James' Birthday Party

James had a great birthday party at Love-To-Tumble gym on December 15th! He had a great turn out with all his buddies. They had such a great time learning about the gym and playing. The teacher was awesome and knew just how to get all of the kids involved. Grandma and I made a Thomas The Train cake for the party. It turned out great!

Mommy decorating the cake.
The awesome cake!

Such the tumbler

Having fun!!

The group learning a new game.

Waiting in line.

James' Christmas Show

La Petite...James' day school puts on a Christmas show every year. I was not aware of the show as they only let the 3-year-olds and above participate. As you know, James turned 3 on December 13th, and transitioned to the 3's room right around there. The week of the Christmas show, James' 3's teacher stopped me and told me that James was doing so well in the class that she wanted to include him in the Christmas show. They sang two songs with his class and then another song with all the kids.

James of course was adorable!! It wouldn't be as cute unless you have one who stands out from the rest. That was a 3-year-old kid who sang every song at the top of his lungs. Kinda cute...but kinda irritating at the same time.

I can't wait until next year's show!!

Enjoy the pics.

Getting ready - standing by Grandma and Papa's Christmas Tree

Show time

He's such a Ham!!

"James...put your shirt down."

"Hi MOM!!"

James' 3rd birthday

Wow...3-years-old already. Where does the time go. James was so excited. I made cupcakes for the class. As we walked into daycare, James said, "I'm 3 today." He's so darn cute. After daycare, I picked him up and then went to Grandma's to pick her up. Papa was at a party, so he joined us after dinner. We celebrated with cake and then presents. Grandma and Papa got James a Thomas the Train balloon...which he loves and (2-weeks later) is still floating like the first day!! Here are some pics from the day.

Officially Potty-trained

James has been potty-trained now for probably about 4-6 weeks now...even through the night. I am so amazed at how quickly it happened. Once he was put in underwear, he just kind of got it. Now, we have had a few accidents here and there, but for the most part it has been great. I gave the remaining diapers to my neighbor friend and the pull-ups to my dear friend Melissa.

Potty Training Update

Okay...so James has been seriously potty training for the last few weeks. Every morning he wakes up and goes pee pee on the potty. Some mornings are better than others, but I have been quite successful getting him to go. He had a lot more trouble going potty at school.

Finally, last Friday he went pee pee for Ms. Laura in the afternoon. Early this week he would refuse to go potty for Mrs. Betty (the AM teacher) but would go for Ms. Laura. Thank the Lord, today he went pee pee for Mrs. Betty. What ever the issue was, it appears as though he is finally getting over that.

We haven't had much success with...hmmm...let's say, number 2. :) Tonight I could tell that he had to go, but he kept telling me that he didn't. We went up for his bath and got all washed up. As he was playing in the tub he got on his knees and started to poop, and said, "mommy, I gotta poop." GREAT!! I grabbed him out of the tub (as the log dropped into the water) and put him on the potty. It took a lot of convincing but he finally "finished" on the potty. So I guess he technically went poo poo on the potty this evening. Maybe now that he knows what it is like to go on the potty, maybe he will be more willing. Cross your fingers. I am hoping to get him out of diapers and into underoos as quickly as possible.

Sick Baby James

Well, last night was fun to say the least. James seemed fine last night. We did the same routine as always...bath, books, and bed. He went to sleep just as usual. At about 11:45 PM, James started to cough, cry and then call out for me. At first I thought he had a bad dream, but something told me that I better get up. I went into his room (very dark) and tried to sooth him. He said, "my pillow is yucky". I touched his pillow and it was wet...YUCK! I turned on the light...that's where the real YUCK came in. Yes, you guessed it, vomit all over the big boy bed. Of course since we just transfered James into the big boy bed 1 week ago, I hadn't yet washed the extra set of sheets. And since there was so much...everything needed to be washed. So, I cleaned the little man up, changed his clothes, stripped the bed, and headed downstairs. I immediately put him on the couch and put on Thomas the Train. Then I started the washer. Of course within minutes, James was vomiting again...all over the couch. Ok...I can do this. No big deal. The washer is going so now it's time to get a 3rd pair of jammies, clean off the couch (trying to find the Folex after midnight is not always easy), and get him comfortable again.

It's really amazing what you will do as a parent. By the third vomiting session, I was running over to him putting out my hands so he vomited there and not anywhere that had fabric. It doesn't gross you out when it's your own kid. After about 2 hours of cleaning, we were all set to go back to bed. James went right down. He woke up a few times and called out, but only once or twice. He woke up at about 6:45 AM to vomit again.

To make things a little more complicated, Melissa was supposed to drop off Jack to hang out with James and Mom while we went to work. I hated to do it, but I had to tell her at 7:00 AM that it was a no go for the baby sitting. I hate leaving my friends in a lurch...but I know she didn't want little Jack exposed to the stomach bug James was dealing with. Luckily Mom is in town, so I was able to leave James with her while I went to work. He was able to sleep three hours in the middle of the day (that's when I knew he was really sick). Also, he only ate 1/2 a pretzel, a few Cherrios, and a bite of a breakfast bar all day.

James in a Big Boy Bed

Last night was James' first night in his new Big Boy Bed. We got him a twin bed to sleep in now. He is finally out of the crib and on his way to being a full out BIG BOY!! When the bed was delivered yesterday afternoon James got real excited. He wanted to go see his big boy bed and check it all out. We kept the same routine for bedtime (bath, books, bed) and he did great. I put him in his bed and told him to go to sleep and to not get out. He said ok and did just that. He slept like an angel and didn't get up at all. I went in the next morning and he was still there all snug in his bed. I am so proud of my little munchkin man!! I will need to take pics and post them!!

James' First Shiner

On Tuesday, August 7, 2007 James went to Daycare as usual. I dropped him off about 8:00 AM, gave him a kiss, and told him to have a good day. At around 9:45 AM I get notification from the daycare that James had a little accident and hurt his eye. They told me that at about 9:10 AM he was running in the classroom and went to throw himself down on a mat. He overshot the mat and landed left eye first into a bookcase. I was told that he didn't even cry. He stood up and said, "I won't run in the classroom anymore." They told me that it looked real bad but that he was acting fine and there was no need for me to come get him. Luckily, Mom/Grandma is in town so she was able to go pick him up for me around 2:00 PM. Grandma brought him to my work so that I could see for myself how bad it was. It looked worse than I thought, but he was acting perfectly fine. Here are some photos from Tuesday through today (Thursday). He is a trooper. His Uncle replied to his injury by suggesting we get him some skates and a stick...cause he is ready for hockey!!!

James' Black Eye - Tuesday (day of)

James' Black Eye - Wednesday

James' Black Eye - Thursday