snowy day

James Henry is as precious as ever... But we have turned a corner. He spent his first year really laid back and easy going. I know that it is a natural part of growing up, and appropriate for this age, but it is amazing how quickly he has changed. He is suddenly fearful and a bit touchy. In his defense, it has been a rough week. No bottle! The Doctor said it was time to stop the bottle and boy has it been tough!

He is so much more in tune with his surroundings and sensitive to possible dangers however, he is still quite the daredevil. He is also much more aware of where I am at all times and prefers to have my undivided attention. All of these new developments have made me eager to find a Mothers Day Out program. Not because I do not love spending every moment with him, but because he is growing up. It is time for him to grow and learn with other babies and to be away from me now and then. Nothing full time, just a couple of mornings a week is what I am hoping for. He is on the waiting list at a wonderful church program. I am praying that we get in. We attended an open house there this morning. I really hope that it was not some type of covert screening method because we definitely failed the test. It was almost comical how poorly we did if someone by chance was monitoring our behavior. First, we were late (totally my fault) then we interrupted the meeting by sitting in a super squeaky chair and James Henry practicing all of his many new sounds. These included but were not limited to: singing, babbling, razzing and the lovely spit noises. On the tour, I could not bring the stroller and struggled to hold him still for 45 (never ending)minutes of walking around the building. He was hungry and looked at every stranger and gave them the baby sign language for "more" meaning that he wanted food (he does it constantly now, and what he is really asking for is his bottle). I am sure they all thought that I was starving my child, especially when he took my hand and bit me! Maybe I should have a "safety school" probably some sort of back up plan...

Yes, we are in a new stage. It is no longer about just nurturing my sweet baby but actually parenting. I have always prayed for James Henry but now more than ever, and for Clint and I to make good decisions and to know how to best handle him. Fussy and all, he has a sweet, sweet spirit and I am still eternally grateful to be his mother.