Christmas in Lubbock Part 1–Playtime with the Cousins

We spent Christmas in Lubbock this year and had so much fun with David’s family.  We mostly hung around the house and watched the kids play.  It was too cold outside, but thankfully they have a huge barn/garage and a basement where they had plenty of room to play.  It was fun watching all the cousins together, especially James and Peter.  They were so cute toddling around! 

James with his cousin’s Timothy (left) and Benjamin (right):

Trying desperately to make this go…he’s just too little:

This is James’ cousin Peter who is 2 months younger then him:

Part 2 and 3 of Christmas will be coming soon!

20 Weeks

Wow, this pregnancy is flying by!  I can’t believe I’m already half way through.  I guess that’s how it goes when you have another little one to take care of!  Today was my 20 week check up/ultrasound.  Our sweet baby boy is perfect and oh so adorable .  We loved seeing him today and are so thankful he is healthy.  Here are a few ultrasound pictures from today:

I have been blessed with another easy pregnancy so far.  In fact, I feel like this one might be easier then my last.  I have been sleeping better and my back has not hurt as much (my two biggest complaints from my last pregnancy).  I started feeling this one move somewhere between 15-16 weeks.  He is becoming a little more consistent although I feel like he doesn’t move as much as James did.  Maybe he just isn’t as strong yet though. 

This one’s name sure isn’t as easy as James’ was.  I think we might be close but we just haven’t decided for sure yet.  I would like to have a name sooner rather then later so I hope we can come to an agreement soon! 

We couldn’t be more excited about this little boy and seeing him again today has made it even more real to us that we are going to be a family of  4 in just a few short months! 

First Haircut

James got his first haircut last weekend.  It was sad to see his curls go but I think he looks super cute with his new “big boy” haircut!  He did great and only whimpered a little when she was making him turn his head certain ways. 

Before…

 

During….

 

After…

Major Catch-Up

I have been a terrible blogger! Here is what we’ve been up to the past few months:

· James turned 1! We had a fun party with family and a few close friends at the Brock’s lake house on Lake Conroe. It was the perfect celebration for our sweet baby boy.

· James started mother’s day out at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church. It was a tough transition for him but he is doing so great! He is especially attached to one of his teachers and I am so thankful that he is doing so well. It has been so good for him and for me!

· We celebrated Labor Day weekend with David’s family in Boerne for the annual Hollon Family Reunion. It was fun weekend introducing James to David’s extended family.

· In September, we started Tiny Tots and Tunes which is a mommy & me music class at our church on Friday’s. We did this last winter when James was only 4-5 months old so it was fun to see how much more involved he was now being a little older. I think he was kind of overwhelmed by all the kids and action but by the end he really warmed up to it. We can’t wait to participate again this January.

· In mid October, David and I took our first overnight trip away from James. We went to NYC for a long weekend and had a blast! James LOVED playing with both sets of grandparents and didn’t miss us one bit. We missed him a TON though! I’m so thankful he did so well with his grandparents…David and I are already planning our next trip away!

· The week after we returned from NYC, we closed on the purchase of our new house! We are SOOO excited about our new house. It’s in a great neighborhood here in Houston and will be perfect for our growing family. The current owners didn’t want to move out until January 15^th which we thought was perfect since we hadn’t even put our house on the market, but….

· We sold our house in 4 days! It was a huge blessing to sell it so quickly but we have to move out this weekend so we have to put all our stuff in storage and move into a temporary apartment for the next month. It won’t be too bad and I’m sure it will go fast. We’re just ready to move into our permanent house and start to make it feel like home.

· At the beginning of November, we went to Lubbock for the weekend and surprised David’s mom for her 60^th birthday. It was a fun weekend and his mom was really happy we were there.

· For Thanksgiving we were in College Station with my family. We even had some extended family there this year so it was fun catching up with them. James had a tough weekend because he was teething but we still had a great time. Luckily there are so many kids around it helped distract James from his teeth.

· And the biggest news around our house is that we are expecting another baby! We found out just before James turned 1 and I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed with the idea of 2 under 2 at first. It will be very busy around our house! I am almost 17 weeks now and due May 17^th. We just found out last week that we are having another sweet baby boy! I am so happy that it’s a boy especially for James…hopefully they will be great playmates and best friends! We are VERY excited about this new little boy and can’t wait to meet him in May!

Well, that about sums up the past couple of months.  Sorry for no pictures – no time right now!  Now you know why blogging has taken the back seat…we have been BUSY! It won’t slow down any time soon but I hope to be better at keeping up this blog.

A glimpse into our future

This was a couple months ago, but I can’t resist posting these pictures.  He is just too cute!  Oh my goodness, can he BE anymore excited about being in the drivers seat?

You can’t see it but he has a HUGE smile on his face in this picture…

And yes, he did honk the horn quite a few times :).  Now every time we go towards the front seat of the car he wants to get in a pretend he’s driving.  Slow down James, don’t be too anxious to grow up! 

11 months

James turned 11 months on August 21st!  I cannot believe he is almost ONE!!! 

 

 

 

I had to include this one – he tries to go after the camera every chance he gets!  Makes taking these monthly pictures extra hard!

 

At 11 months James was:

• Sleeping 11-12 hours at night
• Taking 2 naps/day
• Drinking 4 bottles/day
• Eating breakfast, lunch & dinner (but not a big fan of table food).  Some of his favorite foods include: cheese, apples, strawberries, yogurt, chicken
• Standing alone often and can stand up in the middle of the room by himself
• Can sign “all done”
• Took his first trip to Colorado and LOVED it!  He definitely travels well which is so nice!
• Loves playing rough and wrestling.  He goes crazy on any surface that he knows is cushiony, such as our bed, his crib and the couch.  It is hilarious to watch!  I have got to get it on video at some point.
• He “flexes” his muscles which is so funny.  When he was a little younger he would flex and grunt when he would get frustrated.  Well we decided to turn it into something funny rather then have him do it when he gets mad.  So now it’s a funny thing we do back and forth with him.  I need to get this on video as well :) 
• He really loves music.  I know most babies do but he especially seems to really like it.  Every time he hears music come on he starts dancing and gets a huge smile on his face. 
• He has started to enjoy books.  He doesn’t have the longest attention span but he will sit on the floor and flip books or I sit and read to him.  He especially loves books that have flaps or something he can touch.  If there are too many words he gets bored!

That’s all I can think of for now!  We are gearing up for his first birthday party very soon.  We can’t wait to celebrate our sweet baby boy with family and friends.

10 months!

James turned 10 months old on July 21st (yes, I’m that far behind!).  Since this post is way late it will be short and sweet as it’s hard to remember what exactly James was up to at 10 months.  I do always manage to remember to take his monthly pictures on time…here are a few from his 10 month birthday:

 

  

These pictures get harder and harder each month.  He is such a busy boy!  It is so hard to keep him in one spot and actually get him to look at the camera.  I think I got a few good ones though.

At 10 months James was:

• Sleeping 11-12 hours at night
• Napping twice a day (usually at least an hour each nap) 
• Drinking 4 bottles a day
• Eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, but not a big fan of eating in general
• Got one of his top front teeth and is working on the other one
• Starting to let go of things to stand on his own
• Says “mama” (finally!!!) and staring to babble a lot!
• waves bye bye (but only when he really feels like it :))
• recognizes many words, such as his name and “no”
• starting to mimic us more and more
• loves throwing anything he can get his hands on
• is in to everything!!!!  Every cabinet and drawer in our house has been explored! 

James is such a joy and his personality is coming out more and more.  He is not very even tempered – he is either really happy or really upset and it can turn on a dime!  He is normally very smiley but if something doesn’t go his way then watch out!  Oh boy is he going to be an interesting toddler or what!  Haha!  He’ll definitely keep us on our toes :). 

Grandkids Weekend in College Station

Every year my Mom and Dad have all the Grandkids over for one weekend out of the summer.  They always have fun things planned…swimming, movies, games, etc.  It was unfortunately cut short this year due to Andrew and Kylie getting sick but we did enjoy a couple days.  James had SO much fun playing and watching the older kids.  They were all so sweet to him.  I can’t believe that next year he will be running around trying to keep up with all of them!  Here are just a few pictures from the weekend:

 

Papa and James

Nanie and James

James playing with Ty

 

Nathan, Andrew and Ty trying to get James’ attention

Sweet moment (I think they were watching TV)

Ty, Nathan and James

 

Thanks Mom and Dad for having us!  We can’t wait for next year!

Weekend at the Brock’s House

A few weekends ago we house/dog sat at David’s boss’ house.  They have a beautiful pool that has a perfect spot for James to sit, pull up on the side and splash around.  He LOVED it!  Here are some pictures from our weekend:

 

 

Where’s Daddy?

 

 

Showing off his two front teeth

 

Bentley the Bulldog.  He is so sweet!

James is a little unsure of the dog…

 

James is having a blast!

 

We had the Garrett’s over to swim on Sunday…James Thomas is such a great swimmer!  The boys had a great time!

Lindsay brought bubbles which James LOVED!

 

It’s always fun staying at the Brock’s house!   

9 Months

 

 

Well, as usual, I am way behind on updating the blog :).  James turned 9 months old on June 21st.  We had his 9 month check up and he is doing great!  We thank God for such a healthy little boy.  Here are his stats:

Height: 28 inches (30th percentile)

Weight:  18lb 8oz (20th percentile)

Head Circumference:  18.5 inches (92nd percentile)

So he’s still on the smaller side but has a HUGE head, haha!  The doctor was very happy with his growth though.  I was talking to my mom and she said I was 18.5 lbs at 1 year so I guess he is small like me :).  I think he is looking more and more like David’s side of the family.  Not necessarily like David exactly, but more like the Hollon’s.  He definitely has David’s smile!

Here are some things he has been doing this month:

• He is cruising around furniture and likes to walk with help.  He is still slow at walking so sometimes when he’s holding our hands he wants to just get down and crawl because he knows that’s faster then walking but I know he’ll get good at it soon!
• His swimming lessons have gotten much better this month.  He still is a little nervous but he is MUCH better.  It’s weird because we have taken him swimming in a regular pool outside (his swimming lessons are inside) and he LOVES it!  He kicks and splashes and will even go under water without getting upset, but for some reason the lessons just make him more nervous.
• He got sick for the first time this month :(.  He got some little stomach bug.  It was AWFUL!  I felt so bad for him.  It took him about a week and a half to get his appetite back.
• He still only has 2 teeth but is definitely teething.  One of his top teeth is coming but it is taking FOREVER!!!  It has been hurting him pretty bad.
• He is down to 2 naps/day, FINALLY!  He is sleeping at least an hour each nap which seems to get him through until bedtime.  He is pretty tired by 7 and usually goes right to sleep and wakes between 6:30-7 in the morning (but I always wait until 7 to get him up:)).

And here are some things that I am loving about him this month that I really want to remember:

• I love how right before I put him down for a nap I hold him for just a minute and he always rests his head on my shoulder with his face towards me.  It is the sweetest.
• I love how when he hears us laughing he immediately starts laughing too – even if he has no idea what we’re laughing at.  It really shows how much he is paying attention and understands different emotions.
• I love how he is starting to scrunch up his nose when he smiles or laughs.
• I love how much he loves his daddy and gets so excited to see him.
• I love rocking him right before I put him to bed.  I give him a bottle and after he’s done he is so cuddly and just lies in my arms.  It is the only time he is still all day so I soak it up as long as I can.

Time is flying and 10 months will be here before we know it (next week!).  My baby boy is growing so fast!  

James at 8 Months!

While James is with his new babysitter trying to get to know her a little, I figured I’d take this little extra “me” time to update the blog!  James has had another busy month!  Here are some pics from his 8 month birthday:

 

 

If you look closely, you can see one of his front teeth that came in this month!

 

Here’s what’s been going on this month:

• One of his front teeth has come in!  Thankfully I don’t think it really bothered him – I didn’t notice any more fussiness.
• He can pull up on things that are lower to the ground.  He is getting close to pulling up on higher things but can’t quite figure it out yet.  I know he’s strong enough so I’m sure he will be able to do it very soon.
• I think I can say that he is FINALLY consistently napping better!  I almost hate to put it in writing b/c that will surely cause him to revert back to his old ways, haha :).  But I really think he is better overall.  I can pretty much count on him giving me two naps that are at least an hour, but never more then 1 hour 15 minutes.  He is usually taking a third nap too that no more then 30 minutes.  He is such a happy baby now that he is getting better sleep throughout the day!  I am so very thankful.
• He has been eating really well this month.  Still having bottles 4-5 times/day (usually 5) and eating solids 3x/day.  His favorites are sweet potatoes, squash and pears although he will eat pretty much anything.  The green veggies are harder to feed him but he will always eat them.  The only thing he wouldn’t eat was spinach, which I don’t blame him…it looked disgusting!
• He loves “wrestling” with daddy!  David will get on the ground and roll around with him and tickle him and he just loves it.
• He gives me (and sometimes David) slobbery kisses!  He is normally not a very cuddly little boy but he sure does like giving his mommy kisses which I LOVE! 
• For Easter, my mom got him a set of soft balls (baseball, soccer ball, football & basketball) and he has so much fun with them!  It’s like he already knows that they are meant to be thrown because he will slam them on the ground and chase them all around the room.  It is so fun to watch!
• He loves playing in his crib.  I think he feels really comfortable in there and knows that he can roll all around and fall over without hurting himself so he goes absolutely crazy!  It is hilarious to watch.  He especially loves it with you play picaboo with him while he’s in there.  It’s almost like he’s showing off or something.  It is so funny!
• He started swimming lessons this month and those have been pretty difficult for him.  The first lesson I could barely get in the pool with him.  We had to leave early because he would just not calm down.  He has definitely gotten better but he still hates it when water gets in his ears.  I think it will just take him a while to get used to it.
• His personality is coming out more and more.  He is so sweet and smiley most of the time but is VERY cautious when he’s outside of his comfort zone.  Trying new things is such a challenge for him.  The church nursery is still very challenging for him.  I think it’s not only because he’s around new people but it’s a whole new environment as well.  It is such a hard thing to go through – for him and me! 

This past month has been so fun!  We are looking forward to what next month will bring!