The JBP Chronicles

This is a regular e-mail my mother writes to keep everyone updated on the apple of her eye.. no longer me, but my son, JBP!

Dear Friends and Family,
August is half over, and I haven't recorded half the cute and amazing things JBP has done. For one thing, I've been busy reading Miss Kendra's blog about their 5-month-old, Nathaniel , whom they just brought home from Korea.

Also, I've been busy finishing up paying writing assignments and working on the syllabus for my single class this semester. I hope these tidbits will brighten your day.
Hugs

Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005
Last night when he went to bed, JBP made sure he had three pillows -- one for him, one for Dora and one for Boots (Dora's monkey friend).

Yesterday, JBP played with Am over the noon hour at her grandma's house next door. Today, Am came to our house at 9:00, and she and JBP played until he had to go to daycare. He said to her, "I was your dest (guest) yesterday, and you're my dest today." He liked that idea. They
played outside most of the time, as Am is afraid of the dogs. They had homemade juicecicles, and they played with the trains in the family room for awhile. I'm so glad JBP has someone to play with.

Wed., Aug. 3, 2005
I gather that he kept bringing her gifts yesterday -- grapes, strawberries, a soft pretzel. When we got home from work and daycare last night, he ran over to her grandmother's house and invited Am for supper. Her grandma said no.

At bedtime he thanked Jesus that he got to play with "my firend Am." Then he added that he wants "to play with her every day and every night."

Again, he made sure he had pillows in his bed for Dora and Boots -- but this time at the other end of the bed. Monday night, he slept crosswise on the bed, and he's just too long for that anymore.

I had gotten him a Dora coloring book about Best Friends Day. We read it together at suppertime, and he did one of the dot-to-dots.

Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2005
My birthday. I am 60. Can't figure how that can be, since I KNOW I'm only 25. (And here I thought she was still 16!) As soon as JBP got up this morning, he came out to the dining room,
calling, "Happy Birthday, Dwamma." He handed me a spray of artificial sunflowers. The boy has heard me wishing for some Maximilian sunflowers, so he bought me some. He also gave me an eyglass repair kit, informing me, "I paid for both fings."

The repair kit had soft foam guards to put on the nosepices of my glasses. I immediately did so. Oh, the RELIEF. I have suffered terribly with raw spots on my nose from the sharp nosepieces on these glasses.

JBP amused himself with the magnifying glass.

The weather continues unbearably hot, up to 99 on some days. A little after breakfast, JBP came into the dining room again, announcing, "Dwamma! Dere's a cold front coming today!" He might well grow up to be a weather forecaster.

Or a chiropractor. We dropped Nimitz' Lady at the dentist, then drove to the chiropractor for me. They have a playroom to keep kids occupied, but it wasn't enough for JBP. He's seen it before. First, he played with a toddling baby, and then he came into the treatment room and helped the chiropractor work on me. He tenderized my back with a rubber hammer;
then he rolled the wooden beads up and down my back muscles. The chiropractor is very patient; although, she did remark to me, "He's very energetic. I'm exhausted just watching him."

On Sabbath, there was a baptism at church. JBP watched with interest. When a girl he knows (who is considerably older than he) stepped down into the pool, JBP was jealous. "Why do THEY get to be baptized?" he demanded.

A few moments later, he began to cry and wail, "I want to be baptized -- right now. Five-year-olds can be baptized."

Rather than explain the whole accountability thing -- which he's too young to understand and would simply argue with -- we just told him that he needs to take the baptismal course first.

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2005
JBP met baby Nathaniel at church last Sabbath. JBP stroked the baby's cheek, and Nathaniel reached out to touch JBP's cheek. It reminded me of the picture we have of JBP with one hand in his own mouth and one hand in his mamma's mouth, feeling her teeth. Comparing.

Sunday, I had to play Bee again. This time, JBP sang everything he told the bee about. Sometimes he wants to talk to the whole hive, and I have to "fly" my index finger off, bring it back and wiggle ALL the fingers on one hand to indicate the hive-full of bees. Being an imaginary friend is exhausting.

We had a guest dog again. When Nimitz' Lady's Husband walked our girls Sunday morning, he came back with a rottweiler in tow. The dog, whom we called Rottie, was sweet and friendly. Personally, I've never met a rottweiler who wasn't. We kept him in the garage, with the back door open so he could "step outside" when necessary. "He almost peed on the floor," JBP told me.

Nimitz' Lady's Husband called the Humane Society and city animal shelter to let them know we
had found the dog. On Monday morning, I called the Animal Hospital on the dog's rabies tag
and gave them his tag number. "That's Rockey!" exclaimed the receptionist.

No wonder he had responded when we called him "Rottie." It was close to his real name.
I called his mamma, and she came in a few minutes. Rocky heard her voice outside and got excited. His mamma said she had thought someone stole him.

They were both happy to be reunited.

A little later, a man called, saying he had been told we'd found a rottweiler. When I told him that we had already found it's home, he sounded so heart-broken, I wanted to cry for him. I pray he has found his dog by now.

We didn't let JBP out in the garage with Rocky without adult supervision. Friendly though he was, he was a BIG dog. And he kept trying to mount JBP in a dominance gesture. Once, he jumped up to play and knocked JBP down.

The whole thing was a good lesson for JBP in being careful around strange dogs. Until now, we've been mostly unable to restrain him from running up to any dog he sees.

JBP has done some incredibly cute things in the past week or two, but I forgot them by the time I got to the computer. If I remember in future, I will add the information.