6 Month Photos!!

I wanted to post a few of my favorites from Jameson's 6 month photo session with Sarah Rogers Photography. OK - it is more than a few, but I couldn't pick! She did a great job with a baby who wanted nothing to do with looking at the camera because he was so interested in the grass, the cars driving by, the leaves on the ground, the people at the park, the suitcase straps...you get the idea! The family ones are wonderful and his facial expressions are priceless - thanks Sarah!

He looks so proud of himself!

So deep in thought.

I love how he is playing with my hair! This is a perfect shot.

Darin and his mini-me!

My sweet little bean!

So happy!! I love this one!

Go Illini!

My absolute favorite - love his facial expression.

So cute.

Love it!

Another one of my favorites.

Trying to recreate our wedding picture - this time with a cute little baby!

7 Months!!

Ahhh, we are now on the downward slope to being 1 year old! Yikes!

Here are some fun things about me from the last month:

• I weigh 21 lbs and am about 28 inches long (I was really squirmy when Mom and Dad tried to measure my length!).
• I finally cut my first tooth. And second. It was a long teething process and I had a lot of uncomfortable moments, but now I have some pretty pearly whites and am a happy camper! Hope the next ones are less painful...for all of us!
• I started saying syllables that sound like actual words. Mama was the first (Mom was super happy about that), Gagagaga was second, and then I said Dada! However, Mom and Dad swear I said cookie one night, so I think they are going to claim that as my first word!
• I got to go to the zoo with Grandma Debbie and Braden. I think I liked looking at the scenery and people more than the animals, but I had fun!
• I started Kindermusik! I have so much fun and am so glad Mommy signed us up. Kristy and my buddy Jonah and Christina and Carter also go, so it's fun to see them every week too.
• I finally got to try some other foods. We started with sweet potatoes, then carrots, then squash. I loved them all! I still get most of my nourishment from Mommy, but I am loving being able to eat big kid foods! I also started using a sippy cup. I mostly chew on it, but it's still a step in the right direction!
• We took another road trip up to Chicago to meet Baby Cliff. My Mom and his Mom, Megan, joked about how we are going to be college roommates just like they were!
• I had croup for the first and hopefully only time. It was pretty miserable - it hurt to cough and it made it hard to sleep at night. But, I was still my usually happy self most of the time. The cough has been lingering for a few weeks, but I feel much better.    
• I can stand on my own if I am leaning against something. I can also pull myself up with little help. I think I may just skip the whole crawling business and go straight to walking.
• I went to my first Illini tailgate! It was so much fun! 
• I had my first and second sleepover at Grandma Debbie and Ray's house! Mommy and Daddy stayed the first time because they just couldn't quite leave me! But, then I got to stay all by myself when Mommy and Daddy caught the stomach flu.
• I got to hog Grandma Kim all to myself a few different days, which was fun! I just love being spoiled by my grandparents!  
• Not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty smart. Someone can show me something and most of the time I can do it right after them. And, I definitely know who to look at when Mommy and Daddy say, "there's your puppy!".  Duh, I know Hoyt is my puppy!
• Mom forgot to mention a long time ago that I like to play with my ears when I am sleepy. It is my form of self-soothing and it's really adorable. She just wanted to make sure to get that in writing!
• I LOVE to be hugged and held. I wouldn't say I am clingy, but I certainly like to be hugged, kissed and loved. But, I know everyone who loves me has NO problem with obliging :).
  
  

Obviously, Jameson had quite a busy month of growing and developing. We love seeing it happen before our eyes and I am just holding my breath until he starts really talking and becoming mobile. Until then, I am going to enjoy my cuddly little boy who still enjoys sitting on my lap and snuggling!

"A baby has a special way of adding joy in every single day." ~ Author Unknown

My 1st tooth!

Look at me standing!

What's up?!

Homecoming Tailgate!

I love my cousins!

All tuckered out after the Worldwide Day of Play party.

Mmm, I love sweet potatoes!

More please!

Too many cute pictures from our photo session this morning, so I made a collage! Can't believe how small that bear is!

You've Got Mail!

So, the Google commercial inspired me to create an email account for Jameson. This way he will have a collection of things to read when he gets older. I am already doing a baby book, a blog, photobooks for each month, and taking a million pictures and videos; however, I do not think there is such thing as "too much" when it comes to documenting your child's life and showing them just how very much they are loved. So, for those who want to send Jameson an email for any reason, send me a message and I will be happy to email it to you! I want him to read all about his childhood, stories about his family, what's going on in the world around him, etc. You've got mail my dear!

He is so important...already checking his emails on his laptop!

One Little Babble = One Happy Daddy

It's only fair that I write a post about the second best sound ever...Dada. Yep, he finally made Darin the happiest Dada on the planet. I do have to say though that I find it slightly funny that he said Gaga before Dada...guess that was all the Lady Gaga music I listened to when he was baking in my tummy. Sorry Darin!  It was an adorable scene though - last Tuesday Darin was calling my name from the bathroom during bath time. So, I quickly ran in there to see him smiling ear to ear, anxiously wanting me to witness his little mini-me babble that elusive word. Of course, Jameson wouldn't say it with me staring at him and was much more interested in playing with the water coming out of the spout. But, I managed to get the gist of Dada at one point! It was honestly too cute to see how happy that made Darin. I know the feeling...my heart about melted into a pile of goo when he said Mama the first time. It really is the simple things in life.

Not Down with the Sickness

Well, we made it six months before really getting sick...guess I should be thankful for that. It was bound to happen with as many kids as Jameson is around and as many places as we go. He started to get sneezy and coughy (yes, I made up that word) on Sunday and it just got worse as the evening progressed. His coughs started to sound more painful and it about broke my heart every single time, especially when he would follow it up with the most pitiful little groan and/or a cry of pain. He slept surprisingly well Sunday night, but when we woke up at 6:00AM to eat, we knew we were taking him to the doctor as soon as they opened. He was wheezing and just sounded so awful; yet, he was still his happy little self! Darin and I were standing outside the pediatrician's office at 8:00 AM sharp and luckily were the first ones to be seen. The doctor didn't even really need to look at Jameson before he knew what was wrong. Croup. Ugh - that is one word I hoped to never hear in the same sentence as Jameson. I guess there is quite a bit of that going around town and of course my little monkey managed to get it.

The doc prescribed some prednisone to help with the swelling and redness in his throat and suggested ibuprofen. It was funny because he warned us that sometimes babies get "mean" while taking prednisone. For those of you who know Jameson, you probably find that as comical as I did - I actually even laughed out loud. Jameson, a mean baby? Psh, no way. Well...after last night, I take back my laugh. I would not necessarily say he was mean, but he definitely was not the sweet baby we all know. He would thrash around when we held him, pull at our faces, grab our noses as if he was trying to pull them off, and the best - pull at our eyes. But, then two seconds later he would hug and snuggle us so tightly and let out these sad little groans that just made me want to breathe in every germ for myself and save him from the misery. It was definitely a rough night sleeping-wise...the worst since he was born. But, the fact that it took 6+ months to have a really bad night with an infant makes me feel pretty darn blessed.

It is like I said in my "Before You..." post. Me being sick is nothing in comparison to seeing my child in agony, knowing that he is too young to understand that he will eventually feel better. There is not much worse than feeling so helpless when your child looks up at you with his glazed over, puffy red eyes and lets out a sad little cough followed by a cry. But, I am going to do the only thing I can...smother that child with all the TLC he can handle! And, I will continue to let him thrash about, poke at my eyeballs, and pull out my hair until he feels better...because that is what moms do!


Still so happy even when sick.

 Oh, and of course he was all smiles and full of cute little babbles on the way over to my parents this morning, as well as when I went to visit at lunch - stinker :).

Best. Sound. Ever.

Jameson's babbles finally produced a real word last week and I bet you will never guess what it was?! Oh yeah, it was Mama!!! Now, I know he has no clue what he is saying, but I don't care. It is still the best sound ever to come out of his mouth. Well, OK maybe not the best sound because I seriously adore his dinosaur like squeals and mouth popping noises, but it was incredibly heart warming to hear him form that word with those little lips. The greatest thing is he says it when he is looking me directly in the eyes, so at least I can pretend he knows what he is saying! Darin is not so thrilled that I "won", but I am sure he is a little bit happy for me...:-). Except now Darin can use it to his benefit...like when Jameson has a dirty diaper..."Laura, he is saying he wants you." I don't care though - I will change a million dirty diapers if it means I get to hear him say Mama.

6 Month Stats and Chin Update!

At our appointment yesterday at the Children's Hospital, they weighed and measured Jameson, but I wanted to wait for the reveal until after his appointment today, so I could also report percentiles. We will get to that in a minute. I first want to update on how the appointment went yesterday. We found out that Jameson has superficial hemangioma on his chin (collection of blood vessels under the skin). Luckily, it is not a serious case and is mostly under the skin and not raised like a lot of hemangiomas. We may have to seek some treatment that would require a night in the hospital and then ongoing management, but it is nothing serious and that is all that matters! For now, we have some topical medicine and we go back in 6 weeks to check the progress and decide at that time if we want to pursue the next course of action. The doctors were amazing and I am thankful for their knowledge and guidance.

OK, now for the stats. Drum roll.....
He weighed in at 20lbs 8oz (90th percentile) and is 27 or 28 inches long, depending on who was measuring (70th percentile). His little noggin is 17 inches (30% percentile). Love my chubby bunny!!

The ever dreaded shots were also today. Fortunately, this week has been so busy that I have not had too much time to fret about them! Anyhow, as usual, Jameson was a champ. The best part is he sucks down the liquid rotavirus like no one's business. The nurse always gets a kick out of it because most babies spit it everywhere! When she pricked him, he let out a pretty hefty squeal to let us know he was not a fan, but then was perfectly fine afterwards. He passed out on the car ride home and is still peacefully sleeping. On that note, I am going to go steal some sleepy bean cuddles before he wakes up!

Waiting for Dr. Boe!

Still smiling! Had to show off the cool band-aids again!

Could hardly keep his eyes open while we were packing up after the appt.!

Sleepy bean passed out!

6 Months: Happy Half Birthday Bean!!

Ahh, I cannot believe my baby is 6 months old. Where is the time going? But, Jameson is such a fun age right now - I adore every little thing about that munchkin. Here are some highlights from the past month! His 6 month doctor appointment is on Friday, so we will update with measurements after that!

• I can officially sit on my own now! I have been trying for so long and finally was able to balance myself.  I am still partial to standing though.
• I LOVE my jumperoo. I jump like a mad man in it and squeal with delight!  
• I got my first hair "trim". Mom is not counting it as a haircut because she just cut my bangs a little bit.
• I am an acrobat. I always lift my feet to my hands when I am laying down and discovered that they fit in my mouth! It makes changing my diaper and dressing me kind of difficult, but it's fun!
• I finally officially rolled over from front to back! Mommy thought I was just going to skip that, but I had to show her I really could do it. I just pushed up on my arms in my crib one night and rolled right over. I was pretty darn proud of myself afterwards and Mommy couldn't stop smiling at how happy I was with myself.  
• I got to go to my first Cubs game with Mom, Dad, Grandma Debbie and Ray! It was so much fun! I love Wrigley and plan on going back next year...hope the Cubbies are better then.
• I had to go to the dermatologist to have them look at my chin. The doctors called it Angel Kisses. That made my Mommy cry because she says that my cousin Lauren wanted me to feel extra loved and protected, so she gave me lots of kisses. They think everything is OK, but I have to go to the Children's Hospital in Chicago next week to make sure.
• I had my first swimming pool experience - Mommy's side of the family all took me to State Farm Park. Mommy really didn't want to get into a swimsuit, but she would do anything to make me happy, so she did! We had a blast, so I went back with Mom, Grandma Debbie, Kristy and my buddy Jonah the very next week!
• Mommy, Daddy, Hoyt and I have been going on a lot of evening walks because I love looking at the scenery. It helps wind me down after a busy day of playing!  
• I got to meet my new cousin, Bennett. We are going to have so much fun growing up together, along with my other cousins!
• I had a play date with Jonah Hunt, Reagan Rudicil and Cora Jackson at my house! It was fun to have all of us babies in one place since all of our Mommies grew up together! 
• Grandma Debbie and Ray took me to the Children's Discovery Museum with Braden and I loved it!
• I got my first mild cold. It did not really bother me at all - I was still my happy little self. I think it bothered my Mom and Dad a lot more because they felt so helpless. I just had a cough and a few sneezes here and there - no fever and I was never really fussy. Mommy had to sleep with me a few nights, just so I was propped up, but I know she secretly loves doing that! 
• When people are eating or drinking, I watch them like a hawk! I always grab Mommy's water bottle and stick my mouth on the straw - she doesn't let me get anything, but it's fun to practice!
• I got to try avocado for the first time. I wasn't so sure about it, but I hear it's good for babies, so I hope they let me try it again soon!  
• Now that I can sit up by myself, Daddy took out the insert in my bath tub, so I can sit and splash. It's super cute.
• I really like to study things...I think I may have gotten some of my Daddy's qualities that make him a great engineer!
• I have learned how to turn things upside down; like my tub full of blocks. Daddy puts them away nicely and I just pick the tub right back up and dump it out...he better get used to that!
• I have learned that I can shift objects from one hand to the other.
• I can take my plug out of my mouth and almost put it back in all by myself.
• I can kind of army crawl on my own. I make these adorable grunting noises when I am attempting this feat.
• My darn teeth still haven't cut, but are definitely trying. This make me really sad sometimes and it breaks my mommy and daddy's hearts to hear me in pain. I have a few teething toys that help, but we are hoping they cut sooner rather than later! 
• I still love to give hugs and slobbery baby kisses all over everyone's faces, shoulders, arms, etc. They love it. I can tell by their smiles and giggles. My Mom especially loves it when I grab her hair and pull her face to mine with it. She keeps saying I am going to make her bald with all the hair I pull out, but I think she is just being silly.
• I just recently started making this insanely cute popping/smacking noise with my mouth - my Mommy and Daddy say I look like an adorable little fish.
• I continue to be a delightfully happy baby almost all of the time. Mommy and Daddy sure got lucky with me :).

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” – James 1:17

First trip to Wrigley!!

I loved splashing in the pool!

Dumping out my blocks!

I am SO happy!

Oooh feet!

Me and the ever shrinking bear!

I am such a goof ball!

All of the Mommies and babies together!

This feels so good on my gums!

Grandma Debbie and all her boys!

I LOVE Sophie!!

Celebrating Ray's birthday!

I love snuggling with my Hoyt!

I am not so sure about this avocado stuff...

Out With The Old, In With The New

A couple of weekends ago, we had the pleasure of going through Jameson's bazillion outfits and "retiring" (coined by Darin) ones that do not fit anymore. Now, most people would find this task daunting and tedious. I, on the other hand, had to have a box of Kleenex next to me, along with multiple breaks where I left the room to compose myself (didn't want Darin to think I was too crazy). The task ultimately ended with me taking Jameson out of his exesaucer and leaving the room with him in tow, while Darin folded and packed up 4 boxes chock full of stuff.

Some people would say that these outfits are just some cloth and thread sewed together with dorky animals and/or nerdy sayings on them. But to me, they symbolize so much more. I feel like I'm boxing up memories from the first 6 months of your sweet little life. It's like when you hear a song or smell a certain smell...it instantly triggers a certain memory. So, when I look at that blue striped PJ outfit that says I Love Hugs or the one that says Mommy's Rockstar with neon guitars, I get ambushed with memories of our time together before I went back to work. Our morning chats in bed...OK, more like my high pitched responses to your nonsensical babbles and squeals. You falling asleep in my arms for hours, making the sweetest little squeaking noises. The many times where I didn't want to put you down to eat lunch or even go to the bathroom because I knew those precious moments of snuggling would not last forever. The days when your grandma, grandpa or Aunt would come over to check on us because everything was so new and scary. The days when I thought taking you on an errand all by myself was such a big accomplishment. So many memories just from one little outfit.

So, no one can judge or make fun of me for getting a bit emotional when we have to "retire" your clothes. Because to me, I am not just putting a piece of clothing in a box. I am boxing up irreplaceable memories that I will forever cherish.