Following in his sisters’ footsteps, here is Morrison’s journal page. It won’t really be his own personal musings, obviously. We just thought that would be a catchy title. Follow along to see what life as a boy is like in this household – something new and different for sure!
(FYI, because I write so much about these kids, their pages are all broken into yearly chunks so as not to crash my site. I’ll keep the current year on the main page for ease of use. Enjoy!)
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January 1, 2019
Happy New Year, lovebug! Unfortunately you started it by cracking your chin open for the first time tonight. Somehow you fell in your bedroom and hit your chin on a baby doll crib that your sisters have while you were trying to throw your little stuffed turtle into your bed. It was pretty nasty. Thankfully it didn’t start gushing blood all over, but it’s deep. Daddy put some Neosporin, a tight butterfly stitch, and a bandage on it, so hopefully that holds it tonight. We were afraid we were going to have to make a run to urgent care for a couple stitches, but fortunately we have a well-stocked first aid kit. I’ll be curious to see it in the morning, and I really hope it doesn’t bust open overnight. You now join the ranks of millions of kids with those nice little straight-line scars on their chins.
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January 7, 2019
Fortunately your chin is healing splendidly, but now you’re sick. You woke up from your nap yesterday with really hot cheeks and a runny nose, and by bedtime you had a 100.1 fever. Today was more of the same with runny nose and eyes, 100.3 fever, and really sleepy. Lana was home from school with a cough and sore/scratchy throat, too, so you had some company. I hope you’re both feeling better in the morning!
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January 10, 2019
You are the absolute cutest little boy I’ve ever known. You’ve been sick this week, so you’ve been extra snuggly and close to me. The other day as I got out of the shower, I heard you go into the dining room to get a drink or snack and you shouted out just randomly, “Hi, Mama!” I sure am going to miss your little face when you’re at school during the mornings next year. Thankfully it’s only for a few hours. And you’re getting so big! I’ve been noticing recently that you are getting so tall and skinny! I’ll have to start calling you string bean and lovebug.
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February 4, 2019
You are the silliest little bean ever. You like to run back and forth across the house practicing your “quiet feet,” which, in actuality aren’t very quiet at all. I told you a few weeks ago you could do your runs for exercise if you kept your feet quiet and not stomping across the floor, so that’s what you keep doing. But you always wear a stretchy headband when you do them, which is the cutest thing ever. Usually it’s the blue one; today, you switched it up to the green one.
The past couple nights you’ve been saying you’re scared during the night, too, so you want to be extra close to your sisters. A few nights ago, I came in to give you all kisses when I went to bed, and Della was sleeping in your bed with you. She said she didn’t get any sleep that night, ha! Then the night after you switched your pillow to the other end of your bed so you felt closer to them. Then last night you slept on the floor next to Della’s bed, all nestled in your blankets. You are so funny.
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February 10, 2019
Tonight you were sleeping with your Darth Vader name plate that Daddy made for your birthday cake last year, and you wanted me to charge your tablet for the morning so you could write your name on it. You’ve also been doing your kindergarten workbook a lot lately, so maybe you really are starting to learn how to write some letters. You currently do a pretty good flat-topped M and an O. You also still love to creep out to the living room almost every night after I tuck you in because you’re scared. Of what, I have no idea. But your sisters did this all the time, too, when they were your age, so I don’t get mad at all and just nest you back in how you love.
Daddy got you a bag of toy army men at the dollar store the other day, and you are absolutely in love with them. You set them up all over the house in different configurations, and you love to play “Army Seek.” It’s just where one person hides an army guy, then the other person tries to find him. That’s actually my kind of game!
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February 17, 2019
You wrote your full first name tonight all by yourself! I was absolutely amazed! You were sitting at the dining room table, and you asked me what came after the S in your name. I wasn’t watching you, so I didn’t know you were writing it. You weren’t copying one of your name plates or anything. I am so impressed and proud of you! All your letters looked like the actual letters, too, no guesswork involved. Great job, my love!!
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February 28, 2019
You finished your 500+ page kindergarten workbook today. You are getting so smart! You actually know your letters and numbers now, I swear all from that book. You worked on it with Grandma the whole time I was in Florida, and I think that really made it stick. You’re so happy I’m home from Florida, speaking of which. You keep saying, “I’m so happy we’re all together again.” Me, too, my love, me too.
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March 2, 2019
You came to the first show of the variety show with me today to watch your sisters, and you did a pretty good job sitting through a really long performance. You stayed home for the second show tonight after you slipped on the ice on the way out and got upset. Probably a good idea – Daddy and Grandpa Frank got to go watch this time.
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March 4, 2019
You have now come out twice from your nap to tell me about the booby traps you’re making in your room from magnetic tiles to protect your beds from spiders. 😀
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March 20, 2019
You have strep, yuck. You’ve had a cold for about a week, nothing out of the ordinary because we all have some form of it, but the other day I realized that what I thought was your voice sounding different due to a stuffy nose was really due to a swollen throat. When I actually looked in there I was shocked – your tonsils were huge! They looked red, but no white patches or anything. You hadn’t even once complained of a sore throat either and hadn’t been acting like you felt sick at all. When I asked if your throat hurt you said yes, a lot. So I called the doctor this morning to get an appointment because Wednesdays are her late night. I thought it was tonsillitis, definitely not strep, but I was obviously wrong. We got you started on amoxicillin tonight, so hopefully it starts clearing up soon. Who knows if any of the others have it, too, but she said I don’t need to worry about bringing them in since no one’s throat looks like yours. She said the babies can’t get it because their throats are too slippery from mucus, so at least we don’t have to worry about them. We really have to make sure you cover your coughs and sneezes now, though, that’s for sure! And I’m so sorry – we’ve been walking to school pickup the past couple days and you walk the whole way now since the babies take both seats in the stroller, and here you’ve had strep throat the whole time. Oh my love, I never would have made you walk all that way every day if I’d known you were actually sick. I hope it goes away soon!
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April 11, 2019
You know your ABCs now! You used to skip from G to Q. 🙂 And you are the sweetest little boy ever – you told me I was the best Mama in the world. My reply is always, “You are the best Morrison in the world.”
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April 19, 2019
Listening to you “write” your card to the Easter Bunny makes my heart want to explode. “Dear Easter Bunny, I don’t know why I want to send this to you, but I just love you.”
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April 24, 2019
You ran almost the whole way to school to pick up your sisters today. And you had your dinosaur “Morrison” backpack on the entire time, filled with essentials of course – a bag of toy dinosaurs, some Cuphead drawings, your plastic name plates that Daddy made, etc. You wore your Packers sweatsuit and Crocs, and you had the hood of your sweatshirt up the whole time, too. It was quite the look. 🙂
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May 3, 2019
I took your convertible car seat out and put you in a high-back booster today. You finally were almost at the 40-lb. weight limit and your head was way over the top of the back. Getting so big!
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May 8, 2019
You learned how to zip today! Getting ready for school pickup after your nap, I was putting the babies in the car, and you came out and said, “Mama, I just zipped up all by myself!” You were so proud, and so am I, my love. Great job!
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May 13, 2019
You had your first trip to the dentist today!
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May 31, 2019
Happy 4th birthday, my sweet first boy!! We had Star Wars decorations, lots of toys for presents, riding in Daddy’s Jeep with the top off, the park with Daddy, grocery store and lunch at the store with Daddy, picking out a birthday treat at DQ with Daddy, Family Fun Night at school after school with me and your sisters, and a birthday dinner request of burgers from Crave. What a fun day!!
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July 8, 2019
You finished up your summer session of swim lessons tonight, and you did great! You and I were in the pool together for the preschool level, and you did so much better than last winter. The teachers kept asking how old you were since you were doing such a good job, but unfortunately I don’t think you can be in level 1 until you’re 5. So I think we’ll wait until later in the fall/winter to sign up for another round of preschool lessons, then maybe sign you up for level 1 in the spring closer to your birthday. Great job!!
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July 15, 2019
We went swimming today at the indoor rec center pool that Auntie Mer-Mer and Unkie Cha-Cha go to, and you swam by yourself! It wasn’t across the pool or anything, but you put your snorkel and mask on and were able to get yourself floating and moving through the water all on your own. I was so happy and proud of you, my love!
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July 24, 2019
We had your 4-year wellcheck today, so here are your official 4-year-old stats:
- Height: 43.5″ (96%)
- Weight: 41 lbs. (83%)
- Head: 51.5 cm
- BMI: 15.2 kg/m2 (35%)
- Blood pressure: 95/68
You did get 2 shots, about which you were a little nervous because you asked a million questions about them beforehand, but you did awesome, as always! You cried as you got them then stopped about 5 seconds later. Plus you got to pick 2 toys out of the treasure chest and get a sticker, so that made you happy. Great job, love. Now you’re all set to go to K4 in the fall!
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August 4, 2019
Lana and Della taught you how to ride your bike without stopping your feet on training wheels tonight, and then you followed them for your first time around the block on a bike! Great job!! Then you played aerobie with Mr. Hand and you were really good!
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August 10, 2019
Oh man, did you take a spill today. You, Lana, the babies, and I were walking up to the farmers market, and you and Lana were on your scooters. You hit a giant raised crack in the sidewalk, somehow flipped off your scooter, and landed on your mouth. You were way ahead of me so I didn’t see it happen, but I heard you start screaming and saw you instantly grab your mouth. You were bleeding when I got up there, and thankfully a man and woman had just walked out their door to go to the farmers market, too, so they went back in to get us some wet and dry paper towels and ice. They were so nice! The man is a doctor, and he said it was your lip you busted. You have a nice fat top lip now, but fortunately I think your teeth are ok. You kept crying and saying it felt like a helicopter was in your lip by your top front teeth and it felt crunchy, and I was horrified that your teeth were going to fall out. But they really don’t feel loose at all, so I think you probably just bruised everything in the front really well and felt the cut on the inside of your lip/gums. They’re all really sore, so you had soup for lunch and then I cut everything up so you could just chew in the back for dinner, and I’m afraid I may have opened the cuts a little when I gently brushed your teeth tonight because it started bleeding around your top front teeth again, so I think we’ll just have you rinse with mouthwash instead of brushing those for a week or so. I hope it all heals well!
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September 3, 2019
Your first day of school!! You have been so excited to start K4, and it’s finally here! I dropped your sisters off in the gym this morning because of rain, then I took you to your shortened first-day session. Unlike your sisters’ first days of K4, I didn’t stay with you the whole hour and a half. The parents had an orientation session with the teachers while you guys played and read books. We did get to do a little scavenger hunt together first, though, so you could get the feel of your first classroom! Then tomorrow is another half day, but I don’t stay – it’s the first time you walk in and out of school all by yourself. Big day! You had so much fun today! You could not have been cuter with your Star Wars shirt and backpack on, and you can’t wait to start coloring at school tomorrow. 🙂 I can’t believe my baby boy is in school now, too! We saw Lana in the hallway on our way out today, and that made our day. I love you so much, sweet boy! May your school days be wonderful and full of fun, safety, and happiness.
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September 14, 2019
Another big day – your first classmate birthday party! You have been waiting for this day for years, always jealous when your sisters got to go to school friends’ birthday parties. I told you never to worry, your turn will come, and here it is! You’re ecstatic. We got the invitation before school even started, and it’s for a little boy named Oscar, who has actually become one of your good friends in your class and lives just a few blocks down the street. We met him and his parents the very first day of school during your classroom scavenger hunt, and I introduced us right away, thanking them for the invite. Lana was able to go, too, and you two had a ball. It was at a pumpkin patch farm, so you got to go on a hayride and pick little pumpkins, pet some animals in their little barnyard, play in a bouncy house obstacle course, and have cupcakes to celebrate. What fun you’re having, my love!
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September 24, 2019
Sweetheart, my heart about burst open and my eyes overflowed with tears when I got an email from your teacher today. She said she meant to tell me how amazing you were today – she said well, you’re amazing every day, but especially today, how wonderful to hear! – you went above and beyond to help one of the special needs friends in your class. You made sure he was included in every activity in class today, and you went out of your way to make sure he was happy, having fun, and getting to do everything everyone else did. Oh my gosh, I cannot even describe how incredible that was to hear, because it really came all from within you. I always tell you guys to be kind and make sure everyone is included, but I’ve never seen it in action like this. To say I was proud doesn’t even begin to tell how happy I am. The other teacher in your class is constantly telling me how sweet you are and how big of a heart you have, and kiddo, that, more than anything you can possibly achieve in school with grades or whatever, is the most important thing I will ever hear as your Mama. Your teacher thanked me for doing whatever I’m doing to make you such a great kid, but I think that’s all you, lovebug – you are an absolute joy of a spirit, and I am so lucky to have you!
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October 4, 2019
You were the helper in class for the first time this morning, and you were so excited! We’ve been waiting for this one – it’s a fun turn!
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November 22, 2019
Today was your Thanksgiving feast at school, which the K4 and K5 classes share each year. Usually they ask parent volunteers to help set up, serve the food, and clean up, but this year you guys did it all yourselves! Each family was still asked to send in an item for the feast, but you all helped do all the jobs. It was called your Friendsgiving, and you loved it!
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November 25, 2019
You had your first tennis lesson today, and you loved it! I can’t wait to see how you do with this. You love playing with our neighbors across the street, so I really hope this little class helps gets you into the sport. You’re a great little athlete.
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December 8, 2019
You just counted to 115 without getting one single number wrong! I have never heard you get much past 20 up to this point. Fantastic!!
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December 25, 2019
Merry Christmas, lovebug! I think I was almost as excited as you were for Santa to come last night, because I barely slept a wink. I hope he’s brought you some great things and that you have a wonderful day today!
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December 31, 2019
Happy last day of the decade, lovebug. Wow! Here’s to a great next 10 in the 2020s!