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For the past 2-3 weeks John has been taking a few steps here and there. In the last few days, he has switched to primarily walking. We officially have a toddler on our hands 
Here’s the self-made “walker” he used to get himself started. It’s a stool he turned upside down and used to balance himself while walking.
Walking without his “walker”, but clearly not happy about it.
Going at it all on his own:
And here is just being cute
Last night we went to visit Santa at the local mall. My goal was to get both kids in the picture, I had them both looking cute and ready to go. Well, as soon as Alexandra got close to Santa, she went running the other way. Tony had to chase her through the mall, he finally caught her hiding in a rack of clothes in a nearby store! So, John is solo this year.
I have to take this opportunity to once again comment on how much they look alike. Here is Alexandra’s Santa piture (her only one) taken 2 years ago. I swear these two could be twins.
This video was taken on November 12, when John was 10.5 weeks old. That day, he smiled and laughed for the first time. So of course I had to keep my camera handy so I could capture the next time he did it 
For the last year I have been teaching myself how to make photo creations using Photoshop and I love it. It’s become my new hobbby. I have made two 20+ page scrapbooks, our family Christmas cards, and now my latest project, John’s birth announcement. I was more on top of things with Alexandra, I had hers in the mail before she turned a month old, but John was almost two months before I got his out. Here it is, along with some of the pictures from our homemade “photo shoot.”
Tomorrow, John will be 3 weeks old. Life is starting to take on a new sense of “normal.” Tony went back to work this past Monday, after spending 2 weeks at home with us. I have taken the kids out of the house each day this week, and it has been easier than I thought. It takes twice as long to do anything, but once I have them loaded up in the double stroller we are ready to go.
2 days old, napping in Mommy and Daddy’s bed.
That same day our midwife Becky Burpo came by to examime John and I. He also got his footprints done.
Enjoying a leisurely nap in the swing, just like his sister used to.
And now he’s napping with Daddy. As you can see, newborns sleep a lot.
Precious Baby Boy
Me and my kids
Tony’s big, manly truck now has 2 car seats in the back.
This one is from today. When John was born, he looked a lot like Alexandra did at birth, but now he is starting to take on his own look. And as you can see, he is mesmerized with the mobile.
I sat down this afternoon and took some time to write this out while all the details are still fresh. Birthing my children has been a very special and meaningful part of my life, so it is important to me that I have a record of how it all happened. So, here it is, John’s Birth Story
John Theodore James was born at 6:32pm on August 29, 2008 after 40 weeks and 6 days of gestating. He weighs 7 pounds, 6 ounces and is 20.5 inches long, though Tony swears he’s 21 inches. He has a head full of hair and is a very calm and mellow little boy (well, so far). He looks just like his big sister Alexandra, they could be twins born two years apart. And the coolest part of all… he was born on Michael Jackson’s 50th birthday
John’s (JT? Theo? What do you think?) birth was very fast. I once again had a natural water birth (though we barely made it into the tub) at the Allen Birthing Center. And yes, that is the same tub Alexandra was born in. Once again, I didn’t get to birth in the big tub. As Tony and I have retold the story a few times now, it sounds like something you’d see on TV or in a movie. Just as I did with Alexandra, I will write out a full birth story as soon as I can. Some possible titles of the story are “How I almost gave birth in a Dodge Truck during rush hour” or “How to go from napping on the couch to holding your baby in just one hour.”
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It’s pretty much exactly the same as it was when Alexandra slept here, but I thought I’d post some updated pictures anyway. I am so happy that I will be getting a second usage out of this room, I just love it. And if you has the misfortune of seeing what this room looked like before we renovated it (I can’t believe I didn’t take any pictures!) you would be amazed at how it looks now.
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On July 13, my good friends Lia and Shakiesha held a baby shower for me. With this being my second baby (in only 2 years) I really wasn’t expecting one, but they did a great job and I felt really special. I think everyone enjoyed themselves- the food was great, we played some cute games and the cake was awesome. And I was surprised to get so many lovely gifts. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated our baby boy.
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I didn’t take monthly belly shots this time around, because I pretty much look exactly the way I did when I was pregnant with Alexandra. But I did decide to get some professional maternity portraits taken. I had these done at 33.5 weeks. Please forgive the quality, they are scans and my scanner isn’t great.
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