Face Forward

Yesterday marked the first day that LJ has faced forward in his car seat. I believe the "rules" are that the child must: be 1 year old, weigh 20 pounds or more, AND must be 29 inches tall. LJ met all of these on November 14th (his first birthday), but as you recall - he and T-Bone had just been in an accident and LJ didn't seem to mind riding facing the rear. "They" say rear-facing is safer and you should keep them that way as long as you can. This makes me wonder why everyone (minus the driver) doesn't have their seats facing the rear of the vehicle...if it is safer and all? Anyway, LJ wears shoes with increasing frequency and that was making things a little too cramped for his legs when facing the rear. So, I switched him...yesterday.

He seems to lean back a little more this way - which should prove better for car napping. He appears to enjoy being able to see the driver so well...just turn your head at a stop light and there he is...smiling at you. At first he had his legs crossed, but once he realized he had room he reached his little feet out and started rubbing them on the seat in front of him. I wonder how long it will be before he starts kicking it?

Our Weekend

Well, we were supposed to take down Christmas decorations and, in general, find a place for all the stuff that seems to come into this house, but...

RJ got sick :-(

We think he had the flu...but we don't know. He's feeling better now, but Saturday and Sunday, LJ and I had to entertain ourselves (and take care of daddy). In fact, LJ started to miss his daddy so much that he wrote him a note on his new Magna Doodle (you know, the one he sat on...)




Yes, the Christmas decorations are still up. But, we stopped turning on the outside lights on January 6th.

Sit On It

LJ is a big fan of sitting on anything that he thinks looks like it can be sat upon.

Sometimes he makes an error in judgment.

It was understandable when RJ bought attic stairs and housed the box in the living room (we won't say for how long)...I mean, that was a big box and LJ was able to climb on top of it and crawl around. Then, he started to do this with smaller boxes...and yesterday, he sat on his Magna Doodle. It is the travel size. We just got it yesterday.

So, it appears that LJ is moving away from tasting everything as his means of exploration... and is now testing said things for their ability to be sat upon.

LJ's New Year's Resolutions

LJ rang in the New Year with some of his many cousins...actually, LJ did not stay up until midnight, but his parents did! This is an improvement over last year, I believe. I didn't think I'd be able to make it until J*fer volunteered to watch LJ while we continued sleeping - if we'd stay up until midnight. How could we refuse an offer like that?! So, we played games and then flipped between Dick Clark and Regis. I must be getting old because the music on both these shows was terrible...and I think it is the currently-hip music.

LJ has several resolutions this year:

Start talking
Get rid of the crawling callouses on his feet
Grow taller and not just wider (from front-to-back, not side-to-side)
Get Mommy to go for a walk more days than she doesn't
Go to the park more often
Learn to use a fork and spoon
Continue to be a happy boy!

Merry Christmas!

RJ is wrapping presents for me, so I have been sent out of the room! Yea! Computer time with ZERO guilt. LJ is fast asleep and MawMaw is watching The Amazing Race rerun on Game Show Network. MawMaw arrived around 12:30 today and we’ve been going ever since. Out to lunch, LJ’s nap (which is one of the few times this week he’s taken an afternoon nap), getting ready for church, preparing dinner (which was breakfast – Denver Frittata, Bacon, Biscuits and Cinnamon Rolls for dessert – YUM!), eating dinner, making cookies, wrapping presents, and now, updating the blog. Until tonight we had no presents under the tree…we were afraid LJ would unwrap them, but now they are there – waiting for a family to wake up tomorrow! After our immediate family Christmas, we’ll head to LJ’s Aunt M & Uncle B’s house and spend the day with RJ’s family.

LJ went to bed without a fuss and boy, will he be surprised when he wakes up tomorrow…

Merry Christmas from the Js!

Glitch in the Matrix

As LJ sits guzzling his milk – and I do mean guzzling…he sucks down his morning 6 ounces in less than 2 minutes…and rarely stops to breath, I’m pondering what has happened to our “easy to put to bed” baby. On Sunday night, LJ screamed as RJ put him to bed…and that resulted in an hour and a half of work for RJ before LJ succumbed. Monday’s naps went fine and Monday night was normal. Last night (Tuesday) there was more screaming, but RJ got him to sleep within 30 minutes. BUT, last night was punctuated with a 2:00 am and a 4:00 am scream fest. RJ got him quieted down within 5 minutes, but – what the heck?! (See, I told you, RJ is the night time guy, so when he was sick last month…I missed that contribution!)

I’ll admit that we had gotten out of the habit of a bath every night – remember, baths were making him scream. Tuesday night, we did give him a bath and he went to sleep fine. It was probably a fluke, but hey, if I had to wear the same PJs every night to get him to sleep easily – I’d do it. So, we’ll start there…reestablishing a routine that includes a bath. We still had a routine, it just didn’t include a full-on bath every night…some nights it was a sponge bath.

Could he be teething – those 1 year molars?
Question – do all the other teeth have to be in before the molars come in?

Could it just be a phase?
Question – did your children (or children you know) go through entire phases where they didn’t go to bed? I have the feeling I’m not going to like the answers I get to this one.

Could he need fewer hours of sleep? I’m sure he won’t need a total of 15 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period forever (including naps, this is about how many hours he gets).
Question – wouldn’t he cut out a nap instead of shorten his night sleep?

More Christmas Preparations

As you know, last weekend was devoted to decorating for Christmas. I’m pleased to report that LJ has not gotten into any mishaps with the additions to the décor, nor has he insisted on too many situations in which he is told, “no, no” and sometimes forcibly moved to a more appropriate location.

With the decorations up and the Christmas music cycling through the CD player, I was able to turn my attention to holiday eats. This starts with making the spiced apple cider that will then be available for warming in the microwave throughout the Christmas season – check! Then I moved to making sure I had all the ingredients to make peanut brittle – check! Finally, I stocked up on the sugar cookie dough and decorations – check!

This weekend I have been making peanut brittle as I have several batches I must prepare for distribution to the neighbors (and for us to have plenty to eat too – good thing I have a dentist appointment in January!). RJ and I have a system that involves his coming in at the last 5 of the 295 degrees and stirring vigorously as I put in the final 2 ingredients…oh, and then he pours the sugary treat onto the prepared surface for cooling. (It is possible that I watch too much Food Network as I think you might actually care about the cooking of peanut brittle.) I have also baked the first batch of sugar cookies and they are ready for us to decorate tonight (after LJ is fast asleep). I’ll save the second batch for closer to Christmas.

So, where is LJ during all this baking…well, I try to squeeze it in while he’s napping. Yesterday, it didn’t work out so well as he woke up at about 220 of the 295 degrees. He played in the kitchen a little, but he could hear RJ rummaging around in the garage for tools to work on a car in the driveway. This made LJ want to go into the garage, but I could not oblige him as I was trying to get to 295 degrees. Eventually, I had to pick him up or chance suffering the permanent scarring that some say comes with not doing so after a certain amount of whining at the legs of mommy. LJ was all too interested in the peanut brittle I was stirring, but I managed to balance him on one hip, stir the peanut brittle, and keep him away from what was probably now 270 degrees of boiling sugar. It is a good thing I am tall!

Saturday night, we had a babysitter over while RJ and I went Christmas shopping and out to dinner. It was a leisurely shopping experience and we purchased a modest trio of age-appropriate toys for LJ’s Christmas.

I am finished with work for 2005 and shouldn’t need to return until mid-January, so look for more frequent updates on this, your favorite blog about LJ.

Goodbye Balls - Hello Bows

We've decorated the house for Christmas - and we've had to make a decision. Do we decorate as always and incorporate LJ into our lives or do we decorate for a toddler and skip the "no, no" all the time. We decided on the later. So, goodbye silver, gold, red, and blue balls - hello red bows. Goodbye train around the tree - hello tree skirt. Goodbye inappropriate decorations that contain small parts and choking hazards - hello everything placed outside of LJ's reach.

It hasn't been so bad - I think LJ is slightly afraid of the tree. He went to bed one night and woke up with a big tree in his living room. He points at it a lot and says, "ohhh..." and when he touches it, he does so quickly and pulls his hand back right away.

And....

This week, he has started walking more than crawling...heck, sometimes he is practically running. So, he is officially a toddler!

Hungry & Sleepy

Last week LJ was not only starving ALL THE TIME, but he was sleepy ALL THE TIME too. Of course, I was paranoid that he was getting sick, but that never seemed to happen. Then I decided this could be a growth spurt (and here we are full circle...growth spurts were a hot topic in our lives this time last year). This poor child could not get enough to eat, but at some point I have to say, "Look, your tummy just isn't that big. You can eat more later, but this is enough for right now." Then he'd cry and crawl over to the table and try to reach his Cheerios. If he couldn't reach them, he'd lie on the floor and wail. So, I'd decide he was tired and put him down for a nap...and sure enough, he's sleep for an hour or more. LJ's clothes still fit, so he hasn't grown at an alarming rate, but I'm expecting to notice a difference.

This week has returned to a more normal eating and sleeping pattern. I don't know how long of a delay there is between eating/sleeping and perceptible growth, but if I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Thanksgiving 2005

The Js had a very nice Thanksgiving holiday and it was a great way to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for in 2005. LJ's MawMaw arrived on Wednesday followed closely by my brother and his family. We set up the travel trailer in the backyard and LJ's cousins had their own place to stay. This was nice in that everyone had a bed and the cousins could stay up late, sleep-in, take naps, etc. LJ had a great time playing with all his relatives and managed to get in all his naps too.

We ate tons of food - I'd say bacon was the favorite...we managed to eat bacon just about every morning!

We watched football...and I was relieved that the score was as close as it was.

We played football - the semi-annual Thanksgiving Bowl. The non-Jfys/former-Jfys vs. the Jfys. In the final play (as the game was called due to darkness) the non-Jfys won (that is my team!).

On Friday, my sister and her family arrived and we had a birthday party for DL. He turned 8 yesterday. We ate some more, played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey (which was not as hilarious as it was 2 years prior), and then ate some more. What a great day!

On Saturday, after the bacon and after a lunch of Thanksgiving leftovers, we (RJ, KJ, RJ and I) went to a movie while the cousins entertained LJ. J*fer was in charge as we are hoping she'll be able to arrange her class schedule so that she can be LJ's Friday companion next year. She did a fantastic job, but unfortunately the movie we intended to see was sold out and we had to settle for a choice made on the fly. It was BORING. This seems to happen to us a lot. We have the opportunity to go to a movie and we end up seeing a dud. Oh well.

The Jfys gave LJ a corn popper (you know, the kind LJ pushes and it pops) and I think LJ will love it when he is walking a little better. People ask me if the noise will bother me...so long as LJ is entertained and not clawing at my legs, his toys can make all the noise in the world! The Lfts gave LJ a little walker and he seems to enjoy it. I can't decide if was ready to start walking more anyway or if the walker has given him more confidence, but his walking has picked up in the past 2 days. He'll walk about 10 steps in a row and then he'll either lose his balance or he'll decide he wants to get there more quickly and he'll crawl! If you hold his hands and walk with him, you're committed to doing that for a while. He'll get pretty mad if you stop before he is ready.

The J family had a great Thanksgiving and hope that you did too!

What a Week...

Last week was perhaps the most horrific week I've known on the home front. You think I am being dramatic, but it was pretty bad. RJ was very sick most of the week and LJ had a cold/ear infection. The congestion and pain kept him up most of the night and RJ (the night-time go-to guy) was down for the count.

So, this left me.

I am not good without some sleep. I am not good during the night. I am a day person. The night depresses me. I am not as good as RJ at getting LJ to sleep when he doesn't feel well. There were nights when RJ had to get up (even though he didn't feel well) to help me. I'd get LJ to sleep in my arms and when I'd try to put him down, he'd scream. If I tried to just sit down, he'd scream. There were many times that we were both crying together. Interestingly, LJ would stop crying as soon as I'd start. RJ took my crying as a signal that I was losing my mind and would get up with him for a couple of hours. Finally, RJ and I had a talk, the result of which made me decide that I needed to change my attitude about the night. So...

We pulled out the sofa bed on the back porch, left the computer on (so that the slide show screen saver was on - LJ loves to look at our family pictures), put the TV remote next to the sofa bed, and prepared for the night. Sure enough, LJ woke up at 10:00 and I was on. I picked him up, we propped up on the bed and he watched the slide show and fell asleep. My mistake - I tried to move him to his crib. He screamed. So, we came back out, but at this time he was wide awake. We watched the slide show, I watched Melrose Place on the DVR, we read books, etc. Then, he tired out again; I rocked him to sleep and tried to sit back down on the sofa bed...screams. RJ woke up and rescued us (it was 1:00). He got LJ to sleep and in his crib by 2:30. We all slept until 5:30, when LJ was up again. I did not cry this night, so I considered it a success...the power of positive thinking.

LJ is on the mend...he's slept like normal the last 3 night and we are thankful. RJ is also on the mend and for that we are thankful - just in time for Thanksgiving!

LJ has started to scream when put in the bath. He used to love his bath and would eagerly chunk his toys in when bath time came. Now, he clings to us and tries to pull himself out. Did this happen to your children or any children you know? What did you do?!

Happy Birthday LJ!

Here it is...the day LJ was born. He wasn't born until 3:52 pm, and at this time last year I had not had my epidural yet...but these are trivial matters.

LJ started out the day by waking at 6:18, but he did let me rock with him for about 20 minutes...while I patted his back and he rested his head on my shoulder. This doesn't happen very often, so I treasured the moment. After he'd had enough of that, I made him is milk. In the morning he drinks 6 ounces (out of a sippy cup) of a breast milk/whole milk mix. He seems to tolerate the whole milk well and is readily accepting it now, so the weaning process has begun. For breakfast, LJ had bananas, cream of wheat and cinnamon toast and now he is playing before his morning nap - which should commence within the hour.

Oh, this morning he took, what I would call, his official first steps...there were 3 of them and he looked like Frankenstein's Monster, but they got him where he wanted to go...from the ottoman to the couch.

So, why am I home? RJ is sick. Has been all weekend. And when I say sick, I mean sick. 102 fever. He was so desperate; we got a baby sitter and spent 3 hours in the walk-in clinic yesterday. That's all I'll say...it isn't my illness, so I'm sure there is some privacy law that I've already violated in recording what I have. But, this gives me time to make LJ's birthday cake this morning.

(I see Lena and KK did this on the previous post, but...)

Please comment if you want LJ to know that you wished him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

One Year Ago...

One year ago tonight, the Js were attending a Lyle Lovett concert...and wondering if we'd make it through before Little Baby J made his appearance. Of course, we didn't know Little Baby J would be a boy. We didn't really have any idea what was ahead of us! It was an exciting time and, looking back, we didn't have any clue how fun, hard, fulfilling, tiring, hilarious, agonizing, amazing, and spectacular the last year would be. We were just happy to be able to attend this concert! I've been reading the early entries - pre-LJ - and it seems like it is impossible that a year has gone by. My baby is about to be 1!

T-Bone

Friday morning - I was excited because I did not have any meetings at work. See, Friday is the only day I don't teach, but it is usually filled with meetings. This past Friday was a rare gem. So, I was being rather leisurely in my morning routine. Decadence of all decadence, I turned off my alarm and let LJ wake me...which he did at 6:45. RJ took him out for garage sales - their Friday morning ritual and I lollygagged while drinking tea, watching news, pumping milk, etc. Toward the end of my lollygagging...as I was transitioning into serious primping for work...I felt insanely nauseous. If I didn't know better, I would think it was morning sickness all over again (but, we know that morning sickness is not confined to the morning...oh, aren't you glad I was blogging during LJ's first trimester?!). I decided I needed to eat some toast and that made me feel well enough to continue. As I'm about to get dressed, the phone rings...

I answer it and it is RJ on the line. He asks me how I'm doing and I reply..."you know, I thought I was going to hurl earlier...I felt really sick." To which he says, "LJ and I are both fine, but we've been in an accident." All calm as can be...so, I ask where they are and head off to go meet them. I did get dressed first...and they weren't far away. All the way there I was thinking things like..."ok, he said they're fine, but there could be blood, so don't freak out if there are cuts"...AND..."I don't know how bad the accident is, but RJ would have driven home if it were a fender-bender"...AND..."My feeling nauseous earlier really isn't a big deal goof-ball, but hey...what if I felt sick right when the accident happened? What if I have an insane amount of mother's intuition?!"

When I got to the accident site, things were pretty much wrapping up. I saw RJ's truck...smashed in from the front...he obviously hit something head on. But, I didn't see the other car. The accident happened on a busy street near our house and in front of our neighbor’s mechanic shop. I went to RJ and took LJ from him...there was no blood on either of them. Then I saw the other car...a KIA SUV...hit dead-on on the driver's side. Her side-impact airbags had deployed. Both vehicles were hooked up to tow trucks, the policeman was finishing up talking to RJ...telling him who to call and when to get the report, that the other driver's insurance was up-to-date, etc. We went over to the other driver...she was not hurt and she seemed concerned that LJ was all right. She had a pink slip in her hand, so this gave me a clue that she might have been at fault. Mind you, I still have not heard what happened yet.

Once we left the scene, RJ filled me in...

He had been southbound in the inside lane of a 4 lane road with a turn lane. There was a truck with a trailer (also southbound) in the outside lane (on his right). This truck was stopped and wanting to turn right onto a side street. The KIA was wanting to turn left onto the road (to go north on the street on which RJ was traveling south). RJ thinks the truck with trailer made her feel like she had to get going because it was waiting for her to move so it would have room to make the right turn (these trucks with trailers need a lot of room I guess). So she pulled out and RJ slammed on/started pumping his brakes and tried not to hit her right in her door, but did just that. Apparently, in the biz...this is called T-Boning someone. Hence...T-Bone! Yep, RJ has earned himself a new nickname...and you have to say it like Krueger on Seinfeld...T-BOOONE.

Upon screeching tires and thudding impact, LJ burst into tears...RJ thinks the loud noise scared him. RJ pulled out his cell phone and made his first ever call to 911. RJ says that LJ was just staring up at him with tears streaming down his face and screaming sobs coming from his mouth...he was probably wondering why daddy was not comforting him and why, in the midst of no comfort, daddy was playing with LJ's favorite toy (the cell phone). Fortunately, there was a policeman behind him (the accident was not too far from the police station) almost immediately. The other car had slid across the intersection and was on the other side of the road...she is lucky she wasn't hit again on her way over. RJ unbuckled LJ and they cautiously exited the vehicle and walked across the street. The other driver was fine, but was crying and wanting to know if the baby was all right. After all was said and done, we did take LJ to the doctor...just as a precautionary measure to make sure everything seemed fine.

So, T-Bone's truck is history...he was looking into buying a new truck anyway, this makes the decision for him!

My mother’s intuition nausea occurred approximately 7 minutes prior to the accident, so I guess it was just garden-variety nausea and not some super-great 6th sense.

Hope you had a less eventful end of last week!

Love,

MJ, LJ and T-Bone

The End of Daylight Savings Time

In the week preceding the time change, be it fall back or spring forward, I start the routine of saying, "this is what it'll look like at (insert time here) next week." The time change is always something to which I look forward. Now that there is a toddler in my life, the end of daylight savings time is something that I feared. Feared is a strong word, but it accurately expresses my emotion. Sleep is a tenuous thing with a toddler. Many things can disturb the routine...teething, over stimulation, "growth spurts", and other seemingly small events. I can't imagine that gaining a whole hour would not have an affect. LJ usually goes to bed by 7:30, but this will be what he's previously known as 8:30, so he should be tired and this would be good. BUT...think about the morning. He usually wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30, but this will now be 5:30 - 6:30...not good. But, LJ seemed to get through the transition without a hitch. He went to bed a little later the night of the switch and slept all the way until 7:00 (8:00 in the time to which he was accustomed). The next day he refused his afternoon nap, but I wasn't home (RJ was), so I didn't have to suffer through that one. Obviously, this led to an early bedtime, but he slept until 7:30 the next morning and all has really been fine since.

I (and I think RJ agrees) am having a tough time with the time change. It gets dark so early and I get tired when it gets dark! I'll be really tired and I'll look at the clock and it is 6:45...WHAT?! I still have at least 2 hours before I can go to bed! I'm exhausted at the end of the day!

Is daylight savings time really necessary?

Give the Cup to Mommy

We thought we were such good parents, or LJ was such an obedient boy, or some combination of the two.  When we first started to give LJ water in a sippy cup, he’d drop it off the side of his high chair when he no longer wanted it.  We “worked” on this and thought he understood “give the cup to mommy” as eventually he started handing it to me when he was finished.  Well, that is so over.

Now, LJ doesn’t just drop the cup off the side as though he is musing the effects of gravity…no, he throws it and he puts some english on it too.  There is no in-between time either.  He’s either drinking from his cup or chunking it.  Where did the comprehension go?  Was it ever there?  Were we just fooling ourselves into thinking that he was “obeying” us?  Is this a boy thing or a toddler thing?

On the off chance that he just wants to test me, I’ve decided to stop reacting to it.  Maybe with no reaction from me, he’ll decide it isn’t worth it.  I am contemplating not giving him the water cup once he chunks it…unless he points at it on the floor and screams (which he does a lot now), but then I think of how thirsty I would be if I were eating what he’s eating and I cave and offer him a drink.  For a brief moment we share a connection as I provide for his need, then he rips the cup out of his mouth and wildly throws it to the floor.  And, you know how I feel about that.

Now THAT Was Funny!

Well, I don’t know what is going on with you Little Baby J fans…the 90210 pictures were funny (I thought), yet no comments?! What does a blogger have to do?!

I’m home early today so that RJ could attend a meeting this morning. So, I’m catching up on some home things while LJ is taking his morning nap. Just thought I’d check in (oh, and chastise you for not commenting in a L O N G time)!

Have a most excellent weekend.

Feel the Music

Little LJ is a dancer. If he hears music, he's dancing. It started with a side-to-side motion with his head and upper body, but now he bounces his knees and grooves to the tune. I have to say, we didn't teach him this and we don't dance around the house...he just picked it up. I guess dancing is a natural thing that humans just "do". Oddly, he even dances when RJ or I are singing...so he can tell that we are not just talking (neither of us sing well). This is amazing.

His favorite "songs" to which to dance:
The 90210 Theme
The Melrose Place Theme

I also have to add that, LJ watches the TV while dancing to these theme songs and I think he is clearly enamored of Jennie Garth. When her picture comes on, he looks at me and smiles really big. Maybe he thinks that it is me on the TV...not that I look like Jennie Garth, but he is only 11 months old. I am relieved that he does not do this when Tori Spelling is on...she looks a little odd to me.

Oh, and don't worry. He really only watches the opening credits to these shows...after that, he is playing. I realize there will come a time when I will have to watch these shows without him as he will reach the age of more understanding. Until then...dance away little LJ!

For those of you who did not follow 90210 and/or Melrose Place, I present the following:

Jennie Garth (on the right) (That's Tiffani-Amber Theisen on the left AKA Valerie)













Tori Spelling
















So, now you are in "the loop"!

Splish Splash

LJ has graduated to the bathtub. Yes, he is almost 11 months old and he has just started taking a bath in the bathtub in the last few days. See, things were working out just fine when we bathed him in his little tub in the kitchen sink. He’d play with whatever toy we put in his hand and RJ would scrub him clean all while standing up relatively straight. So, why mess with a good thing? The good thing had been getting more complicated. It started with a little thing – like LJ wanting to play with the sink stopper. Big deal…we let him play with it. Then LJ wanted to play with the dish brush. We let him play with that. We’d chuckle as LJ would play with the squirt hose…”oh, isn’t it hilarious how he puts that in his mouth?! He’ll sure be surprised it he actually sprays it while it is in his mouth” – ha, ha, ha! All the while, the adults are sparing themselves the agony of having to crouch over the edge of the bathtub. We decided we’d need to transition when LJ turned on the garbage disposal. It was no big deal…it’s not like he is sitting in the sink. He’s in a tub which is sitting in the sink. But, LJ was getting to nosey for the kitchen-sink bath, so we switched him to the bathtub.

LJ loves his bath! He chases his rubber ducky around and dumps water out of his cups. He doesn’t cry at all when I pour water over his head to wash and rinse his hair. He really couldn’t be more pleased. I, however, am fed up with the bat mat. We haven’t had one before, so I bought the one with 21 suction cups…guaranteed to stick to the bottom of the tub. Whatever. It looks like LJ is on a flying carpet. I’m constantly trying to shove those suction cups onto the bottom of the tub.

With the new bathing location come two changes to the night-time routine. First, LJ takes his bath at 7:00 and is in bed by 7:30. We’d been thinking he needed to go to bed a bit earlier anyway and with the need to be in a better mood for the bathing experience, we moved everything up ½ an hour. Second, I am doing the bathing now. Previously, RJ had bathed LJ almost every night. I’d step in on a handful of occasions – usually when RJ wasn’t at home, but RJ bathed LJ for 11 months! He still gets him ready for his bath and puts him in his pajamas, but I do the playing and scrubbing. I guess we are starting a new era in LJ’s life!

Lazy Weekend

The Js had a pretty lazy weekend, but that is good. We haven’t had a “break” for a while. Needless to say, the bathroom did not get finished, but to be finished, RJ is down to painting the doors and baseboards. That is pretty darn close!

Saturday night, LJ had a babysitter. She got here in time for us to make it to church before heading out to the film festival. The festival itself was about how we imagined it would be, so it did not disappoint. But, one of the films was replaced by another as the rights had been sold or something to that effect. This other film was 80 minutes – replacing the 35 minute originally slated for the last slot of the evening. RJ and I had to leave early as we told LJ’s sitter we’d be home by midnight. Frankly, I was pooped anyway! LJ was his usual great self and the sitter said it was the easiest babysitting job she’s ever had.

The next morning, we went out for breakfast and then all seemed pretty tired. So, LJ went down for his nap and then RJ and I went down for ours. The entire J family napped from 9:30 – 11:30 on Sunday! Then we decided to go to another church’s bazaar for lunch – we had yummy bar-b-q. That afternoon we just lazed around and played together.

It was a great weekend.

LJ has started standing without holding onto anything…not for too long, but he did it several times yesterday. Walking seems to be on the horizon!

Looking Forward to the Weekend

It is finally below 100 degrees - whoop!
There are cupcakes left over from RJ's b-day - whoop! whoop!
RJ is going to finish the bathroom (you won't believe how good it looks) - whoop!
RJ is going to think about getting started on the central A/C (this is a start) - WHOOP!
LJ has a babysitter Saturday night (RJ and I are going to a film festival) - whoop! whoop!

Hope you have a great weekend!

LJ is still napping, it is 4:30, and I'm about to go cut up LJ's cheese for his snack, un-pause 90210 and start watching.

I'm Still Standing

LJ has started to “cruise”. If at all possible (and, I have to tell you, sometimes he seems to do the impossible), LJ will use furniture, people, standing objects, etc. for support and will try to “walk” rather than crawl. We hear this is the precursor to walking, but who knows when he’ll decide to venture forth unaided? He has “stood” unassisted several times, but I don’t think he realized he was doing it.

He is also getting into more “trouble” these days. He is into everything and gets more frustrated now. If he can’t get a toy to do something he desires, he cries at it. He has started to “yell” at me too. Instead of just crying, he yells in his baby vernacular and I don’t really know what he’s saying, but I can tell he’s giving it to me. He does say “mamamamama” during these times, so I think he is actually talking to me. Yesterday, he was pretty mad when going down for his afternoon nap. We had the most trouble we’ve had in several months…I think I’ve been taking it for granted – how easily he’s been going down for naps and bed.

A top tooth has come through and another is on its way, so it won’t be long before LJ has four teeth total. We have started brushing his teeth as a part of his night time routine and he seems to really enjoy that. No tooth paste – just the brush.

My favorite thing that little LJ is doing has to do with his stuffed dog, “Plopper”. He knows who Plopper is and if you say, “Where’s Plopper?” LJ will look for him, crawl to him and give him hugs and kisses. Sometimes LJ will bring Plopper to me or to RJ so that we can give him hugs and kisses. He certainly has affection for Plopper…so much so that Plopper is taking a tumble through the washer and dryer while Little Baby J is napping.

21SS

The J family has taken possession of a 2006 Rockwood Roo 21SS Hybrid Travel Trailer! It is SUPER COOL!

We left for the first leg of our trip last Friday at 8:30 am. Around noon, we arrived at my sister ML's house - where LJ and I would stay while RJ and "the guys" (MK, MK, and BJ) drove to Ohio to secure the new purchase. BJ arrived not too much later and the MK's arrived around 3:30. The guys took off around 4:00, leaving LJ and me to have a wonderful weekend with the L family.

LJ was a perfect angel the entire weekend. I think the L family thinks he never cries, never whines, and is never in a bad mood. Seriously, he was that good. LJ's cousins camped out on their parents' floor, so LJ and I each had our own room. This was very nice and allowed me to get much better sleep than I would have without my own room. CL and DL entertained LJ all weekend and LJ really seemed to enjoy his time with them. CL is in Kindergarten, so I learned a song about "yellow" and have been singing it ever since. She also likes to tell you what letter words start with and she is very skilled at this. I threw her some curve balls though...like what does “write” start with...and she seemed to take it pretty well! We went to DL's first flag football game and he chased down a break-away run and kept the other team from scoring a touchdown. It was very exciting!

I kept in touch with RJ throughout his trip with a check-in in the AM and a check-in in the PM and it sounded like he was having a good time, but was getting very little sleep. Going to get the trailer was not only a fun adventure, it saved us about $1000.00 over having it delivered...even with the current price of gas.

The guys pulled up to the driveway around 2:30 on Sunday afternoon and I saw the trailer for the first time. My first reaction was, "it looks just like the brochure"...which says good things about the brochure and thus, I was not disappointed as my expectations had been properly set. We went inside and it was hard to get a good feel for it because it was "turtled" (not expanded at all) and it was HOT and the newness was making my eyes water. But, all in all, I could tell I was going to like it. We left to come home and pulled in around 8:00 pm. Towing the trailer did not seem bad and I was not nervous about having it back there. I remember dad towing many things as a child and being somewhat stressed by the possibilities of what might come undone, what might fly off, what might wobble, etc. This seemed very easy and none too precarious. I was very pleased.

It wasn't until last night that I got to go into the trailer and really look around. The side slides out and opens up a ton of floor space. The couch and dining table are in the slid out part. We didn't put the two bunk ends down, but RJ says we'll do that tonight. There are cool cubby storage places all over and it is just super cool. I'm sure you will want to go camping with us!

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 ;-)