LAST WEEKEND EDITION BEFORE HIS BIRTHDAY...

It's been a fun week, and a really fun weekend. It amazes us how fast James is changing and how much he is learning these days. Recent developments include two new words, "Up" (which he does well and uses correctly) and "Belly Button" (which he just attempted this morning following the belly button game, where he searches for Mommy and Daddy's belly buttons - he said it a few times, repeating us, but he has some work to do before anyone else would understand him), and climbing. He climbs so high now that we've had to move toys away from window sills and couches and tables to keep him off of them. Of course, he still tries to get as high as possible...

All the climbing and extra activity makes him sleepy in the afternoons. Today he fell asleep after Skyping with his grandparents, right at the end of a diaper change (so we let him nap in place):

We've been using a pillow during diaper changes since last weekend. His constant rolling and trying to escape was beyond frustrating. Toys were no longer enough distraction, and the screaming fits as we held him down to complete the task were grating on our nerves. Luckily, placing his head on a pillow seems to make everything better. Why? Who knows, and who cares. We stick by our baby-raising motto: "Whatever works!"

This photo is just in here because I liked the outfit Jay dressed him in for daycare the other day. Both the pants and shirt are hand-me-downs from Jagger:

And finally, here is a classic James Face that we're getting pretty often these days:

This is the look he gives us when he thinks we've done or said something KINDA funny, but not funny enough for a laugh or real smile... He's quite the character...

JUST LIKE DADDY

Just for fun, we decided to dress James in one of Jay's old baby outfits today. It's one of Jean's favorites, and now that I've seen it on James, I understand why. What's cuter than a boy in bright blue coveralls? Here's our little man, straight out of the 70's:And now that James is so mobile, he's REALLY enjoying his Daddy's old toys too. He doesn't ride on them yet (though he does pose for photos, see below), but he LOVES to "drive" them around, usually by crawling behind them, sometimes by walking behind them. We couldn't resist getting some video of him playing with them today while he was dressed the part:

THIRD DATE

Tonight we went out for our THIRD date night since James was born (unless you also count the other 3 occassions when we were visiting family and we went out for a few hours AFTER we put James to bed for the night)! About time, right? Well, we've been meaning to, it's just that, well...

We MISS James during the week, and it's hard to want to be away from him during his waking hours. We did the math. He sleeps 11 hours per night. That leaves 13 hours of awake time (not including naps) per day. We work 8.5 hour days (usually), so that means James is at daycare for 9 hours per day. Guess what that adds up to? We get 46 hours with him during an average week (meaning a normal 5-day work week and 2-day-weekend), and daycare gets him for 45 hours. It sounds HORRIBLE when you look at it like that, right? And you can see why we don't want to miss out on opportunities to play with him, sing to him, bond with him, read to him, snuggle him, and just ENJOY him, right? Ah, the dilemma of both parents working full-time away from the home...

We know we're lucky though. It could be worse. At least we work together and carpool (most days), meaning we get to do the daycare drop-offs and pick-ups together. We both get to hear from the source how James' day went. We both get to spend that bit of extra time with him in the car (and yes, we're STILL taking turns sitting with him in the back... we figure we don't HAVE to break that habit until Cora shows up, or maybe just a little prior, so why rush it?) And we have no commute. AND we get to do most things together, like getting James ready for daycare in the mornings, cooking and eating dinner as a family, and enjoying our evenings all being home at the same time. So no, we're not complaining. Just stating the facts as they are.

Anyway, we've been meaning to start going out for some adult time (AKA date nights) for a while now. Even though we end up talking about James throughout dinner, it's still good for us to get out as a couple now and then. Maybe even once per month. That's not so much.

So, we set up a sitter-swap with our friends Amy and Jason (and their 7-month-old daughter Azure). They live far from their families too, so they completely understand the need for a break now and then, and they can empathize with not having the grandparents around for free babysitting services. AND they were gracious enough to let us go out first. Good friends, eh? Now I just hope we'll still all have time to continue our sort-of-monthly/bimonthly dinner parties together (Amy is a GOOD cook)!

We've actually discussed this sitter-swap idea with some of our other new parent friends too (you know who you are), so who knows, maybe we'll start having date nights more often. Or at least more play dates/dinner parties to get the kids together... until Cora arrives of course, then we'll probably hole-up again for a while!

Here we are after dinner at ROCA, belly full of pasta AND baby:

So, how did it go? Well... after an initial meltdown the likes of which we'd never seen before (as we were attempting to leave the house), James' hour-and-a-half without us went just fine. He ate everything we prepared for him, played, smiled, and eventually remembered that Jason is his friend (he apparently still has some stranger anxiety against tall, deep-voiced men these days, even though Jason is not a stranger to him). It is wonderful to feel so loved that your baby can't stand the thought of you leaving, yet heartbreaking when you don't expect such an extreme reaction. Thank goodness for the distraction power of food (all around)! By the time we made it to the restaurant, our worries were subsiding. Sure, we talked about James through most of dinner (and work, ah!), but we enjoyed our time out, as well as the yummy food. And when we got home, our boy was happy as can be:

HAPPY MEALS AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY...

As my nursing relationship with James is coming to an end, I've been taking some time to reflect...

These are a few of the things that I'm REALLY going to miss about nursing James:
1. Our guaranteed alone time (yes, even those middle-of-the-night feedings, not that we've had them for a long, long time anyway)
2. Those big mid-suck smiles when he starts to get all full and happy
3. Watching him "fall asleep at the buffet" with milk dribbling down his cheek

4. The ability to INSTANTLY calm him

5. The built-in excuse to bring him into our bed in the mornings, rather than having to get up to fix him breakfast

6. Having him sweetly play with my hair and caress my chin while he eats

7. The silly faces he makes right after nursing in the morning, when he's always at his happiest

However, these are a few of the things that I WON'T be missing though:
1. Wearing a nursing bra and bra pads 24 hours/day (not that I've needed them for a while anyway - slowly losing your milk supply does have SOME benefits)

2. The biting (which was bad even BEFORE he had teeth)
3. The extreme nipple pulling when he jerks his head around to look at something (or somebody - Daddy!) while still securely attached to me

4. The raspberries he blows on my chest when he gets frustrated with low/slow milk flow (sorry, but no matter how cute it is, it's also a little bit offensive)

We're down to 2 nursing sessions/day now and the end is in sight. James has been losing interest in the bedtime nursing for over a week (some nights he nurses for a mere 2-3 minutes, some nights he doesn't nurse at all) and I see that phasing out in the next few days. The morning nursings are generally better (probably because he's sleepy and doesn't mind the low/slow flow), but I doubt they will last much longer either (especially if we stop the night nursings, which will only reduce my milk supply further). Since I'm not planning to tandem nurse, my OB prefers that I stop breastfeeding before I enter my 3rd trimester, when the nursing could cause contractions and premature labor. I know I have time before I reach that milestone (about 6 weeks), but my supply isn't going to last anyway, so now, at James' 1-year mark, seems like as good a time as any to wean. It's bittersweet for me, and probably won't be easy for James either (regardless of his waning interest), but we'll get through it. He's growing and eating real meals - there seems to be nothing that he can't or won't eat these days (for example, tonight he polished off 3oz of fruit and veggie puree, half a blueberry bagel with cream cheese, a handful of frozen peas, and some crackers)! His milk intake is dropping overall (he only takes 4 bottles/day now, and rarely finishes all 6oz) and he's drinking well out of his sippy cups (all different kinds now). He can do this too.

And I'm just glad I'll be getting right back into it soon with Miss Cora. I only hope I have as much (or better) success the second time around as I have had with James...

So, thanks for the memories baby. I hope this year of breastmilk (from exclusive to part-time) has given you the best start (nutritionally and otherwise) that it can. I will always treasure our nursing year, and I'm so glad I have photo documentation to look back on. I love you James!

CRUISER

James' cruising skills are improving - he can now "walk" the length of the windows in our bedroom (about 8ft)! We had to strategically place some of his toys as bait to get him moving for the camera this morning. That, combined with him still being in the learning phase, means he moves slowly, and thus the following video is a little long (about 1.5 minutes):

MULTITASKING DADDY

makes dinner and holds the sleeping baby at the same time!

SILLY BOY

James has been getting more and more silly over the past week, so we thought we'd share some of his silliness with you to get your Friday started...

He's now a fan of placing random objects on his head (and he has pretty good balance):

He likes the new mesh laundry basket I bought recently. His favorite activity is to throw an object into it, then crawl in after it to retrieve it. This usually results in the basket upending itself over his entire body:

He's a pro with his new sippy cups. They are the Dr. Brown's and are probably the 10th variety we tried (on David & Taryn's suggestion). They work more like a regular cup (requiring less suction), and that seems to have been key to getting James to drink out of them on his own. Of course, he does have an interesting technique. No matter how high we fill it, he just HAS to tip his head way back, and he always holds them one-handed, with both head and arm resting against the back of his highchair for support:And finally, the kid likes pickles. Sweet pickles, at least. I've been craving them lately (I won't admit how many jars we've purchased in the past few weeks), and James was showing curiosity, so I let him taste. Even though his little cheeks puckered, they were an instant hit. Now I can't eat a pickle without sharing:I wonder what our little entertainer will learn this weekend to make us smile?...

FAT TUESDAY

A little cuteness to celebrate Mardi Gras (since we skipped the parade this past weekend due to the snow and freezing temps): And a little indulgence too: Indian cuisine was the pick for this month's Ethnic Supper Club (as Sandy is now calling it, since we've expanded and tried to make it a monthly event). Again, we did well. We ate. We enjoyed. And James behaved, despite his ailments. He ate plenty (and especially enjoyed Sara's mango lassi). He snuggled with Philip and had fun playing with his Sandy (aren't they adorable twinsies in their matching green thermals?): For anyone not yet aware, we've had 10 days in a ROW of sleepless nights due to James' night wakings. We thought it was teething. Tylenol didn't help. We thought it was the diaper rash, but as that healed, the wakings did not cease. We thought maybe it was just a combo of separation anxiety and learning something new (the cruising, and some new "words" - for example "Bub", what he now calls his Daddy), which always gets James moving at night, but the sleepless trend has continued. Then we thought perhaps the rash he developed on his torso was to blame, so Jay booked him an appointment with the pediatrician yesterday to get it checked out. And James' Daddy has good intiution (I was just gonna ride it out...). A mere 3 hours in her office and 5 prescriptions later (for his cold and the resulting mild ear infection we had no idea he had, the severe and still healing diaper rash, and the eczema/contact-rash due to the most likely culprit: his bath soap - bummer, I really liked the Burt's Bees Baby...), we came home with high hopes. No such luck though. James woke at 9:30, then 11:30, then 12:45, at which point we gave in and brought him to bed with us. That usually does the trick (after the restlessness wears off). Our boy is always restless at first, until he settles into a position where he's touching both of us. He can't sleep on his own in our bed. No. He must have a hand on my arm and a hand on Jay's face. Or his feet up on my legs and his hands gripping Jay's shirt. Or his head snuggled against my chest and his booty touching Jay's belly. Ah, the joys of co-sleeping... Anyway, back to the story. No relief for us... he woke again at 2:00. Then 4:00, at which point he stayed "awake" until well after 5:00 (when he finally, and ironically fell asleep while Jay and I were getting ready for the day, and we ended up having to wake him in order to get to work on time). Have you ever tried to sleep with a baby who tricks you into THINKING they are sleeping (by no longer moving restlessly or babbling, and finally breathing calmly and steadily) just long enough (about 10 minutes) to convince you that it is finally OK to drift off to sleep yourself, then WHAM, that baby throws his right fist up in the air and shouts "Yah!" for apparently no reason other than to scare his poor sleep-deprived parents? Well, have you? Sure, it's funny the first 2-3 times, but then it gets old. Grandmas, why do you have to live so far away? We could sure use a break this week...

Oh well, we'll get through it. We should just go to bed now, since James is asleep. But what will we do instead? Post this blog and go watch LOST!

To end this post though, just for fun, here are James and I last year on Mardi Gras (at 38 weeks gestation) as compared to this year (with me at 20.5 weeks gestation with Cora):

What a difference a year makes...

Oh wait though, I AM pregnant in both photos, so I guess things don't change THAT much...

A VALENTINE'S DAY CRUISE

Happy Valentine's Day from our little Captain:

James learned to cruise this weekend! He can now go 3-4 steps at a time along furniture (or gates), walking behind a toy (with or without wheels), or holding onto our hands. Big trouble is just around the corner... and doesn't he look pleased with himself?

By the way, James L O V E S this toy from his Uncle Davey and Auntie T'in. He knows how to get up and sit (or stand) on the bench, crawl underneath it, and apparently, now, to push it. We, however, do not love this toy. Sorry guys. That mechanical music has got to be the M O S T annoying accompanyment to any toy James owns. But oh well, as long as the baby likes it!

And we did buy Eli a toy guitar and percussion set, so I suppose we had it coming...

JAMES' FIRST REAL SNOW DAY

This morning, we woke up to this:

And this:

And even this:

The goldfinches and other winter birds were out and eating, but they were also avoiding the snowflakes as much as possible: Even though all the schools are closed, our daycare is open all day and work was set to open at 9am, so we bundled up, loaded the car, and snapped a family photo (not a great family photo, but we were in a hurry, as we always are in the mornings) on our way out:The roads were slick though (and our driveway is steep enough that we spun tires on the snow/ice just to get out), so we turned around after just a few blocks. We figured it just wasn't worth it (we don't trust drivers around here at ALL). I'm working from home today, and Jay is taking a personal day to spend with his son, who thinks the snow is great:James watched the snowflakes falling and even caught one on his bottom lip:

It's been snowing since about 10pm last night and it's still going strong, and forecast to continue past noon, so maybe we'll find time to build a snowman this afternoon...

SNOWMAN

After a 3-hour nap for James (and Jay) this morning-afternoon (which made it very easy for me to get work done at home!), we were ready for a break and some fresh (cold) air. So, we bundled up once again and hit the snow. Good thing my parents got James the All-Terrain Wagon (he LOVED going through the snow and hearing the crunchy noises):

He did NOT, however, enjoy the taste of fresh snow we gave him:

He DID enjoy escaping his blankets and crawling across the snow and bare ground (uncovered by Jay in his giant snowball-rolling adventure):Jay's snowman turned out much larger than I thought he'd be able to make. The 5 inches or so that we got was the perfect consistency for rolling and packing though:

Before we headed back inside, Jay took James on a longer ride through the snow/grass:

I must say, it was a really good day!

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Jay and I have had our future babies' names picked out for years. Since shortly after we were married. In fact, I was well aware even BEFORE we were married that should we have a son someday, he would be Jay's namesake. And to follow along those lines, we decided that should we someday have a daughter, she would also receive family names. So, without further ado, here are the amazing women whom our daughter will be named after:

Martha Cora Priest Waddell (Jay's grandmother)

Donna Mae Brown Jackson (Denise's grandma)

These ladies mean the world to us. We both grew up living only a few hours from our maternal grandparents, and we were both lucky that our parents made sure we spent as much time as possible with them. Because of this, our grandmothers have played a very large role in our lives, and thus contributed greatly to our goals in life, our attitudes and mannerisms, and our shared view that family is more important than anything else. We love you Grandmother and Grandma, and we're looking forward to carrying on your names, and hopefully some part of your persons and personalities, with your great-granddaughter!

Our daughter will have a very significant, strong, and traditional name.

She is our Cora Mae Lindsay.

CUTER BY THE MONTH

How is that possible? We have no idea, but it's true:

Just wait until we take his many, many, many 12-month portraits next month...

NUDIE-BOOTIE

Anyone who is uncomfortable with (edited) naked babies should look away now.

For the rest of us, here is James playing in the nude the other night before his bath. The poor kid has been so cooped-up lately in socks and shoes and sweaters due to the cold weather that we've been trying to give him some time each night to air-out and just be free, upstairs in our room where it's warmer (heat rises) and carpeted. He takes full advantage of it, and luckily, we (and the carpet) haven't suffered any errant urine streams (yet). You should see him crawl nude... for some reason, when he has no clothes or diaper on, his balance gets completely thrown off and he constantly trips. It's so funny! I can't post a video though, since there's no way to edit out his boy parts. Just take my word for it.

And no, I didn't place that toy there. It was just good timing with the photo.

Does he not have the CUTEST little tushie? And the BIGGEST belly? Seriously though, I know he was pooching his stomach out in this photo, but WHOA! Our boy has a gut. I wonder how much of his 20 lbs is located in that area alone?

Sorry, but this last one just makes me laugh.

Hope this post has helped you all start your Friday with a giggle too!

AND THE WINNER IS...

TEAM PINK!

Our second-born is a baby girl and we are ECSTATIC!

We celebrated by changing the blog colors accordingly (at least, for a little while), and by starting a new pink-infused "mini" wardrobe for her (because yes, she'll be wearing plenty of her big brother's hand-me-downs too):

You didn't really expect us to wait, did you? At 16 weeks gestation when we found out James was on the way, we went straight out and purchased some cute baby boy outfits, and BLT deserves the same treatment. Of course, we may have gone a little overboard...

Although, we DID hit the sale racks, and we DID have some leftover Christmas money...

In other appointment news, my blood pressure was normal (after the initial screening, where it was high due to my excitement/anxiety - it's always high for my first reading), my weight was great (I only gained one pound this month - I've been doing MUCH better this pregnancy), and other tests (ahem... urinalysis) came back clear.

BLT's anatomy scan received a perfect score too. All her organs are there and accounted for, in the correct positions, and formed as they should be. Hooray! The sonogram technician determined her gender immediately (though she had to point it out and explain to us that 3 lines = girl), and when my doctor saw the pictures, she said "Oh yes, you're definitely having a girl!" - she is very excited for us! BLT weighed in at 10 oz, which is right on track for her estimated due date. Actually, she measured one day ahead, but my doctor will not be changing the due date (obviously, as that would be silly). And her heartrate was still on the higher end, at 155 bpm. In fact, our baby girl was so active that it took the technician FOREVER to get all the measurements she needed. BLT was flipping around, and around, and around. And waving her arms and kicking her legs. Curling up into the fetal position one second and stretching out completely the next, then repeat, and repeat. It was funny to watch her, and cool to actually feel the movements as I was watching her.

Here is our baby girl's beautiful profile:

The only potential problem they found is with the placenta. Whereas with James the placenta was attached to the back of my uterus, it's anterior for BLT. And it's low. Only 1 cm up from my cervix. Theoretically, as my uterus grows, the placenta will move up. However, if this doesn't happen, I would be at risk for placenta previa (when the placenta covers the opening of the cervix). It may also make it harder for Jay to feel her moving, so that could take longer this time around. Anyway, so far I have no restrictions, and they will check placental progress at either my 24 or 28 week appointment. Keep your fingers crossed all goes (and moves) as it should.

Here's our baby girl looking at the camera (her head is on the right):

This is BLT's belly photo this morning at 19 weeks (18w5d to be exact):

I'm definitely showing earlier this time!

Finally, just for fun, here is the comparison to the start of the 2nd trimester:

Stay tuned this weekend for the big baby girl name unveiling...