Jake's New BIG Big Boy Bed...

Just a quick post for now with some pictures of Jake's new "BIG big boy bed", as he likes to refer to it. On Christmas morning, Jake found a note by the chimney from Santa letting him know that he had a new big boy bed for him, but that he didn't want to wake him up by putting it in his room, so he was sending some of his "friends" the following Monday to set it up for him. Luckily, at 4 years old, this still seemed to make a lot of sense to him. Whew!!!!!!!!!

So, we counted the days from Friday to Monday and boy did they seem to go slowly for him. Then Monday rolled around and we counted the hours and waited, and waited and waited... And as luck would have it, at about 3 in the afternoon we received a call letting us know that the truck had broken down (now Jake's first question was "why don't they just borrow Santa's sleigh, he's not using it today?!?!...hmmm, good question) At first, the lady from the store asked if they could just deliver it tomorrow? To which I replied TOMORROW?!?!?!...obviously she had NO idea what kind of trauma that would cause for my anxious little 4 year old who was pacing back and forth by the front door!!!!! Not to mention the fact that I had already taken his toddler bed and moved it up to the attic and we had carefully prepared the spot. Oh, I just couldn't see myself bringing that bed back down and I saw nothing but a restless night of sleeping with a disappointed little boy in bed with me. So, I asked if she could do everything she could to TRY to get that bed to us that night some time and she said she would.

Well, at about 6 we received a call from the driver, letting us know he was still coming and that they would likely be at our house between 8:30 and 9. Hmmm, so much for the 7:30 bedtime, eh? Then 8:30 came and went, and 9 and 10 and at about 10:30, they rolled into our driveway. Well, Nanny and I were dead tired, but not the boy... oh, no, he was raring to go! And oh so excited to meet "Santa's friends".

So, in come the "friends" (from the look on his face, I have a feeling he was expecting elves...and that, these 2 men were not) and off he goes to get his tools and his construction helmet with the light on it and his measuring tape. Yes, these lucky men, out until almost midnight delivering beds, were blessed with an excited little 4 year old who was determined to "HELP". And I thought I was having a tough day...LOL

And help he did...he organized their screws and bolts and washers for them...by size, of course. And told them exactly how many they had of each. And he measured all of the pieces to be sure they knew exactly how long and tall they each were. And when threatened with his life (by me) to get OUT of their way (at the rate they were going, they were going to be sleeping over), he proceeded to draw them pictures to take with them...some for them and a special one for Santa. This, they definitely got a kick out of.

So, the bed was set up and nanny came up to inspect and when asked what she thought, she gave one of those looks that makes it VERY clear that you are trying to be supportive, but thinking "oh God, what moron puts a bed like this in a room like that?" But, the boy LOVED it...and I don't think there's a font size large enough to emphasize the word LOVE appropriately. So, we put him to bed and decided to deal with the possibility of rearranging it in the morning.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a little bit of a perfectionist at heart... I just like things to work out... I'm a fixer...you have a problem, I'm going to be thinking about how to solve it before you finish telling me what it is. Just the way I'm wired. No problem too big and nothing is impossible. That said, as you might imagine, I did not sleep a wink that night thinking about all the possible ways to make that bed look good in that room.

Jake had an AWESOME first night in his bed, and thankfully, was totally oblivious to any issue with the bed, the room, Nanny or his neurotic Mommy. First thing in the morning, I used my little paper layout of the room to evaluate other possible configurations and with Nanny's help, we came up with what we thought would help. Only problem was, that the bed itself didn't just have to be moved, it had to be partially reassembled as the end with the dresser needed to now be at the opposite end, which meant the ladder had to move as well. Up came the tools, apart came the bed, and back together it went. Here's what it looked like after our first attempt...

Would you say he looks a little happy?!?!?!?

Then, while showering I thought to myself, now why should we waste all that empty space behind the dressers (since they are only deep enough to go half-way back under the bed)? So, I tried pushing them to the back of the underside of the bed and it created what he now considers his absolute favorite part of the bed...the cave, tent, special hiding place.

Then we added the "curtain" (the top sheet to his set) and WOW, now we had the magical space behind the curtain!!! Here's a picture of the improved configuration. And although we obviously would have a difficult time utilizing the top drawers, considering we replaced a 3 drawer changing table with 12 new draws (9 of which remain empty), I think we'll be ok without those 2.

See, no worries about it being dark under there either, he has his construction helmet on with the flood light on the front...LOL

That night, I knew that he must really, really love his new bed when he asked me at 7:00 if he could go up and get his pjs on (which he did ALL BY HIMSELF)? Then at about 7:30, he asked if he could go up to bed?!?!? Maybe I should have asked for the BIG big boy bed much sooner?!?! LOL

Wow, so much for a short post, eh? Anyway, looks like it's all worked out for the best... Nanny's happy and our boy is ecstatic which all equals mommy being very, very, very happy as well. More on Christmas later... hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and looking forward to the New Year!

The Story of Baby Jesus ... As Told by Aunt Bear

As they looked at our newly decorated Christmas tree tonight, Aunt Bear asked Jake if he knew the story of Baby Jesus? When his answer fell short of her expectations, she set off to tell him a somewhat more modern version of the story... as I was eavesdropping, it went something like this:

So, there was Mary and Joseph and they were married. Somehow Mary got pregnant, she drank from this river and then she was pregnant. Then there was an announcement that a census was going to be taken and so everyone had to go back to the place where they were born...but Mary was pregnant. So, they went back to where Joseph was born, but there weren't any rooms available in the hotels...not at the Holiday Inn, not at the Fairfield Inn, not at the Hyatt and not even at the Residence Inn, so they had to stay in a barn with all of the animals. Then Baby Jesus was born and then these guys came to visit and they had all kinds of presents for the baby.

And God, (at which point she asked, do you know who God is? To which he replied by pointing up to heaven) sent Baby Jesus down here so that he could save us all so that we could go to Heaven. And she summed it all up with a "ok, you got all that? make sense? good"

Let's just hope he doesn't recount that version during Sunday School some day in the not so distant future...LOL

"Momma, Best Friends Forever!!!!"

Just a short post about a very memorable moment during our Thanksgiving trip to Florida...

It had been a VERY long day and mommy, nanny and La La were all exhausted, sprawled around the hotel room. Jake, of course, was still running on 3/4 of a tank and was no where near ready for sleep or any form of rest. He was coloring busily and playing with his puzzles and running around from room to room making the rest of us even more tired just watching him go.

We were watching that tear jerker "The Dog Named Christmas" and of course, in the hotel room, we did not have the benefit of having our little Tivo remote to pause live TV or back-up if we missed something. The combination of that, having just finished packing, a long day and the thought of traveling the next morning had our nerves just a little bit frayed.

At that moment, Jake decided that he absolutely HAD to have the marker set that was already packed away for the airplane. He asked Nanny who said "no", he asked Mommy who said "no" and started to pace back and forth right in front of the TV asking please, please, please. Now, normally this would have triggered a "mommy meltdown" and believe you me, I was ripe for one. But I decided to just give in and get my tired self up off the couch and go and get them.

When Jake saw me get up, I honestly think the first thing he thought was that he was in BIG trouble, and he took a few steps back. (I think even Nanny was a bit nervous) When I went into the bedroom to my suitcase, he was only brave enough to watch from the doorway and dared not venture any closer. When I turned around and held out the markers he wanted so desperately, he came running in, jumped up into my arms, put a hand on each side of my face and said "thank you, thank you, thank you, momma...BEST FRIENDS FOREVER" and sealed it with a kiss.

It's moments like that that remind me that I'm the luckiest mommy in the world!!!

Our Boy Can READ!!!!!

So, I knew the day was coming and I knew he was very close to reading because he's been asking "what's that word?" "what's that say" type questions for quite some time now... BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, I never realized how quickly it would happen.

Last Thursday night when I put Jake to bed he was so excited about getting "his book" the next day. It sounded as though one of his teachers was making it for him to bring home to read over the weekend. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the whole "his book" thing because frankly, anything that consists of a few pages (no matter what's on them or not on them) stapled together is a "book" to Jake these days. And with the recent spike in creativity and affinity for arts/crafts, we've had quite a number of "books" being developed every hour in these here parts... which is probably why my printer and fax machine NEVER has any paper anymore.

So Friday afternoon when I arrived at school, he could NOT have been more excited to proudly show me "his book". It came in a very special "reading" folder that only the kindergarten children (usually) get and had instructions for his reading "homework" for the weekend. He held it in his hands the entire ride home and when we arrived, we sat at the table (me in my assigned "listening seat") and he READ the "book" to me!!!! OK, so truth be told, the "book" was simply 6-7 pages of a photocopied "story" with 3-4 word sentences and pictures. Yet, I could NOT have been any prouder!!!!!!!!! My boy, my just 4 year old boy, READING to me!!!!!

The next day, we were off to Jordan's 3rd bday party held at none other than 1 Todd Terrace and yes, we just had to bring the book with us. During an intermission between delicious courses, the Posse and some others (Goobie, Gail, Christiana, Andrew... etc) gathered round and Jake proudly read his "book" to everyone. It was one of those moments when I'm so touched by the loving friends (more like family, really) that we have in our lives. It felt as if they were just as proud of him as I was and the feeling could not have been any better.

Jake returned the book to school on Monday and spent the better part of this week getting in mischief. Every day I arrive to a report of someone he "harassed" or some teacher he didn't listen to and by the middle of the week I was online late at night researching boarding schools...LOL So, I had a little sit down with the Asst Head of Schools and we agreed that they would not force him to lay on his mat and nap during the day any longer...as this seemed to be the time when he got himself into the most trouble and frankly, I absolutely DON'T want him to nap. Instead of napping, they decided to try to give him a workbook that the kindergarten children use and wouldn't you know, he loved it!

Today, when I picked him up, though not a perfect report for the day, we certainly had a much better one and no nap time troubles at all. The best part of the pick up, however, was seeing him excitedly run over the show me the REAL BOOK that he was taking home this weekend for reading homework. His teacher came over and explained that he just blew through the whole first set earlier in the week (typically takes 2-3 months) and so she had no choice but to start him on this real series of books. Funnier still, she said that she caught him trying to sneak ALL of the books from this set into his backpack to take home and when she asked him what he was doing he said he "I really, really, really want to read them all please". She explained that she had to have some to send home with the other children and with a little bit of a struggle was able to get him to leave with just one.

We were lucky enough to have Aunt Bear come over to visit tonight and so Jakey actually had a 2 person audience for his first read through his new REAL BOOK. It was amazing and we were both stunned to be sitting there watching him read this book to us...a REAL book!!!

Days like this, it's just too cool to be a mommy...

Heading off to Florida

This morning I woke up to a kiss on the cheek and a gleeful "momma, today is the first day of our vacation...so you can't sleep late!!!" Well, officially, I don't consider us "on vacation" until we actually leave home and arrive someplace else. However, it seems, for a 4 year old, vacation is more a state of mind than where you are physically...

So, I sat up and asked in return, "where are we going on our vacation?" Now, for those who haven't had a chance to see (or should I say "experience") Jake during this recent geography stage, you might be expecting an answer like "Florida" or "to see Uncle Sal, Uncle Michael, and/or my brother Cole. No, not these days... This morning I was treated to the state by state tour from NJ to Florida. Including the 2 states whose pronunciation I love to hear the most - "North CALORINA" and "South CALORINA".

It AMAZES me, especially in light of the fact that I couldn't put together a puzzle map of the United States if my life depended on it. I clearly got more than my share of math related braincells and just enough geography brain cells to be able to find my way to and from my house...LOL And he clearly got his from the donor.

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of attending a children's concert with Jake's sisters, Hallie and Baby Lea. Here's a picture of him with Ralph (the singer) and a couple of the kids playing at the playground. It was a wonderful day and we continue to feel SO lucky to have Sharon, Abby, Hallie and Baby Lea in our lives!!!


Jake has been progressing in leaps and bounds this past month or so. (or should I say since he was born) He can now add two 2 digit numbers together (thanks to his Nanny) like 20 plus 20, 30 plus 40, etc. He can also tell you answers to questions like this one which I challenged him with on the ride to school one morning... If you have 50 slices of pizza and you need to give the same number to JJ, mommy, nanny, pops and yourself, how many would each of us get??? To which is promptly answered "10 momma, because it goes 10, 2o, 30, 40, and 50". Well, OK then!

One of the most amazing advances though has been his creative play, including drawing, coloring, writing and other art related things. This is the kid who would color for 5 seconds max only a month or so ago and now he's managed to blow through all of the paper I have in the house by stealing it from my printer, fax machine and even out of my briefcase, when necessary. He can write basically anything he wants to and I've been having him write out his Christmas list for Santa and continue to put things on my grocery list for me. At school, they said he writes his name on everything and always adds a "mommy" right next to it.

Speaking of school, I had Jake's conference a couple of weeks ago and they had nothing but great things to say about him (other than a little tattling that seems to be making it's way through the classroom and also some occasional name calling like... hippomapotomus face, which it seems does NOT go over well with the other kids). They told me amongst the teachers they call him Doogie Howser (sp?) now because they fully expect him to be attending medical school or at least college by the time he's 10. How scary is that? Heck, his college fund will not be ready by then!!!! Though, I guess there would be a pretty good chance he'd be getting a scholarship, eh? Then I could use that money to buy a cool new house...oh, sorry, I digress! LOL (And yes, Aunt Bear, you can use some to buy a new cyclo-cross bike...LOL)

Obviously, academics has never been an area of worry for me, but his early athletic endeavors, well, that's a whole other story. The good news is that gymnastics continues to be something he absolutely LOVES!! So much so that I've signed him up for 2 nights a week now. And starting last week, his "sister" (clearly he has a VERY broad definition for this word) Brianna has started attending Thurs nights with him. For him, it's like a big added bonus! We're still working on some muscle weakness, but he's getting better with every class. Best of all, he feels very confident out there and isn't afraid to try anything. Could not be better for balance and body control and self-esteem.

Well, that's all for now. We're off to the airport to visit family and Jake's adorable half-brother, Cole and his mommy, Tammi. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Halloween Sneak Preview

Hello from the land of illness...

After being cooped up in the house for the past week...first with H1N1 and then with pneumonia, (because God knows when we get sick in this house, we get REALLY sick...NO messing around!!)...Spiderman is ready to hit the neighborhood in hopes of scoring mega candy (not that he even likes 10% of it, but it's the hunt that matters).

Here's a few pics of him trying out the costume. Taken seconds before he tried out his best Fly Off the Bed... "Catch me Mommy!!!!" Worked out well for one of us...can you guess which one?

Happy Trick or Treating everyone!!

G and Jake

Our 1st Trip To The Principal's Office...

Incident Report:
When: this past Monday around 3 pm What: The call every mother dreads Why: Who the heck knows why kids do what they do? (Though, as you'll see, I've got no shortage of excuses)

Let me take you for a short walk in my shoes...
Ring, Ring... "Ms. Bilotti, I need to talk with you about Jake's behavior at school today..."
(Silently I'm thinking...Hmmmm...this doesn't sound good. Followed by..Ya think? Followed quickly by... Oh God, did he bite someone again? Is he back to tackling people? And already thinking that whatever it was that he did, it wasn't his fault!!!)

"The past few days of school, we've been seeing some behavioral problems in class with Jake" (I'm thinking...OK, so why the heck did you wait so long to call me? Notice how I'm already deflecting...I think this comes naturally to mommies...LOL) "He's been calling the other children names and not following direction" To which I reply... "Oh my, that's terrible, I'm so upset to hear that" (While thinking... hey, maybe they deserved to be called those names? Maybe they called him names first? Maybe they're being mean to him?)

"Ms. Bilotti has anything been going on at home that may be upsetting Jake? Has he been sleeping OK?" To which I reply "No, there's nothing out of the ordinary going on here...he does have a cold though and he didn't sleep well last night and was up at 4:30 this morning, so I'm sure he's very tired today" (While thinking...as am I, which is why I'm feeling a little cranky about this call and your questions about what trauma I may be exposing him to at home and after all, the poor kid has a cold, and is really tired and when I'm sick and tired, I also sometimes want to call people names...actually, I'm really tempted to call you some names right now, if I'm being honest, that is...LOL)

"We tried to get Jake to go down to the Principal's Office today and he refused to go. So, I told him that I would be calling you and he got very upset by this, but I felt it was important for me to still call" To which I reply... "He wouldn't go? Oh, no, that's terrible. I'm very glad you called so I can talk with him and get this straightened out" (While thinking... Well, of course he wouldn't go, hell, I wouldn't go either if you gave me a choice? And yes, I'm very glad you called because now I can find out who's picking on him and straighten THEM out...actually, maybe I'll send Nanny, she's really good at that...LOL)

Call ends and off I go to pick up my little Angel turned Devil early from school. I drag him kicking and screaming to the Principal's office and as it turns out, the Principal suggested that it may actually be the new cough/cold medicine that I started giving him at the exact time that they started seeing these changes in his behavior. (Turns out she has even better excuses than I do...go figure?) But seriously, we were also seeing signs of this at home as well. Think 4 year old on a combination of ice cream, cotton candy, cake, cookies and a few doses of chocolate on top...that's what he had been like (withOUT any of that crap). Nanny and I had been drawing straws to see who got first dibs to hang themselves on the flagpole out front should he decide to get up at 4:30 am again. She pulled the "senior citizen" card again...SO unfair.

So, needless to say, we immediately took him "off the juice" (oh no, wait, that's JJ)... off the medicine and we've been witnessing a slow and steady return to a normal state of chaos. Might be hard to discern with the naked eye, but crystal clear to Nanny and I. I've also had to reinstate the "no TV if you have a bad day at school" policy. Which ironically only works because he wants whatever it is he can't have...even though we typically don't even watch TV after school.

While putting him to bed that night, I asked him what names he was actually calling the kids at school and in light of the fact that I was expecting something like "butthead", "stupid", "poopy head" (a house favorite)...it shocked me when he said "Momma, I called them Giraffe, Hippamapotomus (Hippo in Jake speak), Cow, Cat, Duck" It took everything I had not to laugh out loud and of course, I did my best to reinforce how "bad" it was to call someone a Giraffe, while all the while thinking "oh come on now, that's all he did?!?!?"

Fingers crossed that we've seen the last of the Principal's office, at least for quite a while!!! Cause I think I may be all out of viable excuses at this point. That's all for now...

Searching For State Quarters...

As our boy continues to learn the states, he's become very interested in collecting state quarters. In an effort to avoid having these quarters lined up randomly all over the house, I bought him one of those state quarter US maps and he's been putting them in all the right places over the past month.

Nanny and I have exhausted every source of quarters that we might have (and some we never even knew we had...LOL) and yet there are quite a few he's still in search of. Last night he asked if we couldn't just "get some help from some of the people who love me"...which I thought was way too cute. So, here's the official call for help...

The list of missing quarters includes:

California

Wyoming

Minnesota

Tennessee

Texas

Alabama

Massachusetts

Maine

Guam

Puerto Rico

US Virgin Islands

American Sanibel (huh?)

He's offering a BIG kiss and even BIGGER hug for anyone you might be able to find!!! Happy Friday!!

p.s. Attaching a few pictures from his pumpkin picking school trip yesterday. As you can see, always surrounded by the ladies!! Last night was his first night as his new gymnastics program and finally, some kind of sport that he LOVED!! More on that, including video and pics, later...

Do you even see any other boys in sight?

Holding hands...

"Momma, is that my daddy"

Tonight when getting ready for our bedtime ritual of reading books, Jake selected a very special book that was created for him by his Aunt Amy and Aunt CC not long after he was born. It was the first time that we had read it where he could really understand what the words meant and could actually follow the story. To say he was fascinated by the book, would have to be the understatement of the year. There, in writing, was the story of his birth...what he weighed, how long he was, who came to see him, and how much we all adored him.

As we made our way through this incredible book, we stopped and talked about every picture on every page and he was quick to make up some memory that he was sure was real about what we were doing on each page. (He loves to tell me what he remembers about being a baby) It was such a special experience to read these pages with him and see the fascination at hearing about his own birth. I had read it to him many, many times before, but always when he was too young to understand what it was I was reading. Then, somehow, we managed to "lose" the book among the hundreds of books we've amassed over the past 4 years...that is, until tonight.

So, we get to the very end of the book and the last page shows a picture of a man walking with a woman who is carrying a baby. And with pure innocence comes the question I knew would someday come, but still somehow have no good answer for... "Momma, is that my daddy?" It was as if time stood still. I felt myself actually catch my breath and I thought for a moment that my heart skipped a beat. Such a simple question, right? Should only require a simple answer, right? And yet, I had none, and thus, I said nothing.

And so, he asked again... "Momma, that man there in the picture walking with you...is that my daddy?" In the 3 seconds that followed, ten thousand things flew through my mind... All at once I felt sad...for not having a simple answer and knowing that I never would, I felt guilty...for making what one might deem a selfish decision to have a child on my own, one who would never know what it's like to have a "daddy", I felt a sense of panic... like maybe he was asking because he felt that something or someone was missing in his life...because he saw the other kids at school with daddies and felt deprived to not have one of his own.

Not wanting to let him sense all of these random thoughts, I said the first thing I could think of ... no, I think that's Pops walking with us. And just as he had done on every other page, he came up with a memory and said "oh, that's right, I remember when I was a baby and Pops was helping you to bring me in the house so we could watch the Jets play". And with that, for him, the conversation was over. No second thoughts, no lingering "daddy" questions, just our usual hugs and kisses and snuggles in his bed. I, on the other hand, remain a little shell shocked by the whole event.

And so the questions remain...what do you say to a 4 year old who has an anonymous donor for a daddy? If I tell him some of what I know about his daddy, how do I explain that he can't EVER meet him or talk to him? Is it easier to not miss something/someone that you know little or nothing about? Do I say things that are easier to understand, but not quite the truth knowing that I will likely have to explain why I was untruthful at some point? (Those things never seem to turn out well) And knowing Jake, and how bright he is, do I risk creating some alternate reality that he, even at age 4, sees right through?? This is, after all, not your average 4 year old we're talking about.

He reminded me of this just today when we were leaving his school and I looked up to find the American flag at half mast and he turned to me and said "momma, did you never know that they put the flag half way down the pole when a policeman or fireman dies (this one is in front of a fire station) and when it's way up at the top, that means that nobody has died?" And that was only minutes after he had shown me on the globe how places that are located close to the "line" (AKA, the equator) are really hot and those at the top and bottom are freezing cold with polar bears. So, I'm thinking some little made up story isn't going to cut it...

Well, no answers tonight, just questions. So, I'm off to my favorite website (Amazon.com) to order a bunch of books on the subject...will be sure to let you know what I find out. Oh, and any and all advice is welcomed!!!!!

Jake's 4 Year Pictures

Just a quick update with some of Jake's 4 yr old pictures... and a word to the wise...don't even think about sending any comments about how old he looks...LOL

"Yeah, I'm 4!!!" "And I'm still bad to the bone"


"Yep, I can spell it for you"

That's our boy!!! Hope everyone is having a GREAT week!!

Gina

Special...Even Without a Reason

Just a short post without any special reason or any reports of some unbelievably special things Jake's done or said (though, there were without a doubt, a bunch today)...

Just a couple of pictures of the love of my life...lying there sound asleep (paci free!!) and looking like the very best thing any mommy could ever wish/hope for.

Hope everyone has a great week...

The 4 Year Check-up: The Good, The Funny & The Painful

Yesterday was Jake's 4 year check-up with our pediatrician. Overall, the pediatrician said he looked GREAT and was progressing incredibly well. His assessment of the whole event wasn't quite as positive...First he told me that he didn't know he had to pass a test to be 4 (based on all of the questions she asked him and the things she asked him to do). Then he said "mommy, it hurts too much to be 4, if I give all my presents back, can I go back to being 3 again?" Thus, the inclusion of "The Painful" in the title of this post...

The exam started with a review of nutrition and we all know how expansive (NOT) Jake's diet is. Although she at first seemed a little concerned about the fact that he eats little or no meat, when she subsequently took a glance at this height/weight chart, she agreed that we were, indeed, still growing a "big'n"!!! LOL LOL

As far as the stats go...Jake's ratio continues to trend in the right direction with his weight (41.4lbs) in the 85th percentile and his height (43.25") in the 95th percentile. The nurse remarked that at least his height was back on the chart this time...well, a little bit anyway. All sounded good to me!! And for those keeping track...this means he gained 7.4lbs in the past year and grew 3.25"!!!!! He's been consistently growing over 3" a year, let's hope that slows down just a tad, eh?

The next part of the exam included a series of very interesting questions regarding developmental progress, including:

• What is a banana? (He gave several very funny responses before she convinced him that she was looking for a serious answer)
• What is a lake? He mentioned something about seaweed and she asked him to tell her more and so he continued on to say you could swim in the lake or fish in the lake and that means that fish live in there and swim around in stuff that looks an awful lot like seaweed. Seemed to be enough of an answer for her.
• She asked him if he could draw a face and when he did with his hand, she asked him if he had drawn a circle. He said no, and she tried to lead him back towards a yes until he made it clear that only Mickey has a circle for a head, we all really have ovals. Hmmmm, she wasn't sure what to make of that one and decided to move on??
• She asked him to point to a circle in the room and he not only did that, but he showed her an oval, square, rectangle and then began to show her the difference between acute and obtuse angles in some triangles. At that point, she gave me quite a look. I just shrugged, what could I say?
• She asked him if he could count to 20 and he asked her if she meant in Spanish or regular? And then preceded to do both. He told her that he was still working on backwards from 20 to 1 in Spanish, but he got mixed up once in a while. Then, when she didn't respond, he asked me if he did it wrong because she really wanted him to count by 10's or 5's or 2's?? I didn't even look at her at that point.
• Next came ...What are curtains? To which he replied "the things that keep the sun out when mommy wants to sleep late on Saturdays". I think she was feeling much better about the appropriateness of that answer right up until he felt the need to ask "Dr. Prosswimmer, did you never know that curtains go east and west and blinds go north and south?" She wasn't quite sure what to make of that so she said something like "uhhh, no, I'm not sure I understand"...so he used his hands to show her how one goes East and West (and yes, he somehow knows that East is to the right and West is to the left, and North is up and South is down...I think I was about 20 when I learned that...LOL)

At that point, she said there really didn't seem to be a reason to go much further...clearly he wasn't experiencing any developmental delays!! And we both had to laugh!! (Me more at the fact that she hadn't even really hit on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what he REALLY knows...what is a banana?!?!? Come on now...)

After watching him walk, skip, hop on each foot, jump (at which point he told her he could jump much higher on his trampoline...to which she responded by covering her ears and saying she was going to pretend she didn't hear that) and gallop, we were off to take the hearing and eye test. He passed both of those with flying colors and then we were on to the "painful" part of the event...the injections.

Now, for those of you who have never had to go through taking your child for immunizations, let me tell you it ranks right up there with having a root canal withOUT novocain. I slept very badly the night before just thinking about what this was going to be like...because, for some ungodly reason, they felt compelled to tell me when I made the appointment that there were "quite a few immunizations" at the 4 yr appt. I felt like saying, "hey, thanks for that, and what exactly am I going to do with that advance knowledge besides dreading and worrying about it?!?!" As it turned out "quite a few" equated to 4 - 5 shots. I chose the flu-mist option to cut it down to 4, but holy cow, was that bad enough!!!!!!!!!!!

The way this horrible event plays out is that you lay your unsuspecting child down on the exam table with his little legs hanging off one end. All the while, he's looking up at you innocently with eyes that say "what's going on, mommy?" and the complete and total trust that comes with that period during childhood when you never think your mommy would EVER let anything bad happen to you...oy vey.

Then the nurse asks you to lay across him and hold his arms and at that point, he stares at you incredulously like...WHAT'S GOING ON, mommy??? Then she proceeds to stabs him with 4 injections...2 in each leg. Needless to say, after the first one, all hell breaks loose and for the remaining 3 you are forced to try to ignore the begging and pleading of the little love of your life to "STOP HER MOMMY, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO MORE, MOMMY, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! With intense crying and screaming interspersed in between the pleading and begging. Oh, talk about a mommy low point...it feels like a trip to the confessional in needed after that act of sabotage!

He was a real trooper and although I believe he would have surely pummeled the nurse had I let him go, he was content to let me carry him out of there while still softly crying. I had promised him a trip to the little store right next door to pick out a few "comfort toys" and a snack and so off we went. The trauma began to wear off once he saw all of the floor puzzles he had to choose from (he picked a solar system one...no surprise there) and carried it up to the front of the store. There he found 2 beanie babies which he asked if I could buy for him so that they could lay on his two boo-boo legs in the car and give them kisses the whole way home...no way to say no to that one! (These have subsequently been named "Honey Bear" and "Bunny Bear" because he likes calling them "Honey Bunny"...very cute)

Then came the Jake line of the week...as he handed the bears and puzzle to the lady at the counter she said "well, you must have done something pretty darn good to have earned all of these nice things"...to which he replied, "I just got shotted!!!" When she said, "Excuse me??" He said, "that bad girl next door shot me 4 times!!" I had to quickly explain that we were talking about "shots"...as in injections. This continued as we went to Shoprite to pick out his bday cake (cake #4) as he insisted on telling everyone he ran into that he had just gotten shot 4 times. Needless to say, I had a LOT of explaining to do...LOL

Well that's it for now! Still praying for sunshine on Sat!!!!!!!!!!!

Paci Free...One Week and Counting!!

I'm not sure who missed the paci more, Jake, Nanny or me. One thing I am sure about is, no paci has ever been loved more...LOL It looks like we're going to make it, though, as we've been "paci free" for over a week now and there's no looking back.

For those who weren't here for the paci send off, it was quite an extravaganza. Captured, as always, by our Posse Photographer, none other than Aunt CC (the person responsible for 99.99% of the photos of our boy and 100% of the good ones). We tied 3 balloons to it (initially we thought 2 would do it, but alas, the paci was a heavy weight and required a third...LOL) and sang a song created by CC and Aunt Bear for the special occasion...Bye Bye Paci, Paci Bye Bye, Bye Bye Paci...it's time to say GOODBYE!!! (Hey I thought that was pretty darn good with about 3 minutes notice) Then Jakey took one last suck on the thing and off it went to the Paci Fairy.

Up, up and away!!

We all stood and waved and clapped and cheered (and laughed) as it floated off into the sky. Then, two days later, the Paci Fairy returned the favor by delivering a gift back to our doorstep again using balloons. Leaves you to wonder...just how long will we get away with things like this?

Later that night, Nanny and I were sure that we were in for hours of neck pinching (which was his second favorite thing after sucking on the paci)...but we could not have been more wrong! I'm SOOOOOO happy to report that there has been VERY minimal pinching of the waddle going on. Seems it must be something that goes along with sucking on a paci...sort of like cheese and wine, without the wine, who the heck wants just the cheese? Let's hope anyway, then I can stop saving for my neck lift and put the money back into his college fund...LOL

We're still hopeful that the weather will cooperate for take 2 of his bday party next Saturday. I've decided to stop checking the weather forecast all together because it literally changes daily...one minute it says thunderstorms, then the next day it says it will be sunny and beautiful, then the next day, we're somehow at rain all week...not checking again until Friday!

Montessori school starts up again next Monday and although I was worried he wouldn't want to leave camp (since he never wants to come home at night), he seems to be excited about going back. Personally, I just can't imagine what he's going to learn in his first full year in the primary class?!?!? The things he learned in the first 6 months still blow my mind!

These days, he's very much into planets and can tell you the names of all of them and on the model at school he even knows which is which (yet another thing I can't do). So I ordered him one of those projectors that he can use in his room so he can see the planets and some of the constellations on his ceiling and I'm planning to take him to a planetarium sometime in the near future, because I think he'll get a real kick out of that. Especially since this past week, while driving home from school, he asked me if I could take him to see Saturn because he wanted to see the rings. Try explaining to a 4 yr old why you can't take him to Saturn...trust me, not easy.

The other thing he learned about this week, was that some quarters have states on them (and not the "dragon" which is what he calls the American Eagle...and check it out, it does actually look a lot like a dragon). As I would tell him the name of the state, he would tell me where in the United States that state actually was and what states were next to it. For example..."mommy, did you never know that Arkansas is next to Texas?" Scary smart...that's all I can say.

Earlier today, he was "testing" JJ and I by drawing a line on his chalk board and then using 2 wooden sticks to add onto that line to make different shapes. One was a plus sign, and it was hilarious because he even felt compelled to give me a hint..."mommy, it's the same kind of thing as an equal sign...and starts with a ppppp sound" Then he started on types of triangles and JJ was out of there...LOL

These days it's so funny to hear the little bits of slang that he's picked up along the way...for example, when asked if there were a lot of hornets on the newly discovered nest in our front tree, he proceeded to tell me there were "a ton of them". When I asked him what "a ton" meant he told me it was one hundred one hundred...so I asked if that meant 200 hundred and he told me no, momma, that means one hundred thousand. I stopped asking questions at that point...

He also told his Pops that something was "redilicous" this weekend, which we assumed was his version of ridiculous...was very funny to hear coming from him. Then at the pool yesterday, he told a little boy who insisted on throwing toys at him even after he asked him to stop that Santa was watching and he was never ever getting any toys again. When that didn't work, he pummeled him...was hard to yell at him, because the Santa thing sounded like fair warning to me...LOL

Tonight while eating dinner, he decided he wanted to put his bowl onto a paper towel to keep from spilling anything on the table. (He was eating a bowl of rigatoni with tomato sauce) Well, I guess he didn't realize that I had put it into one of those bowls that has the suction thing on the bottom and when he tried to pick it up to move it...in the spirit of being extra careful not to spill anything...the suction cup gave way without warning (I'm guessing here, because I didn't actually see it happen) and the bowl flew towards him and he ended up wearing all but 2 pieces of the macaroni and all of the sauce. After a shriek, all I heard was... SORRY MOMMY, I'M SORRY!!! I turned to find sauce all over his face, his forehead, his shirt and pants, the floor, the table. Even Quincey, who normally circles the table ready to pounce on any crumb that might fall, ran into the other room and hid.

And although I wanted to scream, and then cry at the thought of cleaning up the mess, I had to laugh. Especially since he was already melting down, sure that he was about to be in HUGE trouble...since minutes before I had said "Jake please eat over the table and be careful, mommy just washed the floor"...LOL If only I had been quicker with the camera, because it was definitely a sight to see!!!!! Ahhh, such is life with a 4 yr old!

Hope everyone had a great long weekend and PLEASE PRAY FOR SUNSHINE ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!

G

The Power (and responsibility) of Being A Parent...

Well, this weekend was not quite as we had hoped. Jakey's 4th birthday bash was washed out and had to be rescheduled to Sept 12th. Leaving me to wonder if we just weren't always meant to have it in September, because this would have been the very first time we actually held it in the month that he was born (Aug) and alas, the heavens felt it was not as it should be? In the end, all things DO happen for a reason though, because Jake had a 101.7 fever on Friday night and that, plus the threat of rain, would have definitely sent me over the edge (BIG time) if I had NOT decided to postpone.



Then we awoke to the picture perfect bday party day today (Sunday) and all day, I kept thinking WHY couldn't this have been yesterday?!?!?!? Oh well, again one look at Jakey was all it took to remind me that it just wasn't meant to be as he still looked a little "wilted" and was coughing even more than yesterday. Seems a pajama day was exactly what we needed because by tonight, although the cough remained, he seemed a bit better...and nanny and I certainly didn't mind the rest!! LOL



Which brings me to the driving reason behind tonight's post... As I was kneeling on the floor next to his bed tonight, rubbing his back, listening to his incredibly cool new ipod speakers from his Aunt Maria (who he affectionately refers to as "my friend, Maria") and Aunt Maureen, I couldn't help but think about both the power and responsibility that I had to/for this little life. In that moment, as the words in the song we were listening to said "life's about change, nothing ever stays the same", I realized how very true that was. It seemed like only yesterday, or at the most last week, that I was leaning in over the crib rail rubbing his little back and here we are with 4 candles on the cake...how did that happen?!?!?



But, more importantly than the time that has mysteriously passed at the speed of light, is the thought that even this time, the here and now, will soon seem like a not so distant memory. And before we know it, there will be 14 candles on that cake and then 24 and on and on. So, what does this have to do with "power" and "responsibility"? Well, in that quiet moment while I was watching him drift peacefully off to sleep, I realized that today, I have the ability to basically control most of what my son experiences. Put in the simplest form...I have the "power" to make him happy or sad...to ensure he feels loved at every turn...I basically control his environment, his world and how he's feeling in it.



And when I really think about it, honestly, it's not all that hard to do...right now, anyway. Happy is a full tummy, enough sleep and more than his share of my attention.

• It's unconditional love that comes in the form of kisses and hugs and snuggles and just pure mommy adoration.


• It's complete and instant forgiveness to ANY and ALL mishaps in return for a little voice saying "I'm sorry, mommy."


• It's answering to the thousandth "mommy?" with as much love in my voice as I did the very first. (Admittedly, I don't always get this one quite right)


• It's letting a warm little body sneak his way into my bed at 5 or 6 in the morning knowing that 15 minutes later, I'll be holding on to the 3 inches of the king size bed that's been left for me as he relentlessly pinches my "waddle".


• It's cream cheese sandwiches with the "skin" (aka, crust) cut off and green ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.


• It's being willing to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse repeats for the 50th time and listening to Hannah Montana sing "The Climb" until I'm ready to climb out the car window.


• It's staying up past 1 am researching the very best in multi-layered puzzles, marble mazes, sudoku puzzles for kids (and YES, he can do these...it's amazing), and anything else that might keep this intellectually curious pre-schooler challenged.


• It's answering every "Momma, did you never know....??" question with the best possible answer, even when it was just answered 10 minutes earlier and the day before and the day before that.


• It's carrying that 43 lb body up and down the stairs when those hands raise up to me, even with my briefcase and a million other things that need to make their way back to where they came from in tow...while the whole time reminding myself that some day in the not so distant future, I won't be able to pick him up and hold him like that anymore.


• It's one more book before bed and one more minute of rocking in the rocking chair, one more kiss before leaving the room, and one more time of asking that nightly bedtime question...yes, the one I've asked him every night of his life from the day he was born... "Jake Anthony...who could love you more than your mommy? who could possibly love you more than mommy?" To which he giggles and replies either "Jordan" or "Everyone"...either of which earns him a bunch of tickles.


• It's staying right there when he says "please stay and rub my back a little more momma", because there's just no place more important I need to be (even if it's 8:00 and I'm still in my work clothes).

And, of course, these are all the things (and a million more) that I should/could do to make my little boy feel happy and loved. But being human, every day I do some well and others I wish I had done better. Yet, somehow, until that moment tonight, I hadn't really thought about how much "power" comes with the "responsibility" of being his mommy and how, I will slowly over time lose this control to the influences that come from the world outside my control.



How a time will come when my love alone won't be enough to make him feel secure. When my arms alone won't be enough to make him feel safe. When what I think and what I say will only be one part of a multi-faceted equation that he'll use to determine happiness and sadness in each and every day. When I will no longer be able to kiss all the boo boos away and make everything ok with a bowl of green ice cream and the right kind of sprinkles. Yes, back in the simplest of terms... I will no longer have the power to control whether he's happy or sad, safe or afraid, feeling loved or unloved. Though I somehow doubt I will ever feel less responsible for it...because, after all, he'll always be my baby.



So, for me, this was a stark reminder of the wonderful opportunity that I have today and a little reminder of the awesome power that comes with the responsibility for this little life... And although I try not to take anything for granted, this will certainly cause me to check and recheck myself on that each and every day. And hopefully, even remember to take a deep breath and respond lovingly to each and every "mommy?" that comes my way! LOL

In closing, if I'm being honest, it did also cause me to question whether I had done the right thing making him give up his beloved paci yesterday?!?!?! Again, knowing HOW much he loved that thing and how incredibly soothing it was for him...should I have forced him to give it up? Of course, it didn't help to have Nanny come downstairs after getting him to sleep and say "oh, I was laying there next to him thinking how sad it is that we HAD to make him give up his paci"...with tears in her eyes, no less!!!! Ahhh, just one of many things I'm sure I'll second guess myself on as the years go on...after all, this mommy job doesn't come with an training, it's all "on the job"!

Thanks to all of the important people in our lives who help me to make more right decisions than wrong and who help me to make Jakey feel like the most loved little boy in the world!!! Whether consciously or not, you all share in this awesome balance of power and responsibility with me and not a day goes by that I'm not thankful to have you in it with me!!!!

Here's the best proof of all that we must be doing something right...pictures of one happy, and totally loved little boy!!!

Notice the waddle pinching going on here!!!

Out at dinner with Chris Aziz and some of the Posse...could he possibly get ANY happier?!?!

That's OUR boy...adorable, happy, smart and loving!!!!!!! So far, so good...

Jake's View on Health Care...LOL

Those of us who work in the health care industry know that these are certainly complicated and challenging times. While those of us who have to USE the health care system know that something is about to happen...not many of us know exactly what that might be?!?

In the meanwhile, as we all wait and watch the battles that continue to rage on capital hill, I thought we might all benefit from a few insightful tips from our little 4 yr old scholar, Jake Anthony...

Today, while driving home from camp, Jake told me that his eyes had been hurting him all day. He said the left eye just needed to be "told to shape up" (something I realize I've been saying a lot of lately), but the right eye really just needed to be "thrown away". When I asked what he would do if we were to throw away that bad right eye, he responded as any observant 4 yr old of a mother addicted to amazon.com might respond..."Mommy, I'm just gonna go on my blackberry and order a new one (now, don't panic, he doesn't really have a blackberry...well, he does have one of my old ones, but it's not functional...well, it is functional and he uses it to pretend to order things, but it's not hooked up to any network...at least, I don't think it is?!? LOL) Then I can go to sleep tonight without it, because I keep my eyes closed anyway. And tomorrow, that man in the brown truck (UPS) or the one with the orange on it (Fed-Ex) can come here and bring me a new one!" From the mouth of babes...

Hmmm...wouldn't it be nice if it really worked that way?!?!?Just think...don't like the size of your hips...just go online and order some new ones. Have a foot that's bothering you or a "wonky leg", an order to amazon.com will do the trick! And if you have amazon prime, you can have free 2 day delivery!

After contemplating this idea, I asked him what would happen if the new eye came and it didn't match the color of the old eye, what would he do? He said he would throw the man who brought it in jail...which just goes to prove that even at 4 it's obvious that litigation is the only sensible answer to any medical mix-up. And then, he would ask Nanny to return it for him...which is ALSO what his mommy does to poor Nanny ALL the time!!! LOL

As we pulled into the driveway, he asked me for a tissue and although I'm sure that I have over 10,000 things in my car at any point in time, I did NOT happen to have a tissue. Which prompted him to say, he had decided to throw his nose away too because "did you never know that if you buy one thing you can get a whole other thing for not any money at all?"... which is his version of my explanation of why I sometimes buy him two of the same thing (in different sizes) when there is a buy one, get one free sale...oh vey, the boy doesn't miss a thing!

And, finally, the Jake line of the week (yes, and it's only Monday!)... when asked, so Jakey, who's coming to your party this Saturday??? He said (to the lady in the Party City store)... "oh just a hundred people who love me best!"... What better answer could there be?!?!?

Hope everyone has a great week!

Some new pics, as promised...

Relaxing after a hard day at work

Hang'in at the PPB boardwalk with his cousin, Timmy
Timmy, Chris and Jake

To Be, Or Not to Be...4!!!!

Yesterday, my baby boy turned 4 years old!!! And, well, truth be told, it was sort of a bittersweet moment for me...because, if I had my way, we would have been celebrating the 4 MONTH mark again...LOL Sure, there are a whole lot of things that I enjoy about having a 4 year old...no more diapers, no getting up every few hours all night long, no spitting up and 5 changes of clothes a day, the ability to have an actual conversation (though that, my friends, is definitely a double edged sword), etc. But, oh how I just LOVED having a baby...those baby toes, that baby smell, those baby snuggles... (and no, Nanny, I'm NOT going to have another one!!)

Luckily for me, I must have the sweetest 4 year old boy in the world. We still rock every night before bed and he still loves to be held and cuddled and kissed...the only difference, and it's a nice one, is that he can now actually do those things back. And what's better than hearing that little voice say in return "I love you too, momma"?!?!? Still melts my heart...

So, for those wondering where we are with the "he'll be giving up his paci when he turns 4" proclamation, here's the update: There was a plan that on his 4th bday he would take his paci out and throw it in the garbage truck. Well, garbage goes out on Tuesdays here and wouldn't you know, his bday was on a Wed. Sooooo, I decided to extend the deadline to the day of his party. On that day, we'll have a BIG, HUGE, WOMPING, throw your paci in the trash ceremony where everyone cheers and claps and then he's SO exhausted from playing, eating, opening presents that day that he passes out without it "easily" that night... I know, oh God, the best laid plans, right?? Well, in the end, truth be told, I was the one who wasn't ready for him to give it up mid-week. But I'm determined to stick to the party plan...fingers crossed! Nanny, on the other hand, has announced she's taking an LOA (leave of absence) from her duties here when that time comes...personally, I think it sounds like the perfect time for an international trip for work, no?

So where is Jakey at age 4 and what's he been up to? Well here's a snapshot of some of his development milestones and to attempt to be balanced here, some "areas of opportunity":

• Jake still LOVES numbers and counting and the Posse is sure that someday soon we'll be asking the waiter at the restaurant to hand the check to the little guy at the end of table so he can figure out the tip and what we all owe. Aunt No No is also counting the days until he's tall enough to go to AC to count cards for her at the black jack table...LOL

• I'm not sure what to say about how high he can now count because I'm not sure there's really a limit anymore? He's totally gotten the concept of how counting works, so he can count to 100 (by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's) and only really stops because he gets bored with going any higher. But he will count by 100's to a thousand and by thousands to 100,000. And of course, he can go UP and DOWN.

• Jake also gets the concept of adding, subtracting and dividing. On a daily basis, he will find some way to show me that he's always trying to figure this stuff out...like by trying to convince me that he needs yet another Dibs ice cream nugget because when he pairs them up to count by 2's, there's one without a pair. Or even better, when he lines them up by 5's, he needs 3 more because 2 are left all alone and that's a big problem. I'm frequently impressed enough to give in...

• We've slowed down a bit on the reading front, and I think this is probably due to the transition from school to camp. I was sure he was on the verge of outright reading, but he's not as interested in trying to figure words out as he once was. Though, in his defense, today we passed a truck with Ritz crackers on it and he said "look at that truck, momma" and when I said "yes, it's carrying crackers", he replied "it's carrying RITZ crackers, momma"... not bad

• He's progressed tremendously on the writing front and can basically write every letter in both uppercase and lowercase and all are really clear now. I've started asking him to write things on the grocery list for me, especially when there's something he's asking for and this (although challenging at times when I get to the store) has given him a purpose for practicing his writing.

• He knows his continents, can say them and identify them on the world map, can put together a puzzle of the United States (while Nanny and I still have to look at the picture on the box) and knows the names of at least 25% of them, including where we live and where within the state of NJ our house is...where his sisters Hallie and Baby Lea, his girl Jordan, his brothers Ben and Cole, and cousins Braden and Jackson live.

• So, all in all, intellectually he's coming along really well. Emotionally...well, let's just say he's about as likely to call you a "poopie head" as he is to tell you the continents...LOL Clearly he's very much a young 4 yr old and all boy when it comes to that!

• Another area of opportunity is the area of sports. (Oh how the hair on the back of my neck stands up when I even say that) A few days ago I took him to a free soccer clinic for kids in our town and he lasted less than 20 mins before wanting to be picked up, held, laying on the grass. The boy just doesn't like the idea of waiting in line, waiting his turn, etc. So, I'm hoping soccer just isn't his sport (because this was not the first disaster we had)...but I'm starting to wonder if he may just need more intensity then sports like soccer and t-ball have, at least when they're just drilling and practicing. Maybe he'll be more of a bb guy (God knows he's going to be tall enough) or tennis or even more individual sports? Maybe he'll be an ironman like his Aunt Bear? OK, OK, I can dream, can't I?

• Our boy also has a bit of a temper (which I've realized recently may have come from me...yikes). He's frequently heard saying "I quit you" these days and although we're not quite sure about the phrasing, we're crystal clear on what he means. To my utter dismay, he also says when very angry and to evoke a response... "I don't love you anymore". Oh boy, do I HATE that one!! Which of course, just makes him use it more to get me to react.

• Some of his cute Jakey sayings now include: "Momma, did you never know that my "canitials" are J-A-B... "Mommy, I want the same thing I had last day"...which is jakey for yesterday...

• He's still into Mickey Mouse Club House, but has not developed an all out obsession with Hannah Montana!!!! To the point that I actually had to buy him a HM lunch box as a reward for a dozen days of waking up with a dry pull-up. I nearly passed out when he asked for it!!! Then at the register, the cashier kept trying to convince me to go back and pick out the free backpack you get with the purchase of our lunch box and I finally had to tell her that I did NOT want to give him the opportunity to pick out a backpack for fear he was going to pick the PINK HM one!!!!! Oh my...

In other news, Pops and I took him to the Jets first pre-season game last weekend and we actually made it all the way to the middle of the 4th quarter (before I was ready to throw him over the rail). He still has no interest in the game, but loves to throw paper airplanes down on the unsuspecting people below and those who sit all around us, are content to continue to make them for him...tells you something about how exciting the games can be, no?

Uncle Sal is in town from Florida and today we took him and Nanny up to visit with Jake's cousins Darian, Shay, Mitch, Big Jake and Marco. The boys spent quite a bit of time swimming, though Jake certainly logged the most hours in the pool (like almost all day long) and for the VERY FIRST time he experimented with goggles and put his head completely under the water and swam (well, I'm usually that term liberally here). But for the boy who would barely dip his nose in, this was a VERY BIG accomplishment!!! So, needless to say, I went right on amazon.com and his own goggles will be arriving sometime tomorrow...LOL (Those who know me know I'm an Amazon addict)

Jakey, Nanny and I also enjoyed a very nice time down the shore at "uncle Roger's" beach house last week for a few days. He had a blast playing with Aunt Bear and then with his girl Jordan and Aunt GG. And boy has he made a complete turnaround when it comes to the beach and the sand...seems if he and Jo-Jo have a couple of holes in the sand that can be filled up with water as the waves come in, all is right in the world...and I mean for HOURS. The boy, who is normally close to the whitest person we all know, now even has a little beach boy tan and it's very fetching on him, if I do say so myself! After all, what's cuter than tan tiny little toes? (On feet that will undoubtedly some day be size 16s...oh my)

Well, that's about it for right now...promise to add some pics real soon! And VERY psyched about his upcoming bday bash on Aug 29th!! Woo-hoo, the obstacle course challenge will be up and ready! Let's hope we don't have a 90/90 day or we may all die of heat exhaustion.

More soon (well, probably not real soon...LOL)

Live to Fight Another Day...

Well, as those of you who follow this blog know, Jake is a "member" of the 1876 gang...a group of kids all born using the same anonymous donor-Fairfax #1876... affectionately known to the "selection committee" as "James" because he looks so much like my brother, James. (And thus, the source of the wonderful addition to our family of Abby, Sharon, Hallie and Baby Lea!!)

Jake, Sharon and Baby Lea

What we've come to learn over the past 4 years is that these kids have an awful lot in common beyond just some physical features (though some of them do have EXACTLY the same toes...VERY funny). For some, this has certainly challenged our "nature vs. nurture" beliefs at times. One behavioural similarity is their STRONG sense of determination...also known as... stubbornness, fierceness and a tendency to be headstrong and strong willed...basically comes down to "they want what they want when they want it and God help anyone who tries to stand in their way"...LOL (Over this past 4th of July, we had a chance to meet up with some of Jake's other "brothers and sisters" and you can see more details in Hallie and Baby Lea's mom's post about the reunion at the following link: http://blogginghallie.blogspot.com/2009/07/meeting-extended-family-belated-fourth.html
Jake and his 7 brothers and sisters (from the bottom left...Ellie, Hallie, Asher, Jake, Baby Lea, Alyssa-not related, from the top left: Jess, Jonah and Ben-trying to make an early exit)

Jake in his reunion shirt

We have witnessed this characteristic come out in Jake, thought admittedly it's mostly when he's hungry, tired or frustrated and at times, the only difference between him and the adults who are with him is the fact that he actually shows what we're all really feeling. But, I do have a growing fear that this characteristic may actually be growing as he grows...in which case, I'm not looking forward to a debate with my likely 6' 2" teenager at some point in the not so distant future. This past week, nanny and I experienced a glimpse of what this might be like first hand.

Nanny stays with us from Sun night to Wed mornings (also known as the period of time where we all live a "fantasy life" at 123 Brandon Ct... ALL clothes get washed and returned to their rightful place ...all cabinets and the fridge/freezer become full of the foods we love... all toys/junk/and just basic crap laying around all find their way back someplace out of sight and order is restored in our little house...and YES, I know how incredibly lucky and spoiled I am!!!...but I digress.) This past Tuesday I had a work dinner and so nanny was going to pick Jake up from camp and take him to the very cool neighborhood swim club we recently joined. At about 3:00, she packed up the car (snacks, toys, bathing suit...we had a "false start" the day before when mommy forgot to pack the bathing suit- was NOT pretty...etc.) and was off to pick up her Chuchees.


When she arrived to pick up Jake, to her surprise (and mine), he had absolutely NO intention of leaving with her...not for the pool, not for ice cream at the pool, not for ANYTHING. Seems he was just having too much fun at camp, and did NOT want to leave. So, Nanny left without him and sent me a message indicating that she wasn't able to get him to leave to go to the pool.


Now, if I'm being honest here, I must admit, I read this email and thought..."oh, come on now, he's 3 for goodness sake!! Just tell him it's time to go and that's it. Plus, it's not like you're picking him up to go to the dentist...you're taking him to the POOL!!!" But I figured it was not a good idea to give Nanny too bad a time about it, after all I was sure she was already disappointed and of course, one never wants to bite the hand that does its laundry, right? LOL Turns out later, this had been quite a good decision on my part...


A while later, I realized that my last meeting was going to end over an hour before I had to be at the dinner. So, I called Nanny and asked her to meet me at the pool and said I would pick up Jake (it was now closer to 5:00) and we'd meet her there. So, poor Nanny, once again put her bathing suit on and packed up the car and got all ready to go AGAIN... In the meanwhile, I made my way to Jake's camp thinking "oh, won't this be a wonderful surprise!!"


I arrive at the door to the camp playground only to find that they are doing WATERPLAY... and for those who are not familiar with the combination of camps and 3 yr olds and summer...this is the complete and total HIGHLIGHT of every day...it's as close as something can come to NIRVANA in the world of a 3 yr old. So, there I stood at the door, watching my son run and scream and laugh and skip and splash and sing as happily as I've ever seen him...as I pondered the two choices before me... Turn and walk away and not even try to get him to leave or take my chances on trying to convince him to stop playing and leave with me and RISK that I would have to admit to my mom (and myself) that I had absolutely NO more control over this 3 (soon to be 4) year old than she did. UGGHH!


So, in the spirit of "try, try again"...I gave it one shot, was summarily SHOT DOWN, and turned and left with my parenting ego between my legs...and NO child at my side. Luckily I was able to catch Nanny before she made her way to the pool and even luckier for me...she didn't have the heart to laugh at me (at least not while I was on the phone, anyway;-)


And yes, for those who remember, this is the very camp that I was SO worried he wouldn't like. Turns out, if it were up to him, it would be a sleepover camp...LOL

Ahhh, but we live to fight another day!!


Here are a couple of pics from the recent donor sibling reunion:

"Yep, this is me and my baby sis just hang'in out"

Splashing in the fountain while mommy tries to convince him NOT to get wet...yeah, right!
Sister Hallie at breakfast


Yes, we learned at the reunion that he has a preference for older woman

Nanny found herself another chuchees to keep her company

Jake, Alyssa and his brother, Asher


Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!