Interview with James at 5 1/2 Years Old:
1. What is your name? James
2. How old are you? 5 and a half
3. What do you like to do? Play with Star Wars Legos, play with cars, ride my bike and power wheel, video games
4. What do you want to be when you grow up? A policeman
5. What is your favorite food? "Snowflake frosted cereal" (frosted flakes); then he wanted to be sure I recorded his favorite dessert: cookie cake (but really he likes all desserts like his mama and daddy)
6. Who do you like to spend time with? Mama (he's always been our biggest mama's boy)
7. What do you do really well? soccer, basketball, remembering things
8. What makes you laugh? Minion talk, someone tickling me
9. What is your favorite time of day? When it's not too hot and sunny to play outside
10. What are you afraid of? Spiders... and bees too
11. Who is your best friend? Jude, Joah, Daddy, Mama, Mahlon, Bentley, Jonathan, Samuel, Reagan, and the new boy baby (he didn't want to leave anyone out!)
12. What do you like to do with your family? Go to McWane Center with my family, playing games
13. What are you excited to learn in school this year? "How sea animals grow." (Maybe this is because of a recent aquarium trip
14. Where do you like to go? Go to the zoo and Disney World
15. What are your favorite books? Three Little Kittens (from Despicable Me), Don't Open This Book, Little Red's Riding Hood (about a monster truck!)
16. If you had one wish what would it be? That I could
grow up to be a Jedi
17. What is your favorite TV Show: Star Wars Rebels
18: Movie? Inside Out, Minion Movie, Polar Express
19: Favorite Video Games? Minion Rush, Star Wars Rebels, and Lego Star Wars
20. Appearance: (I just filled this one in!) Height: 44 inches weight: probably around 39-40 pounds, wearing size 4-5 and size 12 shoes, his blonde hair continues to get darker and still had big blue eyes and fair skin. He is tall and lean and looks so grown up lately with hardly and look of baby left. His legs look so long.
21. What grade will you be in and what are too most looking forward to? kindergarten; ant farm and butterfly garden
22. Milestones in his life this year: accepting Jesus as savior and being baptized; starting kindergarten; beginning to read some cvc words
James, my little one in constant motion. Everything you see has always been an opportunity for you to touch, explore, and figure out how things work the way they do. Sometimes this trait gets you into trouble, but I can't wait to see how the Lord uses your energy for the good of his Kingdom. You are passionate. There's no in-between with you. Most days we are either butting heads or loving hard. Keep loving hard and shedding tears on behalf of others. This world needs extreme love. These days you have a love for all things law enforcement, legos, and light sabers. Continue to shine that light everywhere you go! Always be you because God made you wonderfully. I love you big boy! Love, Mama
Wearing: moving into 3-6 month clothing; size two diapers
Weight and Height: just a rough estimate at home but maybe between 15 and 16 pounds and around 25 inches.
Appearance: I think he's a mix of James and Jude still, but looks like Joah. He has his own look now. I think he may have Jude's hair and James' eyes (still looking blue to me!). This is the opposite of what I predicted.
Eating: Nursing on demand all the time (even more so during a little growth spurt he seems to have just gone through.) He eats usually just once during the night as well.
Sleeping: still sleeping 5-7 hours before waking to eat at night (and maybe even regressed a little or could just be the growth spurt he went through). Luckily I don't waste energy freaking out about it since we've done this with two little boys before him and I know it all works itself out. He still generally sleeps many times throughout the day with the longest nap probably in the afternoon when Jude (and a lot of days James) naps. He sleeps swaddled in the rock n play at night. He also loves to nap in the ergo when we are out (he's finally big enough for the ergo without the infant insert. Hallelujah! Anyone that's used one knows what I mean.)
Interactions/Development: he is smiling all the time with big open mouthed smiles (he is most smiley for Mama for now), cooing, giggling, watching everything above him (ceiling fans) and around him (big brothers playing) or passing him by (trees when we walk or are driving in the van), he has found his hands and sticks his whole fist in his mouth, kicking his legs and swatting and grasping at things with his arms (just a lot more active and squirmy this month), holding his head up well when laying on his tummy, and overall just seeming a lot stronger.
Outings: he went out of Birmingham and out of state two times this month. The first time we made a really last minute decision (two days before Stephen left for camp with the youth) to go visit my sister in Fort Walton Beach, Florida which is right at four hours from here. She is now the closest of my relatives to me and it was really nice to just have some special time with her which is something we've never really had as adults since I've always lived out of town. And, of course, we went down to the beach a couple of times although it wasn't easy with three little boys (and my sister and I hauling them and all the stuff) but they really enjoyed it. And then a few weeks after Stephen got back from camp, our pastor let us use his cabin in Chattanooga, Tennessee which is two hours from here for a couple of comp days he had earned from being gone so much this summer. It was beautiful and refreshing after a long, busy summer. (Maybe I'll post on those trips soon if I get a minute!)
Things he seems to like: being held, being worn in the ergo carrier, bath time, being outside, his mam pacifiers, watching his big brothers, his play mat, and if he has to be laid down he prefers the pack n play in the window where he can look out.
Things he dislikes: being laid down for a long period of time or being in the car seat especially later at night or when it's dark
Health: colic and stomach bug are behind us! He did get a weird rash/blister this month while out of town that alarmed me but they called in a prescription and it cleared up quickly. He is really just a happy, healthy baby and I give God the praise for the gift of his health.
Temperament: He's pretty laid back these days especially now that the colic is behind us. His temperament right now is more similar to Jude's as a newborn (I stress newborn because Jude is currently two and very challenging at times these days! Ha!)
Confession time. Let's just put it out there...I have this thing about tacking on an "y" sound at the end of my boys' names. James-y happened very early on in his sweet, little life and I still call him that about 50% of the time five and a half years later. And then when Jude came along and I called him Jude-y for the first time, Stephen informed me that not only is that feminine sounding but actually a real, woman's name this time. But in my head, I was just calling him Jude...y. Not Judy. Surely a mother understands this affinity for the "y" at the end. Right?!? The "y" is like that extra little dollop of love on a name that's already music to a mama's ears. And then wouldn't you know, Stephen now calls him Jude-y more than even me?! Jude-y not Judy, of course...it's all about how you spell it in your head or on your blog...never mind that they sound exactly the same. And then when Joah came along, we said there was no way to even put a "y" on his name. And for the first few months I didn't. Because I couldn't. It just didn't come naturally like the other two. We called him Jo, Jo Jo, or even Joah Boah Baby Boy (also not at the top of the masculinity chart). And then the last few weeks, out of nowhere Josie has been slipping out of my lips. It's seriously like a "y" at the end of the name condition that I have. Josie...another real woman's name...I don't even know how to spell it in my head or on my blog in a way to justify calling my masculine little bundle of love by it this time. And yet I do it. And I'll probably continue to do it indefinitely yet try not to around other humans that don't live in this house until it inevitably slips out one day when I'm chasing after him months from now. Stephen will have to muzzle me when we go to his first sporting event because surely I can't call my son Josie (Jos-y?? Maybe?) there. And, of course, now I've confessed it on the blog... So, whew...with all of that said:
Joah, Jo Jo, Little Jo, Joah Boah Baby Boy, Jos, Josie even...whatever name we call you, please know that it's just such a joy to call you. It's a joy to have another sweet name to tack an "y" on to in this house. Another life. YOU are the extra little dollop of love on top of this crazy, imperfect family that doesn't always get it right but that, at the end of the day, loves each other. Please excuse your silly, slap happy, smitten mama. I'm just so crazy about you. I celebrate you in all of your masculinity and boyish ways. I wouldn't change a thing about you. And one day when you hear me calling and "Josie" rings out loudly through the house please just know that it's my extra little dollop of love.
Love, Mama
