James on the move

James isn't happy unless he's moving. For now, he's perfectly content navigating either parent around the house at his own pace. This gleeful little guy finds the most joy in the curtains in the living room, the bathroom and the dog's bowls. No rest for the weary!

James on the move 1

SWIMMING DAY

Ok, so there are no actual pictures of James' first day at swimming lessons, but that was because swimming Saturday is boys only. Therefore, no photographer allowed. However, I snapped a shot of the "before"...and then the little devilish boy in his saucer is the "after".

From what I heard, both J's did great and really enjoyed the class. Big J even dunked little j TWICE and both times he came up smiling. Sounds like we'll be getting a pool pass this summer! James was in great spirits when he got back home and mom was able to snap a few shots of a water break during play time. Yes, we know he is holding the cup upside-down in 2 of the shots, but rest assured, he does know how to make it work.
Next Saturday mom is allowed to come and observe swim class so hopefully we'll be sharing pictures of the actual event!

Happy Friday

Today began with a surprisingly happy boy despite a slight cold (his first one so far) and major teething pains. Here's a recap of James' day. As most of us know, cutting teeth is tough work and side effects include excessive drooling (see left). However, now that James can stand around his excersaucer on his own (with some spotting by mom), he has many more activities to take his mind off his painful teeth. Of course, this means that in the evening when it's bedtime, the pain is much more noticeable and sleep in our house is more elusive than the jackalope. After the lunchtime nap, James and mommy went to the mall to meet up with Maggie and her mom to do some shopping. James has been going shoeless since his most recent growth spurt and this needed to be fixed! His new favorite past time is holding on to mom and dad's fingers and tromping around the house, the yard, the mall, etc etc. New shoes were a MUST. James (and mommy, well, maybe mommy more) LOVED the new shoes we picked out. He was the hit of the Clarks shoe store and mommy found herself trying on pair after pair of her OWN shoes while the sales people played with, and were entertained by, James in his new shoes. They offered to come over and babysit; an offer that was VERY tempting.
We're all hoping for the sleep fairy to sprinkle some much needed sleepy dust over the Hartigan house tonight as tomorrow is the daddy/baby swimming lesson debut. Happy Friday!

Easter Sunday

James eagerly awaits his guests on Easter Sunday. 20 family members from the Hartigans, Imschweilers, Trainors, Plonas and Petersons got together to celebrate this year. Everyone pitched in to make this year's Easter a very special one. James even got his very first Easter basket from Great Aunt Jane.

Here's a picture of the happy family (Brodie was too busy running around to pose for this shot).

Great Aunt Jane enjoyed having some quality time with James on Sunday.

Cousins!

When James and his cousin William got together the other day they were wearing their matching Valentine's day shirts. This was a great bonding moment for the boys - William even snuck a cousin kiss in...judging by the picture, we were not sure James was expecting that!

This photo opportunity couldn't be passed up.

Guard Dog

We didn't need to put Brodie in a command to keep him at James' side during his nap outside. After a walk around the neighborhood, Brodie opted to stay at James' side until he woke up. This was a particularly sweet gesture being that this is the same dog who chooses to stay downstairs in order to get himself a good night's sleep (Thanks for the support, Brode). We're looking forward to the warm weather when the boys can play outside together!

Is Laughter really contageous?

James shows his devilish giggling side here in these videos...he wanted to use the laptop...for what, we dont know. Maybe he's already instant messaging his friends from playgroup? Or is he's working on HIS OWN version of a blog? Either case, he definitely found mommy pulling him away pretty hysterical. Mom tried to capture these videos being both camera-woman and baby catcher, so bear with the shakiness!

A Trip to Kent Falls

This weekend we decided to take a family trip up to the "country" of Kent, CT. Well, we actually set off on a typical "naptime drive" and ended up at Kent Falls State Park. James was very intrigued by the waterfall and the noise it made & found it to be very interesting. Here are a few mementos of the event.

James on the Move

Mommy's Birthday Weekend

This weekend we celebrated mommy's birthday. I was such a good boy all weekend & made mom and dad laugh a lot. Dad took mom out to dinner for the FIRST time since I was born! Dad and I got mom some wine and we gave her cards that made her cry (I guess she does that sometimes). Mom said it was the best birthday she's ever had.