NSV

That stands for Non-Specific Virus and that is from what LJ is slowly recovering. Let’s backtrack to last Thursday and I’ll document the specifics of this non-specific (read: we’re not sure which - of the gabillion viruses out there – has inflicted LJ) infection.

Thursday
LJ took a 3 hour nap in the AM and then seemed to want to nap again rather quickly upon waking. I took him up to work to bring RJ some lunch and he (LJ) was not his normal magnanimous self. When we got home, I put him down for his afternoon nap and he slept 3 more hours. I thought this odd and wondered if he was going to outgrow his clothes while he slept (you know, excessive sleep can indicate a growth spurt). Excessive sleep can also indicate an illness. Upon waking, LJ felt hot to the touch, so I took his temperature…axillary, of course (I can easily add the 2 degrees necessary to approximate the rectal temperature, thus allowing all involved to avoid the discomfort of the rectal method). 102.5 (that's 104.5 rectal)– this is not good and I’m sure LJ feels terrible. His appetite was not compromised and that night we gave Tylenol and went to bed…expecting a terrible night. Surprisingly, he slept well and the next morning he appeared to be fever free.

Friday
I stayed home…you know, a sick baby needs his mother. LJ seemed ready for a nap rather early and did not seem interested in checking in with all his toys. Instead, he crawled into my lap and just sat. This is unprecedented. So, he went down for a 2-3 hour nap and upon waking, the fever was back. With the fever came loss of appetite. We repeated the process from the day before and once again, LJ spent a lot of time sleeping or in my lap. He even slept on my chest while I lay on the couch. Unprecedented.

Saturday
LJ had a fever upon waking, so we called the doctor and went in on Saturday morning. After a very thorough examination, we heard the diagnosis – NSV. Nothing too harmful - let it run its course. Sounds good to us…no ear infection and no antibiotics…great. So, we were prepared to let it run its course. And, then the diarrhea started. Not too bad though…remember, he’s lost his appetite, but we are trying to stress fluids. Saturday night, he slept fine, but his toys were starting to miss him.

Sunday
No appetite, no fever, yes diarrhea. LJ did play more and seemed to feel better, so his toys were very happy. Through all of this, LJ has been sleeping like a champ…but on Sunday, he did not want an afternoon nap. We figured he was finally feeling better and wanted to catch up with the happenings of his toys.

Monday
LJ woke around 6:30 (not unusual) with a rash all over his body. Looking back, I saw this rash on his neck the night before, but thought it might be from his clothes or water accumulating under his chin – he’s skilled with the sippy cup, but sometimes he doesn’t swallow it all real well. This rash is a new symptom, so we decide to head back to the doctor. RJ has to take him alone as I am in class all morning. Let me just tell you, when women see a man (without spouse) bring his child to the doctor…they do a lot of looking. Of course, both the J men are rather dashing, so that may explain it. The same doctor evaluated LJ and solidly concluded…NSV. A rash is not uncommon with NSV and he confirmed that it is not chicken pox or measles or any SPECIFIC virus (read: virus they’ve bothered to name) and to let it run its course. The doctor congratulated us on not being parents who don’t feel good unless we leave with a prescription. I told RJ to make sure to tell the doctor that we do not need a prescription unless he thinks it necessary…we just don’t want to mess up by not taking our baby to the doctor when we should. Doc said that if we had seemed unrelenting on Saturday, he would have gone ahead and prescribed penicillin. Then, LJ would have presented with this rash and we would have had to assume that he is allergic to penicillin…you have to err on the side of caution. Then, he would have had to live his whole life without access to penicillin. He says he sees college students all the time…they think they are allergic to penicillin because they had a rash after taking it when they were a kid. He thinks, they likely aren’t allergic to penicillin…they are the victim of the overuse of antibiotics in non-bacterial situations. I found this fascinating as RJ related his visit to me.

Monday Night
This needs its own title as LJ slept HORRIBLY last night.

Tuesday
Today, he seems to be all right. His appetite is back. His diapers seem less loose. He still has a rash. No fever. But, he took a 3 hour nap this morning and is working on 2 ½ hours this afternoon.

With the one horrible night I am instantly thrown back into the worry of, “Will he sleep tonight? Please let him sleep tonight!” Just like that. That is an emotion I have not felt for at least 2 months.

LJ Loves...

I think the blogger world demands that instead of "LJ Loves" it should be "LJ HEARTS"...or maybe it isn't the blogger world, but a personality attribute that many bloggers possess?!

At any rate, I present you with a current list of LJ's favorites:

Sleeping through the night - 10 1/2 - 11 hours...we couldn't be more pleased

Taking good naps - AM and PM around 1 1/2 - 2 hours each

"Talking" to the bears in his crib before he goes to sleep and after he wakes

Eating - and he must have whatever we are eating...he knows the difference and won't tolerate it

Eating cheese - yes, I must list this separately, he loves it that much

Drinking water - he probably sucks down 12 ounces a day (he's very skilled with his sippy cup)

Putting things on top of other things - it doesn't always work, but he likes to try

Turning the pages in his books - he "talks" like he's reading them

Listening to his favorite book "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You" - I do a superb job with the sounds

Crawling rapidly to RJ or me when we come home from being away

Giving kisses - sometimes on the mouth; sometimes they are more like a lick

Climbing up and over or up and onto things

Looking at himself in the mirror

Opening the mail box

Saying "hi" on the phone - but not always...I guess he has to want to talk to you!

LJ's First Word

Yesterday was a very exciting day for the J family...we're pretty certain that LJ said his first word. His first word with meaning anyway. OK, his first word that 1) seemed purposeful and 2) we knew what he was saying. See, he's been saying dadadada for a while, but not really in reference to RJ. He also makes some sounds repeatedly...and at the same times, but we can't really figure out what he's saying or to what he is referring.

But...yesterday was different.

I was talking to LJ's Aunt M (RJ's brother's wife) and at the end of the conversation I put the phone to LJ's ear and said, "Say hi to Aunt M" (RJ and I do this whenever we are on the phone with one another) and LJ smiled and spoke a breathy "hhhi". He put the “i" sound and the end and everything. So, I said, "Oh my...do it again" and put the phone to his ear and he said it again. I got off the phone, called RJ and told him that LJ wanted to talk to him. I put the phone to LJ's ear and said, "Say hi to daddy" and he said "hi" again.

So, it is official...LJ's first word is "Hi". He only says it into the phone, but that is association for you. What a sweet boy...his first word is a greeting. I wonder if he'll be an extravert?!

What were your children's first word(s)?

LJ's Advice

LJ has a new cousin...a girl cousin...born Sunday, August 21st! My sister (SJ) had her baby and, just like that, LJ is no longer the youngest of the cousins. It was such a short reign, but I asked him and he said he's ready to mentor a new baby.

LJ's Initial Advice to JJ (the new cousin's blog pseudonym):

1) Nurse well - this is the only way you'll get any nutrition and you have to let you mom try this...she wants to do it and she isn't emotionally capable of changing her mind without tears.

2) Have the appropriate number of diapers a day - Your mom and dad will be counting these and, believe it or not, one too few will stress them out.

3) Sleep well - you've been through a lot and so have your parents...everyone needs to get some rest. This way, your parents will be able to e-mail pictures of you and talk to everyone on the phone about how cute you are and how much they love you.

4) Lose the umbilical cord - You don't need it and your mom and dad will be surprised at how happy they are when they no longer have to deal with it.

5) Don't cry for “no apparent reason” - your mom and dad will just change your diaper, fret because you just ate, or jiggle you around. Seriously, if you have an issue, let them know - otherwise, just take it all in without tears.

If you'll follow these simple suggestions, everyone will enjoy the first 3 months. You mom will probably cry sometimes - usually it is because she is tired, frustrated, and feels that she no longer recognizes her life. Trust me, this will pass. She'll get used to feeling tired and that feeling will replace what she used to call "feeling normal". She'll still get frustrated - so can't help you with that...she's not frustrated with you...just everything! And, soon she will recognize her life and be sooo happy that you are a part of it.

Welcome to the world JJ - from what I've seen - it ROCKS!

LJ's Day

The following is mostly so that I will remember when my children ask me…or when we have the next child – it is frustrating when people can’t remember such vital information, but I know that I won’t remember either!

A Typical Day in the Life of LJ – at 9 months of Age
(and it have been this way for approximately 6 weeks)

Somewhere Around:
6:00 – 7:00
Up for the Day

7:00
Milk

7:30 – 8:00
2-Mile Stroll with Mom and/or Dad

8:30 – 9:00
Breakfast (4 oz Fruit + Oatmeal + Fruit Puffs)

Play

9:30 – 10:30
Milk and 1 – 2 Hour Nap

Upon Waking
Play

12:30 – 1:00
Lunch (4 oz Veggie + Cheese + Veggie Puffs)

Play

2:00 – 3:00
Milk and 1 – 2 Hour Nap

Upon Waking
Snack (Graham Cracker + Yogurt/Cheese)

Play

5:00
Milk

6:30 – 7:00
Dinner (4 oz Simple Recipe + Barley + Table Food)

Play/2-Mile Stroll with Mom and Dad

8:00 – 8:30
Bath, Milk, Bed

He normally goes down for a nap/the night while awake, plays with his bears, and then falls asleep on his own. Sometimes Daddy has to go in and pat him on the back.

Just so you won’t think, “What is in this post for me”…I have some news. The travel trailer is going to be picked up on Saturday, September 17th – in Ohio by RJ and a cohort of guy friends…they are making a road trip of it. On the way, RJ is dropping me and LJ off at my sister’s house and we are staying there for the weekend. I need to tell her that!

And, I should have some news to report concerning Phase I of the bathroom remodel.

Finally - Teeth

We are proud to announce that little LJ is not "seedless" (as we, his parents, were beginning to believe). In the past week, he has cut two bottom teeth. He seemed unphased by the process as we noticed no increase in fussiness, drool, or other so-called teething-related maladies. The teeth are, of course, perfect specimens and have broken completely through the gums...now, they just need to get taller? longer? - whichever it is.

I am back at work this week. It hasn't been too much of a change. I was getting up between 6:00 and 7:00 anyway - this is when LJ is ready for the day, so getting up early isn't a struggle. I'm only in the office until noon, so it isn't like I have a whole, long day ahead of me. And, I got a new computer at work...RJ is jealous that my monitor has the speakers incorporated - instead of externally sitting on my desk. At any rate, my first few days back have been consumed with getting everything set up the way that I like it on this new computer. Classes start the week after next, but the students are starting to arrive and we have to wait at restaurants again.

Fall is my favorite time of year and I keep telling LJ that he is going to love October and November...especially since our travel trailer is ready! The jury is still deliberating if RJ will go get it or if we will have it delivered, but we are looking forward to weekend camping trips this fall. Sign up now to get in the que of people who want to go on a weekend excursion with the Js!!

Lemon DNE Pickle

I didn’t think it possible to find a food that LJ would turn down. Sure, there are some foods for which he opens his mouth less enthusiastically, but he opens his mouth nonetheless. We have found two distasteful foods: lemons and Gerber Beef and Carrots.

The lemon we tried at a restaurant. At first, he shoved it in his mouth as eagerly as any “thing” – he puts every “thing” in his mouth. He screwed up his face into a reaction that you would associate with…well, eating a lemon, but he kept gnawing on it nonetheless. Then, he dropped it. So, I picked it up and started to hand it to him and he forcibly shoved my hand away. This, dear reader, was a first. Prior to this, he has not pushed a food away. I’ve suspected that he didn’t really care for some foods, but he would continue to open his mouth. I think he is the perpetual optimist…always hoping the next spoonful would hold something different and more palatable…like bananas. But, with lemons he has learned that a little realism is a good thing.

Gerber Beef and Carrots we tried here at home. I started giving him “simple recipes” which are a fruit or a vegetable mixed with some sort of meat (turkey, chicken, beef, etc. – hmm…I not really sure what the etc. would be, but…). He does enjoy sweet potato and turkey and he likes pears and chicken. He liked beef and carrots ok, but I think that was due to his optimism (see above). The second day of beef and carrots…they were left over and had thus been in the refrigerator. I thought, “no one wants to eat cold beef and carrots,” so I warmed it in the microwave a bit – just enough to take the chill off. He ate a bit, screwed his face into an expression we have come to associate with eating a lemon, and shuddered. So, I tried another bite and…yep, he forcibly pushed my hand away.

I’m not giving up on the Beef and Carrots, but I am giving up on the lemon. I don’t think he is lacking in any nutrient that a lemon provides, so I’m not concerned.

Oddly enough, he rather enjoyed a dill pickle spear at a local hamburger/laundromat yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly. There is a place here that is a restaurant (with super-good hamburgers) connected to a laundromat. So, you enjoy a great burger, a piece of to-die-for peanut butter pie (unless, of course, eating peanuts might cause death for you – “hi” SJ) and smell fabric softener all at one time.

Kiss Mommy

LJ has demonstrated the ability to understand and follow (the key, I believe) a simple command. We discovered this a couple of days ago and have been testing our hypothesis to make sure we were not observing some anomaly. We feel confident enough to publish our findings.

If we say, “kiss Mommy” or “kiss Daddy”, this sweet child will open his mouth and put it on the proper person’s cheek. I’m always elated and reply with, “I have a kiss for LJ” and I give him a kiss on the cheek. I won’t lie…he gives a wet, sloppy kiss, but I cherish each and every one. Sometimes, I even get a kiss without asking…those are even sweeter.

Now that we know he can understand and follow a command, I’m trying to decide what we should work on next. I’m considering:
“Bring me a cookie” (but, I think he’d eat it before it got to me),
“Go sweep the floor” (of course, he does this as he crawls around all day…and, sadly, his knees and feet are visibly filthy at the end of the day),
“Answer the phone” (but, he breaths heavily, so the caller would likely hang-up)

I know, I’ll insert “tell your daddy to…” in front of each of those and that should work for a day or two!

The Clouds Have Parted

LJ seems to be on the mend. We took him to the doctor on Monday…just to make sure his ears were clear; and they were. He’s back to his normal sleeping routine – which is sooo good! I was a little concerned that this illness would mess everything up, but it didn’t.

FYI: LJ weighs 21 pounds 3 ½ ounces.

We did go to waterbabies on Tuesday and we had not missed “baby bobs”! Yea! Unfortunately, LJ does not care for “baby bobs” all that much. In case you can’t imagine, “baby bobs” are where you blow in the baby's face to make him hold his breath and then you pop him under and back up. Once baby comes back up, you cheer and act like he just did the best thing in the whole world. All three babies in our class cried. Today was the last day for our class. LJ got a t-shirt that he’ll be able to wear when he’s 3…it is way too big. It was enjoyable and has only served to strengthen my conviction that we need a pool in our backyard. Then you’d really want to come visit us!

Sick and Tired

I can no longer say that LJ has not been sick :-(

Saturday, we were in a large city visiting friends. The day was great…we went to MK’s (LJ’s Godfather) parents’ house and they have a pool, so LJ got to practice all his waterbabies moves. We were disappointed because we had been promised “baby bobs” all week long, but we never got around to them in class…so we could not practice “baby bobs” over the weekend. Far be it from us, LJ’s parents, to usurp the judgment of the waterbabies teacher. Saturday evening, we had a little backyard cookout to celebrate MK and SH’s engagement and all was fine and good. Then…little LJ woke up every hour throughout Saturday night. It was obvious from the sound of his breathing that he was stuffed up. And, it was obvious from the heat he was generating that he had a fever. We “woke up” Sunday and decided to leave ASAP…and get the dreaded 3-hour-ride-with-a-sick-baby over with. Did I mention that neither RJ nor I were feeling particularly well ourselves? The ride wasn’t too bad, but it took longer than 3 hours.

Last night was the most hideous night I can remember. I think it wins over the first nights that LJ was home from the hospital. At least we were “in shape” then. Getting consecutive sleep can very easily “uncondition” you from being able to function without it. But, I think his fever broke somewhere between 2:30 and 5:00, so that was good.

LJ was feeling better today…runny nose, seemed to tire easily, yet wouldn’t nap longer than 45 minutes. He played and laughed and ate, so I think he is on the mend. We did not go to waterbabies today…you have to be fever-free for 24 hours before you can resume your normal schedule. My mom taught me that…as a kid, I hated it…as an adult, it just sounds reasonable. If LJ doesn’t sleep well tonight…well, I just won’t think about that. Neither RJ nor I felt great today either, so we all need some rest.

I bet they did “baby bobs” at waterbabies today.

Waterbabies

RJ got called for jury duty on the first day of waterbabies. He was kind of bummed and could have gotten out of it or gotten it rescheduled, but us Js actually like jury duty and actually wish that, one of these times, we’d actually get picked to be on the jury. So, LJ’s Aunt M of RJ’s side of the family came over to go with us. She took many pictures, so we have good documentation. I wasn’t sure how well this would all go since waterbabies starts at 9:45 and LJ had been going down for a nap around 9:00. You have to have a 9:00 nap when you wake up at 5:30. But, I had high hopes that waterbabies would force him into a later morning nap and maybe, somehow, with a lot of prayer, LJ would sleep later in the morning by the time this class was all over. LJ did great…he loves the water and I’m not sure that he realizes it is any different from land. The teacher thinks he’s a natural because he kicks his feet to get to the floating toys. I don’t have the heart to tell her that this is how he gets around on land. He conked out on the way home and was so tired he stayed asleep through the “from the car seat to the crib” transition. That never happens.

Tuesday, he sneezed while “swimming” toward a toy. When he sneezes, his face goes forward. Since I was holding him on his tummy…he sneezed his face into the water. He didn’t mind one bit…he even looked a little proud of himself.

Today, he did “ice cream scoops”. This is where he uses his hands to “swim” as well as his legs. Once again, I didn’t tell the teacher that this is how he pulls himself forward on land. I’ll just let her believe that we have a swimmer of Olympic caliber on our hands. Once again, LJ conked out on the way home and slept through the transition.

Oh, and this morning he slept until 7:15!!!! This is BIG news…BIG. That makes 11 hours at night. BIG NEWS.

And…yesterday, LJ started crawling on his knees. He’s done it several times, so it is now in the “skills” category. He makes a bee-line for everything he’s not supposed to touch…electrical cords, plants, etc. He is trying to pull up and get things off of tables too. It is like he can sniff this stuff out…he’ll crawl under a table to the other side of the room…and behind a chair to find an electrical cord. Persistent.

LJ's Domain

With LJ's ability to move forward...at a rapid pace, we have made the back porch his domain. It is baby proof...so far as we know. When he sees something (or someone) he wants, he can pull himself forward pretty quickly! It is very cute and I'm always glad when he gets the thing (or person) for which he worked so hard. He is sitting next to me, playing with his new favorite toy...a water bottle.

This weekend is "Finish Phase I of the Bathroom Remodel". Phase II will happen several years from now and will involve replacing and moving the bathtub and toilet. But, as I said, that is for several years from now. Phase I includes: finishing the jacking up of the house, taking out the rest of the floor, laying the sub floor, laying the new floor, replacing the lower paneling, painting the walls, replacing the mirror, and adding new lighting. RJ projects "we" can finish this by Monday evening (he is taking Monday off)...and screw the boards onto the back deck. RJ laid them out there, so the deck looks complete...and it looks GOOD! RJ knows how to put a little bit of design detail in so that it looks better than just a deck. That will be dependent on it not raining and the reason I'm updating you instead of walking is that...it looks like rain. So, we'll see. Now, "we" might be able to do this...I think there is some help that I can provide while LJ is napping or playing in the hall. But, his mobility may mean that I have to take several breaks.

LJ's "Law & Order"

LJ's cousin DL (my sister M's oldest) had a peculiar fascination when he was a young toddler. Whenever the "Law & Order" theme would play, he'd drop whatever he was doing and stare intently at the television. It was like one of those spooky mind control things from "The Manchurian Candidate". But, it was also very funny to watch. LJ has been demonstrating a similar fascination for a couple of months now (I guess he's not technically a toddler, since he doesn't toddle...but he is army crawling forward now.) LJ's "Law & Order" is...the Countrywide Home Mortgage Commercial. It has a man with blondish hair and several blocks of different colors on the screen...and there is a little tune that plays in the background. I don't know if it is the tune, the colors, or the sound of the man's voice, but when this commercial comes on...LJ drops everything and stares at the TV. Everything includes playing, nursing, crying...everything. He does smile and laugh at some point, so I think he enjoys the commercial which makes me feel less spooked by it.

I don't want to jinx anything, so let's leave it at...sleeping has been super this week.

More Magic?

I will keep you in suspense re: more magic...first, a "this old house" update. The leaky tub was indeed put back together in an "overnight fix" state and all of us were showered (ok, I elected to take my shower this morning...you ladies know that you can't really sleep well on wet hair and it was too late and I was too tired to consider the arduous task of blow drying) and in bed by 10:30. Not too late considering the amount of work that was done. Today, the "permanent fix" (are any home repairs really permanent)…the now-unleaky-tub pipe is joined with the now-unleaky-toilet pipe and the leaks are fixed. I think we are about to have a toilet again...we have been toilet-less for about 3 ½ hours. I'm ready to give it a try, so I hope I am correct in my estimation that it is almost useable again. Tomorrow, the house will be "leveled" - we are pier and beam and some of the beams were sagging, so RJ and Uncle B are jacking these beams up (RJ determined the appropriate heights a long time ago) and putting blocks under for support. Oh, and I'm hoping the holes (yes, there is more than one now) in the floor will have more substantial covers. Then, I think they are going to work on the back deck (if it doesn't rain). This is all necessary work and it is good that it is getting done!

LJ has been sitting himself up ALL day. He seems very content to be able to do this...it entertains him. He napped for 2 ½ hours this morning - with all the work going on...so this was great! He also napped for 1 ½ hours this afternoon...also great.

Here is what you have been waiting to read...you are thinking, "What is with the title of this post MJ?" So, I will reward you for sticking with it, reading all of this, acting interested in our home repairs, and not skipping right to the bottom.

...Last night, I fed LJ some avocado. He didn't seem to care for it too much - if his facial expressions are any indication. I think it might have been too thick for him. But, I managed to get 8-10 bites in him. Last night, he slept from 9:00 (he got to bed late) - 6:30...YIPEE!!!! Needless to say, I have already fed him avocado tonight. See, even if he doesn't really like it, he opens his mouth whenever a spoon comes near, so I have the advantage in this situation. I did mash it really well and I added a little water to thin it out a little. I have no idea if there is some nutritional property in avocado that would help sleep, but someone asked about it on the message board I read and I decided it could not hurt to try. I'll let you know if avocado does the trick tonight too!

New Skill

In the last 2 days LJ has mastered the skill that I thought would be most difficult…getting into a seated position from his tummy. This is a skill that is listed as a milestone in the “What to Expect the First Year” book, but I was having trouble picturing how he would do this. He has figured it out…I guess he knew it was something on which he was supposed to be working…he is a smart boy after all!

Right now, LJ has seated himself and is playing with the air compressor hose. See, LJ’s Uncle B is in town helping RJ work on the house. Since it has been raining (thank The Lord), they aren’t working on the back deck, but are working on our leaky bathtub and toilet. This has caused them to remove an even bigger slab of the bathroom floor and thus requires a larger rug (to cover the plywood that will be the floor until the “replacing the bathroom floor project” gets to the head of the queue). So, at 5:30, LJ and I went to Target to buy a bigger rug and to stop at Sonic for drinks for the guys (you know how important those sonic drinks are). I came home to “Gone to Lowe’s” scratched onto a napkin on the dining room table. I should count myself lucky to have gotten a note at all. It is now 7:40, LJ needs to go to bed, dinner is ready to be eaten, and there is no drain in the bathtub (thus, no showers for adults) AND there is a huge hole in the bathroom floor (remember, we needed the bigger rug…). I’m sure the remaining work to remedy the hole and the lack of shower will be noisy…and remember…it is LJ’s bed time!

Crawling is still to come, BUT he did move each knee forward once…in succession yesterday. We have the video camera ready…with new tape even.

Please, Let this be a Phase...

Please, let this be a short-lived phase! In the past two days LJ has become VERY clingy. The first day, I thought, “he’s just tired from his weekend in a strange place.” But, the clinginess continued, with more vengeance, yesterday. I follow the same routines as normal, but LJ is not cooperating. It goes something like this:

LJ wakes up at some time with a 5 as the first number. This is too early, so RJ puts him in his bouncy seat next to our bed until sometime with a 6 as the first number. Sometimes LJ falls back to sleep; sometimes he just plays quietly. LJ nurses – and he has taken to raking my hair with his hand as nurses. It is ok, but sometimes he grabs just a few strands and that does not feel good. I finally stopped losing my hair due to hormones, now I lose it because LJ pulls it out. After nursing, LJ and I go for a walk. Yesterday, about 15 minutes into our walk, LJ arched backward and raised his arms (the signal for me to pick him up) and screamed. This is the first time LJ has not enjoyed our walk. He continued to do this for the next 30 minutes. I even tried to put the canopy up in an attempt to make him forget that I was there. Didn’t work.

When we get home, LJ usually plays nicely on the floor while I get some water and fix our breakfast. Yesterday, he screamed to be picked up. I distracted him with some toys – which seemed to work…until he saw me again. Then…Holy Crocodile Tears, Batman. LJ’s eyes welled up and he belted out a loud scream. He does this while eating, he does this while I’m holding him…sure, he calms down when I pick him up, but only for a minute or two. RJ takes him and LJ is fine…until he sees me…then again with the wailing. It got so bad yesterday…I gave him Tylenol…just in case there was pain somewhere. This did seem to work, so…teething??? The child is 8 months old and has zero teeth. RJ jokes that he’s seedless.

Oh, and his naps are back down to 45 minutes – 1 hour. And, last night was a hideous night. I’ll spare you the details, but there was little consecutive sleep. Never fear, there was no milk given, but there was little sleep. As I type this, LJ is sitting next to me – in his lady bug – giving me his angry snaps, but if I really concentrate on something…I can tune it out for a while.

Please tell me that this is just a phase…a short one. I figure it is either 1) teething or 2) separation anxiety or 3) a combination of the two. RIGHT????

LJ's First Boat Ride

LJ rode on a boat for the first time Monday! I know this is a "first" that every proud parent documents...or maybe not. We had to search for an infant life jacket before this great event could commence. It wasn't too hard to find and once we were home we zipped little LJ into it and got in the boat. I don't think he was too thrilled...the life jacket is confining and makes his head sit "just so"...and "just so" isn't a way that he likes to hold his head. But, he was a good sport and we got some cute pictures.

LJ's lake vacation was great...he enjoyed playing with his cousins and his aunts and uncles. It was great for us (parents) to have people who were excited to play with him and hold him. He is at the age where he seems pretty tough, so I was able to really relax and let them all play with him...out of my sight even! Aunt KJ and MawMaw"baby sat" for about an hour while I went on the boat with all the skiers and tubers. That was fun...I like to ride on the boat, but skiing doesn't really do anything for me. RJ "perfected" his slalom and had a good time testing new techniques. The other RJ (my brother) pulled all the skiers and tuber and had as good a time as PawPaw used to have...trying to get the skier or tuber to either demonstrate great skill or fall off due to his fancy driving. Of course, he gave them time to enjoy themselves before the antics began.

Ok, I REALLY think LJ is about to crawl...now he rocks on all fours. I guess my "10-Day Guarantee" was off, but I'm serious this time!

5:00 - 5:59 AM is Too Early

LJ has become an early riser and by early I mean 5:00 – 5:30 am. This is earlier than any of us would care to wake, but we don’t seem to have much choice. Thursday, LJ woke at 5:30 and we managed to keep him somewhat quiet until 6:20. At 6:20, I gave up and brought him to the living room for his morning milk. As normal, I turned on the TV...but we found that the London tube had had a not-so-normal and not-so-nice morning. I immediately tried to remember if any of these stations are stations I have heard M&B talk about, but none sounded familiar…they didn’t sound unfamiliar either. I figured that this had all happened about 4-5 hours earlier, so surely I would be able to check my e-mail and find a message from M or B telling us that they were all right. LJ finished his milk; I went in to tell RJ the news and then headed for the computer. Sure enough, there was a message from B telling us that she and M (and B’s mother and aunt) were all fine. So, that was a relief! We have explained to LJ that terrorists are evil.

With the knowledge that our London family was ok and that things did not seem to be escalating, LJ and I went for our morning walk. LJ tried to fall asleep, but I would not let him. I can’t have him thinking that he can wake up at 5:30 only to take a nap at 7:30! In fact, LJ did not nap until 9:30 and he slept until 11:30…he has been taking a good 2-3 hour nap in the AM this week. LJ’s Aunt M came to town and we met up for lunch with RJ and then it was home for LJ’s afternoon nap…which lasted 1 ½ hours.

Today, LJ woke at 5:45 and RJ took him to the living room – I fell back asleep until 7:20. Dear reader, I have not slept until 7:20 in a LONG time! We all 3 went for our morning walk as RJ took the day off to get some work done around the house. This is a double-edged sword…it is nice to have RJ home and to have him working on the back porch project BUT this includes loud noises that kept LJ from napping as he would normally nap!

We decided to try peas again. Last time we did peas (about 5 weeks ago) they did not agree with LJ, but this time around, he seems to be tolerating them well. Other than this, we have not introduced a new food in a while…except that I made some custard the other night and he had a few bites of that. He doesn’t appear to like any one food over another…he opens his mouth like a little bird for anything that comes near. But, I think he appears most eager for bananas.

This weekend, we are back to MawMaw’s house and are looking forward to a weekend at the lake. And, I haven’t gone stir-crazy yet!

School's Out For Summer...

No, I'm not just humming Alice Cooper tunes this morning...although the song is running through my head. This is the first day of my extended summer vacation. I filed for my leave, turned in my grades, and tried to make my office look not-so-horrific before leaving yesterday. Now I am off until August 12th. YIPPEE! RJ thinks I'm going to go stir crazy...he may be right, but I'm willing to find out.

This morning, LJ woke up at 6:30, had his morning milk and then we went for a walk. Now, he's playing on the floor and waving to me as I pay a few bills, check e-mail (of which I had nothing good), and update his readers. He is about to have breakfast and I am about to have a cup of coffee.

Our weekend went as planned. The baby shower for LJ's Aunt S was very nice. It was fun to see almost everyone...by that I mean, almost all my family came, not that it was not nice to see all the family who did come! Sunday and our backyard party at the boss's went well too. KK arrived late Monday morning while LJ was napping. He took a 2 hour nap that morning/early afternoon, so we were hungry when we finally went to eat lunch at that place that has the incredible tuna salad that I craved while pregnant. After that we went to a local museum and then came home. KK brought tons of little American flags and put them up the sides of our front walk, so we looked very festive!

LJ has been sleeping MUCH better...he'll usually go at least 8 hours at night...and sometimes the whole night without RJ's assistance. He naps rather well during the day AND about 75% of the time we can just put him in his crib and he falls asleep by himself! So, all the Js are sleeping much better.

Magic Pajamas? - This is for Chrissy!

Would you believe that those pajamas are not magic after all? We were so sure that they were, but on Wednesday night, LJ was up a couple of times, so Thursday night (last night) we put him in different pjs. It is kind of a relief…I didn’t want to buy into the superstition, but it was so tempting. This is probably a sin. Oh, and last night was pretty good. He slept until 4:30 and then needed a little help to get back to sleep…after which he slept until 7:15. Prior to his earlier success we would have considered last night a huge improvement, so we have to remember our roots!

Poor LJ though…he demonstrated that he didn’t NEED to eat in the middle of the night, so we have not fed him in the middle of the night. When he has woken up, RJ has helped him go back to sleep and that is that. So, we are on the road to LJ’s sleeping well on his own. We are without swaddle and without night time feedings, so it is only a matter of time and we will be without night time waking. Although, I’ve had many parents tell me that children wake up in the night for YEARS, but certainly this isn’t every night…or, certainly I won’t have to know about it every night?

Oh, and I must add that RJ has been quite successful at just putting LJ in his crib and then LJ falls asleep on his own. When I have done this, LJ has played nicely in his crib…for an hour, but no nap OR he has wailed and I have gone in to help him. I guess there are some things at which daddy is just better!

This weekend we have BIG plans. Saturday we are going to MawMaw’s house for the day to have Aunt S’s family “baby shower”. Her little girl is due in August! Sunday, we have a little back yard bar-b-q to attend. And, Monday LJ’s Godmother, KK is coming to visit for the day. We are going to try to get to the fireworks Monday night, but we’ll have to see how little LJ is doing that late in the day.

Happy Independence Day to all you Patriots!

Very Superstitious

Very superstitious, writing's on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.

When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way

Very superstitious, wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong,
You don't wanna save me, sad is my song.

Ok, so I’m not just humming Stevie Wonder tunes today…the Js are indeed, very superstitious. In the spirit of sports stars everywhere, LJ has worn the same pajamas two nights in a row. See, on Sunday night, LJ was super-tired. He doesn’t nap too well in the car because he is sitting too upright, so he was exhausted come bed time. We did our normal bed time routine and he conked out quickly…not to be heard from again until 6:30 Monday morning. WOW! This hasn’t happened in, well, I don’t remember when. So, Monday night we put him in the same pajamas, he conked out quickly and we did not hear from him until 6:00 this morning.

Guess what LJ will be wearing to bed tonight?

Plans Change

Well, we had big plans to go visit my sister – ML and her family. They have moved in the last year and we have not been to their new house in their new town. I must confess, there had been some talk of the annual poker game being this weekend (or some weekend in September or October, but in Florida) closer to home. So, we had arranged for me and LJ to go visit the Ls and for RJ to go play in the poker game. When the poker game plans did not materialize, we decided to make it a family trip! All was well, we had gathered the ENTIRE house to take on the road…once you have a baby, you are super-afraid to be without the one familiar thing that might make the baby stop fussing in the middle of the night at someone else’s house! The plan was…eat lunch with some friends on a city “on the way” to the L’s and then drive over to the L’s after that. Then we got the call...

Poor little CL was exhibiting symptoms of an illness and upon her visit to the doctor and our call to LJ’s doctor we all discovered that this illness is contagious. This was sad and I’m sure little CL felt horrible as I think she and her brother were looking as forward to our visit as we were! Now, dear reader, we had our entire house packed into our car, so there was no way we weren’t going to do SOMETHING this weekend. We went ahead and drove the 3 hours to eat lunch with some friends…most of whom had not met LJ. That was a very nice time and LJ enjoyed meeting every new person! On the way, LJ ate at a roadside park for the first time…bananas and oatmeal. We told him to get used to it…RJ and I both ate many meals at roadside parks while on family vacations.

After lunch, we had to decide just what we were going to do…so we called my brother…his family lives pretty close (within 2 hours) of where we were, so we invited ourselves to spend the weekend with them. They were very gracious in accepting our last minute arrival and had delicious hamburgers on the grill when we arrived.

On Saturday, we were able to watch a whole movie (except that I asked to pause it while I went to the bathroom) while LJ took a 3 HOUR NAP. Yes reader, you read that correctly. This nap lasted from 11:00 – 2:00, so it was a good time of the day for a 3 hour nap. After this nap, we ate Italian food…VERY good RJ and I thought and then went to a furniture store. Upon our return, LJ played around on the floor and…is getting so close to crawling that we got out the video camera in anticipation. He really is starting to get up on his knees and I predict he will crawl (forward) within 10 days. You read it here first!

We really enjoyed our impromptu visit with the Js, but were sad to miss our planned visit with the Ls.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! I think I can safely say that RJ has had a nice day. It started with him sleeping as late as he wanted...that ended up being 9:03. Then, LJ demanded that he open his presents right now. So, RJ complied and then promptly began his day of leisure. LJ decided to get his dad a flight simulator program for the computer, so RJ has been "taking lessons" today. He did break for a breakfast of eggs w/pepperoni, sausage and waffles.

In food news, LJ had prunes then mangos. I decided that we needed to help little LJ's bowels by giving him prunes. There is something about seeing a little boy's face turn red as he grunts that makes a mother decide to try prunes. They did the trick...boy, did they do the trick! He started mangos yesterday, so one more day of those and then it is on to green beans. The mangos come in a jar labeled "recetas latinas". I guess Gerber thinks that mangos and zucchini (the other recetas latinas food) are foods to be enjoyed by Latino and Latina bambinos. That's weird because I apparently like recetas latinas myself, but I just thought they were mangos and zucchini!

In sleeping news, LJ had an entire day of naps and night of sleep...NO SWADDLE! This is a big step in LJ's young life. He is taking a nap sans swaddle as I type this. You do not know how happy I'll be to have him sleeping without the swaddle. It was GREAT when it served a purpose, but now it has become another thing from which to wean him. The weaning is going smashingly and I am thrilled.

And, finally...LJ seems to be starting to wave to people and this is super-cute!

On the horizon for this week...a bath in the big tub!

I Think He Was Starving

Well, after much consternation, RJ and I decided that LJ’s sleeping issues might indeed be related to his food consumption during the day. I consulted the message board that I read and my friend, Chrissy and these sources indicated that their children were eating more solids during the day at LJ’s age than LJ was eating. It seems that many parents feed their 7-month old 3 meals of solids a day. We were doing 1 and sometimes we’d skip that. So, we have been making a conscious effort to get 3 meals a day into this little guy. He takes these meals eagerly and seems to be a bottomless pit. One day, I decided I’d see just when he’d decided he’s had enough. I couldn’t do it! He kept going and I chickened out before he gave up. He’s probably eating about 2 ounces of fruit or veggie and ¼ cup of cereal at each meal. Add to that a few handfuls of Cheerios and he’s full as a tick at the end. He’s also nursing 5 times a day, but…

He’s back to his normal sleeping habits! Up once a night (around 2:30) for a 10 minute nursing session and then back down until 7:00 or so. AND…he is taking a 1 ½ - 2 hour morning nap and a 1 ½ - 2 hour afternoon nap. Finally, the napping schedule about which I’ve been dreaming! Oh, a glorious 1 – 2 hours during the day to do whatever I want to do.

I guess LJ decided he doesn't have to stay awake in hopes of getting the food he's been wanting and now he feels that it is ok to catch some zzz's.

I’m going to list LJ’s foods so I have this record. At 7 months, LJ is eating:
Rice cereal
Oatmeal
Barley
Sweet Potato
Squash
Carrots
Bananas
Pears
Peaches
Applesauce
The next vegetable I plan to introduce – green beans
The next fruit I plan to introduce – mango

For me, I am about ½ way through summer school! This is great, but the summer students are a lot of fun, so I don’t mind it at all. I am going to start a new schedule this coming school year. Instead of being on a 12 month contract, I’m going to be on a 10 ½ month contract. This allows me to work full-time for 10 ½ months (but I don’t have to physically be in the office anymore than I am right now) instead of part-time for 12 months. The pay is about the same, but the perks are better for me right now. I get 6 weeks off during the summer! And, since I’m not 12 months, I don’t accrue vacation leave, but that means I can’t use it either. Instead, whenever the students aren’t on campus (Christmas break, Spring break, etc.) I don’t have to be there either. Since I won’t be able to use the vacation I’ve already accrued, I’m going to use that this summer. I have over 7 weeks worth, so I’ll pretty much be off the entire month of July and ½ of August. YIPPEE! This will allow RJ to work a normal schedule.

RJ is working on the house this summer. Right now, he is putting a deck on the back of the house. This will be great because the afternoon sun beats in the back windows. This deck (with cover) should keep the back porch much cooler this summer!

Scootching

Little LJ is figuring out how to get around in his little world. He is becoming a mighty proficient scootcher, but he either scootches in a circle or he scootches backward. This scotching backward frustrates him as what he wants to get is usually in front of him. Today, while RJ was talking to M – LJ’s cousin who lives in London – LJ scootched himself off of the carpet and onto the hardwood floor. This allowed him to chart previously unscootched territory and landed him under the television. If you know of our television and the piece of furniture on which is sits, you might have a chuckle imagining LJ scootched backward under there. I believe that this backward scotching is a genetic trait handed down from RJ, who likes to back into parking spaces!

LJ still LOVES his jumpy seat and is perfecting his landing. He jumps, jumps, jumps and then – bam – straight legs and sticks the landing. And, all of this occurs with a grin from ear to ear.

LJ does not love his new car seat. He has outgrown the weight and height restrictions of his infant seat, so he had to get a new car seat. This seat sits him up rather straight and he doesn’t seem to fancy it as much as he did his old one. He had gotten to where, in the old one, he’d just close his eyes and fall asleep (when tired). In the new car seat, he howls and cries and refuses to accept the change (when tired). Another minus - the old infant seat was so easy to pop out of the car and onto the grocery cart or onto the high chair at a restaurant. This new one is permanent in the car, so LJ comes out and has to sit up on his own in the grocery store, etc. He doesn’t quite have sitting-up perfected, so this is a pain. For now, we are caring the old infant seat with us, putting LJ in that when we get to our destination, and proceeding as we did of old. This just adds another step to an already tedious process, but…you do what you have to do.

In food news, bananas have passed muster and there appear to be no allergic reactions, so we have moved on to pears. LJ seems to LOVE pears and overall, he is a much more enthusiastic solid-food eater. We had been letting him gnaw on Zweiback Toast or a Bitter Biscuit, but we had to put the brakes on that. He doesn’t really gnaw…he sucks and twice he has gotten a big hunk stuck to the roof of his mouth. The causes him to start gagging and, frankly, this is too close to choking for us (parents). So, a beloved food has been retired for the time being. I have been breaking Cheerios in half and letting him “eat” those. Those he gnaws on with an up and down jaw action…go figure!

Question:

I am retiring the question portion of this blog.
#1 – participation is down.
#2 – I can’t think of anymore questions.
#3 – I didn’t particularly feel good about the “things I might not tell LJ” question.
I guess I started it down the “MJ as a juvenile delinquent” path by sharing my story concerning petty theft, so I had it coming! To quote my mother, “I read some rather disturbing things on the blog.” To which I replied, “Yes, I don’t remember some of those.” To which she retorted, “Well, I hope they didn’t happen.” Then I had to remind her that I am 33 years old and have turned out “fine”, so these things are really nothing about which to worry.

But, I find it odd that no one thinks I might be too humble to share all of the nice, caring, and loving qualities I possess ;-)

Hi - From LJ

I am so glad that mom and dad’s conference is over! I sure missed them this past week. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED spending time with SJ…and I’m very sad that she will be gone this summer…and gone from here from now on. She will be on the west coast for the summer, but then she’ll be in her new town with her new job in September. I sure have had fun with her! But, I sure did miss mom and dad this week. On Tuesday, they left the house right after I woke up and didn’t get back until I was in bed. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. But, I think they came in a looked at me sleeping…a baby can sense these things. I overheard mom telling dad that she just couldn’t imagine not seeing me almost all day everyday and not being able to play with me all the time. I guess that means there is little chance that I’ll ever get sent to day care! I don’t think mom and dad could bear to spend the time away from me. But, this weekend, things seem to be back to normal…and I like that. A baby needs to know what to expect!

But, the unexpected has happened. Mom bought baby food! She said that she was feeling as though she wasn’t having time to make any new foods and she was feeling badly that I haven’t been introduced to anything new in so long. So, she bought me some fruit. I tried bananas this morning and I must say, this is the food I have loved the best so far! She also bought me some hard, little biscuits…they are FUN! AND, they get all over me and I love them! Mom was muttering under her breath while cleaning me up after I ate one, but I’m sure she wasn’t saying anything about those biscuits…how could you not love those?

Speaking of things to love…here is a list of things that make me VERY happy. When I’m happy I smile, laugh, and kick my legs straight, so it is easy to tell! Oh, and these are in no particular order!

I love:

My jumpy seat – hangs from the doorway
My green frog
Mom’s spatula
Mom’s wooden spoon
When someone new walks into the room
The Veggie Tales Theme Song
My baths
My bouncy seat (this is for when I’m in a contemplative mood)
The Waltons
Sucking on Mom’s hair
Getting the mail (I pull the handle all by myself)
Being outside
SJ’s glasses
Eating books


This is all I can think of right now, but I’ll keep thinking about it!

Question:
When you were in grade school – what did you do after school?

Not Exactly What I Had in Mind!

Little LJ slept much better last night...only woke up once (at 2:30) and then slept again until 6:30. This is preferable to his "up 2x a night" routine of late. Of course, we decided to give him some Tylenol as he went to sleep last night..."he might be teething". I don't know if we'll give him Tylenol again tonight or not...I bet we don't. He is taking a nap now...and it is turning out to be a 2 hour nap! Yippee! Except, he started this nap at 4:45. This cannot be good...to take such a long nap so late in the day. But, what can I do? He didn't nap too well earlier in the afternoon and he was clearly tired when RJ put him down.

I made acorn squash today...some for LJ and some for RJ. I haven't cooked it before today and I have not eaten it before today. Mom used to make it all the time, but I refused to eat it. I remember that she put butter and brown sugar in the little hole at the end of the cooking, so I did that for RJ. It was pretty tasty, so I'm sure it was the texture that kept me from trying it as a child. You know that I'm a texture person. I did not put the butter and brown sugar in LJ's batch. I am going to feed some to him today...as soon as he awakens.

LJ is sitting up all right...when I sit him up...especially if he is strapped into something, like a booster seat or a high chair. I don't see him sitting himself up anytime soon, but the skill he does have is probably good enough for me to switch to the larger car seat we have purchased. The car seat doesn't require him to be able to sit up, but I fear I will miss being able to easily remove him, car seat and all, from the car and put him in the shopping cart or on the table at a restaurant.

We are crazy busy at work this week as our department is hosting a conference (re: the program RJ directs). We're thankful that SJ will be able to watch LJ next week...I fear that we will really miss her availability once she is no longer in town! I KNOW WE WILL! She has been too great for words and it has been so nice to be able to leave LJ with her and have no worries at all. We will miss her for many reasons, but I know LJ will miss her fo 'shizzle.

Question:
What is something about LJ's mommy (a quirk or story, if you like) that you doubt I would ever share with him. (Keep it clean! This blog is rated G...but, hey, for the most part my life has been rated G!)

Another "Growth Spurt"?

Starting Saturday, May 7th, LJ has been in a sleep regression. He has not napped well AND he has been up 2x (instead of 1x) each night. That wouldn’t be so bad except that he has not gone back to sleep with his usual ease. The result: cranky parents. I guess he is going through a “growth spurt”, but this is hard to believe as he actually lost ¼ inch between months 4 and 6. Yep, he actually shrank since his last doctor visit. I suspect this is due to rather inaccurate measuring (especially since the nurse at the 4 month visit didn’t seem too capable…she didn’t know how to use the percentile charts).

6 Month Stats:

Weight – 17 pounds 15.5 ounces (50th percentile)
Height – 26 ¾ inches (75th percentile)

We have introduced peas and then stopped them as LJ had a horrible red rash in the diaper area in conjunction with a diaper that was obviously caused peas. If you can’t understand how this was obvious, trust me, you can tell exactly what a baby of this age has eaten recently. I’m going to get an acorn squash and make that, but I haven’t done that yet, so LJ has been “eating” rice cereal, oatmeal, and the occasional sweet potato.

This past weekend, we had the Js (MJ’s Js) in town for SJ’s (LJ’s cousin and favorite Friday companion) and RJ’s graduations. Ok, they came for SJ’s graduation, but RJ graduated too. SJ walked on Friday night and they didn’t get home until after 11:00. We were in bed, but not for long considering LJ’s growth spurt. RJ’s graduation was Saturday morning and the Js babysat while Mom and I went to his ceremony. We were home by a little after noon and LJ was down for a nap (that ended up lasting 1 and ½ hours). We had hamburgers and hot dogs and then all took part in various afternoon activities.

Sunday, all the company left and we went to visit LJ’s grandma, grandpa, and Uncle B. LJ took about a 2 hour nap on the way there and was pretty pleasant while we visited. He took another nap on the way home, but there was some screaming involved. He can be really pitiful!

Last night, we started to get him ready for bed at 7:30 and had him asleep by 8:00. He slept until 3:30 (imagine angels singing) and went right back down after nursing. He started the day at 7:30 and has had 2 naps of about 1 and ½ hours each. So, maybe his need for food is over and he needs to rest?! Or, maybe he is transitioning to a new schedule that involves longer naps? Who knows?!

Question:

What is a favorite cartoon…one that you woke up to watch on Saturday morning?

Mother's Day

What a wonderful first Mother's Day I had! LJ (and RJ) certainly knows what I enjoy.

For us, Mother's Day started the week before with family effort to make gifts for LJ's grandmothers. RJ has taken almost all the pictures since LJ was born, LJ has been the subject of most of said pictures, and I have edited most of these photos. We made a collage of pictures, framed the collage and sent them in the mail to be received by our mothers sometime before Mother's Day. We enjoyed doing it! It gives me practice using the software I will use when I get around to being serious about this digital scrapbook I'm thinking about making.

My Mother's Day was grand. LJ woke to eat at 6:20 am, I fed him and then I went back to bed while RJ was up for the day. I slept until 8:30...WOW! RJ had made me coffee...his 2nd pot to make...ever! He quickly made his third pot...ever as I tasted it and could tell (by the strength) that it was not decaf, so he threw it out and made a pot of decaf. Then, RJ took LJ to Lowe's with him and I got to read the paper and drink my coffee. When they returned, LJ was asleep and slept for another hour. RJ had come home with breakfast tacos, so we ate those while LJ napped. LJ awoke and it was time for me to open LJ's gifts to me. One was a nice journal in which to write and the other was... (And this is where LJ knows his mama) a DVR receiver for the dish! Of course, LJ is like his father and bought a refurbished one. This is amazing! Now, if I am watching a show and LJ wakes from his nap...I can push "pause". If I am feeding LJ and he gets so fussy I can't hear the TV...I can push "pause". You get the idea. This is MUCH fun! It has many more features, but I love it! Later, I did the normal things mommies (especially those who work) do on the weekend...go to the grocery store and do the laundry. We went to Mass that evening and I got to stand with all the other mothers during the prayer for mothers. This was my first time and it was very special!

We hope all the mom's out there had a great day and we hope you remembered to be sweet to your mom as well!

Question:

What is a memory that you have of my (MJ) dad?

Oatmeal and More...

Thursday we passed the 4 days necessary to test the sweet potato...to make sure there is no allergic reaction before we introduce the next food. Now we are on to oatmeal. I've thinned it down quite a bit and LJ actually opened his mouth for it yesterday. This is an improvement. It is amazing what affect this little bit of food is having on his diapers! I think his little digestive system is shooting this stuff straight through with very little, if any, processing!

LJ is becoming more and more animated and fun everyday. He is a really happy baby and smiles a ton. When he is really excited, he opens his mouth wide, pants, and kicks his legs. This happens when he sees a new person, when he is playing with a cookie package, when he is jumping in the jumpy seat that hangs from the door, and too many other times to list.

He has not been napping in a nice way...meaning, once I put him down his eyes pop open pretty quickly. So, there isn't a whole lot of napping. When will he take longer naps?! Last night was a good night of sleep, so that coupled with it being Friday, add to that...school is out...and the Js pretty darn happy.

The weather has been nice, so we have been going for a walk every afternoon. Now I'm starting to think about sunscreen. This summer he is going to take a water babies class at the city pool and we are looking forward to that.

Question:

What was a favorite (no batteries required) toy from you childhood?

Sweet Potato

As promised, LJ tasted his first solid food on Sunday (as he is officially 24 weeks old). On Saturday, after a trip to look at travel trailers, I went to the store and bought sweet potatoes (among other things) and felt very industrious to be making LJ's baby food. Of course, I bought wipes at the store, and let's face it, I could make those too. But, a mother has to know where to draw the line and my line is between making baby food and making wipes.

Sunday came and I peeled and cut the sweet potatoes and then steamed them in a pot on the stove for 20 minutes. Once they cooled, I used our hand-held blender to puree the potato...I had to add some liquid along the way. I opted for water, but in retrospect I should have used the water in which I steamed the potato. Then, I put the sweet potato into these little plastic cubes with lids that I ordered expressly for the purpose of storing baby food. Each cube holds one ounce (and I learned the hard way not to overfill (there is a line)...food expands when you freeze it (I realize this is conventional wisdom...a fact actually) and the little top pops up as the food needs room to grow). Oh, and these cubes can go in the dishwasher. Nice!

Then, the moment arrived. LJ had taken a 90-minute nap, had his appetite whetted by a nursing session and was ready (whether he knew it or not) for his first taste of solid food. We put the bib on, sat him in his bouncy seat, had the still camera ready, and turned the video camera on. I put some sweet potato on his spoon and LJ immediately reached out to grad it. This is not surprising as he puts everything in his mouth. He'd put me in his mouth if he could! Together, we guided the sweet potato laden spoon into his mouth and he sat there with an odd expression. He didn't really swallow, but he didn't spit it out. We went for another bite...this bite he keep in between his lips until some made its way in and some made its way out. Every now and then, LJ would get some sweet potato onto his tongue, actually taste it, and his whole body would shiver. Think of how it is when you eat sweet tarts, or worse, atomic warheads...that face and that physical reaction. All told, we probably put a tablespoon of sweet potato onto the spoon and maybe a teaspoon made it into his tummy. He didn't seem to hate the experience, but he didn't go crazy with the eating either. We're going to try it again today!

Today is the last day of school for me...yippee!!! Now a break until summer school.

Question:
Where, in the US (we'll limit it for now), should LJ be sure to request we go for a family trip sometime in our lives?

We Have a Roller

I called RJ from work this morning and he greeted me with, "guess what LJ has done 6 times this morning?" I guessed, "Roll over!" To which he said, "Which way?" I posited, "Back to front"...knowing that we invariably put him down on his back. Then RJ questioned, "guess what LJ has done twice this morning?" (I'll cease the word-for-word replay) And, the answer to this question is roll over tummy to back. Turns out LJ was a rolling fool this morning. RJ got some video through the digital camera...one of the videos shows LJ flipping from back to tummy and then tummy to back sans assistance! This is exciting, but I admit I have a bit of trepidation. LJ is that much closer to full mobility. This means no more laying him on his play mat while I unload the dishwasher. This means we must "baby proof" the house. But, I suppose mobility, in its many forms, is a necessary skill to master.

Speaking of masters, RJ graduates on May 14th and, yes, he is going to walk the stage. This is great news for our guests that weekend. Not only do you get to attend SJ's graduation on Friday night, you can attend RJ's graduation on Saturday morning! Big fun!

Question:

What is the best candy bar of all time? (Not just what you have a hankering for every-now-and-then, but hands down, THE best candy bar...let's see if there is a clear favorite)

Friends...

Note: I have decided that…if you have used your name on this blog, I’m going to use it when referring to you. It will keep everyone less confused. If you don’t want that to happen…let me know and I’ll take it off before anyone is any the wiser!

Our weekend visit went really well and I think I am safe to say…a good time was had by all! LJ went down for a nap around 11:45 on Saturday morning and Lena’s family arrived about 30 minutes later. We sat around and visited until little LJ woke up. Then we all looked at him for a few minutes…until Chrissy’s family arrived.

Once everyone said their hellos and the babies “got used” to everyone…LJ had a bottle and Annie ate her lunch. I think she ate peas and some kind of meat. Lena and I got lunch on the table and once the babies were finished we ate our lunch. Little Annie played in the jumpy seat (hangs from the doorway) and Chrissy was surprised she loved it so much. Apparently, she hadn’t been fond of one that she had at her house. After a while, LJ napped and Annie tried to nap, but decided there was too much else to do. We did much visiting and much talking about babies and children. There was lots of laughing!

Hands down, the most memorable moment of the visit was when Emma (who is 7, I think) went to the kitchen to get some milk. I saw her trying to lift the gallon and asked Lena if she is successful doing this at home. Lena said I needed to help her, but Emma had the milk out before I could get there. She was about to pour it into one of LJ’s bottles. So, I said, “ok, what are you doing there?” To which she replied, “I’m getting some milk for LJ.” Prior to this, LJ was acting hungry, but instead of feeding him, RJ and I kept making comments like, “are you getting hungry?”…“do you need some milk?”…etc. and this sweet, helpful little girl was going to get him some milk!

Finally, if you have not made any book suggestions, please post a comment under the previous post (suggestions from males are especially requested)!

Question:

What is the last movie you saw in the movie theater and should LJ rent it when he is of the appropriate age?

Guests!

The Js are looking forward to out guests this weekend…LS’s Family and CP’s family. LJ loves guests and will be happy to share his toys with little AP. ES and HS can share them too, but they are much too grown up to be entertained by LJ’s toys. We’re planning a great lunch…a nice mixture of chicken, brisket, sausage, and ribs…I just couldn’t decide what I wanted to eat, so I said, “heck, let’s just get a little of everything!” I can’t wait!

Nothing new is happening here. I am counting down the days until solid food starts. We decided to wait until LJ is 6 months old. He seems to be doing just fine on breast milk alone, so the doctor says there is no need to rush. From what I read, if we wait until 6 months, we don’t have to start with rice cereal. So, the question is…what should be his first food. I’m leaning toward sweet potato. What was your child’s/children’s first food? Any wisdom as to things we should consider so far as the introduction of solid foods is concerned?

I’ll write a nice post about our weekend early next week.

Question:

What book(s) did you really enjoy reading as a child?

LJ Says...

Dear Friends,

Since Mommy has decided to use this blog as my baby book, I would like to try something new. With each post (don't worry, Mommy isn't very good at posting too many times in a week...and this won't go on forever), I'm going to tell Mommy to ask you a question concerning something about which I am curious (see, Mommy won't let me end a sentence with a preposition!). There will be the regular post news, but at the end there will be a question. This question will help me get a better idea of what is going on while I am too young to understand it myself. It'll be fun for me to look back at this when I am older!

Love,

Little Baby J

Question:
How much does a gallon of gas cost where you live?

Rolling Over

Friday was a big day in the J house...LJ rolled from back to front...all by himself! I previously reported that he was exhibiting the skills needed to accomplish such a feat, but didn't desire to be on his tummy, so he never went all the way. Well, Friday morning, he moved his little arm and found himself on his tummy. He proceeded to pivot 360 degrees...not rapidly, but within the next 5 minutes on his belly. He is tolerating tummy time much better these days.

We dug out some of LJ's cousin DL's clothes...I remembered he had some really cute romper-type outfits and he was born in November, so I thought they should be about the right size for LJ. They fit (a tiny bit big) and are so cute! LJ looks adorable in them.

LJ hasn't been taking a two-hour nap since I wrote to you about that...I knew I'd jinx it. As a matter of fact, I am really doing a poor job of getting him down for his naps. I swaddle him, bounce him in the bouncy seat, and then pick him up to put him in his crib. All of this goes well, but as soon as I put him in his crib...his eyes pop open. Repeat. I know I am supposed to be putting him down while he is drowsy...so that he can put himself to sleep, but that would take too much work and we're not ready to invest the time needed to accomplish this. That, we will save for another day.

In other news, we had a fine weekend. RJ was out working on the back deck he is building and a man stopped to ask if we had any yard work for him to do. He and RJ negotiated a great deal for the man to grind down all the stumps in our yard. If you have ever been in our yard or if your children have every played in our yard...you know this is a great thing. All told, the man and his helper worked 4 hours and ground 20 stumps. This will make mowing the yard MUCH easier! And, children can run with wild abandon.

All the Attention

What a big weekend! LJ's Godfather, MFK, came to visit...he arrived Friday night after LJ had gone to bed, but LJ was all smiles Saturday morning. We had French Toast Casserole**, eggs, and sausage for breakfast. Not too long after breakfast, RJ and MFK spent the afternoon doing "guy stuff"...this took them away from the house, so LJ and I had a nice afternoon together. Once the guys returned, I made some pizza rolls and stromboli*** and we had an early dinner. After dinner we went out to a local park...RJ and MFK threw the football as LJ and I watched. Every-so-often we'd have to do a head's up as disc golfers were teeing off nearby. That was fun, the weather was nice, and afterwards we got snow cones. That took 30 minutes, LJ was losing his patience, but MFK and I both ordered cherry-cola and it was GOOD!

Sunday we left to visit KK (LJ's Godmother) as she lives in the same town where RJ had an early doctor's appointment on Monday. We also picked my mom up at the airport and went out to dinner before dropping her off at her hotel (she left Monday for her week in Rome). RJ's visit to the doctor went really well. Everyone at this hospital was really nice, not in a hurry, but really nice. The doctor gave RJ some really good news concerning new research in the thyroid realm (this research indicates that RJ is, for all intents and purposes, cured and some of the testing he's had done in the past is no longer necessary). LJ was a really good little boy! I am still not used to all the attention this little guy gets (and brings to me and RJ in the process). People seem to love to see a baby...so many strangers come up to us, talk to us, and touch little LJ's hair or his cheeks...it is amazing! After RJ's appointment, we all went out for lunch and then we headed home. MFK left not too long after we returned home and this left the Js to recover!

The Js don't have any plans to go out of town anytime in the near future. We are looking forward to a day visit from CP's family and LS's family...and to the relatives who will be in town for SJ's graduation!


**French Toast Casserole is super-yummy and you must ask me for the recipe if you think it sounds good. As a bonus, it is easy to make and is great to serve when you have houseguests.

***The pizza rolls and the stromboli are both super-yummy and you must ask me for the recipe if you think they sound good.

2-Hour Naps!

Little LJ has adjusted his nap schedule the last 3 days...and I've been loving it! He used to sleep in between every feeding, but about 4 weeks ago, he dropped his late afternoon nap. So, he was taking one morning nap, one midday nap, and one afternoon nap. Then, he'd be up for about 3-4 hours before bedtime. Well, Monday he started a new routine, but I've been waiting until it happened three days in a row before I allowed myself to believe it could be something somewhat permanent. Lately, he's been making either his midday nap or his afternoon nap 2 hours (one day 2 1/2) long!!!! YIPPEE!!! Do you know what this means??? It means that I can do a few little chores AND relax for a little while during the day. I can do sanity-saving things like...eat lunch without rushing! This is a really happy thing.

In other news, the weather has been beautiful and LJ and I have been enjoying it while taking our afternoon nap.

SJ, RJ, and I agree that LJ is exhibiting the ability (skill-wise) to roll from back to tummy, but he isn't interested in being on his tummy, so he doesn't move his arm for the finale. He is much more tolerant of tummy-time and even smiles as he lifts his head up. He is grabbing anything his little hands can find (including my hair and nose) and putting it in his mouth...if he can get it there.

I'm Not Making This Stuff Up!

So, my wrist/thumb on my right hand has/have been bothering me for a while now. When I say "bothering me" I mean painful, sometimes shooting pain, especially when I move it a certain way or pick up a certain ~16 pound object. What do you know? This ailment has a name...Mommy Thumb. I'm not making this up. It is also known as deQuervain's tendonitis, "an irritation of the thumb tendons that causes everything from mild soreness to an intense pain that radiates up to the wrists.” It is fairly common in new moms and comes from (supposedly) my picking up LJ by hooking my hands under his arms. So, RJ has me experimenting with different pick-up techniques and I am using Absorbine Jr. aka "the wonder tonic" several times a day. Lucky for me, RJ thinks Absorbine Jr. smells divine!

Yea! It is Over...

We made it through the weekend of the conference! Yea! RJ and I are on the planning committee for a conference on college teaching, so we are supposed to implement our plan as we attend the conference. It is usually a good time, but this year I have been dreading it...mostly due to the fact that I dislike disrupting LJ's routine (slight as it may be). Luckily, this conference is held about 45 minutes from my Mom's house, so there wasn't too much disruption. We stayed with her in the evenings and she kept LJ during the day. Worry #1...MILK - will I be able to bank enough; will I be able to excuse myself to pump often enough. Worry #2...SEPARATION ANXIETY - mine, not LJ's. But, it all went well. I did have enough milk, did pump as often as needed, and after the first day, had limited separation anxiety. LJ was his typical, well-behaved self and MawMaw had a good time playing and showing him off. She is now on her impromptu trip to Virginia prior to her planned trip to Rome. Rome should offer a unique experience considering current events.

In other news, RJ admitted that he agrees that LJ's hair might need a little trimming. I seized on that and encouraged him to do it NOW (this conversation occurred during LJ's bath last night). So, we did cut it...a bit too short in the back and just right over the ears. We are sad and RJ and I had a nice discussion on decision-making. I knew that, if we didn't do it right then, I'd wimp out - and it really needed to be done. He knew that he'd like to spend more time thinking about it. Needless to say, it is done.

I have a couple of more thoughts, but I'll save them for a future entry.

LJ's First Easter

Dear Faithful Reader: I'm sorry to have left you for so long. This has been a hectic week and I haven't gotten to the computer at my normal times. Please forgive me and continue to look for LJ's happenings on a regular basis.

LJ's first Easter was a great one! We left at 10:00 am for our trip to MawMaw's house. SJ rode with us and that was nice...someone else to talk to. LJ did fine, he napped and played with very little fussing. We stopped at a RV place on the way as we are looking for a travel trailer to buy. We'd like to find a nice used one, but that is proving more difficult than we thought it would be. We discovered that there is a Cracker Barrel "on the way" (ok it is a few miles out of the way...) so we stopped there to eat fish and chips. VERY YUMMY! We arrived at MawMaw's house around 2:30. We had a nice weekend with Bigbro and his family and LJ's cousin and Friday companion, SJ, helped him find his very first Easter egg.

We got home around 6:00 on Sunday and have been going ever since. Monday was the usual work stuff, but Tuesday we went up to Richard's brother's place as relatives from Pennsylvania were coming to visit. So, LJ got to meet his great aunt, great uncle, and several extended cousins. It was a great time and good food!

Tuesday evening, LJ's aunt M and cousin C came to visit and spend the night. We went out to eat and met up with SJ in the process. Then, M and C stayed with LJ this morning while RJ and I went to work. Since RJ went to work with the roosters (as I always do), he should get to come home early. But, it is almost 4:00 and he isn't home yet.

Tomorrow, we head back to MawMaw's. RJ and I have a conference (we are on the planning committee for this conference) this weekend and it is very near where MawMaw lives. She will keep LJ for us while we are at the conference and we will spend the nights with her. If she weren't available I don't think we'd be going as it is too difficult to leave a nursing baby with someone else for the night. I'm concerned about having enough milk for bottles as it is! We missed this conference last year due to my morning sickness (which, let's face it, doesn't only occur in the AM). It is hard to believe that at this time last year little LJ was on his way!

Thunderstorms - Part II

Nope, LJ is definitely not afraid of thunderstorms. On Saturday evening, we had a doozy of a storm - complete with hail. SJ came over and played with LJ while RJ and I went to church. It poured rain and hailed for about an hour. LJ didn't get upset at all. After church, SJ stayed for dinner and told us all about her trip to London. It sounds like she had a great time...RJ and I are trying to figure out how to get over there. I think LJ would be great...once we got there...it is the plane ride that I'm not sure we want to tackle!

Sunday (and Saturday too), LJ would NOT nap. He wasn't upset (unless we were trying to make him take a nap)...he just didn't want to take a nap. I didn't think this would be good for him...he's a baby for goodness sake. And, he's far too young to be making these kinds of decisions. So, RJ and I tried to put him down several times. See, we were also trying to not swaddle him for his naps. By the end of the day, we gave up, swaddled him, and he took a nap. Apparently, he is not ready for the non-swaddled sleep. Last night, he slept from 8:30 - 6:00. He woke up at 2:00, made some noises, but went back to sleep. Same thing at 5:00. I only wish I could get back to sleep so quickly!

Today, it is storming, so LJ and I sat out on the front porch and listened to the rain. We also watched cars go by and I told him what make and model they were. I figure RJ will be glad about this...if I got them correct. Then LJ started to show signs of sleepiness, so I swaddled him and he is now napping.

This week we are looking forward to going to MawMaw's house for Easter. It will be our first over-night stay besides M&B's wedding...but that was staying in a hotel...this is our first stay in a house. Be careful, if it goes well, we may be coming to visit you next!

LJ's First St, Patrick's Day

Ok, I admit...we don't really do anything for St. Patrick's Day. We don't even make sure we are wearing green, but as it turns out, LJ was wearing green. RJ was not, so I put some green (lime scented) lotion on my hand, found him, and pinched him! All in good fun. Let's see, what did we do on this day? I made a pound cake...yes, from scratch. It is a little dry, but put some butter on it, put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and that takes care of that problem. RJ sketched out plans for a porch on the back of our house...to keep the sun from oppressively beating in the windows in the afternoon. LJ hung out, ate, slept, and played.

Wednesday, we took LJ to his first sporting event. The ladies and the men are in post-season basketball, so we caught the end of the ladies' and the beginning of the men's games. He seemed to like it all right.

This weekend we plan to do regular stuff...laundry, clean up, etc. RJ will probably work on that porch.

LJ has been waking up once during the night...that hasn't been too much fun. We are hoping it is a growth spurt or something of that ilk.

LJ's First Visit to Grandma & Grandpa's House

Note: Please excuse my misplaced modifier in the title of the previous post. LJ's visit to the doctor did not last 4 months as you may have been lead to believe.

This is the first day of Spring Break here...don't you miss Spring Break? A whole week! Actually, the students have a whole week...we have Friday off. But, RJ and I took off today and we plan to go visit LJ's Aunt MJ and Uncle BJ this afternoon. Yesterday we took a longer car ride and went to visit LJ's Grandma and Grandpa (RJ's parents). This was LJ's first visit to their house and RJ stood him up on the ground when we arrived. You know, touch the earth kind of thing. I think this is the first time little LJ has touched the ground (outside) with his little feet. We had a nice visit...uncle BJ was there too...and got home in time for dinner, bath, and bed.

LJ has been a little fussy...while eating...and has been putting his hand up to his left ear. He isn't fussy when he's doing that though. We thought, "Could he be teething?" and put some baby Oragel on his little gums. This seemed to do the trick for the fussy-ness while eating, but who really knows. According to the book, this would be a little early for teething, but not impossible. I don't like the holding his ear thing, but I don't know how much stock to put in that. It is just this past week that he has been grabbing at toys (with purpose...oh, and they go straight to his mouth...ha!), so I can't see how he's refined this skill so much that he can think, "hmmm, pain...I must touch it with my hand." He may just be tired when he's doing that...he's started rubbing his eyes when he's tired. This is good...I can't miss that cue, so I get him down for his naps a little sooner.

Hope you treat yourself to a Spring Break soon!

LJ's 4-Month Visit to the Doctor

LJ’s stats:
Height – 27 inches (this is “off the chart” – above the 100th percentile)
Weight – 15 pounds 3.5 ounces (this is in the 50th percentile – meaning “average”)
Head Circumference – 17 inches (this is in the 75th percentile)

As a parent of an infant you are very excited about these visits as they show you how much your baby has grown. You even place bets on what these statistics will be…for weight anyway.

RJ – 16 pounds 2 ounces
MJ – 16 pounds even
SJ – 16 pounds 4 ounces
And the winner is:
JJ – 15 pounds 14 ounces

So, LJ is a long baby of average weight…sound like anyone you know? Who LJ happens to look more and more like everyday? So far it appears that little baby J is taking after his father in all things looks-related.

LJ had 4 shots today and he was a little trooper. She had the first needle in his leg and was putting the second in before LJ started to howl. He only cried at the time of the injections…after that he was smiles again. He’s a tough kid!

I’ve decided that I am going to try to teach LJ some sign language…just little things like milk, pain, love, etc. The theory is that infants are capable of communicating before they develop language skills, so if you teach them so signs, they can communicate with you long before they can say the words. It is worth a shot! I ordered a little book that has 60 signs in it…all American Sign Language, so it’ll be useful in the future as well.

Advice Please...

RJ and LJ are still sleeping (at 8:45 am), so I have a few minutes (or maybe many minutes...who knows?) to ask you something that RJ and I have been wondering...

How can we make sure that LJ is a kind little boy (and grown up)? He is very cute, but this may come and go. He has a pretty nice temperament right now. It'll break my heart if he is a little meany. So, is there something we should be watching for? Some moment we need to seize? Some infant behavior we need to recognize as the precursors to meany-ness? I know it is too early for this now, but we really want him to be a nice person.

Any thoughts?


And it is now 8:50 and I hear RJ and LJ, so I did have only a few minutes.

2-Day Delay

I've decided that babies (LJ anyway) have a 2-day delay in "reacting" to things that I would think would really get them out-of-kilter. We had a great weekend with my brother's family. Great = visiting, hanging out, laughing, and eating. Maw Maw arrived on Sunday and took us all out to lunch...yum! All of LJ's cousins wanted to hold him and play with him and LJ didn't really get fussy at all...even though he missed most of his naps in the process. Each night, I'd go to bed and think, "well, he didn't really nap today...what's going to happen tonight...is he 'overtired'?" And, he would sleep until his normal time, wake to eat, and then go back to sleep...until 9:30 or 10:00 (this is amazing too). So, on Sunday I decided...no big deal...LJ reacted fine...and then there was last night (and thus the 2-day delay theory). We made great strides to have LJ ready for his last nursing session before bed by 8:00 - to coincide with The Amazing Race. That went well and LJ was off to sleep by 8:30. He woke at 11:30...RJ got him back to sleep. He woke at 12:30...RJ tried, but decided LJ was hungry. He nursed...went back to sleep. He woke up at 3:30...at which point we put him in bed with us. He slept "all right" until 6:30...RJ fed him a bottle as I was getting ready for work. As I left, RJ was trying to get LJ to go back to sleep. So, I'm thinking it is a 2-day delayed reaction to his eventful weekend. I have to come up with an alternative to the growth spurt theory!

SJ has offered to have some cousin time with LJ this week, so we are taking her up on her offer. She suggested we see "Hitch" and we have heard that it is really funny...so that is what we are doing this afternoon. RJ is going to take off early today and we are going to a movie. How decadent! I hope I'm rested enough not to fall asleep during this one. If you recall, I fell asleep during "Ocean's 12", but if you've seen it, that may make sense to you.

So far as I'm concerned...things are going well. I've managed to lose enough weight to fit into jeans a size smaller. Just one more size to go. This is nice, but causes a problem as I only have 1 pair of pants (jeans) this size...I had 2 of the larger size *sigh*. But, what can you do? I had to take some measures to lose weight...breastfeeding has not "melted away the pounds" as it apparently does for so many. I didn't really expect it to...my metabolism has never been like that. The only thing I've really done is to stop eating with reckless abandon every day of the week. I haven't been exercising or greatly limiting my calories. Every breastfeeding mom will likely tell you that one of their fears is that their milk supply will decrease, that this will be unknown to them, that the baby will secretly be starving, and that once they realize their supply is low...it will be too late to do anything about it. This is why the weight loss is such a tricky issue. Or, maybe this is a rationalization on my part?

RJ is doing well...he longs for the day when he can get some work done around the house. By this I mean...in the garage and outside. It has rained here every 2-3 days for about 6 months...so the grass is growing (and the weeds too), but it is always too wet to mow. Our yard looks like a jungle. I told him that one day...LJ will take longer naps a couple of times a day and we'll both be able to get more done. I'm not sure he believes me, but he is ever hopeful!