. Since you never know if clearance stuff is going to work later, I have rules: I only buy Target after it has 3 mark downs, I only buy Kohls or Old Navy if it has an additional percentage off the clearance price & I never pay more than $4 for anything. Quite a bit came from a $1 sale at Adorable Child. Most of the shirts, pajamas, shoes & jackets are going to fit, I think, and I am excited! The pants will probably fit next year, so I am ahead for then, too.

It always cracks me up when Chloe gets trapped on the stairs. Pitiful.
We went to the FHS Cross Country meet last weekend & had such a fun time. I think it was designed for him. It was wet so he had to wear his boots, there was a giant field for him to just run around on, there was a playground AND there were 2 real live school buses! He prefers tractors, but he is a boy, which means he loves all things in the transportation world. Trucks, jeeps, school buses, trains, stop signs....everything.

**Anderson is such a person & I love it! He talks constantly & repeats everything we say. He puts words together (more cheese, please!/move chloe, move gabbi, Anderson is coming through/more milk me) & his attempts at using the correct pronoun are hilarious. Sometimes he uses a word or phrase out of nowhere, like "bull riding" just randomly said in the car. **

On a totally unrelated note, please check out this blog. I found it while searching for a picture of Andrew Jackson's son. She is hilarious. I am sort of embarrassed to be advertising for her, but I just really wanted to share in case you need a laugh.

http://www.welcometobethville.com/2011/09/your-personal-account-of-where-you-were.html

Acceptance.

Perhaps nobody can sum it up as well as Lily did when she saw this picture in a book and said, "There's Anderson!"Duh. Of course that's him.

The point of this is that I have totally reached the Acceptance stage of this Eye thing. It only took 9 months, which is about the same amount of time you have to to get used to having a baby. In some ways, this was just as life changing, I think.

The beginning of the Eye was pretty rough. I only realize this now as I am able to look back on it with a bit of perspective. The shock, the unknown, the fear, the worry. The GIANT KNOT in my stomach for 4 months or so. I know that I may seem a bit over dramatic, but imagine a doctor telling you that the best case scenario for your 11 month old is one good eye, thick bifocals forever & no contacts. It's not really the most encouraging bit of news.

I remember so clearly the date of Anderson's 2nd Ped. Ophthalmology appt (in Knoxville) & waiting, waiting to go. We had been patching 2 hours a day for 2 weeks and I was so stressed. Anyway, I couldn't wait to go to "see if it had worked". Sweet. Then, we had a snow day. I was so bummed because I had to wait another 24 hours to find out the answer.

Clearly, we all saw (pun intended) that the answer was no.

You know the rest of the tale...the meeting with THE Dr. Cogen, the surgery, the skunk, the eye shield, the eye drops, the trips to Bham, the patches, the glasses.

Somewhere between putting eye drops in every hour and Anderson being able to say "eye pa", I happened to stumble into a big puddle of acceptance. I really like it here.

Acceptance is a place where I prefer Anderson with his glasses, not with the eye patch as much, but I love those little frames. I am actually eager to talk to public about the eye if I catch them giving us the awkward "trying not to stare" look. It does still anger me a tad when I hear, "Well, he is still adorable", but I am working on letting that go. (He is adorable BECAUSE, not ALTHOUGH!) Acceptance allows me a teeny bit of worry when I hear a story about a teenager with a cataract who probably can't drive because of her lack of peripheral vision, but it also just makes me patch more. Acceptance makes me realize patience is a pretty hefty perk of the patch. Imagine having to wait 7 years to find out an answer to something. In the beginning I couldn't sleep waiting for the 2 weeks to pass, now I am just sitting tight, waiting to hear that my 2nd grader can see. Acceptance allows me to think of fun Halloween costumes (a patched tire, a cyclops, a Cabbage Patch Kid-thanks for that, Aunt Em!) I now realize that my toddler is learning what most of my teenagers still haven't learned- sometimes life isn't fair & you just have to get over it. Acceptance is the recognition that the patch is a part of what makes up my bug. Just a part of the whole. NOT the whole.

The point is, I am ok. And, not the "I'm acting like I am fine with it but I secretly have mini breakdowns when I see a pregnant woman's face & I know she is hoping this doesn't happen to her." There is a really good post on littlefoureyes about this, which is what made me realize I am past that. I used to feel that way & now I realize I have way more than any pregnant woman could dream of having because it is impossible to imagine how perfect a patch can be. Seriously, you just have not seen cute until you see Anderson point at the pirates without an eyepatch in his book & say, "Oh, no! Eyepa??"

America & school

Nicole took this adorable picture of him pledging to the flag. He loves some America. And, running into things apparently, based on his bruises. Oh, a boy.
Little face at G.G.'s
Feeding ducks with Noni & Bop
First day of "school"! (Mother's Day Out) was this week. It was chilly, so we busted out some winter clothes. He is precious, barely fitting into his 18 month old clothes. Love his little backpack from Jessica. His pirate lunchbox from GG is in there, too! As is a very detailed explanation of The Eye & about 100 patches. I am so excited about being him around other kids & playing with new toys, but am , of course, nervous about the patch staying on all day. As I explained in his letter, "2 minutes does matter". Dr. Cogen said it is more important that he patches than that he has social interaction, so here is hoping they can keep it on. I have good feelings about this because he is SO much better with it than he was last year. This was the best picture I could get.
This was the second best picture.
Notice the little blue shirted boy in the background playing with his trucks! Also, one of the highlights of my week...I get to bring juice boxes to the Thanksgiving party!!!
Because I am so lucky, a mom of one my old cheerleaders is his teacher! So, she took my phone & got a real picture. Let's just say, it was worth all of those Friday nights standing at the FHS track to have his teacher's number already in my phone!

Bald.

Jack has cancer. Lymphoma. Mantle cell lymphoma. It just sounds yuck the way it kind of sticks on the roof of your mouth when you say it. There is something about writing it that makes it worse. It makes it real, which is worse, I guess. I haven't written anything on the blog because I wanted to respect his privacy. And, I didn't want it to be real. But, it is.

I remember the first time I met Jack. I was so nervous. Brandon & I had started dating a few months earlier, which means I had known for a few months that he was my soulmate. This means that I knew how close he was to his dad, so I had to really step it up. I remember the entire evening very clearly. They came in town for a football game (they still lived in NC at the time) & Brandon sent me to open the door of his apartment to greet them. I was excited, said hi & welcomed them in. I, luckily, had met his mom a few weeks before because I am not sure I would have been able to handle the pressure of both parents at once. Anyway, I was trying to be cute & charming and the first thing he said to me was, "Any girl who can jump out of an airplane is ok in my book!" This was a reference to the fact that for his birthday I had taken Brandon skydiving. (Side note: I was terrified of this entire experience, but, wow, how I loved this guy. I knew that I wanted to make sure that NO future girl would ever be able to top the first present I got him, so I surprised him & we jumped out of a plane about a month after we met. I think it worked because that was 9 years ago.) Anyway, I laughed nervously & then I heard it. I remember it very clearly: The Jack Glover laugh. I really cannot describe this in words, because the effect is what gets you. It's a great booming thing, the laugh. Even when I am prepared for it I am usually taken aback a bit. The first time I heard it, I knew I was hooked. I had to make it happen again. So, the rest of the evening was spent with me trying to make him think I was smart, funny, responsible & perfect for his son, while simultaneously attempting to make him laugh

As the next years progressed to where we are today I have heard the laugh a great number of times. It still is just as contagious as it was the first go round. While I was attempting to recreate it, a funny thing happened. We became really close. In fact, our running joke is that he is my Soul Dad. We discovered that we have a lot in common & our personalities are very similar. I remember many Saturday mornings going to visit Brandon around 7am when I woke up & Jack and I would just hang out & talk because nobody else was up yet. It was during these talks & the time I spent with him over the past years that I began to learn about the qualities that make up Jack Glover. He is intensely determined, but what makes this even more powerful is his ability to reason & combine logic with any argument/debate. His breadth of knowledge from everything dealing with the stock market to UT football is impressive,without a doubt. He is a hard worker, unselfish, charismatic & goofy. He loves a good laugh, shrimp cocktail, a lot of ice in his tea, his steak cooked perfectly, dogs & complementing people. I have never seen someone so organized with files. He is a loving & caring husband and his marriage created the best example for Brandon. As a dad, he looks out for his sons & always puts their needs first. He flew me to NC to visit Brandon our first Christmas we were dating, he helped us buy our house, prefers ice cream with chocolate syrup & nuts above all other desserts & he lets me eat all of his Kettle cooked chips. BUT, what makes Jack Glover truly my Soul Dad is the fact that he knows how to show love. Just like Brandon, he is sensitive, caring & not afraid to show emotions. I know for a fact that he is reading this right now & probably tearing up a bit. (Hi, Jack!). He loves intensely & he shows that love intensely. Anyone who has ever met me in his presence has heard this introduction:

"This is my son, Brandon, & my daughter, Melissa."

Upon the confused looks as to why his son & daughter are holding hands, this is usually the next phrase:

"Technically, she is my daughter in law, but we leave out the 'in law' part. See, I've always wanted a daughter & I was so lucky when we got her as an adult. We missed the teenage years & got a perfect, grown daughter!"

Seriously. I absolutely realize how lucky I am.

Back to the story at hand, the last few months have been a tad rough for the Glover family. The initial shock, the worry, the tears, the frustration. But, if I had to choose Jack's motto for life, it would be "Play hard or go home." This applies to every part of his life & it is already applying to this, as well. Jack is fighting hard, keeping a positive attitude & giving his all in this fight. A lot of this is because Toni is definitely someone you want on your side when you are fighting cancer. She has remained purposeful, committed & unwavering.

A result of the aggressive chemo is that he has lost his hair. Everyone knew this was going to happen, and, I can honestly say I was prepared for it. Actually, I was totally ok with it from the beginning. Remember, Pops is totally bald, so for me, a bald dad is really the only way to go. Bald=perfection. The Horse from "The Velveteen Rabbit" sums it up much better than I can.

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

So, now we are just waiting for Jack to receive his trophy for winning this battle. We all know it's going to happen. Anyone who has ever met him knows that, without a doubt, we are going to be buying cancer a shirt that says, "Jack Glover kicked my ass." Love you, JPa!!

The Blue House & the Pink chair

Our first trip to Winston Salem was a toddler's dream! I don't have an actual picture of the Blue House (Nicole's house), but Anderson knows the significance. I ask him who lives in the Blue House & he says, "Cole, Yilly, Dixie, Unna Uhes!". I do have a picture of yet another one of my sister's talents. How cute is this??
She is also pretty talented at keeping 2 kids in a wagon entertained with choruses of the bumblebee song.
I was just going to share a cup of ice cream with Anderson, but Nicole insisted that he get his own because that is what happens at Mama Cole's house. He proved to be quite adept at handling his own spoon/bowl.
And, I am pretty sure he learned that from his older cousin who clearly has mastered the ice cream thing.
We stopped at a consignment store where Anderson got a new tractor that he was obsessed with to the point that he would not even look up at the park. Well, until this giant amazon 2 year old named Masha appeared. She kept trying to grab the zebra & he would run & hide somewhere so he could fill it up with dirt. Anderson, there is an entire playground behind you!
Another park. Lots of parks.
Lily is my favorite. She is an odd little thing, which is a coincidence because she LOVES little things. These are just a few of the things that were sitting in her chair. She is SO spirited, energetic, giggly & just unique. There is nothing generic about that girl, for sure.

To prove that he literally is a dream come true, Anderson recognizes the American flag now! He has some flip flops with the flag on them & I always call them his America shoes, so now he points out, "Mamerica!" everywhere. Beyond precious.
Fun little juices in the wagon.
Anderson found some water, so he was set for the weekend.
The Pads, just having a peach. I really cannot capture how hilarious/wonderful she is. Pictures do not do her justice. She is SO smart; she knows what shape a stop sign is! The best thing she did all weekend was when she requested me to hold her, watching her dance to her music & watching her order Anderson around & give him warnings like, "Be careful, Anderson!" when he was too close to the stairs.
A certain girl being spoiled with bubbles & a certain boy being spoiled with a remote control truck. It's tough living in/visiting the blue house. We went to the BEST place-the Children's Museum! It was so, so cute & I got in free with my teacher id. They have an area with trucks that I pulled him away from & we found another one! One room has a Krispy Kreme factory where they can do a conveyor belt with plastic doughnuts.
Each letter is an animal & they do stuff!! The elephant exhales, so air is actually coming out of his trunk. I wanted to stay & play with all of the animals.

We hung up Anderson's new growth chart (from papercoterie!) & he loves pointing out the different types of trucks/cars.

Lily has an awesome pink chair. I know it is awesome because Anderson & Lily cannot get enough of it. This clip basically captures the weekend. My theory is to let them duke it out, so I try not to get too involved. It cracks me up.

the last days of summer.

He literally cannot decide between the tractor & the bobcat. It is too much.
I got the ABC book that I ordered from papercoterie.com ($5 total!) & it is awesome! This boy LOVES a book. He sits in my lap & we read his favorites every night: Spoon (from Aunt Cole), Goodnight Gorilla (from Dolly), the bear that goes in the bed (I don't know the name, it is a stuffed bear that you put into the car, bed, etc. from GG), the Zebra book (from the Hills), the "Daddy" book (a picture book Mom made him that has Brandon on the cover), the Pirate Book (from Aunt Clare), The Dr. Seuss ABC book (from Jeannie). We mix a few others in every now & then but these are the faves. He points out everything & tells me what it is: eyepatch, armadillo, knife, moon, glasses. There is just too much. It is, hands down, the BEST time of the day.
Hanging out with Jpa! Anderson calls him BuPa, which is adorable.

Trying to eat as many popsicles as he can, while it's still hot.

We started using play doh! He thinks I am a genius because I can make 1, 2 or, even, 3 snakes out of play doh! He moves them around, saying "Ssssss". I am going to blow his mind when I show him I can make balls, too!
Side view. Little grown up.
Reading the paper with Bop.
Noni, always on the lookout for something fun, found him this bug catcher so he can terrorize unsuspecting insects. It's really cute & she helps him catch them (& release them!)