6 month update

Guess who's 6 months???

Here is his 6 month photo.  We went in for his appt on 4/24 and the little guy weighed 18 lbs 10 oz and is 27 inches long.  He is in the 68% percentile for height and weight now. So slimming down (was in 75% for weight) and getting taller (was in 30% for height)

Of course, he had shots, which went better than the 3 month ones, but we also found out he has an ear infection, boo. 

Jacob's typical day as a 6 mo old:
  Wakes up at 6:15 am to 6:45 am
  Eats 2 solid meals, cereal at breakfast and cereal and a fruit/veg at dinner.  Here he is cleaning his bowl....
  Takes a nap around 9, noon/1, and hopefully a third one in the later afternoon. 
  LOVES to play in his jumper
  Sits up so well now!
  Favorite toys are Mr. Snail, Mr. Frog, balls, and squishy blocks
  Lately he despises the nuk.  will only take it to play with it, not to suck on.
  Has been known to pull off socks at daycare (from other babies, not his own)
  Smacks his lips at us
  Babbles in the morning and evening a lot
  New trick:  he can pull himself up to standing!

He doesnt crawl yet, but you can put your fingers on, he latches on and pops right up.  Kind of scary , im not quite ready for that yet!

Things I don't want to forget...

Jacob is 6 months old today.  Already it seems like I'm forgetting things about him as a newborn.  Everyday he's learning new things and becoming his own little person.  So, I'm going to post my favorite pics and thoughts from the past 6 months.  Next week  I will do a 6 month update since he has a doctor appt on Tuesday, so I will see how big he's gotten!

All that wild hair, my little baby boy, just hours old




Favorite picture from newborn pics
Ilisa Ailts Photography



 


1st time meeting his new BFF.  Amazing to think Adam is now 1, and Jacob is pretty much same size as Adam in this pic



1st Halloween with my Pumpkin babies!



One of the first smiles in his sleep

I LOVED this class, made being a new mom much easier

the "shocked" expression, even now it makes me laugh




1st Christmas!



Buddies

Playing in his jumper

 

he LOVE bathtime, always has!



My Lil Monster

 

Not only a naked baby, but a naked baby in an adorable hat!!
Ilisa Ailts Photography


 

Baby Dedication at EBC



 

Look at me!! I'm sitting up all by myself!!!




So cute sleeping, still working on that one....


 

Eating cereal!  He really likes green beans!





1st Easter



He laughs and giggles now, but I already miss the little newborn cooes he had.   Before, when he would lay still to eat, he would bend his little elbows, and "hold" his hands up on his chest while he ate.  He still makes the funniest sounds when I get ready to feed him. Once I put him on the boppy, he knows what's next and becomes very vocal.  His downy little head, and how he snuggles when he wakes up from a nap.  Now, when he's excited, his whole little body just goes, arms a flapping and legs just kicking.  He has favorite toys, loves to snuggle with a blanket, and laughs at Selby when she chases her tail.  He has the most heartmelting grin in the world with his gummy little smile.  I'm excited for the stages coming up, but also scared, he's growing SO fast, and each day is something new. 



Pirate Baby

Do you know what makes going to work easier?  I absolutely LOVE Primrose daycare.  It is amazing how much of a difference knowing your baby is in a great daycare that makes work bearable.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job also, but its hard to get up in the morning and drop Jacob off with other people rather than staying home and playing with him myself.

Except on the days he wakes up crabby.... Then i'm glad i have somewhere i can bring him so I don't have to deal with cranky baby...

I've talked with other mama's and there are some who aren't happy with where they are bringing their baby.  They are in the process of finding another spot, but they dread dropping them off, for other reasons beyond going to work. 

Primrose has it figured out.  The teachers are great.  Even though they are 7 other babies in the room, when i drop off or pick up Jacob, they make it seem like they only played with him all day.  They tell you cute things he did, they smile at him, talk to him, and he gets daily reports that have comments about what he enjoyed doing that day.  The teachers remember if you mention things that he did at home or over the weekend, and ask about it later.

He also gets Happy Grams that are a little note written if he's done something unexpected or to just let you know how things are going.  He's gotten a happy gram for sleeping longer at nap time, granted this was only a 5 min improvement, from 20 min to 25 min, but still more sleep!  He also got one when he "achieved" unsupported sitter status by sitting all by himself for over 15 minutes.  The other one he got was about being a flirt...yep, he is a flirt.  He grins and talks to all the mommy's when they come to get their baby.  Him and Parker are known as the classroom flirts.  But Jacob has cried when Parker flirts with me.  I think he's jealous when I talk to Parker.  :)

Recently, he got a note on trying to pull off Blake's socks all day.  Obviously, his own feet are old news, so he wants to check out other babies feet.  When I picked him up yesterday, he was doing this to Eloise.  We have parent teacher conferences next Monday.  I don't quite know what they discuss, but I'm excited.  Anyone who wants to talk with me about Jacob, I'm all ears! 

I've gotten several pieces of artwork that Jacob has done.  He's painted a star, has made a tulip with his feet, and has made a butterfly with his feet and hands.  I would highly recommend Primrose to anyone in the area who has kids.  It makes going to work SOO much easier.

The other day when I picked him up, here is what he looked like:

Pirate baby!!!

I love it!  But if you know me, i LOVE putting cute hats on him.  When I pick him up, most days his little arms and legs just flap away.  If he was moving, he could get across the room in 1.2 seconds flat as quick as those chubby little arms and legs go. 

"they" say....

They say baby should not:
co sleep
Have a nuk
Nurse to sleep
Be rocked to sleep
Eat solids before 6 months
Nurse when they please

They also Say baby should:
Sleep thru night by x months
Cry it out if not sleeping on own
Sleep in crib
Self soothe

Then there are the other they's. These they's say baby should not:
Sleep on own
Cry it out
Be on a parent led schedule

They say baby should do all the things the other they's say don't do...

Lately I wonder who they really are. They don't live with me. They don't know my baby. They don't pay my bills. They just give conflicting advice that makes you want to scream and rip your hair out. Or wish you could rip their hair out.

I've decided to read and research but not to get hung up on one way. Instead I want to find the way that works best for us. Co sleeping is starting to get hard. Not because we don't like it, but because Jacob only sleeps about a 2 hour stretch at a time and wakes up a lot. Since he's right there, I soothe him. This is not helping any of us. Now that it's becoming more of an issue for us, I'm ready to change it, but not because they say I should.

The thing I will really miss about cosleeping? Waking up and seeing mike and Jacob snuggled and in the same position during the night and waking up in the morning to a happy smiley by looking at me.

Easter Day

I'm sitting on the living room writing while Jacob is playing with his toys next to me on the floor.  Actually he's sitting here too.  All on his own!  My little baby has mastered sitting up.  He's been doing this for about a month now, but in the past 2 wks has really gotten good at it.  Doesn't topple over and can bend over to grab the toys he wants.  Right now the favorite is the Oball.  I dont know why but he LAUGHS when you roll the ball to him. 

We went to church last night for the Easter service, since today will be busy.  I love Eagle Brook, and really look forward to their holiday services, because they put a lot of time and effort into the service, and you can tell.  The Easter service was about what in your life has to die so something else can live.  Anger, jealousy, language, drunkenness, impurity, rage, all of these things come at a greater cost to us then we realize.  Words hurt.  Actions hurt.  And if we are hurting people around us, it's hard to make a solid foundation and show people Christ's love.

If you would have told me in 2003 that I would make it priority to go to church on a weekly basis, that I would join a women's bible study group, and listen to christian music, I probably would have laughed at you.  EBC was suggested to us by one of the girls in the study i was in, who I used to work with.  Mike and I were just going to "try it out" and then continue on our search for a church to call home.  That was Feb 2005.  We went one weekend and our search was over.  When I look at my choices and priorities from the past, I know that I have changed, and it's for the better.  I still have things to work on.  Pastor Bob had everyone write down yesterday one word of what they need to work on, and to drop it in a bucket as you left. 

I wrote down my word, (which is b'w God and I) and seriously thought about it.  I want people to see Christ's love when they are with me.  I want my son to always be able to look at me the way he does now, with no doubt about my character.  Something bad must be put to death so something great can live.  We all are facing death, but what awaits us is better than what we have now. 

And that's what Easter is really about.  Christ dying for our sins, and something greater coming from it, all of us can be saved.

and here's just a cute video of a giggling baby.....

Sleep Training

What do all 3 of these pictures have in common beyond a sleeping baby?  That's right, none of these pictures show a sleeping baby in his crib.... his brand new, barely been slept in crib.  Seriously, we could have saved some money, or just bought a king bed.

Jacob is not a sleeper.  There is a baby in daycare, Parker, who is 3 wks older than Jacob, and all he does is sleep i guess.  Kid will take 3 hour naps.  I love it when Jacob sleeps over 30 minutes!!  We have found certain things help him sleep longer:
sleeping in the swing
sleeping in the carseat
sleeping in our bed

****************big sigh**********************

We are working on sleeping in the crib.  So now he starts off the night in the crib, but ends up in our bed, usually around 10ish.  A large part of this is our fault because we want sleep.  I'm lazy in the middle of the night, and i don't want to trek it up the stairs at least twice just for nursing.  Although, that's a whole nother topic becuase i've been told by a couple medical/baby professionals, that he doesn't need to be nursing at night anymore.  Hello, i've seen my baby, i know he's chunky, but i love every roll.  He doesnt NEED to eat at night, but its comforting to him, and honestly, if i could get him to sleep where he only woke up the two times to eat, i would be ecstatic.

So, first hurdle is the crib.  Second hurdle is staying asleep.  The past 2 nights now he's gone to bed in the crib and fallen asleep there on his own, ie, not nursing to sleep.  Last night was easy, tonight took a few tries and cries, before he finally fell asleep.  I figure we can take it slow.  I know once we hit the spot to keep him in his crib all night there will be some rough nights.  The plan is after tax season is done to do this.  I don't want to have to nurse him to sleep.  During the night I don't mind, but it would be nice to go out at night without worrying how someone will get Jacob to sleep. 

At this point, i have no expectations, I just pray for little developments that gradually become a big change. 

Catch Up

I know, it's seemed like forever since i have posted~ a lot has happened since then.  Jacob has started solids, or at least rice cereal (which he LOVES), we celebrated my parents 25th wedding anniversary, celebrated Easter w/ the Rohloff's, and had several playdates, including one with his cousins, Carson and Collin.

Eating food, if i dont feed him fast enough, he REALLY complains at me.  The whole time he's eating, he makes noises, mmmm,mmmm, and grunting.  Daycare says he never turns down a bottle.... I'm guessin we won't have troubles having him finish his plate either.

Playdate with Adam.  Shortly after this pic was taken, Adam dropped his toy between Jacob and the seat.  Adam went to grab it, and Jacob's eyes got HUGE when he felt Adam's little pudgy hand reaching around for his toy.

Jacob attempting to eat Carson's hand.  Jacob wants to eat everything...

Celebrating my parents wedding anniversary.  Jacob is not a fan of crowds.  He gets really worked up, and cries if other people hold him.  He left the party with Katie, Tim, and Adam so he could get some sleep, and we could have a break!  All grandsons on this side! 

I think this is the first photo of all grandkids with grandparents, we have to get better at taking picutres!! 

Swinging at Grandma & Grandpa Rohloff's when we were celebrating Easter.  Obviously we need to lounge around because the day was so hard, all that work Jacob did gettting ready.  :)

Work has been crazy busy, i've started working Thursdays until tax season is over.  So part time has now hit over 40 hours a week.  Hence, not a lot of cooking, so no recipes lately.  Not unless you want me to type out the instructions to baking frozen chicken strips!