Jacob's (really our) mishaps

Poor Jacob has been through the ringer this past week. He is proving to be one tough guy when it comes to pain. I debated about even posting about this because I know this makes us look like uncaring and irresponsible parents, but we have learned how careful we need to be with him now that he is an active child.

The first incident occurred last Tuesday when Dan placed Jacob in a sitting position in the middle of our bed. He ran into the closet for a quick second and Jacob had managed to roll off of the bed in no time flat. We both heard a thud and quickly deduced what had happened. He cried hard for about 20 seconds and was over it. Although he seemed okay, I called the 24-hour nurse because I was getting ready to put him down for the night and was concerned about him sleeping if he had a concussion. She reassured me that he did not exhibit symptoms of a head injury, but that we should wake him up every two hours to make sure he was okay. She said that this happens more than you think, although this still doesn't excuse it! No more sitting on the bed for Jacob.

Second incident happened three nights later when we were sitting down for dinner. Jacob usually gets put in his booster seat, but I really wanted to hold him. I thought that my plate was far enough back out of his reach, but not so. Before I had even sat down with him, he had already managed to reach onto my plate and pull apart my baked fish filet. This time, his crying lasted awhile. I kept his hand under cold water for a few minutes until he calmed down. I knew that he didn't burn his hand, but it was the first time that he had felt something hot and it scared him.

Last incident happened last night when I was carrying him to bed. I ran his arm into the gate on our stairs pretty hard. It did leave a red spot that may bruise, but he fell back asleep pretty quickly after that. I am a natural clutz when going through doorways or turning corners and often run into things. Poor Jacob has gotten bumped into doorways now and then while carrying him and I need to pay closer attention!

I know that kids get hurt and fall down a lot, but it feels a lot worse when you are the one that was stupid enough to let it happen. It is so easy to judge other people when you hear stories about how their kids got hurt doing this or that, but now I won't judge as quick because now we are one of those "stupid" parents :(

Pictures taken around 6 months

Here are some pictures of Jacob taken around 6 months of age, yeah I know these are a month old already, but I wanted to share them. We elected not to have professional ones done at this point, but may around 8 or 9 months.

Family on Mother's Day

In front of our crabapple tree in full bloom

Mother's Day cookout

Visiting my Grandma (mom's mom) in the nursing home. Jacob was uncooperative so the picture didn't turn out very well.

Playing outside

Falling asleep in Daddy's arms

Always the poser!!

Mr. Grabber

It has been WAY too long since I have blogged last. I have been waiting for a time when I can download all of my digital pictures so I can post some on this blog. Well, I still haven't gotten to that yet, so I thought I would just go ahead and post an update on Jacob. I seriously don't know how people manage with multiple children!!

Jacob just keeps getting more and more fun! He is on the verge on crawling and we are just waiting for him to figure it out. He lunges forward from a sitting position and either props himself up on his hands and rocks or lands on his stomach and then rolls to where he wants to go. We have been putting off baby-proofing but seriously need to get going on that soon!!

It is so fun to watch his curiousity and exploration of the world around him. He grabs at EVERYTHING now. Once he sees something that he wants he somehow makes his way over to it to check it out. His pacifier seems to always be on his radar now. I swear he can spot that thing a mile away!! The pacifier has been a life-saver when he gets fussy or needs to sleep, but now he pops it in his mouth even when he doesn't really need it. I'm starting to hide it from him because I don't want him to get too dependent on it.

Jacob is turning into a good little eater. He is now on three meals a day of baby food. There really hasn't turned out to be anything that he doesn't like. He is starting to turn his nose up at rice cereal though, probably because he has seen the greener pastures of flavored food. We're supposed to be starting him on some table food, but I'm still a little uneasy about it.

We've been trying to get outside more, but it has been so rainy here lately or too hot to go out. I'm really paranoid about taking him out in the sun. I try and lather him up with sunscreen and throw a hat and sunglasses on him, but I still worry. I'm a huge sunlover and love to lay out in the summertime, but I don't want to ruin his perfect skin. We've had a few playtimes outside in the yard on a blanket. Jacob seems more interested in pulling up the grass than his toys though!!

I do have a few pictures that my sister has forwarded me so I'll post those until I can add mine.

Jacob at 6 months

This is probably my favorite of him. He looks so innocent!!

Here is a non-Jacob picture of my sister, Sharla, with Ray Romano and Kevin James at a club in Vegas. Apparently she is the only one they would allow into their section to take a picture. Pretty cool!!

Happy 6 Months and 6 Years!!!

Today is a special day in our house. Jacob turns 6 months old AND Rascal's 6-year birthday is today. Time goes by so fast.

It is hard to believe that Jacob is already 6 months old. I was holding him while he was sleeping the other night and told Dan that I wished I could freeze him at this stage. It is so much work at times, but he is so worth it. Here are some highlights of what he is doing these days....

*Stats: Weight-18 lbs 4 oz (67th percentile) Height-27" (72nd percentile)

*Sitting up

*Playing with toys and lunging forward to pick them up

*Smiling, squealing, and a few giggles

*Rolling

*Standing well with some support

*Eating baby food (we have conquered cereal and vegetables and are starting fruits tomorrow)

*Still just one tooth, but is a drooling machine so more teeth have to be on the way

*Is very aware of his environment and takes everything in

*Becoming more accustomed to being outside

*Is Rascal's biggest fan (although Rascal is afraid of him)

Onto Rascal....It seems like yesterday when we brought home our five-pound puppy. We knew that we were in trouble when about two blocks away from the humane society in southern illinois where we picked him up and Rascal pooped something fierce in his new car carrier. We stopped at a Walmart to get him supplies that he needed to get through his first night and to clean the mess he had just made. After grabbing a bite to eat we headed on the three-hour trip back home. I'm not kidding you, about twenty minutes later Rascal pooped AGAIN! This time we were in the middle of the country so we scooped it up with an empty fries container and threw it out the window. This is the only time we have littered, but I feel it was justifed! It has been a rocky road with Rascal the last few years with his various health issues, but he has blessed our lives in so many ways.

I don't have time to post pictures now, but check back soon!!!

Bittersweet Mother's Day

Over the last six years, Mother's Day has been the one day of year that I wish would just pass by quickly. After losing my mom in December 2002, Mother's Day is that one day each year that is a harsh reminder that she isn't here anymore. On the otherhand, this year will be my first time that I can celebrate being a mom.

I thought that I would take time today to pay tribute and talk about my mom. She was definitely a lively person who made a lot of friends and tried to live life the best way she knew how. Even in her final months when her illness was getting the best of her, she hardly ever complained and continued on as if everything was okay. She kept her diseases a secret (Lupus and Schleroderma) because she didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her and treat her any different. She put all her energy into being there for my sister and I growing up and never missed (or my dad) any of our countless sporting events, concerts, etc... She even made a point to support Dan in all of his road races in Decatur. It is difficult because losing my mom at a young age, I had just started to appreciate her. I feel sad that I never really got the opportunity to thank her for all that she did for us. She was such a giver in life.

I try and not dwell on the fact that my mother is no longer here, but sometimes it is hard not to. I feel extremely blessed that I had 24 years with her, while others never even get that long. What does sadden me though is the fact that she never got to meet Jacob (or any other future grandchildren). I really feel sorry for Jacob because he is going to miss out in knowing his grandma. What I do plan on doing is making sure he gets to know her through stories and pictures. My dad made my sister and I each a photo album of pictures of our mom and us growing up. It was just about the sweetest gift I have ever gotten. It will be so great to show Jacob these pictures.

I think that when tragedy strikes, it is natural to react with a "why me?" I believe that these times of distress are what shapes who we are. When my mom died, the pastor explained to us that it wasn't God's plan for her to die at a young age. That is so hard to understand. What I think God's plan is is to test us and see how we come out of the situation. You can either drown in your sorrow and think about all of the negativity that the situation has dealt you or you can try and see how you can evolve from the circumstance and make the best of it. Not having a mom is definitely trying at times, especially during life changes when you want her there to celebrate with or when you have a question about a recipe, but I have definitely become a stronger person from it. You learn that life if fragile and how to live life to the fullest.

Take time this Mother's Day to express your appreciation for all of the mothers in your life. Now that I am a mother, I better understand all of the sacrifice and worry that goes into parenting a child (and I'm just getting started!).

We are planning to celebrate the day by having family over to the house for a cookout. It is always nice having both our families over to just relax and eat. I plan on giving my grandmother an extra big hug today. She has been so great to my sister and I over the years, especially after my mom died. She is about as motherly as they come and just the sweetest person on the planet. Dan's mom will also be coming to our house and she raised four kids (bless her heart) and spends a good deal a time with our niece who just adores her. She is an extremely hard worker who never gets a moment of peace to herself, so I hope that she is able to sit back and relax some today.

Happy Mother's Day!!

(If I can figure out my scanner, I'll post some pictures of my mom later)

Decatur's Brush with Hollywood

As many of you probably have heard by now, Matt Damon is filming the movie "The Informant" in Decatur right now based on the ADM price-fixing scandal in the mid-90s. It is hard to believe that a major movie star and Hollywood movie production are filming as we speak in Decatur. Decatur gets a bad rap in the media, some deserved some not, but it is exciting to me that Decatur will be featured in an expected Hollywood movie blockbuster, even if it is based on a negative story. I have been following the movie production progress on Decatur's newspaper web site, http://www.herald-review.com/informant/. It is amazing to me how much the town cooperates in order for the movie production to proceed. Streets and businesses near production have been temporarily shut down, snow has been added for effect, the mall has put up its Christmas decorations, corn has been imported since the corn is only in the planting stage now, and Firestone has tranformed into an auto dealearship.

As a Hollywood junkie, I wish that I could go down to Decatur and seek out Matt Damon and other actors and try and meet them. Apparently, Matt Damon has been meeting fans and taking pictures with them. There are other well-known actors in the movie as well. Joel McHale (E! host of "The Soup") is playing an FBI agent and the guy from Quantum Leap is playing the FBI agent who deals primarily with Matt Damon's character (and coincidentally this character is playing my friend of a friend's dad). If I don't get the opportunity to take a trip back, I'll just have to wait until the movie is released in 2009. It will be so cool to be able to see my own hometown landmarks in a major motion picture!!

Wish me luck in my Matt Damon stalker endeavors!!

No Carrots for Jacob

We started Jacob on baby food this weekend since he has mastered cereal pretty well. He got his first helping of carrots on Saturday and did okay with it. I think that he was a little startled to taste something other than milk or rice cereal. He didn't seem excited about it, but he did eat everything I gave him. Not so yesterday, though! He had the whole "bitter-beer face" thing going on. It was hysterical. I thought that maybe he would prefer his carrots warmed up so I tried that with no luck. I want to try the carrots again tonight to see if he changes his mind and plan on having the camera ready this time around to capture his reaction!!

Jacob is sitting up like a pro now. It is so great to put him on the floor with toys around him and let him play on his own. He does tumble every now and again, but it is getting less and less frequent. He is also really starting to reach for things. He now grabs his own toys off the floor and he even picked his pacifier up and put it in his mouth yesterday. This is what I have been waiting for! He is pretty addicted to it, so if he can learn to put it in his mouth himself, it will make our lives a lot easier :)