10 months

I forgot to update! The short version ishe is as cute as can be and does all kinds of cool stuff! The long version will have to wait ;o)

we're in!

It has been a bit chaotic around here! I have a few pictures of James in a moving box I'll post when I get a chance. My parents came and helped us pack up our kitchen on Sunday, I don't know what we would have done without them given how little we had done before they arrived. It all got done though! We are now slowly unpacking, We have our clothes done (good since Joe went back to work today), the kitchen mostly done, and the bathroom done. Our boxspring would not fit up the stairs, so we will need to saw it in half. For now we are all camping out on the floor. We have James' great-uncle in town (he gets that title not only for his relation, but also because he is super fabulous!), so today James and I will be going on a walking tour of the city. I hope to go up and help a bit at my Aunt's house tomorrow (where my parents are, helping with a kitchen renovation).

James is adjusting as well as can be expected. He is a relatively flexible kid (as witnessed by his rapidly morphing sleep needs and ability to sleep anywhere as long as with a parent). He does seem pretty itchy at our new place, likely from the dust. His eczema is having a bit of a flare. We are working on getting boxes cleaned out, so we can have a housekeeping team come in for a one time scrub down to hopefully remove all allergens. Poor little guy! The dogs have taken the move in stride--no potty accidents thus far! The parrots are a little more upset, mainly I think because we haven't spent as much time with them since moving. Poor birds!

My parents are coming down to the city on Saturday, and we plan to celebrate our collective anniversaries (Joe and my 6th is Saturday, my parents 31st is on Tuesday), and then hopefully Joe and I can finish the main unpacking this weekend! Wish us luck!

see, look how cute!

Amy S. this one is for you ;o)

To everyone else, we found a use for this piece of furniture taking up a bunch of space and collecting dust...perfect for practising pulling up!

as a side note, if you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see tooth number one!

9 month well baby visit

James is growing! It seems so funny to me that everyone comments on how big he is, given he is at least one standard deviation below the averge range on everything except weight (where he is in the low average range). He's comparatively pretty small!

height: 27 1/4 inches
head circumferance: 29 1/2 cm
weight: 19 lbs 6 oz

general chaos

Moving on Monday. Nothing packed yet, but it will get done
somehow. The complicating factor is that we have been struck down by a
pretty horrific stomach virus. All of us. Yuck, yuck, yuck. James has
also gotten his first tooth! Bottom front right. It's pretty cute. I am
not sure anymore whether his 'kisses' are actually bites. Here are a few
pictures of him this morning. You can even see his faint dimple (same as my dad's!) on his right cheek in the first picture. He still has a fever, though his GI
system seems to have regulated (as has mine, after bout 2 of the
sickness last night).

On All Fours

Here is the video of yesterday's action that Anne mentioned. He doesn't really seem to understand how his knees work. But he's getting there:

fancypants

As he gains mobility he has been getting himself in all sorts of positions! I suppose he is officially a quadraped at this point. Joe will post a video of this later. He is wearing a trial 'blueberry' all in one diaper (meaning it is just like a washable disposable), it was $5!!! I don't like it as much as his typical organic fitteds and wool covers, but I think Joe will like the ease of this one given James' recent diaper changing acrobatics (I can now change this kid lying on his belly upside down. I never knew how important the right parietal lobe was to child rearing!). And in true new diaper form...he has been in this diaper or about 20 minutes, and he just pooped to 'break it in'.

mook

Here are a few pictures of the mook. We had a very nice mother's day.
Aside from talking with our mothers, we went to church, brunch, and
then the lilac festival at thearboretum near our new apartment (pending signing the lease). The lilacs were gorgeous. It was so nice to spend some time as a family.

babble!

James proudly did his first consonant-vowel babble this morning, and impressed the ladies at La Leche League with his "bababa"! Next in the verbal language acquisition comes pairing vocalizations with objects! Any bets on his first word?

public garden

so we went downtown for a walk yesterday, as Joe had a bit of time off this weekend. The weather was gorgeous, and we got a few great pictures. In other news, we did not get the previously mentioned apartment. We found another, better one, that I really am keeping my fingers crossed we get. The location is perfect for me, a bit of a hike for Joe. But perfect for me ;o)

he is a...

card carrying member of the American Psychological Association. He
looks pretty proud too! It was not easy to wrestle this away from him!
He is turning into quite the little swiper!

the dogs are not safe

James has discovered them sleeping quietly in their bed. Here was right before the ambush.