Having a good ole tidy up!

James and I had a major sort out in his bedroom on Sunday afternoon. We had lots of clothes to pack away that he's outgrown, and some toys he's outgrown too. We got everything more organized, and we're thinking of moving the furniture around a bit too. I was in a ruthless mood and got rid of some stuff too. James was very patient and played in his crib for a while and then had fun trying to get into all the different piles of things I had all over his floor.

"Hey, don't forget about me!!"

Trying to chew his way out of the crib ... I'm sure there's a very similar photo of me as a baby trying to chew my way out of the play pen... The desire to escape must run in the family!

This "diaper bag" kept him amused for ages ... he kept gnawing on the strap for a couple of minutes and then he'd wave his arms around manically for a bit, then go back to gnawing ... I think it kept him amused for about half an hour - what an amazing world of discovery !

Baby in a Box ...

James and Daddy found the perfect James-size box to play in on Saturday. I was doing something in the kitchen when the boys zoomed passed the door in this Cardboard Box Car - I'm still not sure who's smile was bigger ... Of course it became a drum after they'd got bored of playing make-believe cars.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! This is fun!"

"Hey, Dad - why have you stopped pushing me around?? How am I supposed to pretend this is my car if you don't push me?!"

In fact, he seemed to enjoy being in the box so much that perhaps when we come home (less than 3 weeks!!) we should pack James up in a box and post him back?? We can pack some toys too so that he doesn't get bored. What do you think?

Thank you, Nanny and Grandad for my music CD!!

James got another package in the post today. It's a CD called "I know Jesus loves me too" and his Nanny and Grandad got it for him at Spring Harvest this year. It's got lots of very catchy songs on it, and James seemed to really enjoy it when I put it on. He likes the bouncy, cheerful songs (which most of them are!) - and enjoyed dancing around to them. Of course, his dancing partner (aka Mummy) did most of the dancing ... James just got to be swung around. Thank you, Nanny and Grandad it looks like this is going to be a popular CD!

Of course, this CD under went the mandatory "taste test" ... and it looks like it passed!

Daddy listened to Ishmael music when he was little too ... he looks almost as excited as James did when he opened the package this morning!

Daddy remembered "5,0,0,0 + hungry folk" from when he was a little boy (yes, they had music back then ... but it was probably on a big, black vinyl "CD" in those days ...). It looks like the classics still make little boys smile and giggle today!

Spot the difference ...

We took these photos using the timer on the camera today. I wanted you to see what a grown-up little boy he looked with his spiderman sneakers and cap on ... only I missed the sneakers all together. Then I decided to be vain and take my glasses off, and James' cap ... and then the next photo came out all blurry!! I am really disappointed as it could have been the best photo yet of the two of us together but the camera decided to focus on the sofa (which I've cropped out) rather than us! Doh.

One, Two, BUCKLE my shoe ...

James has decided to re-write that nursery rhyme ... one, two, CHEW on my shoe!

Told you it wouldn't be long before he figured out how to get those spiderman sneakers/trainers off ... I left him for all of 10 seconds before we went out earlier and found a rather sheepish looking James chewing on his sneaker!

Frog/Pounce Position ...

James keeps doing this strange frog/pounce thing. He'll be sitting yoga style playing when all of a sudden he decides to pounce for something just out of his reach (either toys or Mummy or Daddy's toes!) so he lunges forward froggy style. Really quite clever I suppose...

Crazy Hair Day!

By the time you've rolled over a few times your hair can end up doing wild and crazy things ... Or maybe he was trying to do a Billy Idol impression?!?!

"There was one in the bed, and the little one said ..."

James had a really bad, cranky day yesterday - I thought it was just the teething thing but when I got up with him in the night I found a baby Darth Vader in his crib!! Poor little boy had a really stuffy nose. But he did have a better night's sleep and although his nose has been running all day he's been much happier and so I've ended up taking quite a lot of photos today. This morning I sat him in our bed when I got dressed (a bit later than normal as Daddy had to leave earlier for work this morning) and he just looked as happy as anything to be somewhere different, and he looked so little and cute that I had to take a photo.

Looking just so pleased with himself! You can see the poor little boy's very runny nose. It's been like that all day but he's been in a much better mood today than he was yesterday. He's also taken several very long naps (the longest one yet in his crib!)

When he's somewhere new he always likes to have a good nose around to check out his new surroundings. He's been in our bedroom before but not very often and there were all sorts of new things to look at.

Look at my new Spiderman Sneakers!

James got some new big boy spiderman sneakers/trainers yesterday. They were in the sale so I decided to get them, even though he'll probably have outgrown them by next week! He seems to like them and hasn't yet figured out how to pull them off but I doubt it will be long.

"Hmmm, I wonder what they taste like ... "

"Look at how strong I am! Pay no attention to the arms holding me up ... Mum was supposed to air brush those out !"

Arty angle ... Don't worry his feet aren't really THAT big!

At the moment he seems to enjoy putting his blocks and balls into the shape sorter and then takes them out one by one, or just dumps them out. He hasn't figured out to put the shapes in the holes yet but just puts them in the big hole at the top.

Gangsta Rapper JamJam is back!!

This musical interlude sponsored by Coca-Cola...

James loves to make things shake and rattle at the moment so the other day I gave him this empty coke bottle with some dried pasta in it and he LOVES it! It's kept him amused for days now. He's obviously enjoying exploring his musical side (which he didn't get from his Mum or Dad!) Notice the "one sock off" trick - still very in vogue at the moment... We're forever finding odd socks around the house at the moment!

What a funky little dude!

He was using his jungle toy as a mixing desk moments before I took this photo. Not sure how easy it is to see from the photo but the lion's mane spins on the blue toy, and so he was spinning that and shaking the bottle - maybe we should call him Sir Mix-a-lot?!

This made me laugh so much that the photo came out blurry. He was shaking the bottle with his feet, chewing on his sock and waving his arms around in excitement! What a funny little man!

Banana Bag

Can't remember if I've put any photos of James using this interesting little gadget on the blog before. It's a little mesh bag that you can pop food inside and he can happily chew on. I think the idea is that it encourages chewing and is particularly good for teething. James has had carrot and avocado this way before and seemed to enjoy it. The last couple of days I have put banana in there and he LOVES it. He makes these loud "Mmmm, hmmmm" noises and gets in a big squishy mess but it keeps him amused for ages and he's getting some yummy fresh fruit.

And to finish it off a little bit of mango and a chew on the spoon.

Bottom's Up!

James is starting to figure out that in order to get moving he's going to need to lift his bottom up off the ground ... unfortunately he hasn't yet realized that when he just pushes with his legs that causes his head to plunge to the floor ... I think he's going to need to work on those baby push-ups so that he can build his upper arm strength!

Another day, another discovery ...

James has discovered that the brightly coloured quilts and blankets he plays on AREN'T glued to the carpet ... and so his new favourite thing to do is to bunch them up and make a nest! I think he's also discovered that this is a good way to get the toys that are just out of his reach.

Another of James' favourite things to do at the moment is to pull his socks off. It's taken me this long to find socks that don't just fall off all the time ... and now he's discovered how to pull them off - and he does it whenever he gets bored of playing with his toys.

Once you realise you can reach your socks, the next thing to do is obviously to chew them!!! It's just so unfair ... I can't even touch my toes, let alone chew my socks!!

Using a beaker today ... drinking from a pint glass tomorrow???

James has been exploring using a beaker/sippy cup. He's not totally getting the concept at the moment - he'd rather chew than sip but he just needs a bit more practice.

Assembled in the USA using British parts!

This is James wearing his "Assembled in the USA using British partts" onesie that our friends Steve and Tammy bought him before he was born - it's so perfect! (And where I got the title for this Blog from)

James at Family Worship

Our church has started a once a month special family worship service and we went to the first one last week. James got stuck right in ... by eating the paper with the prayer on it!! He had fun though - we sang worship songs that had actions, and there were lots of other children to watch and smile at which he loves to do! We just about managed to stop him chewing on the Bible ... I know we should eat up God's word but really, that might have been a bit too literal!

Bed Head ...

James must have been paying attention to those cute photos of Hayley and her "bed hair" (www.sathjohnsonfamily.blogspot.com) and decided to try that look out for himself. He looked so funny the other morning when I was about to give him his breakfast that I had to take a quick photo. I think he was more upset that his cereal was being delayed!

Oh, and you might have noticed that scar under his nose ... that was a self-inflicted wound. I always know I've left it too long to clip his finger nails when a scratch like this appears. This one took a few days to heal.

There were 10 in the bed, and the little one said ...

"ROLL OVER! ROLL OVER!!"
Yep, James rolled over on Monday. I put him on his back to play for a bit while I emailed my friend Zoe (who just got engaged, by the way - YEY!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! She's asked me to be Maid of Honour and I'm so excited for her and her fiance, Julian) - and when I turned round to check on him he was lying on his front, looking a bit bemused ... He's done it a few times since. And he appears to be able to go from back to front, and from front to back. This was him just after the first time. And I have now seen him do it "live", he just needs to do it while Daddy is around now.

A couple of teeth photos ...

So, I discovered the best way to get photos of James' new teeth is to snap photos when he's not grinning from ear to ear! Not the greatest photos of James but you can definitely see the teeth now. All this work just so you can see those bottom teeth - I'm sure in a few months I'll wonder what all the fuss was about when he has a big toothy grin!