Spring Re-appeared!

Finally! After three weeks of yucky, cold, miserable weather, spring decided to show its beautiful face again in celebration of my birthday weekend!

Best part of celebrating your birthday for an entire weekend? When E asks for Friday off (tomorrow!) so the family can enjoy three days of birthday bliss. ;)

And today was just marvelous. David, my brother-in-law, needed to go to Wheeler Farm for his photography class. I'm always up for a trip to Wheeler Farm and was more than happy to join him for an hour this afternoon.

We tromped all over the farm and had an amazing time enjoying the weather and the little boy who's mood has improved quite a bit since Monday.

James with some chickens.
James with a horse. It reminded me so much of this photo from last November.
James loves this big orange antique wagon wheel in the meadow.



I couldn't get him to smile. Oh well, he's adorable anyway.
E and I have both been commenting lately that we think our blue-eyed boy is getting green eyes. E's eyes are green and I would not be surprised if James's eyes eventually turn. This is the same photo as above with a tighter crop. What do you think? Turning green? (Click on the photo to see it even larger).

Black and White Wednesday {lazy edition}

The cold gray weather hasn't inspired me to get out my camera much. It is horrible. I know as soon as the sun returns, I'll be snapping away like crazy, but for now, well not so much.

So this week's B&W Wednesday is a little unusual. I take a lot of photos with my phone and send them to E at work. Some of my favorite photos have turned out to be these ones. Unexpected. Silly. Us.

So these are not the best quality, but here are three that I've taken in the last week or so that I like.

Yesterday my friend Naina and I were texting. We were lamenting that we were both such good friends with boys the EXACT same age. Yet she lives on the East Coast and I live in Utah. How we wish we lived in the same city.

Anyway, coincidentally, we were both at the mall with our boys. We decided to take a self photo and send it to each other. Hers is adorable. Her little boy is beyond gorgeous. Here's my photo (notice I got my hair cut!). I love James's shy little smile.
James is a shy boy. I take him out of the house every day and he sees plenty of other people, but he's shy. Its just the way he is. His Dada was like that as a boy too. This is James's "statue mode". When someone he doesn't know (here it was someone at the supermarket) says hello to him or waves, he closes his eyes and holds completely still. For over two minutes! That is a long time for a baby. I can't get over how funny his statue mode is. Its as if he thinks if he doesn't move or look at the person, they might go away. Come to think of it, it usually works.
And above, James and I still play outside a lot. If it is cold and windy, we're out. If it threatens rain, we're out. Even if it is raining, we are sometimes out. This is how the sky looked at the park a week ago. And it was cold. But my little outdoor loving boy had no problems, he visited all the trees and went down the slide a few times.

Good Riddance March {and Fussy McGoo!}

When James was only days old E termed the alter ego "Fussy McGoo". Fussy McGoo visits every now and then and we are always happy to see him leave.

Well he's visiting. And he is not seeming to want to leave. I think it is those damn molars.

So this weekend we did nada. Yes, we went to REI, visited family and went to the aquarium, but nothing was really photo worthy.

And I was sick again last week. I've been sick almost all of March. No joke. I had a three week (horrible) cold that turned into a sinus infection and then I got the stomach bug last week.

So I say, bring on 30 years old, bring on spring, and bring on April. I'm ready to get out of this end of winter funk and start enjoying some time outdoors.

Good Riddance March.

Above: James fussing at my feet, which he does a lot these days. He wants to be picked up, or something. When I pick him up he wants down. It is fun fun.

It's the 24th again! 16 months with Wolfy

Today James is 16 months old.

This amazes me.

In some ways I feel like I've known this little man all of my life, and in other ways it feels like he is still fresh and small and just a baby.

James is smarter by the day. Each day he surprises me with how much he knows, wants to understand, and how quickly he learns. He isn't really talking yet but is sooo close. He's doing a lot of practicing. He sees the moon and says "mmmuuu" so not really a word, but almost there. He says a long "ssshhhhhaaaa" for shoes, and can easily say "baby". He did say "duck" last night in the bath when playing with his rubber ducky.

I am so excited for his speaking skills to really take off.

He is quite good on his feet these days and rarely falls. We walk all around the neighborhood most days and James is a great walker on all sorts of uneven surfaces. When we walk to the school yard he can even crawl up the playground equipment and go down the slide, which he does on his tummy.

He is sweet and gentle and wonderful. He's the type of boy that never pushes or shoves and he always cries a sympathetic cry when one of his friends falls down and is crying. This is the sweetest thing, we'll be playing at the baby gym and if another baby starts to cry, he'll stop what he's doing and let out a little whimper. None of the other kids do this. Only my gentle soul.

James has 9 teeth with three more on the way. One molar pushed through last week and the other three are following close behind.

He's been a bit better eater in the last month, but still pickier than I would like. His current favorites are beans, yogurt, waffles with jam, milk, orange juice and (until yesterday) tomatoes with ranch dressing. As I posted earlier this week, James is now weaned. He went down for bed like a champ, and really has hardly missed nursing. I'm doing well with the transition also.

Favorite activities include reading books (Noisy Peekaboo, Say Hello to Snowy Animals, Grover goes to School, Hungry Caterpillar, and There is a Monster at the End of this Book are his current favorites and will happily read these over and over and over until E and I hide them in hopes if finding something new), watching videos of himself (again, over and over and over), taking walks, and playing chase with his Dada.

Least favorite activities include getting a diaper changed (worst-activity-ever), getting dressed, being told to stay seated in the bath, and being brought inside after playing outside.

He is sleeping through the night, taking one nap a day, and is 99% of the time cheerful, silly, wonderful and happy. He is adored by everyone who knows him.

Remember when James and Wolfy were the same size? Now he towers over Wolfy at around 24 lbs.
He loves Wolfy and sleeps with him every night.
But sitting is boring. He's on the move!
Stand on couch? Sure-fire way to end photo session.
Right before the Wolfy photos, I picked up the living room and put all his puzzles away under the side table. James knew right where to go to get them back out again.
Puzzles are still one of his favorites.

And from month 1 until now:

Black and White Wednesday {reading naked}

Before bath time every night we let James have a "naked run". For about five minutes he sequels with delight and runs all over the house. Often times we get his best giggles when he has total freedom from clothing.

Tonight instead of tearing around like a crazy man he went into the living room in search of his favorite books. This boy loves his books and he has a few favorites that he'll read over and over again.

James pulled out a favorite, walked backwards towards his Dada before sitting on E's lap, and wanted to read. E kept saying "don't pee on me!"

James sat happily for the entire story (without peeing!).
Both E and I adore the way James will rest his little hand on our arm or wrist as we read. Gotta love the small things.
The lashes on this guy grow longer by the day.

Low key weekend: small update

The weekend was cold, rainy and windy. I took a long nap on Sunday while my sweet little boy did the same in his crib.

Saturday was a free day at the Utah Museum of Fine Art, so we strapped the baby to the baby leash and set off. The museum was busy and full but James loved walking all around, not pausing for a single moment to enjoy the art. (We brought the camera, but the wrong lens, so didn't get many in-focus shots).

Last night marked the end of an almost 16 month-long relationship James and I have had with breastfeeding. James had his last session before bed last night. It is time. He's such a big boy.

Plus, I'm not sleeping well at night (again) and none of the breastfeeding approved sleep-aids are doing it for me.

So last night, in his darkened room, we sat in the rocker, and for the last time I breastfed my big boy. I cried a little. Seems silly until you are there, but I'll admit the tears fell. The last of his babyhood is slipping away.

Tonight will be the first in James's entire life where he will go to bed without booby milk. I think I'll have a harder time than him.

And, in two weeks I turn 30. The big big 30. Do I feel old? Yes. But I'm right where I wanted to be at 30. I have a wonderful man that I share every day with, a beautiful home and the sweetest kid I know. It is perfect.

And remember how I found some old photos on some CDs a few weeks ago? Here is a photo of me on my 23rd birthday. I still have that sweater and I just got my haircut to match this length. I look just about the same, just a little more "mature".

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Did you hear about the little leprechaun? He's 32" tall, has a big cute toddler belly, can walk faster than anyone you know, and is up to mischief? He visited here. And boy oh boy is he a mischief maker.

I am totally laughing about one of the photos in this post. I think I had a little too much fun in Photoshop. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A couple of weeks ago I asked on Facebook where to find rain boots for this boy. He loves puddles and since we go out in all types of weather, he oftentimes comes home soaked. I found a pair online in his size. Only problem? He can not walk in them. Like not at all. Too bad, because they were super cute.
Haha! I hope this very silly Photoshop edit makes you smile.
Last year on St. Patrick's Day I laid a boy on a patch of super green grass. Look at those blue eyes and that silly hair!
I tried to recreate the photo this year. The only way I could get him to lie still long enough for the photo was to pin him on either side with my feet. He looks happy about it, doesn't he?
Until next year, Happy St. Patrick's Day!