James Turns 6 months

This is 3 weeks late, I know, BUT I wanted to include these pictures that Amy took of James the day of his half birthday. 

Dear James,

You are becoming such a big boy (6 MONTHS OLD!!!). I probably say this every month! Seeing you grow is such a cool thing. You've experienced a lot of neat things this month. You went on your first long trip in the car (long=5 1/2-6 hours for mommy and daddy). You got to meet your cousins Brooklyn, Drew, Quinten, and Brennan. They think you are the coolest...and they are right! Now that your personality is becoming more apparent, it's neat to see you interact with aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc. Speaking of cousins, Molly LOVES you! You, Molly, and Cooper are going to have a blast running around and driving us crazy! 

After having trouble getting you to sleep the last couple of months, you FINALLY started sleeping 8-9 hours at night. You have occasional hiccups but do well for the most part. 

You became very interested in mommy's food this month so I decided to start feeding you solids. Son, you are NOT a fan of pureed food so far. Mommy is still trying to make things happen. If you don't like it, we'll just wait until you're old enough for finger food!

Besides food, you've had some other first experiences this month. You tried swinging at the park, you played with grass, and you went into the pool. You didn't get overly excited about any of them but seemed really chill about it. You mostly people watched as you were doing these things (just like mommy and daddy...we love people watching)!

You are starting to move around more and mommy and daddy really have to keep an eye on you. You can roll across the floor in about 5 seconds! You are trying SO HARD to crawl but you really should consider slowing down this progression. Mommy's not ready for you to move that much. I think it will be a while before you crawl, though. You have to get a little better at sitting without us holding onto you. 

You are such a sweet, good boy and so much fun to play with...I can't wait to see what you have in store for mommy and daddy! We love you, Jamesy!

Love, 

Mommy

Lake Erie, Fatigue, and James Won't Eat...

Jimmy and I took last Friday off so that we could enjoy a short 28 hours at Lake Erie. We stayed at the family cottage in Huron which is a short 30 second walk to a private beach! We go at least once each summer but this time was special because it was James' first beach experience as well as Izzie and Angel's! 

Prior to leaving, J and I went on a 7.4 mile run around our neighborhood followed by a delicious breakfast at Der Dutchman with daddy. This was James' FIRST time to sit in a high chair at a restaurant:

After settling in at Lake Erie, we enjoyed some walks, went out to eat, and went to Mr. Boo's favorite childhood ice cream place...Pied Piper!

James didn't sleep too well that night...new place, different bed. I slept with him in one of the beds which means I didn't really sleep well because I was paranoid about him falling off of the bed. Despite the sleeping issues, we enjoyed our day at the beach. Grandma Griffith put James feet in the water. I couldn't tell if he was a fan:

Our quick trip was a perfect family getaway and a great way to start the weekend!

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This hot and humid weather is really taking a toll on my body. I've been so tired during my runs! I, somehow, have managed to survive the heat while pushing J in the stroller but it hasn't been easy. I'm just straight up exhausted. Mr. Boo and I decided I needed to get some protein in my body right after I finish my run. I'm not a huge fan of protein powder drinks (although I love protein smoothies) so we came up with an idea. I have a recent obsession with chocolate and peanut butter (a.k.a. Reese's). Jimmy ordered me some chocolate peanut butter protein powder that I will mix with chocolate milk. Hopefully it's good and I can suck down 8 ounces worth after my workouts!

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We have been trying solids with James for 4-5 weeks now. We have tried sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, and bananas. J's been the most receptive to bananas. I'm sure he's still trying to figure out how to eat but, honestly, I don't think he likes it! My plan is just to keep trying different fruits and veggies until I find something he seems to like. If that doesn't happen, I guess it's gonna be breast milk until he can eat finger foods!  

FOR ALL THOSE MOMMAS OUT THERE: DID YOUR BABIES DO WELL TRANSITIONING FROM MILK TO SOLIDS?

Baby James: Pediatrician, Zoo, and Festival

Now that I've made it through 26 weeks with James and 26 weeks of alphabet themed titles, I'm bored. I'll just update weekly without creative titles until I think of another theme to go on. AND, I know I'm a week late on his 6 month letter...there's a reason.

We've had another awesome week in the Davis household. James is continuing his new sleeping pattern and I'm still getting up once in the middle of the night to pump...gotta keep that milk flowing! Now I'm just trying to adjust to his new wake up time which is usually in the 5 o' clock hour. I wake up at 545 but that is traditionally my "me time." This no longer exists but we'll figure things out. All I really want/need is my coffee and bible time. If I get those things, I'm good.

James' firsts this week:

-I can't remember if I mentioned this last week but James tried avocado this week as well as banana. He's starting to get the hang of eating and even opens his mouth as the spoon gets closer. So far, he seems the most receptive to banana. Not sure if that's because he's becoming better at eating or if he likes the taste better. 

-James went to the zoo for the first time. He had no idea what was happening and was more concerned with eating and napping. I'm sure he'll appreciate it more when he is old enough to understand. 

My niece, Molly, and I enjoying the zoo.

-James' first time participating in game playing with me. This has to be the highlight of my week. I cover his face with his cloth book and say "Where's James?!" He then takes the book off of his face and I say "There he is!" He absolutely loves it! It's neat to see how he understands that we're playing a game and that it's fun!

-James can sit for a few short seconds on his own. The pediatrician told us about tri-pod sitting. It's allowing James to learn to hold himself up rather than us holding him at his waist. 

-James went to his first festival. Gahanna is having their Creekside Jazz and Blues Fest this weekend and we went last night. I felt REALLY guilty for having James out past his bedtime but he was such a good boy and still slept well that night. We stayed out until 11 or so which is a big night for the Davii! LOL!

Another highlight of the week was James' 6 month appointment. I was DYING  to know how much he's grown! All is well with his health, he received 3 vaccinations, and we learned he has a big ole head! Here are his stats:

-Weight: 14 lbs, 15 oz. (7th percentile)

-Height: 27 inches (66th percentile)

-Head Circumference: 83rd percentile

The doc had to do a double take on the head size...she even remeasured to make sure the nurse didn't make a mistake! Basically, J has a tall and skinny body (mom) that holds up a big head (dad). 

Baby James: 26 Weeks...ZZZZZZ

Those eyes.

My boy is 6 months old, people...6 MONTHS OLD!!! Holy crap, where did the time go?! I still have to write him a 6 month letter but I'm waiting until his doctor appointment on Tuesday. I want to know how big my boy has gotten!

This week has been all about getting James to sleep. Read THIS post about how I did it. Since Operation: Sleepy Baby, James has slept over 8 hours the last three nights! HOLLA!!!

A James burrito.

The sleeping thing has been our main accomplishment this week but James has had a couple of firsts:

-J is exploring his squeaky, high voice. He's made lots of funny noises this week that we've never heard before...including this:

-I discovered, thanks to James' babysitter, that the reason James wasn't responding well to solids is because I was making it too thick. I really thinned out some carrots and he actually swallowed them. He also tried avocado for the first time today! I think he liked it a lot more than the carrots. 

He's unsure about carrots...

Wait, maybe he does want some.

Other than that, we just celebrated the awesomeness of my boy for his half birthday. He went on a 7 mile jog with Jackie, Peyton, and me; we took some pictures with Aunt Amy and hung out with family.

Playing with Charlotte

Trying to let Charlotte down easy.

Always loves running with mommy.

Operation: Sleepy Baby...The Ferber Method

As I've been reporting in my weekly Baby James blog posts, he has NOT BEEN SLEEPING! He would get up several times per night and I would feed him...it was EXHAUSTING! I finally decided I needed to do something about it because coffee was no longer helping me survive the day. So I opened up my Baby 411 book:

This is where I first read about the Ferber Method. I was hesitant at first because I'm not a "let your baby cry it out" kind of person. As I read more about it, I felt more comfortable about trying it out.

Here are the basics:

1. Don't let your baby fall asleep by feeding, rocking, or being stroked (which we don't do anyway).
2. Have a sleep routine (which we do).
3. Baby should sleep in the same place for naps and bedtime (which we do 90% of the time).
4. Avoid sleep crutches (i.e. pacifiers)...James has no crutches.
5. Put your baby down relaxed but not asleep (another check).
6. PROGRESSIVE WAITING (the part I put into action)...

Night #1- perfect example of progressive waiting. This night was rough:

-Put J in bed at 9:20, he woke up at 11:45.

-I went into his room, DID NOT PICK HIM UP, but spoke quietly to him, patted his butt (which he likes), and rubbed his back FOR ONLY 1 MINUTE...if you know me well, you'll know that I literally had a stopwatch and timed myself for one minute....NERD ALERT!

-I then left the room and waited 3 minutes. He cried the whole time. I then did 1 minute of attention as described above.

-I repeated the process but each time I increased the waiting period. I went from 3 minutes to 5 minutes then 10 and 20 minutes.

-J cried between each attention period until he FINALLY fell asleep 1 hour later.

-He woke up again around 4:15 so I fed him and changed his diaper.

Night #2- bed at 9:10, woke at 1:25,  did the progressive waiting process which only took 10 minutes this night to get him to fall back asleep. He woke at 4:20 for diaper and food.

Night #3- bed at 9:05, woke at 1:15, took about 15 minutes of progressive waiting to fall back asleep; woke at 3:50 for diaper and food.

Night #4- the first GLORIOUS night. Bed at 9:00, woke at 4:15!!!! For those counting, that's 7 hours and 15 minutes of sleep without eating! (I did wake up at 2 a.m. to pump)

Night #5- bed at 9:25, woke at 5:45!!!! 8 hours and 20 minutes of sleep without eating! (again, I pumped at 2 a.m.)

Although that first night was rough, the next two were tolerable and the last two were amazing! Hopefully this "fixed" James' sleeping problem! If only I had known I was enabling him by feeding him every time he woke up! He's only 6 months and I'm already enabling! AHHH!



The Columbus 10k

My family and me after the race. I'm SO GLAD the rain held off and they were able to come!

This past Sunday, I ran my first real race since James was born (I say "real" because I did run a 5k at the end of March but did basically nothing to prepare). When James was ready for a jogging stroller, I started getting serious about running again...meaning, I ran regularly rather than once every week or two. In a matter of 5 or 6 weeks, I managed to stay motivated, convince a friend to train with me, and actually run this 10k!

James and I did our weekday runs together. On Saturdays, after yoga, we met up with Jackie and her boy Peyton for our long runs! I've never had a running partner before so I was REALLY nervous. I've always been afraid I would slow someone down. Fortunately, Jackie and I seem to run the same pace for long runs so it worked out well! It actually made the runs easier and more motivating to do.

Pre-race

The weird thing about training for this race is that I did all of my runs with James and the stroller. It took a solid week to get used to running with the stroller. When I finally figured it out, it was like I'd been doing it forever. The downside to stroller jogging is not knowing your real, solo pace. With James, I would average 10 min/mile +or- 10 seconds on long runs and run anywhere from 8:30 something to 9:40 something when I was intentionally going fast (btw, I could not hold the 8 something pace more than a mile with the stroller).

I had NO IDEA what to make my goal time for this race! After talking to Jackie about it, we decided to go for a 9:15 average. She had done some running without Peyton and knew what she was capable of so we went off of that.

Post-race

Guess what?! We smashed our goal! I averaged 9:06/mile and Jackie's was a second faster...the girl has a kick! She can finish a race like a boss!

Celebration at DK Diner!

Next up:
I've committed, meaning, I've paid for, TWO HALF MARATHONS in October! On the 4th, I'll be running the Run Like a Girl Half and, on the 19th, I'm running the Cbus Half! Although I've done halves and fulls in the past, I've never done two within two weeks of each other! I'm really excited to see how things go :)

Baby James: 25 Weeks...YOLO!

My favorite picture of the week :) Gosh, my boy is so cute.

James had, in my opinion, some really cool "firsts" this week!

-We finished round 1 of solids with sweet potatoes and began round 2 by trying carrots! James still doesn't understand the concept of pushing the food around with your tongue and swallowing it. I guess we'll just keep practicing!

Apparently J enjoys eating turtle more than carrots.

A boy and his mommy.

-James went to the pool for the first time. We are Y members so we went to the indoor pool. I thought he would splash around like crazy since he LOVES to take a bath. Instead, he did a lot of people watching while he soaked in the pool...just like his mommy and daddy :)

Jimmy's face. He might look weird but James is happy.

Dunk the baby!

-James played with grass for the first time. He was very interested and just kept grabbing it. 

-James watched me race for the first time. According to Mr. Boo, he was a good boy and seemed to enjoy himself. I hope he missed running with me as much as I missed him.

Scout is officially James' best friend.

omg. Second favorite picture of the week.

One of many Friday night adventures at Creekside.