9 months old!

    James is really moving around these days! He can go from sitting to crawling and vice versa. He is scootching everywhere (more army crawl than up on all fours). He is also pulling up on everything! One day I watched him on the monitor and he was hinged over the crib rail- time to lower the mattress! He's starting to point at things, but still does not clap nor has he said anymore words. I feel bad...I know I spent way more time with Adelyn teaching her animal noises and reading to her nonstop. Every time I read to James, Adelyn takes over and is suddenly super interested in the baby board book. Every time I spend time with Adelyn, James crawls on over and is super interested in her crayons (or whatever he's not supposed to have). It's hard to spend one-on-one time with them! James is getting a little better with the stranger/seperation anxiety. I was able to stay at my mom's group the entire session last week! He has been with Seth's parents a lot. I went on a girls' trip and Seth was coaching, so he spent the weekend with Seth's parents. When I returned Sunday night, James had FOUR new teeth! He's still sleeping and eating like a champ- just love that little guy!! 

    We've had a little bit of sickness hit our house this month. James had an ear infection (my first experience with that) and Adelyn caught a stomach bug. Seth and I both woke up with it the next morning. We got it way worse than Adelyn (thankfully). Brenda took the kids for the day and allowed us to get better. It was awful! Then Brenda got it that evening. Hopefully, we won't encounter it anymore. I am so grateful for all the help we get from Seth's parents. They have been lifesavers!

    Adelyn is doing great! Dare I say she is mellowing out? Her tantrums/whining/not sharing/two -year old behavior is lessening and we have pleasant days. She's very inquisitive and I love it! Her memory is sharp. The other day we were driving in a neighborhood that two of our friends live in. We have been to this neighborhood 2 times in the past 6 months. We pulled in and she said, "This is where Charlie lives". I was blown away! One day, she said, "Mama, I don't have my heart". I asked where it went and she said, "I gave it to Jesus". Then she asked if Daddy and I still had our hearts. I explained what giving your heart to Jesus means and it was such a cool moment. I am so glad she listens at church and preschool and is learning these wonderful lessons. Adelyn is very into writing and coloring. She is still enjoying her preschool work books and she asks to do her "homework" almost every day (she got the homework thing from Emily- since she's in kindergarten, she really has homework). 

We've had fun visitors this month and we have thoroughly been enjoying the beautiful SPRING weather!! 

Jay seems super interested in the girls' dress up

Lucy (visiting with her mom Cory from Charleston) and Adelyn at INK (children's museum)

Every time we go here, Adelyn loves the pretend grocery store

Adelyn singing with the Little Choir at church

Gymnastics

Randy, me, and Bella (8 months old) in Delaware

Melissa (with Bella), Laura (with CeCe), Me (with Lea V), Randy, and Amy out to lunch in Middletown, DE

SFGG 2012

Adelyn and James after church one Sunday. Adelyn just let go and of course, James fell. 

He was crying so Adelyn sang him an "I'm sorry" song on the drum

Don't worry...we lowered the crib that afternoon. He was throwing that leg over and eventually got it stuck in the rails. Little stinker!

James and Adelyn before church

Lea (4 months old) and James (8 months old)

CeCe (4 months old) and Adelyn (8 months old)

CeCe and Adelyn today

Static electricity!

I love to stand up! 

I could watch him sleep all day

Look at all those teeth! James LOVES to swing!

Montana- 2/10-2/19

We took our annual winter trip to Montana with Seth's parents, sister and her two kids, and Louise (Rotary foreign exchange student from Denmark) and her boyfriend Chuck. It was a memorable trip, as this was Adelyn's first time taking ski lessons. She also snow shoed down to the river. We did a girls' shopping day, Seth and I snowmobiled with Chuck and Louise, and we relaxed a lot! 

Sunrise the first morning

James did NOT like getting his hands in the snow!

Lake McDonald Lodge (in Glacier National Park)

Matching pajamas

At first, she did not like this. In usual Adelyn style, once she got used to it, she was good to go! The instructor (Jesse) took her off and they built a mini snow man. That got her happy!

After an hour ski lesson, she stayed out for more with her daddy!

Day 2- See ya, Mommy!

SLIGHT crush on Jesse!

Hair in Princess Leia style- all ready to see Star Wars 3D

Chuck, Louise, Seth, and I ate a Valentine's Dinner at The Izaak Walton (it was delicious- lobster and fondue!)

Louise took a little spill while snow mobiling!

Top of the mountain (after riding the snow mobile up)

Adelyn snow shoeing!

Isn't it ok for a 7 month old to have chocolate syrup??

8 months old!!

    James turned 8 months old on Feb. 22nd. He's a little sweetie! He's getting more and more active- trying to crawl (more scootching, but occasionally up on all fours). He can go from sitting to on his tummy now. He LOVES to stand while holding on to something or hang upside down! You have to watch him if he's in your lap- he'll just arch his back and lean back in a skinny minute! He is a great eater. I think he likes food better than breast milk. Lately, he only nurses for 6-8 minutes (he used to nurse for 20-30 minutes). He loves bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes, and applesauce! I also give him puffs or yogurt melts when he's done. Honestly, it buys me some time to clean up after a meal or do odds and ends. He'll sit there and eat those for a while! He's pretty much dropped his evening nap and takes two long naps and sleeps 10-12 hours each night. James can say "mama" and "dada" and some other nonsense words. I think it's funny that he says "mama" when he wants something (tired or hungry) and "dada" when he's playing and working hard at something. I guess I should be used to that! James is also attempting to wave and sometimes it sounds like he says "hey" when doing so.
    Adelyn is smack in the middle of the WHY stage! She is always asking questions! "What does ____ start with?" "Where does (insert food) grow?" Why?" "Why?" "Why?". She loves coloring, playing dress up 24/7, dancing, and books. I got her a preschool workbook and she asks to do her homework. So cute! She's argumentative and is constantly telling us we're not right about this and that. She can be very whiney- especially if she's slightly hungry or tired. Love this child to pieces, but I can definitely do without the whining.
    We went to Montana for 9 days, but I'll do a seperate post about the trip. Other than that, we're just hanging out. Our days consists of errands, school for Adelyn, playdates here and there, and playing at the house (and enjoyed the sporatic warm February days playing outside). I'm still tutoring two days a week, but would love to get some more kids!

Here's a video of James enjoying his food:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06sgY5coZwI&feature=youtu.be

All of these pictures are from my phone...I need to use my better camera more often!

Adelyn in her princess gear. On this particular day, she had on 9 necklaces, 2 bracelets, a ring, a crown, and slippers (in addition to the dress and tutu beneath). Geez.

Happy boy in the bathtub!

He loves to walk back and forth between my legs (saying "da da deh ta teh" the whole time)

Adelyn giving James puffs (and about to break the high chair by sitting on the leg rest)

7 Months Old

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope this will be a great year for each and everyone of us. Mine started out just right...James is saying, "Mama" now! He said it on New Year's Eve for the first time! He still hasn't said "Dada", but we're working on it. He's clicking his tongue and trying to say so much. He's gotten a lot better at eating solids. Now he's had green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, lima beans, and apples (introduced in that order too). At first he only liked sweet potatoes, bananas, and apples, but now he's eating whatever you put in front of him. James is trying to scoot/army crawl, so I'm sure true crawling is around the corner. Now that we're on solids, his schedule has changed and I like it so much better. I think he does too. He eats at 8, 12, 4, and 8 and naps from 10-12 and 2-4 (sometimes a little cat nap around 6). He's ready for bed around 8 or 8:30. This was the same schedule we had Adelyn on. I love him going to bed a little earlier....it gives Seth and I a little time together. Just this past week, James has started a little separation/stranger anxiety. He screamed at the gym nursery last week and at my Birds on a Wire group (he goes to nursery there) today. I mean SCREAMED. I could hear him in my Body Pump class (music blasting). Any suggestions??? I swear, I don't sit around and hold him all day. Adelyn was like this too (even worse)...what am I doing???

We went on the annual trip to Kolomoki, a plantation in south Georgia. Seth's dad, brother in law, Seth, and one of his dad's friends go quail hunting while the girls and kids ride in the bird buggy or ride a horse. It's always a fun weekend and it's nice to go somewhere that's a bit warmer. Adelyn thoroughly enjoyed riding a horse with Seth and me. The horse's name was Earl, but she called him "Oil" the whole time. We also went for a quick overnight trip to my friend Amy's house in Birmingham. She has a 9 week old that I hadn't had time to go meet yet. It was fun to let the girls play and finally hold sweet little Lea. The girls and boys are both 5 months apart- friends for life! :) This past weekned, we went to Hickory to celebrate my grandmother's 97th birthday! All my cousins and their kids were there, so it was fun to see them all interact and visit everyone (my brother couldn't come though). I think it's amazing that my grandmother is 97. She's something else! Unfortunately, I didn't really get any pictures while there.

Here's a sweet video of James and Adelyn playing together- LOVE that they make each other laugh.


http://youtu.be/Qzs-TB5kiPA

Grandma, grandkids, Duke, Sly, and Sam at Kolomoki

Melissa, Seth, me, Bert, and kids at Kolomoki

James can ride bareback at just 6 months old

CeCe and Adelyn out to lunch in Birmingham

James and Lea