Okay, so I'm only about a month late. I had taken these pictures to put in our Christmas cards this year, but sadly I never got around to making them.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Compliments, sleep talking, and other nonsense
Whew there's a lot to catch up on! It's amazing how fast James' development is becoming. It seemed like we were in a stalemate on the development front for the longest time and in the past week he's just grew leaps and bounds! Here is a small list of what happened to us this week:
1) Over the weekend I received a very nice compliment (or at least Jim and I thought it was nice). One of my aunts (forgive me for forgetting who exactly, there were about 4 of us talking. I think it was Aunt Nancy) said that Jim and I do not act like typical first parents. I was honored. She said unlike first parents we don't hover around James or overprotect him. The comment came on the heels of me asking if anyone knew exactly where my son was. I wasn't worried, just more curious since it had been about an hour since I last saw him.
Don't get me wrong. Jim and I are delighted to be first time parents (and we have the pictures and blog to prove it!) However, we are also very realistic. We know that James is probably not going to be the next Stephen Hawking (not that I'm selling my son short, but the odds of this happening are pretty slim.) We are quite proud of our son and his achievements, but we don't embellish his accomplishments. We know that in a house full of adults, he's going to be okay. And considering that him and I were one of three redheads (the other is 12) I'm pretty sure everyone knew who he belonged to. I am proud that Jim and I are laid back parents and this was one of the nicest parenting compliments that we've received.
2) We are on the verge of consonents! It's so fun to see James try to make his mouth form a sound other than a vowel (mainly "ahhhh" as loud as he can). He's also trying out the "oooo" sound. It's so cute to see his little mouth move and twist and contort! Jim and I are complete idiots and spend about half an hour with him just repeating consonent sounds. Amazingly, James gets bored with it long before we do :)
3) Speaking of talking - James has started to "talk" in his sleep! I don't know if all kids do this as they begin to learn language, but I noticed the other day when I went in for my final check before I went to bed. I had to try so hard not to pick him up and squeeze the air out of him, he was so cute! (I did succeed).
4) Rice krispie treats (or how I learned to love the atomic bomb). Those rice krispie treat commercials lie. It is not super easy to make them! I remember the commercials of yore when the mom would throw flour all over herself so her family would believe she slaved in the kitchen while she actually read a magazine. Yeah. They don't show you how unbelievably sticky those things are! I had marshmellow everywhere - in my finger nails, in my hair, on 3 spoons and 2 bowls. And then there's the pressing them into the pan. Let me tell you - it's much easier to just make a box of brownies.
5) In addition to James being close to consonent sounds, he's also getting closer and closer to crawling! Hooray for mobility! (I think this means we're actually goign to have to babyproof soon). He's learning how he has to move in order to go forward, he just hasn't perfected it yet. Right now he pretty much just moves a 360 degree circle. But at least he thinks he's going somewhere!
1) Over the weekend I received a very nice compliment (or at least Jim and I thought it was nice). One of my aunts (forgive me for forgetting who exactly, there were about 4 of us talking. I think it was Aunt Nancy) said that Jim and I do not act like typical first parents. I was honored. She said unlike first parents we don't hover around James or overprotect him. The comment came on the heels of me asking if anyone knew exactly where my son was. I wasn't worried, just more curious since it had been about an hour since I last saw him.
Don't get me wrong. Jim and I are delighted to be first time parents (and we have the pictures and blog to prove it!) However, we are also very realistic. We know that James is probably not going to be the next Stephen Hawking (not that I'm selling my son short, but the odds of this happening are pretty slim.) We are quite proud of our son and his achievements, but we don't embellish his accomplishments. We know that in a house full of adults, he's going to be okay. And considering that him and I were one of three redheads (the other is 12) I'm pretty sure everyone knew who he belonged to. I am proud that Jim and I are laid back parents and this was one of the nicest parenting compliments that we've received.
2) We are on the verge of consonents! It's so fun to see James try to make his mouth form a sound other than a vowel (mainly "ahhhh" as loud as he can). He's also trying out the "oooo" sound. It's so cute to see his little mouth move and twist and contort! Jim and I are complete idiots and spend about half an hour with him just repeating consonent sounds. Amazingly, James gets bored with it long before we do :)
3) Speaking of talking - James has started to "talk" in his sleep! I don't know if all kids do this as they begin to learn language, but I noticed the other day when I went in for my final check before I went to bed. I had to try so hard not to pick him up and squeeze the air out of him, he was so cute! (I did succeed).
4) Rice krispie treats (or how I learned to love the atomic bomb). Those rice krispie treat commercials lie. It is not super easy to make them! I remember the commercials of yore when the mom would throw flour all over herself so her family would believe she slaved in the kitchen while she actually read a magazine. Yeah. They don't show you how unbelievably sticky those things are! I had marshmellow everywhere - in my finger nails, in my hair, on 3 spoons and 2 bowls. And then there's the pressing them into the pan. Let me tell you - it's much easier to just make a box of brownies.
5) In addition to James being close to consonent sounds, he's also getting closer and closer to crawling! Hooray for mobility! (I think this means we're actually goign to have to babyproof soon). He's learning how he has to move in order to go forward, he just hasn't perfected it yet. Right now he pretty much just moves a 360 degree circle. But at least he thinks he's going somewhere!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Life will never be the same
The world lost an amazing person on January 1st, but Heaven gained an even better angel. Our Auntie Lori passed away peacefully and unexpectedly in her sleep. Even as I type this I am welling up. It has taken me a week to be able to write it down. Writing it down makes it seem so final and my irrational side keeps hoping we'll get a phone call that says it was all a huge mistake and mixup. I almost didn't want to blog anymore, but Auntie Lori loved this blog. She loved reading about Buster and looking at his pictures. She loved commenting (if you want a treat and need a laugh, go through and read some of her witticisms). She loved Buster. She loved family. But she loved her own children the most.
We are still reeling and trying to adjust to life without Lori. It will be hard and life will never again be the same. But I am confident that we will come together as a family and adjust in time. I have so many regrets but more than regrets I have good memories. Buster loved her. He would smile and get excited every time he saw her. She was able to calm him down when none of us (not even Jim and I) could. As I go forward in this journey of parenthood without her I take her parenting cues with me and her tips and tricks she has bestowed upon me. All of our lives will be more difficult and a little more lonely without her.
Lori Jo Heicher - mother, sister, aunt, best friend.
We are still reeling and trying to adjust to life without Lori. It will be hard and life will never again be the same. But I am confident that we will come together as a family and adjust in time. I have so many regrets but more than regrets I have good memories. Buster loved her. He would smile and get excited every time he saw her. She was able to calm him down when none of us (not even Jim and I) could. As I go forward in this journey of parenthood without her I take her parenting cues with me and her tips and tricks she has bestowed upon me. All of our lives will be more difficult and a little more lonely without her.
Lori Jo Heicher - mother, sister, aunt, best friend.
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