Here Comes Santa Claus

Merry Christmas! We hope the holidays find you happy and healthy. Love Katy, Peter and James.

Last Itsy-Bitsy Play Group

One of the best pieces of advice I received was to join a Mom's group, which I did in early October. For the last two and a half months, James and I have met with 15 other moms and babies weekly to share parenting stories, solicit advice, and seek comfort in knowing we weren't going through this motherhood thing alone. I made some great friends and James enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of other babies his age. Last Tuesday marked the end of the group (many of the moms are going back to work full time starting in January), and James and I will miss our weekly outings (not to mention the many lunches and walks around the Lafayette Reservoir). James slept through the group picture, but it's still a cute one.

Oh Christmas Tree

Although much in the Agnost household is behind the times (thank-you notes, birth announcements, Christmas cards), we actually had our tree up and decorated by December 1st this year. Of course, we waited until late afternoon to go tree shopping (not James' best time) just as the sun was setting (not the best light for picking a tree, as we found out a few years ago when we got our tree home and it was dry and half dead). So we were on a mission to find the perfect tree in ten minutes. We found one we loved, bought it, and had it in the truck before James could work himself up to a major meltdown (the convicted felon who carried the tree for us just added to the memory, as Pete remembered him from the time he transported him to and from San Quentin).

Decorating the tree was extra fun this year, as we reminisced about our childhood with each ornament from the past. We are looking forward to creating new memories with James, and hope that his memories of Christmas will be as fond as ours are. So far James seems to be enjoying the season and we've discovered a whole new level of Christmas spirit that has nothing to do with shopping or presents.

Thanksgiving

James' first Thanksgiving was an eventful long weekend. We had TWO celebrations, the first at Pete's parents' house, and the second in Santa Maria at Katy's cousin's. This meant James also had his first long car trip, and he was fabulous. The former despiser of the car seat and anything related to the automobile was a total trooper -- he slept the whole way (with a few stops to eat and stretch), crying only in traffic (and during the holiday season it's rare to find anybody who doesn't want to cry in traffic). James met many of Katy's cousins for the first time, and those who met James when he was first born were amazed at how much he's grown (our tiny little baby is just about in 9-month clothes and not even 4 months old yet!). We were able to escape to a play on Saturday while the grandparents watched the little ones, and although we left at intermission, Pete was intrigued by The Sound of Music (which he's never seen) so we had to watch the movie later in the week (James loves the music). This was also the weekend that James started sleeping "through the night" (meaning 5 hours at a stretch), much to our pleasure. It was a great weekend, and a fun holiday, and we were so happy to be able to share James with so many of our friends and family.

James is a cousin!!!

Noah Moreno Kilpatrick was born early in the early morning of December 7th, to the excitement of his new cousin James and first-time aunt and uncle Katy and Peter. He weighs 7 lbs 3 oz and is 20 inches long, and James can't wait until the two can run and play together. Rhia and Jeff are amazing (it was a long birth), and all are home and doing well. You can access their blog from the link on the left, so feel free to check out their beautiful bundle of joy. We'll be visiting them in the new year, and can't wait to meet our nephew and cousin!

James' First Dinner Party

We're grown-ups again! Last Saturday our friend Julie hosted a fabulous dinner party (she's starting to rival Martha), so Pete and I dressed up and escaped the house for a night out. James did great in the car, though he was a bit overwhelmed by a house full of people. James' friend Maddy was there as well (showing off her ability to smile and laugh through any new situation). We loved the chance to talk about adult things for a change, but were also happy to show off our beautiful boy.

The Johnson Family

Last weekend Katy's cousins Troy, Sheila, Hillary and Jake stopped by to meet Baby James. They were shocked by how big he's grown, for he's not such an infant any more. It was great to see them, and fun for us to see the future --Jake, at one and a half, gave us a great preview of what is in our near future, and what we'll need to baby proof, and Hillary had us looking forward to the talking stage (her favorite question seems to be "but why?"). James is excited to see them again at Thanksgiving!

Our Growing Boy

James seems to be growing by leaps and bounds (at this rate he'll be taller than his dad by the time he's three). He is gaining control of his neck and head (check out his tummy time stretch) and he's slowly starting to soothe himself. Today I was able to set him down and he fell asleep on his own (and not on me!). The nap didn't last long, but it's a start. The sounds he is making go beyond "agoo" and he's discovered his vocal cords. At times he sounds like an infantile member of the Lollipop Guild, and we can't get enough. Every day seems to bring something new, and with every smile and laugh we fall a bit more in love.Unfortunately, James doesn't like to perform for the camera, so we don't have any photographic or video evidence of said smiles and laughter, but I promise to post as soon as he decides to pose for posterity.

James and Maddy

Jen and Maddy travelled down to Martinez for Halloween, and James and Maddy bonded over their orange outfits. Dressing up is fun!

Our Little Tiger (or is it Tigger?)

Our Itsy Bitsy playgroup held a costume day, and all the little ones dressed up. So cute!!

Alone time with Grandma and Grandpa Kilpatrick

This weekend Pete and I took our first outing sans James to our friends John and Justyna's wedding in San Francisco. Grandma and Grandpa Kilpatrick happily offered to babysit (but little did they know what they were taking on). We found out that they possess an inordinant amount of patience, as James is still refusing a bottle and I was going to be gone for over 6 hours. Grandma K discoverd that James can be tricked into a bottle when he was sleeping, so he did get a bit of food. He was extremely happy to be read to, however, and they kept him content with lots of new books.
Pete and I had a blast at the wedding, which was absolutely gorgeous, but were more than happy to return home to our little nugget. Carsen and Krista stopped by the next day to meet James (and perhaps to catch baby fever for number 3?), and we were happy to show him off. James already missess his Grandma and Grandpa, but we'll see them at Thanksgiving (and with our packed schedule for November, the weeks will fly by until then).

James' Outdoor Adventures

James had quite the weekend! The family was up at the crack of dawn (5am -- just as James has begun sleeping longer!) to see Pete off on his century bike ride in Davis (100+ miles). This was James' first introduction to the biking community, and Daddy Pete hopes it made an impression. While Pete rode his insane idea of a fun weekend outing, Katy and James headed up to Sacramento to visit baby Madeline (and Jen and Israel). Both families spent some time on the Davis quad (giving the babies their first taste of college life at their parents' alma mater), and then headed to Dos Coyotes for an early dinner. The next day was a beautiful clear, crisp fall day, so we took advantage of James' good humor and went for a hike, his first long outing in the Baby Bjorn. The mountain scenery makes feeding and diaper changing much more exciting! James ended the weekend tuckered out and ready to sleep for five hours in a row. Let's hope this pattern continues!

Meeting the Clays

Hooray for family and friends! James was finally able to meet his other Auntie Hillary and her mom, Marla. Hill drove up from San Diego (we don't see her enough!), and we were so happy to introduce her to James. Because I've know Hillary since kindergarten, it was a bit surreal to be showing off my baby (are we that grown up now?). We had a great day, eating lunch and taking James on a walk. It was over too quickly, though, and James was sad to see them drive away.

As you can see James has had a very busy last few weeks. What with all the pooping, farting and screaming he still managed to visit with his Aunties Linda and Hillary, hang out with his trendy buddies Ben and Scott and best of all meet his new friend Madeline Gutierrez. Madeline was born one month after James and the two are now great friends. This weekend James will get a visit from Katy's best friend Hillary Clay and Hillary's mother, Marla. Visits with Papou and Grammy are also planned. James is enjoying his weekly outings in his Itsy Bitsy play group (and Katy is loving the chance to get out and meet other moms). The group also meets for walks around Lafayette Reservoir, so both James and Katy get to entertain their love of the outdoors. Life is settling into a quasi-routine in the Agnost household (complete with nightly cry fests and smilely mornings), and we can't believe James is almost 7 weeks old.

Busy Few Weeks for Baby James

Baby James gets visit from Thea Adriana

Baby James got a visit from Thea Adriana and Theo Nico (Auntie Adrienne and Uncle Nick to all you non-greeks) on Sunday. This is Thea Adriana's first great nephew and the two bonded beautifully. The highlight of the visit was definitely the Halloween candy bag personalized with James' name on the front. Daddy will make sure to taste each bit of candy first to make sure it is not poisoned. It was a big family weekend for James, as he also met his Great Aunt Judy and Great Uncle Dean on Saturday. Thanks to Judy's magic touch with babies, James was able to cease his crying spell and enjoy the Benecia arts and crafts festival. James will meet his other great aunt, Auntie Linda this weekend and he is very excited...or maybe he just has gas. Hard to tell at this stage. Anyways, we are excited!!

Tubber Time: James' First Bath

What a clean baby! After three weeks of enduring tepid sponge baths, James finally experienced the real deal today. The kitchen sink seemed a bit small for our growing boy, so we set up the Eurobath in the tub, filled it with water, and gave James his first bath experience. He promptly opened up his mouth and screamed bloody murder, but settled down after we started splashing him with warm water. We hope he starts to love the bath as he gets used to it (since his father still loves his time in the tub, 30 years after his first bath). James wasn't too sure about getting his hair washed, but now it's so soft (like velvet!) and fresh-smelling (no more yummy scent of spit-up). All in all, tubber time was a squeaky-clean success.

Newest Internet Star....Baby James!!!

Hello everyone!!! Katy and I are so pleased to announce the creation of baby Jame's very first BLOG. Papou Frank was very adament that we create a blog so the whole family can see James as he grows via the miracle of "the internets." We are just learning the process but we hope to have at a minimum some photos and updates posted every week or so. Video will hopefully follow assuming Papou Frank "The Bank" coughs up some dough for a video camera since we are now officially a young, starving family. Feel free to leave posts with any messages for us or for James "The Super Pooper."