Jack at 5

(I apologize for the sideways pic - blogger won't let me fix it.)  A couple weeks ago Jack went to his 5 year well child check up - woohoo!  He was super excited about it considering it was his "Kindergarten Check Up."  I did have to warn him about the whole finger prick and vaccines part but it did kind of help when I explained that they won't let you into school if you don't get shots.  He was agreeable after that but still hesitant.  It was also the last time he will see Dr. Fogle for a well child visit b/c the good doctor is retiring this summer.  We will be switching to a new doctor within the practice but I haven't made the choice yet of which one to go with.  Anyway, his stats were of course above average - always hitting that 75% for weight :)  Which cracks me up b/c while the kiddo does have a potbelly at times, he's gotten pretty lanky in the last year.  But then I looked at his height and realized how close all those percentages are.  When he was first measured, he was standing on his tiptoes and it placed him in the 99% which we thought - huh?  Then when the nurse remeasured, it took him down to the 50%.  1.75 inches makes you drop 50%.  Proof that once again NUMBERS ARE DUMB!  He also had to do the typical stuff like eye test, hearing test, picture recognition, etc.  And he had to pee in a cup which he couldn't stop laughing about and wanted to know where the cup of pee went after it disappeared in the silver window in the wall :)  Boys.

 He totally rocked out the finger prick and didn't even cry.  Very proud of him.  The shots...were another story.  But hearing a nice little History of Infectious Diseases from his mother while recuperating from the trauma of shots did help him a little I think.  I loved the look of incredulity on his face when I told him some moms don't let their kids get vaccines and how dangerous that is for them.  :)

On a sidenote, I love that we've made it to 5 and he still has bright red hair.  It gives me hope that he will always have this hair color :)


So here's some stats on Jack at 5:
Eating:  This kid is FINALLY getting more adventurous with food.  He will now actually eat green beans and peas.  I feel like this is my greatest parenting victory even though neither Andy nor myself did anything to make this happen (granted there were several dinner table fights in the last 3.5 years but I've made peace with that.  He will eat them...eventually.)  He won't try everything but we have managed to get him to choke down at least one bite of something new from time to time.  His favorites at this point are:  chicken fingers, mac n cheese, cheese, blackberries, cookies, corn dogs, corn, spaghetti, fish sticks, apple sauce, hamburgers, french fries, peanut butter and jelly, cheetos, popsicles, ice cream, anything with sugar, yogurt, Capri Suns, etc.  It is definitely getting easier to feed him.  Thank god.

Sleeping:  Jack is phenomenal.  He is my easy sleeper.  Will go to bed around 8:30-9 and wakes between 5:45-6:15 each morning.  This is of course on weekends too BUT he's going through a good spell here of sleeping without interruption during the night - EVEN WITH LUCY IN THE ROOM.  He will also still take an hour long nap at home on the weekends (and at school) but some days he skips it.  People keep asking if I'm worried about him transitioning to no nap in Kindergarten and the answer is no.  He actually can do fine without it - I'm just desperate for an hour to relax (and fold laundry) that I will make him nap if he's willing to.  Don't judge me.

Personality:  If I could make a list of adjectives or descriptors for Jack, the following would be at the top:  Sweet, soft-hearted, smart, adaptable, inquisitive, loud, energetic, excited about anything and everything, protective big brother, talkative - nonstop, loves to tell a story (his recurring phrase with every sentence is, "Mommy, I have to tell you something..."  This can be followed by anything - "Venus is the hottest planet," "Ultron can defeat The Hulk," "Zombies come out of graves," or "I just spilled my milk all over the kitchen floor.")  He is pumped about everything - including Kindergarten.    It's fun watching his mind start to work things out - such as feelings, life, why some people do something one way and not another.  And because he's a typical boy - he asks very morbid, strange questions too - lately the concept of graveyards has fascinated him to the point that he launches into a string of questions any time we pass one. I'm hoping this passes soon.  It's kinda creepy.

Favorites:  Superheros - particularly Avengers, dinosaurs, construction (does this one ever leave boys?), Spongebob Squarepants, TMNT, playing with his basketball goal, running around the house at top speed screaming, playing with/terrifying his sister, bugs, getting dirty, being loud, singing along to all the songs on my phone, spending time with all of us, and just being an awesome little kid.

This is definitely my favorite age so far.  I love 5 year old Jackman and the little, kind-hearted, smart, feisty kid he has become :)  And I can't believe this is the next step right here! AHHHHH!!!!!