James is Ten Months Old

James is ten months old today and what a FUN month it is going to be!  So many "firsts" for him as we prepare for one of the busiest months of the year.  (One could easily argue that February, a short month with four of our family birthdays in it is equally as busy!).  We have decorations to put up all over the house -- lights!  So many lights! -- cookies to bake, visits with Santa, Christmas countdowns, presents to wrap, and of course, Christmas Catherine (our elf) made her debut already.

Helping with some Christmas lights:

Ornaments too:

He's still not quite sure what to think about the trees in our house right now.

And the Santa pillow?  Those had to be moved out of his reach pronto, if I wanted them to still have beards for another season next year!

Christmas is going to be so fun for him this year.  I don't think that he will care as much for the toys as he will for the discarded wrapping and tissue paper.  He was in his glory in the middle of Samantha's party when we handed him the paper to play with.

Like last month, James continues to love his toys.  His little fingers love to open toys, push allllllll of the buttons and we are working on some cause and effect ideas.  His laugh is contagious and his personality is developing more and more.  I now know exactly where to tickle him to make him giggle and squirm!

We have been spending more and more time up in his room these days and he seems to love it. 

A little bit of tummy-time, though it isn't long before James makes it clear that he is not a big fan.  (This picture was taken before the melt-down began).

Snack-time and play-time.  The kid is efficient.

Yes, snack for the WIN!

Future firefighter?

One of the biggest milestones this month (besides that fact that we are drool- and bib-free now -- and all the angels said, "AMEN!"), is that Jimmy has officially been moved into the big-boy tub.  For the last couple of months, he had been sitting in the plastic baby tub inside the big tub (SO MUCH SPLASHING!), but he is now comfortably sitting in the big tub with just a few inches of water.  Yes, he loves it just as much as his face shows in this picture.  The freedom to suck on the washcloth, play with his toys and splash in the bubbles ... it's a dream for him every night.

Two months to go and we will have a one-year-old.  A one-year-old!  The baby stage is almost over ...  It does make me a little sad, but I enjoy watching them grow too.