Happy Half-Birthday, JJ

Six months old today!

He's already learned to laugh at the misfortunes of others. Here's a somewhat rough video of JJ laughing at Kater hacking up a hairball. Enjoy!

Untitled from Andrew Campbell on Vimeo.

"It's about time my parents got me one of these"

Yes, we finally bought a high chair a couple weeks ago.  Before that, we had been hunching over to feed JJ his solids in his swing.  The new set-up is much more ergonomic for Mom & Dad, and JJ likes his high vantage point.  Here's JJ trying out his new throne:

A few days later, we introduced him to a vegetable: sweet potatoes!  He loved 'em right from the start.  Since these pictures, we have improved our food delivery technique so he usually doesn't end up with such a messy face anymore.

JJ has also tried carrots and squash but those sweet potatoes seem to be the favorite.  On the fruit side, his palate has experienced bananas and applesauce.  Coming soon: pears!

Michigan Adventure

Earlier this month we did have some Michigan adventures, and I'm finally getting around to posting some photos. We were in the pleasant peninsula for 6 days at the beginning of July and we crammed in a lot of visits with family and friends. It was so fun for JJ to get reacquainted with all 4 grandparents, Aunt Jen & Uncle Dave, Fiona, and Uncle Jeff.

JJ also got to meet some new relatives, including Great-Grandma Campbell, Aunt Debbie and brand new cousin Emery (and Aunt Susan and Raeann), and Aunt Michele and the crew.

 

But that's not all.  Julie, Jim, Mols, and Adi swung by Houghton Lake and it was so cool to have the little kids together!

Other adventures from the trip included JJ trying out Grandma Neecie's Mercedes, taking a bath on Grandma LAM's kitchen island, and, oh yeah, receiving the sacrament of baptism!

We'll always remember JJ's first trip to Michigan and look forward to many more visits!

Dinnertime for JJ

JJ has been on "solid" foods for a few weeks: rice cereal with bananas, sweet potatoes, and carrots. He seems to enjoy eating, but is often distracted by his busy schedule and his enjoyment of staring at inanimate objects. Here we have a series of videos showing the different phases of one meal. Bon Appetit!

Maxin' and relaxin'

We had a pretty relaxing weekend with JJ. These photos sum up Saturday -- chilling out at home on the couch:

On Sunday, JJ had his first trip to the pool!  He's gotten his feet wet in the kiddie pool in our backyard several times with Miss Ana, but this was his first BIG pool experience.  We think he was more intrigued by all the little kids running around than anything else, but he looked really cute in his swimming trunks and that's the most important thing!

A couple of Sunday videos

First up, we have a little more laughing. He only gets to laughing about once per week and we do our best to capture it. He's on a swing in this one so epilepsy warning is in full effect.

Laughing in the swing from Andrew Campbell on Vimeo.

Next up, we have some solid food. That is, if you can call soupy rice cereal and milk 'solid'. Our first three attempts with rice cereal over the past week did not go great, but JJ is warming up to the idea. With this evening's fourth go at it, I think he may have the hang of it. Another warning on this one: the video is an epic 5 minutes in length.

Solid food success from Andrew Campbell on Vimeo.

Happy Father's Day!

To all the dads out there, Happy Father's Day!

Here are some photos of JJ with his daddy and a couple other male role models :)

JJ and his daddy are enjoying their first Father's Day together.  We met up with Aunt Jess & Uncle Eric for brunch at Iron Cactus and feasted on Mexican food, omelettes, pancakes, bread pudding, and bottomless mimosas. (Sounds strange, but it all went together quite well!)  JJ just stuck to milk, but we have given him rice cereal a few times in the past week.  He is not sure what he thinks of it just yet but we'll keep trying.

4-Month doctor visit, and goats, pigs, and bunnies - oh my!

JJ visited his pediatrician last Monday for his 4-month check-up.  He is 25.75 inches long, and he now tips the scale at 15 pounds so he outweighs even our heavier cat.  (Speaking of cats, JJ has taken a real interest in Lucy and Kater recently.  He loves to watch them and "pet" their fur when they're within grabbing range.)


JJ is still in the 50th percentile for weight (to our surprise -- we think he's kinda chunky) but has jumped up to the 75th percentile for height.  The doctor said he's doing great, and the next big milestone is to start some solid food in the coming weeks.


Last weekend, we stopped in at our neighborhood's summer barbeque event.  Most of it was pretty lame but there was a pretty cool petting zoo!

Andy thinks I look like I'm offering JJ to the baby goat in this picture:

Babies and bunnies: so much cuteness.  I don't think J even realized he was inches from this bunny.

We capped off last weekend by introducing JJ to his jumperoo.  He loves it!

Happy 4-Month Birthday, JJ!

JJ turned 4 months old today! We bought him some new toys for his birthday over the weekend, but he got us the real present today. It came in the form of a crazy outburst of laughter during an impromptu game of Peek-A-Boo.

Video smorgasbord

Here's a variety of videos.

First, JJ would like a word with you:

Some wise words from JJ from Andrew Campbell on Vimeo.

Next, JJ demonstrates his vocal range with a wide variety of screams:

A variety of screams from Andrew Campbell on Vimeo.

Finally, he does a little bit of laughing with mom:

Laughing and screeching from Andrew Campbell on Vimeo.