Clay Baby Comes to Life!

Just wanted to show the comparisons - I think it's pretty cool! He even has his little hands up by his face in some of the pictures!

Before you...

In your short little life, Jameson Reed, you have taught me oh so much and I can never put into words how much I thank you and love you. But, I am going to try :-).

Before you:

• I thought I knew how much my parents loved me. Now that I have you, I realize I had no clue the love a parent can have for their child.
• I thought I knew what life, love and happiness were all about. You have shown me all three in a whole new light.
• I thought I knew how much I loved and needed your Dad. I did not know the half of it.
• I thought myself being sad, sick and/or uncomfortable was bad, but you being one of those breaks my heart.
• I thought I had so much to worry about, but now everything seems trivial in comparison to worrying about something happening to you.
• I never knew the best conversation could be one without words.
• I never knew that one little smile could instantly take away any amount of sadness I was feeling.
• I never understood how my body would just adjust to the erratic sleeping patterns, but it did.
• I never understood when people said your instincts will kick in nor did I believe them.
• I never knew how terrifying it would be to know that I am responsible for another life.
• I never knew that being someone else's sole form of nourishment could be so incredibly rewarding and empowering.
• I never considered picking someone else's boogers :).
• I never knew how many things could be done one-handed.
• I was unable to truly appreciate the embarrassed faces of the Moms with screaming children in the grocery store or the full cart of groceries that had to be left behind (oh Mom, I am so sorry for doing that to you!). You haven't done that yet, but karma will get me I am sure!
• I would get slightly annoyed when people would say, "just wait until you have kids". I so get that now! 
• I never knew how incredibly amazing it would feel to have you fall asleep in my arms or look up at me with such innocent eyes.
• I never could fully appreciate that there is no greater bond than that between a mother and her child.

I have learned that:

• I can cry instantly when I think about how fast you are growing up.
• I can experience frustration and pure joy at the same time.
• I am going to miss your little baby noises, baby hugs and baby kisses immensely.
• I will make silly faces, talk in annoying voices and make myself look like a complete idiot just to make you smile and laugh.
• You will never be too old to be my baby.
• I will never be too old to need my Mom and Dad.
• Your Aunt Lindsay is the strongest woman on the planet.
• A baby's laugh can lighten up an entire house.
• There is no such thing as giving a baby too many kisses.
• It is not nice to buy toys for other people's children that play music non-stop (even though I am very grateful for all of the gifts we receive!)...this is mostly an apology to all my friends and family for buying some pretty obnoxious toys!   
• You can be dead set on parenting a certain way, but you just do what you can in the moment and the world won't end if you do things differently than planned.
• We did not need to spend so much time worrying about creating the perfect nursery because the only detail in that whole room that matters is you.
• I am a sucker when it comes to a pouty lip. 
• Sleeping in a recliner all night really isn't that bad...especially when you have a baby to cuddle.
• A messy house doesn't make you a bad mom...I think it makes me a better one because I would rather spend all of my time with you.
• I will literally do whatever it takes to protect you and make you feel loved every day of your life.
• You really can love something so much it hurts.
• Being a Mom, especially being your Mom, is hands down the most incredible and rewarding job in the world and I cannot imagine life without you.

I am sure I could continue for days and I may just add more as you get older. But, this is a good start - I love you little bean.

Pesky Gremlin

I realized that I neglected to write a post about the little gremlin that likes to visit every now and again! As you have noticed in my previous posts, I think Jameson is an awesome baby. Overall, he is extremely happy and content and honestly just a complete joy to be around - he seriously smiles 90% of the day. However, we did go through a stretch at about 3 months where whenever 7:00 PM rolled around, the gremlin would come out to play! Luckily, this only lasted about 4 days, but now this little creature likes to come out at random times! You see, Jameson's one issue is that he is already so interested in the world that he does not always like to go to sleep when he is clearly tired. That child fights with all of his might to stay awake!  This is when the gremlin takes over and he is kind of hard to keep at bay.  Most of the time, whoever is watching Jameson can "catch" him before he gets overtired, but not always. But honestly, in a weird way, it is so endearing. And, deep down, I kind of like being able to rock him, walk with him, sing to him, and talk to him to help soothe him...it's things like this that I know I will miss when he gets older! Plus, I have learned a lot of new songs (or at least make up words to them...) and know almost every book we own by heart. So little gremlin, you have met your match...I am learning how to fight you now, so you might as well just stay away and let my sweet little boy fall asleep in peace :).

And, I actually have an update since this post is kind of past tense. As of late, Jameson has really learned how to fend off the gremlin in most situations. Darin and I have mastered the walking around with him before he gets grumpy in the evening process and this past weekend, putting him down for a nap in his crib during the day was a breeze. And with bedtime, we are slowly but surely getting our sleepy little boy back who falls asleep with no issues. Whew! And now I am going to go knock on wood...

5 Months!!

Another month in the books! Time to celebrate the adventures and milestones of the past month:

• I weigh 18 lbs. 9 oz. (with a full belly!) and am about 26.5 inches tall!
• I am officially in size 3 diapers and wear anything from 3-9 month clothes.
• I am about too long for my swing and bouncer, which Mommy is a bit upset about because it means I am growing up.
• I am quite possibly the most content, happiest baby during the day and early evening! No one ever believes Mommy and Daddy when they say I get fussy at night! But overall, I really am just so happy. I smile ALL of the time.
• I am starting to respond to my name...my mom thinks it is the greatest thing ever.
• I squeal and make these hilarious noises when I am talking. It sounds like a baby velociraptor according to my Mom. 
• I started blowing raspberries with my mouth - it's really cute!  
• I think some teeth are trying to break through. I have been drooling like a faucet and want to chew on everything...watch your fingers...or chin, nose, cheek, etc.! I love my Sophie though, so thank you Erin for getting me her to chew on!
• I tried oatmeal and am a big fan. I still have a bit of a tongue thrusting reflex, so a lot of it ends up on my bib or on my hands...sometimes I even spit a little out at whoever is feeding me!
• I decided that sleeping on my tummy is awesome, even though my Mommy gets super nervous about it.
• I sleep in my crib now much to my Mommy's dismay. 
• I can almost sit by myself, but still need a bit more balance. I prefer to stand though.
• I really, really want to crawl, but I cannot quite get my belly off the ground. I kick my little legs like crazy though and if I can push off something, I can scoot!
• I love watching Hoyt move around...and I like to pet him (or grab his fur, whatever!).
• I can move the seat around in my jumperoo almost 360 degrees and I have discovered how to play with and move things on it....Ray can't get over how smart I am!
• I love to snuggle and give hugs, especially when I am sleepy or right after I wake up.
• I got to play with squirt guns with Grandma Debbie, Ray and Braden and I thought it was the greatest thing...I cannot wait until I get to go to the pool.
• Everyone is always kissing me...I now open my mouth when they come at me because I am trying to give them big kisses back!
• Mommy and Daddy got to hear a real belly laugh from me for the first time. My silly cousin Braden was making faces and doing tricks and I thought it was just so funny.
• I am so blessed to have so many people who love me so much. Mommy always tells me she loves me so much she could explode...I really hope she doesn't!  

OK, now it's time to go learn more stuff so I have more to report next month! 

"When your child looks into your eyes, you know what it means to be alive." ~ Anonymous



Sitting in my big boy chair, reading my book.

My cousin Braden can make me giggle!



So can my cousin Beckett! I want to be one of the big boys.

I love to watch Baby Einstein with Daddy!

Mmm, oatmeal!

Ooooh, shiney!

Nom nom nom, I love chewing on  Sophie!

I love my Jumperoo!



I am such a happy little boy!!



Growing like a weed!



Love my bear!

Had to get capture all that glorious chub at 5 months!



 

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!



3 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Well Bean, your parents are celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary today.  We have actually been together for 8+ years, but your Daddy waited to propose until right before our 5th dating anniversary, which also happened to be his 24th birthday. But, I honestly couldn't be happier with his timing, as it gave us plenty of time to experience living in a big city together and make it back home to where we belong before we got hitched! One day, we will tell you all about how we met and the proposal...both priceless stories! And, we'll also tell you about the wedding. Hands down, one of the best days of my life...not counting the day we had you of course! 

Anyway, I hope that we can set an example for you of how a marriage should be...full of love, understanding, compromise, and especially laughter. There is not a day that goes by where your Daddy doesn't make me smile. It's not always rainbows and butterflies, but at the end of the day when you go to bed, you should want to lay down next to no one else. And, when you're together, that feeling of excitement, safety, comfort and unconditional love should never ever go away! It just keeps getting better for us, so cheers to many, many more years to come!

Zzzzzzzzz.....

I want to document this now in case things change and I cannot remember how awesome it is to have a baby that sleeps so well at night! We have a nice little routine, which starts at about 8-8:30 each night. Darin gives him a bath, swaddles him, and he used to then feed him a bottle. However, now that I am back to work, I feed him prior to the bath, read some books/play for a bit, fight for who gets to bathe him, then we top him off with a small bottle after bath (otherwise he gets a teeny bit upset since he is so used to the bottle routine!). We then put him in his bassinet (that yes, is still in our room!) and he is lights out most of the time. If not, he will talk himself to sleep...which is absolutely adorable! He usually sleeps for 6-8 hours, wakes up and eats for 15 minutes or so, and then falls back asleep with no problem for another 2-4 hours before we have to get up for the day. He has been a very good sleeper at night pretty much since after the first few weeks, but man the 7-8 hour stretches are heavenly! Funny how perspectives on sleep change once you become a parent...

The video is a clip of him talking to himself before falling asleep about a month or so ago. It cracks me up and I had to share! (you'll have to scroll to the bottom of the page to pause the blog music in order to hear him!)

Like Father, Like Son

"Anyone can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad" ~ Author Unknown

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! Especially to my amazing dad, Ray and to the newest member of the Daddy Club, Darin. I have to say that I am in complete awe of Darin as a Dad. Fatherhood has come so naturally to him and I fall more in love with him each day as I watch him with his son. They are two peas in a pod, that's for sure! I just can't wait for when Jameson is old enough to where I can sit and watch them play catch in the backyard and all the other fun Father-Son activities! I know Darin is very much looking forward to being able to teach Jameson all of those types of things. Fatherhood definitely suits him!

I just had to share these two pictures. Although Jameson has changed quite a bit since he was a newborn, this definitely shows you how much he looks like his Daddy!

Jameson at about 1 month!

Darin at about 1 month!