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.

Smiles!

James is six weeks old and has been smiling more and more each day. He tends to be happiest and the most talkative in the mornings, after he's had a good night's sleep. We love to see him smile!





Also check out the photos (in the previous post) our friend took of us when James turned one month old! I'll post photos from last weekend soon!

One Month Slide Show

Our friend Sarah took these photos the day James turned one month old! I think she did an awesome job! You would never know that he was particularly fussy during most of the photo shoot! Enjoy...

http://www.sorellimages.com/james4weeksold/

5 Weeks

There are so many pictures from the past week that I'm including another slide show so they don't take up so much space! Over the weekend was the annual Pumpkin Carving Party. It started four or five years ago and continues to be a fun way to keep up with college friends. It's amazing how the group grows and grows. Andrea mentioned that we should plan to expand and add one child a year...I think it's possible. There were 30 people invited and most came! It was a packed house but so much fun!

James is doing great! Last night was his first night sleeping in his own bedroom. It was hard not to jump up and give him his pacifier every ten minutes, but it's what is best for him. He's still just waking up once in the night, so we can't complain about that!

He has also become more 'talkative' in the past week. He practices cute little vowel sounds when he is really happy and playing. This coming weekend we're really looking forward to being with Mark's family!