Memorial Day Weekend

What a fun weekend we had. Friday night James went to sleep quick and easy and mom and dad enjoyed a nice cold beer outside. Saturday there was no swimming class so dad got a chance to dive into his mulch project while mom and James went with Nanny to get some errands done. Sunday was a big treat. We went up to Woodbury Commons outlets to shop!! Mom got a whole new - and much needed - wardrobe, while James got a chance to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa who came along for the trip. We even took a family outing to a restaurant where we learned that James got his appetite back! Monday was spent returning 375 bottles for deposit (what a clean garage we have now) and hanging around the homefront. James got a new tent over the weekend and from the pictures here, you can see that he very much enjoys his new digs. Here's to a summer of lots of fun!

Nanny & Boppa's Hottub

James was finally feeling better on Friday. After hanging out w/ his Boppa (aka Grampa Plona), mom took James into the hottub which now doubles as a kiddie pool. Because it was nice and warm, James wasn't sure if this was just a big huge bathtub, or the pool. Either way, he seemed to enjoy the new found activity.

What's it's like to be 10 months old

So being 10 months old is tough work. As you can see from this picture (and from the Mother's Day pictures if you looked closely), James got a little battle wound between his eyes. We chocked it up to a very quick baby learning to pull up on not so stable toys. It didn't seem to bother James too much once he got over the shock of seeing a Little Tykes toolbench toppling over on him. Thanks to dad's big foot, he was able to stop it from being a major disaster.
The "James" teething characteristics = BRIGHT red cheek after 12noon on the side that the tooth is coming in and Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde behavior that last until the offender is through the gumline. These lunchtime shots indicated that tooth #8 was on it's way...This past Monday we saw the little guy poked through some very sore gums. Dr. said he is seeing 2 more on the top which look like they will be next. Brace yourselves Mom and Dad.
10 months old also brings a new understanding of the camera coming out and James is happy to oblige with a flashy smile whenever Mommy asks. Oh and what color ARE those eyes? For those of you who still say they are brown, James once again shows us that his eyes are ever changing in color. We think they will settle on a deep blue/hazel. We shall see.
The 10 month bear picture was pretty elusive to capture. Being a man on the move, Mom just propped the bear up against James as he cruised around his excersaucer. There is no thought of ever getting back IN the saucer now that he can go AROUND it, but we keep it around for some of the toys.

10 months also gave us our first sickness (hence the lack of blogging). Those of you who are parents will know what it means when we say, "we all had the stomach bug". Poor James had it the worst and is still not 100% almost a week later. However, both mom and dad had it at the same time, so we're all even. All of his friends and their families also were unlucky enough to get this potent bug so Mom has been able to swap stories and receive lots of support. Just when you thought it was over...it would return and rear it's ugly head. What a way to get our first crack at parenting the sick baby. 7 days later, we think we may be seeing the light, just in time for a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy!

My First Mother's Day

What a fun day we had on Sunday. Dad and I made mom pancakes for breakfast after I let her sleep in a little bit longer (ok, that wasn't just for Mother's day, dad and I let mom sleep every weekend). Then mom opened the card I got her and cried (success!!). She LOVED the gift we got her: A new super duper zoom lense for our camera. Mom can't wait to take lots of pictures of me with the new lense. We then met Nanny and Boppa in the park for a picnic where we took a family picture (ok, I was making a funny face but it captured the moment). I got to take a ride on the swings and run around with dad. It was a great day. I think I did a good job making mom's first Mother's Day special (with help from dad of course).

9 months of fun

To those of you who check the blog regularly, sorry we have been MIA. What a busy week (& then some) we've had. The Hartigans embarked on a complete front landscape overhaul. Next post will go into much more detail on this project, but it took over our free time for almost 2 weeks. We are VERY pleased with the outcome!
Here's some pictures of James and his bear @ his 9 month mark (these pictures are overdue as he's turning 10 months this weekend). What is very amazing to point out is that when he was born, that bear looked like his twin. No wonder mommy still can't fathom the fact that he's wearing 12-18 month clothes. It would be nice if we could slow the process down a bit so we can savor the moment a little -longer. Before this post breaks into a chorus from Fiddler on the Roof (i.e. Sunrise, Sunset), we'll end it by saying Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!