Here's lookin' at you, kid-sized baby

Look who's 0.5! Little Jimmy P!

 

 

And, just in case you think I overstate his giant-ness, here's a stat for you: James is in the 98th percentile for both height and weight. He's basically larger than all six-month-old infants, everywhere, ever. He's an astonishing 22 pounds and 28.5 inches!

 

One more thing: That's all milk, people. The "solids" aren't really a hit yet. Here's proof (alongside his "I'm six months!" block)--

Why must you torture me, little shovel? WHY? Curse you!

We haven't explored more than baby cereal yet, but now that we're at the magic six-month mark, we'll try more mushy foods. (Photos of the patented James faces to follow shortly! 'Cause fo' real. There ain't a baby anywhere who makes better faces!!)

 

Now sleep--

Following the sick waves in the Scully house, we're finally in a good sleepy place! The pattern goes like this: wake between 7-8 a.m., nap at 9 a.m. (usually two hours), second nap around 1 p.m. (usually an hour) and (most days) a third nap around 4 p.m. (one hour or less), and then bedtime around 7 p.m. We're down to one wake-up, which I can TOTALLY do! (I mean, sure. Sleeping all the way through the night will be AMAZING some day, but for now, I'm pretty dang excited to NOT see my chubby cherub several times each night!)

 

Now, they say all babies are the same, and we should do direct comparisons whenever possible to ensure development rates are identical. So, check this--

 

ELLIOTT

at birth: 8 lb., 5 oz., 22 in.

at 6 mo.: 18 lb., 14 oz., 28 in.

 

PATRICK

at birth: 6 lb., 13 oz., 21 in.

at 6 mo.: 16 lb., 9 oz., 26 in.

 

JAMES

at birth: 9 lb., 5 oz., 21 in.

at 6 mo.: 22 lb., 28.5 in.

 

(I SWEAR these children are related.)

 

In order to wish this giant a happy half, leave a comment with your well wishes and/or someone's six-month stats.

 

Oh, and if you want to arm wrestle, I say AN-Y TIME. I kiss my biceps daily, people.

How the Grinch sometimes steals Thanksgiving, too

No matter how, umm, substantial your fingers are, one can't live on digits alone.

 

That's why James was thrilled to experience his first Thanksgiving! A whole day ("Why not every day, Mother?") dedicated to giving thanks for socially acceptable overindulgence. Hooray!

 

But it wasn't all fun and food games. This year, the Grinch got to work early and decided to try to steal our Thanksgiving...  

 

Perhaps you caught mention of Elliott's throw-up bug and then Patrick's extended stay in the sick bed. Well! To be safe, I took them both to the doctor last Wednesday. Ta-da! Positive strep tests! We started antibiotics--the boys' FAVORITE...--and half our expected guest list (smartly) backed out.

 

Sigh! 

 

So, how about I address Thanksgiving PREP instead??

 

Let me start by saying: We love arts and crafts in this house. What some might call "a dining room" is our Art Room, and it usually looks something like this--

 

Now, as Thanksgiving approaches every year, the boys' elementary school asks the kids to help. Save the turkeys by disguising them! Patrick was proud as punch of his Superman--

 

Of course, with Dad working late and a baby to juggle, this project extended well onto the kitchen floor. (click to enlarge)

 

(If you know about Patrick's fine motor challenges, you understand how hard we worked on that gobbler!)

 

Poor Elliott is now apparently far too old to participate as a second grader, but here are his Kindergarten and first-grade efforts, which magically matched the kid's Halloween costume from the previous week. He's a creative genius, I tell ya!-- 

a chef, obviously

 

 

and (with a little more creative license) a robot

 

Anyway, no food was safe for long, and we did end up having a great meal! We tried like heck to be stingy with our germs, but we DO love to give our guests parting gifts... At this point, we are (I hope) on the mend, so please accept only these belated, yet no less happy, Thanksgiving wishes!

If only we knew what he was thinking...

Hey, James! We've got great news!

 

Yaaaaaaaaaay!

 

Today we're going to use the highchair, not just as an extra seat, but for FEEDING, as in an EXTRA MEAL--BONUS FOOD! Are you excited??!

 

OK, here goes! We mixed Mom's milk with a little cereal. Try this!

 

Pretty good, riiiiiiiiiight?

 

Meh. I don't know, guys...

 

No, you know what? I don't think I care for it.  

 

Yeah, no. I've considered it, and that's just wrong, whatever it is.

 

Another bite? Dad. Are you hearing the words coming out of my mouth??

 

Seriously. Is there something wrong with your ears?

 

[A few minutes later, I tried the power of positive thinking, reselling the whole idea.]

 

So, James!

 

It was a little dicey, but in the end, it was a taste sensation, right? A sort of symphony on a spoon! New wild and wonderful flavors for a jiggidy-giant who LOVES to eat and get gianter!

 

Am I right?

 

Yes??

 

James?

Hmmm. Well, why not digest and give us your final ruling later?

Know what's awesome?

To start, as a sort of process of elimination, let's run through some less-than-awesome things. In no particular order (but all significant to the last week of Scully family life):

 

1. throw-up (and Elliott's uncanny dedication to spreading the, uhh, LOVE on ev-er-y-thing)

1.5. laundry (see 1.)

2. nighttime wake-ups with no regularity (I mean, COME ON, James. I can handle the waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-for-more-milk thing, but can I get SOME regularity to the call-backs?)

3. siblings passing germs (As of Saturday morning, Patrick has officially claimed the Sick Bed. As long as throw-up doesn't make an appearance with his fever and general crud, the Sick Bed stay can be as long as he likes!)

 

Now that we're all lookin' at the same Scale of Awesomeness, let's get back to my original reason for posting.

 

Know what's awesome?

 

Catching Elliott being a gentle and patient big brother when he thinks no one's looking--

 

It only takes one camera click to announce my secret photog spot, but they were just as cute up-close. 

 

A little privacy here, Mom? This is brother stuff.

Dude looks like a lady

In life, there are a few occasions that call for cross-dressing. In our family, we say yes to the dress on one special day: baptism! (Cross-dressing after this point is entirely up to the boys.)

 

On November 4, it was time for James to man up and get into the very same gown his big brothers and even his father (AND aunt and uncle!) wore for their own baptisms.

 

I kept trying to curl his legs up, so he wouldn't look SO huge in his pretty dress--

 

For the most part, James did very well during the long service. Recognizing the family history of the gown, he spit up right down the front, but he refrained from a blowout diaper so I can't complain (much).

 

Quick aside-- This is me with six-week-old Patrick in 2007. Apparently, I tend to hold babies the same way, and my dad has a consistent photographer's eye--

 

And since I'm proving that all three boys wore the same gown, here's two-month-old Elliott and Pete in 2005--

 

See? After they pay their dues, we allow the boys to dress like males again.

 

Here's the magical and monumental moment when James Parker--awake and not crying, even though the priest just called him "James Peter"...--felt the rite and blessing of holy water.

 

Look at our little family afterward, feeling blessed, relieved and happy to have a cookie in-hand (ahem, Patrick)--

 

We're not lucky enough to have most of our family members nearby, but we are rich with some awesome friends! This time, some of our oldest (couple) friends, Sean and Jill graciously stepped up to serve as James' Godparents.

 

By choosing some great friends to expand our family, we followed the (not-so-traditional) model I've enjoyed my whole life. (Hey, hey, Auntie Susan and Unkie Peter! Lookin' at you, my own awesome Godparents!)

 

So, here are our lucky boys with their Godparents. Sean and Jill with James (now appearing as a boy)--

 

Trish and John with a dessert-free Patrick--

 

And, the originals, Erik and Emily with Big E--

 

We really missed some key players on this special day, but we were so grateful to everyone who celebrated with us!

 

I'll tell ya, I ain't low-stress on a day like this--hoping for no meltdowns with missed naps, getting and keeping everyone dressed in fancy clothes and racing everyone to our house for the party afterward--but it was all worth it. ...Just as long as we're done with these big-white-dress events for a good 20 years or so...!

Happy All Hallows' Eve!

'Tis no secret. I love Halloween. Without a care in the world, I can skip birthdays and Christmas on this here blog, but never do I miss Halloween!

 

To further prove my affection for the holiday, I'll show you what I carried to pick up the boys after school--

Ahhhhhhhh! That is one seriously cute cow (in Elliott's old baby costume!).  

 

But that's just mid-afternoon fun. I digress. Onto the all-important Trick-or-Treat!

 

Now, I love duo (even trio!) costumes, but dang it if these boys aren't getting older and more opinionated about how they'll dress for Halloween! When Patrick made a new best friend at school and discovered he had a complete knight costume he'd willingly lend, Patrick's costume was set in stone. The ONLY thing I was allowed to do was add a big poofy feather to the top of his helmet (necessary, in my opinion, although Pete disagreed)--

Do you like how he's totally twisted so I could get the full-body shot, complete with the sword and sheath (attached to his pants with pipe cleaners)?

 

Poor Patrick could hardly speak with that part pulled around his chin, but hey. He could choose to see or speak. Who needs BOTH senses? (Remember, we're suffering for candy here. FREE chocolate!) 

 

I was able to have a little more fun with Elliott's getup, a cowboy sheriff, kinda like Woody from Toy Story-- 

(Why, no. I did NOT give him direction when he struck that pose, but thank you for asking. The face, I will tell you, is titled "Tough Law Enforcer," not "Misery, Thy Name Is Elliott," believe it or not.)

 

Anyway, the Local Law's costume was all about the details, including the gun and (disguised iPhone case) belt buckle--

 

... a real sheriff's badge on a cow hide vest (cut from a hand-me-down baby costume! and different from the one James wore earlier)--

 

...and spurs (attached with paper clips for AT LEAST 14 seconds) for the (pretend) cowboy boots-- 

 

Together, the boys made an odd duo, but, thankfully, they were still able to fake fight, no matter how unlikely this showdown might be.

 

But, wait! There are now THREE boys to dress! And one can't fight Mom's ideas at all! And soooooo, may I introduce... ho, ho, ho, Green Giant James!

 

Truthfully, the kid had NO interest in this outfit, so I guess his stand was against the "Jolly" part of the costume. Still, it took some TIME cutting apart a fake plant and gluing leaves over an old cut-up baby blanket and hat! Surely, he appreciated his mother's efforts!

 

No? The answer's still no?

 

Well, I guess James did present a compelling objection: If a costume isn't edible, what on Earth is the point???

 

Anyway, the giant and I stayed home for the sporadic trick-or-treaters while Dad and the big boys braved the wind and rain for door-to-door begging. I feel guilty complaining in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but the weather conditions here were less than ideal. Patrick came home early with his pants literally wet up to his knees-- 

 

Elliott, who--golly, if only I was making this up--wished the candy-givers a "happy All Hallows' Eve" at every house, returned to examine his haul.

(It was only afterward I noticed that leaf tucked in his hat... How does THAT happen?)

 

Patrick had peeled off to get dry PJs on, but a quick, blurry photo shows the intense scrutiny the reunited brothers gave to their combined candy-- 

:) That's what it's all about...  

 

So, another year's in the blogging books! I'll let our jack-o-lanterns do the closing. That's Elliott's on the left and Patrick's on the right. (James chose the no-carve option this year, bless his heart.)

 

Elliott, being a perfectionist like his lovable, controlling mother, designed his jack-o-lantern on paper and let me transfer the drawing and carve. Patrick said "pshhhht" to that nonsense, grabbed his Magic Marker and required no supervision or assistance. (I ended up helping with the carving, but I swear this kid would've done the whole face if we let him!)

 

Hope you had a great Halloween, too!