22 weeks

James will be 22 weeks old tomorrow. We decided to take advantage of the summer-like weather and take some pictures outside. And it gave James the chance to model his cute little overalls :)





He was so happy to look around and take in all sorts of new sights and sounds and smells. Eventually, he grew a little tired.


We then headed out for a walk along the river. It took a couple of miles, but he finally fell asleep. He doesn't usually fall asleep with a thumb in his mouth so I couldn't resist another picture.
We're looking forward to many more summer evenings spent going for walks!

21 weeks/5 months

James was 21 weeks old this past Thursday and he will be 5 (!!) months old on Monday. What is our little 5 month old up to? (Besides looking cute, of course!) Well, he has been sleeping really well this past week. Since he had been taking an early evening nap anyway, we moved up his bedtime by an hour or so -- meaning that he sleeps straight through from 8:30 to 6:30. We have also stopped swaddling him at night. He was getting a little big for the swaddle and his arms always worked themselves out by morning. That certainly hasn't seemed to affect his sleeping. He has also started to take an interest in Amelie and will try to "pet" her whenever she walks by. Yesterday, he reached out with both hands and grabbed handfuls of fur. Surprisingly, she has put up with him so far and is still rather indifferent.

Here are a few new pictures of James:


He is getting better and better at holding his head up. He won't roll over with any regularity, but he has done it a few times now.
He loves his toy car. I have been putting him down on a blanket and then winding up the car and letting it go across our wood floors. He is fascinated by this. Also, he thinks the car tastes good.
Playing with the car, leaving a trail of drool in his wake...

And he continues to enjoy his book. I tried to get a picture of him chewing on the cow tail but he took it out of his mouth before I got the chance.
He will chew on just about anything within reach these days. Still no teeth, though. Any day now...

one year ago...

James is 21 weeks old today -- but for once, this post isn't about him. One year ago, Aaron and I landed in Istanbul for our last big adventure together before our the adventure of parenthood. We had been itching to go on some sort of spring break trip, and once we saw that plane tickets to Istanbul weren't any more expensive than for any other European city, we jumped on the opportunity. It was an amazing trip -- so many layers of history, exotic sights and sounds, and yes, even the opportunity to relax.

We stepped off of the tram from the airport and we were right in the heart of old Istanbul. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia were the first things we saw, and then we heard the call to prayer. Definitely in a foreign country! We naviaged the narrow and often confusing back streets to finally arrive at our guest house. After a filling meal and a night of sleep, we were off to explore the city.

Our first destination was the Hagia Sophia, a site that Aaron and I have long wanted to see. We managed to arrive before the hoards of touritsts. It was just as amazing as we imagined, perhaps even more so when we saw it in person.

We were also looking forward to checking out the bazaars and markets.

The spice market looked amazing, with mounds and mounds of exotic spices. And it smelled even more amazing. Aaron loves his spices so he was just in heaven here.

The "new" part of Istanbul lies across the Galata bridge from the "old" part of the city. It was quite the happening place in the 19th century and the main street, Istiklal, is still a thriving shopping area. We spent parts of a couple of different days here. It was great for people watching and shopping and getting a glimpse of local life.

We were also able to get out of the city for a day when we took a cruise up the Bosphorus. The end point of the trip was at the Black Sea, where we had a picnic lunch and watched the huge ships heading out from their ports in Russia.

We also took a two-day side trip to Selcuk, the jumping off point to visit the ancient city of Ephesus. I was especially excited at the thought of seeing all sorts of Roman ruins, including the famous library. And the 25,000 person amphitheatre where the apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians. Getting to Selcuk was a bit of an adventure. It involved taking the budget airline Pegasus (a great deal and a comfortable 1 hour flight for ~$20/person!) and then a local dolmus (bus) that we flagged down on the side of the highway with the help of a local taxi driver. We had an entire day dedicated to exploring Ephesus.

The famous amphitheatre, where we had a picnic lunch and enjoyed the view:

And the impressive library:

After returning from Selcuk, we had a couple of days remaining in Istanbul. We took our time wandering through some excellent museums and we lingered over coffee and backgammon at street cafes. We also returned to some of the markets and bought a few souvineers. After a week of fast-paced travelling and site-seeing, it was nice to slow down and relax. Finally, it was time to head back home. We snapped one final picture of the Blue Mosque just before we left:

We think about this trip almost every day and Aaron has managed to work our trip pictures into a number of his social studies classes. Of course, this doesn't mean that we aren't thinking ahead to our next travel adventure... :)

James "reads"

Aaron and I read to James just about every day and we really hope he will love books as much as we do. Here are a few pictures of James showing off his intellectual side. At this point, however, how the book tastes is a little more important than the content.

This is better... at least the book is right side up!

It is fun to see the look of interest and concentration on his face when he is captivated by a toy.

But he still has time to give Mom a smile!

20 weeks

James was 20 weeks old this past Thursday. It was a big week for him. He spent the first part of the week hanging out with Grandma, enjoying walks in the stroller and spending time at Caribou. It's exhausting being this cute!


He was a little sad when I dropped him off at day care on Wednesday -- I don't blame him. I'd rather be spending my days in coffee shops as well. Fortunately, he was back to his smiley and happy self by the evening.
On Thursday night, we got a surprise visitor -- Sarah! She had an unexpected layover at the airport so we met up with her at baggage claim for an hour or so before her next flight. I'm glad she had the chance to finally meet James and it was fun to catch up. This picture was taken before James drooled all over her shoulder... a sign of his affection :)
We're having a good Saturday morning here. James let us sleep in (until 7:30!), we're having pancakes for breakfast, and Aaron and James are playing together while watching This Old House. Perhaps it will warm enough for a nice walk later...

19 weeks

James was 19 weeks old this past Thursday. He has learned how to blow spit bubbles this week and has gotten quite good at it. He has also been enjoying his toys and making all sorts of screeching noises.

Today, he is modeling his fashionable Polo outfit ($1 from Goodwill):




We went out for some shopping today and James passed out in the car on the way to the mall. His new hat is just a bit big for him yet:
Looks like a comfortable place for a nap to me!

4 month check-up

Yesterday was the 4 month well baby visit for James. I was really looking forward to learning how much he had grown since the 2 month check-up back in January.

Birth:
8 lbs, 2 oz
21.5 inches
2 months:
13 lbs, 12 oz (87th percentile)
24 inches (81st percentile)
4 months:
15 lbs, 12 oz (50th percentile)
26 inches (75th percentile)

So he's not as big as I thought he might be based on those 2 month percentiles, but he sure seems big to us. We were given the green light to introduce solids at any time, although he seems to be doing pretty well with just milk at this point. He did well with his visit and did not cry as much as last time when he got his shots. There were plenty of tears, though. Poor boy. Still, he was smiling by the time we got out to the waiting room so he wasn't too traumatized.

Yesterday was a big day for James. Not only did he have his doctor's appointment, but he had a special visitor -- grandma! They will have lots of time together over the next few days, until she goes back to Arizona next Wednesday. I also took the day off of work and we went to the Mall of America for some shopping. James even got a new hat, which he will show off when we take a few 19 week pictures (hopefully tomorrow).

18 weeks

James was 18 weeks old this past Thursday. He is happy and smiley and loves his feet. He can almost fit them in his mouth and seems determined to keep trying until he can.

Last week wasn't such a good week for sleep. He woke up two different nights at 2 am (which he hasn't done since before Christmas) and another night at 4 am. I don't mind the 4 am wake up call so much since I am at least able to get a decent amount of continuous sleep. 2 am is less fun. He always goes right back to sleep after a snack, but he has been sleeping so well lately that we have gotten used to a full night of sleep. Overall, he is a really good sleeper so I'm hoping these middle of the night wakings will pass soon.






Last night, James went on his first pub crawl. We met friends at the Mall of America and went from restaurant to restaurant. It was really crowded and now I know why I don't normally spend my Saturday nights there. James was fascinated by all the lights and sounds and people but before too long, sleep won out and we decided to head home.

The weather has been rather spring-like lately (40s) so we have been able to get out for a few walks. By the end of this week, we probably won't have any snow left to contend with and that will make maneuvering the stroller a bit easier. And soon it will be light in the evenings and we are all looking forward to after-dinner walks.

exciting news!

Back in January, I took the Jeopardy! online test, which is the first round of testing for those aspiring to be on the show. I just received an email inviting me to the second round of auditions, which will be in Chicago in early May. I have two days to decide if I am going. I’m a little surprised because I didn’t think I did that well on the online test. Of course, I only remember the questions I got wrong but there must have been plenty I got right as well.

I like trivia and I’ve always been pretty good at it. And I’ve watched Jeopardy! as far back as 3rd grade (that I can remember). I also remember getting a final Jeopardy question right in those early days… something about M&Ms (clearly, I was an expert in that subject).

The audition itself is 2 hours or so, according to the email I received. I think that covers a written test and some mock competitions with other potential contestants. I do know a couple of people who have actually made it on the show, so I have some options for advice. Assuming Aaron could take off work for a day or two, it could be a fun weekend in Chicago!