Then Along Came Molly...

Another puppy has found its boy! Her name is Molly and the boy is Jacob.

Jeff surprised us with the adorable little 10 week old lab/boxer mix last night (December 21) and she has fallen in love with JD. She just follows him around licking his ears and cheeks.

He gets irritated with her and starts pushing her away. We will have to teach Molly how much love is TOO much love.

Jacob has recently discovered how much fun it is to open the cabinets and play with the bowls inside. Apparently this is genetic since Jeff's mother has told many a story about how Jeff used to do the exact same thing.

I look at this picture and just cant get over how big my baby is!

So, along came Molly. Hair of coal and kisses sloppy....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Jacob got a little view of some snow on the 5th, but that was nothing compared to what is coming tonight! Before it is all said and done with, there is supposed to be 12 to 20 inches of snow. That amount of snow is so rare around here that the atmosphere is almost one of mass hysteria. It's just snow folks and here's a little tip.... it doesn't all come down at one time! You've got at least a couple of minutes before you chance getting snowed in for days without any milk, bread, toilet paper or batteries. But I digress....

Jacob's 9 month well baby visit was on Friday, December 11. He was 29.75 inches tall (90th percentile), 20 pounds, 10.5 ounces (50th percentile) and his head was 46.5 cm (85th percentile). My boy is long and lean with a big melon. (Are we surprised? Look at the noggin on his old man!) Developmentally he is either right on track or a little ahead (he gets that from his mommy). The only real thing we are working on right now is sleep. Jacob won't fall asleep on his own- we have to rock/hold him. We've gotten some pointers and (if you know me this wont surprise you) we've ordered some books recommended by our pediatrician. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Lastly, we had to take JD to STAR Cranial today for another helmet adjustment. He was just in on the 9th and wasn't scheduled to return for 3 weeks, but he was getting some red spots that weren't going away. Laura couldn't believe how much he has grown since the 9th and made the necessary adjustments. We now have a much happier boy.

So- it is currently 8:15 p.m. The snow is supposed to start around 9:00 p.m. I wonder if we have enough toilet paper?????

Already?????

I can't believe that JD is 9 months old already.... where has the time gone!

Jacob is crawling around like a maniac (he's my little shadow) and tries to pull himself up on everything. He's mostly successful too. He has his 9 month well baby visit tomorrow. I will post pics and stats then.




Mommom/My mom ROCKS!!!! (Just wanted to say....)

JD's 1st Official PB&J Sandwich

I think he likes it!

Trying DESPERATELY to "Feel the Love"

I have been ANXIOUSLY awaiting the arrival of my first Bagshot Row Bamboo (BSRB) Diapers. After all, these diapers are the shizzle, right?

Well, I finally got them yesterday and prepped them immediately because I just couldn't wait to try them out. JD got up this morning and I put on the "Far Out" BSRB (totally adorable outer space theme). Within 5 minutes Jacob had made a deposit. Mind you, it took me about 5 minutes to get the dang thing on! Knowing that Jacob does more #2 in the morning than the afternoon, I decided to wait to try out the second one. Later this afternoon, I put on his "Monkey See" BSRB. Can I tell you that it took me about 10 minutes to get this one on? Apparently the video to "help" me be able to put them on more efficiently wasn't very effective.

Don't get me wrong, these diapers are pretty dang awesome. I love how trim they are, but if I don't get better at this, I see myself applying velcro to make them more user friendly. Somehow I feel that I may be struck by lightening for just saying that...

So, Im trying DESPERATELY to "feel the love". I think I've been spoiled by velcro and snaps.

The NEW meaning of "Gobble, Gobble"

Jacob redefined "Gobble, Gobble" today. How appropriate that it was his first Thanksgiving that drew first blood... and second blood =(.

Jacob's top two front teeth have been so close to popping through the skin for days now. We have been patiently awaiting their arrival. Apparently JD hasnt been quite so patient. Shortly after getting out of bed this morning, Jacob toppled over onto his face with his paci in his mouth. I reached over to comfort him, turned him over and there it was.... blood. My poor, sweet baby boy was bleeding from his mouth. Of course he wouldnt let me actually look in his mouth so I had to catch glances as he opened up to scream. It appeared as if he managed to help those two front teeth along- giving them a little nudge through the gums. After a lot of cuddling, singing and rocking, my little man got over it and went on playing while Daddy cleaned the blood out of the carpet.

Fast forward about 8 hours.

After enjoying a nice family dinner with Jeff's family, we were all sitting around enjoying some good conversation. The men were in the living room watching football, the ladies were in the dining room discussing cloth diapers (really). "Thump" "Scream!!!!" were the sounds that come from the living room. You've guessed it- Jacob tried to take a chunk out of Jen and Jason's floor. The only thing that he successfully removed was another chunk of his poor little gums (insert more blood here). The screaming earlier this morning was NOTHING compared to the delightful wailing that occurred after the second face-plant. It took a good 30 minutes to calm the poor little guy down.

JD is now sound asleep in his bed, hopefully with visions of sugarplums dancing in his head. I will be checking his mouth first thing in the morning and if I dont like what I see, it will be straight to the pediatricians office we will go.

You know, I never thought "Dont try to eat the floor" would be a lesson that I would need to teach my son. I guess he took the expression "Gobble, Gobble" just a little bit too seriously.

She's Crafty and She's Just My Type!

Its amazing what cloth diapering has gotten me into.

I have decided that I am going to learn how to crochet and knit AND that I am going to make my own flannel wipes. The crocheting and knitting are both new to me so I expect that there will be a bit of a learning curve, but the whole sewing thing... THAT may be a disaster.

You see, sewing machines and I don't tend to get along. As a matter of fact, I do believe that there is some kind of sewing machine conspiracy out there to keep me from ever using a machine effectively. The more I think about it, the more I REFUSE to let that damn machine beat me. I will sew and the things I produce will be usable!

So, how did cloth diapering get me into all of this? Its quite simple, really. You see, I hate having to separate the disposable wipes from my diaper laundry every time I change diapers. Besides wanting to be as green as possible, I don't feel like picking through mess when I am changing diapers. It will be much easier to just throw the dipes and wipes in the same pail and wash them all together. The added bonus of saving money rocks too. Makes perfectly good sense, right?

Well, what about the knitting and crocheting? Let's see, I started out with BG 3.0's. Liked them. Tried some FB OS's. Like them too. Got some RaR's. LOVE THEM. Waiting for my first BSRB's... Uh-oh, I don't have any kind of covers. I started looking around at the shorties and longies that folks are making and decided, "I can do that." Again, nevermind the fact that I have never learned how to crochet or knit and really have NO IDEA what Im doing. I. Can. Do. That.

So, here I am... trying desperately to learn how to do that. I'll let you know how it goes.

My Little Astronaut

Just a little background on my very special little man. JD (AKA Stinky McStinkerson) was born on March 10, 2009 with sagittal craniosynostosis. He wasn't diagnosed until his 4 week appointment but Jeff and I both knew that something wasn't quite right about his head. The biggest indicator was Jacob's lack of a soft spot. Once we got the diagnosis, we went through the longest 6 weeks of our life. Jacob was diagnosed at 4 weeks and had a strip craniectomy at 9 weeks. One week after his surgery he was fitted with his first orthotic helmet.

There are two basic treatment options with cranio. If you're lucky, it's caught early enough and there is a qualified surgeon in your area, your child can get the less invasive endoscopic procedure. This procedure involves two small incisions through which the fused suture is removed. This procedure requires 9-12 months of helmet therapy to correct head shape. The other procedure involves an ear-to-ear incision and complete restructuring of the skull. Jeff and I chose to go with the endoscopic procedure and helmet therapy because we couldn't bear to even think about the other option.

When Jacob's first helmet was delivered, we put it on him and he fell fast asleep. We were so thankful that he didn't freak out! His transition into the helmet was much easier than ours. It took Jeff and I a LONG time to get past the staring. For those of you out there that don't know how to handle this situation, ASK IF YOU'RE CURIOUS!!! I would much rather explain why he wears the helmet than have you gawk at him like a freak. The idea of him wearing the helmet for a year was so daunting. It seemed like forever. As long as things continue as they are now, we are down to only 3 months left and we can't wait. I want to put hats on him and comb his hair. I want to be able to kiss his head and see his reaction because he can actually FEEL it. Mostly, I want to stop getting beat in the face with the darn thing!

Jacob is developing normally and even appears to be above the curve in some areas. In just 3 more short months, this will all be behind us. I. Can't. Wait.

Stinky McStinkerson?

Yes. That is what I have been calling Jacob. Where did I get it? I have no idea but it has somehow managed to stick. I have also been known to call him Mayor Stinkypants and Pooter Poot-Poot. Where do we come up with these things? I think its genetic... after all, my mom called me Fred.