JJ's favorite thing to watch these days...

...is BASKETBALL!!

He's always been interested in balls..."ball" was pretty much his first word after mama and dada. And recently, as we've had some of the NBA playoffs on (with the Sixers playing the Magic!) he's really gotten "hooked" on watching it on TV. We still mostly watch Baby Einstein videos, Veggie Tales, but now, he most passionately and incessantly goes to the the TV and asks for "a bal bal" for "basketball". Sometimes we can't find it on (especially during the day unless we watch Sports Center--which Daddy says isn't a good habit for him:) and I have to tell him there's no "bal bal" on the TV, but he usually doesn't take no for an answer. We wish we didn't have to worry about the commercials...so we always stay with him. But, we've decided that we need to get a basketball dvd that shows clips of games or something (like the Sixers, so it's something we'd want anyone) so that we can put it on if he asks for it. I've also thought we need to get Air Bud from the library as there's a "dodgy" and "bal bal" on there.

Last night, this was a good way to occupy him so he'd sit through his breathing treatment. Other than a week in high allergy time this spring, he's not needed them (PTL!) and we've done one a day the last 2 days as he's had runny nose/congestion I think due to teeth and allergies.

"Yeah, I'm 1 and 1/2 and I love basketball! Gotta problem with that?"

I kept trying to get a picture when he was pointing excitedly at the screen. He does this whenever he finds the ball being passed, shot or dribbled on the court, exclaiming excitedly "A bal bal"! We think it's so fun because we both love sports and they've been a part of both Jared's and my life, but we wouldn't "force" them onto our kids. It's just neat how God's given us a child that shares this interest. And we also go back to a conversation we had with our friends Tim and Jamie while I was pregnant with JJ, but we didn't know if we were going to have a boy or a girl. We said we would name a boy, "JJ" and Tim said, "oh, that's a name for a 'baller'...JJ Alleman." And our neighbors across the street, their daughter, Rachel, is a really great basketball player and she babysits JJ alot. She has a hoop in her driveway and JJ likes to watch her or us shoot the ball in the hoop, and he always wants to take the ball when Rachel is shooting it. Her Dad likes to call JJ, "JJ Reddick".
(who now plays for the Orlando Magic...but that doesn't mean we'll root for them over the Sixers!)

p.s. This sports' interest, also, is a special reminder from the Lord, that he will take care of JJ and wouldn't have given him a love for sports and not enable him to pursue this love because of the asthma that he currently struggles with.