9 & 10 Months Old

OK - so I know that James is already 11 months old - but I wanted to share his 9 month and 10 month shots.

On November 11, 2010 - our little man turned 9 months old!  He weighed 22 lbs, 2 oz and was 28.5 inches tall.  His head size jumped up to the 90th percentile! 

At nine months, James was on the move.  He had figured out how to crawl and was getting into everything - so much that we finally started using the baby gate and even invested in a large fold-able gate we can spread across the living room.

On December 11, 2010 - our little man turned 10 months old!  Not sure what his stats were, since we did not have any doctor appointments - but I would guess he weighed in right around 23 pounds.  At this point James moved into size 4 diapers, because the size 3's were getting a little snug.  Clothing wise, he wore mainly 9-12 month sizes and even a few pants that were size 18 months.

As James has become more mobile, taking these monthly photos have become more challenging and is definitely a two person job!  Someone did not want to cooperate for his 10 month shots:

 

King James

James' newest shirt

Somebody did not want his picture taken

Fall Photo Shoot

Our fabulous maternity & newborn photographer offers a mini-shoot session every fall so that families can get some good pictures right in time for the holidays.  I definitely wanted to take part and get some updated photos of James, considering he was only two weeks old for his last photo shoot!

Once again, we managed to get some great shots that we will cherish for years:

 

Halloween 2010

(Only a few months behind on this post!)

2010 was a year of first for James.  First vacation, first football game, first pumpkin hunt and... first Halloween!

Not only did James have one cute costume, he had two cute costumes!  For our annual Halloween party at our house we decided on matching family outfits for the night.  Originally, I was not too sure of our idea for costumes this year, but after seeing the infant version - I was sold! 

For actual Halloween night, we decided that James would be a monkey.  Pretty fitting since we sometimes call him our Chunky Monkey!  Since the weather in Texas is usually not cold for Halloween, we searched high and low to find a monkey version that was not a full bodysuit and I think we managed to find the perfect costume.  What do you think?

 

Merry Christmas from James!

I know, I know...  I am WAY behind on this blog.  Life and work has been very crazy the past few months.  I have started a few posts and have just not been able to find the time to finish them.  

Look out for a LOT of updates over the next few weeks as I have some much needed time off!

Hair

The other day when I picked up James at daycare, I was talking to another mom about hair and how I can never do anything with James' hair because it always ends up back to how it always is.

Well... yesterday when Brian picked up James, his teachers had done a little hair styling and we were greeted by the following:

A letter to James...

Dear James,

Today you are eight months and 4 days old.  You have been a part of our world for 246 days.

There have been a lot of smiles, a lot of laughs and a lot of tears.  You have grown from our little baby boy into our little man.  I still find it hard to believe you are already eight months old.  In just a few short months, you will turn one. 

I have been meaning to write you a letter like this – but just never found the time.  I decided it was time to make the time.  I want to remember how I felt at this point in your life and one day, I want you to know how I felt as well.

Every day with you is a blessing.  I try my best to treasure every moment…every breath.  Time is flying by.  You have changed so much since you were born and I know that you will continue to change as time goes on.  There is so much about you at this age that I hope I never forget.  There is so much about this age that I love…

I love when I come to pick you up at daycare and as soon as you see me – you get this huge grin on your face and you lift up your arms so I can pick you up.

I love how you wake me and daddy up in the morning with your babbling and by lifting up your legs and slamming them down in the pack n play.

I love that you are the last thing I see every night before I go to sleep and usually the first thing I see in the morning.

I love how you just love to play.  Ever since you learned to sit up on your own, you have become a new baby.

I love when we go to bed and I feed you your night bottle and when you are done, you lie on my chest asleep and breathing so deeply.  I never want to put you down.

I love when we feed you vegetables and you get more of the food on you then in your mouth.  Especially when you rub your eyes with food covered hands…

I love how you moan when are falling asleep.

I love when you smile.  You have the best smile ever.  When you smile at me, my heart melts.

I love how when you play you will turn to me and put your hands in my lap so that I will pick you up.

I love how peaceful you look while you are sleeping.  I wonder what you dream about.

I love when you laugh.  Especially when you laugh at daddy.  It makes me so proud to see how much fun you have with him.

I love your chunky little thighs and your big belly.  I am going to be sad when you lose those.

I love how excited you get when you see your bottle.  You definitely like to eat.

I love how everyone who meets you just loves you.  You have such a great personality and a wonderful temperament. 

I could go on and on.  I guess I just love everything about you. 

Life is short and you never know when it will be taken from you – but I want to make sure you know how much I love you and how proud I am to be your mother.

With all my love,
mommy