1 Year Check Up

James is a big boy! At his one year check up he was 32 inches tall (97th percentile) and 25 lbs (75th percentile). He is just growing by the day and continually amazing us. James favorite things lately are getting us to read his books for him, playing with his frog and stacking cups, rough housing with Daddy, playing the "bee game" with Momma, seeing his best buddy Jack and Aunt Kelli and getting spoiled by his loving Nana and Granddaddy. Other 1 year old milestones include a growing vocabulary in words and baby sign language. So far we hear "Momma", "Daddy", "Stop", "No", "Out", "Cross" (he LOVES the cross hanging above a door in our house), "Dog" and he is working awfully hard on getting out Nana, a shortened version of Granddaddy and of course Jack Jack. He has added the sign for dog to his signing vocabulary and is making some animal and insect sounds if you show him the animal or insect, such as in a book. It blows my mind how fast he is learning! Just like a little sponge!

Surprisingly, J had no problem giving up the bottle once he tasted real milk and no more yucky formula! He is now drinking cow's milk out of a sippy cup (granted half of it ends up on his shirt!). And again, surprising us, he easily gave up his paci except for bed time and time in the car. We are hoping to wean him off of it completely by 15 - 18 months, but we will see. After a lot of practice and frustration, James can stand up unassisted. This is a huge deal over here. So now we see him just pop up and start walking/running all around instead of having to crawl over to something to pull up to standing first. We think he has a panache for music because James is just drawn to it and dances along to it. He will pat his legs to the beat and sway to the music. Sometimes he even tries to sing. He obviously got this from his Daddy or Granddaddy or his uncles! The last update is that James has four teeth in now and more ready to come through. Teething has been bearable so far, except for a few days of horrible diaper rash. James was a trooper though and thank goodness for Triple Paste!

Here are a couple of pictures we had made of our one year old to send out to family and friends. Check your mail! Chances are one is headed your way! :-)

The Song of My Life

So every once in a while a song comes along that you just love to hear. There is something about it that just seems to make sense to you. Like it was written for you and your own life. Perhaps you hear a song that you have not heard in years and it can take you right back to a specific moment or a place where you were in the past. I will make you laugh right now and tell you that in the 6th grade the song of my life was "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran. So funny! Anyhow, I sang that song like some kind of anthem in all my pre-teen angst. Well, now that I am all grown up, songs still do the same thing to me. They have a way of freezing time. Of defining life in a moment. At this time, the song of my life is "It's a Beautiful Life" by Fisher. It just makes me so so happy, well, happier, because I am already pretty darn happy! I think I am happy because ultimately life is so good and I do my best to look on the bright side, even though there is lots of darkness around us all of us right now.

Sometimes it is hard not to get discouraged by all the distressing news that surrounds us. The market keeps falling and falling, U.S. workers are being laid off at alarming rates, our neighbors are losing their homes, not to mention the all the horrible things, such as child abduction (or worse), that we see when we turn on the evening news. It can be difficult not to get depressed or worried about what will happen to those we know or to us. I worry a lot about people that I do not know and about their suffering. People who might be cold when we are warm. People who might be hungry when we are satisfied. People who are alone when we are together. We says prayers with James every night to give thanks to the Lord for our great blessings and we remember that each of us is blessed according to God's purpose and pleasure. We know that God will provide and that sometimes we will be an instrument in that if we are lucky enough. If any of us got what we truly deserve none of us would have much! It reminds me of Job who gets all excited over this bush that grows and offers him shade in the desperate heat. Then the bush withers and Job is furious! He has lost HIS bush! Well, God is quick to ask him why he is upset to lose this shady shrub which he did not plant, for which he did not labor, or for which he did not grow. Job has that "Aha!" moment. I have one every time I think of this story. I just keep that in mind whenever I want to question things I do not understand. It is not for me to understand what all is going on. It is instead my job to be grateful and to give thanks. It is for me to give of myself to others what the Lord has given to me. It is for me to raise my children with these beliefs - to work hard and to find many ways to do these honorable works.

So, when sometimes I feel distressed over all the darkness in this world, I only have to look at my son to feel a deep calm and peace. All I have to do is look at this healthy child who has a roof over his head and food in his belly and clothes on his back and love on his face to know that we will be ok. He is my light! My joy! My reason for being! My one true love song! My very own miracle walking around on two chubby feet! I only have to look at his sweet, sleeping face in the moon light. At his dimple dipping in when he smiles at me. At his hands curling up when he hugs me and squeals in delight. And then I know that it truly is a beautiful life.

It's a Beautiful Life
Hey child up and go
-Big world is out there waiting for us to
live in every day

Outside you will find
there is love all around you
-Takes you, makes you wanna' say

That it's a beautiful life
and it's a beautiful world
and it's a beautiful time
to be here, to be here, to be here

The sky's blue
-just us two
Side by side we'll see the world
that surrounds us
-Hey, seize the day

Each road - every mile's a photograph in motion
to astound us, carry us away

into a beautiful life
'Cause it's a beautiful world
and it's a beautiful time
to be here, to be here

Leave all your cares behind you
The sun is rising
Turn around -it's right in front of you
and it's a beautiful life
and it's a beautiful time
to be here, to be here, to be here



The BEAUTIFUL pictures on this post were taken by our good friend and amazing photographer Nell from Cowtown Camera Girl. She is a natural light photographer who just wows us every time! These are a couple of pictures she got at James' birthday party last week. She has been photographing him regularly since he was born. You can check out her sweet post on him and check out more of Nell's pics at at www.cowtowncameragirl.com (click on "Blog") We will post when the proofs from his party are available for viewing! We cannot wait to order order order!!! Thanks for capturing these fleeting moments Nell! We love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!!

So James is the big 1 today! We celebrated last week with a big party and today we had fun hanging out with Nana and Granddaddy. We made a special trip to see Santa Claus and enjoyed an evening at Southlake Town Square taking in all the Christmas lights and decorations.

So I had this nostalgic feeling all day of how much things have changed in such short time. Just 365 days. And how thankful we are that James came into our lives. All day long we couldn't help compare what we were doing today with what we were doing one year ago today.....

December 20, 2007 vs. December 20, 2008

3:30 am last year - Our alarm clock went off and we woke up to go to the hospital. We had about a 45 minute drive in the dark to get there.

4:45 am this year - James woke up crying.....we think he had a nightmare. But he went back to bed right away thank goodness.

5:00 am last year - We checked in to Baylor Hospital at Cityview and I was hooked up to the fetal monitors.

5:50 am last year - I met my fabulous nurses and my labor induction officially started. I started feeling contractions within about 30 minutes of getting the Pitocin.

5:50 am this year - Our house was quiet as we were all still sleeping.

8:30 am last year - The doctor decided to break my water. I remember thinking "There is no turning back now!". Silly, but it really hit me at that moment. I took a walk to get things moving.

9:00 am last year - I finally took the epidural at the urging of my nurse. I was not feeling bad at all but decided she knew what she was talking about. I coughed while they were putting it in, so they had to repeat it. Little would I know this would cause it to wear off early later on.

9:00 am this year - James woke up. He slept in so late!!! It was wonderful to sleep in.

9:30 am this year- James sat in his booster seat had his breakfast of cheese toast and a banana...his favorite part? The banana! He drank his big boy milk out of a sippy cup.

10:00 am this year - James was walking around the living room playing with his toys and Sophie, my parent's dog. He kept pointing at Sophie saying "dog". He was enjoying his new birthday presents, especially his new car.

11:30am this year - James took a nap with his glo-worm.

1:00 pm last year - We were just hanging out at the hospital....talking, watching some TV, and reading books.

1:15 pm this year- James ate his lunch and had his sippy cup of milk.

1:30 pm this year- James enjoyed some play time and book time. His favorite book is called "Neighborhood Animals" and he loves to have it read to him over and over again.

2:30 pm this year - we loaded up and went to Southlake Town Square to finish up Christmas shopping and see Santa.

3:00 pm last year - My epidural started wearing off. They came and made an adjustment, but it did not help. I could feel the contractions and everything on the left side.

4:00 pm last year - The nurses were getting a little worried about James because his heart rate was dropping whenever I had a contractction. They told us that if I did not start dilating more soon that we would have to consider other options.

5:00 pm last year - We were making predictions about James and his birth. What time he would be born, how much he would weigh, what he would look like, etc. We recorded our predictions on a video camera.

5:00 pm this year - James was meeting Santa Claus and sitting on his lap, getting his picture made.

5:15 pm last year - The nurses checked me and told me I had finally reached 10 cm and that it was time to start pushing.

6:00 pm this year - We were sitting down to have a celebratory birthday dinner for James at Cheesecake Factory. He loves looking at all the cool lights and paintings on the ceiling. James ate sourdough bread, little bites of meatloaf and chicken breast, mashed potatoes and veggies. His favorite was the tomato from my salad.

6:40 pm last year - My nurse was teasing me and told me that she had to leave in 20 minutes and that she was sad she was not going to see the baby be born after all the hard work and time she had put in. It really motivated me!

6:45 pm last year - The nurse stepped out into the hall to get the doctor. I got VERY nervous when she left and threw up all over Daniel.

6:47pm last year - Dr. McAlpine came into the room and got into all his baby-delivering gear. He told me he wanted me to have this baby NOW!

6:51pm last year - James was born!!!! I grabbed his arm the moment he was born and just kept saying "My baby, my baby, my baby". I just couldn't stop saying it! James weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and was 20 inches long. He had almost black hair and blue eyes. He looked just like Daniel in the face, except for he had my nose.

6:51 pm this year - We gathered around James, with very big and very brown (you would never believe they were every blue!) eyes, in the middle of the bookstore we were in and sang him Happy Birthday.

6:55 pm last year - James was getting weighed and measured.

7:00 pm last year - James was nursing and showing a good appetite

7:15 pm this year - James fell asleep in the car on the way home.

8:00 pm last year - James was back from the nursery and cuddling with Momma and Daddy. He had met Nana and Granddaddy already by this time.

8:00 pm this year - James was all tucked into this bed after a little cuddle time. He stayed up extra late on his birthday!



Thanks to Nell for this awesome idea!

It's Official! Our house is growing by two feet!

We are thrilled to announce that we will be adding a new little one to our brood in August of 2009! Being parents to James has been our greatest blessing so far and we're overcome with joy that we get to experience pregnancy, childbirth and bringing a newborn home all over again. There was a time not so long ago when we thought all of this was out of our reach. Basically, we are living a dream come true and give thanks to God because His miracles never cease. We know James will be an awesome big brother and also that life at our house will be pretty crazy for the next few years. We have buckled up for one wild and wonderful ride! Please keep our growing family in your prayers. We won't be finding out the sex of the baby, but will post more details on Baby Duffy #2 as we get them.
Love,
Lauren, Daniel and Big Brother James

We've Been Tagged!

We've been tagged by my friend from college, Amanda. The instructions for this tag are to pick the 4th picture folder on your computer; choose and post the fourth picture; explain the picture; and tag 4 other people to participate.

So here is what I found! This is fun! So this picture is from Thanksgiving.....it was taken by Daniel on my parents' front porch. I had just gotten out of the shower and we were trying to get good pictures of James in the nice light. We did have success with this little photo shoot. Check out the picture from the previous post "Gratitude". Daniel snapped this one (with me in it and my still wet hair!) and it is not too great. Still it is me with my little man, so of course I still love it!

Ok, so we tag:
The Merrill Family
The Londino Family
The Valdez Family
AND the official Cowtown Camera Girl website's blog! (Nell, I think this would be cool!)

Gratitude

We spent Thanksgiving in Houston visiting Nana and Granddaddy. My dad cooked so much food! It was wonderful....turkey, dressing, squash casserole, sweet potato puff and more. Oh, and four different homemade pies! Hanging out with your family and eating family recipes together.....well, it just doesn't get much better than that. James loved the turkey and especially the dressing. He could not get enough! We got a chance to see Tommy and Becky, James' godparents and also my godmother Alice during our trip. James got some early birthday and Christmas presents and is loving all the awesome books and sweet clothes. Thank you Tommy, Becky and Alice for your thoughtfulness.

Each year, we make a list of what we were especially grateful for during the last year. Here is this year's list:
- Family, Family, Family.....especially our wonderful son and his wonderful grandparents
- Friends, Friends, Friends....especially The Merrill's, Jessica, Matt, Schurman, George, Ginger (I love you Wetgi!), Jaime, Paul and Nell who have touched our lives in a special way this year
- the family that takes care of James and loves him so much. We could not appreciate them more for loving our son.
- Surviving the downfall in the economy, and appreciating our home, transportation, clothing and food
- our church where James was baptized, and God's constant presence and guidance in our family life
- our health and Lauren's recovery from meningitis in the Spring
- Daniel's promotion, Lauren's new job (and her mentors Brinkley and Fredette) and the need and ability to work to support our family
- our strong marriage and a love that is stronger each day, getting to spend every night with our best friend
- and all the little things......Starbuck's, cell phones, our DVR, sweet tea, laughter, Taco Casa, bath toys, warm socks, snuggling, Southlake Town Square, books, bubble baths, music, the internet, the fall air, bananas, Little People toys, tear free shampoo, our Skip Hop diaper bag, Triple Paste Ointment, the Rain forest crib toy, a Wii and XBox360 live, Facebook, hot chocolate and Target!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR THIS YEAR?

11 Months Old Already!

We have an eleven month old on our hands....an honest to goodness toddler! James is SO funny and has such a personality. He is really quite the character, a silly mix between sweet and feisty. He is continually doing something goofy and finally has figured out just how darn funny he is. His grin is priceless and his laughter infectious. Can't believe we'll be singing him "Happy Birthday" in less than a month...

One of my favorite things lately is watching him just toddle around, sometimes with his arms stuck out from his sides like a tight-rope walker. Most of the time he is squealing in delight over something. My favorite part is when he comes over to me with a big grin, dimple and all, and just falls into my lap. Oh, motherhood you are an awesome thing!

At 11 months, James favorite things are:
-his mama and daddy!
-his Nana and Granddaddy (who he loves to Skype with)
-his best friend Jack Jack Merrill (AND his Aunt Kelli!)
-his wonderful babysitter
-blueberries
-dogs, real ones, toy ones, dogs in books, etc.
-the cross that hangs above our front door
-his bear that sings "I've Been Working in the Railroad"
-walking everywhere
-his gloworm and rainforest crib toy
-signing "light" to every single light
-my cell phone and laptop
-anyone's keys
and his MOST FAVORITE THING OF ALL TIME........(drum roll please!) IS THE REMOTE CONTROL!

Other big news here is that I am SUPER psyched about not having to go back to work until Monday December 1st! Work has been really challenging since moving to the new district. It is soooooo much better, but a big adjustment. I feel like I am finally finding my place and figuring out what I am doing (well, not WHAT I am doing, but more of HOW to do it better, easier, etc). I feel a lot better about it because it was really stressful for a while. I am looking forward to nine days of hanging of with James and lots of family time. Hope to get some cool pics of our little turkey this next week!

I just wanna....

squeeze those little cheeks!!!

My Top 10 Favorite Things about Motherhood So Far.....

10. Rubber duckies taking over the tub, baby food taking over the pantry, little baby hangers taking over the utility room.....you get the picture.

9. Getting to read lots of cute books while someone helps turn the pages.

8. Signing to James and having him respond.

7. Singing silly kids songs and knowing he already has a favorite (Wheels on the Bus).

6. Planning all kinds of fun things that I think James will enjoy doing.

5. Seeing that sweet face after work and knowing he is all mine for the rest of the day.

4. Getting to watch James play with his Daddy and squeal in delight.

3. The softest and sweetest baby hands ever holding onto me.

2. Our bedtime routine with stories and prayers and the rocking chair.

1. Hearing his laughter and the sweetest and most cherished word ......Mama!


Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Happy Halloween 2008

We have waited a long time to celebrate Pumpkin Day with a little one. It was worth the wait. What fun! First we carved our Jack-O-Lantern. Daniel did all the carving and I was so proud of how it turned out. It looked awesome and the trick-or-treaters all thought it was really cool! It got me thinking about an idea for a pumpkin carving party in the future.



Then into the costume....... James made a precious frog as we trick-or-treated at the neighbors' homes.



And time to say a quick hello to his favorite friend the witch....

Then our little frog checked out his loot from us and from Nana and Granddaddy.... Halloween books, a couple of little toys, and some new clothes for the cooler weather. And he sure was eyeing all that candy....for now he seemed content to just put the sweets in his pumpkin. I am sure that will change by next year when he discovers you can actually eat what is inside of those shiny little wrappers.

And my favorite one from the day......the frog that stole mommy's heart

The Pick of the Patch!

We had a SUPER busy weekend! Nana and Granddaddy came into town and as usual, we had an AWESOME time hanging out with them. James impressed them with his new walking skills. He can now go about 8 steps at the most before he falls down and crawls instead. We also had a garage sale and got rid of some of the junk that needed to go. I cannot tell you how glad I am that we actually cleaned and organized our closets! On Saturday we attended Jack's first birthday party. Yes, Jack is one! Can't believe it! I remember visiting him in the hospital when he was only one day old. Feels like yesterday. James had a good time crawling around and people watching at the party. I enjoyed watching Jack with his birthday cake...he was so careful and sweet with it! So cute. I hope to include some pics of James' best buddy's party sometime soon. Then, on Sunday we went to the pumpkin patch with the Merrill Family. All in one weekend! Man oh man! Can we cram the fun into one weekend or what?! Kelli took some pictures at the pumpkin patch and was nice enough to send them to us. Our little pumpkin is ten months old today!

One small step for Jamer, one giant leap for babykind!

Ok, so my blog title is a little goofy. But what can I say....we are a goofy family!

Our little man took his first steps today! He took two or three steps from our ottoman to my leg, with a huge smile on his face the whole time. I was so excited! He also stood some today without holding onto anything. Hopefully, sometime soon I will get some pictures of James' new skills.

In the first picture, James playing with his new toy that I got off of Craigslist. He loves the little cash register on it, and I love the price of the toy! Only $5! Thank you Craigslist!

The other picture is our bottle drying rack after a "paci roundup" last night......Daniel found ALL of these pacifers behind James' crib. We have to have a round up each week. Now that James' crib doesn't have a bumper, he knocks (or throws?) his pacifiers out of his bed all night, every night. And to think there were more in the ktichen drawer. I think we have a pacifier addict on our hands here. I think we have enough pacifiers for every man, woman and child in the United States. It's crazy!

Last thing, please send healthy thoughts our way. James is dealing with his first major fever/cough/cold episode! Poor little baby....

Family Picnic

Daniel's work hosted a HUGE family picnic complete with a maze, pony rides, bounce houses, sack races and fun of all sorts! James was too little to get in on all the action this year, but can't wait until he is big enough to run the three-legged race. Lucky for James he has a goofy Daddy who is super entertaining! Who needs the water balloon toss when you're having this much fun?!?

First Signs of Fall

So here in the Metroplex, it feels like an Indian summer. Today we had a cooler day, but it still topped out in the 80s. Fall....WHERE ARE YOU?!?! We are all ready for a change of season!

Today, I was thinking about how last October James was not here yet, and how this is his first Autumn. What a difference a year makes and how life can change from one year to the next! Fall is my favorite time of year. I just love the feel of the crisp, cool air. I love the smell of apple pie baking and cozy crock pot meals. I love pulling out the sweaters and putting my flip flop feet back into some real shoes. I love carving pumpkins, and all the Halloween traditions that go along with it. I love that it is finally time for high school football and SEC football. I love finding the few North Texas trees that actually change color, cooking a big Thanksgiving meal and spending extra time with family. I am so excited to share this fall with James!

We have not really had any cool weather YET, but I think Fall is waiting for us right around the corner........Halloween-themed clothing has made an appearance at our house! Fall can't be too far off!

9 Month Stats and Updates

Daniel took James in to the doctor for his nine month check up a couple of weeks ago on one of the afternoons that he was off. I missed the appointment because I need to save my days until Daniel gets more vacation time in January. I hated missing the appointment, but was glad to hear the visit went well. So here are the stats on our little man.....22lbs 2oz and 30 inches long. That puts James in the 95th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight. Oh, and his noggin! He is in the 97th+ percentile for head size, so the trend continues. James got a good report, but the doctor told us that he might be suffering from a few minor allergies leading to his puffy eyes in the mornings.

James is busy cutting another tooth and is really into finger foods right now. Somedays he eats so many cheerios I think he might turn into one! I guess we have come to the end of homemade fruit and veggie purees. We will have to look up some of the toddler foods in his cookbook. James is also getting pretty close to walking. While cruising along furniture or the wall, he will let go for a second and take a step or two on his own before grabbing ahold again. He will also walk along if you hold on to his hands. It is so exciting! A new development, that we knew would come sooner or later, is stranger anxiety. When new people talk to him, he gets a scared look and puts his head down on our shoulders. So sad! What happened to our social butterfly? I am sure he will be back in a few months....

Oh! I almost forgot! I am blogging on our brand new Macbook! Loving it! I finally got Adobe Photoshop and can't wait to use it in my scrapbooking. Gotta run for now, heading out to a family picnic for Daniel's job. Looking forward to a fun day......it is BEAUTIFUL outside today. It will be nice to spend some family time together.

9 Month Photo Session by Nell

Yes, it was recently time for James' nine month photo shoot with his favorite photographer....Nell from Cowtown Camera Girl! We decided to have Nell come over and just snap photos during a normal afternoon at our house. It went so well! Now I will always have these wonderful reminders of what life was like at our house in the fall of 2008. Our boy is growing like a weed and seems to grow even overnight! We are getting a kick out of watching James discover the world around him. It seems like every day he amazes us with something new. On Saturday he said his first word, "Bye", and even waved at the same time (although his momma thinks he might already have said "book" and "out" but no one was around and everyone thinks his momma is crazy!). We were at an engagement party and he overhead a party goer saying goodbye to a friend. James chimed right in with his own farewell. Too cute!



James is just becoming such a natural in front of the camera and was really interested in the big lens on Nell's fancy camera. I can't say enough good things about her photography and love seeing my little guy and our family in her pictures. I am so glad that Nell and I met while we were both working at the same school, and that she has gotten so many priceless pictures of our baby. Something about her pictures is just special. Check out more pictures from this latest session at Nell's photography blog at www.cowtowncameragirl.blogspot.com
If you are in the Fort Worth area and are looking for a family photographer, or to get maternity shots or even portraits done, I would suggest you check her out at www.cowtowncameragirl.com and tell her the Duffys sent you! You will NOT be disappointed! I can't wait for his 12 month pictures! What kinds of things will James be doing by then? Thank you Nell for incredible shots and a wonderful photograhy session as usual! Can't wait to scrapbook these. :-)

Daniel has been promoted!

Daniel has been promoted to Interim Manager, and he will be an official manager after six months! Daniel has been waiting for this for a very long time and we are thrilled with this opportunity. Daniel has worked very hard to get this position and I am so proud! He will be managing the team on an evening shift and working four evenings a week, plus attending extra trainings and meetings for a while. It will be an adjustment for our family, but one we are facing with a positive attitude. We know that this will lead to great things for us in the longrun. It also means that soon Daniel will be keeping James home with him one day a week while I am at work. He can't wait to spend the whole day with James. Way to go Daniel!!!!! James and I are so lucky to have you as the man of the house. It is hard to find someone who works harder or does a better job taking care of their family than you do. We love you so much.

Oh James can you please......

STOP GROWING?!?!

You are getting so big! What happened to my tiny, helpless baby? He has been replaced with a long-legged, on the very verge-of-toddlerhood, hilarious, strong-willed, increasingly independent, feisty 8 month old! I simply could not adore you more, my sweet little boy. But I would love it, James, if you would just slow down and quit growing up so fast! I am not done babying you just yet.....