Yum Rice Cereal

James after his first "meal" of rice cereal.

Today James got his very first taste of grown up food, well as grown up a food as baby rice cereal can be considered. Somewhat surprisingly he seemed to love it and gobbled down a good amount without any incident or too much spitting of food all over his face. This might have been because the mix we gave him was one part rice cereal to three parts breastmilk so it probably just tasted like his favorite food on a spoon, but regardless he did great. Before long a whole new world of food will be opening up to this little bean ... I think he looks pretty excited about it.

6 Years and Counting

Right after we got married 6 whole years ago

Yup, it is true as of yesterday Jed and I have been married for 6 years, which is absolutely crazy. 6 years seems like a really long time but it has absolutely flown by. (By the way, can you believe that this post isn't all about James!)

At dinner - the terrace where we ate was a lot prettier
than this photo by the wall is letting on.

To celebrate Jed and I decided to go out to dinner by ourselves for the first time since having James. Our awesome friend Tiffany agreed to watch him (I'm afraid she might have gotten a little more than she bargained for) so that we could go out to a nice long dinner at a normal person time (we usually go out at 5:30 to make it home in time to get James ready for bed). We went to Vitor's, which I highly recommend, and had a lovely dinner complete with appetizers and dessert. Then we came home to a sleeping baby and watched Lincoln, well Jed watched Lincoln (and highly enjoyed it) while I fell asleep as has become my habit whenever we attempt to watch movies now.

Here's to many more wonderful years!

P.S. I updated our blog with approximately a million posts today so be sure to scroll down for pictures of our adorable baby

James at 5 Months

James at 5 Months - April 30th 2013

Can you believe that James is already 5 months old. I certainly can't. He is growing up far to fast and he's still a tiny baby - I don't know what I'll do when he actually is big. Speaking of getting big, at 5 months James weighs 16 lds, 6 ozs which puts him in the 46th percentile according to the WHO and the 53rd according to the CDC. And he has got quite the chunky little thighs and cheeks to boot.

At 5 months James is ready to be so much bigger than he is. He wants so badly to be able to sit up on his own and to crawl but sadly for him it's probably not going to happen for awhile. He can sit up with assistance though and do tummy time like a champ.

James continues to love songs, reading and attempting to eat his toys. He has become especially fond of the book Brown Bear Brown Bear and of a little stuffed duck my parents gave him for Easter.  He loves to be held up high in the air and to play bouncy games as well. The little stinker still wakes up 2 or 3 times a night, but we are hopeful that he'll start sleeping for longer stretches soon (and honestly it is probably our fault the little guy doesn't know how to put himself to sleep).

Just one more month and he'll be half a year old. I can hardly believe it.

Rub a Dub Dub

Ever since James got to start taking baths in the actual tub he has been a fan but now that he has figured out the joy of splashing around in the tub he is really into his nightly bath, except of course for when he splashes himself in the face. Honestly though anything this little guy does is pretty adorable.

A Georgia Weekend

After the loss of our precious Darwin we decided we needed to get out of town for a little while and so headed down to Georgia to visit my parents. We had a fun weekend in Georgia and it was just the getaway we needed. As an added bonus my Grandma McCarty was there so James got to spend some time with both of his Great Grandmas on my side of the family while he was there.

Darwin

On April 6th our family suffered a loss when our sweet dog Darwin was hit by a car and killed. We obviously were and remain devastated. Darwin was a beloved member of our family and was Jed and my first little baby. He was a loyal and caring friend whose absence is deeply felt. We will forever miss our sweet sweet puppy.

Giggle Goose

James is our little giggle goose - he is always ready with a laugh and sometimes you can really get him going which is hilarious. So enjoy this fun video of James having a giggle fit.

A Jaunt to Nephi

After skiing with my family for the weekend, James and I were lucky enough to zip down to Nephi to visit with Jed's family for a couple of days. Since the day my parents left was Easter we were able to see lots of Jed's extended family as well. It was a super quick trip but it was lots of fun to see the Kendalls and for James to meet his aunts and uncles as well as great grandparents on Jed's side of the family.

James with his Great Grandpa Terry

James with Great Grandpa and Grandma Olson 

Great Grandpa Terry, James, Grandpa Kendall and James's Great Great Grandma (yup James has a Great Great Grandma)

James with his Uncle Jade 

James hanging out with his Aunt Jeanna and cousins 

Uncle Ben and James (James looks grumpy here but they share a birthday so they are destined to get along great)

Hanging out with Grandpa Kendall 

James with his Great Grandma and Great Aunt Kelly

James at 4 Months

James at 4 Months Old - March 30th 2013

Attempting to Eat the Monster

While we were in Utah sweet baby James turned 4 months old. That little stinker just refuses to stop getting bigger. At his 4 month check up James was 15 lbs, 8 ozs while put him in the 47th percentile for the WHO and 59th for the CDC. He was 25 inches tall (38th percentile WHO; 49th percentile CDC) and continues to have a giant head, with a circumference of 17 inches his head puts him in the 87th percentile.

At four months James is a rolling machine consistently flipping from his tummy to his back when he's decided he is finished with tummy time. He also loves chomping on toys and will reach and pull anything he can get his hands on to his mouth. He still loves songs and is a laughing machine. He also wants very badly to be able to sit up, but I'm afraid he's got a ways to go before he hits that milestone.

He still wakes up 2 to 3 times every night to eat (no wonder his checks are so chubby) and he has developed an incredible distaste for riding in the car but if those are his biggest vices we'll take it.

Skiing!

Ahh ... it's hard to beat spring skiing for loveliness (it is easy to beat it as far as snow quality goes but you have to make a trade off somewhere). My Dad, sister Danielle, and I had an awesome time skiing at The Canyons in Utah while my Mom had fun playing with James in the hotel. To keep things exciting we even got to experience a little rockslide first hand on one of our runs. Nothing gets your heart racing like hearing a boulder coming down the mountain while you're skiing past.

Danielle is ready to ski

Waiting for Dad to do all the work and map out our route

Hanging with Aunt Danielle

James and his Grandpa

Of course we had to ski back by the rockslide so we could get a picture by the boulder.

At dinner with his Grandma and Grandpa

James and Grandma CC

James's First Plane Ride

James got his frequent flyer number at almost 4 months old when he and I headed out to Utah for a weekend of skiing with my family and then a quick trip to Nephi to visit Jed's family. Sadly Jed had to duck out of the trip at the last minute to work (I know he ditched me and a baby for a cross country trip - feel free to judge him [seriously though he was really sad he couldn't make it]). Luckily James was a champ and there were lot of people in the airport who were amazingly nice. I was so worried about people being greatly disappointed by our presence (and I'm sure some people were) but lots of people were so incredibly helpful it was amazing. Thank goodness for people who not only don't mind babies but are happy to carry your bag down the plane aisle for you!

Lamb Chops

James loves toys, unfortunately the only use he has found for them so far is for eating. He is especially fond of chomping on this cute little lamb, though you can be sure that anything he can get to his mouth will go in it.

James's First Haircut

Even though James was only 3 months, in March we decided it was time to give his hair a little trim because he was starting to get a bit of a mullet in the back and the sides were getting a little out of control. During this experience I discovered that I am horrible at cutting hair. Jed took over halfway through and did a better job, but I don't think either of us will be opening a barbershop anytime soon.

Before:

And After: