sneaky sneaky!

James has a cold. A big giant snotty mess kind of cold. He is attacked several times a day by the "booginator" (a hospital suction bulb) or the "booginator jr.". As you can see, a little someone was quite proud of stealing "jr.".
It also looks like we might have 2 bottom teeth potentially coming to
the surface, though as you can imagine James is not a big fan of me
prying open and inspecting his mouth, so I'm not really sure!

hand consultation

We went into Children's to have our first consultation with an orthopaedist this afternoon, and the visit went very well. James received the best possible diagnosis, which is non-hereditary brachydactly (which is what I assumed anyway). All of his joints, nerves and muscles appear to have normal function at this point, and though his hand might look a little different, it should not hold him back in any way.
He will be seen again in a few months (he will get x-rays at his next apppointment), and then annually until he is 5. Surgery will not be necessary, and there is a good possibility he won't even need occupational therapy!

He weighed 18 lbs 2 oz, and was 28 inches long! It appears he also had a growth spurt!

Quack-Quack-Quack

Ducks are hilarious. Or at least James seems to think so. Or maybe he just thinks it's very funny when mommy quacks like a duck?


Either way, it sure is entertaining:

baby human

This shirt reminded me of a certain clinical supervisor, who is a bit of a running joke. Anyway, stranger anxiety is rampant in our house, and the kid has even turned on Joe a bit. I'm sure his looks and screams of terror will make a wonderful impression on the nannies we are interviewing this weekend! He has also been holding a toy in each hand, carefully shaking each to listen to the different sounds. He especially likes the difference between a rattle and a jingle. Crinkly noises remain his favorite. He is beginning to make rudimentary attempts at dancing, and from what I can tell so far, he dancing is all Joe ;o) (just kidding honey, you are a great dancer). He is getting very interested in solids, and is starting to show some readiness signs. Joe and I plan to begin offering them in a few weeks. He loves paying with his sippy cups, so I am sure he will love playing with food as well! He is gnawing on everything he can get his hands on, in kind of a desperate biting gnaw, so I anticipate some teeth sometime soon. As much as I hate to admit it, the homeopathic chamomile our doctor recommended we try does seem to calm him down when he is especially cranky. Who knows if it actually works, or if it is placebo effect (on me, not him), but either way it is doing something! Elimination diet wise, I have been able to eat dairy and moderate amount of wheat recently with no effects on the little guy, so I am keeping fingers and toes crossed that he is outgrowing the intolerance issues (though we won't know until he eats solids).

in search of...

If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition.
Rosy cheeks, no warts.
Play games, all sorts.
You must be kind you must be witty,
Very sweet and fairly pretty....

What do you think the likelihood is? sigh. The great nanny hunt has begun.

7 months

Ok, so I've been a bit delinquent in posting this, though February only had 28 days this month--so to be fair, he never truly turned 7 months :oP

He is developing in leaps and bounds! He now actively reaches and grabs anything at hand, actively exploring the different textiles. He is quite fond of a shiny, smooth spoon at the moment. Pinching me is his favorite hobby. He sits well without support (unless he reaches for something and is knocked off balance). He rolls very well, and is working on the commando crawl. He recognizes his name consistently, and his receptive vocabulary is really growing. He signs 'up', and is beginning to make a rudimentary attempt at 'milk'. He has taken an active interest in the dogs, and Madeline lets him pet her (!) much to his delight. He babbles many sounds (boo-ba, abba, baba, ahhhh), in addition to blowing raspberries, and 'growling'. He is getting more wary of strangers, and appears to have a slow to warm up temperament (as far as I can tell). At this point he tends to catnap a few times during the day (20 minutes 3 times a day or so) and sleeps for 2ish hour intervals at night beginning at 7pm. He is typically up for the day at 6am. His skin has been having a harder time in the dry winter air, and he has been scratching his head a bit, though the eczema has largely been kept at bay. Old McDonald remains his favorite song, though he likes Sweet Baby James (James Taylor) as well. I think that's all, let me know if I forgot anything :o).