Birthday Week Day 5: Life Changer

The Date:  March 1, 2012

The Place:  Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Women's Center

The Time:  11:09 AM

The People:  Two very nervous and very excited Mangiaracina's

The Purpose:  Delivery of the newest member to the Mangiaracina Family

When you are expecting a baby, everyone tells you how different life will be once he arrives.  And while you know this to be true, you don't really understand it until your child is born.  From the moment I heard James' first cry after they pulled him out of my belly, my heart opened up and my brain flooded with more love and emotion than I ever knew could exist.  Ed would agree that when we both took a first look at our little boy, we were introduced to a different kind of love that was so overwhelming it brought tears to our eyes.

A year ago today, James Edward Mangiaracina entered the world and changed our lives forever.  From day one, James has been a loving, sweet, happy boy that finds joy in all that he does.  His big smile is infectious and his enthusiasm for life is inspiring.  He is a blessing in every way and we are so proud of the little man he has become.

This year has been a wild ride filled with ups and downs and many, many learning experiences.  James has grown and flourished in so many ways - more than we can list in one blog post.  Thank God we have an archive filled with his many milestones over the year!

Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6

Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11

And without further ado, here is James' official 1 Year photo - a handsome little man if I do say so myself!

Milestones to report:

• We have a walker on our hands.  James is still a little off balance - kind of like a drunken sailor - but he is taking many more steps at a time and his confidence is growing. So much so that he is now in possession of his first pair of big boy shoes from Stride Rite.

• Words, words words!  While we can't say that he has an official "first word", he has lots of things to say through his babble and chitter chatter.  There is lots of "dadadada" and "mumamuma" and "dedede".  We are working on the word ball since he seems to love to play with his EduShape Sensory balls the most, but so far we have "ba" which is close enough for us.

Now, in true Laura Mangiaracina fashion, I decided to go a little overboard for James' first birthday and put together a video to highlight his first year.  The good news is that it is awesome!!  The bad news is that I can't reveal it until Monday.  We want to show it first to our family who will be in town this weekend to help celebrate James' birthday.  Once their eyes see it, then yours can so stay tuned!

Happy 1st Birthday James!!

We love you more than you will ever know!!!

Birthday Week Day 4: Monthly Outtakes

Since the beginning, we have been documenting James' growth with a monthly photo.  It is something that many parents do and we decided to join the band wagon and we are really glad that we did.  With James turning 1 tomorrow, it has been great to look back over these monthly photos to see how much he has grown and changed.  

But the really fun part has been looking at the "outtake" photos from these monthly photo sessions.  As James started getting bigger, capturing the "it" picture got harder and harder.  Our subject doesn't like to sit still and would often crawl off set making it quite a challenge to snap the photos.  Here are some of our favorite outtakes from each month.

Month One

Month Two

Month Three

Month Four

Month Five

Month Six

Month Seven

Month Eight

Month Nine

Month Ten

(got our "it" picture on the second shot this month!)

Month Eleven

His 12 month photo will be revealed on the big day so stay tuned.  It's a good one ~ we promise! :)

James' Monthly Photo Project: Eleven Months Old

Eleven months old.  Well, 11 months and 1 day old since we are a bit late in getting this post up.  Time has certainly flown by and James is more of a little boy than a baby now.  To say he is thriving is an understatement.  This kid has SO much energy - it amazes us every day.  He is curious and sweet and just wants to play and have fun.

James had some big milestones this month:

• The first and most important - FIRST STEPS!!!  That's right, our little guy decided that it is time to put those little legs to use and start walking.  It's just a few steps here and there now, but we know that that will change very soon.

• He is eating like a champion these days.  From chicken, to turkey meatballs, to pineapple to cheesy bread, there is nothing this kid won't try.  He is full on eating school food and is loving it all.  

• James' two new bottom molars have helped him with his new love of food.  They were not fun coming in, but now that they are here, they are very helpful in chomping down all the yummy new food.  That brings the teeth total to 10 - and we see a newbie starting to break through.

• This little man is officially into EVERYTHING!!  He is always on the go which keeps Mommy and Daddy on our toes.  Baby proofing was kicked into high gear with the addition of a new gate and some cabinet locks.  And man is he quick!

HAPPY ELEVEN MONTH BIRTHDAY JAMES!! 

James' Monthly Photo Project: Ten Months Old

In the hoopla of the holidays and the new year, we nearly forgot to post our most important monthly blog - James' Monthly Photo!!  Our not so little man is 10 months old today and we celebrated by giving everyone the day off from work - you're welcome!! :)

We do have some big milestones to report as our little guy continues to grow:

• James decided that this would be the month that he would finally clap his hands on his own.  Mommy has been showing him how to do it for weeks and he just decided to go ahead and give it a shot.  Luckily it was in front of lots of family and a video camera.

• Another biggie is the amount of cruising this kid is doing. Whether around the coffee table, along the couch or with his Fisher-Price fire truck, he is on the move!  We now can hold him with just one hand and he'll walk along side us.  We have a feeling his first steps on his own are just around the corner.  And you know what that means ~ new shoes!!!

• Unfortunately, James had his first fever a few weeks back and his first trip the emergency room.  He is finally feeling a lot better, and we are working on getting back to our normal sleeping schedule, but we are hoping to avoid this milestone again in the near future.

HAPPY 10 MONTH BIRTHDAY JAMES!!

James' Monthly Photo Project: Nine Months

James is 9 months old today.  Woah.  He cooked for 9 months in my belly and he has successfully grown for 9 months outside of it.  James is a VERY active little man with LOTS of personality.  It's amazing how much he has changed over the 9 months he's been with us - and we know there are many more changes to encounter.  :)

We once again have a slew of milestones to report:

• This kid has mastered crawling.  He is into everything which means the house is baby proofed as best it can be.  He really loves following Lucy around the house.  She's not so into it, but as a loving big sister, she lets him.

• With the help of Daddy, James is learning how to climb stairs.  He made it about half way up with a spot from Dad and continues to want to try. I think we created a monster.

• We have been introducing the sippy cup and he seems to be liking it.  He can grab it, put it up to his mouth and drink...kinda.  :)  It seems that he likes to teethe on it and throw it to the ground more than anything.  It's a work in process.

• He had his second hair cut at Cartoon Cuts this month.  His beautiful head of hair receives lots and lots of compliments...especially from the ladies.  

• James has become quite the Chatty Cathy lately.  He babbles all the time - so much so that it seems like he is having a conversation using his own little language.  Sometimes he sounds like those little guys from Spaceballs - he loves saying "daydaydaydayday".

• We have 4 more teeth cutting through and causing major chaos.  All of the incisors are coming in and according to Doctor Killian, it looks like there is some swelling going on in the back of his mouth which means some molars are starting to wake up.  Thank God for Tylenol!!

HAPPY 9 MONTH BIRTHDAY JAMES!!

James' Monthly Photo Project: Eight Months Old

Eight months ago today we were at INOVA Fair Oaks Women's Center awaiting the arrival of our baby boy.  We were filled with all sorts of emotions - excitement, nerves, exhilaration and fear.  He was an unknown factor for 9 long months and the time to meet him was upon us.  Our OB was late so our 9:30 am c-section appointment turned into an 11:09 am birth time.  But you know what, he was worth the wait.  :)

So here we are, 8 months old and a TON of milestones to report.

• James is officially crawling and doing a really, REALLY good job at it!  He is all over the place exploring every nook and cranny of our main level.  And not only is he crawling, but he is pulling up on anything that will hold him and some things that won't.  We haven't had any major falls yet.  And I stress yet because it is coming!

• As of October 29th, James is now a student in the Infant II class at Willowcreek Academy.  Because he can crawl, he graduated out of Infant I and into the bigger kids' class.  It's the same room, but a different side of the all important divider.  Apparently he was bugging all the smaller babies as he cruised around the room so it was time for him to graduate and play with the bigger kids.

• Because of all the crawling and pulling up, James' crib mattress is now at the lowest point that it can go.  It's not uncommon for us to find him standing in his crib each morning and after naps.  Because of this, Ed purchased some crib teething covers to protect the wood.  Our little wood chuck was able to chomp on the rails for a day or so, but we are now protected.

• Life has changed in the way of the food he eats.  He's now down to 4 bottles a day and up to 3 solid meals a day.  Breakfast begins with oatmeal and fruit (favs are pears, peaches, apricots and prunes) followed by a veggie/fruit lunch.  Dinner consists of more oatmeal, veggies and a fruit.  He is a big fan of carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and broccoli.  We have started introducing finger foods like Cheerios and Gerber Puffs, but so far he's not so interested.  When he puts one in his mouth, typically he gags, but we are going to keep trying until he gets the hang of it.

• James has sprouted 2 more teeth to join in on the fun.  His 2 top front teeth have made an appearance and are causing some pain for the little man.  EVERYTHING is in his mouth to help ease the pain.  His favorites - Sophie (of course!), a cold wet wash cloth, his fingers.

• This kid is GROWING!  We don't have an official weight, but he has to be close to 20 pounds.  He is now wearing size 3 diapers so we know that he is putting on the weight - in a good way.

Happy 8 Month Birthday James!!!

James' Monthly Photo Project: Five Months Old

Here we are again.  Can you believe that the little guy is 5 months old?!?!??!  We sure can't.  It feels like yesterday that I was in the operating room and they were yanking him out of my belly.  :)  Well, here we are and we have lots to share about what James has been up to.

Milestones:

• One of the biggest, most exciting milestones hit during this month was the introduction of solid foods.  James' menu now includes not only formula, but rice cereal, oatmeal and sweet peas!
• He is on the move when we put him on his belly which means crawling is just around the corner.  He wiggles and shakes all over his play mat and does a psuedo army crawl.
• He experienced his first (and second and third) cold thanks to daycare!  This is not really a milestone to smile about, but it does mean that his immune system is working and developing so here's to a snotty nose!
• James LOVES to play with his toys and Mommy LOVES watching him as he does it.  His favorites include his Jumperoo, his high chair monkey and Sophie continues to be on top.
• Can you say TEETH?!  It's hard to believe, but in these last few days James' front bottom teeth have decided to cut through.  They are not fully emerged, but teething is officially in full force.

HAPPY FIVE MONTH BIRTHDAY JAMES!!!