James is cruising!

So much for my "more updates later". It's a busy time for James' parents! Anyway. James is 8.5 months old, large, very mobile, sturdy, handsome, sweet, and cruising (walking whilst holding on to something) along the couches and trying to stand on his own. Ahh!! He only started "officially" crawling 2 weeks ago. He is very busy and has advanced verbal skills (of course I would say this, right? ;) He enjoys the stars at night. Sometimes I rock him to sleep at night outside and he is calmed by the night sky... a boy after my own heart! James currently has two teeth (bottom front) and is working on more. He is a happy boy and loves peaches, peas, green beans, apples, rice mum-mums, non-pureed pears, sweat potatoes, squash, carrots, etc. He is generally not picky about his food which has been nice. He'll even eat/drink things when they're cold. :)

Meanwhile - work for me is busy and school is busy and modeling is busy. Of course. But, I'm grateful for the work to support my family and to have medical insurance. I am looking forward to finishing the Master's degree next June. So close!

We found a family that raises goats and we buy raw goatmilk from them to make homeade Kefir. This is useful for Nathan's gut!

I will be turning 30 this October. However, my 31st birthday is going to be the big celebration next year in New England (hopefully) and Disneyland... it's my Halloween birthday! A most sacred event. Looking forward to that!

Although I look like I've aged 20 years, life is good. :)

6 month stats...more to come later

I'm so behind! James is now 7 months but here are his 6 month stats and pictures:

6 month stats:
length: 28.5" (96th percentile)
weight: 18.1 lbs. (68th percentile)


more updates to come in the next few days!

The many faces of King James at 5.5 months

4 months old!

So this post is a bit late, but James turned 4 months old on May 11th! He continues to delight and amaze us. We took him to his 4 month appointment and all is well!

4 month stats:
length: 26 1/4" (88%)
weight: 16 lbs (63%)

James has discovered his lips and is constantly making bilabial babbling sounds. He squeals in delight and is completely and utterly gorgeous! Life is crazy but we're managing to enjoy baby James during this stage in our lives. James is very alert and has many, many expressions that cross his face daily. We try to capture them as frequently as possible! Here are some of James favourites (and not so favourites):

Likes:
nappy changing
sitting upright (with help from either myself or Nathan)
eating
sleeping
books
smiling/cooing/laughing/squealing
having his clothes changes (he loves this!)
my hair
his fists
sucking his finger and occasionally his thumb
splashing during bath time

dislikes:
not liking his binkie so much these days but will still take it once in a while
the teething process
being immobile
startling sounds
boredom

I have officially finished work until the autumn! Hooray! I am now gearing up for my crazy summer semester at Utah State. Last year during my crazy summer semester I was in my first trimester of pregnancy feeling very ill. I wonder if this summer will be better (not being ill) or worse (having an almost 5 month old)? Hmmm. I'll let you know. ;)

In sad news, my best friend moved back to Southern California a few weeks ago. :( I am still mourning. I can't even talk about it. Feel bad for me.

I had another best friend get married to a brilliant man. I am so thrilled for their new life together. They make me happy. :)


Jessica and Joel, May 6, 2011



James is my little Slytherin. He can usually be found smiling with his tongue out. He may even speak Parseltongue, we don't know yet. ;)


In VERY GREAT NEWS, my most excellent and brilliant mother graduated with her Doctorate in Educational Leadership! She is now officially Dr. Taylor. This is a tremendous accomplishment. She is a mother to seven children, a grandmother to 26 children, works full time as an Education Specialist for USOE (specializing in Autism and Communication Disorders), is a full-time professor in the University of Phoenix (UOP) special education department, and is also a lead faculty for UOP... all this whilst working on her Ed.D. Amazing.

Being announced.



Receiving her diploma. :)

Week 12

Baby James is 12 weeks old today! He is very active, alert, and a bit fussy at night time. He fights his sleep. We're working on this! Although, once he does settle, he gives us 6 - 9 hours of sleep before waking to eat again. Thank you, son!

Likes:
books
his nappy being changed (this is new!)
mum and dad face time
cooing
eating
sleeping (when he's not fighting it!)
bath time
being massaged with Dr. Christopher's Bone & Tissue ointment
going on walks
his carseat
his mobile
quiet cousins

dislikes
20 minutes before bedtime
20 minutes before naptime
loud cousins


James with dried milk next to his lip - I must not have wiped him very well the previous night after feeding him. Oops!



James smiles and coos constantly. We love having conversations together. :)




Not much else is going on here. Nathan's brother Simon and his wife Lisa are visiting us for a week. We're looking forward to seeing them on Saturday. I've not seen them for almost 2 years! We're sending them off to Arches and Canyonlands to get a flavor of Utah. :) James is getting blessed this Sunday - will post pictures. I'm nearly finished with this semester of school - thank goodness!

Big Baby Boy

James is getting huge! He is just over 2.5 months old and is nearly grown out of his 6 month clothing...he's just so long! He is giving us 6, 7 and 8 hour sleep nights for which I am grateful! My maternity leave is over. I'm adjusting okay with having to go back to work - it's nice being able to leave James at home with dad rather than having to take him to a sitter. Still exhausted though.

We (me, Nathan and mum) had a good time shooting our commercial a few weeks back. It's nice to make some quick money when you need it most! I did another maternity catalogue the other day. Although this time, I wore a fake belly which was far worse than a real belly.

So I'm typing one-handed and I'll finish this post later when James is asleep.


james at 2 months. he is smiling and cooing consistently!

Stats at two months:
weight: 13 lbs




Mum getting her make-up on for the shoot


mum and me rehearsing with a stuffed animal. fun!


Lilac Clothing Fall/Winter 2011 Maternity shoot

Week 7: Lots of poo, more smiles, and... we got the job!

James is 7 weeks old today. I still can't believe how lucky I am to be his mum. He is such a gorgeous baby! This week, James has pooed and peed MANY times outside of his nappy. Hmmm. He peed on his face yesterday and had a little "taste" (i.e. licked his lips when he felt the pee sprinkling his face.) Oh, dear. I guess we still haven't figured out that certain grunts mean "I'm about to poo and pee all over you." :)

James has been smiling more and more! He continues to be sweet and happy. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we (me, Nathan, Nana Jocelyn and James) auditioned for a commercial a few weeks ago. Well, we heard yesterday that we all, with the exception of James, booked the job! They wanted a brand new baby and James is just too big and tall to look like a newborn. :( So, I'll be working with someone else's 10 day old baby instead of my adorable 7 week old baby. Nevertheless, it's still exciting to be working with my mum and husband on a commercial.

:)
This is James being cute. :)



James having had his face and body cleaned of pee; a very tired mum.


James with his great grandmother Lula Anderson.


Working on smiling. :)

Week 6: Cooing, Smiling, Eating (loads!), etc. etc.

James turned 6 weeks old this past Tuesday. He is working on smiling and cooing - not quite mastered but getting there! He is also demanding a lot of mummy and daddy face time (what a clever lad) which is an indication of his little brain developing normally! James eats...and eats...and eats. He is now weighing 12.5 lbs. and is long, lean, and lovely! When he was 4 weeks, we FINALLY moved him into his own room. Wow. What a difference. We also have a video baby monitor that is completely brilliant! What a time we live in to have such amazing baby paraphernalia! James had his first commercial audition this past week. He did a fine job sleeping whilst I pretended to bathe him. No word yet as to whether or not we did a fine job auditioning. Nathan and Nana Jocelyn also auditioned with us - the client wanted to see a real family. :)

Likes:
Mum
Dad
Nana Jocelyn
Papa Reed
Skyping with his English family
Being held
The piano (I need a resident pianist to play...James wants to be held when I play thus rendering any attempts at proper playing useless)
His Tournee du Chat Noir art poster above his crib
Dr. Quinn (mostly through classical conditioning...I watch this whilst he eats. :) I can’t watch any other programs because they are not relaxing enough. I find that “Quinny”, as Nathan has named it, is easy to watch whilst nursing.)
Light from outside
bath time
pooing
sucking his pacifier

Dislikes:
nappy changing

Well, I only have 3 weeks of maternity leave left. Then, life will become more challenging! Up all night (mostly to feed - James really is a great sleeper), work all day! Ahhh!! In addition, I am preparing for a few modeling gigs coming up which requires me to start exercising again (it has been nearly a full year!) Ah, well. This current semester of my master’s program has been a blessing in that my professor is allowing all of our exams to be open book...*sigh*...God certainly has been merciful!

We absolutely adore James more and more everyday. Parenthood is amazing.


This is James at 1 month. He looks like Max from Where The Wild Things Are. :)


We took James to my dear friend Regina's wedding a few weeks ago. He was a champ - slept the whole time! James and I did, however, do one session of breast feeding in the corner of the 9th floor lobby at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building... THAT was exciting.

James' first photoshoot (one of many, I'm sure)

My friend Amy Hess took these lovely pictures of James when he was 2.5 weeks old. He is so gorgeous! Amy did a brilliant job! I will post more when the rest are finished.

Week 3 with the lovely James

James getting ready to visit the doctor. :)


James had his 3 week doctor visit yesterday and we are happy to report that he’s doing a fine job of being a baby. :)

Week 3 stats:

Weight: 9.8 lb. (70%)
Length: 22.4” (91%)

James is developing some definite “likes” and “dislikes.” Here are a few:

Dislikes:
being cold
having his head washed
having his nappy changed (he really does not enjoy this and fights us with strong legs)
floor tummy time

Likes:
being warm
napping
eating
being held
music
interaction
interesting patterns
his pacifier

We finally purchased a baby monitor! This is to allow us to sleep in a different room to James. Although, I still think we’ll be just as paranoid and find ourselves dashing into his room at the slightest sound. *sigh* If only he was a quiet sleeper. We’re considering changing his name to "Grunter" Stevens. :)

Nathan is doing a fine job of being a dad! He is does well changing nappies and can burp James with ease. I’m still trying to figure out how to accurately swaddle James. It’s always obvious who put James to bed based on the neat appearance of the blankets (Nathan) or the jumbled, flailing appearance of the blankets (Britney).

We are continuing to enjoy being parents. It’s quite the adjustment but we are coping with the transition. What a wonderful experience it is to have a child. I HIGHLY recommend children! :)

Can anyone tell me how I will know when to move James to the next size of nappies (diapers)?

Weeks 1 & 2 with the most gorgeous boy on the planet

Well, we have survived 2 weeks with James! He is absolutely delightful and SO lovely. James is a good sleeper but his parents are light sleepers - this makes his grunts, snorts, whimpers, sighs, loud dreams, constant hiccups (a souvenir he brought along from the womb), toots, and poops difficult to ignore. Therefore, we take turns with night duty. Well, Nathan is mostly the one sacrificing his precious sleep. He lets me go into another room for the night whilst he attempts to “sleep”, only waking me for feedings, or for an emergency projectile poo clean-up operation. Actually, upon reflection, I think I’ve only awoken him for emergency projectile poo clean-up operations.

James had his first outing to visit the family doctor for his week 1 check-up. The boy is doing great! He had lost some weight in the hospital (to be expected until mum’s milk came in) but has been gaining it back. :)

Stats at birth:

weight: 9 lb. 2 oz. (89%)
length: 21.5” (97%)

Stats at week 1:

weight: 8 lb. 8 oz. (68%)
length: 21.25” (85%)
head: 14.9” (78%)

James is the greatest blessing in our lives. We adore and love him deeply. We stare at him constantly marveling at his perfection. What a treasure he is and as all new parents do, we resolve to provide the best mortal life we can for him.

His eye colour seems to be remaining blue, even when wearing brown. There are moments when James looks like me, but his features are very much Nathan at the moment. I expect we’ll be seeing a nicer mix as James grows. :) James has been a great eater since day 1, which has been brilliant. My milk arrived on the Thursday morning the week of his birth. I’m grateful that I seem to be able to provide enough milk to satisfy him. Yay! Oh, his umbilical cord came off after only 8 days. Now, we take regular baths instead of those awful sponge baths (he didn't like those).

James, my boy, you are the best!

Here are some new pictures and video of the little man. :)



1 week! James and Mum



In this one, he looks like me in one of my baby pictures! Yay! I'm in there somewhere!



Beautiful, sleeping babe.



First bath in his new tub!



Short video of James being swaddled by his dad. I LOVE his huge pacifier and sucking sounds.

Our New Arrival

James Barrie Taylor Stevens was born on 11/01/11 weighing 9lbs 2oz and was 21.5 inches long. With Britney's final check-up on Tuesday it was deemed necessary to take James early as he was not looking happy in there. This was instead of waiting until the scheduled date of Thursday 13th. Being a Halloween enthusiast Britney was hoping for a baby delivered on the 13th but still thinks a birth date of 11/01/11 as quite cool (01/11/11 for those in The US reading this). Mother and baby are well. Both came home on Friday evening and are sleeping as I write this update. James is, as you can see, utterly gorgeous and kept his Mummy up with him from 11pm - 3am and his Daddy up with him from 3am - 8am on his first night home. Despite the usual discomfort associated with a new baby's gut James is quite a content baby. We feel tremendously blessed that he and Britney coped well with the caesarian.

See new pictures above =)

Ps. I think it is wonderful being a Daddy!