Ahh, Freedom!

He's free!! Darin got his cast removed on Friday. For those of you who know Darin, you know he is not one to sit idly. So, having this restriction was as much painful as it was incredibly frustrating for him! We were both really looking forward to getting that bad boy off because although he had pretty much mastered the one handed diaper change and handling of baby J, he was still pretty limited in what he could do overall.  I really give kudos to the single mommies because it's exhausting and I still had help! Doesn't help that this all happened right when the whole sleep regression phase started. But, I am glad to have him "back" and I know he's looking forward to regaining some of the parenting duties that he was unable to fulfill...he was always jealous when he could hear us having so much fun during bath time!! His range of motion is still not 100%, so my duties will not change all that much right away. But, with a little physical therapy, he should be good in no time! I think this whole experience taught him that he's not a teenager and should probably not try to play softball like one...:-). I'm sure he'll think twice before diving for a ball next time!

Oh and I have to share because it's too sweet not to. When we were talking on Thursday night, Darin said one of the things he was most looking forward to was being able to give me a real hug. So, after his doctor appointment, he came to my work just to give me a big bear hug! And, he brought me (and Lindsay!) an Oreo blizzard to boot! Now, that's love...

Such a sweetheart!

I do not really have anything of substance to write, other than I love my little boy to the point that I might just burst one day.

I will also mention that I became pretty sick towards the end of last week. Pretty much felt like I had been hit by a bus...multiple times. It was definitely strange having a cold when it was 99 degrees outside! And, I really did not get sick when I was pregnant, so it had been well over a year since I had experienced that joy. Obviously, being sick is never enjoyable, but it is that much worse when you have an infant who depends on you. And, I don't mean worse because I have to take care of him, but just because I felt like I could not give him my all, which he always deserves. But, the little turkey reciprocated with his erratic sleeping patterns :). Jameson decided that Thursday night he should probably wake up every hour/two hours just to check on me and give me some hugs. It was super sweet of him. Luckily, I was able to take off work the next day and napped off and on all day while Kim watched him. Darin was also lucky enough to succumb to the icky germs and spent most of Friday in bed as well. We were quite the pair. Fortunately, Jameson managed to fend off the sickness, something for which I am so thankful. I am definitely starting to feel more like myself again...it is kind of hard not to feel better when you look at your child and get flashed one of those precious toothless smiles!!

I am so sorry Mom, that I woke up so often the other night. But, I just wanted to check on you and make sure that you were OK and give you some middle of the night hugs and cuddles.
 Love you, Jameson



Bet this smile makes you feel better, Mom!



Weekend of Firsts!

We decided to introduce some "firsts" to Jr. this weekend because he is showing us all kinds of signs he is ready! Saturday night, we decided to put him in his high chair for the first time while we ate dinner. He absolutely loved it! He talked to us the whole time and was very interested in what we were eating.

I am so happy to be sitting at the big kid's table!

This made me wonder then if he was maybe ready to start trying some solids. Dr. Boe gave us the go ahead at his 4 month check-up, but I thought I would wait until he was 6 months since he clearly is getting enough to eat! However, he appears to be meeting the "criteria" to qualify for starting solids, so we decided to give it a go with cereal on Sunday night. Holy cow was it adorable. He seemed to really like it - did not even remotely balk at it. I am pretty sure we got more on his bib than in his mouth, but I was very impressed with him! At this point, we will probably just stick with cereal and then introduce the veggies and fruit at 6 months.
 

Mmm, this is so yummy! Must.Savor.It.

Finger lickin' good yummy!

We also decided to try out his crib Saturday night. I am not so sure I am emotionally ready for him to leave my side at night, but I know it is probably in everyone's best interest to try it out. Well, he did fabulous! It was a bit tough getting him down for the night because he was overly tired and just did not want to give in, but once he fell asleep, he slept great in the crib. I will tell you though that I was a bit freaked out when I woke up and saw him in a completely different place than where I laid him down! He apparently is a wiggle worm in his sleep too. He did this both times during the night!



This is how I laid down my sleepy bean.

And, when I woke up and looked at the video monitor, this is how he ended up!

He did even better with the crib on Sunday night. He was in such a good mood after we finished bath time and he finished eating, so Darin, Jameson, Hoyt and I crawled into our bed and Darin read him some Dr. Suess books while I held him. He loved it and slowly started drifting off to sleep as he was sitting on my lap. I picked him up, gave him a big ole' hug and kiss and put him down in his crib. He was out within seconds and slept for almost 4 hours. Still not like he used to, but you know, I am actually starting to enjoy our middle of the night "meetings". It is just so peaceful in his nursery and it is such an amazing way to bond with him. I am just going to cherish it instead of wondering why he isn't sleeping like he used to!

4 Month Sleep Regression? Growth Spurt? Teething? Sooo tired!!

Good thing I documented that whole sleeping well thing a few weeks ago because someone has recently decided that sleeping is for the birds!! This started about 3 weeks ago and it's really starting to wear on me! It heightened the day of his shots...he slept on and off all night until I finally pulled him into bed and let him sleep on me. He finally slept for 3 straight hours like that. The next night, he slept for two hours, up, two hours, up, an hour and a half, up, 45 min, up, an hour, up, etc. until I finally let him sleep with me again and he then slept for 2.5 straight hours. Saturday was much better - he slept for 4.5 hours straight and then another 4 straight. We then decided to put him to bed earlier, which helped because Monday-Wednesday, we did really well - going anywhere from 4 to 5.5 hours. So, I thought we were turning the corner...but then last night, we were lucky to get 3 hours out of him in one stretch. The good thing is once I have fed and changed him, I can lay him back down and he falls right back asleep. The problem is it is like he cannot get into a deep sleep and he fusses in his sleep sometimes throughout the night, so I am getting very little sleep in between the feedings.

 I read this blog the other day, which kind of shed some light on the matter (http://www.askmoxie.org/2006/02/qa_what_are_sle.html), but I just want my sleepy little boy back!! I know my sister would probably punch me in the face for being like this since her child still doesn't sleep so well at night, but Jameson really spoiled us with being able to not only put himself to sleep, but then sleep for 6-8 hours at a time!!  I feel bad for even getting a little flustered just because I know the poor thing has no idea that this isn't normal. He is trying to figure out things just like we are! I know this will pass (hopefully), but I just wish I could figure out what the deal is - I am sure he is one tired cookie too!  Is it a growth spurt or is that little brain of his just constantly on the go...wonder what cognitive processes he is working through at the moment...hope he figures it out soon :). In the mean time, I guess I will just cherish those middle of the night cuddles - I always say that I wish I had more time with him...guess my wish has been granted!!  

 

Sleepy Bean, where'd you go?! 



Um, I think he may be outgrowing his bassinet! Time for the crib I guess :(.

Chunky Monkey!!

We had Jameson's 4 month check-up yesterday. He weighed in at a whopping 17lbs. 3oz and was a whole 26+ inches long (both 85th percentile)! Holy cow, we have a big boy on our hands. There is nothing better than a healthy, "sturdy" little boy with adorable little rolls :). Poor thing though is already having trouble fitting into things because the outfits are just too short! He has the longest torso (Weber trait) and some long legs (Reed/Finn trait). I was hoping he wouldn't have the same fate as me with finding pants long enough, but that may be inevitable! His little peanut head finally caught up too and is 16 1/2 inches, which is now in the 50th percentile.

He also had his second round of shots, which I was absolutely dreading even though he did great with his 2 month shots. I think it is harder on me than it is on him to get these darn shots! But, he took them like a champ, just letting out a few little squeals. He was just fine though once his Mom and Dad picked him up and gave him a few kisses. Then he basically slept for hours afterwards. Little bit of a rough night sleeping though...he woke up quite a bit. But, he basically just wanted to snuggle. Once he was in my arms, he would sleep for hours. Nothing wrong with that :). He is such a good little boy - not sure how we got so lucky!!

What?? I have to get shots??
This was while we were sitting in the waiting room.

My cool Snoopy band-aids. And, my adorable chubby legs!

Poor little thing was exhausted after the shots.

Fun, Fireworks and Four Months!!

Happy 4th of July!! Today is extra special because baby Jameson is 4 months! I can't believe he's 1/3 of the way to being 1 year old....OK, I know he still has 8 months, but I still can't believe it! Once again, the last month has been a blast. We had a busy month of developing and changing! He talks ALL of the time (definitely a Weber!) and is just so smiley. The best is when he greets us with a big ol' smile first thing in the morning and when I pick him up after work. He is such a happy little guy and it seriously melts my heart every time he smiles at me. He has yet to let out a good belly laugh, but does let out little giggles behind those smiles every once in awhile.

He is super strong too. You can hardly lay or sit him down without him trying to sit up. He can pull himself up to sitting position, with our assistance of course! And, once he figured that out, he wanted to pull himself up onto his feet from the sitting position, which he managed to do the very next day! The child wants nothing to do with rolling over, but he can basically sit up and stand without too much help, so I'm thinking he may skip that whole rolling over business!

Brace yourselves, I have lots of pictures to share...I love the little dude with every ounce of my being, which is apparent in the thousands of pictures I take of him! And, we had a fun little 4th of July photo session. Off to go steal some cuddles!

"It is the nature of babies to be in bliss." ~ Deepak Chopra

I discovered that I LOVE chewing on my fingers! Teeth coming soon??

Oh that face gets me every time!

Sweet little eyes!

That bear had another shrinking spurt!

Here I am trying to sit up!

I have a feeling that look is going to sucker me into a lot of things when he gets older!



Baseball family on the 4th!