BETTER AND BEST

My pregnancy took a turn for the BETTER this week! The nausea hasn't made an appearance in days, the sciatic pain has been intermittent rather than constant, and the round ligament pains have settled down a bit. I think the 2nd trimester bliss has finally kicked in. And speaking of kicks, the BEST part is that I started feeling definite kicks from BLT this week. Today in particular, there was no mistaking them. As I put my feet up to hold James while he cat-napped this afternoon, BLT decided to put on a show for me. It was wonderful, and I like to think that James was enjoying the movement too:

MISSION #2

As you've probably already realized, we are fast-approaching James' first birthday. In honor of this very special occasion, I am borrowing an idea from a friend...

Since we can’t have all of our family and friends together for James’ birthday, we are asking you each to contribute a common gift, so that we will feel some unity even while living so far from everyone. We want to put together a collection of letters that James can open and read at specific moments in his life. Letters from you: his family, friends, and adoring fans.

We think this idea is especially fun considering how some children (not us, of course!) get tired of hearing their parents' advice and might appreciate hearing encouragement from another person that loves them and has their best interest in mind. How great would it be for James to hear a funny story from his aunt about how she wrecked her car (ahem... multiple examples available...) on the same day that he is overwhelmed with emotions about crashing his own? Or, how special would it be for James to read an inspirational letter about lasting love and making marriage work from his great-grandparents (married 58 years so far) on the night before his own wedding? Or, even a letter full of stories about his mom and dad when they were young, written by one of their friends? The options are endless…

So, your mission, should you chose to accept it (and we hope you will), is to write a letter. It can be one simple sentence, or many pages full of stories and advice. It can contain stories about you, or us, or whoever. It can be silly, or sweet, or informative. It can contain advice of what to do, or what not to do. It can be whatever you would want to say to James at that moment, or whatever you wish someone would have said to you.

Please mail us your letter in a sealed envelopes (they are for James' eyes only, after all) labeled with "James, read this when _____". We will give them to him unopened whenever that specific event arrives. And in the meantime, we'll store them in his treasure chest:

We have listed several events that you can pick from if you don't have a specific event in mind, or you can write about any other event that you think is important. And it doesn't matter if different people write on the same topic, or if some topics aren't covered at all. Also, if you'd like to write more than one letter, please do! You can send all you want! The examples follow:

"James, read this....."

on your first day of kindergarden
on your first day of middle school
on your first day of high school
on your first day of college
before your first date
after your first date
on prom night
before your first day of work
on the day you move out of your parents' house
on the night before your wedding day
when you’re learning how to ride a bike
when you're testing to get your driver's license
when you have a big school project to do
if you've failed an exam
when you win your first award
when your first pet dies
when you loose/break something valuable
when you loose the big game
when you think your parents are being unfair
when your parents are embarrassing you
after you have your first car accident
when you fall in love
when you wonder if God is real
when you loose someone you love
when you don't know what to do with your life
after your first break-up

The details or specifics about what you write aren't important in us. They are all up to you. The important part is that there are several different views from several different people. All of you have had important roles in helping to mold and shape us into the people that we are, and we are so thankful that we were able to learn from your insight. Now, we hope that you will pass that on to our son.

Please send us your letter(s) before March 1st. We're hoping for a much larger response to Mission #2 than we had for Mission #1 (James' poor movie never even got made because only his Grambot and Mommy made videos)... so happy writing!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

YOU try getting a 10.75-month-old to sit still and hold a sign and smile... Not happening. No matter HOW much he loves his Grandma! (Check out James' bending skills though - impressive, eh?)

Happy Birthday Jean!

300 HOURS

Yup, that's my best estimate. I have pumped an AVERAGE of 15 minutes, 5 times per day for 8 months. An estimated 240 days of pumping, which calculates out to a whopping 300 hours! I suppose if I correct for weekends (when I only pumped twice per day) and the past couple of weeks (when I only pumped once per day), but then add in the time when I was still on maternity leave (when I pumped 1-3 times per day), the estimate would still average out to about 300 hours. Regardless of the math, it's no wonder I'm so excited to be done!

That's right. Last week was my final week of pumping for James, for various reasons (a drastic and continued drop in supply, a lack of daytime nursing interest by James - likely due to my supply issues, and my desire to continue nursing as long as I can even if I don't have enough milk to pump), and I can promise you that this week is going to bring a welcome change to my work days. Of course, it's bittersweet. I'm going to miss my pumping breaks (somewhat) and I'm quite sad that I'm not able to provide for James anymore. But I don't feel guilty. It makes sense to stop now. Spending an entire work week pumping and not even getting enough for ONE breastmilk-only bottle was enough to convince me of that last Friday. And I do honestly need at least a LITTLE break before BLT arrives in 5 months...

James and I will continue to nurse morning and night though, for as long as my supply (and his interest) holds out. Here's hoping we make it through his first year...

THE SUNDAY EVENING POST

We're wrapping up another weekend here in the Lindsay household and there is, of course, news to share. First, we started the weekend off right on Friday by taking James out to dinner after work/daycare. We rarely go out to eat, especially for dinner. Meaning, we very rarely take James to restaurants (lunch can be snuck-in while James is at daycare). However, I was craving Mexican (and pregnant ladies usually get their way), and neither of us wanted to cook anyway, so off we went. James was quite enthralled by the myriad decorations at El Sombrero. Our friend Sandy has put it best, saying "It's like they had a contest to determine a theme, but everybody won". Not to be distracted by the 2 dozen different types of tiles and light fixtures, James ate a full meal of quesadilla and refried beans, with a bit of guacamole. The guac made his eyes pop a little, but he liked it. We think our boy actually prefers foods with spice these days.

The next night we went over to Sandy's for the 4th Annual Turduckin event. We fed James a typical meal of yogurt, cheese, and banana, then settled in to eat our share of turkey, duck, chicken, and all the fixins'. Little did we know that James was ready for round two. We think the kid ate more in quantity and variety during that meal than at any other time in his life so far. He tried all the meats, loved both varieties of sweet potato casserole, tasted homemade cranberry sauce, and sampled a bit of just about everything else we had on our plates too. And being a potluck with over 30 attendees, there was a lot of food!

Then, tonight I made beef stroganoff for dinner. And I made it early. I figured since it was half an hour before James' usual dinner time, that Jay and I could eat quickly while James played... no such luck! The little piglet crawled over to us, pulled up on the couch, and proceeded to eat plenty of both my helping and Jay's.

Add in the pizza we fed him last weekend (when we weren't feeling well and were too lazy to cook), and you'll see that this kid is definitely all about table food these days. He still gets purees at daycare (since it's easier for them, and then we know exactly how many ounces he's eating per day, which is usually about 8oz per meal right now), but when he's with us, he eats what we eat.

And we're not surprised the table foods are getting easier for him... turns out his 6th tooth came through this weekend. That makes 4 up top and 2 on bottom (and oh my, are those bottom teeth ever getting long)!

I guess all this eating is making James extra sleepy (or maybe it's just the tryptophan from the turkey?)... for the 2nd time ever, the kid fell asleep in his stroller while we were walking the neighborhood this afternoon:

Tonight we decided it was time to move James back into the big tub for solo baths. Showering with him is so much fun (and so easy and fast), but it's already getting difficult with the increased round ligament pains and sciatica I'm experiencing this pregnancy, and I expect it to become impossible when I start to lose my lap due to my growing belly. So, after dinner, play time, and a quick phone call to James' Grandma, Jay headed down the hall to run the bath water. We expected such a fight from James, but wouldn't you know it? He surprised us yet again, and crawled straight down to the bathroom to see what his Daddy was up to:

He played with his toys like a good boy and let Jay scrub him and spray him just like in the shower. This kid could care less about water in his face:

Even though he was great all weekend, we still dressed him in his monster PJs tonight, because let's face it, they're just so darn cute!

PITIFUL POLAR BEAR

Thank goodness this is another 3-day weekend. We need it. Before I go on, let me assure those of you with youngin's that we are planning to visit this week or next, that we'll all be just fine by then. In fact, most of the household already is.

Oh, and this post is titled with 'Polar Bear' based solely on the adorable outfit James is wearing. It's from his Grandma. And it's so cute and cuddly he's already worn it twice this week. Don't worry, we washed it.

OK, back to the story. It all started Thursday after work. Jay was fine. Then, all of a sudden, he was not so fine. Stomach bug, he thought. Bad yogurt he ate that I warned him not to, I thought. Poor guy was up all night with issues, felt worse the next morning, and had to stay home from work. I was still good at this point. And we thought James was too, even though he'd snuck in a couple low-grade fevers both Wednesday and Thursday after work. Teething, we thought.

So, I drop James at daycare and head to work. About an hour later I get a call from them that he is feverish, cranky, sluggish, and pitiful. What's a mommy to do but make the earliest available appointment at the pediatrician and go rescue her baby from daycare. Luckily, the pediatrician was NOT busy for once and we were in and out in less than an hour. Unfortunately, my baby was diagnosed with a viral infection. In his throat. Oh my, the sight of all those white spots almost had me in tears! And James WAS in tears, because apparently the doctor is no longer his friend. He no longer tolerates her poking and prodding and squishing and peering. He literally climbed the exam table trying to escape into my arms. Luckily, she works from the bottom up, so she was able to listen to his lungs and check his ears while I was holding him. And the last place she looked? His throat. "Aha", she exclaimed, "Here is our problem". Boo. And there was nothing we could have done, even if we'd caught it sooner (other than keep him home from daycare, which probably would have been a good idea). Viral infections mean no antibiotics or meds of any kind. He just has to ride it out...

I get home with the baby and Jay is crumpled in bed. I figure I'll be staying home for the duration of the day to take care of BOTH of my sick boys, then WHAM, it hits me too. Not sure if it was a stomach bug or something I ate, but I was pretty much out for the count until yesterday evening. Luckily, for me, it turned out to be just a 24-hour bug (or whatever) and I've been good-as-new today. And I never had the "issues". Just tummy pains and EXTREME nausea. I feel so very bad for you pregnant women who actually have to deal with this for months on end. One day was MORE than enough for me. I'll take my sciatica any day of the week!

So, today I'm good. James hasn't had a fever since Saturday morning. Not even a low-grade one. He's been eating well throughout, even though his throat must be killing him. And he has WAY more energy than he should (and way more energy than either Jay or I could deal with yesterday... for once, we actually resorted to the television to help keep James occupied while we writhed in pain on the couches). Jay, on the other hand, was still coming down from it all this afternoon, though he seems much better this evening. Again, poor guy. Hope he's back to 100% by tomorrow!

Your reward for listening to all this belly-aching (ha ha) is a series of adorable James photos and a video that might amuse you, no matter how badly you DON'T want to giggle. All in his cute polar bear outfit.

Here is something the little guy picked up over our Christmas vacation. It started out as part of his separation-anxiety routine. I'd walk 2-3 steps away from him and he'd army-crawl to my feet while crying, lay his head down ON my feet, then stick his thumb in his mouth and whimper. And yes, he still does it sometimes. However, he now does this whenever he doesn't get his way, or when he realizes Jay and I are on the other side of the baby gate from him. This is what it looks like when my feet are not involved:

See? He doesn't even LOOK mad. Such a faker!

On a more positive and uplifting note, James has finally started letting us read him stories again. For a LONG time we have been completely unable to keep his attention. He'd shut the book on us, kick it, try to eat it, push it out of the way, roll/crawl away from us, etc. But not any more. This weekend he has (thankfully) been a great sport about storytime (it's so very easy to do on the couch while NOT moving). We're so happy we can incorporate this into James' bedtime routine again, as it will be key (we think) to getting him to sleep once I'm no longer nursing him at bedtime. How cute do my boys look learning about bird calls?

And James has been perfecting his standing skills this weekend. He can now do it with just one hand, and he can even make a 90-degree turn to go from a toy to the couch. He looks so tall standing up now that he's learning to tuck his booty in... and he's awfully proud of himself:

Of course, it's still a learning process... A mere 2 weeks ago (when this all started), we were still sitting or standing nearby whenever James attempted to stand. We had a hand at his back. We gently guided him down when he lost his balance. That's all changed though, and it's actually surprised us how quickly we went from absolutely paranoid for his safety to completely expecting and accepting the bumps and bruises. Even as first-time parents, it didn't take us long to realize that there are some things James just has to learn for himself. Consequences and balance are 2 of those things. While he was great from the start at getting himself back to a sitting position safely when he wanted to, he still loses his balance unintentionally multiple times per day. But that doesn't stop him from trying. The kid just gets right back into it, determined to conquer the challenge. The steps and stairs in general are his favorite challenge. Please don't be alarmed at the following video, and don't feel bad if you giggle a little. We did (quietly). And don't worry, we ran to rescue him after the 3rd fall. Though honestly? The kid wasn't even phased. He was more annoyed when he pushed his forehead into the edge of the stairs (fall #2 in the video). He's a tough one, our James:

DEEP FREEZE IN THE DEEP SOUTH

It's been COLD here in the south. In fact, temps have been WELL below freezing for almost 3 days. That's long enough for our neighbor's pond to freeze over. Not through and through of course, but ice across the top, and cold enough to encourage the snow flurries to stick:

Pretty, eh? Don't worry, we finally broke 32 degrees this morning around 10:30am. It's back down to 22 tonight already, but we have reason to expect a high of 50 tomorrow (if the forcasters are correct)... If not, we'll continue to run the wood stove whenever we're home!

STANDING MAN

James learned to pull-up to standing this week. Now when he crawls (and by the way, he can REALLY move these days), he generally goes straight to some object and pulls up (sometimes still just to his knees, but often to his feet). And he thinks that Jay and I, and all his toys, and the cats, and the couches, and anything that is heavy enough to support his weight, is fair game for said pulling-up. And climbing over. I've been calling Jay "Jungle Jay" lately because James seems to take such delight in going back and forth across his legs, over his belly, etc., whenever he's lying still on the floor. Our baby is still clumsy, but he sure gets around...

And here are a few photos of the little guy standing around:

This outfit is from Michelle. When we dropped him at daycare that morning, 4 different ladies took turns passing him around before we were even out the door because they all wanted to hold him in his super-soft fleecy outfit (and because he was being super snuggly).

It's been COLD here for a week (temps in the teens most nights), so we've been dressing him extra warm. Fleece, sweat-suits, and even booties OVER his PJs in the house:

And here he is standing in front of the stairs (he's getting better, but still stands with his booty out most of the time):

I swear it feels like we live in a gated community with all the baby gates in our house...

And finally, remember how James goes from his tummy to sitting-up? The splits (yes, he still does that). Well, he tends to do the same thing when going from a standing position back down to sitting. Ouch, right? He doesn't seem to mind (the kid is so flexible!)... and fuzzy socks on hardwood floors make for a pretty smooth transition:

3RD APPOINTMENT AND A PREDICTION

I had my 3rd prenatal appointment for BLT today. It was LONG (not the appointment itself, but the waiting - over 2 hours just to get in), but good. I checked out clear in all the standard areas (weight, blood pressure, urine sample, etc.) and BLT sounded great (I heard the heartbeat twice, since I met with the nurse practitioner prior to seeing my doctor - who had been busy delivering babies). Which brings me to the prediction...

Jay and I are currently believing that BLT is a girl. Yes, we could VERY WELL be wrong, since there is a 50/50 chance, but for now we're thinking pink. Our reasoning for this? At nearly 15 weeks, BLT's heartrate is still very high (165-170bpm), which an old wives tale says is indicative of a girl (of course, this one was wrong for James, whose heartrate was also quite high in the beginning, but down to 153 at his 16-week appointment). Also, my coworkers had fun today checking every Chinese Birth Chart they could find (some of them ask for a LOT of information!), and they ALL said girl (10 out of 10). If you remember, the Chinese Birth Chart prediction was correct for James (though, if you also recall, when I polled all the mommies I knew last time around, the charts were only 77% accurate overall). We haven't had any diagnostic dreams (yet), and I don't plan to do any of the other silly old wives tales (like the Penny Test) this time around, but I have caught myself saying "she" and "her" a few times while refering to BLT...

We'll find out early next month, and either way, we'll be happy just to find out that BLT is healthy and developing on schedule. Until then, let's all have fun making predictions. Shift your gaze over to the right-hand side of the blog and you'll see a gender poll for BLT. Please participate, then leave your prediction as a comment with this post.

10 MONTHS AND 14 WEEKS

Today James is 10-months-old and we can hardly believe it. His first birthday is just around the corner, and he's becoming more and more like a little person every day. He's grown and changed SO very much this month...

(Happily testing out his new wagon this afternoon, despite the 40-degree weather)

He went from barely mobile, to hardly containable. The boy can crawl, frog hop, and pull-up onto his knees at will. Sometimes he even gets up onto his feet, though those instances are very short-lived because he stands with his booty pushed so far out that he tips right over! And he dances! He dances on his belly, while sitting up, and when up on his knees. He doesn't need music either, he often just breaks into dancing (or rocking/bouncing as it's probably more accurately described) at random moments. In fact, he WOKE UP dancing this morning. So darn cute! We have no idea how he has the energy to go all day at such a pace, but he does. We can hardly keep up. And even though he MUST be burning calories left and right, he still managed to gain a whole pound this month. Hooray! The bit of formula we've been supplementing with and all the solids he's eating now (usually 8oz per meal) are doing the trick! In fact, over this long weekend we had a major success in that James will now drink formula by itself (i.e. not mixed with breastmilk in any ratio). Thank goodness too, because my supply has REALLY dropped in the past couple of weeks and my ability to pump is nearly non-existent. We're still nursing morning, noon, and night (and I'll pump once/day while at work to maintain that), but James is getting 2 formula-only bottles/day now to ensure that he's getting enough milk. And though I cried while giving him that first bottle on Thursday when we were home alone due to daycare being closed, I know it's best for him, and he's doing great with it. It is what it is, and honestly I'm just happy we made it as far as we did. Hopefully we can keep up the part-time nursing through the next 2 months though...

We were going to post a blog titled "What WON'T James eat?", but there's really nothing now that the kid doesn't consume. He's even eating avocado again - easy to pick up and feed himself when rolled in toast crumbs! He LOVES to feed himself and is eating all sorts of table foods these days... scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast, french toast, waffles, biscuits (he's a huge fan of breakfast), rolls, garlic bread, shredded turkey, chicken, and ham, cous cous, bits of pasta and ravioli, pieces of banana, pear, carrots, green beans, avocado, and cheese (he prefers the orange cheeses, like cheddar and colby), corn, beans, peas, and even grilled-cheese sandwiches. Pretty impressive, eh? Seriously, for only 5 teeth (the 5th broke through a couple days ago and the 6th is on it's way any day now - both on top), 3 of which are barely past the gums, the kid does just fine chewing and mashing anything he desires. In fact, he shovels it in so fast we've been calling him a chipmunk because his cheeks get so full. Luckily, he hasn't choked himself a single time (knock on wood). And WE'RE really loving his love of food too. It's so fun (and so easy) to just let him eat whatever we're having.

(Can you see all 5 of those pearly whites?)

His personality is really shining these days, and he sure makes us laugh. Besides the crazy cheezer grin my Dad taught him, the kid is working on mastering lots of the goofy looks that Jay gives him. OK, me too. But mostly Jay. He's getting pretty good at some of Jay's looks, but my eyebrow-raising has him totally perplexed. He'll get it in good time. Speaking of which, we're still working on waving, clapping, and blowing kisses. After witnessing Eli give awesome high-fives, we've started working on that too. So far James just looks at us like we're nuts though, or he blows raspberries at us (something we're SURE Eli taught him, since he's the raspberry pro - see the below video from Christmas), but we're patient.

One amazingly adorable thing James has learned is playing and initiating Peek-a-Boo. He loves it when we hide around corners or behind furniture, and he's a smart guy too - he knows where to look for us next when we pop out of different areas. He'll lean his head the direction he expects us to show up, then just grins and giggles when we appear where he thought we would. Every once in a while we can still trick him though (thank goodness). And recently, he's been initiating the game on his own. He'll hold a blanket or other object (sometimes even his shirt, as in the below video) up in front of his face and wait for us to say "Where's my baby?" Then he'll put it down, wait for us to say "There he is!", and then give us his big smile:

He's still a great sleeper at night (usually ~11 hours), but his naps are becoming wildly unpredictable, shorter, and fewer in number. He used to take 2 good naps a day (1-2 hours each) plus a catnap or 2. Now, some days ALL we get are catnaps. Then, some days he sleeps for 2.5-3 hours at a stretch. We definitely think the kid is moving from 2 naps per day down to 1 nap per day already, as most of the kids at daycare get (since now that he is in the Infant 2 room, he is no longer behind closed doors and is exposed to the goings-on of the entire facility). That's just fine with us... we just wish we knew WHEN that 1 nap was going to be each day!

Also, I am now 14 weeks along in this new pregnancy. That means I've entered the amazing 2nd trimester (I hit that milestone on January 1st, actually - Happy New Year to me and BLT)! Quick question though... Where are all my 2nd trimester benefits? I'm STILL nauseated and STILL tired. It wasn't like this last time - if I remember correctly, those minor difficulties were gone by week 12! Hmmm, maybe next week?...

Here I am today at 14 weeks 2 days:

*Sorry BLT, but your Mommy will not be posing for any bare-belly shots this time around. Your big brother graced me with far too many stretch marks during his final weeks in utero. And I'm still carrying around a bit of my baby weight from him too. You know what they say: "9 months to put it on, 9 months to get it off", and you were concieved on his 7-month birthday... But don't worry, I promise to document this newly growing belly for your baby book though, regardless of my insecurities*

Obviously, my belly is a bit bigger at this point than it was with James. I know you're all curious and will just go look at my old blog post to compare anyway, so I'll save you the effort. Here I am with BLT (left) and James (right) at the start of the 2nd trimester:

Doctor appointment #3 is scheduled for Wednesday, but nothing exciting is planned. Just the standard check-up procedures. I'll let you know how it goes though...

HAPPY 3RD CHRISTMAS!

Yup, you read that right. We spent our New Year's Day recreating Christmas morning for James. First we went to Georgia for Jay's family Christmas, then we went to California for my family Christmas, and today was our chance to do things at home as our own little family.

We stayed up late the night before (not quite long enough to ring in the New Year, but I did see the ball drop, so I made it to midnight in Eastern Time at least), putting together all James' big toys. I did one, Jay did a couple, then I helped with some, abd others not so much. Here is our finished product on the night before "Christmas":

These are the ornaments James "made" for us at daycare:
And this is a close-up of some of our Baby's First Christmas ornaments, including the one Jean got James last year (with his sonogram photo inside), one from Michelle, and my old ornament from 1978:

This morning, we brought James downstairs after his first nursing session and let him go wild. And it actually worked out better waiting to do it this weekend, because now James can CRAWL and attack his presents at will:

He went for the play gym/desk/easel from his Uncle Davey and Auntie Taryn first:

This Busy Zoo wooden activity block from his Grandma was a huge hit:

And we bought him a boring reading chair (but it's darn cute, right?):

His Grandpa and Grambot spoiled him with some big-boy toys... a shiny new Radio Flyer wagon (you gotta LOVE that red) and a ride-on dump truck:

Oh yeah, and we DID get him something fun... a crawl-to-cruise jungle. It plays many a catchy tune, and James is already learning to place the balls at the top of the spin column. And he's great at standing or kneeling in front of the monkey and dancing to the music:

BLT received some Christmas gifts too, much to our surprise. A couple of ultra-soft blankets from my Mom and Dad, a plush monkey and lovey blanket from David and Taryn, an ornament from Jean (we'll need to put a sonogram photo in there!), and a pair of 4th of July socks from Jay and I (for our July 2nd due date, of course):

It was such a fun and relaxing day, just sitting around the fire and playing with James, watching him explore all his new toys, and enjoying his new ability to crawl. Until next year... when all bets are off!