We've almost reached 6 months

James and Auntie Erin (sorry you're sideways)

James and Grandma


James and cousin Jeffrey (sideways again; sorry)

Supermanning with Daddy

Cousin Jeffrey, James, and Cousin David

Sorry there has not been a blog entry in a while. We don't have internet at the new house. Occasionally Mommy's laptop can pick up a wireless signal from somewhere, but it doesn't always work. We're trying to come up with a better plan.

James is sitting up on his own pretty well now. He has also learned how to pull himself up to a sitting-up position, if he is on a slanted surface (like a lap). He can't quite lift himself up from a completely flat surface like the floor, but he has the idea. He has also decided that whatever position we hold him in is the wrong position, and he will squirm constantly until he finds the correct position. He has not found it yet.

In a continuing effort to pay off their student loans, the doctors have decided to do genetic testing on James, to look for the long QT thing again. They'll have to take a couple of ounces of blood and send it off to some lab somewhere. We have a pediatrician visit coming up, so we'll try to get it done then.

James got to visit new relatives last week, and he also got to see auntie Erin. Mommy's uncle Danny and Aunt Lisa brought their sons David and Jeffrey to town, so James got to hang out with them for a couple of days. He especially liked their dog, some kind of poodle hybrid that looks like a muppet. Mommy and Daddy got to play some football with the visiting relatives, and Erin carried James around so he could watch. Then while Daddy was at the Home Depot, the rest of the family toured the Mayfield Dairy, conveniently located just minutes from our house.
Daddy was at the Home Depot instead of the dairy because 1) Daddy doesn't like wearing hairnets, and 2) the house still needs a good bit of work. But progress is being made. We have successfully cleared out a play room for James on the second floor that the cats are not allowed in. So James can roll around on the ground freely without Daddy worrying about him ingesting cat remnant. We also purchased a small lawn mower and received a weedeater from Grandpa, just in time to tame the lawn before the homeowners' association got impatient. The yard is still not great, but at least it looks like someone lives there now. I wonder if Google Earth can do another pass and update our image now that I've cut the grass. It's terrible when your yard looks crappy from space.

James has gotten too big for his bassinet, so he has moved up to the full-sized crib. He has also outgrown some of our favorite outfits, but thankfully we have lots of bigger outfits that we have been eager to try on. We're also trying to find more advanced toys for James - things that help him learn more motor skills. The aforementioned Aunt Lisa sent us a good suggestion for a play set that allows him to sit up while playing with it, which I think he'll enjoy. We might also look for things that he can lean on while trying to walk, because he appears almost ready to walk. Baby toys are a lot of fun, so Mommy and Daddy will enjoy the shopping. For James's benefit, of course.