Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Halloween '07

Here's me and my favorite "lil' pumpkin" by the fountain.


We met up with some other new moms from my New Mommy Group. As you can see, pumpkins and bees were quite popular this year! There were cameras everywhere, but I'm not sure if any of us were looking at the same place at the same time, ever!


I know James is thinking: Thanks mom. I am SO going to regret this outfit one day!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Pick of the Patch!

It is our Halloween tradition to dress up the girls (Misha and Abby) and take their picture. So, it was only natural to include James in this year's fun! Although, he didn't have much "fun" with it! By now, the girls are trained to just sit there and wait for the torture to end. The sooner they cooperate, the sooner it's over. James, however, still needs some "training".
Abby: Please, mom! The outfit is bad enough, but now you want us to sit by the screaming kid! I better get TWO doggie biscuits for this one!
James: Mom! It's too hot to wear a thick pumpkin outfit in 85 degree weather!
Misha: Can I go pee now?


Monday, October 22, 2007

Family Vacation

Will and I decided that it was time we took our first family vacation! We flew to the mountains of North Carolina and spent a long weekend with our good friends, Jenny and Eric and their twin 10-month old girls, Sierra and Tori. The cabin was beautiful, the views were breathtaking and the company was wonderful! We had such a great weekend that we promised to make this trip a yearly tradition!

James, Sierra and Tori

James: Hey cutie! How you doin?

James: What?!? There are TWO of you? This is going to be harder than I thought! Sierra: Yawn! You are boring me now. I'm looking for an older man. Tori: Hi there! I'll be your friend!

Here are the proud mommies with our babies!

Another Trip to the Mountains

Here we are relaxing on the porch in one of the rocking chairs.


We took a day trip and drove over to Chimney Rock. What a beautiful day and beautiful views! There were six adults and four infants and we CHOSE to walk up the gazillion steps to the top of the mountain. Don't let this picture fool you, James was strapped to Will during the walk up!
Mom and Dad sharing a sweet moment outside the cabin. At this age, James is oblivious!
This is Jenny and me at the top of Chimney Rock. Did I mention that it was HER idea for everyone to hike to the top? She's carrying one of her twins, either Sierra or Tori. I still can't tell them apart!
Living in Tampa (which is pretty much a glorified sand-bar) doesn't prepare you for this kind of elevation. Boy, it was high up there!
Hold on James!



Friday, October 12, 2007

James and Cameron

James and I went to visit a friend of mine who had her son just a week after James was born. Cameron was nice enough to share his big, comfy chair with James!
James: So, do you think these two women will ever stop taking our pictures?
Cameron: Not a chance. Just don't look directly at them and eventually, they give up!

James: Hey, that's a nifty toy you have there!

Cameron: Yeah, it's okay. I'd rather be held by my mommy, but she says that this is good for my development, blah, blah, blah.

First Day at Daycare

Yes, his first day of daycare at the gym. Okay, so it's not considered "real" daycare, but I still had to leave him with total strangers! I wasn't too keen on leaving him there at first, but what else is a mom who still can't fit into her pre-prego pants supposed to do? Joining a gym wasn't my first choice, mind you. I signed up to take one of those Stroller Fit classes, where you get a workout in with your baby in his stroller. I thought, "this sounds great! I can meet other mommies, spend time interacting with James and get a great workout in!"
Well, it was a good workout and I did meet some nice women, but I don't think these classes are for me. First of all, we meet at the mall before they open (but there are still tons of people there walking arounnd and opening stores, etc.) Then, you sing these kiddie songs to your child while doing the exercises. Now, I'm all about interacting with my son and singing to him, but I just didn't feel comfortable singing "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" while doing jumping jacks or lifting resistance bands. Then, we had to frog hop all the way down on end of the mall towards our strollers. James is looking at me like I'm crazy and I felt ridiculous! Let's just say that he's used to our mall-time being spent a little differently. So, that was when I decided that joining a gym would be my best bet. Now, James is subjected to my show-tune renditions of "This is how we Wash our Face", "Change that Dirty Diaper, White Boy" and my alltime favorite, "Let's Go Drain the Boobies!"

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Three Months Old!!!

James: So, I just sit here and then what???
James: Wow! Make it light up AGAIN !!!
James: Okay, I get it now. I bang on this thing and the whole thing lights up and plays music for me. Pretty cool mom! Now, you can go cook dinner and I'll be happy playing (for about 10 minutes!)
My little man is THREE months old today. We have had such a great month and he has grown so much. He still loves to nurse and I have become quite adept at breastfeeding in public now. I love our "conversations" in the morning, when he is most vocal. His little eyes tell me that he has so much to say, but his vocal cords just haven't caught up yet. I'm sure they will in no time! Other than that, we have settled into our routine and he seems to be thriving. As long as I make sure he gets his naps in, he is a happy camper. But, not enough sleep and he becomes Angry! (pretty much like his dad!) He is pretty much done with the swing and the bouncy seat, so I went out and bought him a Jumperoo. He'd rather be "standing" or held sitting up anyway, so this let's him do it on his own and he loves it! Quite the active little boy already!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

The Bears!

Okay, so Grandma HAD to send some new pictures to prove that the bears were out there! They were just kind enough to stay away from Baby James while we were visiting!
Here is a picture of the chalet we stayed in.
Here is the Baby Bear checking out every nook and cranny on the deck.
Baby Bear: Come on Mom! The coast is clear! They even left the hot tub warmed up for us! Yipee!
Momma Bear: I'm coming, I'm coming! I can't keep up with you kids!

Baby Bear: This chair is JUST right!
And yes, less than a week later, here are the grandchildren sitting in the same chairs that the Baby Bear wanted to sit in! Kinda cool huh?



Thursday, October 4, 2007

My Mountain Man

It's been a while since I've posted because we have been busy traveling. James and I flew to the mountains of Tennessee to spend some time with his Grandma. He survived his first plane trip and was happy to see Grandma once we got off the plane. After his screaming fest during the entire descent (yes, I tried nursing him, offered the pacifier, everything! Once his ears started popping, he was NOT a happy camper!), I'm sure others where happy, too! Overall, everyone thought he was "just precious" and said that they didn't mind his crying (bunch of liars!)
Then, it was time to head into Gatlinburg and do some shopping. Of course, they have everything all decorated for fall. The pumpkins and scarecrows made for the perfect Kodak moment!
James LOVED being outside in the fresh, mountain air! We would walk out on the balcony before his bedtime to look for the bears that Grandma warned were everywhere, but we never saw even ONE! I guess they steer clear of fussy babies!

James also got to spend some time with his cousins who live in South Carolina, but made the trip up to see him in the mountains! He loved learning how to be a "wild child" from Mason (left), loved the sweet attention from Hannah, and wanted to take Christian's (right) walker from him (even though he isn't old enough to use it yet!) Overall, it was a great trip and a great time spent with family!