Almost two

James, you'll be two years old in a couple of months so I wanted to write down a few things that are happening in your life right now.

You love to read, eat apples/avocado's/blueberries, play with friends, kick balls, go for walks and dance.

Favorite words: apple, truck, water, please, thank you, faster, no way

The things I love the most about you...

The way your smile lights up your face.
The sound of your footsteps as you run down the hall
Hearing you roar like a lion
The way you point to the places you'd like to go while I hold you
Hearing you sing and talk in your crib when you first wake up
The way you hold the corners of your blanket and rub them together for comfort
How you "share" your pacifier with your stuffed puppy when you leave the crib
The way you swim in the bathtub
How proud you are when you eat with a fork/spoon
The belly laugh I get when I tickle your sides
How you pretend to be a dog and crawl on all fours in the kitchen while I cook.. and want to be pet on the head.
The way you can point at your elbows, knee's, ear's, nose, mouth, chin, hair, eyes, bellybutton and toes.
The way you frantically pull of your socks when we read three little pigs, so I can pull on your toes while singing the nursery rhyme.
How you tell me "No Way!" when I ask you to do something you don't want to.
How your second toe on each foot is too crowded for your fat little foot and has to sit slightly above the rest.
The noise you make when you want to play trains "choo choo" or hear an ambulance "we -o, we-o, we-o
The unprompted hug I'll get when I least expect it
..and best of all, the way you pull on your dads hand in the evening to go downstairs and play trains, just the two of you.

We love you more than you know-

Roche Harbor, Aug 2013

D dock with the Taylor's and VanZandt's

 Day trip to Westcott Bay

 The guys went fishing before dinner

Captain Arik

 Mrs B

Bryan... moments before jumping in ; )

 Lovely Jaemi Ann

The girls on our last night together!

16 Months

James, you're 16 months and growing up to be such a fun, spirited little boy! 

Your words: Wow!! what's this? Ball. Muuum (for Mom)

Things you like: 

your blanket and a pacifier. Eating with a spoon. Reading lots of books! playing with Daddy at night. picking blueberries. eating lots of fruit. play chase around the house. jumping/falling on pillows. standing on chairs (which you're not suppose to do!) Throwing balls. bath time.

 screaming when you're excited or upset. pushing your stroller

 Foods you enjoy eating:

avocado, cherry tomato, cheese, Greek plain yogurt, almond butter/honey sandwiches, pretzels, lots of fruit - berries are your favorite, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries!!!

Places we like to go:

Park in Tamo to swing, slide and sit on the seesaw. Golden Gardens to play at the beach, find rocks, put your toes in the water and point at the boats. Seattle Zoo. Wallingford market on Wednesday's where we listen to live music, eat apples, play with the toy tractors and meet up with Gwen, Devyn and Miller!

We love you so much and enjoy you every single day! You make us laugh constantly and remind us how blessed we are! Love, your parents

5 months & counting..

Its Sat afternoon and you're taking a nap........ so I thought this would be a perfect time to capture some of the daily happenings around here before I forget!

On September 6th we took you in for your 5 month appointment - where we learned you now weigh 16.9lbs! I was only half surprised. You do seem to be growing constantly and learning new things everyday!


A couple weekends back, we went camping with Peter, Maria and Santi. It was your first time sleeping under the stars - and it was a big success. As far as we could tell - you boys loved every min of it!






New tricks: 
You like to suck on and study your toes 
making bubbles with your mouth
rolling over from back to tummy... and then from tummy to back (very proud!)
sleeping on your side
laughing hysterically when i tickle you
missing daddy when he walks out of the room
bouncing, even when you're not in your bouncy chair- you're addicted and cant stop!
pushing the musical button on your saucer chair with your forehead (even though you can do it with your fist)

You and Brian became fast friends up at their boat on Roche Harbor this summer!

Hanging with the boys! 

What are little boys made of?

Slugs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

James at 4 months

 

  His nursery 

 

Playing with Dad

bath time! 

Nap time with Sophie 

Memories

Memories

Yesterday, March 11th, marked one month until our babies due date. It was also the first day (that I know of, or that I could feel) he had the hiccups!

Here is a picture of me and my sister-in-law Abbey!

She had Grace a day after this picture was taken - fun memories!!

xoxo

Heather

Baby in the Spring

Our lives are about to change in a big way, come Spring time! We're expecting a baby boy on April 11th and will (most likely) name him James Patrick McDermott.

Our doctor suggested writing special moments/milestones down throughout the pregnancy to share with him, when he is older. I've been terrible about that and just hope I can remember little things down the line.

I remember our first sonogram, when we heard the heartbeat for the first time. I had been so worried up to that point that when we heard it loud and clear, tears ran down my cheeks. I felt like things were going to turn out ok.

Another big moment was during our second ultrasound, when we got to see how developed the little guy already was!

Things I've noticed:

Spending all day.. everyday.. with him has given me a chance to pick up on little things. I often wonder if it will be part of his personality, or just a result of being tucked into a nice warm ball with almost no room to stretch out.

His legs/feet have been on my right for over a month now. Every time I rest or lay on my side he starts kicking and wont let up until I re-adjust. It not like I feel a few kicks like he is checking things out and wondering why the walls are closing in - its like he is telling me to stop that, he wants his space back! Happens every time!

He also gets restless if I rest an arm on my stomach, just like his dad, and will continually move if I put any pressure on my stomach. I could sit in the same position for hours and hardly move if I'm reading a good book or watching a movie. If Joe is on the couch relaxing, and I rest an arm or leg over his.. it will stay that way for a few min (at most) before he gets fidgety.. it's like they don't like being trapped. = )

Nursery so far.. we put the crib up but are waiting to assemble the dresser and for the rocking chair/glider to arrive. More pictures to come!

We had our fist (of 2) parent classes at the hospital last night. Joe was really attentive, supportive and lighthearted - which made me feel better about the fear in childbirth. I'm glad he's going to be right by my side in this process.. I find different reasons to love him every day.