Cash -- 36 weeks Appt 1

Cash Update :: wasn't there as long this time, thank goodness! Got on NST machine and, of course, Cash decided it was a good time to go to sleep! He had just been moving around a ton in the car on the way there, too, what a stinker! So I had to try eating my banana, drinking really cold water and, finally, rolling onto my side with the midwife holding the sensor worked. Every time he'd move, he'd kick the sensor off so it didn't record his heart rate while moving (which is one of the things they're looking for during this test) -- it was like he had a reverse magnet attached :-) During the time she was holding it, the midwife noticed a tightening in the top right section of my belly -- usually where his butt is stationed -- and said I was having a contraction. I was certain that they were happening, but they have always been more one-sided, which is not an indication of a true contraction (more Braxton-Hicks-ish). She said it was probably happening throughout the uterus, but since a lot of fluid is over my top left, it is deeper and I wouldn't be able to feel the tightening with my hand). They tend to happen most when I stand up from sitting or from bending to pick something up off the floor....either way, definitely need to breath through the uncomfortableness sometimes. His fluid was back down a little to 20.4cm, good stuff. She said if it gets too full, big babies tend to break the bag of waters -- don't need to worry about cleaning up that mess right now, I've got things to do before he comes still!!! Went to physical therapy afterwards (it had felt like someone took a baseball bat to the top of my pelvis in the back). She said there is a ligament going from your uterus to your sacrum and mine is fully stretched with a big kid pressing it to its max, so it's then pulling to cause muscle spasms. She did some soft tissue massage and some point-release stuff that took some of the tension off -- just going to have to deal with the rest -- for now, ice and heat rotation.
James keeps telling me to "show more Brother" :: I showed him the video of the NST test from the last post and he thought it was so cool. Made me make my belly button available to him so he could put his finger in it and "talk" to Brother while he kept asking for more of the video :-) He continues to love every baby we see -- loves to honk their noses though, gonna have to squish that tendency early -- but when asked what we should name the baby, his answer is still : "Sister!" haha, reminds me of the Johnny Cash song "Boy Named Sue." More to come later this week -- a final ultrasound for growth along with another NST! Hopefully I will get a chance to back track through the past few weeks and update the other things that have been happening in the Montalbano household!

Cash -- 35 weeks

Hey there, Kiddo! The ultrasound tech was able to get some actual face pictures this time -- last time was only his leg. Here is a profile of his face and one of his arms. I find it easiest to locate his nose first and go from there -- it's pointing up and then you can see his mouth and eyes from there. Just to the left of his chin is one of his hands.
Back for another NST -- was there for +3 hours! Got back to the NST room late, was hooked up to it for almost 45 minutes, talked with physician assistant (PA) for my appointment while hooked up....then had to wait for quick ultrasound for fluid check. He was moving around a ton and had good accelerations of his heart rate when moving on the NST. We could see him moving on the ultrasound and all looked good except they couldn't find his stomach "bubble" -- stinker had probably just peed and flattened out, so I had to go in waiting room and wait for another 45 minutes to go check again! They had already seen his stomach before but needed to make sure it was still filling up properly to indicate he was eating and using his lungs fully. Fluid was up to 24cm!!! Big babies tend to have more because they need to inhale more and, thus, excrete more; and one of the quadrants was completely all fluid, he had crammed himself totally in the other 3 (HELLO, uncomfortable, child)!
The PA also explained to me the medical reasons for having a possible amniocentesis test run on Cash to determine if his lungs are mature enough to deliver him a bit earlier than scheduled. We've already seen that he's a larger baby (the ultrasound had me measuring almost 2 weeks ahead last time) and larger babies tend to: a) pass meconium (poop) earlier, which is not preferred by physicians because they inhale it and are likely candidates for pneumonia at birth (also a reason why a lot of people trying to go natural have to have c-sections) and b) tend to use up the life and nutrients of the placenta earlier (and Mom gets no indication that it is happening). So, with both of these situations being ones we'd like to avoid, and since they have to do a c-section anyway, we are scheduled for an amniocentesis on Aug 29th and if it's all cleared and goes as planned, Cash's birthday will be August 30th!!! Of course, he could always try to throw his own wrench in the plans, these kiddos don't come with contracts or manuals, ya know (which would be helpful sometimes) :-)

Cash -- 34 weeks

34 weeks of pregnancy update :: I did my first non-stress test (NST) this week for this pregnancy. You are hooked up to two monitors; one measures if you are having contractions (nope) and the other keeps track of the baby's heart rate (Cash was usually around 154bpm as he usually is, and it increased when he kicked/punched/zumba-ed me, which it's supposed to do also). I was hooked up for about 25 minutes, which meant I could barely walk afterwards because the position you sit in was right on my SI joint, but it's kind of neat to hear him for that long. It makes you very aware of your child and how much they move because it's just you in the otherwise quiet room -- I couldn't even read a magazine this time because he was moving so much, so I had to push his monitor the whole time :-) They did a quick ultrasound to make sure I still had enough amniotic fluid for him (normal is 10-25cm). I was down from 18cm last week to 12cm this week. Still in the normal range and it's completely normal for the amount to change weekly because the baby moves how they are chilling in there and you can't count a quadrant into the calculation if too much baby or umbilical cord is in it. Not worried about it, but will keep checking since I got really low with James. Dr said you usually run low on fluid about the same time, so she's thinking we may have a good shot at an August baby! That's only 3 weeks!!!! Ahhhh! Not ready, not ready! One more week with just one visit, then up to bi-weekly visits! Get ready for your world to be rocked, JamesE!!!

Cash -- 33 weeks

33 week update :: going weekly now to check in on Cash. They did an ultrasound to check for his growth -- WHAT A BIG BOY!!! They use the length of their femur to estimate their size. Cash is estimated at being 5lbs, 15oz right now -- that puts him in the 89th percentile!!! Quite the opposite from Mr. James -- he was always around the 20th percentile. You can't put too much faith in these estimates (James was predicted at 7lb 11oz but was only 7lb 2 oz when he arrived) but if Cash keeps up at the 0.5lb per week rate (and goes full term), he'll be in the 8lb range and if he puts on more than that, he could be closer to 10lbs! (I'm not too worried about that though). I measured at 35 weeks, 5 days from the ultrasound and at 36 weeks from the tape measurement (top of pelvis to the top of the fundus - which is the top of the uterus) -- you can measure +/- 3 weeks in the 3rd trimester. Cash has finally situated himself to be head down, which has given me some occasional breathing relief, but he isn't always in there straight, so the pelvic pain has gotten crazy intense -- pushing my SI (sacro-iliac) joints (where the sacrum and pelvis meet in the back) out of whack. Pretty much feels as un-awesome as it sounds :-) We are getting close to meet this (big) little guy! Can't wait for our linebacker to make his appearance!

Month 20

Month 20 brought a WORD EXPLOSION!!! James is now repeating a lot of words we say (and still laughing when they are ones that he doesn't think he can spit out, which cracks me up)...every day it seems I say something and he just busts it out (i.e. I asked him if he was going to walk up the stairs to go to bed...his response :: "walk"...didn't know he knew that word)! He knows a ton of body parts :: head, mouth, teeth, eyeballs, nose, ears, belly button, forearm, foot and toes. He can't really say "I love you" yet, but he definitely has his own sign-version of it -- sticks both hands out at us (video attached below) -- we just can't get enough of it :-) He is enjoying some independent reading time when he's not trying to beat me up (don't know why I'm the lucky one). He attended Lincoln Park Zoo lights for the first time -- he enjoyed the art project with Aunt MJ and Uncle Ed. He can help count -- almost always gets "one, two" and sometimes throws "three" in there and "five" if I say four...I've also heard "A,B,C". He loves to do art projects at school -- but freaks out if any of the glue gets on his hands, so he has to go wash them in between each part (I think it's just to play in the water more, hehe). James got all dressed up (took about 10 minutes) to go play in the snow (about 10 minutes) until he got upset about there being snow on his new boots -- I showed him how to "stomp" it off and he was relieved, but still ready to go back inside (it was also pretty darn chilly). He has added to some moves to his dance repertoire :: a wiggle and his version of the running man :-) If we put on the "Puddle Jumping Elmo" Sesame Street episode, we have to watch the puddle song at least 15 times before we can turn it off without tears! He's a dancing maniac!

The crew at Zoo lights

James was so bundled up that I couldn't get his stroller straps attached at first!















Dani and Jamie














Uncle Ed pretty much stole James for the night, which is cool because they get along so great :-)













Art project with Aunt MJ and Uncle Ed













Laura and James smiling pretty













James was OK w/ the gorillas until one yawned and showed all his big teeth















Pretty Lights












Family photo ops




























Slide show of Month 20





Signing "I love you"

Showing off his new "running man" move and the "spin-bounce" to a song from Glee -- we did "more" of the song for about 10 minutes before bed

Randoms to help me catch up on blogging

Just being goofy!
First time eating toast -- YEAH TOAST!

Sporting his handknitted hat that one of GGs friends made for him when he was born -- it's pretty awesome and I would love one myself (reversible, too)!

Riding the see-saw on the playground with "Eeeeeevve" -- we sang "Row Row Row Your Boat" about 30 times that afternoon -- Eve knows a lot of the words, I was impressed! Hat + Colts gear = Happy Toddler

The weather was absolutely gorgeous this week (Oct. 7th) so we busted out the water table one last time. James had so much fun (and got soaking wet) while practicing drinking from a cup (we've been working on it in the bathtub w/ his Elmo cup -- that way none of his clothes get wet). He was giggling so much I was able to record it and make it my ring tone :-)

Reading me the pamphlet he insisted on taking from school -- until he realized he was being recorded and then he poses for the picture...what a ham! And that's the end of catching up for Month 18!!! James got teeth 10 and 11 this month...now has 3 out of 4 molars...and had his 2nd ear infection :-( Temper tantrums have become the norm in the evening when we have to come in from playing outside with the neighbors -- think it is a combo of not eating lunch well (so hungry and low blood sugar) and being over-tired since he usually doesn't nap well at school. James has been LOVING music time at school -- the kid definitely has a pretty good sense of rhythm -- his favorite is the drums and swizzle sticks. He also LOVES to laugh -- he can be crying and upset and will go straight into a laugh fest when I tickle him -- he has even started to try and tickle himself and Jim and I :-D

Room Re-dec

Abby, Bella and James learning how to picket for better legislation for teachers -- start 'em early
The picture below of James as a lion was featured in the school's weekly newsletter -- very exciting stuff!

Re-decorating the front bedroom was a major summer project of mine (and now fall project). I had to strip all the ugly flowered wallpaper, scrape and wipe and sand and wipe and Spackle and wipe down the walls.

2 layers of primer; 2 layers of blue paint on the storage shelves and lighting

2 layers of puppy paws brown on the walls

Just have to touch up the ceiling (I'm a horrible free-hander for cutting in), paint the trim and window frames and door and the quarter-round and shelf doors...then it's time to decorate! I have many ideas floating in my head about what to do in here, can't wait to see how it turns out :-)

We have a 1 1/2 year old!!!!

How in the world did this happen so quickly?!?!?! How is James already one and a half years old?!?!?! I still have pain from my c-section, surely this isn't possible that he's already this old?!?!?
Everything goes into the mouth -- gotta watch this kid like a hawk!

James had his 18-month doctor appointment :: back on the charts, WOO HOO! Go James! Well, go James at drinking your Kid's Essentials everyday -- those guaranteed 240 calories are definitely working! He was up to 22.2 pounds (3rd percentile; from off the charts at 19.2lbs at 15-months) and 30 inches tall (9th percentile) with a 47.2cm head circumference (lots of brains = big head, right, putting him in the 50th percentile there). Poor kid got 3 shots, including his flu shot, so hopefully that stays out of our house this year! He passed with flying colors on all the physical developmental stuff (+3 word, check!; autism questionnaire, check!; drinks from sippy, check! imitating mom and dad, check!) and is catching up on the teeth (9 total now -- popped out a molar last week)! Overall, he's lookin' darn good if we must say so ourselves :-) Very proud of all our 18-month old has accomplished so far and can't wait to see what he has in store for us next! We love you, Bug!!!!

How Quickly They Grow

The past few weeks have been rough on me as far as realizing how quickly James is growing up! All within the span of one week:
** he cut his first 2 teeth
** phased out the bottle
** got on to all milk (no more making bottles, woo hoo)
** is on (mostly) all table food (although it's a daily struggle to figure out what to feed him since his dinner time is almost before Jim even gets home from work)!
That's a lot of changes for a momma to handle at once! Allergist update: he finished up his Z-pack to try and get rid of that pesky sinus infection and he's been getting Nebulizer treatments (one in the am and one before bed) and getting Singulair at night (you have no idea how picky they are with what you give them the Singulair granules in -- only 4 things work! Luckily he loves him some apple sauce :-)) Surprisingly, he tested negative for any allergies (I think they tested him for 8) - which is good, but also a mystery as to why he sounded so yucky since October -- maybe he just needed to cut those teeth and now his system is back in rhythm? He is sounding much better and his chest is definitely rattling much much less as he breaths :-)

First Tooth!!!

James finally had a tooth pop through sometime March 24th -- exactly at 12.5 months :-) Jim had checked him in the morning and there wasn't a tooth yet, but then he checked again at night and his bottom right tooth had (finally) cut through the gums!!! Such a big guy! For some reason, this is as zoomed as I can get the pictures from Jim's camera (when he pulled it up on his computer, it was clear as day, that toother -- so I added the arrow to help guide your tooth observations). Also, anytime you pull his lip out to look, he sticks out his tongue, so the only way to get a good view is when he's crying :-( He was definitely ready for bed in this picture! The top two teeth are chillin' right at the edge still and there is a bump/swelling at the bottom left, too now! Lucky for us, the whole teething process doesn't seem to bother him too much (yet) -- although we were convinced he has been teething since September with all his drooling :-)

Exploring, Playing, Growing and Just Plain Being Cute

James has had a lot of fun playing with all his new toys since his Birthday (well, the ones Jim has put together anyway). He's also been working on his creative side at school with a lot of art projects using different mediums. He has painted using swatters with different shapes on the ends, played with Goop (cornstarch and water in a baggie -- it changes from liquid to solid and back again when played with, Ms. S was very excited to show them the Goop), used plastic shapes to play in Cool Whip (Ms. T's big project for the week) and painted with brushes of different shapes/sizes. For some reason, James is always the kid with the most paint/whip on his face -- hopefully he doesn't turn into a glue eater also! Yesterday was Multi-Cultural Day at school -- his classroom did a poster on Poland. They had pictures of all the kids taste testing boiled pierogies and kolaches -- the faces they all made were hilarious! Each child also got to hand paint a section of the flag for the poster -- James had a red section -- of course, it was all over his face in the picture (his one teacher says that means he's getting ready to go to Toddlers because that's what they all do -- eat everything -- good thing they discovered how to make non-toxic paint or James would never get to do art projects)! At school and home, we've gone on walks to enjoy the nice weather and let James explore the outdoors. At school they put all the kids in the 8-person buggie and walk away -- there's a really cute picture of James passed out in his winter coat on the ride (I only have a hard copy of the pic from school, so I can't share on here). When we go to take him out of the car, he points to the back window -- telling us "hey, that stuff stopped moving out there!" (well, at least that's what we think the message is relaying -- it could be "get me outta here" too I guess :-) ). He's also become a master at "Uh-Oh" -- his 1st official phrase that he definitely knows how to use correctly! He will say "uh-oh" and then drop his sippy -- I'm trying to work on the whole concept that intentional dropping is not an "uh-oh," but it's not going too smoothly...he is just too cute saying it though to always correct him :-) Onto the 12-month dr. appointment updates: he weighed in at 19lbs 11 oz (moved up to the 15th %tile) and 29 1/4 inches (moved up to the 40th %tile, woo hoo). We've been weaning him off the formula and onto milk (he's at a 2oz formula to 4oz milk mixture today) and are also trying to phase out the bottle to get him on all sippy cup-action (he does very well on this at school with his friends around him, not as well at home). Everything checked out well -- she's very impressed with his mad walking skillzzzz and he was still nice and congested for her, so she gave us a name of an allergist to take him to see to hopefully get to the bottom of it once and for all. Going along with the sippy cup is to phase out the baby food too, but the Stage 3 foods (a bit more chunky) will do for his really picky days -- he did eat the heck out of a California Turkey Burger and sweet potato with me last night, he ate more than half of the patty and almost 1/2 of the potato -- chunky monkey -- good thing I planned in advance so I got to eat something!
Above :: James loved the book Ms. S made him to remember his Birthday -- he carried around the pictures of his friends all night long (good thing it was laminated)
Below :: cute overalls pic -- he had green on for St. Patrick's Day (that was his first, "2nd" holiday) but the onesie didn't make it long into the day

Working on the sippy cup action (the pic kept flipping, so just tilt your head for the full effect)

His 4-leaf clover painting for St. Patrick's day

James loves getting in and out of his Super Coupe from GG and Pops

Playing with the ball popper from the York's -- he loves to hit the button to start it and then dance as it pops the balls

Taking his pal Scout for a ride

Sleeping in his safari camo -- it was hard to find him this morning :-)

A Clapping and Dancing Fool

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, James' teacher wrote: "James had a very active day. He has been practicing his walking by pushing anything that will go if he pushes it." James and I stayed for a bit after school today as there was a performance for the entire school. They were very inter-active and had all the kids up and dancing and playing along -- James got into it and was dancing while holding on to the buggie -- the teachers weren't surprised that he did so well, he loves listening to music and dancing (he often breaks out in dance while they sing songs). At school, he's the big dancer in class, one of the girls is the "giggler" and one is the "clapper." It's awesome to see how they all learn from each other -- I guess when the music goes on, James starts dancing and gets all the other standing kids to join him :-) James enjoyed the musical show with his friends from the buggie.
I've been waiting for a week to get this picture! James and his friend have been peering through the windows at their older friends that just got moved up to the Toddler's room -- they've been following each other around the room all week. It's so funny -- I had to actually double-take through the window to make sure it was James with her. She, along with two of the other girls, have taught him to clap! Very exciting! Thursday, January 14, 2010 his teacher wrote: "After singing our 'ABC's song, James clapped his hands together twice with a smile on his face :-)"

Friday, January 15, 2010: "James had a busy day today. He explored the toys, his friends and the push toys. James is walking with the push toys across the room. He also is waving to his teachers and clapping after we sing songs. Have a Happy Weekend!! :-)"

James had a great week and is learning and exploring more and more every day!

A Glance at the Week of 1.4.10

It was back to work/school for all of us on Monday :-( Jim and I had a great time spending so much time with James and each other but it was back to the real world. It ended up being quite a looong week at school: started w/ me helping to break up a fight (really, I only made sure everyone else backed up and let the other teacher do the dirty work) between 1st and 2nd period and then the week ended with me having to wake up at 4:30am Thursday and Friday in order to shovel out and clean off Big Al with all the snow we got and then drive to work in the crap-tastic weather (it took me almost 2 hours Thursday morning, was pretty crazy, I need to learn how to just call in on those days and not risk it). Aunt Kristen and Uncle Larry got James a new Colts outfit for Christmas -- perfect for the playoffs!
James loved being back at school! He would be happy to see me at the end of the day but then was upset that I was making him leave to go home and stop playing -- guess that's a good thing, he loves his teachers and his classmates :-) His teachers are doing an awesome job of getting him to try some new table food, too. He is not as good of an eater for me as he is for them (he wants to keep up with the other kids) so I am happy to let them introduce him to many new foods (with the hopes that he doesn't do his "bulimia" act where he pukes up anything he doesn't like the taste or texture of -- so gross). I think breakfast is his favorite mealtime of the day (not a bad choice there, James)! New breakfast foods he tried: waffles, English muffins, tropical fruit and Life cereal, pears and string cheese. At lunch, he usually at least gives it a shot: peaches, peas, bread (ate all of them); chicken nuggets, broccoli, tropical fruit and mashed potatoes (tried a bit of each); tried but didn't like pretzel bread or cheese sauce; not such a big fan of Spanish rice or flour tortilla (later got a crumb and threw it all up as he decided he didn't like it); he liked grilled cheese, green beans, banana (which he refuses to eat for me) and potatoes; tried ravioli, peaches, bread, shredded cheese and broccoli (WOWZERS, that seems like soooo much food)! He also tried new snacks such as Vanilla wafers, animal crackers and goldfish/cheese nips (only tried a little bit). James' teacher wrote on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010: "James had a great week. Everyday he has been talking and social with others. He clearly says "Mom" and "Hi" and is waving "Hi" back to his teachers :-)" What a growing boy!!!

Biter biscuits are very messy -- thanks, Uncle Larry, for introducing me to them, they're yummy!

Month 7 Recap

Here's a slide show of all of James' pictures from his 7th month :-) Some big accomplishments this month include: helping Mommy feed you w/ the spoon; giving a "high five;" the whole family getting sick -- you and Mommy w/ the flu and sinus infections and Daddy w/ strep throat; trying lots of new foods -- avocado (only one you didn't like), sweet potatoes w/ corn, garden veggies, peaches and pears; staying home w/ babysitters (thanks Gma Chele, Laura, Jamie and Eddie) while Mommy and Daddy went out for the evening; carving your first pumpkin and dressing up as a puppy dog for your first Halloween; getting your flu shots; visiting with Aunt Kiki, Callie and Dutch one weekend then GG, Pops and Aunt Cassie the next; getting up on "all 4s" and rocking w/ a couple of crawls; pulling yourself up to standing; climbing up the stairs and getting a ride in the buggy at day care; giving GG zerberts on her arm that made us all cry because we were laughing so hard; getting a really bad diaper rash; and trying to drink from a sippy cup for the first time (you used it more as a teether though).


Here's a slide show of Halloween including Jim's pictures too (sorry, I can't get them to go slower, but you should be able to double-click to see them at your own pace).

7 Months Old!!!

James vs. Teddy 7.0 months

Too busy trying to destroy the exer-saucer and playing with the paper sign to smile...intense focus.

Being silly with Mommy

Finally, Mom got smart and held the note card so James would take a timeout and look at the camera.

James is 7 months old -- HOLY COW!!! He's really refining his own distinct personality now -- he's a goof ball and a ladies man (a few of the teachers at school call him their "boyfriend") and is too smart for his own good (if I must say so myself). He is starting to babble and talk more -- getting that "da" and "ba" sound down pretty good (where's the "ma ma ma" I've been working so hard to get him to say, sheesh). He's also "dancing" when I sing to him -- a nice head bob in the "no" action with a smile on his face (see the last post for a video).

He will "give me five" when I put my hand out for a target.

He likes to give me *kisses* on my cheek -- I use "kiss" lightly as he opens his mouth as big as he can and then pulls me closer to him to probably try and use me as a teether, hehe.

We've been woken up the past few weekend mornings with a certain someone kicking his feet on his crib, which happens to be against our wall -- Hey, I'll take it over a crying baby any day and it's pretty cute w/ his babbling added on to it.

James loves his vegetables -- he's had sweet potatoes, carrots, squash (we made some homemade for him too, yum), peas, green beans and mixed veggies (potatoes, carrots and peas all together). He hasn't been a big fan of bananas, which I find odd but think it may have to do with the texture. He still loves bath time with Daddy -- usually there is a huge mess to clean up and James stays in happily kicking and splashing until Jim makes him get out of the cold water. He has become fascinated with all of his body parts (and I mean all of them), which makes changing his diaper an interesting task sometimes and means his hands get washed a ton :-) Some things he doesn't enjoy are getting his face wiped after a meal or having his nose wiped -- HE FREAKS OUT! He LOVES LOVES LOVES Easton and will whip his head around and around from side to side to watch him (which makes meal time a more difficult and messier task). Poor guy got his first head cold 2 weeks ago, which sadly resulted in him losing his voice (still not all the way back over a week later). They have the educated theory that it is a sinus infection since a viral cold should be gone w/in two weeks and his cough has actually gotten worse with the occasional fever at night time and he's on the pink stuff to hopefully knock it out. James is really fast at his scoot/push/kick/crawl now -- he can track me down around the island in the kitchen like a pro. He has been getting up on all 4's and rocking but prefers his own method of movement for now - and I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps doing it his way the whole time until he starts walking. At daycare they keep telling me how much he loves to" kick, kick, kick" the ball and to play with the ladybug on the sensory mat...maybe we have a future soccer start on our hands :-)

James isn't quite pulling himself up just yet but when I'm sitting on the floor, he uses my leg to push himself up to standing while balancing on me...pretty cool stuff here at the Montalbano Hizzouse!

9.25.09 Weekend Activities

We had a busy week this week w/ a meeting for Mommy and Parent/Teacher Conferences, so I got behind on blogging.

The two pics below are from the weekend before when Katie and James hung out in their strollers together. Katie loves to teethe on her stroller but James isn't quite sure about it (the look of questioning from James cracks me up as he will gladly eat his toes or try to "kiss" our noses by putting them all the way in his mouth).

They obviously thought something was funny in Babyland :-D just not sure what was so hilarious.

Friday after school James and I braved an at-home art project. We decided to finally use the leftover modeling clay from Mother's Day and imprint James' 6-month foot and hand prints. The first shot is the 6-month prints and the bottom pic is from when he was 2-months old -- what a difference!

Saturday morning was pretty lazy -- I don't remember why James isn't dressed but I think this was the transition from PJs to clothes. Daddy was practicing taking some shots with his new camera -- he is getting some really good ones (it just takes a bit more work to get them uploaded, I'll get around to it some day when he shows me how to do it).

Um, why wouldn't I want to play in a desk drawer, Mommy?

We went to Lowe's to help Gma Chele get a new rug home on Saturday afternoon. James kept himself entertained with Mommy's sunglasses :-D What a goofball!

James' first bite of squash -- yummy! We tried the jar food first to make sure he didn't have a reaction to it then made him some homemade squash later this week (interesting but it worked out).

The car keys have become a favored toy to play with here lately. James really likes the noises that the main part makes -- beep beep, a car trying to start, a home alarm -- and the LED is fun too; however, his favorite part is teething on the keys! Thanks Jamie C.!

HOCKEY IS BACK IN SEASON!!! WOO HOO!!! I'm very excited about the Blackhawks being on TV again! They opened the season 10/2 in Helsinki, Finland with a loss in a shoot-out (although Yahoo! Sports had them winning already -- jerkolas) but came away w/ 3 points as they played awesome on Saturday and beat Florida. Kane, Sharp and Byflugien are starting strong, each "on pace to get 82 goals this season" (LOL) as they have all scored in both games so far :-) Thanks for the cool socks Gina G.!

Sunday = Football!!! We ventured over to Dom & Jen's house to watch the Bears game -- they pulled out a "W" by the hair of their chinny chin chins. Thanks for inviting us over and for all the yummy food! James and I were dressed and ready to support the Colts later for the Sunday Night game - they won.