Any Suggestions for Our Little Olympian?

So, James has started using his crib like a gymnasium. He grabs a slat and pulls while pushing against some slats with his feet, which results in a back to tummy roll. The only problem with this feat is that he can't get out of this position, which scares him, so he cries. He usually does it at the end of naps, but last night he did it in the middle of the night. Is there some way to keep him from doing this...from getting stuck? I've tried bumpers. I experimented two days ago and it seemed that he might not be able to grab the slats if there were bumpers, so I put them on. But then last night he rolled and got stuck and his face was up against the bumpers, so I am afraid he could suffocate. So, no more bumpers. Has anyone ever run into this with their babies? Any suggestions? Please post a comment.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

I'm sorry we have been lacking in the posting arena. I was so proud of myself when I did those three posts in a row. I thought I was surely getting into the blogging groove and would be a faithful blogger from then on. Not to worry though, I have made a goal to do at least one post a week. Hopefully by publicly sharing my goal I will be more inclined to follow through.

All is well in the "Giant Side of Texas." I find myself occasionally producing a slight drawl as I speak when talking to someone with a Texan accent. We are assimilating well. Before we moved, we regularly heard from those who had visited Lubbock that the people are soooo nice. It is so very very true. Here are a couple of examples of Lubbockan kindness:

Exhibit A: James and I were out on a walk the other day (I was carrying him) and a man in a truck stopped and asked if we were going very far. He was of course alluding to his being able to give us a ride if needed.

Exhibit B: Jordan, James, and I were on a walk and a teenager riding along on his skateboard looked up as we passed and said "How're ya'll?" I responded and then asked "How are you?" Then he responded. I don't know that I've ever seen that happen before.

Exhibit C: Without fail as we are out on walks people we don't know wave and greet us...even when they are driving in their cars with their windows rolled up. Cars have always seemed to be some sort of bubble that the outside world can't penetrate. But not in Lubbock.

Exhibit D: Our first Sunday here a woman in our ward wrote down her phone number and told us to call if we needed help in any way: babysitters, mechanics, etc.

Exhibit E: Our first week here a couple in our ward had us over for dinner.

These last two instances lead me to my next item. I am so very grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since moving, we have seen the beauty of the organization of the Church. On our way to Texas, we called the nephew of the couple who bought our condo who happened to be a Texas Tech law student. We told him which ward we would be in when we got there. He then found our bishop's phone number for us. We called our bishop who called the Elder's Quorum President who got some people together to help us move in the next day. It was so neat. We were coming to a city that we had never before been and where we knew no one, but there to greet and help us when we arrived at our new apartment were members of our ward. It was a wonderful blessing. I am grateful that we have family wherever we go.

I must go make dinner. Soon to come: Pictures and events of the past 2 1/2 months.

Sweet Baby James

Swaddle Me

James loves to be swaddled. By day 5 of his life, he would put his arms straight at his sides when we put him on his swaddle blanket. He sleeps so very well swaddled. So...Jordan swaddled me one afternoon when I was feeling tired so that I could sleep well. Thanks hubsand!

One afternoon, James became tired while both of his swaddle blankets were being washed. I wanted him to be able to sleep well and not jolt himself awake, so I had to think creatively. I decided that a long sleeved footie pajama would do the trick if I just didn't put his arms through the arm holes...

As you can see, James outsmarted me...He has very good arm control.

I don't know why I even dress him...I think he's ready to dress himself...

I, however, would not allow myself to be defeated. I went back to the closet and acquired a sleeper that has elastic at the bottom--a sleep sack if you will--and put it on him over his pj's. At this point, he had one arm through the sleeve of the pj and one still tucked inside. After putting the sleep sack on him, I cleverly tied the sleeves in a knot, so that he couldn't proceed to dress himself as he had previously.


The above picture is James after a nice long nap. He slept quite well and didn't get his arms through the sleeves. He did, however, manage to push the once tucked away hand up out of the neck of both pj's. He is such a clever boy. I determined from this experience that I am grateful that I have my swaddle blankets.

If you are interested in some good 40" x 40" blankets that can grow with your baby because of their size, go to www.bbsleepsolutions.com. The blankets come with instructions for doing the "burrito"--James was sporting the "burrito" in an earlier post. bbsleepsolutions is a baby sleep consulting company. The program is great. I was introduced to it by a friend who had a baby sleep party at which the founder came and taught us about how to help our babies sleep well and also how to swaddle. I bought one blanket at the sleep party and the second at a sleep party that I held. If you are looking for a good sleep program for your baby, I highly recommend The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D. and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. The bbsleepsolutions program is based on these two books. James is a great sleeper and a very happy baby. He is already sleeping through the night. I am grateful that I learned about sleep before he arrived.

Thank you to Dr. Karp and Dr. Weissbluth for the wisdom shared in your books, to Jamie Kent of bbsleepsolutions for giving me the practical knowledge I needed to help my baby sleep, to Crystal Odom for inviting me to the sleep party, and to my dear Dr. Beth for first introducing me to both sleep books.

Big News

Jordan's Law School

The time has come for the Cullimore family to explore the far reaches of the North American continent. For at least three years, we will participate in an expedition to the "Hub City of the Plains." Yes, my friends, we will be located at 33.577 N latitude and -101.854 longitude. We will depart from the #1 most conservative city in the United States and make our home in the #2 most conservative city in the United States. We will bask in the beauty of a land in which we can attend events such as the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration, the Flatland Film Festival, and the South Plains Fair. We will spend our time admiring such historic sites as the American Wind Power Center and the Ranching Heritage Center. If you would like further information on our soon-to-be home or Jordan's law school, you might try picking up the next edition of the Daily Toreador. If you come to visit us, we just might take you to the Joyland Amusement Park or the Buddy Holly Center.

(Where oh where will we be living? What university will Jordan be attending? Please post your answers in the Comments section. We may or may not have a prize for the first person who answers correctly.)

Ode to Grandpa Gary: A Poetic Tribute

There once was a man called my dad
A son his dear daughter had
She blogged of her baby
He asked, pics with me, maybe?
So, pictures with dad, she did add

And here's one with my cute brother. :)

Notice Baby James' gear. The Travis Pastrana motocross outfit was given to him by my dad and brother as it is their sport of choice. I would also like to mention his mittens (or hand socks as you may like to call them) that can been seen in various pictures. These pictures were taken before his nails were cut for the first time, thus the hand socks were needed for protection. We couldn't be taking Baby James to the hospital for flesh wounds now could we?

For Tiffany

Thank you to Tiffany for remembering the one-month anniversary of our last post. In honor of this special occasion, we shall blog. Here is a picture of James at 4 weeks sporting the adorable outfit his Aunt Tiffany bought for him.


The following pictures document James doing what he does best: being cute. :)




You may have noticed that James is wearing a bib in all three of the above shots. This came as a result of Jordan's brilliant mind. During the first week or two of James' life, I noticed a pattern:

Feed the baby James. Move burp cloth from under baby James' head to put on shoulder. Spit up lands on Mommy and/or baby James' clean clothes. Burp cloth remains dry on Mommy's shoulder. Mommy moves baby to shoulder for burping. Baby James burps and spits up. Mommy moves baby James from shoulder to look in awe at the adorableness of baby James. Baby James spits up. Spit up lands on Mommy and/or baby James. Burp cloth did not quite make it, yet again. Mommy must change baby James' outfit again due to spit up explosion.

As I was talking to Jordan one day about my findings, Jordan had a thought...a very simple yet awe-inspiring thought...the baby James could wear a bib during feeding time. This proved to be the answer. Mommy and baby James now very rarely get spit up on their clothes. The burp cloth and bib make a great team. Thank you Jordan!