Obsession: For Babies

Little J has had a plethora of obsessions in his short 11.75 months.  First there was peeing all over his outfits.  Then we moved on to staring at lights.  Soon followed watching the dogs play.  Shortly after, the book Jazz Baby changed James' life for the better.  Now that fall has arrived, his obsession has turned towards the pumpkins.

It all started a few weeks ago while shopping at the Farmer's Market.  There little man spotted pumpkins and let out an "Ah!" From that moment forward, whenever James has seen a pumpkin, he's exclaimed "Ah ya ya!" and put his hands out towards them.  No longer can we simply walk quietly into a grocery store.  Nay, for there must be happy utterances made towards pumpkins.  The orange orbes must be acknowledged for the trip to continue.  All of this leads us to today and the journey to mecca: the pumpkin patch.

Our family drove west from Columbia to Peach Tree Farms where we were greeted by a smiling face and amazing news.  Not only were there pumpkins to see, but also bunnies, catfish, a baby donkey, and ["you don't want to miss"] a chicken raising ducklings.  At this point, I was grinning ear to ear and wanted to race over to that compassionate hen and give her the Humanitarian Nobel Peace Prize.

I contained my excitement, but James couldn't keep his under control.  As soon as we got out of the car, J caught sight of the pumpkins and began speaking in tongues so that all were able to understand that no one knew what he was saying.  However, it was clear from his enthusiasm: he was thrilled to be around so many pumpkins.  Here are a few pictures from the day which our cheap-o selves are also calling his one year photos. 

We had a great evening at the pumpkin patch. James is asleep now, no doubt dreaming about the big orange squash.  Oh, and I almost forgot- a hen raising ducklings, and I thought I'd seen just about everything.

P.S. I love living in the country.

First Vacation

Saturday, June 2 was a day I had been looking forward to and yet dreading for months.  It was the day I was to take James on a plane ride.  Solo.

It's not that terrible scenarios were playing out in my head- instead it was a big question mark.  Basically, what was going to go wrong?  Would his ears bother him?  Would he get a poopy diaper?  Would I be comfortable enough to nurse on the plane?  How would I hold the baby, collapse the stroller, AND cover it?  What illness would James contract during our flight?  A simple cold?  Tuberculosis?  Would I need to hand my baby to a stranger?  Annoying, right?  These questions haunted me whenever I thought about our flight.  But, surprisingly, the plane ride was uneventful; to answer my questions- nothing, no, no, yes, a kind stranger would cover the stroller, none, nope, nope, no.  All of that worrying for nothing!

We landed in Atlanta ready to spend time with my friend Beth and her 3 month old son Christopher.

 It was the boys' first time meeting. They hit it off right away- talking about bugs, dirt, and trucks.

They  had a lot of fun swimming together, listening to books and songs, going to the library, shopping with their moms, and chilling at the Farmer's Market. 

The trip was much different from last year, but it was fun to hang out as moms and watch our little babes become best friends!  All in all, a nice relaxing vacation!

 Thanks for hosting us, Beth, Ben, Christopher, and Bentley!

Mirrors and Clapping

7-month-old James is too interesting for just one post.  He's got so much personality these days and has developed definite likes and dislikes.  

His likes include: petting the dogs, getting his picture taken, listening to songs, babbling, the pacifier, other babies, peek-a-boo, mirrors, flowers, birds, milk, solid food, banging spoons, putting everything in his mouth, standing, sucking/chewing on one finger, sitting, the iPhone, smiles

On the not-cool list:  clapping, being tired, being hungry, long car rides, sudden loud noises, strangers, laying on his back, being fed too slowly, garage sales(he did NOT get this from me...), being hot and sweaty, long rides in the stroller, having a dirty diaper

 

I hope to expand on James' 'like' list this summer as I will not be working!  I am officially a full-time mom until August 13.  Pretty cool that I get to go back to work on my birthday, huh?  We've got a lot to do this summer.  

First up: learn to play the piano!