Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Nobody puts Baby in the corner!

James misses his Daddy! He has his "Dad Thinks He's in Charge" tshirt on. He insists he's man of the house for now! :)

P.M. update: Its 7:30 and I'm listening to James cry. Its very sad. I want to say that he misses his Daddy but I know its just been harder and harder to put James to bed. Some nights its okay but others he screams/cries so hard, I try to get him dressed after his bath and to the bottle as fast as possible. He then pushes the bottle away and until you can calm him down (by singing, rocking, whatever) he doesn't take the bottle or fall asleep. Tonight's attempt was unsuccessful. I had to stop because James was physically hurting my arm with his legs- he was pushing at me with all of his strength. I thought it was his way of saying "Let me go!" He is a strong 22 pound baby!

I don't plan on letting him CIO. I can't listen to the crying for too long. I'll go back up and try to rock him again. I don't know what else to do. I think its just been a long two days. Uneventful, no fussing, but mainly missing Jim. I don't know how single Moms can do it!

James and I stayed at home (too hot) until about 1pm when we picked up my friend Anna and headed over to the district office. My boss cancelled my meeting with him (rescheduled for 8/13, argh) but I still met with another girl about some website work. Anna came with me so that if I needed my hands, she could hold James :) She also just WANTED to hold James!

We caused quite the commotion when we entered the building. The switchboard/receptionist LOVES James and fusses over him. She got on her headset and called a couple of the other office women over to see the "cute baby". It was a good 5-7 minutes before we got past the main entryway to my meeting. This happens every time I take James to a school/office! (M-O-M says this is the family curse- to be so beautiful, smart, and talented that people fall all over themselves to be near us. Haha.)

Well, ten minutes are nearly up. I hate letting James cry. I seriously just needed to recuperate before trying again. He's quieting down so maybe he's asleep or almost there. Poor baby!

We miss Jim (Dada)!
Love,
Lisa and James

7:45pm- I didn't even make it upstairs and there is not a peep from James' room! I'm waiting another ten minutes before I check to make sure he's really asleep. I think he is.

Late Late Late update (11pm): Can't sleep. James has stayed asleep though- not a peep!! The power went out at around 8pm. I thought maybe it was a fuse but I went outside and saw several neighbors doing the same thing, going out to check if other houses were out too. Yup. I called Jim immediately to see if I needed to do anything, besides not open the fridge/freezer. Nope. Just locate flashlights in case it stayed out for a while. Luckily, it all came back on at 10pm. I was getting pretty bored with no tv, no computer, and no reading light! I was also getting really paranoid about not having the baby monitor on. I really rely on it to tell me if James is okay (the breathing/movement sensor). I probably checked James three or four times, using the flashlight, to make sure he wasn't pressed up against the crib bumper or against a stuffed animal. Once he was pretty close to the bumper so I grabbed his legs and pulled him away. Paranoid Mama!

Jim called me back about 10 minutes after the lights came back on. He was glad to hear we wouldn't be in the dark and without a/c. The lights flickered on and off several times while we talked, but luckily they stayed on.

Jim is anxious to come home. He's had a busy two days- lots of traveling and meetings. Yuck. We'll be glad to have him home!!!

Monday, July 30, 2007

Tauer weekend

Grandpa Roger came to visit on Saturday, and then Grandma Laura, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Kathy came to visit on Sunday for breakfast. We invited all of the Tauers over for Sunday breakfast to celebrate Jim's birthday but Grandpa Roger couldn't make it because of his sheriff reserve duty.

We made a big breakfast! James was still napping when the Tauers came over, but I woke him up at 10:30 so that he could visit with the rest of us. He was a happy little boy, crawling, playing, and socializing with everyone. I think they were all very impressed with his standing, cruising, and crawling skills.

James is still doing the "three legged" crawl, as Jim calls it. He scoots around pretty quickly! So quickly that there was a small accident on Saturday. On Friday I noticed that James has discovered the stairs. I was curious what he would do and watched him climb up one stair. He fell backward but didn't hurt himself, landing on the doormat. I told Jim that we needed to get a safety gate ASAP so we bought one on Saturday morning. Well, Jim started to assemble the gate as soon as we got home and that's when James decided to explore. He made it up to the 3rd stair before Jim realized he was climbing, he ran to get James but was a second too late to catch him. James fell to the bottom and cried for a good 2-3 minutes. No harm done but Jim and I were both sorry that we didn't give him more credit- he is able to climb, explore, and get into trouble! I take some responsibility for the fall because I didn't notice him climbing either :(

So the safety gate is installed and we shouldn't have any more stairs accidents. Pretty soon we'll get one for the top of the stairs, but we're placing it before the catwalk because we don't even want James to play near the railing. And the basement door is permanently closed now, so no falling down the stairs.

Anyway, the big news around this house is that Jim is gone! He is safely in Colorado/Nebraska- he left a message a 1pm. I missed the call and was getting worried that he hadn't called, but then I saw the message. Phew! I was ready to get online and check the flight status!

James and I have kept busy. During James' first nap I made baby food, did the morning clean-up**, and washed our clothes. It was a busy morning. To break up the day, we went shopping after his nap. We headed to Marshall's to "browse" but ended up getting three board books for James. We got Time for Bed, I Love My Mommy Because..., and My Big Truck Book. Yay! (Jim, the Mommy book is just like your Daddy book! We have a pair now :)

After Marshall's we went to Starbucks. James needed a bottle and I knew they had comfy chairs. I (Mommy) had an iced coffee. Yum.

Target was next. We needed milk and I also needed to buy apples to make baby applesauce. Its one of James' favorites and I use it all the time, pairing it with vegies. We love Target! I didn't get anything "fun" but some more foods to make baby food. To me that's fun!

James is taking his afternoon nap now. All is well! I don't have any afternoon plans but I'm thinking it might be a good day to bring out the baby pool :) We'll see if I feel amibitious!

Jimmy, we miss you! I'm keeping myself busy so that the time goes by quickly.

(I haven't added any new pictures today. By the time Jimmy reads this tonight, I should have a picture or two up so he can see James today.)

Love,
Lisa and James

**Mom's know best. I told Grandma Rosie (aka M-O-M) that now I know why she forced us to sweep the floors daily when we were kids. I'm now sweeping more than ever and James is just a baby! I don't know how we make such a mess! Mom's know best- she knew what she was doing! What valuable lessons :)

Sunday, July 29, 2007

We'll miss you Dada!

Jim leaves for his business trip tomorrow. We will miss him very much.

I will be updating daily (Monday-Wednesday) so that Jim doesn't miss a thing. Check back later on Monday for the day's update.

Love,
Lisa and James

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Happy Birthday Dada!

Today is Jim's birthday! James doesn't quite realize what a birthday is but he did give his Daddy a present today. All morning he's been practicing saying "da da da". I think he did this in his Daddy's honor!

We are mainly celebrating this weekend. The Tauers are coming over on Sunday, and then the next weekend my family will be here. James will be very loved!

Jim is very loved too! He has been a wonderful Daddy and husband! Happy Birthday Jiminy!

James is crawling around like crazy today. He's finally taking a nap. He really didn't take one this morning, which was too bad because I think I could have used one :) I would have thought that with all the crawling, standing, and "cruising" around the furniture that he would be worn out!

Jim has a business trip next week. I don't know how James and I will survive without him!

Our daycare provider, Sandra, just called to say hi. She is excited to have James start next month. We had mentioned getting together for a "playdate" of sorts (so I can meet the other kids and see them interact with James), but its been too hot. We don't even dare go out today because of the temperature and humidity. Yuck.

We love you Jim (Daddy)!
From Goosy and Nene

Monday, July 23, 2007

Almost Jim's Birthday

ames is getting excited to celebrate his Daddy's birthday. Jim will be at pool on his actual birthday but we are celebrating throughout the weekend, just the three of us. I plan on making a birthday cake of Jim's request (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting).

We had a quiet weekend again. Jim came home from work early on Friday (4pm) and decided to pay his Mom a visit. At the last moment it was decided that Jim would take James, even though James was due for a bottle within that hour. It was going to be a short visit anyway so Jim took James to visit his grandma. They were back 45 or so minutes later and James got his bottle. He doesn't miss a meal!

On Saturday we didn't end up having any plans so we did our necessary errands of grocery shopping and buying my Harry Potter book! I finished the book on Sunday afternoon. I can't believe I read that entire book in about a day. Sorry, James, if I didn't concentrate on playing with you! Daddy did a great job of covering my slack :)

On Sunday Tia Ana and Tio Rich came to visit and brought breakfast. James was still napping but when he woke up there was an active play time with his Tia.

Sorry there are no pictures from the weekend, I was too busy reading and keeping up with James' cruising! (James loves to walk, holding on to the furniture!)

Friday, July 20, 2007

Another excellent day!

James and I had a great day yesterday. We went to the library and checked out some new books, and then went on a secret Daddy birthday mission :)

Harry Potter comes out tomorrow!!!

We are thinking positive, wonderful thoughts for my friends Katy and Brett. They are waiting for the great news that their adopted daughter is waiting for them in Columbia. I hope they hear the news this weekend that they can head over and meet baby girl Bakko!

James and I don't have anything planned for today. I'm thinking we may go window shopping. Or we may have a picnic outside with Cheerios and applesauce.

James is continuing to eat his chicken and vegies enthusiastically. I can't believe how much this little boy can eat and then still be hungry for his normal bottle!

I heart James!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Happy Birthday Grandpa Larry!

Grandpa Larry is a young 32 y.o. today! (hahahahahaha)

James was a social butterfly today! We met my friend Jolene and her two kids, Caitlynn (8) and Jase (6) at Rosedale for lunch today. I can't believe how big her kids are! They are very well mannered and easy to talk to. I'm already planning for Caitlynn to be a future babysitter :) Jolene looked great- she is very fit, probably due to her basic training (reserves?) in the last year. Gone is the goofy, burpy, and ahem, obnoxious in a good way friend that I used to know- she's a mommy lady now!

After lunch we stopped by my old college friend Chris Petersen's office in Roseville. We had lost touch and I was shocked to find out that his kids are 4 and 2! I didn't even know he had a daughter! They are beautiful kids- with very, very blond hair! Chris was a natural with James- it was shocking to me to see Chris so at ease with a baby but it makes sense since he is a daddy of two now!

And then we stopped to visit Tio Rich, also in Roseville. It was a pleasant surprise, I hope, for him. We got to see his new office and James smiled very big for him. Tio is one of his favorite people! Rich and Ana have a very genuine, enthusiastic way with James. They can get that deep bellied giggle out of James that we can't always get from him. I don't take offense to this, I figure its just new enthusiasm and energy that they bring!

I was a bit worried about James' behavior for today. He woke up at 5am for a bottle and then didn't get up until nearly 8am! Shocker! I usually wait for James to get up and then I also do. I was shocked to see it was nearly 8am and so I got us both up for the day. James did not have a morning nap because of our late morning, except for in the car to Rosedale. It all ended up well. He was pretty well behaved, but showed some resistance to the stroller again. Caitlynn kept a good eye on James and played with him while she helped push the stroller around the mall.

I was surprised when James resisted his afternoon nap until nearly 3pm. He went down for almost 1 1/2 hours.

James had a couple of new foods today. At lunch Jolene gave James bits of mac n cheese and he seemed to like it. During the afternoon nap I baked chicken and then put it through the food processor. I mixed some of it with some pureed/chopped mixed vegies and it resembled coleslaw! James loved it! He's never eaten so much at a meal before. He had 2 cubes of applesauce and probably the same amount of chicken/vegies. I'm so proud of our little man! He's quite the eater!

As I type this, father and son are playing tennis on our Wii system. James is very content at his Daddy's feet and interested in the screen but also at Daddy swinging wildly- playing tennis.

Argh! James is clicking/grinding his new teeth. Its one of those sounds that you can compare to nails on a chalkboard!!

Thanks for reading this long entry for today!
It was a good day :)

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Update

I was wrong! James has TWO new teeth! Dr. Kuku didn't see the second tooth on the bottom, but I can feel it with my finger!

We've had a good morning. James and I were in our pajamas for most of the morning- a pajama party of sorts! I just really liked his new pjs from Baby Gap- they are blue with dinosaurs.

See yesterday's journal entry if you haven't already. I usually don't post this soon after an entry.

Thanks for reading this!

Monday, July 16, 2007

A very advanced baby!

James bit me in the waiting room of the doctor's office. I had my finger in his mouth (so I was pretty much asking for it) and I felt a little tooth coming in on the bottom, next to his front teeth. So that brings the grand total to 7 teeth!

Oh, and he pulled himself up to standing this weekend! He grabs on to the end of the couch and pulls up! Next: walking?!

The STTN (sleeping through the night) streak is over. James has been waking up again at least once in the middle of the night. So no worse, no better than usual.

We had a pretty quiet weekend. Jim's allergies were bad on Saturday so we stayed close to home. On Sunday we went to the shopping area in Maple Grove. James did not have much patience for his stroller so it was a constant battle keeping him entertained and happy. He promptly fell asleep on the way home though! :)

The doctor confirmed today that James has "dry skin". I fe

el a little silly going in for that appointment when it was basically the same information I had already found in my research online! She told me to use mild soap and lotion- something we're already doing as of last week! Well, at least we got to say goodbye to Dr. Kuku. We're switching clinics next month. Well, at least we got accurate measurements (see chart below). James is a healthy baby!

I think that's all the news for now!
Hope you had a good weekend too!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Yay!

We found our daycare! We had two meetings with Sandra on Monday and then Tuesday (Jim went on Tues.). We really felt good about our conversations with Sandra and I felt good about the interactions I saw while the daycare was in action on Monday afternoon. She is great with her kids and I think James will be well cared for and loved. I'm excited for him to play with other kids and have a different kind of fun than he has with me.

So on Wednesday I called Sandra's references and her families raved about her care. Her kids love her, her parents say that she is very reliable, consistent, and teaches their children really positive lessons in behavior, manners, and routines (feeding, napping, potty training, etc).

I called today to ask if we can reserve our spot at her daycare and she accepted! We are working out our contract and will decide when James will start. I officially start work on 8/20 so we're thinking James will go for a day or half days the week before.

Yesterday to celebrate our good news and just to greet Jim (Daddy) as he came home, James and I set up the table with a tablecloth and paper plates (originally we wanted to eat on the deck but it was too windy). James and I made Tia Ana's chipotle chicken skewers and garlic bread, corn on the cob, and then had brownie caramel sundaes for dessert. We surprised Jim at the door with our festive table. (Pics in the baby album)

James and I had a pleasant day. After his morning nap we went to my district office to turn in my timecard for my website work, where we ran into several of the secretaries who are in love with James. James smiled lots and wooed them all! One of the ladies said that James should be a baby model because he is gorgeous. I agree! I am in love with his little face, chubby legs, and sunshine smile.

After the office, we went to Target to pick up some baby wash/shampoo. I'm switching brands because James seems to develop skin rashes, bumps, and red spots- not necessarily after his bath but sometimes. I think the more natural product that I chose will help. I hope! He has the most wonderful soft baby skin :)

Thanks for reading this!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Hello

I waited a couple of days to update, waiting for something newsworthy to report and also to give myself a break. I will be updating this less often so that I can spend time with James and do things for myself. Sorry if this disappoints anyone. I will probably be holding back pictures for a while too.

So we went back to the home daycare this evening for a 2nd interview/visit. Jim did like the lady (Sandra) and thought the home was suitable. He really wasn't enthusiastic but not because of the daycare itself, just the idea. He's feeling sad about putting James in daycare. I don't think I feel sad because I know its something that a lot of people do. James will be well taken care of, and he will probably have more fun with the other kids than at home. (I've heard this is true from teacher friends and from what I've read online.)

So, we are checking references tomorrow and I'm calling the county social worker to check on her licensure and complaint record (standard).

James is continuing his STTN (sleep through the night) streak! We are becoming a well-rested family. Its funny that I feel more tired lately though!

It was a rough morning. James was very upset and whiny, nonstop. I couldn't figure it out. I finally needed a break and I put him in his crib for what I thought would be 10 minutes. He whimpered a little but then went to sleep! Relief. He woke up a much happier baby :)

Look for another update maybe at the end of the week!

Hello

I waited a couple of days to update, waiting for something newsworthy to report and also to give myself a break. I will be updating this less often so that I can spend time with James and do things for myself. Sorry if this disappoints anyone. I will probably be holding back pictures for a while too.

So we went back to the home daycare this evening for a 2nd interview/visit. Jim did like the lady (Sandra) and thought the home was suitable. He really wasn't enthusiastic but not because of the daycare itself, just the idea. He's feeling sad about putting James in daycare. I don't think I feel sad because I know its something that a lot of people do. James will be well taken care of, and he will probably have more fun with the other kids than at home. (I've heard this is true from teacher friends and from what I've read online.)

So, we are checking references tomorrow and I'm calling the county social worker to check on her licensure and complaint record (standard).

James is continuing his STTN (sleep through the night) streak! We are becoming a well-rested family. Its funny that I feel more tired lately though!

It was a rough morning. James was very upset and whiny, nonstop. I couldn't figure it out. I finally needed a break and I put him in his crib for what I thought would be 10 minutes. He whimpered a little but then went to sleep! Relief. He woke up a much happier baby :)

Look for another update maybe at the end of the week!

Friday, July 6, 2007

Eight months old!

James is 8 months old today! He is a different baby, even just from last month. This month's accomplishments include crawling, pulling to kneeling/standing, more foods, standing, taking steps while standing, and probably much more that I'm forgetting!

Oh! The biggest news is that James slept through the night last night!!! FINALLY! I'm not quite sure why this happened. I did play extra hard with him last night- stealing some tricks from Tia Ana and Tio Rich- crawling around on the floor with him, growling, hiding behind furniture and popping out at him. It was exhausting (for me!) And then at the bath time, I let him roll around naked for a bit before putting a diaper on him. The diaper after a bath is the hardest diaper of the day. He SCREAMS and refuses to lie still. I figured if he peed while rolling around, we would just repeat the bath. But he was fine. He rolled, air dried, and then I dressed him. Maybe because he was happier, he slept better? Who knows!

Jim worked from home today and I hope he didn't regret it. James was unusually fussy off and on today. He finally accepted a bottle at 1pm and then was a bit better. He just wouldn't take the bottle and kept pushing the bottle away, and squirming. I know he was hungry but I couldn't force it.

James and I enjoyed the sun today as we sat on the deck. Me in my chair, and James in his Bumbo seat. I'm finding that the Bumbo seat is the only way to keep him still lately- he is crawling constantly now! The playpen is making an appearance this week because we need a safe place to put him as we cook dinner or even leave the living room! We're headed to BabiesRUs tomorrow for childproofing items like outlet covers, cabinet locks, etc.

Daycare update: Out of 11 calls that I made on Friday, 7 were not taking infants. By law providers are only allowed a certain number of infants (1 or 2? out of 10 children) and so spots are hard to come by. I left 4 messages and one provider did call me back! We're going to stop over on Monday to interview/visit. She sounded very nice. We shall see!

Thanks for reading this! Please explore this babysite for past journal entries and baby photo albums.

New pictures (of course!) in Baby Albums "July" and "8 months old!" James wore his Flames babylegs for our pictures today. I love them!

The videos below are from our July 1st zoo visit and then from today. Today's video is an example of James crawling away :)

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Fourth of July

We had a lovely 4th of July with Tia Ana and Tio Rich. We stuck close to home and had BBQ chicken and all the fixings. (Yay Ana and Rich for a great recipe!)

Ana and I had a toned down "Girls Night Out" on Tuesday- we went shopping at Marshall's :) and then out to dinner at Bella in Blaine. It was a great dinner!

On the 4th, Rich and Jim went shopping (!) and checked out the new bowling alley. We are on a bowling kick because of the new Wii game system we have- I will have a bowler's arm soon and not be able to lift James :) Ana and I took James to the park, though it was hot, we didn't stay long. Just long enough for James' favorite- the swings! We came back to the house and let James cool off in his baby pool. He was so cute in it! He kept trying to crawl out of the pool, so maybe next time we will put it on the grass.

Speaking of crawling, James is mobile. He is able to crawl where he wants to go now. He doesn't venture too far, usually just to the couch or to the tv stand (those cables and buttons are tempting) but we definitely need to get those babyproofing plans going ASAP. He is still just army crawling, or dragging himself forward, but he can move fast!

Well, this morning I went with James to interview a family daycare in Blaine. The lady sounded very promising on the phone- she was friendly and seemed knowledgeable. I was excited to go over this morning and check out the daycare, even though she is technically on vacation and no kids would be there. That did change- she did end up taking on some kids at the last moment for "extra" so I saw her interact with kids- but we did have a good chance to talk. Honestly, I can't see James at this house. It was not air-conditioned, smelled musty, had 2 cats (I left with cat hair on my butt), and the house seemed cluttered. The playroom and sleep area were depressing, two little rooms off the living room. And again, honestly, I don't see how this lady would be physically capable of taking care of a curious, crawling, active baby. She was on the larger side and even held James awkwardly. *I* am not in the best of shape and I know that *I* get physically exhausted at the end of the day- so I don't know how she'd do it! (James would be the only baby, the others are 18mo+ or preschool).

I think James would be SAFE, and even loved, at this daycare but I would feel sad leaving him there. Jim wasn't able to go this morning because of a work conflict, but I called him on the way home and he said to trust my first impressions and instincts. It *doesn't* sound like the daycare for us. I will keep looking.

There are more details but I don't want to depress everyone else. (Old, crabby looking husband, neighbor complaints, no baby sign language, junk-filled garage/backyard area apart from play area, but still.)

Anyway, James is finally napping. I'm going to jump online and start looking for more daycares.

Sorry to end this pathetically.

Happy pictures are in Baby Album "July" from our 4th of July holiday :)

Sunday, July 1, 2007

First trip to the zoo!

We had planned on a zoo trip last weekend but James was sick. We did go today and we had lots of fun! I know the zoo was probably more fun for Jim and I, James probably will enjoy the zoo more next spring/summer. BUT we do plan on going often- we bought a zoo membership! This next weekend the zoo has a Minnesota Trails exhibit reopening and it looked pretty cool from the outside. We'll definitely go back this summer.

We knew it would be a short trip and there were a couple of places we knew would be really fun for us- and they were all indoors. Our first stop was the butterfly gardens, where butterflies were flying free in a greenhouse sort of area. James was pretty interested in following their flight. We saw several pretty butterflies resting on pretty flowers. We took several pictures and they're in the baby album "First Zoo Trip".

Our next stop was the Tropics Trail. We walked through the trail pretty fast because we knew the Coral reef was at the end. We knew that the fish swimming would capture James' attention. He did seem pretty interested for a while- of course his attention span is pretty brief :)

Our last stop was the Discovery Bay. The picture on this homepage took me by surprise because I thought I was taking a picture of Jim and James with fish in the background. The shark scared me because I wasn't expecting it in the picture! Too bad its a blurry picture, but its pretty neat. At Discovery Bay we also saw dolphins, but there weren't any good picture opportunities because they were busy doing a show.

James did very well with our trip to the zoo. It was the easiest diaper change and bottle yet (on the road)- which are usually a bit more difficult than usual. We (the parents) did very well and did NOT buy James the entire gift shop. There were lots of toys and tempting souvenirs but we thought we should go back when James is a bit older and could play more with those toys. We ended up getting him a great cloth book with lots of sea animals and fish. Can't go wrong with a book!

On the way home, we stopped by Grandma Laura's house to deliver some homemade peach ice cream. There are a couple of pictures of Grandma and James playing on the floor in baby album "June".

Thanks for reading this! No big plans for the week, but check back soon :)