James Rocco Spears

Welcome to the website of James Rocco Spears....much to our embarassment, it hasn't been updated since
fall. We apologize especially to all our relatives near and far, who don't get to see James enough and really
enjoy seeing the photos online. We hope this update will more than satisfy your desire to see him

September was a quiet month. James returned to daycare full time and the transition was practically seamless.
A newcomer to the group, Isabella, is now the youngest and the only girl there. James took a while to warm up
to Isabella due to jealousy and finally having someone he can push around, but now he is pretty used to her.
We did make a trip downtown to see the big jelly bean in Millennium Park, where James enjoyed a dinner with
Daddy. We got our hopes WAY up for the Cubbies, attending one last game and rooting for them on TV, but
this again was not their year.

October was a busy month. We traveled to the "mounds in Denvah" so Scott could stand up in his best friend
Keith's wedding. James loved the visit, which included a plane ride, a trip to Casa Bonita, a chance to see
Grandma and Grandpa Spears, and lots of great food. His favorite part of the trip was discovering empty
boxes in the gift room during the reception, making new friends, and then climbing all over them. We got to see
Uncle Aaron, who joined us on our annual apple and pumpkin pickin adventures. We celebrated Mommy's
birthday. Decorating and preparing for Halloween was a real treat this year! James loved pointing out
decorations on houses and stores wherever we went and loved all the books we read to him. We made our
annual visit to Portage Park pumpkin patch with Michael and Pat, and James especially enjoyed the petting zoo.
We spent a day at Daley Center Plaza, visiting their annual Halloween celebration and allowing James to make
his own pumpkin. We decorated the windows with clings and homemade decorations, carved our pumpkins,
and lit them. James loved skeletons, which he called "bones," so we decided this would be the perfect costume
for him. He refused to wear the mask, though.

November was busy as well. We visited the Field Museum for the first time. James now calls it the "dinosaur
museum." He enjoyed the new children's area, looking at Sue, and seeing all the animals. We transitioned to a
"big boy bed" this month. James was very proud to "help" Daddy convert his crib into a toddler bed, and
although it took a few days to adjust, he loves the bed now. Mommy started her holiday baking, which James
was more than happy to help with. He dumped in ingredients, stirred them, rolled out cookie dough, used
cookie cutters, placed them on the cookie sheets, and turned on the oven light so he could watch them cook.
He will be making family dinners in no time! We spent Thanksgiving in Moline, and fun was had by all.

December was hectic and crazy, but seen through the eyes of a two year old, it was also wonderful! James was
excited at the idea of Santa, loved reading about him, but refused to sit on his lap. He would wait in line
excitedly and talk to Santa but wouldn't get close enough for a picture. We attended family mass with open
gym, where James discovered the joy of hockey. We visited the Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier again. This
year, James wanted to do EVERYTHING and truly had a blast. We could hardly keep up with him! If you want
to get nostalgic, visit December 2006 to compare the pictures! We rode the CTA Santa Train, which was as
crazy as ever. We went to Lincoln Park Zoo Lights, where we finally got a picture with Santa (along with
Mommy), and James discovered he could climb like the big kids. We joined the Museum of Science and
Industry and paid them a visit, and again James left us pooped out! Christmas was especially fun. We hosted
an open house on Christmas Eve morning, attended mass and watched the children's Christmas play (which of
course James wanted to be a part of), ate Mommy's homemade pasta, then got the house ready to receive
Santa. James sampled Santa's cookie (a pizzelle, so how could he resist?) before heading off to bed. In the
morning, when we told him Santa had come and eaten the cookie and drank the milk, he hopped right out of
bed to examine the crumbs. Santa brought him a big red barn and a racetrack for Christmas, as well as tons of
stocking goodies! After Christmas, we headed to NC for a brief visit to Nonna and Grandpa D's house. We
met cousin Sophia Marie for the first time, and although James was jealous when Mommy held her, he was very
gentle and careful when around her. We got to visit with Muggy, Anna, Frank, and David, and James got to eat
at Andy's Pizza, his favorite Raleigh restaurant. On the airplane, James met the captain, who gave him an
airplane card to keep. He was VERY proud of this card!

James has discovered that Mommy has a baby in her belly, and he calls it "Baby Sister." He sometimes tells us
he has a baby in his belly, too. He tries to look into Mommy's belly button to find the baby. He loves reading
books about being a big brother, passing things onto the new baby, and having a baby sister. We bought him
a baby doll and stroller for Christmas, which is helping him learn how to care for a baby. We are working
harder on potty training, in the hopes of being done before the baby is born. James loves his underwear! The
baby is due in April, so we are hoping to make a smooth transition.

Best wishes to everyone for a safe, healthy and prosperous 2008. We will keep up with the website better!!!