Nic: First Tooth

Nic's first tooth is showing through his gums. It is his bottom right middle tooth! It is just barely through and there is no way I can take a picture of it yet!

Mr. Nicie with a Fig Newton face

Yesterday I gave Mr. Nicie several Fig Netwons to see what he would do! Oh man! He went at it! There was Fig Newton everywhere! And I mean everywhere! I had to give him a bath afterwards! But he was happy!

Jac: Another ear infection

Jac's appetite has been down since last Thursday or Friday and it turns out he has another ear infection! I took him into the pediatrician on Monday for a cough and it had turned into an ear infection. I really hope that he is not going to get into the pattern some kids do of getting a ton of ear infections. The season should be over for this year so hopefully we are done until next winter and his ears will have a chance to heal. He started antibiotics on Monday and his appetite started to come back yesterday!

Nic - Teething?

I think Nic may be teething. He has been having a harder time than usual falling asleep and he has been fussier than usual. He was also chewing on the tray of the high chair yesterday! Hmmm... We shall see. He is almost eight months old so it wouldn't be too surprising if he were about to get a few teeth! I hope he can learn not to bite me when he is eating!

Mr. Nicie launching himself

Mr. Nicie has realized that he can launch himself from a sitting position and reach things that are further in front of him than he can reach from the sitting position itself. This means that he pushes up on his legs and rocks himself forward and ends up on his stomach - which he doesn't much care for! He can then roll onto his back! He has not yet figured out how to roll from his back to his stomach! Go Nicie go! He does try while he is on the changing table but the sloping sides of the pad prevent him from getting too far! I took this video on May 7 and I am just posting it - but the launching hasn't turned into anything else yet so I am not too far behind!

Jac looking like a book worm

Jac's Fauxhawk

Jac's hair has been growing! He now has hair that can actually be moved around and make patterns! Most of his hair is in the front center of his head (the opposite of male patter baldness)!

Every day it seems like he has more hair and we have been having fun touching it and playing with it! When he takes a bath and it gets wet his "fauxhawk" is the most obvious!

Mommy and the carrier

Jac has started to realize that Nic gets carried and held a lot more than he does - and her certainly gets it a lot less than he used to.

Last weekend I carried him in the carrier - something I haven't done in a long time, probably since Nic was born. It was so sweet. I loved it! I was kissing the top of his head and hugging him the entire way to Safeway and back!

Apparently he loved it also. Since then, when I take the carrier out Jac immediately asks for "Up" and to get into it.

It is very sweet and I really love carrying him but it can be a challenge since Nic has to be carried still.

Last week, Madie, a mother's helper, was over and Nic was wound asleep on her and Jac was awake. I decided to take Jac on a walk in the carrier while Nic was sleeping. After we had walked for about an hour and a half and played at Safeway Jac fell asleep. I brought him home and laid him down in the bed for a nap. When I laid him down he stayed in the exact position he had been in in the carrier!

Jac and Nic cracking each other up

Jac and Nic crack each other up now! It usually starts with Jac laughing at something that he is doing - generally when he is tired and silly. This then cracks Nic up and they get into a round of laughing. It is hilarious and very enjoyable to watch!

Sorry the video is dark - we were trying none too successfully to get the kids to sleep!

And then at some point Jac pushes his brother over! It is hard to know exactly why Jac pushes him over - it seems to me it is just to see if he can or what will happen. Hmmm... Anyway - Nic generally takes it in a goodhearted way - at least for now!

Milestone: Look Ma, No Hands

Jac stood up yesterday without putting his hands down on the ground to it. He had toys in each hand that he did not want to let go of and he stood up without putting his hands down on the ground. He did what it would be very difficult for an adult to do - he went from sitting on the ground in a crouch position to crouching to standing all in one smooth motion!

Cheese!

Jac has learned the word "cheese." It is clearly recognizable - at least by Joseph and me! When we are at Costco yesterday he saw the Baby Bell cheese that we give him at home all the time and stopped and pointed at it and said "cheese." We were quite impressed!

Today he went to the refrigerator and asked Daddy for cheese. Joseph gave it to him and told him to bring it to me. I was sitting on the couch on the other side of the room. Jac brought the cheese to me and I put him on my lap, unwrapped it and he sat and ate some of it. Earlier, he had asked for cheese and eaten it with Daddy! Amazing - both in that he is so clearly asking for food, eating it, and even understanding Daddy's request to bring it across the room to me.

Happy 22 month birthday

Jac is 22 months old today! I can hardly believe it! Time has flown and my little boy is growing up so fast! He is going to be 2 years old in 2 months! OMG! (Oh my god!) He is walking, talking, eating, playing, laughing, loving on his brother, kissing, and enjoying life.

We have been wondering if he is teething because he has been fussier than usual but sometimes I also think it is just the frustration of having a lot to say and not knowing how to say it. It seems like when he wants something and he doesn't know the word he just throws out all of the words he knows to see if any of them will get him what he wants!

My little boy is growing up!

Jac using chopsticks again

I found a small pair of chopsticks in our cutlery drawer and gave them to Jac yesterday - and he immediately started to use them! It must be genetic! He used them properly for 30 seconds or so and then started spearing things!

Theory about Jac's eating?

Joseph has pointed out that Jac's eating of solid food increased about the same time that we reduced the number of calories per ounce of his formula (we had been mixing it to 24 cal/oz. up from the normal 20 cal/oz.). We had upped the cal/oz. per Dr. K's suggestions to get more calories into him. Hmmm ... We decreased it when he was sick and throwing up a few weeks ago. We have not upped it again and now we won't unless he goes back down in his solid food eating again.

Nic eating a biter biscuit

Nic has been eating more - and clearly asking for solid food more frequently so now I am feeding both of them in the kitchen at the same time - it is a little crowded in there.

Yesterday Nic was eating a biter biscuit and he was really into it!

Magical Momenti

Last night Jac and I walked out to the recycling bin together. It was late and dark and cold and Jac was wearing only his little summer suit because he wouldn't put a sweater on (We are going through a no clothes period - he is happier with no clothes on - no diaper even - and would prefer that we not put anything on him - when we put clothes on him he yells and fights the whole time).

Okay - back to the magic!

We made it out to the recycling bin, and on the way back we heard a dog barking. It was our neighbor's bog, Bugs, who was barking from their second story balcony. When Jac heard the barking he got a little nervous and came over to me, and asked for "up." Once he was in my arms, he said, "Woof, woof." The way he said "Woof, woof," to tell me what had scared him, it went straight into my heart. It felt like real communication - he was telling me why he was scared to explain it. Amazing! I will remember this one!

Jac in a box

Jac is eating again

Jac has started eating again! I know I have written this post before and I am sure I will write it again - but at least for now he is eating.

He ate butter on bread and butter by itself from an adult fork at CPK.



He ate a York Peppermint Patty (that he found in my candy stash) while wandering around the living room in just his diaper.



He ate sour cream from an adult spoon in his high chair at home.

He also ate other things but these were the most remarkable!

Keep on eating Jacie!

Jac: Taking himself to bed

Jac now takes himself to bed sometimes. When he is tired he goes to the bed and climbs in! Cool! He needs help still to actually get to sleep but it is nice that he has started to take himself there!

How old was Jac when he took his real first steps?

People ask me all the time how old Jac was when he started walking and I realized that I didn't really know! The answer is 17 months old!


http://www.jacchiu.com/2008/12/jac-first-steps.html

Happy 7 month birthday

Nic is now 7 months old! Wow! Time flies. He is really developing a personality! He laughs and flaps his arms when he is happy! He screams in the car a lot of the time but he is getting a little better in the car just in the last week - we have had a few rides without crying!

He is getting really close to rolling - especially on the changing table! He is a great sitter now - he doesn't fall over - unless he really tries to reach for something that is a little too far away!

He is more and more engaged in the world around him. He wants all things electronic - just like his brother. He loves remotes although he mostly eats them at this point. He likes to press the buttons and I can't use my computer near him now!

He likes to "talk to the whales." By this I mean that he makes really high, screechy sounds that sounds likes he is trying to talk to whales!

He is a big boy! He is now 18 pounds and dense! He is getting stronger and stronger and harder and harder to hold on to - especially when he is nursing!

He is still nursing well. He has started to have some foods but breast milk is definitely his only real source of nutrition.