Big James

I missed posting this in July, but I did have lots of this post saved as a draft and never got around to finishing it until now. I guess I'll have to post 3x in August so I can achieve my goal. 

James is growing so much! His personality is really starting to show! People often ask who James looks like and we tend to get mixed reviews. Lots of people say that when James smiles, he looks just like his Dad. I pulled out Andrew's baby book and some baby pictures of me to compare. 

Andrew

Me

James

I think overall James is a pretty good mix of both of us. He used to have more hair and continues to lose it, but I think it might come back in blonde? James is getting more and more fun daily and continues to learn how to do new things. Here are some things I adore about his stage right now:

• James' laugh/giggle. He is such a happy baby and lots of people comment on his demeanor. 
• James' long sleeping stretch at night. I love getting an 8 hour stretch in myself. 
• James' curiosity. He is much more alert and awake now. He can't get enough of his surroundings and loves going on adventures to new places.
• James' grip on toys/books. James can kind of "play" by himself now because he can hold onto things. It is nice!
• James' ability to roll over both ways. He doesn't love to do this trick on demand, but he is a strong kid.
• James' storytelling skills. I think he will be a BIG talker when he is old enough. He loves to say, "goo-goo."
• James' love for books. He now looks at the pictures and grips the book while I read to him.
• James' love for music. He loves doing actions (with help) to "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man," "Book of Mormon Stories," "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," "5 Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed," etc. 
• James' energy. Someone told me I need a baby treadmill for him. He constantly kicks (not surprising after feeling that in my stomach for months) and you know he is excited when he kicks even harder and faster.
• James' love for bath-time. James is probably the happiest when this nightly routine happens. He looks in the mirror while waiting for the bath to fill up and is so thrilled to see himself.

Some things that have taken some getting used to:

• Daily blowouts. (Not an exaggeration.) Some days there are multiple, but when I'm lucky there are none. We have tried different diaper brands, I've moved him up a size, you name it. Finally, I brought the blowouts up with my doctor and he said it is very normal for a breastfed baby to have so many blowouts. It was comforting to hear that the blowouts will slow down when he starts eating solids.
• Church. James used to sleep through the majority of church and it was easy. Now that is not quite the case. 3 hours is a long time for adults, and even longer for babies! Andrew and I both get our exercise leaving and re-entering Sunday School and Elders Quorum numerous times. Getting a good nap in at church is challenging.
• James pulling my hair frequently. I now know why the "mom haircut" exists and have never been so tempted to get a new do. (For now, I'll stick with a ponytail.)
• Constant comments about how "hefty" James is. "He sure gets plenty to eat."

At his 4 month appointment, James was in the 94th percentile for height, 68th percentile for weight, and about the 85th percentile for his head circumference. He is a big boy!

Sometimes James prefers that we push an empty stroller, and carry him on walks. :) 

I promise he loves his 2 giraffes. Just not in this pic.

We sure do love our baby boy and can't believe how fast he is growing! It's hard to remember life without him. It seems like he has been in our family for much more than 4 and a half months.