Jackson's Ear Tube Surgery

Today, Jackson had ear tubes put in at Akron Childrens. The surgery was delayed an hour, but luckily the procedure was over so quickly it didn't matter. In fact, his doctor made it to the waiting room before we did! Jackson did a great job, and he was most excited by his get well Elmo balloon!

With love,
Anna

Parker's 7 Month Update!

Parker turned 7 months old on the 16th. This month marked a real turning point for Parker as we seemed to finally make progress with his food allergies. After seeing an allergist and doing more food elimination trials on our own, we determined he's allergic to dairy and egg (already known) and shellfish and tomatoes (the hereto unknown culprits). Since cutting all that out, he's like a totally new baby. He now weighs about 19 pounds and still has no teeth. He currently eats solids and nurses about 4-5 times a day each. We also did sleep training with him this month. We used a method prescribed by our pediatrician, which isn't quite the traditional cry-it-out like we did with Jackson, but is akin to it. We had to a) teach him to fall asleep not in our arms, b) fall asleep not while nursing and c) soothe himself back to sleep during the night. The first couple of nights took about 75 minutes of him crying and us coming in to soothe him every 5 minutes, after those hard couple of days we are getting the benefit. He now goes to sleep by 8:30 (as does Jackson) after no more than 30 minutes of crying--but usually it's much less than that.

Here is our 'What to Expect...' developmental update:

By 7 months you're baby should be able to...
1. Feed self a cracker...haven't let him yet
2. Razz...YES!
3. Coo or babble when happy...Check!
4. Smile often when interacting with you...Check

Will probably be able to...
1. Sit without support...Check
2. Bear some weight on legs when held upright...Check
3. Object if you try to take a toy away...Check
4. Work to get a toy that is out of reach...Check
5. Look for dropped object...Check
6. Rake with fingers an object and pick it up with fist...Check
7. Turn in direction of voice...Check
8. Babble...kind of
9. Play peek-a-boo...Check

May possibly be able to...
1. Creep or crawl...Creep only
2. Pass a cube from one hand to the other...Check
3. Stand holding on to someone or something...Not yet

May even be able to...
1. Pull up to standing position from sitting...No
2. Get into sitting position from stomach...No
3. Play patty-cake or wave bye-bye...No
4. Use pinser grasp...No
5. Cruise along furniture...No
6. Say mama or dada indiscriminately...No

It's amazing how many big changes have happened over the last month. It really does feel like we have a completely new baby--one that is always happy, loves giving and getting affection, and loves being a younger brother. We can't wait to see what the next month brings, especially now that we'll be well-rested for it!

With love,
Anna and Ryan

Jackson's 20 month Update

Jackson turned 20 months at the end of January, and I am just getting around to giving his update. Oops.

At his last appointment, Jackson weighed about 24 pounds and measures approximately 30 inches! He had 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom) at his 20 month birthday. He eats a variety of foods (pretty much anything he can get his hands on) and only drinks thickened whole milk from a straw sippy cup. He sleeps about 12 hours at night and takes one approximately 2 hour nap per day. He attends Calico three days a week, and he loves singing songs and playing in their gym. He is taking gymnastics at the YMCA right now and loves it!

Here is his "Second Year at a Glance" update:

Most 18-20 month olds will probably be able to...
1. Run... Check!
2. Bend over to pick up a toy and not fall... Check!
3. Climb....Super Duper Check!
4. Play pretend games....check!
5. Imitate behaviors (such as feeding a doll)...check!
6. Feed themselves with a spoon and fork...Check!
7. Say 10-20 words...not yet :(

Half of all toddlers will be able to...
1. Walk up steps...Check!
2. Kick a ball...Check!
3. Take off clothes without help...Check!
4. Draw a straight line...I dunno, I've never tried
5. Brush teeth with help...Check!
6. Say 20-50 words...nope
7. Combine words...nope
8. Identify two pictures by naming...Check!

Some toddlers may be able to...
1. Balance on one foot while holding on...Check!
2. Take off clothes...Check
3. Name 6 body parts...can point to them
4. Identify 4 pictures by naming...no
5. Say 50+ words...no
6. Form short sentences...no
7. Ask "why?" and "what's that?" questions...no

A few toddlers may be able to...
1. Walk down stairs holding on...CHECK!
2. Wash and dry hands...CHECK!
3. Build a tower of 6 cubes...CHECK!
4. Show some signs of potty readiness (e.g. announce a poop in progress)...no
5. Speak in full sentences...no

Overall, Jackson is ahead of schedule for his gross and fine motor skills. However, he is delayed in his language development. He is getting tubes put in on Tuesday and we're hoping this will help him begin talking in the next few months.

With love,
Anna

Why I Love My Life

With love,
Anna

Check out this great blog!

Hi everyone!

I've really gotten into reading other people's blogs recently, and this is one of my favorites! She offers great advice on her blog, has a beautiful family, and seems to be a mother that I feel a "kindred heart" with. Hope you love it as much as I do!

http://www.journeyofparenthood.com/2012/02/revamp-and-giveaway.html

With love,
Anna

Parker's 6 month update!

Hi everyone! I am stealing this idea from a couple of other blogs I've recently read. Here are developmental updates on my little men!

Happy 6 month Birthday, Parker!

These are the developmental milestones listed in "What to Expect The First Year"

Should be Able to...
1. keep head level with body when pulled to sitting... YUP!
2. say "ah-goo" or similar vowel-consonant combinations...YUP!

Will probably be able to...
1. bear some weight on legs when held upright...YUP!
2. Sit without support... YUP! (for short periods of time before he tumbles over)
3. Turn in the direction of a voice... YUP!
4. razz (make a wet razzing sound)...YUP!

May possibly be able to...
1. stand holding on to someone or something... Yup!
2. object if you try to take a toy away...I'm pretty sure yup. We just started seeing this towards the end of the 5th month/beginning of 6th.
3. Work to get a toy that's out of reach...YUP! We've seen it a few times.
4. pass a cube or other object from one hand to another... I think so. Maybe, but I haven't particularly noted it.
5. Look for dropped object...not that I've noticed.
6. Rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up in fist... I haven't tried anything small yet. I'll try it with supervision and see!
7. Babble, combining vowels and consonants such as ga-ga-ga, ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma, da-da-da... YUP! I haven't heard it every day by any means, but I have heard the ga and ba sounds more than a few times.
8. Feed self cracker or other finger food...Well, we discovered yup to this one by accident. Jackson gave his little brother a cracker and Parker ate part of it. Needless to say, it is not something I would have given him normally. :)

May even be able to...
1. creep or crawl...YUP! We have seen a little creeping. It is more like a uncoordinated crawl, but he has moved a few inches before towards toys!
2. Pull up to standing from sitting...Nope.
3. Get into a sitting position from stomach...Nope.
4. Pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger...Nope.
5. say "mama" or "dad" indiscriminately...Nope.

Food wise he's eating solids 2 to 3 times a day. I usually mix his fruits and veggies with some type of cereal...he seems to like them better that way. Feedings are usually hit or miss. We're still working on a good eating schedule. Other than that, he's still primarily breastfed. Thankfully, the number of times he is nursing is finally beginning to decrease!He currently weights 18.5 pounds!

We are beginning sleep training this month. We've had two good nights so far, and a few really bad ones. The really bad ones were when he was sick with a sore throat and ear infection, so I'll cut him some slack!

Jackson's update will hopefully be posted tomorrow! I can't believe my baby Jackson is already 20 months old!!

With love,
Anna