J and MJ (aka J.mo)

My biggest reluctance in using the name Jameson was that it started with the same letter as Jenna.  Up to that point everyone in our family had a unique starting initial which was essential in calendaring. I mean who really wants to write out an entire name on the calendar when one letter will suffice? Certainly not me.  In the end Jameson's birth mom picked out his first name, Marlon, and we picked out his middle name, Jameson.  On the calendar he shows up as MJ instead of just J. Phew. Crisis averted! That was a close one.

We aren't a real nick-namey kind of family.  We call Britton "Britton", we call Jenna "Jenna" and we call Korinne "Korinne". Wild and crazy we are not, but there is something about having a third syllable that makes you want to call Jameson something shorter. Unfortunately we don't like any of the shortened versions of Jameson.  Jamie? Blah, no thanks. James? Nope, just doesn't fit.  Adam and Britton were at a high school soccer game between 2 local schools and there was a kid named Jameson on the team.  His teammates kept yelling, "Way to go J.mo!" after he would do anything so the kids started calling Jameson "J.mo", too. Well, I'm afraid it has stuck.  I really tried to start calling him MJ at one point, but found myself calling him J.mo more often than not.  Wow. Our first kid with a nickname.  Perhaps we are wild and crazy after all.

Jenna has a bit of that over-achiever gene that has been floating around our extended families.  She wants to be a part of everything and when it comes to school everything needs to be perfect.  This year she has orchestra before school 2 mornings a week (and private lessons 2 afternoons a week), she is the elected Vice President of the Providence Panda Club (the leadership and service club open to all 5th grade students), and she was selected to be a part of a e-mission club which meets one morning a week before school and is all about space exploration.  She is also doing SEM (the gifted and talented program) and is a member of the Mountain West Strings Ambassador program meaning she has additional orchestra performances and rehearsals.  In short this means that she has something before school every day except for Mondays. Yes, we have officially entered the world of staggered departures.  Britton leaves at 6:40 a.m., Jenna at 7:40 and Korinne at 8:20.  Jameson likes to send them off with a "bye bye" while blowing kisses.  He'll even give them a hug if they ask for one. Most days he is ok sending them out, but occasionally he doesn't like to be the one left behind.

Jameson is 22 months old today.  He is at a particularly difficult stage of life (for me, not him) in that he is extremely active, very curious, and can get himself ANYWHERE in record time without Mom knowing.  This week he waited until I was in the shower and then took all of the towels and ran into the other room laughing. (That was fun). He also climbed up to the kitchen sink, turned on the water and used the sprayer to get water all over the kitchen. (Just in case you were wondering it can spray really far! At least the floor got mopped that day.) This morning I came into the kitchen just in time to see him up on the counter putting a piece of bread into the microwave. (Hm, a microwave and a 22 month old--what could possibly go wrong?) He is taking after Korinne who has always thought it was much better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.   What's funny is that he is always so proud of himself when we find him doing stuff he shouldn't be doing. I'm convinced he doesn't do it to be naughty, everything is just so new and exciting!  I know things will calm down with age and maturity.  If you could only see the smile he flashes in the midst of his shenanigans it would really melt your heart. He's a heart breaker.

Me, trouble? Never!

We got the toddler bed out last week to give him an option as to where he can sleep.  While he still gets out of his crib frequently and runs around the room, in the end he always ends up back in his crib to sleep.  We'll keep them both up for awhile.  I don't care where he sleeps, I only care that he does sleep.