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!

Really?

I know I've been blogging mostly about Jameston the last 8 months, but I thought I'd change it up a bit and tell you about two tedious (and somewhat comical) aspects of my life, one of which is related to our little boy :-)

So, every weekday morning (except Wednesdays when I am off), I have to pack and load up the following bags:

Diaper bag, work bag, lunch, purse, and pump...REALLY.

AND, several months ago, this loot also included JW's carrier, with him (tipping the scales at 20 pounds then) in it of course! Now that he's in his convertible car seat, I must load up this lovely array of goodies all the while trying to keep him preoccupied. Let's just say, I think my blood pressure tends to go up a little in the mornings! So, now you know why they call me "bag lady" at work, a nickname I am honored to have :-) No wonder I had to start seeing a chiropractor several weeks ago!

Another fun event that goes on in the Winters' household is the sweeping up of dog hair. We sweep every two to three days, and each time, we get this:

REALLY...Oh the joys of having two (very large and shedding) indoor dogs! 

And you know what this lucky gal received for her birthday in April? A new vacuum! Yes, the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser...yippee! And let me leave my user review right here on my very own blog. I LOVE IT! Isn't it great what household items can make us so happy (and how we want them sometimes for birthday/anniversary gifts)?

I know this post may not be like the ones I typically include, but I had to let you in on some (not-so-cool) secrets of mine :-) Don't you worry, there will be more posts about Jameston very soon!

8-months-young

This past month, Jameston has been a busy, busy baby boy! When I told him he was 8-months-old on Thursday, this is how he reacted :-)

These days, he's on a pretty good schedule which normally goes a little something like this:

• Wakes up for the day usually between 5:45 and 6:30 a.m.
• Takes a bottle/nurses four times a day (right when he wakes up, around 11:00 a.m., 3:00p.m., and 7:00 p.m.)
• Eats solids and finger foods three times a day (9:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 6 p.m., right before bath time)
• Takes two (sometimes three) naps
• Goes to bed typically between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. (except on Wednesday nights)
• We fill those in-between times with lots of fun play-time! These days he is still all about the Baby Einstein play center and his Jumperoo, and, now that he is sitting up so good, he is playing more with some smaller toys. 
• His bedtime greatly depend on how well he slept at daycare that day. He's a social boy and has a hard time napping when he knows other babies are up :-) When he's at home during the day, he naps like a champ!

He recently made Mommy eat her words about him sleeping through the night when he decided to wake up 1-2 times/night for the last week and a half or so. We chalked it up to either a growth spurt or teething, and luckily he seems to be back on track. These days he weighing about 21 1/2 lbs., and is coming in around 29 inches. 

Such a big, super sweet boy!

JW's favorite activity is still to put everything in his mouth...

This favorite pastime of his is okay when it comes to one of his toys, but it has become more noticeable lately with other items (like our keys, phones, Mommy's jewelry, etc.). We have to be extra careful of what we have in our hands when we get him out of his car seat or pick him up. One trait we've noticed lately is his temper...when you take something from him to move on to to another activity, he let's you (and everyone else around for that matter) know that he was not finished playing with it and that he is not happy! Hopefully this is only temporary...please!

Jameston's newest discoveries:

• Finger foods: we've only tried puffs and yogurt melts but plan on incorporating small fruit and meat very soon!
• Coordination: He is getting super talented at picking up, throwing, and passing things from hand to hand. He is also putting his spoon to his mouth and his toothbrush to his teeth. So fun to watch!
• Rockin' & Rollin': No, not the music kind...our boy LOVES to rock, whether it be in his inflatable duck tub, our laps, his highchair, you name it. It is cute to watch, especially in his tub as he splashes water everywhere!
• Tummy-scooting: Although he favors rolling over and over and over to get places, JW is raring up his arms and sticking his hiney in the air (we call it the tripod pose) like he's getting ready to crawl any week now.
• Reading assistant: He likes to "turn" the pages (if he's not wanting to chew on them) for us as we read to him
• Chatty Charlie: Babbling is his middle name these days (mainly Mmmm sounds to help his gums, and sometime an inadvertent "Mama" in the middle of a cry if he's upset), and he does so in a sing-songy way. He especially likes to grunt and make shrill sounds :-) We have some video that I need to upload and post!
• Reaching!: When he knows he is about to be picked up or when he sees something he has to have, this boy has Go-Go Gadget arms...we think he might be a basketball player one day :-)
• Funny faces: Due to teething and the fondness he has for his tongue and gums, this boy makes the silliest (and ca-utest) faces in the world! We caught him making a fish face one night...

Showing off his teeth-brushing skills

Things we will remember most about this fun age:

• He gives the sweetest neck cuddling hugs when I get him out of his crib in the morning. He buries his head in my shoulder, and wraps his arms around my neck. So sweet!
• He prefers to drink from big cups rather than his sippy cups; so, we guess he's a cup snob :-)
• He laughs so hard when we feed him while doing airplane noises...gotta catch it on video!

At 8-months-old, Jameston LOVES:

Anything paper, tags and straps, Mommy's singing and the funny noises she makes to get him to laugh (one good one is her karate sounds), playing in the comforter and sheets, making funny faces (with his tongue and lips), keys, mirrors, peekaboo, bath time, and Marlie-Bear (as many pictures illustrate)

We love you, J.W., and we thank God for you every day!

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!