From Dinosaurs to Drawing Stations: My Jay Tomas Journey

Michele Renee
Jul 8, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Jul 9, 2025

👶💙 Baby Jay 💙👶 Originally written September 2015 | Polished July 2025

Jay Tomas is 💯 dear to my heart because he’s my one and only little man 👦💙

my son, my world, my tiny tornado of love and wild curiosity 🌪️💡.

Since I was little, I always imagined myself as a mama to girls 🎀👗💅. Like… how do you even raise a BOY⁉️ I had no clue what I was doing 😅. I was panicking like:

“Wait… what if we don’t connect?! What if he’s all sports and farts and no emotions?!” 😭🏈💨

But then on December 27, 2004, this squishy little miracle showed up 💫 and made me question how I ever lived without him. One look into his sweet sleepy face and I was like Ohhhh okay God, I get it now. 🙏💙👶

That whole “boy mom panic” melted away. He wasn’t just a boy he was MY boy. And he needed ME just the way I am 💪👩‍👦❤️.

Jay was a compact little tater tot of pure cuteness 🥔🍼. His pediatrician and I used to laugh because he was so perfectly built strong, tiny, and mighty 💪✨.

From the very start, he was all cuddles 🫂, giggles 🤭, trains 🚂, dinosaurs 🦕, and wild imagination 🧠💥. He made my world brighter and louder and so much more interesting 🌀.

But parenting a boy? Whew. It’s a crash course in chaos, dirt, noise, and so many weird smells 🤣🧼👃.

Still, there’s nothing like the sweetness of your baby boy whispering “I love you mama” when the world is quiet 🥹💖.

Every year he grows, and I’m like:

❗Slow.

❗Down.

❗PLEASE.

🏃‍♀️ Mama’s Escape: Running & Recharging

Around the time Jay was in 3rd grade,

Most people who know Jay would say he is pretty cool, calm, collected, and quiet.

There is another side to Jay that exists, emerged very young, a side completely full of hype; extremely passionate about his mission, his goals;

he loves to have fun, joke, laughter, but he also works very hard at what his task is; don’t mess with his plan and your good;

because if you do… he will burst like a beautiful firecracker~

My Jay disappears sometimes, and gets lost in the fantasy of his own gaming world. We miss him sometimes even though he is in the next room; with all his passion and dedication we have to tell him time’s up; its family time.

I got back into running 🏃‍♀️💨. Like really into it. Not just for the body but for the mind, the soul, the spirit 🌬️✨.

Running became my sanctuary 🛐.

The road, the wind, the sweat it was my sacred space. Out there, I didn’t have to be anything but present. That’s where I met God again 🙏☁️.

The skies spoke to me. The silence held me. The trees whispered, “You’re not alone.” 🌳💚

🍯🐝 Honey Creek Field Trip — Jay’s 3rd Grade Year

Jay’s amazing teacher, Mrs. Akridge (the real MVP 👏🏽📚),

told us about this field trip to Honey Creek State Natural Area. It wasn’t just a little outing it was a legit naturalist-led experience 🌿🦎.

They needed parent volunteers and I was like YES.

Not just for the trip but for Jay to SEE me show up 🫶.

That morning when he saw me walk up, backpack and all his face LIT. UP. ✨🥰

He gave me that look the one that says, “Thanks for being here, Mom.”

That look? It goes straight into the mama heart vault 🗝️💖🔐.

🎨 Station Drama & the Great Escape

Originally I was at the Water Station 🌊 with this super intense science lady 😳. Like, she was giving drill sergeant energy 👩‍🏫🔊 and I was NOT vibing with it. So I snuck away (strategically, of course 😂) and landed at the Drawing Station 🎨✏️.

It was quiet, chill, and creative my happy place. Watching Jay interact with nature and his friends… it reminded me that I was doing something right 💯🌿💙.

💌 To My Son, Always…

Jay,

You flipped my whole world right side up 👶💙.

You taught me how to love without logic, to lead with laughter, and to grow with grace 🌱.

I didn’t think I knew how to raise a boy but God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave me you 💫👩‍👦.

You’ll always be my little tater tot, my train conductor, my dino king, and my heart 💖🚂🦕👑.

Forever and always,

Mom ❤️

👧 Miley's Turn — Honey Creek, Round Two!

Fast-forward to September 18, 2015…

Guess who was in 3rd grade now?

🎀 My baby girl, Miley Renee a.k.a. Mymy 👧💕✨