3 Months and Counting

Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that we brought little James home, and now he's a strapping 3-month old! He has been sleeping through the night this past week, and when I say this I mean 8-10 hours! I usually wake up at 4 am still. Three months of waking up at 4 am will do that to you I suppose. I go back to sleep pretty quickly though! Paul and I will usually be up and getting ready for the day and the little angel will still be sleeping! I am NOT expecting this to last. I have no delusions of sleep anymore. Any day now he'll go back to a 3 hour sleeping schedule. That's what I tell myself anyways.
He's super ticklish and laughs hysterically when we tickle him (sometimes, other times he just grins and fights it:). When he wakes up in the morning he's the happiest baby in the world and his colic is getting better, although he still struggles a little bit now and then. Thank goodness he is able to entertain himself for a few minutes now! It's amazing what you can get done in 10 minutes. Anyways, here are some pictures of our growing baby:

Isn't he such a cutie?

3 Month Photo Shoot

His newest fascination: his feet! He wants to grab them so bad, but hasn't been able to yet. Any day now he's going to get them!

James loves to play peek a boo with his blanket. I can't let him sleep with his blanket because he loves pulling it over his head, but during the day I let him play with it. He giggles when he's under it. Silly kid.

We finally broke down and got a bumbo seat. He pretty much hates laying down. If you put him on his back he struggles and tries to sit up so he can see what's going on around him, so he loves the chair and can be entertained for quite a while! Oh, and thank goodness for Baby Einstein!

Labor Day Weekend

I love long weekends that I get to spend with Paul. His weekend started Friday night when he got off of work. I picked him up and he said that he wanted to go for a drive. So, kind of like Forrest Gump --only driving and not running-- we drove, and drove and drove. To Duchesne! The drive was nice all the way up to Strawberry Reservoir. We would really love to do some camping there in the future. BUT, after that it really reminded me of where I grew up in rural California. I've had a serious touch of homesickness (my parents followed me out to Utah so I can never really go "home") and driving to Duchesne was good for me because I realized how far I've come and that if I had a choice I wouldn't go back to Aguanga. I loved growing up in the middle of nowhere. My opportunities were endless as a little child for exploration and creativity. BUT, I love where I am now...ok, tangent over.
Because we got home so late from this excursion we ended up grabbing tacos and heading to bed. Saturday we got to go on a date. It was our first time leaving James with anyone. All I can say is that I totally love Leah for taking care of him for us.
The original plan was to go to the temple, but after discovering that my temple dress no longer fit thanks to some added baby weight (and the new found hips that won't quit), Paul decided to take me to get a new one. I told him that I could just rent one, but he wanted to buy me one. So we went to Mimi's for breakfast and did a little shopping. It was SO nice to get away for a while and not worry about a baby screaming in public and having to leave suddenly. Hopefully next time we really can go to the temple! It's been far to long. We picked up some goodies at Distribution that we were able to enjoy Sunday morning. There is this fantastic video about Thomas S. Monson's life. After Gordon B. Hinkley died it was kind of a struggle to see anyone else as prophet. This is not saying that I did not sustain President Monson in anyway, but it was just so weird for me because Gordon B. was really the prophet of my childhood and entire adulthood. It's been easier as time has gone and I've grown used to our prophet now, but after seeing this video I can't imagine anyone else filling that role right now. What an amazing man. What an amazing life. We also got a MoTab CD which we listened to all Sunday morning as I did a bunch of ironing and Paul cleaned up my messy kitchen :)
Church was fantastic and I finally met the Humanitarian Committee Chairperson in Relief Society. We were both called a few weeks ago and I'm really excited to start working together. We are putting together some kits for a big humanitarian enrichment night next month. It is usually pretty difficult for me to get to know people at church because, until now, I've not been able to go to any activities during the week and I'm horrible at remembering names. Yesterday, however, I sat next to a delightful old lady. She just moved into the ward and is quite shy. Her grandchildren don't live close by and she was just tickled pink by James. I could see that my taking interest in her life really made her happy and it totally made my day!
After church we came home to the smell of amazing pot roast made by Paul. He really helps me out on weekends and I'm so grateful to have such a thoughtful husband. Here are some pictures from our weekend:

James' First BYU football game. BYU was #20 playing #3, the Oklahoma Sooners. We managed to pull off a 14-13 win and shot all the way up to #9! Go Cougars!!

In Duchesne, last names are unimportant on campaign banners. "Vote for Jill" and "Vote for Rodney" seem to do the trick just fine!

This is one of my favorite pictures ever! I love his sunglasses. He hates them if I put them on before he gets in the sun, but if he sees that they really do help him out after experiencing the glare, he likes them. Silly boy.

Yet Another Baby Post

I realize that my blog has become overwhelmed with baby posts, but I can't help myself! James was blessed last weekend and a few of our dear friends were able to make it to the event. He behaved the entire time and even went to sleep! I was counting on him being loud and obnoxious the whole time, but other than a loud diaper-filling during the blessing, he was great :)

He had his first round of vaccinations yesterday. I've never seen him turn that color red before. It was sad. He was so mad! But the nurse gave them to him so fast and as soon as I picked him up he calmed down. They also checked out his eyes. They were reflecting light kind of funny so three different pediatricians took a look at them to make sure there wasn't a tumor or anything blocking the light. It made me pretty nervous, but it turns out that his eyes just aren't perfectly aligned, which was a relief! But he has little bruises around his eyes now from the doctors prying. Poor kid was NOT a happy camper yesterday. He has a slight fever today due to the immunizations but is in good spirits so I can't complain.

I love his dimples

In his blessing outfit. He really wasn't a fan of this outfit at all. In fact, when we came home and I took it off he was SOOOOO happy. I think blessing outfits are designed to humiliate kids when they get older.

Goofy smile

His feet.

I told you he fell asleep!

2 Months

James hit the 2 month mark last week. He was all dressed up after church and in a chipper mood (to bad he wasn't in that mood during church) so we decided to take some pictures of our little boy. He loved the attention. We had 2 cameras going at once. Here are a few that we took. Isn't he so handsome? :)

Big yawn!

I have no idea why he does this, but it makes me laugh.

My favorite. He's SO happy and giggly.

I love his little fists. He kept wiggling and would face-plant into the sofa.

Our Summer

I can't believe that it's almost time for Paul to go back to school! The summer has been a blur to me...kind of like sleep. Things are starting to settle down a bit though as we've developed a more regular schedule. James sleeps 6 or 7 hours at night! It's been great because running on a few moments of sleep each day begins to take it's toll. He's happier than a few weeks ago, too. We get lots of smiles and odd giggles. Sometimes it sounds like there's an animal in the room with all his weird little noises :). It's fun to see him smile and develop, even though sometimes I wish that time would stand still and he would just stay a little baby forever!

Now for a non-baby update. We have decided to move...again. It won't be for another year, but we've decided that after Paul finishes at Utah Valley University, he will transfer to Utah State University to finish up his Business degree. USU has a much better business program, not to mention that Logan is WAY cheaper! For a comparable apartment in Logan we would pay 2-300 dollars less a month. It would really help us get through that last stretch of school. The downside? It would be our seventh move and it is colder in Logan. Meanwhile, we enjoy where we are living. We have a great ward, wonderful friends, and the best apartment EVER. Paul has been able to take Saturdays off, which has been a real blessing. He usually lets me sleep on the weekends and takes care of James' early morning feeding. We've also enjoyed some long rides on the weekends. The baby falls asleep in the car, so we just drive all over Utah Valley enjoying the summer from air conditioned comfort.

After James discovered that hair was a great thing to grab onto for dear life, I decided to chop it off. I went pretty short, but I like it! It's easy, and no more hair pulling.

My chubby-cheeked little munchkin.

I love it when he's happy.

We came home from church, laid him down while we changed, and he got cozy for a nap.

We took a trip out to South Ridge Farms in Santaquin. I want to go back and pick up some more Oatmeal Cherry cookies!!

Our Growing Boy

James is over a month old now. Sometimes it seems like we brought him home yesterday, and others it seems like we've had him forever (although, sometimes I think this feeling is derived from lack of sleep). It's so much fun to watch him develop his little personality. He had a checkup yesterday and Paul and I were guessing his weight. I said 10 pounds, Paul said 10 pounds 6 ounces. We were both way off. He is now over 11 pounds (and 3 ounces if you want specifics) and continues to eat like crazy. His eyes have turned light blue and I'm really hoping they stay that way because they're SO pretty. He'll kill me in 15 years for saying he had pretty eyes, but oh well. He has horrible reflux and gas (the last one shouldn't surprise me considering who his daddy is) and it's taken us a while to find relief for him. We tried gas medication, but it just wasn't cutting it. We finally discovered the miracle elixer that is Gripe Water. It's a homeopathic medicine for colic and I'm telling you it's a lifesaver!! I let him sleep on his tummy during the day when I can watch him, which seems to help so he's now a relatively happy baby, except at night when he turns into a fussy monster, but we love him anyway :)

All clean in his little robe. He LOVES baths.

Lifting up his heavy little head.

1 Month old!

Our little cutie!

3 Week Update

Three weeks ago today I went in to the hospital to have baby James. What a crazy time it's been! I'm starting to feel a lot better, although I am no good on my feet for much over 20 minutes. Still, it's a lot better than a week ago! James is getting bigger every day. At his 2 week checkup he had gained over a pound and grown an inch since birth (and his head is in the 75th percentile. Still has a huge melon!). I can't seem to keep up with how much he eats. I'm told that a normal baby of his age will eat 2-3 oz per sitting, and little James here is chugging down anywhere from 4-9! He's going to be a huge kid. I've attached some pictures so you can see how much he's grown...and of course how cute he is!

He holds his soothie in his mouth since he can't seem to keep it in otherwise.

He falls asleep in the weirdest positions...just never at the right times...

He used to only do the pouty lip in his sleep, but now he's taken to doing it to get his way. He's going to be a handful!

Most days I just dress him in a towel. Less laundry.