ZOO DAY

Today was another beautiful day and we felt we had to take advantage of the spring-like weather (it only lasts for such a short time around here), so we went to the Jackson Zoo for the first time. We expected to spend just a couple hours there, but ended up staying for four because James was in such a good mood - wide awake and interested in everything. It was a great way to spend the day and enjoy our little family of three before it gets too hot and/or my belly gets too large for me to want to do such things.

First stop was the petting zoo. I stayed back with the stroller and took photos, but Jay says James was most wide-eyed at the chickens (which clucked and cock-a-doodle-doo'd in a frenzy around him) and liked "petting" the pigs. From my view, it looked like he was trying to pick out pieces of the pig's hair to show me (like he does to the cats at home):

Then we went to the prairie dog town, where Jay and James pretended to be part of the gang:

Across from the new tiger exhibit, while watching the peacocks perform (there was even an albino who put on quite a show):

Don't mind the finger in James' mouth. We found out yesterday that both of his top molars have started to break through (we can see and feel the corners sticking out), but his bottom gums are bothering him something fierce. And yes, we were sure to wash his hands VERY well after the petting zoo.

Finally, here are James and I at my favorite exhibit: the Diana Guenon monkeys. They were gorgeous, and I've never seen them at any other zoo. They were also the most active of the day (if you don't count the tiny tamarins, which were too hard for James to watch bounding through their tree-filled habitat), so James was fascinated with watching them run and swing and climb the fences, and catch moths through the wire after swatting at the grass just outside their cage:

And by the way, that's my new sling. I bought it more for Cora, but it worked like a charm today at the zoo when James wanted some snuggle time. He rode around in the hip-carry position for quite a while, then climbed up onto my belly to cuddle in the front-carry position. He would have fallen asleep too, had it not been for those awesome guenons!

COOKIES FOR A CAUSE

We went to Riverfest today and our first stop was Michelle's Relay for Life booth, where we purchased 3 of the largest cookies ever. They were the perfect snack (with milk) following our afternoon nap:

Don't worry, we didn't let him eat the whole thing. Just half! Jay and I shared the rest of it, plus our own giant cookies, and a couple of Oreos each (because there is no cookie in this world that goes as well with milk). We gave James the tiniest taste of Oreo, yet he managed to make a giant mess:

Other purchases at the craft fair included a giant hanging pitcher plant and a hat (with bows) for Cora. It was a gorgeous morning and we're glad we went out and enjoyed it!

GETTING CLOSER...

It seems that James is getting closer and closer to walking by the day...

He started spending a lot of his time walking the hallway (supported by the walls) while his Grandma and GG visited:

We often catch him crawling around and pausing in a squatting (or semi-squatting/semi-standing/semi-kneeling) position lately:

He also spends a lot of time in the downward-facing dog position (yeah, I know he's not doing it correctly in this photo, but it was the best one I could capture - sometimes he really surprises us and holds the position with his legs crossed like this):

For the past week or so he's been working on crawling while IN the downward-facing dog position (you know, like a monkey walk). This morning, when placed nearly naked on the COLD kitchen floor as we were getting breakfast and lunches made, he perfected it (to spare his exposed knees, I'm sure). We were cracking up watching our little monkey boy move around the kitchen:

Also, he can now walk behind his dump truck at length, often circling the couch. He pushes that easel toy from his Uncle Davey and Auntie T'in clear across our bedroom floor daily. He lets go of the furniture, walls, and his toys to stand unassisted more and more often, and for longer and longer periods. And we learned today when we picked him up from daycare that he got himself up into a standing position without assistance (not pulling up on anything or anyone) 3 different times. We had hoped to see it for ourselves tonight, but instead we actually got to see a couple of half-steps between the ottoman and Jay's knees (he was tricking James, making him think he was closer than he was, then backing up so that James had to step a bit to reach him - it worked). We're just doing our best to encourage him (we've moved furniture around yet again, in the hopes of enticing him to take steps between pieces, and we're now placing objects on top of them so that he may be more inclined to walk toward them - at their level - rather than crawl) and congratulate him when he tries something new. It's all very exciting!

SNOWMONKEY

It's been FOREVER since I've posted a photo of my adorable nephew on here (because I haven't seen him since Christmas), so since his Nonni shared some fun pictures of his first trip to see snow in Tahoe with me today, I'm taking advantage and showing him off. Here's Eli with a baby-sized snowball (and yes, I also saw video of him THROWING snowballs - how cute is that?):

His parents are pretty cute too (we miss you guys!):

They even made him a snowmonkey:

It's got nothing on the fancy monkey cake they made him for his birthday, but it's still the coolest snowman I've seen in a while! Next time we want to go with...

PINK DIAPERS AND BOWS GALORE

Preparations for Cora continue, at least on the small scale. We ordered her first cloth diapers this week, and they are just so cute and pink:

She'll probably need 8-10 more, but we've got time. She'll be in the tiny gDiapers for the first month, and we may use the gDiapers (in size small) exclusively for another month or so after that, until her BMs stabilize as she adjusts to living in the outside world. Don't get me wrong, we love cloth diapering, but we also recall how messy James' first few months were... We figure we'll just order a few BGs each month until we're ready to start using them, to spread out the cost (see what a good planner I am?) Of course, I did learn today that Bum Genius is discontinuing their "brights", so we may need to order the Zinnia's (the darker pink) now while we still can... So shhhhh, don't spread the word too far - not until I get my pretty pink diapers! I know we've helped convert at least 2 families out there to cloth diapering - and with BGs even! So if you guys are interested in Ribbit, Moonbeam, Clementine, or Zinnia, you better buy them soon.

On a more girly note, I had promised you photos of all the hair bows we've purchased for Cora:

That's right, we're going to be THOSE parents that dress their baby girl in bows and headbands and flowers. And I can't wait! That's part of the fun of having a girl, right? Sure, she'll wear dresses and skirts too, but not often. We're practical. Babies don't need dresses. Especially in the Mississippi heat and humidity. What she needs are cool, cotton onesies. And bows. Since I am not creative or talented in the art of making hair bows (though I bet I can install them just fine - at least I hope...), I relied on the good folks at Etsy.com to create the beautiful ones we chose for our baby girl. Most of the bows were made by none-other than Jay's Aunt Beverly (her shop is called Sweetpea Boutique). I had actually ordered these a while ago when many of my friends were pregnant, two with girls, and a few who didn't yet know the gender. I was going to give them all away, but the more recent births were all boys and Jay took a liking to the bows anyway (especially the character bows: the butterfly, goldfish, and bunny), so we decided to keep them "just in case". Ha! If we'd only known! The rest of the bows and headbands (and yes Mom and Margie, I KNOW they are silk flowers!) came from a couple other Etsy shops that have quickly become my favorites for all things girly (Tiny Tots Bows and Pretty Baby Boutique).

MY FAVORITE NUMBER STRIKES AGAIN

Well, we've been waiting and waiting on James' molars to break through, but it still hasn't happened. Not a single one. The poor kid has ridiculously swollen gums and he's chewing on everything in site, yet there is no telling when he'll get relief. We hear it can take months for the molars to come in. Great. At least that pre-eruption cyst is long gone...

We had a surprise yesterday though... James' 7th tooth broke through, quite unexpectedly. It's on the bottom left, right next to the first tooth he ever got, oh so many months ago (near the end of his 8th month). In fact, this is the first new tooth James has gotten since the end of January. And we never even saw it coming. It actually looked like there was just a huge gap/dip in his gums on both sides of those first 2 bottom teeth, due to the extreme swelling of the molars, so we had no idea the tooth was on it's way. No wonder he was fussy last week. Here's a peek at his newest pearly white:

SLAP HAPPY

James and his GG making some noise:

BOILED

After a very happy reunion with my boys this morning (I caught the earliest flight possible out of Tucson), we scooted over to the infamous Stanley Family Crawfish Boil.

Jay didn't know he'd be peeling crawfish for THREE people, but that's how it ended up. James ate just as much crawfish as me, and he liked it:

James wasn't sure how to take a self portrait with me...And he had lots of fun playing with the Stanley girls' toys. He especially liked their playhouse, and he got lots of practice cruising around, in and out, in and out:

FIFTY, FIFTY, FIFTY-TWO HOURS TO GO...

...until I see my baby.

First work trip for me since James was born (well, without him coming along). First time I've been away from him overnight (let alone 2 nights). And first real, tangible feeling of emptiness in my arms (and heart). Ouch.

Yet, I do not worry. Not about James. He has his Daddy, who runs a tight ship and can fix anything. Nope, I just worry about myself... I had a good cry last night and managed to keep most of my tears under wraps as I said good-bye this morning:

By the way, James said Bye-Bye last night (while waving!) for the first time! I couldn't get him to do it for me this morning, but that's OK. He could probably tell Mommy was sad...

3RD TRIMESTER ALREADY?

Whoa, this pregnancy is seriously flying by... This morning I had my 28-week check-up already, putting me squarely into the 3rd trimester. I started my morning bright and early with the dreaded gestational diabetes test. It wasn't so bad though. The orange drink actually didn't taste as bad as I remembered, and I passed the test with a score of 122. My iron level was so good (13.8) that my doc asked if I was taking iron supplements. My weight and blood pressure were both good. And Cora's heartrate was at a mobile 147bpm.

Here is my 28-week belly photo, taken this morning (27w5d gestation):

In other Cora news, I've been seeing visible kicks from her since just before the 26-week mark. I had forgotten how fun that is, and sometimes see my belly bounce even before I feel the kick! I hate to admit it, but I haven't been enjoying these things like I did last time... With James, I recall spending hours, literally, just sitting or rocking with my hands on my belly, trying to savor every kick. Don't get me wrong, I notice all Cora's kicks, but I have a LOT less time for sitting and rocking this time around! And when I AM sitting or rocking, I usually have James in my lap. In fact, Cora's most active time of day is James' bedtime. As soon as I settle into the glider with him, she starts her big show. I know James is starting to take notice of it too because every now and then as he's drifting off to sleep she'll give him a strong kick to his belly (as it's pressed up against mine, of course) and his eyes will shoot open and he'll look at me like "What was THAT Mama?" It's funny, but it IS also making our bedtime routine a little longer these days... Cora's 2nd favorite time of day to practice her kicks and punches is MY bedtime (which sometimes occurs immediately after James', I admit, but is usually at least 1-2 hours later), as I'm trying to fall asleep, or whenever I get back in bed after a middle-of-the-night bathroom visit. She has good timing, this girl. I can't blame her though. I know the drill. Babies are lulled to sleep by their mommy's movements, and when I stop moving (even for as little as 2 minutes), she wakes up. I'm trying to convince myself to enjoy that 10-20 minutes of activity no matter what time of night though. It's not like I'm sleeping well anymore anyway. Oh the joys of the big belly... At least Jay is willing and able to be my tow-rope (during the daylight hours)!

And speaking of the speed of this pregnancy, it was just 2 weeks ago that we really started to "prepare" for Cora's arrival. At James' birthday party (when I was at 23-weeks), a friend asked what we were going to do as far as a nursery for Cora. If you recall with James, we had his nursery nearly COMPLETED by the time I hit 26-weeks (the week my mom and grandma came to visit for Thanksgiving). And I had to admit that this time around, we had nothing set up for our baby girl. We had done a lot of thinking, just not a lot of acting yet... Though she does have quite the wardrobe already, thanks to her grandmas and Auntie Robyn:

Seems she won't be needing to wear as many of her brother's hand-me-downs as I originally thought... I was surprised, but as I was going through James' old things about a month and a half ago, and asking for Jay's approval along the way, he said way more often than I expected "That's too boyish"! I suppose he wants his baby girl to look the part even more than HE expected. Just wait until I post of photo of all the hairbows we've purchased...

Anyway, for those who haven't heard, the plan is to move James into the guest room downstairs, and move the guest room into the computer room. James will be moving to a regular bed (just a mattress on the floor to start, but a GREAT mattress - TempurPedic!) and using all of his Daddy's furniture from when he was growing up (the bunk beds won't be moved in for a while though, obviously). The computers will stay in the computer/new guest room. And Cora will move into James' current room: the nursery. No, we are not repainting it (we picked light green the first time around for practical reasons!) or buying any new furniture or major baby items (we also chose gender-neutral nursery furniture, carseat, bouncer, etc.). But we WILL be making the nursery girly, don't you worry. We purchased a gorgeous pink and white bedding set, we'll be changing out the wall decorations (Cora's Auntie Taryn will be putting her creative and artistic bilities to work again), and Jay will build Cora her very own special bookcase. It may take us a while to put it all together, but we realize this 2nd time around that we really do have plenty of time to get it done. The biggest benefit of doing this again so soon (and by THIS I mean having a baby) is that not only are we experienced and thus more relaxed, we REMEMBER everything (and if my mommy brain combined with my pregnancy brain prevents me from remembering, I have the trusty blog to jog my memory)!

The other benefit of doing this again so soon? All my maternity clothes still fit and are still in style. Booya.

ALOHA!

My best friends are moving to paradise today! Much anticipated, and MUCH deserved.

Best of luck in the islands guys! We'll be visiting just as soon as we have vacation time stored up again... Love ya!

HAPPY EASTER FROM THE LINDSAYS

James celebrated his 2nd Easter holiday today, and we put a lot more effort forth than a pile of bunnies this year! We started out with church, where James attended Nursery for the first time. He did great, plowing head-first into the pile of blocks, then climbing the corner of soft stairs and slides as we headed to the service: After the service, I captured a 4-generation photo:

Next was lunch, where James slept sprawled across our legs:

And after an errand and another LONG nap at home (for everyone except Jay), we commenced play time! Here is James being dragged around the living room by his Daddy:

Opening his Easter Basket (which he picked out for himself at the store): Wondering what the green stuff was hiding in the Easter Eggs his Grand Aunt Margie sent him:
Enjoying his new Jelly Belly scented bubbles:Helping Mommy open Cora's Easter gifts (clothes!) from Jean and Grandmother, and modeling (proudly) the bonnet she received (Hey, it's only fair, right? Cora will be modeling MANY of James' old clothes in the near future):

And ending the day with a photoshoot and BBQ. It's REALLY hard to get a good family photo with a 13-month-old, even when there are TWO grandmas on the other side of the camera dancing and singing. This is the best one we managed:

We had better luck when we posed James with his GG:

Squealing at Maxine (the sunroom/outside kitty):

Our boy loves flowers:

He stood all on his own for 10 whole seconds while Jay took this next photo:

I love this one Jay captured of me with my babies (only 3 months to go, Miss Cora!):

By the end of the photo shoot James was ready for more snuggle time with Mommy. Lately he's added leg/clothes/blanket/stuffed animal snuggling to his thumb-sucking routine. Adorable, I tell ya. And check out those eyes... they looked so brown in the outside lighting next to my dress:

BIG BOY!

13-months-old today and still growing by the day. He's getting more and more daring while standing (letting go for a few seconds here and there, and often holding on lightly with just one hand):

Wearing big boy sandals (and looking mighty cool in his Adidas 'Hat Trick' outfit):

Sliding down a real slide,with constant assistance of course (awesome static):

And swinging in a big boy swing:

"Official" stats at 13-months: 22.8 lbs. Still putting it on. And still going straight to his belly...