Monthly recap part two

Things Jay plays with...good and bad.

- Favorite puzzles: He has three puzzles that he just can't get enough of. One, a fish puzzle (Aunt Charlene, you gave him this one) that has a magnetic fishing pole to pull them in and out of the board. He loves to "catch the fish" and then tries to get them back in order. His next two are ones Aunt Amy gave him. One is the alphabet, this easily takes up 15 minutes of his day as he carefully places each letter in. And he is really starting to recognize more letters this way. He can't figure out the whole "j" and "jay" thing though. He always mixes up "A" for "V" and "Z" for "S". He calls "u" umbrella and pretends to eat "O" while saying "good orange."
The other favorite is the numbers puzzle. And his is learning each of them quickly because of it. He knows "8" and "4" the best but always mixes up "6" and "9"....understandable. Then we count them.

- Favorite morning shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einstines, and Special Agent Oso. These are guaranteed to give me time to finish my coffee and, most days, get a shower in peace.

- Playing doctor and patient. You will see in the pictures with Kurt how serious he takes this. Ever since he went with us to have the ultrasound done on the baby he loves to lay down and have us look in his tummy. He lays perfectly still for as long as we tell him to. Kurt went to the extreme with this and Jay laid as still as a statue for almost an hour because Kurt told him he had to be still until he was better. Kurt left all of the "medical instruments" laying on Jay so he thought that, until Kurt came and took them off, he had to be very still.

- Coins. This is a new obsession of his. If I dress him in an outfit with pockets his immediate question is, "coins? where's my coins?" For a few days I let him fill his pockets full (until his pants were falling off of him). But I grew tired, very quickly, of picking up coins all day long, finding them all over the place...in the dryer, in his bed, in my car, in the toaster, in Jakes food bowl, in the bathtub, etc. My new rule of only 4 at a time keeps the daily coin clean-up ritual manageable.

Oh, and one more thing about the coins. He knows that grownups have them so when we are in a crowd he, without shame, walks up to each and every person, stranger or not, and asks, "you have coins? can i have some?"

- Riding in the front seat of my car. This we do when we drive to Katie's house, a few houses down from ours. It has been soooo hot out and my pregnant self has lost all tolerance for it, so we now take our daily visits to see baby Luke via car. Jay thinks this is soooo fun. When we go anywhere else he asks, "sit in mama's lap?" so I have to tell him that we can't because we are driving on the big road. He didn't go along with this until I told him that if he wasn't in his carseat on the big road the policeman would "get him"....worked like a charm. :)  One negative, when he sees policemen now he runs up to me and says, "mama, police man  gonna get Jay" so now I am trying to convince him that they are very nice and are our friends.

Now for the baby news:

It's another BOY!!!!  We were so excited when we found out the other day and Jay has been going on and on about his "baby brother." He went to the ultrasound with me, Wes, and mom. He loved it. He had seen the baby before so this time he was all about the heartbeat. The nurse was only going to play it once for us to hear but Jay kept asking, "hear baby's heart???" so she played it several times for him and he was mesmerized. Now when I show him my belly he says, "my baby brother!" And he loves to give him kisses...so cute!  Tonight he saw Wes talking to my belly and thought it was so funny. So he came over and started talking to my tummy like he does a microphone ("ahh...ahh...ahh"). I told him to talk to baby brother and he yelled, "i love you baby brother!" 

People have asked us if we were expecting a girl and, while a year ago I would have said yes, ever since we started trying I kept picturing us with two boys. Wes felt the same way so when people would predict a girl we just looked at each other and shook our heads. Over the last year Jay has become so loving and protective of me, especially with this year being so hard. He has seen my cry way too much this year and now can tell when I am even on the verge of tears. He quickly says, "what's the matter mama? don't cry? mama ok?" and pats my head. He always makes sure I am "ok" and gives me the tightest, longest hugs when we are together that I just love the idea of having more boys to love. And from Jay's perspective...as rough and wild as he is....he needs a brother!  Kurt kept saying that the other day (before we found out)....that Jay REALLY needs a brother. And, of course, Wes was elated at the idea of having two sons to follow him around...and do things I would never take part in. Jay completely idolizes him, more every day, and it melts both of our hearts to know that there will soon be two pairs of feet following after him. And, as I told Wes, with 3 boys in the house, I see no reason to ever have to do yard work....or change a tire....or fix a leaky faucet....or kill a roach..... yep, I am definitely liking this idea of me being the only woman of the house. :)

I am clinging to the hope that this one will be my calm, cooperative, laid back child. Interestingly, every time we have taken the baby's heartbeat it has been 15 to 20 points lower than Jay's was at the same point in the pregnancy. So....while this may be grasping for straws, I am saying that means he is my calm one.

Here are more pictures (I meant to scan some of the ultrasound in but forgot, i will do that soon):

This is the night we all agreed that Jay NEEDED a baby brother....poor Mimi had to play the role of playmate

So this is how it worked: jay and mimi took turns "falling" off the mattress, Jay's turn!

Mimi's Turn! Jay was howling with laughter the entire time

There he goes!

it didn't matter how hard he hit the floor, he couldn't stop laughing

Now for Mimi's reward....sweet kisses

Kurt performing critical surgery on Jay...what a serious face

I have never seen him this still...ever

or cooperative....

Kurt left him on the floor with all of the instruments on him and he literally did not move until kurt came back.

At Stone Mtn with me and Mimi....watching the train pull up!

Jay had to help wes with the lawn....in about two years Wes will have two little "helpers"...

Jay was sweating bullets but stayed with him the whole time

After mowing the boys edged the yard and blew off the driveway...and Jay was apart of every second.

Again....poor Mimi playing the role of "baby brother"...

Watching the ball

Holding baby Luke....getting ready!

Now he asks to "hold baby?" every time he sees Luke.

I have waited 2 1/2 years but here it is!  A picture where he actually looks like ME!  (I think so anyway....or either I'm just getting desperate).

The boys watching the fireworks in the back of the truck...

Another one with Mimi: Such a boy!