Last Day of Kindergarten

Monday is the actual last day of school, but James will miss it since we'll be at the beach. It's a half day of half-day kindergarten, so he's only missing a ninety minute day. 

That makes today his last day (and Moving Up Day, to boot!). Thus, we had a little photo shoot this morning:

First Day of Kindergarten (pt. 2)

James came out of school with a big smile! He told me a bit about his day as we walked home-- he got to see his teacher feed the class fish, they got to sit wherever they wanted to on the rug, they were assigned seats at the "working tables" (his table has all boys; there are ten boys and five girls in the class), there are three children who didn't listen (a girl got out of her seat when a different table was called, and two boys didn't put their pencils down when the teacher said to do so-- James is quite the policeman, eh?), they saw Mr. Parcells as they were leaving. That's about it. Throughout the day I got more snippets-- they played on the new caterpillar playground, they drew self portraits, there were fish decorations everywhere and a big whale on the door that says "Make a Splash in Kindergarten!" 

Once home, we had a quick lunch then stopped by Grandma & Grandpa's house to take a First Day of Kindergarten photo in the same tree where Daddy had taken a photo on his first day of kindergarten. Then it was off to swim class!

Today was James's first lesson at the Ray level, and he did great! They worked on side breathing. His instructor is fantastic. 

Next it was off to Planet Swirl for celebratory fro-yo, then we hit the playground for an hour or so (to burn off the sugar). Both boys had a ball. 

Tomorrow will be his first lunch in the cafeteria as he'll stay the full day for his first day of Wrap-Around Kindergarten. So exciting!

First Day of Kindergarten (pt 1)

James is off to kindergarten this morn. He practically skipped, hopped and jogged all the way there! (It's so nice to live within walking distance, especially on the first day when the parental paparazzi make for quite the traffic situation!)

We found his teacher's line, and he excitedly greeted his friends. (So glad he went to preschool there last year-- our goal of lessening the number of transitions while also giving him an opportunity to meet kids in town and get to know his school certainly was a success.)

Soon enough the teachers came out, and the lines of kindergarteners filed into the building. I'm not going to lie-- I got a bit teary-eyed. Sure, partly because my cutie is growing up, but also because I'm so grateful to have been there to see him off this morning. Next year, I'll be back to "working (outside the home) mom" status, and may very well be welcoming my own students to school as James heads in the door to first grade... Cherishing every moment this year!

19 months!!

 

John celebrated his half birthday surrounded by family at Edisto last month. So fun. I need to post about all that...

In the meantime, he's already 19 months old! 

Last Wed (8/21), he officially changed tocalling  me Mommy instead of Mama. Dan is now Daddy. Very cute. 

He has four grinders, and eight front teeth (four top, four bottom), and his hair is getting slightly thicker. Slightly. 

He's mastered traveling up and down stairs unassisted (though we don't trust him enough not to employ the gates, etc.) One habit I find endearing (though sometimes annoying) is that when traveling downstairs, he'll usually stop a few stairs from the bottom, sit down, say "Bottom" (ba-ba), and wait for me to sit  with him. If I don't, he pats the stair next to him and says "ba-ba" again. Just taking a little break to enjoy the view. Haha. 

He likes to snuggle with "Night-night" when he's getting ready for bed, and loves books before and after sleeping. (As well as other times!)

He likes to do whatever his big brother is doing (oh, he says "brother"-- so sweet!) which includes scaling playground equipment and coming down big slides. 

He jumps. 

He still eats like a champ.

He's very interested in the potty. (I'm considering potty training, but think he may be too young?) My favorite is when he stands at the potty like he sees James do, pulls up his shirt and aims his belly for the potty. So adorable. 

He has tons of words and signs. I love it when he's wearing his tiger outfit (like today), points at his chest and says, "Rar!!"

First Hair Cut!

True, my baby was so follicularly challenged at his 12-month check-up that the doctor asked if we had shave his head. However, lately he's developed those long baby wisps and even had the makings of a mullet!!

This morning Dan was giving himself a haircut, and decided to tidy up John's head as well. It's a subtle difference. 

James and I watched from the "waiting area" (like at the barber shop) that James created with a few small chairs. And James happily ate the lollipop at the end (gotta run our barber shop like Frank's!)

Preschool Celebration

While there are still three days left in the school year(!), James's class held their end of year celebration yesterday. It was very cute-- some poem recitation and singing. James sweetly gave flowers to his teachers, and John got to pretend to be the five-year-old he often seems to believe himself to be. 

(Note-- there was no "graduating," and Dan and I are just fine with that. He's staying in the same school for the next four years. He hasn't "graduated.")

After school James and one of his classmates went out for ice cream. Very fun and quite cute!

Five and a Half!

As of today, James is officially closer to six than five. Crazy. 

We had a celebratory dessert-- half a cake for a half birthday. 

What's a five and a half year old like? Well, this one looooves to read (and to be read to; he and Daddy are working through the Chronicles of Narnia now). He also likes building with Legos, Magna-tiles, and zoobs (often he'll combine materials and structures). He's big into imagination; his current favorite alter-egos are bats and robots. He likes riding his bike (no more training wheels!) and scooter outside as well as playing with our neighbor, Henry. He's still a picky eater, but he grew over two inches in the last six months, so the doctor is no longer concerned about his height. 

He's hilarious and clever (that's one of his favorite words lately, by the way), and he makes us so proud. 

16 Months Old

John had his "month day" on Wednesday, and I managed to have a quick photo session with him. 

He's growing up so fast! Where his big brother could spot any train, large or small, John has an eye for balls. He spies a ball, announces its presence ("Ball! Ball! Ball!"), and wants to play with it! He also appreciates hats; even sunglasses perched atop one's head gets a "hat! Hat!" from him. 

He's more into books now than he has been. He'll bring a book over and say, "Up!" if you're in a chair. If you're on the floor, he backs himself into your lap with the book in hand. Cute. Yesterday he picked up Snuggle Puppy and said "Oooo!" He also lifts his face to mine for a kiss at the appropriate times in the book. 

He still loves to eat and is quite proud when he succeeds at using a fork all on his own. The determination with which he stabs food- oh, so cute! On Monday we had a post-parade lunch at the diner, and he busted out with a sweet "All done!" complete with little arm gestures. Over and over. We were all delighted!

James gets super excited when his baby brother ("Mom, he's NOT a baby now; he's a toddler.") has a new word. After swim lessons on Tuesday, I told James that John had said "bubbles," and John immediately said it for James who giggled with pride! So sweet!

John is impressive with his throwing skills. He can launch a ball with force and a certain degree of accuracy. (Obviously he didn't get that from his mother!) He also likes to run and to dance. Anytime he hears music, he grooves to the beat. 

He loves to splash in the water. Swim lessons are great fun, and bath time is quite splashy. He also enjoys taking a shower. Basically, as soon as the faucet is turned on, he reaches his little hand out to test the water (like he sees me do), and tries to climb in the tub (dressed or not, he's not choosy).

Here's a list I've been trying to maintain of his words:

John's words

1. Hi

2. Uh oh

3. Baby

4. Belly

5. Daddy/Dada (+ sign)

6. Mommy/Mama

7. James

8. Eye

9. Nose

10. Ball

11. Hat

12. That

13. Ow

14. Peekaboo

15. No (+wag head)

16. Thank you

17. More (sign)

18. Toes

19. Milk (sign)

20. Yes (+nod)

21. Door

22. All done

23. Bubbles

24. Up

The first week as a 13 month old

The first full week of March was a big deal for John:
He started signing "more" clearly and consistently. Very exciting (and far better than his prior method of screaming in a ridiculously high pitched tone. Just ask Auntie Ali and Uncle P.) and quite helpful since the boy loves. to. eat.
He officially kicked the pacifier habit. Cold turkey, baby. He was on a quick path to becoming a paci junky-- he would see one and get excited and grabby. It was so easy for us to give him a pacifier at bedtime and naptime, too. But we knew it was time, so we stopped. So glad he's adjusted well! (And hopefully this will also mean less of his teething-drool-induced face rash!)
John is a toddler! He now prefers bipedal mobility to crawling. We celebrated with a trip to our favorite kids' shoe store on Saturday where he got some cute size fives. (James was measured as well; no new shoes just yet.)
John's current oral vocabulary: that, light, James (doesn't sound like "James", but I consistently, recognize his way of saying it), boop (said when touching your nose-- super cute!), hi (very often it's "hihihihihi"), uh-oh, ow, Daddy, D (which is short for diaper. As in, "One, two, three, it's a stinky D!").