Friday, September 30, 2011

The battle of the bulge

As a mom, and let's face it, an American in general, I have been struggling with weight loss.  I can't really pinpoint when weight and losing it became a constant focus in my life.  Sometime after college, the weight just started to creep on.  And while I've never considered myself obese or overweight, I know that I probably am at this point.  I remember the first time I started Weight Watchers, the spring of 2007.  My girlfriend Candi and I wanted to lose weight, so we signed up and went to meetings together.  I had some success, but keeping up going to the meetings, especially on weeks when Candi and I couldn't coordinate schedules, was hard.  I did Weight Watchers online for a few more months and then cancelled my membership.  I think I lost about 15 pounds total, but it slowly came back on.  In the spring of 2008, before our wedding, I worked with a trainer for 3 months.  It was amazing and hard and often insane.  I ate only what she allowed me, no carbs, lean meats, vegetables, protein shakes, and light yogurt.  It really sucked.  But I felt so good about myself.  People at the gym were so supportive and I did a lot of group classes in addition to my training sessions.  I don't recall exactly how much I lost, but I was fit and toned - I looked the way I wanted to for my wedding.
Of course shortly after that my gym membership ran out, we moved, and the cost of going a gym again was just too much.  So more and more weight was gained, marriage has a way of making you entirely too comfortable.  We decided on our first anniversary to try to have a baby.  Four months of trying later, I was pregnant, so of course weight loss was out of the question.  I did really well at not gaining a ton of weight while pregnant, until the start of my pre-eclampsia.  Before my blood pressure and liver proteins went through the roof, there were tell tale signs of what was coming.  Massive edema and water weight gain started in the middle of April and I managed to gain 45 pounds of water weight.  Including that water weight, I gained 55lbs.  I wasn't actually weighed the day I gave birth, but I was at around 275 lbs.  It was crazy, but a lot of it came of quickly thanks to the IV diuretics I was on.  In 10 day I lost 40 lbs., but I have really struggled since then.
So right now I weigh especially what I weighed when I got pregnant.  I've lost 12 lbs. since May, but I still am not happy.  I've been attending kickboxing classes 2 to 3 times a week, but haven't focused a lot on my eating habits.  I know to lose anymore weight I need to change my eating, but its just not easy.  So that is what I'm working on for me - getting the weight off that I should have gotten off before James was even thought of!  

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Being present

I keep hearing this phrase over and over - "Be present".  And a few weeks ago I was really mulling it over, what exactly does it mean to be present.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how easy it is to do the opposite of being present - to merely exist in the space that we're in.  Its so easy, especially as a working mom, to just exist.  To do the day to day tasks and routines, wishing the week away until its the weekend.  And then wasting (well, maybe not wasting, but spending) the weekend doing more tasks and chores until you realize that weekend is over too.  Taking no particular joy in the things you've completed, just knowing you need to do them.  So I've really been working on being present - enjoying the time I have with my son and husband, making the best of it, and blending fun and memories into the tasks that can so easily take over our lives.  Last night, I sat on the floor and played with James.  He was crawling around with a comb, trying to brush the animals.  Somewhere in the middle of that rather hilarious scene, he crawled over my leg, and sat with me.  For just a minute, leaning his back onto my tummy, we sat there and I truly enjoyed it.  I put my arms around him, gave him a kiss, and let him crawl off, back on his brushing mission.  I think James might have noticed how happy it made me, because not another minute later, he crawled back towards me, pulled himself up to look me in the eye and leaned in for a hug.  I could have melted.  That little moment let me know that being present for James is the most important thing I can do as his mom.
Nothing cuter than a napping baby

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tooth update

James has been teething up a storm the last few weeks.  In 10 days he cut 2 molars and 2 lateral incisors.  He has been dealing with the pain fairly well.  Sometimes Rhonda will give him something for the pain around lunch time and we usually give him some Tylenol at dinner.  Before bed we've been rubbing his gums with Oragel to help him fall asleep.  He's pretty pathetic when he's moaning in bed because his teeth hurt.  When you go into his room and pick him up, he immediately snuggles into your chest and sighs.  Again, no clue where this kid got his theatrical abilities from, but you can't help but feel bad for the little guy.  So we're up to 9 teeth in total!  With the way things are going right now, I wouldn't be surprised if the remaining 7 baby teeth show up soon.  And then we'll be onto 2 year molars, so the teething will never end!

Monday, September 26, 2011

A followup

I'm thinking the cats may be reading my blog too.  Because nothing says, "Have a great night's sleep" like finding cat puke on your side of the bed.  So I had to change the sheets and remake the bed before I could get in.  Thanks, Sassy!  I think I got my share of bodily functions yesterday and I was happy to be dropping James off to daycare this morning.  Now give me 5 more minutes and I'll wish we were both at home, but oh well!  Happy Monday!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

A day that will live in infamy...

Today started out like most Sundays.  It was my day to wake up and walk the dog.  So Mac and I took a little stroll  at 4:45 and then I settled down on the couch to nap and watch the early news.  James woke up around 6:15, a little early, but not too far off schedule.  He had a sippy and we played on the floor for awhile.  Morning nap started around 7:00 or so.  I went upstairs and cuddled with Adam a little.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  James woke back up around 8:30 and had breakfast.  Around 11, Adam and James went to get their haircut and I stayed home and started some laundry.  I know, am I boring you to death yet?  Just think, I cut out 2 or so hours of the morning.  (I think my darling husband and I were having one of those mornings that married couples have every now and then...  we were a little sick of each other.  Not particularly fighting, just a little grumpy.  So I cut out the mundane details of us being jackasses.)  Anyway, the boys came back from their haircut without incident.  James apparently did really well without his mom at the barber.  No tears, he just sat there and got his hair cut.  Amazing!
When the boys got home (and Adam and I decided we should stop being grumpy jerks) they needed to shower and get all that loose hair off.  So I got James undressed.  And when I took his little diaper off, I noticed that James looked a little... well he looked a little like he needed to pee.  But I didn't really think anything of it, I carried him into the bathroom, where Adam was getting into the shower...  And then it happened.  Not one second after I told James that he better not pee on me, it happened.  I felt the warm trickle and realized HE PEED ALL OVER ME!  Now of course I've been the target of baby pee before, the water pistol has caught me off guard during a diaper change or two.  But never while I was actually holding him!  And this wasn't a little, the air is cool, I only kinda have to go sort of tinkle.  This was a full on, all over my shirt AND jeans kind of pee. 
So I sort of laughed, handed him off to Adam, walked into our bedroom and proceeded to bawl.  I have no idea why I cried about getting peed on, other than the fact that I've never been peed on before and it wasn't my most favorite thing.  Also, I'm having a grumpy kind of week (wink, wink, ladies, you know, THAT grumpy week) and I tend to cry at the drop of a hat.  That may also explain like 99% of the marital grumpiness this morning.  Adam kept yelling from the shower "He didn't mean it, honey!  You know he didn't do it on purpose!"  And by the time James was ready to be handed back off to me, I'd changed my outfit and stopped crying. 
Seriously, is the baby reading my blog?  Did he know that I'd recently written about both poop and his showering schedule?  James, no more peeing on Momma!  She's not a fan!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

An exciting weekend

Well, we don't really have an exciting weekend lined up, but that is ok with me.  The start of the birthday/holiday season is here, so I know the next few months will fly by.  Starting at the end of September we have birthdays for my step-sister, brother, mom, step-dad, and Adam.  Halloween is in there, and then we roll right into Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I know it seems like we have a while to go, but we don't.  This year we are planning to have a party for Adam's birthday, since it falls on 11/11/11, but we will see if that comes through.  But anyway, back to this weekend.  I am going to do some cleaning this morning and then am going to hang out this afternoon.  Tomorrow I am getting my hair highlighted and then coming home to watch football with the family.  I hope I am as productive as I plan to be with my morning cleaning!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Poop

Poop is a part of any parent's daily life.  When they're little (and sometimes when they're bigger) there are poop explosions that leak out of diapers and onto every inch of your baby's body.  When they start solid foods, you note the changes in consistency and wonder how often you should be giving them prunes.  And when they're old enough, you potty train.  I never thought about how much my parents knew about my bowels until James came along.  Okay, I could said that about almost any facet of parenting, I never knew what my own parents went through, but you know, poop is kind of taboo to discuss after potty training.  The other thing that no one really tells you is that sometimes you change a diaper and that smell stays with you all day.  Its just burned into your nose.  Today was one of those days.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Note to self...

...put the gate up at the bottom of the stairs when James is alone in the living room.

This morning, as we got ready to go to work and daycare, I left James to play in the living room while I went to the kitchen to get our lunches together.  Usually, James follows me into the kitchen (if that gate is open) and pulls all the magnets off the fridge.  He really loves those magnets, mostly because he's not allowed in the kitchen that often.  If the kitchen gate is closed, then he holds onto it and "talks" to me or he finds as many toys as possible to throw into the kitchen.  I should have known that something was up when neither of those things happen.  I started to hear James make some weird noises, so I went back into the living room.  And he wasn't there.  I called his name and heard him respond "DA!" which I think is his way of saying "Yeah".  Only I'd heard him responding from upstairs.  I walked halfway up the stairs to find James peering at me from the other side of the stair railing in the upstairs hallway.  Apparently, James really wanted his upstairs toys and not his downstairs toys.  He looked amazingly proud of himself and a bit like he knew that he wasn't supposed to be up there without a parent.  Luckily, he didn't try to make his way down the stairs, as he has rolled down them on one previous occasion.  I am definitely going to have to start remembering to put the gate up when I leave the room. 

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

My cuddly boy

James has always been a very snugly baby.  He loved to be held as soon as he came out and I loved taking naps with him on my chest.  Even when we only had a few minutes to nap, you would find James and I on the couch, snoozing away.  What is really fun now is that he will let you know that he wants a hug.  He'll raise his arms up and if you ask "Do you want a hug?", he bounces up and down and lets you know that he definitely does want a hug.  If you ask "James can I have a kiss?", he'll lean his forehead towards you and collect his kiss.  Its so sweet to see the way he loves us and knows how much we love him.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

James' 15 month stats

Adam took James for his check up yesterday, hard to believe he is actually 15 months old!  I was able to sneak out of work for a few minutes and meet them for the appointment.  Dr. Chander isn't concerned about James not walking yet, he thinks its mainly psychological, based on James' leg strength and ability to stand up while barely holding on.  If he's not walking by 18 months, we may have to get him evaluated for the delay, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.  Other than that, James is meeting and exceeding all of his milestones.  He was very happy to show Dr. Chander where "James' tummy is" and was excited when Dr. Chander let him look at his cell phone.  I really love our pediatrician and he never fails to make me feel completely at ease.  James received his diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTAP), haemophilus influenzae type b, and pneumococcal vaccinations, so he is right on track.  At 18 months, he'll get a hepatitis b vaccination and then we should be done with shots until he is 4 or so. 
James was 24.5 pounds and 31.5 inches tall.  That puts him in about the 75th percentile, for his adjusted age, so he has definitely leveled off since the days of being in the 95th percentile.  But that is just fine with us, he's gaining weight appropriately and very healthy!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

What's in a name...

Adam and I were engaged for over 2 years before we got married.  We knew we wanted a long engagement, if for nothing else other than to convince my mother that it was ok for us get married (Hi, mom!  Love you!)  During that time, a lot of people asked me what I was going to do about my name.  Me, being a rather independent woman, always thought that I'd keep my maiden name.  I never really thought it was a big thing, but then Adam spoke up.  He really firmly wanted me to take his name.  After a few days of thinking my soon to be husband was really a caveman, I asked him what his deal was.  He explained that he wanted his whole family, myself and our future children, to have the same last name.  Growing up, his half sisters, mom, and eventually step sister all had different last names.  So for him, it was important.  Eventually it ended up being more important to him for me to change my name than it was for me to keep my name.  So I became Chelsea Bednarczyk.  Now, I will still contend that if my maiden name wasn't just as long as Bednarczyk, that I would have hyphenated it.  Really though, no one hyphenates Winningham-Bednarczyk.  So after the wedding, we got the copy of our marriage certificate, and I went to Social Security and the MVA to change my name legally.  Then I wrote a list of every bank account, credit card, and student loan I had and started to contact them.  Most of them were easily, I would call customer service, find out the fax number, and send them a form letter I'd typed up with my old name, new name, and a place to write in my account number, along with copies of my new driver's license and marriage certificate.  I was really organized, and clearly not busy enough at  my previous job.  So the process was a pain, but nothing too bad and within a few days, all my accounts were updated.  Well, all but one.
Citibank Student Loans is the hold out.  They have never changed my name.  On their online system, I am still Chelsea Winningham.  When I get correspondence from them, I'm Chelsea Winningham-Bednarczyk.  And for awhile, I would send them another copy of my form letter.  When that didn't work, I started to call them.  They would tell me that they had updated their system.  I would tell them that couldn't possibly be the case, I was receiving mail with a name that never was legally my NAME.  Then I would be told that they had really updated the system that time.  But as recently as August, it was still hyphenated on correspondence that I received. 
A couple of weeks ago, I received an email that Sallie Mae bought my loans from Citibank.  I didn't think much of it, as Citibank had recently deferred my loans again and so knew nothing would be changing any time soon.  Then I got my first piece of correspondence from Sallie Mae, it was addressed to Chelsea Winninghambed.  So is this Winninghambed person on the hook for my loans?
An aside on my darling husband's forethought on the whole family having the same name.  I can't tell you how many times I've been asked for James' name (doctor's appointments, etc,) and then my name, and then the inevitable - "Same last name?" And it is much easier to answer - "Yes."

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Houston, we have a MOLAR!

James and his teeth continue to perplex me.  His gums are constantly swollen and it looks like they could all pop through at any moment.  We're always on the look out for more teeth, but we usually get the best look during dinner since James isn't exactly a willing participant in oral exams.  Just a few days ago at dinner I said, "Holy crap!  I think he's got another tooth...  oh wait, that's part of a tatter tot..."  Yes folks , I am eloquent.  But last night at dinner, Adam saw something in the back of James' mouth.  So I poked around a bit and saw that two of the cusps of James' upper right (wait, his right?) molar had poked through, without so much as a complaint from the boy.  I guess as time goes on he has gotten more used to the pain and is dealing with it much better.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Splish Splash

Bath times with James have become very interesting lately.  The bath is something James has not always been so fond of.  This is mainly because for the first 9 months (if not a little longer) James didn't take baths.  As soon as his umbilical cord stump (ewwww) came off, he started taking showers with Adam every other night.  This was really the easiest way to get him clean, especially on our very cramped work week schedule.  Initially, we thought Adam could do showers so that the boys could bond since I would be breastfeeding and get my skin to skin time in that way.  Of course, plans are for chumps and breastfeeding was not to be.  But anyway, Adam would get the shower going, I'd undress the little babe, hand him off to dad who would wash him in the shower, and then pass him back off to me.  I'd get James lotioned up, diapered, and jammied (yes, I just made a verb out of jammie, to dress one's infant in pajamas) while Adam finished up his own shower.  From the beginning, James loved the shower.  I'm told that this is rare in infants, most of them hate the water in their face.  Even at 3 months, James would tilt his head into the spray of water, close his eyes, and enjoy the warmth.  Occasionally, James would shower with me, although I was not nearly as comfortable holding onto a squirmy, wet baby.  Also, since I have to shower with my glasses off, I was doing it blind.  That said, I never dropped him! 
Around 6 months I thought that we should get James used to taking baths, so I brought him in the tub with me one evening.  Talk about a fail, he screamed and cried the entire time.  So we went back to showers, but the problem of James' ever increasing weight was an issue.  He was getting too heavy to hold for that long while soaking wet.  So back to the tub James went.  There were lots more tears, screams, and pleading looks, but now, at 15 months, James is finally enjoying bath time.  He has a few toys that he plays with, his favorite being a bath time basketball set.  And when I take the toys out and get ready to drain the tub, he splashes.  A lot.  James will look at me, raise his hands all the over his head (very dramatic, my kid, no idea where he gets that from...) and then bring them down, creating a minor tidal wave in the bathroom.  I suppose his happy splashes are far better than the screams and cries, but I still end up soaked!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Something I've learned about being a mother...

...is that I may never not worry about James.  Of course I knew going into this gig that he was going to be my main concern for the next 18 years, at least.  And of course I knew that small children incite a lot of worry from their parents.  But I never knew it would be like this.  I never knew that my whole body could be aware of what this small child is doing and I never knew how much my own parents worried about me.  Now I'm not saying that I'm one of these super crazy, helicopter parents.  I don't lose sleep over germs or dirty clothes or messy dinners.  I let him explore, I don't stifle him with my worries.  In the back of my mind though, they're always there.  James growing up has been this completely bittersweet mix of pride at his accomplishments and sadness that my baby won't ever be a baby again.  Adam always says how happy he is that James is growing up and becoming more independent.  One of these days, we aren't going to have to change diapers or feed dinner to him.  I would be lying if I didn't agree that having a toddler who sleeps 12 hours straight is amazing when compared with a tiny baby who is up every 3 hours.  With growing up and becoming more independent comes more for me to worry about.  Like climbing up those damn stairs.  He can get up them just fine, but on the way down he wants to just throw himself down.  Seriously?  Stop throwing yourself downstairs!  He wants to climb up them all the time, regardless of whether mom and dad are there or not.  We put a gate up and you'd swear we'd run over his dog, he's so sad about it.  And then there are worries about what he's not doing.  He's not walking yet, is he talking enough, did I stimulate my baby's brain enough today, and did he get enough healthy foods?  All the while I know that when he does walk (or you know, just get up and run, since he's been holding back on walking for so long) I will probably long for the days when I had a crawler.  It's a fine line between cautious parent and neurotic worrier and I'm definitely walking the line.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Friday, September 9, 2011

Stairstepper

James has a new hobby.  (Ok, a new hobby aside from being a binkie stealer.)  While he is still not walking, he has started to climb stairs.  A few weeks ago, he started getting on the first step at the bottom of the stairs in our living room.  Then he slowly started going up a few more steps, only making it up 3 or 4 of them.  He wasn't really sure what he was doing, especially on the way down.  His usual way to get down is to make it to the first step and them throw himself down.  This has lead to a lot of tears, but he's a tough little guy and continues to throw himself off that first step.  I'm not sure if his goal is to give his mother a heart attack, but he's succeeding at that fairly well.  On Wednesday, Rhonda told me that he had climbed all the way up the steps at her house several times.  She watches him very closely and he doesn't throw himself off the bottom step at daycare.  Yesterday, when Adam picked him up, she mentioned that James would climb the steps more when someone was standing next to him.  Last night, Adam tested this theory and James made it to the top of our stairs. 

Thursday, September 8, 2011

15 month milestones

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Plays with ball - James loves to play with balls right now, he really likes to play fetch with Mac and the two of them are so cute together. 
Uses three words regularly - James uses a lot of words, I'm not sure if I would call them regularly, but he knows the usuals "mama", "dada", "hi", and "bye"
Walks backward - Nope, we are still not walking at all.


Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Scribbles with a crayon - Yes, James has learned that if we go to a restaurant, he will usually get to play with the crayons they give out to kids.  The only problem is that he wants to eat them. 
Runs - Nope, we are still not walking... 
Adopts "no" as his favorite word - Not yet, but I can see this coming at any time now.  James does not like to hear the word no, even if you're telling the dog not to do something.  He's more and more of a toddler everyday, meaning he has more and more little tantrums.  He will definitely let you know if he's not happy, we usually try to ignore and redirect.  Although he will get upset, James rebounds and moves on very quickly. 



Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
"Helps" around the house - One of James' favorite things to do right now is to "organize" his toys into random boxes and compartments of toys.  He is learning to put his toys away, but we have a long way to go on that one.
Puts his fingers to his mouth and says "shhh" - No, James doesn't do this.  I'm not sure he's even seen anyone do this, so it doesn't surprise me. 



On the 19th, James goes to see Dr. Chander, his awesome pediatrician, so I will post his height and weight then.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Sassy the cat lives up to her name...

On Sunday, Adam's mom, dad, and stepsister and my brother came for dinner.  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and it wasn't too horribly awkward (Adam's mom and dad are divorced and only in the last couple of years have really socialized at all).  Snow, the now 4 month old puppy, also came.  The last time he was over, we kept Sassy (aka my little princess, the only other female in my house) away from him.  You see, Sassy loves to beat up puppies.  She kicked Mac's butt all the time when he was little.  Eventually they learned to get along, or at least we learned that she wasn't doing much more than batting at him.  We also learned that Mac's loud cries were FAKE.  Sassy doesn't have claws on her front paws and although she has bitten Mac before, it was totally provoked.  Mac actually kind of likes the attention from Sassy and will mess with her on purpose now.  But poor Snow didn't know what was coming.  So the few times Snow has been over, we've just kept Sassy away from him.  She's charged him and attempted some of her batting, but nothing big (at least not to me, I'm used to it)  We should have kept that up, because without even touching him, she scared the pee out of the pup.  Yes, every time Sassy would come near Snow, he'd tinkle just the littlest bit on my carpet.  Who knew Snow was such a big baby.  And my Sassy girl once again proves she's the alpha animal. 

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Signs that you've played with your kid's toys for too long

1. You sing along with all the songs (ex. “In and out, in and out, that’s what dump trucks all about”, “Now it’s time to Annie Ooo, Annie Annie Oooo, Ooo, Oooo, Ooooo.” You may even start to sing the songs while you’re away from your child, which may be rather embarrassing in the middle of a conference call at work.




2. You pick out the characters from The Land Before Time in a set of dinosaur magnets and have a long discussion with your husband about the fact that they changed the name for a Brontosaurus and whether Spike was a Stegosaurus or an Ankylosaurus. (Spike was totally a Stegosaurus… duh…)


3. You have specific toys that you hide because you can’t stand them anymore. See my post on toys that I hate.


4. You want to play with the toy more than your child does and get upset when he does a tornado through your newly set up barnyard train set (not that this really happened or anything…. *cough*)


5. You refer to the stuffed animals by names that you, not your child, have given them.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Baby Fever

Well now that I’ve gone and mentioned it, I suppose I will address baby fever.  I don’t think that I necessarily have a bad case of baby fever at the moment, although it seems like many people we know have recently had their second baby or are getting pregnant.  I know that we would like to have a second baby and would like to have them 3 to 4 years apart, which means sooner rather than later, its going to happen. 
The thing of it all is that Adam (and Jackie and my mom) are like, “Are you high?  Do you not remember the 8 days you spent in the hospital the last time?” And the really odd part of that line of questioning is that in many ways I was so freaking out of it that I don’t remember a lot of being in the hospital.  I mean, I wasn’t in great shape and I cried every single day, wanting to take my baby and go home, but looking back on it is easier now – I know the outcome.  I came home and James came home and we’re great.  All I had to do is lay in the hospital and veg out, I didn’t have to go to work, drive to Towson everyday, stay for a few hours, learn how to take care of a preemie, worry about my wife and baby and try to focus on the other million things involved in one’s daily life.  So I get that really, I was on the winning side of the situation. 
I am lucky that Adam is the amazing and supportive person that he is, because I never once questioned if he was able to take care of me and James.  I had always thought that he’d be a great dad and he beyond lived up to that expectation.  Also, he kept a steady supply of Junior Mints on hand, which I think gives him bonus points.  So where does that leave us for a second baby?  Nothing set in stone, no real plans at this point, we are definitely not trying, but are definitely thinking about trying someday.  And that’s enough for now.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Coping with the new baby

James has been learning to deal with the new baby at daycare this week.  From what Rhonda has said, the transition hasn’t been too bad.  On the first day Baby Landon was with the bunch, James and Kippy (who is 12 months other than James) both cried when he got his first bottle of the day.  But they eventually remembered that they don’t get bottles anymore (or forgot about it entirely, which is probably more likely).  But that was about all I had heard about the new baby until today.  When I arrived to pick James up, Landon was still there. 
I hadn’t seen the little guy yet, and I have to admit, he wasn’t very cute.  This proves what we pretty much already knew, my kid is the most adorable thing alive.  Okay, that’s not what it really proves, since I might be biased.  Well Landon was a little cute, but it might have been his Steelers onesie that was throwing me off.  Anyway, Landon was there lounging in his swing and sucking on his pacifier like nobody’s business.  Rhonda told me that James loves to stand or sit around the baby and really likes him, but he has a new hobby…  stealing the binkie out of the baby’s mouth.  I thought this was pretty hilarious, mainly because James never took a pacifier AND when he steals it, he doesn’t put it in his own mouth. 
 I am also going to take this time to mention that I am hugely antibinkie after about 6 months.  Yes, babies like to suck and the sensation soothes them.  But at a certain point, the binkie needs to go.  So I probably sound all judgey, but they increase babies’ chances of getting ear infections and between Adam and I, we don’t need to have James any more predisposed to ear infections than he already is.  Also, it annoys the bejesus out of me when parents won’t just cut the cord and end up leaving their kid with a binkie until they’re like 3.  So with James we were lucky, he didn’t really like the binkie and even when I wish he would have taken it, he didn’t.  But I digress on the whole binkie situation…  I am just glad that James is adjusting to not being the baby and I am attempting to not give in to the horrible illness known as baby fever.