14 Months (Almost)

I'm currently watching the State of the Union address. Is it just me or does the SOTU sound like a bigger load of crap every year?

So moving onto something more pleasant . . . 0ur little kiddo is almost 14 months old. He gets to be more of a rascal with every passing day, getting into all sorts of trouble and making us laugh with his constant craziness. He's quite the talker still. He can repeat almost anything we say to him and has totally grasped the concept that everything has a name and walks around pointing to things and saying "what's that?" He really gets into that at bedtime--he'll just start randomly pointing to things to stall. He's obsessed with cars and trucks and everywhere we go it's "caws, caws, caws" ("cars" with a Bostonian accent). He thinks pots and pans are named "hot" because everytime I cook with them I tell him they're hot and he can't touch them, so whenever I pull one out of the cupboard he points to it and tells me it's "hot." He just got into pointing to eyes and saying "eyes" which sounds more like "is." He's totally got a lisp which I personally think is the cutest thing I've ever heard. Oh how I love this boy and wish sometimes that I could freeze time and keep him this endearing forever!

Here's some recent pics. He looks so old in this picture I can hardly stand it (taken yesterday). He's all about opening drawers and playing with spatulas, spoons, etc. Although his number one favorite thing to play with is the broom. He'd pull it around the house all day long if I let him.

France and Lindsay (our best/totally-miss-them-more-than-anything dental school friends) gave him this outfit when he was born. I didn't think it would ever fit him but it fits perfectly now and is one of my favorites (probably because it makes me think of them whenever he wears it).


A few weeks ago we gave him a much needed first hair cut (MUCH needed)! The poor kid still doesn't have much hair but there is a thicker patch of hair on the very back of his head that was turning into an outright mullet. Since we live in the south we thought it was fitting to keep it this way for awhile but then I kind of got embarassed by it and made Brian cut it.



So this post isn't that exciting. I thought I had more pictures to share but it turns out I don't. And let's face it, Pres. Obama's address is so compelling I better get back to it. :)

Reality Mormons

For some reason, I am missing Richmond today. Not the city itself really, but my life there and all the friends we had. Maybe it's because it's Monday and every Monday all the student wives would get together and watch ABC's The Bachelor (don't judge--you know you watch it, too). I wasn't as into it as some of the girls, but I sure did enjoy having so many LDS girls live so dang close to me and if I had realized how drastically that was all going to change I'm sure I would have taken more advantage of it. Currently the nearest LDS "neighbor" lives about a 10 minute drive from us. Needless to say, I am sure missing these ladies! Can some of you please move to my neighborhood in Knoxville? I'd sure appreciate it.

(Kind of a weird picture I know, but this is the first one I found on my computer of a bunch of us. Here we are at the Dental Prom--I don't remember what it was officially called but that was Brian's name for it. I can't believe it was almost a year ago!)

But back to "The Bachelor" and the real reason I started this post. Did you know there is a Mormon Bachelor? No joke (it just started a couple weeks ago). There was also a Mormon Bachelorette who is now engaged to be married to the guy she chose on the "show" (it's an online version). I did something I shouldn't have last month and signed my sister up to be on it. The guy they chose to be the Bachelor looked hilarious and well, a sense of humor is one of the most important qualities in a guy, right? I thought Andrea would enjoy a date with him. She was mad at me for a couple of days but then got over it (thank goodness)! She agreed to do the show after one of the producers called and begged her to do it. So a few weeks ago she flew to southern California to go out with "The Mormon Bachelor." I'm not sure if there was a love connection made but she had fun and luckily doesn't hate me for getting her into it. To see Andrea's version of the date, go here. The Mormon Bachelor has 22 first dates. After those are over he chooses 8 ladies to have a second date with. They post a new video of the next date every day along with the Bachelor's commentary of how it went down.

Now I'm sucked into the show (partly because it's super awkward to watch, as dating usually is, and partly because I have no life).

Here's the link to the Mormon Bachelor site: http://www.themormonbachelor.com/.

Andrea was date #4 (she was actually his third date, so I don't know why they posted it fourth, but whatever). If you get hooked, too, I'm sorry! There's also a super funny kind of parody site that does an outsider's perspective on each date. Sometimes it's kind of mean, but sometimes it's hilarious. And let's be honest, it's Monday and we could all use a good laugh to start our week: http://www.realitymormon.blogspot.com/

That's all. Happy Monday to everyone!

Twilight Zone

Sometimes I think James and I are connected mentally somehow--at least during nap time. He's never been the best napper, although he is getting better. But without fail, after he's been sleeping for awhile I'll think "James has been asleep for awhile now--I'm glad he finally went down easily today" or "Wow, James is finally sleeping, and I'm actually getting things done. This is nice!" or "I just need him to sleep for 20 more minutes and then I'll get everything done I needed to today!" and WITHOUT FAIL, he will wake up within the next 30 seconds or so of me thinking that. Not even kidding. I've timed it. This happens almost daily. It's so weird. Whenever my mind starts drifting to one of those thoughts I try to contain it and think "Don't do it, don't think it! He'll wake up and you still have so much to do!" But by then it's too late and I usually hear him waking up. Not even kidding. It is so bizarre.

On an entirely different, although still creepy note, when my parents came for Christmas my mom brought me a bunch of old toys from when I was young. One particular toy I am in awe of. In awe that parents actually bought these things for their children! I ask you, how were these things EVER popular!?!

James loves walking around tickling our faces with the hair. Awesome.

See Ya 2010

I did a lot in 2010 . . .

Turned 29

(keep repeating "30 is cool, 30 is cool" and maybe I'll believe it before I turn it)

Quit my job to stay home with Jamers

(trying to come up with a term that's better than "stay at home mom"

--oh how I detest that phrase!)

Watched Brian graduate from dental school

(no more smurf blue scrubs!)

Sold our townhouse in Richmond

(truly nothing short of a miracle)

Had a wonderful trip to Disney World with the in-laws

(can we go back, please?)

Watched my little sister get married

(think John is the awesomist in-law ever)

Moved to Knoxville, Tennessee

(thought for sure we were moving to Chicago)

Bought a new house that we love

(anyone want to donate $1000 for new furniture? Our living room is empty)

New Ward/New way of life

(this is a big deal because our nearest mormon "neighbor" is 10 minutes away,

sooo not what we're used to)

Witnessed my little boy learn to crawl, walk, and talk

(life is both easier and harder all at once because of these things)

Flew by myself with James three times

(a big deal for me!)

Enjoyed FOUR visits from Andrea!

(what oh what would I do without her!?!)

Had the best Thanksgiving ever with my sisters

(sisters are the best!)

Experienced life in the South to the fullest

(fried food, anyone?)

All I Want For Christmas, Part II

(James got a Tigger rocking horse for Christmas--he likes to pet it but doesn't quite get that he's supposed to sit on it and rock.)

James' new teeth missed Christmas by just a few days. The little pipsqueeker is 13 months old today and finally got himself some teeth! Well, almost. As of Tuesday, there are two little top canines poking through his gums. Usually the bottom teeth are the first to arrive, but not for James. The little pipsqueek will look like a vampire for awhile, but probably not for long since his front two teeth are also getting ready to make an appearance. So he'll be getting four teeth almost all at once. Awesome. No bottom teeth in sight though. That's okay. He's making some progress and that is good enough for me.

Also of note, for the first time in his life this kid is finally fitting into clothes that match his age. He's always been at least three months ahead in clothes size. When he was three months old he wore six month clothing, when he was six months he was wearing nine months, etc. He's finally been wearing 12 months for awhile and his growing seems to have slowed down a little, thank goodness. I've been kind of sad lately that my little boy is growing up so quickly (not sad enough to want another kid right away though), but he's sure at a fun age and we are loving it. Yesterday he said "popsicle" for the first time (we've been giving him some to help with the sore gums) and it may have been the cutest thing I've ever heard him say.

Christmas was good to us this year. My parents and awesome sister flew into town and there is nothing like having family around for the holidays. I loved it. James loved it. Brian had to work most of the time but I know he loved it, too. His grandparents wore him out, so on a trip to see the UT football stadium, James could no longer keep his eyes open.

He loved storytime with his Grandma.

He loved stealing his Grandpa's baseball hat.

Of course we had to get a picture with everyone in their Giants World Series gear (his Grandpa kindly bought James a t-shirt to commemorate the occasion).
Lastly, Andrea made our annual Candrian year in review video, so here it is. Enjoy!

All I Want for Christmas . . .

I've long ago stopped thinking "Any day now he'll get a tooth." It's amazing to me how our little boy could walk by 10 months, but still not have a single tooth (and still not a ton of hair) by one year. I kind of feel bad for him. I know he'll enjoy those pickles he so loves a whole lot more when he can actually crunch them with teeth instead of his gums. Poor kid.

Here he is on his first b-day, loving the balloons his dad bought him:

Cake time! Obviously he loved it.
Loved it so much that he thought he needed to smash it around on his head so that his hair could also have a taste.

James is a talker. He talks and talks and talks and makes me laugh all day long. Sometimes it sounds like he's Italian, other times Australian, and other times he sticks his tongue out in between each sound and the gibberish that results (something like "chuckaluckaluck") is just so darling that I wish I could freeze time and keep him this way forever. He can repeat almost anything we say, loves dogs, definitely knows who his dad is (whenever Brian is at work James walks around the house calling "Dad? Dad!?"), loves to wrestle with him, loves to be chased, and absolutely loves to play catch. Last week he took a ball to Brian and said a very articulate "Catch" and has been doing it multiple times a day ever since and is always so proud of himself that we understand what he wants. He loves to walk up to you, make sure he has your attention, smile really big say "Hey" and then start laughing hysterically, run away, turn around and repeat 3-4 times. He also walks around most of the day repeating "Good, good" over and over. The one thing he is not so "good" at, however, is obeying. He can be a little rascal. He thinks "No" and "Stop" are hilarious, even when I shout them with anger or alarm. When I swat his hand away from the Christmas tree or an outlet, he thinks it's a game. If I pick him up and remove him from the problem area, he runs back over laughing. Kids get over that, right?

Sometimes he is the friendliest kid I've ever seen, wanting strangers to pick him up, waving at everyone in sight, and other times he is so shy he won't even look up at a stranger and will bury his head into my shoulder and cling onto me until they leave. It'll be interesting to see what way he actually ends up--super social or shy? If he's anything like his parents, he is doomed, since both Brian and I tend to be more on the anti-social side.

At his 12 month appointment last week, we found out our little pipsqueak, who has been in the 75-90th percentile of most things his entire life, has now fallen to the 40th percentile in weight and only the 60th in height. It looks like he finally shed some baby fat with all that walking he's been doing the last few months. Despite the lack of weight gain, he still eats a TON and makes a mess each and every time. I probably sweep and mop our kitchen floor at least 3-4 times a day. But how could I be mad at this face?

The last couple weeks he has outright refused to nap. Not a single nap, not the morning or afternoon one and that has resulted in some majorly long days. At our ward Christmas party last week we had to leave early because we could tell he had reached his limit. The second we put him in the carseat he was out:

So, the adventures with a one-year-old continue and hopefully next time I post something, James will finally have some teeth.

365 Days

(His face still looks just like this when he cries. I think it's adorable.)

Exactly one year ago today, my belly the size of Texas and my ankles resembling bowling balls, I went to the hospital to be induced. We all know that didn't go so well. Over 24 hours later, James finally arrived via c-section, screaming and hollering. 365 days later, on the eve of his first birthday, he is screaming and hollering in his bed refusing to go to sleep for the night. Happy birthday to you, James! I can't add anything to what has already been said about being a first-time mother, so I won't re-hash it here. I'll just say that screaming or not, I sure do love my little boy and can't imagine the world without a James Brian in it.