Angel baby

James is safely tucked into bed after a wonderful day with Christa, Andy, Jesse, & Ryan. James has lifelong friends! The boys were very energetic and fun. We had a glimpse of three year old life :) James sat back and watched the activity and seemed very content. He was so wonderful and well behaved all day! Christa and Andy said they've never met a more well behaved, mellow baby.

So we had a fun day playing with all of our boys on the Wii game system, the pool table, going out to lunch at Time Out, and then coming back to the house for cake and ice cream. I made Christa a Caramel Almond Torte cake and Mexican Chocolate ice cream. We thought about giving James his first taste of sweets but we will wait until his birthday. It will definitely add to that moment :)

It was so great to see Christa, who is my very best friend from college and beyond. I saw her last Easter, when I was pregnant, and so I met the boys then, but it was nice to see them and how much they've grown! They are talking and so grown up. I learned that Jesse uses big words like apparently, obviously, and actually. Ryan likes cars and was very helpful with James- handing him toys to play with.

Christa has more pictures on her camera and I'm anxious to see them. I think they turned out better than the few I took. In all of the excitement, I just forgot to take pictures.

Well, our long weekend started out with a visit from Tia Ana and Tio Rich on Saturday night. We always have fun with them. :)

James also had a chance to visit with his Grandma Laura and Uncle Joe & Aunt Kathy.

James had a slight runny nose on Saturday and he ended up snoring through the night. I was worried about his breathing so I turned the monitor's sensor back on. James did set off the alarm but only because he snuggled up against the very front of the crib, away from the sensor pad. He was fine all night. Slept through with no problems.

The next day he still had a runny nose. On Sunday night I noticed that I had a sore throat and seemed stuffed up. I still do but its more annoying than anything. Jim too.

I hope James didn't carry a cold home from daycare! I guess its inevitable.

Well, daycare for James tomorrow only! And the rest of the week is with Grandma Rosie or Mama! Yay :)

Funny!

This morning Jim woke up to get James because he woke up at his usual 6:30am. He brought him back to the bed to say Good Morning to me and we enjoyed a moment of Sunday peace with James. Well, he was exploring the bed, the headboard, the alarm clock, crawling over everything and me. So finally Jim said, "James do you want to read the Sunday paper with Dada?" And James replied, "Everyday."

Really!
Both of us heard James say the same thing. We both had laughed and I asked Jim, What did you hear? We both heard Everyday!

James is amazing! He is speaking in many syllables!

TGIF!

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James finished out his first week of daycare with a good report from Sandra. She said that he is a "mellow" baby and he had a fabulous week. His bottles are much better, etc. Sandra reported that he initiated play with the other kids by crawling over to them today. He usually plays independently or sticks close to Sandra, or the older kids will seek him out. But today he must have felt really comfortable because he found the other kids on his own. I think he will be a social, friendly and outgoing kid!

James was at his cutest tonight. Jim and I are just in awe of how beautiful James is. We look at him and know that all parents must feel this way about their child, but there is no denying that James is very handsome with those big brown eyes and toothy grin :)

We do have plans with Tia Ana and Tio Rich tomorrow :) They are coming over in the late afternoon for a visit and dinner. I know James will be happy to see them. And then next week Grandma Rosie will be here for a day or so to help with James' daycare since Sandra will be on vacation. Yay for familia!

Midweek

James is doing so well at daycare! I actually think he is sad to leave at the end of the day. Twice now he has started to cry when I put him in the carseat to go home. I am able to distract him or make him smile quickly enough, but it makes me a little sad that he's not happier to see me. I'm sure he likes the other children, the constant activity, and probably Sandra.

I'm trying my very best to play with James and give him my undivided attention until dinnertime. Its going well. He is a busy, fun boy! I am exhausted by the end of the day. Its 8:30pm right now and I'm tempted to go up to bed already. TGIF tomorrow!

We don't have weekend plans except to spend lots of time with each other. Tia Ana and Tio Rich may visit on Saturday. Its a long weekend for us since we're taking Monday off because of the Kemmetmuellers coming to visit (Christa, Andy, and the boys Ryan & Jesse). Yay!

Maybe we need to do a bit more babyproofing. James is opening cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. We don't have anything dangerous he can get a hold of, but it would save us from some mischief! Like I said, James is a busy, fun boy!

Part of the fun and excitement is dinner time. Last night we had chili and James was able to have the beans, ground beef, and cornbread! I took out these foods before the chili powder and cumin, and so they were baby-ready. He has loved everything we put in front of him! Tonight James had bananas rolled in cheerios powder (to help him grasp the slippery bananas), deli turkey, bits of salmon, diced soft carrots. He is a great eater :)

Well, TGIF!
Love,
Lisa, Jim, and James

Tuesday

Another day of work and daycare under our belt. Its not too terrible waking up before 6am (yuck). I'm able to get ready and packed up for the day before James wakes up at 6:30. At 6:30 I'll get him up, changed for the day, and then I bring him downstairs for his first bottle of the day. Soon after that we pack him up to leave for the day. I'm able to get him to his daycare at 7:15am and be at work by 7:40. Its pretty good timing. I'm a crazy person running around in the morning but it always turns out well. I need to chill out.

James handles my madness quite well. When I'm driving and I look back at him as I'm driving (through the rear facing mirror) he's smiley and such a good, happy morning baby. (Is he really my son?!?! :)

Sandra is continuing to report that James is adjusting well to daycare. The only challenge is bottles. James is taking small bottles but not the usual 7-8 ozs. I think she still hasn't got the formula temperature right.

At home James is quite the eater! He eats most of what we have for dinner- tonight it was chicken and some of the banana bread that I made last night. I still give him small amounts of pureed baby food for the vegetables or fruits. If I were brave, I'd hand him a spoon and a bowl of food to see what he'd do with it! But for now we cut food up into small pieces and he eats. He eats so well! He doesn't miss his mouth too often anymore so most of it ends up in his tummy :)

Oh, Sandra also said that James is an independent little boy. He seems to enjoy talking to himself and playing quietly during the day. I've noticed this at home more and more, that he's able to entertain himself for a couple of minutes at a time.

We heart James!
Lisa, Jim, and James

Back to the grind

Its Monday night and this will be a quick update. Its already 9pm and I should go to bed after a long, full day!

James did very well at daycare today. He is taking his naps normally, eating very well (today: waffles for breakfast, lasagna, french bread, and bananas for lunch), and accepting a bottle (somewhat). I was talking to Sandra at the end of the day and I think I figured out why he was resisting the bottle- she was using warm water to make the formula and James prefers his bottle on the cold side. Hopefully this will solve the problem of the bottle!

Sandra reported that James is getting to know the other kids and the house well enough that he's talking a lot, exploring and standing, and laughing often. Daycare seems like a happy, busy place. The other kids are really friendly to me when I pick up James. James is the first to arrive in the mornings so he does get some alone time with Sandra in the mornings.

We thought we ran into a big of a snag with the daycare situation when Sandra told me that she will be taking three days off next week for vacation. We did not know about this until today and I wondered how we would cover daycare. Well, I think between me taking a day or so off, Jim working from home, and Grandma Rosie passing through next week- we have it covered! I'm so glad.

Another big thing next week is that my best friend Christa and her husband Andy, and their boys Ryan and Jesse (3 yrs) are coming at the end of this week for a wedding and we'll get to spend Monday with them! Christa hasn't met James yet and I've only met her boys once more than a year ago, so we're anxious to get our kids together :) I can't wait!

Today was a very full day. Driving to drop off and pick up James from daycare wasn't hard at all. The day seemed very long without him though! I missed him today! During my meeting I was secretly watching videos of him on my ipod. I have lots of his pictures and then video clips saved on the ipod :) I can listen to his laugh whenever I want!

Have a great week,
Lisa, Jim, and James

Its raining!

Its Sunday and if James allows me, I will write this journal entry! He was fussy last night for no obvious reason and this morning he went down for a very short nap before crying. I'm babyproofing the upstairs so that he can explore in our room if I need to be up there. I expect that with going back to work, our morning routine will be changing again and maybe I'll need to let him play in our room while we get ready for work.

Fun huh? Cleaning and babyproofing! James keeps us very busy.

We enjoy our meals now that James is joining us in eating real foods. Last night he had bits of our turkey burgers, corn on the cob, and baked beans. He seemed to really like it all. And yesterday morning we went out to breakfast at Carol's and James had his first pancakes! He was so well behaved because he was busy chowing down!

Well, it will be a busy day as I try to get ready to go back to work. I'm determined to make it as easy as possible for myself by getting most of my stuff ready the night before. I hope that in the mornings all I need to do is eat breakfast, get ready (showering the night before), get James up and give him a bottle. His breakfast will be at Sandra's.

Wish us luck with all of our changes!

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2nd Day of daycare

James is doing reallly, really well! Sandra, our provider, has said he has been a dream. He is rarely fussy and has done very well for naps. He's doing about the same as he does at home- he lays down and maybe mumbles/cries softly for a minute and then rolls over with Ted (his blankie) and falls asleep easily. Yay! This was the part I was most worried about- how he would transition from home to daycare with his new sleep system.

The very first day he did not take a bottle. He ate plenty of baby food and finger foods, but not his bottle. Today, the second day, was much better.

The other kids at the daycare (ranging from 5 months to 12 years old) love James. He is a new cute face and he plays well with them. I'm so glad he has other kids around him!

Our provider said that a Mexican family interviewed today for one of her older child spots. The Dad was so excited to see James and said he was a beautiful boy. I agree!

Please see past journal entries for video clips, and see the photo albums for recent pictures.

James and I are off to play!

Wednesday

I dropped James off at daycare this morning, a little later than I normally would at 8am. He already had his morning bottle and breakfast, so he was able to play with the other kids that were there (3- 3 yr old girls, 1- 5 mo old girl, 1- 12 yr old girl who is an older sibling of 3 yr old and she "helps")

I stayed for about half an hour, explaining our usual schedule and that James will have his nap in a while. I think naps will be the challenge- I'm not sure if he'll lay down like he does at home and whether our naps at home will be disrupted. I guess we'll see!

Well, I felt really comfortable leaving James. He didn't even notice me leave :( I miss him already but I know he'll have fun and be completely worn out and happy to see me at 2 or whenever I go pick him up (undecided at this point, I work until 1pm).

Think happy thoughts for us that James is doing well!

See new pictures in albums "August" and "Mom & James".

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End of summer storms

Whoa! We had a scary night. Two huge storms ripped through the twin cities, the first hitting us. Ana and Rich (my emergency meteorologists) called and confirmed that we should go down to our basement. I was hesitating because I think that I'm usually just paranoid and scared, and I didn't know if we should get James up from his crib, and risk waking him up. But we decided it was worth the risk.

James resisted being picked up, but I slung him over my shoulder and hoped he would stay sleeping. When we got downstairs to the basement he perked up and was quite happy and playful. He was a good baby and sat with us in the dark, safely by the stairway and away from the windows. At one point, he grew tired and laid himself down in my arms. When I tried to transfer him to a blanket on the floor, he popped back up and laughed. Silly baby!

The news was on in the background and we could hear that other cities were getting really, really strong winds and up to baseball sized hail. We also got some hail, but we don't know how big. Jim later found some leftover hail and it was the size of peas, so maybe they melted down?

Well, the worst passed us and we took James upstairs to his crib. He laid down easily and went right back to sleep. I was really worried that he wouldn't and we'd be up for another few hours. But he was a perfect baby!

I stayed up for a while, watching the news, because a second storm was on the way. It passed us by to the south, so we were safe and didn't have to go downstairs, though the rain and wind were ferocious. I was really scared that the windows would blow in but Jim slept through it! He didn't even want to watch the weather news. At one point the rain and wind was hitting the windows very hard and he did roll over and start watching the news. A couple of minutes later we realized that the storm was way to the south of us and we were fine.

Sorry about the long description but storms terrify me. I have Jim last night about my recent dreams about tornadoes and realizing I forgot James upstairs after we all ran to the basement. Nightmare!

We don't have any plans today, we will just hang out. The weather still looks overcast and icky. Its also one of the last days at home with James so maybe we'll just play all day :)

One last cute thing: When we put James down for bed, we talk softly to him and tell him to have sweet dreams. Jim has started to tell James to have sweet dreams about Baby Esme, his future girlfriend and friend. :)

Monday- the last week!

Its my last week at home with James. I had a meeting this morning and so my friend Anna came over to babysit. James was napping most of the time but I came home to the both of them happily playing on the floor. He is a great baby :)

He's pretty active as you can see from the homepage picture. He likes to crawl underneath the dining room table and stand. My only fear is that the rolling chairs will roll away from him and he will fall face forward. He took a couple of hard falls elsewhere in the kitchen and the living room today and cried somewhat hard. I guess this is to be expected now that he is exploring and touching everything! He's even pulling up on the bare walls and refrigerator. We're very careful opening any door (bathroom, garage, basement) because he could be standing on the other side!

In one of the August pictures you can see a bright red mark/rash on his face. We still don't know what caused this. It was very weird. James didn't seem to be in pain or itchy. Maybe a bug bite?

New foods: James had his first Mexican food yesterday! He had flour tortillas! also: french toast, turkey sausage, shredded chicken, kiwi fruit, whole wheat pasta, baby goldfish crackers, pineapple, whole wheat bread, salmon. He is doing so well with self feeding!

Sleep update: James is also sleeping very well! He goes down easily for naps and bedtime. He is sleeping through the night and even sleeping until 6:30am, when I wake him up if he isn't already awake. You could set a clock by him because he is always stirring at 5:45, but I turn down the monitor and he's asleep again until 6:30. I haven't been letting him sleep later so that his 9am naptime is on schedule.

Well, no plans for tomorrow (Tuesday). James starts his daycare on Wednesday and then on Thursday. I'm sure it will go well!

Please see the new video down below. I took some secret footage of Jim and James playing on the floor. They looked like they were having so much fun :)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First haircut!

We got James' haircut today instead of tomorrow because the local barbershop is only open on Saturdays. I was disappointed that the barber shop didn't have a traditional barber's striped pole but everything else was "old fashioned". I felt like I was intruding in a man's space :)

James handled his haircut okay until the clippers. He cried at the sound buzzing in his ear. He was pretty squirmy the whole haircut- unfamiliar with George, the barber, and the whole process. He looks so clean cut now! (I have a tuft of hair saved in his little cardboard pillbox that says "Baby's First Curl".)

Please see the new pictures in Baby Album "August". There's also a very short video at the bottom of this page!

I will update probably tonight after Great Great Aunt Betty's party. I'm sure we'll have some new pictures to post!

9 month wellness appointment

James is certainly doing very well! Its always nice to have the doctor confirm this :) It was a new clinic for us so we had to fill out some paperwork before our appointment. Jim filled out a developmental assessment (a sort of checklist of what James can and can't do) and the doctor later said that James has some 1 year old abilities- the babbling mainly. We checked yes on that one because he is frequently babbling to himself as he plays- the doctor even heard this in his office. (With the babbling at home, I swear yesterday James said the b-word twice to me. It was weird!)

And later in the appointment the doctor said that James did very well with the probing and check-up. Most babies would have cried at some point during the check-up but not James! He was curious and very patient.

James weighs a healthy 21 lbs 9 ozs, down from his appointment last month but no worries there. His height is still at 28 1/2 inches (same as last month). With his increased solids and decreased formula, there's bound to be some weight adjustment. The decreased formula is not a concern as long as he gets between 16-28 ozs, and he is getting that. The whole milk is held off until 1 year, unless we notice that he's rejecting his formula and then we can start him on part formula, part whole milk.

Our new doctor is Dr. Nelson. He is an older man, but he was really gentle and soft spoken. We could tell that he is good with kids. I guess I asked a lot of questions because he asked me if I was in the medical field. I said "No but I read a lot. I always like to confirm what I read with our doctor though." I know I can't ask too many questions when it comes to our child's health, but I hope I didn't put him off!

So James is a very healthy 9 month old!

Today's plans: My friends Anna and Cassidy are coming over after James' morning nap and we're going to hang out- maybe go to the park and then lunch. They're very excited to see James :) I think Anna is going to help me next week with some babysitting. On Monday I have a meeting with my director at 9:30. Unfortunately for Anna, the babysitting will most likely be during James' nap time so she won't get to play with him much. Poor Anna! And then on Wednesday, I have another meeting from 11-1. I'm hoping to work something out with our daycare.

Weekend plans: We don't have anything on our schedule for tonight. On Saturday we're going to Great Great Aunt Betty's 90th birthday party in St. Paul. Its at 1:00, so we're thinking we might just make an appearance since James' usual naptime is at 2:00. On Sunday we're getting Jim his new glasses and James will get his first haircut! His hair isn't really long but I think it could use a little trim around the ears and it could be shaped. Wish us luck on that one! I'm curious how he'll handle it.

Other news: My friends Katy and Brett have their beautiful daughter Esme Lavender Maria Fernanda Bakko! They are in Columbia, waiting out the adoption process. We hope they come back soon and James and Esme can be great friends :) She is a beautiful baby from the pictures that I've seen! I'm so happy for them!

Please see yesterday's journal entry for a new video clip.

Love,
LJJ (Lisa, Jim, & James)

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Video

Check back later for the doctor appointment update!

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Video montage (Father's Day)

This is a really long video- 14+ minutes. I had this made into a DVD for Jim for Father's Day. Enjoy!

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9 months old!

James is a big boy! He surprised me today with a new skill- he can clap his hands! I've been clapping around him for a long time but just today he did it back to me! I would have thought I imagined it but Jim came home and saw the both of us on the floor, clapping together. He was amazed that James is doing this too :) (Such a silly, small thing huh?)

James is continuing to do well with his sleep. Laying him down for his naps or for bedtime is so easy now. I tell him that its time for sleep, that Mama and Dada love him, and that we'll see him soon. I give him big hugs and say bye bye. He might roll around, stand up, but he eventually lies down and goes to bed- all with very little or no crying. Yay!

Its hard to believe that summer is almost over! I have two weeks before I head back to work. James will start daycare next week, maybe 2 half days to get him started.

We had a full weekend- Grandma Rosie, Larry, Tia Ana, and Tio Rich came over to visit. Grandma came with toys, new clothes, and lots of love! We hadn't seen her for about a month and she was really amazed by how much James had grown and how independent he's become (crawling, standing, and moving wherever he wants!) He's also a much happier baby :)

We have our 9 month doctor's appointment on Thursday so check back for another update. I expect that James has grown some more! We went to the doctor not too long ago for his skin concerns and he was already at 22 pounds. He's a healthy baby!

There are new pictures in the baby albums, August and 9 months old!
Check back soon for another update!

Progress!

We're continuing our CIO efforts and seeing progress! The afternoon nap, I thought, was a failure. James cried and fussed for 30 minutes (with me going into the room every 10 minutes to comfort him), but he wouldn't sleep. So I brought him downstairs to play. He was a perfectly happy baby but then 30 minutes later he looked/acted like he needed a nap. So we tried again. He fell asleep after crying for only 8 minutes or so! Progress!

At bedtime, I try to follow our routine but he's not willing to be rocked or even held in his room. I had given him a nighttime bottle at 6:30 (early) because he needed one, so he didn't really need another bottle but I was ready to give him one. He had a nice bath, squirmed a lot while I read one book, and then refused to be held. So I put him in the crib. He fell asleep before I could go check on him for the first time!! Nighttime has been the easiest.

So now this morning- same process. I laid him down for a nap after he refused to be rocked so he screamed/cried for five minutes. I checked on him and talked to him softly and then left. He fell asleep before I could check on him again. Yay! I think he's getting the hang of it. This was way better than yesterday's nap and CIO of 30 minutes.

In other news: the Minneapolis bridge collapse is horrible! I can't turn away from the news, fearing that I'll know someone who is missing or hurt. I'm so thankful that Jim made it home last night safely. He crossed that bridge probably 20 minutes before it went down. He was saying how lucky he was that he didn't check in a suitcase and get held up just 15-20 minutes longer at baggage claim. I can't imagine what other families are going through :(

On a happy note, Grandma Rosie is coming this weekend! And Tia Ana and Tio Rich are coming to visit! Yay for familia and love!

Forced to CIO

I feel a little sad that this is the route we're going now. I didn't really plan this. James resisted his nap again this morning so I put him down in the crib. I could see that he was really tired, so it was time for the nap but he didn't want to be rocked, sung to, or held. I guess what has worked well for the last two months isn't going to work now.

So I let him fuss/cry for 10 minutes. I went back into the room, didn't pick him up but just shhhhh'd and patted his back. He stopped crying (hard) and I left the room after a minute or so. He cried for 10 more minutes. Repeat. He cried for about 9 more minutes and then silence.

This CIO technique says to only repeat this process for up to 30 minutes and then give up. We almost made it to the 30 minutes, I was prepared to go upstairs and get him.

I'm supposed to go to my school for a meeting at 10:30. I just emailed the two people I was supposed to meet with and said I would be a little later. I don't think they'll mind since this was a last minute meeting and really, this is my summer break. They also love James.

Well, I want to apologize in advance to my family this weekend if James continues to cry/scream at sleep times. I don't want anyone to be bothered but I know it has to be done. Our pediatrician told us at 6 months to let him CIO and not give him nighttime bottles anymore. We really did try to wean him from the bottles but then he got sick, and then our schedules just didn't allow the extra efforts.

The one good thing about letting him CIO it last night is that he slept through the night! He was up at 6am but at least he got through the night!

Well, Jim just called from the airport in Denver. He and his co-workers all missed their flight by 5 minutes. Security lines were long. So he's on standby for the next flight at 10:40, or 1:30. So he won't be home until 4:30/5:00 probably. This stinks!

Thanks for reading this,
Lisa