My baby is how old?!

It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks- no pun intended with tropical storm Fay spinning just a little way south of us right now. But that's a whole 'nother blog post.

Last week we celebrated J's 4th birthday in style. J's not much for a party. It's just overwhelming for him to be the center of all that attention. And quite honestly, it's hard for me to justify the expense and physical work that goes into planning a birthday party for him, just so he can completely not enjoy it. So, with the money that we would have spent on a party, we decided to take a mini-vacation to Orlando. The timing worked out well since the parents were bringing the nephew home from a summer long visit in TN that same week.

We stayed at the Nickelodeon hotel and didn't even bother with any of the theme parks or anything like that. Lounging in the pool and running amok in the arcade was plenty fun for him.

Of course, being true to his character, he did find it more than a little overwhelming-- all the people, the loud noise, the characters. He wouldn't come within 50 feet of them. Not even Blue of Blue's Clues fame. Seriously, what child is afraid of Blue?! But I didn't push the issue. It scared him that they didn't talk more than anything. Weird.

But the pools were great fun, and we got a good sunburn. We also enjoyed cake and a good visit with the family, so it was time and money well spent.

I think that next year he may decide he'd rather have a party since he'll be making all these new friends at Preschool this year.

Yes, that's right. My little baby started preschool today. Not daycare, not Mommy's day out, but real, structured, have to do what your told to do, preschool. Seriously, it seems like they grow up entirely too fast, doesn't it? I know every parent says that, and I'm sure they truly mean it, but every time I look at my big boy sitting there, absorbing so much from the world around him, it just amazes me.

So, a big birthday, the first day of school, and today he also had his 4-year checkup at the pediatrician's. There's a whole separate drama surrounding that, but I can skip that for sanity's sake.

Essentially, he passed his vision test perfectly, and his blood pressure is good. He failed his hearing test completely, but I was assured that it's not uncommon at this age-- more of a selective hearing problem than a true hearing problem. But we'll monitor it, and if I have any concerns, we'll visit the audiologist just to be sure. He's still a bit behind in motor skills, but he's coming along in that department, too. I think being in school and trying to keep up with his faster classmates may solve a lot of that problem. He's off the charts in both height and weight, and the doctor tells me that, according to standard charts, he's obese. But honestly, he's just a big kid. I'm willing to admit that he's a little bit of a chunk, but he eats a healthy diet, and I think he's just going to be a tall, stout boy. Think linebacker. That's my boy. But I'll take the doctor's suggestion about cutting back on juice and adding more whole wheat options into his diet. Aside from that, I'm not about to consider putting my 4-year-old on a 'diet', or stigmatizing his eating habits. Especially when I know he really is a fairly healthy eater.

Anyway, I'll leave you with some pictures of our vacation/birthday bash. And I promise I'll try to be a better blogger in the future.