Update on Jonathan

I just wanted to give you a brief update on Jonathan's life: He will be 4 years old on December 5th and he is keeping us on our toes! He is extremely verbal and he has quite an analytical mind. He loves to take things apart and, on occasion, put them back together. He also loves to build things with his "Papa" (Jeff's dad) and watch "How Its Made" on The Science Channel. He is attending preschool two days a week where he is learning his letters and how to write his name. He is also getting involved in politics! The above picture shows Jonathan, our Governor (Phil Bredesen) and me at a press conference on the restaurant smoking ban that was enacted on October 1st. A friend of mine who helped lobby for the bill asked me to speak at the ceremony because Jonathan had an asthma attack in a non-smoking section of a restaurant one time. (We weren't aware that he was asthmatic at the time, otherwise we would have never taken him into a restaurant where smoking was allowed. However, until the ban, non-smoking restaurants were almost non-existent here in Tennessee. Sad, but true.)

Jonathan is excited about his new baby brother or sister, but he's having a hard time understanding that the baby will be here in 6 months, not next week. A few weeks ago he told me that, when the baby is born "next week", he is going to take it out to California (presumably to see his Grandmother and Grandaddy--my parents). I thought that was very sweet. I hope he continues to be that sweet after the baby is born!