Mary Martin is coming...

When you are pregnant the question you get most often is "How are you feeling?" The first time I was pregnant, I quickly figured out that people don't really want to know how you are feeling. They just want you to say "Great, thanks!" For example, the real answer lately would be: my heartburn is getting worse, a good night's sleep is proving elusive, and my ankles look I have cantaloupes on my feet. But instead, I just answer "Feeling good, thanks!"

This time, the second most common question I get is, "Does James know what is about to happen?" or sometimes "Does James understand a baby is coming?" I have struggled on how to answer this question. I think most people, like the how are you feeling question, don't really want the long answer but just want me to say politely, "He is starting to get it, I think."

If it is a close friend or someone who I think really cares, I will explain that moving James out of the nursery and into his own room helped him understand a lot. Now he says "baby's room" and points to the nursery and also identifies his own room. It has also helped James to see Aunt Kelly and little Madeline. I think James gets that another person - albeit a small one - will soon be coming. We have also taught James to say Mary Martin which is very cute...

Well one day last week Jim and James were playing with James' bristle blocks (or clippo blocks, whatever you call them). There are family figures in there to play with - a mom, a dad, a little boy and a little girl. Grandaddy long ago taught James that the mom was James' mommy, the dad was James' daddy and the little boy was James. Well last week, James pulled them all out one by one and identified them for his dad. When he got to the little girl, he said "Mary Martin!" Jim and I were amazed. I guess James is getting the picture after all.

I will start going to the doctor every week this week to check on Mary Martin. Everything is on track and looking good. I will update y'all as it gets closer.

First "Homework" Assignment

James moved up to the 2s and 3s room at day care two weeks ago. James is officially in Family Group 3, known as the lollipop room (which I think is funny, lollipop is so hard for kids to say, right Kel?). As part of his new room, James had his first "homework" assignment this weekend. It was an "All About Me" exercise where we listed James' favorite foods, his family, his birthday, etc. We were strongly encouraged to have James participate and so we got out the colors for James. The colors were not as much fun though as the stickers - he put an entire sheet of dog stickers on his homework and loved it. He kept saying "not done yet" and asking for more stickers. The best part was that the smallest stickers were about the size of the end of a pen and James had trouble getting them off the sheet and onto the homework. They would stay stuck to his fingers or the table and he would just laugh and laugh. Anyway, I present our first "homework" assignment. And in response to the question What I Want to Be When I Growup - James responded "an engine" and "ride a train." So that is what we wrote down!

Adventures in Bowling

Jim's firm hosted a bowling night last week for their summer interns. We thought we would go and see what James thought - well, he loved it!! He started the night just watching the pins getting knocked down and exclaiming, "they knock em down, they knock em down!" Then he learned we are supposed to clap when a good bowl happened. He would clap wildly and laugh with glee. Then he discovered that the firm had cookies to eat - and the evening turned just about perfect. He bowled with his dad just a couple times, I think he was a little intimidated, but still thought it was fun... He and Jim got a couple of Granny bowls down the lane.

The Return of Orange Van!

Some time back I made a list of items that James takes to bed with him. One toy of honor has always been Orange Van, a matchbox orange van that was a toy when Jim was little. However, Orange Van was a casualty of the recent trip to Meme's. It did not make it home from Meme's. I kept telling Meme it wasn't a big deal and that a small Thomas train had already replaced Orange Van... Or so it seemed...

Meme came through and found Orange Van. James got a package yesterday from Meme and it was ORANGE VAN!!!

The triumphant return of Orange Van prompted lots of playing last night with all of James' cars. We had to get them all out one by one, talk about their color, count them, etc. The best part was that James lined all the cars up, side by side, all facing the same way of course. Wonder which one of his parents he gets this from?!?!? As this playing went on, the Thomas the Train book magnets also had to be lined up, end on end near the cars. They were also in a straight line. Oh my little OCD child...