Oh so mobile and now......pulling up!

James is pulling up. On toys, furniture, legs. He is not picky. Love watching him develop this new skill. He never ceases to amaze us......



PS - About a week and half ago, James underwent a procedure to correct his blocked tear duct. We had been dealing with his eye problem since birth. James was a great sport through it all....the eye irritation, eye drops and getting his eye wiped off continually. The procedure, which took less than two minutes, was a huge success! James no longer has the eye goop and no other moms mistake the condition for pink eye! YAY for Cook Children's Speciality Clinic!!!

Yay For Scrub-A-Dub Cleaning!

Wow Momma, I can crawl everywhere and it's all so clean! AMAZING!




After thinking about it for some time, we hired a cleaning service for once I return to work in a couple of weeks. They came today for the initial cleaning and WOW! A totally clean house! Oh, how long it has been since I have seen this place so spic and span. I struggled with the decision because I tend to think I can do everything perfectly myself, no matter how much I have on my plate. I am not the best at asking for help and not even so great at admitting I need it.

Well, I am slowly learning that I cannot do it all and that it does not make me a bad wife, mother, etc. The crucial thing is realizing what your priorites are and making sure that you have time to spend enjoying what is most important to you. My priority is about two and a half feet tall with a heartwarming laugh, curious nature, little chubby hands and eyelashes to die for. Any extra time with him is worth all the money in the world.

Having someone in charge of the heavy duty cleaning will free up so much time for me and make the transition back to work easier for James and myself(hopefully!). I came across this poem tonight and I feel so grateful that my load is lightened. It leaves more time for our family to hang out and to make special memories with the Jamer!

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton


James checking out our super clean kitchen.
James-tested, Mother-approved!

Fredricksburg Weekend

This weekend we celebrated my dad's 57th birthday down in the Hill Country. It has become a family tradition to enjoy a getaway weekend the last weekend of July. It is a great mid-summer break and time to wish Dad a happy birthday while making memories together. It was James' first vacation and we all had a blast hanging out as usual. Some highlights from our fun trip....

Beer tasting at a microbrewery. Daniel reports that the beer was not "manly beer" but that this place was lots of fun!


One of the many beautiful animals roaming around the grounds at our bed and breakfast. The B&B also had lots of sheep and a donkey on their property. Loved it!


Self-portrait while hiking up Enchanted Rock. We didn't go to the top but plan to go back and camp out when it is cooler. One of the most amazing views we had ever witnessed....



What can be better on a summer day than snowcones?



James with two of his favorite people - Nana and Granddaddy!




The Grange Hall, which once served as a church, school and refuge from possible Indian attacks. Originally built in the 1840s.

Best Baby Buddies

Met up with Kelli, Abby & Jack for lunch today. We enjoyed watching Jack and James interact - always a good time when these two get together! How cool to have a best buddy before you're even one year old...

Oh the Places You'll Crawl

No doubt you have heard of the Dr. Seuss book "Oh the Places You'll Go". Well, if Dr. Seuss ever had ever met James Duffy, that book might have ended up being titled "Oh the Places You'll Crawl"! After a few weeks of being "stuck" in the starter block position, we are happy to announce that our little one is officially crawling. Here, there and everywhere! To every electrical cord, outlet, sharp furniture edge, choking hazard and basically anything even remotely dangerous! Wow, life just got a lot trickier over here. It is time to finish baby proofing the house!

Here I come Momma!


In motion.....


We sure love this little dude!

Growing So Fast

Here are some favorite pictures from the last month. James was 7 months old today....he's getting to be such a big boy! :-)

Getting spoiled at Nana & Granddaddy's house


Dane and James....second cousins (Asha & Steven's son)


By the reflecting pool at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth


Loving his baby pool....James just can't get enough!


Fun times with Noah's Ark from Kelli, Joe and Jack


Playtime with Daddy


Almost ready to crawl.....we keep waiting for him to just take off!


James' FAVORITE toy! He plays with this sing along karoke toy every day.

Rest In Peace Isaac

We usually reserve our blog for cheerful updates about James, but since the title of this blog is "Duffy Family News", I feel I must post about a very sad event that impacted our family this past week. For the past two years I have taught 7th grade in a fairly tough neighborhood on the North Side, a mainly Hispanic area a few blocks from the Fort Worth Stockyards. Although trying at times, it has been an incredible learning experience for me and I have become very attached to my students. I learned last Monday that one of my students from this past year took his own life on Monday July 14, 2008. He was just 13 years old.

Words simply do not exist to describe how difficult it has been for his community and for me to deal with this tragic loss. Isaac was a funny, popular, smart and good-looking kid who seemed to have so much going for him. To understand that his life was simply too much for him to bear for one second longer brings an unsettling coldness and fear to my core. What are these kids dealing with today? How many of them are hiding behind a mask? To say I was shocked and in disbelief is the understatement of my life.

It became more real at the wake on Friday where I spent two hours with a couple of other teachers talking with and consoling the hundred and fifty students or so that showed up to pay their respects. I must admit I think they offered me more comfort than I did them. Most of what I remember about the wake can be summed up this way: hugging student after student close, tears flowing, repeating the same mantra over and over "I am so sorry, I am so sorry". I have ran the gamut of emotions, including anger, guilt, sadness, all of them brimming with the nostalgia of the sweet memories of this child. This child who walked into class chewing gum (against the rules) but with such a warm smile and polite greeting that I didn't so much care about the gum. This child who was girl-crazy and concerned constantly if his hair looked right. This child who had a gift for mathematics and motivated even the most challenging students to excel. This child, strutting with pride and machismo, often getting into school yard fights against his better judgment. This child who looked at me with wide eyes and questioned me with "Miss, are you SERIOOOOOUUUSSS?" any time I tried to surprise the class with some tidbit of trivia. This child who would, now, never drive a car, go to prom, toss his graduation cap into the air, get married, watch his children be born.

After crying into Daniel's shoulder and breaking down where I could finally let it all out, I tiptoed into James' room and just stared at him sleeping peacefully. The greatest gift of my life. My son. My little boy. A person who will grow up and go into this big scary world. I stood there and silently willed him to come to me in the future when life is hard. I prayed fervently to the Lord for Isaac's soul and for protection of my own child and all that waits for him out there. I prayed for Isaac's many friends and his four siblings. Mostly I prayed for Isaac's parents and for relief from the numbing devastation facing them. Then I took James out of his crib and rocked him in the darkness, burrowing my head into his shoulder, smelling his sweet smell, thinking about how once Isaac was this tiny and this untouched by pain.

We will miss you Isaac. There will never be another you and the world will miss out on all you were and all you were busy becoming. RIP sweet child.

An Artful Afternoon

Yesterday we met up with Nell and Ezra at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth. How lucky we are to live so close to so many wonderful cultural attractions! We spent about two hours checking out the art and feeding the boys in the cafe at the museum. Enjoyed the fun time catching up with Nell, and James loved looking at the art and "talking" with Ezra. Nell snapped these awesome shots to remember our afternoon. We look forward to our next Mommy/Baby outing with Nell and Ezra J!

Wishing He Had Teeth....

A few weeks ago, we made a quick trip to my hometown, Alvin, to eat some great Bar-B-Q. It all started because we were in Houston for my cousin's baby shower. While we down there, we also got together with our long-time family friends Lynn and Louis. It was the first time James had met the Lanham's and after checking out their beautiful new house in Rosharon, we hopped in the car to head for Joe's. Joe's Bar-B-Q has legendary food! We went there when I was growing up all the time. It was not uncommon during the 1980s to see Nolan Ryan, the famous Astros pitcher, dining with his own family at the table right next to your own. It's a cool place with wood floors, walls and exposed rafters. No matter how long it has been since you have been there it always looks and tastes the same! I even recognized a person who had been working there since I was a little kid. Everywhere you look you see some kind of Texas decoration covering every wall or a tribute to Nolan Ryan, Alvin's biggest claim to fame. You go through the line cafeteria style and place your order, but not before you pass right under this scary stuffed boar thing that has been scaring me for the last 27 years! I think this could be because my dad used to lift me up next to its hideous snarling face! Thanks Dad! James seemed unfazed by this specimen of taxidermy gone wrong. After we got all settled at our table, I noticed something. I just know James was really wishing he has some teeth because he was eyeing my Loaded Baked Potato with Brisket (the same thing I have ordered EACH and EVERY time I have visited Joe's). He sat in a high chair at a resteraunt for the first time ever and ate his baby food like a good sport while we all enjoyed our grown up food. That was quite the big deal because he was finally able to really join the family at meal time instead of sitting in his stroller. We are already planning a trip back to Alvin to visit Joe's next summer so James can try some brisket and some of the tasty fruit cobbler that follows every meal at this local favorite hang out.

What a big boy!


A quick hug from Nana during lunch.....

Just a Typical Saturday Morning

So do you love this get up or what?!? I know! A major fashion no no....mismatched stripes. Yes, those are baby legwarmers on James. They are called Baby Legs and they help keep those sweet, chubby, little legs friction burn free. Well, sort of. I guess this is good black mail material for the teenage years! Caught this clip of J as he was playing with his new toy. We bought it in hopes it would coax him into crawling forward. So close......

Cabin Fever!

As some of you might know, I had surgery last week and I am under strict orders not to lift James. So James has been hanging out with his babysitter during the day and I am so lonesome for him! And talk about the cabin fever! WOW! I am using the time to recuperate but it is hard being without my little guy. I did scrapbook a little today but it is so quiet around here without J. Kudos to Daniel for jumping into the role of Mr. Mom so well. I am a lucky woman! Thanks to everyone who called or messaged me to check on me. I am feeling a lot better each day and expect to feel back to normal soon.

Our 4th of July was very low key since I was just getting home from the hospital that afternoon. Daniel did grill some french onion burgers which tasted great and we watched some nice fireworks from our front yard. My mom and dad were in town to help with James while I was in the hospital and hung around a few extra days. We always love getting to see them.

Some updates on James..... At his 6 months appointment a couple of weeks ago he weighed 20 lbs and was 27.5 inches long. For those of you who follow the blog you might remember he was near this length 2 months ago. Well, the doctor thinks the nurse measured him wrong last time or that he barely grew in length in two months. We are not sure. Either way he is still in the 75 - 90th percentile for height and weight. James can now sit up alone and has gotten really good balance all of a sudden. As far as the sign language goes, we are really throwing a lot of new signs at him. It is much easier now that he can sit up. Many of the signs require two hands and are impossible to do when you are holding a baby. James signed "food" the other day just out of the blue when my mom was eating lunch. We were impressed! Speaking of food, he continues to love his baby food and is getting ready for finger foods. The other day at lunch he pulled my bowl of soup toward him and often tries to reach for silverware and pieces of food. He is really into playing with his toys and his new walker which has a bounce feature that he enjoys. He just bounces and bounces. He is on the verge of crawling and it will be any day now....once he can figure out how to move forward instead of backward we are in trouble! I am sure one of our next posts will be to report that he is officially on the move!

Going to run for now and check on our little guy in bed. How many times a night do we parents do this?!?

6 Month Photo Shoot with Cowtown Camera Girl!

Daddy's Mini Me!


First Baby Hugs from the Jamer......


For those of you who don't already know, my friend Nell has an awesome photography company that I am constantly recommending to people. I met Nell at J.P. Elder Middle school were we both work. She is our librarian. Turns out she also has incredible talent in the art of photography. She is just AMAZING at catching the beauty in all the ordinary moments in your family. Nell captures the sweetest moments and we love her pictures to say the least! James had his latest photo shoot at the botanic gardens the other night and we can't wait to see all the proofs. Here is a sneak peek of two pictures Nell took and you can see a few more at Nell's company website (make sure to click on Enter Blog): www.cowtowncameragirl.blogspot.com
You can check back later on under the "Enter Proofs" section to view all the pictures of James. If you need a photographer for your family, contact Nell via her website and tell her the Duffys sent you! You can easily access Nell's company site and her own family's blog from our blog by viewing "Blogs We Read". :-)