We have had a busy few days... as usual. James is doing fine in South Georgia. A nice trip to Aunt Lizzie's house yesterday for some pool time was a welcome relief. It was 100 degrees here before noon today (that is 37.8 C for the metric savvy), and 105 (40.6 C) a few days ago. Last May when we visited James was a little timid about the water, but those days are gone. Despite being clueless about swimming, he was very happy to jump in from the side time after time, with his cousin Micajah. His pregnant mum could just barely keep up. You can see his diaper becoming significantly more full as the minutes wore on. It was a regular disposable, and it was like a water balloon by the end. We transferred to a more liberating diaper cover, sans diaper. Aunt Lizzie and the crew also have two new, very sweet kittens-- Bandit and Tiger, whom James was nuts about. He ran around the house saying "two- CATS"... "two- CATS" over and over again. 
We also went to a book signing for the Sweet Blessings cookbook yesterday afternoon. It was at a very fancy B&B and I was terrified of James causing a ruckus, though he was fine, and the hostesses assured me they were comfortable whether I was or not. We had some delicious cake and left the fancy party to the people with better motor skills.
We also had a surprise visit in Homerville from Mary Roberts, who used to babysit us when we were kids. How cool is that? She brought photos of her daughters' weddings and was able to meet James and visit with the rest of us. It was delightful. Mary is an avid Hollandsenieuewe reader, and it was neat to hear about how she keeps up with what the Owens/Steedley/Campa/Maier crews are doing via this website.
Just as few were flying into the states my dear friend Julie Small Smith was in the final days of her first pregnancy. On Friday June 22 she and Shaun (and of course the pups Max and Lizzie) welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. Shelby Ann Smith was a whopper-- 8 lbs, 5 oz, and 21 inches long. Julie had a difficult time but fortunately EVERYONE is healthy and great now. Is she beautiful or what???
Mike is most likely in Connecticut as I write this. Today the crew traveled there to install this week's project, a cabin. He has had several 10 hour days and says the deer flies and mosquitos are plentiful up there. He sounds busy but extremely happy, as his dream summer becomes a reality.
In proper Maier tradition I will share a photo of James most recent tumble-- he has been addicted to stairs ever since arriving in the states. He quickly mastered the Gould's carpeted staircase, and has enjoyed going up and down, up and down, the split-level 3-step staircase at my mom's. Today he misjudged the distance and bit his lip on the way down-- though he was laughing about it within moments.
Finally, we tried big boy PJs for the first time last night. It is traditional in the Netherlands to sleep in a sleepsack, which we have loved. As we are anticipating the arrival of a new one, I have been directing James towards some "big boy" concepts to make certain he doesn't go into shock when the new one arrives. We have been talking about the potty ALOT (probably too much), and we anticipate his transition to a bigger bed by the end of this year. One step along the way is the change from a sleep sack to real pajamas. We made a trip to Old Navy earlier this week and found some great ones, including this bug covered pair which says "don't let the bed bug bite". James was VERY proud of himself when he put them on last night, so I took a few shots this morning as he played with my dad's train set.
We also went to a book signing for the Sweet Blessings cookbook yesterday afternoon. It was at a very fancy B&B and I was terrified of James causing a ruckus, though he was fine, and the hostesses assured me they were comfortable whether I was or not. We had some delicious cake and left the fancy party to the people with better motor skills.
We also had a surprise visit in Homerville from Mary Roberts, who used to babysit us when we were kids. How cool is that? She brought photos of her daughters' weddings and was able to meet James and visit with the rest of us. It was delightful. Mary is an avid Hollandsenieuewe reader, and it was neat to hear about how she keeps up with what the Owens/Steedley/Campa/Maier crews are doing via this website.
Just as few were flying into the states my dear friend Julie Small Smith was in the final days of her first pregnancy. On Friday June 22 she and Shaun (and of course the pups Max and Lizzie) welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. Shelby Ann Smith was a whopper-- 8 lbs, 5 oz, and 21 inches long. Julie had a difficult time but fortunately EVERYONE is healthy and great now. Is she beautiful or what???
Mike is most likely in Connecticut as I write this. Today the crew traveled there to install this week's project, a cabin. He has had several 10 hour days and says the deer flies and mosquitos are plentiful up there. He sounds busy but extremely happy, as his dream summer becomes a reality.
In proper Maier tradition I will share a photo of James most recent tumble-- he has been addicted to stairs ever since arriving in the states. He quickly mastered the Gould's carpeted staircase, and has enjoyed going up and down, up and down, the split-level 3-step staircase at my mom's. Today he misjudged the distance and bit his lip on the way down-- though he was laughing about it within moments.
Finally, we tried big boy PJs for the first time last night. It is traditional in the Netherlands to sleep in a sleepsack, which we have loved. As we are anticipating the arrival of a new one, I have been directing James towards some "big boy" concepts to make certain he doesn't go into shock when the new one arrives. We have been talking about the potty ALOT (probably too much), and we anticipate his transition to a bigger bed by the end of this year. One step along the way is the change from a sleep sack to real pajamas. We made a trip to Old Navy earlier this week and found some great ones, including this bug covered pair which says "don't let the bed bug bite". James was VERY proud of himself when he put them on last night, so I took a few shots this morning as he played with my dad's train set.
Until very recently James only thought of autos as something to point at, and perhaps did not realize one could also ride inside them. All we need to say to get him to go along on an errand is "would you like to ride in the auto", and he heads for the door. Here is a shot of him clambering into his grandmother's vehicle.
4 comments:
So GLAD James had fun at Aunt Lizzies house. He can come play with my "two cats" anytime! :)
So good to hear all is well in South Ga. Love the pictures of James and all his new advertures. Once they start to repeat what you say, it is the great beginning. Weather here in Roswell not much better thought we did have great rainstorm last night. That pool looks very refreshing.
Kat, I love Old Navy's pj's, they are soft and true to size, and wear really well. He will enjoy being able to "lounge" in them, I am sure. Another beautiful shot of Shelby, she is one pretty baby. Glad your visit is going well.
That Shelby is a looker. I mean, seriously, not all newborns are pretty, but she is gorgeous.
BTW, I started talking the potty up to Rollie when he was about two (and about 3 months before Tiller arrived) and he is now potty trained as of two weeks ago. He will be four in August. Not telling you not to PT, just to not expect him to necessarily get the concept right away. Some little ones, and usually boys, train a lot later. If I had known that one day he would decide to PT pretty much on his own, I never would have bothered for so long to try to get him to go.
Can't wait to see y'all!
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