All about Tenley

Since Tenley had her birthday last week and she just turned 9 I thought I would share a few thoughts and memories of our little Tenley.

Otherwise known as Jujy Fruit, Fruitie Patootie and my new favorite  Patootie Pants, our little Tenley Jo, is not so little anymore.  She is growing up so much against all my efforts to keep her little.  This past year she has endured much with her braces and our latest implement is two sets of rubberbands to try to straighten out her jaw.  The last visit to the orthodontist was slightly unsettling. Despite all our trying, her jaw is still growing crooked.  Thankfully, for the palate expander, she has enough room, but the problem now is the alignment of her jaw.  He says that we will continue to "chase" the jawline and hopefully she won't need surgery later.  We can only hope for the best on that one.  She has been very brave through all this.  There have been lots of tears, arguing, coercing, and bribing, but in the end she has been a trooper.  She has also been going through a "patching" phase with her eyes.  We have ben patching her left eye for one hour a day since February.  We are now down to one hour twice a week, which is harder than everyday.  It is easier to forget.  Thanks to my calendar alarms on my phone we are doing pretty good.  She has increased her ability to use her eyes together.  When we started she could only identify 3 picture out of 10 that were 3-D. At our last visit she was up to 8 out of 10.  She has made great progress and has been very cooperative while wearing her patch. Hopefully she has learned that through hard work and sometimes unpleasantness we can achieve things that really matter (like a wider roof of your mouth and hopefully a straighter jaw).
Tenley loves the funnies.  She loves that Grandma saves them for her and brings her a new stack every week or so.  She reads them and rereads them.  She never laughs, at least out loud, but she finds enjoyment.  She often says funny things and we have named them Funleys.  I try to remember to write them down but I just haven't remembered all of them.. I hope they continue for a while and I will be a better documenter.  I love passing Tenley's room and hearing her playing and talking to herself, her babies, or her stuffed animals.  I know these are sounds that will pass with age and I savor the moments and am very quiet in the hall when I hear her.  She loves to collect anything little... rocks, thimbles, littlest pet shop, etc...  She loves the Russian nesting dolls and was ecstatic when Lauren's sister in law, Rikelle, brought her an authentic one from Russia.  She started 3rd grade this year and loves school.  She loves reading and I will often catch her snuggled up with a book on the couch or in the car or the bathroom :)  She called Maddy a neat freak the other day, since Maddy keeps her room pretty much immaculate, Maddy turned around and called her a mess freak.  Now Tenley is not dirty, she just tends to be on the cluttery side.  I guess this goes along with her collecting little things, and big things, and stuffed things, and paper things.  She is like me in that way, or at least when I was a kid.  My room was not the cleanest, I was a pack rat and I had a hard time parting with things.  In my old age, I have learned to hate clutter and I at least organize my clutter, I enjoy throwing things away and I don't have a hard time parting with things anymore.  Tenley loves Chicken Noodle Soup for breakfast(not the generic kind, it has to be Campbells... if you go cheap on her and buy the Western Family brand you have to doctor it up with some onion & garlic powder).  She is a carbaholic (again like her mother). She loves a good roll.  She hates melted cheese but will eat pizza and grilled cheese.  She loves oatmeal and a banana and a glass of milk.  She loves herb roasted turkey on a brat bun (the hot dog buns from Costco or Sams).  She loves watching Bewitched and I Dream of Genie. She has a beautiful smile that can cheer me up. She gives the best hugs and kisses, especially on my forehead.  She will still snuggle with me.  She needs her sleep and her food.  If she is tired or hungry, watch out! We love our little Tenley, Patootie Pants!