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!