Five years tomorrow...

And what a 5 years it has been. Jaymes keeps life interesting, that's for sure. I cannot believe my little baby boy is going to be 5! And while there is a hint of sadness that at age 5, he is like a slightly behind 2 year old... It's not worth obsessing over.

Jaymes is the cutest child on the face of the earth. Sorry, it's true. Can't deny what's right in front of me! Often his cuteness is what saves him. You can't be mad at that smooshy little face for long, and when he comes out of a time out and verbally assaults whoever times him out, in rapidfire gibberish, I just crack up. Jaymes is excellent comic relief, even when we're mad or he's mad. You should have heard him tell Jason off the other morning. It was 5 minutes of nonstop, stern, sometimes threatening sounding gibberish, intermingled with phrases such as "go away!" "go to bed!" "I want candy" "Want to watch elmo"and as it winded down, "it's ok, it's ok" to soothe daddy's apparently hurt feelings. Too cute.

He is the king of escape and destruction. He can get past any babyproofing you might do, get up to even the highest countertop or cabinet. He can unlock a door with keys, and he can untie knots that took forever to tie! He can enter a perfectly spotless room, and within 10 minutes, it'll look like a warzone.

He makes cool patterns with things. He takes his Sesame Street books and makes houses out of them (like card houses sort of), and takes cans from the kitchen to arrange into a double layered circle or s shape. He keeps everything lined up just so, and heaven forbid it get moved at all. Sierra loves to torment him by moving things when he's not looking. Makes him crazy.

A year ago, Jaymes ate nothing but nuggets and fries. No fruit, no veggies. No pasta, no meat. No milk, nor juice. As of now, Jaymes eats chicken nuggets, fries, apples, cheese, pasta, burgers, corn, hot dog, chips, crackers, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, gummies, rice cakes, sandwiches... and more that I can't remember. It is so exciting for me to watch him actually eat a whole meal. He never did that before.

Jaymes no longer uses a stroller in public. One day he decided he was too big, and he walks (mostly) politely with us. He does feel he's too much of a man to hold mommy's hand, but we're working on that part. He still loves being kissed and snuggled and carried around like a little baby, but in the privacy of his own home.

He is so independent. When I take him to the bus stop every morning, I'm not allowed to touch him, or come onto the bus with him. he doesn't need my help, he's a big man and grabs his backpack and climbs those huge stairs all by himself without a backwards glance at me. He drinks from a cup, without spilling (unless he means to) and feeds himself with his fork. He carries his plates to the sink (when asked to!) and he knows which one is his. He knows where his seat is at the dining room table, and he also knows that he would much rather sit with his plate on the couch and watch Elmo while enjoying his meal, rotten thing.

Jaymes knows what he does and does not like. He doesn't like the cold. In winter, he won't go outside. But in summer, he lives outside. In his kiddy pool, walking the fence lines, jumping on the trampoline. All summer, he helpd me fill his horse's water bucket, turned on and off the hose when I asked, and pulled the wagon of hay over. He hates dog licks, but it's ok if he pets the dog first. He doesn't like his riding helmet, but he loves to ride. He loves neighbor kids, and wants to hold their hands and be babied. He hates books, but loves to build with them. Loves blocks, but only to put into bags and snuggle with on the couch.

He loves his blankets. Especially the pink one he stole from Sierra. I'm convinced the reason he is so attached to the pink one is simply the fact that it wasn't his and now it is. If he sees Sierra eating something, he'll eat it too, even if he hates it. It's priceless, watching him munch something that makes his face scrunch up in disgust, just to spite Si-Si. He's a goofball. He also loves anything pink for that same reason- because it's Sierra's. He sits in her new pink chair and just lounges, while looking down on the rest of us with distaste. He knows he's the king of the house, that despite anything we go through and anything he does, we'll love him unconditionally and never stay mad at him. Jaymes loves his swing, and he loves his music. He can focus and talk more while he swings. It's incredible. He loves to tell me his body parts, colors, and numbers while I swing him.

Everyone who meets Jaymes loves something about him. His pretty eyes, his dark hair, his pretty long eyelashes. His cuddly little face, or his contagious giggle, or his oh-so-serious gibberish lectures. He's a pain in the rear, but he's squishably soft, adorable, and handsome. Trust me, you can't resist him. Even seasoned child haters like Jaymes most of the time.

And me... He's probably going to have me with entirely grey hair by the time he's 8, and minus a few screws. Might be a little insane, and for sure tired. As it stands, no one in this house has sle[t in days thanks to Jaymes. I can't go to Walmart without people giving me dirty looks at Jaymes screaming, or flailing on the floor. I get CPS called on us because Jaymes did something that could have been bad. So much more paperwork, stress, and work than other kids.

But so totally worth it. Jaymes is the light of my life, the reason I'm here. He keeps me on my toes, and he has made me a stronger, better person. Even when I'm stressed and angry, I can't help but smile at something he does, and somehow it makes it all better. I am so blessed to have been given the gift that is my little buddy, and everyone who knows him is blessed as well.

Happy almost birthday, my little monkey. No one on earth is so lucky as I am.