cool kid.

so what if i purchase a t-shirt that proclaims that i think my son is a "cool kid".  does this make "us" narcissistic?  vain??  i don't think so.  we're just being honest.  i have a cool baby.  he's a good eater - obviously.  he's a good sleeper.  he's laughs and giggles and learns something new everyday.  i think it is cool.  pretty much the coolest thing i know.  james exudes cool. 

see, i told you he was cool.

happy Easter everybunny!

yesterday was beautiful. spring is finally in the air. the grandparents spoiled us rotten with candy and Easter goodies. james got toys and i got chocolate so i think everybunny was happy in the hale household.

before dinner time james and i were playing in the floor and he was so happy. squealing, giggling, rolling - the whole nine yards. so, i wanted to throw a polo on him and take some Easter snaps. all was good until we went outside when the smiles stopped and this new face emerged.

what? you can't really see it. let me zoom in...

i think he's concentrating.

we're not really sure but we've noticed this is a new, reoccurring face. it's so serious that mr. hale and i can only laugh. if only he could tell us what is really on his mind.

then "we" discovered leaves. the remaining crunchy leaves leftover from fall. i've never eaten one but i think someone gave them a pretty good review.

leaves were not intended to be on the Easter menu but hey, he was hungry. can't you tell?!?

happy Easter!!!

who is this??

do you remember me??

tap. tap. tap. crickets.

i am a new mom, have an 8 month old baby and have fallen off the blog wagon. i apologize.

BUT....

I'M BAAAACK.

raising hale

another month has passed and my baby boy is still growing like a weed.

1 month - 12 pounds & 7 ounces

2 months - 16 pounds & 1 ounce

3 months - 18 pounds & 14 ounces

james has gained almost three pounds. he's happy and healthy. he's starting to giggle and loves to talk and smile. "very talkative" is now almost a daily description from daycare.

am i the only one who noticed the size of his head and cheeks?!! i'm pretty sure last month i thought his cheeks were most plush and pinch-able but now they are even more so.

this photo shoot did not last very long. i got him dressed, propped him up and only took a few snaps before i heard it. yes, i heard it. a sound like nothing else but i can recognize it instantly. a blow out. my fingers were crossed that it wasn't as bad as i thought. i took a few more snaps on my way to turn him around to assess the damage. ruined. the onsie was ruined and the 3 month photo session quickly became bath time.

cutie pa-toot-ie.

a black tie daycare...

yesterday james turned 3 months old. i'm not sure if that sounds right but you get the gist. in honor of his big day i picked out a special outfit.







okay. not really. i just purchased this a couple of weeks ago and have been dying (DYING!!) for him to wear it. so, i made a reason. happy fancy 3 month birthday outfit day. yay!




hello ladies! who wants to slide up next to me?


ladies - watch out. i'm his main squeeze. i'm protective too.

peek-a-goo

this past weekend we took baby boy out to the pumpkin patch. we, or i, envisioned a smiley, happy baby that would take amazing photos. wrong. my child did not appreciate that we picked out the perfect outfit, charged the camera and drove to the sticks. unfortunately it was muddy and surprisingly crowded with people trying to do the exact same thing - get the perfect photo. since james can't sit on his own he would tip over into some awkward positions and did not find the pumpkins to be plush, comfortable props. this started to make him mad and fussy. therefore, most of his pictures of him alone are not as happy as the one above. not to mention the older kids climbing all over the pumpkins would start pumpkin avalanches that would scare everyone who had babies propped up on the orange mountain. therefore, we were there a total of 7 minutes. it took us 9 times longer to get him dressed, the diaper bag packed and drive out there than the time actually spent at the patch. i know next year will be much better and he'll be the kid climbing everywhere. either way, i discovered no one could get their children to sit and pose for the infamous perfect picture.

james enjoyed the pumpkin patch, nice weather and a warm body holding him.

ba-ba-bad. bad to the bone.

friday funny.

okay so i got this email on my first day back to work from maternity leave. even though i was sad and a bit depressed, it made me laugh. to be honest, i laughed for days after when i would think about it. i'm going to post it on here. i meant to do it last friday but was too busy at work. i haven't blogged in a while and i know this is a total cop-out. i'm sorry but don't worry. once you laugh, i know i'll be forgiven.

(click image to increase size)

please watch out for monster trucks, unless you are in fact the bike thief, and have a great weekend!

raising hale

12 pounds & 7 ounces

21 3/4 inches long

16 pounds & 1 ounce

23 1/4 inches long

james has grown so much in two months. it is truly amazing. i will continue to document, in this format, for his first year. let me tell you, the first photo shoot was not pretty. 1 month old james did not like the bench, bear or onsie. while he looks adorable in the snap above, trust me i took several to find one where he wasn't crying, screaming or falling over. looking back, the photos are pretty humorous. note: they are only funny bc you won't hear the screams or cries. i'll post a few bloopers to get you through this friday afternoon.

crying:

screaming:

falling over:

no, he did not hit the floor or fall off the bench.

the two month photo session was much easier. i made the onsie, got the bench set up, plopped him down and he just sat there. he would slouch over a bit and i would reposition him but the second time was nothing (NOTHING!) like the first go round. he was his usual little stud muffin self.

studly:

i'm too sexy for this blog.

mission im-bumb-able

james has decided he likes to sit straight up. therefore we thought the bumbo chair would be a perfect investment. he already has more seating options than ben and i combined so why not add one more. we decided to use our lunch break to go purchase the new throne for our little prince. well, the stars were not aligned with three failed attempts: 1.) toys r us only had 4 pink bumbo chairs. our son was not about to hang out in a pink throne. 2.) baby depot doesn't even sell bumbos. and 3.) we braced ourselves for the baby mecca and germ factory, babies r us. we pull into the parking lot and it was eeirily empty. we knew something wasn't right. it was closed! the recent storm activity had knocked out the power. urg. defeated we ate a quick bite and returned to work.
later that even ben's mother called. he told her about the bumbo mission and how his son NEEDS one convincing her to go to target and see if they have one to purchase. bingo! they have two. both purple. my husband decides that purple can be manly and we NEED it so she should get it. finally the bumbo arrives. it's ours and ben can't wait to open it. (he loves opening packages as i've noted before) he dives into the box pulls it out and is speechless. this dark purple, can be manly bumbo is actually a lilac, light purple, one step away from pink chair. immediately he decides we can use it for a night but it will be going back for a blue or green one as soon as they are in stock. period.
james is a little too small but he is getting used to it and seems to enjoy it. since we didn't want him to feel like a little girl, we had to make his chair more manly. spray paint? no. bumper stickers or sports logos?? no.

halloween decorations! skull and crossbones.

perfect.

to give more neck support we have rigged a pillow behind his head and placed him with a great view of the tv.


we still plan one trading in the lilac, girl chair for a more manly throne. i'm thinking we should keep the manly tradition alive and transfer the skull as well. i think james will really like his chair when he has more head control. until then, let's hope his thighs don't get too big so he'll fit. if he does, he might try to rig that one as well. i wouldn't put it past us. bumbo macgyver style.

my milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard.

only 1 boy actually. james - as if you didn't know.
anyway, my new venture in life is to feed the baby. yep, i'm a nursing mother. i've had the most peculiar conversations about breast feeding versus feeding formula bottles. as i respect all opinions, for myself i wanted to try nursing and if HAD too, resort to formula. i made this decision before having to "milk" while at the office. that will be a blog in itself so i'll get back on track. when i was at the salon, a lady asked me what i was feeding my "healthy" baby. i hadn't been asked by a total stranger so i was a bit taken back. most strangers don't care what i'm feeding my kid as long as he's not crying. right? i find myself to be a mature individual but sometimes i just don't know how to reply. i mean, i don't say the word "breast" to strangers often. i mean, before having a baby i never said the word breast. ever. now it is in daily conversation. so i gracefully put my had up to my chest and reply "milk". she looked at me and looked back at my baby and said, "you must be making milkshakes"!




sweet cheeks.

wait until i post a full body shot. his stomach laps over his pants like an old fella and if he could walk, his thighs might ignite.