Celebrate good times, come on!

The Spring months seem to bring a lot of fun celebrations along with them. Lately, we have been enjoying the company of great friends and family and have been able to witness some exciting times in their lives, all the while having a good time ourselves!

About a month ago (I know, I'm running a little behind on blogging; but, hey, I had to wait to post about this for one special reason...keep reading!), Jameston and I (Brett was working, boo!) loaded up and headed to Abilene with our friends, Lindi and Steven, to visit Wendy, RJ, and their sweet girl, Riley. We sure missed you, Brenda, and your crew!

While we were there, we were let in on a little secret...Lindi and Steven are expecting, and she is due right before Thanksgiving! They had not even been able to tell their families yet because they wanted to do so in person, so we felt very privileged (and BEYOND excited) to hear their big news! Below is a picture of us four grad-school pals at Jameston's baby shower last August...

Above: Me (Jameston in utero), Brenda and Adam (8 mos), Wendy and Riley (3 mos), and Lindi; it's funny, Lindi brought up that we had children in the reverse order that we got married :-) Can't wait to get our kids together for our Annual Audiology get-together in the years to come!

Below: Little Miss Riley and Jameston had fun playin'. She turns one in about a week!

Also, Jameston attended his first wedding on April 24th. Brett's college roommate, Greg, and his wife, Michelle, had a beautiful wedding. We had a wonderful time catching up, and witnessing such a special occasion. Oh, and Jameston had fun dancing and watching the golfers, too!!

The next weekend Jameston went to his first baby shower (a couples baby shower, I might add...no, JW didn't crash the party! But we neglected to take any pictures, silly us!). Our friend, Ginnie, and her hubby, Justin, are expecting a baby in June. They have three-year-old twin girls, Ashlynn and Gracyn, and a little boy or girl on the way!

Oh, and I can't go without blogging about my first Mother's Day! Brett and Jameston both spoiled me rotten! I had a weekend full of relaxation and hanging out with my boys...so blessed!

I read this Mothers' poem on another blog and wanted to share some of it:

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy. 

AND we got to meet up with my sis and niece on their first Mother's Day!        

Cousins comparing notes...Jameston to Aspen, "When am I going to get a head of hair?!"

Also, we found out last week that my youngest sister, Maggie, will be moving in with us this summer. She will live with us for at least one semester of college. She graduates from high school next weekend, and we are so proud of her!

Here she is feeding the little guy (hence the messy onesie :-):

"What's up, Aunt Maggie!"

        Jameston (all of us for that matter) is so excited to have her around!

With a trip to Florida next weekend, Guatemala (just Brett and me) in July, a sisters' trip in August, our 10-year high school reunions (yes, both of ours) in October, a wedding in South Carolina in November, AND season tickets for Texas Tech football, the last half of 2010 is also shaping up to hold more good times for the Winters' family. Can't wait!

To Samoa With Love

Jameston's Aunt Kayla is currently teaching in American Samoa. We sure do miss her and can't wait until she arrives back in the States in June!! And little Jameston is oh-so excited to meet her!

When Brett's mom went to visit her back in March, she returned with some great souvenirs for the family. And, in true Kayla fashion, Jameston was given a funny (albeit educational) tank top with matching tropical print shorts! Although the elastic in the shorts don't quite accommodate his big belly, Jameston sported the tank top proudly!

He thought his outfit was WAY cool! And, funny, too :-)

Also showing off his two pearly whites

and some slobber,

 

Jameston thought it was nice of Daddy to want to try and match his outfit :-)

WE LOVE YOU, KAYLA, and CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!!

Spitting images

When Jameston was born, my mother-in-law brought Brett's baby book when she came to stay with us. And I was sure to scan some of the pictures into our computer for future comparisons! Yes, some people say Jameston looks somewhat like me (I think he gets his fair skin and wrinkled forehead from his Mommy; okay, and maybe also his crankiness :-) but the popular majority comment on just how much he looks like his Daddy! Below are some pictures of Brett as a baby followed by some of Jameston. I thought about trying to place him into similar poses, but I figured I could find some close ones in the hundreds of pictures we have taken of him over the last 7+ months! 

Brett at three months:

And Jameston around the same age:

Brett at 6 months

Jameston at 7 months:

Wish I would have taken this in a similar baseball onesie we have for him. And I wish he was showing off his teeth!

I see their similarities especially in their profiles ( I think we now know where he gets his ears :-) And I think they look especially alike when they are sleeping. So cute! 

 Another one of them in their bouncers!

Jameston loves his, and it looks his Daddy did, too!

He loves hanging out with his Daddy!

Oh, I am one lucky girl to have these two boys in my life!

BIG weekend for a BIG boy!

Whoa, Jameston is growing by leaps and bounds: I just took him to his Pediatrician because of his sinus and allergy issues, and he weighs a whopping 21 pounds!! And to celebrate, he's tackling new things left and right. As his doctor said, referring to his growth spurt, "He must REALLY like food." Why, yes he does! He's eating three solid food meals a day, and taking anywhere between 28-32 ounces of milk daily...he's not going to let a sinus infection slow him down! This past weekend he reminded us just how fast he's growing with two BIG events: transitioning to his convertible car seat and his inflatable ducky bathtub...

"Look at me, all grown up [and >28 inches long] in my cool, new car seat! Just 4 1/2 more months until Mommy and Daddy can turn this thing around so I can look out the front!"

At first he did not know what to think about his new bath time experience, but just like anything in the water, he LOVED it once he figured it out!"

"Check out my new tub!"

 

AND another big change around our house (mainly for Mommy) : we started supplementing with formula for his night-time bottle (in preparation for mine and Brett's out of the country trip in July) on Sunday night, and he has not skipped a beat. Phew!

Oh, and have we mentioned how much he loves Marlie?!

                                                                                   More to come on our April and May celebrations...

7 months!

Our sweet baby Jameston turned 7-months-old on Tuesday, which also happened to fall on his Mommy's 28th birthday. I know this probably goes without saying, but I've gotta write it because I am beaming from ear to ear right now just thinking about our precious gift from God: he's the best present I've ever had!


My goodness, he is learning so much lately. These days our bald little boy is definitely an active fella, taking in the big world around him each day. And Brett and I are having the time of our lives watching him grow. I've heard this before, but now I can say that I truly understand...it is absolutely AMAZING to see life through your child's eyes!

With at-home measurements, we guesstimate JW, as we call him (or his even more concise nickname, "J-Dub"), to be around 20 pounds and 28 1/4 inches long. I think he realizes he is now bigger than Mr. Bear :-)

These days our BIG boy is eating solid foods three times a day, taking a bottle or nursing 4-5 times a day, and he started drinking diluted juice from a sippy cup about two weeks ago. Atta boy, Jameston!

This past month has been filled with some big "firsts" for our little guy. Now he is:

• Sitting in the tub: This is by far one of his favorite parts of the day! We bought an Elmo bathmat that he sits on after we start letting the water drain. He is still not the most independent sitter, so we take him out of his bath chair after he's all cleaned up and let him go to town! It is so fun to watch him splashing in the water (we need to wear scuba gear ourselves because of how drenched we get!) and grabbing at the different colorful characters. He is definitely our little water baby; can't wait to see how he reacts to swimming pools in the summer!
• Movin' and a Shakin': Jameston is a busy boy these days! Diaper changes are becoming more difficult, and his gross motor skills are great!  He is inching forward while on his stomach, and moving around a lot by pushing off of anything (the floor when laying on his back, our laps, etc.) with his feet.
• Brushing his new-found teeth: Let me clarify that, we are doing the brushing of course :-) He doesn't quite know what to make of it yet, but he makes the cutest little scrunched-up face when having it done! He still only has the two on the bottom, but his top right central is about to break through.
• Signing: I have started some Sign Language with him, mainly when he's eating, with the words "more," "all gone/finished," "food" and "juice."
• Passing objects back and forth between hands-and knowing when he drops something where to look for it!
• Reaching for and banging on EVERYTHING: Although we have not yet baby-proofed the house, we are becoming more aware of what's around us and try to be extra careful of what is within arms-length of our boy, who appears to have go-go Gadget arms!
• Sleeping through the night!: Let me type that again...our baby boy is (finally) sleeping through the night! This is a very recent development (seriously, only the past four nights...BUT he also did it several nights last week), so we hope he is onto something! I feel like I need to knock on wood as I type that because this has been an area we have really struggled with him. He still wakes up a couple of times during a 10-12 hour stint but has learned that he does not need to eat in the middle of the night anymore :-)
  
  
  
  
• (Above) Jameston is the Star of the Month at his daycare! And to celebrate, they have posted pictures of him and a list of his favorite things. Also, the other babies in his classroom get to enjoy some of his favorites: stuffed animal (Tigger), book (Goodnight Moon...one of many; he's not picky, since he mostly looks at the bright colors and just wants to put books in his mouth right now!), and toy (Lots of Links...of course, he's not picky when it comes to toys either, but I figured this would be a toy the babies could easily "share"). Ain't that right, Baby J?

At 7 months, Jameston LOVES:

Going for walks in his stroller, 

His Baby Einstein DVD, 

Playing in his Jumperoo,

(have I said that before? :-)

When Mommy claps,

Anything with tags and straps,

(to put in his mouth!)

Watching ceiling fans,

and Marlie!
 

We want to remember that, at this age, Jameston has:

• Unfortunately, had to endure allergies (thanks to our crazy weather) and constipation (thanks to one of his favorites foods, bananas)
• Been super clingy, especially to his Mommy (maybe stranger danger? Thought that happened a little later...don't know for sure, but I don't mind a bit :-) 
• Started to bite our necks when we hold him...we are assuming he does this to relieve gum pain from teething. Needless to say, we are not enjoying this new Vampire-like habit of his! So we are sure to say "No" when he does it. It's easily forgotten after we look into his baby blues...

Notice the bowls when he's in his highchair? They are not his food bowls (don't want him to learn to play with his food!) but merely a distraction ploy we use if he gets fussy while eating...and Marlie is another good distraction or "de-fusser," as she has been nicknamed :-)

Just love that smile and laugh of his!

We love you, JW, and thank God for you every day!

 

Blog to book...

A scrapbook, that is! Since I am doing a better job these days of blogging about Jameston's life versus the more traditional approach of scrapbooking (there's a pile in our guest bedroom that is getting taller and taller with pictures and mementos, for which I keep telling myself I'll get to tackle and compile in a beautiful (yet boyish), hand-made scrapbook "one day" :) we have decided to turn our little website into a book that we'll give him as a keepsake for his 1st Birthday! I know he (okay, maybe more his Momma at first) will cherish it forever.


I am not sure how much it will cost, what the page/picture/design limitations are, but when we complete and receive Jameston's digital blog/scrapbook, I'll be sure to blog about it :) Just wanted to pass this website on to you fellow bloggers:


http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html

I am so excited!! Happy blogging (er, I mean scrapbooking)!

Happy Easter!

We hope that you and your family had a wonderful Easter!

Jameston thought his first-ever basket from the Easter Bunny was so neat:

He received a book for church, a stuffed bunny (blue, of course), 

a pair of sandals, and a fancy hat rack, all of which was neatly 

placed in his new basket filled with sports-themed plastic eggs. 

It was so fun to watch him go through it...it's hard to keep up with him! 

Happy Easter from our little Easter Bunny (with his two bottom teeth :)

Can't wait to see him in action next Easter hunting eggs!

Cousins!

Lately, Jameston has had the opportunity to see all of his cousins... 

A couple of weeks ago with Aspen, 3 months

Two weekends ago with Layne, 7 1/2 months

And last night, with cousins Riley, 3 1/2, and Ruby, 16 months

Sweetest picture ever:

Can't wait to see what shenanigans these kids get into together in the years to come!