Brown Chaffin

Brown has a sister!

2009-11-07T13:25:00.000-05:00

Well, Brown is almost 2 years old. Thinking back to the roller coaster ride of 2 winters ago in Utah...from first holding this boy attached to tubes and monitors...to flying him home to Chattanooga...to night time feedings...to preoccupations with fans, clocks, trucks, water...ER visits...fun in the water...running with the stroller...camping in below freezing weather...diapers in the middle of the night...diapers in the middle of the night while camping in freezing weather... etc. Most parents will have been through many similar experiences which is just all part of raising a child. And though we have had a false start or two, we are about to do it again. As we enter this new phase in our family life, we think back on all the prayers and help that we have received from family and friends and are most grateful. Thank you.

In some ways, we all live at the center of our own little universe. The world in some ways does seem like it should revolve around us. Learning that this is not the case is part of growing up, and stepping into our roles as individuals. Brown is to begin a crash course in this form of study. His world will have to make room for another child. When someone asks about the baby (as still happens), they will likely be referring to the new baby, and not to the almost 2 year old! This brings emotions to the surface for me even as I type this today. How in the world will we have room in our hearts for another child when our love for this child threatens to burst the bounds of our love even now?

Have we learned anything as parents? I hope so, but if we felt inadequate for one child, we feel twice as inadequate for 2 children. We are approaching this second child with some degree of fear and trepidation. Our prayer continues to be that we will continue to be equipped sufficiently for the situation that presents itself.

We are all about to find out. Please join Brown in welcoming his new little sister, Joseay Rebekah, to our family. The adventure continues.

Chris has posted a birth announcement at http://www.joseay.com/ and we will be continuing to blog about Brown, Joseay, family and life at http://chattanoogachaffins.blogspot.com/

This will be our last post at this blog. It's been fun. Thanks for following Brown's life, and we can't wait to share more ridiculous stories about Brown and Joseay on our new family blog.

What can Brown do for you

2009-11-01T07:33:00.003-05:00

Well after a night of revelry and sugar (not really- in the house by 9 and no sugar for the Brown), my family seems to be taking advantage of the time change. I think Chris and Brown both think that we gained 3 hours rather than 1 as they are still snoozing away. As you can see, we dressed our little 22 month old as a delivery man though getting him to wear a hat is still just about impossible and the great little trick or treating bag made out of a UPS mailing package that we fashioned for him, there was not a chance that he was going to carry it. Anyway, we had great fun running around playing and barging in on our friends and family for the evening - thanks for your hospitality!

Blessings

2009-10-21T05:37:00.002-04:00

Just to state the obvious, we all know our kids are blessings and only in retrospect can we really appreciated the timing of kids coming into our lives. Certainly at the time it may not seem like “the right time” to have a kid but the saying is true in that it is never the right time. Needless to say as well, Brown has been a huge blessing in our lives the past 22 months and we have soaked up each moment as best we could. But in the past 10 days or so being back home with all that has transpired in our lives, we have clung to him like never before. We have thanked God for having him in our house at this specific time. After experiencing years of having a childless house, we know first hand the longing and frustration that that can bring when you wish for it to be otherwise. And when unexpected events come along, it is with great love that we embrace our son and celebrate what we have as a family. For those who we have not yet been able to talk to, we had hoped to adopt another child last week, but these efforts were unsuccessful. To say the experience was disappointing is like saying the Titanic took on some water. This is not the time to go into it, though if you want to hear about what specifically happened and how we are moving forward, please give us a call. But to say it briefly, our hearts have been broken. If we had to return to a childless house this month, I don’t want to say we couldn’t have handled it, but it would have been immeasurably harder. Thank you God for your blessings and our prayer is for those individuals and families who today are dealing with broken dreams. Keep us mindful of our blessings and show us how best to offer comfort.

The Beach!

2009-09-29T13:15:00.006-04:00

As any parent knows, seeing your kid really enjoy the beach for the first time is so fun for some reason. I have no idea why. But it is great. As my friend Anna said, you just have to embrace the sand. It is everywhere. And it doesn't bother Brown, so I have to try and not let it bother me. As he ran down the beach (or toddled quickly) yesterday, he wiped out face first several times and ate mouthfuls of sand. It would slow him down for only a minute while he waited me to scoop it out of his mouth with my finger as best I could, and then he would stand up and take off again. I can't figure out how he kept his eyes open with grains of sand hanging off of every eye lash. It looked painful, but again, it didn't bother him, so I tried to let it go. Every bite of food he ate on the beach had at least a tablespoon of sand on it, and again, he didn't care. So I tried not to. It's harder than it sounds.

Destin is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. The water is warm, but the air is a perfect 80-85 degrees. Brown is having a great time being led around by his older cousins as they try to teach him the ways of the beach. Digging holes, chasing sea gulls, splashing in the waves, etc. We are having a blast watching him.

On the way down here a couple of days ago, we got the call that Joseay's birth mom was having contractions and was at the hospital. It turned out to be a false alarm, but we are waiting for the call. Any day... Brown's little sister is going to arrive on the scene. And he's not gonna know what hit him! :) It is bitter sweet. We are having so much fun with him, and we know Joseay will make it even sweeter, but it is hard to imagine. Where will the time come from... and the heart's capacity to love another little human being this much? Hard to imagine. But I hear it happens all the time.

Ode to Poop

2009-09-20T08:35:00.005-04:00

We have been parents now for about 2 years and have been through some of the typical experiences of these years. Night feedings, colds, bumps on the head, phases of food throwing. And did I mention diaper changes? A quick google search tells me that during the first year, babies go through somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 to more than 3000 diapers. That’s a few. It is sort of a hazing ritual you have to go through to join the parent club. The loss of sleep is just bonus.

But what the number 3000 does not tell you is the tremendous variety of diapers that you will change during these years. Of course the easy one is the wet diaper. That is one that doesn’t even seem like a diaper change. You can do that one in your sleep. Literally. The only other good diaper is the one that you think is going to be really poopy because he has been smelly for about a half an hour. You finally get a chance to change the diaper and after getting the wipes, the clean diaper, the mat to change him on, and a facemask (not really though I have thought about it), you open the diaper to find nothing. Wow. What a relief. Of course the relief is short lived. Where there is smoke, there will be fire!

But once you get into the true poopy diaper, then the fun begins. The most dreaded is the up-the-back-while-in-the-carseat poop. This one is particularly onerous when you don’t discover it until arriving at your destination. The only cure for this is full body bath which never seems to be an option when this happens. The car seat cover must be washed also which is hard to do on a road trip. Fortunately, we have only had this situation a couple of times.

This post has grown way too detailed so I will only mention the other varietals by name. The run of the mill soft playdo doo. The dripping out of the diaper diarrhea. The walking around naked nugget on the driveway/deck. The hard as rock marble. The liquid. The no smell surpise. The normal poo but left on way too long so it is hard to get off poo. Need I continue?

I say all this to say, we are not poop neophytes. We have endured our share of diaper time. I thought we were experienced. But yesterday, I walked in to get The Brown after a nap, and as soon as I opened the door, I knew one of two things had happened. We had trapped a dead armadillo in the attic (unlikely in Chattanooga) or we had just discovered a new level of smelly poop. I turned around to request back up. She (a.k.a. backup, aka wife) looked as me somewhat doubtfully. I said, come see/smell for yourself. After she had satisfied herself that this was indeed a new level, she said, “oh, no, the pesto.” What? Turns out, Brown had decided to major in pesto the previous day. Lots of pesto.

After double bagging this specimen and rushing it outdoors, a sense of normal odor began to return to our house. However, twice more during the remainder of the day, this ghost of pesto past returned to give freely of its smell. Brown has now been asleep for the night and is only now beginning to wake up. I am all nerves. Will this Pesto Poop, this Granddaddy of Nasal Annoyance, this Most Feared Fecal Fountain return to haunt us yet again today? Only time will tell. But we have now learned 2 more lessons in our parenting. Never underestimate the power of the poo. And never, no matter how tempting or how much he begs for it. Never give the Brown pesto before a long car ride. Trust me. I am a certified poop professional.

Virginia

2009-09-13T14:59:00.004-04:00

The Brown and Chris are returning today from a trip to Charlottesville to visit with many a friend there. Just in the last year, we have had several friends relocate there, so before baby Joseay comes to invade our family with extra love and diaper changes, Chris decided she should mosey on up to UVA town and tell everyone hello. I am sure she will have lots of stories and pictures to post, but I will leave that for when she returns and recovers. But it sounds like Brown has been a champ, dealing with plane flights, new people, disrupted nap schedules and having fun to boot.

Several people have commented that Brown is not a baby anymore but looks like a little boy. As parents, I think we are the last to see our kids growing up, often thinking of them several months (at this stage) or years (teenage years) behind from where their abilities and thinking currently lie. He will be running along (do toddlers ever walk?) and come to a stair. In the past, he usually gets down on all fours and crawls down/up. But now he is just starting to take them in stride. When I seem him do this, I expect a skinned knee. But most of the time, he is negotiating these things well. He has gotten very good with sign language (more, help, milk, food, etc), so much so that it is hard to get him to try to talk. But I am sure that will happen soon enough so that we will soon be fondly remembering the quiet days. But he is no longer and infant. We are still asked quite frequently about how the baby is doing, and it is an interesting quandary to be in as to know if they are asking about Brown or Joseay. It will soon be clear who is the baby and who is the boy in the house. 38 days until the due date. Babies always come on their due date, right?

Cousin Andrew's 5th Birthday Party

2009-08-29T22:28:00.011-04:00

We just got back from a fun afternoon with family birthday celebrations. Cousin Andrew turned 5, and Uncle Brian turned... in his 30s somewhere.

I had fun snapping a few pictures at the playground, and then of Brown playing with the legos and trucks at Andrew's house. Unfamiliar toys rock!

Off to conquer the playground...

Hmmmm... which should I do first? The slide or the swings?

The slide!

Thanks, Cousin Sarah... these are big kid swings.

And now to the legos!

Ummmm... I need a basket, please. Too many good trucks to choose from.

Shocking, I know. Dad is kissing me again. Sheeeesh!

Recent Pictures

2009-08-20T17:24:00.012-04:00

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last couple of weeks.

a stare down with Nana.

Raise the roof!

Adoption, the sequel

2009-08-10T09:24:00.004-04:00

Adoption is a tricky process. In many ways, it is a wonderful affirmation of our adoption as sons and daughters in a spiritual sense. In many mundane ways, it is a tedious legal affair that can collapse at any time and can give you sleepless nights worrying about what will go wrong. Sort of like the rest of parenthood. But we are moving through this process a second time and though it is not done 'til its done, it's as official as it gets with adoption. Brown will be welcoming his little sister into the world in mid October. His birth mom is pregnant again and we are told it is POSITIVELY a girl this time. Ha! We'll see. Whatever it is, we are very excited. Chris spent the day with the birth mom last week and took her to the doctor and got to hear baby girl's heart beat and see her sweet little face on the 3D sonogram. October 21st is the best guess of a due date, so we are trying to get prepared around here for another little Brownie in our house. It's been quite an interesting/trying/exciting/humbling/crazy journey this time around. But things are looking good at this point, and we can't wait to meet Baby Joseay (sounds like Jo-see) in a couple of months. I know second children are blessed with hand-me-downs of all sorts and poor Joseay has to start off her first day with a hand-me-down name. This was the name we had picked out for Brown, though a quick physical exam revealed that Joseay would be a most inappropriate name for this little boy. So we are super excited about this new person that we pray will enter our lives in just a few weeks. If she's anything like her big brother, we are going to be spoiled rotten. We are so thankful...

Lake and Family

2009-08-02T00:55:00.006-04:00

Brown has been hanging out at the lake with his Uncle Matt (chris's brother) and his 3 1/2 yr old cousin Keely, along with Butter and Papa (Chris's parents) and us (that would be Chris and Curt).

It's been a hoot this week watching those two kids together. Brown likes to follow Keely around, and she loves it. Usually. But then she gets tired of the attention she has to share with him, so she tries to come up with ways for us to leave him behind sometimes. The mind of a 31/2 year old... hilarious! Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days.

He's all good

2009-07-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

We got the results today from the doc and they said that the results from Brown's EEG were all good. Wahoo! They didn't find anything abnormal (except an unreal amount of cuteness activity in his brain). We thought this would be the case, but we were happy to hear it anyway. Poor Brown looked like a little Mad Scientist when they had him hooked up for the EEG, but he did GREAT! He didn't freak at all and was just pretty chill laying there on the bed with daddy. We read some books to him and he looked around and wondered what in the world we had dragged him into this time. But he was very good, and we were so proud of him. And we are more than happy to put this last week behind us. On to more adventures...

Brown is back

2009-07-25T21:52:00.004-04:00

Its Saturday night and we took Brown on his first outing in a while to the lake which he loved. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed this AM (sort of weird since his crib is against the wall) and was back asleep about an hour later. He was then up for a long car ride as we ran some errands and then back down for a nap. But evidently he is just catching up on his sleep because after a couple of naps, he was good for the afternoon. He was walking all over the dock, playing and splashing in the lake and charming some lady visitors from Baton Rouge playing hide and seek. All in all, this afternoon we welcomed the old Brown back into our lives and it was a wonderful reunion. He still has some rough edges but he has made remarkable improvement. We have to have an EEG Monday which will be a pain and is unlikely to show anything, but we want to make sure. Unfortunately he has to be somewhat sleep deprived so that will be a fun few hours. But all in all we are super grateful that he has recovered and look forward to the next few days of normalcy.

I wondered as he went through various stages and painful procedures (the seizure, starting the IV, spinal tap, CT etc) if there has ever been a parent who did not wish or pray that they could somehow take on the pain that their child was experiencing. That is, when you see your child in such pain, to be able to switch places with them so that the parent felt the pain rather than the child. That thought went through my mind several times in the past week.

Friday morning

2009-07-24T11:45:00.002-04:00

Brown is about the same. Still has a bit of pain when he tries to crawl or walk therefore he is doing little of either. Other than that, he is in a good mood, eating and sleeping well. Hopefully we will see some improvement later today.

"Feel Better, Brownie" Voice Mail

2009-07-23T12:28:00.003-04:00

This is the cutest voice mail I have ever heard! My 4 year old niece, Keely, called Brown last night and left a message.

	Voicemail You'll Love Share this ...

One for the road

2009-07-22T18:23:00.003-04:00

They are starting one more infusion of antibiotics to run over a half hour and then we are headed home! Jeanie Jung just came in and gave us the boot so after too much paperwork I am sure, we will be sleeping in our own bed tonight.

Erlanger Jello

2009-07-22T15:20:00.002-04:00

Well, I don't know how it has happened, but we have made it to 19months with the Brown without him having any Jello. So to update you, he slept from 11am to 2pm and has been in a reasonably good mood though this is all in comparison. But he has eaten like a moose today and one of the things he zipped through was Jello. He loved it. The first bite was interesting. He couldn't decide if he liked it, but soon he was asking for more-more. So lots of Jello, milk, macaroni and a roll have rounded out his lunch. The word we are getting is that as long as he doesn't have any more seizure activity, he can go home tonight. So that is the tentative plan right now.

Surrounded by Friends

2009-07-22T11:07:00.003-04:00

Well, we are at the children's hospital and have been since yesterday evening when we had to make another quick car trip to the ER as Brown was having another febrile seizure. It was longer than the previous two and had to be stopped with some medicines, but after CT scans, spinal tap and some other lab work has come back all normal, it does seem to be simply related to the fever again. He had a terribly irritable night and didn't go to sleep until about 430 am for a few hours during which Chris and I did get a few minutes of sleep. He has been somewhat better today but still super sleepy and fussy. Chris and I have been trading off taking care of him this morning and he has just gone down to sleep again at 11am. So he is sleeping, I think Chris is sleeping and I hope to join them soon. Thanks for all the calls and texts and sorry we won't have time to respond for a while. The pizza last night and the donuts this morning were especially nice. Not sure what will be the plan today as we have to wait and see how he is acting. Thanks to all and continue in prayer.

The day in pictures

2009-07-15T11:16:00.008-04:00

I haven't been taking as many pictures lately, so I pulled the ole camera out yesterday to capture some typical images of our morning.

There are always little milk droplets around the house because he still likes to hurl his bottle across the room after he finishes drinking what he wants. And yes, we are trying to curb this, but so far, no luck.

He still loves playing peek-a-boo around the corner, which I never tire of. And like in the picture below, he'll pretend to be (at least I HOPE he is pretending) shocked when he sees we are still standing there around the corner.

I think he is doing it to entertain us because we almost always laugh.

OK... that's all for the morning routine. We're bushed. Now he's sleepy it's time for him to go down for his morning nap. He is still on the 2 hour nap twice a day. Night, night, sleepy guy.

Balls and Lights

2009-07-06T11:17:00.002-04:00

Brown loves throwing the ball back and forth (or at least in our general vicinity). He will throw it across the room, giggle with a super high pitch girly scream, and waddle over to pick it up and throw it again. We never let him play with remote controls because he likes to throw them. But last night he picked up the remote the ceiling fan/light and I let him enjoy it for a minute. You could tell he was in heaven.

Facial!

2009-06-28T11:11:00.004-04:00

Brown has taken some HUGE "strides" in his walking over the last week. He is LOVING walking, and does not seem to enjoy crawling nearly as much as he did a couple of weeks ago. He gets really excited and starts walking so fast that he is almost trotting (or stumbling forward) and he raises both of his arms up in the air so that he looks exactly like an orangutan walking. Sometimes, a drunk orangutan.

Well, a couple of days ago he happen to be trotting on some asphalt and tripped and face-planted. Since his arms were up in the air, he had nothing to catch himself with but the tip of his nose. And then he did it again but this time he caught himself with his forehead. Poor guy. He looks AWFUL! We keep trying to hold his hand so he won't do it again, but Mr. Independent likes trying to do it on his own and will sometimes start crying and try to run away when we reach for his hand. Ahhhhh... good times ahead. He obviously hasn't looked at himself in the mirror lately, or he might decide that holding mommy or daddy's hand isn't such a horrible thing after all.

Even though he looks terrible, he's in great spirits and it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

Food Fights

2009-06-18T14:42:00.002-04:00

Brown officially entered training for the world championship in food fights. Though his small size and lack of experience may be hindrances, his backhanded technique has improved to the point where he can hit a wall at 5 paces and he can make his mom beat her head against that same wall in a matter of 30 seconds. The funny thing about his training is that he seems to have fun doing it and we simply do not enjoy it at all. In fact, if you are looking to start a traveling team, please call us. If you call right in the middle of one of his training episodes, we might gladly loan him to you for a while. His crowning achievement this week occurred when he thumped a strawberry from the kitchen bar to the white upholstery on a chair at the table across the room at his Nana’s house. The accuracy, the stain and the complete lack of remorse has earned him a position of food chucker on the varsity food fight team. His final training begins this Sunday as we take him to Harrison Bay for a 2 week mission project (see posts from June/July 08). He is disappointed that there will be no white upholstery to make his mark, though I have assured him he will figure out some way to continue his training.He is being very helpful here by pointing to where he threw the chunk of banana. Such a little helper bee.

Walker

2009-06-06T15:53:00.001-04:00

First dates

2009-06-04T16:13:00.002-04:00

Chris and I were talking the other night about how when two people first begin to date, there is a freshness there, a newness that permeates the entire relationship.

What is she going to think about this?
How will she look today?
Will she think this joke is funny?
What are her parents like?
I wonder if she likes sports?
Would she rather have chocolate, or ice cream?
Or both!

Whether you are talking about dating relationships or friendships, there is something special about those first few months that may fade after you have learned many of these new surface traits. Finding these things out is exciting and is part of what gives so much energy to the relationship without even very much effort.

I have decided that having and infant / toddler in the house has many similarities. Just when you think you have learned what makes him smile, what he likes to eat, or when he likes to sleep, he goes and changes up the whole routine, not to mention the physical changes and abilities that seem to crop up every day. We were looking at some pictures from just a season ago and there was the picture of Brown without really any hair at all. Was he ever that bald? I don't even recall that. To compare it to a dating relationship (aside from being sort a strange comparison), it is like we are constantly going on a first date.

What will he be like today?
Will he stand up from a sitting position without having to grab hold of the couch today? Yes!!
Will he really eat that fresh bean? Yes!
Will he walk over here and give me kiss on the cheek? Fat chance - too many toys to play with...

As I sit here at the desk and write this, I wonder what is changing about him now. What schemes is he dreaming up that will send his parents into fits of laughter this evening? We will keep you posted.

Dreams and Memories

2009-05-14T12:39:00.001-04:00

Anniversaries, like children, are different in dreams than what I actually encounter in my daily life. This ninth anniversary for Chris and I was envisioned as a surprise night away with time away from the Brown. Babysitters aka grandparents, were lined up, reservations made, plans for meals done. The picture in my mind was of us leaving Brown at my parents with him playing in the yard laughing as we rode away for an evening of romance. Reality revealed to me this: irritable tired Brown, snotty, coughing to the point of pain so that he cries after coughs, sleeping on my chest in a chair downstairs while my wife (remember the anniversary?) was getting some badly needed sleep upstairs since she had been the one staying awake with him for days. How did we get here?

Well, it starts last weekend. We were out for a benefit, came home and went to bed without incident. 3:30 AM however jarred us quickly awake as we found Brown moaning, burning hot (104), and mostly unresponsive and tremoring. We quickly made our way through some red lights on the way to Children’s where we were able to get his fever down which allowed him to be more responsive. After some reassuring blood work, we drove home in the early morning light to get some sleep. Happy Mother’s day Chris. This week has been tough on Chris and Brown though we are thankful that our son is on the mend and generally in better spirits. That brings us to last night. The boys in the den trying to sleep. Brown evidently finding his dad bony enough that he needs to shift around fairly often. His tired dad trying to sleep, though in the back of his mind realizing that the times of your son sleeping with his head on your chest are numbered so you better appreciate this. As much as you want to go to sleep and get comfortable, take this moment and appreciate it for what it is. Anniversaries, kids and “having” to sleep with your son on your chest are sometimes different in memories than in real life.

Fisher Price Rocks

2009-04-30T18:56:00.002-04:00

Just some Pictures

2009-04-24T15:44:00.006-04:00

This is Brown's favorite pose -pointing to something to tell us where he wants to go. And it's always where he isn't at the time. And when he gets there, he wants to go back to where he was. He's a mover.

The Chaffin family cousins and great grandparents at Easter. Awesome. And they are all holding the baskets that their Uncle Jim made them. Wow! How cool is that!

Personality

2009-04-21T18:04:00.003-04:00

So his expressions are becoming more varied and more intense. And not always in a good way. If you cross him in any way, he is likely to sit back on one leg, cock his head to the side and give you a stare down. Getting him out of his crib in the mornings and opening the windows seems like a new experience every time. He screams (yes screams) like he has seen the most amazing sight in the world. He gasps at the light switch. He pierces the air with his sharp cry I think just because he can. His vocalizations at the table are protean. He loves to say book and has learned to make this snapping sound with his tongue when he points to a clock since that is the noise we make when we point out the clocks in books. Books, trucks, milk. He likes the k sounds. He smiles playfully and is always glancing back to be sure you are watching him. The personality that we began to see peaking out of the shell months ago is beginning to emerge much more quickly. Not sure if it is a butterfly coming out of the cocoon or a grimy grub. Some of both I suppose.

Little Cajun Boy

2009-04-07T11:13:00.006-04:00

He's adapting to this crazy Louisiana country like a champ. He has been loving all of the new foods and faces. It has been incredibly fun for me to introduce him to so many of our old friends down here. Brown has been such a good guy, dishing out the smiles and the high fives and trying to show off his new steps every now and then. He's definitely still a crawler, but he sure does like trying this walking thing more and more!

It's been really special to get to have Brown in the home where I grew up and have so many memories. I've actually gotten quite sentimental and sappy about it at different times, but we don't need to go into all of that here. It's just been a really sweet week for me and the Brownster. But we can't wait to see dada tomorrow!

Standing in the back yard... THINKING about walking

Geaux Tigers!

Begging for more crawfish from Butter

Tech and Walking

2009-04-05T21:19:00.003-04:00

Well, I guess we can count today as the day when he took his first steps. For some time, he has been taking a step or two as he falls forward, but not really making an attempt at walking. He loves to stand up and sort of cracks himself up when he realizes no one is holding him up. He just sort of smiles really big. Then crumples forward. But today, Chris was holding him up and urging him to walk, and though there were certainly more failed attempts, he for the first time, took two steps and then stopped. He actually had some control. Wow, the Brown is taking steps.

Now you may be asking how I saw this, as from the previous picture, it is evident that he is still down in Baton Rouge with Chris and the Barkers living it up like a Coon A. I happened to be lucky enough talking to Chris over the webcam so I saw it all (at least she tells me this was the first time - he may have been doing it for days for all I know...). She then texted me later in the day to inform me that he took 7 consecutive steps. Hooray for technology. Hooray for walking. Let the chasing of the runaway boy begin. Now if I can figure out how to attach a GPS to him for the next 20 years...

Crawfish Time!

2009-04-04T11:50:00.002-04:00

Brown and I are down in Louisiana having a big time!

Electricity REALLY is amazing when you think about it.

2009-03-16T11:04:00.003-04:00

These youngins don't take modern technology for granted yet. It's pretty refreshing and fun to be reminded of how amazing some things really are.

Football, schmootball - This boy can dance!

2009-03-12T11:52:00.004-04:00

Because Brown is such a big boy, many people make the comment he will surely be a football player when he grows up. Well, I think it's too early to put him in that box and make such a strong stereotype.

As you can see in this video, he also can make very graceful and delicate moves. He has been showing an interest in gymnastics lately, and I told him that if he was serious about it, he needed to come up with a floor exercise routine. He picked the music and worked on this for several minutes. Notice the pointed toes, the graceful moves, amazing balance, the dramatic flair as he points to the lights above, and even brings his blanket in as a prop for special effects. I'm telling you... the boy has talent. He has even come up with his very own move that he named "Swan Dive" to finish off his routine. I hope you will be as impressed as I was.

Warm Days = Happy People

2009-03-09T11:53:00.007-04:00

Wow... what an incredible weekend of perfect weather this was! We went up to my parent's house to enjoy some sunshine by the lake. Quite a drastic change from the cold weather pictures from just a couple of days ago. We thoroughly enjoyed letting brown splash and play in the water until his non-swim diaper was almost exploding from all of the extra water that he was practically swimming in. I had fun playing with my camera and taking a series of quick shots. I put them together in a quick action video below for my own entertainment.

Playing outside

2009-03-03T15:22:00.002-05:00

He loves to swing big.

Such a gentle touch with the petals on the dainty flower... right before he ripped it out of the ground and put it in his mouth.

Some Firsts... and Remembering Some Lasts

2009-03-02T10:51:00.002-05:00

He finally decided to take a few steps this weekend. At least that is our interpretation of the two steps he took as he fell forward and laughed. In the last few weeks, he has figured out how to stand on his own. He can stand, look around, even twist a bit. But when it comes to taking that first step, he has been fairly hesitant. But this weekend on a couple of occasions, he actually moved his feet somewhat as he was lunging for our outstretched arms. It is exciting and terrifying.

Watching him crawl across the floor has been so cute. He is quite the machine as he motors all over the place. Speeding up when he senses that we have left a door open to some place he is not allowed. Stopping and sitting back on his haunches to sort of gauge the situation and then off he goes on some important errand. As we watched his tail end disappear around the corner, I remarked to Chris that the days of our watching him crawl were numbered – we were about to have a toddler in our house. It made me begin to think of all the things that he has done for the last time. I remember a week or so after he began sleeping through the night actually lamenting the fact that I would never get to feed him a bottle in the middle of the night. As painful as getting up to feed him was, after we settled in, it made for some very sweet moments. We have mixed his bottle for the last time. We have quickly moved through tens of sets of baby clothes as his 30# frame now is in 2T clothes. The baby in our house is about to vanish and be replace by a walking, jabbering boy.

He is ALL boy

2009-02-27T16:01:00.005-05:00

Brown loves to play in the dirt. He leaves the grassy area to go and hunt for the dirt and gravel to rub his hands through. I love boys!

Illness comes and goes

2009-02-23T19:10:00.003-05:00

So he had one fever over Thanksgiving that was due to an ear infection along with the runny/congested nose. But overall, he has been healthy since his stint in the NICU. This may be due to good luck or the fact that his nap falls right in the middle of church so he rarely sees the nursery. Well, the good luck broke this week as he was with a babysitter (her first time with Brown) and of course he spiked a fever of 103 and was miserable and screaming. This lasted for about 18 hours or so. You parents know how fun an inconsolable, feverish, screaming child is who refuses any tylenol. After about 4 minutes, you are ready to scream yourself. Chris took the brunt of the night but we were both up at about 430 AM, Chris and I were both sitting in the floor with him and he suddenly started playing and laughing. What? You are kiddin me. Yes, his head felt cool, he was playing and acting like the previous day had never happened. It took him a few days to get back to normal but he was playful and smiling and seemed to have no memory of the event. So for all of you with the winter coughs and sniffles out there, spring is on the way. (apologies to those with spring allergies... - see you in the office)

Morning Brown

2009-02-12T14:21:00.000-05:00

So mornings around the house have changed, just like every other part of our routine. I usually get up before Brown and Chris, and then get in the shower just as Brown begins to make noise in hopes that the noise of the shower will soothe him for a few more minutes. I don’t have any idea if this has helped one iota but that is that. So this morning I get out of the shower and all is quiet – Chris’ light is out and there are no Brown noises anywhere. But as my eyes slowly adjust, I realize that the Brown is sitting up in our bed and as I move toward him, he reaches up for me without a sound. So of course I snuggle back in bed with his head on my shoulder and catch about 15 more glorious minutes of time in bed with the family. He is just snuggly enough so that when I have to leave, I am able to slip him over to Chris’ shoulder without to much stir as I quickly slip out of the room. Chris later tells me that they had 30 more minutes together in bed before the Brown decided to head downstairs for some scrambled eggs. I just thought I would give this window into one of the sweetest times we have had together.

Spoon... Take 1!

2009-02-10T17:09:00.006-05:00

I am so lame. I know that it is time (past time) for Brown to be using a spoon to feed himself. But it is just such a pain to teach him, and SO messy! It's easier to just feed him myself. BUT... that is definitely losing its charm, as well. He and I both are ready for him to take charge of the spoon and eat like a man.

So today, instead of worrying about where he was going to sling food in the kitchen (walls, drawers, floor, me, etc.), I stripped him down and rolled his high chair outside and let him go at it with the spoon. It was great. I don't think we made much progress, BUT... he tried. Kind of. He definitely ate more than normal. He has been getting frustrated so quickly the last couple of weeks that he just hasn't wanted to eat as much. But today, I let him go at it and he ate like he hadn't seen food in a while. So, I guess that's good. And then he splashed around in the tub for a while and got all squeaky clean and everyone was happy.

Constant change

2009-02-04T14:13:00.001-05:00

Brown got to visit me at work yesterday on his way to Cleveland and even had some leftover lunch – chicken, potatoes and macaroni – plenty of starch so he doesn’t blow away. Someone mentioned that he is babbling up a storm. I thought to myself. Yes but that is normal. At least, it is normal for him now. The more I thought about it, I realized he is talking all the time now. (ok, talking is a stretch, but he is noisy). When did my amazement stop at him speaking? When did it become commonplace for him to imitate our sounds, our dadas, mamas and now farm animal sounds. He crawls like lightning all over the place, pulls up on tables and grabs anything within reach. When did I stop watching his every move? Remember the excitement of the first roll over (see first year summary)? Now he simply swats chairs out of the way as he chases his ball all over the house. The amazing has become normal. This constant ride of growing up is steady, and seemingly slow, but persistent. Persistent especially when you see his infancy slipping away with the calendar despite all you do to grasp it closely. Persistent to those parents who realize that they are about to have a toddler on their hands. Persistent to those of us who realize that try as we might to protect and guide him, there are many bumps and bruises ahead of him.

Speaking of injuries, he did figure out something last night that was both amazing and (mostly) terrifying. He figured out how to work the doorknobs at Nana and Granddad’s house. A whole new set of dangers is now out there. Bathrooms. Laundry rooms. Basements. He can’t yet climb himself up on a chair, but that day is approaching quickly. Prayers are appreciated.

Ahhhh... Electrical Outlets

2009-01-30T13:55:00.002-05:00

Somehow, Brown found the electrical outlet much more interesting than my dad wearing a purple boa, his granddaughters knit hat, and holding the cuddly teddy bear out to Brown to get his attention. Oh well...he tried.

Hungry Hungry Hippo

2009-01-27T21:01:00.002-05:00

If I could go back in time...

2009-01-18T09:35:00.004-05:00

... then I would have stopped cutting his hair after the first mistake.

Instead, while he was in the bath and moving around quite a bit, I kept trying to correct my mistakes. Brown's hair seems to be growing at different rates. Therefore, he'll have one area of hair that is super long, and then the rest is normal length. It's like little maverick mullets that keep appearing. So I decided to tackle the problem yesterday. While he was in the bath, I would wait for him to stop splashing and playing, and then I would make my move. Very sudden and quick. Not a lot of calculation going on. I didn't have any blunt scissors... only the super sharp kind with an inevitable ER visit waiting to happen. So I had to be quick because I didn't want to cut him. I figured that his safety was a priority over an actual "good" haircut. Well... after seeing this picture, you might disagree.

Lessons learned:
1.) I will not use these death scissors again, EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT CUT HIM (this time)
2.) I will either buy children's hair cutting scissors or use the shears
3.) I will... sheeesh... I don't know... I just won't do this to him again.

And to answer your question, NO! I have not fixed it. This is still what his hair looks like. Definitely better looking when it's dry, but still... poor guy. Just don't stare at it too long if you happen to see him soon. He doesn't know about this. He thinks I was just playing a game and tickling the back of his head with a sharp, pointy object. He doesn't know I was actually cutting his mullet. So please... no comments to his face. Just let it grow and smile politely if you see him.

Lots to learn

2009-01-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

Well, the Brown is cruising along these days, making strides (well not literally) and learning new skills each day. Did I mention that he learned how to clap a couple of weeks ago? He had been “clapping” our hands for quite sometime, but could never make the mental leap to understand that his hands would clap as well. But the other day while taking a break from putting corn in his hair, he just started clapping. For several days, he would only clap when sitting down for a meal, but he is so brilliant, he now can clap even when not eating. Is there any other kid on the planet who can clap in multiple settings? I don’t think so.

My grandfather is fond of commenting that Brown has so much to learn. He really does. It is mind boggling to think of all the facts, skills, and maneuvers that he has yet to master. He has yet to walk. He will have to learn to drink out of a cup. He will have to learn to share. Multiplication tables. The stove is hot. Scissors are sharp. People can be mean. Girls are pretty. Girls can break your heart. Cakes taste good. Cakes cost money. Money is important. Money is unimportant. Money is important. ? Swimming. Driving. Cars can be dangerous. Ice is slick. Friends are great. Some friends are for life. Felt board Jesus is not the same as Jesus. How to ride a bike. How to build a kite. Love is important. Warm sun on a early spring day feels great on your face. …. As I reach midlife, I feel like there is so much that I have yet to learn. But my grandfather is right, Brown has a lot to learn. Some of this we can help him with, some he has to get on his own. There is only so much Chris or I can do. Prayer and community are important. I hope you will help us as we try to teach him the important lessons of life. If we can pass on some items that have been valuable to us, we may be able to allow him to avoid some pitfalls that we were unable to avoid. Oh yeah, that is another thing, he has to learn there will be pitfalls and that how we react to these downturns probably says more about our character and who we believe in than during the good times.

Bath Time Drummer

2009-01-08T08:18:00.002-05:00

We all end up getting a bit wet during his bath time. He loves splashing.

Brown's First Year of Life

2009-01-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

This is a video I made for Curt for Christmas. If you have 11 minutes to kill, enjoy.

The second song is by Al Green and I love the line that says, " Baby, I'm so glad you're here. Why did it take so long? It only made my love grow strong. Baby, I'm so glad you're mine."

Mr. Helpful

2009-01-06T11:00:00.002-05:00

Delirious Tickle Laughter

2008-12-30T09:03:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T16:52:00.001-05:00

He's come a long way with George...

2008-12-17T09:38:00.002-05:00

(BFFs)

Hatchet

2008-12-15T12:07:00.005-05:00

So they say as you go through this thing called parenthood and come up against challenges you find yourself repeating history - doing the things that were done for you when you were a child. Or at least you call your parents or siblings and say, what did you do when I kept eating the Christmas tree? How do I make him lie down? How do you keep him from putting mashed and partially eaten eggs in his hair? Sometimes the advice is good, sometimes not, and sometimes the precedent is set and serves as a guide.

On MY first birthday, I had this uncle named Ernest who was that uncle that always made you laugh. I mean he was always telling stories or jokes. This was my dad's mom's sister's husband. That was fun. Anyway, this was the aunt (Mog) and uncle that my dad lived with while he was in college and I suppose that gave him the right to give my dad's first born son the gift that all mother's dream of their son carrying around the house as they learn to walk. A real hatchet. In answer to your question, I don't know why. It may be one of those things where you say, "it seemed like a good idea at the time" sort of things. But I don't know. Some people want to go back in history and see a famous event like the signing of the Declaration of Independence or Christ's birth. Interesting as those would be, I would love to see my mom's face as the hatchet was opened on my first birthday. I am sure her face said, in the politest sort of way, "what kind of family gives a 12month old a hatchet?"

We have made it a tradition to use this hatchet to help cut the Christmas tree every year and soon Brown will have to hear this story every year. (oh, here goes dad again, telling how he was given a hatchet on his first birthday. Does he think we were deaf last year?) But it has been a fun tradition. So, since Brown is one year old, by virtue of family tradition and the power vested in me by no one in particular, it is time to wield the hatchet on the Christmas tree young man. So we placed his hand on the handle and we now have a cedar tree in our living room. I thought I would sort of have to hold his hand on the handle. But he took to it fairly vigorously. Next year, I will get him a chainsaw.

Firsts

2008-12-11T09:52:00.002-05:00

Well, that classic of all firsts for Brown has arrived today - his first birthday. It is about 6am as I write this and a 6am call this day last year is what we got after 4 hours of sleep in a hotel to tell us that we better get over the hospital quickly if we had the urge to see our daughter born. Of course, this "daughter" gave us our first surprise in his first few seconds of breathing as given my years of medical training, I was able to astutely determine that Brown was a boy. Reflecting on his first year with us, I think back to all the firsts that we have had which most every parent will remember: first time we held him in our arms, first cry, first time to take him outside the hospital, first time to sleep under our roof at home, first middle of the night feeding, first fever, first set of shots, first cut to bring blood, first smile. I distinctly remember the first time he reached out his arms wanting to be held by me. First bites of food. First roll over. First time to come back in the room and him be in a different place (scary). First babysitter. This first son of ours has given us already a wealth of memories and for this we give thanks to God. We thank each of you for your prayers over Brown and look forward to what his second year will bring.

Loves the play house - and shutting me out

2008-12-05T10:38:00.006-05:00

Yes... we are VERY thankful.

2008-11-27T14:43:00.010-05:00

Today marks a very special day for us. Thanksgiving Day last year was the first time we talked to Brown's birth mom on the phone. So exactly one year ago is when The Brown Train got rolling. And then it was a high speed down hill ride from there. He's quickly approaching his 1st Birthday. We have already rented 18 ponies and 11 inflatable moonwalks, but we'll probably end up canceling those and just toasting him with a cold glass of milk in his sippy cup and telling him "Happy Birthday. Thanks for being here. You've completely changed our lives and we don't know what we did before you came along. We love your guts. Kind of ridiculously." And then he'll just stare at us and then reach for a cheerio.

Anyway, back to our first Thanksgiving Day today. It's pretty memorable. The 3 of us are stuck at home while Brown enjoys his first ear infection and fights 103 degree fever. He's actually doing MUCH better today and I think his fever is gone. He's asleep right now (as is his daddy who is downstairs in the guest room sawing logs). So our meal today consists of what I made to contribute to the Chaffin Thanskgiving Gathering in Cleveland, TN - mashed potatoes and pumkin pie with homeade whipped cream. And really... what a great meal! Those are always the two things that I go back for seconds and thirds for, so what a bonus to only get to choose between those two things for our Thansgiving meal.

So even though we are very sad not to be spending today with Brown's cousins and great grandparents and grandparents, we definitely have SO MUCH TO BE thankful for this Thanksgiving. I wrote a note to Brown's birthmom this morning to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Wow. What a gift.

Standing Is Just Too Much Fun

2008-11-22T12:22:00.003-05:00

I had to go in his room 3 times during his morning nap to lay him back down. Now that he knows how to pull up on the crib and stand, he has a hard time going to sleep. He just loves standing.

When I come in the door today...

2008-11-20T11:36:00.004-05:00

The Brown is about to make that transition to being a toddler. As you can see in this grainy video, he has figured out how to open the cabinets in the kitchen which is a whole new deal for us. But this era of laying around on the floor, or scooting around is about to come to a crashing halt. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but in the next few weeks, he will be walking all over the place. We will likely not even be able to remember how easy it was to have a kid who basically stayed where you put him.

He is also changing mentally. I was telling Chris this morning that he is a different kid from just a few weeks ago. He will mimick what we do - with his mouth and occasionally waving to us when we wave at him. He will come toward you when he wants to see you (what a huge blessing as a dad to come home and have your child expressing joy to see you!), and he will even grab your hand to pull himself up. Each day brings new changes. I wonder what I will see when I come in the door today...

Books and Pull Ups

2008-11-17T15:59:00.005-05:00

The quality of these pics and video is terrible, but you get the gist. I took these with my phone camera. He is starting to skootch a lot faster and REALLY trying to pull up. He can now pull himself up in the crib, so we've finally had to lower the mattress to the lowest, back breaking level. Today he was also able to pull himself up on a step, which was a huge accomplishment that he was VERY proud of himself for doing.

You can also see from these pictures how much he loves books. He really loves flipping through them and being read to. I'm so glad about that! I don't think I really enjoyed reading until I was 28.

Helpful Backseat Rider

2008-11-13T14:37:00.005-05:00

Brown and Curt raked the front yard a few of days ago. He was very helpful to Curt. You can see him leaning down in one of these pictures to tell Curt that he missed a couple of leaves.

How do you spell "scootch"? Or "Skooch"? Or "skootch"?

2008-11-04T12:41:00.003-05:00

Well, I don't know how to spell it, but that is what Brown is doing. He's not really crawling. Just dragging himself across the floor (still with only one side of his body seeming to do all the work). But he's going places, now. He is loving his freedom!

Cruz Azul Welcomes Its Youngest Player!

2008-11-02T21:27:00.003-05:00

Brown's friend, Ellison, brought him the coolest soccer uniform from Mexico this summer! For those of you who might not follow the sport, Cruz Azul is a really popular Mexican soccer/football club. Brown wore their uniform proudly for his first Halloween.

Great Grandparents and Cold Camping

2008-10-29T21:38:00.008-04:00

Well, we have taken Brown camping before, but this is the first time I feel that we have taken a little boy camping. I mean he can interact. You see the joy in his eyes and hear his laughter as you play with him and he takes it all in. He loved being in the backpack as you can see and he had that grin on the entire time. I had a grin at the beginning, but after walking a bit up and down hills with 28 pounds of boy on my back, it turned into a grimace. But it was a great time. Had a fire, kept brown warm in a little cocoon of quilts and blankets and talked about plans for our next camping trip. The boy loves peak a boo and there was not an end to it on this trip.

Prior to camping we got to take him to see the greatgrandparents (the Browns) in Cookeville which he doesn't get to see as often as we would like. Chris was able to get this great picture of Gaga and him on the swing on the front porch. Wow. The lines, the hands, the concentraction. Generations. Names. Love. Legacy. They closed off their time on the swing with playing on the floor together. How many people are lucky enough to play on the floor with their great grandmother?

Brown's whole life in 3 minutes

2008-10-23T15:13:00.001-04:00

He can do it... he just doesn't feel like it right now.

2008-10-23T09:22:00.001-04:00

Well, even though he does not prove it in this video, the boy can crawl. He's just a little bit lazy. This video was taken about 10 minutes before he fell asleep for his morning nap, so we'll just blame his inactivity to sleepiness. He likes standing and holding on to the couch more than anything these days. He's not cruising or anything like that - just kind of chilling out and looking around. He's very observant like that.

Yesterday we went down to the St. Elmo playground to meet a friend and her 6 month old for a picnic. Oh my goodness, it was so cute. Brown could not stop smiling as he was staring at the little (much smaller than Big Brown) boy on the other side of the blanket. I could see in Brown's eyes how much he wanted to squish him and hold him like a little doll. Bennett crawled over to Brown (Brown was busy just sitting and observing of course - not wanting to burn too many calories) and Brown kept patting him on the head while they both grinned ear to ear. Then Brown would do "the aviator" (where he flaps his arms like he is trying to fly). One time, Brown was so overcome with glee that his eyes kind of rolled back in his head and he had one of the goofiest grins I've ever seen on him. It was pretty stinking cute. We need to do that more often. He loves looking at (and petting) other little kids.

CURT REPUDIATES THE FALSE REPORTING

2008-10-19T22:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, well I just had to set the record straight. I hate Vegas for many reasons. One, it is easier to stay in town and just throw your money out the window. Second, I hate Vegas because my wife has no control over money there. Ask her what time she left the casino after blowing a wad of money just before we got married. Third - Do I really need a third? - Come on.

As for the crawling, he is using both sides very well thank you and you would have a great video of him crawling across the rug as he did several times today. However. I called Chris in with the camera just as he was getting ready to go on a distance-record setting crawl. I just mentioned that she should not make a sound or he would be distracted. Well folks, he took off with lightening speed prompting Chris to say "good job Brownie" or something of the sort. Anyway, the Brown immediately broke stride and stared at mom, forgetting the rattle prize that awaited him. Must keep focus tomorrow. Well, he still gets the victory throw in the air...

New Look, Same Great Brown

2008-10-18T11:12:00.000-04:00

October 18, 2008 -

Well... the day has finally come. We are finally shifting over to a "real" blog. This one that we have been using is kind of a pain to update, so we are moving ahead with the rest of the world. It will all be here at this same exact address, so you don't have to do anything differently. We are going to keep the archives of his first 10 months on that old site. You can leave comments, subscribe to RSS feed updates, and I think the videos will work better, too. Who knows what else -we haven't really figured all of that stuff out, yet.

As far as his crawling goes, unless he gets it down pat by tomorrow, Curt has lost his "bet" of Brown crawling by the end of the week. There is a reason that Curt hates Vegas. Brown is still dragging one limp side around with him, so no new video today. Same as the last couple of days. BUT, maybe on this new "real" blog, he'll make his actual crawling debut. Get excited. Now if we can just get him to stop eating the carpet and the fringe on everything, maybe we'll be making some progress. And now, a random video of brown playing with a box. He likes "non" toys much more than real toys these days.