FOUR budding teeth, 3 a.m. wake-up cries, TWO...

ear infections,

but a tough, little boy!

As I mentioned in his five-month-old post, our little boy has been somewhat fussy lately...well, no wonder! He's cutting not two but four teeth right now. We saw his bottom, middle ones start to bud late last week, and now it looks like his top, central incisors are not far behind. AND, on top of that, we found out on Wednesday that he has a double ear infection after taking him in for a cough/runny nose combination...

We understand, Jameston...we'd be cranky, too!

No, really...we are amazed (and so were his doctor and daycare peeps) that he's not fussier. Poor little fella! Bring on the washcloths! I've learned to place warm compresses around his ears for the ear pain, and I have heard to try chilled ones for him to chew on for the teething pain. Nothing like home remedies...let's hope he likes them and feels better soon! Happy baby = happy home :)

Great-Grandma Love, Times Four!

As of this past weekend, Jameston has met all four of his great-grandmothers! Due to the snow over Christmas, we were not able to travel as much as we had hoped. So when we drove to Vernon last Sunday, he met my dad's mom, Memaw Paddy Stewart, for the first time...When I started back to work in November, we were fortunate enough to have Brett's mom and her mom, Gigi Augusta Turnbough, here to visit and look after our little guy. And he was able to see her again at Christmas in Brady!

Jameston also met and visited with Memaw Patty Winters at Thanksgiving in San Angelo, and then again when we traveled to Plainview in December...

And he was introduced to my mom's mother, Grandma Margie Jackson, when he was two-months-old. We stopped by her new home, an assisted living community in Wichita Falls, one day when we were there visiting in November.

We are so blessed by our families, especially our grandmothers, and we feel so very fortunate that Jameston has them in his life!

Happy Birthday, Memaw!

Last Sunday we headed to Vernon for my Memaw's 75th birthday. All four of her kids, eight of her grandkids, two of her great-grandchildren, and her sister were there to celebrate her!

Uncle Jeff, Aunt Stacey, Dad, Memaw, and Uncle Jimmy; Memaw showing off her cake which displayed only some of her many skills (she's a singer, artist, and author...Oh, and she was a cheerleader!)

Above: the Stewart siblings (Lynnlee with Aspen, Maggie, and Scott, far right), Dad and Jameston, me, and Memaw

Below: Sisters and babies (note Jameston putting Aspen's hand in his mouth!)

Since our hubbies were working, Lynnlee and I carpooled with our little ones. Needless to say, with a two-month-old and a five-month-old, we were a little anxious about being in the car for 6+ hours. But, Aspen and Jameston were troopers, and Lynnlee was a big help with her driving, feeding, and multi-tasking assistance! What a blessing it is to be going through this new mommies journey together :)

Above: Lynnlee checking in on her little girl during nap time

Below: Sleeping babies, tuckered out from the long drive

And here they are sleeping again during a pit-stop on our way home...

thanks A & J for going easy on your Mommas!

Even though it was a quick trip, we had a great time! Memaw, we love you and hope that you had a WONDERFUL birthday :)

Five-months-old and practicing our S's

No, of course he's not talking yet, but someone was very excited to turn 5-months-old on Saturday!

Jameston, your Mommy is a little late on this post, but since we've been so busy playing and enjoying you at this fun age, I hope you can forgive me :)

Above: The requisite monthly Mr. Bear pic

Below: Sporting his signature drool and spit-up, not even five minutes after I changed him into this outfit...that's why he looks mischievous :) At least I got one picture of him without the messy clothes...

And just what are our S's? Well, Jameston has been pretty fluent lately in the following departments: slobber, solids, and sleep training. With all the new adventures, this is such a fun age!

Proudly displaying his slobber skills

We have figured out that Jameston is teething, not only because of the abundance of slobber but also due to the fact that he has been pretty fussy lately. And another indication is that he is mouthing everything! Yes, just about anything he can get his hands on! Case in point...

And just when we were getting the hang of sleeping better at night, he's been up more the last couple of nights due to a cold and two possible bottom teeth. Other than that, mom and dad are trying to help Jameston stick to a better sleep schedule...but baby development (and thus, crankiness) may prevail.

Also, since Jameston has seemed to master rice cereal these days, we are going to start some vegetables this week. More to come on this front very soon!

5 Month Milestones:

• Rolls over from stomach to back, and back to stomach (by twisting his feet)

  

Rarin' and ready to roll!

• Sits on his own for a short bit, but then leans WAY forward...
• Grabs for everything: his spoon, anything in our hands, our faces (ouch!), you name it!

He's got a good grip on Daddy's cheek in this pic

• Stands on his legs really well when supported
• Opens mouth when we feed him...so cute!
  

  You looking at me?

• Laughs and chuckles a lot lately, and even more when we laugh with him

At this age, Jameston LOVES:

• Bath time, still. No doubt about it, our boy is a water baby! He gets upset when we get him out of the tub :(
• His Jumperoo! Now that he can hold his head up steadily, we put it together just last week. And with it he has found other things he can put in his mouth!
  
• Looking out the car window and back at me through the mirror above his car seat
• Hands! He could stare and grab at his or anyone else's all day long
• His pacifier, again. He forgot about it there for awhile, when he discovered and moved on to his fingers. But, alas, he is back to liking the paci, we think because daycare gives it to him a lot and also possibly because of the teething?
• To hold his own bottle, at daycare and when Daddy feeds him

Another "S" could stand for Jameston's signals. We have learned which cries stand for which emotions (hungry, tired, fussy, etc.). But lately our little fella has displayed a couple of signs to help us get know him better. These days he

• Rubs his eyes when tired
• Talks A LOT right before falling asleep, in his delirious state
• Arches his back (in car seat, Bumbo) when he wants out

  Lately, it seems that Jameston is very much a Momma's boy...of course he has lots of fun with Daddy, but he definitely knows and calms down when his Mommy holds him! I know it may not last forever or may come in go in phases, so I am soaking it in while I can :)

As I stated in the 4-month post, Jameston is laughing a lot these days. We try to get him to do so on a regular basis, and we LOVE hearing him giggle! Below is a video of Brett getting Jameston's attention with some"drumming." It's funny how many times you can do something, and it never seems to grow old to them!

Can't wait to see what the next month has in store, especially with baby food :)

Man's (and Baby's) Best Friend(s)

Our dogs, Boomer and Marlie, have been a part of our little family for some time now. So when we brought Jameston home from the hospital, we could only hope that they would warm up to him and get used to the fact that there was someone new (and more important) around.

Even though our neighborhood walks have declined a great deal...

and my hormones have made me, at times, want to make them exclusively outside dogs (or even worse, give them away to a family member or friend), they still love all three of us nonetheless. Boomer was part of a military family with five kids before we adopted him, so we knew he would be protective when it came to watching after our baby boy... Marlie, on the other hand, was a wild card, since we adopted her as a puppy from a rescue organization that found her. Thank goodness she has come through with those motherly instincts.

And Jameston is just as enamored with them as they are with him...

Although we don't give them as much attention as we did before became parents, it seems they have forgiven us and moved on to helping us with the baby. For instance, Marlie now sleeps in the living room, half-way between our room and Jameston's. And they both like to sniff and lick our little guy.

Also, when we get Jameston ready for bed at night, they are usually right under our feet in his nursery as if they want to make sure we are doing everything right.

Boomer likes to check in on Jameston while he sleeps...

And Marlie even volunteers for dirty diaper duty!

Can't wait to watch their relationship develop as Jameston grows up. In the future we hope he enjoys having them around as much as they seem to enjoy him these days :-)

Winters' Wonderland

As some of you experienced (or heard about), DFW was blanketed with anywhere from 8 to 12.5 inches of snow on Thursday. It was BEAUTIFUL to say the least!! Jameston's first winter has been unlike most we typically have in the Lone Star State. Texans are lucky if we get to break out our mittens and toboggans during the cold-weather season, so it has been a nice and welcome surprise this year to have TWO rounds of good snow!

He did not really know what was going on...he kept closing his eyes every time a snowflake hit is face. It was so cute!!

I emailed this grainy picture, taken by me with my iPhone, to Brett so that he could see us in action :)

Jameston looks worried in this next picture, but the kids playing down the street caught his eye and distracted him soon after this...

And the dogs, oh they had a blast!

Friday morning we went back outside to take in the scenery. Boomer, who is usually a bit lazy, galloped around,

while Marlie was a bit perplexed by the cold stuff on the end of her nose.

They were busy hounding each other as dogs do...

while Jameston and I watched them (someone was not quite awake yet :)

(again, it's hard to take a good and centered self-portrait while holding a baby :)

A view from our backyard...

I guess Punxsutawney Phil was right this year!

"While Dad is away,

Mom and I get to play, play, play!"

Unfortunately for the Winters' household, it's that time of year again. "Busy season" means weeks out-of-town and LONG hours for Brett. He's been in Austin this week (for the last of three consecutive weeks :( That's why I've had plenty of time to blog (and experiment with the color settings for pictures on our Mac :)

Jameston helping Daddy work one weekend and checking out what all it takes to be a CPA :)

On weekdays, Jameston and I usually get home around 5:15 or 5:30, and we spend one to two hours (depending on how much he napped at daycare) playing, which includes reading, singing, "talking," rolling over, and just about any activity we can find that makes him laugh that day. Once we are both good and tired, he goes to bed pretty easily after cereal and bath time.

We even played dress up one night with a baseball uniform outfit that was given to us. I wanted to get some pictures of him in it before he outgrew it! I love that you can see his rolls!

Goofing around one night before bath time...

He wanted to help Mommy take the pictures :)

Also, since I am off on Wednesdays and since my sister, Lynnlee, is still on maternity leave (and her hubby works nights), we’ve had sister sleepovers the last couple of Tuesday nights. It’s been so much fun getting to hang out with each other and our babies! I am so excited that she is also requesting Wednesdays off when she goes back to work so that we can continue to meet up either in Rowlett or Lewisville :)

Jameston and Aspen keeping each other company one afternoon

Both kiddos asleep in these nifty carrier carts at Jason's Deli...

They knew Mommy and Auntie were hungry, so they slept the entire meal for us! It has been rare for their naps to match up.

Daddy, we have missed you so much!!

We can't wait to see you tonight when you get home!!

4 months (and one week) old!

I'm probably going to say this every month, but it's hard to believe that our little Jameston is already FOUR MONTHS OLD!! This past month he has really started to show us his personality, albeit sometimes temperable, and we are of course falling more and more in love with him with each passing day (just when we think our hearts couldn't possibly have any more room)!He makes the cutest sounds in the world, especially his big yawns and little giggles. I could listen to a soundtrack of those noises all day long! We recently found out that Jameston is ticklish, so we often exchange laughs and smiles while tickling him during a diaper/clothing change or when blowing raspberries on his feet.

We went to the pediatrician today, and his stats are:

Weight: 16 lbs., 1 oz. (75th%)

Height: 26 1/2 inches (90%)

Head: 42.5 cm (50%)

The doctor said he is "long and lean," just like his daddy! Size three diapers here we come :)

And we started rice cereal last week! Mommy was so excited to be able to supplement (and also hoping it would help him sleep better at night; more on that later in the post). With both bottle and spoon-fed, so far he seems to like it!

As you can see, most of it ended up on his bib :)

At this age Jameston loves:

• Looking in a mirror, either on his toys or throughout the houseHe just recently discovered his feet, so he'll move them about vigorously and grab onto them. We are currently playing the "sock game," as he has quickly become a pro at taking them off!

• Baby Einstein DVD's...enough said!
• His activity mat: He's enjoyed it for several months now, so we are glad we registered for it. Some of the other baby items, on the other hand, we think we could have done without!

• Putting everything he can get his hands on (even his new found feet) in his mouth! And grabbing onto everything in sight, especially mommy's hair and jewelry!
• Going on walks in his stroller or the backpack
• His bumble bee rattle and monkey chime: We catch him "talking" to them often
• Taking baths because he can kick and splash to his little heart's content

This past month has been filled with many firsts. Here are a few:

• Rolling over from stomach to back several times in his crib...yes, our little guy seems to prefer sleeping on his stomach to sleeping on his back. And he's rolled from back to side twice in the last week. We caught him in action:

• Sitting with some support and standing while holding hands (so a lot of support!)
• Moving his arms in a circle like he's pitching a softball backwards, mainly his right arm...it is so cute to watch him! Here's a short video of him in action:

• Daycare: As I mentioned in a previous post, our little guy started going to The Whistle Stop, a daycare located several blocks from our house in Rowlett, at the beginning of the month. It is a WONDERFUL, Christian-based facility that we have trusted to watch after our little angel four days a week. As I also mentioned, this transition has been difficult on all of us (but especially me), so we are still adjusting. He is in a room with nine other babies under the age of 10 months. Who knows how long it will take us to get in the swing of things, but one thing is for certain, Jameston's teachers are in love with him!
  Of course, one downfall of daycare is the likelihood of kids getting sick. And just two short weeks into his stay, Jameston got RSV. Poor little fella...he was congested and had a cough (but no fever, thank goodness!). Thanks to the virus, he had trouble eating (he would wear himself out) and sleeping. And about two weeks before he started daycare, he had a head cold. So we have spent some LONG, late nights bonding over the last month! Thankfully, he is now feeling much better,

so no more snot bubbles for the time being!

We have been blessed this past month with the addition of our niece, Aspen.

She wanted to tell him goodbye before we left Grandpa's and GG's

Enjoying some time with Daddy after workHAPPY baby boy in his Bumbo. He's come a long way in this regard over the last month!I usually sit him in it while I am cooking dinner, and he'll track me walking around the kitchen

He is getting to be so good at controlling his head/neck movements. And the doctor said he has great trunk control. What a big (drooling) boy!

The most common question we seem to be getting lately is, "How is he sleeping?" Well, we have unfortunately had a tough time in this area. Starting at about 2 months, he began sleeping in his crib like a champ (after only a couple of weeks of transitioning from a co-sleeper in our room to his nursery). He would sleep 5 or so hours, wake up to feed one time in the early a.m., and then go back to sleep for another 5 hours.

BUT with the holidays and traveling coupled with him being sick, it seems we are back to square one and he's waking up every two to three hours at night again. Because of his congestion, our pediatrician recommended we have him sleep elevated, so he was snoozing (not for long) in his bouncer up until last week. I think maybe he has developed a habit of waking up several times throughout the night, so we are in need of some serious sleep training. Don't get me wrong, we love all the time we get with him (even in the middle of the night), but mommy would LOVE to be able to sleep for a stretch longer than four hours :( We hope this quickly passes now that our little guy is feeling better! I asked Jameston what he thought about his sleep progress, and below is his reaction:

Listen hear, Mom...I'll sleep through the night when I'm good and ready!

This past weekend, Brett and I were talking about our lives now as parents and how things have changed so much in just a short amount of time. Although some days go by way too quickly, we are enjoying every minute of it. So, please bear with me as I indulge and blog about our little boy...he's the highlight of our lives!!