Jamus' 2nd Christmas

Jamus had such a wonderful Christmas! I think the thing he liked most was the decorations. Every time we walk by the Christmas tree, he lets out a big sigh of admiration: "Ahhhhh." He is going to be terribly disappointed when it disappears this weekend.

Here he is with his stocking the morning of Christmas Eve. This is the time we set aside for just the three of us. He got one of his very favorite presents of the whole holiday: pudding cups!

Here he is opening a present with Gammie:

His very own laptop! He loves it.

He also got to take a ride in Cappy's new bowling bag, which was very fun.

And here is the present that caused Jamus' first minor tantrum. We were giving him an indoor ride on his new sled, and he wanted to do it again and again. Unfortunately, he forgot that he has known how to politely ask for "more" for about 4 months. He was so overexcited, he just threw a complete fit. Needless to say, a nap soon followed.

Of course, when Mommy wasn't looking Grandma Faye helped Jamus enjoy a delicious cookie. You can tell he knew it was not something he would normally be allowed to have before dinner!

Christmas stocking for a tiny one

This fall I took on the project of making stockings for our growing family. I knew I was pregnant so I definitely wanted to make a stocking for the littlest Schraw.

Once the stocking was made I realized that we would certainly need to get something to put in it! There is nothing worse than an empty stocking.

Every time we've been to the store for the last month I've looked at the newborn section and tried to find just the right thing. I didn't want to overdo it because we don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet. If it is a boy, this kid is going to have plenty of great hand me downs from his brother and cousins. (Thanks Grayson and Weston!) On the other hand, if it is a girl, the last thing I want is something else neutral. I want PINK!

I think I finally found the perfect compromise. Kohl's had a buy 1, get 1 free deal on these adorable tees:
Warning: if you are a friend of mine in your childbearing years, one of these might be re-gifted to you!

Litterbug

Here is my 12-week bump last weekend. The first trimester is almost over!

I have been pretty nauseous again with this pregnancy, but last week I bravely accepted my mother-in-law's invitation to do some Christmas shopping in Traverse City. It is about an hour and 15 minutes away and our closest mall.

We left at about 10:30 AM. I requested a quick stop at McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin. (The more I eat, the less nauseous I feel, which might explain my need for maternity clothes in the first trimester). It was only 10:40, but apparently that's lunch time in their McWorld. So I just got some fries and a coke.

About 10 or 15 fries in, these fries were suddenly utterly disgusting to me. I put them down on the floor. But I could still smell them. They smelled so greasy. I realized it was me or them, so I threw them out the window, bag and all.

My mother-in-law was quite shocked but a very good sport. It ended up being a great day! As usual, Jamus brought joy to everyone he saw. His sweetness reminds me that pregnancy is worth it in the end.

Santa is on Jamus' naughty list

A lesson in sharing

I am sure you are expecting me to discuss how Jamus has trouble sharing. He is only 1 after all. It is probably a lesson he will have to eventually learn, but I guess I have to learn it myself before I can teach it.

My first lesson in sharing involves every single thing I have eaten in Jamus' line of sight for several weeks now. He is a magnet to food. It doesn't matter a bit whether he is hungry or not. Even if he just ate a full meal, if I get something out to eat he has to try at least a few bites. He will stand at my knee, look up at me with his big expressive brown eyes, point and say, "Sat sat sat." That's roughly short for "Wassat?" or, more properly, "What is that? I demand to have some." I've had to learn to plan for this. When I cut up my apple, I cut a few slices small enough to share with Jamus. (Ok, an apple sounds really good right now.). Even if I eat something he can't have, I always bring a little something he can and try to trick him into thinking we're eating the same thing.

My second lesson in sharing came after Jamus and I both had our afternoon naps the other day. I got up a little earlier from mine so I could eat a snack in peace. I put on HGTV to keep me company. When Jamus got up, I left the tv on so I could see how the big home makeover turned out. He let me have a few minutes, but then he walked over to the tv, looked at it, then looked back at me and started doing his adorable fake finger snap/tongue click. He was asking me to turn off my program and put on music instead. How could I possibly say no to such a successful attempt at communication? It is amazing that he can now so clearly tell us what he wants, but I guess that means a lot more sharing.

Jamus, age 13 1/2 months, has a lot to teach Momma, age 29 and 11 months.

Jamus has a message

Tall and slender?

Jamus had his one-year-old checkup last week. He is 31 inches tall (93rd percentile) and weighed in at 25 pounds, 7 ounces (75th percentile)! The doctor said the darnedest thing about him... He referred to him as tall and slender. Really?? My little chubb-o?

Jamus' new tricks

Jamus is getting considerably harder to capture on film.

He is SO busy! He loves to look at (and destroy) books. He loves to look outside, especially if there is a fly caught between the window and screen. He loves to listen to music, pretending to snap his fingers while clicking his tongue to make the noise. He loves to stop a moment to hug his favorite stuffed animals. He will do all of these things in a single minute, rushing from one to the next!

He has also been trying some walking!

He is almost as proud as we are.

1 year

It hit me this morning as I was still lying in bed that this whole "raising children" thing really is going to fly by, just like they all say it will.

Jamus is 1 today. He survived. We survived. We survived pregnancy, labor, delivery, recovery. We survived being quarantined for 3 months due to H1N1 in our area. We survived spit up on our clothes, carpets, faces, everywhere. We survived buying and moving to a new house. We survived a pink nursery for the first 3 months and then a remodeling project that inevitably cost more and lasted longer than anyone expected. We survived one of the worst economies in the country. We survived first injuries and illnesses.Ah, but it has all been so much fun! Watching the first smiles and being surprised by the first giggles. Cheering the first attempts to roll over and then crawl. Seeing the growing understanding in his eyes when we talk to him. Teaching him to clap, wave, sigh, and grunt. Hearing him say "da da" and knowing he meant it this time. Seeing the joy he brings to people everywhere he goes.

I know having a child is the most natural thing in the world. You don't have to get a special degree or pass a grueling test. But when it's you and your child, it feels like you're inventing something completely new. It feels like you're the first person to ever love this much. It feels like your baby is the most adorable, the most sweet, the most special. It is a miracle and a gift.

Happy birthday, Jamus. We cannot wait to see what your 2nd year brings.

Birthday Party

Jamus turns 1 on Wednesday this week! He had a wonderful time celebrating with the family on Saturday.

Facing forward

Jamus will be one very soon, so we decided it was time to turn the carseat around.

He loved it!

Hats

Heating vents, and other mortal dangers

Jamus has been getting into EVERYTHING lately.

Note that his right hand has a sock over it in this photo. That is because he stuck his finger into a heating vent and sliced it pretty good. Through trial and error we found that taping a sock over it was really the only way to protect it long enough for it to heal. He had to wear it a good 10 days! Needless to say, it added quite a bit of drama to diaper changes, meals, bath time, etc.

After the heating vent incident I realized that I really can't take my eyes off him for even 30 seconds anymore unless he is in his playpen. Today I learned that he needs supervision even when he is penned up...

I was checking my e-mail in the next room when I decided Jamus was a little too quiet. I found him with these wires hanging out of his mouth! He had completely destroyed the "lights and sounds" feature of one of his favorite books. He protested quite a bit when I immediately took it away from him. He'd worked so hard to discover these new little tiny toys! I investigated it pretty closely to determine the likelihood that he had swallowed something deadly like a battery. I'm no expert in the area of "lights and sounds," but I think we're okay.

He seems fine, anyway.

Mohawk

Be fruitful and multiply

It is profound and amazing to watch new life come into the world. I am decidedly pro-baby. (I even stuck up for Octomom.) But as my closest friends have babies, it is indescribably significant to me. My heart grows bigger with each one.

I would like to introduce two of my newest friends:

Emmy Watterson Rumohr, 8/4/10, 8 lbs 10 oz, 22 in

Hudson Philip Loomis, 8/4/10, 8 lbs 10 oz, 22 in

So crazy that two of Joel's best college buds had babies on the same day with the same weights and lengths. I think God just likes to blow our minds sometimes to remind us that He is there.

Oops

My friend Amber once locked herself out of the house with her two-week old on a hot summer day. You can read about it at www.amberwire.com. (If I were more savvy I could link right to the post, but as it is you'll have to navigate back to June 28, 2009). In short, she was very alarmed to have put her little one in danger of being overheated but was saved by a well-placed cell phone. In her bra.

I can top that.

Yesterday, I locked myself out of the house. With my 10-month-old son INSIDE. On the loose, and very mobile.

I was working in the kitchen all morning making homemade chicken stock and feeling like a very good little homemaker. Having done all the calculations, I am afraid to admit that I was rather impressed with myself for finding a way to make it cheaper than storebought and of course more delicious. I had one eye on Jamus as he was crawling around the family room (gotta love an open floor plan). I decided to grab a couple of bags of blueberries from the freezer in the garage to make some blueberry syrup. As long as you're going to be in the kitchen all day, you might as well multi-task! Proverbs 31!

Jamus is so fast these days, and very curious. Every time you open a door that is usually closed, his eyes get big and he darts for it. So, of course, like a good Mommy I close the door to the garage behind me so he doesn't fall down the cement steps. The door closes and I hear the finality of that little "click" sound.

OH CRAP. I realize right away that it is very likely locked. I check it and sure enough I am locked out of the house with my baby inside. I feel the panic rising as I think about his favorite dangers. I know I have to act fast. I check a spot in the garage where I had once thought of putting a spare key. Nope. I run outside and look under the welcome mat even though I know we moved that key after only one night (too obvious).

I briefly consider breaking a window. I decide against it but I realize that it is a good backup plan.

Unlike my friend Amber, I did not have the foresight to carry my cell phone in my bra. Gratefully, however, I am wearing a bra, and so it is a little less embarrassing when I ask my pastor next door neighbor to use his phone. I call Joel and tell him he must come home immediately. He agrees.

I went around the house looking in all the windows while I waited. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him happily banging away on something. "Oh good," I thought to myself, "still alive." I went to the back door to be sure he wasn't playing with the tv or lamp cords. I was ready to break a window if I saw him crawling toward them. By the grace of God, Joel got home in under 5 minutes and Jamus was safely playing with his toys when we got in.

So this morning I checked on the blueberry syrup Jamus risked his life for and it has inexplicably turned into jelly. I guess I'll have to wait till next year to be nominated for the Proverbs 31 awards.

Crib antics

Every night before bed, Joel and I love to peek in at our little guy. Lately, he loves to sleep with his little tush in the air!

Then, in the morning, he now greets us standing up!

Wedding slide show?

More family pics