Follow Up

Well we have had three more t-ball practices since that last post and things are much better. I was telling the Coach's wife how amazed I am at the difference in all of the boys since that first time. They all know the "baseball stance", understand not to fight over the ball (for the most part), and know what order to run the bases (again, for the most part). We have had to break up a few fights but its usually just between two players who are closest to the ball and after the Coach yells, "same team guys, no fighting!" they snap out of it. The only drawback is that Jay tends to get bored quickly with all the standing around. He just sits there and thinks of ways to get out of standing and waiting...asks the coaches ridiculous questions, asking for a water break, saying he needs to go potty, playing with the dirt, talking to his buddy, etc...as I'm sure any 3 year old would do in a game that requires a much longer attention span than 30 seconds. It is funny how competitive they are at being the one to grab the ball but when it comes to the overall point of the game, they couldn't care less. Jay was on third in a scrimmage game the other day and just before the batter came up (ideally, to hit him home), Jay runs off the field and says, nonchalantly, "Mom, I need some water." I love it though. Watching them play in their own little innocent worlds reminds me that life is not about winning and performing. Its simply having fun and enjoying each other.

Other updates on Jay:
He has completely snapped out of that 3 year old rebellion I complained about so often a few months ago. And just like my friends said, it was like he just woke up one day and decided he would be nice again. I swear, all of this analyzing, tricking, and bribing I do while the answer is all in the hands of a crazy preschooler. So he is back to being my sweet helper, Eli's favorite person, and Wes' cute sidekick. Thank the Lord!

He is in full imagination mode, constantly pretending to be a superhero and playing with rescue trucks. He is going to be Superman for Halloween and is so excited about the cape that will give him superpowers. Oh my, I will have to watch him like a hawk with that thing on....I can already see a broken bone situation after a failed flying attempt off the top of our staircase. The good part about this "magical phase" is that he is easily entertained by himself for most of the day. Of course, the fact that Eli is a willing partner in crime who has not learned to object, helps tremendously.

He loves to draw, paint, and write. His favorite thing to draw is the letter "J" and covers his art in them. He also loves to trace things and play with the hole puncher.

He loves to play "school" with stuffed animals. And Eli, of course, although Eli doesn't really obey the rules. We sit around in a circle for show and tell and then take turns drawing on the chalkboard.

His favorite car game is "silly words" created out of desperation during a long car ride a while back. Basically we take turns making up "silly" words that rhyme. jelly belly, umpha woompa, laffy taffy, etc. He just cracks up the whole time which is cute but, my goodness does that game get old quick!

As for Eli:
 He is crawling!  Everywhere!  I liked it last week because it was just enough to entertain him but not so much that I was chasing him all day. This week he is a little marathon crawler. From one side of the house to the other. It is so fun though. He could not be more proud as he sits and claps for himself after he's reached his destination. It is a little pitiful though: Jay and I walk to the kitchen, Eli begins the long trek down across the long living area. As he finally makes it to us we are done and walk back to the living room. So he turns around and crawls back to us. Well by then we've decided to go to the bedroom for something. And he turns around to start over. He puts up with this for a while but when he's had it he just screams and slams his hands down over and over on the floor. So I go pick him up and carry him the rest of the time, receiving a passionate round of applause from happy boy.

Other things: He loves Jay, knows him by name, and looks for him when he's not around. He doesn't like riding in the car without Jay and loves playing peek a boo with him. He cracks up every time we wrestle and he gets to rolls, crawl, and pull all over big bro. And if Jake decides to join in, Eli is thrilled!

He has so many different sounds and uses them all day long to "talk" to us. He eats most any baby food but isn't good at gumming table food yet. Still no teeth!  I am waiting for them so he can really chew foods. He is getting better at putting food in his mouth but it takes a lot of work and we just don't have time for all that in this house. So I just usually feed him to save time. I have got to slow down and let him practice this more though. His ridiculous signal for telling me he's done is to get his mouth full of food, then spit (spray) it halfway across the room, hitting me, Jay, the table, chairs, and floor.

He still takes two good naps and sleeps about 12 hours at night. Still loves his crib, hates to cuddle, and needs his paci and lovey to sleep. He is definitely a "no-nonsense" type of baby. If he's sleepy, he's like, "just lay me down and let me get to sleep. don't bother me with all this singing/rocking craziness". If he's hungry he wants to eat or a bottle....and that's the only time. He has never eaten for comfort or because he is bored. I'm like, "what? really? you don't just want to eat for the heck of it? only when you're hungry? Imagine that!"

He loves rolling balls back and forth. He is a good little dancer (discovered this week) and he bops up and down to the beat. He loves pulling and pushing on doors (as I pray he doesn't pinch a finger during this game!). He thinks it is fascinating to drop his toys, find where they land, and scream until I pick them up for him just to repeat. He also loves to bang them on anything that makes noise and cracks up if it scares me.

Basically he just spends all of his time eating, sleeping, and laughing at crazy Jay. Add in a few outbursts when he's not completely satisfied, resulting in gobs of attention and met demands. What a good life he has!

Playing in the big chair at the zoo

Cheezin for the camera at the riverwalk

Eli is still not really a fan of grass

Jay so proud to be with his brother, Eli bored out of his mind

Studying a leaf

Sitting with Daddy while Jay does flips in the grass

Loves watching T-ball!

"Good job Jay!"

yay!

Helping me with my hair

"I think I need some on my hair too, mama"

My baby and I enjoying a quiet evening while Wes and Jay were camping this weekend (pictures to come of that trip soon!)

And also having a quiet morning together...with my coffee cup

he thinks he is getting away with something serious...

The other night the sky was beautiful so we ran outside and got a picture!

Life Lessons thru T-Ball

So here's the story. Wes and I knew we wanted Jay to be involved in sports for several reasons (learning teamwork, exercise, authority, rules, etc) and we have been thinking next spring would be a good time to start. I was debating between soccer and t-ball because those were the two I thought he'd enjoy most. And let's be honest....Jay does not need any more encouragement in being rough, throwing football out of the picture. Basketball has never been a sport Wes or I enjoyed.  So, soccer or t-ball? We decided on t-ball because we thought a bunch of preschoolers running around on a soccer field chasing after a ball would just be too chaotic for Jay to maintain any composure whatsoever. And with baseball you learn patience, taking turns, and how to focus...all things Jay needs much improvement in. And maybe the most real reason, Dad would have chosen this sport, so I, of course, like the idea that Jay is doing something his Papa Rich loved. Not to mention we have Uncle Kurt's expert advice anytime we need it. So, that is how we came to this decision. And you say, "gosh, its just a little t-ball...it's not that big of a deal." And, yes, you are probably right. 

Anyway, I happened to come across a fall ball form last month and, on a whim, signed him up thinking, "well, it says they can start at 3 years old, I guess he will do ok." So here we are, ready or not. We took Jay to buy a glove and pants, which he loved and slept with for two nights. Which leads me to my first dilemma. Is he right or left handed? He does a lot with his left but seems to write easier with the right. But, I know how valuable a lefty is in baseball so I call Kurt to see what he thinks. Kurt is deeply concerned about this as well and debates back and forth, wondering if we really should be starting this early, for this very reason. As he said, "I mean what if he is meant to be a really awesome lefty but you screw him up by forcing him to play right-handed?"  Thanks, as if I need more reason to worry that I am going to screw him up. But once we got to the store, all they had were gloves for right-handed players so problem was solved. I wonder if all parents get this concerned about t-ball gloves?

So he and Wes play catch out in the yard and within the first 10min Jay had switched his glove to the other hand. Great. Here is the text I sent Kurt to report Jay's progress. "1)Jay can only catch it if Wes throws it directly into the glove 2) Jay just changed the glove to his rt hand 3) he isn't really watching the ball at all 4) he's currently rolling around in the grass asking for the basketball bat 5) there's much work to be done...wes says you need to come on over to Columbia and help us out with this one."

Kurt assures me that he will get him straightened out.

And now for the practice. The first thing Jay did was run up to his coach asking where the baseball hats are....because that is his priority, apparently. I could tell Coach was a little shocked at the boldness of his player...he has no idea what he's in for. Then, Jay walked around and met all the players, paying no attention to the coach, the ball, or what was happening on the field. Obviously, you need to make everyone feel welcome and get to know each other before you get to the baseball part. He was asking the assistant coach if he was a fireman as the ball rolled right past his feet. And turned to watch a helicopter fly overhead as he missed the next ball.

Jay's favorite part of this game is definitely sliding. He slid from the moment he stepped on the field until the end. Running to get in position, slide. Running for the ball, slide. Running to the dugout, slide. Standing around waiting for the ball, slide. This is the only way to stop if on a baseball field.

He is a great hitter. He loved it, since he was the center of attention, and screamed out, "I won!" after every hit.

He is not good at running bases. He knows how to run them but is just slow. Like the slowest on the team, every time. :(  As Wes said, he's not really that slow, he just doesn't 'turn in on' when it's time. 

And the biggie. He has a temper. Yep, a Richard Lamon type of temper. Granny Curry always talks about how many spankings Daddy got from loosing his temper out on the ball field. Well Jay is right there with him. Basically, Jay was under the impression that he would be able to catch every ball that was hit. (And why not since that's the way it works at home, right?) He realized very quickly that he was competing with 9 other boys (all faster than him, remember) to catch the ball. As in every t-ball league in the country, I'm sure, they all pile on top of each other, screaming, and grabbing for the ball, exactly the situation I was avoiding by not choosing football. And while the other boys just shrugged it off and moved on, Jay got madder and madder every time he didn't get it. And he did get a few, but this little boy wanted ALL the balls! As I watched him turn more red by the second and saw that little foot kick the ground harder and harder, I said, "oh no, Wes, he's about to loose it." Sure enough, the next hit and no caught ball, Jay turns, looks at us, and begins to bawl. He ran off the field, crying as if he just watched his puppy be killed, screaming, "I didn't catch any balls! I don't want to play anymore!"  Now, I am from a baseball family, so that is not cool. I was immediately annoyed and said, more harshly than I meant, "Jay we do not cry out here, you did to shake it off and get back out there, I mean it."  And, as you can imagine, that was all Jay needed to completely fall apart. Thankfully, Wes had more compassion and pulled him to the side, hugged him, talked to him, and convinced him to go back out there and have fun. All the while I'm thinking, "oh, no we made a big mistake starting this now. This is not what my point was. What if he hates the game now because of me?"  

After practice he was still traumatized (as he told us he just wants to play at home with mommy so he can catch all the balls) and we had a few heart-to-heart talks. We have our next practice Thursday and he says that when his teammates catch the ball, from now on he will say, "Good job!" instead of get mad. 

So, many lessons were learned (or maybe not learned) just in our first practice. All I can hope now is that my "spirited" little boy learns some serious self-control over the next few weeks.

Here are pictures of the practice. They were really cute out there and that poor coach must have a lot of patience to volunteer for this job.

learning the baseball stance. Jay is to the far left.

notice how dirty his pants are from all the sliding? This was at the very beginning too.

slid to join the team huddle

playing in the dirt while his teammates wonder what in the world he's thinking

waiting for a ball

hitting time!

I put my camera on "sport-shot" and told Wes about half way through, "that may have been a stretch."

one of the balls he got....this is not football, jay!

so proud of himself, "there is no I in team...unless you are Jay Ross"

Baseball stance

After practice, rolling around in the football field

dirty all over!

Practicing after we bought the glove

And taking a nap with it for good luck

9 months!!

Loving the baby pool

Our youth group had a food fight Wed night after church...pretty awesome. And even better, they all were washed off by a firetruck! 

We got Jay out of Cubbies early so that he could watch. he was thrilled!

Dipping in a bucket of water to cool off

I thought he was so funny the way he propped his little hands up on the table

Goofing off

Walking Jake through the woods

Ever since Jake has made his new bedtime spot jay's room, the two have become a little team. It is pretty darn cute...and convenient.

posing by the creek while jake cools off

Fishing in the pond after supper, showing off their catch

Teaching Jay how to unhook a fish

And then for an unexpected adventure to recover a lost lure

Eli just sat on the chair and played with Jake

This is the best dog ever to put up with these two monkeys every day.

Eli turned 9 months yesterday and we had his well check today. Time has flown, as usual. I just can't believe he is 3 months from turning one year old. I know I talked about what an easy newborn he was and I loved that time but I feel like this is when the fun starts. He is so playful and is really one of us now. Wes and I were talking the other night about how we can't even remember when there wasn't four of us. It just seems like he's always been here. I love how complete he has made this family and the way all of us have such a unique bond with him. He is just perfect and I am so humbled that God gave such a perfect little one to us. He is far more than we deserve.

So here are his 9 month milestones:

- 20.5 lbs and 28.8in long (65% for both). Head circ is only 35% which was surprising to me because it looks so big but I guess that's just all the baldness!
- Makes several different sounds (ahh, mammmaa, dadada, bah, aaaay). None of them are real words yet but it doesn't take much to decipher what this bossy little baby means through his loudness and tone.
- He also "clicks" to us when he has something very important to say. He make such a sharp, loud sound it's like we have our very own pygmy baby.
- Sits, claps, comes to a sitting position, stands with support, and army crawls backwards. He is all over anything within reach. When he gets it he holds it, turns it, studies it...then eats it.
- The backwards crawling issue is very disheartening to him as he sees his target get further and further away and cannot, for the life of him, figure out why. He gives up so quickly. Today he crawled two times, didn't think he was doing it, fell over, and screamed. It seriously has to be any day now before he is an official crawler.
- Eating habits: right after he turned 8 months he dropped down to 3 bottles and only about 4 ounces each. He eats 2oz with oatmeal in the morning and then 2oz for supper in rice cereal. He eats any baby food we give him...other than my homemade sweet potatoes, which are absolutely repulsive to him...like he actually forced himself to throw up. I remember Jay doing the same thing with my carrots....these boys are so unappreciative!  And, just to clarify, he eats Gerber sweet potatoes like they are the last food on earth. Anyway, his favorite fruits are bananas, pears, peaches, and yogurt. For veggies he loves peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots. He loves puffs also.
- We are trying out sippy cups but he hasn't taken to any particular one. I am going to start pushing this harder over the next month. He isn't that attached to a bottle so I don't think this will be a hard transition.
- He is in 9-12 months clothes and size 3 diapers
- he loves peek a boo and "the itsy, bitsy spider"
- He loves jay's trucks and toy people/animals
- More than anything, he loves watching Jay bounce around and yell all day
- They have the most adorable laughing fits that will brighten even the most frustrating day
- He responds to his name and "no"
- he is starting to be fearful when he can't see me or Wes. The fits haven't started when we drop him off at church but I'm afraid that is coming soon
- His daily schedule:
  07 Wakes and eats 4 oz milk, then 3oz oatmeal/fruit
  09 Nap
  11 Lunch (6oz fruit and veg)
  13 4oz milk, then nap for 2hrs (sometimes longer)
  16 3oz yogurt
  17 3oz rice cereal and a veg
  19 4oz milk and bedtime
  Sleeps all night, like a sweetheart. btw, just realized I wrote that in military time...I revert back to my nursing habits every once in a while, forgive me. :)