Rubber Duckie, You're the One...

Thanks Uncle Joel & Aunt Elizabeth! James received an inflatable duckie tub for Christmas from them and used it for the first time tonight. It was delightful watching him splash. Just last week James started sitting up for minutes at a time on his own, so until now he's had his baths lying down on a big bath sponge. He's never minded baths, but tonight he LOVED it! I took at least nine videos but will just include this short one from bathtime.

(Does anybody else remember Ernie's song he sang about his 'very special little pal,' Rubber Duckie, on Ses*me Street? "Rubber duckie, you're the one....you make bathtime lots of fun...Rubber duckie, I'm awfully fond of you...bo do do di doe" I just looked it up on YouT*be. Vintage Ses*me Street is what came up. That makes me feel old.)

Our other big 'sitting up' adventure occured at the grocery store. I usually prefer to grocery shop without James, because I've never really mastered the skill of fitting his carseat carrier on the shopping cart. I just feel like it's never very secure. So I've always put him in the basket part, which leaves next to no room for groceries and defeats the purpose of making a grocery run. Until today! I took along the shopping cart cover my mom made him for Christmas (it has monkeys and bananas on it--really cute) and he sat up in that. He acted like he was the king of the world. He was just thrilled every time I picked up something crinkly or rattly to put into the cart, and he smiled at and 'talked' to lots of people! Sitting up has been a pretty big deal around our house!

Easter & Slideshow

I've posted a slideshow of photos from Easter and the week leading up to it. I chose a new format and it sort of zips through the pictures with no way of slowing down--sorry! We really had a great time with Mark's family-birthday party, Easter egg hunt, Easter baskets, practicing handbells, a big meal, and then a handbell performace at the home where Grandpa Lester lives...we packed a lot into a day! All of the festivities pictured took place Saturday and Sunday we returned home after church. James had his first 'accident'--he fell off of a counter top and landed on his tummy & face. He only got one little rug burn on his chin. It was really traumatic for me. That's a major understatement. He was under my supervision at the time and just wiggled off! He's doing just fine now. God is so good and protected his little body! I am so thankful that it happened before he had any teeth. It was a not-so-fun way to end an otherwise wonderful weekend!! On a different note, during a visit to the doctor today James weighed in at 17lbs 1oz. He's a seventeen pounder! :)

The Mango Tango

I'm not entirely sure why I entitled this post "The Mango Tango"...yes, James tried Mango today...but Tango? It rhymes. That's all....and it sounded catchy. Today James had his six month appointment. He's gone from being in the 50th percentile in weight to the 30th percentile! But 75th in head circumference and 66th in height--big head, tall and skinny. The doctor wasn't concerned as long as he is growing length-wise. He's just burning more calories now wiggling and rolling around!

James is becoming very observant. When he gets fussy, we just put any object in front of him and he's usually distracted by it! He's totally curious about everything. He's been discovering his voice more, babbling and shouting to see what noises he can make. It's pretty fun to hear!

thinking hard about how to get that watch off...
James has eaten brown rice cereal, peas, and mango in the past week. I might have been a little hasty with the mango I bought today. I think it needed to ripen a day or two more. I think parts of it were a little too tangy and when pureed, it made the whole 'batch' too tart! Oops. Here was his reaction:

Sweet Potatoes

After a friend mentioned on her blog a new baby food website she'd discovered, I started pouring over the new recipes there. I found a recipe for "Sweet Toes". Here's a link to the site, Nurture Baby.

First I baked the sweet potatoes, with skin on....

The peels came off very easily. I cut them in chunks and pureed them with water and a teensy bit of cinnamon...

Then I plopped it in ice cube trays. I ended up with three trays full from nine medium sweet potatoes. James eats just one cube (watered down) a day. I figured it comes out to be $0.04 or $0.05 a cube!

And the verdict is...he likes it! He was doing a little sweet potato dance in between bites, because he wanted more! I really enjoyed the prep ahead and freeze method!

Fun Weekend

James with Great-Grandma

Sitting on his own for a few moments at a time...he loves being outside!

My brother Joel was home for a visit with his wife Elizabeth

Reading (a spice catalog) with Grandpa

Trying to figure out how to talk...

Aunt Elizabeth and Duncan....James was fascinated by the puppy! He even stuck out his little tongue just like Duncan.

3 Days, 6 Months, and 2 Years

THREE days of eating avocados and he's acquired the taste! He has been loving them since Tuesday! I think my friends "Correnta" and Kami were right when they commented that it could be a 'texture' thing. I thinned it way down with watery rice cereal the last two days and he gobbled it up. Here he is licking the spoon! I'm not sure how much I should be letting him attempt self-feeding. I'm sort of a neat-freak about James and need to let it go, I guess. I know he wants to dive into the bowl so badly, but I don't let him touch it and only let him have the spoon at the end of the meal.

SIX months ago today I was in labor...and James was born at 4:57pm. What a fun six months it has been! He's acquiring more and more personality (accompanied by a few more tantrums than he had just a few weeks ago) and it's just been too fun to see him discover new things all the time. We love being parents! No teeth yet, but we wonder if he might be teething...

TWO years (and two days) ago Mark and I were married! Some of you probably think--whoa, two years and already a baby? We've packed in, seemingly, a lot in two years, but I wouldn't change a thing. I love Mark so much and adore being his wife. He's a GREAT husband and father and makes it seem so easy!! These are the flowers he brought me Tuesday. Tulips and Iris! Aren't they beautiful? I've decided I don't really have a favorite flower but enjoy them all! We celebrated over the weekend when Andrea babysat (James was an angel for her--a 'first' for babysitters) and we went to dinner and a movie.

One of those self-taken, to-close-to-the-flash photos, quickly snapped right before James spit up all over himself and Mark.