7 months & counting...

As per usual I wrote this letter a few weeks ago, but it took me a while to post it. Nobody's

shocked, I know.

Dear James,

You've hit seven months now- I can't believe it!! Where do I begin to catch up on the past few months? Well, here goes...

Right around four months you started sleeping all the way through the night. It took your Dad & I awhile but we finally figured out that you needed a very early bedtime but then you would sleep 12 hours straight. Every morning you wake up in the B-E-S-T mood, which really helps Mom's feelings about a 6am start to the day. Let's just say that you did NOT get the early rising habit from your parents.

You've mastered rolling both ways and enjoy rolling across the room as your mode of transportation. Just recently you've gotten up on all fours and it looks like you'll be crawling soon. It's fun to watch you try to crawl- you aren't exactly the most patient baby and you start yelling with frustration when you can't figure out what comes next. I know I shouldn't find this so funny...but...well it's adorable. I'm confidant that you will take your revenge on me by crawling into everything!

You started solids at five months and LOVE it. We honestly can not get food into your mouth fast enough! It hasn't really occurred to you that you can refuse the foods that you aren't too fond of (peaches and broccoli). You'll give us the stink eye after every bite but always open up for more.

On your 6 month birthday you got your first tooth. Your Dad & I had taken you to the doc for your well-baby check up (you were, as always, in the 50th percentile for weight and 85th percentile for length) and when the doc asked if we had seen any signs of teeth we replied "no". About 5 mutes later I gave you my finger to nibble on and immediately hollered. It seems that you had gotten your first tooth that morning. You were so good about it- you didn't get fussy or have any of the other dreaded teething signs that we just assumed it was a ways off yet. About a week later you got your second tooth and we are eagerly awaiting the top two.

Right now you have three favorite things: jumping, splashing and your cousin Isabella. We joke that it's always 'quarter past jump-time' in your world. You've got a jumperoo that you love but better than that is anyone's lap. We take you to the public pool as often as possible and you have a blast splashing. Bath time is always fun also. You splash so much that the back of my legs get soaked. I am also confused as to how that happens. You are always so pleased with yourself for the big splashes that I end up giggling just as much as you do. As for your cousin Bella... what can I say, you ADORE her. She never fails to get you giggling to the point that you are red-faced. Every time she walks into the room your face lights up. Thankfully she has just as much fun with you (but honestly, who could resist your infectious giggle?)

There isn't really anything you strongly dislike right now. You aren't a huge fan of sitting (why sit when you can jump or roll?) but it's no big deal- you just flop yourself into the position you like better. You also have very limited patience for the time post-bath, pre-bottle. You don't really cry about it, but you don't hesitate to yell at me to hurry it up!

This summer should be interesting as you get more mobile. I'm grateful that I only have to work a few days a week- you grow so fast that I would miss things otherwise!!

I love you more than my next breath!

Love

Mom

Here are a few recent photos:



and a few very short videos:

Laughing at his cousin Bella:





And his first bagel (note: it was frozen to help with teething. Also, that his HIM snorting his excitement!)

Mother's Day

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day and it was fantastic!! The day started will James sleeping in until almost 10am. Then we headed over to the nursing home to visit Dave's Gramma where we met up with Joyce, my mother-in-law and Lilli, James' cousin. After that we went to my sister-in-law, Crystal's house and and met Melissa and Steve there. I got some lovely cards and flowers from everybody and when we got home there was a teeny tiny mold of James' hand waiting for me. Here are some photos from the day:






Totally unrelated to mother's day, here is a video from today:

James in Action

Here are a couple of little video clips of my lil guy going to town:



James & the Giant Jumperoo






In this one he just learned raspberries and the delicacy known as 'feet'. Please note at the 1:40(ish) mark how he actually roars at his foot.





I also FINALLY updated the photo links!!

Letter to James

It occurred to me recently that the details fade in time.

My sister, Melissa made me a fantastic baby book and James is going to have something wonderful to look at but all the pictures and milestone dates don't really tell the story of who he is. I find myself wondering "when did I sleep through the night? Was I a happy baby? Was I a total pain in the ass? When did I cut my first tooth and more importantly- how bad was it?". Since my mom is gone I don't really have anyone who can answer these questions. Sure I can find out when I first walked but what was it like? Did I take to it right away or did I wipe out more times than a fat man on a surf board? So I decided that for prosperity I am going to include letters in James' baby book detailing not only his milestones but what he's like. I know I always appreciate when I come across something in my mother's handwriting, I'm hoping James does too.

Here is the first letter:

"All about James, the first 3 months"

You recently turned three months old although it seems like just yesterday that we first set eyes on each other.The past few months have been a wild ride but I'm happy to say I think we've finally gotten used to each other. I've started back to work a few days a week and I miss you terribly while I'm gone but every time I walk in the door and you give me that big gummy smile I forget all about everything else.
You are growing so fast- it's a constant amazement!! You learned the difference between night & day very early on (within the first week) and by six weeks you were giving mom some much needed chunks of sleep. Although you don't REALLY sleep through the night just yet, it's not a big deal. You go down like a champ & I consider myself lucky. I know plenty of mamas with older babies that struggle harder than we do! The biggest bonus is that you always wake up with a smile. Honestly my favorite part of the day is our bedtime routine. You love your bath and I love our cuddle time. The only thing I don't like is turning out the lights & walking away.
Your first smile came at 4am when you were just shy of six weeks and ever since then you are smiles all the time. You're not a huge fan of the early evening and prefer to be left alone until we start our bedtime routine. Your dad & I think it's hilarious how much personality you already have!
Likes & Hates: You just became a little more tolerant of 'tummy time' but that's only because you just learned how to roll over and can now get out of it whenever you feel like it. You H-A-T-E your car seat. You love to stand (while we hold your hands or waist of course) and you also love to sit and rub your hands together. It almost seems like you're plotting your next coup. You're earning your nickname 'Wiggle Worm' with your constant motion. Dad & I are in for a rough time when you get mobile!
I'm looking forward to your first giggle- I can tell it's close! I know that I certainly have laughed more in the past 3 months than I thought possible. You've changed so much about my life and I'm eager to see what the next few months have in store for us!
I love you more than I could ever explain
Mom

Paparazzi be damned

The phrase is "A picture is worth a thousand words"

Not this one. This one is worth 3 words.

They are "F*** You Mom"

Little heifer....

Somebody is growing like a weed!! At our 2 month check up (which happened on Monday Jan 19th) we found out he had grown an inch in 2 weeks but hadn't gained all that much weight. On Friday we had a little puke-in-the-eye incident which resulted in a green-goo eye which brought us to the doc AGAIN this past Monday. HE GAINED A POUND IN ONE WEEK!!!!



Porker.



So now we're up to 12lb 9oz and almost 24". He's in the 75th percentile for both. I'm thinking future defensive end.



We're all smiles all the time now. James also is trying unsuccesfully to suck his thumb. It cracks me up everytime. He gets so mad, like his thumb is some elusive creature that is out to get him. At least his aim is getting better & he stopped punching himself in the forehead. Here are a couple of quick video clips showcasing the smiles & thumb sucking. The quality is kinda poor- I took them on my regular camera not my video camera.

Here are some smiles I caught:





Here he is trying to outsmart his thumb:

What a cow!!

We finally had our 1 month check up but he was 6 weeks old when it happened. James is weighing in at 11lbs 4oz!!! I can't believe what a little porker he is! The doc said that was normal growth (50-75%) and it just seems like a huge jump because we were a few weeks later than the check up should have been. We have to go back in 2 weeks for his 2 month check up so he can get all of his shots. He had to get one shot while we were there & he took it like a champ. Actually he hated the alcohol more than the needle. James also has a bit of a flat head developing on his right side, so we're putting him on a wedge while he naps & hopefully that side will pop back out. For some reason mommy's lil booger just like to lay down with his head turned to one side. Eh, what can I say- he's got quirky parents too.

In other James news I got my first smile! Believe me, I had received plenty of smiles that were followed by horrible smells and loud noises from his south end, but this was an honest-to-goodness eyes crinkling smile. It was at 4am. Ugh. I'm just glad that James has put a reward system in place for getting up in the wee hours of the night.

And one last tidbit- I am back to work. Well, as much as I plan to anyway. I can't believe 6 weeks went by so fast! I will be in the office all day on Tues & Wed and sometimes on Thurs as well. Our neighbor/'long time friend of the family' is taking care of my baby while I'm working. She's due with her 3rd child at the beginning of March. After her 6 weeks I'll be watching her kids on the days that I'm off. It's a nice arrangement for both of us- nobody needs daycare, each one of us is relying on a sitter who actually has an emotional attachment to all of the kids AND travel time is negligible (we share a driveway). I put in two days at the office this week- it wasn't too bad. Honestly it was refreshing to get a bit of my life back to normal but I am glad it's only a few days a week!

Well James & I are off- we've got some mall walking to do now (it is too damn cold in Chicago to walk outside and these pounds aren't losing themselves). I'm throwing in one pic, but check out the album link if you've got time- I put a bunch of photos up.