Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and much more...

Happy Holidays, everyone!Well it has been quite some time since I have posted anything, but let me tell you it's been quite the eventful past few weeks. First off, we had a huge storm on Wednesday, Dec. 17th. The high desert was literally covered in snow. It was very unusual..but a lot of fun to watch. Of course, not so much fun to dig the car out of the snow. But James was able to see his very first snow! And as an added bonus, tried out his new peacoat!


Then on December 21st, we had my Dad, my sister and my nephew up to our home for a pre-Christmas get together. My nephew Ian had fun playing in the snow and we got some nice family pics.


Whew! Next on our agenda: 3 day trip to Kansas. We left early on Mon. Dec. 22nd..and after 3 very long days, we made it to Winfield, where Tim's parents, grandmother and brothers all live. We rolled in Christmas Eve night and within minutes we were already starting Christmas by opening up presents! We continued to open presents all the way through Christmas Day! It was quite the event, but I've got to hand it to little James..he was a trooper. I was so proud of him. He had a very nice first Christmas. Here's James with Grandma:

And with Great-Grandma and cousins:



And of course, with Daddy:

Suffice to say, James was hooked up for Christmas. He received clothes, toys, books..everything! Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa! James loves his gifts..especially his Tugboat bath time. And yes, we even have a Tugboat bath time song for him now....:p

While we were in Kansas, James also started solid foods - for real this time! He downed some mashed potatoes on Christmas and never looked back. Now he's gone from rice cereal, to baby crackers, to oatmeal cereal. He loves it!

It's hard to believe that James is almost 6 months old now. The time has gone by so fast! It seems so surreal that we are now feeding him cereal and juice. He is also sitting up for long periods of time, and reaching/grabbing everything in sight...he's just grown up so much. And it's only the beginning!

All in all, we had a great time in Kansas. Here is little James with his grandparents and Daddy:


We stayed until New Year's Day, and then it was on the road again. This time, due to good weather, we were able to make it home in 2 days. I stayed in the back seat with James the whole time and that made the ride home a lot easier for him. For a baby, he did pretty awesome. He had a nice Christmas and a nice New Year's Eve (he did not stay up until midnight, alas..but he slept pretty well, better than he had the whole time he was in Kansas..and I was so happy for that!)

Now that we've been back home for a week and have somewhat recuperated, caught up on everything and have gotten back on a more or less regular schedule, things are getting back to normal (well as normal as can be with a 6 month old...!) Every day I feel so blessed to have the family that I have..I love little James with all my heart, and am so happy to share him with my incredible husband. Here's to a great 2009!

Rice, Rice, Baby

As Tim & I sat inside Farmer Boys munching on our burgers and sandwiches last night, we realized that James was eyeing our meals once again and looking like he wanted to sample some of our food. So, we took the plunge and decided to see if once and for all, James was ready to try some solids of his own.

After a whirlwind trip to Target, we set up the high chair and mixed a little bit of rice cereal in with his milk. And..voila!

Hmmm...what is this stuff?


Here comes the choo choo train!






Hey, this tastes kinda good!



Unfortunately, the cereal seemed to stimulate James' appetite even more, and instead of going to bed, he ended up wanting to eat more and more, until even I did not have enough for him and had to serve him up some stored milk from the freezer. The boy was insatiable!

So, as of now we think he can still wait a while until we make this a regular thing...but a momentous occasion, all the same. And yes, there is video, but haven't yet acquired the technology to hook our camcorder up to the computer for downloads. Someday, though..

:)

James' first Thanksgiving 11/27/08

Happy Thanksgiving, little buddy! We all enjoyed our turkey and stuffing, but you decided you wanted to nap for 2 1/2 hours instead. That's okay though - next year.

:)

I'm the Boss around here

Today James had his 4 month doctor's visit, which inevitably meant more immunizations. Although I did pre-warn him and gave him a nice pep talk before we left, I felt it was appropriate for him to wear his onesie that Auntie Shannon bought for him, to give him confidence.

That's right, James. You're the boss. Don't let anyone forget it. :)

*After his shots, James was given a clean bill of health. He weighs in at an average 14 lbs, 4 oz., and is 26 1/2 inches long. So far, so good!

Another month to celebrate!

Happy Birthday, dear James! You are 4 months old today, and incredibly, have grown so much more than I had ever anticipated. Your personality is shining through more and more, and it has been amazing watching you change. You've taken my breath away with the very adult-like self discipline you have somehow inherited - when I'm tired, you let me rest. When I'm unhappy, you make me smile. And when I just need to be alone, you're more than happy to play with your toys or watch your video. You sleep like an angel most nights and we are still surprised that you can hold your own in your crib. (Note to self: must start easing off of checking up on you every 30 minutes). We can set you on our hips and realize that you no longer wobble. You are so sure of yourself, and so curious about the world. Both of us are so proud of all you have accomplished this month - from laughing out loud, to standing up holding onto something, to grabbing and eating your board books. In addition, you have retired your swing in preference of your jumper. (Which I admit, jumping is much more fun!) You are truly the joy of our lives. We love you!!!

New pictures

The pictures from James' first professional photo shoot finally came in today! I am so excited, they came out great and I have a few enlargements so that we can finally hang some pictures of him on the wall! Hope you enjoy!

Growing up so fast...

James has been very active these days! Here are a few pics of his latest exploits:


Putting his foot in his mouth for the first time...

Holding onto his rattle all by himself!


Lifting up on his arms a little bit..



Reaching out and grabbing his toy for the first time!

Sitting up without falling over! James loves being able to sit 'propped up' and watch the world go by, in addition to becoming a couch potato like us..:)


This one's just for fun...James falling asleep while still holding onto the bar! Never a dull moment..:) Well for us, at least...

In addition to James entertaining us much more during the day, we are so happy that James is now consistently sleeping through the night in his crib, sometimes 9 or even 10 hours at a time. We are enjoying it very much!