11.5 months

Hi Everyone, James has been keeping us very busy & we apologize for being so delinquent in our postings. This post should hopefully make up for our absence. 11.5 months has brought a lot more personality with our little guy. He has a few of his own words - mama, dada, dog and cat. He is a sucker for anything with a motor (dishwasher, vacuum, box fan) and loves to watch the trucks pass by and most recently has discovered that there are planes in the sky. He points at everything and talks about what he sees. James has been mastering his walking and bending down. He's still a little shaky on the getting up part, but we're working on it. One of his new favorite pasttimes is getting involved in the discipline of Brodie. If Brodie is being scolded, James is right behind us, fists clenched, telling Brodie he is bad. No hard feelings there though, James quickly forgives his furry brother and offers him a hand to lick at every meal and a few cheerios as well.

In general, James is an all around happy little boy who shows us that every day is a gift and every moment is precious.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all our dads out there...James enjoyed celebrating his first Father's Day. After an early breakfast (ok, they are all early these days) mommy gave dad the gifts we got him: we had photos taken of mom and James together and framed them for dad's office. We then took a trip across the river to see Grandma and Grandpa Hartigan. Grandma set up the small pool for the boys to splash around in together. James had a blast in the water and couldn't stop laughing at his big cousin William. When we returned home, we treated ourselves to dinner under the arbor - mom and dad even had lobsters! Another Father's Day treat: the US Open was on late in the day thanks to it being played out in California so dad got to enjoy this Father's Day tradition after James was fast asleep.

James' Favorite tunes

We thought it was time to share the 2 current favorite tunes of the Hartigan household. Sometimes out of nowhere, one of us breaks into the Rhino Song, or makes up a new animal for the Elephant Song. James can't get enough of these songs and is known to stop dead in his tracks when one is playing. They are a favorite for cranky dinner time and fingernail cutting time. Enjoy!

Cousin Anna's Birthday

My cousin Anna turned 2 last week & Nanny and Boppa had a birthday party for Anna - - and an early celebration for me too! Great Grampa was there, Great Aunt Jane and Uncle David and Aunt Donna. We had a nice afternoon playing with all the new toys we got for our birthday. Anna loved her orange silk scarf for pretend play that mommy and daddy and I got her. (here she is wearing her new scarf) I spent the afternoon RUNNING around everywhere. I really enjoy this walking thing. Anna and I got to play on all the new outdoor toys that Nanny and Boppa got - even in the heat.

Everyone sang Happy Birthday to us and - Oh and we got to wear our fun birthday hats too!

I have perfected the "puff stuff". For anyone who hasn't tried a Puff, you are really missing out. My favorite kinds are the sweet potato ones. I can fit about 7 in my mouth without incident. They are great for on the go snacking as well as incentives for opening my mouth to eat my dinner. And oh yes, wondering how I learned to walk? Put the puffs container across the room and watch me go!

Cousin William turns 3

My cousin William turned 3 last week & I got to go to his birthday party on Saturday. What fun we had! William even had a big hotdog truck pull into the driveway and serve everyone tasty dogs (except me of course).

I got to ride in William's little car, and his friend Olivia showed me all sorts of things (see below, she's showing me a basketball and telling me I shouldn't eat it, why not?).

There's no better place to be than on the shoulders of my dad :-)

It's Official: He Walks!

James is walking unassisted!! He had his eureka moment on Thursday and ever since, he's been practicing non stop. This video gives you a good idea of how he's doing, though he's gotten even better since this was taken. He had been cruising around and walking holding on to one parent's hand for a while now, so we were very excited to see this newest accomplishment. James is also very excited about his new skill.

Without jinxing it...he is also sleeping A LOT better since Saturday - only getting up ONCE at 3am.

The walking perhaps? WE HOPE!

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!

New skills

James has found out that he no longer needs to hold onto someone's fingers to get around on his feet. As long as there is an object within reach or his trusty lion walker is nearby, he can manuever around. Sometimes it's at a fast pace, other times it's slow and cautious, either way, he's getting more confident and courageous every day. These new skills have made the little guy VERY happy & we practice them whenever we can. It is amazing to watch the progression of his cruising, especially when you can almost see it "clicking" in his mind. In the video below, he's contimplating how he can get from his walker to his toy without falling. What the video doesnt show is the final moment of letting go and accomplishing his goal. (sorry, the camera only takes 30 second clips, maybe next time!) Now, the family room has turned into a series of small obstacle courses & we're starting to think that he may master this walking thing sooner rather than later. Watch out world!

Swinging fun

What is more fun than the first time in a swing??

Warm Weather Baby

The past few weeks have been very warm and sunny & James has really enjoyed being outdoors. He's been eating some of his meals out on the patio and even went on a picnic in the park with his friend Katie. When we bring him inside, we usually get quite a lot of complaining coupled with a face like this:

Mom and dad have been busy working on a big landscaping project so James has been getting his first lessons in gardening. So far, dad and Grandpa H have ripped out some of the old plants along the front of the house and even transferred some giant rhododendrons (we hope they make it!). We can't wait to see what the finished product will look like & plan on sharing pictures when it is all done.

Little Red Wagon

Mommy and Daddy put together James' new red wagon last night. Finally getting a little red wagon for the little j was very exciting. This morning we brought it out for a test drive. It was an instant hit. James thoroughly enjoyed being escorted around the yard in style. Of course with mommy driving the ride was nice and smooth...just wait until daddy comes home. Hold on!