March ....

FLEW by! Wow it's April! James is 10 months old, trying to walk, crawling like a maniac, babbling away, throwing food on the floor, and is back to sleeping through the night.

Chris started his summer season job with Karens RV service in Anchorage. Working 8-5 M-F with paid holidays. He's the low man on the totem pole doing the things everyone else doesn't want to do, which he's the complete opposite of his winter season job working for himself. However he enjoys it and the people he works with, plus it works out great with our daycare!

I have decided to do something major about my weight gain. It's just impossible to work out at home with James, he just wants to do what mommy is doing. So I'm taking the jump and joining a EXPENSIVE gym that also has daycare. Go big or go home right? Goal? Hmmm well I'd like to be down to 205lbs (before james weight) by August 14th 2011, and the big goal of 165lbs (before chris weight) by July 2012. It's not going to be easy, but I'm going to try!

That's about it from our neck of the woods. Keep checking back for James first steps!

Sleeping through the night?!?!

8 months, 3 weeks .... could it be?

4 nights in a row James has slept though the night! Now the kicker is he hasn't be going to bed as early. Staying up till 9pm, and sleeping till 7am. The problem with this? I like to go to bed by 8pm, since I get up at 2. So we'll see how it goes, if James sleeping though the night means a later bedtime, I might just have to take daily naps!

8 months

Spending time with daddy ....

eating blue MnM's ...

playing with shoes ...

a few I just love ....

Super Bowl Sunday 2011

Well we were invited to a few parties this year, but chose to stay home and get some family time in. This week has been hectic with the snow, me working 12 hour days, and Chris demolishing the suburban. My computer is having some major problems, which makes posting pictures difficult. I have been having some major problems with quiting breast feeding, and I'm trying everything. From cabbage leaves in my bra (weird I know), to drinking sage tea. If you have never had Sage, it's gross. So after a attempt to drink Tea, I made Sage brownies. The joke around the house is "Mommies special brownies". I guess I can die saying I have had "special brownies". Thursday is our 2 year anniversary, hopefully all plans will go as planned and we will have Sunday night and all of Monday to ourselves. (I don't have high hopes on getting the night to ourselves though).

James is becoming a very good solids eater, but he's still working on getting those snacks in his mouth. He's such a happy little boy it amazes me. We play hide n seek, peek a boo, and clapping our hands. He has a few toys he actually can play with correctly, and not just bang around.

So hopefully my computer will get up and going soon and I'll be able to post some pictures. It's been a while. I am working on a "project" for James that i'm pretty excited about. I'm keeping my lips sealed on what it is until it's presentable.

Alright back to the game, Chris wants the Packers to win, I'm rooting for the Steelers, just to give him some competition.

Sick!

I love being a mom. I hate being a mom of a sick little boy who cant tell me whats wrong! For 24 hours James was extremely fussy. He cried himself to sleep, refused to hold still for diaper changes, would not sit on his butt without a fight, and we could not figure out what was wrong! We went from formula, tearing something while pooping solids, teething, bad headache from him standing fall, ear-infection, EVERYTHING! Then almost 24 hours later I found the problem. Way up his butt crack on the side of his butt was a pocket of blood/puss. He was not happy that I found it. I let him crawl around naked while I chased him trying to see the problem. When I got a good grip on it and squeezed I was rewarded with blood and puss and James pee'd. So off to the Dr we went (where he rode in my lap or on the floor because he refused to sit in his car seat.

After a good inspection it was decided that a Pilonidal cyst had formed off his tail bone and it was going to be removed (with a scapel). I stepped out of the room because I cannot handle James crying/screaming. After it was all said and done James is much happier. It's draining nicely and James is taking his medicine very well. He's very quiet today and not the smiley baby he usually is. But I think that's the medicine.

Other then that he's wearing 12 month clothes, 21 lbs, unknown length, size 4 shoes, and almost every day he stands all by himself in the middle of the living room, thankfully he falls down on his butt very well. He loves to play with shoes, balls, and remotes. Oh and of course mommies fountains! He's eating #2 solids very well, and the occational #3, but he doesn't care for the texture just yet. He loves snacks, so does mommy because it keeps him entertained while mommy cooks AND eats her dinner ;)

I'm back to work tomorrow, James is doing much better and hopefully can return to daycare. We may venture back to the DR office today just to get checked on, better safe then sorry! I don't want a hospital visit!!!!

6 teeth!

James went from 4 to 6 teeth in one week. Perhaps that's why he's been soooooooo grumpy? We're also moving him to his crib this week. We cant decide to let him cry it out or let him wake up and throw his schedule off. He just sleeps better cuddled next to us. I have almosted stopped producing milk, it makes my work day go by much faster, but part of me still feels like I should have tried harder.

This morning he has furniture walked and stood on his own for long periods of time. Lately he has been more interested in mom and dad are doing then playing with his toys. Daddy is trying to talk mommy into a play pen, but she like's baby gates better which give him more room to explore.

I hope to get more pictures on Facebook this weekend, but I'm not making any promises.

when do you call it quits?

I always knew I wanted to breast feed James, my goal was to make it a year. Chris thought I would make it 6 (proved him wrong!). At 5 months we had to start using our freezer supply to keep up. At 6 months we had to introduce formula. Now at 7 months James is drinking about 2/3 formula and a 1/3 breast milk. It's starting to become a waste of my time to spend 10 minuets every 4 hours on average pumping and only producing 3 oz of milk. So when does a mom throw in the towel? I'm not a huge fan of formula. It's only good for an hour once it's warmed/made, and a pre-made bottle is only good for 24 hours in the fridge. Breast milk is much easier to work with! However I really can't explain how much of a pain in the butt it is for me to pump at work, or how much of a fight it is to pump with James trying to pull my tubes out.

Part of me feels like a failure, the other part says "hey you gave it your best". Either way my goal was one year, I'm just over half way there, thats not that great.

Alright apparently it's bed time. night all!