Christmas in LA

Joseph, Jac, Nic and I arrived in LA on the 24th. Our flight was a little late and it took quite a while to pick up my parents' car. The kids were tired and so were we. We had quite a bit of shopping to do though, to pick up supplies for the kids and food for Christmas. We were supposed to pick up a Honey Baked ham by 5:30 pm and we made it there at 5:33 pm! They wouldn't let us in even though we had a reservation! Bah Humbug! That's okay - we got some nice cold cuts at Ralphs!

After a long day of travel the kids were worn out. Nic had spent a good portion of the afternoon crying in his car seat and wearing all of us, including him, out! We made it to my parents' house and we all pretty much crashed!

We got up on Christmas morning and got ready to have Joseph's parents, his sister and her husband, their friends and my Aunt over for a little Christmas party. We served the most basic of food but fun was had by all and it was wonderful to be with family for the holiday.

The kids were wound up last night and it took us a long time to get them to sleep. Jac gets so excited when he spends time with a bunch of people it takes him a long time to calm down. So cute! Nic was rocked, and bounced and burped by a bunch of different people, especially Uncle Wayne, who is a natural (he has had a lot of experience!)

We are very happy to be in LA but the cold weather seems to have followed us. It rained most of the day yesterday and it was cold (for LA) and today it is windy and cold! What's up! We came here to escape the cold!

Today we got up to a still messy house, had some breakfast and let Jac play around. He is having a great time in the new space. We haven't pulled out a single "toy" yet, he has been playing with pots and pans instead! I am told that these were a favorite of mine as a kid! Bang away! Just wait until Jac and Nic are both banging away! Oh man!

Jac: First steps

Yeah! Jac took his first steps tonight! He stood up in the middle of the living room and took two steps towards the ottoman, and then took a third and fell down. He then got up again and took one more step, tripped on the carpet and fell down. Amazing. Joseph and I were both there, and both saw it! Yeah!

We were all just hanging out and watching TV and Jac was crawling around on the ground playing when he did it. We tried to get him to do it again so we could take a video but he was having none of it!

The impressive thing about it to me is that he just stood up and took the steps - rather than letting go of something to do it. It has been feeling like he wanted to stand up for a while - and he had almost been doing it - so it was very exciting to see him do it.

We shall see when he does it again!

Nic's cheeks

On Friday night we all went to the Real D Holiday party. It was a very nice party and the food was really good. None of the food that I ate looked like it had dairy in it, but I think it did. All yesterday Nic was very fussy, and he got a rash on his cheeks that we noticed when I was eating dairy. If I did have dairy, it was a tiny amount. Today he is much happier and is currently sleeping - which is lovely. I hear Jac, I better go.

Sick Jac, Nic and Mommy

We are all sick - with a head cold. It is not too bad, but we are all snotty. It is really cold here. We were out today and it was 16 degrees. That is just wrong. Bright and cold. Oh man!

Fortunately we are all doing pretty well, even with the cold. Unfortunately Daddy pulled a muscle in his back last night - so he and Jac are taking a nap right now.

We are getting ready for our trip to LA for the holidays. I better get packing!

Jac: More teeth

Jac is getting more teeth, it seems like every day!

He now has four top teeth. The two outside teeth on the top have both popped through and now the bottom outside right tooth has come in - so he has seven teeth now! Wow! It is really hard to get a picture of his teeth but I will try!

Milestone: Jac: Carrying

Last night, for the first time, I saw Jac carry something from one spot to another. Since he is still crawling he has to hold it in his hand and scoot along on his butt (which he doesn't generally do very much). So cute! I gave him a small piece of cracker and he scooted along the floor holding it and he scooted along the floor with one of his toys in his hands in his bedroom.

Yeah! I will get a video of it soon!

Milestone: Jac: Ne Ne

Jac is saying "Ne Ne" when he wants his bottle of formula. "Ne Ne" is Taiwanese for milk and Jac has learned to say it when he wants his bottle! Yeah! This is real communication! He has said it quite a few times and it has become quite clear what he wants! Yeah! Communication with words! Jac's intent for things has been clear for a while but with reaching and whining like sounds but this is the first time he has used a word to tell us what he wants - although it is usually accompanied by a little whining and reaching. YEAH!

Nic has more and more affect

Nic is smiling and cooing more and more. He is so cute when he is happy. He gives me this lovely little smile, with one side of his mouth. With his double chin and that round little Joseph face who could resist him! It makes all the rocking and bouncing and sleepless nights worth it!

He is starting to sleep a little better. He is not crying as much and is much easier to soothe which is great. I am off dairy, caffeine and chocolate. Sometimes it seems like I eat something that bothers him but I haven't been able to figure out what other things might be bugging him.

He still likes to eat every hour and a half or so - no wonder he is getting so big! I have had a few nights where he has slept for 3 to hours which is just glorious. The good news is this won't last forever!

Jac: Bouncing and cracking up

Oh man! Jac was cracking me up the other day. He was standing on the couch and he started bouncing up and down, and laughing his head off. He thought it was so funny he did it for a long time. He smiles so much - and laughs a lot also. He is just such a happy little boy. His smile lights up the room and brings joy to people. Even though he is not as remarkable as he was when he was tiny, people still notice him all the time. His smile just captivates them - and he gives them the dead pan look and they work so hard to get him to smile! My little love.

Jac's Breakfast 12-09-08

Nic smiled at me for the first time

Nic smiled at me for the first time today. He was in the papasan chair and I was standing over him talking to him, saying, "Nicie, Nicie, Nicie" in a funny voice and he smiled. It was very cute and very heart warming after the difficulty of the last two months!

Jac and Nic sleeping together

Mommy heaven! I got the boys asleep - together - at the same time! Amazing. This is a first! Love it!

After I took the picture I took a nap also!

Jac exits stage left

Jac did not want to take a nap today! He has now learned how to get off the bed, safely! Five or six times while I was trying to get him to take a nap he scooted over to the side of the bed, turned around, and slid off! Oh man! I called Joseph to find out if he had been doing this and I just didn't know! Nope, he just started this today!



Nic was sleeping so I was hoping that Jac would take his nap while Nic was sleeping. Of course that didn't happen! Jac kept getting down from the bed, crawling and the house, and then asking me to pick him up! Silly boy! It is amazing how much he is growing up and doing what he wants. I think this is true toddler hood!

2 month check: Nic is now 13 pounds!

Nic had his 2 month physical and vaccinations today. I guessed that he was going to be 13 pounds and I was spot on - 13 pounds exactly! At his 1 month check he was 10 pounds on the nose!

He is now 50th percentile for length and 75th percentile for weight! He is getting to be a big boy which is no surprise since he nurses all of the time.

We are still having a lot of trouble with sleeping at night - he sleeps much better during the day! Ah, this will all be over soon - at least that is what I keep telling myself!

He is nursing a lot so it is no surprise that he has gained 3 pounds in 1 month! Well - at least I am not having any milk supply problems - I am always surprised when I think he has nursed me dry and then he comes up choking because the milk is coming to fast. He has such a strong suck it is amazing!

Almost free standing!

For a while now, we've gotten Jac to free stand (sort of) -- being upright for one or two seconds at a time.

Usually, I start the process by holding him at the waist and "bouncinig" him on the ground. He reacts by straightening his legs, and when I think he's got them in the right position, I let go.

Sometimes, he initiates the free standing by letting go of whatever he had been holding.

And, more recently, he has started trying to lift off the ground from a sitting or a semi-kneeling position, thrusting his body upwards.

In the last few days, he's gotten better at actively shifting his legs and body in an effort to remain standing.

Last night, he managed to get several two and three second intervals before falling back down. At least once, he managed to get into a squatting position and hold it for a moment before sitting down on the ground.

I am now sure that he will be free standing by Christmas, and even probably taking some steps!

Happy 2 month birthday Nic

Nic is 2 months old today. It is hard to believe. In a way it seems like he has been with us much longer! His development is really coming along. He has pretty good head control. Enough that he can smack me in the chin with his head! He can hold his head up pretty well and we are going to start doing a little tummy time! He is starting to make more sounds when he is happy and move his arms and legs around more. Yeah! And he is a Chunk-A-Monk! We are going in for his 2 month check on Thursday and we will find out how much he weighs. He is eating like a champ and starting to sleep a little better. He slept from 1:30 am - 5 am in his swing which I was very happy about. He still sleeps better during the day but hopefully that is going to start to get better! Before Joseph and I lose our minds from sleep deprivation!

They are both asleep right now and I should sleep but I needed to post this!