Oops!

I don't have any pictures today - this is just a little tidbit.... Tonight while I was getting Tanek ready for his "tubby" he had a little potty accident. At least I hope it was an accident! He usually sits on his potty while we wait for the water to get warm. Well, tonight he sat down for like a second, then walked to the bathtub (where I was sitting) and just peed on my foot! He had a surprised look on his face, like "where did that come from?", but then he had to giggle. I wonder if he was trying to mark his territory like Amos does? Anyway, I just thought I'd share the fun we had during bath time tonight!

Loving the Sandbox

Tanek had such a good time in his sandbox today! I think it probably kept him occupied for about 30 minutes or so, which is a miracle. Ricky will probably be getting refills of sand frequently because Tanek really enjoys throwing the sand out of the box, but that's okay because it makes him happy!

Priceless!

This was too perfect not to take a picture of! It's Tanek and his "Mine" mania - he was already wearing his "Cars" summer pajamas, but he wouldn't go to bed without also wearing his flannel ones, too. When he insists on wearing the flannel pants in inappropriate weather, we put them on as a hat, and that makes him happy, happy, happy! I wonder if he realizes how cute he is?!
He also had a much needed haircut today. He is getting better and better for his haircuts (meaning less wiggly and squirmy), but obviously not completely calm because he still ended up with a couple of gaps. Oh well, it's still an improvement and the gaps wil fill in quickly enough. I pulled up a web site with toddler bedding just to see what was out there (thinking ahead alittle) and Tanek immediately found the "Cars" bedding out of all those small pictures! Hopefully by the time we're ready to redo his room, he will be out of this phase - I just don't know if I can go so far as to decorate his entire room in "Cars".

Swingset Fun!

Tanek's favorite outdoor playtime is spent on his swingset. He loves to swing, climb, and slide! Getting him back inside is sometimes challenging, but I'd rather him be running around outside than sitting inside watching the tv or something! We've also been tossing and kicking the ball around while we're outside - sometimes he likes doing that more than he likes his swingset!

Oprah

I know I don't voice my opinion often, but I've read quite a few blog discussions about Oprah lately that I have to agree with. Even though I haven't personally watched Oprah for many years, I have always admired her for her kindness, generosity, and compassion...until recently. She may still have all of these qualities, but I find her influence and power over millions of people disturbing. Just an example, but how many people do you know who have read a specific book because Oprah recommended it on her show? She is misguiding so many people (especially women) spiritually and politically with the people, beliefs, and ideas that she supports and endorses. So many people are believing these lies! If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the video clip on this blog. If you do know what I'm talking about, check it out anyway http://wwwsouthernsass.blogspot.com/ - it just might "enlighten" you! (By the way, the video is on the April 3rd post).

Rocking Horse

Tanek has learned how to rock hard and fast on his horse even though he still can't reach the stirrups or get on by himself. He'll just tell us "horse, on, on" to let us know he is ready to ride, and when he is through, he'll say "all done". It is his expectation that someone is right there ready to do whatever he asks (well, okay - demands)!

"Mine" Pillow

This is Tanek's treat for being so brave and well-behaved at the doctor's today. Since he just has to sleep with "Mine" in some form, we bought him a pillow with "Mine" on one side and Mater on the other side. He loves it! I thought maybe the pillow would take the place of his "Cars" pajama bottoms that he's been sleeping with every night, but nope, he is sleeping with both of them tonight! At least he went to bed without any fuss, though (for a change).

Cardiology Visit

Today Tanek went to see the cardiologist to evaluate the heart murmur his pediatrician found during his 2 year old checkup. His pediatrician is Dr. Massias and she is great! I'm still not sure how she heard the murmur with his screaming so loudly, but she was correct with what she suspected. Anyway, today we went to the Congenital Heart Center at Shands and Tanek saw Dr. Victorica. I cannot say enough about how good he was with Tanek! Normally, there is a lot of screaming and crying as soon as Tanek sees a stethoscope, but he did not cry at all today! Well, he cried just a little bit during the EKG, but I think that was mostly because the electrodes were cold. Dr. Victorica examined him after the EKG was done and somehow Tanek stayed still, quiet, and calm throughout it all. When he went to have the echocardiogram done, they put the movie "Cars" on for him to watch while I sat next to him holding his hand, and he did perfectly!
Tanek has a very small ventricular septal defect (VSD) which is a hole between the ventricles. It is so small that they couldn't even see the actual hole, just the blood flowing back through the defect. And, apparently the new recommendations from the American Heart Association are that he won't even need prophylactic antibiotics for dental procedures! He'll just need excellent dental care (which we've already started taking him to a great pediatric dentist). So, it was all good news and all of our prayers were answered!

These are some pictures of Tanek at his visit today. He had a fruit bar between his exam and echo since he was being such a good boy! Between playing with his cars and eating his fruit bars (which are his favorite thing to eat), I think he had a fairly fun time at the clinic today!

New Hat

Here is Tanek with his new "hat" - a paper bowl! He had so much fun running around the house with that bowl on his head. He also thought it was neat to periodically put it on our heads. I guess it's like wrapping paper at Christmas - there's no need to buy "real" toys!

Tanek loves playing on his "mine" blanket. There aren't a lot of shows on tv that hold his attention for long (we mostly watch "Cars"), but he was pretty interested in the "Doodlebops" here. I know, not my favorite show and the costumes are almost unbearable to look at.... however, the music is actually kind of catchy, and Tanek loves for me to dance around with him whle they are singing, so I endure watching it occasionally. He obviously doesn't think they look as ridiculous as I do!

We finally got Tanek's bike seat put on so I can take him for rides around the neighborhood (and so far, they have been fairly short rides because I am too out of shape to go as far as I used to). He's not always happy to have his helmet strapped on, and his knee pads only lasted long enough to snap a quick picture. He likes to carry them around the house (especially since they have "Mine" on them) and take them on and off at will, but he is adjusting to wearing his helmet strapped on for his bike rides!