Trip to Wisconsin

Last weekend we took a little vacation to Spirit, Wisconsin - Jesse's hometown. Maybe we should say Jesse's woods. James turned out to be quite the nature boy. He wanted to be outside all of the time. He was excited just to take everything in and to discover dirt, leaves, sticks, trees, and the wind.

This last picture is of my boys hanging out in the leeks. We were able to pick some wild leeks and hopefully cook with them. James wasn't too impressed with the taste.

Personality - What makes him tick?

When our boy gets fussy, we've learned a few tricks to "soothe" him. James likes to listen to music with his daddy and watch all of the colors move on the screen. He really likes whistling songs and, according to Jesse, Def Leopard. (I wouldn't know because I can't stand to be in the room when that type of music is on!)Another way to calm our fussy James is to distract him with a new toy. The best kinds of toys are those he sees mommy or daddy using or he finds by himself. Here he is exploring the grocery ad, but his favorite stolen toy is mommy's water bottle.

Here James has discovered Auntie Michele's purse. It has delicious handles.
I just included this picture because he looks so peaceful. He likes to lay in his crib. When I need a break, I lay him in there to watch his mobile and coo. Our curious little guy is such a cuddler. I'm so blessed to receive his hugs and kisses multiple times a day.

Let me vent

Being a mother is about learning self sacrifice. It is also a whole self defining experience. I need to vent.

Complaint #1
James is now screaming instead of sleeping. If you read my post in December, you know that originally we trained him to fall asleep on his own without a pacifier. Well, soon it became with a pacifier. Then it became, if he cries hard we'll go in and give him his pacifier back. Currently, he has been screaming for 15 minutes. All mothers know that is torture to endure for both of you. Should I go and give him his pacifier? Will it help? The poor boy has a cold. He wants to be held. He wants to stay awake, but he needs to sleep. Difficult. difficult. If only I could successfully rock him to sleep, but lately that never happens.

Complaint #2
I cannot publish pictures again. This is exceedingly frustrating. Is the server too busy? Am I jinxed?

Complaint #3
About James again.... He no longer sleeps through the night. For awhile he has been waking up every 2-3 hours looking for his pacifier. That was one problem - but I have an idea how to fix that. Now he wants to eat in the middle of the night. Like at 2:30am, 5:30am, and then at 7am. Sorry baby.... mama is getting more and more tired. I complain because since January, he has been going from 7pm - 4am without eating. That was great. What is this regression??? Many of you reading would probably say - "Count your blessings." "You had it good. Many people have it worse for much longer." True but still... This is testing my patience.

In conclusion: I gave James a pacifier and now he is asleep. YEAH!!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!! And yet, some day he will need to fall asleep on his own. Maybe tomorrow....

Happy Little Fellow

I'm a happy guy!

The funny thing is that as I am writing this, James is in his bed fussing and fighting his nap. I guess we can't be happy all the time.

In a Funk

Sorry it has been so long. For some reason, I can't upload pictures. This is really frustrating. Jesse says we should write about something other than James. So, I'll try.

As the winter wears on our family has been in a "funk." It seems we are all depressed and focusing on the negative. We wish it were warmer so we could play outside. We wish we had more work and therefore more money. We wish we could buy a house, get out of this apartment, and have some more space and stability. We wish it were easier to get exercise, fresh air, and personal time. We wish James took regular naps... On and on I could go. It is so easy to dwell on the things we desire and become discouraged as we wait on God.

There is a verse that convicts me:
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

It seems lately we are allowing Satan to steal our joy. Perhaps our delight is misplaced. We allow circumstances to affect our attitude and outlook on life. We look to future circumstances as the answer to more happiness. Maybe recognizing this as a trap is the first step, but really it just opens my eyes to how depend we need to be on God.

He is the only one who is able to change our attitude in spite of our circumstances. He is the only one who can give me the strength to look for the positive and open my eyes to the wonders and opportunities He provides all around us! Thank goodness for forgiveness. Thank God even more that we do not have to rely on our own determination to do better.

Fun with my cousin

Yea! We can add images again. These are a few from the week before Easter. James is playing with his cousin Haley.
Haley is reading The Foot Book. Currently this is the favorite book in the Rhody household. Haley is quite an impressive reader for a 1st grader. She sure captured James' attention.