Fall Funzies

We've had so much fun doing "fallish" things with James lately. Last year at this time James was way to little to enjoy it so we are taking full advantage this year. Poor guy was super sick all last week, but I'm so relieved to say that he has made a full recovery from the upper respiratory infection that took us all out this week. Lots of lost sleep and plenty of tears, but we made it! I hope he doesn't get sick again for a LONG time!!
Playing with the baby goats at Grants Farm. The goats really liked eating Brian's Rams jersey. Maybe that's why they lost today!
Hold on tight! James riding the horsie at Francis Park.
Our little vampire.
James' first hayride!
Corn maze in St. Genevieve, MO with the Menees Family.

The Very Busy Baby

We have had an exciting couple of weeks!
- James got his first big boy hair cut. (see video)
- My cousin, Amy, had a new baby, Zane (see pic above...newborn in middle, baby Sierra on right)
- My other cousin, Nikki, and her 8 month old came for a visit.
- We did the Memory Walk in honor of my grandma Doris and James was able to walk on the field of Busch Stadium.
- James can climb! Scary but true. James can get on top of furniture before knowing how to get down.
-and for the BIG news! James started walking yesterday! He has been taking a few steps here and there, but yesterday he just busted out of his shell and started walking. Even though he can walk perfectly well, he is still crawling the majority of the time...but he CAN do it! I have to get a better video of it. He's already got great balance and agility. He doesn't really have the "drunkard" wobble I was hoping to see. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm SO glad that the crawling days might be behind us. Now we can go for walks outside and he can walk in places where it is totally gross to crawl! My baby is growing up so fast!

13 Months

James' first "real" trip to the St. Louis ZOO


James' Latest Stats:
- 18 pounds 9 ounces (2nd percentile)
- 29.75" long (36th percentile)
- Took 4 STEPS today!
- 1 nap a day (usually 2 - 2.5 hours)
- 12 hours sleep at night
- Finicky eater (drops most food on the floor, spits it out, shoves it into diaper)
- Loves turning lights off and on
- Words he understands (that I know of!) cat, Grizzo, doggy, ducky, froggy, hug, purple cat, drink, book, Elmo, milk, daddy, mommy, grandma, grandpa, up, walk, fish, block, baby, pee-ka-boo, uncle Paulie, Aunt Maureen, night night.
- Claps hands, waves bye-bye, cracks up when mom dances (understandably)
- Loves to dance! Breaks out into dance immediately when he hears music
- Loves books (he will bring one over to us to read to him)
- Loves to give hugs to Elmo and people
- Gets into EVERY thing now. Flushes toilets, digs into trash, opens all cabinets and drawers, pulls out pots and pans, unravels toilet paper daily. I never get a break unless he's strapped in his high chair
- Enjoys watching Sesame Street videos occasionally
- Enjoys car rides now since he can face forward
- Can still only say a few distinguishable words (momma, mommy, dad, daddy, turtle, pa...the rest is babble)

Farewell to Long, Lazy Summer Days

The birthday boy enjoying his first taste of cake!
This cake was delicious and so awesome looking.
James helping Uncle Paulie steer the boat at Houghton Lake.
James and Grammy Sandy enjoying the Hammock at the cottage.
First boat ride!
Looking out onto the beautiful lake.
Hanging with daddy at our pool.

Tomorrow marks the end of summer fun. Teachers return, James heads to baby sitting. It was a busy, BUSY summer. We moved, I finished my masters, we traveled, we had a first birthday for James. I thought I wouldn't be upset about returning to work, but I find myself very sad tonight thinking about all the fun we had as a family home this summer. I'm going to miss our morning walks and long, lazy days hanging out by the pool. James has grown up so much in the past few months. He's a little boy now. He has become very attached to me over the last few months so I'm worried about how he'll do at daycare. He loves his baby sitter and so do I. Luckily, my mom and dad will continue to watch him two days a week so the transition won't be so hard. I'm sad that his cute little tiny self will be so much more grown when we come around to this wonderful time again next summer. I wish we could freeze time right here for a little longer.

U-N-O!!!

James left his infant-hood behind and jumped into toddler town in style this Saturday as we celebrated his one year birthday. Following a fabulous week in Michigan where we got to see tons of family and friends and where James had many firsts including boating, beautiful Michigan in the summer, DVD in the car for the road trip, and of course lake-life at Houghton Lake, we headed back to Missouri with the entire Rich clan in tow to celebrate the big boy's birthday. We threw a "yacht rock" themed pool party. Everyone dressed in character by wearing their finest short-shorts, tropical shirts, big hats, gold jewels and docksiders. Even though it was a raging hot (somewhere in the 100's) we all had a great time. James got to eat his birthday cake in front of 50+ friends and family. He got so many cool new toys and nice gifts. It was a fun celebration. He was a trooper even though he barely got a nap and stayed up late. It's sad to have all the family gone and the festivities over with. The house is so quiet. Here's a link to more pics.

One Crazy Summer!

Wow! Things have been busy around here! I'm a little late getting James' 11 month pics up. He is getting SO big! I can't believe my little guy is going to be 1 in just 3 weeks. Where did the time go? He is so funny. Lately he's all about babbling, laughing, imitating us, dancing, crawling and almost walking! We are all settled in our new house. It was hectic getting moved with a little crawler, but we got it done with lots of help from family and friends. Brian has been home for two weeks enjoying the pool and taking walks with James while I finished up my Masters program. I had to work for 3 weeks full-time as a reading specialist in Clayton School District's summer tutoring program. I'm all finished now and ready to enjoy the summer! We have another 3 weeks of Brian being home. I go back to school in 6 weeks. I can't believe how fast this summer went. Oh well! We're going to maximize the time we have left. We head to MI in just a week from Monday to visit with Grammy and Papa Rich and aunt Sarah. We're going to head to Houghton Lake to hang out at the Rich lake house. We are going to stay there for 8 days and then the Rich family is going to cruise back here for a visit at our new house and to help us celebrate James' first birthday. The weather has been absolutely fab. No humidity. Clear skies. Mild temps. Not typical at all for July in St. Louis...but we'll take it. Here's some James updates:
- 7 teeth
- Eating lots of "real people" food
- Still taking 2 naps
- Crawling everywhere
- Pulls up and "cruises" around on furniture
- Can stand without holding on to anything for a few seconds
- LOVES Elmo and music (he gives his Elmo hugs and kisses)
- Enjoys kicking around in the pool
- Can wave bye-bye
- Babbling a lot but only says "maa" "daa" and "kiii" (cat)
- Likes to mimic loud high pitched noises
- Always has his tongue out
- Very smiley and happy


Getting these pics while holding a sign is getting harder and harder...
I can't believe how big he looks in this chair now!

10 Months

Where is the time going? James is fast approaching one year, and he is a very active little dude. At his most recent doctor appointment he weighed a little over 17 pounds and is 28 inches long. He's a little guy...4th percentile in weight and 41st in height. He has begun to pull up on everything and can cruise around the house pretty well on furniture. He gets himself hurt every now and then. Poor guy has had some falls. Tonight he took a little spill in the bath tub because he insists on standing in there too. Fortunately he wasn't hurt! It scared me though! The true test is going to be successfully packing up our house and moving to the new place. Our closing date is June 8. I wish we could have moved before he was mobile. Luckily, he's very fond of hanging out inside cardboard boxes. He might have to spend some time playing in a few to keep him occupied. School is out this Friday and teachers at my school have to come back next Tuesday, but then we are DONE! Unfortunately, I have to complete a month long internship during the month of June to complete my masters in reading. We are looking forward to July! James' first birthday, a new house, vacation, a new pool, and seeing friends and family. It's going to be busy, but fun.