The Elite 8 Months

We have had some big firsts here lately for Mr. James. He took his first plane ride with my sis and I to visit Sarah Rich in L.A. Our flight was not too bad even though he never really slept. We couldn't have asked for better weather while we were there. It was 80 degrees and super sunny the whole time. James got in the roof-top pool at Aunt Sarah's downtown loft. We rented bikes and headed out to Marina Del Rey for an afternoon with Kristyn. James loved rolling around the board walk near Santa Monica Pier. He even experienced his first earthquake. That happened at about 4 a.m. and was a 4.4 magnitude. No damage, but definitely shook the bed and the loft a bit. I wouldn't say that it was scary, but I was super nervous that it was the "small" one before the huge earthquake. Luckily that never happened! Brian was on spring break this week, but he left for 5 days for his grandpa's funeral and to spend some time with his family. It's good to have him.

Other updates include:
- 2 top teeth have surfaced
- We finally stopped swaddling at bedtime this week (going well!)
- Eating all sorts of foods (avocado, tofu, peaches, bananas, peas, carrots, etc) he loves it all
- New favorite past time is walking with our help. He cruises around the house this way and screams joyously the whole time
- Can now sort of clap...especially to patty cake
- Says "ki ki" for the cat, "mama mama" "dadada"

Oh, and the title of this blog entry is because MI STATE made it past the Elite 8 once again...and is heading to the Final Four!

The Pied Piper

We had to vacate our house this weekend for showings and the big open house that was today, so we headed out to my parent's place for the weekend. James had a blast playing with this recorder. He actually blew into it and sound came out! What can I say, he's advanced! (ha ha) We had a great open house. There were about 20 different people through and one person visited twice! Hopefully we get an offer soon! Now, the only question is, how did this weekend go by SO fast????

7 Month Itch

Getting James to sit still for his month photos is NOT easy!
Hopeless!
Well, this is the best I could do! So James had his 6th month visit (but he was actually a week away from being 7 months). He's growing up so fast:
- 15 lbs (4th percentile)
- 27 inches (52nd percentile)
- still 2 teeth
- says "ma ma ma"
- eats 2 solid meals a day (one fruit, one veggie)
- can sit all by himself
-just started getting into the hands and knees crawling position and rocks back and forth
-sleeping well (12 hours straight through and usually 2 naps)
-loves the door jumper
-laughs at nothing and screams out all the time
-can drink from a bottle and sippy cup all by himself!

Having Fun

Today we enjoyed our 3rd snow day of the winter. James has been so happy and cute lately. He really is starting to have a little personality. Right now he's totally obsessed with his tongue. He leaves it out most of the day and makes all sorts of funny noises with it. Recently he started saying "ma ma ma ma". I'd like to think he's talking about me, but I kinda doubt it. He can now sit up on his own, which has made play time more fun. Long gone are the days of hanging out laying around. He hates that! When I try to lay him down anywhere he immediately flips to his belly and gets into the upward facing dog yoga position. He's building up a lot of strength, and I think it's only a matter of a couple of weeks before he begins to crawl. Watch out! He's been super drooly lately so I think he might be getting ready for the next few teeth. His bottom ones are totally in now. The great news is that James is back to sleeping through the night! We had about a month and a half stretch where he was waking up once or twice every single night. I was getting very little rest and it finally caught up with me. I was really sick last week with a sinus infection. He's been sleeping really well for the past week or so. Knock on wood that he keeps that up. I think it was the bottom teeth coming in that made him fussy at night.

The other news around here is that Brian and I have decided to put our house on the market! We have been feeling a little restless here recently (probably due to all the long hours spent inside) but the market where we live is thriving and it seems like we can get a good bargain on a house. So for the past 2 weeks we've been cleaning, decluttering and taking care of fixing all problems around here. Our first open house is the week after next so we don't have much time. Hopefully we get a buyer soon...and for the price we are asking!

6 Months Already!

Click this picture to see more!

Getting James to pose with his little sign this time was not easy. He was obsessed with putting into his mouth (like everything else these days). We decided to just let him tear it to shreds...and he did!

Mr. Independant

James is suddenly becoming quite the big boy. He now has the beginning of 2 bottom teeth and he can roll over all by himself. I captured his first roll on camera yesterday and since then he's literally been on a roll. Today he laid cozy on the couch with Aunt Maureen watching Michigan State (woman's) basketball which was pretty cute and fun. One thing that we are struggling with is swaddling. He's getting stronger and can easily break out of the swaddle that he's been sleeping so nicely in since birth. When he breaks out of it he wakes up, but when he's not in it he wakes up every 2-3 hours. I read that you can begin weaning from a swaddle by leaving one arm out. We tried that and he woke up about an hour after going to bed and his poor little hand was freezing! If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this transition, please let me know. I'm feeling pretty clueless at the moment. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the only way to wean is to just endure some sleepless nights until he gets used to his new sleeping arrangements.

James' First Christmas

Our trip to Michigan this year was much different than years past. This time we had to rent a SUV to haul the massive amount of stuff a 5 month old needs to live a week away from home. The trip up to Michigan was pretty seamless. We left at 10 p.m. Tuesday night before Christmas and Brian drove us straight through the night. We stopped only twice for gas. James slept the entire trip! However, upon our arrival, it was morning for him and bed time for us. Luckily aunt Sarah and grandma Sandy were ready to step in so we could get some much-needed shut-eye. We had so much fun this year playing with James and showing him off to all the family members on Brian's side who had never met him. As always, we relaxed, ate yummy food, played Wii fit and DJ Hero, and stayed up late into the night. The ground was covered in snow the entire time. Christmas was really fun. James' sat on grandma Sandy's lap during gift opening. Spontaneously through our gift exchange, he started laughing and laughing. He had fun and was in a great mood the entire morning. He received so many fun new gifts. He got a Red Ryder wagon from my parents, an excersaucer, clothes, books, toys, and tons more from the Rich Family. Aunt Maureen and Uncle Jeff got him the cute little santa suit that he wore on Christmas day. Brian and I got him a door bouncer that he's probably going to enjoy when he's a little bit bigger. It was sad to leave our winter wonder-land and the entire Rich clan to return to Missouri, but James has proven to be a very easy traveler thus far.

Here are some 5 month updates:
- Eating rice cereal
- 2 lower teeth have popped through the gums
- Can now sit up and stand up with assistance
- Rolling over and spending much more time on belly
- Loves to be read to, sang to, and carried around
- Hugs us tight when around other people and doing a little shy look away thing when approached by strangers
- Noticing the cat and petting him when he comes by for a visit
- Sleeping most nights through the night still (but did not the entire visit in Michigan - probably because of the teething)