Mama said

There’ll be days like this

There’ll be days like this

my mama said.

(Mama said, mama said)

I promise.

We have made a commitment.

Since this little guy came into our lives,

we have not been the church-goers that we thought we would be.  We are not pointing any fingers, but someone has made us more exhausted and busier than we ever imagined possible.

Members of our church at Eastminster Presbyterian have reached out to us over the past several months.  Visiting us at the hospital when baby James was born, prayers for our family, birthday cards and phone calls.  They are truly our church family.  Justin and I decided that instead of just going here and there, it is time to make a better commitment to our church.  I am writing about it, because I intend on keeping it. 

And besides, what could be more fun than dressing up this little Prince Charming in his Sunday church clothes?

Lazy Saturday

Justin wasn’t feeling well today so, we used that as an excuse to have a lazy day. Well, that’s his excuse; I don’t know what mine is! We had the kind of day where we stayed in our pajamas all day long. It was great!

Lynyrd took the lazy day to a whole new level. He made us proud.

I had a moment of motivation when the boys napped. I tried to clean the maternity clothes out of my closet – yes, nearly 6 months later – and somehow lost my phone in the black hole. I spent the duration of their nap trying to find it (which was almost an hour!). I couldn’t call it from another phone, because I had it on silent so, I wouldn’t wake the J’s. I finally found it deep in my closet in between clothes that still don’t fit me and Christmas presents that I haven’t been able to resist buying for James (that’s a whole other blog). After that fiasco, I succumbed to the lazy day %100.

Meanwhile, Justin laid on the couch most of the day. (Don’t worry Sandy, your son is okay. Just has a stomach bug and feels achy. I knew he was definitely sick though, when all he would eat was soup and bread.) When I’m sick, I look pale, and my eyes are droopy, and my hair always looks greasy even if it’s clean. But no. Not Justin. He still looks as cute as he did the day I met him.

We watched movies all day while I tried to keep up with James’ ever-changing activities.

He spit the paci out and tried to be a big boy.

He played with his baseball.

And then with his football (that is as big as he is).

Thank you, Aaron, Amy, Emory and Watson. The football is James’ new favorite toy! He loves to chew on the tags! Just like he loves to chew on EVERYTHING IN SIGHT.

And thank you Erin, Vaughn and Callie for James’ favorite blanket.

He absolutely loves this blanket. He tries so hard to get to those tags. He is trying and trying to crawl!

He’s got his legs going, but hasn’t figured out how to use his arms. So, he just buries his head in the floor. Doesn’t seem to be too comfortable.

It’s a good thing Mommy is nearby to always make sure he comes up for air.

It is a true reward once he finally gets a hold of those little tags.

So, that was our lazy day. Seeing James grow so fast makes me realize that one day soon, I won’t be able to sit on the floor with him all day, because he will be crawling away from me! Our house looks like it’s been robbed. I only cleaned the bare necessities today. But I was able to enjoy my family. And those are the days I will remember.

Yellow Submarine

I came home from work {where Grammy and Papa had been babysitting} to find James dressed in a Yellow Submarine onesie


and flippy floppies. (Which made it quite difficult for him to curl his toes.)

I just wanted to eat him up being The Beatles fan that I am and knowing that he shares his first name with Sir James Paul McCartney. And the flip flops were so cute!

James tries the beach again

Call me crazy, but we tried the beach again. After last time, I was sure that we would not see the beach until next year. But Uncle Josh thought James needed another try. This time, we were at Jacksonville Beach, James had just napped, and we only stayed about 20 minutes. It was a success!

James got to meet his second cousin Kevin, who was visiting from Orlando, Florida.

This time it was not that windy so, he could open his eyes and look all around! He was mesmerized by the water. It seemed like he was soaking everything in and was very aware that he was in a new and different place.

Uncle Josh bought him a cool new hat from James’ favorite surf shop, Aqua East.

And they dipped their toes in the water (as James contemplated whether or not he deemed this acceptable.)

He certainly loved the way the cool sand felt on his feet.

Then James started fussing, rain clouds came in, and we ended our beach trip while we could still call it a success. Thanks Uncle Josh for getting us out there!

Up and Down

Anybody who knows my child knows that he is not one of those babies that is often content. He has a short attention span and a high intensity level. His good moods are great and his bad moods are extremely dramatic. There is no in-between. He usually lasts about 5 minutes before he needs a change in venue. Our day at the pool was a perfect example of the ups and downs of James Wallace.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Aunt Andrea, we had a great time at your pool as always. Thank you for your hospitality once again and for loving my family as your own.

And James, we love every bit of your personality. We love your charm and we love that you’re feisty (even though you can be a handful!). We love what you add to the family,

and can only imagine what kind of teenager you will be! :)

Five months

Sweet Baby James. I have to call you that while I can. It is amazing to me how much you have grown in just five months. You gained nearly 3 pounds this month! When I called the nurse for advice, I said, “I have a good problem. My son eats so much! What else can I do? Last night in two hours, he ate 12 ounces of milk, 6 teaspoons of rice cereal, and a jar of baby food.” Her response was, “Oh my.” So, I am now spoon feeding you more rice cereal in addition to milk, fruits and veggies. This growing full belly is helping you sleep a straight 10 – 12 hours most nights. That is, until you discovered rolling over.

Back to front. Front to back. You love being mobile. It’s been bittersweet. Although we love to see you learn and discover new abilities, this has seriously interrupted your sleep. Therefore, our sleep. You start sleeping on your back and end up rolling over to your stomach. You hate to be on your stomach, but you can’t quite figure out how to roll back over when you’re in the crib, because you don’t have the room. So, you get frustrated (shocker), and cry (another shocker). I’m sure this will be a short-lived phase, but it’s not fun when this happens 4 times per night and during every nap. We take it with a grain of salt though, and can’t help but find it a little cute.

You’ve been trying to tell me ‘Enough with the vegetables; I’m ready for fruit!’

And now pears are your most favorite food.

You are outgrowing 6 month clothes already, and have several 9 month pieces that fit you like a glove.

These legs that Papa once called “Olive Garden Breadsticks” are now called “Loaves of bread.”

You try to sit up every chance you get. With a little more balance, you will soon be sitting on your own. All this learning, eating, smiling, laughing and playing is truly making you a happier baby. Happy five months (1 day early). We love you, Sweet Baby James.