We headed to Dallas on Saturday to spend time with Grammy and Grampaw. The boys had so much fun running around their backyard. We celebrated Grandpaw's birthday while we were there, and Jake and Josh both were excited about the balloons and cake. Jake even sang "Happy Birthday" to Grandpaw. On Sunday, Becca headed to a conference, and Jake and Christian flew back to Houston. Jake enjoyed flying on an airplane again. From Monday to Wednesday, Josh was with Grammy and Grandpaw. He had fun playing outside and going to the Highland Park Pharmacy for lunch. Josh had a great time spending several days with Grammy and Grandpaw.
We drove up to Dallas on Friday for a Day out with Thomas weekend. After a very long drive, we went to Uncle Kyle's apartment before going out to eat. The boys enjoyed running around his apartment, and Jake liked his headphones and computer screens.
On Saturday we headed to the Day out with Thomas event. On the way there, we passed by the train that had Thomas at the front. The look on Jake's face was priceless! We did some of the events around the train station until it was our turn to get on the train. We were fortunate and got to be in an open car with a large window at our seats. Josh was getting antsy until the train started, and then he started saying "wee!" as he looked out the window. Jake had a wonderful time at the event, and he was so excited by everything he saw including meeting Sir Topham Hatt.
In the evening we drove to Argyle to see the Schnabels while Christian headed to Dallas for a friend's wedding. The kids all had fun playing outside and it was neat to see Josh and Reed together since they are so close in age. It was great catching up and watching the boys with their cousins.
We had a great, long weekend. We know Jake won't forget getting to ride on Thomas the Tank Engine!
Although Josh's eczema has looked better lately than it ever has, we took him to an allergist this week to try to determine the cause of his flare-ups. Unfortunately, the doctor was very behind at Josh's appointment on Tuesday, so we only got to talk to him about the ointments and treatment we do for his flare-ups. We had to then go back on Thursday to actually take the allergy test. Josh did good except for screaming when the nurse placed the allergins on his back. After the test was over, it showed that Josh had a reaction to egg. We talked through this with the doctor and found out that the allergy isn't life or death and may or may not be causing his eczema flare-ups. He recommended that we remove eggs from his diet for 3 to 4 weeks and then slowly introduce them back in.
Josh was so good at the appointments, which had very long waits. He kept going up to the people in the waiting room and saying "hi" over and over again. It seems to be his favorite word right now. He really is talking so much that it surprises us. The most shocking thing was when he said "I got it" when referring to a toy. Josh understands so much and it is almost like we have mini conversations.
Today at preschool, Jake had an Easter party. He had fun hunting eggs and then having a big feast for morning snack. He had a cupcake with pink icing, and it went EVERYWHERE. He had such a big day that after his therapy sessions in the afternoon, he fell asleep in the car.
Jake was picked up early from preschool as his rash continues to look worse and over the weekend he started scratching it. We found out that it is still the non-contagious virus, but the chlorine from his swim lessons and getting hot playing outside over the weekend aggravated the rash. Jake was given anti-itch oral medication, and we were told that he needs to take oatmeal baths, slather him in lotion, no swimming, and try not to let him get hot.
In the afternoon, Jake had his annual eye doctor appointment. He did not like getting his eyes dilated at all. His vision is great - actually better than expected at his age - and he doesn't have to go back to the eye doctor until he's in kindergarten.
Jake just loves to help bake cookies. He's been this way for a while, and each time we bake something Josh has shown more interest. We had to tell Jake that Josh could be a part of the activity as well, so he had to make room for him on the stool. They both enjoyed the process of mixing the ingredients to make the dough. We let them lick the remainder off the beaters, and of course Josh was saying "more" constantly.
Later in the evening when Jake was in the bathtub, we couldn't find Josh. We kept hearing this noise over and over, and we finally found him in our half bath. He found the toilet paper, and he was having fun unrolling it all over the floor. After he was done with that, he started reaching for the tissue. We will have to keep shutting the bathroom door for a bit longer!
Today was a VERY long day. It started out with Becca and BeBe taking Josh to his six month cardiologist check-up. We received wonderful news - his heart looks the same as his last appointment so he doesn't have to come back for one year. We are very excited with this news as he has had to go at least every six months since his heart surgery. In addition, the cardiologist said she doesn't think he'll have to have another surgery, but perhaps a procedure like another angioplasty or a stent.. Wonderful news!
So the outcome of the appointment was great, but the appointment itself was awful. Josh couldn't have anything to eat or drink due to being sedated for the tests. He was already whiny in the waiting room, and we tried everything to get his mind off of it. They gave him the sedation, and at first he started slowing down and even laid on the bed for a few minutes. Then he started crying and screaming and fighting us. For over an hour and a half, BeBe and Becca had to keep handing him back and forth as we tried to contain a very drunk, strong baby that was not happy. We finally were able to give him something to drink, and he slowed down long enough to drink it. That was the key, and about 20 minutes later he passed out on top of Becca, which allowed the techs to perform the tests.
To make a long day even longer, Josh has continued to have rash flare-ups, especially in his crotch area. As he hasn't been on antibiotics for two months now, it isn't a yeast infection caused by them. In addition, Jake has had a rash on the inside of his elbow for two weeks. We had a sick appointment with the pediatrician to find out that both boys have eczema. We knew Josh did, but Jake's rash is that as well. We had a long discussion with the pediatrician about Josh's continued breakouts and how to treat them. We now need to go to a dermatologist and an allergist to figure out how to prevent the continued flare-ups.
In the evening, Jake went out to eat with Uncle Kyle, BeBe, and MeMaw. Josh and Becca were not up for it and called it an early night. Uncle Kyle came to Katy for a few days to visit and so we can celebrate his birthday.
Since it is spring break this week, Aunt Jana is off work and Jake doesn't go to school on Tuesday or Thursday. So today Aunt Jana and BeBe brought the boys up to Becca's work and then to eat. Becca's co-workers couldn't get over how big and fast Josh is. Jake was very talkative to them and giving them high fives, which was very different than the shy boy they met when he last came to the office about a year ago. The boys had the attention from all the ladies! We went to eat afterwards, which is becoming so difficult with Josh. He is so strong and is able to unclasp the belt in the highchair. Lately we've had to leave restaurants early as Josh wants to get down and run around, and the highchair won't contain him. Fortunately today he got interested in eating Becca's barbecue sandwich and then ice cream.
In the afternoon after nap time, the boys and BeBe were outside. Josh went down a slide and then immediately started screaming. He landed in an ant pile and of course today was the first day we put sandals on him due to the warmer weather. BeBe started hitting the ants off and put him in the bathtub to get the ants off. Poor little guy - the bites are all over his feet and ankles. They don't seem to bother him but they sure look bad!
It wasn't that long ago we were at the same hospital waiting for the same procedure when Jake had ear tubes put in and his adenoids removed back in November. The differences this time made the experience more difficult. A lot had to be done prior to the surgery to make sure Josh was clear from a cadio standpoint including paperwork from his cardiologist and more discussions about how the procedure could impact him. We had to wait at the hospital longer before they took him back, and that was difficult. Two hours in a waiting room with a lot of other kids and a very active 18 month old is hard.
Josh did very well going back with the doctors and during the 30 minute procedure. Just like Jake, he was already waking up and fighting when we got back to recovery. He kept falling asleep only to wake long enough to drink some water. After a while, he seemed to be fine and had been awake long enough so we started to get ready to go. Then he threw up on Becca twice. We had extra clothes for him but not for Becca! He was fine and the reaction was a common outcome from the procedure. Josh feel asleep on the way home and took a long nap in the afternoon. By evening, he was acting like his normal self.
Josh is becoming a little boy. He has slimmed down (although still has a little pot belly), and the "baby" features are fading. He repeats many of the words he hears, and he is constantly "talking" to us. When he was younger, we would close doors to restrooms, make sure the baby gates were closed, and pick up the cordless phones and put them out of reach. Now if we haven't done those things, he tells us to do them. Josh will go to the baby gate and stretch out his arm and say "close." He will pick up the phone and hand it to us for us to put it out of his reach. It's hilarious that he is protecting himself from himself! Josh loves songs and repeats words back. Right now we're on "Row Your Boat" and we're teaching him "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."
Jake has become Mr. Independent. He continues to tell us how he wants to do things himself. The potty training is coming along well, especially at school and when we're out in public (it must be an adventure to visit every bathroom). He has a tendency to not be as vocal when he's at our house or BeBe's about when he needs to go potty. Jake's ear tube and adenoid removal procedure have made a world of difference. He'll stop all of a sudden, put his hand to his ear, and say, "Did you hear that?" He is also talking non-stop and doing a much better job articulating his words. We're in a battle about naptime. Jake really needs to take a nap, but it has to be very short; otherwise, he's up very late at night. But if he doesn't take a nap, he becomes very whiny and unhappy at night. We're trying to find that happy medium, but it's hard.
We went out on a date night tonight, and the boys had a babysitter come and play with them. A family friend came over to take care of the boys. This is the first true "date night" we've had since...forever it seems. Both boys did well and went down with no problems. Maybe we should go out more often!
BeBe and Becca took the boys to Chuck E Cheese today. Although there is one close, we don't go often as Josh is still at a hard age to play the games. He is also very fast and if you look away for a second, he's out of sight. Jake had such a good time, and they both enjoyed it when the mechanical Chuck E Cheese talked and sang to them.
Jake was very messy this evening. We forgot how tall he has gotten and how he can reach things on the counter, including the goldfish box. We heard a sound and found that Jake was trying to pour more into his bowl. The majority of the box ended up on the floor. With Christian home, we decided to take the boys to get ice cream, and we spent a long time trying to scrub out all the chocolate off of Jake's jacket. He sure likes his ice cream, and we think Josh will too in the future once he starts eating it.
Christian went to San Antonio yesterday to attend the Alamo Bowl to watch Baylor. Becca stayed home due to Josh not feeling well, and Becca has had a sinus infection for the past week as well. Josh seems to be doing fine during the day. Night is a different story as he cries out often and wakes up earlier than usual. Today he was up a little after 5:00 am.
It was a long day, but the boys were good. We now have Josh sitting at the table and eating off of a plate instead of picking up food from his booster tray. That has helped him in not throwing so much food down on the floor. And he likes to be "eye level" with Jake and watch him eat at the table. Jake loves to bake things, and today we baked a cake. Josh was very interested to watch what Jake was doing. And the biggest excitement was Baylor winning the bowl game!
We woke up the boys so they could come down to see what Santa brought them. Jake was so excited that Santa came, and he was so happy to get a trampoline and a blue car. Josh was very excited about the trampoline as well and kept saying "jump" when he got on it. The boys opened up a few more gifts before we headed to BeBe's. Once we were there, we took our annual family pictures before letting the boys open their presents. They had so much fun with their new toys while the rest of us opened presents. We spent the rest of the day together relaxing after such a long, eventful day yesterday.
Today Jake had his preschool Christmas party with his Older Two's class. Christian was off from work today, and he went to the party. Jake had a lot of fun eating good food and selecting a book for the gift exchange.
In the evening, we drove around and saw Christmas lights. Jake just loves looking at the lights, and he prefers the colored ones to white ones. He will really miss the lights when people start taking them down.
Jake and Josh went along with BeBe and Aunt Jana for their annual Christmas lunch with Amanda and Theresa McMeans. Jake was very well behaved, and he was excited to get a matchbox car from Theresa. Josh was pretty pitiful and sat in BeBe's lap the whole time. Fortunately he started perking up later in the day. After lunch, Aunt Jana and Jake put together a gingerbread train. Well, Aunt Jana put it together and Jake decorated it with candy. Jake is so ready for Santa Claus to come!
Jake needed a haircut, but by the time we got to the kids' place after naptime, it was closed. Jake really wanted to get his hair cut, and we found an adult walk-in place open. Jake was such a big boy and sat in the chair watching as his hair was cut. He didn't need the car chair or a kid DVD to watch to distract him. We praised him for being such a big boy, and he was so proud of himself.
Since Jake turned 3, we have focused on potty training. At school he will sit on the potty but typically still go in his diaper. At home it is more of a challenge to get him to sit on the potty. For the past two weeks, every morning but one Jake has awakened with a dry diaper. We immediately put him on the potty and he goes. This past week he had success going every morning at school and sometimes in the afternoon. So far when he's gone, it has been because we tell him it is time to sit on the potty. Tonight was a breakthrough and hopefully the beginning of him initiating going to the potty. We were eating at IHOP, and Jake turned to Becca and said he needed to go potty. Christian took him to the restroom, and he went! Jake obviously understands about going potty and seems proud when he does it. However, he doesn't seem to mind being wet, so we're not there just yet.
Becca had the day off today and took Josh to a make-up Little Gym. During his nap, she helped BeBe wrap Christmas presents. This has been an annual event for years as Becca enjoys wrapping and spending time with BeBe, and BeBe has a lot to wrap for herself and MeMaw.
Grammy and Grampaw came in town this evening, and they got to babysit the boys while we went to Christian's work Christmas party. There haven't been too many times where we've gotten to go out and the boys have been babysat. They really enjoyed playing with their grandparents before heading to bed.
Jake loves Christmas lights. As we pass each house, he'll call out the houses that have them. This evening MeMaw, BeBe, Aunt Jana, and Becca took Jake to College Station to see Santa's Wonderland. He loved driving through the large area and seeing all the different Christmas lights. After we got started, he came and sat in the front seat so that he could see the lights better. He even helped "drive" through the area. He loved it so much and wanted to go through again. I'm sure we'll go back next year, and Josh will enjoy it since he'll be older.
When we got home from work today, we took some family pictures at our house before heading to the mall to see Santa. We thought if we went on a Friday evening, we might have better luck with the crowd. We ended up being the only ones there, and we walked right on up. Jake was shy at first when he saw Santa. He was smiling, but he was hiding behind Becca. Josh wasn't quite sure what was going on. We tried to put the boys in Santa's lap, but they didn't want to. So we ended up being in the picture as well.
After we visited Santa, Christian and Josh went on home to start his bath. Jake was so excited to ride the train in the mall. He waved to people as we passed by, and he was smiling the whole time. Jake sure loves trains.
As this is the first full week of school since Jake's procedure, his teachers have been with him more daily. They remarked how much he's changed since his procedure. He is much more responsive than before, and he's talking more spontaneously. His speech therapist echoed that today as well. In the last two weeks, we are amazed with the words and sentences he is saying now.
Josh has decided to be an early bird. Every day this week he has been up before 6 am. Although we get up early anyway, Josh getting up earlier means we have to get up even earlier to be ready before he's up. We're hoping this change doesn't become the new normal.
While BeBe and Josh were waiting for Jake to get home from school on the bus, Josh kept walking and walking around our yard decorations. He thought they were so neat. That boy just never stops walking!
Back at BeBe's house, Jake decided to play at the piano. When he was younger, we remarked how soft and gentle he is when playing. He is still ike that and at one point today, he was hunched over the keys, focused on what he was doing. Well Josh had to be on the stool with his big brother, and he pulled himself up there. A second later, the banging started. The boys are so different!
BeBe took Josh with her to run some errands today. He can be quite loud, and he started doing that at Target. She found a singing snowman that fit perfectly on the cart. Josh loved it! He is so funny when music is playing as he'll bob his head and bend his knees like he's dancing. Apparently several people commented on his cuteness today due to his dance moves.
After bath time, we tried taking pictures of the boys in their Christmas PJs. Jake is accustomed to posing for pictures, so he'd say "cheese." All of a sudden, Josh was screaming it too. Josh has really started imitating words we say, and it is startling when we hear him say a word plain as day that we just said.
Once Josh was down, Jake couldn't take it anymore - we had to decorate the Christmas tree. By the time we got it up the day before, it was too late to decorate. Jake was so excited and kept pulling ornaments out of the bins and placing them on the tree. He loves the tree (or as Josh says "tee") and the outside Christmas lights our neighbors are starting to put out.
Josh is like a different kid than he was last week. In the last two days, we can tell he feels a lot better. His rash has also faded a lot. He spent the day playing with Uncle Kyle. Josh had a lot of fun throwing a ball with him. Once Jake got home from school, he had the opportunity to play with Uncle Kyle as well.
Josh continued to get worse the past few days. He kept waking up during the night screaming due to his ear and throat hurting. Because his rash continued to get worse, I called the pediatrician. The concerning piece is his fingers. He began biting on his thumbs and pointer fingers on both hands due to the pain he experienced. He bit through the skin, which is an issue with the virus he has. The pediatrician recommended we take Josh in to Texas Children's at the medical center due to them having dermatologists on staff. We arrived at 8 this morning and were immediately taken to a room. Throughout the next 7.5 hours, Josh was seen by 7 doctors and 3 med students. They told us they were "discussing" what type of rash he has. As all rashes look about the same, they needed to determine what type he has so they could determine how to treat it. Once the dermatologists examined him, they determined the rash is hand-foot-mouth disease, and there is no treatment since it is viral. His eyes are healed and his ear is healing. The rash will fade in time. We are to keep medicine on his fingers to help heal them.
It was a very long day in the ER. Josh took a short nap. The rest of the time, we had to entertain him. He had fun playing with his puppy dog. As we were there so long, BeBe ended up walking to a McDonald's so Josh could eat lunch.
Jake stayed home from school today as he ran fever yesterday afternoon. He seemed much better today, but that could be because he spent the day with Uncle Kyle, who had come in yesterday from Dallas for the holiday.
We got up very early this morning to head to the Medical Center as today Jake had his procedure to put in ear tubes and have his adenoids removed. Christian stayed home to watch Josh while Becca and BeBe took Jake. He was all smiles and had fun playing with the car toys in the waiting area. Once we were called back before the procedure, he got a new book that he enjoyed reading again and again. To make the transition easier for when he went back, they took him in a red wagon. About 30 minutes later, BeBe and Becca were called to recovery. Jake was already waking up and having issues coming out of the anesthetic. Becca held him as he was fighting at first. He sounded funny, and they gave him a breathing treatment to get him to cough. He calmed down and had Sprite and a popsicle, which he enjoyed. The doctor came to see us to explain that he removed a lot of sticky fluid out of his ears and his large adenoids are now out. After a couple of hours, we headed home but had to stop as he wanted mac 'n cheese.
After a long nap, Jake woke up happy. He was all smiles this evening, and it was nice to see him recover so quickly. Josh, on the other hand, woke up from his afternoon nap with a fever. After calling the doctor's office, they are going to work Josh in tomorrow morning. He hasn't run fever, and he threw up this evening because of it. He was very slow moving and tired, which was new for us to experience with him. We're looking forward to seeing the doctor tomorrow.
Becca went to Orlando for a long weekend to celebrate her friend Sanita Pinchback's birthday. Along with Julie Huntley, we went to Universal Studios to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We didn't realize that on the day we were there, the final movie was released on DVD and the cast was onsite for interviews along with the Today show filming. It was packed, but we had a good time. We also had a spa day and had a good time relaxing before heading home.
While Becca was out of town, Grammy and Grampaw came to visit the boys. Jake and Josh had a great time playing with them, and they enjoyed spending time outside. Jake had fun pulling the red wagon, especially when Josh was in it. The boys look forward to spending time with their grandparents again soon.
Thursday evening Aunt Abigail flew in, and Jake was excited to see her. We went to eat dinner, and Josh had his first taste of a cheese stick. He bit into it and made a funny face. Aunt Abigail came into town to help Christian as Becca went out of town for a girls' weekend with BeBe and Aunt Jana to Canton. While she was here, Aunt Abigail took Josh to his Little Gym class. The boys got their first experience at a Japanese grill in which the food was cooked right in front of them. Jake thought it was so neat to watch the man do his tricks and cook the food. Aunt Abigail also baked muffins with Jake.
This morning Josh had his 15 month doctor appointment. He is now 33 1/4 inches tall and in the 95 percentile. He weighs 25 lbs 12 oz which is in the 67 percentile. Lastly, his head circumference is 19 3/4 inches. Unfortunately, he has an ear infection in one ear. This makes more sense because over the weekend he woke up screaming several times.
In the evening, Christian and Becca went to BeBe's after work. The boys got dressed and opened up a Halloween gift. Jake was very excited to put on his Thomas costume again. Josh was whiny due to his ear infection. From BeBe's we went to Big Josh's house and met up with Big Josh and Aunt Jana. The boys had fun exploring Big Josh's house, and Josh had a fun time watching the dog in the backyard. We then headed to MeMaw's, and she thought the boys were the cutest. We rounded out the night at Theresa and Scooter McMeans' house. Jake got his first experience of trick or treaters at the McMeans', and he thought it was so neat. When we got home, Christian took care of putting Josh down and Becca and Jake went to several houses in the neighborhood. Jake was so excited to go to the doors and say "trick or treat." This was the first year that Halloween made sense to Jake, and he loved it!
While Christian took Josh to Little Gym, Becca and Jake went to Jake's preschool for the Fall Festival. Jake was so excited to put his Thomas costume on again. When we got there, Jake played the ghost bowling game until it was time for the costume parade. Jake went from room to room playing the different games with his friend Jayden. He had a lot of fun, especially in the bounce house.
After the festival, Jake and Becca went to Aunt Jana's volleyball tournament. She coaches the 7A volleyball team. Jake would clap his hands anytime we cheered. When the game was over, he ran across the court to Aunt Jana. Her team ended up in second place in the tournament, which closed out the season.
Later that day, Becca and Jake were reading. Josh climbed up on the couch and listened as well. Josh is starting to pay more attention to books. Before now, he would grab it away and start chewing on it. He's making progress!
This evening our church had a Trunk or Treat. The kids got dressed up and went from car to car in the parking lot trick or treating. Josh stayed in the stroller as Jake filled up his bag. When Jake had the opportunity to pick out his candy, he went straight for the lollipops. After going to the different cars, Josh and Christian went home and Jake and Becca went inside to create some crafts. Jake had a lot of fun and was excited to wear his Thomas costume. Josh was precious in his golfer outfit, especially when he wore his hat.
When we were all home, Jake and Josh had fun playing with a balloon. They took turns playing with it and running around the house. It is so fun to see them interacting together.
Once Jake got home from school, we were off to the races. Both boys had their first appointments with a pediatric dentist. The office staff was so great to them and really knew how to work with young kids. Jake got to pretend to brush the teeth of some stuffed animals, and then he was examined. His teeth look good, but due to lack of spacing on his bottom teeth, we need to start flossing in that area. Sounds like fun! Josh was examined with Becca holding him in her lap, and his teeth look good. His canines are his last teeth to come in (until his two year molars), and they are making their way through his gums. He's been crying out every so often at night. He started drooling again, and the bibs went back on.
After taking Josh home, Jake and Becca headed to the Medical Center for his follow-up pediatric ENT appointment from when he had ear infections. The ENT was great with Jake and got some wax out of his ears. Unfortunately, Jake still has fluid in both ears. With the winter time coming up and due to Jake's delayed speech, it was recommended to have his adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears. It looks like the procedure will occur next week. Hopefully it will help Jake hear everything correctly to assist him with his articulation.
We celebrated MeMaw's 85th birthday today. Although her birthday is in a couple of weeks, this was the only free weekend for all the girls to be able to throw the party. Stacie, Hailey, and Jenna Schnabel came in from Dallas. Before the party, BeBe, Aunt Jana, the Schnabels, Stephanie Mahler, and Becca gathered at BeBe's to give MeMaw a bracelet that contains the birthstone of everyone in MeMaw's family from her husband Pop all the way to the baby of the family, Reed Schnabel. MeMaw's friends came, and we celebrated with a Mexican theme affair. All of the woman had a great time, and Jake and Christian appeared briefly when they dropped off Josh for his nap so that Jake could go to a birthday party.
After the party, Josh played "kitchen" with Jenna. Then we all went to eat out together and Jorden Mahler joined us. It was a great way to celebrate such a monumental birthday such as this and honor MeMaw.
Josh has changed a lot in just the past couple of weeks. He doesn't seem like a baby anymore. He is wearing 18 month clothes due to his broad upper body. This means we shop in the same section of the store where Jake's clothes are found.
He is no longer drinking from a bottle, and he is no longer eating baby food. We've had a very hard time with the transition away from baby food. Jake graduated into toddler tubs and then meals. Josh will have nothing to do with them. So we are trying different food items. We've been hesitant with some foods since he's still so young; however, he has almost all of his teeth in and is able to chew well. We do know he really likes breaded chicken.
Josh is really trying to talk to us. He says the words "up" and "down" and "hi" often. He is waving "bye-bye" to us now. Josh may not initiate a lot of the other words he's trying to say; however, he really watches us and mimics the sounds we make.
His hair has finally starting to grow as well, which is great because we were beginning to think he was never going to have hair! The top is becoming thicker, and he has cute little curls in the back. His hair is very similar to Jake's before Jake's first hair cut except it doesn't have the reddish color to it. Christian wants to cut Josh's hair into a boy cut but Becca isn't ready just yet.
Josh has a cute personality and isn't as fussy as he used to be when he was younger. He is constantly smiling at you and has become more cuddly than he used to be. It is amazing how much he has developed. He is no longer a baby!
Today we got Jake some new shoes. Although he ended up being in the same size shoe as what we bought a couple of months ago, we've noticed him tripping and falling more often. Apparently he has a narrow foot (a bad thing he inherited from Becca), and his other shoes were too wide for him. Now he is walking much better.
Josh also got "new" shoes (actually a pair of Jake's old shoes). He is now in regular shoes and no longer in the learning to walk kind of shoes. He transitioned with no problem and seems to be running even faster now!
In the afternoon, Jake had a Princess and Prince birthday party to attend. He was one of the few "princes" there, but he enjoyed the kicking and jumping dance moves the dance instructors were teaching the kids. We got to experience a whole new world with a more "girly" themed birthday party!
Today was a crazy, busy day! Christian took Josh to Little Gym while Becca took Jake to Adventure Kids to play. Jake loves to go there and play with the other kids. Becca went on to our church to meet up with BeBe, MeMaw, and Aunt Jana to go through the craft show. After Little Gym, Christian picked up Jake and the three boys met everyone at the church so we could go to the Pumpkin Patch. Josh kept picking up the smaller pumpkins and throwing them, so we had to stop him from doing that. There was a professional photographer there, and it was hard to get a good picture of the boys. Josh wanted to stand up while Jake kept yelling "cheese" and would have his mouth wide open.
Christian went on to meet up with the guys from our church for their social. It took a long time, but Jake finally took a nap. It has become more and more difficult to get him to nap on the weekends.
In the early evening, all four of us headed over to a family from our Sunday School class that was hosting a small group dinner. It was fun to get to be together with several other families from our class.
Jake had his 3 year old well check-up appointment today. He did very well at it, and it was so different from his 2 year old appointment in which he was a little "wild." Jake weighs 32 pounds and is 38 inches tall. In looking at pictures from a year ago to now, Jake has slimmed down and no longer has baby fat. He looks like a little boy. Jake received a good check-up and only had one shot - the flu vaccine.
Today Josh tried to feed himself with a fork. We are starting to transition away from baby food to "real" food, and it was the first time we've used a fork with Josh. He used it correctly once and then all he wanted to do was chew on the fork. We'll keep working on it.
In the afternoon following church, BeBe and Becca had a Scentsy Party at our house. Aunt Jana sells Scentsy products, so we hosted a party. The plan was for the three boys to stay upstairs, but that didn't work out. Jake wanted to be around the people at the party, and Josh got upset seeing everyone from the landing. So the boys joined in at the party and Christian and Josh spent most of the time in the sun room while Jake went from person to person.
After the party, Becca's old friend Michael Foss and his fiance came to the house to have dinner. It was nice catching up with them, and Krista got to give Josh is final bottle.
Jake's 3rd birthday party was at Westwood Gymnastics where he has gym class each week. The theme was obviously Thomas the Train, which Jake loves. Ten of Jake's friends were able to make the party, and they had a great time playing on different gym equipment. They rotated stations and then had cake. After the party, the family went to eat and then back to our house to open presents.
Today Jake turned three! Where has the time gone? We really focus on him being a Big Boy now that he is three years old. Especially this week he has so many new experiences, and we emphasize what it means to be three and be a Big Boy.
This morning he got his first present, which was a Thomas the Train backpack. Today he starts going to school every day of the week. He'll be in a new classroom for 3 hours every morning and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (when he typically goes to preschool), he'll then return to his Older Two's classroom. With his new classroom, he needs a full-size backpack.
Jake did great in his new classroom. He was a little confused at first but went right on in. He had no issue transitioning back to his Older Two's classroom at lunch time. After nap time, the class celebrated his birthday. BeBe came to take pictures, and the kids had cupcakes for a snack. The cupcakes were very messy!
In the evening, we went to Chuck E Cheese for dinner. Jake had fun running around and playing games. It has been about a year since we last went there, and this time Josh was able to play as well. We came back to our house, and Jake got to open some presents. He was so excited to get a train table for all of his trains.
Aunt Abigail was married to Chas Hovitz on Saturday in Dallas. We drove up on Thursday for the festivities. On the way there, it was nice and quiet for almost 30 minutes as both boys fell asleep at the same time.
On Friday, Becca went to a bridesmaids' luncheon and spa event while Christian and the boys went to McDonald's with Grampaw. BeBe arrived in time to go to the rehearsal at the church. Uncle Kyle came as well to help "manage" Josh since Christian, Becca, and Jake were all in the wedding. Jake did very good practicing his ring bearer responsibilities.
On Saturday, Kyle came to the hotel and we went to eat at the Highland Park Pharmacy. We had just enough time to play at a park near Grampaw and Grandma's house before nap time. Aunt Abigail's wedding was beautiful, and Jake did such a great job walking down the aisle with Aunt Rebecca. BeBe had to take him out of the church briefly, but he walked back up the aisle with Christian, Becca, and the flower girl, his cousin Anna Capps. Jake danced the night away at the reception, and Josh even got out on the dance floor.
We headed back home on Sunday, and both boys are trying to get back in their routines. They had later bedtimes the last couple of days, and tonight they were both cranky and tired from an eventful weekend.
After Josh went to Little Gym and Jake had a make-up swimming lesson, we met BeBe, MeMaw, Aunt Jana, and Big Josh at Starz Family Grill to eat. We all came in our Baylor apparel to support our team. Josh wore Jake's Baylor hat, and it was funny to see him with it on his head. Jake had a ball at the restaurant as there is a play area outside. After we ate, we all headed out there for a while.
After nap time, Uncle Kyle came to the house and played with the boys. Jake and Josh took turns in the toy car again, and Jake enjoyed pushing Josh around the house.
BeBe came to babysit the boys while Becca and Christian went to eat dinner with Aunt Jana's friends for her birthday. Although we were not gone long, it was nice to get to go out to eat without the kids.
Today Becca and Christian met with KISD to discuss the evaluation Jake received since he will no longer be eligible for ECI once he turns three years old. The meeting took a long time, but it was very productive and the previous recommendations were finalized. On Jake's birthday, he will start going to a separate class for 3 hours every day at his preschool. A teacher will work with him specifically for speech for one hour each week during that time. For the remainder of the day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he will return back to his regular Older Two's preschool class.
In the evening, Becca went to the preschool for a curriculum night. After reviewing the material, Becca had an opportunity to visit Jake's classroom and talk with the teacher. Jake is doing very well in class and follows directions. He enjoys circle time, art, and playing outside. They are working with him on verbally communicating more with his peers and on toilet training. Miss Teresa gave Becca several artwork pieces Jake had completed in class.
Jake is doing so well at his swimming lessons. In two weeks, he will graduate to the next level class, which is not a Mommy and Me class. During his lesson, Becca started preparing him for his move to the next class by pointing out how other classes did not have their parents in the water with them because they are "big kids." Jake is blowing bubbles, going under the water, kicking, laying on his back, and monkey climbing along the pool wall.
When we got back from swimming, Christian arrived home. He has been out of town since Monday for work. Jake and Josh were so happy to see Daddy home.
We started a new thing with Jake this week, which is a magnet responsibility chart. He puts a smiling face magnet each day when he completes a responsibility. Right now those responsibilities include brushing teeth, saying please and thank, and no whining. It has motivated him to do things, and he really likes picking out the magnet and putting it on the board.
Today Becca stayed home to take care of the boys as BeBe got hit very hard with the stomach bug. Jake was fine and hadn't experienced any issues in over 24 hours, so he went on to school. Becca spent the day with Josh. When we went to pick Jake up from school, we decided to go to the ice cream shop since Jake had such a good day. Jake picked out strawberry ice cream on a cone, which is his favorite right now. The boys were so cute sitting next to each other - Jake eating his ice cream and Josh eating some finger snacks. The boys are playing with each other more and more, and it is precious to see them interacting together.
When Jake woke up this morning, he had gunk in his eyes. It reminded us of the first stage Josh and BeBe went through when they recently had pink eye. We still had drops from when Josh had pink eye, and we started Jake on those. His eyes seemed to get better each time the drops were put in his eyes.
When we got Josh out of his crib this morning, we found that he had vomited during the night. After getting him cleaned up and slowly introducing food, he was fine. Due to the boys, we ended up staying at home and playing around the house. It will be so nice when both boys are perfectly healthy again!
This morning BeBe went to Jake's preschool for a Grandparent breakfast. Jake was so happy to see BeBe when she came into the room. The kids sang a couple of songs for the adults before they sat at tables and ate breakfast. Then Jake showed BeBe around his room and played with toys.
Becca took Josh to his six month follow-up cardiologist appointment. He was very calm at first when they were reading his blood pressure and conducting the EKG. However, when it came time for the echo, he would not stay still. The technician tried, but could not get all the images needed. They sedated him, which is the first time this has occurred. We had to wait for him to fall asleep. Josh went out quickly, and they were able to get the rest of the images. The doctor came in to say that the area where the surgery took place is still looking good. She did say that there was some muscle growth below the aortic valve. To keep an eye on it, we are to go back again in six months.
We woke up Josh before leaving the office. They told Becca that he would act like he was drunk, but she was not prepared for how difficult it would be to handle him due to his strength. Once he was in the stroller and then car seat, it was easier to handle him. However, Josh vomited in the car upon leaving. After taking care of that, he finally feel asleep. For the rest of the day, he slept on and off. When he was awake, we were right there to support him as he was very unsteady on his feet. We will be more prepared next time he is sedated.
Jake has been going to swimming lessons on Wednesday evenings for a few months now. Due to his ear infections, he missed almost a full month of lessons, and we have several make-ups. Today Becca took him for a lesson, and he did so well. Jake loves the water. He is doing very well kicking from one side of the pool to the other. He also does monkey crawls along the side of the pool and can pull himself out of the pool unassisted. We are now working on him lying on his back with his head in the water.
Josh did good at Little Gym today. He just goes and goes and goes. He likes to put the shakers up in the box before asked, and he just hangs from the bar. He also loves the balls! He is already able to pick up the balls and throw them overhand. He kicks them, too. His gross motor skills are very advanced for his age.
This morning Jake was evaluated by several people from KISD. As he will be turning three soon, he will no longer be eligible for the Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECI) through KISD. Today he answered questions and played with toys while BeBe and Becca answered questions. The evaluators recommended that in a preschool setting Jake work with a teacher for a few hours every day of the week. The teacher will primarily focus on Jake saying more words and on his articulation. This recommendation will be finalized in a few weeks at a meeting. We are so happy we started Jake at Katy's ECEC for preschool this year as ECEC is already set up with KISD to have a special teacher come every day. That means Jake doesn't have to stop his current preschool and actually, he will get to go even more.
BeBe's eyes have gotten much better; however, the cough she started a few days ago has gotten much worse. She went on to the doctor who diagnosed her with acute bronchitis. She found out that she is very susceptible to getting this and now needs to pay more attention to her cough. Good to know since she got this from Josh and will probably pick up other things from the boys in the future.
Christian is out of town for work, and last night Becca took the boys to Wal-mart to pick up some things. Because they were so good, she let Jake pick out a Thomas toy for Josh and him. Jake picked out a ramp for his trains and a plastic Thomas that Josh can chew on. Today they had a lot of fun playing with the trains. At one point, their tent was brought downstairs, and they had a ball playing in it.
At night, Becca put both boys in the bath at the same time and tried to entertain them with bubbles. Josh is typically not in the bath tub too long as he wants to stand the whole time, which isn't safe. Jake will be in the tub for a while due to the bubble bath we recently purchased. Today was the first time in a long time they were in the bath together, and Josh got to play with the bubbles. Jake was so cute trying to show Josh how to blow the bubbles. Jake even posed for pictures when Becca asked him too. It was so cute!
Jake has done so well with taking naps; however, today he just laid on his pallet at school during nap time. As you can see in the pictures from today, Jake crashed in the car ride over to our house from BeBe's. That nap is still important!
It is amazing how quickly Josh can get around. He has been walking so well for a while now, but he is also almost running considering how quickly he can walk. You walk to another room and in seconds he is right there with you. He is very sturdy and walks and climbs well, but he still doesn't understand the safety risks of getting up high. He is somewhat waving, but it is usually him flapping both of his arms and smiling very big. He understands how to give a high five, and at Little Gym each Saturday, he'll walk over and give the instructor a high five. He is very interested in what Jake does. It is unfortunate at times because without meaning to, Josh will get right in the middle of what Jake is doing, which will upset Jake. Josh never sits still, and we mean NEVER. He may pause for a few seconds and then he is off again. He won't even let us read books to him as that takes too long. Josh is VERY active.
Although Jake has always been a happy boy, his disposition in the last few weeks is one of just pure happiness. He really likes going to preschool three times a week, and we noticed the change in him at the start of school. He is talking more than he ever has, although the articulation is still sometimes hard to understand. jake's big thing right now is to act out feelings. He'll say "sad" and then stick out his lower lip. The best feeling is "silly" when he sticks out his tongue. Jake has become a good big brother and will interact with Josh, talk to him, and hand Josh toys. That is until Josh takes something Jake is playing with, which lately is his Thomas the Train engines, and then Jake gets upset. Jake has started taking regular naps again and isn't fighting us like he did for most of the summer. He's also eating more types of food, and we think that's partly due to having a different hot lunch at school each day. Jake has also had peanut butter now for the first time, and he liked it.
We just had Josh's birthday and now it is time to prepare for Jake's. With so many things coming up soon, including Aunt Abigail's wedding, we decided to go ahead and get Jake's party supplies. Christian watched Josh while Becca and BeBe took Jake to pick out his birthday party theme. While Jake was sick, he learned all about Thomas the Train as he watched several episodes while he was lying on the couch. He likes Thomas a lot now, and he immediately picked it out as his theme.
Becca was feeling better today as she had eye surgery yesterday. She had Lasik vision correction eleven years ago and everything was fine until she was pregnant with Jake. Amazing how being pregnant can impact you in so many ways. She had to wait until she was fully done nursing and "normal" again before she could have the surgery. The surgery was quick and easy like before, but Becca is experiencing the typical side effect of lights being too bright and having itchy eyes. The great thing is Becca will no longer have to worry about being hit in the glasses by her two very active boys!
Since we went to Josh's 12 month doctor appointment, we have slowly been transitioning him off formula and onto whole milk. Each day we would increase the amount of milk and decrease the amount of formula. Beginning today, Josh is now on whole milk. It seems like Josh is no longer a "baby" anymore.
Due to the pick-up time of Jake's preschool, we had to alter Josh's nap time. We reduced his nap time from one hour in the morning and a longer nap in the afternoon to one long nap starting about noon. This way Josh can take his full nap prior to going with BeBe to pick Jake up from school. So far it has been painful as Josh has been very whiny and unhappy about the change. Hopefully he'll adjust soon.
Today was Jake's first day of preschool. He was supposed to have started on Monday, but due to being sick, he missed his first day of school. We were concerned how it would be for him since all the other kids started on Monday, but he did great. He was so excited to go to school, and as soon as it came in sight when we were driving there he started yelling "school!" He walked right into his classroom and immediately started playing with a boat he had seen at Meet the Teacher night. He waved "bye" to Becca, BeBe, and Josh like he had been going to school all along. When BeBe picked him up, Ms. Teresa said he did very well. Jake was confused about leaving his bedroll as you bring it for the week and take it home on Fridays. With his last preschool, he brought it home every time he went. Once he understood it was going to stay, he happily left with BeBe and Josh.
Later in the afternoon Becca met BeBe, Jake, and Josh at the hospital for a scheduled renal ultrasound for Josh. It was ordered at his 12 month doctor appointment as a follow-up from when he was first born. Although the renal ultrasounds that were run when he was in the NICU were in the normal range, there was a slight gradient. Josh's pediatrician wanted to check to see the progress in the past year. Fortunately, everything was normal. While we were in the waiting room, Josh had fun going in and out of the toy house. Josh is all about doors right now, and he just loved opening and closing the toy door.
It wasn't a few hours after Josh's birthday party was over that Jake woke up screaming. He was very upset and was running fever. When we asked what was wrong, he put his hands to his ears. Sunday was a very long day as Jake was very upset and didn't feel well at all. Fortunately we got into the doctor early Monday morning to find out that Jake's cold had progressed into double ear infections. He had been coughing here and there for the past week and for the last few days he would sometimes have a runny nose. Fortunately this was the first time Jake has experienced ear infections which seem so common when children are young.
Becca stayed home from work yesterday and today to take care of Jake while BeBe handled Josh. Josh is into everything and never stops! We had a tough time getting Jake to take the liquid medicine as at first he vomited it up. But finally he was able to keep the medicine down once he started eating. Jake took naps here and there, and by this evening, he seemed like his "normal" self. To complicate matters, Christian had to go out of town today for the next couple of days. When one kid is sick, the whole world turns upside down!
Something new that occurred due to Jake being sick was him appearing by our bed in the middle of the night. In the last month, Jake has learned how to undo the child lock on his doorknob and sometimes there have been missed naps due to this. However, he has never gotten out of his room at night. That changed with him being sick. It was actually quite disturbing to all of a sudden be awakened out of a deep sleep by Jake standing right next to us.
Aunt Abigail went with Christian and Josh to Little Gym this morning, and Becca and Jake stopped by to see Uncle Kyle at BeBe's since he got into town last night. Then Becca and Jake headed to get the balloons for Josh's birthday party. Before nap time Abigail, Christian, and the boys went to Toys 'R Us to pick out toys while Becca got the house ready for Josh's birthday party.
About 5:30 pm, family and friends began arriving to celebrate Josh's birthday. We had Mexican food and then watched as Josh had his first cake. He was hesitant to touch it at first, and then he tried to feed Christian the icing. It didn't take long before he started licking his hands and smashing his cake. Fortunately we had another cake for everyone else, and Jake helped blow out the candle.
Jake enjoyed getting to open Josh's presents, and he even received a few for himself. Josh kept walking around with bows. He would attempt to give someone a bow and then take it back at the last second.
Josh's first year has been a tremendous one, and we are happy to get to celebrate his birthday.
Today was Jake's Meet the Preschool Teacher. On Monday, Jake will start at a new preschool, Katy's Early Childhood Enrichment Center (ECEC). We've heard such good things about it from so many people, and we're looking forward to Jake going. He'll attend three days a week from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, so it will be a full day. Due to his age, Jake will be in the Older Two's class. This evening, we got to meet Ms. Teresa and Ms. Laura, his teachers. For the last week we have been talking about school and how exciting it will be to go. Jake loved his classroom, which is nice and big with several different centers. We're anxious to see how he'll do next week!
Today was Josh's first birthday! It is amazing how much has occurred in the past year. We are so fortunate to have Jake and Josh in our lives. This morning we went to the pediatrician for Josh's well checkup appointment. Josh walked all around the waiting room and smiled at the people. He did good getting four shots and a finger prick, although he cried for a little bit. He is a healthy boy weighing in at 25 pounds (80 percentile), with a length of 31 3/4 inches (95 percentile), and a head circumference of 49 cm (98%). We call him our "Big Boy."
During the day, Jake was at Miss Laura's to play with Sydney. Due to his summer camps, he hasn't had an opportunity to go over to Miss Laura's much this summer. He starts preschool next week, so this was the last time he would go to Miss Laura's. He has enjoyed playing with Sydney for the last couple of years.
Today we went to the mall to take pictures for Josh's first birthday. It only took a year, but we were finally able to get one picture of both boys smiling together. We had a hard time getting pictures of Josh as he kept walking off.
We also bought the boys new shoes. Jake needed a bigger size and with Josh walking now, we needed to get him shoes for when we're away from home. It took Josh a little bit of time to get adjusted to the shoes. He tried to pull them off and even put them in his mouth when sitting in the carseat.
Josh can now get up on his own. He no longer has to crawl to a piece of furniture in order to pull up into a walking position. All of a sudden Josh just gets up and starts walking. Our lives have now changed.
Josh loves the toy car of Jake's. He opens the door and climbs into it. In the last week he would just climb in and out. Now he is able to use his legs to push the car backwards. Josh is just so active, and we can't take our eyes off of him!
Becca and Christian went to Miami for their first trip alone in years. Christian won an online bid for a charity and in turn he received airline tickets and a hotel room for four nights in Miami along with an extra spot on the USA network TV show Burn Notice. While in Miami, we spent a lot of time on the set watching different scenes being taped and learning how intricate filming can be. The crew and cast were great and very nice to us.
While we were in Miami, BeBe took care of the boys. Each day was a long one as she never got a break, but the boys enjoyed staying with her. They swam in the pool outside and Jake pretended to talk to on the phone to Becca and Christian. Jake also attended Sunny Days for half of the week. It is young kids' day camp at our church, and he made a lot of neat crafts while he was there.
Jake has been very attached to Becca lately, and it is probably due to him being away for so many days. This morning when Becca was leaving with Josh to go to Little Gym, Jake fell apart saying "my turn" as he wanted to go with Becca. So after Becca got back with Josh, she took Jake with her to the grocery store so they could spend time together. Jake loves riding in the kid shopping carts that look like cars. While they were at the store, Jake saw cupcakes in the bakery aisle. Becca decided it would be fun for them to bake cupcakes together, so she bought the funfetti fixings.
Before Jake's nap, they prepared and baked the cupcakes. He had so much fun helping to pour the ingredients into the bowl and then stirring them. He also LOVED licking the bowl. That probably backfired on us as he didn't take a nap today. Actually, he was able to pull off the child lock on his door and come out of his room himself. We hope that doesn't become a normal thing! After icing the cupcakes, Jake helped put the sprinkles on top. Then he got to eat one, and he looked like he had a white beard due to the icing.
In the evening Christian got Jake all ready to go to the neighborhood pool and Becca was going to stay with Josh. However, Jake wanted Becca to go, so she quickly changed and took him. Jake is getting much better in the water. He can monkey walk on the wall and pull himself out of the water. He is also trying to kick more and is going under the water on his own now. If only he'd close his mouth and not smile while he does it, that would be better.
Before heading back home, the Abbate family got together for family pictures. The photographer was funny as she tried to get both boys' attention. Jake and Josh did look at her, but we are uncertain if they were actually smiling or not when the pictures were taaen.
The ride back to Katy was okay. It is cute to see the boys sitting together in the car now that Josh is in his new car seat. Josh did fall asleep for a little bit once we got in the car. Jake fell asleep as soon as we got on I-10. Of course right at that time, Josh decided to be very loud, but it didn't seem to wake up Jake.
We made it back in time for Jake to go to Westwood Gymnastics for his usual class, but it didn't go well. He didn't mind very well and got fussy. With only a 20 minute nap and his routine all out of whack, it wasn't too surprising. As Jake was gone from home a full week, it will take several days for things to be normal again. He had a good time while he was in Dallas, which is great.
For the Fourth of July we went to the neighborhood parade and met up with the Capps family. Christian stayed at the house with Josh due to his nap and met us at the end of the parade. Jake got antsy waiting for the parade to start, and he and Becca walked several blocks down the street toward the start of the parade. Once the parade got to our area, Jake had a good time. He waved his American flag and enjoyed several lollipops that were thrown his way. After the parade we walked to a meeting area where vendors and booths were set up. We didn't stay very long as it was just too hot, and the boys were very warm. We all went to eat lunch and then headed back to the house.
In the evening we went to the neighborhood pool. Jake had fun again, and he enjoyed jumping into the pool like we practice at swim lessons. Josh had a great time walking and crawling in the area where water shoots up from the ground.
Today Jake went to church with Grammy and Grampaw. They teach his age level, so he was in their class today. Becca and Josh finally left Katy after getting everything loaded up in the car. It is amazing how many things you need for a baby! Josh did pretty well in the car. It was much better than if he had been facing backwards the whole way. Becca sang "Old McDonald" over and over again, which is Josh's favorite song. If you start singing that, it will usually put a smile on his face.
When Becca and Josh got to Dallas, Jake ran up to both of us and gave us hugs. Becca really missed Jake while he was in Dallas and she was in Katy.
Josh is walking so well! A week ago he was walking in a straight line until he fell down or came to a barrier. He was unable to turn. Now he is walking everywhere and turns perfectly fine. He will crawl occasionally, and he does this only to get to something he call pull up on to stand so he can start walking again. Today Josh was walking, stooped down to pick up a toy, stood upright, and kept walking. Soon he'll be able to stand up on his own, and he won't be crawling anymore.
After Little Gym, Becca and Josh met up with BeBe and MeMaw to eat and go shopping for a new car seat for Christian's car and BeBe's car. Last night Josh's new car seat was put into Becca's car, and today was his first day to ride in it. Josh loved sitting forward and not kicking the back of the seat anymore. He kept kicking and kicking his legs and "talking." It is a few weeks early to put him in a forward-facing car seat; however, with the long ride to Dallas tomorrow, we decided to go ahead and switch him around.
In Dallas, Jake spent the day with Grammy and Grampaw running errands and shopping.
In Dallas Jake and Grammy went to the pool with Beth and Anna. The pool area in the neighborhood is really neat with different areas for different ages. In Katy, BeBe, MeMaw, Becca, and Josh went to eat dinner. As Josh can reach very far, all the food was stacked on one end of the table so that he wouldn't get any of it!
Christian went to work, and Jake had a big day with Grammy. In the morning they went to the library with Christian's cousin Beth Capps and her daughter Anna. They had lunch with Christian and Grampaw. In the evening Aunt Abigail brought a Slip 'N Slide over and Christian and Jake had a great time running and sliding on it.
Back in Katy, Becca remembered how "easy" it is to have only one child around. She and Josh played and played together and then she enjoyed getting to relax a little.
Today Becca took Jake and Christian to Hobby Airport so that they could fly to Grammy and Grampaw's in Dallas. This was Jake's first time to be on a plane. Becca watched as the two of them went through security, and Jake kept waving "bye." While waiting to board, Jake was excited and loved watching the planes through the big windows. He was great and sat in his seat on the plane - he even took out his bear, Buddy, and put him under the seat belt as well.
Once they landed, Grammy, Grampaw, Aunt Abigail, and Aunt Rebecca took the boys to eat and then Jake played in the backyard. He got in the little pool with the sprinkler running next to it. He had a ball.
This weekend we took our annual trip to New Braunfels. On Friday Becca, BeBe, Aunt Jana, and the boys headed out a little after lunch, and Christian got there early evening. "Big" Josh got there a little after Christian, and for the first time in over a decade Uncle Kyle finally came too.
While we were there Jake went swimming in the big pool and practiced what he's been learning in swim lessons. On Sunday we went to the resort area and Jake started out at the kiddie area. Soon after, Christian had a covered tube for Jake, and they went on several tube rides. Jake held on tight and smiled wide.
Unfortunately Josh and Becca didn't get in the water while we were there. Josh had diarreha the entire time. It didn't seem to affect him in his demeanor, but we didn't want to put him in the water with that issue.
It was the first time for all four of us to sleep in a room at one time. Fortunately, Josh was very easygoing and didn't get upset that Jake was not completely quiet when it was night time. Becca had to "hold" Jake down to get him to calm down and relax in order for him to fall asleep.
The boys had fun celebrating Father's Day with Christian. First thing in the morning Christian went to Home Depot to pick up the grill he purchased with money he received for his birthday. Once he was back, we headed to BeBe's to say goodbye to Uncle Kyle before he headed back to Dallas. The boys helped Christian open his Father's Day gifts of Mavericks items. When Uncle Kyle left, Jake got into his car to say goodbye to his dog, Jackson.
We are still having difficulty with Jake taking naps. Today he finally fell asleep on the floor with all of his stuffed animals and pillows around him. We're just glad he took a nap. Christian fired up the grill, and we had hamburgers. Instead of taking the boys to our neighborhood pool, we put them in the small inflatable pool in our backyard. Jake acted like a good big brother and shared the pool toys with Josh. It is so fun to watch them interacting together.
Jake loves to draw, and we've noticed in the past week he has been very particular about what he's been drawing. Sometimes we're able to figure it out and sometimes we're not able to understand what he's telling us he's drawing. However, tonight in the bathtub he drew a very clear picture of an elephant, and he told us what it was. It was the best picture we've ever seen him draw!
Today was a big day of activities for the boys. Unfortunately Becca went to the doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, so she wasn't able to handle the boys. Christian took Josh to Little Gym. He then got home in time to take Jake over to BeBe's to see Uncle Kyle since he came into town. Next Christian took Jake to two birthday parties for kids from his preschool class. The parties included a jump house and then a swimming party. While that was going on, Becca took Josh and had an opportunity to go to lunch with Uncle Kyle, BeBe, and MeMaw. Josh had fun making faces at Uncle Kyle.
In the evening, we went to Becca's cousin's wedding reception. It was the first time we had left the boys at home to go out. Our friends Sheryl and Kevin Deady came over and put them to bed for us while we were at the reception. The boys did well and enjoyed playing with Sheryl and Kevin. Jorden and Stephanie Mahler's reception was wonderful. Unfortunately we didn't stay very long due to Becca still not feeling well.
It has been a very long week of no naps for Jake. Ever since BeBe and Becca returned from New York City, Jake has not wanted to take a nap. He has asked for books and thinks it is play time instead of time to go to sleep. Although in the past we had to remove the lamp from his room and some of the wall art he could reach from his bed, yesterday he took it to another level. Earlier in the week we had taken the step stool out of his room that we typically kept under the bathroom sink. Jake learned how to open the child proof locks on the cabinets. Without the step stool, we didn't think he could climb up on his counter to get the toothpaste. He was able to, and he took the toothpaste and smeared it all over himself and the rug in his room. Unfortunately, he ruined his rug but fortunately he didn't get any toothpaste on the carpet. Needless to say, BeBe gave Jake a bath once she discovered what he did.
Jake finally went to sleep this afternoon after playing around for a little while. It might have helped that first thing in the morning Jake had to have some lab work taken for a check-up. He did good, but it took some time to fill up five vials of blood. Jake cried, but he didn't fight. However, it did wear him out enough for him to finally take a nap! Hopefully he'll get out of this play mode soon and back into napping again. Jake becomes more irritable in the evening when he doesn't nap in the afternoon.
It is hard to find summer camps for kids Jake's age; however, a church in town has a Stay n Play for several hours four days a week. Jake is registered for two sessions, the first of which started this week. He had so much fun today. When Becca picked him up, he said "bye" to everyone, and then he went right up to Josh in his stroller and waved at him. Becca took the boys to McDonald's as a treat for Jake being so good. Jake kept saying "Camp Cove" for the rest of the day. We're glad he had a good time and had fun playing with other kids his age.
Jake really likes playing with Play-doh. He used to want to open each container and get a different color out. Now he's really playing with them by flattening them out or rolling them. Josh just watches Jake and all that he does. Christian just couldn't wait until the Mavs game in the evening. Fortunately they won, and the Mavs became the NBA champions.
This morning was Josh's first day at Little Gym. He is in the Birds class, and he did great. He was not scared or apprehensive to be in the class, and the teacher even nicknamed him "Demo Kid" as he was totally at ease with her picking him up and demonstrating the skills. It is very apparent how strong Josh is. Josh is walking more often now. He can stand for the longest time, and then he will move his legs. He's walked a total of seven steps before squatting down and then crawling. He'll be walking everywhere very soon.
After Little Gym, we all went to eat and then back to our house to celebrate Christian's birthday. Jake helped open Christian's cards and Josh just wanted to get into the gift bags. Christian then put together an early birthday present for Josh from Grammy and Grampaw, a tricycle.
After their naps, we all went to the neighborhood pool. Jake had so much fun in the little pool, and we also got into the big pool to practice the skills he's been learning at his swim lessons. Josh enjoyed splashing the water and walking in the little pool.
BeBe, Aunt Jana, and Becca went to New York City on a girls' trip. Christian planned the trip and did a great job! When we landed in NYC, Christian had a limo waiting for us to take us to the hotel. Once we got to the hotel, Becca found a surprise gift from Christian waiting in the hotel room - a bracelet from Tiffany's along with a gift card to pick out a charm. We met up with Sanita Pinchback, Becca's friend who came to NYC for the weekend. After walking around our hotel area which included the Apple Store and FAO Schwartz, we ate at Basso 56.
The next day we walked through some parts of Central Park before we went to Grand Central Terminal and then the New York Public Library. Sanita headed home, and we went to see Jersey Boys before walking around Times Square. We headed to Cornelia Street Cafe and then walked to the Washington Monument before finally returning back to the hotel.
Our third day in NYC we had tickets to be a part of The View studio audience in which Larry King was on that day. We went to the Ground Zero Museum and Workshop, which was an amazing place to learn more about the clean up and recovery after 9/11. We took the subway to see Ground Zero, and it was amazing how much it has changed since we were all last in NYC. Construction is all around in that area. That evening we had a wonderful dinner at Buddakan.
On our fourth day, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The neatest part was going to the top of the building and overlooking Central Park. We walked all around Central Park before coming back to the hotel. We finally got to go into Tiffany's and Becca picked out a charm for her bracelet and BeBe and Aunt Jana got rings. We had to rest before we headed to see Wicked, which was wonderful!
On our final day in NYC, we headed to Rockefeller Center and we were at The Today Show when the cast and crew were saying goodbye to Meredith Viera since it was her last day on the show. We also went to Top of the Rock and had the opportunity to view the city. We had such a good time on our trip, and we returned home in time for Christian's birthday!
While we were gone, Grammy and Aunt Rebecca came to stay in Katy to help Christian with the boys. Aunt Abigail even got to come for the weekend. During their visit, they took the boys to the pool, out to eat, and to a birthday party. Jake also started at Westwood Gymnastics and went twice while Becca was gone. He had a lot of fun at the gym. The boys had a great time getting to spend time with the Abbates.
Jake had his development specialist appointment today, and we spent a lot of time with the doctor. He observed Jake with different toys and puzzles and asked him several questions. He determined that Jake is delayed in speech and gross motor skills, and he recommended increasing the amount of speech therapy Jake has each week. We're to go back in a year to see how much Jake has progressed. Once we got home, Christian put the Mavericks jersey on Josh to support the Mavs in the playoffs.
After getting ready this morning, we loaded the boys up and took them to the Houston Zoo. It was our first time to take the boys, and we knew Jake would really like going to identify the animals in real life instead of in a book or on TV. We timed it so that Josh would take his nap in the car there, but he didn't. We arrived at the zoo about 10 am and had our route mapped out. We went to see the fish, monkeys, elephants, tigers, lions, and bears. We stopped at the carousel near the giraffes as Jake could care less about the giraffes until after he rode the carousel. Jake and Christian had the opportunity to feed a giraffe some lettuce, and Jake really enjoyed that. We then headed over to the Children's Zoo in which Jake got to go to the petting area, play on the playground, and crawl through tunnels like a ground hog.
Jake had a ball at the zoo. Josh seemed to enjoy it as well, and he did end up falling asleep in the stroller for about 20 minutes. It was just enough time for him to get his second wind. We left the zoo about 1 pm, and that was enough time to see everything and get into the air conditioned car before it got too unbearably hot outside.
Today Josh was pulling up on Jake's toy car, and Christian put him inside it. Christian pushed Josh throughout the house, and he liked holding onto the wheel and pushing the horn to make it squeak. Toys Josh loves to play with are old ones of Jake's - his toy piano and his wooden square block that has different items to pull on each side. We also found out today that we have to really watch Josh and make sure he doesn't get Jake's crayons. We found Josh chewing on a crayon, and a little later he threw up.
Today at Little Gym they had the awards ceremony to end the school year session. Jake received a ribbon and showed off his skills. Jake started Little Gym when he was 10 months old, and it is amazing to think how far he's come. Josh will be starting Little Gym in a couple of weeks when the summer session begins.
Jake is now repeating everything. He is saying several words at a time and larger words with more than one syllable. His speech has all of a sudden increased, and we realize he knows a lot more words than we thought now that he's talking so much more. Jake says everything very fast and is still learning the correct pronunciation, so sometimes it is harder to understand him. His OT sessions have improved his biting ability when eating as well as his core strength. The main focus to work on with him now is putting his lips together and closing his lips around something. We are working on him blowing (he isn't getting this concept completely and keeps sucking) and not biting on straws. If we can get him to start closing his lips, he'll be better able to articulate words.
Josh is just cruising and cruising. He has even let go and will stand for long periods of time. We think that in the next month he'll be walking on his own. He is very strong and even when he "falls" he doesn't actually fall but slowly squats down to the ground. He is also babbling and repeating what we say. He loves when we say "ma, ma, ma" and he says it back. It even sounded like he said "bye, bye" today. If you look at Josh and smile, he smiles right back. It also feels like just yesterday that Jake was doing the things Josh is doing now. Josh crawls right over to the plant to pull on the leaves. He reaches as far as he can to turn the dial on the tuner (and almost blows out our speakers). He sees an open baby gate and tears off to get through to freedom. It is all too familiar...
We were invited to a wedding this evening for our good family friend Allison Shaw. Becca went to the wedding with BeBe, MeMaw, Uncle Kyle, and Aunt Jana while Christian took the boys to Clay's for the end of year party with our Sunday School class. Becca had a good time at the wedding, but the boys clearly had more fun at Clay's than they would have at the wedding. Jake got to ride two horses while the boys were there. The rest of the Sunday School class helped Christian out since he was there by himself with the boys, and they loaned him sunscreen and offered to hold Josh while Jake was on the horses. Josh got thirsty, and he drank out of a straw again. He's actually pretty good drinking from a straw, especially due to his age.
Christian was out of town the end of last week for work, and he was out of town this weekend due to a men's church retreat. Even with him gone, we had a big weekend. It started Friday night when BeBe and Becca took the boys to Little Gym for their Spring Fling, a time that all the kids get to come and play. It was Josh's first time actually in the gym area, and he just crawled and crawled around on the big mats. Jake was an old pro, and he went from one area to another.
After Becca took Jake to Little Gym on Saturday while BeBe watched Josh, we all met up at a restaurant so that Uncle Kyle and Aunt Jana could spend some time with the boys.
At home, Becca got the tunnel out that Jake loved at Josh's age, and both Jake and Josh had fun crawling through it. Jake kept saying "my turn" or "baby Josh's turn," which was precious. However, Jake did get upset when Josh didn't follow through when it was Josh's turn.
On Sunday Aunt Jana and BeBe helped Becca take the boys to the mall to get their pictures taken. The pictures were primarily for Josh's 9 month portrait, and if Jake took any pictures, for his 2.5 year pictures. The session reminded us of Jake at this age as all Josh wanted to do was crawl. Fortunately, they were able to get a couple of good poses. We do have one picture of Jake and Josh together looking off into the distance and not smiling, but it is cute to have the two of them together.
Christian returned home this evening in order for him to head out once again tomorrow to be out of town for work.
Jake is such a stickler for routines. On Tuesdays after his NTS Speech session, BeBe takes Josh and Jake to McDonald's for lunch. Jake does well and eats his food before he tries to go play. He has a lot of fun playing, and today Josh got to play, too. There weren't any other kids in the area, so Josh was free to roam around in the area for the youngest children and watch Jake go up and down the big slide. Josh is doing even more and more cruising now, and he's getting more steady as he moves around.
This evening we went out to eat for Mother's Day. We had a good time with the exception that Jake was not himself. He did not take an afternoon nap and although we thought he'd sleep in the car on the way to the restaurant, he was so happy to see Uncle Kyle that he didn't go to sleep. By the time we got to the restaurant, Jake was sobbing. Becca was finally able to get him to go to sleep by rocking him back and forth outside. That worked for a while until he woke up when Becca moved. Christian ended up taking Jake for a ride in the car and that calmed him down. Josh did good at the restaurant as well, but after a while he was ready to get out of his highchair. Jana's boyfriend Josh played with baby Josh for a while, and that made him happy.
We came back to our house where he had dessert and the mothers got to open gifts from their kids (and moms). Jake helped the moms open their gifts, and Josh was crawling around and going from one person to the next.
We had a "normal" night finally last night. Ever since we returned from Dallas, Josh has had major separation anxiety issues. We were seeing this throughout the day if we left the room as he'd cry out a little, but we hadn't experienced it at night until four nights ago. Josh would wake up screaming bloody murder after a few hours. Then he'd do it again during the early hours of the morning. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep for three straight nights. We forgot what that was like, especially since Josh has been sleeping through the night for a while. We would go upstairs and check on him to make sure he was okay only to find he was perfectly fine and wide awake. Last night Josh was back to normal, and we hope it stays that way!
Our trip to Dallas was very nice. We primarily went for the Sip 'N See that Grammy's friends gave her. Josh didn't want to be held much and wanted to crawl and pull up. Grammy's friends were very nice and talked about how big Josh is. Becca's friends Melissa Swint and Annie Sharp live in the Dallas area, and they were able to attend as well. Towards the end of the party, Josh started slowing down and actually fell asleep. Christian, Jake, and Grampaw showed up at the end, and Jake had fun playing with the decorations of trucks and a farmhouse. During the party, the boys went to a carnival down the street where Jake had a blast.
In the evening, Christian's cousin Beth Capps and her husband Michael and daughter Anna joined us for dinner and to celebrate Grampaw's birthday that was earlier in the week. Aunt Abigail's fiancee Chaas also came. Jake had fun playing hide and seek with Anna in the backyard.
While we were in Dallas, Jake slept on the bed with Becca, and Christian slept on the floor. Josh was upstairs in the crib. This was the first time for Jake to sleep in bed with a parent and without a bedrail. It worked out okay, but Becca kept waking up to make sure Jake was positioned in the middle of the bed so that he wouldn't fall out. We decided that Jake would do better on the bed instead of the floor as he would keep getting up and playing with things in the room.
The ride back went about the same as the ride there. Josh took two cat naps while Jake watched a DVD. Josh became irritable and Becca entertained him. Fortunately we got home in time for both boys to take their afternoon naps, which were needed.
Today was Josh's nine month doctor appointment, and he got a good check-up report. He is now 23 lbs 8 oz, which is in the 93 percentile. For length, he is 30 inches, which is in the 88 percentile. His head is 49 cm, which is in the 100 percentile. Just like his six month appointment, a second nurse came back in to measure his head again due to its size to make sure that it was measured correctly. The pediatrician showed us the charts, and his head was actually off the chart.
Josh's blood pressure measurements were good, which was a relief to hear. We go back to the cardiologist in September, but having his BP checked and hearing it is "normal" is reassuring to hear. Josh was prescribed an ointment for eczema as he has developed a few spots on his arms and legs.
After Jake was done with preschool, we loaded up the car and headed to Dallas. This was Josh's first car trip. Overall the boys did well. Jake is pretty easy as we turn on a DVD for him. Josh played with some toys, took a nap, and then Becca had to sit in the back to entertain him. It will be so nice when Josh is facing forward like Jake.
Josh keeps moving and moving. Not only is it common for him to immediately crawl over and pull up on a piece of furniture, he is also starting to cruise. We have to "help" him by putting a toy a little too far out of reach for him. Then Josh will slowly move up and down the couch to try to grasp the toy. Josh is also no longer army crawling, which was so funny to watch. He is now up on his knees and moves quickly when he crawls. Time sure flies!
We have officially declared that Josh is now sleeping through the night. This new event started a week ago, so we feel safe to say it is a trend. Josh goes to sleep between 8 and 8:30 pm and sleeps until 6 or 6:30 am. We put a few toys in his crib last week, and when he has awakened during the night, he'll play with the toys for a bit and then go back to sleep. We totally forgot what it was like to sleep through the night. It is a blessing! With Josh sleeping through the night, he is almost on a schedule now with a morning and an afternoon nap. It is so nice when both boys take their afternoon naps at the same time. That's the only time BeBe gets a break!
Today we started introducing fruits, and bananas was the first fruit to try. Josh ate them at lunch in addition to a vegetable.
In the evening, Jake paid attention to Josh again, and he helped bathe him. He got the little washclothes and gently touched Josh. It was so cute to see Jake being helpful and taking care of his little brother.
Today was Jake's speech evaluation with NTS. This time, they took him away to see how he'd do without Becca around. Then Becca joined Jake and the specialist and answered questions. The specialist recommended speech for an hour weekly. She said that we have an architect or an engineer on our hands. She said he knows his colors, numbers, and letters very well. He also is talking to us, but it isn't always clear what he is saying. We have noticed in the past week, Jake seems to be talking all the time. He is also repeating what we say and he'll say new words we've never heard him say before. Although his speech is improving, it will be good to work with a specialist to assist in fine tuning his skills.
In the evening, we had fun playing around the house. Josh has strong upper body strength, and he lifts his head high. He's become more sturdy. He isn't sitting on his own yet, but he does sit like a tripod with his arms forward.
Aunt Abigail got engaged this evening. We are very excited for her, and we look forward to Chas joining the family.
With the weather so beautiful again, the boys went outside to play. This time Josh wasn't napping, and he got to swing. Jake even tried to help push him. At lunch, Josh had sweet potatoes for the first time, which he seemed to like.
Christian is out of town for work and won't be back until tomorrow. So this evening BeBe and MeMaw came over to celebrate Valentine's Day with Becca, Jake, and Josh. They stayed during bath time and took pictures of the boys in the bathtub together. Jake has become fascinated with putting a bowl on his head, and he decided this evening that Josh needed to wear a "hat" too.
This all came after a fun day of playing outside. The weather has finally warmed up, and it was beautiful outside. Jake had so much fun playing on his big toy in the backyard as well as throwing rocks and playing with his cars. Josh was asleep during this time, and Jake had a lot of fun with BeBe in the backyard.
Today was the first day of the Wee Two's Nursery at church. For those that will be entering an actual Sunday School class in the fall, the church creates a transition class for them in the spring. Jake no longer goes to the nursery and is in a classroom. His classroom is actually next to our Fatih Mates' Sunday School classroom. Right now only one of us can go with Jake to Sunday School as Josh typically sleeps during that time, and it is easier for him to sleep in his own crib.
We built up the amount of carrots, and today we fed Josh squash for the first time. Again, it was only a teaspoon, but he seemed to like it just fine. Josh still eats cereal for breakfast and dinner, and we introduce first vegetables and then fruits at lunch.
Granddaddy moved back to his retirement center yesterday, and the four of us went to visit him. He wasn't awake very long while we were there, but he got to see both of the boys during that time.
This evening MeMaw took us out to eat and then we went to the ice cream shop. BeBe, Jake, and Josh go to the ice cream shop on Friday's after preschool, and Jake loves it. He will eat his ice cream and then color.
After the boys' baths, Josh became very irritable. Sure enough, his second tooth has come through his gums. He now has his two bottom front teeth. He'll have a full set of teeth before we know it.
With Josh not eating quite as often and more content as we go out, today we put both boys in the dual stroller to try it out. They both enjoyed being in there and riding around the house. It will be great when the weather is nicer, and we get out more.
Josh loves to watch Jake. He stares at him intently and tracks him as Jake moves around the room. Jake, on the other hand, pretty much ignores Josh. Jake's new thing is to go into our bedroom and pull the biggest pillow off our bed and a blanket out of our chest, drag them into the living room, and place them on the couch so he can watch one of his TV programs. It is so funny to see him carrying the pillow and blanket into the living room.
After the holidays and time off from things like Jake's play date, preschool, and Little Gym, this is the first week to be back in our regular routine. Jake did well with each of these things even though it had been weeks since he had attended them. Jake acted like there was no break at all. The one thing we are not back to normal on is his nap time and night time. Jake still has a tendency to get out of his bed. Here and there he'll stay in his bed and not get out, but more often than not, he's been getting out of his bed. We can't wait for him to get back into that routine again, too.
Josh is doing well, but his schedule is getting more interrupted due to Jake's schedule. With Jake, he had his set morning nap time, afternoon nap time, etc. Unfortunately for Josh, he sometimes has to be woken up and put in his carrier to go pick up or take Jake somewhere. He handles it well, but his schedule is unpredictable due to Jake.
Everyone slept in a bit longer today due to the late night we had. Most of the day was spent cleaning up. We cleaned out our garage and moved several things into the attic. We put up some toys that Jake is no longer playing with to make room for his new toys. It's nice to finally have the house back to "normal" after a month of Christmas decorations.
In the evening, MeMaw and BeBe took us out to eat for the New Year. Jake had fun coloring with Aunt Jana, and Josh did well once he got out of his carrier.
This morning Becca, BeBe, and the boys went to IHOP for breakfast. Christian had a lot of errands to run, so we got the boys out of the house to eat. Jake ate all of his eggs and then the eggs of Becca's plate. Josh is doing better when we go out to eat, but after a while he starts crying out due to sitting in his carrier. Once he's out, he looks around and is part of the table.
Christian pitched our outdoor tent in our living room, and the boys had fun playing in it. This was the way we could make New Year's Eve more fun for the kids. Both boys were in bed when around 11:30 pm, people started shooting fireworks right in front of our house. Christian calmed down a screaming Josh, and we finally coaxed Jake back to bed. It was a long night!
Once the boys were up this morning, they discovered what Santa had brought them. Jake was very excited to receive an art easel, and he had fun putting magnetic letters on the whiteboard side and coloring on the other side. Josh received a jumperoo which happens to be just like Jake's old jumperoo. Josh is heavier and longer than Jake was when Jake started using the jumperoo, and Josh took to it easily. We opened some presents and then headed to BeBe's where we spent the rest of Christmas day. Josh fell asleep as soon as we got there, so we held off opening his gifts until he woke up. Jake proceeded to open up all of Josh's gifts. It will be fun next year when both boys can really experience Christmas.
Christian and Jake went to Austin yesterday and returned today in order to participate in the Christian Christmas. Becca and Josh stayed home as we aren't ready to travel with Josh yet and because it would have been difficult for all four of us to stay in one hotel room. Jake had a great time at the Christian Christmas playing with his cousins and going down to the lake. He was worn out and took his nap partially in the car and then Christian transported him to the pallet he made for Jake on the floor of the hotel room. The evening did not go as well and Jake would not lay down on his pallet to go to sleep. Christian tried different methods and finally let Jake fall asleep on the floor about midnight before moving him to the pallet. It was a good thing Becca and Josh weren't there to go through all of that since Josh would have gotten up a little later to feed. No one would have gotten sleep!
Once Christian and Jake returned home, we played at the house. Jake wanted to color and ran to the container where we keep his crayons; however, none were there. Becca kept asking Jake where his crayons were, and he kept pointing and saying "there." Becca finally realized that Jake was right - his crayons were there all along, but they were in the ball popper. At some point before Jake went to Austin, he stuffed all his crayons into the hole at the top of the ball popper. Fortunately we were able to get them out okay.
Becca's good friend Sanita came to visit today. This year Sanita moved out of state, and we hadn't seen her since Josh was first born. It was so good to see her and catch up. Jake was so excited to see her and he sat in her lap for her to read him a book.
Jake had issues with his nap again today. All week he's had a harder time going down for a nap. Today was the third day in which he didn't take a nap at all. He's too young to be giving up his nap already!
Josh is now back to sleeping better during the night. After almost a week of him waking up several times during the night, he is now back to waking up only once. Josh is more coordinated now, and when he rolls to his side or rolls all the way over it isn't waking him up anymore. We are so happy to be getting more sleep again!
As we mentioned previously, we moved Josh upstairs to his bedroom on Wednesday. Every night has been difficult, and we have not gotten much sleep. For some reason Josh seemed to need to eat more often or he'd wake up crying because of the position he was in. For a few nights, we were up and down almost every couple of hours. We don't think it was his new room as we even brought him back down to our room here and there during the night. We think it has to do with him potentially teething as well as him becoming more mobile during his sleep. We are just waiting for teeth to pop through his gums as he continues to drool.
Last night was much better, and we hope it was a sign of things to come. Josh did wake up about 11 pm because he had rolled on his arm and couldn't move it. He also ate around 2:30 am, but that was his only feeding during the night. We hope we're getting back to our "regular" schedule.
Today Josh actually rolled over from his back to his stomach. The past week he has rolled onto his side a lot, but he hadn't made it quite over yet. The pediatrician said it might take him a bit longer due to his weight, but he managed to get all the way over today.
Jake is also teething, but it hasn't affected his demeanor or sleep. His two year molars have popped through his gums. The only indication that Jake is teething is that occasionally he will drool or he will place his fingers in the back of his mouth.
We went to the mall today to take our family Christmas pictures. Fortunately one pose turned out okay even though Jake isn't smiling as big as he usually does. In the last few months, Jake has changed and wants nothing to do with pictures. He is fine around the camera for action shots, but for posed pictures he fights and wants down. It has become somewhat frustrating as we don't have too many pictures of Jake and Josh together. In the evening we dressed them up in their matching Christmas pajamas to try to take some pictures, but Jake was too interested in reading his Christmas books to look at the camera. It took a while, but we managed to get a picture of him looking at the camera. Who knew that our baby would pose better for pictures than our two year old!
Aunt Jana brought a gingerbread house over for her and Jake to decorate. Decorating gingerbread houses is a tradition of Becca's and Aunt Jana's, and this year it passed to Jake. He liked helping her put the gumdrops on the house (when he wasn't eating them), and he especially liked when Aunt Jana spelled his name out on the roof.
Although Granddaddy's birthday is on Tuesday, we celebrated it today while Uncle Kyle was still in town. We took Granddaddy out to eat to one of his favorite restaurants. Fortunately it was kid friendly as well. Josh sat in his carrier for the majority of lunch and looked around. We're glad we caught him on a good day as the few times we've been out to eat he gets antsy and fussy in his carrier. Jake was good until he was finished eating, and then he wanted down from the highchair. Jake helped Granddaddy open his presents. It was nice to get to spend time with Granddaddy and to celebrate his birthday.
In the evening we finished decorating our house for Christmas. Jake ran into our study and yelled "tree" when he saw the Christmas tree. He wanted to help decorate it, and he did put a few ornaments on the tree. He also broke two, but it wasn't on purpose. He is still learning how to be gentle. Jake also liked running around our yard decorations and playing peek-a-boo behind them.
It is official - Josh is a big baby. We had his four month pediatrician appointment today, and it went smoothly. Josh now weighs 18 lbs and is in the 96th percentile. Jake at this age was 14 lbs 4 oz. We knew Josh just seemed heavier than Jake and that was confirmed today. Josh is 26 3/4 inches long and is in the 96th percentile. His head is 18 inches in circumference and is in the 100th percentile. Josh did well with the vaccinations and only cried briefly.
We decided to move Josh into his room this evening, which is the same timeframe that we moved Jake to his room. Although it has been convenient having Josh in our room, it has also been difficult to get ready for work in the morning without disturbing him. We're looking forward to having our bedroom back.
Jake is having so much fun with his Uncle Kyle in town. Uncle Kyle has taught him to say "Kyle" when Jake sees him. Uncle Kyle has also taught Jake how to say the letters of his name when he writes "Kyle" on a piece of paper.
Jake is now saying letters and numbers. If you write out Jake's name, he'll tell you each letter when you point to it. Jake is also very good about counting to 10. He will say the numbers in consecutive order very well. However, at times he will also recognize a number by itself and will say it out loud. Jake is very proud of himself when he does this.
Josh had a terrible night. Due to the blood thinner, they had to draw blood every four hours. Apparently babies either have good veins or bad ones, and Josh has bad ones. In addition, there are fewer access points to poke babies as there are for adults. Poor Josh had a terrible time for two blood drawings and they had to do a second IV as his first one went bad. It took 3 nurses almost an hour and a half to put in the new IV. The second time they had to draw blood, it took seven nurses two hours to get a vein. Poor Josh screamed bloody murder through all of that. He was exhausted and would finally nod off, but then it would be time to poke him, check on him, or feed him. What Josh experienced during the night was worse and more painful than the procedure since he was asleep for the procedure. We finally got some sleep between 7 am until the doctor came in at 9 am.
The doctor was pleased with how Josh was doing. The echo measured the gradient as a bit higher, but it was still significantly lower than prior to the procedure. The cath has a more precise measure of the gradient since it is actually in the body where the echo is an ultrasound. Since the cath measured the gradient as lower the day before, they were pleased by the results. The pulse was back in his foot, and it appears that the lack of pulse was due to a spasm that occurred when they took the cath out. Josh no longer has to take his medicine, and we'll continue to follow-up with the cardiologists.
After getting our instructions on how to clean the puncture wound, Josh was discharged. We were very happy to get home, and Josh seemed like his usual self. He was tired and fell asleep on our bed for about 30 minutes until he woke up hungry. After eating, Josh and Becca slept for about two hours in the late afternoon. We did a sponge bath tonight and will continue to do so for the next several days until the puncture wound is closed. Josh is asleep now, and we know that tonight will be a much better night than last night. We are very pleased by the results of the procedure and are anxious to hear good news at his upcoming appointments.
The day started very early as we were in the car on the way to Children's Memorial Hermann by 4:15 am. We had to wait a while in the waiting room before we were moved to the pre-op room. We were very surprised how Josh did this morning since it had been so long since he ate. He was fussy in the car until Christian calmed him down by singing to him. In the waiting room, a movie was playing on the TV and the stroller was near it where Josh could watch the colors on the screen.
In the pre-op room, Christian gave Josh a wipe down bath before we dressed Josh in the hospital gown. Fortunately there was a TV in the room and Josh just watched it for a while before we traded turns holding him until it was time to go to the operating room. We got to carry him to the operating room before handing him off, and it was nice to hold him one last time.
While in the cath waiting room, we received brief updates every hour to let us know how the procedure was progressing. Josh apparently went to sleep fine, and they did the catherization. They looked around for the first hour before actually doing the angioplasty. The coarc (narrowing of the aorta) was 2 milliliters. They used a 6 milliliter balloon first and then they inflated an 8 milliliter balloon. The procedure was successful, and after it the gradient (pressure through the aorta) and his blood pressure were at normal levels. There is a 20 percent chance a recoarc could occur, and we go back in a month to the cardiologist to see how Josh is doing.
We were in the post recovery room for a while as Josh slowly woke up. He drank a bottle of pedialyte and then two bottles of breast milk before Becca got to nurse him again. Josh slept for a long time after the procedure except to eat. We had to keep him completely still for 6 hours after the procedure and make sure he didn't bend the leg where the cath was inserted in his groin.
We finally were moved to his room about 3 pm. The doctors decided to give Josh a blood thinner as the foot on the side where they went in didn't have a pulse. The foot was not cold and had some color, but as a precaution they gave him a blood thinner in case there was a clot.
In the early evening, Doc came to visit. Josh was in pretty good spirits after he finally woke up from his long slumber. It was difficult feeding him and holding him due to all the wires he had on him. However, it was nice to hold our baby again.
We took Josh to Children's Memorial Hermann today for his pre-op appointment. His angioplasty is tomorrow, and today they checked him out to make sure he was ready for the procedure. During the appointment, we found out that Josh weighs 17 lbs 4 oz and is 25 inches long. He is such a big boy! We answered several questions and received our instructions to prepare for the procedure. Fortunately Josh can have breast milk no later than 1:30 am, which is later than we expected. How do you tell a baby they can't eat when they're hungry?
At the very end of the appointment, they had to draw blood. It was hard to find a vein, and the nurses had to try a couple of times to get enough blood. We had to hold Josh down so that he would be still, and it was so difficult and heartbreaking to hear him cry. It made us realize how it will be better tomorrow that Josh will be sedated for the procedure.
It was quite difficult today. Being at the hospital brought back so many emotions from when Josh was first born and all he had to go through. We pray that the procedure will go well tomorrow, and we hope that Josh doesn't have to undergo any other procedures in the future.
The past couple of days, Josh hasn't seemed very content, and it was hard to hold him off to feeding time. Today we fed him more in the bottle and that seemed to help significantly. Since Becca nurses Josh when she is around him, it is hard to figure out how much milk to give him by bottle. It seems like the adjustment was needed, and Josh was much more calm and happy.
We had a very busy day today. For Halloween, Jake dressed up as a blue Crayola crayon, which is very fitting considering he loves to draw and color. Even as we stopped to visit people today, he found pads of paper and writing utensils. Josh wore a onesie stating it was his first Halloween.
After Jake took an early nap, we headed to Little Gym for the Halloween Party. We left early so we could see Granddaddy. From there we went to BeBe's, Doc's, the McMean's, and finally MeMaw's. We couldn't stay at each place too long and a lot of time was taken away driving to each house and getting the kids buckled up in the car. We got home late and both boys went down later than usual. However, they seemed to have a good time today.
With the weather finally colder, both boys were able to wear their Halloween clothes since they have long sleeves. We are all ready for Halloween tomorrow.
We switched today and Becca took Jake and Christian took Josh. On a typical Saturday Christian and Jake are together and Becca is with Josh. Josh's eating schedule worked out perfectly this morning so that Becca got to take Jake to Little Gym, got his hair cut, and they even ate lunch with Becca's good friend Sara Campana and her daughter Leslie. Christian stayed at home with Josh while Josh cat napped.
Before the boys' baths this evening, we got pictures of Josh in his cute doggie robe that Becca's good friend Melissa Swint gave him. He looks so cute in it.
Jake, Josh, and BeBe are getting into a new routine. The routine varies every day, but they are getting used to things being different now that Becca is back at work. They don't get out as much anymore as it is very difficult to do so with only one adult. Josh is usually up in the morning between 6 and 6:30, which gives Becca an opportunity to nurse him before she goes to work. Jake is usually up a little after 7 am.
BeBe spends time with Jake reading to him and helping him get set up with his stickers (his new favorite thing) as well as crayons for drawing. Jake still goes to his play date on Wednesdays and preschool on Fridays. Jake has not been upset when BeBe has dropped him off or when she picks him up. It appears he saved that for Becca. With each day, Jake got better this week about not falling apart when Becca left for work. After the shock of her leaving the first day, Jake became very upset and would scream and cry. He still isn't happy when Becca leaves, but he's not as upset.
Fortunately Josh loves his bouncer, which Jake never cared for. Josh will spend time in the bouncer, on a mat on the floor, or in his swing. Josh doesn't have a set nap schedule yet. Some days are great when he takes several long naps, and sometimes he only has a few cat naps. This week we started putting Josh in the pack 'n play or crib to take his naps instead of just putting him in the swing.
In the evening, Becca gets home from work in time to nurse Josh, and then Christian gets home shortly thereafter. We've moved Jake's dinner time back a little bit so that all three of us can eat together as a family. Fortunately Jake doesn't seem to mind eating later, and it is nice to eat dinner as a family while Josh kicks and coos in his bouncer on the floor next to the table.
The boys were good this weekend. Christian returned home from his work trip Friday night, and Jake was so happy to see his daddy when he woke up Saturday morning. Becca stayed in bed most of Saturday with a severe cold, and Christian took care of the boys.
Jake is back into books after a brief period of disinterest, and he loves reading the Halloween books we have. When reading, he points to the different objects and says their names such as "moon", "cat", and "house." Jake is really talking a lot more now. He's still primarily saying only one word at a time, but he is saying more and more words every day.
Josh will look at you and examine your mouth. Then he'll break out into a smile and next he'll coo. He can get pretty loud when he coos, and it is wonderful to hear his baby noises. The past several nights have been really nice in that he's only awakened once during the night. Hopefully that will last!
We returned to the medical center today to meet the cardiologist who will perform Josh's angioplasty. We found out more about the actual procedure, which is scheduled for November 10. They will go in through the groin and inflate a balloon for 5 seconds where the narrowed part of the aorta is. The balloon will then be deflated and removed from the body. The success rate for the procedure is 80 to 100%, and only 10% have to do the procedure again in the future. Josh will have a pre-op appointment the day before the procedure, and he will stay in the hospital the night of the procedure. We found out that three things could have caused this narrowing in his aorta, and it is impossible to tell which one did it. The first reason could be the surgeons did not get all of the bad tissue. Prior to the surgery we were informed that there is no visible distinction between good and bad tissue, and that this could occur. The second reason is that scar tissue from the surgery could have caused the narrowing. The third reason is that when the PDA closed (this is what they were keeping open with medicine until after the surgery), tissue from it might have caused the narrowing.
This procedure seems "routine", but it was difficult to hear all the instructions and what will take place on the 10th. All our fears and anxiety from two months ago when Josh was in the hospital came back, and it was hard to grasp that he's going to have another procedure on his heart.
While we were at the doctor's office, they weighed Josh. He is growing like a weed! He now weighs 15 lbs 14 oz. We are getting a workout just carrying Josh around.
Becca went back to work today. It was so hard to leave this morning and say goodbye to the boys. Jake seemed confused and just stared as Becca left. Josh had fallen back asleep and didn't see Becca leave. Becca's coworkers at Sysco were great and very welcoming. Becca even received a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk this morning.
BeBe had her hands full today being the first day to take care of the boys without Becca around. In the evening BeBe stayed the night as Christian is out of town for a work trip the rest of this week. It was so helpful that BeBe was here, especially for bath time and getting the boys to bed.
Josh developed a yellow crust in his left eye yesterday, and after talking to the doctor he prescribed an eye drop medication. We started it this evening, and it seems to be working.
With only two days left before returning to work, Becca is wrapping up her time out. Today she and BeBe took the boys to visit Granddaddy. Jake had fun running around Granddaddy's place, and Josh fell asleep on Becca's shoulder. We tried to wrap up all last minute errands and "to do's" so that tomorrow Becca could just spend all day with the boys.
Bath time is interesting with the boys. Becca and Christian take turns each night getting in the tub and first giving Josh and then Jake baths. While one of us is in the tub, the other one hands the boys over and takes them out of the tub and gets them dressed for bed. Josh seems to like his bath and being in the water. Jake loves to play in the water, and it's getting harder and harder to get him to get out of the tub each night.
With Becca going back to work soon, we started introducing the bottle to Josh so he would be familiar with it by the time she was not around him during the day. We've been working on it for two weeks and it appears that the third bottle we tried works. This has been a new experience for us as Jake took to the bottle easily, and he took the first type of bottle we gave him. Josh still struggles initially with the bottle, but then he starts sucking and takes it.
We also re-introduced the pacifier this weekend. Josh had a pacifier when he was in the hospital since he wasn't being fed, and they wanted to make sure he continued to get the sucking action. However, once he started nursing, he no longer wanted the pacifier. Although we did not use a pacifier with Jake, it has become apparent to us that Josh needs assistance in calming down. He has always fought sleeping, and several days he takes only cat naps. On those types of days, if he hasn't taken a nap since he last ate and it's a little over 2 hours later, he becomes very irritable and fussy. The pacifier gives him the sucking action and holds him off until it is time to eat again.
We feel like we've been to Babies 'R Us every day this week as we've tried out new bottles and bought pacifiers. The Nuk brand seems to be what works for Josh, and it is an orthodontic brand that is very similar to breastfeeding.
Josh made up for the lack of sleep he had the last two days in which he only took cat naps. After eating at 7:45 pm last night, he did not wake up until 4:30 am to eat again. Becca repositioned him about 2:30 am as he was fussing, but he went back to sleep. He woke up at 7:30 am, ate, and went back to sleep. The same thing happened at 10:45 am as he ate and went back to sleep. He was up pretty much all afternoon with a cat nap here and there, and he went down at 8:45 pm. Hopefully we'll have another nice night tonight.
Christian was out of pocket today due to an appraisal class he is taking for work. Therefore, BeBe helped Becca out as today we had a full agenda. The first was Little Gym where Jake did a good job following the instructor. He just loves the gym.
After his nap, we headed to our church where the preschool had its fall festival. Jake went into the petting zoo where he saw goats, ducks, and a pig. He also got to ride his first horse. He wasn't sure about it at first, but he seemed to like it. We headed inside where Jake played some games and won prizes. He had a lot of fun in the bounce house and he was so excited during the train ride. To cap off our experience, we did the cake walk - and Jake won! He picked out cupcakes, and he ate one then.
Josh did very well during the festival. He took about an hour nap while we were there, which is good as he took only a few cat naps during the day.
After dropping a crying Jake off at preschool, BeBe, Becca, and Josh headed to Sysco where Becca works so that her co-workers could meet Josh. He enjoyed looking at the people there and being held by several veteran moms. We went with some co-workers to lunch so that we could catch up. Although Becca was happy to see everyone, she isn't quite ready to go back to work yet.
In the afternoon Becca picked up a crying Jake from preschool. When talking to the teachers, she found out that Jake cries initially when he is dropped off, but it only lasts a few minutes. However, when he wakes up from his nap, he is not in a good mood. It could be because he's uncertain where he is, or he's just ready to go home by then. Needless to say, it appears to Becca that all Jake does is cry at preschool, but it is good to know that isn't the case. Apparently today he "tested his limits" with his teachers. He's been doing that with us all week as well by turning things into games and running from us. On the flip side, he hasn't been as upset this week that Josh is around. Oh, that wonderful 2 year old stage!
Josh developed a rash on his head yesterday, and this morning it looked worse. The pediatrician worked him in late morning, and we found out that the rash was severe cradle cap. Josh has had this, but it did look different this time. We are to keep putting lotion on him due to his dry skin. While we were at the doctor's office, Josh weighed in at 15 lbs 1 oz. We thought he had gotten heavier! He is much bigger at this stage than Jake was.
After the doctor's appointment, we took advantage of the nice weather and ate at one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants that has a patio. Jake loved playing on the toys in the sandbox, and Josh was so calmed by the breeze that he slept throughout lunch.
All Josh wanted to do today was sleep, and it seems like he was making up for yesterday He fell asleep for over 5 hours during the day, and he went right back to sleep after he had a bottle. Josh is getting better with the bottle, but we have to work with him to drink it. During a brief time when he was awake, Josh decided to start smiling and cooing. He just kept smiling for a while, and it was so cute. We dressed Josh is an outfit that has a hoodie, and he looked so funny when the hood was on his head.
Jake had a big day. He went for his second dentist appointment and had his teeth cleaned at Doc's office. He was a big boy, but he had to sit in Becca's lap so he would be still. It was such a pretty day that Becca and Jake spent a lot of time outdoors. Jake even had a picnic and ate his lunch outside.
After lunch we decided we needed a change of scenery from our house, so we went to visit BeBe. Soon after we got there Jake went down for his nap. Josh fell asleep quickly after we got to BeBe's as he had been crying in the car on our way there and was tired. Josh ended up sleeping for a long time, and Christian held him while he watched football on TV. Jake didn't sleep very long, and he had fun playing with his toys at BeBe's after he woke up.
Josh is starting to like his activity mat more. This morning he was on it twice for a while before he got fussy. Also this morning, Jake had his weekly Little Gym class. Today Josh and Becca came along to watch Jake and Christian. Our friends the Matthews have their daughter in the class, and she is about a month younger than Jake. They recently had a son who is one week older than Josh. Both babies were in attendance to watch their older siblings.
This evening we went out to eat with Aunt Jana. Josh was asleep for most of the meal as he was worn out from crying in the car. Josh is not a good traveler and every time we get in the car, he screams and cries. This is the complete opposite of Jake as Jake would immediately fall asleep. It is torture sometimes having to go somewhere with Josh in the car.
Jake climbed up into the booth as soon as we got to the restaurant, so we tried a booster seat for the first time instead of a high chair. It was okay at first, but we quickly realized that the high chair contains him more, and it will be a while before Jake sits in a booster seat at a restaurant again.
Jake did well again when Becca dropped him off for his second day of preschool. However, as Becca was pulling out of the parking lot, she stopped to talk to another mother and found out that Jake cried for a few minutes after Becca left the room. When Becca picked him up in the afternoon, Jake had just started crying. The teacher said that except for a few minutes when he was dropped off, this was the only other time Jake cried. One child had started crying and like a domino effect, the others started crying too. Jake calmed down quickly, and we went to get ice cream as a treat.
While Jake was at preschool, Becca and Josh stopped by and visited Granddaddy as his retirement center is down the road from our church. Josh slept the entire time, but Granddaddy was happy to see him and for the visit.
We had a nice, long weekend for Labor Day. With Christian home, we were able to tag-team and have one of us watch the boys while the other did "to dos" around. We got a lot done, which was nice.
Josh is growing like a weed. He is now in 3 month clothes and out of the newborn and 0 to 3 month sizes. As the majority of clothes we have in Josh's size are footed sleepers (since Jake was born two months later and more in the fall time-frame), we bought some more onesies in his current size as it is still too hot for him to wear footed sleepers during the day.
Jake has become more accustomed to Josh's presence. He likes to go up to Josh and give him a high five or a fist bump. Jake is so careful and gentle when he does it. Jake was very curious about Josh's bouncer that we got out this week. Like all the toys, it was Jake's and Jake likes to figure out how to turn the toys on or attempt to get into them.
Today Great Grandma Abbate and Great Aunt Louise came to visit and to meet Josh. He was asleep when they first arrived, but Jake entertained them. It was nice of them to come out to see us as taking trips (even across Houston) is difficult right now.
Jake had his first ever day of preschool today. We loaded up everything this morning, and he held Becca's hand into our church. BeBe and Josh were in tow, and BeBe took all of Jake's first day pictures. As soon as we walked into the classroom, Jake watched as Becca put his items in his cubby, and then he was off to play. Amid four kids screaming and crying, he was content playing with all the toys. We told him goodbye, and he waved and blew us kisses - just like he goes to preschool every day.
When we picked him up this afternoon, we got his progress report. It appeared he did well today except for nap time. His preschool naptime starts at 12:30, which is an hour earlier than when he usually goes down. In addition, Jake is used to sleeping in a crib, so laying down on a pallet with a pillow and blanket is very new for him. The teacher had to help him go to sleep by rocking him and stroking his neck. Upon our arrival to pick him up, he was still sitting on his pallet, waiting for us. He seemed happy to see us and then waved bye to his teachers.
The afternoon was long as we got home before 3 pm, and Jake was still tired from preschool. He got his second wind later on. It was very different today with Jake gone. Although we still had Josh with us all day, he was sleeping for most of it.
Tomorrow Jake has his first day of preschool at the St. Peter's United Methodist Church Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC), and he will go from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm every Friday. To help with the transition, today was Meet the Teacher Day. Jake and his nine fellow classmates had a scheduled time to become familiar with their room and their two teachers - Ms. Debbie and Ms. Georgianna. His class is called the Panda Class and consists of kids from 22 to 28 months as of September 1st. When we got there, Jake walked right on in and began playing with the toys. He seemed very at ease in the classroom. Then we did "circle time" so that the kids could become familiar with it. Jake followed the instructions given, but during the interactive part mostly observed the other kids and what they were doing. Jake is such a routine kid, so after going to several classes he'll start participating in the interactive parts more.
Josh also attended the session, and the Panda class will be the class he will attend in two years. Beginning late morning through the evening, Josh slept...and slept...and slept. After his bath this evening, he went down again. Hopefully his night sleeping won't be impacted by his long naps today.
Today we went to the mall to have Jake's 2 year picture and Josh's 1 month picture taken. It took not only Becca, but also BeBe and Aunt Jana to handle both boys. Jake went first and did very well during his portrait time. He was shy at first and that helped him stay still for the pictures. Josh was next, and he woke up right when it was time to start posing him. Josh kept moving and crying out when we tried to take his picture. We even had to get a pacifier out to calm him down, and he hasn't had a pacifer since he left the hospital. Josh's background was the beautiful quilt Becca's friend Rebecca Story made for Josh. Rebecca made a similar quilt for Jake, and Jake's 1 month pictures were taken with his quilt.
We then tried to pose the boys together but by then Jake had been busy playing and didn't want to sit still for the camera. Fortunately after all of that, we had several good pictures.
Since Josh has been home, we have focused on differentiating between a "baby" and a "big boy." We applaud Jake each time he does a "big boy" thing since he is no longer a "baby" like Josh. So far, it has been working well, and Jake gets a big smile on his face and seems pleased with himself for doing "big boy" things. Today many things happened that signified he was a "big boy." During the school year, the teacher will be transitioning the kids away from sippy cups and moving them to regular cups. During lunch, Jake drank from a regular cup. He did a very good job but has to learn that he can't move his head and keep drinking like he can with a sippy cup. Jake was also exposed to Play-doh today. At first he was unsure of what to do and then he started playing with it.
Jake is getting more comfortable being around Josh. He'll come and sit by Becca when she is nursing Josh, which is a big change from when Josh first came home. Today he even tried to hold Josh (with Christian's support), and he gave Josh several kisses. Jake is a big help with Josh. He'll help carry Josh's bath items to the kitchen and he throws Josh's dirty diapers in the diaper pail.
Today Christian dressed Jake in a Baylor outfit, complete with his Baylor hat. So Becca dressed Josh in his Baylor apparel. Unfortunately Jake got milk all over his clothes when he was practicing with the cup, so he had to change before we could get a picture of both of them together in their Baylor gear. We doubt this will be the only time they are in Baylor apparel together. Go bears!
Early this morning Aunt Jana assisted Becca in taking Josh to the medical center for his surgery follow-up appointment. Josh had a chest x-ray first and then we met with the surgeon. The x-ray, blood pressure numbers from all four extremities, heart rate, and oxygen level were all good. The surgeon checked Josh's incision and then removed the one stitch from where the chest tube was located. The surgeon released Josh and next steps include following-up with the cardiologist.
Josh did very well during all of this. He slept in the car all the way to the hospital. He woke up for the chest x-ray as he wasn't too happy with the position we had to hold him in for the x-ray. Becca gave Josh a bottle before his surgeon appointment, and he did well with it. This was only the third time for him to have a bottle and although he licked it at first, he quickly got the hang of what to do. Josh was asleep again for the surgeon appointment and was fine until the stitch was removed.
It is amazing to think that Josh was released from the hospital one week ago today and that he is almost one month old. So many things have happened in Josh's short life.
Jake paid more attention to Josh today. This morning when we were giving Josh his bath, Jake "helped" out. He carried the bowls to the kitchen, and he wanted to see what was going on. So we put Jake in his high chair during Josh's bath so he could watch. Jake also helped clean up afterwards. Jake is such a big helper!
Once Josh got up for the day, he didn't take a morning nap. He ended up sleeping all afternoon to make up for it. Even after feeding him mid-afternoon, he went right back to sleep. This is the second day in a row Josh didn't sleep in the morning and slept all afternoon. We'll see if this becomes a pattern.
It seemed to take a village today to coordinate leaving the house. Josh had his first pediatrician appointment, and BeBe went with Becca in order to help take notes while Becca handled Josh. While we were gone, Aunt Jana took Jake to visit Granddaddy, and then they went swimming at her neighborhood pool. As you can see in the pictures, Jake really likes the water!
Josh is now 8 lbs 11 oz with a height of 21 1/2 inches and a head circumference of 14 3/4 inches. All measurements are within the 50 to 75 percentile. The doctor stated that Josh was looking good and gave us tips on how to handle the baby acne and cradle cap Josh is experiencing. We were also informed that Josh's biliruben is no longer an issue. After leaving the appointment, we got blood drawn at the lab for the second newborn screen. Josh was not very happy about getting his heal pricked. As Josh didn't fall asleep all morning, he took two very long naps in the afternoon.
In the evening, Doc came by to see the boys. Jake also got closer to Josh and was first upset, but then he watched Josh on the activity mat. We even had the opportunity to get a picture of the two next to each other. Jake continues to eye Josh and then ignore him. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Now that we're home, we are starting to remember life with a newborn. Although Josh still seems to have his days and nights right, the nights just seem so short due to the feedings. Today Becca took advantage every chance she got to give Jake one-on-one time since he's adjusting to having Josh around. Kim Peters stopped by to meet Josh and she brought Jake bubbles. Jake had so much fun trying to catch the bubbles.
Today was a good day in that we were not in the hospital. Due to Josh's surgery and the amount of time Christian was off work already, he had to return today. BeBe came over to help Becca with Jake and Josh. Josh took a long morning nap, and during that time we played with Jake. When Josh woke up, Jake was curious about him. This changed throughout the day as sometimes Jake would get close to Josh and watch him and other times Jake would completely ignore Josh. Once Josh was up, BeBe and Becca gave Josh his first bath. Well, his first bath at home as he had several while in the hospital. Our focus was on trying to get the adhesive remnants off Josh's skin that were still there due to all the tape that held the lines and tubes on his body. Josh still appears to be slightly yellow, and the newborn rash that appeared on Sunday is worse now. Hopefully that will go away soon. Aunt Jana and MeMaw also stopped by again to see the boys. It is so good to be home!
Josh finally got to come home today, 20 days after he was born. We got the word from the surgeon this morning, and after review of another echo, Josh was formally discharged from the hospital. The reason for being in the hospital so long - his heart defect - will now be followed up closely next week by the surgeon, and we will have many visits to the cardiologist. Looking at Josh now, you would never know what he's been through. He is such a strong fighter. Now he looks like any other newborn with newborn rash and a mild case of jaundice.
Today was the second time we put on Josh's going home outfit and this time we did get to go home. The day Josh was first admitted into the NICU at Katy Memorial Hermann, we were all packed and Josh already had his outfit on ready to leave the hospital. We finally got home from the medical center late this afternoon, and we were so excited to return as Christian and Becca spent the last six nights at the hospital. Jake was more intrigued with his new brother than he has been in the past. BeBe, Aunt Jana, MeMaw, and Doc all stopped by to see Josh.
With Josh finally home, we can start our new routine now that we are a family of four. Thank you to those that have prayed for us, sent your support, and assisted our family during the last three weeks. Your kindness and generosity has been truly amazing.
Hopefully this is the last night we will be spending in the hospital! Josh is doing so well, and the only thing keeping him here one more night is his jaundice. He still has not had to have phototherapy, but the doctors are being very cautious.
This morning Jana and BeBe brought Jake to spend the morning with us again. Jake loved coloring and drawing in Josh’s room, and Christian took him to the playroom again. Then Christian “babysat” Josh while Jana, Jake, and BeBe finally got Becca to leave the hospital room and go downstairs to eat lunch. We got a good look at Josh’s incision and where the chest tube was removed when the nurse changed his dressing. It looks so big right now, but over time as he grows the scar will get smaller and less noticeable. Josh's weight today was 8 lbs. 2.5 ounces. Josh is also feeding very well, and so far does not have his days and nights mixed up. Hopefully that will continue when we get home.
BeBe filed Josh’s fingernails, which had really grown since birth, and in the afternoon Lauren and Mary Tawney stopped by to visit. It is still amazing how quickly Josh is recovering from this ordeal, and we want to thank all our family and friends for their love and support. The hospital staff has been amazing, too. Josh is a very lucky and loved little boy!
Josh is still making amazing progress with his recovery, and his weight is 8 lbs. 1 oz. The only line left in his body is the central line, which is still in as a precautionary measure. It will not be removed until he leaves the hospital. Josh is only being observed in the IMU since he is no longer critical, and we are finally realizing what it is like to have a newborn again as we are now changing diapers, dressing him, and feeding him. Best of all - we get to hold him again all we want.
Also due to being in the IMU, Jake is now able to visit Josh in the hospital. Today BeBe brought him, and he spent the morning with us. Doc also came to visit. We have been spending the night at the hospital since Tuesday, so it was so nice to finally see Jake! There is a great playroom near Josh’s room that patients and siblings can play in. Jake had the room all to himself and loved playing with all the “new” toys.
We are working on feeding as Josh is learning to eat again. We were told that feeding is the hang-up after surgery, and that we could be here 10 to 14 days post-surgery. Josh took a bottle fine yesterday and nursing gets better each time. If that goes well, our family will all be together at home in Katy soon! The doctors and surgeons are very pleased with how quickly Josh is recovering.
Josh has become a Little Champ. His recovery really progressed today and surprised everyone. By the end of the day, he no longer had the chest tube, arterial line, two umbilical lines, IV line, oxygen, and catheter. In addition, he is no longer on any medication. The biggest obstacle after this type of surgery is feeding. Today Josh drank a bottle of Pedialyte, a bottle of breast milk, and is learning to nurse again. Because he no longer has any tubes in his body, is off medication, and is feeding, he was moved from the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) to the IMU (Intermediary Care Unit). If he keeps progressing as quickly, there is a possibility he will be going home in a couple of days as opposed to the projected 10-14 days. Josh is such a Little Champ!
The surgeon stated that Josh’s pressure numbers are looking good. This morning Josh’s sedatives were reduced in order to prepare removing his ventilator tube. During the day, the ventilator rate was reduced periodically in order for Josh to begin breathing more on his own. By 3:30 pm the sedatives were completely turned off, and at 6:00 pm the ventilator tube was removed. This was a big step and Josh made progress as he is now breathing completely on his own. Initially, once the tape holding the ventilator tube to his cheeks was removed, his skin was very irritated and red. A few hours later the irritation and rash had started to improve. Later tonight Josh was given a dose of morphine and is sleeping peacefully.
Josh is now 8 lbs. Christian and Becca spent the night at the Ronald McDonald House so that we could go see Josh throughout the night and be in the NICU very early before he was taken to the OR. We got to hold him more before the transport team took him to the OR. He was taken back at 8:00 am. By 8:30 am the arterial line was in. It took longer to get the central line in, and when the nurse gave us the update at 9:30 am, the central line was in and the incision was made. The next step was separating the tissue to get to the heart. At 10:00 am the nurse updated us that the clamps were placed and the procedure would be about 20 minutes. We received an update at 10:30 that the clamps were off and they were waiting to watch the blood pressure levels. At 11:00 am we received an update that the blood pressure levels were not what the surgeon wanted, so Josh was re-clamped again for 10 minutes. The surgeon came to us at 11:45 am to say that the surgery went well, but the gradient between the blood pressure levels was higher than what he would like and they would continue to be monitored. Early afternoon we were able to visit Josh in the PICU. After more discussion with the doctors, they feel better about the surgery outcome. Although Josh still has a lot of tubes and lines inserted in his body and will briefly be on a ventilator, he is still one of our two beautiful sons!
Josh gained some weight and is now 7 lbs 15 oz. The different teams rounded on him throughout the morning to state that things were the same and the surgery would be tomorrow. They did decide to stop his feedings during the night because of the amount of residuals. They were going to have to stop them tonight anyway, so they went ahead and did it early. The social worker took us on a tour of the PICU so that we could see where Josh would be going after surgery. It was helpful to know what would follow the surgery but also overwhelming to realize that we still have a long road ahead of us. The good thing about being in the PICU is that one of us can spend the night with Josh. The first two nights following surgery we will be in the Ronald McDonald House and then we can stay in his private room.
We had several visitors today. Friends Melissa Swint and Amanda Thomas stopped by and met Josh. Megan Plato came down to see him before he moved up to the PICU where she'll help take care of him. BeBe and Jana also visited, and in the evening Grammy, Grampaw, Aunt Rebecca, and Aunt Abigail arrived from Dallas and got to spend time with Josh. Christian and Becca spent a lot of time during the day getting to hold Josh since his surgery is tomorrow, and it will be a while before he can be held again.
Today was a great day - after a full week, we finally got to hold Josh. He had become very irritable and was crying for close to 30 minutes straight. We tried everything to console him, but nothing worked. Finally, the nurse that was there when Josh arrived at the medical center assisted in wrapping him up carefully so that we could hold him. She stated that not all nurses would allow us holding him due to his central lines, but she was very careful in handing him over to us. It was wonderful! After a full week of only getting to stroke his head or hold his hands, we got to hold our son. For a while Becca and Josh just looked at each other. He fell asleep and stayed comfortable even when he was handed to Christian to hold. It was so nice to hold our son again. Today also marked our seven year wedding anniversary and no gift could have been better than getting to hold our son.
Josh is still set for surgery on Wednesday. and not much changed from yesterday. He still weighs 7 lbs 13 oz. He is still having residuals from his feedings, but the doctors don't seem too concerned about them. They did decide to give him blood today in preparation for the surgery. His blood level wouldn't be deemed low typically, but with the surgery only a couple of days away they gave him blood as a precaution.
It was determined today to decrease the amount of feedings for Josh due to the amount of residuals. Before each feeding they check the feeding tube to see how much is still is his stomach. Beginning yesterday through the night, for each of his feedings every 3 hours, he had residuals. It was decided to decrease the amount to 5 ccs from 10 ccs since Josh has been able to tolerate 5 ccs. His jaundice level is below the threshold due to his days of life; however, he still looks yellow. This is due to Josh not getting enough feeding to help rid his body of the biliruben.
BeBe and Becca went up to the hospital in the morning and Christian came in the afternoon/evening. We had some visitors today. Doc stopped by to see Josh and Sanita and Scott Pinchback met Josh for the first time.
Josh's weight increased significantly after his drop yesterday, and he is now at 8 lbs 1 oz. During the rounds today, the different teams talked about how Josh's respirations went down due to the increased PGE. Everything was looking good and no changes were made. They did decide that after re-reviewing the echo results from yesterday, the blood pressure medication was not needed. We were also informed that Josh may have the yellow tinge for a while even though his bilirubin count is good.
We tagged team taking care of Jake and being at the hospital. Christian went to the hospital this morning and was home in the afternoon to take Jake to a birthday party. Becca has not yet been released to drive, and BeBe took her to the hospital late morning until early evening. While Becca was there, she briefly got to hold Josh up off the bed as his blankets were changed. Even though she didn't get to bring him to her to hold, it was so nice to get to hold him again. Josh sleeps a lot partly due to being a newborn and partly due to the side effects of the medication. However, today he opened his eyes for a while and he and Becca just looked at each other. It will be so nice when Josh is home.
Josh's weight dropped significantly to 7 lbs 6 oz. The drop did not seem to concern the doctors as they explained that due to the diuretic he is receiving, it will remove the water weight which will assist in making sure his heart doesn't have to work too hard. It was decided to put Josh on a blood pressure medication called captopril as his blood pressure is slightly higher on the right side than the left. During another echo today, it was determined that Josh's PDA was starting to close, and they increased the amount of PGE to help keep it open until the surgery next week.
Josh slept for most of the day but got upset during the echo. Doc was there to help calm him. Other visitors stopped by, too, including Rev. Don Smith and Crystal Fletcher, a former co-worker of Becca's. When Josh is sleeping, he usually has one arm up by his head and sometimes he'll have both arms up. Jake slept the same way when he was a newborn.
Once we got back out to Katy, we went to Gene and Dean Williams' house where BeBe was getting her hair cut and Jake was having fun. Dean took Jake riding around and out to see the horses. Jake and Gene got in the pool and Jake laughed so hard when the dog would swim after the tennis ball he would throw in the pool.
Josh weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz today, so he's still very close to his birth weight. The blood work came back to show that his bilirubin count was down, and it was decided to discontinue the phototherapy. This was great because it meant that he no longer had to wear the sunglass mask and we had the opportunity to look at each other. The IV that had been placed in his head went bad, and it was decided that since medication was discontinued yesterday they didn't have to put another IV in.
They also started Josh on feedings again in order to give him some nourishment, but not enough to "fill" him. Since his respiratory rate is still high, they decided that a feeding tube would have to be put back in as they don't want him to work too hard in trying to suck from a bottle. Josh did pretty good and didn't get too upset when they put the feeding tube in; however, he did start getting fussy soon after the feedings because he wanted more milk.
BeBe got the opportunity to come visit today, and Rev. Kim Meyers from our church came as well. We also have an "in" on the staff as Aunt Jana's good friend Megan Plato works in the PICU. She has provided us updates on how things work with the NICU and PICU and what to expect with Josh's upcoming surgery.
Josh is now weighing in at 8 lbs 5.5 oz. He is holding his weight which is good considering he received another diuretic to flush out the fluids in his system and because he's not feeding. Josh's bilirubin count spiked from yesterday and although it is still below the threshold, since he is not feeding they decided to put him under the lights again. The blood culture came back negative so they discontinued the antibiotics they were giving him as a precautionary measure. They also took him off the milrinone which he was being given to help his heart pump more efficiently. His heart is pumping fine now and there is no more need for this medication. The other medication, PGE, was decreased slightly, but he will continue this medication as it is the reason his heart is working better until the surgery occurs. Another chest x-ray and echo were ordered for tomorrow. The neonatologist team and the cardio team are discussing whether to start Josh on feedings again prior to surgery.
Josh slept during the night and all day today. He must have been so exhausted from all the craziness of the last two days. It was good he was so tired as he had to wear "sunglasses" all day due to the phototherapy.
We had such an overwhelming day today. We met with so many different doctors and teams of doctors about Josh. We learned more than we ever wanted to know about an infant's heart and what needs to be done due to the aortic coarctation. The most informative part was when we met with the cardiovascular surgeon about the actual surgery. We learned exactly what would take place during the surgery as well as what Josh's life will be like going forward. The good news is that although there is a high chance of this issue reoccurring, after 2 years of life this should be a non-issue and Josh should be able to lead a normal life. We also found out that due to the placement of the narrowing of the aorta, the surgeon will be able to go in on Josh's left side as opposed to going through his chest. This means that a heart and lung machine will not have to be used, which means fewer complications. The surgery is set for Wednesday, August 11th. That means we have a full week of watching and waiting.
Josh was very irritable today, but he had an echo, an ultrasound, and several teams of doctors poking and prodding him. In addition, they stopped giving him milk as they don't want to overwork his heart. He is receiving nutrition through an IV, but it does not provide him with that "full" feeling. Josh barely slept today and cried a lot. It was so frustrating that we couldn't pick him up to console him.
Today everything changed for us. We were in the NICU for most of the morning and holding Josh during that time. He was back up to 8 lbs 6 oz, no longer jaundice, and was coming out of the isolet as his body temperature was maintained. Based upon the blood work, there was no infection. However, his breathing was still fast.
Late morning the echo results from the test today came back and after consulting with the pediatric cardiologist, it was determined that Josh doesn't have a lung issue but a heart issue. He has an aortic coarctation, which is a narrowing of the aorta. It was determined he needed to move to the Level 3 NICU, which is at the medical center. Before we knew it, they started Josh on medication for his heart, sedated him, and intubated him. He was transported by helicopter to the other hospital.
Christian and Becca drove to the hospital and waited for what seemed like hours before we were finally able to see Josh. He looked so much more peaceful than he had in the Level 2 NICU but that was due to the oxygen mask and feeding tube being removed. In turn, he now has two central lines placed through his belly button which means we cannot pick him up due to the lines being so delicate. The pediatric cardiologist talked to us and explained the birth defect, what it means, and what needs to be done - surgery.
We took this all in and finally arrived home late in the evening. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we talk to more doctors about next steps.
Several times during the night, Becca and Christian visited Josh in the NICU. They were able to get his temperature back up, but it is still on the low end of the normal range. In the morning we were informed by the staff that Josh's echo from the previous evening showed that structurally the heart is fine, but he has pulmonary hypertension. While the blood work is being run, they are going to give him antibiotics in case there is an infection. Since Josh's body temperature is still low, he was moved into an isolet to help regulate it. In addition, his jaundice level was high so he was placed under the lights all day. During a break from the lights for his feeding, Becca got to have Josh in the kangaroo hold, which is skin to skin. It was so nice to get to hold him again.
Becca was discharged from the hospital, and it was so difficult to leave with Josh still there. Fortunately we live so close to the hospital. When we got home, Jake went a little wild with Uncle Kyle as he was so happy to have both his parents home again.
Today Josh weighed 8 lbs 3 oz. He was circumcised first thing this morning, and his feeding schedule was very off for the rest of the day as he missed a feeding due to the timing of the procedure. It seemed that Josh wanted to nurse constantly. In addition, Becca was feeling the pain of her operation and had a massive headache. While we were recovering, we had family members come to visit Josh. Today he met his Great Aunt Laura in addition to the immediate family members visiting him again.
After church today, Becca's good friend Sarah Acord, her husband, and parents stopped by the house to visit. They were in town for a wedding, and it was great to see them. Jake was shy at first but then played with Sarah's dad and kept smiling at Sarah.
After Jake's nap we headed over to BeBe's as Uncle Kyle came in town for Josh's birth. Since Uncle Kyle will be working while he's here and Jake will be spending a lot of time with Christian's family when they are in town, Jake took full advantage of the opportunity to play with his uncle. When the door opened and he saw Uncle Kyle, he ran up to him screaming. Due to playing so hard, Uncle Kyle and Jake were worn out when it was time for us to leave.
Today at Becca's 37 week doctor appointment, she found out that due to the hospital's schedule, Josh is now going to be delivered at 7:30 am on Tuesday, July 27th. This is one day earlier than previously planned. Although it is only one day, it took Becca by surprise to realize that in less than one week Josh will arrive. Becca and Josh are still doing well and the cervix is still closed. In a way, it is nice to know that the pregnancy is almost over. In the last week or so, the swelling started in the feet and ankles and it has been very hard to sleep during the night.
Jake also knows where the baby is. If you ask him "where's the baby?" he'll come up to Becca's tummy, pull up her shirt and start tapping on her tummy. It seems like "gentle" is the new word we say often every day. Even though Jake knows there is a baby in Becca's tummy, we don't think he fully understands what that means. He'll know soon!
On Saturday after Little Gym and a haircut, we headed into Houston to visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Abbate. It was a perfect day to visit as several other Abbate family members were in town visiting. Jake enjoyed running around and giving high fives to everyone. The newest Abbate family member was there, 3 month old London. Jake kept watching the baby and before we left he gave her a high five and a kiss.
That evening MeMaw took us out to eat. We went to Landry's, which is the first time in a while we've been to a white tablecloth restaurant. We noticed the difference with Jake's coloring as he did get some on the tablecloth. He enjoyed his popcorn shrimp and chicken.
On Sunday after church, we stopped by the retirement center where Granddaddy now lives. It is right down the road from our church, and we picked him up and took him to lunch. He asked many questions about Jake and talked about how well behaved he is at a restaurant.
Jake had a good time with all of his great grandparents this weekend.
Today Jake started the second summer session of Kindermusik. The first session was all about zoo animals. This session is about marine life. It seems Jake has enjoyed his music class. He wasn't as active today due to his cold still affecting him, but it seems like the runny nose should be stopping soon.
Becca called the doctor today as Jake has so many mosquito bites. After all the rain we received lately, the bugs are back out and have a tendency to find Jake. He has several bites on his face, neck, and arms. It appears he's just one of those kids who easily reacts to their bites. We were provided with specific instructions on how to handle as soon as we see a bite, so hopefully that will help in the future so he doesn't get an infection again like he had about a month ago.
Since Jake returned home from his trip to Dallas, he's had a cold. Fortunately it hasn't impacted his behavior too much; however, he'll get fussy all of a sudden. His ECI session didn't go as well today as it was supposed to observe him eating. With his cold, which has involved a stuffy nose and a cough, he didn't want to eat much. Hopefully he'll be on the mend soon.
Christian and Jake went to Dallas for the long weekend to visit Grammy and Grampaw and to partake in the July 4th activities there. They had a great time and were very busy. They went to the public pool several times and Jake enjoyed getting wet. They also went to the parade, and Jake got to spend time with his cousin Anna. Jake also tried to be a big help and he took the broom from Grammy to sweep the floor. He had a great time visiting his grandparents.
While they were out of town, Becca was hard at work completing the final pieces to prepare for Josh's arrival. Now the swing, bouncer, and activity mat have been washed and are out ready to be used. Josh's first set of clothes are now in our closet downstairs since he'll start out sleeping in our room. It seems like only yesterday all these things were out and Jake was the new baby at our house.
We went on our annual trip to New Braunfels this weekend. Becca had Friday off, and in the morning Jake, Becca, and Aunt Jana went to a Little Gym make-up session. Soon after that we hit the road. Jake is very good in the car, but he only sleeps about 30 minutes, which is a lot less time than his typical 1.5 to 3 hour afternoon nap. That evening we went out to eat with the whole crew. On Saturday Jake and Becca played in the cabin for most of the day as the "kids" went to the river and the "adults" went shopping. In the evening Jake found the washers game and thought it was fun to place all the washers in the holes. He also learned to play the drums with tupperware he found in the cabin. Sunday we went to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, and we found the perfect way to contain Jake - in stacked tubes. He loved playing hide and seek in it and hitting it like it was a drum. Jake enjoyed the kiddie area. He especially liked it when Christian took him down all the slides. We do have a water baby on our hands!
After church, we picked up Granddaddy and took him to lunch for Father's Day. We went back to his place afterwards, and Jake loved playing with his magnifying glass. Jake kept holding it up to his mouth like it was a microphone. He helped Granddaddy and Doc open presents and then proceeded to blow kisses and wave at the people living at the retirement center.
In the last month, Jake has shown how much he loves to draw and color. Anytime he sees a writing utensil, all he wants to do is scribble. Jake has even picked up toys that are similar in shape to writing utensils and pretended to scribble with them. Today during his ECI Development session, he sat at the table and did water colors. He focused very hard and made beautiful artwork. The specialist commented on how artistic he is in that he watches his strokes and is gentle compared to other kids his age. She also commented on how he lightly touches BeBe's piano to play the keys as opposed to banging on them.
We bought a booster chair for Jake this past weekend, and an etch-a-sketch can hook onto the booster tray. Now all Jake wants to do is climb up into the booster chair so that he can scribble on the etch-a-sketch. He even learned how to slide the button in order to clear the drawing so he can do another one.
BeBe and Becca took Jake to the pediatric eye doctor today. We made the appointment followng a discussion with the doctor at Jake's 18 month well baby check-up. We had noticed about the time Jake turned one that his left eyelid droops slightly. He inherited it as both Christian and Becca have the same thing, but ours usually only show in pictures. Jake's is constant. He did really well at the eye doctor and was a pro even when he got his eyes dilated.
We found out he has a condition called Ptosis (pronounced "tosis"), which means an eyelid droops. However, even with his pupils fully dilated, the eyelid does not interfere with his vision. The only solution for the condition is surgery, but that isn't necessary. More than likely Jake will have to get glasses in the future since both of us have to wear corrective lenses. In addition, the eye doctor determined that Jake has astigmatism in both eyes, just like Becca does.
Today was the last day of the spring semester at Little Gym. It was Show Week, and the kids got to show off the things they learned. The big development for Jake is that he now holds on to the bar himself and will continue to grip it when we assist him in swinging over it. Jake went up to the podium when his name was called to receive a blue ribbon, which is now displayed on his bulletin board.
After Little Gym we went Jake got another hair cut. His hair is very thick like Becca's and it has a tendency to get longer on the sides and back. After a long nap today, we went to eat dinner with Doc.
It has been a long week for Jake. On Tuesday after calling into the nurse, the doctor wanted to see him. We called about two things: (1) over the weekend when he was outside, Jake got some mosquito bites. By Tuesday they were big and red (2) he was acting fussy in the morning, appeared to have a stiff neck, and wouldn't eat. The bites apparently had developed into a staph infection, which can happen. One look at his throat and the doctor thought he had strep. The test came back in agreement. The two situations coincided but were not related. Both topical and oral antibiotics were prescribed.
By the time Jake got home, his temperature was at 103. From Tuesday afternoon through Friday morning, Jake ran fever. We caught the strep at the beginning stages and it took the full 72 hours for the antibiotics to work their magic. During these several days Jake didn't want to eat much and he woke up during the night every night. On Thursday and Friday he had a cold and runny nose. The nurse informed us that when the immune system is low, a virus can also present itself.
Starting Sunday Jake was more acting more like himself and was eating foods again. His bites are a lot better too, but we're still putting the topical antibiotics on them. We are glad that Jake is feeling better again as all his activities had to be canceled this week.
This morning we took Jake to the pediatric ENT to get him checked out. This was due to the referral of ECI as well as his pediatrician to make sure that his delayed speech was not due to anatomy. We had to go to the medical center and it was a long morning, but Jake handled it very well. He had fun pushing around a toy lawn mower in the doctor's office. Jake's hearing was checked and he passed. Next we saw the ENT who said that his anatomy checked out fine. Since Jake is not delayed in any other area, he is not concerned. Jake needs to mature more to start speaking real words. The drooling isn't a concern unless it occurs past 4 years of age. He recommended speech development weekly, which is what we start this week with ECI. It is good to know that Jake checked out fine.
In the afternoon, Becca went to her 28 week doctor appointment. Everything checked out fine, and she will start going every 2 weeks now until Josh is born.
The day started out rough as Jake woke up screaming at 3 am with a fever. Christian is out of town for work, so it was all Becca taking care of him. Fortunately he calmed down some and went back to sleep for about an hour. His day was all off but his fever was gone by late morning.
In the afternoon the Early Childhood Intervention specialists came to the house for the follow-up evaluation. BeBe and Becca answered their questions and Jake was pretty much himself during the visit. After going through a typical day and answering their questions, it was agreed that a development person would work with him once a week and a speech person would work with him every other week. The four areas of focus include (1) saying consonant sounds (2) "talking" more than just in his crib by himself (3) not drinking as much milk and eating more and (4) not getting upset when lying on his back for a diaper change. We're anxious for next week and the start of the program.
Christian went out of town to visit friends in New York, so Becca and Jake stayed over at BeBe's. We worked on counting to three before jumping off of something like they are teaching Jake at Little Gym. We would say "dance" and Jake quickly moves his feet and bounces up and down. Jake also showed us his new move, which is to act like a muscle man and grunt as he shows off his arms. It is hilarious when he does this.
Becca started a new job today back at her old company, Sysco Corporation. Although she enjoyed working at Waste Management, Sysco contacted her to see if she would be interested in returning. Becca (as well as Christian and Jake) will enjoy that she will be closer to home and won't travel as much.
We went to San Antonio for a long weekend to celebrate BeBe's birthday. The Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch was a great resort for us, and there were so many kid friendly things for Jake. There was an indoor playground, an outdoor playground, and a huge pool with cacti that sprayed water. Jake got into a big pool for the first time, and he loved it. Aunt Jana and Uncle Kyle helped Jake swim in the pool. The bathtub in our hotel room was so big that Jake had a lot of fun playing in it.
Jake now wants to eat everything we eat. We did let him try two new things this weekend since we were on vacation. He ate chips and queso for the first time. Jake knew exactly what to do and how to dip his chip. Jake also really wanted a piece of BeBe's birthday cookie cake, and we gave him a small piece. He liked the icing and got it everywhere.
We went to the lake house for Easter weekend and had a good time. Jake loved playing outside and even got in his little pool for the first time this season. As an Easter gift, he got a pair of sunglasses that he just loved putting on and taking off. Over the weekend, Jake began something new - he started pretending to pour water out of his sippy cup into others' glasses. He did this constantly and would go from person to person and try to pour liquid into their cups.
Jake did a great job hunting Easter eggs for the first time, and it may be due to all the practicing we did. He found all the eggs that were "hidden" outside. In the afternoon, we had dinner with Doc and Jake played around in the back of Doc's truck. On the way home we stopped at another neighborhood park and Jake enjoyed being outside.
What a busy day! It started off with Jake's 18 month doctor appointment. While we waited for the pediatrician in the room, Jake had so much fun taking the magnetic letters off the wall and trying to put them in the trash can. He loves to put things away! Jake received a good check-up: he's now 27 pounds (50 - 75 percentile), 34 1/4 inches tall (90 - 95 percentile), and has a head circumference of 19 1/2 inches (90 percentile). The big discovery was learning that Jake should now transition to 2% milk from whole milk and only have a maximum of 16 ounces per day. Jake drinks a minimum of 24 ounces a day as he loves milk. We'll see how he does as we replace his milk with water. Even though Jake is understanding, hearing, and communicating through sign language, he has not developed his expressive speech. We were provided with a speech therapy program to assist him in talking.
Later in the day, Jake "practiced" hunting Easter eggs in BeBe's living room. Just like the golf balls in our backyard and practically anything else he can pick up and put away, he did a great job hunting the eggs and putting them in a bucket.
For dinner Jake tried using a fork for the first time. When he was able to jab at the food and have it stick in the prongs, he was able to get more in his mouth than he has been able to using a spoon. The coordination piece of using utensils is coming along. We'll keep practicing.
This is the second week in a row that Jake has done well in the church nursery. Now when we come to get him, he just looks up at us and keeps playing. It helps that each week Miss Linda is there and he's seeing the same kids each time, most of which have parents in our Sunday School class.
After church we went to the mall to take Jake's 18 month/Easter pictures. Out of all of the poses, only two "good" ones were taken. Jake just had fun walking around the set and playing with things. He was not interested in being still for the camera. He had a lot of fun while we chased him around.
Jake just loves to be outside. He actually gets upset when we let the dogs out and he's not able to go out too. He would just stay outside all day if he could. Jake has become our official golf ball picker-upper. He discovered the golf balls that occasionally land in our backyard from bad golfers, and he loves to pick them up. He'll drop them back on the ground to watch them bounce or place the balls in a planter with the other golf balls he's collected.
Today for lunch, Jake, Aunt Jana, BeBe, MeMaw, Stacie, Hailey, and Jenna went to Clay's. Hailey and Jenna's other Schnabel cousins came as well. The weather finally cleared up and it quit misting, but the kids didn't get to play outside as much as planned. Jake had a great time playing with his cousins while they were in town visiting.
Jake loves to be outside. With the weather so much nicer, he wants to be out all the time. He tries to open up the doors and will wave "bye-bye" and blow kisses as he heads to the door. Today Christian took Jake to our neighborhood park, and Jake had a great time playing on the big toy. He crawled up the toy and went down the slide. Jake really enjoyed his time with his Daddy.
Jake seemed fine when we dropped him off at the nursery today during Sunday School. However, 45 minutes into the class they had to come get us. They weren't sure what set him off but all of a sudden Jake got real upset. They tried to console him but he didn't want to be held. Once we got there he calmed down and then started to wave "bye bye" as he headed to the door. We guess he was done a little early with the nursery today.
Today at lunch we went to Luby's. Jake liked being pushed in the high chair as we made our way down the line. We got him a Kid's Plate of chicken tenders, fried okra, macaroni, bread, and jello. He did such a good job eating from a "big" plate. Jake pulled apart the chicken and really liked it. He ate everything except the jello. His face was so funny when he touched the jello. The texture must not be appealing to him right now.
In the evening we met the Chengs at Clay's for dinner and so that the boys could see the animals. We first met Eddie and Vanessa at a childbirth class, and Trevor is 6 days older than Jake. We have gotten together periodically since we met, and it has been fun to see Jake and Trevor interact. Unfortunately, the Chengs are moving back to California and this was our last get-together before they move. We'll miss them and seeing Trevor and Jake grow up together.
Jake has become such a mimic. Every time we turn around, he is mimicking our movements. On top of that, he loves to help put things away. For example, we put the dog bowls on the floor when it is time for them to eat, and then we put the bowls back on the shelf. Jake has watched us do this, and now when the dogs are done eating, he picks up the bowls and puts them away. With our colds lately, he has seen us blow our noses and then throw the Kleenex away. Jake now pulls off toilet paper, puts it to his face, blows on it from his mouth, and then puts it in the trash. At night when we're getting him ready for his bath, we'll take off his diaper and then he puts it in the diaper pail. He also is very good about putting his toys up when we start singing our song about putting things away. Honestly, Jake gets all of this from Becca and has been watching closely.
Jake is also putting his climbing to "good use" and now he climbs up on the chair to "read" his books. His love of reading continues, and now he acts like a little boy sitting in his chair to read.
Jake's cold is much better but he still has a little bit of a cough. Since his nose is now stopped up, he has been breathing through his mouth more. Coupled with his eye teeth still coming in, Jake is drooling everywhere. We had to start putting bibs back on him to wear throughout the day. It reminds us of when he was crawling and had so many teeth coming in that he was wore bibs for months.
In the past couple of days Jake learned how to climb up on the furniture. The problem is Jake not only climbs up on the furniture but then he wants to stand up on it. We're afraid that he's going to fall. So we have to keep watching him and making sure he sits down when he gets on the furniture.
Jake has now learned to climb. He is able to get up on BeBe's couch. She used to keep the remote control and the telephone up on the top of the couch so he couldn't reach them. Jake loves remote controls and telephones. Now that he has learned how to climb up on the couch, BeBe has had to find another spot for the remote and phone.
Jake's eye has changed each day. It started out a light blue, then became purple, and now it is black. It hasn't seemed to bother Jake at all - it just looks horrible!
At Becca's 14 week doctor appointment today, an ultrasound was done. The baby and Becca both checked out fine. After that was determined, Becca asked if it was too early to determine the baby's gender. It is a boy! Joshua Caleb should be appearing sometime around August 7th.
Becca is now in her 12th week. At the doctor appointment today, we got to see the baby moving around during the ultrasound. The baby is looking good and is measuring just right.
This weekend, Becca went to Round Top with her church for a women's retreat. It was fun getting to spend time with people from Sunday School and learning new things. While Becca was gone, Aunt Abigail and Aunt Rebecca came from Dallas to visit Christian and Jake. Jake had a good time playing with his aunts.
Once Becca got home, we gave Jake his own spoon to start feeding himself. Jake understood to bring the spoon to his mouth, but he had issues scooping the food onto the spoon. It will take some time for him to get his coordination down, but we'll keep practicing.
Due to the holiday, Becca and Christian were off from work and we took Jake to Doc's office while we got our teeth cleaned. Jake kept looking around at all of the gadgets at Doc's office and then climbed into the pink Cadillac toy car.
After Doc's office, we met up with BeBe, MeMaw, and Aunt Jana for lunch. We were at the restaurant quite a while, and Jake did really good. We have started to feed him out more, and he does pretty well. In the afternoon we stopped by BeBe's so that Jake could show off his Baylor gear.
After we got home from church (Jake did great in the nursery again), we decided to let Jake try new things. He has been feeding himself with finger foods, but not with an actual spoon. We gave him a spoon at lunch and with help guiding it, he fed himself. He had problems scooping the food and needed assistance. We'll keep trying so that he can start feeding himself using silverware.
We also are trying to get Jake to transition away from a sippy cup as they are still so similar to bottles. At lunch we gave him a small cup, and he did pretty well with it. He understood that he had to hold the cup and bring it to his mouth. However, a couple of times he moved the cup too fast and the milk went all over him. We'll keep practicing.
Last weekend we cut out the afternoon bottle Jake used to take before going down for his nap. He did pretty well when we did that, particularly because he is so tired when it comes time for his afternoon nap. Tonight we cut out the bottle before bedtime. Jake is used to his routine so when it came time for when he usually gets the bottle but this time he didn't, he screamed and cried. Once we calmed him down, he did try to drink milk from a little cup. That seemed to work out fine and after his teeth were brushed, he went to bed with no problems.
Today was a big day for Jake. After 16 classes, the fall semester for Little Gym ended. It was "show week" and a ceremony, so visitors were asked to come. Jake's class was full of people, and BeBe and Doc came along to see Jake show off what he learned. He did great when it was his turn to do a forward roll, and he enjoyed playing on all of the equipment. At the end of class, each child was called up to the podium and they received ribbons. It is amazing to think about Jake's improvement since he started the class. He was a non-walker and now he walks on the balance beam and holds onto the bar and does a flip (while being spotted of course).
After class, Becca and Jake went into Houston to meet Becca's friends Sara Campana and Rebecca Story. We had lunch and then went to Sara's to see her daughter Leslie. Jake really enjoyed playing at the house and liked the measuring cups and especially the funnel that he was given to play with.
Jake started feeling better from his cold but now we noticed why he might also be upset - his two top eye teeth are poking through his gums. That means Number 14 and Number 15 are now making their appearance. Poor little guy!
Jake loves apples and blueberries. We call him the Apple and Blueberry Kid. He started eating them about a week ago and just loves them. It could be the taste or the ease in which he can pick them up. All we know is he loves them.
Jake is signing now. After months of us doing a few signs, in the last week we started watching a baby signing DVD set. Jake is very interested in watching the DVDs and he is now signing "more", "eat", and "drink."
Jake is also starting to say some more words or words we thought he was saying but now they are more distinct and in the appropriate context. He looks at Pepper and says "dog." He will also say "dad" to Christian.
We were at the Little Gym today for his regular class and as soon as we started singing the song to put things away (we sang it three separate times for balls, scarves, and bells), Jake would stop what he was doing and go put the items in their appropriate containers. We sing the song at home too to help get him to pick up his toys.
We decided that since it was a holiday and we were both off, we would go to the mall. It wasn't very crowded and we packed Jake's lunch. He ate his food in the high chair and was such a big boy. Christian and Jake went on the merry-go-round after we ate but Jake didn't like it. He was okay at first but after going around a couple of times he did not want to be on the horse anymore, and Christian held him the rest of the way. We then went to the kid play area and Jake had a ball crawling through the tunnels. He even figured out how to crawl up the stairs, turn around, and go down the slide on his tummy with his feet first.
In the evening we went to dinner with MeMaw and had a good time. Jake is very well behaved in restaurants. Needless to say, Jake did not stay up to ring in the New Year.
After all the Christmas celebrations ended, we started today with Jake's 15 month doctor appointment. Jake got a good check-up from Dr. Razak. Since he last went at his 1 year appointment, Jake grew over an inch and is now 32 3/4 inches tall (90 percentile). He gained almost two pounds and is now 23 lbs 14.5 oz (25 - 50 percentile). Lastly, his head circumference is in the 90th percentile at 19 1/4 inches growing almost one inch since his last appointment.
Outcomes of the doctor visit included cutting out Jake's morning nap. Even though it's only an hour in the morning, it is time to remove it, and he has been fighting sleeping during it lately. By 18 months, we need to wean him off the bottle, which he only takes before sleeping. Without the morning nap, that removes one bottle. Next week we'll remove the afternoon bottle, and the following week we'll remove the night bottle. Wish us luck! Jake still isn't saying many actual words and at this age that is fine. If by 18 months he still isn't saying many words we'll need to go to a speech therapist. Although we sometimes get concerned by the lack of speech, it is evident Jake understands what we're saying. Jake also got two shots and was a pro.
After his appointment we met Becca's friend Melissa Swint, her mom, and her two kids at the Galleria for lunch. It was our first time to meet Graham who was born in September. Hannah has grown a lot in the past year. Jake usually only eats at home, so we were anxious to see how he'd do in public. He was great and ate the "big boy food" we bought at the mall. After eating, Jake and Hannah watched the ice skaters. It was great to get to see Melissa and her family!
In the evening, Doc and BeBe took us to dinner and Jake held a crayon for the first time. He jabbed at the paper and understood he could write with it. He had fun for a while until we had to take the crayons away once he put them in his mouth.
The Yarbrough family got together today at our house for Christmas. Jake enjoyed being around Granddaddy again and he liked sitting next to his Great Uncle Doug at the dinner table. Jake had a ball with the gifts he received from Great Aunt Laura and Great Uncle Doug including a bank that says "College Fund" on it. Jake played with the quarter inside and then stuffed wrapping paper in the container. Jake kept looking up to Corey and would almost fall backwards since Corey is so tall. Jake had to leave the party early to take his afternoon nap, but he enjoyed everyone coming over to our house.
We celebrated Christmas with Grammy's side of the family, also known as the Christian family. Everyone came to Dallas and we had a good time. On Saturday we ate a great lunch, played games, and had fun during the gift exchange. Jake had a good time with his family members, especially the younger ones. The next day some of us had brunch at a restaurant. We were in a large room by ourselves and Jake and his cousin Anna kept following each other around and around the table. Jake also appeared to try to jump by bending his knees and going up and down (no air yet!).
Jake did pretty well on the car ride home; however, he didn't take an afternoon nap. The DVD player kept him entertained. On the way home we stopped at BeBe and Doc's to get our dogs and Uncle Kyle had just arrived from Dallas for the holidays. Jake was happy to see Uncle Kyle and Jake liked wearning Uncle Kyle's hat.
Jake enjoyed spending the night at BeBe and Doc's, and he did really well away from home. When we picked him up today, we discovered that another tooth has come through his gums. This time it is his bottom right one year molar. We noticed him drooling more yesterday which is a sign of teething.
We stopped by Granddaddy's on our way home and Jake was very busy walking around his house and getting into everything. It is a lot of work when Jake is at a house that is not baby proofed, especially because Granddaddy has a lot of breakable items easily assessable to Jake. Jake enjoyed seeing Granddaddy and playing at his house.
Shortly after his one year molar broke through on Jake's bottom left side, today we discovered his one year molar on his top left side has broken through. We can also tell that his one year molar on his bottom right may be coming through in the next week or so. No wonder Jake has been whiny lately and drooling more. We've also noticed a change in his appetite, too. We're not sure if it's due to his teeth coming in or something else. Jake seems to be at the stage where he wants to feed himself, but he also won't try to eat "new" foods. Feeding him has become a struggle recently.
We went to the sheriff's department today, and they installed the new car seats into our cars. Although Jake can still fit into his infant carrier, we decided that with our upcoming trip to Dallas for the holidays we would put in his new forward-facing car seat. He seems to like it, and it is much easier for us to get him in and out of the car.
Today was Granddaddy's 90th birthday, so we all went out to eat to celebrate. Jake enjoyed sitting next to him, and Granddaddy kept slipping him some fries to eat. Granddaddy just lights up when he's around Jake.
We also found out today that Uncle Kyle's beloved golden retriever passed away. Ranger was such a good dog and was a wonderful companion for several years. Jake liked being around Ranger and feeling his soft, long coat. We'll miss "Big Dog."
Jake had a nice Thanksgiving today as he got to spend it with both sides of his family. The Abbate side came in yesterday and we all went over to MeMaw's to celebrate with the Yarbrough side. Jake posed for pictures with everyone and then played and played. After lunch, we went outside and he was pulled around in his red wagon. Unfortunately in the afternoon he didn't get to go visit his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Abbate with the rest of the Abbates as he was taking his nap. Upon returning home he played hard with Grammy, Grampaw, Aunt Abigail, and Aunt Rebecca.
Jake is also talking a lot more and seems to communicate with us although we can't quite understand what he is saying. So far three words he's said are very close to the "real" words and have made sense when he has said them. The words are dog, up, and hi.
This morning before Jake headed to Laura's to play for half a day, he tripped and flew to the ground. He got the worst shiner on his check under his eye and it swelled from the carpet burn. After crying for a bit, he handled it like a pro. Jake is walking so much better now, but he occasionally gets going too fast and trips. He also hasn't learned how to go backwards, so if he tries to switch directions he will get off balance. At Laura's today he got to play with Sydney like usual, but Mackenzie was also there due to the school holiday. Apparently, Jake has his first crush on an older woman - a 5 year old!
The weather got a lot colder today, so Becca pulled out the winter clothes from under the bed. She turned away for a second and came back to find that Jake had pulled all of the clothes out of the bag. He was shaking the gloves up and down and having a grand time.
Before the lines started to get too long, we took Jake to the mall today to see Santa. We thought he'd tuck his head and play shy at first like he does when he's around new people. Boy were we wrong! Before we even got near Santa, Jake clung to Becca and started crying. The crying turned into wailing. He calmed down at one point but then started right back up. Needless to say, Jake didn't get an opportunity to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas.
After Jake calmed down, we got in the train that went around the mall. He enjoyed looking out the side at all the people we passed. At least part of the trip to the mall turned out okay.
Last night we had to go to a banquet for Christian's work. Since we were going to be so late getting home, Jake stayed over at Doc and BeBe's. After picking him up this morning, we went to our Little Gym class. It's only been three months since Jake started his class and it is amazing how much he has changed during that time. He started out as a non-walker and now he is walking everywhere and trying out everything. Today he actually walked on the balance beam (with us holding on to him) and before he would have nothing to do with it. Soon he'll be running around the gym.
Jake is also showing a preference for being in Becca's arms. We thought it was a one time event earlier this week when Becca had to leave to go to Bible study soon after getting home from work. However, this has not changed. Others will pick him up and he'll cry out and reach for Becca. Although it is sweet that Jake wants to be in his mother's arms, it also somewhat hurts the one he wants to be away from.
Although MeMaw's 83rd birthday is tomorrow, we celebrated it this evening. We went out to eat and it was the first time Jake has been at a table with a linen tablecloth. He kept feeling it during dinner. We came back to our house to open presents and have dessert. Jake played around while MeMaw opened gifts. He "helped" her blow out her candles and got a taste of the banana pudding.
When we brushed his teeth tonight, we noticed a small white sliver on his bottom left side. His first molar is coming in. It hasn't seemed to bother Jake too much but now it makes sense why he started biting his toys again.
This morning we led our Sunday School class, so Aunt Jana came over and babysat so we could both go. Jake was excited to wake up from his nap to see her. We took her to lunch to thank her for watching Jake and while we were there he did his "chillin" pose. It consists of him putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. He started doing this in the car this past month, and he is now doing it in his highchair.
This afternoon we took Jake to the Halloween Carnival at the Little Gym. Jake is a pirate this year, and we got him dressed up to play with the other little ones at the gym. He bobbed for rubber duckies, went down a big slide, and played with hula hoops. Jake had a great time, and he laughed each time we said "A pirate says arr."
In the last couple of weeks, Jake became fearless in pulling up, letting go, and walking. He would get so far before he lost his balance and would sit, and he would like to hold on to one of our fingers for support. Even from a few days ago, it is amazing how well Jake is walking now. He is pulling up himself and no longer requires a finger for support. It was astonishing this morning when Becca looked over the kitchen counter to see Jake walking from one room to the other all on his own. He is also walking pretty fast and it seems like he's going to run any minute. Occasionally Jake will lose his balance and sit down, but his balance has greatly improved.
This evening we went over to the Cheng's for dinner, and Jake got to play with Trevor. Since the boys are only 6 days apart, it is interesting to see how they have developed. Jake enjoyed playing with Trevor's toys, and he was fascinated when Eddie played the guitar.
Jake is getting really good eating "people" food. Today he attacked the scrambled egg that BeBe cooked for him. We've also given him cheese toast, sweet potato fries as well as other people food. Jake seems to be willing to try different things.
Jake also loves milk. We put the sippy cup in front of him and the milk just disappears. Jake has gotten better about not dropping the sippy cup to the floor after he's done drinking. He will still do it here and there, but we do not have to pick it up as often anymore.
The Yarbrough kids grew up watching Star Wars. For Jake's birthday, Aunt Jana and Uncle Kyle gave Jake every Star Wars item imaginable. Today Jake wore one of the "old school" Star Wars shirts they gave him. Jake is beginning to look like such a little boy now, especially with him wearing a t-shirt instead of an onesie.
The weather is so nice that we strolled down the street to the park in our neighborhood. Jake loves to watch cars so he was focused on the road all the way there. This was Jake's first trip to the park and he seemed to like it. Christian was at the top of the small slide and Becca at the bottom. Jake went down several times and had a big smile on his face.
Our church had its craft show today, and BeBe, MeMaw, Aunt Jana, and Becca went to it. While we were there, Christian and Jake came so that we could pick out a pumpkin for our house and take pictures in the pumpkin patch. We set Jake down between some pumpkins and he liked hitting them as if they were drums. He kept touching the pumpkins and picking up and throwing the little pumpkins.
In the afternoon we went to Skylar Mathew's first birthday party at the Little Gym. Jake loves that place and had a good time. There were older kids at the party, and Jake kept watching them. He is so interested in all that the older kids can do.
Jake is now off of formula. We increased the amount of milk and decreased the amount of formula and today was his first day to have only milk. Jake really likes milk, and he is getting much better with his sippy cup.
Jake is also getting more sturdy on his feet and is able to walk around a lot more on his own before sitting down. He loves to walk around and hold one of our hands. Soon he'll be going off on his own.
This evening Aunt Jana, her friend Sheryl Dauchy, Becca, and Christian went to see U2 in concert. The show was great and U2 did an awesome job. When we first got there, we met up with Sarah and Adam Acord and it was great to see them. We enjoyed the show but it made for a short night by the time we got home.
BeBe and Doc were very nice and they watched Jake while we were at the concert. Jake spent the night at their house and had a good time. Becca ended up spending the night there too, so Jake got to see her in the morning before she headed to work.
Katy has a Rice Harvest Festival annually this time of year. We decided to take Jake to his first one. There were a lot of people, and Jake enjoyed watching them all from his stroller. He also really wanted Christian's sausage on a stick. The weather turned a little cooler today, and it was perfect to be outside.
During dinner, Becca decided to hand Jake the spoon to see what he would do with it. He took to it easily and started feeding himself. Becca would put the food on the spoon and hold it out. Jake would grab it and then stick it in his mouth. He did a great job but it was SO messy. And after a little bit, Jake would take the spoon out of his mouth and drop it on the floor. Jake loves to drop his sippy cup on the floor and the spoon followed.
We went to eat with MeMaw tonight and Jake ate a piece of toast while we were out. He had toast for the first time last night when we went out to eat with Granddaddy. We are starting to introduce him to "people" food every time he gets in his highchair.
Today Jake went to Laura's house for most of the day. BeBe dropped him off at 8 am and she picked him up at 1 pm. Laura is in the same Sunday School class as us, and she is going to watch Jake once a week. Her daughter Sydney is about two and a half, so Jake will have someone to learn from. Jake did really well at Laura's. He had never met her or Sydney and was at her house for 5 hours, so we're pretty impressed with how he did. He played with the toys and watched Sydney. He enjoyed being over there and is looking forward to going again next week.
After talking with the pediatrician about transitioning Jake into "people" food, we started tonight with scrambled eggs. The doctor said that the goal is by 15 months, Jake should no longer be eating baby food. He seemed to like them and ate them all up.
Jake had his one year doctor appointment this morning. He grew 3.5 inches in the last 3 months and is now 31.5 inches and in the 95 percentile range. He is only in the 25 – 50 percentile for weight at 22 pounds, but he’s still gaining weight back from when he was sick. Jake had to get four shots and he cried for about 5 minutes. When he had blood drawn from his arm, he actually smiled at the nurse. Jake did great through everything, but he missed his morning nap and fell fast asleep on the way home.
Christian put Jake’s bicycle trailer together and hooked it up to one of our bikes. It took us a while to get the straps adjusted and Jake got antsy waiting. He did not like his bike helmet and he tried to pull it off. Jake did seem to like riding and looking out the sides of his trailer.
Becca had to go to Vegas for a work conference, and BeBe and Aunt Jana came along. We stayed at the Bellagio and had a good time. Before the conference started, we went to see Cirque Due Soliel Beatles Love show at the Mirage, which was great. While Becca attended the conference, BeBe and Aunt Jana went to the different hotels and saw two shows. During a break Becca got to go with them to play the slots and won almost $300.
Grammy stayed after Jake’s birthday party to help take care of Jake. Jake enjoyed getting to play with Grammy until unfortunately she came down with the stomach bug and he had to stay away from her.
During the week, Jake started waving. If someone waves at him, he’ll wave back. He even started to wave on his own. He also started to walk more steps independently. Jake has become more fearless and will let go of the furniture and walk.
Today was Jake’s first birthday! We went to The Little Gym today for his regular class and saw his name on the board celebrating September birthdays. His class also sang Happy Birthday to him. Jake was so tired from class that he finally fell asleep outside of his crib. We think he is still clingy from last week when he didn’t feel well. With the help from Christian, Jake gave Becca flowers due to giving birth to him a year ago. The flowers were very sweet and pretty.
Right before Jake’s party, all of his family came to our house. We took turns taking pictures with him until several of his friends came over to help celebrate. We ate Mexican food while the kids played together. We helped Jake open presents as he was more interested in playing with a card and a tag that was on a new shirt he got. He got a lot of great gifts and has several new toys to play with.
We then let Jake dive into his own cake. Jake has never had sweets and as he is still just learning how to eat finger foods, he wasn’t sure what to do. He played with the texture of the cake and finally started putting his hands in it. Christian gave him some pieces to eat and later Jake started putting it in his mouth. He liked squishing the cake and demolished it. Once he was done we took him off for his bath to get the icing off of him.
Jake had a great first birthday. It is amazing to think of how much he has changed from one year ago today. We are blessed to have Jake in our lives.
Jake said “mama” today! He said it four times and at different times throughout the day. This is the first “real” word Jake has said although he has been babbling more the last month. Becca was in Chicago for work today, so maybe he was saying her name because he missed her. Either that or Jake said the word but doesn’t know what it means yet. Becca is hoping it is because he missed her.
Jake got to play in his pool of balls today. We got them in preparation for Jake’s first birthday party this weekend. He wasn’t sure about them at first but then he started playing and having a good time. He likes to throw the balls out of the pool or move his legs around quickly to make a lot of noise.
Jake understands the word “no.” He also knows there are certain things he is not supposed to do such as touch the cable box. The past week he has really not been himself when he was sick. During that time, he was a little whiny and we let some things go knowing he wasn’t feeling well. Now he is better but some of the whininess has not gone away. He has started to throw temper tantrums if you say “no” or if you even say his name as he is about to do something he knows he shouldn’t. These little tantrums used to be he’d cry out and put his head down on the floor for about 10 second and then just move on. Now the tantrums involve screaming and crying. We hope this is just a phase and he stops the tantrums soon.
Jake had his first birthday party to attend today. Trevor Cheng is six days older than Jake, and Trevor had his party at the Little Gym. Jake is feeling fine again but he isn’t as active yet. He had a good time at the party, but he observed more than played.
The bug continued to spread through our family. BeBe, Doc, and Aunt Jana all are sick now. They have slight stomach bugs and severe colds. Who knew kid germs could spread so quickly!
Today we celebrated Aunt Jana’s birthday. We went out to eat and Jake helped her open gifts. Jake seems to be doing better although his nose hasn’t completely stopped running yet.
A bug has spread through our family. It started on Sunday when Becca developed a severe cold. That night Jake woke up vomiting and had a bad cold. Tuesday Christian got the stomach bug and then Becca got it on Wednesday. Even MeMaw got the stomach bug on Tuesday! Even though Christian and Becca are better now, Jake is still vomiting and has a runny nose. The doctor worked us in today and told us that a bad bug is going around and that Jake has a severe viral infection. He gave us tips on how to handle and how to get Jake back on solids again. Jake weighed in at only 21 pounds 10 ounces, but the doctor said he probably lost a lot of weight this week.
Jake has never been a cuddler, so it has been a different experience this week with him wanting to be held often. His sleep patterns have also been interrupted, so we’ll take sleep any way we can get it, which has included him falling asleep in our arms – something he hasn’t done since he was a baby. Hopefully Jake will be better soon.
Jake's talking has really picked up. He now says "ug" and it is usually when he is looking at or crawling after the dogs. We think he may mean "dog." He wakes up talking, talks in the car, talks while he plays, and talks when we're getting him ready for bed. Jake has really been a quiet baby except for laughing at funny things or squealing here and there. To hear him just jabbering away now is so odd but wonderful to hear.
Jake is also getting steadier on his feet. He will practice letting go of the furniture and will stand for a few seconds before he will slowly lower himself down. He still needs to work on his balance, but he's getting there. It's just a lot faster for him to crawl right now.
Jake had a good first Labor Day weekend. It started out with us spending Friday night at the Yarbrough Lake House to help break up the drive to Dallas. Jake got to spend about 30 minutes with Uncle Kyle before bedtime, and we were off early the next morning.
While we were in Dallas, we had a great time with Grammy, Grampaw, and Aunt Rebecca. We went to visit Aunt Rebecca's apartment and met several of her friends, swung in the swing that Grampaw put up, had a cookout with several of Christian's high school friends, and we got all dressed up to take family portraits. Jake loved Grammy and Grampaw's dog, Molly. He would laugh and laugh when she would run around the yard. Jake learned to throw a ball while we were there. He would pick up a small ball and throw it down so that it would bounce and make noise on the coffee table. Jake also started "talking" more. The squealing has been replaced with actual consonants such as "gaga" and "nana."
This evening, Jake took his first steps! Four separate times he let go and took about three steps between Christian and Becca. It was shocking the first time he did it as we didn't expect it. Jake has been cruising for a while, but this was the first time for him not to hold on to anything. Fortunately Aunt Jana had stopped by and she grabbed the video camera and got the second and third attempts on video. Jake is becoming more balanced and flat footed, so he will be walking continously in no time.
Earlier in the day, Jake went to his make-up session at The Little Gym since we will be out of town this Saturday visiting Grammy and Grampaw. Aunt Jana and BeBe took Jake to his second class and boy did he have fun. This time he immediately immersed himself into the class and took off to play on the apparatus. The instructor used Jake twice as an example on how to do a forward roll and how to assist the kids with gripping onto the bar. Jake is so strong that he did both with no problem. Afterward he was so exhausted that he almost fell asleep in the car and then on the changing table when BeBe changed his diaper.
He had so much fun playing with the balls at the gym that Aunt Jana and BeBe decided he should have one of his own at home. Jake bats at it and chases it around the house.
Jake and Becca spent last night at BeBe and Doc's since Christian was out of town for a wedding. Jake loves getting his bath in their big kitchen sink. Today we went to a movie and it was the first time a nonfamily member watched him. Allison came over before we left so Jake could warm up to her. He was so cute with her when she came in the door. He smiled really big at her and then kept hiding his face like he was bashful. When Allison picked him up, Jake laid his head on her shoulder - something he never does! The movie was short and when we returned Allison was exhausted and Jake was going down for his nap. We think Jake gave Allison a workout since he never stops moving!
We had fun at the Yarbrough lake house this weekend. Jake went Friday afternoon with BeBe, Doc, Granddaddy, and Aunt Jana. We drove there after work that evening and met them for dinner. We had a good weekend and Jake had two new "firsts." We gave him a small slice of watermelon to see if he would like it. The texture was so different for Jake that he didn't even attempt to put it in his mouth. We figured Jake would love watermelon because Becca had it practically every day when she was pregnant.
Jake also discovered grass. It was his first time to be close enough to it to actually touch it. He liked pulling it up and then crawling across the ground. Even when he was in his swimming pool with Christian later, he kept leaning over the side to pull up the grass.
Jake also showed off using the sippy cup. He has gotten really good at lifting it up to drink out of it.
Jake ate pasta pick-ups today. He liked playing with the pasta but made no move to put it in his mouth. BeBe tried to feed him from her hand but Jake would only eat it if it was on a spoon.
Along with trying "real" food this week, we also changed up Jake's feeding schedule. We learned a month or so ago that Jake will eat better if you don't try to feed him right after he wakes up. We were delaying feeding him in the morning and that seemed to work for a bit but wasn't anymore. Now when Jake gets up we play for a while before it is time for us to go to work and he will go to BeBe's house and eat breakfast there. He is eating all of his cereal mixture in the mornings now. Since he is eating breakfast later, we are not giving him a bottle with breakfast like we used to. We put some formula in a sippy cup and he'll drink it with his breakfast. Then he gets his first bottle when he goes down for his morning nap.
To start transitioning Jake to regular food, we gave him "real" food today. Along with his cereal and fruit mixture this morning, we also gave him a banana. We tried different things - putting a slice on his tray, mashing it up and putting it on a spoon, and dipping it into his cereal mixture. He kept trying to pick it up off his tray but he made no movement to put it in his mouth. He did eat some of the banana with the cereal mixture. The texture was new to him and we learned today that he wants to examine and play with the new food instead of eating it. This will be interesting.
Recently Jake got some new toys to play with as some of the ones he had were no longer appropriate for his age and he ignored them. Jake is constantly on the go and is very active. He rarely just sits and he is not a cuddler. One of his new toys is a set of stacking rings. He LOVES them. Jake will immediately take the rings off the holder and he loves to crawl while he holds them. As it appears that Jake's back teeth are starting to come in, he also got a giraffe teether that is known for babies to be able to chew on it farther back in their mouths. A new game Jake played this week was with Aunt Jana. She pushed him around BeBe's house while he sat in the laundry basket. He laughed and thought it was the neatest thing.
Another new thing is when Jake is at BeBe's and is going down for his nap, he will stand up and open the bottom shutters of the window that is next to his crib. He doesn't seem to mind the bright sunlight that streams into the room after he does this. Also this week, Jake has been showing off his muscles as his new thing is to pull up on a metal kitchen chair and then pull it out from the table and then push it across the tile floor. We are shocked that he can do this and he loves to smile at us while he is walking behind the chair.
Jake has started to show signs of a temper. When we say and sign "no", occasionally he'll cry out and lay his head on the ground. This has happened more lately as we have blocked the small spaces between our couches and end tables that he really wants to crawl through. He starts to cry when we do this and we ignore him and he quickly stops and moves on to something else. His hair is red, but I hope he doesn't have the stereotypical red head temper!
This week we started the My Baby Can Read series. It consists of DVDs, books, and flash cards that are supposed to help your child learn to read. We're not expecting Jake to become the next Einstein (although that would make us proud), but seeing how much he loves books and he pays attention to the baby sign language we started in the last month, we might as well try to teach him more things.
Aunt Jana, Uncle Kyle, Christian, and Becca went to Cozumel, Mexico for a long weekend. We really enjoyed our time there relaxing. Some exciting things we did included going to the Chankanaab National Park where we relaxed on the beach, snorkeled, and Uncle Kyle and Christian scuba dived. We also swam with the dolphins. Our dolphin was very soft and he gave us a Mexican kiss, shook our hands, and let us ride on his belly. We ventured into town as well but the best part was lounging around our hotel pool and having a drink or two (more like several).
While we were on our first trip together away from Jake, he stayed at Doc and BeBe's. Since Jake spends so much time there while BeBe is taking care of him, he adjusted well while we were gone. He really enjoyed petting Uncle Kyle's dog, Ranger. Doc and BeBe took Jake to the mall looking for yet more clothes (he just keeps growing!) and he liked looking at everyone from his stroller.
We returned back home on our 6 year anniversary, and it was great as we were reunited with Jake. He was so happy to see all of us. Jake was also very sweet and gave us flowers for our anniversary!
Jake, Becca, and Aunt Jana went to visit Granddaddy today. Granddaddy enjoyed getting to see his grandson crawl all over the house trying to grab everything he shouldn't. Jake really likes Granddaddy's walker and he wants to pull up on it and stand.
Grammy, Grampaw, and Aunt Rebecca came to visit this weekend. Jake showed off his new trick of pulling up for them. They gave him a small basketball, and he liked crawling after it. We celebrated Aunt Rebecca's birthday and went out to eat. On Sunday Jake discovered Pepper's tail. She didn't seem to mind him pulling on it and she even rolled over so that Jake could pet her tummy (he didn't understand that).
After Jake had lunch, we drove over to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Abbate's house and saw many of Jake's relatives. He enjoyed seeing his great grandparents and sat on both their laps. While we were there, Jake started walking while holding on to people's hands. His Great Aunt Louise was the first person he did this with, and now he does it regularly.
After we got home, Becca's good friend Sarah Acord stopped by as she was in town for work. Jake woke up from his nap to find Sarah here, and he enjoyed getting to see her again.
Jake was a very tired baby today. He does not like to cuddle, and we relish those few seconds when he rests his head on our shoulders after taking his bottle and before his nap. Today he just laid his head down on BeBe’s shoulder for a while. During the day Jake just laid around and Aunt Jana made a pallet for him on the floor. By the evening he perked up a bit more and just laughed when we went out to eat.
We think Jake may be getting two more teeth in on his bottom. He is drooling a lot and you can see the white through his gums. When feeling over his gums, you can’t feel the teeth poking through just yet. We started sign language with Jake a couple of weeks ago, and we’re getting good at it. He watches our hands and listens as we say the words that go with the sign.
Becca and Jake decided to visit MeMaw today. We brought her lunch and Jake ate his lunch while we were there. Then he enjoyed playing around in her living room.
In the evening, we met Vanessa, Eddie, and Trevor Cheng for dinner. Trevor and Jake are a week apart, and they are very close in size now. Jake enjoyed being at the table with them but he got more excited at the end of dinner when he and Trevor were right next to each other.
This evening we went over to the Peter's as Annie was there with her kids, Luke and newborn Kimberly. The baby is precious and has a head full of hair. Jake wanted to touch Kimberly but we kept him at a safe distance. He liked playing with Luke's toys once Luke warmed up to the company that came during his nap.
We had a great time during our annual family lake trip. Jake loved being around his cousins Hailey and Jenna. He played with them a lot during our trip. He shared his toys, they played in the pool together, and he loved watching them. A new thing we started this trip was to hide Jake under the pillows and he would push his way out. He smiled really big each time he surfaced.
Everyone had fun on the wave runners, and Jake and Becca watched the action from the boat. Several went fishing and Hailey, Jenna, and Christian caught small catfish. We had a great time and look forward to going back again next year.
Today we headed to the Yarbrough lake house. Becca took vacation for the rest of the week. BeBe, MeMaw, Aunt Jana, Jake, and Becca came up today. Uncle Kyle, Doc, and Jake's cousins Stacie, Hailey, and Jenna will come tomorrow. Finally all of us will be together on Friday when Darren and Christian get here.
We left very early this morning after Jake woke up in order to be in the car during his awake time. He did really great in the car until we were about 30 minutes out, and he started to whine as he was ready for his morning nap. He got his second wind once we got to the lake house and explored and ate lunch. Jake was so tired then that he went down but for only an hour and a half. He woke up but was still sleepy and about an hour and a half later went back down again. By the time he went to bed, Jake seemed to be back on his regular schedule. He is excited to see his cousins again tomorrow.
Aunt Jana went with Becca and Jake to visit Granddaddy. Jake loved trying to play with all of his collectibles. He also liked sitting in Granddaddy's lap and playing Airplane in which he "flies" back and forth above Granddaddy.
We stopped by BeBe and Doc's on the way home and tried out Jake's new chair. We decided that it was time Jake had his own chair as he always tries to get up on the furniture. He loved the feel of his chair, and he fits in it perfectly. He didn't know how to actually get up and sit in the chair so we placed him in it. Then Jake decided to start holding on to it. He's becoming such a big boy!
We took Jake to have his nine month pictures taken. Compared to three months ago when we took his last pictures, he smiled a lot more and had fun with the different props that were used. He absolutely loved the little piano the cameraman put in front of him. Jake thought it was so neat that when he hit the keys noise occurred. The last time we had to prop him up as he was just learning to sit up. This time he not only sat up but crawled and pulled himself up.
After the pictures were over, it was time for Jake to eat lunch so we fed him at the mall. This was the first time we fed him out in public. He ate all his food but the hardest part was that he was very distracted by all of the people in the mall.
Not long ago we realized that it is time to move to Stage 3 Foods. We decided to finish the Stage 2 items we had and at dinner tonight it was the first time for Jake to have his first Stage 3 meat. He ate lasagna, and the texture of it is not as liquidy and it has small pieces of food in it in order for him to learn to chew. Jake made the funniest face when he took his first bite. But he seemed to like the lasagna, and he ate the rest.
We celebrated Jake's first Fourth of July at the Yarbrough lake house. Becca and Christian met Jake, Aunt Jana, BeBe, Doc, and MeMaw after work on Thursday and Uncle Kyle got there a little later. Jake really explored the lake house when he first arrived as he can move so quickly now.
On Friday and Saturday Jake spent most of the day playing with his toys and napping while the others took turns on the wave runners. He also received several tickle sessions from his aunt and uncle. After dinner both evenings, he played in his swimming pool and really enjoyed putting his sponge fish toys in his mouth and trying to take the sticker off the inside of the pool. Jake also enjoyed his boat ride and looking out on the water.
Needless to say, Jake did not see any fireworks as they were way past his bedtime. Fortunately he slept though all the noise they created.
We learned from our New Braunfels car ride that the best thing to do is get in the car right after Jake eats so that he is in the car during his "awake" time. He does not like to nap in the car at all, so instead of timing it for him to nap, it is better for him to be awake in the car. He is much happier, although we are constantly keeping him entertained during that time.
Aunt Jana watched Jake for a bit today, and she decided to take him "swimming." She blew up his pool that we had at New Braunfels and put his swim trunks on him. He loves to splash around in the water. He doesn't mind having water splash on his face. We do have a water baby on our hands.
Jake enjoyed his first trip to New Braunfels. Several families have been going to New Braunfels for decades, and it was fun that this was Jake's first time. The car ride there was a little difficult due to a wreck on the road that delayed us in getting there. Once we finally got there, we stayed at the cabin while the others went out to eat because Jake desperately needed a nap since he wouldn't take one in the car.
On Saturday Jake played in an tube and with his toys before enjoying his dinner outside. He also got to take a dip in the pool we blew up for him.
On Sunday we went to the Schlitterbahn resort after his morning nap and met up with the rest of the group. Jake sat in the kiddie pool and enjoyed watching others go down the slide. This was the same kiddie pool that Becca had played in when she was little. Jake did take a short nap in the car on the way home although he whined in his sleep every so often.
While we were at New Braunfels, Jake slept in his Pack 'N Play, which was the first time he has done so since he moved to his room back when he was 4 months old. He did really good being away from home.
Today we tried a different sippy cup that didn't have handles and was molded to make it easier to grip. Jake immediately picked it up and thought it was fun to have a new toy. The sippy cup is too tall and it made it difficult for him to try to lift it up high enough to his mouth. We found a couple of other types to try.
At dinner tonight, we gave him his first Gerber Puff. They are really small and it takes a lot of skill for Jake to pick them up. He didn't immediately put it in his mouth, so we put one in it for him to understand it was food. He made a face and kept sticking his tongue out and the puff was stuck to it.
This morning as we were putting Jake in his carrier to go over to BeBe's, we spotted his seventh tooth coming in. The lower left lateral incisor is poking through his gums. We now understand why the past couple of days we've experienced Jake's constant chewing, drooling, and afternoon fussiness. Jake now has four teeth on top and three on bottom.
At lunch today we tried out a sippy cup for the first time. It will take some practice for Jake to understand how to use it. The handles on the side of the cup made it hard for him to grasp it and then he didn't fully understand how to lift it up high enough to get the formula to come out. Jake rarely holds a bottle when we feed him, so graduating to a sippy cup may take some time.
Jake now crawls straight for the walls, a step, anything that he can use as leverage to try to pull up. During the last week he would regularly get on his knees and hold on to something. Now he is pulling himself up even further and we caught him on video pulling himself up to a complete standing position. It is amazing how it seems like only yesterday he started to crawl and now he's pulling himself up. He'll be walking before we know it.
Jake is also working on his fine motor skills. He loves the tiger basketball toy Aunt Jana gave him for Christmas. He picks up the small balls and will follow them around the room if you roll them across the floor. Jake is getting good at picking up smaller things.
Jake was running a low grade fever today, and he seems to be feeling better. By the end of today, he was crawling around and playing with his toys. We are so glad he's acting more like himself. We feel so helpless when there is nothing we can do and it is obvious he isn't feeling okay.
We gave Jake his first bottle of just water today. He drank it right up without hesitation. This was the first time he was given something other than milk or formula, and he seemed to like it. Especially with the heat of the summer, it is good that he'll take water without difficulty.
Yesterday afternoon Jake felt hot and he was running a fever. Christian gave him Children's Tylenol and Jake went to sleep early.
Today he was warm but after his morning nap he was very hot. His fever was high and after calling the doctor, he asked that Jake come in. Becca just landed from being in Chicago and got to the doctor's office right after Christian did. After checking Jake, the doctor determined that there were no other symptoms and it was probably a viral infection.
All day today Jake was very listless and wasn't his usual ball of energy. Hopefully he'll start feeling better soon.
We drove up to the Yarbrough lake house on Thursday and met BeBe, Doc, Aunt Jana, and Jake. We got there right about the time Jake usually is getting ready for bed and it ended up being a hard night. While the men worked on lowering the crib, the women got Jake ready for bed. But Jake did not want to go to sleep. It took a long time but he finally settled down due to getting a second wind too late in the evening. We'll have to be mindful of this when traveling places in the future.
Friday Allison and Michael Aars arrived and later Katie and Ryan Cooper got there and we had a great time celebrating Christian's 30th birthday. Aunt Jana's friend Megan Plato came and on Saturday Uncle Kyle arrived. We had fun on the jet skis, in the boat, and playing games. Jake had fun playing with his new friends.
Jake also got to experience his first time being in a pool. He was timid at first and would lightly touch the water and by the end he was splashing and crawling around in the pool. We think we have a water baby on our hands!
Today Jake and Becca came back to Katy while Christian went to Dallas where he was surprised by a birthday party thrown by Grammy and Grampaw. Christian enjoyed getting to see all of his Dallas friends and celebrate his birthday with his family.
In our quest to find bigger sleepers for Jake, we had to purchase actual pajamas that have tops and bottoms. Jake wore them for the first time tonight and he looks so much more like a little boy than a baby. After his bath he crawled all around his room. He loves to go to his bathroom area and he tries to pull himself up using the wall and cabinet. Jake also loves his bear that sings "Jesus Loves the Little Children." The bear sings it every night and Jake stops whatever he is doing to watch it.
Today we moved our coffee table out of our living room. Jake kept crawling under it and then would sit up and hit his head. Now Jake has a much bigger play area and it is barricaded on three sides by the couches. All day he entertained himself and played and crawled in that area. BeBe was not on her feet as much as she did not have to keep picking him up and redirecting him.
Jake's new thing is to crawl with something in his mouth. He doesn't do it all the time but he has started to do it more often. He had his plastic TV remote control in his mouth and started crawling, and the toy hit the floor and cut a small part of his upper lip. Jake was completely fine but we had no idea about the many hazards that could come from him crawling.
We went out today to pick up more outlet covers and to find Jake some new sleep clothes as his 9 month sleepers are getting too tight for him. We were successful with the outlet covers but were unable to find 12 month sleepers.
Aunt Jana and Becca took Jake over to see MeMaw, and he was enamored with a step she has in her living room. He kept trying to pull himself up to get up the step. He was able to push up and half-stand. It was amazing to see how strong he is and how quickly he is learning to move around.
Because he is now starting to pull up, before Jake went to sleep we took the bumpers out of his crib. He had some issues at first going to sleep as he thought it was neat to stick his limbs through the slats. He finally calmed down and fell asleep.
Jake got to meet Jon and Erica Nelson today. Jon and Christian played golf and before they headed out Jon and Erica came to the house to meet Jake. Jake showed off his crawling ability.
At night, Becca and Christian went out to have dinner with their Sunday School class, and BeBe and Doc came over to babysit. We realized that since Jake was born, this was only our second time to go out at night without him. It was nice to be around our church group and we had fun.
Jake has increased his fruit intake to eating a full container at lunch and dinner instead of half a container. With him eating more food, he has cut back on his formula intake when he eats his meals. He is still taking his full bottle between meals.
Becca returned from Chicago today as she was there a couple of days for work. Aunt Jana also drove in from Memphis and is back in Katy. In the evening, we took Granddaddy out to eat, and he enjoyed watching Jake play in his highchair.
We are having a time with Jake as he keeps crawling to places he shouldn't. BeBe has had to put out blankets and quilts to block the TV wires and a specific chair that Jake loves to go to. Jake will crawl and get under a piece of furniture and then sit up, which means he hits his head. We are on guard constantly now as Jake no longer stays on his pallet and instead is off exploring. This makes for a very tiring day.
Today Jake started eating the whole jar of meat. At lunch and dinner he has had a half jar of meat, a full container of vegetables, and a half container of fruit. We also stopped warming the meat just to see if Jake would still eat it, and he did. This will make it easier if we are out and about and have to feed him and do not have the means to warm the meat.
We put up a baby gate to block Jake off from going to the front of the house. He is getting better and better at crawling, but after a while he gets tired and becomes slightly unsteady. Jake loves to crawl to the tile so that he can slap it with his hands and make noise. Each time we pick him up and redirect him, he heads straight for the tile. The main issue with this is that he has bumped his noggin a few times on the tile and he cries when this happens.
Jake has also discovered the door stoppers. He loves to go for them and pull on them so they make noise.
We headed over to BeBe and Doc's one last time before Aunt Jana and Uncle Kyle headed out. Jake got tired earlier in the afternoon and we got home just in time for him to take his afternoon nap.
Once he got up, all the men were hard at work. Doc put up one of the baby gates at our stairs after he put up gates at his house. Jake really started taking off crawling today, and he keeps going towards things he shouldn't. The gates should keep him a bit more contained. At the same time that Doc was installing the gate, Christian put together the Radio Flyer Horse that Jake got for Christmas. Jake watched Christian as he put the toy together and then he had such a good time riding on it once Christian was done.
We also got the cabinet locks and outlet covers today, and we'll start installing those as well. We are getting in the mindset of having to change our habits now that Jake is mobile.
Jake is showing his preference for Becca and BeBe to feed him and give him his bottle. In the past couple of days, Christian has started handling this more so that Jake will get used to it when Becca is out of town for work. Particularly with the bottle he gets with meals, Jake has a tendency not to take it from Christian but will from Becca. We'll keep working on this so that Jake will get used to having Christian feed him as well.
Jake did some more crawling today. He crawls here and there to things that are not too far away and then stops. It is nice that he isn't trying to take off everywhere, but he keeps crawling to things that could hurt him like a chair.
We enjoyed another day at Doc and BeBe's with the Yarbrough family. Becca stayed to help take care of him when Aunt Jana, Uncle Kyle, and Christian went to the movies. When he went down for his afternoon nap, Becca looked at the monitor and saw him on his knees, pulling on the top of the crib. We rushed in there and lowered BeBe and Doc's crib so he wouldn't pull himself out of it.
In the evening, we lowered our crib down another notch. Even though we had lowered it the night before, after seeing how strong Jake is, we didn't want to take a chance.
Jake is now crawling. He graduated from pulling himself up to the sitting position to crawling a couple of movements to crawling four movements. In the evening after his bath, he crawled six movements. He hasn't just taken off yet as each time he has crawled to something that stopped him from going farther (the chair, the wall, etc). We knew this would happen sooner or later, and it will be so neat to see him moving on his own. The baby-proofing will have to happen soon.
Jake, BeBe, and Becca went to visit MeMaw while the rest went out shopping. Jake enjoyed being bounced on MeMaw's knee.
We surprised Christian today and celebrated his 30th birthday. Even though it isn't for a couple of weeks, we decided to do it now when we were all together. He didn't realize what was going on when BeBe brought out the cake for him. Jake enjoyed helping Christian open his presents. He pulled on the wrapping paper and then tried to eat it. Some things never change.
In the evening, we lowered Jake's crib as we were getting concerned about him potentially pulling himself over the front, which is lower than the back of the crib. With him pulling himself up to the sitting position so often and because he's so strong, we thought it would be best to lower it now.
Jake got to play with Aunt Jana and Uncle Kyle today at BeBe and Doc's. Both arrived last night, and this morning was the first Jake saw them. As soon as Uncle Kyle entered the room, Jake started crying. He quickly got over it, but this change in his behavior is taking some getting used to, even though it is normal. Jake is excited that he's going to get to play with Aunt Jana more in the future as she will be moving back home. Unfortunately, she and two others were laid off earlier this week due to her company down-sizing.
Today we also started putting a couple of toys in the crib with Jake. He has been waking up and sitting in his crib without crying. We thought putting in toys may keep him occupied until it was time for him to come out of the crib. Jake seems to enjoy having the toys when he wakes up.
Jake had a new meat mixture today - Chicken and Vegetables. His eating habits consist of cereal and fruit for breakfast; half a jar of meat mixture, one container of veggies, and half a container of fruit for lunch; and the same thing for dinner. Jake graduated to the Stage 2 vegetables when he started fruits a couple of weeks ago, and he is also now on Stage 2 fruits. He sure can eat a lot, and he is really filling out!
In the evening, Becca took Jake over to Granddaddy's to visit. As soon as we walked in the door, Jake started crying when he saw Granddaddy. It reminded us of how he acted with the photographer last week. The doctor had said that he would start this around 8 to 9 months where he doesn't just smile at everyone like he used to. Once Becca calmed him down, Jake was fine and enjoyed sitting in Granddaddy's lap and trying to crawl on his floor.
During the night, Jake cried out several times and then moved around a lot about 3 am. It must be his new teeth coming through. Becca let him cry and he did soothe himself and fall back to sleep.
Jake also didn't take his two good naps today. He woke up early from both of them and he whimpered a lot throughout the day. He really chewed on the teething ring and other hard toys. We gave him some baby Tylenol to help with the pain of his new teeth and that seemed to help.
Today while changing Jake's diaper, Becca noticed that there were two more white slits protruding through Jake's upper gums. In seeing those and the spacing between, we decided that the two teeth that started coming in last weekend were actually his lateral incisors and the new ones now coming in are his central incisors (front teeth). Jake also started drooling a lot more today due to his teeth coming in.
In the evening, BeBe, Jake, and Becca went to visit Sara Campana and her six week old baby, Leslie. Becca's old roommate Rebecca Story was staying with Sara, so all three got to see each other and hold the two babies. Baby Leslie is so precious! Seeing two babies almost 6 months apart is amazing. Jake has grown and developed so much in such a small period of time.
Today is the start of a girls and baby weekend. Doc and Christian went out of town, so Becca and Jake stayed over at BeBe's for the weekend. For dinner, BeBe, Becca, MeMaw, and Jake went to a Mexican food restaurant. We now have a new high chair that hooks on to the table and we tried it out. It worked so well! It really held Jake in, and he was situated over the table instead of eye level. Before we worried about him leaning forward and hitting his head on the table. Becca also had her first alcoholic drink since she learned she was pregnant with Jake 15 months ago.
On the topic of eating, today we started mixing in fruit with Jake's cereal for breakfast and dinner. He seemed to like having additional flavors with his cereal.
Recently Jake was slowing and awkwardly pulling himself up and sitting. He is now doing this on a regular basis and has become really good at pulling himself up to the sitting position. He also has good balance and can sit without swaying.
Jake started on pears today and seemed to like it just fine. He really is a good eater. He always makes a face when he takes his first bite as he never knows what he might taste.
Early evening, we had our church directory picture. We were all posed and the photographer came close to Jake to try to get him to smile. Instead, he just started crying. We've never seen Jake do that before and it was a time trying to calm him down. Needless to say, Jake did not smile for the camera after that.
Jake has always liked books. More than anything he liked to try to grab them out of your hands or pull them to his mouth. We joked about how nice it would be when he would just sit still and listen while you read to him. Well, that is becoming true. He is really focusing now when you read to him. He sits in your lap and sometimes will even help turn the page. He has his "thinker" look when you read as if he's trying to focus on the pictures and how it relates to what you are saying.
His teeth don't seem to bother him as much now. Right after we saw the doctor, it appears that the worst was over and Jake is sleeping through the night again.
Today we went to the pediatrician for Jake's follow-up from his 6 month appointment. Since he didn't gain as much as the doctor would have liked between 4 and 6 months, we went back today to check to make sure he didn't have reflux due to him still spitting up at 6 months. A lot can happen in 6 weeks - Jake is rarely spitting up now, and he has really filled out. He now weighs 17 lbs 12 oz and is doing fine. Jake is still drinking a lot of formula, but the doctor said that Jake was probably trying to play "catch up" for when he wasn't gaining as much weight. While we waited to see the doctor, we played our favorite game of Becca holding Jake and rolling on the stool towards BeBe. Jake laughs so hard when we do that.
The doctor also gave advice on how to handle Jake during the night when he is upset over his teeth. He was very concerned that Jake would become a night crier and the last few evenings would become habit for him.
After the appointment, Becca worked from BeBe's house for the rest of the day. In the evening, Doc played with Jake.
Jake finally got to try out the Chicco car that Santa brought him for Christmas now that he's bigger. The wheel plays car sounds when he hits the buttons, and it rocks back and forth. He really liked being in it and smiled a lot for us while he was playing.
This afternoon it became apparent that his new teeth are starting to bother him. They are poking through his gums more now. Instead of one long afternoon nap, he took two short ones and woke up unhappy. Before he went to bed, we gave him some Children's Tylenol to help with the pain in hopes that he would sleep better during the night. Jake also discovered how to make a loud clicking sound with his tongue against his teeth. He did this all afternoon.
Jake had a few more runny diapers, but the frequency was less. He also took 2 ounces of Pedialyte during the day once but had nothing else to do with it again later in the day. By early evening, he was almost his usual self – smiling, laughing, and playing. He didn’t take a very long afternoon nap, so he took a cat nap once Becca and Christian got home from work. Jake ended up going to sleep right away at bed time. We’re glad that he’s beginning to feel better.
Jake also ate green beans for the first time today. Just like with the peas, he was not too fond of the taste and made noises as he ate them.
Jake woke up earlier today and ended up taking three long naps compared to his usual two. He still had diarrhea-like diapers and was not very active. Although he took liquids, he didn’t really eat his solids. Becca called the emergency number and talked to the nurse about his situation. She assessed that he must have a stomach bug and to make sure he stayed hydrated. Jake does seem okay even though he’s not really smiling or being active like he usually is. He didn’t drink much in the early evening, and in turn he woke up crying at 3 am and took a whole bottle before falling back asleep.
Also, for a half hour during the day Christian dressed Jake up in the Dallas Mavericks jersey his Aunt Abigail gave him. Jake and Christian were in matching Dirk jerseys to cheer the Mavs on, but unfortunately they lost.
Today we had a big wedding shower at our home and spent a good part of the day getting set up. Jake attended the first part of the shower and met two twin girls that are about 5 months older than he. He was enamored with them and kept reaching for their pacifiers probably because he was unfamiliar with them. This was the first time Jake had been around little girls.
Jake was a little different today. He had several diarrhea-like diapers and vomited once. We did not attempt to feed him solids at noon since he had just thrown up. He seemed okay but was not as energetic as usual.
Becca worked from BeBe’s house today in order to get to see Jake more during the day to make up for her being gone to Chicago. He really is on a schedule now and loves playing in his activity center. Jake also had his first taste of green peas today, and he was not very fond of them. He made faces and noises and did not seem interested in them at all. In the evening we went to eat with Granddaddy and Jake enjoyed getting out of his carrier and being a grown-up at the table.
Becca returned home just in time to give Jake a bath and put him to bed. He was so excited to see her and smiled and smiled when he saw her. Jake enjoyed his time with Christian but was glad we were all together again.
Jake did really well being with just Christian. He didn’t do as well eating his cereal in the morning as he was distracted and looking around, so we’re chalking that up to missing Becca. Jake had a good day, but he got a slight bruise on his forehead. He was smiling and playing 10 minutes later, and even emailed Becca about the incident (courtesy of BeBe’s typing). That evening, Jake “talked” to Becca on the phone when he wasn’t busy trying to eat it.
Becca worked from BeBe and Doc’s in the morning before heading home to pack and then to the airport to fly to for work. It was neat to get to see Jake during the morning before he went down for his nap. How nice it would be to see Jake more often during the day.
Jake had sweet potatoes for the first time today and seemed to like them. So far he has really liked carrots and the squash was okay.
It just rained and rained today. The weather turned ugly late afternoon and it took Becca a long time to get to BeBe and Doc’s to pick up Jake. By the time she got there, it was so late and still pouring, so Jake got a bath and went to sleep there and Becca ended up spending the night as well. Typically Becca and Christian drive to work together but today we were separate due to Christian having a meeting offsite. Jake did really well sleeping over at his grandparents since he’s used to napping there during the day.
Becca had the opportunity today to finally see Jake eat vegetables and get to feed them to him. Since he eats veggies for lunch and the shower was during lunch yesterday, today was the first opportunity. Jake really seemed to enjoy the food, and it appears he likes carrots a lot.
Jake also had another episode on the back end, and we could tell how much it was hurting him. Hopefully his system is all cleaned out after being plugged up and he should feel better now.
The Abbates came for the weekend to visit. Today while Grammy, Aunt Abigail, and Becca went to a baby shower, Jake, Christian, and Grampaw went to visit Great Grandma Abbate and Great Grandpa Abbate. While there he got to see Great Aunt Louise and Great Aunt Mary. In the evening Grammy fed Jake his cereal and we went to eat for Grampaw's birthday. Jake enjoyed getting to spend time with his aunt and grandparents.
Today Jake started a new vegetable, squash. He seemed to like it. Jake is really good when eating - he opens his mouth when he sees the spoon close by. We also experienced the first side of effect of Jake's diet change. Although we've never blogged about the other end, we do have to include that today was the first day Jake had an actual bowel movement. Potentially due to the added formula or rice cereal, Jake seemed a bit constipated and he became very unhappy during this episode.
Becca stopped the one pumping she was doing in the middle of the day. Now Jake will receive three bottles of formula a day. Becca continues to nurse Jake in the morning and the evening, and it such a special bonding time for the two of them.
Jake has started to take a long nap in the morning and another in the afternoon. Before he would go to sleep after an hour and a half after getting up in the morning, and starting today he stayed up until it was time for his next bottle and then went to sleep for a couple of hours. Once he got up and ate again, he would stay up until his next feeding and then take a long nap in the afternoon. Starting today, he cut out his cat nap in the early evening and is now doing two naps a day. His schedule is becoming more and more set as he has an internal clock that wakes him up about the same time each day.
Today we went to Grannybee's grave. We saw the flowers arranged at the site, and they looked so pretty despite the hard rain we had all weekend. It was very emotional for Becca while at the cemetery, and it was so comforting to get back into the car and see Jake's smiling face.
We also went to visit the graves of many other members of Becca's family including five great grandparents, four of which Becca knew well before they passed away. We visited Becca's grandfather Pop, who passed away 10 years ago and shortly before Becca and Christian started dating. Jake also got to see where his middle name came from when visiting Becca's uncle's grave, Van Edward.
After Grannybee's funeral, we decided to go to the lakehouse to be together as a family. After being at Doc and BeBe's house for several days in a row, it was nice to "get away" and spend time together. It rained the entire time we were there, so we did get to spend a lot of time together. While we were at the lakehouse, we drove over to see Amanda McMeans' new house.
Jake has started to make it difficult to change his diaper and get him dressed. He has started to immediately try to turn and get on his tummy as soon as we lay him down. A trick we have learned is to give him a washcloth with a tag on it. Jake has become very enamored with tags. He will find them on anything. So, by giving him a tag to play with we can get him back on his tummy to finish getting him ready.
Today was Grannybee's funeral. The service was very nice, and many of our family friends attended. Several were discussing how cute Jake is and how much he has grown. During the service Jake sat behind Granddaddy, and he kept leaning forward wanting to touch him. It was almost as if he knew Granddaddy needed cheering up. So he would not lean forward, we turned him around and he kept smiling at everyone in the pews behind us. He was so happy during such a somber time.
Jake did pretty well during the day except by the time we got to Granddaddy's house after the cemetery, he was beyond tired. Doc finally was able to get him to go to sleep, and Doc and Christian made a little pallet for him on the floor of Granddaddy's bedroom. After his cat nap, he got up and played with his Great Uncle Doug and Great Aunt Laura.
In the evening we got pictures of Christian and Becca brushing Jake's teeth. Although we've been brushing his teeth for a couple of months now, we've never had actual pictures of us doing this. Jake loves having his teeth brushed.
Today the Yarbrough family spent time together. Uncle Kyle came in yesterday and Aunt Jana flew in from Memphis today. It was nice to for all of us to be together again so quickly after Easter, but it was sad that we were coming together in preparation for Grannybee's funeral. Jake has made the process easier. It is difficult to be sad when you have a happy baby rolling around on the floor and smiling at you. Both yesterday and today we went to Granddaddy's house and having Jake over cheered him up.
Jake also started oatmeal today. First was rice and then barley, and now oatmeal. He seems to like all three just fine.
Jake is getting closer and closer to crawling. Today he was able to get up on all fours and have his head up as well. Now he just has to learn how to coordinate his limbs in order to move forward. Jake got very happy when he moved forward slightly when he flattened out. Later in the day, he got frustrated because he wanted to move forward and pet Pepper, but he couldn’t crawl to her. It is funny to watch him and his movements as he looks like he’s trying to swim forward.
Jake is also doing well now that we found a formula he likes. Becca's goal was to nurse Jake for 3 months and that evolved into 6 months. Now that Jake is eating solids, Becca is slowly weaning him. She started about a month ago and each week she started decreasing the number of times she pumped per day. When Becca first went back to work, she would nurse Jake at least 3 times each day as well as pump 5 times a day. Now she is nursing Jake in the morning and evening and only pumping once a day. Because she had enough milk frozen, as she reduced the number of pumpings the last week, she still had enough breast milk for Jake. As that supply has decreased, it became time to get Jake used to one bottle of formula a day. We started this on Saturday and Jake drank only 3 ounces of the formula and then refused. On Sunday, he would not take any of the formula. We switched types and on Sunday and again today, the one bottle he had each day went down fine. Becca's goal is to continue to nurse Jake in the morning and at night if her supply will allow it, but we are happy that she has been able to give solely breast milk this entire time to Jake. It has been an emotional decision to start weaning but we're happy it has lasted this long and hopefully a reduced number will continue.
Today was Jake’s first Easter! After his morning nap, we headed on over to MeMaw’s where we had lunch with Becca’s immediate family and three grandparents. Christian, Doc, and then Kyle and Jana took turns playing with Jake on the pallet while we ate. Jake was ready for his afternoon nap, but he fought going to sleep. Unlike when he was little and loved to sleep on your shoulder, now Jake wants to lie down only in his crib. He finally did fall asleep on Doc’s shoulder for a bit before it was time to see what the Easter bunny brought. Jake enjoyed opening his gifts and playing with his new toys.
Later that day after Uncle Kyle and Aunt Jana left, we met Doc and BeBe at Doc’s office. Jake had his first teeth cleaning! He loved the taste of the cleaner Doc used. Because Jake receives a daily dose of a liquid vitamin that contains iron, his teeth have a slight stain on them. Doc did a good job cleaning off as much as possible while Jake kept sticking his tongue out to taste the cleaner.
Jake’s schedule continues to evolve. This week in the morning he has stayed up until after his second feeding and then he would fall asleep. However, today after only an hour and a half of being up, he was out for a long morning nap. His schedule is becoming more of two long naps a day, but it does keep evolving. After he was up again, we headed to his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Abbate’s house where most of the Abbate family members were gathered for Easter. Great Grandma Abbate did not want to let him go and he enjoyed playing on her lap. He was busy looking at everyone and observing them.
We then headed to BeBe and Doc’s where Aunt Jana took her turn feeding Jake his dinner before we went out to eat for BeBe’s birthday. This was the first time Jake has sat in a highchair at a restaurant, and he seemed to enjoy being more mobile instead of confined to his carrier. While BeBe opened her presents, Jake took an active role. He sat on her lap, would pull of the bow, and once BeBe showed him, he started ripping the paper off the packages. And of course, whatever gift was inside the box, Jake tried to put in his mouth. It was neat to see how much has changed in three months from Christmas when he just watched people open gifts to him now actively participating.
One other observation we noticed today was Jake’s movement. He has been lifting up his front for some time now and then he’ll have his front down and his rear in the air. Today he would lift his front and his rear at the same time but his head was down on the ground. He really wants to crawl and is getting stronger.
Aunt Jana flew in last night and today was a full day with her and BeBe. We went out and about shopping for new clothes for Jake. He is at the stage where the 3 to 6 months clothing and the 6 months outfits are either too small or they won’t make it much longer. So we went to the children’s stores and got Jake the 6 to 12 months and 9 month clothes. He has a new wardrobe – perfect timing for spring and summer! Jake loved being in his umbrella stroller while we were out. We got a toy and hooked it onto the straps and that kept him entertained.
In the evening, Uncle Kyle fed Jake his rice cereal. Jake had been playing with the toys on the high chair while we ate dinner, so Uncle Kyle started him first on his cereal before he received milk, which was a first. Jake became “aggressive” and attacked the spoon in Kyle’s hand.
Jake enjoyed getting to play with Uncle Kyle throughout the day. Uncle Kyle surprised BeBe for her birthday and came in last night for the long holiday weekend. He was working remotely during the day, but every so often he would come out and play with Jake. Even since Uncle Kyle was home for Jake’s baptism, Jake has developed a lot. At that time, Jake was getting used to being in the activity center and now he turns himself around and reaches and grabs for the toys. Not only did Jake like playing with Uncle Kyle, he also liked petting Uncle Kyle's dog, Ranger. Ranger is a much bigger dog than Bailey and Pepper, and his coat is very soft.
Today was a big day in the food department. We introduced barley into his diet. The food introduction is slow as it is basically a teaspoon a day increase. As he had worked up to five teaspoons of rice cereal per day, we gave him four teaspoons of rice cereal after he finished his one teaspoon of barley. Also new was today was the first day he has had two periods of solid foods. He now eats in the morning and the early evening. In the evening it is just the rice cereal. Jake is getting used to his high chair and opens his mouth wide when the spoon gets near. He also hums a bit after he’s had several bites to eat.
We also used Jake’s umbrella stroller for the first time. Grammy and Grampaw gave this to Jake about the time he was born and now that he is sitting up and at the right age, we are able to use it. He really likes being able to look out in front of him and see everything as opposed to being stuck in his carrier facing us. We strolled around the neighborhood, and the cars going by just fascinated him.
Becca met BeBe and several others for dinner due to planning an upcoming shower. Jake was there with BeBe, and he enjoyed looking at himself in all the mirrors on the walls of the restaurant. Although Jake was fine being held by different people, many of them were ones he had only met once and we could tell a difference with his interactions. He is starting to not smile as much at new people or even people he has been around a few times. Jake also searches the room for those he is around all the time to make sure they are still there. We had read that this stage starts around six months, so this change in behavior is normal.
Today was a really interesting day. Jake is such a good baby and hardly ever gets fussy. But today was different. All this week, his nap schedule began to change. Usually after he eats, he'll stay awake 1.5 to 2 hours before going down for nap. He's had one long one in the morning and another in the afternoon with a short cat nap around lunchtime. But this week he stayed awake after he ate in the morning and missed his morning nap. In turn, he'd fall asleep after he ate instead of waking to eat.
This morning it was obvious he was tired and we tried to put him down. He would have none of it and got very upset. After several failed attempts of trying to lay him down, he did fall asleep on Becca's shoulder for a short time. Becca and Jake went to have lunch with Doc, Grannybee, and Granddaddy. When we returned, Jake was very tired so we tried to put him down. It was the same thing as earlier only this time he would calm down and then just cry out. Jake ended up sleeping on Becca in the rocking chair for close to two hours, occasionally wimpering out loud. This has never happened before, so we aren't sure if it has to do with the solids or not. Today was the first day we added formula instead of breastmilk to the rice cereal. However, it is only a very small amount so we don't think that is what is bothering him.
When Jake woke up, he was acting like his usual happy self, so we all went out to eat. It did take us a long time to get him to go down for bed. We'll see how tonight goes.
After two days of liquidy rice cereal, today Jake's breakfast was more of an oatmeal consistency. We also increased the amount from one to two teaspoons. He has started to get the hang of it and only sometimes spits some of it out when he sticks his tongue out to the spoon. We have to get up earlier in the morning now so that we allow enough time for Jake to eat and nurse in the morning.
Jake has really started to notice the dogs more and will follow them with his eyes when they walk around the room. Tonight he was brave and reached out to Pepper. Pepper has always allowed people to love on her, so she was content with Jake grabbing her hair and pulling her ears. We had to get him to stop though once he tried to put her ears in his mouth. Everything has been going to Jake's mouth for a while...now that includes dog ears!
This morning was very interesting as Jake had his first feeding of very liquidy rice cereal. When he woke up, we put him in the high chair but he had none of that. He was very upset and wanted to eat first. After Becca nursed him on one side, he was more content and sat in the chair. Jake immediately tried to grab the bowl, so we learned quickly not to put it near him. He did a great job "eating." More or less he sucked the mixture off the spoon. Jake seemed to like it, and it wasn't too messy. It did take a while to feed him as the mixture was very liquidy and we didn't want to put too much on the spoon at once. After the cereal was gone, he nursed on the other side and seemed to be a very content little boy. What a big step to have Jake eating now!
We had Jake's six month doctor appointment today, and he did very well at the appointment considering he missed his morning nap and it became time to eat while he was at the office.
He received a good check-up in that he is now 15 lbs 8 oz and 27 inches long. As he didn't gain very much since his last appointment, we are to go back in six weeks. Jake has begun to spit up more the past month and he might have reflux, which is causing him to lose nutrients. Apparently the spitting up peaks about now, so we're waiting to see if it is really reflux before putting him on medication. Jake is a very active baby and is constantly moving (particularly his legs), so it doesn't surprise us that he burns a lot of calories.
He also received the last round of two shots and an oral vaccination. For the first shot he didn't make a sound but he did cry for a few minutes with the second shot.
We also were educated about how to start him on solids. It was a lot of information on how to increase the amount and introduce new items and at what times. It was a big education for us!
Jake is really getting the hang of sitting up and later in the evening he was sitting "tripod" style for close to a minute. The doctor said his back is very strong and he'll be sitting by himself in no time.
Since Jake likes to be outside so much and he is so fair, Becca decided to get him a baseball cap for when we go outside. We put it on him today, and he looked so funny in the hat. It's a little too big, but with the rate Jake is growing, it will fit him soon. His ears stuck out some, but it was precious!
Christian has had a sore throat for the past couple of days, so he's been staying away from Jake as much as possible so he doesn't breath on him and get him sick. We all don't want to get sick again from it passing around! Fortunately, Christian is starting to feel better so he can be around Jake more.
Jake is six months old today! It is amazing how quickly time flies. To reflect on the last six months, Jake has grown and developed so much. Jake and Christian called Becca today and left her a voicemail. Jake was in very talkative mood after his bath this evening, and Christian wanted Becca to hear Jake.
While Becca was gone, she received emails from Jake, with the "help" of Christian and BeBe. In one of the emails Jake himself typed it and BeBe translated it to say "I love you and miss you."
Jake has slept a lot this week. His days have been full of sleep! Maybe he is going through a growth spurt again. It is amazing that after taking a long nap, he'll take another one. It has been like this for the past few days.
Becca went on a work trip again, this time to Chicago. Fortunately it is a shorter one and she will be back on Friday. Jake hasn't gone through the separation anxiety stage yet, so he seems to be fine when she's gone. It's harder for Becca to be away from Jake!
Christian worked out in the front yard today, so Becca brought out the blanket so she and Jake could spend some time with him. Jake was staring at the grass for a long time. Then he laid on his back and just keep looking at the tree branches swaying in the breeze. He loved being outside. We didn't stay out for too long as he has very fair skin like his parents!
Jake is making a lot of progress in learning how to sit on his own. His neck strength is very strong and beginning the last couple of days, he has started to sit tripod style, which is the first step in him being able to sit by himself. Jake practiced sitting once we came inside, and he is able to hold it for a while before he tips over.
Jake isn't able to crawl yet, but he is showing signs of wanting to and the frustration of not being able to. He is inching along but doesn't have the coordination yet to fully crawl.
Jake's hair is also started to grow back in. It's hard to tell what color it is because in different lights it looks either light brown or blonde with a reddish tint. He still has his "mullet" at the nape of his neck where that hair never feel out. It will be interesting to see what happens to his hair.
Jake is still sleeping through the night, and it is almost easy to forget the earlier months when we were up every few hours. Jake typically takes one long morning nap, a shorter nap mid-day, and a medium to long nap in the afternoon. Depending on how tired he is, he'll take another short nap early evening. We're hoping to kick that last nap here soon for a couple of reasons. Selfishly, it happens right after Becca and Christian get home from work so we don't get to spend as much time with Jake in the evening. Also, by this age, Jake should not be having such a late nap.
After two busy weekends in a row, it was very nice to stay at home as a family. We did go to Chili's for an early dinner, which is the first time the three of us have gone out for dinner. Of course, Jake didn't eat anything, but he enjoyed watching everyone in the restaurant. He has become so alert now. It's almost a bad thing because he should have fallen asleep for a nap while we were out, but he fought it so he could watch all of the activity. Jake is a creature of habit and is very used to his routine.
Since Jake ate a little earlier than usual, we woke him up to feed him before we went to bed. He was very upset with us and ended up not eating at all. It took us a while to coax him to go back to sleep. We decided we would no longer "sleep nurse" him and after his fifth feeding of the day, we would not wake him back up to eat even if he eats a little earlier than usual.
It was going to happen sooner or later, and today was Becca's first trip away for work. She traveled to Phoenix and was able to say goodbye to Jake before she left. It was so hard for her to be away from him, but he seemed to be doing fine as she headed off to the airport. The day went well, too, but it was a typical day for him.
Today was a very special day as Jake was baptized at our church. The timing was perfect as he woke up from his morning nap in time to get ready and make it to the church. He did very well as Reverand Watson held him and baptized him and then showed him off to the congregation. Jake was kicking his feet the whole time, which is normal for him as the only time he is not moving is when he's sleeping. As the sermon started, he got a little fussy and Becca held him out in the lobby. He feel asleep right as the last song started.
Once we got home, Jake woke up and took pictures with all of the family members that came for his special day. We had a great lunch that BeBe cooked and then with the help of his cousins, Hailey and Jenna, Jake's presents were opened. The family members gave Jake such special gifts. He went down for a long nap then and many left. Stacie, Hailey, and Jenna stayed for a while and so did Uncle Kyle, BeBe, and MeMaw as Doc had to take Aunt Jana to the airport. Jake enjoyed playing with them once he woke up.
In the early evening, Jake had fun with Christian on the floor as they played together. It was amazing that Jake was able to keep his white outfit from getting dirty!
Once Jake got up this morning, we headed over to BeBe and Doc's. Aunt Jana arrived from Memphis late the night before and Jake had not seen her since Christmas. We played at the house and then the great grandparents arrived for a great lunch that BeBe cooked. We celebrated Kyle's birthday and Jake enjoyed smiling at Grannybee, Granddaddy, and MeMaw. While we were at the Yarbrough house, Doc checked out Jake's teeth to see their progress.
In the evening, the Abbates arrived to spend the night as Jake is being baptized tomorrow. Jake enjoyed seeing Grammy, Grampaw, Aunt Abigail, and Aunt Rebecca once he woke from a long late nap. They gave him very nice Easter presents and we all three received handpainted ceramic eggs with our names on them.
Becca took a vacation day and headed to the Yarbrough lakehouse with BeBe and MeMaw. Doc met us there and Uncle Kyle and Christian got there in the evening after work. Jake was just memerized by the water. He sat on the dock with Becca and just stared at the moving water. Jake has always liked to be outside and he loved the breeze that was blowing. Jake feel asleep in his new crib that BeBe and Doc got for the lakehouse before Uncle Kyle got there. It was strange for the three of us to all be sleeping in one room again after Jake has been in his own room for so long.
Becca and Jake are feeling better, but it appears that BeBe now has the cold.
Some new changes came today for Jake. The first was the swing that Doc put up on the back porch. Jake loves to swing at Doc and BeBe's and now he has his own swing at home. Jake smiles and smiles and laughs and squeals when he's swinging.
The other change is that Jake will only be feeding from a bottle now. With his teeth coming in, he's been biting everything, and it was only time that he decided to bite Becca, too. Due to the horrible pain it caused and since it doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon, Jake will only be feeding from bottles. He was feeding half the time from the bottle, anyway, so it isn't too much of a difference. Jake will continue to get breast milk, but it will come in the form of a bottle.
After Becca and Christian got home from Sunday School (BeBe watched Jake for us), we loaded up Jake and went to visit the Yarbrough great-grandparents. Jake was content sitting in Grannybee's and then Granddaddy's laps. He kept looking around at all of the clocks and things in their house. He started to get tired, so we brought him on home.
Jake didn't take his usual long naps today, and it appears his teeth were hurting him. Doc examined them and some upper teeth are stating to come through. By looking at his gums, you can see that more lower teeth will be popping through soon, too. While he was on the activity mat this afternoon, we got some good pictures that show his bottom teeth.
In the evening, we went out to eat. The restaurant took a long time, but Jake did fine. We had to take him out of his infant carrier for a bit as he gets tired of being in it. He kept looking around the restaurant and was cooing and laughing at us.
Eddie, Vanessa, and Trevor Cheng came over for another playdate. When they arrived, Jake was sleeping. He was taking a long nap as he was out running errands with BeBe and Becca earlier in the day and did not get his usual naps in. While we were out running errands, we put Jake in the Baby Bjorn again, and he really likes being able to see what is going on.
After the Chengs arrived, we ate dinner first and Trevor had so much fun in Jake's jumperoo that he feel asleep. Christian woke Jake up from his nap so that he could see Trevor, and Jake was not very happy until after he ate. About that time, Trevor was getting tired so it was time for him to go home. It was great having dinner with Eddie and Vanessa and hopefully next time Jake and Trevor will be content at the same time.
After they left, we took severa pictures of Jake, and he didn't mind posing at all!
Jake's two teeth are starting to be more visible, especially when he smiles. The past couple of days they did not appear to bother him, but tonight we could tell they were hurting him so we gave him some Children's Tylenol.
It also looks like his hair is growing back in. Close to his ears and neck the hair appears thicker and it looks like there is more hair on the top of his head.
Jake did well again last night except he woke up at 5:00 am to eat but went back to bed. Still, he is sleeping at least 7 hours during the night, which is wonderful.
The new thing that occurred today was Jake kept grabbing his feet and pulling them towards his mouth. We knew this was going to happen soon as we noticed the last couple of days he was trying to grab his feet. He got it down today and constantly pulled his feet as close as possible to his mouth (and sometimes in his mouth).
Jake slept well last night. He went down about 9:30 pm and stayed asleep until about 6:30 am. He did move around a lot about 3:00 am, but he settled himself down and went back to sleep. Tonight was the second night in a row in which Becca only fed him once at night instead of twice. For the past two days, he has decreased his feeding times by one each day.
He also went to the mall with BeBe. They went around the whole mall, and he loved looking out from his stroller. Jake is very alert, and it shows when he "people watches."
Jake did so well last night. He ate at 8:00 pm and went to bed a little bit later. Then he slept until 6:30 this morning!
Christian was off of work for Presidents' Day, so he and Jake spent all day together. They played in the morning (and Jake fell asleep on the couch) and then they drove downtown to visit Becca at work. Everyone at work thought Jake was the cutest baby, and he smiled and talked to them. Much different from when Becca and Jake visited the office when he was two months old and slept the whole time.
Today was the first time we tried out the Baby Bjorn, and Jake loved it! He has always liked to be up high and look down at people, and he really liked being able to view the world from up high.
Today we also noticed for the first time tears. Jake really wanted to eat tonight and was not happy with us trying to change his diaper first. Jake rarely cries, so when we noticed his eyelashes were wet for the first time, we realized that he had tears.
Jake went down at 9:45 pm last night and he slept straight through until 6:30 am. He went right back to bed after he ate and slept until 10:00 am. Then he took a 3 hour nap in the early afternoon. What a sleepy baby!
The good thing is, his teeth don't seem to be bothering him as much today. We'll be on the lookout for any more that may appear.
BeBe came over this morning to deliver Jake's Valentine's present from MeMaw - cute little boy clothes! She helped with the final set-up of the baby shower, which was great. Christian took Jake (and the dogs) to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Abbate's house for lunch and to visit. Jake enjoyed being with his great-grandparents and meeting his great-grandfather for the first time.
Later that day, Doc and BeBe stopped by to see the second tooth that is now coming in. It is right next to the other one, so now Jake has two teeth appearing. They do seem to be bothering him now as he keeps licking them with his tongue. They appear to bother him more in the evening because he gets more fussy. He tries to smile and then whines a bit. We gave him Children's Tylenol to help him with the pain.
After Christian and Becca got home from work, we celebrated Valentine's Day with Doc and BeBe. Jake had picked out a beautiful flower arrangement and cards for his parents (with BeBe's help). Jake got BeBe and Doc a card, too. He got from them some books and stuffed animals from the show Yo Gabba Gabba. Of course, they immediately went into his mouth.
Rebecca Story arrived later to spend the night for the baby shower she and Becca are giving tomorrow for Sara Campana. Rebecca was the photographer and captured great pictures of Jake's bath. It sure is a two person job!
This weekend was the first out of town overnight trip for Jake. After filling the car full of everything we could possibly need for one night away, we headed to Dallas to visit Christian's family. The car ride there took close to 5 hours due to needing to stop half way there. Jake did very good in the car. Becca sat in the backseat and played with him and they watched a Baby Einstein DVD. Jake got antsy a couple of times but was able to fall asleep.
Upon arriving in Dallas, we quickly got ready to go to the Sip 'N See that Grammy's friends gave her. Jake looked so cute in his outfit, and he did really well as different people held him. He did fall asleep on Becca's shoulder for 15 minutes, and he was up and smiling at people again after that.
In the evening, several of Christian's high school friends came over to meet Jake. Becca and Christian went out to eat with them and Grammy and Grampaw babysat Jake.
After a good night sleep, Jake enjoyed being with Aunt Abigail, Aunt Rebecca, Grammy, and Grampaw before it was time to head home. It took another 5 hours and Jake slept a lot more in the car on the way home, partly due to missing his longer naps the day before.
Jake started rolling to the other side now. He just loves to roll. We're getting used to him rolling to his tummy and sleeping on it every time we put him down.
Christian unexpectedly had to go out of town to San Antonio for work. Becca had a lot on her hands this evening handling Jake all on her own. It is so helpful to have two pairs of hands at night. The bath was the hardest - keeping Jake upright and bathing him. Everything went well this evening, but Becca is tired!
Jake gave Becca a great birthday present - he slept from 10:30 pm until 7:00 am. We are just so shocked that he is sleeping so well in his own room. Especially because he is still so active during the day and taking great naps.
Jake and Christian gave Becca a basket of beautiful flowers. BeBe cooked a birthday lunch and all of the grandparents came over to celebrate. Jake took a really long afternoon nap and woke up to find that Christian got him Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba, a TV show on Nick Jr. that Jake likes to watch on occasion. We played with Brobee and Jake watched some of the SuperBowl with Doc and Christian.
This evening we gave Jake a bath in his tub without using the slide support. While Becca held Jake sitting upright in the tub, Christian gave him a bath. Jake seemed to like being emersed in the water more and didn't cry this time.
Jake did so good last night in his bedroom! Since he last ate at 7:00 pm, we figured he would get up later. He woke up about midnight and after he ate, he slept until 6:30 am! It was amazing, and we haven't slept that well in forever. Although it was hard putting him in his room, it was nice not having to tiptoe around our room anymore.
Becca decided to go ahead and move Jake's clothes out of the closet downstairs and up to his closet. In the process of cleaning things out, she also packed up all of her maternity and post-baby wear. The pre-pregnancy clothes are starting to fit again, which is exciting.
In the evening, Ryan and Katie Cooper came over to meet Jake. We enjoyed spending time with them and eating dinner.
Today was a day of many firsts...
Becca had to drive to Austin for a quick meeting today, so BeBe and Jake came along to test out how Jake did in the car for a longer period of time. It was the first time Jake left the Houston area. On the way there, he did really well because we were able to transport him into his carrier without waking him up. Jake slept all the way there. However, on the way back he was not very happy. He had been in the carrier long enough and was getting frustrated. He also would not take a nap, which made him more cranky. Needless to say, we hope our trip to Dallas next weekend goes more smoothly than today, but it will be difficult since the trip will be longer.
We decided to try out Jake's bath tub this evening. We have continued with the sponge baths because Jake likes them so much and we wanted to wait until his neck was a little stronger before we put him in the bath. He didn't know what to think of it at first, and then he cried for a bit because the water was not as warm as it should have been. We learned some lessons for tomorrow night.
We also decided that we'd move Jake to his bedroom starting this weekend in case it did not go well. It was strange putting him in his crib this evening. Hopefully he will sleep well.
We went to the pediatrician today for Jake's four month appointment. He is very healthy and doing well. He is now 14 lbs, 4 oz (50th percentile) and is 25 3/4 inches long (75th percentile). When asked about how Jake is still waking up here and there when he rolls in the crib, the doctor told us it was time for Jake to sleep in his own room since babies have different sleep cycles than adults and we may be getting him up too early when he could go back to sleep on his own. The doctor also decided that since Jake is growing and doing well, we would hold off on starting cereal until he is six months old. Jake did very well at the appointment and just played and played. He is so active now! Things were going well until he got two shots.
The shots made him cranky the rest of the day, and it was not until the afternoon that he finally took a long nap. Becca worked from BeBe's house today so that she could go to the doctor appointment. To help calm Jake, BeBe gave him Doc's Dr. Pepper boxers to play with, and he ended up using them as a blanket later.
Even though Jake has progressed and is really rolling and rolling, he is now not sleeping well. Both during his naps and at nightime, he immediately rolls over to his tummy once we put him down. He thrashes around in his crib a lot and then cries. Sometimes he gets comfortable again, but he is pretty much waking up soon after falling asleep. We took the sleep positioner out of his crib because it is now in the way. The good thing is, his neck is getting a lot stronger, so we're not afraid that he may suffocate when he rolls onto his tummy.
Jake rolled completely over today all on his own. After continuing to practice this here and there all weekend, it finally happened tonight. Jake was only able to do it once, but that was in part to him being so tired from trying. The funny thing is, he really wants to get to his tummy but once there, he doesn’t know what to do. He’s also started to lift his head up more while on his tummy, which makes his neck even stronger. He flails his arms out to the side and Jake looks like a fish out of water.
This evening we went to visit Doc and BeBe so they could see Jake in action. While we were there, they went ahead and gave him his Valentine's Day present so he could get some use out of them - clothes. Jake now has some new red outfits, and one even has a heart on his behind.
Today we put Jake in his Bumbo Seat. While in it, he continued to lean forward and pull things to his mouth. His neck is getting stronger and stronger. We also watched Jake continue to try to roll from his back to his tummy. Christian kept helping him do this and showing him how to get his arm out from under him.
Jake’s new thing is while he is laying on his back, he kicks his legs up and then rolls over to his side (usually his right side). He first liked to lie on his side and then he started to roll a little bit more as if he’s trying to get to his stomach.
In the afternoon, Doc put together the activity center at Doc and BeBe’s house, and Jake got to try it out. His neck needs to be a little stronger before he can be in the center on his own.
In the evening, Doc, BeBe, MeMaw, and Jake met Becca and Christian at a Mexican food restaurant for dinner. Jake got antsy in his infant carrier after a while, and Doc held him while the rest of us ate. Jake wore his new overall outfit that his cousins Hailey and Jenna Schnabel gave him for Christmas, and he looked so cute. We took several pictures of him in his new outfit.
Jake slept until 4:30 this morning. For the last several weeks the time we’ve been getting up during the night pushed back from 2:30 am to 3:30, and today was an hour later! Jake really is sleeping through the night in technical terms as he’s sleeping for 6 hours. This is great, and we’re looking forward to him sleeping even longer in the morning.
While sitting, Jake is starting to lean forward and pull things to him. His neck is getting stronger as he pulls himself forward. Anything he has in his hands always ends up in his mouth these days.
Jake started a new thing Sunday evening, and it’s continued. When Jake wakes up during the night and first thing in the morning, it’s been hard to tell when he’s really up. He will thrash around in the Pack ‘N Play, and we try to determine if he’s between sleep cycles or actually waking up. Now he’s letting us know by talking to us. He makes cute baby sounds as if he’s trying to tell us that he’s awake and it’s time for us to get up. It’s very helpful and also cute to hear.
Today Jake went and did errands with BeBe and MeMaw. While BeBe ran in and out of different places, MeMaw stayed in the car with Jake.
Jake really enjoys playing on his pallet. He lays on his back and hugs Wolf and bring him to his mouth. He so enjoys being on his pallet and activity mat that he now has a small bald spot on the back of his head. We’ve also noticed that the hair on the top of his head is thinning.
In the evening, Sarah Acord and her mom came to meet Jake. They were in town from and brought dinner over and we spent time together. It was so nice to see both of them, and Jake enjoyed being held by both of them.
We had a really good weekend. Jake is doing so well at night. He's not always making it to normal waking hours, but if he does get up during the night, it is getting closer and closer to 4 am. He's also continuing to take better naps during the day, too. It has been so interesting to see him continue to grasp for things and pull them to his mouth. He also loves to "talk" to us. He studies our mouths and then utters sounds back to us like he's having a conversation with us.
Christian and Becca went back to Sunday School for the first time since Jake was born. Due to the cold weather, Jake's age, and so many people being sick right now, we were not thrilled about putting him in the nursery. BeBe and Doc were great and they came over to babysit while we went to Sunday School.
Today BeBe had a hair appointment, and Jake went along. MeMaw came as well to help out in case Jake needed some hands on assistance. While they were at the appointment, Jake played with his laptop and learned that if he hit the colorful buttons, the music would play. We've been hitting them for him, but he discovered how to do this on his own. He entertained himself with his laptop and acted like a good boy at the appointment.
After work, we met BeBe, Doc, and Jake for dinner. Jake is doing so well out in public. He really likes to look around at all the goings on and he behaves very well. We'll see what happens once he is able to start moving around more!
In the morning, Jake had some fun in his new jumperoo he got for Christmas. We have to watch him as his neck is almost strong enough for it. He needs to grow another inch for him to be able to touch the ground on his own. He did like being in it, though.
Today we gathered at Grannybee and Granddaddy's for the Yarbrough Christmas. We enjoyed a good lunch and then we opened presents. Jake got to meet his cousin Corey for the first time. Jake was still tired from his previous Christmas gatherings and feel asleep on Doc's shoulder. We had a nice time all being together.
That evening, Aunt Jana played with Jake before she left the next day to go back to Memphis. He loves his toy computer and looking at himself on the TV from the items we filmed earlier that day.
Today was a big day, and Jake's first Christmas. Santa visited our house last night and even left cookie crumbs on the plate Jake left for him. Jake had a book in his stocking and a 4-in-1 rider from Santa. He also opened up gifts from us. Jake gave Becca a heart locket that says "Mom" on it and Jake gave Christian a calendar with his pictures on it and an Iphone.
After opening up presents at our house, we went to BeBe and Doc's and celebrated Christmas there. Jake got a toy computer from Uncle Kyle, and he absolutely loved it. He was cooing and smiling all morning while he played with his computer. He also got some more big toys from BeBe and Doc that he will be able to play with soon.
We then went over to MeMaw's and opened presents there. Jake feel asleep when we were opening presents and woke up at the end to get to open his. He did so well for such a big day. We had lunch with Grannybee and Granddaddy when they came over after opening presents. Later that day we had fun playing the Wii while Jake took a long nap.
Like in previous years on Christmas Eve, we had Christmas with the Schnabels at MeMaw's. We all opened our stockings, and Jake got several items for when he starts eating solids. After taking several pictures, we watched the Schnabel group open their presents. Jake did very well, and he enjoyed watching Hailey and Jenna open their presents. They even gave him a very cute pair of overalls, and we can't wait to see him in them.
That evening we went over to BeBe and Doc's. Uncle Kyle and Becca read a book to Jake and he even got a bath from BeBe. We also plugged in the video camera from what Christian filmed that day, and Jake enjoyed seeing himself on the TV.
This morning Christian and Becca took Jake to the pediatrician for his two week follow-up due to his jaundice. We had to wait a while due to the holiday week. While we waited, Christian read and re-read several books to Jake, which kept him entertained. During the follow-up, the pediatrician stated that Jake looked well and we would not have to go for another blood test. Now Jake does look more like us with fair skin. Although the olive complexion was pretty, it really didn't match us. We also found out that Jake weighs 12 pounds 15 ounces. He sure is getting to be a big boy!
Becca continued to go through all of her work emails for the rest of the day, and Christian watched Jake since he was off work. That afternoon, Rebecca Story and Sara Campana came over to visit Jake. It was fun for Rebecca, Sara, and Becca to get together as the three of us are never in the same city at the same time.
Becca started back to work today. Fortunately since it is a holiday week, she got to work from home and get caught up on her 900+ emails from when she was out. Becca and Jake went over to BeBe's for the day so that Aunt Jana could watch Jake while Becca worked.
That evening Lauren Tawney came over to see Jake and go out to eat with Becca. It was fun for the two of them to spend time together, and Christian took care of Jake while they were out.
This morning we celebrated Christmas with Grammy, Grampaw, Aunt Abigail, and Aunt Rebecca. After breakfast we opened presents and Jake was all smiles. It was nice with the intimate atmosphere we had with just Christian's immediate family.
Shortly after noon we headed to Tom and Sue Abbate's house for the Abbate Christmas. Jake started getting fussy in the car and he had a bottle soon after we got there. After the big events the previous day and getting very little sleep, Jake was exhausted. Fortunately Grammy held him and helped him fall asleep. While we ate and did the gift exchange, Jake was asleep in his bouncer, and he stayed asleep after everyone had left.
Once we woke up, we stopped by BeBe and Doc's on the way home since Uncle Kyle and Aunt Jana had just gotten into town and were anxious to see Jake. Jake loves to play on his activity mat, and he showed them just how good he is at hitting the toys that hang. He also likes to push off your hands and slide across the floor on his back.
Today we started our Christmas gatherings as the Christian side of the family had their Christmas. We headed to Stafford to Janet and David Piwonka's house in the afternoon. It was great to see everyone again, and Jake even got to see Santa when he stopped by! Jake did not take a very long nap before we headed to the gathering, and he got a brief one during the gift exchange. Needless to say, he was very tired and Becca and Jake headed home a little early along with Aunt Abigail. Abigail was very helpful and gave Jake a bottle and helped with his bath.
Today Jake and Becca went to Doc and BeBe's for the day. Becca starts work again on Monday, so we decided to head to the grandparents for the day since it would be the last time to do so. While we were there, BeBe read books to Jake. He is really getting interested in books and he will follow along on the pages. He will be another bookworm in the family taking after Becca and BeBe! We put Jake in the Baby Bumbo seat since his neck is getting stronger. It'll be a bit longer before he can really start to use it.
Jake is doing a lot better getting used to sleeping in his crib during the day. It's still a new concept, but it's getting better. It's nice that he is taking several naps during the day now; however, they are still only cat naps. Hopefully they'll get longer!
Jake is really only getting up once during the night, usually around 2:00 or 2:30. It's nice to have only one feeding during the night now.
Wow - Jake must have been really tired after his short naps yesterday. After feeding at 7:45 pm and going to sleep about 10 pm (he fought it for 30 minutes) he did not wake up again until 4:45 am!!! He did go to sleep after that feeding, and it took him only 15 minutes. He woke up again at 9:00 am. I doubt we'll have another night like this, but we'll see.
We were unable to really try having him go down in the crib for his naps today as Becca had several errands she had to do to get ready for the holidays. Jake took two long naps in his infant carrier, so we'll see how that will affect him tonight.
While we were out, we stopped at Doc's office and we visited MeMaw at the hospital since she volunteers on Wednesdays.
Jake did great last night - he was really tired, so that might have been why it was not difficult for him to fall asleep on his own. One difference was that he woke up for a final feeding after his bath. We thought the biggest issue would be when he wakes up around 2:30 am for a feeding. He did wrestle around (but didn't cry) for about 30 minutes before falling asleep. It seems we'll have an easier time at night but a harder time during the day.
Which brings us to today - Jake did take a few cat naps in his Pack 'N Play today, but he fought going to sleep each time. Only once did he scream and cry. The other times he would shout out and wrestle around, but he did go to sleep after about 20 minutes. He did play a trick on Becca making her think he had a wet diaper when he didn't. So we check his diaper before putting him down so we know for sure he is dry.
As mentioned several times, Jake has issues with naps during the day. He is now taking more regular naps during his sleep/eat/play routine, which is great. However, if we are at home and not out and about where he can sleep in his infant carrier in the car, he fights taking naps. He'll finally fall asleep on your shoulder after fighting for a while. Since he is learning how to self soothe, it is time for him to learn to go to sleep on his own. Today we started the sleep experiment - using the Ferber method, we'll put Jake in his crib while he is sleepy but not fully asleep. If he is crying, we'll check on him after 5 minutes and then wait 10 minutes, etc., adding 5 minute increments each time.
We will probably get him going with this new routine only for it to be interrupted by the holidays and family members taking turns holding Jake. Then Jake will have to relearn it again. We need to start him on this schedule due to his age and since Becca will be going back to work soon.
We started the "fun" at BeBe's house during the day. Since he'll be going over to her house a lot once Becca goes back to work, he needs to get used to the crib there. Jake was not happy - he screamed and cried each time we put him down in the morning and early afternoon. He seemed to finally start getting the hang of it later in the day, but it still took him about 15 minutes of wrestling to go to sleep. We'll see how tonight goes...
Also, starting this week Jake is getting one bottle each day and next week two bottles each day so when Becca goes back to work, he'll be used to taking a bottle and he will be up to three bottles a day.
Jake did great again last night - he did not wake up again after his bath until 2:30 in the morning. The first part of the afternoon, we went over to Sanita and Scott Pinchback's house to visit them.
In the early evening, we headed over to Eddie and Vanessa Cheng's house. Their son Trevor is 6 days older than Jake, and the last time the two kids had a playdate, they were both sleeping practically the whole time. Today was completely different, and it is amazing to see how active they are getting. While the parents took turns eating, Trevor and Jake first stared at each other and then played together on the activity mat. Trevor showed Jake how to hit the hanging toys, and they had fun together.
We had a very successful night! Just like the previous night, Jake did not wake up again after his bath until early morning. He slept for 5 hours before waking up around 2:30 am. After feeding and going back to sleep, Jake woke up again at 7:30 am. Becca is on cloud nine as this was the first night since Jake was born that she handled him completely on her own.
Becca was going to help BeBe bake Christmas goodies, but Jake had some other plans. He did not sleep much during the day today and Becca put on a Christmas cartoon, and Jake stared at it intently for over an hour. Once Doc got home from his trip to check on things at the lake house, he held Jake for a while which helped Jake finally take a nap. Once Christian got back home, we went to Granddaddy’s to visit him today, and he enjoyed seeing Jake smile back at him.
Last night was a first! After Jake had his bath and fell asleep, we expected him to wake up again for his final feeding of the night. However, last night when he went down after his bath, he didn’t wake up again until 5 hours later meaning he went for 6.5 hours without needing to be fed. Jake tricked us as we usually go to sleep after the final feeding, and last night we didn’t expect his final feeding to be the one before his bath. It appears we are getting on a better schedule now. Each morning he wakes up around 7 am and since he is now going at least 3 hours between feedings, his feeding times are becoming more typical which helps with scheduling.
Christian’s sister Rebecca is graduating from A&M tomorrow, so he went to College Station after work. Becca and Jake went to Doc and BeBe’s to spend the night. In the evening, we went with BeBe, Doc, and MeMaw to Outback to eat. Jake used to sleep when we went to restaurants, but he is more awake and active now. He sat and watched us for a while before finally drifting off.
When we got back to their house, Doc played with Jake for a while and Jake was smiling a lot. Then BeBe gave him a bath and Doc put him down. Hopefully tonight will be a better night than the last time we spent the night at Doc and BeBe’s!
Jake and Becca went with BeBe to visit BeBe’s former library at Katy Junior High. The book fair was in full swing this week, so we went to pick out some books for Jake and to show him where BeBe used to work. The faculty thought Jake was precious. He did really well and after a bit of meeting people, he decided to fall asleep.
We went to eat lunch and run some errands in the afternoon. While in the car, Jake likes to look out the windows and move his head from side to side as he takes in everything. Sara Campana stopped by to see Jake and how much he has grown since he was first born.
Jake also slept really well last night. Our typical routine is for him to eat, get a bath, and shortly thereafter he goes down one last time before waking up for his “last” feeding. He has on average been sleeping for about 4 hours and getting up once during the night to feed. Last night after his final feeding, he slept close to 6 hours before waking up.
We learned that Jake really likes watching TV. We had previously noticed that he was like his Dad in that Christian can get somewhat distracted when the TV is on. In the last several weeks, we have caught Jake also looking at the TV. During the day he got a little bit fussy and was acting like it was time to eat; however, the pediatrician told us that he should be going at least 3 hours between feedings now. So Becca put Jake in his bouncer and turned on a Baby Einstein DVD. The DVD is for 3 months and up, and since Jake is close to that age, Becca thought she’d at least try it. Jake loved watching the DVD! He even made sounds and smiled some during the viewing.
We received a call from the doctor’s office letting us know that his biliruben count was lower – 8.0. We are to go back in two weeks to check on the status of his jaundice. Jake’s face is becoming more rosy now and the whites of his eyes seem brighter than before.
In the evening, we went to a Mexican food restaurant where our church group, Faith Mates, had their Christmas party. Today was really cold, and it even snowed in some parts of Houston. Jake was all bundled up so he wouldn’t get cold, and he cried all the way to the restaurant due to his cap. He did very well at the party and fell asleep at first and then watched the events from his carrier. It was great to see our church group again as we have not had the opportunity to attend Sunday School since Jake was born.
We were out early today with Jake’s follow-up pediatrician appointment due to his jaundice. During our wait, Jake got in his “Thinker” pose with his hand under his chin. Jake is now 12 pounds 6 ounces with a length of 24.5 inches. He is really growing and getting long! We went to the lab to have the blood test conducted and since last time they drew a lot of blood last time and his liver is fine, they only had to do the heel prick this time. Jake had the heel prick conducted a lot during his first few weeks, and he was out cold each time. Since he is more active now, he was wide awake during the prick and he did not like it at all.
After the blood test, we met MeMaw for lunch. Due to the earlier events, Jake took a long nap for a good part of the afternoon.
Jake and Becca spent all day at the house. It was a good day in that Jake is starting to be on a regular schedule of eating, playing, and then sleeping. We’ve had many issues with Jake not taking “regular” naps during the day and staying up a long time. Although we don’t want him to get used to only falling asleep in his sling, Becca started using it more today and Jake will fall asleep in it. This leaves Becca the opportunity to have her hands free and do things while Jake is sleeping.
Jake has gone from observing people's mouths to opening his to smiling. Now he is trying to talk. He opens his mouth wide and plays with his tongue, trying to form words. He hasn't uttered any sounds yet, but we're sure it will happen soon. BeBe and Doc stopped by this evening, and he was all smiles and trying to talk to them. We'll have a talker on our hands soon! Jake also got to show BeBe the onesie she gave him that states "Who needs Santa when you have Grandma." We are pretty sure Jake will be a little spoiled here for his first Christmas.
Jake went to his first Christmas party today. He went with Becca to Challie Wilson's Christmas brunch and ornament exchange. Although he was awake at the beginning, he slept for most of the party. Once we got back home, he continued his napping and then we went to Sanita and Scott Pinchback's new house to see it all decorated. While Sanita was giving us the tour, Jake laid on Scott and took in the new house.
After several days of taking only a few cat naps during the day, it was good to see Jake taking longer naps. He did spit up several times today, which is not normal for him but he seems to be okay. Due to him spitting up, he had the opportunity to wear several of his Christmas outfits.
Becca dressed up Jake in his Christmas outfit that MeMaw gave him in order to pose him for pictures. He did really well propped up against the couch and looked at the camera.
This was the second day in a row in which Jake fought taking naps during the day. He had a few cat naps, but nothing for very long. Possibly due to this, Jake slept the longest he ever has at night for the second night in a row. Night before last he slept for 6.5 hours before waking up and last night he slept for 6 hours before waking up. Hopefully the night sleep will become more consistent, but we do want him to take naps during the day, too!
Jake and Becca went to BeBe's for the day, and MeMaw came over to visit. Jake sure is "talking" and is making faces and smiling more, particularly in the morning and evening.
In the evening, BeBe went with Becca and Jake to the mall and met Christian in order to take our family Christmas portrait. While the three of us posed, BeBe acted funny so that Jake would look toward the camera. Jake did so well during the session! Although he didn't smile, he was wide awake and held his head up for many of the pictures. This was amazing because one month earlier during his one month pictures he was asleep through the entire session.
We went to Chili's today to celebrate Granddaddy's 89th birthday. Jake was wide awake during lunch and at the end fell asleep on BeBe's shoulder. He sat next to Granddaddy in the booth so that he could help celebrate his birthday.
In the afternoon, Christian played with Jake while Becca put out all of the Christmas decorations. We are looking forward to celebrating Jake's first Christmas!
After posing for the Yarbrough Christmas picture, the family went to MeMaw's to eat Thanksgiving leftovers. We then decorated the Yarbrough Christmas tree since Aunt Jana and Uncle Kyle were home. Jake enjoyed spending time with Doc, BeBe, and Aunt Jana when Christian and Uncle Kyle went to see a movie. In the evening, we decided we were done with the turkey and we went and ate Mexican food. Unfortunately, Jake decided to get hungry a little earlier than expected, and we got to experience his wailing all the way home in the car.
Jake had a great first Thanksgiving! He was very lucky because both sides of the family were together for the holiday. Grampaw, Grammy, Aunt Abigail, and Aunt Rebecca traveled from Dallas to MeMaw’s and had Thanksgiving lunch with Doc, BeBe, Aunt Jana, Uncle Kyle, Grannybee, Granddaddy, Christian, Becca, and Jake. Jake watched the activities in his cradle swing during lunch and then finally fell asleep for a long nap late afternoon. He enjoyed having his family together for the day.
Unfortunately, Jake finally fell asleep when Christian's family went to visit his grandparents and was not able to go with them. The Yarbrough family also decorated MeMaw's tree while Jake slept the afternoon away.
Since Christian had work today and Kyle came in town for the holidays, Becca and Jake went over to the Yarbrough’s to visit. Jake enjoyed seeing Uncle Kyle and being taken outside by him. He also fell asleep on Doc’s shoulder and smiled away at BeBe and Aunt Jana.
Jake is doing really well during the nights. For about a week now, he has immediately gone back to sleep after his nighttime feedings. We still have to get up at least once during the night, but he is initially going down easily and then sleeping for usually about 4 hours before waking up.
Jake went to his first movie today! At the Alamo Drafthouse, the first showing on Tuesdays is for kids and babies get in free. Jake, Becca, BeBe, and Jana went and saw Bolt, although Jake slept through most of the movie until the last 20 minutes.
Later that afternoon, Jake, Becca, BeBe, Jana, and MeMaw went to a barbecue restaurant and got ice cream.
We also got a call from the doctor about Jake’s blood test. It appears that he is still slightly jaundice with a bilirubin rate of 11.5, what he had a month ago. Fortunately his liver is functioning properly and it looks like he does have breast milk jaundice. We have an appointment for two more weeks to see the doctor again about next steps if he still has jaundice.
Today was Jake’s two-month doctor appointment. All went well and it was confirmed that Jake is growing like a weed! He is now 11 lbs and 7 oz with a height of 22 ¾ inches and a head circumference of 16. Jake did very well as he got five vaccinations. He received two shots and an oral dose. Since Jake is breastfed, he is now to start taking a vitamin – Polyvisol with iron. It was brought up that Jake’s eyes had a slight yellow tint to them, so a blood test was ordered to make sure his liver is functioning properly. Jake did so well with the blood test! Instead of the heel prick he has endured in the past, he had a real blood test in the arm with a big vial that had to be filled. Of course he screamed like crazy, and he fell asleep as soon as it was over. Thankfully he won’t have any memories of all the pain he went through today!
Christian, Becca, and Jake visited Doc and BeBe in the afternoon and ate a great dinner that BeBe cooked. Jana enjoyed getting to play with Jake, and we even got one of Jake’s smiles on camera. Jake has begun to smile more and more with each passing day. Then he goes back to his “thinker” mode with his furrowed eyes.
Jana arrived in town from for holidays. Christian babysat Jake for most of the day while Jana, BeBe, and Becca did a little bit of shopping and then went to a movie. It was the longest time Becca had been away from Jake. Of course, she called Christian a couple of times to check in, and hearing Jake “talking” in the background made her miss him even more.
Later that afternoon, Doc brought Granddaddy over on their way home from visiting Grannybee. For the first time, Granddaddy was able to see Jake’s eyes as he was actually awake during the visit.
In the evening, Doc, BeBe, MeMaw, Jana, Christian, Becca, and Jake went to eat Mexican food since Jana had arrived in town. Jake slept through the meal, which he usually does when he is in his infant carrier. He used to fall asleep immediately in the car but now he is staying awake for a bit and he will look out the window at everything passing by.
BeBe, Becca, and Jake went to a few shops to conduct some Christmas shopping. We must have worn Jake out as he fell asleep on Becca’s shoulder that afternoon. Jake loves to first fall asleep on your shoulder and then we transfer him to his swing or the Pack ‘N Play.
BeBe, MeMaw, Jake, and Becca went to Brookwood today. It was Jake’s first official meal out during regular meal hours and actually inside a restaurant. We had a good time in the tearoom and everyone thought Jake was precious. Everyone knew Jake’s name as his burp cloth was embroidered with it, so the customers kept saying, “Hi, Jake.”
In the afternoon, Melissa and Hannah Swint came over to visit along with Melissa’s mom. Melissa and Hannah are in town from for the holidays. It was so good to see them again. As usual, Jake slept through their visit. It was amazing to see how much Jake will grow over the next few months, as Hannah is 8 months old, and she was very active during their visit. Hannah is a very happy baby and was excited to see Jake.
Jake went to BeBe’s this morning as we had new carpet installed in our living room. We decided to go with something darker to help “hide” things in the future as Jake gets older. While with BeBe, Jake had a bottle and handled it well. Early in the evening, Becca and Jake went to dinner at Friday’s with BeBe, Theresa McMeans, and Pat Madden. As usual, Jake slept the entire time in his infant carrier.
We had a tough night as it appears Jake was growing through a growth spurt. Needless to say, we got very little sleep.
Christian's immediate family came in town today for the Family Shower that was postponed due to Hurrican Ike. The shower was very nice, and Jake got to be around his family again. He has started staying awake in his car seat and looks outside, so he was awake on the drive and at the beginning of the party. Needless to say, he fell asleep shortly thereafter.
That evening, we got dressed up in white shirts in order to take pictures for Grammy and Grampaw's Christmas cards. It was nice to get pictures of all of us together.
Today was the first day that Jake smiled! For the past two weeks he has been staring at people's mouths and this week he began to open his mouth in a circle as he watches someone's mouth. This morning he opened his mouth wide and then turned the corners of his mouth upward into a smile. He did this four times! We had seen his spontaneous smile before such as when he was sleeping, but today was his first actual smile.
Jake had his first play date today with Trevor Cheng. We met Trevor and his mom Vanessa at La Finca so that we could eat outside. Trevor was born a week before Jake and Vanessa and Becca met during a childbirth class. Although it was his first play date, Jake slept the entire time. Trevor slept some too, but he was awake for part of the time. Maybe next time Jake will open his eyes and actually see Trevor.
Jake was a Baylor bear today. He had the shirt, pants, and socks to show how much of a fan he is. We really like putting Jake in pants or outfits with pants, which makes him look more like a boy instead of a newborn in onesies. Lauren Tawney stopped by in the afternoon to see Jake, and she couldn't believe how much he had grown.
Uncle Kyle came into town today as we will celebrate MeMaw's 82nd birthday tomorrow. He came over and was also astounded about Jake's growth. Kyle also commented on how he was able to actually see Jake's eyes since during his first couple of weeks he was always sleeping.
Jake is getting better about sleeping for longer periods during the night. We are trying to get in a routine each day of sleeping, eating, wake time, and then repeating the cycle. We do this each time except for during the night the wake time doesn't occur. It seems to be working okay, although there are some days in which Jake wants to go back to sleep after feeding. Jake's first real "wake up" time each day is around 6 am, so we're getting an early start each day. With this routine, it means we are only getting up once during the night to feed him.
After calling yesterday, we went to see Dr. Razak today due to a rash Jake developed on his neck, cheeks, and upper torso. The rash was first noticed a couple of days ago and since it is common for newborns to get small rashes that go away, we waited to call the doctor. But since it did not go away, we went to see Dr. Razak. Jake was diagnosed with cradle cap, which is very common for newborns. It was recommended to put ointment on the infected areas, which seems to already be working. While we were there, they measured Jake again, and he is growing like a weed! In just 9 days, he gained over a pound and is now 10 lbs 1 oz and 22 1/4 inches long. Not only is Jake's neck a lot stronger, he is also starting to push down with his legs if you are holding him upright.
Later that afternoon, Jake and Becca stopped by BeBe's to play for a bit. Once Doc got home, Jake immediately fell asleep on his shoulder.
Christian found that when Jake is fussy and he won't be consoled easily, he loves to listen to music. Christian brings him to the study and props him up on the Boppy pillow and plays different songs from ITunes. Jake has liked a variety of songs but so far likes Lion King the best. We also play the country music station on the TV and Jake enjoys listening to Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
Today Becca and Christian had their first "date" since Jake was born. Doc and BeBe came over and babysat while we went out to eat lunch. It was hard to leave Jake, but it was also good for us to get out and have an adult conversation.
Today Jake is four weeks old, and BeBe and Becca took him to get his picture taken. We had an appointment at a children's studio in the mall, and we brought along some of his own props - a teddy bear and a handmade quilt. Although we were hoping he would not be fussy during the session, we also hoped he would open his eyes. The good thing was, he wasn't fussy but he did sleep the entire time. As the photographer instructed, Becca held Jake and moved him every which way in order to get some great professional pictures.
Jake also got a bottle today due to being out for so long. Since he is not used to getting a bottle, we didn't know how he would react, but he inhaled the milk so quickly! It was good to see that he would take a bottle, but we also learned we have to slow down his intake from a bottle as he is used to getting to suck longer and he did not seem satisfied when the milk was gone from the bottle.
Today Jake and Becca decided to get out of the house again. The car was loaded up and Becca stopped and got sandwiches on the way to MeMaw's. We had lunch and then Jake played on a pallet on the floor for a while and tried to rollover again from his stomach to his back. After an exhausting afternoon, he fell asleep in his Take Along Swing.
We also got a call from the pediatrician's office to say that Jake's newborn screening came back successfully.
Today we dressed up Jake in an outfit with legs. It was the first time he was not in a onesie, and he sure looked like a little boy!
Today was the first day Becca was away from Jake. She quickly went to a craft show with BeBe and MeMaw, and Christian babysat Jake. For the majority of the time, Jake slept and Christian had it easy. Becca was sure to tell Christian that the experience he had was not the norm!
In the afternoon during "tummy time," Christian put Jake on his stomach on the pallet on the floor. It took him a few minutes and he was making a lot of unhappy noises during that time, but he was able to roll over from his stomach to his back. His neck is sure getting a lot stronger, and when he is on your shoulder you have to be careful about how he moves his head around.
Today was Jake's first day to play on the activity mat. He loves to look at the lights and listen to the music. He also stares at his reflection in the mirror that hangs from the mat. He will kick up his legs and arms like he is dancing to the music.
During the afternoon, Berye Jordan and Theresa McMeans came by to visit and brought wonderful food to eat.
We had a tough night last night as Jake is having a hard time going back to sleep after he nurses. Today Aunt Rebecca came from A&M for the day to visit Jake and see Grammy. Jake enjoyed his time with his aunt and being outside with her.
Christian put the stroller together so that we can go on walks around the neighborhood.
We got out again today so that Becca could have her 2 week check-up with Dr. Schmidt. Since Becca wasn't released to drive yet, BeBe and Jake came along. The office thought Jake was precious, and Dr. Schmidt was able to see him again since he was born. Dr. Schmidt took the tape off Becca's incision and Becca was told to be careful with lifting anything heavier than Jake.
Later that day, Sara Campana came over to meet Jake.
Today we decided to pose Jake in order to get a good picture for his birth announcements. BeBe and Becca first gave him a sponge bath as he is usually awake for a bit after the bath before going down for nap. Jake loves his "baby massage" which takes place after the bath when we put lotion on him due to his dry skin. We set up the background for the picture using his bedding that MeMaw gave him. Jake did so well posing for the pictures, and we got a great one.
Today was Jake's due date, but he was born approximately two weeks early.
Jake went to the doctor again today and he is now 8 lbs and 20 1/4 inches long. The doctor noticed the beginnings of diaper rash and gave us instructions on how to treat it. We then went to the lab for more blood tests. For the other blood tests, Jake had been sound asleep in Becca's lap and the foot pricks didn't bother him at all. Today he had a lot of blood drawn due to the jaundice test, newborn screening, and the Baylor screening. We decided to pay extra for the Baylor screening in order to test for 10 more items than the regular newborn screening. Jake's biliruben was down to 11.5 and we no longer need to get his blood checked.
Aunt Jana returned to Memphis today, and Jake and Becca rode in the car to the airport. Jake goes to sleep quickly in the car.
Today was a very long day. It started early by going to Dr. Razak's office to be checked again due to Jake's jaundice. Jake is back to his birth weight of 7 lbs 10 oz. We discussed Jake's dry skin as his hands and feet are no longer pruney but very dry. The blood test showed that the biliruben was down to 12.2, and we would need to do another blood test next week. After the check-up and blood test, we drove across town to the pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Wolfe. He talked to us for a long time and let us know that it is very common for babies to have heart murmurs and hopefully the reason for Jake's was due to a hole in the ventricle, which typically closes as the heart grows. After several sonograms, they determined that Jake has VSD - Ventricle Septum Defect - with 1 or 2 tiny holes in his heart. Dr. Wolfe did not seem concerned by it and Jake has no restrictions because of it. We are to go back to see Dr. Wolfe the first part of January.
BeBe and Doc brought all three great grandparents from Becca's side of the family over to visit. Grannydaddy, Grannybee, and MeMaw enjoyed getting to see Jake again. Later that evening Lauren and Mary Tawney came to visit Jake.
After very little sleep, we began our first full day with Jake in our lives. Grammy and Grampaw were able to see Jake briefly before needing to hit the road. Aunt Abigail was able to stay a bit longer and had the opportunity to hold Jake. Other visitors today included mainly family members with BeBe, Doc, and Uncle Kyle staying for the majority of the day. Great Aunt Laura and Great Uncle Doug brought Grannybee and Granddaddy to the hospital so they could meet their first great grandchild. MeMaw also came back to the hospital in order to hold her first great grandson. The pediatrician heard a slight heart murmur that they would continue to check. Jake also was circumcised today, and he continued to be very sleepy and we still haven't not seen him open his eyes! Later that day, Sanita Pinchback came back to the hospital to see Jake.
Things started out well but by morning, Jake was not reacting well to the inducement drugs. They were stopped and Becca was given oxygen to assist Jake. By first part of the afternoon, Becca had not continued dilating, and it was determined that Jake would be born via a c-section. Becca was quickly whisked off to the operating room and at 2:39 pm, Jake was born weighing 7 lbs 10 oz. with a length of 19 3/4 inches. After Becca recovered, she was checked into her room and Jake joined her and Christian around 6 pm that evening. He was soon taken to the nursery again due to the pediatrician, Dr. Razak, coming to check on him. Grammy, Grampaw, Aunt Abigail, Aunt Rebecca, BeBe, Doc, and Uncle Kyle met Jake and gifts were opened. Jake was very sleepy due to the delivery. Jake liked to keep one arm up and a hand by his face, which resembled the last few weeks of ultrasounds.
At 10 pm, Becca and Christian checked into the hospital in order for Becca to be induced. If all goes according to plan, Jacob Edward or "Jake" will be arriving by mid-day on the 26th.