TWO and a HALF!

Jameston turned 30-months-old on Tuesday, and I cannot believe, for one second, how big he has gotten just over the last year. I look back at pictures and it seems that time is just flying by! I guess that is what new parents are warned about from the start, huh? Well, I must document what he has been up to lately even if I’m in denial! Here are some pictures and tidbits for us to remember when we look back later on JW at this age:

We had a 2 1/2-year-old photo shoot one Sunday in the backyard--

such a big boy!

Things he LOVES right now are:

• His "truck!" Thank goodness for the mild Winter and beginning of Spring!

• Puzzles, building forts with blankets, reading of any sort but especially his Bibles, "Mommy's tools" as he calls all of my kitchen utensils, and wrestling with Daddy
• All-things-train-related (Baby Brother and the Easter Bunny will be bringing him some caboose toys :-)

• Football and

• Soccer!

• Favorites: Books would be Ten in the Bed (he has it memorized) and his Berenstain Bears and Curious George books; movies would be a toss up between The Lion King and Toy Story; TV shows would be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Thomas the Train recordings
• Anything outdoors! He's looking forward to the warmer weather and sandbox playing that it will bring...and Daddy is looking forward to many fishing trips with him to the pond across the street from our house!

Developmentally:

1. Weighs in at about 33 lbs. and is about 38 inches tall
2. He's gone through (and may still be going through) a growth spurt of sorts, because he is taking longer naps during the day (sometimes up to 4 hours!) and is eating us out of house and home! He is also too tall for a lot of his size 2T pants and is now wearing a size 8 1/2 shoe. He's long and lean, as those same pants are usually loose around his belly!
3. Diaper size: NONE!! We are down to a pull-up only for night-time. AND he is waking up some nights and calling for us when he has to go. SO excited about that! Amazing how much money it saves when they are no longer wearing diapers! He has an accident (#1 only) every couple of days if he is distracted or playing something that he doesn't want to put down...BUT, he has conquered the #2 task outside of the house! So, I think the we can see the "potty-trained" light at the end of the tunnel!
4. He pretty much dresses himself, everything except his shirt. We, of course, have to check his work on his shoes sometimes, but he is very independent in this regard.
5. He has been in his "big boy room" since early December. We have had some bumps in the road, mainly after the holidays and "grand-kid camp" last week, but all in all he does great in there and sleeps better than he ever has! It is not the keeping him asleep problem, it is the getting him to go to bed problem...
6. He can count to 20 (and 21-29 with prodding). Since he knows his letters and sounds, we are starting to sound out some words while reading. The boy LOVES to read and would probably read 20 books a day if he wasn't such a busy body!
7. Speech: he has started to stutter when he gets excited and is trying to say a question really fast, which is normal and actually really cute. He has gotten most of his grammar down pat! He puts adjectives and adverbs in their respective place, with a couple of substitutions and mix-ups here and there ("mines" for mine, etc.) He knows all about spatial and size concept (which one is bigger? the smallest?), and he has the cutest conversations back and forth between imaginative people/characters while he is playing independently :-)
8. He continues to be a great eater, not really turning down much. He eats what we eat, so if he doesn't like what we're having, he has learned he better eat some of it so that he's not hungry way before breakfast time the next day! His faves these days are: anything Italian, rice, string cheese, go-gurts, fruit snacks, cottage cheese, veggie-chips or pretzels, avocados, broccoli, oranges, and berries of any sort. On the not-so-healthy front, he also loves him some macaroni and cheese (home-made, so it's better for us, right?), chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, ice cream (which was often a treat during the potty-training process we just completed) and pizza! Oh, and he's on a grape juice kick, after we introduced it instead of apple juice

PERSONALITY:

Jameston continues to develop his outgoing personality, and lately he has added a little bit of bossiness at times ("I don't like it" or "I don't want to" are two sentences we are currently trying to nip in the bud). I feel that the latter correlates with his age and the "terrible twos." He mostly has good days, but we have found that we are resorting to sticker charts and time-outs more often that we'd like to. We feel he is sensing a big change ahead and is testing us and trying to found out his boundaries.

I hope this wears off (and does not get worse before it gets better) after his baby brother arrives. Wishful thinking?

He is all boy and is a busy, busy guy most of the time---keeps his parents on their toes!

He has been creative as of late and is making up games with things from around the house. He likes to make "forts" out of blankets and "bridges" with the swim noodles we had been using as bumpers for his big boy bed. Anything that he can put into a straight line is either a "Bridge" or a "Snake" at this time. He also likes to build "birthday cakes" out of his Lego's and blocks.

Also, he likes to line up his toys. Case in point:

He is also, as I hear most boys are, fearless! Ready to try anything new and climb everything in sight! I don't think he's been bruise or bump-free since he before he learned to crawl :-)

Like his Daddy and grandfathers (and most males, I think), our boy loves the outdoors! SO glad for Daylight Savings and our later evenings outside!!

Sweet things he has said recently are:

"I get baptized at church?" He said this over a month ago, after he witnessed a couple of baptisms.

"Dear God-Thank you for our many blessings." How he starts off our night-time prayers. Melts my heart!

"Tell me a story/Ready with me, Mommy." I could hear these words all.day.long. Wish I was at home with him more, so I cherish these requests!

Jameston Wade,

You are the light of our lives! We love watching you grow and learn and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you. Also, we can't wait to see how you take on the role of BIG BROTHER a little over a month from now. We know you will handle it like you do all things: with a lot of love and dedication :-) We love you, buckaroo!