Ellie's Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

6th Birthday

7th Birthday


Ellie's birthday is July 18th and since we always have the kids for the month of July, Sean's mom comes up from San Antonio and Mom and Papa come over for a little family birthday celebration. I was looking back through old pictures and found the pictures of Ellie above. Sean and I started dating when Ellie was 11 months old but these are as far back as I have on our computer. Happy Birthday Elle Belle! We love you!

What are you up to at 3 months old???

So James Peyton, what are you up to at 3 months old???

You are 26.5 inches long and weigh 14.5 lbs

You wear a size 2 diaper

You are now in size 3-6 month clothing

You hold your head up without it wobbling!

You love your blankie, Mr. Elephant and get exicted when we give it to you

You still sleep through the night in your crib in your room next to ours

Your bedtime routine is reading, bath, pj's, rocking, then down in your crib for prayers and you "talk" to Mommy and Daddy. Usually we kiss you goodnight and you "talk" yourself to sleep!

You put almost anything we give you into your mouth but still like your hands and fingers the best

You used to like your pacifier but not so much anymore, occasionally you like it at night when you go to sleep

You smile a lot, which makes my heart melt everytime

We are having so much fun watching you grow and can't wait to see what you do this next month!

12 weeks old

James is 12 weeks old today! At this point I am going to switch over to saying months but he won't be 3 months old officially until next week on Tuesday July 28th. The first half of July we had Simon and now we have Ellie for two weeks. James has had fun hanging out with his big sister! This week James is still putting his fingers and hands in his mouth but not as much as before. At first I thought maybe he was beginning to teethe really early but I think he was just discovering his little hands! His new fascination is Mr. Elephant. It is a soft elephant head and arms and a little blanket for the body. It is satin underneath and he loves holding it and even smiles when I get it out! Here is what babycenter.com says this week about how James is growing:

Reading to your baby, even at this young age, will pay off. Hearing you read helps your baby develop an ear for the cadence of spoken language. Varying the pitch of your voice, using accents, and singing will make the connection between you and your baby that much more interesting.If your baby looks the other way or loses interest while you're reading, just try doing something else and give her time to rest. Take your cue from your baby's responses.You'll find plenty of good books to read to your baby — such as Goodnight Moon, Good Night Gorilla, and The Big Red Barn. Choose board books that have large, bright pictures and simple text — or even wordless books with pictures for you to narrate. At this point you don't have to be slavish to age guidelines. Books designed for older children can captivate a baby if they have clear, crisp images and bright colors.

I am always amazed at how babycenter.com is right on target with what we are experiencing with James. Even through my pregnancy, it was always accurate with what I was feeling each week. We still read a lot and James loves his books. I have a few for babies that have hard pages which he cannot tear but I need to buy more!

11 weeks old

Our sweet little angel

James Peyton
Hanging out on the boppy

This week we have been reading a lot. James loves to look at the pictures and listen to me read books to him, which is great since I have so many children's books from my years teaching. He tries to read along with me by saying "wooooooo" and "ohhhhhhhh" as I read. I am not the only one who noticed. Mildred, our wonderful nanny/babysitter who watches James a couple of times a week when I go to the office or have a showing, told me the same thing. She said, "I was reading to James and he was "talking" the whole time trying to read along with me!" He is so smart, reading already at 11 weeks old. =) Below is what babycenter.com says about how James is growing this week:

He's no Fred Astaire yet, but your little one's movements are getting a bit more coordinated. You'll notice that the jerky arm and leg movements of his newborn days have given way to smoother, more circular motions, especially when he's watching people.Give your baby enough space to stretch and move his arms and legs. Lay a blanket on the floor and let him move as he pleases. These movements can help your baby strengthen and tone his developing muscles. On his tummy, he'll start to push off with his legs — the first step in getting ready to crawl.

I tried to take pictures without using the flash because I don't want it to hurt James' eyes and he makes funny faces in reaction to it sometimes. They turned out a little blurry. I have had my camera for years, it's time for a new one. Hopefully I will get one soon!

Emmery and James

Saturday night Brian and Amie had us and a few other couples over to their house. Unfortunately we didn't get to stay long because it was past James' bedtime and he let us know that he wanted to be home and in his own bed! Even though we weren't there long I did manage to take a few pictures. In the first picture Emmery, Brian's daughter, is rocking James and in the second she is rocking James and Brady at the same time! Brady is Justin and Amy Croft's baby boy who is 3 weeks younger than James. In the third picture Emmery wanted to hold "Baby James" as she calls him, so I said I would take their picture. Her friend Raylee had to get in it too but kept talking the whole time, so cute!

Bath Time

Still not sure about bath time
Daddy bathing James
Mommy drying him off
What do you think of my new do?

Favorite toy

This week James has discovered his tongue! He loves to stick it out and will even mimick me if I stick my tongue out at him. The picture above is of James with a ball that Grandma-ma gave him. It's his first "favorite toy". He is fascinated by it and loves to hold it or watch it as I turn it in front of him. I also use it to explain colors to him. James also likes to put just about anything he can grab into his mouth(see above) Don't worry, I washed the ball before I gave it to him because I knew what he would do with it! Below is what babycenter.com says about how James is developing at 10 weeks old:

How your baby's growing: He's no Fred Astaire yet, but your little one's movements are getting a bit more coordinated. You'll notice that the jerky arm and leg movements of his newborn days have given way to smoother, more circular motions, especially when he's watching people.Give your baby enough space to stretch and move his arms and legs. Lay a blanket on the floor and let him move as he pleases. These movements can help your baby strengthen and tone his developing muscles. On his tummy, he'll start to push off with his legs — the first step in getting ready to crawl.

We are working on more tummy time this week so I will take pictures and post next week.

4th of July

James

Simon & Daddy getting ready for the parade

Daddy & James

Mommy & James(with his new trick of sticking out his tongue)

Hanging out at the pool

In the pool for the first time!

Just chillin'

We had a fun filled 4th of July! We started the day with my friend Tracy and her family at a breakfast party/neighborhood parade. We then went to their neighborhood pool and James got in the baby pool for the first time! Tracy's 3 year old Hudson is already jumping off the diving board in the big pool so I suspect he will be teaching James a few things when he gets older! After the pool we had a late lunch at Dickey's then headed home. Sean and Simon went to see Transformers 2 while James and I stayed home and relaxed!

Self-portrait at home with Mommy
Mommy giving James kisses
Worn out from the big day!