Oh @jaynie, what to say next...
Jude is beautiful, and blessed to have a conscious and aware mom like you. Your description here very much fits not just being an Empath, but also Sensory-Processing Sensitivity (also known as being an HSP-- Highly Sensitive Person), something I've spent 20+ years studying, researching and writing about.
I won't bombard you with a bunch of resources and information, but I don't know if you're familiar with this short self-questionnaire, and the work of Dr. Elaine Aron; it's probably better known in the US and Western Europe:
http://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/
And here's the one for parents assessing their kids:
http://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-child-test/
There was also a beautiful documentary film made a couple of years ago; this is very much a real "thing," not just "New Age Woo-woo."
Sorry, this is a lot of stuff, I know... but I recognized that little boy in myself, almost 50 years ago before "Empath" was even a thing. The more we know, the better off we are!
Blessings!
Oh wow, not "bombardment" at all @denmarkguy. Thank you for these, I will definitely check them all out!
As for my little man.... yeah, he sure is one in a million gem :)