JAMES' 9-YEAR PORTRAITS

Yes, we're more than a month late on his yearly portraits again, but he's still 9! We gave him a break and did photos in just one shirt this year. It was windy and a bit cold up there, but he did a great job smiling through it and getting us home to dinner in a timely manner (BBQ outside while we burned big piles of fallen branches). As for his yearly 20 Questions, I'm not sure we did them last year either... I'll have to ask him if he wants to continue the tradition. As for his yearly stats, he's 67 lbs and 54" tall - he's solid muscle, spending most days of the week at dance or soccer, or just playing hard on the playground at school and after school. He's doing so well with piano, and has really made a turnaround academically this quarter (he was struggling last quarter due to his ADD and we decided to take a chance on a new Rx available, and it's made all the difference... he says he can think clearly - without "all the things up there" distracting him, he can finish his exams closer to when the rest of the students do - instead of taking 4-10X as long as them, and he has had zero side effects). Age 8 was a great year for James and we're sure age 9 will be too - he's definitely a one-of-a-kind kid in our opinion: sweet, thoughtful, inquisitive, and loving. And handsome. Gosh he's growing up...

(These ones were just my iPhone snaps)

PORTRAITS AND YEARLY UPDATES

 I know, we took each of their yearly portraits late (a month or more after their birthdays), and are even later getting them posted to the blog (and uploaded to Snapfish). Somehow the task just kept getting away from us (it's a team effort). So, without further ado, here are our favorite portraits that Jay took to commemorate James' 8th birthday and Cora's 7th birthday:

 The kids grew a lot in the past year (literally and figuratively). If we recall the correct stats (since James is now 8.5 years old and Cora is 7.25 years old, and the sidebar on the blog shows their current stats, not their 8 and 7 year stats), James was 60 lbs and 50.5" while Cora was 50 lbs and 48.5". She tends to stay right around 10 lbs and 2" behind him, though she's determined to maintain the same number of teeth lost (seriously... it's been 7 months since she pulled that upper incisor and there is not even a hint of it breaking the surface yet).

Normally I would write a lengthy update about their current activities, favorites, and behaviors, but since I'm really late writing this and I'm combining them into one post, I'll just give a short summary...

In his 8th year, James continued to play soccer and progress through the Cub Scout ranks (he graduated to a Bear just after his birthday last spring). He took up dance in January, taking 3 classes (ballet, Acro, and boys dance) and really enjoying both the lessons and end of year recital. He had a stellar end to his 2nd Grade year and received many accolades in both math and reading (most of which us parents weren't expecting him to receive, so it was a fun surprise). His personality and behaviors are pretty well established at this point, and he continues to be a friendly, sweet and sensitive, creative, calm, well behaved, loving and cuddly, witty, aims-to-please kind of guy.

In her 7th year, Cora also continued to play soccer and have fun with her Scout friends as a Daisy (she graduated to a Brownie at the end of the year). She excelled in Acro and continued to smile her way through ballet and jazz - she truly loves dance and is always extra happy on dance class days. She progressed so much with reading during her 1st Grade year and was her TA's favorite kid (because she was always so helpful and cheerful at school). Our Queen has some pretty set-in-stone behaviors herself (some, despite our best efforts...) - she's outgoing, fearless, compassionate, imaginative, independent, and strong, all of which she is very proud of.

We know we're lucky to be on this adventure with these incredible kids, and we couldn't be happier with the paths they're taking already in life. We are blessed, and we work hard for them. We are so very proud of their strengths and individual characteristics, and we will continue to support them in their endeavors (academically, athletically, and any other way they choose - while they are involved in many of the same activities these days, that could always change). They keep us busy, but we make it all work and still manage to carve out family time and opportunities for adventure, which always seem to bring us closer together and remind us to be appreciative of each other.

JAMES HENRY, SOMETHING SPECIAL AT 7

I told James today that 7 is my favorite number, and he just smiled his calm and knowing smile.

Our boy is growing up. He has very definite and defined opinions, personality quirks, likes and dislikes, thoughts and questions, interests, abilities, concerns and worries, preferences, talents and skills, things he knows, things he thinks he knows, and things he needs to work on. There is far too much that makes up James at this age to try to successfully put into words... 

The best of him? His love (what he gives, and what he gladly receives and always needs), his trust (he gets braver every year, and while we know some things are hard for him, he gives us the benefit of the doubt and is willing to try new things as long as we promise to help and stay by his side), his ability to forgive and always see the best in others (his friends, his sister, his parents - he is SO GOOD to all of us). His compassion (I'm so thankful he hasn't outgrown this - he has always been one of the most compassionate children I know). His intelligence and curiosity (don't ever doubt him for a second - he knows and understands more than you think he does, and if he doesn't, you can bet he'll ask around until he figures it out). His joy in the simple things (riding bikes with mama, wrestling with daddy, playing on the swing with Cora, just sitting and reading books - just ask him, and he'll tell you what he loves to do with each of us). He still needs (a lot of) help focusing and following directions, but honestly, if that's the worst he ever gets in trouble for at school?... We are working towards a solution for that anyway, as best as we can. 

He is 7, and he is growing up, but he is still little. He's in First Grade. Lower Elementary. He's young and has a lot to learn, and has a long way to go to mature, and that's ok. He is amazing in so many ways, and his (spiritual and intellectual) growth this year has impressed his father and I beyond expectation (and we expect a lot from our kids - perhaps too much, sometimes). He is bigger (48" tall and 53.5 lbs) and stronger. Yet he still has all his baby teeth (though as Gramma pointed out to us, his face is changing and his jaw is growing - those baby teeth have spaces between them for the first time ever). The years certainly don't slow down, but how can we complain when our son is growing into such an incredible person?

He is our beautiful boy, our day dreamer, our sweet and snuggly little guy. He is funny and witty and silly, and filled with a drive to discover his world. James makes each day brighter for the rest of us just by being present. He is truly a gift!

DEAR JAMES, ON YOUR 6TH BIRTHDAY

Dear James,

 

Today is your 6th birthday. While last year I celebrated your seemingly overnight jump to the Big 5.0 with an accompanying mourning for the passing of your "little years" (not because I didn't want you to grow up... I just think 5 is a major milestone for mamas, especially their first born, realizing how far they've come and wishing they could have just a little more time with you in that baby/toddler/preschooler phase that simply can't be duplicated), this year I'm celebrating your birthday with nothing but pride and joy and a positive outlook for what I know your future will hold. OK, maybe a bit of nostalgia too. I won't lie. But man, have you ever had a wonderful year!

 

Your 6th year brought out your desire to KNOW ALL THE THINGS more than ever before, your wit and sense of humor have grown exponentially, and the increased degree of your sensitivity and, likewise, compassion for others has surprised us (and believe me, we thought we already knew your sensitive and loving and snuggly self). You have a question and an answer for everything. If you don't know, and mama or daddy don't have a quick (or valid, in your eyes) response, you demand that we look it up and find out. Your curiosity about the world around you (especially the natural world, including all things scientific) is fun for all of us, and you are quick to share your love of animals and the environment with anyone who will listen. You're a collecter, just like your daddy. Things you find on our nature walks fascinate you and I often find them later, stuffed into pockets or boxes or placed on a shelf in your room. (Thus, we've decided to let you start adding to our little "cabinet of curiosities" on display in the living room, and you are quite pleased.) You like to know how things work (you still ask "Why?" pretty often, and I think you'd take all sorts of things apart around the house if you thought you wouldn't get in trouble... in fact, I'm sure by next year your birthday update will include laments about the many pieces of things in your room in various states of construction). You love to build, and following (written) directions is sometimes easier for you than it is for mama (just like your memory is often better than mine). However, spoken directions are still not your strong suit... Mama and daddy still have to direct you through your morning and evening chores one small item at a time, lest you get distracted or forget the next step or simply stop partway through your tasks because you thought you were done after the first (even though you still have to put on your other shoe and pack your school snack). Even if directions aren't your thing though, and it seems you aren't listening, we know that's not the case... We KNOW you hear us because even when we have quiet (theoretically private) discussions while you're busy doing something in another room, you will pipe in with your own opinion (unsolicited). That's cool buddy, but we're on to you... Often when you jump into our conversations it's to add humor and wit (and your use of catch phrases and movie lines is always spot-on), and you literally have us laughing out loud multiple times per day. You are so going to be the class clown... if you aren't already... Nothing makes you happier than making someone else smile and laugh. And if your mama or daddy or sissy are not smiling and laughing, you will often go to great lengths to try and turn our mood around. When Cora cries about getting her hair brushed in the morning, you stand in front of her, holding her hands, and tell her she looks pretty. When she gets in trouble, you jump to her defense (unless she's in trouble for doing something naughty to you, of course). When she's pouting or grumpy, you dance crazy and make silly noises and sing ridiculous songs to get her out of her funk. Physical comedy is your new thing, and I'll admit that I find myself laughing even when I should be telling you to be careful... You seriously are THE BEST big brother and we know you are a wonderful friend to many of your school buddies as well.

Speaking of school, this year has brought the start of teasing and bullying (not by you, but to you), in a very mild form and very sporadically (usually just a mention of "so and so wouldn't play with me today" or "so and so called me a name"), but still... your sensitivity causes you to worry over these things and we're just so thankful that you talk to us about it. We reassure you that nobody is perfect, not you or anyone else, and that everyone has bad days or sometimes says things that are mean (and that they don't really mean them), but that doesn't make them true. You are learning to walk away and tell friends that you don't have to put up with their attitude or play with them if they aren't deserving of your time and attention. You are learning to "be the bigger person". We know it's hard not to retort (or hit back, in the case of your sissy), and we are extremely proud of you for learning this lesson so early in life. It will serve you well. We are careful to remind you every day, often at bedtime, that you have a LOT of amazing qualities that you should be proud of, and we enumerate them to you, because we are so very proud of you. Nothing makes you happier than hugs and kisses and reassurances that you are LOVED and VALUED by us all. You are, Bub Bubs, you really are. You are smart and funny and sweet: three qualities that you should be extremely proud of. Thank you for being such an amazing kid. And for not giving up the hugs and kisses and lap snuggles yet (and I hope you never outgrow them, just like you STILL promise to always be my baby boy)!

 

6-year-old big boy stats and milestones of the past year:
 

almost 48 lbs and 45.5"
(you'll be tall enough for most rides at Disneyworld this summer)

full-fledged reader
(you can sound out anything and read books now!)

swimmer and underwater diver
(but still not a fan of waterslides or deep water jumps)

all A's (and often 100% scores on tests),
except in Bible (a "listening and focusing" grade)

finally being allowed to play video games
(and loving every second of it!)

Sweet Baby James, you fill a place in my heart that nobody else could and I'm so grateful to be greeted with one of your many smiles each day. I love you, I love you, I looooove you!

EGG HUNTS #2 AND #3

The kids had a field trip this morning to visit the Heritage House nursing home (where they had a little egg hunt with the elderly patients there) and Riverfront Park (where they had another egg hunt orchestrated by their teachers). We decided to keep the kids in comfy clothes so they could play at the park, but still dressed them up a little with one of our favorite dress shirts for James and a cute little bunny shirt that Grambot sent for Cora. Since I always document occasions when the kids are dressed nicely for school, we headed out back to the azaleas and took a dozen shots, each with Cora trying to look as coy and cute as possible, while James impatiently yelled CHEESE to move the process along. Here's the best one:

 Since Jay and I had to swap out kid-watching duties today, he went to work early while I planned to take them to school. Well, as it was almost 8:00 by the time we pulled out of the driveway, I decided to take them to work with me for an hour instead (and also to save Jay the time of driving all the way over to the school by 9:00 to pick them up, then back to Heritage House, which is almost directly out our back gate at work). They promised to sit quietly and play on their LeapPads, so why not give it a shot. Unfortunately, I didn't remember until I pulled into my office parking lot and didn't see my boss' truck that we had a lab meeting over at another building... Not the best idea to take a 3- and 5-year-old to a business meeting, but thankfully they really did sit quietly and play, which earned them a donut from Mr. Mike. After the meeting I headed over to my office while Jay took the kids on their field trip. Here they are collecting eggs there:

 Next up was a large egg hunt for all the younger Agape kids over at Riverfront Park.

 The egg hunt was followed by a pizza party and more sweets than any of the kids needed, especially considering their buckets full of treats, but they sure had fun. Then they ran off some of the sugar on the playground. Cora and James taught Sylas how to do a "train" down the slide. Sylas is one of the newer kids at school and Cora has taken a liking to him...

 (Her pigtails were a little wavy due to her sleeping with an "Elsa braid" last night)

 Hanging with their best buddy Manu!

 Manu said "Lets make silly crazy faces guys!"

 And one last shot... this one was taken with my phone so I could send it to the grandparents. They were yelling "Easter!" - my final attempt to get the CHEESE off James' face!

(I titled this post Egg Hunts #2 and #3 because they actually have 2 more planned for this holiday season. Lucky kids, eh?)

Following the field trip and lunch and more park play, we headed home to take Buster potty and rest for an hour, then James had his 5-year wellness exam. No news to report - he is a healthy BIG kid at 45 lbs and 45" (he's grown another inch since we last checked) and didn't need a single vaccination (he's good until JUNIOR HIGH, how crazy is that?!) I stopped to get them some ChickFilA nuggets on the way home because they complained about being hungry (hmmm, I suppose a bucket of treats and only 3 bites of pizza will do that to ya...) and Cora fell asleep with the last one in her hand two streets from the house...

A BIG BIRTHDAY FOR OUR BOY

While every birthday is important and well celebrated at our house, there is something extra special about James hitting the milestone of 5-years-old... There is so much that screams "big boy" and "little kid" about him these days, and nothing left of the baby, toddler, and preschooler ages that seem to have passed by in the blink of an eye. Even comparing him now to how I described him at 4-years-old, there are some significant differences, and that was only a year ago...

 

 

So what is different? Well, he has almost no word pronunciation/alteration issues anymore. I miss those little mistakes that reminded me daily that he was still in the "little years". And as if it isn't enough that he's grown out of pronunciation difficulties and warping phrases, he now reads (sounds out words and repeats memorized sight words - he's not reading sentences easily yet) and aces his phonics tests (most of the time - he does confuse a couple of the similar letter pairs). His seatwork involves less tracing and more cognitive work (matching similar items, identifying the vowel sound in a pictured item, coloring by number, connecting the dots by number to create pictures, etc.), and is often noted to be kindergarten-level work. We're thrilled that he is thriving in his current class (the recent split of the 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds has worked wonders for James' behavior and focus, and he hasn't had a single bad day since the change) and is obviously ready for kindergarten in the fall, but it's still hard to accept the fact that we will soon have a kindergartner in the house... a full-blown, school-aged kid. He often tells us elaborate stories, either made-up or repititions of lessons that he learned at school (or from us, TV, or one of his LeapPad games), and is getting a lot better about remembering the lyrics to songs that he likes (though his sister has us all beat in that skill).

 

 

Now for the things that haven't changed... He is SO NOT a morning person. Even though he loves going to school, he will complain most mornings that it's too early and too cold and he just wants to stay in bed a snuggle for a little while longer. Having Buster sleep at the foot of the bed has actually made our mornings easier because he's happy to wake up and snuggle Buster for a few minutes before we force him out of bed. He is still extemely social and cuddly, but he gets really shy if he's put on the spot (if you single him out with a question, rather than letting him offer up an answer asked to a group, and he definitely exhibits stage fright). One exception is soccer - he seems to be coming out of his shell on the field and is taking charge of the ball more often, less worried about offending his peers or getting in their way. He still likes to boss his friends and sister around, telling them how to do things and fussing at them for things they aren't suppose to do, but it's not as bad as it was (and not nearly as bad as Cora is currently!) and the tattling has decreased a lot from last year. He still has the same best friends (though Grant is quickly becoming a new favorite, now that they are soccer buddies), including his sister, and their relationship is only getting better. They still argue, but are able to work things out on their own more often, and there is far less competition and jealousy between them than there was last year.

 

 

His favorite activities at this age include riding his BIG BOY bike (especially on bumpy trails or BMX tracks), playing pretend at home with Cora (they come up with all sorts of games lately, but most involve Cora being the mom or cat and James being the kid or dog), building with Legos, watching TV/movies and playing on his LeapPad (when we allow it - he will always have limited screen time, and other than during long car rides, the LeapPad time has to be earned), playing outside (on the zipline, playset, and the new teeter-totter) and getting into all sorts of things in the yard (moving piles of rocks and leaves and dirt and acorns and firewood), being a superhero (I hope we still have a few years of this phase - it's too cute!), and just generally exploring (in the ravines behind the house, local trails, at parks - even just walking around the neighborhood - there is always something interesting to see when you're out with James because he never misses a thing).

 

 

This boy of ours is pretty special. We think he is incredibly smart, compassionate, cautious yet intrigued to learn new things, silly, sneaky, and basically just awesome. We want to wish him a VERY HAPPY 5th Birthday!

 

5-year stats: 45 lbs and 44"

CUATRO!

James is 4! FOUR! CUATRO!!!! Our little guy is a full-fledged preschooler, growing by leaps and bounds, amazing us at every turn. So before I forget some of the little details, here they are, recorded for all posterity.

James may be a big boy now, but he still has some pretty darn adorable variations of words and phrases. For example: elevator is still "aldigator", warm sounds like "worm", guitar is said "kintar", line sounds like "lion" no matter how much we try to correct him, lunch is still adorably called "munch" (also including "munchtime" and "munchbox"), hand sanitizer is combined to be "hanitizer", it's called "spinching" instead of pinching, he calls flames "fire bombs", movies get "claused" instead of paused, and he refers to skulls/bones/skeletons/zombies as "stoneheads". When he wants you to read him a book he hands it to you and says "Say the words of it". (I'll have to come back and add more to this list as they come up, since they're hard to remember while sitting here - see why I write this stuff down... bad memory).

James has recently gotten really interested in coloring (especially with using the "correct" colors, i.e. blue and red for Spiderman, blue for the sky and green for grass and yellow for the sun) and makes serious efforts to stay within the lines and completely fill-in areas (rather than just using random crayon swooshes). He's also become much better at tracing (lines, letters, shapes, etc.) and is VERY proud when he gets a smiley face or good effort sticker on one of his school papers. He even holds the pen/pencil correctly when writing.

James knows a lot of things that we wouldn't expect a 3.5-4 year old to know. He knows the directions (naming the streets in order) both going and coming from his house to various frequented destinations around town. And since turning forward-facing a couple months ago, he is now very opinionated on which routes we take to those destinations.

In fact, James has some serious preferences in general. He's not as OCD and routine-driven as his sister, but he still likes to know what the plan is for the day (with back-up plans when needed!) and will recite it back to you (immediately, and then throughout the day - he keeps us on schedule!). If you vary from his expected plan, you better darn well have a good reason for it, and explain yourself. Speaking of which, "Why?" has made a comeback with him lately (likely due to his sister recently entering the phase) and we are often asked "Why?" about a half dozen to a dozen times about a single subject. And we repeat this process often during the day, about all sorts of things. Sometimes we get to the point where we answer him with "Just because" or "Because that's the way it is" or "Because I said so". Yes, we're now those parents.

James has picked up on SO MANY of our commonly used phrases, even the ones that are seemingly obscure or contain long/difficult to pronounce words. And he uses them appropriately every single time, without any prompting from us. It really makes us laugh when he admonishes Cora (if she's in trouble, or being silly, or obnoxious...) with the same phrases we use on him. See? He really IS listening!

While we're on the subject of sibling relations though, James and Cora are both at the prime ages to be BEST friends right now. It's completely awesome for us, and we are so thankful they have each other. They may argue numerous times per day, tattling is suddenly commonplace, and there is occasional jealousy and constant competition ("I wins!"), but for the most part they just play so well together, teach each other new things, help each other, protect each other, and just obviously love each other to pieces. James is also starting to take his role of protective big brother more seriously. He fusses at his friends if they are mean or rough or not sharing with his sissy. He reads to her. He encourages her and praises her. He generally includes her in all games (though now and then he and Manu will leave her out on purpose or just outride her on their bikes) and will happily play "house" with her, feeding her babies and helping her change their diapers. Other than "house", their favorite game is "camping" (hiding in closets or cabinets with flashlights or lanterns, packing bags to take with them, and even making pretend fires). She is SO lucky to have him.

While he's certainly entered the age of superheroes and guns and wrestling, he's still our "Gentle James" and rarely gets in trouble for pushing or hitting (his trouble usually comes from a lack of paying attention or following direction, though he still occasionally gets in trouble for climbing too). He is still loves to snuggle and give hugs and kisses. He can sometimes be very clingy at the dinner table, and when we tell him that good manners includes keeping your hands to yourself, he just leans into his daddy and says "But I'm just loving on you!" (yeah, pretty hard to argue with that). When we finish bedtime stories and songs, he'll often tell me "You can sleep with me for a while if you want to mama, I'll snuggle you" and my heart melts every single time. We are very lucky to have such a loving and caring boy, and we hope he will always be that way.

I suppose I could go on and on, and perhaps I will come back to this and add more in the coming weeks. We just love our little boy and wish him the happiest of birthdays today!

4-year stats: 39 lbs and 41.5"

3.5-YEAR STATS

Just for the record...

35 lbs and 40" tall!

JAMES' 3-YEAR STATS

At 3-years-old, James is 34 lbs and 39". He's a big boy with a big heart, a big vocabulary, and a big personality. He can make us laugh and he can make us crazy. His emotions swing the pendulum dramatically these days. He can run and jump and roll down hills. He glides his bike and pedals his trike. He knows his ABC's and sings a variety of preschool songs. He can draw circles and train tracks and trace his letters (though he's still not a big fan of 'seat work'). He loves school, going to the gym, swimming (well, wading more so than actually swimming) and running and playing ball ('base-ket-ball', raquetball, soccer ball), and hanging out with the great group of buddies that he calls his own (between new school friends and old school friends and our friends' kids, he is lucky to almost always have someone to play with at a moment's notice, not to mention the strong friendship he is developing with his sister). He is a social little guy, but he can play shy, and he knows just how to work his charm to get what he wants. He can be really bossy (with his friends, his 'Sissy', AND his parents), but he also listens really well (most of the time). He is quite compassionate, always showing concern and willing to help in anyway he can if someone is sad or hurt or scared. He is always happiest when outside, running free, learning and growing and exploring. He's one smart little cookie and he has a mind like a vault. The kid never forgets a thing, and he shocks us on a regular basis with the things he remembers and talks about at random times, as well as the associations he makes. He's still our little snuggler, full of love and hugs and kisses and 'I love you too's. We are SO lucky to have such an awesome son, and we know it - we love you James Henry!

IT'S A WHAT?

James turned 2.5 last Saturday. I know, right? He's getting so big! Where is the time going? I remember when he was just a tiny newborn...

I have some 2.5-year stats for him (thanks to his recent bronchitis episode): 31.4 lbs and 37.25".

I can't really do my usual "summary" of what he's up to lately though. There just too much. So instead, I'll just mention something cute that he's bound to outgrow too soon, and which Jay and I will miss immensely: He may talk a LOT, hold intelligible conversations with us and his peers, and speak clearly most of the time, but there are still some words for which his interpretation cracks us up!

For example:

banas (bananas)

on-a-billow (armadillo)

hine (hyena)

no-accep-able (unacceptable)

cough cough (washcloth)

Here's a short video of James reading "Good Night Gorilla" with his Daddy. It's his most favorite book lately (as in, he has been pulling it off the shelf and demanding it be read 3-7 times per day, for the past 2 weeks or so). I dare you not to laugh when he says "on-a-billow"!

HE'S TWO, AND HE'S TERRIFIC!

Let the Terrific Two's begin! Happy 2nd Birthday James!!

2-year stats: 29ish pounds and almost 3 feet tall!

1 AND 3/4 YEARS

James is 21-months-old today. Hard to believe he's been in our lives for almost 2 years already. He is such a fun kid, and so very sweet. He's talking and singing and dancing. He has so many words we've lost count, and he'll repeat almost anything we say. His use of short sentences is growing (though he often says things backwards, such as "Daddy Bye-Bye" instead of "Bye Bye Daddy"). He not only points out objects in books when we name them, but points to objects and names them himself. He laughs at our jokes (and jokes on TV), and sometimes tries to play jokes on us. And he has come to expect certain jokes from his Daddy, so he will try to "ignore" him or cut him off at the pass (for example, the "What's that on your shirt" routine). He runs and marches and jumps (just little hops). He's getting really good at going up and down the stairs quickly (and safely - he goes down on his bottom). He still likes to snuggle and be carried around and sit in your lap. Books are his biggest comfort item, even more so than Monkey or Bear Bear (or even Elmo, his newest "stuffy"). If he's upset (or in trouble), he'll go find a book and bring it to you. His favorite toys are his wheels (any and all cars and trucks and ride-on toys, especially his wagon) and his puzzles (including his sorting and stacking toys). He's very into figuring stuff out these days. He climbs all over everything and raises our blood pressure in worry daily. The child has no fear. He loves to collect nature (leaves, rocks, sticks, acorns - whatever he can find) and make little piles or show it to us one at a time. He has 15 teeth (that last canine is REALLY taking it's time) and eats pretty much anything (except vegetables). He gives sweet little kisses and squeezes you back when you hug him (finally). He weighs in at 28.4 lbs and is 33 in tall. He's getting so big. Definitely not our baby boy anymore. He's an on-the-go, silly, sometimes-wild-child that is full of love and energy and personality.

JAMES' 2ND HALF BIRTHDAY

Happy YEAR-AND-A-HALF Birthday James! He measures just over 32 inches against his growth chart:

Weighs 26.5 lbs: And yes, at 18-months-old, he still sucks his thumb. Constantly. Though he now also twirls his hair while doing so, JUST like my brother did as a kid. Cute, eh?

(He fell asleep in his Grandpa's arms last night while watching football)

MILESTONE MONTH

They say 15-months is a "milestone month". Sure, we'll agree with that.

While the past 3 months have been full of changes and developments and "milestones" for James, it's the past few weeks that have been especially busy... He has learned to walk (he's a slow-but-steady, confident walker, about 90% of the time now), he says all sorts of things (about a dozen real words used correctly, words he randomly imitates from us - even words such as "pirate" - awesome!, and little sentences that we can't quite figure out - he even has little mumbled "conversations" with himself and his toys that are adorable), he is using more of his toys and "toys" (i.e. random kitchen items) for their intended purposes (actually sorting shapes in the shape-sorter, etc.), he can point out and correctly name a few objects (ball, flower, light, cat, etc.) as well as find them in books (and on flashcards, and also on these fun picture cards I made him months ago of items around the house), he can climb onto couches and coffee tables (as long as there is something nearby for him to get a boost off of), he sleeps in a big boy bed (and has done so by himself, all through the night, for 3 nights in a row now), and we hear this is just the beginning of the REAL learning explosion, which usually hits around 18 months... We can't wait! He already amazes us every day - he is pure entertainment!

James actually turned 15-months-old yesterday, and today was his well baby exam. He wasn't such a "well" baby though... Turns out that double ear infection is STILL hanging around and his cough has developed into some sort of infection as well. Since he's had no fever and has been sleeping wonderfully, we really had no idea. He's not contagious, so he could have gone to daycare today, but we decided that since it's so much quieter at home he'd be better off sleeping the day away in his own bed. Which is exactly what he's doing right now. He's been asleep since we left the pediatrician's office 3 hours ago!

His official stats this month are 24 lbs 4 oz (25th percentile) and 32 inches (75th percentile). You seriously would have thought we were pulling his toes off to get those measurements! James is still suffering from white-coat syndrome (and his sickness, which causes EXTRA clingy-ness in him, is likely not helping). He's following right along his usual growth curves, which are flattening out at this age, so we won't be expecting huge changes in weight or height between appointments anymore, let alone the monthly weigh-ins we do at home. We were sad to find out our little man is still sick today, but happy to hear that he is otherwise doing great and developing on schedule.

14 MONTHS AND 24 LBS

That's right, James is up to 24 lbs even this month!We had been slightly worried about his weight gain this month, only because the bottle-weaning is not going very well. James LOVES his sippys... as long as they contain water or juice. But put milk in there, whether it's cold or warm, and the boy will turn away with disgust, throw the cup, or take sips and spit/drool it all out down his chin. Lovely, eh? Therefore, he is still getting 3 bottles/day (first thing in the morning, before his noon nap, and at bedtime) so we can be sure he's drinking enough milk. That adds up to about 18 oz per day. Plus MAYBE an ounce from his afternoon sippy of milk. We thought that wasn't nearly enough, since we were under the impression that he needed 24 oz of whole milk at this age, but it turns out that isn't so... Toddler milk needs vary based on their overall diet, i.e. how much solid foods they are eating, and in what variety. And when we learned what a toddler serving size actually is (much smaller than we had thought), we realized that James is doing just fine. In fact, he's a great eater, just as we originally thought (boy-oh-boy is it ever easy for us first-time parents to find things to worry about though)!

Between his milk (we buy the organic variety with DHA and Omega-3 added in), yogurt, and cheese, he's got dairy covered. Fruits & veggies he gets more than he needs. Though he refuses to eat veggies unless they're pureed... Why is that? It's the same stuff! He'll eat any veggie in any combination when we puree and mix, but hand him a tiny chunk of freshly steamed carrot and he spits it out. Such a strange duck... And like most kids, he loves his grains too. Protein is the only area in which he lacks, but it's not for our lack of trying. He just doesn't much care for meat (chicken or beef, any way we cook it, or even lunch meat). He'll eat beans, but honestly, he can't eat beans every day. Especially since he prefers the sugar-infused baked beans. Eggs are not his friend either (though he'll eat a couple bites now and then). He'll eat peanut butter in small quantities because we don't give him much (we worry about it being a choke hazard, since he still tends to shove all the food on his tray into his mouth at once). So, that leaves us with tofu... we haven't tried it yet (it's just not something we usually make for ourselves), but we hear our nephew likes it, so it's in the works. We'll let you know what James thinks...

BIG BOY!

13-months-old today and still growing by the day. He's getting more and more daring while standing (letting go for a few seconds here and there, and often holding on lightly with just one hand):

Wearing big boy sandals (and looking mighty cool in his Adidas 'Hat Trick' outfit):

Sliding down a real slide,with constant assistance of course (awesome static):

And swinging in a big boy swing:

"Official" stats at 13-months: 22.8 lbs. Still putting it on. And still going straight to his belly...

"ONE" WELL BABY

James had his 12-month well-baby exam this morning.

He finished out his first year right around average:

Weight = 21 lbs 10 oz

Length = 30.25 in

Head Circumference = 47 cm

That's a gain of 13.6 lbs and 9.5 in! Such a big boy now:

We're still going to call him our little munchkin though... and don't mind his crazy left baby footprint - they couldn't get him to hold still (imagine that)!

In other appointment news, he passed all his milestone tests (saying 3 or more words, pulling up, and cruising - he doesn't HAVE to walk until 15-months, but we'll see, we doubt it will be much longer before he does), cried about his shots for the first time (maybe Mommy holding him didn't help... I know I always get more emotional around my mom) - of which he received only 2 (we're still splitting them up, so he'll get the rest at his 15-month and 18-month well-baby exams), had his finger pricked for another anemia test (results forthcoming, but he passed at 6-months, so we're not worried) which REALLY made him mad this time (not the finger prick itself - that he basically ignored - it was the fact that the phlebotomist wouldn't give him back his hand that made him so angry, and sad, even though it wasn't his thumb-sucking hand she stole), was diagnosed with a very mild case of thrush (it just showed up this morning, and is due to the antibiotics he was on through early last week for that ear infection - luckily, I'm not likely to get it, since this morning was our first non-nursing morning, meaning that James is basically weaned, though we'll see how the weekend goes), was told that his eczema would be an intermittent thing for a while (and to just treat with hydrocortisone as needed), and cried about both the nurse AND his pediatrician examining him (apparently the stranger-anxiety phase lasts up until 15-months for most kids, and he was NOT happy that Mommy and Daddy kept putting him down on that exam table)! Or the scale:

Crying or not, he still got a great report and the doc was quite pleased with him and the cheeser grin he was willing to give her as long as we were holding him. She said "Wow, big smiles. I can count those teeth from here!" She also said he has a mouthful of teeth for his age... Makes me wonder what our nephew's pediatrician will tell HIM (he has 11 right now, including 2 molars, with 2 more molars on the way and less than a month to go until his 1st birthday)! Luckily, we got in and out of the pediatrician's office in less than an hour and a half this time. That's so acceptable that we made sure to book his next well-baby exam for first thing on a Friday!

ONLY ONE MONTH TO GO...

...until our baby boy becomes a toddler. We hope it goes by slowly. We're not quite ready to accept the fact that a mere 11 months ago our Sweet Baby James was a newborn, and that now he is most definitely not:

Our big boy (and soon-to-be big brother) is into everything these days. Did we say everything? Yes, we meant EVERYTHING! You really don't know how to babyproof your home until your baby becomes mobile and shows you all the things you missed. For instance, we've have to move the elliptical out of our room. It's just too dangerous with a baby underfoot. I know, huge sacrifice, since I've been using it daily to keep in shape this pregnancy (wink wink). Oh well, now James has his own designated toy corner in yet ANOTHER room of the house:

Also, anything light enough for him to pick up that is within reach is fair game. This has taught us that cell phones, remote controls, water glasses, coasters, cameras, hair ties, DVDs, and magazines (all the things we USED to keep on our end table) must be relocated to higher places. The fireplace mantel is a great new home for these. Inconvenient, yes. But at least they're safe. In fact, we just went ahead and reorganized the entire living room. Who needs feng shui? We're all about open spaces for baby adventuring (and being able to easily keep our eyes on said baby):

Finally, we have learned that James is like a little spy (or critic), and though we vacuum almost daily, he still manages to find something we've missed at least once per week. Leaves that snuck in stuck to the bottom of our shoes, pieces of lint from freshly folded clothes, mini cat-hair dustbunnies that pop up whenever Mouton gets himself riled-up, lost popcorn, etc., no longer go un-noticed. We are on high-alert around here:

(Don't worry, this was just a little leaf, and I managed to grab it before it was consumed)

It's all very exciting, isn't it? Other exciting occurrences this month include "stepping" (not "cruising" yet, but the kid can make a step or turn to alter his position while standing), giving "high-five" (we finally taught him that one about 2 weeks ago, though it generally results in repeated smacking of our extended hand, rather than a single high-five), "kissing" (this involves me asking James to give his mommy a kiss for about 2 minutes before I finally get him to look straight at me, open-mouthed, of course, and pause long enough for me to make the "muah" noise and kiss his bottom lip - oh well, we're working on it), and "tackling". What? Yeah, you read that right. James has learned to tackle the cats. They just love it (hee hee). It basically consists of James crawling up to one of the cats as quick as he can, throwing himself on top of them, and burying his face in their fur. It's almost like he's hugging them. Aggressively. Cute, eh?

Oh yeah, and his "official" stats this month are 20.4 lbs and 29 in. Go James Go!