Dining Entertainment

So tonight's meal was pretty funny. During the first course, green beans, James was banging his spoon a lot. Oh, I should tell you that I've learned that it is good to give him his own spoon; he doesn't reach for the one I'm using to feed him with so much. A few times he blocked me with a sword-fighting move causing green bean puree to splatter off my spoon. Mildly amusing.

During the second course, oatmeal, James had dropped his spoon sword fighting routine. In fact, he'd dropped his eyelids. Yes, he was falling asleep between bites like the babies you see on TV. It was hilarious! I wasn't too surprised because he hadn't napped well this afternoon, so I knew he was tired. I'd wake him up and give him another spoonful, but finally gave up. Of course, by the time I'd taken off his bib, cleaned his face and hands, and gotten him out of the chair he was fully awake again....

Oh, and about those splattered green beans-- for some reason they're really sticky. I was washing the tray in the sink and decided to utilize its ability to go in the dishwasher feature. Well, I don't know what kind of ginormous dishwasher the people who designed that highchair have, but the tray top does NOT fit in ours. Oh well. Back to the sponge :-)

Mommy & James Time

James "helped" me mop today. Really, he rode along in the Bjorn as I mopped and told him all about its merits. Good times.

We also went to the pool. Without Daddy. It was fun. James made a friend. Four-year-old Peter. He could immitate James's babbles perfectly. It cracked me up!

Then I gave him a bath. He's getting better at sitting up in the tub. Not so much wrangling these days. Instead he splashes and plays with his duckies. Fun.

James's Pastimes

James likes music. He likes listening to music, but he really enjoys making his own music: on the keyboard, the guitar, or even "drumming."

James has lots of fun playing with his toys. He likes to hear the sounds his fish make as well as feel them against his gums.

It is so fun making Mommy and Daddy laugh with his new funny face:

But sometimes, like all of us, he just wants to curl up with a good book.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Today was James's first major league baseball game. We went to Shea to see the Mets play St. Louis. Dan was very excited and dressed James up in his Tigger baseball uniform and VERY CUTE hand-me-down baseball hat. James was so excited that he fell asleep on the way to Queens. He did find the escalator ride to our seats pretty interesting, however.

When we got to our seats, everyone was very adoring of our cutie. He was just taking it all in. The game started out pretty slow-- three innings of a pitchers' dual (Santana was pitching great and keeping his pitch count ridiculously low). Then the Mets started getting hits and the crowd started getting loud. James then started crying.

Fortunately, the Mets kept getting hits. Unfortunately, the excitement of the game kept getting to our little fan. We took turns taking him on a walk inside the stadium to try to get away from the noise. Dan found that every time he got him settled down and tried to return to our seats, the crowd would cheer again, and James would commence with the tears. We ended up leaving, but we made it through more than half of the game, listened to the rest on the way home and saw Santana pitch the ninth inning for the win on TV. GO METS!

Fun Times

So a few things have happened in the past two days that have cracked me up. I was sure to get some photographic evidence for the purpose of blogging.

James has been very into peek-a-boo the last several weeks. On Wednesday night (7/23), he was on the floor rolling around and exploring. He started lifting up his activity mat, as he's been doing lately. The next thing I know, he was completely under it. "Where's James?" I asked. He peeked out. I cracked up, and he immediately went back underneath. Somehow I managed to grab the camera and get a few shots of this highly entertaining game of peek-a-boo!

The other funny event has been going on for a while. In James's room is a light fixture that Dan had in his room as a child. It has been there since before James was born. It is very cute (and rather 70s) and covered with smiley faces. Well, for the last week or so, whenever James catches a glimpse of it, he goes wild. He cannot take his eyes off of it, and he is smiling and laughing. He arches back in my arms to get a good look. This is especially the case when the light is turned on. I tried to take a picture of him admiring the light, but it didn't turn out so well... go figure... I'm holding light-looking-back-arching-baby boy in one arm, and reaching out to take the picture with the other.

A Few Thoughts

James helped me vacuum today. He rode in the Bjorn. You will note in the self photograph that the Bjorn comes up OVER his shoulders. Moms of the world, take note. Please stop fastening the Bjorn under your babies' armpits! I see this oh-so-often, and every time that I do, I get annoyed. I know, it is the rule-follower in me, but seriously, the thing isn't meant to be worn like that, and I fear for your babies' safety!

Now, back to vacuuming. Here is something I love about all our new furniture (bedroom and living room)-- you can vacuum under it. So nice! In the bedroom I can go under everything. And I do. Right now in the living room, I can get under everything except the bookcase (which is wood, not MDF, so I can pull it out from the wall easily enough), the TV stand (oh well, I can get around it much better now that the media shelf thingy is gone), and the Drexel cabinet/endtable thingy (which, in our new set up is pulled out from the wall enough that I can get behind it with the vacuum tube-- sweet!). Oh, and I cannot get under the ottoman, but it is mobile, so there you go.

We are still in the midst of dealing with our media: CDs, DVDs, VHS and cassette tapes... You can see the media cabinet thingy behind "my" chair. Last night we took out all the CDs and put them into our new CD towers (purchased at a yard sale last weekend) which need to be put in a "spot" instead of in front of the "bar." The CDs are alphabetized (allelulia!), and after four years of marriage and 4 years of premarital cohabitation, our CDs are officially co-mingled!

Oh, a few nights ago I told Dan he was becoming his dad: falling asleep in the recliner watching TV. Was this hurtful? I certainly did not intend it in such a manner. Dan, if your feelings were hurt, I again apologize. I was just making an observation. I mean, really, who could blame you? The chair is perfectly angled toward the TV and is oh-so-comfy (and man, the leather smells good!).

I am really glad about the procurement of the ottoman. It matches the recliner well enough and is the perfect height for James to practice standing. He likes to bang on it, and I don't have to worry so much about him getting hurt (like I did with that iron and glass piece that was the coffee table). It is small enough to give James plenty o' space for playing on the floor, and for us to join him.

Oh, so here's what brought on the vacuuming in the first place: dirt + mobile baby. No, no, he isn't crawling yet (although he has pulled his bum up a few times); the boy loves to roll. Yesterday he rolled over to Daddy's sneakers and banged them around a lot. This removed dirt from the shoes onto the floor. Well, the sneakers got put away last night, but the dirt didn't. Today, James rolled off the rug and onto the hardwood and derived much enjoyment from his ability to swivel easily. He was grabbing for items from his toy basket and rotating this way and that. It was all well and good until I remembered that he was laying in the spot where the sneakers once resided... his belly was quite dirty! It was hilarious. Then we vacuumed.

Interesting Development

Oh, I think James might have a tan! Now, we block him up every time we go to the pool. And he usually wears his bucket hat even in the water unless it is after 5:00. I even have been putting block on his legs when I go running (because they stick out from underneath the protection of the large canopy on the running stroller).

However, I noticed on Sunday that his hands and legs looked a bit brown!!! I do know that he was in the stroller for a while in Ramsey on Saturday morning; Grandma took him for a walk to the library. Could he have gotten a baby tan?!

Let's just hope this means he inherited the Mediteranian pigment from his Italian ancestors!

Lovin' the Pool

Well, we've hit the town pool a few more times. James enjoys it more and more. Dan has relented to sitting in the baby pool during non-adult swim periods. The first time we did it, we were an instant kid-magnet. All these little kids came over, "Hi Baby." So funny. James justs sits in the water and splashes. He enjoys the occassional pool toy as well. (It is my observation, from both the Maywood Pool, and the Ramsey Pool, that the kiddie pool area fills up with toys. It is a free-for-all until you gather up your own stuff when you leave.)

In the big pool, James enjoys "floating" on his back. One of us holds him. He really likes it when we then zoom him around like a boat. He likes to zoom on his belly as well (although this fills me with fear that he'll go face down into the water...). The best was this toddler girl saying to her adult (mom? grandma? aunt?), "That baby can swim, and I'm bigger than he is!"

Today's Long, Dangerous Nap

So James seems to be transitioning to two decent naps a day now. Thanks to training/coaching from Nana, I can put James in his crib when he appears tired, give him a comfort item or two, turn on his mobile and leave. He's usually asleep before (or shortly after) the music stops. Sometimes I have to turn it on a second time. And now that he is such a roly-poly wiggle worm, I often am summoned (by loud cries) to "rescue" him from an uncomfortable "landing" against the railings before he finally dozes off.



This afternoon's nap lasted at least two hours! I periodically checked in, to see if he was A) still asleep, and B) still breathing. At one point he cried, but then settled himself down. When I next checked on him, I found this scene:

He was fast asleep...on his belly! He slept like this for a while. Of course, my check-ins became much more frequent as all of the SIDS-prevention "Back to Sleep" propaganda has worked its magic on me (I know, how did we ever survive?), and I was freaking out about him being face down.

Granted, I realize we could play a great round of "Can you name all the dangers in this napping photograph?"

So, can you?

Blanket, belly, bear...

Meanwhile, I got lots of cleaning done! I think he would've slept even longer had he not been awakened by the dreaded vacuum. . .

Cleanliness...

I dusted and vacuumed like a crazy person today. Partly because it was long overdue, and mostly because I didn't want roly-poly baby to get on these dirty, dusty floors anymore.

Just thought you'd like to know, James is not a fan of the vacuum. He screams while it runs. UNLESS, he's in the Bjorn "helping."

Fun & Sun This Weekend

So, Dan had a conference for work, and was gone from Wednesday morning until Friday afternoon. James and I managed just fine; I was able to bathe him with minimal wrangling on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday we went to Ramsey for dinner and an outdoor concert. It was nice to go for a run in Ramsey while James stayed with his grands, and James enjoyed his daddy's highchair for dining again. As for the concert, it was quite a bit of stimulation for a tired baby, so James & I ditched about half-way through. Turns out that was a good thing. The fireworks, which didn't start until after 9:30, were reportedly quite loud, and the traffic after them was quite thick (Grandma & Grandpa took about an hour to get home).

On Friday, we headed back to Ramsey for a baby playdate at the pool. It was wonderful to see our friends Baby Cora & Mommy Lauren and Baby Shea & Mommy Heather whom we hadn't seen in quite some time. Both girls are getting so big! Baby Reese & Mommy Diane hosted us all. We sat in the baby pool playing with toys; quite fun.

When we got home, Daddy was back from his trip. Yea! He helped James get ready for bed and read him some books. It was great to have him home again.

On Saturday, Daddy and James spent some quality time together while I went to the city to run in Central Park with my friends. It was interesting because BonJovi was giving a free concert that night, so we got to see some of the set-up taking place. I came home after brunching, and we fed James his first vegetable: organic carrots! He seemed a bit shocked at their taste.

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon at the pool. We set up camp by the baby pool where James enjoyed his playmat under the shade of the umbrella. We'd head to the big pool during adult swim. Ironically, this 15-minute period at the top of every hour is when the baby pool empties out. Babies (with adult supervision, obviously) are allowed in the roped off section of the big pool during adult swim. James was more into the pool this time. He most enjoyed laying on his back while one of us glided him through the water. Daddy claims that James was floating on his back at one point, which makes him a better swimmer than I! Of course, Uncle P did say those big hands and feet would be good for swimming...

Back at home, we cleaned up and helped Daddy get ready for his baseball game. James jumped on Mr. Nick when he came to get Daddy, then it was almost time for more carrots & barley! James was more receptive to his carrots this time, and ate every bit of his dinner. After playing with his fish toys a bit, we headed to bed. He was asleep by 7:20, and DIDN'T WAKE UP TO EAT UNTIL AFTER 3!

Disclaimer: the photos in the red shirt are from earlier in the week. But you get the idea. :-)

Baby Wrangling

So, lately, much of our (mostly MY) time is spent Baby Wrangling. "What's that?" you ask...

Well, imagine an almost-seven-month-old who is very curious and becoming more independent. He wants to see everything, and by see, I mean hold and often insert into mouth. No matter what direction he is facing, there is something in another direction that might interest him.

Remember, I said he was becoming more independent; he can sit on his own, but, often in his effort to see something, he topples over and/or rolls. He cannot yet get back into a sitting position without assistance, so he'll often lie on the floor, whining, doing baby ab-crunches.

The baby wrangling in such instances occurs as you try to help him in his endeavors.

But wait, there's more!

Baby wrangling often occurs at church and at mealtimes. Again, wanting to see everything, he is super squirmy. Whatever adult is holding him is not just holding him, but wrangling him. Trying to keep him happy while still in one spot.

Baby wrangling at bath time is the scariest. Why? There is both water and porcelain involved-- both big dangers (think: drowning or cracking of the scull). He CANNOT bathe in the kitchen sink anymore; he fits, but he came very close to cracking his little noggin on the edge of the sink/counter too many times. Lately, he sits or lays on his bath chair thingy in the big tub, and Daddy sits on the edge of the tub (with his feet in the water). Not the relaxing "spa experience" from when he was younger and less active...

The benefit from all this wrangling--great triceps and biceps!

Happy Birthday, America!

James had lots of fun celebrating the Fourth o' July this weekend. We went to see fireworks in our town on Thursday night. The fireworks were amazing, and so was our son. He turned and watched for a little while, kind of in awe. Then he snuggled up to me (it was past his bedtime), periodically checking over his shoulder to see if they were still going on (as if he couldn't hear them). Eventually, he fell asleep.

On Friday, we went to the parade. James was not impressed. Whatevs. He did look cute in his patriotic stripes, and got many comments from other parade goers. We did vacate the parade route before the fifth regiment started (that is when all the rescue vehicles from our town and the surrounding towns come through with sirens wailing), and headed to the diner for brunch.

That afternoon it was off to our friends' house for a nice little barbecue. James faced off with their massive golden retriever puppy; they weren't big fans of one another. Aside from the pacifier stealing incident (it does look like a chew toy, we'll grant him that), they coexisted pretty well.

We were going to go to more fireworks that evening, but it started to rain. Oh well. James did very well being passed from party guest to party guest. We put him in his jammies in the evening, and he fell asleep in the car on the way home. Perfect.

On Sunday we visited Grandpa and Grandma in Ramsey for dinner. The highlight of this trip was that James got to sit in his Daddy's highchair to eat his barley cereal. Yes folks, straight out of the early 70s! We're pretty sure we could be locked up for this... oh well! He seemed to enjoy holding tight to the small tray. And banging on it. Of course. We forgot to bring jammies this time, and much fussiness ensued as we were getting him ready to leave. Again, asleep in the car. So asleep, in fact, that we got him into jammies and into the crib once we arrived home.

Long Overdue Update with Photos!

Well, it has been almost two weeks since my employment "ended," and I'm finally going to try to give you a good post here. Cutie Pie just went down for a nap, but I don't know how long it will last, so I'm going to try to work fast!

Big news:

• James started eating "solids" on Saturday, June 21st. He "ate" rice cereal once or twice a day that week. It was pretty runny (even when I tried to make it thicker, it would get runny by half-way through the meal), and James ended up with as much or more ON him than IN him.
• Beginning Saturday, June 28th, we started Baby Oatmeal. Now, that's Good Eats! James wolfs it down every time. It is a bit thicker and more flavorful, so who could blame him. He seriously leaves nothing in the bowl and little on his bib or elsewhere. (Note: this change in input has affected the output-- much more interesting diapers!)
• James has become VERY talented at grasping and holding things. He reaches for everything. Especially paper. I can no longer read the newspaper or do a sudoku while nursing. He gets totally distracted, and reaches for the paper, whining if it is out of reach. When/if he gets it, he goes nuts. Laughing and waving it about. Funny. He also grabs other items like his toys and teethers. He especially enjoyed the crab teether today as I chilled it in the fridge.
• Speaking of teething, the boy must be officially doing this now because he constantly is chewing: his fingers, his pacifiers (which he learned to use for napping when I went to work), his high chair tray and straps, .....
• Oh, so now that he can hold things and likes to chew, when he is given a pacifier in an effort to help him sooth himself to sleep (a skill that Nana taught him/us-- thanks, Nana!), he grabs it in his fingers, scoots it over to the side, and chews it-- it is pretty funny.
  
• James is also much better at sitting up unassisted. Even in the last week this has improved. He sat up for some of his photos last Wed., but one of us had to spot him the entire time because he kept tipping. No more! He is pretty stable now (until he starts to reach for a teether or piece o' paper...)
• He also has gotten good at rolling and rotating. I put him in his crib to watch his mobile while I showered this morning. When I came out this is what I found:
• James has gone swimming twice now! We went to the town pool on both Saturday and yesterday evenings. We haven't put his face/head underwater (wanting to avoid water inhalation and water in ears), but he sure enjoys splashing! Saturday he was pretty much in shock the entire time; he never smiled-- just serious face. Yesterday, he started smiling more. Both days he splashed like crazy! He looks super cute in his little swim trunks; I need to take his photo!

We had a wonderful time with all the family here last weekend. Unfortunately for me, most of the photographic evidence of said fun is on other peoples' cameras (hint, hint-- send me some photos!).