Nine months!

Happy 3/4 Birthday, Jameston! He turned 9-months-old on Father's Day. Best gift ever...a healthy baby boy. The next best gift was being able to share the day with some of our family.

Doesn't he look excited to be 9-months-old?!

These Mr. Bear pictures are getting more difficult by the month because he doesn't sit still much anymore :-) Here he is after tackling the poor stuffed animal to the chair...

Time flies by so fast when you are amazed by one of life's greatest blessings every day! I know I sound like a broken record (and I heard it all the time before becoming a mother), but it is oh so true! Here are his 9-month stats:

Weight: 22 lbs. 1 ounce (75%)

Height: 29 inches (75%)

Head: 46 cm. (70%)

So, overall, he's perfect!

Here he is cheesing it up for the camera...he is all too familiar with the camera lens these days (What can I say? I am picture-happy!). Now if only he would ham it up the same way for the video camera...he gets a little bit of stage fright with it :-)

This past month Jameston has been a very busy boy, and he is very tuckered out from all of it (and sleeping TONS better at night)...case in point:

If it is nap time and we are out and about, he can sleep through just about anything. Thank goodness! Now, if only we can get his nap schedule at daycare figured out!

In his eighth month of life, JW experienced several firsts:

1. Flew on a plan: and he did SO good!
2. "Swam" in the ocean and pools: Oh, goodness, I think we need to start saving for a pool. Below is a picture of him at in his second cousin, Luke's, swimming pool for Luke's first birthday party!

   

3. Spectated at his first golf tournament:
   
   All decked out for the Byron Nelson. He even offered to drive :-)
4. Eaten meat (roast and chicken): more on that event later in the next section...

EATING

Jameston continues to be a great eater. I'll throw in another "thank goodness" to ascertain how happy we are about this! Because he eats three solid food meals a day, Mommy finally caved and got him a (gently-used) stand-alone high chair. And we all love it!

He likes it because the tray is larger (more room for him to make a mess on :-), he can kick and swing his legs without any resistance, and he's higher up so he can lean over and check on the dogs more! And Mommy and Daddy love it because it is easier to cook while feeding him.

Another big feat for this past month is that of Jameston becoming a pro at feeding himself small pieces of food. His favorites are yogurt melts, sliced bananas, and puffs, oh my!

Demonstrating his skills:

In fact, he would much rather feed himself all the time, as he tries to grab the spoon from our hands and bring it to his mouth. So, when we are spoon-feeding him, he gets his own (empty) spoon because he wants to practice :-) Let's just say feeding him is a littler messier than it used to be!

As stated earlier, we introduced meats to Jameston's menu this month. And since I have been making most of his veggie/fruit purees at home, I thought I'd continue this and found some great baby food recipes for meat. I have made both a carrot/roast beef and a apple/chicken puree (sounds delicious, right?!), and it has not gone over so well. In fact, he DOES NOT LIKE what I've made at all, as displayed by his "yucky" face below:

Nevertheless, he is still eating meats by way of Earth's Best Organic "Gourmet Meals." And he can't get enough of 'em!

Another current food trick up his sleeve is operating his sippy cup by himself,

even if it may be upside down:-)

INTERESTS

His latest favorites activities (besides eating) are:

• Being outside, especially with Daddy

• Playing with his bouncy ball

He mostly just hits/bangs on it

• Being thrown up in the air (and caught)!

• Figuring out his cool, soft ring stacker

He's analytical like his Daddy!

oh my goodness, He LOVES it ! And some of his staple favorites at 9 months are:

Bath time! Are we surprised?! Chewing on straps and tags

(if we only knew this before we registered for all those baby toys :-) Seeing the blue puppet on his Baby Einstein Signing DVD

(he cracks up EVERY time it comes on the screen)

and Marlie (of course)!

DEVELOPMENT

This has probably been the busiest month thus far in the motor/language development department! It has been so much fun to watch him learn new things, and each day gets more and more exciting.

• Our little boy has gone from having only two to SIX teeth in a matter of a month. Phew!

Even though it has caused some interrupted sleep in the Winters' house, his new pearly whites are just too cute! After having his top centrals and bottom laterals (FINALLY) break through, his top laterals are not far behind!

• Jameston is thisclose to crawling! He has mastered his version of army crawling after several weeks of practice, and get can anywhere he wants to. Basically, he "steers" by moving his arms in a paddling-like fashion; and he can move better backwards (on tummy and booty) better than forwards! Just in the last week, he has become super confident in his belly-surfing skills!

He would still much rather roll to get places, but when he's scooting on his tummy, be sure not to underestimate his wingspan!

• He can also stand supported, but he would much rather jump!

• And he can pull himself up to sitting from lying on his tummy...we found him sitting up in his crib over the weekend, and it seems to be his new favorite trick! Thank goodness Daddy lowered the crib several weekends ago :-)

• These days Jameston can carry on a conversation with the best of them, if the topic at hand includes a lot of /b/'s, /g/'s, and /m/'s. So, ba-ba, mama (mainly when he's upset, so he has not associated it with me yet :-( and ga-ga are often heard (loud and clear) throughout our house. Oh, and he will copy these syllables and coughing noises.
• Also, his receptive language is getting there...if he hears, "Where's Daddy/doggies/Marlie," or "You want more/juice," he'll look for him/her/it. As a Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences major degree holder, Mommy is proud!

Jameston, you are our pride and joy! We cannot wait to continue to watch you grow and learn and to see what the Lord has planned for you. We are so blessed God chose us to be your parents.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Ten things that make me happy :-)

I recently was inspired to do this post after reading my friend Maegan's blog, which I might add is creatively cute and funny. So, thank you, Maegan, for the idea!

In no particular order and, trying my best not to be too general, here are ten things that make me happy:

1. Weekends-who doesn't like the weekend, right?! Of course I love the no-work aspect of the weekend, but what I really love are the early family traditions that we have already set in place. These include (frozen-turned-baked) pizza and a rented movie on Friday nights (and sometimes carry-out from a Mexican food restaurant in Rowlett called Pancho and Lefty's), homemade breakfasts (with an occasional run to the donut shop in our neighborhood) on Saturday mornings and Saturday errands/housework that has become more fun (and more challenging, for sure) with a little one around, church as a family on Sundays (best day of the week!), and some good 'ole grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup on Sunday nights. Sometimes we change the menu up a bit, but I will confess that we do have these go-to, quick and easy meals around here. Although they may be predictable, falling back on these little family rituals makes me happy :-)
2. Seeing Jameston's face light up when he sees me: Whether it is when I get him out of his crib in the morning, pick him up from daycare, or open the car door by his carseat. One of the best feelings in the world is seeing him recognize me and grin ear-to-ear. I guess it sure beats him crying when he sees me!
3. Watching Brett as a Dad: I think the second best feeling in the world is watching your spouse transform into an even better person. He was a great guy before we became parents (that's why I married him :-) but it is truly awesome watching him learn and go through this process of fatherhood. Oh, and it makes me so happy seeing him and JW together! Can't wait to continue this observation...I know, like item #2, it will only get better :-)
4. Helping people hear: Sure, I would like to be able to stay at home with my little boy, but I chose to go to school for seven LONG years (and now we're making up for it with my student loans). So, for now, I am a working mom, and both jobs make me so happy! It is wonderful to be able to give people the gift of hearing. I am blessed every day by my jobs as a mother and an Audiologist.
5. Spending time with my sisters: Although I am separated by them in age by six and ten years, we are the best of friends. If I need a good laugh or some reminiscing of sorts, I can always count on them for that. It is such a blessing to be going through motherhood with my middle sister, Lynnlee! And Brett and I are humbled that my youngest sister, Maggie, has decided to move in with us as she starts her first semester of college. Even though I am the oldest, they have taught me so much already in life.
   Okay, so after five sappy ones, here are five not-so-serious things that make me happy:

6. Mexican food: Any bad day can turn better if I can get my hands on some chips and salsa, guac, chicken fajitas, just about any kind of Mexican food (see #1). And it makes me even happier if the dish is prepared by someone else :-)

7. Being outdoors: Whatever form it may be (except when I was mucho preggo last summer), being outside trumps being cooped up inside in my book. I am hoping that we have a house one day with a wrap-around porch...a girl can dream, right? That would make me happy!

8. Sleep: Now that I fall into the category of those who are sleep-deprived, a good night's sleep would make me a very happy Mommy! Although it's happened maybe a handful of times in the last 9 months (since we were blessed with a firstborn who has not been the best sleeper), it's oh-so-worth it! So, I still "sleep when the baby sleeps," especially on Sunday afternoons, when we usually all try to get a nap in :-)

9. Pictures: old, new, mine or someone else's. I love looking at photos, because I think special occasions can be summed up perfectly with snapshots. I have been known to take out our wedding album and old scrapbooks and peruse them every now and again, just as a reminder of those special times. I hope to develop my photog skills in the years to come, so that I can provide our kiddos with reminders of their special memories.
10. Vacations: 'Nough said!

I hope you enjoyed reading!

Now, what ten things make you make you happy?

Fun in the Florida sun (and rain)!

For Memorial Day weekend, we headed to Florida for a fun-filled five days! Here is Jameston the morning of our flight (and, no, he did not get his own seat...this was taken before we boarded :-) He and I flew out of DFW at 8:00 Friday morning, and we met up with Brett, who was already in Orlando the week before. I was worried about how Jameston would do on the plane. But he surprised me completely and slept for 2 of the 2 1/2 hours. Phew! When we landed, he was well rested. Checking out the scenery... Brett picked us up from the airport, and, after lunch, we headed to our hotel in Lake Buena Vista, near downtown Disney. Not only did Jameston fly for the first time that day, but he also swam for the first time. What a big weekend! Here he is chomping at the bit to get in the pool... It was overcast most of our time there, but we tried to have either his hat or swimming shirt on when we were outside. Doesn't he look like such a big boy in this picture? Hanging with Mommy by the pool...In the swimming pool for the first time...he LOVED it!In fact he splashed so much it was hard to keep our eyes open when holding him!Floating in the pool at our hotel at Daytona Beach...our little water baby! Loved the texture of the sand...throw water in the mix, and he had a blast!He didn't know what to think of the beach...but we made the most of it! Lego Land at Downtown Disney...All the walking around we did tuckered him out...He was the center of attention one night at a local seafood restaurantBelow is a picture taken before we ate, while we were standing in line for over an hour! We were told it was THAT good (best fish sandwich EVER!), and he had napped well throughout the day. The swimming and the sun turned his sometimes two-naps-a-day routine into a mandatory three naps!Pool time in the shade with DaddyPeople-watching on the patioHe kept his hat on, no problem. But it was impossible to keep those sunglasses on :-)JW's allergies flared up horribly while we were there...the first night was a doozy, with him being up for several straight hours due to congestion (we even called a nurse from our insurance at 1:00 to check into local pediatricians just in case). But after some Zyrtec the next day, he was good! He didn't let his allergies get in the way of his vacation :-)

Happy, runny-nosed, slobbering boy in the hotel room...This was a common scene on the beach...I guess the sound of the waves coming in, along with the breeze and shade just lulled him to sleep.

Mommy could get used to this!And he's up...eating some sweet potatoes and rice puffs while watching the swimmersSplish-splashin' in the poolOur Coppertone baby"Mom, you're going to put that stuff on me again?!"Daddy walking him along the beach around nap timeAnd it worked...Brett is so good at that! Snoozin' in his stroller under our umbrella:My boys playing in the ocean right before we called it quits before the storms rolled inHaving a good time!Checking out the sand castle behind us..."Daddy, can we do that next year?"Playing in the sand again...Our last night on a stroll to Daytona Beach's Main PierUp high for a piggy-back ride!!At the airport getting ready to fly home. He's excited! Or maybe he's scheming about how much of a stinker he's going to be...After one of his WORST diapers ever (it's hard to change a diaper on the plane, especially when you hear the pilot say he's putting the "Fasten Seat belt" indicator on again because of turbulence), he got another good nap in on the flight home!

We had a wonderful trip and are looking forward to our next vacation!!

Class of 2028

And maybe some members of the high school Class of 2027, depending on when their birthdays fall :-)

Below is Jameston's class picture from his daycare, The Whistle Stop. Jameston is at the bottom right of the picture (bothering one of the twins, Tori, next to him!):

They took it awhile ago, but I was late to order it and it has taken me awhile to post it (that's the way I operate these days :-) I was amazed they were able to get a group of babies ranging in age from 5 to 11-months-old to ALL look at the camera. WOW! I need to find out their tricks, because it seems like I do all but stand on my head for Jameston to look at me while taking his picture...now if only all of the teachers were smiling!

Also, here is the cover of a book the daycare teachers made for the parents as a part of the annual Open House. Below is a picture from a morning the daycare hosted a Mother's Day breakfast for us. Jameston is wearing his "Mommy's Monster" shirt, and he knows it suits him by the way he's smiling!

So SWEET, even if it looks like Jameston's wearing lipstick in the picture!