The Invitations are Done.....OK Somewhat.

I have finally finished printing out the invitations for James' dedication on the 21st of August. It has only taken me a week, but they are now finished. All that needs to be done now is to write the addresses on the envelopes. Now I have to get the meat for the party afterward. Then as people let me know that they will be there, to organize what they will be bringing. My Aunt suggested that I make it a pitch in since there will be all sides of the family there and with my Grandma and Aunt being up from Texas I am sure that there will be plenty of people that will want to see them. So addressing and mailing them hopefully won't take too long and I can get them out this weekend. They probably won't go out until Monday, but I can be optimistic can't I?.

More Food Food Food....

Today I was able to get the frozen foods from yesterday bagged and in the freezer. Then I was able to get the zucchini, squash and potatoes prepped, steamed and ready for the freezer. I am waiting for the food that is currently in the freezer to set up so I can finish up with the zucchini and potatoes. This way all I will have left are the prunes and blueberries. I am quite surprised that I was able to get this far today. James took a really good nap for me so I could get it done. I guess he knows that if he doesn't be good then he won't have any food. :) So today has been a productive food making day for me. I just hope that I can get what it waiting in the freezer so it can set up over the night. If not there is always tomorrow.

New Glasses

Yeppie!!! My new glasses are in. We went to go get them this evening. We had planned on actually eating dinner at home tonight, but instead we stopped and got something on our way to pick up my glasses. I really like them! There is no frame around the lens. The lens is a glare free with polished edges. They are really delicate, but they look really nice and sophisticated (ok I need all the help that I can get). They also have the sunglasses that are held on by magnets, so I don't have to squint if I wear them out in the sun. Now I need to go and have my eyebrows waxed. Yep I used to do it myself, but for $5.00 I can have them done and they are even and finished in all of 10 minutes then I don't have to worry about them for a month or so. I don't think that is too much money to spend on myself a month. I don't go out hardly at all so that is how I treat myself. It is nice to spend a few minutes for just me and be able to talk to other adults. Maybe I will do it this Saturday if Kevin doesn't have to work. I will run and do that before he goes out and works on the vehicles. Humm sounds like a good plan to me. I have been needing to get it done and I just need to get up and do it.

Food Food Food Food....

Yep I am crazy.... I am making our own baby food, or at least as much of it as I can. It isn't easy to find certain foods that are organic around here without having to go into Cincinnati and I really don't know my way around there very well. I have tried all the local places, but most don't have the things that I HAVE to have organic. All root vegies and green leafy vegies have to be organic because of the nitrates in them. Well my MIL helped me out a bit. She planted a garden on the back hill and all the foods from it are organic. Just have to love the Grandma. So now I have green beans, zucchini and squash from there with more things to come. I was able to find spinach, potatoes, cauliflowers, broccoli and carrots - all organic. I do purchase the jarred foods for when we go out, since the homemade baby foods don't travel very well being little frozen cubes. If we are going to someone's house I can take the homemade food and just get it to the freezer once we get there, but if we are going to be elsewhere I have to take the jar foods. So far James seems to like the foods that I have made over the jar food. The jar food stinks so bad. I don't understand how jarred carrots can smell like butt, but they do. The label says carrots and water. I guess it could be the water that they use, but geze, you would think that you would make sure you used good water for it. At least I know what is going into the food that I am making. Today I was able to get the spinach, cauliflower and green beans steamed and pureed. They are all in their individual little ice cube trays freezing away. Tomorrow I am hoping to finish off freezing the cauliflower, then steaming, pureeing and freezing the zucchini, squash and potatoes. Then all I will have left are the prunes and blueberries, but they are both dried so they can wait till the end. What fun adventures I have.

Biter Biscuit

Today is the first time that I have given James a Biter biscuit. I have been a bit scared to let him try them because they can be a choking hazard. Well I finally bit the bullet and gave him one. Of course, me being paranoid Mommy I sat in a chair next to his high-chair just in case. Our dog Leon (who grew up around kids) assumed the position at the foot of the high-chair ready for "the drop". I can safely say that James did much better than I thought that he would. He really didn't have any problem with it. He did get a very small piece stuck to the roof of his mouth toward the back, but I took it out for him and he chewed happily on his way. He soon got bored with it and Leon was ready. Plop to the floor went the biscuit and Leon was there ready to snatch it up. I am sure that the dogs are really happy that I have started giving James finger foods since they don't get table food from us. I know that our other dog Remington is going to learn really quick what a baby in a high-chair can mean. Oh well at least I don't have to clean it up. :)

Shot Time Again :(

Today is the day that we had to go and get James' 6 month shots done. I really hate this part. I never want anyone to hurt him and this hurts him dang it. I was barely able to handle it when the home nurse came to take his blood for his bilirubin levels. I actually had to have Kevin stay in the room with James and the nurse so that I could go in the other room and cry (ok I am doing it now just thinking of it). I know that this is all for his own good and I don't want him to have any of the diseases that the shots are supposed to prevent, so I go and sit through the torture. Poor little guy gets 3 shots! 2 in one leg, 1 in the other. He only cried when the shots were given then stopped a second after they were done, but it is still hard for me to know that I am not doing anything to stop the nurse from hurting him. The good news is I was told that he is done with shots until he is a year old! Yeahhhh for that. I really think that it is harder on me than it is on him. I of course make sure that he has his tylenol in him to prevent the fever and the pain. I just hope that he does as well with this set as he has with all the other ones. He is such a brave little guy.

6 Month Appointment

Today I had James' 6 month well baby check up. I am always scared and excited for his checkups. I am excited to see what his stats are and how he has grown. I am scared that he hasn't grown enough, is behind developmentally, there is more that I should be doing and any other irrational thought that a Mother can come up with. This appointment went as well as all the others have. The Dr. told me that he is doing wonderfully and whatever I am doing to keep it up. Once I hear that I always take a big sigh of relief. I guess you always wonder if what you are doing is right, but this is something that I don't want to screw up on if you know what I mean.? The Dr. did put him on liquid vitamin drops. He said it was because with me giving James breast milk and us having well water he doesn't have a constant source of fluoride, so the drops are for the fluoride, but the vitamins can't hurt him any. I just hope that it doesn't help his feet to grow any more. He is already in a size 3!!!! I am sure that he is going to be just like his Daddy in the feet, so shoes should be interesting to find for him.

His Stats are:

Weight : 22 lbs 96%
Height: 25.25 in 92%
Head: 18 in 90%

Da Da, Na Na & La La

These are Jame's first words!!! He woke up this morning saying Da Da then went on to Na Na and La La. I couldn't believe that he came up with them all at once. It is so much better than the normal screaching that he had been doing. I know that Kevin is going to be elated knowing that James' first word is Da Da. He works so that I can stay home. I know that I will probably be the first one to see most of James' milestones, so I am so glad that he said Da Da first. You should see Kevin's face when he hears James say it. It is so sweet. We know that James really doesn't know what it means yet, but it doesn't make us any less proud especially Kevin. I am trying to make a connection for James when he says Da Da. I will point to a picture of Kevin and say that he is at work or if he is home point to him and Kevin always answers him when he hears him say it. So I hope that doing this will help him make the connection between the word and his Daddy. Yep we are puffed up and proud parents today.

#2 is Through

We have tooth #2 now. It came through today. So maybe the little buckaroo will be able to be comfortable now. I hope so, I really don't know what to do for him any more. I just hate to see him in pain and there is nothing that I can do for it. I feel so helpless and aggravated knowing that I am the Mommy and I should be able to make it all better for him. I really want to make it better, but I can't get in there and pull the teeth through no matter how much I would like to. Guess this is one of the fun hurdles I have to jump in being a first time Mom.

First TOOTH!!

Well today it is official. James finally has his first tooth!! If you are looking at him it is the lower right one. I knew it was just a matter of time before it broke through the skin. He has been aggravated by it for quite some time now. The one next to it is getting ready to come through as well. I am hoping that once that happens he will have a little relief for a while. I feel so bad that there isn't too much that I can do for him. I do the tylenol and orajel or teething tablets, but other than that there isn't much more to give him comfort. He isn't too much of a chewer and he really doesn't like it if I give him something cold. I know he is an odd little bug, but what can you do when he already knows what he likes and dislikes?

Flubs

After having James 6 month pictures done, then stopping at my Mom's for a swim we went to a local ice cream place called "Flubs". Yummmy is all I can say about the place, plus you get a lot for the price. Since I still am not giving James any dairy I got him an Italian Ice. Basically it is like a slushy, but more solid like a soft serve ice cream. The flavor of the day was Grape. So we ended up with a purple mouthed, purple tongued baby (sounds like some sort of exotic bird). James really liked it and I am sure we will go back soon. James didn't like the cold at first, but he got over it really quick once he tasted the flavor. He is such a little goober. Of course I have pictures of his face. They were too good to pass up. What an eventful day we had.

6 Months Old!! :(

I just can't believe it. NO I WON'T BELIEVE IT!!! How can my baby be 1/2 a year old today? Where did the time go? I know that everyone has said that the time goes fast and to enjoy every moment, which I have been doing, but I never thought that it would go this fast. It just seems like yesterday that I brought my little orange jaundiced baby home. I remember all the struggles that we had at first learning everything together, making sure he had his bili-blanket on right, etc. Now he is sooooo much more independent and I know it will only get worse from here. He is needing his Mommy less and less and I am so sad about seeing him grow so quick. He is amazing, beautiful, wonderful, sweet, cuddly, oh I could go on and on here. He amazes me with all the new things that he can do each day. I just want to keep him little for just a while longer. I don't want him to grow too fast, not that I will hinder his development because I want him to stay small, I just wish he could. I guess I will go and cry now so that I might feel a little better.