Getting bigger by the day...

It might just be his outfit...but I think he looks older today! What do you think? I know, I know, some of you are thinking, "Just wait a few more months! He's only 11 weeks!"

11 Weeks

James is 11 weeks old! The top picture is of him stretching out. He looks like he's frowning, but it's just the face he makes when he stretches! In the past two weeks he's been holding up his head nicely when he's on his tummy, too! Yesterday we noticed him reaching and touching toys with his hands.

Thanksgiving, Part 2

Here are James and I with my grandma. Doesn't she look great? We all hung out at my parents' house Saturday. We ate a lot, as usual!

I love his hat. Doesn't he look ready for winter?

Aunt Elizabeth loves to hold James! He was so cozy with her!

Aunt Elizabeth made his darling hat! It went perfectly with his Christmas onesie!

Here we all are, minus my grandparents....

Thanksgiving = 10 Weeks

Last week was quite busy and this week has been full of fun times with family. On Monday Mark and I took James to the doctor for his two-month shots. He weighed 12lbs 0.5oz and was in the 50th percentile for weight and 70th for height. Not only did he receive multiple vaccines, but we were also both talked into a tetanus and flu shot! A little more than we had bargained for! James was pretty fussy and worn out the following hours, but bounced back to being the happy little guy he is. Recently he has 'found' his right hand and loves chewing and sucking on it whenever his pacifier falls out. He is also getting better at lifting his head while on his tummy. For the past two weeks, he has (with the exception of one night) slept a six to seven and a half hour stretch before waking for his morning feeding. It's been nice!

Today we were up early to shop. (Well, we were up at 5:30 with James...he's our little alarm clock). It was a fun family experience! We also rearranged the living room and decorated for Christmas! We decided to start a new tradition of making spiced cider the day we decorate for Christmas. Cider is Mark's specialty--he loves to make it. The house smelled great. To top it all off, we finally got to listen to Christmas tunes!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! A relative of ours hinted that she'd love daily updates. I'll see if I can post a little more frequently!

Two Months Old

"Yay! I'm two months old today!" He looks huge in this picture.

"Look mom, no helping hands!" I know this doesn't count as really sitting up, but Mark likes to practice! Two months ago, he couldn't have tried at all.

"Why am I wearing all stripes? I look like a jailbird."

This look says it all, doesn't it? I think this hat is adorable. It keeps him warm anyway when we run errands!

Almost Two Months

James is 8 weeks old today! He was up pretty early--about 5:40am. Maybe he knew he was 8 weeks today and really wanted to celebrate as much as he could! It is amazing how much he has learned in just two months. He is holding his head up more and more, sleeping in his crib in his own room, blowing bubbles, 'talking', and smiling. He's also having more frequent 'blow-outs'. The one he had yesterday at my parent's house warranted an immediate bath...what a mess! :) I'm looking forward to going to the doctor this coming week with him. I'll post his stats, as I've had several questions about his weight.

A Weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's

We had such a fun visit home last weekend. Mark, James, and I were visiting Mark's parents, and four of his five sisters happened to make it home that weekend, too! All twelve of James' cousins were around so it felt like Christmas!

Here's James enjoying some snuggle time with his Aunt Gail and cousin Levi!








I have been looking forward to taking this 'four generation' photo. I had one of James, myself, Mom and Grandma taken in the hospital, so it was important to get one of Mark's side, too! We visited Lester Saturday afternoon at the assisted living home, where he resides.















I just think this is such a sweet photo of Great Grandpa Lester and James.











Here's the little guy surrounded by seven ladies....there was a lot of that going on over the weekend.












Right after arriving home, Mark and I went on a drive further into the country to a nearby town to buy some meat at the meat plant where his family got meat from while he was growing up. Apparently, no other ground beef quite measures up. After closing out an old checking account (where the bank teller knew him by name when he walked in, although he hadn't seen her for years--I loved it), we visited the meat plant to stock up on ground beef, and then stopped by one of Mark's family's barns to pick up something. That's where I took this last photo. I like getting to know the Mark that grew up on a farm.