back to reality

After a week at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, I came back home to my baby daddy Saturday afternoon. James Michael showed daddy just how much he grew on vacation, now that he's eating 1.5 to 2 jars of baby food twice a day. Before we left, he was eating about two ice cubes of homemade baby food at a time, but like anyone who's on vacation, he felt the need to indulge :) In the past month, he's eaten butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, apples, prunes, pears, bananas and mango. He truly loves it all, and has his daddy's appetite. As soon as you put him in a high chair, he knows what's coming next and starts grunting. And the whole time he's eating, his little arms are flailing out to the sides of him from sheer excitement.

Cousin Beth brought this great portable baby chair to the beach, and JM did very well in it. We even took it with us to a restaurant the last night. It worked much better than those wooden high chairs.

Hoping this stash will last us at least a week :)

Vacation, or just time away, is good for the soul. It allows for replenishment and rest. It helps to reset your perspective and focus on the things that really matter in life. It reminds you that life is short and priorities should always be the people you care about most. Vacation allows your dreams to breathe and feel like possibilities, if only for one week.

In other news, James Michael turns 7 months old today. It's so crazy to think that it was almost a year ago when we found out we were having a little boy. And here we are today. We have blazed through the half year mark and are getting way too close to his first birthday, even though it is 5 months away.

His little personality is in full force. He absolutely knows what he likes and doesn't like, and makes his preferences very clear. He is still a very verbal baby, and amazes me with his volume at times. He has become so much more independent these past few weeks; he's happiest sitting up on the floor so that he can see what's going on around him. He notices e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.--small noises or movements--nothing seems to escape him. He loves being around people, especially when they work hard to entertain him. He also loves kids of all ages and is mesmerized by them.

He's my heart.