Fun facts

I'm taking a leaf out of my cousin Amber's book and updating this to keep sort of a family record for my son so that when he is grown he will be able to look at it and learn about the early years of his life. That way I wont forget things that seem so cute now, but will no undoubtedly be forgotten later.

At 6 weeks of age, James weighs 12lbs
He loves the taste of the following things:
Bacon
Apples
Pears
Vanilla Ice Cream
Avocado (sort of)
And his own hand

His favorite thing to do with Mama is:
Sleep
Sing
Go for walks
Pull out my hair
Stare at me
Talk (or make sounds.)

His Favorite thing to do with Daddy
Smile
Stop smiling when daddy reaches for the camera
Squats (yes, they work out together lol)
Laying on Daddy's chest.

James has already started to sleep through the night. Which is a great, because that means that I get to sleep through the night as well! He is turning me into a morning person which is something I never thought I would say. We're usually up by 6:30am now.

Things James dislikes:
Bananas
Fighter Jets (The Navy does its practice flights out of the air port a mile from our apartment and they are loud)
Loosing his Bink
Not being brought into the bed with me after John goes to work
Not being talked back to when he is talking.

This kid is such a joy and so funny. Some of the simplest things make me laugh. Like the fact that when he farts when he is half asleep, it scares him awake and makes him cry. I know I shouldnt laugh, but its the funniest thing in the world!

The story of a birth

So lets begin with me being 9 days late for delivery. That as prolly the most un-fun part of the whole process. The weather up here in Fresno was not being kind, and I had gained about 38 pounds so I was a bit uncomfortable as it was. Then it happened...

( the day before giving birth )



It was about ten minutes to five in the morning and I hadn't been sleeping very well. I got up to go to the bathroom and BAM! My water broke. At first I wasnt sure that it had really happened, so I waited about 10 minutes before waking up John. We had had so many false alarms and gone to the hospital so many times that I didnt want to wake him just in case it wasnt "time." Besides, we were getting induced that night anyways. So the ten minutes went by and I was sure that it was "time."



John woke up so quickly and calmly that I was really surprised. He has always been great under pressure. He said "ok" and walked into the bathroom and got dressed. I should have taken the chance to eat breakfast, but I was too excited/nervous to do much of anything but stand at the bathroom door and stare at the door till he was done. We double checked the bags, fed the cats, walked around the apartment to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything, and we were out the door.



We arrived at the hospital in short time, and were taken into a room to make sure I was in labor. I could have told them I was, but they wanted to hook me up to a machine and do a couple of tests anyways. As usual, I was right and we were taken to a private room.



Robin arrived shortly after with a big cup of coffee for John, and a much needed sense of humor for both of us. It was going to be a long day and the fact that she was there to talk with us and give us support is something John and I will never forget. It was a true blessing and we are so lucky to have such a great friend! She even helped John coach me through labor!



By 11:30am I was still only at 4cm so they decided to start the pitocen(sp?) and give me an epidural because the contractions were coming very fast and hard. The only part of it that hurt was the numbing stuff they inject, the rest of it just felt like pressure. It was a little difficult because I have 2 messed up disks at L5 and L3 and thats the area they needed to set it up at.



So with in an hour I couldnt feel my legs. It was awesome. and by 4:15 ish I was fully dilated. The whole pushing part only took me an hour and 2 minutes. The staff thought that I was a little crazy because I would joke and laugh between pushes. We were all on tender hooks. Our little girl was almost here! But wait, what?

( Just getting ready to push)


They told me I only had to push one more time and Aly would be here, so I pushed and John said "Its a boy!" I remember clearly saying "What?" and Robin laughing and saying "No its not." and John looking at both of us with the most shocked expression I have ever seen on his face and saying very seriously "I'm not joking, its a BOY!"




And then it was dead silent. And then my little boy cried and everyone started laughing.



The nurse asked us what his name was and I looked at John and we both said James. We had picked out first names for a boy and a girl before we found out what we were having, but hadnt picked out a middle name for a boy. We ended up settling on James as a nod to our middle school band teacher Mr. Boyer. He has been a mentor to John and has been a huge part of both of our lives.John said he was speechless when he called to tell him. We picked Samuel in honor of John's grandpa who sadly passed away two years ago.

( Laughing and crying )


We ended up staying in the hospital for only 24 hours after his birth. Both sets of parents made a mad dash up to Fresno from Lake Elsinore. A five hour drive. My parents werent able to stay very long due to my dads health but they both got to hold their grandson. John's parents stayed for an additional day and a half to help John exchange all the pink stuff that they could.

( Johns dad, Scott, holding James with us )


( John's mom, Lisa, holding James )





So now we are all at home. James is great. He is sitting on my lap at this very moment, chewing on me, and grunting in approval of the telling of his birth. One thing is for sure, he will have a great story to tell! He is the most precious thing in the world. John and I are already wrapped around his little finger. This kid will have a dog and a motorcycle by the time he is 2! We love him so much!

Life with a baby

The last time I posted a blog I was still pregnant, so it is beyond time to update. James Samuel Thornton was born on September 30, 2010 at 5:30pm. He was quiet a surprise for us because James was supposed to be Alyson. Yes, thats right, they had told us that we were having a girl. We even had an ultrasound one week to the day before we had him (three days after he was due) and they double checked and said "yup, its still a girl!" Imagine my surprise when John said "Its a boy!" I said, "No, its a girl." and John looked at me and said "No, seriously, Its a BOY!!!"

He is the most perfect little angel. I might be a little biased though. He was 8lbs 5oz and 21 3/4" long at birth. And it looks like he is going to be a very big boy. He had already gained a pound and 4 ounces by his 3 week appointment. He makes John and I laugh constantly, and we even have nick names for him. Monster baby, or pig pig. He snorts when he is happy, and growls like a little monster when he gets upset. He is just a little bundle of fun. He even started smiling the week before last.




We feel truly blessed to have been given such a beautiful son! I feel so luck every morning to wake up next to my wonderful husband and my cute little boy. Oh, and my two foot warmers, Blue and Sneezy. We cant forget the cats. Everyone knows they are really the ones that run the house! I will post the story of the birth right after this. Its a great story and I laugh a little more every time I read it!