The Holland Family

Jameson's First Year in Review

2010-07-20T14:41:00.047-04:00

Birth

August 6, 2009 was the day that changed our lives forever. Jameson Samuel Holland entered into the world at 9:20 a.m. via C-section. He weighed 7lbs, 14 oz, was 21 inches in length and had to spend the first ten days of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We were able to bring him home when he was 11 days old. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House during his hospital stay and we had the most amazing experience. What an incredible charity organization that is! The first month was a blur of learning how to nurse, night feedings, changing diapers, scheduling, visits from friends and family, and getting to know this precious life that we were blessed with.

1 Month

Jameson's first month was full of visitors coming to meet this sweet little man. When Jameson turned one month old he took his first road trip to Naples. He got so much love and attention and met his great grandparents for the first time. Four generations all together to celebrate this new life.

2 Months

Jameson was very busy during his second month. He was giving his mommy and daddy very big smiles and slept his first 8 hour night of sleep. His tummy time allowed him to lift his head and turn side to side. He loved to coo and mimic other people's coos. He loved taking walks outside in the stroller.

3 Months

Jameson's third month was full of growth and change. He was so happy and full of coos and giggles. He was enjoying tummy time and had a new view of the world from his bumbo seat. He enjoyed many play dates and celebrated his first Thanksgiving a total of four times in three different cities! He experienced his first bonfire and was fascinated by watching the flames.

4 Months

Jameson started rolling over at the beginning of his fourth month. This became his new mode of transportation and allowed him to exert a little bit of independence. He also made the move from sleeping next to mommy and daddy's bed to his own crib. I think this was harder on mommy! He began to eat rice cereal from a spoon and continued his language development by cooing, humming and mimicking sounds. He had so much fun opening presents on his first Christmas day. He actually preferred eating the wrapping paper over playing with the cool new toys. He continued to love being outdoors and he loved bouncing in his his jumperoo.

5 Months

We were recovering from the holidays and traveling during Jameson's fifth month and apparently did not snap too many pictures. However, Jameson decided to make me so proud and he said "mama" for the first time! He also started drinking from a sippy cup and experienced his first taste of real people food. Sweet potatoes were his new favorite food!

6 Months

Jameson's sixth month was a busy one. He started sitting up by himself, he said "dada", cut his first two teeth and started to scoot. Now that he was scooting around the house it was time to babyproof! He was exploring all types of new foods and decided he did not like carrots. We also spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to Naples and Gainesville where he was spoiled by all his grandparents, aunties and uncle!

7 Months

Jameson continued to amaze us every day with his new growth and discoveries. He is quite a determined child and when he sets his mind to something he will not give up until he achieves his goal! What an awesome quality at such a young age. During his seventh month, Jameson learned how to sit up all by himself. He continued to scoot on his belly every so slowly, but surely. He experienced his first Easter Egg Hunt and of course he loved it because it was outdoors! He absolutely loved going to the park and could probably sit in the swings all day long. He also received a very lovely visit from his Great Grandma Barton all the way from Illinois. By the end of the month, he had learned to pull himself up to a standing position. It was time to lower his crib position. He has also discovered a love of all things water related and is now taking big boy baths in the big boy tub. No more infant tub in the kitchen sink! His vocabulary has also increased. He says "mama", "dada", "gaga", "baba", and "yaya".

8 Months

Eight months old has been such a fun age. Jameson is no longer doing the military crawl and is getting around (rather quickly) by crawling on his knees. He has also attempted to climb the stairs, thus making a baby gate quite a necessity. He is so curious about the world and what is has to offer. He loves baby story time and playdates with friends. He started Bible baby class at church. We took Jameson to the beach for the first time. Yes, I know we live in Florida, but the water has been so cold! He absolutely loved the beach and tried (successfully) to eat the sand. The water made him giggle and he had so much fun. We spent the majority of this month living in Naples with my sister (for Josh's job) and he got very spoiled by his Auntie Christie.

9 Months

At 9 months old, Jameson was cruising all over the house from one piece of furniture to the next or along the walls. He became obsessed with opening and closing cabinets, drawers, his toy trunk, and doors. He experienced his first trip to the Florida Aquarium and to Naples Zoo. He absolutely loves animals, especially fish and dogs. He's simply in awe and just giggles and giggles at the sight of them. He spent quite a bit of time in the pool and had another fun trip to the beach.

10 Months

Ten months was a milestone month for Jameson that ended in WALKING!! He began by standing and letting go, then taking his first few steps, and by the end of the month he had taken off. Once he started walking, there was no looking back. He loved his new sense of freedom and now the real exploration began. This opened up a whole new world of fun and discovery. We joined My Gym and he started going to classes about every day of the week. What fun he has playing with the other babies, learning new skills, singing, dancing, bouncing, swinging, and so much more. He also cut his two top teeth to make a total of four. He eats just about anything and everything and prefers finger food so he can feed himself. He had fun on his first Independence Day, but hated the fireworks! He has taken a dislike to mommy diapering and changing his clothes...he fights me every time. I think he would definitely prefer to run around naked!

11 Months

There are no words to describe the great big personality that Jameson is developing. He brings us so much joy and is truly a very happy little guy. People often ask us, "Does he ever cry?" Yes, of course, but mainly if he's tired, hungry or hurt. He's warm and friendly and loves to meet new people, see new things, and explore every aspect of this great big world. He's determined and persistent which are great qualities to have in this life. He has quite an obsession with "bas" (balls) and opening and closing anything. He is so attentive to details and the mechanics of how things work. He's strong willed and does not give up when trying to figure out something new. He loves to play chase, which he initiates with a great big smile. He also initiates the game of peek-a-boo . His language continues to develop and he can carry on a long conversation of babble, all of which I'm certain he understands. He waves and says "hi" in the sweetest little voice. He understands and responds to "no" (as he shakes his head) and "come here". His Daddy has a way of getting the deepest belly laughs. He's all boy and into everything! He walks, crawls, climbs and leaps without fear and he loves to roughhouse. I can't believe my baby boy is already a year old. Happy Birthday Jameson...we love you!

Newborn Photo Shoot

2009-10-03T16:18:00.016-04:00

A few weeks ago, Jameson posed for his first photo shoot. He started off a little fussy and didn't want to cooperate, however after a short break and a little bit of of lunch, he was a superstar. Enjoy the photos!

Count Your Blessings

2009-09-26T17:15:00.004-04:00

It's Saturday and I'm sitting on the couch watching Jameson snuggled warmly on his daddy's chest. I hear the rain from outside and football on tv in the background. It is in this moment that I feel blessed beyond measure. It's these moments in life that will forever be engrained in my heart and in my mind. I must live for today and thank God for our many blessings because we do not know what tomorrow may bring us.

Our little man

2009-09-25T11:22:00.006-04:00

Jameson turned 7 weeks old yesterday and I realized that it's true when people say, "Time flies." I wa given a piece of advice before Jay was born and I'm trying to follow it every day. I was told to treasure every precious moment and not look ahead. Don't wish for the day he can sit up, smile, or sleep through the night. Well, I feel tuly blessed that we have been given such a perfect gift and I have thoroughly enjoyed cuddling, holding, and loving my little man every day of his short life thus far. I am proud to say that he has been giving us some very big smiles and it almost seems that he just wants to let out a big giggle. We aren't quite sleeping through the night yet, but I take advantage of his nap time to make up for it. I'm sharing some adorable pictures that Aunt Sam took of Jay when he was about 2 weeks old.

Jameson is here!!

2009-08-07T19:01:00.006-04:00

We are proud and excited to announce the birth of Jameson Samuel Holland. He was born on August 6, 2009 at 9:20 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs and 14 oz. and was 21 inches long. After my 40 week check up with the doctor on Wednesday, I was admitted to the hospital for the labor process to begin. By 7:00 p.m. that evening, I was induced and by 5:00 a.m. the next morning I was fully dilated. After three hours of pushing, Jameson was failing to descend fully into the birth canal. I was prepped for a C-Section and by 9:20 a.m. he was delivered. Josh was the first to hold Jameson and he even got to cut his umbilical cord! We are filled with so much love for him already and we wanted to share him with you. Enjoy the pictures of our beautiful baby boy!

Patience is a Virtue

2009-08-02T19:52:00.001-04:00

I once thought I was a really patient person until I hit my 9 month of pregnancy. Unfortunately, I have been hearing too many stories about how this person and that person went into labor 3-4 weeks early. Up until that point, I had always heard that your first child typically comes late. However, I really started to believe that Jameson would be so eager to come into this world that he would grace us with his presence at least one week early. Seeing as how my due date is Tuesday, this has NOT happened!

Don't get me wrong, I want what's best for my unborn son and I want him to come when he's ready, but what about what I want! :) I mean I think he's taken up permanent residence in my rib cage!! It's not entirely comfortable! My bedtime prayers last night went something like this: "Dear God, Please bring Jameson into this world safely and in Your timing. Please deliver him safely when he's ready." I felt pretty good about that prayer and was quite sure that I wake up in the middle of the night and be able to nudge Josh and say, "It's time to go to the hospital." But...that is not exactly how it went. I woke up this morning and my morning prayer went something like this: "Dear God, please let my water break. Please let me go into labor TODAY!"

Well, it's 8:00 p.m. and no baby action yet! This is a lesson in PATIENCE! Okay, God have I learned my lesson yet?

Josh & Cybil Before...

2009-07-25T18:37:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd post a picture of Josh and I before our lives will drastically change. We've been married for almost 3 1/2 years and it's been amazing. We are looking forward to becoming parents and absolutely cannot wait!!

I've Joined the Blogging World!

2009-07-25T18:25:00.000-04:00

Well, this is officially my second attempt at joining the blogging world. I have decided to make a committment this time around so that we can keep family and friends up to date with what's going on in our lives. We will soon have a new addition to our family and I figured what better time to start a blog!

Baby Jameson is set to arrive in the world in approximately 10 days. I would be so happy if he decided to join us before his due date, but I've realized that he's in control of that! I went to the doctor this past week and he's already 7 1/2 pounds! Wow, what a big boy he's going to be. I have been having some contractions, but nothing regular.

I'll try to post some pictures of his latest ultrasound and the nursery. And of course, if I don't make any posts in the next week, maybe that means I've gone into labor!!