Jac stood all by himself -- for about two seconds!
He was playing in his room and pulled himself up to grab a toy out of the toy box. He then lifted the toy with both hands to inspect it, letting go of the box. And there he stood, stable, for two seconds, before he lowered himself to his butt.
Good job, Jac!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Jac using his Baby Einstein to stand
Jac's ability to get to standing, and stand is improving, every day! His crawling and sitting are also improving but the standing, and maneuvering while standing are truly amazing to watch!
In this video he is using his Baby Einstein to stand! In the last post in which I mentioned the Baby Einstein Jac had just learned to roll over! That post was from May 6 and the video in which he is rolling over is from April 24th!
The Baby Einstein has very little structural stability, it is not really meant to be used the way Jac is using it! It is not providing much more then a guide for him to stand with, not a lot of stability or anything to really pull up with. It is amazing to watch!
In this video he is using his Baby Einstein to stand! In the last post in which I mentioned the Baby Einstein Jac had just learned to roll over! That post was from May 6 and the video in which he is rolling over is from April 24th!
The Baby Einstein has very little structural stability, it is not really meant to be used the way Jac is using it! It is not providing much more then a guide for him to stand with, not a lot of stability or anything to really pull up with. It is amazing to watch!
Eating is becoming "normal"
Jac and I went to Real D today to have lunch with Daddy. While Daddy ate, Jac sat on the table, and ate with him. Jac had Crunchies and water and Daddy had a sandwich and water.
It is all becoming so normal, so fast. Amazing!
I think next week when we go to see Jac's OT we are going to need to find out which foods would be good for Jac next as he already seems to be getting bored with the Crunchies! He doesn't seem to really take to any of the pureed baby foods very well. It doesn't seem like the texture bothers him, just that he doesn't seem really into the flavors. He will take a little bit of them and then he is done. The Crunchies hold his interest much longer although he does start flinging those after a bit also!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
All is well with No. 2 - estimated to be 5.87 lbs now
No. 2 is doing just fine! Still a little ahead in terms of size. The doctor's estimate from the ultrasound is that he now weighs 5.87 pounds! The weird thing for me is I know exactly what a 5 pound baby looks like, and I know what a 34 week old baby looks like and it is a little weird to imagine that! floating around in a sac in my belly!
I passed my gestational diabetes test - not with flying colors - but without any worries. My blood pressure is holding steady at 122/68. The doctor is most concerned about the bottom number which should not go over 90. After a little scare where I was in the low 80s a couple weeks ago I have been holding steady in the upper 60s which is great!
I am going to continue the Lovenox and baby aspirin until September 16th. We have decided that I am going to have another C-section. The doctor and I decided this after much thought on my part and discussion. The doctor is concerned that because Jac was born so early and so small that when I had my first C-section they have to have cut through the muscle of my uterus, rather than lower in my uterus, which they would have done if he had been bigger, and further along. This means that I am at increased risk for a uterine rupture if I labor with No. 2. So, we have decided that is better for me to have another C-section. I have pretty much made my peace with this decision as the safest for all of us.
The C-section is scheduled for Oct. 1, so unless I go into labor on my own before this No. 2 will be born Oct. 1. I will be 39 weeks and 2 days on Oct. 1.
I get a lot of comments that I still look very small - which weirds me out a bit since with Jac I really was small. But the doctor has assured me it is because I am so tall (I didn't realize that the average height for a woman in the U.S. is 5'4") at 5'9". He said I can carry the baby more upright rather than sticking out like a shorter woman would. The baby is measuring big as is my belly when they do what is admittedly a fairly non-scientific measure of my belly size.
Interestingly, I am hungry again. For about a month I felt too "full" to eat. I still feel full but I am really hungry again like I was at the beginning of my pregnancy. I am not gaining much weight though. I think I have gained about 1.5 pounds in the last month and a half. I asked my doctor if he was concerned about that and he said no.
I also asked him what my chances of developing gestational diabetes and/or preeclampsia is at this point and he said about 5% - he said there is always a chance!
We are currently doing weekly NSTs (non-stress tests) to monitor No. 2's heart rate to make sure he is feeling fine. We will go to twice weekly NSTs when I hit 36 weeks. Dr. P says the reason for this is that NSTs are predictive for 72 hours. So, as long as No.2 looks good in an NST he is unlikely to have a major problem for 72 hours, but not longer then that. So, we go to monitoring every 3 days so we can be fairly confident that he is not having major problems right up to the last moment! The Dr. is being very careful and I am very glad.
The other Dr. P, the perinatologist, told me two weeks ago when I saw him that he did not need to see me again unless my primary OB wanted him to - and he doesn't!
It is such a good feeling to have No. 2 growing so well. I am not sure what I am going to do when they hand me a 7 pound baby - I am going to think they gave me a 9 month old and ask where my newborn is!
So, go No. 2. Keep on growing!
I passed my gestational diabetes test - not with flying colors - but without any worries. My blood pressure is holding steady at 122/68. The doctor is most concerned about the bottom number which should not go over 90. After a little scare where I was in the low 80s a couple weeks ago I have been holding steady in the upper 60s which is great!
I am going to continue the Lovenox and baby aspirin until September 16th. We have decided that I am going to have another C-section. The doctor and I decided this after much thought on my part and discussion. The doctor is concerned that because Jac was born so early and so small that when I had my first C-section they have to have cut through the muscle of my uterus, rather than lower in my uterus, which they would have done if he had been bigger, and further along. This means that I am at increased risk for a uterine rupture if I labor with No. 2. So, we have decided that is better for me to have another C-section. I have pretty much made my peace with this decision as the safest for all of us.
The C-section is scheduled for Oct. 1, so unless I go into labor on my own before this No. 2 will be born Oct. 1. I will be 39 weeks and 2 days on Oct. 1.
I get a lot of comments that I still look very small - which weirds me out a bit since with Jac I really was small. But the doctor has assured me it is because I am so tall (I didn't realize that the average height for a woman in the U.S. is 5'4") at 5'9". He said I can carry the baby more upright rather than sticking out like a shorter woman would. The baby is measuring big as is my belly when they do what is admittedly a fairly non-scientific measure of my belly size.
Interestingly, I am hungry again. For about a month I felt too "full" to eat. I still feel full but I am really hungry again like I was at the beginning of my pregnancy. I am not gaining much weight though. I think I have gained about 1.5 pounds in the last month and a half. I asked my doctor if he was concerned about that and he said no.
I also asked him what my chances of developing gestational diabetes and/or preeclampsia is at this point and he said about 5% - he said there is always a chance!
We are currently doing weekly NSTs (non-stress tests) to monitor No. 2's heart rate to make sure he is feeling fine. We will go to twice weekly NSTs when I hit 36 weeks. Dr. P says the reason for this is that NSTs are predictive for 72 hours. So, as long as No.2 looks good in an NST he is unlikely to have a major problem for 72 hours, but not longer then that. So, we go to monitoring every 3 days so we can be fairly confident that he is not having major problems right up to the last moment! The Dr. is being very careful and I am very glad.
The other Dr. P, the perinatologist, told me two weeks ago when I saw him that he did not need to see me again unless my primary OB wanted him to - and he doesn't!
It is such a good feeling to have No. 2 growing so well. I am not sure what I am going to do when they hand me a 7 pound baby - I am going to think they gave me a 9 month old and ask where my newborn is!
So, go No. 2. Keep on growing!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Climbing and crawling
Jac is making huge steps in his development in terms of movement (and eating!). We have not been to Kangaroo Kingdom (KK) for about a week and a half because he has had a little cold and it took him quite a while to get over his runny nose.
Today we went (and met Grace and Leo there). And it was fun! We played for about 1.25 hours (that seems to be about the limit). I knew things were going to be interesting today because in the last two days he has started crawling all over the house - literally. Into the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room. Everywhere!
Today he climbed up three steps on this little bridge like thing they have at KK. Previously he had gone up one step but that was tenuous. Today he went up all three steps and back down.
He also climbed all the way up a set of 7 steps that go to a slide! Amazing. He just did this - as we spotted him - but he did all the work of climbing! It was cute, because he got distracted about half way up and it took him a little while to make it all the way! I got a good video of the smaller set of stairs but the one of the larger set is a little long so I am not going to upload it!
It has been such a long road to get here and I am so proud of Jac sometimes I think my heart is going to burst!
If you want to see how quickly Jac has progressed take a look at the KK video from August 17th. In that video he is struggling and complaining about getting out of a small ring. Today when I put him in the ring he got out so quickly that I couldn't even get a video!
Eating Gerber's Graduate Crunchers
Jac is eating Gerber's Graduate Crunchers (which we had tried before but he was not ready for them).
He just ate them! I was in total shock. The first time we did it he had a little tiny throw up but he kept on eating. The first time he ate about 10 of the little sticks. That evening we did it again and he ate 15 of them. He has trouble eating the whole Cruncher as he has to sort out how to move them in his hand but he is eating them. Last night I gave him the wagon wheel shaped Cruncher and he ate half of it.
In this video he is eating a Japanese baby biscuit that his Ama bought for him. It does not dissolve in the same way that the Crunchers do and he has a little more trouble with it than he does with the Crunchers.
His therapist told us to distract him if he he starts to gag. He is not gagging very frequently but he has his moments and I do my best to jolly him through it. So far since we started again with eating he has only thrown up that tiny amount one time.
Life is starting to feel so different. I realized today when I took him out to Kangaroo Kingdom and to lunch with Daddy that I had not brought his sippy cup or food! And Daddy pointed out to me that I need to start bringing shoes also! Life is changing!
He just ate them! I was in total shock. The first time we did it he had a little tiny throw up but he kept on eating. The first time he ate about 10 of the little sticks. That evening we did it again and he ate 15 of them. He has trouble eating the whole Cruncher as he has to sort out how to move them in his hand but he is eating them. Last night I gave him the wagon wheel shaped Cruncher and he ate half of it.
In this video he is eating a Japanese baby biscuit that his Ama bought for him. It does not dissolve in the same way that the Crunchers do and he has a little more trouble with it than he does with the Crunchers.
His therapist told us to distract him if he he starts to gag. He is not gagging very frequently but he has his moments and I do my best to jolly him through it. So far since we started again with eating he has only thrown up that tiny amount one time.
Life is starting to feel so different. I realized today when I took him out to Kangaroo Kingdom and to lunch with Daddy that I had not brought his sippy cup or food! And Daddy pointed out to me that I need to start bringing shoes also! Life is changing!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Working on holding his bottle
Jac has been capable of holding his own bottle, particularly when he is in his car seat for quite a while now. But he doesn't do it. We hold it. I even hold it when I am driving which is really just crazy! So this week we started working on him holding his bottle, particularly in the car. I drove home twice this week from Joseph's office with Jac crying all the way because he wanted his bottle, which was right next to him.
It is about an eight minute drive back from Joseph's office and every second of it broke my heart. But he just has to learn. Augh. Growing pains for everyone. The thing is I know he can do it and he has done it many times. He just likes us to do it. I hope he figures it before we have to have too many more heartbreaking drives with the bottle sitting next to him.
The thing is he really likes to eat while he is in his car seat. Sometimes I think he would be even bigger if I just drove around all day and let him eat. It is almost as if he waits to get in the car seat to eat - where there is nothing else to do!
Working on eating in the high chair
Jac's Occupational Therapist (OT) has really been pushing me to help Jac learn to eat - and I am finally listening. I have to admit that for quite a while now I have been convinced that Jac would learn to eat just as he has learned so many other things - with a little extra time. Rolling over took a long but then one day it just clicked - and I had been hoping that eating would be the same thing - that it would just click. But that does not seem to be happening.
So, it is time to start buckling down and doing the hard work that it is going to take to get Jac to eat. His OT has emphasized that he needs to start eating in his high chair so that he learns to associate a particular place with food. This is so that he does not become a wandering eater, or a grazer. He needs to sit down and eat. So we have started this week with the high chair. The longest he has managed to stay happy in the chair is about 10 minutes while we give him various very pureed and smooth things to eat. But 10 minutes is 10 minutes longer than before we started doing the chair so it feels like huge progress.
He has taken Strawberry and Banana baby food and Peach baby food. He has also taken more Okayu. He has done all of this without gagging. When we first put him in the chair we give him lemonade. He really likes it and it seems to help him get ready to eat. We feed him all of these things with a Nuk brush. This is a tooth brush but also a good way to feed. I use two of the Nuk's when I am feeding him so that he can play with one while I use one to get food.
So far so good. We bought some more different juices today to see if he likes them. Tonight at dinner Joseph gave him the tough ends of a couple of french fries to try. He has started to bite things which is a great sign I think - but also means we have to be rally careful that he doesn't bite off pieces of things as he doesn't know how to swallow them yet and will gag and throw up.
If he starts to gag when he is eating something that shouldn't gag him we are supposed to try to distract him out of gagging. When we are at therapy I saw this work when he started to gag and I was sure he was going to throw up.
So, it is time to start buckling down and doing the hard work that it is going to take to get Jac to eat. His OT has emphasized that he needs to start eating in his high chair so that he learns to associate a particular place with food. This is so that he does not become a wandering eater, or a grazer. He needs to sit down and eat. So we have started this week with the high chair. The longest he has managed to stay happy in the chair is about 10 minutes while we give him various very pureed and smooth things to eat. But 10 minutes is 10 minutes longer than before we started doing the chair so it feels like huge progress.
He has taken Strawberry and Banana baby food and Peach baby food. He has also taken more Okayu. He has done all of this without gagging. When we first put him in the chair we give him lemonade. He really likes it and it seems to help him get ready to eat. We feed him all of these things with a Nuk brush. This is a tooth brush but also a good way to feed. I use two of the Nuk's when I am feeding him so that he can play with one while I use one to get food.
So far so good. We bought some more different juices today to see if he likes them. Tonight at dinner Joseph gave him the tough ends of a couple of french fries to try. He has started to bite things which is a great sign I think - but also means we have to be rally careful that he doesn't bite off pieces of things as he doesn't know how to swallow them yet and will gag and throw up.
If he starts to gag when he is eating something that shouldn't gag him we are supposed to try to distract him out of gagging. When we are at therapy I saw this work when he started to gag and I was sure he was going to throw up.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Thumpy, thumpy
Jac likes to thump things. He first learned to do this with his feet on his changing table. As he started to really move his arms we taught him to do it with them. He has extended thumping to splashing also. Here he is taking reservations at the LAX airport while we wait for our return flight to Denver. I am pretty sure he didn't look my reservation up!
So cute with socks and shoes
Jac still does not really wear socks and shoes very often but now that he is starting to move more we are trying to get him used to it. Last weekend we took him to the mall wearing socks and shoes and he was really too cute for words! He looks so grown up!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Kangaroo Kingdom
About 7 miles from our house there is an indoor play gym called The Kangaroo Kingdom which we have been to quite a few times. We went 3 times just last week! The gym has plenty of fun things to climb on and play with and it is a lot of fun to watch Jac explore and learn new skills.
I find it amazing how quickly Jac learns new skills - especially when he is challenged by a new environment.
This first video is from August 12 and in it he is practicing crawling across the gym.
This second video is from August 14 and in it is he learning how to "escape" from the gym ring.
I find it amazing how quickly Jac learns new skills - especially when he is challenged by a new environment.
This first video is from August 12 and in it he is practicing crawling across the gym.
This second video is from August 14 and in it is he learning how to "escape" from the gym ring.
Friday, August 15, 2008
No. 2 is a boy!
So we found out! I guess it was inevitable!
Yesterday I had another growth ultrasound with Dr. P. No. 2 is growing well. He is now 46 percentile for growth - so down a little from the last ultrasound at 27 weeks (this one was 32 weeks and 3 days) but again the doctor is not concerned about this. His estimated weight is now 4 pounds and 13 ounces! Wow!
After the Ultrasound Dr. P. printed me out a report to take to my doctor (the previous time the report had gotten lost in my OB's office). I almost put the report away without looking at it but I decided to look at it and what did I see! Apparent Gender: Male. D'oh! I asked him if it was right and he said yes it is! I was disappointed to find out that way but at least now we know that we need to come up with a boy name!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Jac is now 12 pounds and 25 inches long
Jac has reached the 12 pound mark! Yeah! He is also now 25 inches long. When he was born he was 12.5 inches long so he has doubled his birth height and octupled (8 times) his weight! Wow! Imagine if most newborns did this!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
So cute
I just had to post this close-up that Daddy took of Jac looking so cute. Daddy visited us in LA this weekend and we all had a nice time. Daddy is now back in Boulder and we already miss him but I am sure the dogs are happy he is home.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Crawling - comparison
If you want to see Jac's crawling progress in videos click here and you will be taken to a page that has every post that is tagged as crawling. Tomorrow I will do the same for his sitting.
Jac eating Okayu (sp?) with Ama
Jac's Ama (Joseph's mother) made Jac some Okayu. This is a traditional Japanese dish that if fed to babies. Jac seems to really like it. He has eaten some two days in a row now which is more than I can say for anything else we have tried.
Ama has a very practiced hand at feeding him, a technique we will need to learn. She is very gentle and Jac did not gag at all. The first time she gave him Okayu she really watered it down so it was really more of a liquid and he took that easily. Today she gave it to him with a little less water and a little bit more thick and he did well with that also with no gagging or throwing up! Yeah!
He also ate some grape juice with Ama. She took grapes from their backyard and ground them and fed him the resulting juice which he also seemed to like!
Ama has a very practiced hand at feeding him, a technique we will need to learn. She is very gentle and Jac did not gag at all. The first time she gave him Okayu she really watered it down so it was really more of a liquid and he took that easily. Today she gave it to him with a little less water and a little bit more thick and he did well with that also with no gagging or throwing up! Yeah!
He also ate some grape juice with Ama. She took grapes from their backyard and ground them and fed him the resulting juice which he also seemed to like!
Jac playing and laughing with Grandfather
Jac has been having a good time with all of his Grandparents. Grandma took this video of Jac laughing at his Grandfather being silly. It is a bit dark and long but still a lot of fun!
He can crawl, fast
Oh man, Jac's crawling has really improved this week. He is pretty fast now. He can crawl without falling when he is wearing a onesie. When he is wearing a suit that covers his knees sometimes he has a few problems and falls a little, although he has gotten much better at dealing with that also. It is amazing how much progress he has made in a week! Now when he crawls he does not really exaggerate lifting his arms.
Family photos from Charmy's wedding
Our friend Nate took some gorgeous photos at Wayne and Charmy's wedding. He got some great photos of Jac which we haven't gotten our hands on yet but we have a couple of family shots that are very nice. I particularly like the shot where Joseph looks like a politician that is running for office!
Family photos from Charmy's wedding
Our friend Nate took some gorgeous photos at Wayne and Charmy's wedding. He got some great photos of Jac which we haven't gotten our hands on yet but we have a couple of family shots that are very nice.
In LA
Okay - we have been in LA for a week and I am just now posting something! We came here to celebrate my sister-in-law's wedding and my Dad's birthday. Good reasons to be sure!
I am so tired. Joseph flew to LA with me and Jac but then he had to go back to Boulder on Sunday for work. Argh. It is hard without him. My mother is very helpful but she has been out of town for three days. Joseph's parents have come over every day which is also really helpful but there is no substitute for a second parent. I truly wonder how single parents do it. If you are a single parent reading this I commend you. I don't understand.
Jac has been teething all week. Really teething. You can now see his two little bottom teeth - and they are driving him crazy. He does not wake up smiling in the morning, but crying. He has been waking up 5 or 6 times every night to eat. It is very hard to get him to take a nap or go to sleep (he cries a lot). On the positive side he has been going to sleep much earlier. The latest he has gone to sleep this week is 10:30 and last night he went to sleep at 9:30 am.
He is also now a master crawler and sitter. He has been sleeping in the bed with me all week which is good as I like to have him close but there have been a couple of downsides.
1. He can crawl off the bed. Easily and very quickly. Unless he is really not too awake and sitting up when I go to get him food I have to take him with me to the kitchen to get his bottle.
2. He snores. A lot. He is amazingly loud for such a little guy.
3. I don't feel safe leaving him to sleep by himself for long because he could fall off the bed so I have to stay with him when he is sleeping. This means that I don't have any free time to do things like blog (the only reason I can do this now is because Joseph arrived late tonight and is sleeping with Jac).
I can't sleep. Argh. No. 2 is kicking and twisting and turning all of the time. It seems like pretty much anytime I lie down, or do anything, No. 2 is moving and shaking. This is a great thing as a sign of No. 2's health but man is it tiring. I never felt this with Jac (he kicked some but he was less than half the size that No. 2 is now when he was born).
Okay - enough muling and puking. I am going to put up some happy posts of Jac having a good time and showing off his new skills.
I am so tired. Joseph flew to LA with me and Jac but then he had to go back to Boulder on Sunday for work. Argh. It is hard without him. My mother is very helpful but she has been out of town for three days. Joseph's parents have come over every day which is also really helpful but there is no substitute for a second parent. I truly wonder how single parents do it. If you are a single parent reading this I commend you. I don't understand.
Jac has been teething all week. Really teething. You can now see his two little bottom teeth - and they are driving him crazy. He does not wake up smiling in the morning, but crying. He has been waking up 5 or 6 times every night to eat. It is very hard to get him to take a nap or go to sleep (he cries a lot). On the positive side he has been going to sleep much earlier. The latest he has gone to sleep this week is 10:30 and last night he went to sleep at 9:30 am.
He is also now a master crawler and sitter. He has been sleeping in the bed with me all week which is good as I like to have him close but there have been a couple of downsides.
1. He can crawl off the bed. Easily and very quickly. Unless he is really not too awake and sitting up when I go to get him food I have to take him with me to the kitchen to get his bottle.
2. He snores. A lot. He is amazingly loud for such a little guy.
3. I don't feel safe leaving him to sleep by himself for long because he could fall off the bed so I have to stay with him when he is sleeping. This means that I don't have any free time to do things like blog (the only reason I can do this now is because Joseph arrived late tonight and is sleeping with Jac).
I can't sleep. Argh. No. 2 is kicking and twisting and turning all of the time. It seems like pretty much anytime I lie down, or do anything, No. 2 is moving and shaking. This is a great thing as a sign of No. 2's health but man is it tiring. I never felt this with Jac (he kicked some but he was less than half the size that No. 2 is now when he was born).
Okay - enough muling and puking. I am going to put up some happy posts of Jac having a good time and showing off his new skills.
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