Lots of News About Nothing

Things are so crazy normal I just don't know what to write anymore.

Jacob is still refluxing, but it (sometimes) seems to be less, and he's beginning to gain weight, at least according to our scale.  Now that the spit up situation is as under control as it's going to be, we're working on as much tummy time as we can.  He easily moves his head from side to side and is starting to lift and hold it for a few seconds at a time.  He's got great neck control while sitting on my lap, he just doesn't have much practice tilting it/lifting it while on his tummy.  I'd like to talk to the doctor at the next appointment about starting solids closer to 4 months rather than the "newly recommended" 6 months, just to see if that will help him keep down more of the formula.  To do that, he needs to demonstrate decent neck control, hence our tummy time exercises.

Despite everything, he is a smiley, content little man.  He loves to chat, breaks out into a huge grin whenever I appear over his crib after naptime, and is this close to busting out a giggle.  He finds Mia to be a huge source of entertainment, whether she is specifically trying to entertain him, or throwing a tantrum with enough screaming and yelling to cause him to stop whatever he is doing and seek her out.

Speaking of which...

Mia will be 3 in one month, and acting every bit her age.  "Difficult" is a good word to describe this age.  She is strong-willed, stubborn, and very, very girl.  Our day-to-day is filled with drama and power struggles.  Most days, I think I'm in control, but every once in awhile a day will leave me completely beaten.  Especially on those days where she refuses to nap.  On the other hand, she's in bed by 8:00 at the latest, and usually doesn't make a peep after that point, so I have till 7:30 the next morning to recharge.  Also?  Have a restorative glass of wine.

When she's not sending me running for the hills, she's actually quite fun to be around.  She talks about anything and everything that crosses her mind.  She's had another vocabulary explosion and sometimes talks like a little adult.  Almost daily, she correctly uses a word that will cause Kevin and I to look at each other and say, "I didn't know she knew that word!"  So this, I think, is what 3 will look like, and I take comfort in the fact that other people have survived and so we will, too. 

There was a Little Girl

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

There was a little girl,

            Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

            When she was good,

            She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was horrid.

A Letter to My Readers

I posted this over here for an online literacy event going on this week, but thought that since this is our family blog for moments we want to remember, that these letters deserved a place here as well.

Is there a young reader (or reader to be) in your life? Write them a letter expressing what you hope for them as readers.

Dear Mia,

In just three short years, I’ve already seen the beginnings of your evolution as a reader.  When you were little, you loved to chew on books.  Well, really, you loved to chew on anything, but you particularly loved the way that cardboard felt on your gums.  As you got older, you were fascinated by the pictures, and would spend (short) times on my lap as we talked about what we saw on each page.  A little bit older, and you would tolerate actually listening to short board books.  In the last 6 months, you’re attention span has increased so that you will listen to much longer picture books.  We’ve even started reading fairy tale anthologies, one story at a time.  Recently, you thrilled me by reading to me.

You are most definitely a reader.  My hope for you, as you grow, is that you will enjoy a wide variety of texts, whether it be graphic novels, picture books, chapter books, or audio selections.  I hope that you enjoy some of the selections I send your way, but also develop relationships with characters of your own choosing, as I did with Laura Ingalls, Nancy Drew, the Wakefield twins, and that close-knit gang of babysitting friends.  I hope that in the next few years, we are able to continue our Special Time of reading at bedtime, expanding to chapter books that we are eager to return to in the evenings.

Sometimes hearing “Read this to me, Mommy!” for the 600th time in a day causes me to do an internal eye roll because, really, I need a Mommy Break.  But even so, I love that you want to be read to, and that our bookcase is overflowing with books that you actually use. I’m proud of that, and I’m proud of you.

Love,

Mommy/Mama/Mom

Dear Jacob,

You are too tiny to have much of a reading history yet.  You do listen as stories are read to your sister, but you listen anytime you hear my voice, so that’s nothing new.  Maybe this is the start of your literacy journey.  Hearing a pleasant (why, thank you!) voice in connection to books will hopefully trigger a positive experience in your memory.  As you get older, I hope that we can share some of your sister’s favorite books a second time around.  I hope you will also smile over the antics of a silly puppy, and search for your favorite barn animals among the pages.

I’m looking forward to seeing you toddle over to the bookshelf (but not too soon, okay?) and developing your own interests.  Will you also be a Thomas fan?  Will you also want to read/watch Curious George ad nauseam?

You have a ways to go.  We’re not even at the book-chewing stage yet.  But when you get there, I’m sure we’ll find a whole new world of characters to explore.

Love,

The Lady Who Comes to Get You in the Middle of the Night (aka “Mommy”)

WW: Peek-A-Boo

Guess whose doctor decided he was just a little guy and without any medical problems? 

 No more doctor's appointments for a month.  

Woohoo!

3 Months

Little Jacob

 you are 3 months old!

At three months, you-

• weigh somewhere in the 10lb range (we have another weight-check tomorrow, so we'll find out for sure then) and almost 24 inches long.
•  are wearing size 1 diapers
• are in 3 month clothing. Some are still a little big around the waist and chest, but you're filling them out a little more, and you're definitely on target for length.
•  have developed a regular routine.  You get up for the day between 7 and 8, and have a morning nap about 2 hours after you wake.  Then you're up till 1 and nap again from 1-3:30.  There's another "sometimes nap" around 5:30.  In between, you're happy, smiling, and social.  You're a complete flirt, especially with ladies.
  
• also have developed a consistent nighttime schedule.  After a bath, and another bottle at 8pm, you're in bed and asleep between 8:45 and 9:00pm. You sometimes wake up around 1:00 after you've broken out of your swaddle, but you just need to be reswaddled and have the pacifier again, and you're back to sleep until about 4:30am.  Up for a bottle, and then back to sleep until 7:30.
• rolled from your back to your stomach twice a few days ago. You haven't done it since.  When will you surprise us again?
• love bathtime and diaper changes.  Basically, you like being naked. 
•  have become intentionally reaching for and grasping at your toys.  You will have full conversations with the octopus and dragonfly attached to your playmat.
• are currently taking prescription strength Zantac twice a day.  After your 2-month checkup, when we discovered you weren't putting on weight, we began a whole series of tests to determine if your slow weight gain was a medical problem beyond reflux.  As far as we can tell, it's not, and we're continuing to treat the reflux while hoping that you'll just gain weight in your own time.
• tolerate tummytime.  Last night I saw you try to lift your head and push up slightly on your arms for the first time.  Due to the amount of time you have to spend upright for the reflux, we're a little behind in upper body and neck strength.  We're working on it and I feel confident that in 3 months this will all be a distant memory. 
• amaze everyone with how vocal you are.  You like to talk.  Alot.
• are a great traveler.  We've taken several trips back and forth to Pennsylvania and you either sleep, or chill out in the carseat. 
• recognize that your sister can be a source of entertainment.  She loves to talk to you, and in the last week you've begun to thrill her by actually focusing your attention and smiles on her.  She gets so excited and cheers, "Mommy, Jacob wuvs me!!"

These last few months have not been easy, but seeing you begin to come out of your shell and interact with us has made it all worth it.  I really enjoy these next couple months, when you start to truly experience your little world.  Having a consistent full night's sleep doesn't hurt either.   We wonder what you will learn in the next month and what we'll be documenting in April.  Keep growing, Baby  J, but don't forget to save a few of those special smiles just for me.

Reset

It was a weekend of physical and mental resetting, at least for me.

On Saturday, Oma and Opa came to visit so that Kevin and I could have a Valentine's Day date.  It was the first time I'd gotten dressed up and gone out since Jacob was born.  We made the most of our evening away by making reservations at a grown-up restaurant, where we had a drink at the bar, appetizers, wine, perfect main courses, and a dessert that had to be ordered at the beginning of the meal in order to allow time for its preparation.  Worth. Every. Penny.  Mia, meanwhile, corralled my parents into hours worth of "tea party", made a special Valentine's Day craft for Kevin and I, and basically basked in the attention only grandparents can/will provide.

I'm sure Jacob had fun, too.  He must have missed us, though.  He woke up an extra time that night for a feeding.  Wanted to get his Mommy cuddle quota met, I suppose.

On Sunday afternoon, I had a much-needed, long-awaited hair appointment.  The appointment was at 1:30, and though I knew the whole process was going to take me about 3 hours, both kiddos would nap for the majority of that time.  Except they didn't.  Ooops!  Well, it was a nice afternoon for me.

Today has brought the return of regular household chores, as well as the preparation for out-of-town guests.  For the rest of this week, Mia will have two babies (just a couple weeks apart) to love on.

Tomorrow is Jacob's weight check to see if the medication is truly helping his reflux.  He feels like he's filling out, so we're hoping for good news.

And that will just about wrap up February.  Eeks!

Sweet

For your entertainment, a photo story of father-daughter bonding.   

You can read the text version here.

This required deep concentration.  Also, please note that when asked to "decorate", Mia placed the candies in a perfect outline around the heart.  No random organization for this girl!

One of my new favorite pictures.

Jacob was unimpressed by the whole venture.

She was proud of her handiwork, but even more excited to dive in and eat it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a low-key Valentine's Day. Kevin left cards for Mia and I to wake up to.  Mia and I practiced saying, "Happy Valentine's Day!" and then called family members to spread the love.  Kevin arrived home bearing chocolates from one of my favorite chocolate shops (which happens to be an hour away).  I made stir-fry for dinner (which ended up being overcooked because I got distracted by a baby in the midst of a "witching hour"... c'est la vie!) and then after dinner, Mia opened gifts from Kevin and I, and Oma and Opa. Kevin and I finished off the evening with a glass of wine after both kiddos were asleep.

Tonight, Kevin and Mia continued the celebration by making and decorating a giant heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie.  The result was a visual disaster, but Mia was so excited and proud of her work.  And it tasted yummy, regardless of its appearance. 

Oma and Opa are coming to spend the night on Saturday, and Kevin and I are headed out for a nice dinner and adult conversation (which will likely include stories about the kiddos because, let's face it, that's how parenthood works). 

A little normalcy, and a little celebrating with my three valentines.