8 months!

jake. jakers, pumpkin.

baby boy - how can it be. 8 months already.

loves: bottles, paci's, chunks of bananas, pears, apples...sweet potatoes, mango, carrots, puff thingys, mama, dad, the dogs, your new rocking horse, yourself in the mirror or pictures or video, splashing in the bath, teasing mama by constantly saying "da" in response to any prompt, being mimicked, "dancing" or that cute little bop you do when you hear a beat, those Varela girls, school (daycare) and your friends there, his cousins

likes: his backseat mirror

dislikes: not being able to crawl, climb, stand, when the food runs out, ear infections, his new car seat?, his puffy red coat

I really need to write down the thought every time I think about what's changing. Tonight he scooted across the kitchen floor somehow. He was on the blanket in the middle of the floor and then he was in front of the stove, looking at his reflection and playing with his elephant blower toy. Ceramic tile makes it easy to kinda creep along I guess.

I gotta figure out how to do video on here. Cause the dancing thing - sooo cute. He'll do it to any beat. Occasionally he'll wave good bye too. I've started signing "more" as I give him more puffs on the tray or another hunk of banana, we'll see how long that takes to catch on. He smiles now when I do the sign, like he knows what's coming.

He's making the remembering big stuff easy on me. 1st tooth - Thanksgiving week. 2nd tooth - I noticed on Christmas Day. We nursed for the last time on New Years day. While I was sad to stop, it was the right time. I don't know how people bf for years and years. I didn't realize the effect it was having on me. I mean, I loved doing it, I will do it again should the occasion arise, but it is soooo nice to have my body to myself. The pressure to eat the right foods to produce enough and the pumping - ugh. It was a great journey.

I have been making most of his food. A friend is letting me use her baby Beaba and it is amazing. Chop, steam, puree. Done. I store it in 4 oz (4 ice cube) portions in ziplock snack size bags. Ms. Sharon feeds him A LOT so that's the easiest way to get it done for her and for home.

Happy New Year 2013

I really do wish you all the best year ever. 

I know I will be *working hard* to enjoy every moment to it's fullest. 

*love*

it will not betray you

dismay or 

enslave you

it will set you free

be more like the man

you were made to be

there is a design, an ailment, 

a cry of my heart to see

the beauty of love

as it was made to be.

-M&S sigh no more

seven months

"jakers"

19lbs 7.5oz

27 1/4 inches

Loves: "da da da da" (not an official first word but his most favorite utterances lately. "ga" is right up there too), dad and mama, the pups, mama's milk, pureed mango, banana yogurt? even though it's cold?, going to bed at night, playing peek-a-boo, his stacking cups, baths, shoes, when daddy plays piano, when mama sings (she's silly), being tickled on the tummy or under the arms or on his chunky turkey thighs, those Varela girls, those Lawdermilk girls (there is a serious lack of little boys in our close circle of friends), his school friends and caregivers

Likes: the bumbo, squeezy pouch food, squash, sweet potatoes, banana, mum mum rice rusks, his fancy new tooth! bottom (his) left

Tolerates: being placed on his tummy - since he can roll onto his back whenever he's over it, avocado, getting lotion put on, the camera in his face 

FUSSES: if you take a straw away in a restaurant, after shots, cold milk/formula, cold food, when mama cleans his crusty morning nose, when mama wipes his face 

Excited to: meet his cousin Oakley! and see that crazy Isabel again, meet his daddy's sister and her family, see all the family and have a first Christmas, see snow!, start crawling

they never said

I like to be prepared. My mom found a blog for me in the summer of 2010 that belonged to a teacher who had started at a new school and while getting ready to have a baby that would not survive outside of the womb. I emailed a bit with the author and asked for advice and counsel on how she had handled it all. It was helpful.

This year I am working as an Interventionist. I pull small groups from their classrooms and work with them on skills that they need reinforced. I work with first, second, and third graders. This year's third graders are my first graders from 2010-2011 school year. Follow me? More than once it has come up that I had a baby that died that year. *smile* Maybe this is a new stage, or an it's-been-a-while stage, or maybe it's just where I'm at with all this lately but it really doesn't sting the way I would have thought it would...or the way I think it should? *shrug* It's nice to have acknowledgement of my first boy. It gives me an opportunity to talk with kiddos about our response to uncomfortable topics (as they chastise one another for laughing/smiling) and the appropriate time to talk about them (not in the middle of a small group lesson).  

They never said the kiddos would fondly remember when everyone else would rather forget. 

I saw a woman this week that I knew in the fall of 2010. She had her baby in the winter of 2011 so we were pregnant at the same time. I had seen her since, after her maternity leave, but her baby left at home with a sitter, not in an urn. I saw her in a classroom interviewing a teacher. As she walked up to me a few minutes later, I noticed the bump. 

They never said after 2 years of seeing pregnant women, new babies, and babies the age of your angel that the sight of a *certain* pregnant woman would take you right back. 

When I went to my yearly dr appt with Dr v, he announced that he was leaving the baby business. I nodded in understanding and murmured my appreciation for his work in my life and then started crying. 

Y'all, I totally took for granted how amazing it was to have him as my doctor for the pregnancy with Jake. He's never wanted to get into any of the mental aspect of the emotions that I've shown...that is to say, when I cry he pats my arm or hand and rambles on about something kind of, but not really related to the real reason I'm crying, as he exits the room. But I didn't have to explain anything. He used his first hand knowledge to make decisions. I am going to miss him should there ever be a #3. 

They never said the grief would be ripped open when Sammy's doctor, one of the few people to hear his heartbeat and feel his weight, made his exit from our life.

preview

7 months! 

time to take up an instrument

his caregiver at school asked me to bring in a cup

a cup! 

not my *baby*

ooooh maaaaaaan

6 months!

So - my picture taking skills have been lacking but they are in swift need of a step up if I'm going to capture this dude.

Here's our attempt at the six month picture. 'gator and Jake are really into the paper. Most of the pix were a blur of hand and paper waving or baby rolling around. SMH

Here's his cute self a couple days later...in front of some natural light because I don't have the skills to fake good light yet. Or to use the light I'm given. Whatever. 

Six months (and 1 week): 

*stats to come*

*can sit up, tips when tired or reaching for something 

*has thrown about a fit a day for the last 4 days...we think he's just testing out the voice 

*no teeth, just some bumpy gums, bottom middle

*eats a couple meals a day, by meal I mean 4 oz's of some mashed up veg/fruit and the rest BM with a little formula thrown in when he's at school (daycare - not sure why I call it school but I do)

*still mainly BF'ing, he went through a couple weeks with the nickname baby barracuda, things were apparently not happening fast enough? Not sure, it was rough, thought it was becoming the end but here we are still feeding away

*sleeps through the night consistently on school days, not so much when he's been home with mom or dad

*has been found on his tummy after sleeping

*inconsistent napper - he takes them, it's just not that predictable

*does this thing where he gets his left foot all stuck in the right leg hole when he's fussing in his bed, which causes him to fuss more. non-footie jams seem to help with this, unfortch, we currently only have 2 pair of footless jams...time to start cutting some footies off (the jams)

*loves bath time

*loves the puppies, giggles if he catches a tail or ear, loves to watch them

*thinks mama is *so so * funny when she mimics his shrieks and shouts, this is new for sure because I've been mimicking him since he started making noises

*still loooooooves being out and around other people

*has uttered some dadadada, mamama, gagaga, heard a yoooouuu today

*thinks sneezes are the funniest and fake coughs to get mama's attention. there was a short window of time where he would start coughing when I walked into a room and then open his mouth with his little tongue sticking out and fuss. it wasn't cute (it was kinda cute)

*loves the books Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Babies First Words

*occasionally takes "bites" out of mama's cheek, sometimes dad's...haven't seen him do it to anyone else yet, could be giving kisses, all I know is it's an open mouth and quite slobbery

Lotsa new babies around - makes 6 months seem so grown up. I'm still trying to soak up every moment and enjoy all the little junk because it's already going so fast.