Baa-baa Black Sheep

James has enjoyed learning songs and rhymes lately and it is so sweet to watch him learn the words.  And it is even sweeter to listen to him sing to his brother.  On many occasions, we have sang to Baby Jack to try to keep him happy or help him stop crying.  Often times it has been successful because it is accompanied by something else to soothe him.  This morning as I was loading everyone and everything into the car after a trip to the doggie store for a Captain bath and a trip to Trader Joe's, Jack started crying.  By the time I got around the car and into my seat, I hear James singing "Baa-baa black sheep" to Jack.  It was so sweet to hear James singing to Jack to try to get him to stop crying!!!  What a wonderful big brother!

I also must say that James has been wonderful the past 4 days!!!!  The weekends are easier because Josh is home and Mondays are usually a little easier too because Michelle comes over to play.  Well, today is Tuesday and James has been an absolute angel!!!  I am so thankful to have such a sweet little boy who loves his brother so much and is so patient!  At the park today, there were a couple places that I wanted to spot him in case he slipped and every time he got to that place he waited a minute or two for me to get over there.  He was also so patient with me trying to get him in and out of the swing with one hand while nursing Jack with the other.  (Getting in was a success, getting out: not so much!)  At Trader Joe's, he pushed the cart, helped me load it up, followed me all over the store while staying close, then unloaded the entire basket onto the desk (minus the grape tomatoes that accidentally fell down because he was trying to carry the tomatoes and a container of strawberries too!), entertained himself close by while I went through 3 credit cards trying to pay (a bunch of the prepaid ones from rebates didn't have enough money on them!), walked back out to the car, and then sat in the car patiently while I unloaded everything!  Don't get me wrong, he is still a 2-year-old but a much better behaved one than the past few weeks!  I have really learned the value of praise and explaining things this week!  I am trying really hard to praise everything he does and it sure works!  That and explaining why I don't want him doing things and it seems to stick so much better when I do that.  I guess that makes sense because I want to understand everything too so it's easier to remember.  I love to see his eyes light up because he is proud of himself for being so good!

As far as his talking.... wow!!!  I have started repeating some of the things he tells me to myself to count the words!  He is putting 6-10 words together and using what seem to be multiple sentences.  As far as the singing I mentioned, he can sing, "Baa-baa black sheep, have you any wool?  Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full."  Then he gets just a few words from the rest of the song.  I am amazed and so proud!!!!

I can't believe Jack is already a month old!!!  (Well, a month tomorrow but close enough!)  He is a wonderful little baby who LOVES to snuggle with his mommy!  I ask myself on a daily basis why I gave birth to this child because he seems to always be wrapped against my chest in the Moby wrap (it feels like I am still pregnant sometimes!)  He is sleeping beautifully at night!  He is going to bed around 8:30-9pm with his brother, then getting up 2-3 times in the middle of the night but almost always goes right back to sleep after nursing.  He hates getting swaddled but sleeps so much better once swaddled and loves the snuggled feeling I think.  (As Michelle says, it must be a second child thing!)  As far as during the day, he still loves to eat, sleep, and poop!  And I think that Mommy has already been associated with eating and sleeping because when he is with me that's all he seems to want to do!  I feel so bad because all I want to do it play with my little boy and get to know him but all he seems to want to do is eat and sleep.  I guess that is getting to know him in one way!  I have had a few short opportunities to play with him but it is always hard to split my time with James and Jack for the short time that Jack is awake.  I always want to include James in the playing with his little brother too even though all I really want to do is hog "awake and happy Jack" to myself to play!  I'm sure he will be awake more soon and I will be missing all the sleeping but until then, I just want to play with my baby!!!!

Well, I guess that is all for now!  I should take advantage of both my boys sleeping to get a few things done around the house.

I remembered the cute things I wanted to say last night... (I don't think I already wrote about these)
- James is so sweet and has been asking to sleep in his own bedroom again for the past few days.  I feel so bad that he has been sleeping on his mattress on the floor in the office (he calls it a closet!) for the past 2 weeks.  Hopefully we will have him back in his bed in his bedroom by tomorrow night!
- James has been enjoying games more lately.  He likes to just play with the colored pieces from the game Sorry and put them on the corresponding colors on the board, or between his toes with Auntie Miche's help!  We actually try playing Candyland a little bit!  He needs a fair amount of help of course, but he does know how to move his little piece forward and stop on the correct color!  I am so looking forward to playing games with him!

That's the other thing... I am working really hard right now to cherish this moment and not dream of the fun down the road!  They will grow up soon enough and I can enjoy those times then but I need to remember to enjoy these times now!