Exercising

James and I are working on some new moves. Auntie Erin and a baby-yoga book that Mommy got both suggest working on exercising both sides of the body. As we can see in the earlier video, James likes to roll over by pushing off with the left side and pivoting on the right side. With a little help, he rolled over the other way a few times this morning. He seemed to like it okay, although he kept trying to put his arms back in a position that would roll him over the first way.
James also likes to roll over from his back on to his side, sometimes to squirm around, sometimes to go to sleep. At night he usually rolls onto his right side, but during the day he will go on either side. This morning I got down on the floor with him, and he rolled onto whichever side I was on. Then I got up, and he rolled on to whichever side had a nearby toy. That makes me suspect that perhaps he sleeps on one side at night, not because it's necessarily his dominant side, but because that's the side Mommy and Daddy are on.
Another fun activity James has learned is crawling on his side. He squirms and pushes and swings his legs while on one side or another, and he eventually works his way around in a circle:

These pictures were taken over the course of about 5 minutes, but James is well on his way to performing amazing feats of strength and dexterity like this great athlete:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt0qeIrdRpk

Olympics, here we come!

Fancy pictures

Last Saturday, James had some professional pictures taken. They can be seen on the photographer's blog:

http://www.stylizedportraiture.com/blog/

James is about a third of the way down.

Exercise

Last week we went to Augusta to visit the relaitves there. James was feeling a little grumpy at Papa's house, so we didn't get any successful pictures. But a ride in the car and some milk made him feel better, so he was a happy guy at Meme's house.

James and Meme

James and cousin Hannalee

James has learned to enjoy playing on his stomach, it seems. He is not crawling yet, but he is rolling over successfully and grabbing things while on his stomach. Here is some action footage:

James continues to grow

James and I have just finished up with the laundry, and now we're playing with a toy dragonfly. Well, James is playing with a toy dragonfly; I'm typing.

James's hand-eye coordination is quite good now; he looks at something and then grabs it successfully. This skill coincides with the beginning of his chewy phase, so he usually looks at something, grabs it, and puts it directly in his mouth. He also drools a good bit more than he used to, and I have heard that the combination of these things could be a harbinger of teeth. It's a little earlier than average, but certainly possible.

James is not yet crawling, but he is getting more comfortable on his stomach (see top photo). He has no trouble keeping his head up, and he can roll over on his own. He seems to have the strength in his arms and legs to pick himself up, but not the coordination yet. We are hoping to be in our new house before he figures out how to crawl, so that we can have it set up for his safety and enjoyment. We don't want to mess up the grandparents' house with baby-proofing equipment if we don't have to.

James is also more comfortable sitting up in his Bumbo chair (see second photo). He leans to his right a little, but he keeps his head up without any problem. He will now play with toys while sitting up in the chair, so he no longer has to consciously think about holding himself upright.

Time for James to eat. More pictures later.

Rubicon

Sorry this isn't exactly about James, but I can type and he can't. We're watching the inauguration, and I think it's worth commenting on.

When I was a kid, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were the modern-day Arthur and Lancelot. We went out in the backyard and somebody would be Montana, somebody would be Rice, and the rest of us would be disappointed. Herschel Walker was like a comic-book superhero. My brother's stories of Jim Thorpe and Hank Aaron were, to me, like the legends of Paul Bunyan and John Henry. Dale Murphy was the famous Brave of the day, but Hank Aaron was timeless, larger than life. None of us knew anything about any of those great athletes except that they were great athletes. They were the greatest athletes. We wanted to be them. None of us, even in semi-rural Georgia, ever thought about the fact that some of these super-athletes were a different color. He can catch/throw/hit a ball; who cares what he looks like? I didn't even know that Jim Thorpe was Native American until I was 18 years old. In fact, it was in high school that I first understood that there was a time when Jerry Rice and Hank Aaron wouldn't have been allowed to play. It took guys like Jackie Robinson and Fritz Pollard and Thorpe, who were brave enough to be the first, and good enough to make people see their talent instead of their color, to pave the way for them. It also took owners, managers, and coaches who were willing to give them a chance, who chose teamwork above segregation, who decided that being the same was not as important as being the best.
Today, our political system caught up with our pastimes. The majority of our nation voted to be led by a man that doesn't look like the majority of our nation. James is going to grow up in a nation where George Washington and Barack Obama are no less equal than Montana and Rice. Won't it be great when in school, James will learn about Obama, not as the first, but as the 44th? Barack Obama might turn out to be the best president we've ever had, or he might be the worst. But he's in; he's the president, and that makes his color irrelevant. We have officially gotten past how he looks; now let's see how he plays.

Growth

Several blogs ago, I (Daddy) mentioned posting some pictures of James at zero, one, two, and three months, so we can see how he's grown. I am finally getting to it here.

Birth

One month

Two months

Three months

As of yesterday, he was an even 11 pounds. Mommy spent a good portion of the day putting away his clothes that are too small, and getting out his bigger clothes that fit him now. We'll miss the monkey outfit, but we'll enjoy the green overalls for a while.

Prolonged QT interval (vastly superior to a Long QT Syndrome)

So I get home from M-I-crookedletter-crookedletter-I-crookedletter-crookedletter-I-humpback-humpback-I last night at about 10 in the p.m. Shortly after that, a cardiologist called (yes, at 10 p.m.) and said we should bring James in first thing in the morning. That's what you love to hear, immediately following an infant's funeral.

We went in this morning, and the doctor said that he saw something that worried him on the EKG James got in November. So we had another EKG, and an echo-something, and now the doctor is no longer worried. Here's what he found: the earlier test showed a prolonged QT interval (see above). He says that means basically that the heart isn't beating efficiently. If the QT interval is consistently prolonged, you call it Long QT Syndrome and it's potentially hazardous. James, however, only had it for a short time, when he was sick. Today's test showed a normal QT interval, so the previous one was likely just a symptom of whatever made him sick. No big deal. The doctor is no longer worried. But he has bills to pay, so he's having James wear a monitor for 24 hours, and he has a follow-up in a month. And mommy and daddy get to take their own EKGs, so that he can see if James is genetically predisposed to weird heart stuff. But the cardiologist thinks there's nothing to worry about.

Fun week.

Celebrating Magdalena's life

Yesterday I (Daddy) went to Jackson, Mississippi for a celebration-of-life service for Noah's daughter Magdalena. There were a couple hundred people there, and hundreds more around the world (like Nims!) who sent comforting words. Probably a thousand people who have been blessed by the life of this little kid. On the drive home, I was thinking about all the things that most of us have that Magdalena didn't, and how little we do with it.
It doesn't hurt to breathe.
Our minds are clear.
Food is an enjoyable thing, not something we have to force in through a tube.
We can talk.
Certainly with all of these advantages, we can do more with our lives than Magdalena did.
And yet Magdalena did more to bless the people who knew her in 167 days than I have in 11, 745. She didn't just make it through 167 days, she conquered them. She fought against a bad heart and an extra chromosome and a bevy of medical experts that said she wouldn't even be born, and she beat them back long enough to bless a multitude of people. She stood strong, though she never got a chance to stand, and she was never strong. Every breath was a triumph, every day a victory. And when she finished what she was here to do, God brought her up to Him for a well-deserved rest. I'm blessed with good health, a wonderful family, and the resources to communicate with people around the world in an instant. I should probably start using them to bless others. Perhaps, when my days on earth are done, I will also have 167 victorious days.

In the immortal words of Indiana Jones, "It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage."

Magdalena Grace Roberts

My friend Noah's daughter died this morning. Magdalena wasn't yet a year old. She had trisomy 18 (an extra chromosome) and was not expected to live through birth at all. But God decided that we could use a little more beauty and love down here, so she stayed on earth for a while. In just a few months, she touched more hearts and felt more love than some people do in 32 years. It was a short stay, but it was a good one. Now she can rest, and her spirit isn't confined to a body that was far too small to contain it.

Here is her blog: http://noahandjulieroberts.blogspot.com/

Her parents, Noah and Julie, are great people, with incredible faith in God's love, and they are undoubtedly better prepared to handle this than most people. Certainly better prepared than I was when Talitha died. But please pray for them anyway, because every little bit helps.

The boys at home

James and I (Daddy) are having fun at home together during the day. Mommy would prefer to be home too, but I'm the lucky one. We're trying to develop a routine, but it hasn't happened yet. I try to fit in reading time and play time between naps, food, and diaper changes. James determines if he wants reading time or play time, however, and indicates this by the amount of wiggling he does. He is currently asleep (a low-wiggle activity), so I am able to type this.
Last Friday James learned how to roll over from his stomach to his back. The event was captured on camera, in case he fogot how to do it after Mommy came home. Thankfully, he retained the knowledge, and Mommy got to see it live this weekend. He is generally more comfortable with the tummy time, so we did a bit more of that today. We got him a crescent-shaped pillow for support, and he seems to like that. He is kicking his legs while on his stomach, so hopefully he will perfect the art of crawling soon.
Since he is three months old, we thought we would find a picture of him at birth and then each month, so that we can see how he's growing. I'll try to help Mommy pick out the pictures tonight and get them posted tomorrow.

James is 3 months old!

Today is January 4th, which means James has been out in the world for 3 months.  It also means that Mommy has to go back to work tomorrow, so it's her last full day with James.  I (Daddy) will be home with him during the day, so goodbye Days of Or Lives, hello SportsCenter.

     James has recently started trying to talk, which is quite entertaining.  He picks a sound, like "hay" or "ah", and repeats it several times, getting comfortable with it.  The look on his face indicates he wants to tell us something, but we're not smart enough to catch on to his language.  It must be frustrating for him to have slow parents.  One of his preferred utterances kind of sounds like "Erin," which should make his aunt happy.

    He is also working on hand-eye coordination, grabbing for things that he is looking at.  He has a pretty good grip (at least I think he does; we haven't given him a dynamometer or anything), but he hasn't perfected the timing of the grip yet.  So he usually looks at something, reaches out for it, slaps it, then closes his hand a second later.  After doing this a few times, however, he has managed to synchronize the reach with the grip.  He has a little arch with fish hanging from it that he lays under, and he managed to grab the fish's tail and hang on for several seconds.  

     Yesterday he had his most successful tummy time (we lay him on his stomach so he can practice lifting his head up, in preparation for crawling), getting his arms underneath him and using them (mostly the left one) to push himself up further.  He is not a big fan of the tummy time, and only tolerates it for a few minutes at a time before crying.  But his attempts have gotten longer, so hopefully he'll get used to it.   

     I don't know if any of these things are on par with other kids, since we have never raised another kid.  We do what the doctors and the legitimate-sounding books tell us to do, and let James learn and develop as much as he can.  We are deliberately avoiding comparing his development to that of other kids.  There are probably three-month-olds that can juggle apples or list the presidents or have their own World of Warcraft avatar, but I see no good in comparing James to other kids.  We don't have other kids; we have James.  We'll give him everything we can to help him grow, but he has to do the growing.  There will be plenty of time for competition later.