Made in Richmond

JR came home from school yesterday “not feelin’ gooooooood” and complaining that his ear, tummy, back, and head hurt. Of course this was all revealed at 5pm, right when the doctor’s office was closed for the evening.

So we soldiered on and this morning it was obvious that he had gotten worse. See, he never gets sick and is so baffled by the concept of feeling poorly that he spends his illnesses both sick AND full of woe. I called the doctor first thing and snagged an appointment for 11am.

And then he threw up all over me. A quick call back to the doctor got us an appointment right away.

Turns out it’s just a stomach bug (as evidenced by the vomit he left strewn about the doctor’s office). All of the other symptoms are just from feeling like, well, ass to put it bluntly.

While I don’t like it when JR is sick, that’s when I feel most competent as a parent. His needs are concrete and usually involve lots of cleaning him up and holding him. The constant thought running through my head is “I’ve got this.”

Plus, I’m really good at spending the day on the couch.

JR,

I keep shouting “Three months until three! WHAT???!”

Yes, it’s coming and I’m sort of terrified. Three isn’t a baby. Three is a *kid*. How do I have a kid? Time, you are fleeting!

(The fact that I turn 30 just before your birthday isn’t helping.)

Songs are your favorite things at the moment. Ziggy Marley’s “Give a Little Love” is the current favorite. You shout “LOUDER” when we listen to it in the car. It could be so much worse, so I usually oblige.

I’ve recently discovered that shopping with you is really fun. Some days we spend about an hour just wondering around stores like TJ Maxx, checking things out and chatting. You’ve started deeming various things as “so cuuuuuute” which kills me dead.

You’re in a SUPER cuddly phase right now which is just about the best thing ever. You’re all about sitting on my lap and holding my hand. I know this will probably pass soon, so I’m soaking it up while I can.

The biggest event this month was you serving as the ring bearer in our friends Sean and Kira’s wedding. When they first asked, I was a bit nervous because kids and weddings can sometimes be a disastrous combination, but you did great during the ceremony. The reception was a different story, but we’ll choose to ignore that (and to sing the praises of your Aunt Robin who swooped in the save the day). You came through when it mattered, and that’s all we can ask from anyone — especially someone who isn’t quite three yet.

Plus you were wearing a bow tie! Let’s be honest: you probably could’ve hollered the whole way down the aisle and no one would’ve cared.

Love,
Mama

At least this one is. He lets you stay in your pajamas all day and will throw you up in the sky. WITH SWORDS.

(All photos by JR. See more of his most recent pics here.)

JR,

I am so very sorry for missing letters for both your 31st and 32nd month outside of my person. Well I guess I technically didn’t miss the 32nd letter — I’m just kind of late.

But I have good excuses!

First, I got shingles. You have no idea what that is, but trust me that it’s horrible and it’s a miracle I even managed to get us dressed on those days; writing coherent words was out of the question.

Second, your dad and I just got back from a vacation in the mountains. I was busy eating and napping and napping and eating and napping. And you were hanging out with Mamaw, so you barely noticed we were gone anyway.

Third…um….it’s like 7,000 degrees out. That really has nothing to do with your monthly letters, but it’s my current excuse for all my shortcomings. Being a Richmonder yourself, take heed and follow my guidance in the future.

***

32 months (and a few days) means that you are (in my opinion) uncomfortably close to three.

Why is it uncomfortable, you ask?

Well, a couple reasons…

1. Three is very close to four which is awfully close to five which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from you starting school which is seconds away from you leaving us for college and forever and thus crushing my heart.

2. When you were first born, your dad and I decided to table the “next baby” discussion until you turned three. And then we made the mistake of telling lots of people that, so more and more I’m fielding questions from curious friends and family members about when they can expect Baby Catrow 2.0.

Because of some other issues going on, it looks like that discussion will actually be tabled for another year or so, which I’m actually completely fine with. You see, while Mama may squeeeeeeeee with delight at the sight of any and all newborn babies, I currently have no urgings to bring one into our family yet. Because here’s the thing: I don’t missing having a newborn baby; I miss having the newborn baby version of you, mostly because you keep doing that growing up thing that gets on my nerves. If I could go back and relive your specific babyhood, I would in a second. That’s as far as it goes right now. So whether or not you’ve got siblings in the works remains to be seen.

***

A couple weeks ago your Daddy spent the weekend in New York. When he came back, he said that you were a completely different kid — verbally at least. Coming home from a couple days away from you, I totally see what he means. You like a real dude now and you change so quickly! We have full-fledged conversations where you ask and answer questions, make jokes, share your opinions, and all that good stuff. It’s so much fun just to chat with you and see what you think about things.

***

This past month marked an incredibly important milestone for you…at least for the Catrow family: your first movie. We took you to see Cars 2. We tried to go to the first showing after your nap, but the theater was having some technical difficulties, so we had to hang around for an hour to wait for the next show to start. By the end of the movie, we’d been at the theater for about three hours, but you did a great job. You only got a little restless toward the end. When we went to see Winnie the Pooh earlier this week, you did even better. It’s exciting for us that you love going to movies because it’s our absolute favorite thing to do. I look forward to more movie dates in the future.

***

School continues to go wonderfully. I met with your teachers last month, and they had wonderful things to say about you and it’s obvious that they know you extremely well. I can’t tell you how fantastic it is to see that on the days you’re not with me, you’re in the care of people who really do love you. They know your strengths, your weaknesses, what makes you happy, what scares you. I couldn’t ask for a better childcare situation, and we are blessed to have them in our lives. You clearly love them as well, considering they are the first people you mention when we say your prayers at night.

***

While you’re definitely a Mama’s boy to the max, you are definitely gaga over your Daddy these days. The last time he was out of town, you asked pretty much every hour on the hour where he was and when he was coming home. You even slept in one of his T-shirts because it was the only way you’d settle down. It’s wonderful to see how close you two are, and I can’t wait to see where it goes — what “things” you two will have, what you will do together, how your relationship will grow.

I’m lucky to have you both. My boys. How could I ask for more?

Love,
Mama

JR is a bit hesitant when it comes to new experiences. Add in his aversion to getting messy (we’re indoor people, ok?) and it can make some of the typical summer pastimes a bit challenging.

I talked to his teachers about his cautious nature at our conference a couple weeks ago, and they assured me that it was nothing major to worry about — just a personality thing that we would be grateful for when he’s 16 and his friends are off acting like boneheads as he’s saying to them “Whatever, dudes, I’m not trying to die.”* They also added that he always does whatever it is you’re asking him to do…he’s just going to do it on his own time.

Well, today was apparently his time.

Ladies and gentlemen, we now have a little boy who is in love with the sprinkler**. And for whatever reason, I could not be more proud of him. Way to go, kid.

*We call this “being the dad” which, funny enough, his dad totally is in his group of friends.
**While he’s pretty into running through the sprinkler, he was more stoked when I turned the water down a bit so he could observe how it moved and clean off his flip flops. Nerd.

The Hulk vs. Captain America from Ross Catrow on Vimeo.

(Yes, he is wearing a Tony Stewart T-shirt. I don’t know.)