Jameson's new tricks

Over the past few days Jameson has developed some new tricks. He is finally doing some babbling! He began this babbling on the plane ride home from San Diego where he decided sleep was WAY overrated. It is a babbling mixture of "da," "rah," and "lah." Although the ladies I sat next to on the plane definitely agreed it was "Da-da" because they kept telling him to say "Momma." I just laughed, I am happy he is babbling, maybe he will work on his verbal development and quit working on new physical feats for awhile.


His other new trick makes me laugh so hard, which is probably why it has become a trick. He crinkles his nose and snorts. Omigosh, it is hilarious. He loves to make his momma laugh, because if I laugh he does it again and again and again. This particular video he is snorting while eating, which makes it look like he doesn't enjoy the food, but he was eating sweet potatoes, which happen to be his favorite, but the faces he makes are priceless.


We had a lovely time in San Diego (I seriously miss that city!) and we got to see lots of friends and hang out with my brother. By the way, Tim I want those pictures! Jameson was such a trooper, he enjoyed the study abroad fair at Point Loma and we got to introduce him to former professors and colleagues.
Let me just say that I love the Baby Bjorn travel bed. Out of all the travel cribs he has slept in, this is by far the best one ever.
I first found it in Vienna, and then ordered one when I arrived home. It is light, 10 lbs and it doesn't have a middle bar the mattress sits on the floor, its also incredibly easy to open and close. I can't recommend it enough. He even took a nap on caf lane amidst the hustle and bustle. I have been using it as a playpen during the day and during the evening I put it in our room next to the bed.

You ALL have permission to laugh at my weakness. Jameson was a brilliant sleeper until we moved to Vienna (time difference), have the crib in our bedroom (comfort), Kevin came back to Denver (transition), he got more social (just the age) growing (hungry at night) and while we are still waiting on teeth, I swear they are on their way (pain). Whether it is all coincidental, or I got wimpier, or like many of the books say 6-12m can be a trying time for sleep, because they are growing in leaps and bounds both mentally and physically. Either way, he has been waking up two times a night for the past couple months and fighting his crib preferring to sleep in my arms or cuddled up by us. It doesn't really bother me, which is probably why I haven't attempted to curb it so much. I am reading "The-No-Cry-Sleep-Solution" for some hints, but with us leaving for Vienna in another two weeks, I almost feel its pointless to implement anything yet. So, go ahead laugh, I can take it.

Our buddies Zach and LeAnn invited us to stay in their brand new condo downtown. We totally accepted that request (thanks guys!) The favorite toy in their house was a huge stack of DVDs. He made a beeline for it as soon as he was on the floor. Zach then began building a house of DVDs which Jameson seriously enjoyed knocking over. It kept him occupied for many hours!


For those who know me well, happen to know that I have a very favorite hoodie. I received it my senior year of high school when I decided to attend Pt. Loma for college. It is undeniably the most worn item in my closet, by a very high margin. I managed to wear it all through pregnancy (which was my goal). Though stained and ripped in some places it still holds a very special place, even though its life is threatened on a daily basis by burning by many people my husband and mom included. I am happy to say that I bought a new hoodie, it still has a number of washings to get comfy, but I am working on breaking it in. Jameson also got his first Loma shirt. I was a crusader, unfortunately they are now the Sea LIONS, as in a LION coming out of the sea, its pretty funny, oh and the lion's name is ROARY. Roary, the Sea LION. Jameson has proudly worn it a few times already. Although I can't say I would be happy if he decided to attend my crazy (but lovable) alma mater, I will dress him in appropriate gear, after all it has been [more than] 5 years since I graduated. (eeek!) Time flies!


The next two weeks are likely to be just as crazy as the last two weeks, so I apologize for the delay between postings. Help me get my kid to nap longer during the day and I will be happy to update more! Until the next post...

Back in Denver

Hanging out in the lounge before our flight left Vienna

Yes, we made it home....a week ago. Sorry its taken me so long to update, but I haven't been at the computer much. Jameson was a complete gem on the flight, he didn't cry once, that is not to say that he wasn't incredibly antsy though. He moves, he likes to move, he doesn't like to sit still. This meant that either Kevin or I were holding him, while he danced and wiggled all around. He did fall asleep and we got to sit at the bulkhead where there was a bassinet hooked into the wall. It was so nice to have it, it would have been even nicer if he had used it for more than two hours! He fell asleep almost immediately after take-off, and when we reached cruising altitude we hooked up the bassinet and put him in his little cocoon-like bed. Kevin and I got to eat our dinner at the same time (not something we have been able to accomplish with a baby on the airplane). Unfortunately, the three other babies (all girls) were not on the same sleeping schedule as Jame-o, so he woke up after a short nap, smiling and peeking out over the side of the bed. I WISH I had my camera in hand at that moment because it was SO very cute. The same thing happened a little bit later when he fell asleep again. He was asleep about an hour when the baby girls woke up and decided to be very talkative. At one point, Kevin looked at me and said, "girls are really loud!" I laughed, he has no idea how loud girls can be as they get older. Other than his massive case of the wiggles, I really cannot complain because he was really really good.

It was great to arrive home and sleep in our bed that night, and Jameson had his comfy bed. Jet lag has struck once again, and he wakes up at 11:30 and then 2:00ish and the first few days woke up at 4:30, wide awake and ready to play. I was pretty awake myself, so it wasn't a big deal, but the past few days its been tough and I have felt like a walking zombie. Jameson has been getting acquainted with the house and his dogs, and the dogs aren't quite sure what to do with a mobile Jameson.

He easily found the tupperware cupboard and wasted no time re-arranging it for me.


The girls (in background) were really hoping there was food in those containers.


It's never too early to perfect a kissing style. That's pretty much how he kisses us! It's quite an aggressive style!


I finally relented and trimmed his bangs. I didn't do a terrible job, but he didn't sit still for me either. So, no more hair in the eyes, although I must admit I liked the scraggly look!

It smells like Fall

This week was really a busy one! We went to our play-group for the second week, and met new moms and babies. It is so interesting to meet all the moms. Jameson followed one of the other little boys around, and he appears to be getting more comfortable. Last week, he was a bit shy. Friday night Kevin arrived for 36 hours. At first, Jameson didn't seem to believe his own eyes, he kept looking at him, and gave him a half-smile. It was late, so maybe he thought he was dreaming. Kevin held Jameson, and that was all Jameson needed, he was stoked! He got really giddy, laughing and giggling. He would look at Kevin and give the biggest grin. His eyes would follow him around the room where ever he went. They played on the floor, and Kevin got to realize how active Jameson is, and why I never manage to get anything done! Unfortunately for us, but lucky for the students, Kevin left early Sunday morning to take them to Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Mostar, and then round out the trip in Budapest. It will be a great time for the students. Kevin gets back late Friday night and then we all head back to the States for three weeks.

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day, so Jameson and I thought we would take advantage of it by walking down to the Summer Palace. There are some really beautiful grounds around the palace and its not just for tourists.

They make you walk up a REALLY big hill to enjoy the grass! (notice the sign!)

See how impressed he is with the palace?

He enjoyed people watching instead (No teeth yet!)

...And the sunshine on his face

We looked up at the cloudless sky, and he decided he needed my sunglasses

A lady even offered to take our picture, since I was doing it all on my own.

Then we went to play in the leaves!

He wasn't sure how he felt about them at first

After a few seconds the leaves were making him giggle

Good enough to, umm, taste? (No I didn't let him eat leaves).

After a few minutes he didn't know what else to do with the leaves

So we called it a day and headed home