Something Saturdays-on Sunday (12/29/19)

Happy last weekend of the decade! It has been a super busy and super wonderful couple of weeks!

My brother and sister-in-law came into town the Thursday before Christmas. It had been 2 years since I'd seen Josh and 3 years since I'd seen Jill (she'd never physically met James!) and the second they got to my house from the airport we got back in the car for an ultrasound appointment I had! It was so fun having them with us and seeing baby girl moving and being cute (she was doing a lot of stretching again and also lip pursing/pouting. At one point her foot was by her face and it looked like she may have been trying to suck it lol). Friday night we had dinner with them and my dad's side of the family, then after James went to bed Josh and Jill came over and hung out for a bit. Saturday I had to work but then we hung out at my mom's for a bit and Sunday I also had to work but my mom's family's Christmas party was that day and-even though we couldn't make it in between work and James' bedtime-I went to an after party game night after James went to bed. Monday my mom and Josh and Jill came over to hang out for a bit before James' nap (because I then had to work again after). Tuesday was Christmas Eve! I picked up Josh and Jill from my mom's and we picked up brunch on the way to my house. Then we played a board game while James napped and after nap we made cut out cookies, my mom picked up dinner and came over after work, we had hot chocolate/hot cocoa (hot chocolate for me, hot cocoa for everyone else), and watched Muppet Family Christmas. After my mom and siblings left we had James open a present of Christmas pj's and we put out the milk and cookies for Santa. Christmas arrived and I had a very excited toddler on my hands. We opened presents (and boy he has become a pro at ripping wrapping paper) and then played for a little bit before my mom and Josh and Jill came over for breakfast and presents. I made Baker Bettie's overnight cinnamon rolls plus bacon (and my mom brought hash browns) and then we all enjoyed our time together. Michael's mom came for a bit too and James opened more presents. Then naptime came and everyone left (and we said our big goodbyes to Josh and Jill since their flight left that evening). I made some turkey and cheese sliders, applesauce, and mashed potatoes for our Christmas dinner and then Michael's dad and stepmom came over for...more presents lol. James was so incredibly stoked on the entire day (he honestly almost didn't fall asleep for his nap, it was dicey). The next day Michael was supposed to go back to work but then James looked at him and said "Daddy play with James?" and he decided to work from home. Little guy was clearly exhausted because he slept in that day and then took a long nap too. Since then we've just been doing more visiting with various out of town relatives and now Michael's brother and sister-in-law are here too. James and I got brunch with them and some of their cousins and we might be having dinner with them and Michael's mom and sister tomorrow. So yes lots lots lots going on but so much fun!

And also now cracking down on pre-baby prep! AH!

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately
Extra Flaky Biscuits

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Creamy Chicken and Biscuits 

 

{No Spread, No Chill} Vanilla Cutout Cookies

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

Salted Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate (How Sweet Eats)

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
The Witcher-Ok I'm only 1 episode in and Michael is significantly more into it than me but I like it? I'm intrigued for sure. And I love Henry Cavill.

Instagram Lately 

Something Saturdays (12/14/19)

WOO.

It has been crazy. Thanksgiving happened (and was fun, although James ate like 2 rolls and apple pie and that's it lol). Then it was just crazy time getting ready for his birthday! His birthday party was last weekend and it went perfectly (I'm actually planning on sharing a post about his party!) Then Michael was home Monday and Tuesday (his actual 2nd birthday) and we ate lots of yummy food, decorated for Christmas, and on Tuesday went to go see Santa which was magical. James was starstruck, it was so sweet. So now we're just doing more getting stuff done and preparing for next week: my brother and sister-in-law come into town (YAY!) I haven't seen my brother in 2 years and my sister-in-law in 3 years so I can't wait to spend a ton of time with them and then it will be Christmas so yeahhh the business just keeps on going!

Posts from this week 

Baby #2 Update-28 Weeks

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately

Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust

Just Chicken Pot Pie

Garlic Butter Chicken

Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

Best Breakfast Pancakes (Once Upon a Chef) - we actually made these together on James' birthday!

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
The Good Place-FINALLY caught up with where we're at in the current season and I just wanted to say this show is amazing and I love it. That is all.

Instagram Lately 

Baby #2 Update- 28 Weeks

How far along:  28-29 weeks (I measure 6 days ahead of my due date, blah blah blah)

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps an eggplant or winter squash (or a puppy...)

Total weight gain/loss: Mmmm not 100% sure....20-25 lbs?

Maternity clothes: Mostly with some larger or flowier non maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: No new ones yet.

Sleep: Not good but it's not pregnancy related lol-I've been going to bed too late because we've been crazy busy after James goes to bed and he's still getting up early (not as bad as he was though).

Best moment of this week: James birthday stuff and also there have been a couple times where Michael sang to her and she always very visibly moves to the side of my stomach he's on. It's super cute. Oh! And we bought our first little girl clothes so I'm excited to get those.

Miss anything: Not being sore and out of breath probably lol.

Movement: She's really started moving more lately! I'd say she's still fairly chill compared to James but I can see her movements and feel her pretty frequently now.

Food cravings: Yeah I just don't really have cravings I feel like.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: I'm large lol.

Gender: Girlyyyy

Labor signs: No!

Belly button in or out: In mostly but there's a little bit of trying to poke out in the middle

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: I'm overwhelmed by how much there is to do but I wouldn't say I'm moody! Still mostly happy.

Looking forward to: Christmas! Then getting more stuff for her and hopefully getting all prepared so it doesn't stress me out ha.

Here is my 28 Week update with James!

Something Saturdays (11/23/19)

Just been a crazy couple weeks of life, getting things done, enjoying the cute James, etc. BUT I did have my 30th birthday and it was pretty wonderful. Michael took the day off work and we went to the McKinley museum (which neither of us have been to since we were kids and James hadn't gone to yet) and that was super fun. Michael also got me the most delicious chocolate peanut butter cake, chocolate peanut butter pie, and chocolate caramel tart from Studio Bakery. Then Michael made dinner (which was extra special because he never does that-largely because he doesn't know how) AND maybe even better...cleaned everything up. Then after James went to sleep Michael's mom came over to stay here while we went to get dessert at a local restaurant. It was so much fun and I loved it. 

ALSO-if you're looking for some recipes to make this Thanksgiving check out these round ups I've posted: 
Thanksgiving Recipes 
Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes Round Up

Baby #2 Update-24/25 Weeks

How far along:  Well now 25-26 weeks (complicated because I measure 6 days ahead of my due date and they only move the due date if I'm 7 days or more off)-I meant to post this last week but, ha!

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps a cauliflower or papaya (or a bunny or a chocolate cake...)

Total weight gain/loss: Around 20ish lbs gained (which kind of blew me away because my weight gain has like doubled in the last month--I'm trying to remember, though, that I started out like 15-20 lbs. heavier when I was pregnant with James so it's ok if I gain a bit more).

Maternity clothes: Mostly with some larger or flowier non maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: No new ones yet.

Sleep: I had one rough night where I had a bunch of round ligament pain that kept me up from 2:30am and James has been going through some sleep stuff but otherwise mostly ok. I did just have to switch from sleeping on my belly though which is always a bummer for me.

Best moment of this week: Generally feeling her move, she's moving a lot more lately, and I had a great 30th birthday on Wednesday!

Miss anything: Hmm...honestly pregnancy wise things have been good lately. Not really?

Movement: Yepp! She is still definitely less active than her brother but she gives me some good kicks and nudges occasionally-especially if daddy puts his hand on my belly or if she hears James being loud.

Food cravings: If anything sweets but honestly that's kind of just me lol.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes. Got my pregnancy referenced by a stranger in public for the first time this pregnancy which is always an indicator that the bigness has hit.

Gender: Girl <3

Labor signs: No!

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy! Honestly just so distracted and overwhelmed by all there is to do.

Looking forward to: Getting some stuff for her nursery and her and starting to really rev up for her arrival-probably after the holidays that will kick into high gear!

James' pregnancy update from 25 weeks!

Something Saturdays (11/9/19)

Hiiiii.
Let me break my life down for you.

It's my birthday next week (I turn 30!)
Then Thanksgiving happens.
James' birthday and birthday party are the 2nd week in December.
Then ya know...Christmas.
I have a variety of doctors appointments due to the whole pregnancy thang.
Baby is coming end of February and there's tons of prep involved therein.

SOOOOOO it's insanity.

But life is good. We're enjoying each other and our time as a family of 3. Last Sunday we didn't do much of anything, we just spent time together (James was blissful-he kept making us sit on either side of him and then cuddling against one of us and then leaning the other way and cuddling the other one). James and I have been baking together some and it's been so nice. We made cookies this last week and love love loved it (also HIGHLY recommend Cook Nourish Bliss' Flourless Pb S'mores Cookies) Michael took a half day off from work on Thursday and James was so happy (and showed his appreciation by eating 90% of his burger at dinner lolol). So yeah...life is good. Busy and good.

Something Saturdays (10/26/19)

Let's seeeeee....Last Saturday we got James new shoes that he enthusiastically picked out himself (from a stack of shoes we picked lol). Sunday we hung out with my mom and ate at Tlaquepaque (yum) and James was so cute and did so good! On Tuesday we visited with Michael's cousin and her new baby, Lincoln. But really James just played with their dog, Stella lol. Wednesday the weather was decent enough that I took James to the park which he was so excited about (I feel so bad that we won't be able to go at all soon because it's going to get coooold). And yeah other than that we've just been living, doing our thing. Tomorrow we have trick or treating, it'll be James' first time actually going out. So fun!

PS James helped me make cookies today and it was super impromptu so I tried out this chocolate chip cookie recipe that was quick (no chilling) and just browned the butter-because...why not. It called for melted butter anyway which 99% of the time means I'm going to brown it lol. It was pretty good! 

Something Saturdays -on a Sunday (10/20/19)

Hi hi hiiii. Life is crazy. Running around after the world's best toddler and prepping for brand new baby. It's hectic and a bit stressful but mostly pretty awesome. So yeah. <3

Posts from this week 

Baby #2 Update-20 Weeks

Recipes from the blog that I made this week

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust

Just Chicken Pot Pie (subbed out scallions and added in some potatoes, corn, and carrots)

Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
This Is Us-Randall is precious and SO HELP ME IF SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH KATE AND TOBY-grrrrr. Baby Jack is adorable and I refuse to allow the happiness of that baby be brought down by relationship drama.

Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)

Baby #2 Update-20 Weeks

How far along: 20-21 weeks (complicated because I measure 6 days ahead of my due date and they only move the due date if I'm 7 days or more off lol)

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps a banana or eggplant (one app has my official due date and the other one my more accurate one)

Total weight gain/loss: Around 10ish lbs gained.

Maternity clothes: Mostly with some larger or flowier non maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: No new ones yet.

Sleep: Mostly ok, starting to get a little more uncomfortable and changing positions through the night.

Best moment of this week: Getting much more definite movement and Michael got to feel it kick!

Miss anything: Not being achy? Mostly I'm ok!

Movement: Yes! Starting to get more and more kick-y lol.

Food cravings: Meh.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: My bump is definitively popped, lol. My friend Amanda commented on how it's like I hit the halfway point and just went BUMP.

Gender: GIRL!!!! We're so excited! She was so cute during the ultrasound, just chill and stretching her hands up by her head.

Labor signs: Nooo.

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy still! And also still overwhelmed and stressed lol.

Looking forward to: Just getting things ready for her and feeling her grow <3

James' pregnancy update from 20/21 weeks!

Something Saturdays (10/12/19)

Hi! It's me! The blogger who never blogs anymore.

Howdy.

So yeah, stuff continues to be busy. James' potty training is going well. We found out the new baby's sex (doing a pregnancy update this week--hopefully--and I'll reveal it then!) and things are just getting real so we've been working on being more productive on getting through our to do list. So yeah just busy but life is good!

Oh and! I got a chance to check out this new cookbook from Kristen Tomlan the creator of DŌ in NY-I'm in looove.

Something Saturdays (9/21/19)

This week has been wonderful but also a LOT. We started potty training James last Saturday (using the "Oh Crap! Potty Training" method-I bought the book). Michael worked from home all week to help which was great. James is doing SO good (he's been accident free for 4 days now) and I'm crazy proud. But then the poor little guy had a high fever yesterday out of nowhere and was not himself at all. He just wanted to snuggle and sleep. So it was a good occasion for his first movie-we watched Disney's Tarzan. Luckily. after a dose of infant acetaminophen he was much better and was pretty much back to normal today. So yeah! Hopefully he's better now and hopefully potty training keeps going so well! 

Baby #2 Update-16 Weeks

How far along: 16-17 weeks (complicated because I measure 6 days ahead of my due date and they only move the due date if I'm 7 days or more off lol)

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps an avocado/pomegranate

Total weight gain/loss: Not completely sure, approximately 10 lbs gained.

Maternity clothes: Some but I can still wear most of my non maternity clothes too

Stretch marks: Not yet

Sleep: Depends on the day, lol. Overall it's fine.

Best moment of this week: I felt the baby move a couple weeks ago and anytime I feel it is exciting.

Miss anything: Being not constantly starving lol.

Movement: Tiny bit every now and then.

Food cravings: Not really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not in general, anymore.

Have you started to show yet: There is definitely a bump! Still very easy to hide but it's there lol.

Gender: Don't know yet!

Labor signs: Eep nope.

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy usually, sometimes I get a little more overwhelmed and emotional.

Looking forward to: Anatomy ultrasound in a few weeks and feeling baby move more!


(I think it's fun to compare to when I was pregnant with James so here was my 17 week pregnancy update with him)

Something Saturdays (9/7/19)

This week was AWESOME.

Michael was off work on Monday so we just got to spend some fun family time. Tuesday and Wednesday James and I just hung out and got some stuff done. But then THURSDAY WE WENT TO THE CLEVELAND ZOO!!! Their African Elephant enclosure is amazing (and they're my favorite animal) and they also have a cool giraffe encounter where people feed giraffes lettuce. We saw so many animals and James had so much fun. The weather was also flawless and it was a slow day so no crowds, and Michael was with us because he took the day off. It was perfect. I don't work all this weekend, either, so hopefully we'll have more fun! James is always so happy when we're all together <3

Something Saturdays (8/31/19)

Hiii. Hello. It's Labor Day weekend! I've been working the last few days but then I'm off tomorrow and Michael has Monday off so fun family time should ensue. And today was Michael's dad's birthday so we went out to dinner and had some cake and ice cream back at his house. James had an awesome time (and 4 scoops of mint chip ice cream). This past week has been super weird but great, though. Tuesday Michael worked from home so that he and James could come with me to my doctor's appointment and hear the baby's heartbeat. James was super excited to hear "baby heartbeat" and was so sweet and just grinning while we heard it. Michael also worked from home Thursday so he could be home with James when I had to go to work. So we've had lots of fun and I'm excited for this week!

Recipes from the blog that I made this week
Slow Cooker Amish-style Shredded Beef

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

No-Churn Salted Caramel S'mores Ice Cream (Yes to Yolks)

Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)

Something Saturdays (8/17/19) -and an ANNOUNCEMENT

Soooo....yepp! Explains why I've gotten even worse (somehow) at blogging! Here I am, about 12ish weeks (I measure 6 days ahead of my official due date so I'm either almost 12 weeks or almost 13 weeks, depending on how you look at it lol) pregnant with kiddo #2 . We're all super excited (even James, so far).

So, in addition to trying to have fun and soak up summer and do all the normal maintenance lifey things, I'm also extra tired and nauseous. Woo! 

We have been having lots of fun, though. Last weekend was our friends Amanda and Brian's baby shower and it was so great to celebrate them and the coming arrival of their baby girl. And, thanks to the balloons, James also had a fun time. Speaking of James-regression is officially over AND like a couple days later his 2 year molars started coming in. HA HA HA. Figures lol.

Something Saturdays (8/3/19)

So I knew I was behind on my Something Saturday posts but not HOW far behind-turns out I had a draft from July 6 that I never published *sigh*. And now it's August. It's been crazy! We went on vacation mid-month with Michael's family and it was lots of fun. And otherwise...I don't know. Life, man. But it's been fun! We've been trying to enjoy summer. James is just really cute and extra affectionate lately and I think we may finally be coming out the other end of his sleep regression so-yay!

Something Saturdays (6/29/19)

Last Sunday's church picnic was really fun, James got a sweet balloon teddy bear made that he loved and he got to eat chocolate so it was a win for him. The rest of the week is something of a blur, frankly, because James has been having trouble sleeping which means I've been having trouble sleeping so I'm very tired. Oh! We did go to see Michael's cousin's daughter, Ava, who is a couple months younger than James and that was fun. And yesterday we went to brunch with my wedding planning boss, which is always fun. This weekend I have to work but hopefully I'll get some fun times with the boys and hopefully some SLEEP.

James-18 Months!

Date: June 10, 2019

Height:  33 inches (as of his doctor's appointment on the 13th)

Weight: 23 lbs. 1.7 oz (^ditto)

Sleeping Pattern: Pretty much the same as my last update, just with a smidgen less overall sleep time. James usually sleeps from about 12-2 (sometimes he naps a little shorter, sometimes a little longer). We start bedtime around 7pm by cleaning up toys and then I lotion him. Michael then has him say goodnight to things and then they read his superhero rules. We floss him and help him brush his teeth, and then change his diaper, put him in his pj's and sleepsack, and read a story. Then we say goodnight to his stuffed dinosaur and tuck it in with his pooh bear lovey on top of his bookshelf. Michael and I then take turns on which of us stays with James and sings to him before laying him in his crib (usually around 7:30). He then falls asleep around 7:45-8ish and (hopefully) sleeps until about 7. It's a well oiled machine and I LOVE that lol. (ha ha ha since I wrote this we seem to have hit the 18 month sleep regression...I don't want to talk about it, ugh).

Eating Habits: Every day is a new adventure. Overall, James still eats well BUT he is definitively more picky and is constantly changing up what things he'll eat on what day (although some constants he always will eat: yogurt, bread, berries...obviously if ice cream or chocolate is presented as an option he's all about that.) But I know this is all a part of him asserting his independence and figuring stuff out so I just keep trying to offer him things and he eats what he eats. There have been some meals where he didn't eat anything but it's always fine. He eats breakfast sometime between when he wakes up and 8am, generally. It's usually yogurt and bread with peanut butter (he's come to expect it as his routine, but sometimes it's different and he's usually cool with that). Sometimes we do a snack around 9ish, sometimes we don't. Lunch time is about 10:30. He then has a snack sometime after his nap, around 2:30/3. Then sometimes he has another snack around 4ish to tide him over until dinner. Dinner is usually at 5:30 (6 at the latest) and then that's it--unless he didn't eat dinner. Then he'll usually ask for a snack right before bedtime and I'll give him a little something. He's a good eater, though. He doesn't fight it or throw fits. He usually happily digs in or just plays if he doesn't want to eat it. The other day he actually ate a little slider burger like a big boy and it was maybe my proudest moment. He's a cute little hungry hippo.

Development & Firsts:  I mean he just keeps getting smarter and talking more and more clearly. James honestly blows my mind with how quickly he picks things up. He quickly learned body parts (knees, elbows, "beebo" aka belly button, etc.) We started working on colors one day and like a week later he knew all the colors (and is a complete pro now)-I also love how he says orange. He says "oonge". He got a toy to put different shapes into for Easter and less than 2 weeks later he had it completely down and knows all the names of the shapes. Now he's been working on identifying letters (he has little books with animals and letters so some letters he identifies as the animal-if he sees a T he'll say "turtle", for example.) He knows "M for mama! D for dada!" His mind makes awesome connections: if I say something about "my mom" he immediately says "Grandma!" and knows who I'm talking about. If the freezer is mentioned he goes "ice cream!" (HE ONE TIME HAD ICE CREAM FROM THE FREEZER AND NOW IT'S JUST WHERE IT LIVES TO HIM). One that really shocked me was there was a big box we'd had delivered and he walked to the kitchen, asked for the keys, then took them to the box and put the keys on the seam while saying "box!" BECAUSE HE WANTED TO OPEN IT. He had seen us use keys to open boxes and put that together. Insanity. Anyway I'm sure there's been other developmental stuff I haven't even thought of but let's move on. There have been a lot of new teeth. February 9th James got his 9th tooth (his bottom right molar), March 2nd his 10th tooth (his top right molar), April 7th his 11th tooth (bottom left molar), April 27th his 12th tooth (top left molar), May 3rd his 13th tooth (bottom right canine), and May 30th his 14th tooth (bottom left canine). On February 23rd he got his 1st haircut (it was just a tiny trim by mine and Michael's hairdresser, Patrick). He did not like it and cried but even through his tears the sweet boy thanked Patrick.  There was a sad first on March 15th when he got his first stomach bug (which I then caught...then Michael...then Michael's mom). It was not a fun one. April 17th was an auspicious occasion with his first ice cream. He had a baby vanilla cone but mostly went to town on mine and Michael's chocolate peanut butter cones. HE LOVES ICE CREAM. It's maybe his favorite food now. He had a blast and asks for ice cream all the time. And then on May 16th he went to the zoo for the first time which was so much fun. He loved it and is still talking about it. I can't wait to go again but to the bigger Cleveland zoo next time!

Mischief: James still enjoys exercising his ability to yell, scream, cry, and just call "MAMA MAMAMAMA  MAMAAAAA!" He definitely understands the concept of mischief and revels in it (that's Michael's boy). He'll pucker his lips and go "mmm" for a kiss and then when you're close he'll run away giggling (or turn his head with a smirk saying "no.") . If I ask him who his favorite is he gets this glint in his eye then says "grandpa" BECAUSE HE KNOWS I WANT HIM TO SAY MAMA AND THE LITTLE STINKER LIKES TO MESS WITH ME. He knows exactly what he's not supposed to play with or where he's supposed to go and he loves to have fun with that. He'll giggle as I chase him into the bathroom and he slams the door shut in my face. If I come into a room and he's grabbed the DVD's off the shelf (he knows that's a no no, and will frequently wave his hand in the direction of them or other things he shouldn't mess with and say "nooo" in a somewhat mocking manner) he'll throw the evidence away and run. (Which makes me laugh internally). He does say no a fair amount, usually very matter of factly lol (just a short dismissive "no.)  He's a big fan of throwing things in the trash cans and in the bathroom he likes to rip pieces of the toilet paper off so he can throw them away. Diaper changes are still a struggle that usually result in distraught crying and running away/attempts to run away mid-change. When he's not upset, though, he has figured out how to purposefully pee whilst not covered and finds it sooo funny. I find the bladder control a good sign (you can see/feel him purposefully forcing it) but don't love the results. Sometimes he stills throws food which is frustrating but it is what it is. Ah and if it wasn't clear he can open doors so the world is pretty much his oyster at this point-we did childproof the basement door so he doesn't tumble down the stairs and the doors to the outside are locked but otherwise it isn't a huge deal. 

Cuteness: Look I mean have you seen his cheeks and eyes and hair and just overall cuteness? It's undeniable. The sound of his voice is also adorableness personified. This section is always so hard because I frankly think everything James does is cute. All of the talking that's in the below talking section is amazing. He's so friendly and outgoing (he loves to wave and say "hii" to people) and such a little ham! He learned how to do "cheeeese" and frequently makes that cheesy grinning face (which is like looking in a mirror, let me tell you). He still furrows his brow when thinking or concentrating, and then he is so his daddy (also when he gets his mischievous face on). He's so funny, I love his sense of humor. He likes to go hide places and say "shh shh" (like if he and I are hiding from Michael or vice versa). He has a little spot that he fits perfectly into between 2 bookshelves that he likes to hide in, also. And it's hilarious to watch him back into it slowly. If you tickle him he'll eventually exclaim "Nooo!" but then when you stop: "More..." I also taught him to fist bump and make it explode. If you put your fist up and say pound it he'll bump it with his fist then either say "boom" or make an exploding sound. James will also imitate the way I say "Hm hm hmmm..." when I'm considering something-he now always does that when deciding on a book, what to eat, etc. He's gotten really into being a "big boy" and sitting on the couch or in a chair (if he's telling you that's what he wants he'll tell you by saying "big boy").  James also loooves to be a "helper". He'll see laundry or grab the broom and go "Helper!" It's very sweet and I try to encourage it, although it's not actually all that helpful usually. He is also so cute and will take his arms and hold them out wide and say "BIIIG" for anything, well....big. Particularly dogs or other animals. If he sees a "Biiiig dog dog" he is likely to talk about it for some time. He loves animals in general, but especially dogs. He gets very excited anytime he sees one. He still thinks smelling feet and saying "stinky" or "peee ewwww" is funny. In the car James likes to give me approval or rejections on song choices. There was a pretty large "Greatest Show" phase where James was constantly requesting the song by saying "Ohhhhh" (and not just in the car, pretty much anywhere anytime. It was our Baby Shark. Much preferred, no complaints). He sometimes kind of pulls on his eyelashes when he's tired or upset, I'm really not sure why and I'm always worried he'll pull them out but I have to admit there's something sweet about it.  He is so cute with his grandparents and aunts and uncles, he loves to see them, even just over facetime! Or in pictures. He loves to look at photo albums and identify people (including baby him, he'll point to the picture: "James", then himself: "James!") But most of all he likes to see pictures of his grandpa. That's usually how he requests a photo album he'll just point and yell "Andpa!" There was a lovely phase where we were cuddling quite a bit but that has been less frequent lately, maybe because of the warm weather? BUT there have been lots of kisses, usually anytime you go to him saying "mmmm" with pursed lips, then you get a kiss and say "uahh!" (so "muah") He'll do it too and anytime we see/hear it we come running for kisses (and hoping it's not a fakeout one). Sometimes we'll have little family kissing moments where Michael and I will smooch then James will want a smooch from each of us. Sometimes he'll literally shove Michael's face to my face for a kiss (IT'S SO CUTE). The other day he baited Michael for a kiss and then last minute redirected him to me hahaha. He also says I love you back when we say it to him most of the time which you know warms my heart and is the sweetest. I'll ask him how much he loves us or how much we love him and he holds his arms wide and says "soooo much!"  James also still loves to play with my hair and frequently smells it/nuzzles it and says "Mmmm!" He also says "Mmmm" and/or just nods emphatically anytime he eats something particularly delicious, like ice cream or a macaron. He's a smart, cute, sweet little nugget.

Nicknames: James-y, Jamesy-pie, Nugget (or Nug or Nuggy or Nuggy Nug or Nuggety or Nougat),  Noodle/Noodle-bug/Noodle boy, Hey you, Goofy or Goof-Nugget, Silly, Cutie McCuterson, Cuddle Bug, Snuggle Bunny, Mister, Sir, Bud/Buddy, Friend, Sweet Boy, Baby, Love (My love, little love, sweet love, lovey), Cutie patootie/pie, My Sweetie/Sweetie-pie, Little/Sweet/Baby Boy (or any combo with any of the other nicknames listed-particularly Sir Baby and Mister Boy).

Talking: HE IS SO TALKATIVE. This is my baby. James talks constantly pretty much. I love it. He still repeats almost anything you say to him but conversations are fairly legit. He really understands you and actually can recall a lot of things. If I bring up the zoo he'll talk about all the stuff he saw there "BIIIG turtle! walk walk, *penguin sound* *sleeping sound* otter!" Or he'll talk about something he saw his aunt do on facetime the day before and then proceed to list their 3 chihuahuas names (Pua aka Poo Poo, Kiki, and Pepper). He says more all the time, it's one of his favorite words (usually for food or something fun or funny you just did or said that he would like to continue). He asks for foods by name. Says please and thank you (usually when prompted but occasionally on his own). He can say like everyone's name. Mama and Dada, obviously. "Andpa" for Michael's dad, "Pop pop" for mine. All his grandmas are "Andma" but he also calls Jeanne "Nini" and my mom (whose name is Sandi) "Di Di". His Aunt Shannan is "Stinky" (they play a game and that's just become her name now hahahaa). He says his own version of Joshy and "Djilly" for my brother and sister-in-law. He usually calls his Uncle Kevin dada in pictures (they resemble each other) but always knows his Aunt "Em". He also knows his own name and points to himself and says "James!" He actually frequently does this when meeting people to introduce himself and it's the sweetest. He knows and can say the colors (red, blue, purple, green, orange, yellow, black, and pink). Shapes (circle, oval, square, rectangle, hexagon, star, heart, triangle...probably others). Body parts (head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, lips, tongue, teeth, hair, neck, elbow, arm, hand, fingers, chest, belly, bebo, butt, leg, knee, foot, toes). So many animals and animal sounds (he started actually saying "elephant" in addition to being able to do its noise and it's adorable). He's getting pretty good at knowing his letters, he's got B, M, D, S, U, I, L, and O completely down and usually also gets (or calls by animal name that starts with it) H, P, R, E, J, N, T. The rest he gets sometimes. I taught him how to hold his finger up and yell "One!" So when I say "How old is James?" that's how he responds. He also counts to 2, ("One, two, one, two....") sometimes 3 but his "Night Night Little Pookie" had a part where they count "One, two, three-It's Me!" So he usually just points to himself and exclaims "Me!" instead of saying 3--and I find it charming as hell. Speaking of books-he has most of his favorites pretty much memorized and can tell you what happens on each page. In his Little Pookie books (by Sandra Boyton) he frequently will do the Little Pookie response parts (like aforementioned "It's me!") James went through a phase where his response to everything was "yeah" (I called him my "anti-toddler") and then one day it switched to frequent no's. Now he usually nods when asked something, but about 40% of the time he'll say no, depending on if it's very objectionable (ie "Can we change your diaper" has like a 99% chance of getting a "no!) But, yeah. He's just chatty. I'm constantly just listening to him babble on and on, sometimes after he wakes up in his crib he just like recaps the previous day essentially (or talks about the zoo, it made quite an impression). He's always going on just long enthusiastic chatty fits. It's so cute and so fun and I'm pretty proud of how good of a talker he is. And he makes me laugh. So it's wins all around.

Favorites: Me and Michael. His grandparents and aunts and uncles. People/friends in general. Dogs (he gets so stoked to see the neighbors dogs or dogs on walks or pictures of dogs...he just really likes dogs). Babies/other kids. Socializing, in general. Going on walks and playing outside. The zoo. Dancing/singing/music (less than he used to, though, which makes me sad). Reading. Playing. . Running and hiding/chasing or being chased. His dinosaurs (especially the mobile above his bed and his stuffed one). His baby doll and all his stuffed animals and toys. Making silly faces/sounds-especially if it's an imitation of us. Making animal sounds. Cuddling up with pillows and/or blankets or whatever he's decided is cuddly. Hair. Feet (particularly smelling them and saying "stinky!".) ATTENTION. Baths. Yogurt, cheese, fruit. Ice cream and chocolate. Batman.

Dislikes: Having his diaper changed (he doesn't mind having his clothes changed anymore! Yay! But diaper oh boy he hates it.) Being held or forced to stay still if he wants to go do things. Being taken from something he wants or somewhere he wants to go. Getting hurt. Not being paid attention to. Being in the car for too long. Most green vegetables, peppers, spicy food, eggs, tomatoes, and whatever he's decided he doesn't like that day *eye roll*. The exam table at the doctor's office.

Concerns: Same as last time-nothing really. Just normal parenting worries about if we're doing a good job and teaching him well and such. 

A Day in the Life: James wakes up around 7 and I go in and get him. He likes to play around a bit before letting me take him out of the crib and sit with him in the rocking chair to take his sleepsack off. He then wants to just sit and play and read books in his room and I eventually have to mention food to get him to go downstairs so I can get him breakfast. He immediately asks for water once he sees his cup and then I make myself toast while making him peanut butter bread (he calls it toast but I don't usually bother toasting it. Also I frequently give him plain bread while I'm getting everything else ready if he's impatient and asking for some) and then putting his yogurt in a bowl with a spoon for him. We eat breakfast, change his diaper (if I haven't already prior to that) and then usually say bye to Michael if it's a week day. James and I play, sometimes we run an errand or go on a walk or to the park or something. If we're not too busy/if he asks for one he may have another snack around 9. Then lunch is at 10:30ish. After lunch I usually change his diaper and we play for the little bit of time there is before nap-where I change his diaper again and put him in his pj's and lay him down around 12. He then will hopefully sleep for about 2 hours while I eat and enjoy my midday time of watching TV/Netflix and doing not much else. After he's up (as long as it's been at least 2 hours--if he wakes up before I leave him in his crib until it's the 2 hour mark) I got and get him and we repeat the reluctant to leave room dance of the morning. I eventually will give him a snack when he is ready, and change his diaper. We play. I probably make dinner. Michael gets home and then we eat around 5:30. Afterwards we play for a little bit and then start our bedtime routine. It's honestly great. I love every day with him.

Something Saturdays (6/22/19)

Well I meant to actually post this week (just a James update but still) but instead I started cramming the book Oh Crap! Potty Training so that's fun lol. The good news is I have actually photographed 2 recipes. The bad news is I haven't edited the photos and who knows when I'll have time. *le sigh*. 

But ANYWAY. Let's recap this week, yes? Father's day was lovely: we served Michael breakfast in bed (which resulted in James eating some of his daddy's breakfast in bed as well) and hung out, went on a walk, tried out James' new strider bike, I picked up dinner for all of us and...yeah. It was a good day. The rest of the week was mostly business as usual, although on Wednesday we went to storytime and James was so sweet and was sharing with the other kids (which, considering he has had very limited interactions with other children was very impressive I thought) and he looked like such a big boy. Then we went to Michael's dad's for dinner. Thursday was mine and Michael's 4 year wedding anniversary so we went out after James had gone to bed (Michael's mom stayed at our house). We got dessert at Twisted Olive first (SO GOOD) and then dinner and a stout for Michael at Royal Docks Brewing Co (meh). Friday I worked later than normal so I got home right at bedtime which stunk but James was so happy to see me which made me extra happy (especially since I'd been snubbed in favor of all 3 grandmas over the previous couple of days). This weekend I'm working again and then we have a church thing tomorrow for our pastor who is retiring. 

Recipes from the blog that I made this week
All-Butter Pie Crust

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
Jane the Virgin-Ohhh I'm loving it.

Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)

Something Saturdays-on a Sunday (6/16/19)

Yepp. I'm doing so terrible at blogging lately that I can't even seem to keep up with my weekly recap posts. I have no excuse-just life is crazy busy and something has to give and that something is usually this blog. I appreciate all of you who are still here! 

Speaking of appreciation: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! I know everyone says they have the best dad but James really does <3