James saw the doctor for his 6-month well baby visit today. He's perfectly healthy from head to toe! She thought it was funny that he does "crunches" to look around rather than wanting to sit up that much. But he's right on schedule for his development and almost rolled off the table while practicing his rolls!
Here are his stats:
Weight: 17 lbs 1 oz (35th percentile)
Height: 25.5" (15th percentile)
It seems like he's dropped percentile-wise, and I asked the doc about it... she said it's likely that since Eliot and I aren't large people and that Eliot was a small child as well that he may just be on the lower end of things. He's still trending up in the growth charts so she wasn't worried about it.
James also got his vaccinations and his flu shot... boy that was awful. He screamed and cried for 5 minutes or so, and then 4 hours later he did so again until we gave him tylenol. He still wouldn't sleep, though, so we held him and watch movies while he cuddled with us, then put him to bed an hour early. Poor little guy...
In other news, the angelcare monitor went off the last two nights because James has been jamming himself in the upper corner of the crib away from the sensor and getting stuck upside-down. He is ok, but it scared the begeezes out of me! I thought for sure I was going to find him not breathing. He was fine, though, smiling and happy to see me. Now I wonder if he's setting it off on purpose so he can play! :-)
We're enjoying the last few days of the year, though we're sad Eliot's sister Alison isn't able to visit as planned due to the blizzard in NY. So we are relaxing at home as much as possible before Eliot goes back to school. James has been back to wanting to eat every 2-3 hours at night (I think it's a growth spurt) so I am tiiiiiired. I rarely get more than 1.5-2hrs sleep at a time because it takes me so long to fall asleep. Oy.
Anyway, that's the update! I will have pics/videos soon, but tonight I'm just too tired. Oh well.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
James's first Christmas!
We had a great first Christmas with James! Our celebration started out on Christmas eve eve at Nathan and Lindy's house... the party consisted of Grandma Jan, Grandpa Ger, Uncle Nathan, Aunt Lindy, Great-aunt Diane (via Skype) and cousins Levi and Asher. It was LOUD, with lots of gifts, lots of laughs, and lots of good times. James did really well with all the excitement, going down for naps easily and not being fussy at all. After he went to bed, Eliot and I played with Levi and Asher in their new play fort... we had a ton of fun! We also played Uno Attack with my dad, Lindy, and Nathan to close out the evening. It was truly wonderful to spend so much time with family... and James got his first Christmas gift from his Aunt Lindy (a blanket with his initial, which he enjoyed chewing immensely).
Christmas eve we celebrated by having fajitas (which Eliot made for me!) and opening up one gift each as per our family tradition. Then we hit the hay... and woke up to Christmas morning! Well, I woke up eaaaaaarly, 3am and again at 6:30am for feedings, so Eliot got up with James at 7:45am while I slept in till 9:45 or so. It was one of my Christmas gifts. :-) We opened one or two presents with James before he needed a nap, then opened the rest of ours while he was sleeping. After he woke up and had lunch, he opened the rest of his gifts and stocking (with help from us!).
We spent the remainder of the day calling family, playing games, and relaxing at home. Once James went to bed, we made a ham with scallop potatoes and green bean casserole for dinner. Eliot and I also made a list of memories from 2010 and wrote them in a journal we got from our friend Ali for our wedding almost 5 years ago. It was a lovely evening.
Now that Christmas is over, I'm looking forward to James's 6-month well baby appt (NOT looking forward to the immunization shots!) and the new year. I can't believe it is almost 2011... this year has gone by too fast!
Here are some of my favorite pics from Christmas this year. There are tons more in James's Seventh Month photo album. Enjoy!
Love those candy canes!
First time in his high chair
Over the river and through the woods, to Nathan and Lindy's we go!
Hanging out with Uncle Nathan
Opening (or eating) the first gift!
Boys playing in their new fort
James with his gifts
Helping open his gift
Christmas morning with mommy!
"G" whistle from daddy
James with his stocking
Playing with his toys
James's Christmas dinner
And a video of our time playing with Asher and Levi:
Christmas eve we celebrated by having fajitas (which Eliot made for me!) and opening up one gift each as per our family tradition. Then we hit the hay... and woke up to Christmas morning! Well, I woke up eaaaaaarly, 3am and again at 6:30am for feedings, so Eliot got up with James at 7:45am while I slept in till 9:45 or so. It was one of my Christmas gifts. :-) We opened one or two presents with James before he needed a nap, then opened the rest of ours while he was sleeping. After he woke up and had lunch, he opened the rest of his gifts and stocking (with help from us!).
We spent the remainder of the day calling family, playing games, and relaxing at home. Once James went to bed, we made a ham with scallop potatoes and green bean casserole for dinner. Eliot and I also made a list of memories from 2010 and wrote them in a journal we got from our friend Ali for our wedding almost 5 years ago. It was a lovely evening.
Now that Christmas is over, I'm looking forward to James's 6-month well baby appt (NOT looking forward to the immunization shots!) and the new year. I can't believe it is almost 2011... this year has gone by too fast!
Here are some of my favorite pics from Christmas this year. There are tons more in James's Seventh Month photo album. Enjoy!
Love those candy canes!
First time in his high chair
Over the river and through the woods, to Nathan and Lindy's we go!
Hanging out with Uncle Nathan
Opening (or eating) the first gift!
Boys playing in their new fort
James with his gifts
Helping open his gift
Christmas morning with mommy!
"G" whistle from daddy
James with his stocking
Playing with his toys
James's Christmas dinner
And a video of our time playing with Asher and Levi:
Sunday, December 19, 2010
James is 6 months old!!!
Happy half-birthday to my little bean! I can't believe it's been half a year already... he's growing too fast!
We were going to go to the Cascade Raptor Center to celebrate (because James could look at all the birds), but it is mostly outdoor and it is raining cats and dogs today. So we may go to the indoor holiday market instead.
But at least we did get to take some pictures!
And I finally finished James's stocking! I stitched it all by hand and it took a LOOOONG time!
New developments this week:
James is eating a lot more solid foods. He now has had pears, pumpkin, apples, prunes, summer squash, rice cereal, sweet potato, and banana. He also had green beans, but he hated them so he didn't eat much!
He also his getting a lot more coordinated... for example, yesterday I saw him pull out his pacifier to stick another toy in his mouth (whereas a few weeks ago he would just try to put the toy in his mouth even the though the pacifier is in it already and get frustrated as to why he couldn't chew the toy). Eliot also said he found James's binky across the room this morning from the crib, which means he can throw objects now!
James is also sleeping a bit better now that we are weaning him off the swaddle (he pretty much weaned himself by pulling his arms out of it and rolling over so much). He did a 7-hour stint from 9pm to 4am last night. Which means I got a 4-hour stretch from midnight to 4 since I am used to being up for his midnight feeding!
I feel so blessed to have this little smiley guy in our lives. It's amazing to watch him discover the world, and I thank the Lord every day that I am the one who gets to introduce everything to him. He's the bet gift we've ever been given. <3
We were going to go to the Cascade Raptor Center to celebrate (because James could look at all the birds), but it is mostly outdoor and it is raining cats and dogs today. So we may go to the indoor holiday market instead.
But at least we did get to take some pictures!
And I finally finished James's stocking! I stitched it all by hand and it took a LOOOONG time!
New developments this week:
James is eating a lot more solid foods. He now has had pears, pumpkin, apples, prunes, summer squash, rice cereal, sweet potato, and banana. He also had green beans, but he hated them so he didn't eat much!
He also his getting a lot more coordinated... for example, yesterday I saw him pull out his pacifier to stick another toy in his mouth (whereas a few weeks ago he would just try to put the toy in his mouth even the though the pacifier is in it already and get frustrated as to why he couldn't chew the toy). Eliot also said he found James's binky across the room this morning from the crib, which means he can throw objects now!
James is also sleeping a bit better now that we are weaning him off the swaddle (he pretty much weaned himself by pulling his arms out of it and rolling over so much). He did a 7-hour stint from 9pm to 4am last night. Which means I got a 4-hour stretch from midnight to 4 since I am used to being up for his midnight feeding!
I feel so blessed to have this little smiley guy in our lives. It's amazing to watch him discover the world, and I thank the Lord every day that I am the one who gets to introduce everything to him. He's the bet gift we've ever been given. <3
Saturday, December 18, 2010
My year in Facebook Status
Here is a quick summary of my past year in Facebook status updates! It's been an eventful 2010.
Dinner's a hoot!
Feeding James these days is pretty fun... especially when he laughs!
Observe:
And some smiles:
Observe:
And some smiles:
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Gingerbread party!
Eliot's birthday was this last Sunday, so we had a Gingerbread house party to celebrate! We had a great time... our friends Mark and Jenny came with their son Henry, and we all made some gingerbread houses and ate homemade beef stew with polenta. It was unseasonably warm that evening, and so the frosting caused the roofs to slide off, but we had fun regardless!
Before the party
Appetizers (costini with fig preserves and blue cheese)
Henry enjoying one of my gingerbread cookies (he said "mmm!" while he ate!)
Eliot and James during assembly
Jenny, Mark and Henry
Our family!
The boys...
And our finished houses (I finished them later when James was asleep)
Before the party
Appetizers (costini with fig preserves and blue cheese)
Henry enjoying one of my gingerbread cookies (he said "mmm!" while he ate!)
Eliot and James during assembly
Jenny, Mark and Henry
Our family!
The boys...
And our finished houses (I finished them later when James was asleep)
Into the big boy tub!
We had to move James into the bathroom/big tub because he is getting too big for the kitchen counter where we have been bathing him (he was reaching for the bananas and knives, it was time!). Here are some pics from his first adventure in the big boy tub!
Waiting for the bath
Big tub!
Waiting for the bath
Big tub!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Rainbows after the storm...
Today has been such an odd day, weather-wise. There was a tornado that touched down and did some damage about 30 miles north of where we live, which NEVER happens in Oregon. Yesterday we had a high of 60 degrees (in December, mind you), and today we've had severe thunderstorms and hail, but colder. It's just so wacky... I want my normal December weather, cool and slightly rainy please!
The good thing about all this though is that James saw his first rainbow today. It was spectacular, a full one where you could see both ends at the same time. It's amazing to me that even after all this terrible weather, we can still see something so beautiful come from it.
And I guess that's what God is trying to teach me.
Our home has been a big ball of stress and anxiety recently, mostly because we're unsure of whether Eliot will get a job. If he doesn't, we lose our income and health insurance in June, and I'm not sure what we will do. Eliot's doing all he can and applying everywhere, but so far, nothing. More jobs are being posted every month and there are a lot, so who knows... maybe the right job just hasn't become available yet. But while we are waiting to see if/when/where we need to move, we're all pretty tense and, I'll admit, a little scared. Needless to say, it's a big storm cloud in our lives right now.
To make matters worse, our Kia is really starting to show it's age, and pretty much every time we do a long car trip (2hrs+) something new breaks. This time it is the air conditioning compressor, so I can no longer turn on the air conditioning or the defogger. At least we still have heat, right? Right. The kia is the only car we have that we can safely transport James in (the truck has no back seat), so we have to keep it running. Our plan was to get Eliot into a new job and then save up for a car since we don't believe in car payments... but I doubt it will last that long though. So I don't know what we can do about that... another storm cloud.
But here's the rainbow:
God's got a plan for us. He has had one up to this point, and it's gotten us here. I just need to trust that He knows what's best for us and will provide us with what we need.
"Don't know where to begin
Its like my world's caving in
And I try but I can't control my fear
Where do I go from here?
Sometimes its so hard to pray
When You feel so far away
But I am willing to go
Where you want me to
God, I trust You
There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will swim in the deep
'Cause You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm
And the calm of the sea
You're never out of reach
God, You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand
God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I'm holding onto You
God Your love is enough
I will follow You."
~Mikes Chair
The good thing about all this though is that James saw his first rainbow today. It was spectacular, a full one where you could see both ends at the same time. It's amazing to me that even after all this terrible weather, we can still see something so beautiful come from it.
And I guess that's what God is trying to teach me.
Our home has been a big ball of stress and anxiety recently, mostly because we're unsure of whether Eliot will get a job. If he doesn't, we lose our income and health insurance in June, and I'm not sure what we will do. Eliot's doing all he can and applying everywhere, but so far, nothing. More jobs are being posted every month and there are a lot, so who knows... maybe the right job just hasn't become available yet. But while we are waiting to see if/when/where we need to move, we're all pretty tense and, I'll admit, a little scared. Needless to say, it's a big storm cloud in our lives right now.
To make matters worse, our Kia is really starting to show it's age, and pretty much every time we do a long car trip (2hrs+) something new breaks. This time it is the air conditioning compressor, so I can no longer turn on the air conditioning or the defogger. At least we still have heat, right? Right. The kia is the only car we have that we can safely transport James in (the truck has no back seat), so we have to keep it running. Our plan was to get Eliot into a new job and then save up for a car since we don't believe in car payments... but I doubt it will last that long though. So I don't know what we can do about that... another storm cloud.
But here's the rainbow:
God's got a plan for us. He has had one up to this point, and it's gotten us here. I just need to trust that He knows what's best for us and will provide us with what we need.
"Don't know where to begin
Its like my world's caving in
And I try but I can't control my fear
Where do I go from here?
Sometimes its so hard to pray
When You feel so far away
But I am willing to go
Where you want me to
God, I trust You
There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will swim in the deep
'Cause You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm
And the calm of the sea
You're never out of reach
God, You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand
God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I'm holding onto You
God Your love is enough
I will follow You."
~Mikes Chair
Saturday, December 11, 2010
James is 25 weeks old!!
His life seems really long in weeks!
Fun things I've noticed recently...
James often kicks just one foot repeatedly whenever he is happy... he does it during feedings or if he's just chillin' in the swing. He's also lifting his arms up or waving them around if he wants you to pick him up, which he hasn't done before. But the best thing I've noticed this week is James pays attention to any kind of fiddle music I play while Eliot is away, almost like he is looking for his daddy. Eliot plays the fiddle for him all the time and James is just enraptured by it... he can't take his eyes off it! A musical child we have. :-)
Today James tried pumpkin for the first time and LOVED it. He also has been munching on bananas this week and loving those too. It seems the only thing he hates is anything that's not sweet, and I don't blame him.
Christmas is coming up so fast... Eliot's birthday is tomorrow, and we are having our annual "Gingerbread House Party" where everyone brings their own gingerbread kit and we assemble them together. I'm serving beef stew with polenta plus some fig/blue cheese crostini for an appetizer. Then we'll be having cookies! I made Mint Surprise, apricot-filled, and gingerbread, and I also made these:
Here are some pics from this week:
Chillin' on the couch with Mickey the Snowman
I love this one!
Watching Daddy play the fiddle
25 weeks old!
And, for your viewing pleasure, a short clip of my happy baby kicking his feet!
Fun things I've noticed recently...
James often kicks just one foot repeatedly whenever he is happy... he does it during feedings or if he's just chillin' in the swing. He's also lifting his arms up or waving them around if he wants you to pick him up, which he hasn't done before. But the best thing I've noticed this week is James pays attention to any kind of fiddle music I play while Eliot is away, almost like he is looking for his daddy. Eliot plays the fiddle for him all the time and James is just enraptured by it... he can't take his eyes off it! A musical child we have. :-)
Today James tried pumpkin for the first time and LOVED it. He also has been munching on bananas this week and loving those too. It seems the only thing he hates is anything that's not sweet, and I don't blame him.
Christmas is coming up so fast... Eliot's birthday is tomorrow, and we are having our annual "Gingerbread House Party" where everyone brings their own gingerbread kit and we assemble them together. I'm serving beef stew with polenta plus some fig/blue cheese crostini for an appetizer. Then we'll be having cookies! I made Mint Surprise, apricot-filled, and gingerbread, and I also made these:
Here are some pics from this week:
Chillin' on the couch with Mickey the Snowman
I love this one!
Watching Daddy play the fiddle
25 weeks old!
And, for your viewing pleasure, a short clip of my happy baby kicking his feet!
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