Happy times with James

James and Garrick had a really fun time the other night. They are pretty much best friends by now. James smiles so big when Daddy is around. Here is a video!



Here is a fun little video of James going after a piece of paper. He LOVES to crinkle it, and much to our chagrin, stuff it in his mouth and eat it.



The aftermath:






































































James also learned to sit up on his own yesterday. For a while he has been able to sit up without help, but yesterday was the first time he put himself into sitting position. Strangely enough the first time he did it was after he crawled under his exersaucer. A minute later he started to cry, but he was fine after we got him out. Silly boy...

7 months and super-cute!

James is 7 months and loving life. He is so happy and sweet!!
*He has two little teeth on the bottom and they are so cute to see when he opens wide. I discovered them one day when I let him chew on my knuckle! Quite a surprise!
*He loves to eat! He eats mixed grain cereal with fruit sauce mixed in for breakfast, and then veggies, meats, cheese and more fruit for lunch and dinner. His favorites are sweet potatoes, bananas, beef, green beans and carrots too.
*Our nutritionist consultant through WIC told us to try and teach him to drink from a cup, and James LOVES it. He is so cute to grab the cup in his hands and then with my help he drinks a little water. He also likes to babble into the echo-y cup.
*He is a super army-crawler and is amazing at changing directions, going all over the room to chase his toys and stray cheerios.
*He has discovered the joy of bouncing. He bounces in his johnny-jumper, his exersaucer, and on you if you stand him up on your lap.
*He loves to clap and babble all sorts of sounds. This week he even started to wave his hand at Grandma Taylor (though we're not sure if he's actually waving or just discovering a new way to move his hand...)

What a great kiddo! We're so lucky to have him around making us so happy!
Here are some videos from the past two weeks. Enjoy!

James 5-6 month old videopalooza!

FINALLY... here are some videos from the past two months. James has made leaps and bounds in his development and these videos showcase that. All the videos were shot in either December or January. Enjoy!!! (I will probably do a proper update soon! - Anna)

James V. Rice Cereal

James has been chewing on his hands almost non-stop this week. His face and hands are sopping wet probably 90% of the time he is awake. So, since he already had his 4-month birthday, and babies are ok to start solids between 4-6 months, we decided that it may be time to see what he thinks of a little baby cereal in his diet-

Here's how it went down:

In one corner- a tablespoon of rice cereal warmed up with a bit of momma's milk mixed in. Soupy-sloppy style.

And in the other corner, our hero, James- armed with protective bib-gear and seated in the bumbo.

Curious.
Disturbed.

Got it!

Frustration!!! (Couldn't tell here if he was mad because he wanted more or if he was just mad.)

Pensive moment.

Can I eat both the fingers and the food?
Sorry Mom, I choose fingers.
Are you seriously still trying?
Yeah. Ok. I guess it tastes good.
Mmm. Quite good.
Wait a minute...
Does this mean it's over?

Fall Fashions!

Happy Fall! There is officially snow on the mountains and the leaves have been gorgeous orange! (nod to Grandpa Woods)

James is getting longer and bigger. At 15 weeks, 14 lbs 14 oz and 26 3/4 inches long. (We're so lucky Uncle John lets us come in and see him anytime!)

James's onesies are showing way too much of his baby love handles and he is down to one sleeper that actually fits him, so I figured it was time to break into the box of 6 month clothes.

And what a treasure trove! SO MANY SLEEPERS THAT FIT!!! And, we found lots of cold weather gear. So, here are a few pictures. (Note- the blue snowsuit is a hand-me-down from our little friend Rigby, and the blanket/fashion runway was quilted by Anna's Aunt Julie)

Happy Halloween!!!!

Developments of the 2-3 month old.

One of the best things about James when he was between 2-3 months was that he started trying to make sounds. We would have little talking sessions every day where I would say, "ooooo" and he would watch carefully and then make a little noise of his own. This video captures a little of this action. Make sure the volume is up because he makes an incredibly cute but quiet noise.

This movie features something James suddenly started doing a few weeks ago- making a spitting/buzzing noise. OK, OK it may not be the most exciting thing, but it is still amazing to see him suddenly figure out something new he can do.

He is on a neat play mat my aunt Erika gave him and he loves to reach for the two animals on either side, and his talking and buzzing is reserved for the monkey in the middle. He looks him straight in the eye and tells him how it is. (This next movie is kind of long, and it's all pretty similar... so feel free to only watch the first 30 seconds!!)

And now for the best part- James finally had his first outburst of laughter and we caught that night on tape! That evening- October 1, I had the opportunity to participate in our stake's talent show. I wore my beautiful red Chinese qipao and sang a cool song I learned while studying at Middlebury. Grandma Taylor attended, but ended up walking the halls of the church trying to console James who had completely lost it. It was one if his worst crying fits EVER!! When we finally got home, James decided he was in a better mood- in fact, he started to giggle!! Pretty weird, huh? Check it out:

In other great news, James rolled over from tummy to back for the first time last week on October 14th. We were in Grandma Taylor's living room, and he was having tummy time on the red, white and blue quilt Grandma Mary Bosen made when he just rolled over! It looked like an accident and he has only done it a few other times, so we're sure to see him do it more and more.

Go James!