Happy 1st Birthday to my little handsome man, Jameson.
Today, we’re opening some gifts, taking naps, taking pictures, eating pears, eating pizza, and playing with lots of toys.
Plenty of time for reflection next week. For now, it’s all about joy.
The grand finale (just like fireworks, we piled all the blocks on Jameson). He loved it.
So, in case you didn’t notice from my pictures on Monday, (Or in case you didn’t see my thousand shares on Twitter and Facebook) there was an Instagram photo I stuck in. That’s right, I got myself an iPhone. My 2 years was up, my Droid phone was dying, and I said to hell with Google, I’ll get an iPhone. Actually, it was more like, YAY PHOTOS, rather than to hell with Google, because I really really do like Google.
Anyway, I spent the weekend taking photos both with the iPhone and my Nikon, and yes, I have fallen in love with Instagram. So here are some moments from Thanksgiving you didn’t see.
That in the bottom left, is a picture of me that Brian took as a joke. I think I am losing another game, I might have been grumpy.
As an aside… yesterday Brian found out from the daycare that Jameson has already been using a walk-behind toy at daycare and loves it. Hence why he immediately was so good with it. Can I just say it was a little like ruining Christmas for me, to find out that Jameson had already had this experience before without us? It was depressing. I’m pretty bummed about it. Also, he’s going to move up to the new class at daycare soon. Part of growing up. But I was kind of down about it yesterday.
Luckily, my friend Lynne arrived to go out to dinner and chat, so that made the night better. Oh, and my rosemary tree arrived. It’s a mini tree, and it makes the kitchen smell lovely.
Is it too early to celebrate a little Christmas now? I have been listening to Christmas music for at least a week now, as soon as the radio stations started up.
On Tuesday, we made a last minute decision to try and see Santa before our long drive Wednesday to visit Jameson’s grandma and grandpa. There is a place about 45 minutes away from us that lets you take your own photos with Santa, but it ends on Sunday, so if we didn’t see him Tuesday we would’ve missed it entirely.
So we left work early, got everything ready to go, and picked up Jameson from daycare. Luckily, he hadn’t had a good second nap that day so he slept most of the drive.
We arrived with no Santa in sight, but he appeared about an hour later with Mrs. Claus in tow, and Jameson got to see his very first Santa Claus.
Santa was very nice, we were first in line so we got to spend a little time with him. Jameson tolerated him for a while, toward the end though we saw a little crumply face so we grabbed him before he started fussing. He was great, even though it was past his bed time!
In addition to Santa, we saw a lot of lovely trees, part of a big fundraiser they have every year. Jameson loved looking at the lights and people, and even a few dogs.
On Wednesday, we rushed around most of the morning getting ready for our 3-1/2 hour drive, and now we are arrived and enjoying flipping through ads, watching tv, and relaxing. I for one am really happy to be spending Thanksgiving here for the first time in several years.
Jameson is a little uncertain about his grandpa, but loves the two small dogs (particularly the one that likes to lick him because it means that he can get close to pet her). He is spending most of his time playing with the grandma toys rather than his own because they are more fun, of course! He’s even started this week putting toys into other toys, instead of just knocking down and dumping out. Smart boy!
I hope everyone is having a lovely Thanksgiving today and through the weekend!
This weekend, I finally got us all up, showered, and dressed fancy for a family photo shoot early in the morning while Jameson is in a good mood. We have the remote clicker for the camera, a blank wall (which will not be blank soon!) and a obedient puppy, so we thought we’d give it a shot. Last time we took photos of all of us dressed up, it was Easter and Jameson was about 4 months old.
Brian forgot to wear shoes. Sasha didn’t want to sit or look at the camera (neither did Jameson). I have a double chin in most of the photos, ugh, and was sweating buckets since it was actually 60 degrees out that day. So, yes as usual, it was pretty crazy.
I know you’re dying to see the official, proper family photo. What if I told you we didn’t get one?
That’s a lie, we totally got a good one. I mean, I did have to swap out Jameson’s head though, and Brian is holding his clicker in a very obvious way. But no, I’m not showing you the official family photo, yet.
Okay, to be quite honest, I didn’t touch Jameson’s digital scrapbook after I posted about it way back in July.
I could only work on it at home, and the thought of it and the amount of time that still needed to go into it was scary. So when a Groupon came up for MixBook, I decided to go for it. MixBook is a photobook site that is also known for their digital scrapbooking “materials”. They have a lot of digital stickers and papers for use on scrapbook-style photo books.
It did not meet one of my requirements: I had wanted a book that would lay flat. However, in the interest of time, effort, and fun I decided to use it anyway. I am so glad I did!
The software is all web-based, so I can work on it anywhere (which includes at work during lunch, for which I am thankful or this would never get done). I’m nothing if not realistic.
The most efficient way to complete the first one (yes, there will be two… I have only been working on his birth to 6 months scrapbook) is to start with throwing some photos on the pages. Then, select some layouts for those pages, then background papers, then stickers, and finally what I have been working on now it to add the text.
To build out the text, I have been using the blog, flickr photo captions, and my personal facebook account which I pulled the archive for. Have you ever pulled your archived facebook content before? I am amazed. I have been on facebook for so long that I was confused, because back in its first iteration, it didn’t have my statuses, just what other people put on my wall.
So here I am, at 69 pages of Jameson from birth to 6 months. That’s roughly a page for every 2-1/2 days, which is crazy, but awesome. I am feeling accomplished, and excited. I can’t wait to share the finished product!
I’ve been waiting for a perfect moment to dress him in this adorable shirt I got from Zulily. It’s all one piece, soft and comfortable-looking.
I’m so glad I decided to take some photos yesterday morning (and consequently show up to work a little late! oh the sacrifices we make). One of his teachers told me when I picked him up yesterday that he wasn’t a huge fan (I think they used the word “timid” on his sheet… lies! I’m sure he was wailing)
They had to wake him up from his nap for his photos, and then I woke him up from his nap to go home later, so he was a touch cranky when we first got home.
But, he is easily distracted with a few of his favorite things.
Okay, the shoes aren’t a favorite thing. Yet.
These are Padraig Alaskan slipper shoes, from Alaska, for reals. My friend who lives there sent them to us when he was born, and look how they still fit nice for this season! That’s my small dude.
Beat that, pro photographer man.
Just lookin’ out the window.
Oooo mom’s got the camera out.
Cameras are better fun than any old window!
Making faces (as close to the lens as mom will let me get).
Swooping in for the kill lick.
Mooooom… why won’t you let me play with the camera!?
These summer days are drawing to a close. September is almost at the end. I even brought out my fall decor last week (look for that later this week). The temperatures were in the 60’s this past weekend, comfortable. However, evenings and mornings are too crisp for the wide open windows now.
I will miss that a little.
We had a lot of fun at my parents. Jameson is really getting on his knees a lot. I can’t wait to share that with you!
So… this post was going to be tomorrow, and wasn’t going to start out this way, but I appalled myself a little bit with this session, so I have to share early.
Until now, we have been doing these monthly photos on the day, exactly, the 16th. However, tonight I’m driving Jameson and myself to my parents, so I had to do it early. Yesterday seemed like a better day than today because today is going to be super rushed when I get home from work.
Yesterday we took photos. Oh my goodness, I am not sure if we will be able to keep doing the blocks!
Mostly because Jameson is trying to DIVE off the chair.
Oh wait guys. He actually did dive off the chair. And that was the end of the photo session.
I feel really bad. Brian went off for a minute (literally) and I was messing with my camera and getting the blocks set up (again) and there he went! I did that to Jameson with a block in my hand. I suppose I should be grateful I caught him, or that I didn’t stab his eyeball, but mostly I just feel bad.
He looks like the dog got him. I feel like I mutilated him (but I didn’t, so call off protective services, seriously)
Anyway. We got a few shots before that point that are salvageable. I had a hard time picking the one that should go into the series but I think we need a vertical one, so here’s what I chose.
But my personal favorite is this one. I swear he has a mischievous look in his eye…
These photos, until I scarred him myself for life, were fun to take even with him acting crazy, because I had my flash on. Not messing around anymore! This mobile child needs a flash in order to get anything in focus. And I’m still loving it.
This week he has started to get himself on his knees with no hand support on the floor, using me in particular.
He also crawled himself into a wall because he was so excited about the curtains in his room, he didn’t realize there was a wall behind them. But then he used the wall to get on his knees also. He giggles when he is running away from me when he knows its time for bed.
He’s not quite pulling up yet, definitely not standing, but it’s the shape of things to come. I can’t wait!
Usually I take photos of events, when people come to visit or Jameson is learning something new. However, Tuesday night the week before last, I took these photos for no reason at all. Sasha came outside and when we called her over, she actually sat next to Jameson. The editing was difficult and we were in the shade, so the tones in these photos are slightly vintage. It was a great moment!
It is chilly this morning, the sky is clear and the air is crisp, my “fire plants” (burning bushes) are starting to turn. I know fall is on the way, so it was nice to capture this before summer ends.
P.S. In the spirit of full disclosure, it was so impromptu, Jameson had his dinner all over his outfit. I actually edited the food off his outfit. Maybe that’s cheating, but there you go.
