Sibling Rivalry- 4.5 and 1.5 Years Old 2015

9/4
J: Maybe you don't need two babies.
E: No? How many do I need?
J: 1.
E: Just keep one of you?
J: Yeah, you keep me, and not Miranda because she's a bad baby.
E: Oh so I keep you, and we send Miranda away, and we never see her again?
J: Yeah.
E: Aw, but I would miss her so much!
J: Yeah. Bye Miranda!
E laughs
J: I'm not kidding. I'm serious.

Fun with hats!

9/5
J: I'm sorry, Miranda. I'm sorry about this, but you have to leave.

Racing! Except not at all because Miranda wouldn't move.

9/8
Miranda playing with iPad at library. James approaches.
M: Go back!

She speaks!

Brushing their teeth together.

On drive back from library, Miranda drops her water in the car.
J: You blew it, Miranda! Sorry but you blew it.

9/21:
J: Miranda thinks she's reading a story.
E: I eat the baby. Yum-yum-yum-yum.
J: And she ate the baby!
E: Once upon a time, there was a very tired mama. And the baby kept asking for stuff. So she ate the baby! The end!
J: Once upon a time, there was a very tired mama. So she ate the baby! The end!
E: (Again.) Once upon a time, there was a very tired mama! And the baby kept asking for stuff. So she ate the baby! The end! Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp. (Pretending to eat Miranda up.)
J: What a beautiful story. I'm going to put it on my bookshelf, and we'll read it tomorrow.

10/11:
J: Miranda made me do it.

10/13:
J: For she's a very bad baby, for she's a very bad baby, for she's a very bad baby, that nobody can deny!

Sock puppets!

James's Summer Camp Luau 2015

When we moved we went shopping for a Pre-K for James. I'd done some research before we moved so we already had a good idea of what we wanted. I'd also looked at summer camp programs for him, and we decided that it would be good to enroll him in the camp program at his future Pre-K so that when the first day of school rolled around he wouldn't be the "new" kid anymore. He really has no trouble adjusting in new situations at all though, and since he went to nursery school last year he was totally into the whole school idea. He went for three weeks, and his last day of "camp" was Thursday of this week. Last week though they had this fun Luau party so I thought I'd share the pictures.

Making fun balloon animals

Ice cream pop make James so happy

Limbo contest!

Gathering the dance circle

Hokey Pokey! This really is what's it's all about.

Also, James had a nemesis at camp whose name was Liam. There was a thing where James got his fingers slammed in some toy refrigerator by Liam. But James wasn't completely innocent. Here are some camp quotes:

"I sprayed the teacher with water which was not good. The teacher was mad. I also sprayed Liam. I got in trouble."

"I didn't make friends with Liam, but I made friends with the other kids."

Next week is the first day of Pre-K! I remember my first day! So excited for him!

James's 4th Birthday Interview and Quotes

Since James's three-and-a-half-birthday, he's developed a lot. He writes a lot more words and he reads a little - not just memorization of his books but actual sight-reading. He negotiates, whines, cajoles, and plays me and Kevin off each other. He either turned 4 years old or 14 years old on Monday. I'm not sure which. He had his 4 year appointment today and he's 36 pounds and 40.5 inches tall, and is otherwise completely healthy. We feel very lucky.

Autumn joy

Interview, 4/20/15
1. What's your name? James.
2. What's my name? Ma... uh.. Ericka.
    What's his name? Dada.
3. How old are you? Four.
4. How old do you think I am? Thirty-three? Thirty-five? (I am 36.)
5. How old is Dada? Forty-four. (He is 35.)

Holding worms at nature nursery school

6. What is your favorite animal? My favorite animals are all the animals. I like the animals in The Littlest Pet Shop. (TV Show)
7. What is your favorite color? The colors of the pet shop.
    Can you pick just one color? Blue, because that's a panda in The Littlest Pet Shop.
8. What is your favorite food? Apple.
    What's your favorite breakfast? My favorite breakfast is eggs.
    What's your favorite lunch? My favorite lunch is peanut butter and jelly.
    What's your favorite dinner? Peas and eggs. (Quiche?)
9. What is your favorite book? I don't know. My favorite is Goodnight Moon.
10. What is your favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle, and Itsy Bitsy.

 Interrupts... Can we please not talk this? Where's Grandma's iPad?

Building a Duplo castle

11. What is your favorite toy? My favorite toy is a coloring book.
12. Do you sleep with any toys at night? Just Fudgie.
13. What is your favorite show? All of them. The Littlest Pet Shop is my favorite.
14. Which is your favorite movie?  The Frozen movie, and the Lego movie.

Eating snow

15. What do you want for your birthday? Cake. A ballon.
16. Are you funny? Yep.
17. Who is your best friend? Everybody.
      Well who do you like playing with the most? Grandma.

Giving Grandma a checkup

18. Do you like school? Yep.
19. Who are your teachers? Miss Andrea and Miss Sue.

Strange and troubling things he writes on his own. Warning!

20. Do you love me? Yeah.
     What does it mean that you love me? That you're pretty.
     Do you love Dada? Yeah.
     What does it mean that you love Dada? He thinks he's pretty.

Definitely loves his sister.

21. Do you want to get married one day? Yeah.
     What kind of person do you want to marry? All the girls in the town.
22. What do you want to want to be when you grow up? A teacher.

Wrote "Good Mama, Good James, Good Miranda, Good Dada" on his own.

Quotes from the last six months

11/18/14:

K: Go use the potty, James.

J: I don't pee or poop anymore.

K: That's untenable.

Full of personality!

1/13/15:

J: Is it tomorrow?

K: The answer to that question is always no.

E: Tomorrow isn't like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Tomorrow is always the day after today.

J: What? That's a crazy story, Mama.

 

Selfie at Dada's reading

1/16/15:

Me: I have to squish you (hugs James)

J: Sorry I have to do my work.
Me: What's your work?

J: Lifting things.

Me: Well this is my work, I have to squish you.

J: (laughing) Sorry, gotta go work.

Too cool for words

1/26/15:

J: Dada, can I have balloons for my birthday?

K: Balloons for your birthday? Sure. How many do you want?

J: Mm, a "meeyon."

K: A million! No, how about another number?

J: Two?

K: Sure. How about four since you'll be four on your next birthday?

Drew a seriously awesome Pacman game

2/23/15:

J: Ericka...

E: Why are you calling me Ericka?

J: Because that's your name.

E: But I'm your mama.

J: That's your middle name, Ericka.

Sharing the chair

3/29/15:

J: "I only speak Spanish." (in English)

Super cool

• James is 3.5
• James 3rd Birthday interview
• James's interview at 2.5 years old
• James wasn't interview ready at 2 years old, but he was starting to use sentences. 

James is 3.5 Years Old 2014

The last six months have been huge for James! He got a sister on his birthday. He successfully potty-trained. He started nursery school in the fall. He got a (non-grandma) babysitter a few weeks ago.

He can spell his name, Mama, and Dada, but Miranda is tricky! He likes to watch and help me cook. He even picks out his own clothing in the morning now, though pulling on socks is still "too hard." Mind you he can also turn on the TV, cable, and Kindle, but the socks thing... no too much! He helps me find stuff and grabs things for Miranda. Today, he decided on his own to go into the refrigerator and find Miranda's teething ring for her. He announces on a daily basis that he loves me so much. We love you too James! So so so so so much!

Here are some fun James pictures and quotes.

Handsome on a horse!

Kissing his 10-day old sister. (Cute overload!)

Selfie!

 

Still rocking the doggie towel.

One of his last documented naps.

Aug 18:
J: Why are Mama and Dada the boss?
E: Because we're older than you and we made you.
J: Why are you older than me and make me?
E: I was born before you, so I know more. I was born 32 years before you! We won't always be the boss, but we are for the next 19 years or so.
J: I have apple stuck in my teeth.
E: Okay.
J: Why Mama and Dad older than me and make me?
E: We thought it would be awesome to have a little boy, and it is.
J: I got the apple out.

Imagination playground joy

At work with Dada

Helping me cook

Riding a bike with Grandma

September 2:
J: Mama is 35.
E: That's right! Can you count to 35?
J: No.
E: Let's do it together.
E & J: .... 18, 19, 20 ...
J: 35!
E: Haha, no, I wish.

First day of school

September 17:
E: Do you know how you say, "I love you" in Spanish?
J: How?
E: Te quiero.
J: Thank you?
E: No. Te quiero.
J: Thank you!

Washing his hands after going potty by himself

Pretending to be a train conductor (and so happy to be at this park!)

September 28:
E: I eat you up! I gobble you up!
J: I eat so many apples, I turn into an apple. You eat me up!

Building a mobile castle (Take that, Crannogmen.)

October 15:
E: Who do you think loves Miranda more, me or Dada?
J: I do!

With his new best friend, Miranda

James Quotes Before Turning 3 years old 2014

James turns 3 next week! I can't believe it how hilarious he's become in the last couple of months. The best part is that he laughs at his own jokes. He thinks he's hilarious. One of his regular gags is to get some unsuspecting adult to recite something and then suddenly interrupt them by yelling, "a turkey!" Um? Mind you, this is not my sense of humor or Kevin's. That's a James-special there.

Here are some of the best ones I've gotten down recently.

J (at 8 am): Ice cream!
E: Are you crazy?
J: I love you so so much.
E: Aw, I love you too.
J: Ice cream, please, Mama.
- 2/4/14

J: Foonee.
E: Foonee?
J: No, foonee.
E: I don't understand.
J: FOO. NEE.
E: I don't know.
J: Mako.
E: Mako? What?
J: No, mango!
E: Oh a mango smoothee! Oh.
- 2/6/14

 

Enjoying mango smoothie that he transferred to his tea cup.

J: What's this?

E: What? Your hood?
J: What's this? [indecipherable]
E: I don't understand your question.
J: I have a serious question! I have a serious question!
- 2/10/14

J: Can I have a banana?
E: Why don't you wait, buddy? You've only been up 2 hours and you've eaten oatmeal, yogurt, milk, and a lot of apple sauce. We'll have yummy stuff at lunch.
J: More applesauce. 1, 2, 3, 4?
E: That's a lot of food!
J: But I still hungry!
E: Are you really?
J: Yes. (starts laughing)
E: Why are you laughing then?
- 2/12/14

J: "Put the poop on time out."
K: "Put the poop on time out? Did you poop?"
J: "Yeah."
- 3/1/14

J: You're the moon.
E: The moon! What are you then?
J: A rocketship.
E: A rocketship! I guess that works. What's Dada?
J: A bus!
E: A bus?
J: Yeah.
(I guess Dada won't be visiting me anymore.)
-3/3/14

James driving a fire truck

(In the car)
J: You're going too fast, Dada!
E: Dada's going slow.
J: You're going too fast.
E: What an old lady!
J: You're an old lady.
E: Burn!
J: (laughing) You're an old lady too, Dada.
- 3/26/14

K: James, can you help me with something in your room?
J: I'm drawing.
K: I appreciate your artistic endeavors but I need your help. Will you come help me?
J: Not actually. But maybe later, okay?
K: Really? "Call me, maybe?"
- 3/26/14

 

Serious about his art

• Quotes from after James turned 2.5 years old

Recent James Quotes 2013-14

I can't believe James will be 3 years old in just 3 months! (And we'll have another amazing little person to love then too!) James's speech has been getting more sophisticated and it constantly cracks us up. Some of it is that he can repeat entire sentences we say now, but a lot of it is his own personal stylings on how he views the world or the world of pretend.

J: (Brings over stuffed pug.) "Fudgie loves you. He's a good pet. Read him a book."
-11/19/13

J: "It's beautiful!"
K: "What's beautiful? Mama?"
J: "Nooo."
-12/13/13

Coloring in some bills

1/2/14: I asked Kevin to put butt cream on James after his bath, and after Kevin put it on him I heard James thank him.
Kevin laughed and said, "Wow, that was the most appreciative butt cream application ever!"
Then James said, "You're the best!"

1/18/14: Gets on his bike and says, "Bye, Gonna go talk to Sarah at her house. Bye. See you later, alligator."

 

Biking away

J: (Throwing out a diaper) "Good night, diaper. I love you. See you in the morning."
-1/18/14

J: (After I helped him build a train track.) "Where the train going? Around and around! Woah! You're the best, mama!" Gives me a big hug.
- 1/19/14

 

Playing trains with a very pregnant Mama

In other news, he started refusing naps about a week or two ago. We had to adjust his bedtime up this week to adjust for how grouchy he got late at night. So now he sleeps from 7:45 p.m.to almost 7:15 a.m. and it's AMAZING. He did pass out while watching the Patriots play this weekend, so it's not a perfect system, but we're going to stop fighting him and let him nap when wants to.

Aw, one of his last regular naps in our bed.

He's also super obsessed with the songs "I'm a Little Teapot," "Humpty Dumpty," and "The Wheels on the Bus." He's been pretending random objects are teapots so his Great Aunt Mary sent him a tea set in primary colors. Hey boys drink tea too.

Thanking Mary for the teapot on Facetime