More waiting...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Look at this kid!

The Longest Month

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

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

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

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

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

Live Poets Society Entry

To become a parent is a life-changing event.

You begin to wonder how your days will be spent.

Your life as you know it is no longer yours,

Morning until night, a day full of chores.

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

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

A parent's love is never fully known,

Until their child has a child of their own.

The late nights, early mornings and winks in between.

You begin to wonder when your pillow was last seen.

The crying, the burping and yes, tantrums too.

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

From sit to stand to walk, talk and run,

Never did I think I would have this much fun.

How can a child make us laugh out loud?

Never in my life have I been so proud.

And just when you think you know what to do.

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

A new year...

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

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

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

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

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

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

First of many?

Nursemaid's Elbow...look it up.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iko Iko

Rockin' in the Free World

Here is a picture of Sam rocking out on his air guitar.

Slipping into old habits...not posting.

So, Halloween has come and gone. Sam was Crush from Nemo and, I have to admit, that he was much cuter than the real version. Here is the picture of the cousins...

Sam had a blast with the trick-or-treating. We went to Myrtle Avenue in Monrovia while it was still light. All (or most) of the business along the stretch were giving out candy and there were gobs of kids taking advantage.

Then, Lauren dropped me off at my parents so I could watch the beloved Trojans lay a stinker on the Oregon field. She then continued on to her parents to continue the "Diabetes Walk" in her old neighborhood. Apparently, Sam wanted to walk for most of the beginning and would not get out of his stroller for the second half. Mommy was exhausted.

Then, Lauren brought the boy back to my parents. We finished up the Trojan beatings and ate dinner out in the back. Jim got the A/V together and we watched "The Skeleton Key" under the stars. That song is still in my head...

"My grandma and your grandma...sitting by the fire.

My grandma said to your grandma, I'm gonna set this house on fire.

Tell me now, hey ya, hey ya. Achi Achi aye..."

Such a great evening...except for that whole USC loss thing.

The Decades of Injuries...

I have noticed that the major injuries in my life have come at the end of each decade. With this decade coming to a close, I realized that I had not had a major injury and I was not looking forward to 2010 and the injury I had to live through to get there.

In August 1977, I was a fat fetus that was so fat that I broke my collarbone during the process. Apparently, my manliness showed early because I did not cry much which is why Mom and Dad did not think anything of it. I don't know how they figured it out, but they did...and the legend begins.

In 1989, we went on a bike ride to the beach. At the end of the bike ride, we played a full tackle football game that existed without incident...until the last play of the game. There was fumble that I recovered, but my loving brother decided to jump on me. I hear a pop and immediate pain in my shoulder...the same collarbone I dislocated twelve years earlier. The best part of the story is that my "girlfriend" at the time (girlfriend is in parenthesis because it's not really a girlfriend until at least your teenage years) toilet papered our house and the story that went around was that I fell out of the tree taking the toilet paper down. I never denied it, and made the girl feel horrible. We aren't together anymore.

In June 1998, my last summer, I was playing shortstop on Team Manana and I took a dive for a ball and rolled my wrist. Immediately, I felt pain but it wasn't enough to stop playing. I finished the game (even batted) and on the way home, my mother (who luckily still went to the games) thought it a good idea to get an x-ray...just to be safe. We went to County and they did an x-ray but couldn't decipher it. They sent the x-ray to our orthopedic doctor for us to check with him in the morning. I was expecting him to say that it was no problem. However, he made the decision to put me in a full arm cast for six weeks and a short cast for six more weeks...keep in mind, this was my last summer off of my life and I had to spend twelve weeks in a cast. Also, keep in mind this was my right arm that was now not able to touch my face...which includes shaving, brushing my teeth and combing my hair. It was a long six weeks.

In October 2009, I was playing outfield for Team Manana. The second to last inning I was moved to the outfield from shortstop and I ran to catch a fly ball. On the second step, I feel a pop in my right leg and immediately know that I had just pulled my hamstring. I had never done that in my life and I immediately knew that I did not like it. Luckily, this was near the end of the game, however I knew I was up second for the next inning. Rudy gets a base hit and I drag my leg to the plate and stand on my left leg with my bat on my shoulder, praying for four balls and a limp to first. I get it, and a pinch-runner while spending the rest of the inning stretching my leg out. The bottom of the inning I volunteer for first base and the first batter (of course) hits a grounder to me. I struggle to bend down and hobble to the bag for the out. Even the umpire laughs at me for my bad luck. Oh well...

Now, this injury is nowhere near the previous three, but I am hoping this is the injury to take me to 2010...I'll take this over a broken bone any decade. Picture me knocking on wood as you read this.

The NERVE!!

A haircut was much overdue, so the deed was done over the weekend...much to the dismay of my lovely wife. She likes when my hair is long, I like it short. It is a never ending battle, but I always win because...it is my hair!!

But, the nerve of the woman doing the trimming said a dye treatment could do me well, because of my obvious graying hair. For one thing, LADY, it is not obvious. The two or three blades of gray on my scalp does not constitute a full head of dye. Secondly, back down woman.The hair on my head is becoming more and more a rarity. Dying it will only quicken the exodus of my follicles and push me to the razor sooner.

The nerve of some people.