James is going to have a Little ...

Sister!
It's a Girl!

Here We Go Again

After taking a seven month break from blogging I decided that it was time to start up again. After all, if you haven't heard the news we are expecting baby #2 in July, so it seems like a perfect time to get back into things. I'm not sure how I got away from blogging, but I apologize in case anyone actually reads this. It's not like we haven't been busy. Between chasing a toddler around, working full time, and trying to keep some sanity, I just have not had any free time. Besides, it's not like I really have anything important or noteworthy to say anyway. I kind of figured it was a waste of time since no one really cares what I have to say about parenthood anyway. But this time I really don't care. I'm keeping this blog for me, not for anyone else, and I don't really care if anyone reads it or not.

I'm 17 weeks along and finally starting to feel better. This pregnancy has been very different than my pregnancy with James. With James I was sick a few times and remember some nausea early on, but not too much. With this baby I was sick and nauseous all day every day for weeks. It still comes and goes, but I think it's on the way out. At least I hope. The exhaustion is a different story. I am so tired I normally go to bed right after James. He's in bed no later than 8pm, and I'm not far behind. There have been nights I've gotten into bed at 7:45pm and still can't get up in the morning.

We have our big ultrasound next week and will hopefully find out what we are having. I'm excited but nervous at the same time. I'm nervous that we'll find something wrong with the baby's lip, or even worse. I'll be sure to update next week on the latest with our appointment and whether we are on team pink or team blue. I'm going to go with team pink. Just mother's intuition, but we'll see.

9 Months

Dear James,

I cannot believe you are 9 months old already. It does not seem possible that you are the same tiny being that we brought home from the hospital back in October. You have grown into such a little person. I love to see the world from your eyes and see the amazement and wonder when you discover something new. You are so curious, adventurous and daring. I've never met a baby who loves to be scared! And what a nosy little busybody you are! I love to watch your mind work when you are people watching.

Your laugh is my favorite sound in the whole world. I could listen to it all day long. Your smile melts my heart. Staring at you, whether you are sleeping or awake, never gets old.

If I had to pick my favorite time of day, I really couldn't choose. I love the morning when you first wake up, with rumpled hair, and glassy eyes. There is nothing like that first smile, and first hug, and the way you bury your head in the crook of my neck. Or is it the moment you see me when I come to pick you up from daycare? When you look at me, and sheepishly grin, then look at your teacher with this look, that says, "Could it be? Could that be my Mommy?" Then you look at me again, and as I scoop you up, you give me the biggest smile when you realize it really is me. Or is it at bedtime, when you are nursing, and I get to watch you fall asleep and take you all in? Or is it in the middle of the night, when it's just me and you and the quiet of night, and we snuggle, and I get to hold you close? I really don't know how I could choose! I love all the little moments, the little smiles, the little noises, the little looks. I love everything about you.

All the cliches about motherhood are true. It is the greatest and most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. Thank you for being mine.

love,
Mom

Be Careful What You Wish For

Jim and I have been doing everything we can to encourage James to crawl for the past few weeks. We have watched his every move in anticipation that one day he will just take off and go. He still hasn't quite caught on, but that doesn't mean he isn't mobile. In the past week we have seen a complete change in him. Instead of crawling, he gets around by rolling, sliding, and scooting. I haven't decided if his new methods of mobility are creative or just plain lazy. Either way, he is into EVERYTHING! Guess it's time to baby proof!

James finally got his first two teeth last week, after what seemed like months of teething. His hair is also growing in and looking redder every day. The red hair seems to be what surprises people most about James. It's amazing how many times strangers comment on it. I repeatedly get asked, "Where did his red hair come from?" Trust me, it surprised me too. I never imagined my little boy would be a redhead. Not that I don't think it's adorable, because I do.

It's hard to believe our little guy is going to be 9 months old tomorrow. While it seems like time has just flown by, I really can't remember what life was like without him.

Happy Father's Day?

I had the best intentions of posting this almost two weeks ago, but along with everything else on my ever growing to do list, it just did not get done. So I'm finally getting around to my Father's Day post. Better late than never I guess. I thought long and hard trying to come up with some kind of activity to do with Jim to celebrate his first Father's Day. I really wanted to do something baseball related, but the Knights were out of town and every other option would have involved a long drive and overnight stay. So instead I decided that I would pack a picnic lunch with all of Jim's favorite foods, and have a picnic at Lake Norman and go on a hike. The whole day didn't really turn out as planned. As you can see from the picture, James was not exactly in a good mood. This shot pretty much sums up the entire picnic. After I packed up all the food, loaded the car, got James ready, drove all the way to the park, set out the picnic and put James on the blanket to play, he lasted for about five minutes before he got unbelievably fussy. Nothing seemed to calm him down, so we scarfed down some of our food, packed everything up again, got back in the car and headed home. Needless to say we never did get to hike. It was way too hot anyway. At least we got to spend some time together as a family and let Jim know how much he means to us, which is the whole point of Father's Day anyway. It's pretty obvious just how much James loves his dad. He lights up anytime he sees Jim and no matter what he's doing, when James hears Jim's voice, he twists and turns every which way just so he can get a glimpse of him. It probably makes Jim feel pretty great, that right now everyone and everything is Dada to James. The boy says, "Dada dada dada," all day long! I have to admit, I'm a tad bit jealous that he never says Mama.

Little Fish

Last weekend James had his first swim lesson. It wasn't much of a swim lesson; it was more of what I would call organized chaos, but he did seem to enjoy it. I think. James seemed to be much more interested in the little plastic toy his teacher let him play with than anything else. We did work on getting him used to the water and kicking and floating on his back.
Then on Sunday we decided to try out our pool. As soon as James woke up from his nap we started to get ready to go. It took almost two hours to feed James, change him, dress him in a swim diaper and bathing suit, lather him up with sunscreen, dress Jim and me, apply our own sunscreen, and pack up the towels, floats, and other necessary items. As soon as we finished all that, we made the trek over to the pool, got in the water, and James started rubbing his eyes. Perfect timing! After all that, he lasted all of about fifteen minutes and that was pushing it. All that preparation must have seriously worn him out, because I have never seen him that tired. He looked like he was about to fall asleep in his little float. So we got out of the water, dried him off, and headed home where we had to go through the whole routine again and change him, clean him up, dress him, feed him, change our own clothes, etc. and get him down for a nap. It was almost not worth all the trouble.

There's nothing I enjoy more than spending a hot weekend afternoon at the pool, but sadly I think those days are over. It looks like I may be joining Jim in the comforts of the AC from now on.

My Little Foodie

He still doesn't have any teeth, but James has gotten the hang of the pincer grip and gumming his finger foods. We are definitely finding alot more food on the floor than he gets in his mouth, but it sure is alot of fun watching him. Plus with all that food on the floor, it's an added bonus for Max. We are still working on the sippy cup, but James has made alot of progress there too. James seems to enjoy banging the cup on his tray and dropping it on the floor more than he enjoys actually drinking from it. He has turned it into a game of dropping it, and seeing how many times he can get Jim or me to pick it up before we take it away. Even Max has learned that when James picks up the cup and starts swinging, he better stop begging under the high chair and move out of the way.