Happy Birthday Amy!!!!

Next Step...

The next step to free mobility is for Jacob to climb up on the furniture and hold himself up. I think he has the holding himself up part down for the most part. He is starting to move around, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. Probably only a matter of time though...

Memorial Day Parade

Jacob and the family headed out bright and early for the Royal Oak Memorial Day Parade. After the parade finally got going and the sirens of the emergency vehicles were going off, Jacob wasn't sure about this parade thing. He was already just wanting to go back to sleep which didn't help and that stuff (sun) was always in his eyes. Jacob had a sense of concern about him as we watched the beginning of the parade.

Along came the Royal Oak High School Band. It wasn't long after Jacob heard them that he was gettin' jiggy with it! He was definitely into all of the bands that he was able to see. There was a very small bit of the traditional parade candy, but we didn't run after it this year. To my surprise, neither did the kids around us. Yes, it has been quite a few years since I was little and yearning for the candy, but based on my neice and nephew, the love for candy certainly hasn't subsided. I guess we were just in the boring kids section. Amy said that a 9:00 parade was just too early... Guess we'll see at the next parade we are able to attend.

By the end of the parade, Jacob was ready for some good grub (applesauce and cherries) and then a good long nap at home...

Monkey, Monkey, Monkey

Our little Jacob is turning into a monkey. This morning he was content with playing in his crib for quite some time. We could hear him playing with his mirror, balls and puppy dog that are in his crib. After a while, I wanted to peek in on him to see what he was doing. Well, I didn't really get the opportunity to peek because I found him standing, yes standing in his crib in the corner reaching for his quilt on the chair!!! I went in and stood next to him while he was playing, etc. Then I took him into see his mother and let her know what he was doing... I told her that we were going to lower the crib today!! She didn't think to much of it at this point.

Amy got up and was getting herself ready for her internship when I told her that Jacob wanted to show her what he was doing when his daddy got up. She obliged and when Jacob showed her the position he was in... "OH, MY GOODNESS..." By the fact that her eyes were bigger than her head told me that she didn't really understand the full impact of what I was trying to tell her earlier. Then, she immediately agreed that we needed to lower the bed. I told her that I should drop it down two notches which she didn't really like, but reluctantly agreed that we should. Heck, we haven't seen him pull himself up on anything yet or seen him go from his back to a sitting position by himself as she pleaded her case of only one notch... I think she might be having a little bit of a hard time realizing that her little baby isn't so little anymore. Yes, time is flying!!

Soon after Amy left, Jacob and I decided we would have a father/son project and lower the bed. He was okay with the idea as he was crawling around his room and crib chasing down his dad so that he could lend a hand. Here's a picture of Jacob in his new height crib... ;)!

Holding Bottle

Jacob enjoys playing on the floor beebopping around to each of his now many toys. Of course, none of them are good enough for him so he just has to make do. He can be creative in finding empty boxes, gift bags next to the refrigerator, pulling CD's off the rack on his head, pedals on the piano can sometimes make good teethers. Well, you get the idea, right? He can even make a toy out of his bottle. Pulling on the top, batting it around, nawing on the nipple. The way it has been explained to me, Jacob was content and playing on the floor when he realized his bottle was next to him. He decided to pick it up and put it in his mouth. Now, this may have been a fluke because he hasn't done it since...yet... but he decided to feed himself his bottle that was laying on the floor. From what I hear, he did a pretty daggone good job too!

As you can see from a little video, Jacob definitely likes crawling through things. He enjoys climbing through the jump-a-roo, under the kitchen chairs, the coffee table at grandma's, the new toy at the twin's house. Since we have decided to stay home for the weekend so that Amy can get some good hours in for internship (hoping to be done early as she is a third done and her class has just started...) we are hoping to head out today and find an inexpensive tunnel type toy for Jacob. We were eyeing one up at Costco for quite some time, but wouldn't you know it, just like everything there, if you want it or think you might want it, you had better get it because it won't be there next time. This includes toys, foods, pretty much everything... So, we will just have to spend some time looking again.

Too funny, I haven't actually seen Jacob under his exersaucer in a little while, but as I have been typing this, he has found his way under his exersaucer and is now attempting to play with the cords behind it.

Gotta run for now and get him and then hopefully get him down for a nap. Today could be a day of "mission mode"... Have a great weekend!!!

Employment Opportunity (this is a joke...)

POSITION:
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed for challenging, permanent work in often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primintive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily or until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toiles and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have a bility to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hopef or the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor mainenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION:
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly restraining and updating your skills so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

**FOOTNOTE: There is NO retirement... EVER!!!

Second Tooth Is In!

Jacob's second tooth is in now. I probably could have posted this sooner, but just have been able to fill everyone in. He is definitely a much happier boy now. Unfortunately, since he is so happy now, he never wants to sleep and just keeps going and going and going and going and going... you get the idea... ;)! We are trying to get him to go to bed between 8 and 9, but it usually ends up being after 10. This isn't because he takes long naps during the day either. Apparently, he just needs less sleep than the average little dude. Of course, there are days that I think he plays a little catch up, but then back to no sleep again...

Now that Jacob's second tooth is in and the first one keeps getting bigger, we find that he is definitely doing different things with his mouth. His tongue now comes out a lot more in such a cute way (Amy said cute, I didn't... LOL!) and you can tell he knows that something different is in there. He is also finding out that he can't gum his toes and fingers like he used to because, on occasion, he now feels a little pain when biting down.

Walking Across The Stage...

Can you believe Jacob was good the hour before the ceremony started and then through the two hours of the ceremony? He was a GREAT little boy!!

Video taken and supported by Abby, Inc... ;)!

Amy Walks Through At Commencement!

Amy walked through her commencement ceremony today at Washtenaw Community College today. She will be done with her Associates Degree in Human Services in early August of this year.

Check out Jacob in his own seat while we were waiting for the event to start. The graduates needed to be there an hour or more early, so Jacob and I just hung out until things got rolling.

Guess who looks like they were getting a little bored during the ceremony?!?!?!

Let's skip the small talk and jump right to the goods... Yeah Amy!!! Abby and I cheered Amy on across the stage while Jacob became a little bewildered, but was okay because he was able to his mother walk by...
After braving the crowd and actually finding each other outside, Abby, Amy's mom, Jacob and I were reunited and were able to take a couple of photos. Unfortunately, Jacob had just fallen asleep and Amy did not want to wake him for a photo. In retrospect, we should have done it anyway because Jacob quickly woke up with the transfer from Grandma to his dad. We may just have to get all dressed up and head back to WCC once Amy is completely done with her classes.

High, High, High

Yes, Amy definitely has something to brag about and be very proud of. She was invited to and attended an Honors Convocation at WCC last night.

The first picture is one of the Dean's announcing Amy's achievements. Unfortunately, Amy is now... are you ready for this? Lynn Amy XXXX. Amy wasn't sure if she heard right or not, but she was already walking away when the transposition hit her... If you wondering who the woman is that is showing "great" enthusiasm... She is the interpeter for the hearing impaired.

Here's Amy sportin' those awards. She received High Honors Part Time 2007-2008 (achieve 3.80 or higher 3 consecutive terms while attending part time), High Honors Winter 2008 (achieve 3.80 or higher while being full time) and High Honor Graduate Candidate August 2008 (currently a 3.91 GPA)

Amy is currently away attending her graduation practice for tomorrow which is being followed by a dinner for the graduates.

Second Tooth

Jacob's second tooth (bottom next to the first one) is rearing it's ugly head (at least in Jacob's eyes...). The white of it is showing through Jacob's gum, but it has not quite poked through. We have been attempting to look for activity on the top, but we haven't been so lucky as Jacob can sometimes make it difficult to peruse his gum lines...

So, no time for rest between teeth. Guess the doctor knew what was going on with his teeth when Jacob saw her last. She has been right on so far. This is probably only one of the many reasons why she is Amy and Jacob's favorite in the practice!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Jacob celebrated his 1st Mother's Day by waking up his mommy at 8:45 with a card and present. We would havfe let her sleep, but we had plans of going to see his grandma for an earlier lunch. With the cold and wet weather, we weren't able to enjoy the day as much as we would have liked. Amy decided that being with her son was more important than going to her internship. Today was the first weekend day in quite a while that we have all been together all day.

The day has gone by way too fast. Jacob is still fighting a cold and we think that he might also be working on some more teeth. We have been passing Jacob back and forth hoping that he won't get bored with just one of us and keep him calm. Unfortunately, with the events of the weekend, he hasn't been able to get his much needed naps which we think is contributing to his mood. Even when he is at his worst, we can still manage to get some big smiles and good giggles, so he is definitely trying to be happy, but just isn't feeling well... We are hoping to get him to bed early (being worked on as I type this...) so that he can get tons of rest. Tomorrow is the first day of the last semester Amy will have for her Associates degree... Biology starts bright and early at 8:00 am and gets done at 2:15 pm.

First Tooth Is In!

Amy and I (okay, so Amy...) has decided that we can say Jacob's first tooth is officially in. Of course, it is not full length yet, but it has definitely broken the skin and is all the way through the gum.

Jacob Focusing On His Toy...

Here's what happens when I'm not around...

Jacob Attends Chloe's B-day Party!!

Jacob has now attended family birthday parties and his first kid's party for some one who is not related. Chloe turns 2 on Saturday and had her party this evening. There were many friends in attendance for this grand event. The special guest of honor was draped in her Elmo gear.

When we first arrived, Chloe's mom held Jacob and it wasn't long at all before Chloe was staking claim to her mom. The attempt at swapping Jacob and Chloe was a bust even when her dad stepped in to help out and try to sway her attention away from what her mom was holding. After all, it was her day and she should be able to have her mother any time she wants to, right?

As with most, if not all kids, there is always that one toy for the year that they are focused on. This year for Chloe, it was Elmo. As she was really getting into being fed toys, etc. and really liking the presents idea, along came a musical Elmo. After that moment, the remainder of the gifts just didn't cut the mustard as she became a little preoccupied. There were still some interest in opening more gifts, but nothing like before the gift of her life showed up... :D!!

As for Jacob, he and I were on our own this evening as Amy was tutoring and being a companion for kids. This was initially thought to not be a good thing as Jacob was having a rough afternoon and didn't really have much if any sleep. I was pleasantly surprised that he lasted until basically 9:00 pm without any major breakdowns and even then it was only minimal. Jacob is going to be/already one of those kids that needs to keep his mind stimulated. There were many faces that he hasn't seen much or not at all and was very content checking them out as well. He seemed to be very tired and hungry so we left around 9.

Did I tell you about the phone call that I received from Jacob's mother? It was a reminder that Jacob needed to get a little bit of frosting. The cake was served and I hadn't given Jacob any, so I hung up and did give him not even a covered fingertip of frosting... It is now almost 10:30 with Jacob only getting about an hour of sleep (generally 4 - 5) during the day and he is content, happy, playing and smiling away in his exersaucer. Okay, so he might have had 10 minutes of sleep on the way home too, but he is WIRED!!! Guess we will need to be careful with that sugar stuff in the future... ;)! Time for the "mama bounce"... so that we can all hit the hay...

The Tooth Is On The Loose

Where o' where is that dog gone tooth, oh where o' where can it be... Not exactly the tune we are working with as there is some resemblance of a tooth poking through... Although Jacob is not allowing us to get anywhere near his mouth without playing games, we are able to see some white poking through and are having an easier time feeling the tooth on our finger. There is still quite some protruding that needs to take place befor his tooth is completely in, but we think his tooth has broken all the way through the gum now. We are still feeding Jacob teething tablets and also Ibuprofen on occasion to help him with the pain we think he is feeling, but we are hoping this will subside for a little while or at least until the next tooth/teeth is/are ready to come through too.

Aside from the tooth stuff going on, Jacob is definitely picking up his "ground" speed. Frankie's food and water dishes need to be protected as Frankie's water dish is one of Jacob's new found toys. We guess taking him to the pool was a good thing as he certainly doesn't seem to mind getting wet. Fortunately or unfortuantely, depending on how you want to look at it, Jacob has tipped the water dish over a few times and has been soaked. He's all boy because getting wet didn't seem to phase him at all. Frankie has been doing very well with Jacob. Jacob has been touching her tail and on occasion grabbing her coat and Frankie kinda gives Jacob a look and then meanders away looking for a new resting place and actually sometimes just stays there depending on what she is doing at the time.

Jacob Hangs Out At The Pool

Our family finally made it up to Davison to enjoy our membership for the first time this year. Amy worked a few hours for her internship and then we loaded up and headed out to try and see if Jacob would like the water or not.


Boy oh boy, was the pool ever busy AND noisy. There were actually people that were leaving because it was the busiest they ever saw it. It was the busiest we have ever seen it too, but we haven't been there very often at all. We were all a little unjust with the noise, but we decided to stay and try it anyway.
Jacob wasn't too sure about the pool at first, but we really think it was because of the noise and getting splashed no matter where we moved to. We tried to put our backs to the splashing which helped, but didn't stop the madness. After a while we were able to play with Jacob a little more in the water as he started splashing. The first couple of splashes got his mom in face and completely avoided himself. The next few weren't quite as lucky to miss him. He didn't like the splashing in his face, but he was a trooper and kept movin' on... After a little more warming up to the water and maybe a few less decibels, we were able to get a little more active with our playing and Jacob was able to smile and enjoy the water more. We were in the water for at least 25 minutes. I think he started making noise at the end because he was getting hungry. He ended up eating a stage 2 container of peas and 6 ounces of formula. You may get one or the other, but not both...

Since it was time for Jacob to eat, etc. we just hung out in the club house and spread his toys out on the floor and hung out away from home. We met an older gentleman whom we found has been nicknamed "The Walking Man". It sounds like he walks a lot because of the arthritis in his right leg. Yes, we paid attention... LOL!! He was there to watch the Piston's game, but unfortunately the cable was out and the attena wasn't good enough. We were sure if he hung around because he was hoping the cable came on or if he was enjoying spending time with us. Jacob seemed to like him as he kept crawling over to him to check out his feet. Probably just eyeing up his shoelaces. After eating at the grille, wouldn't you know it? We saw the walking man walking through the resort...

Beware if you are brave enough to play this boring and NOISY video, be sure that you do not have your volume turned up as it may make you jump out of your seat....

Tooth Update...

Nope, no tooth is officially in yet. However, there is definitely some white beginning to be noticeable and also something that is able to felt. No, I haven't felt this personally because Jacob wasn't himself today from what I hear until I got home. He was still a little "rough", but definitely had rounds of being VERY happy and energetic as he would make the mad dash to Frankie's water dish every chance he got. Yes, he did reach it and was able to play in it before he was turned to another direction or swooped up, but he was not able to tip the dish over because one of us was right there. There could be some relief for Jacob and of course us too in the near future... ;)!

Last Day Of Class..........This Semester...

Today was the last day of class for Amy this semester. With taking two finals on Tuesday and an exam and then her final in that class today, Amy is definitely ready to kick back and relax for a week. With everything else that has been going on in addition to our regular lives, Amy now has a cold and can't fully enjoy her accomplishment.

Do you remember Amy's first day of Algebra class and how the teacher wasn't very nice? Well, she stopped Amy today and noted how she was a pleasure to have in class. Her teacher really backed off of her initial assessment and realized how much Amy needed to go through to get to an 8 am class. Nothing says "In Your Face" more than getting an A in this class... Amy was very happy to receive this compliment.

Accomplishment you ask? The unofficial results of this term taking 15 credits is that Amy will have completed the semester with a whopping 4.00 GPA!!!! She'll find out the official results next Wednesday. In addition to the 4.00, can you believe that she scored a 100% on her final exam in algebra?!?!?!

After much discussion, Amy decided a couple of weeks ago that she will be partaking in commencement ceremony. In my opinion, I think the final straw was when she spoke to one of her former advisors when she said "Wouldn't it be nice to have a picture of you in your gown holding your son?" This hit home with Amy and the fact that she has been working very hard toward improving herself. How much better of an example of focusing your energies toward a goal than becoming pregnant, having a baby and completing school all at the same time. You can't set a better example...

So, in addition to the commencement ceremony, Amy has also been invited to attend an honors convocation for those graduates with a 3.50 or higher. After this semester, Amy's overall GPA will be a 3.9+!!! Jacob and I are very proud of Amy!!!

Achy Breaky Heart...

Achy breaky tooth may be a better name for a song... This is the theme in our house... The past few days Jacob has been more uncomfortable than he has ever been and didn't even appear at times to be his usual self. Well, this wasn't 24/7, but definitely way more than it should ever be. Teething tablets, orajel and baby Tylenol would help, but were not the answer.

While seeing grandma more than usual this week and seeing the look on his face, etc. grandma mentioned yesterday that we should take him to the doctor because she thought he had an ear infection. We weren't concerned and kept a close eye on him as we knew how he has been, but began watching him closer. Amy has heard stories as to how parents would think the "mood" was thought to be just teething and it was something more. Jacob was at his grandma's this morning for a little bit and when Amy returned to pick him up, grandma said he was tugging at his ears. On the way home a little later, Jacob's mom called the doctor and got him in early this afternoon.

Symptoms of Jacob were fussiness, chewing on his gums, screaming, tugging his ears, breaking out, scratching his head, sleeplessness and throwing up as the biggest symptoms. The doctor checked Jacob out and found his ears and everything to be okay and that Jacob is just having a worse than average time with teething. Jacob is just so uncomfortable that he is just doing whatever he can to try and ease the pain. We have been feeling something different and can his gum changing color and texture, etc. The doctor thinks Jacob will have a tooth within a week with a few others follwing right behind them. Bottom line is that Jacob is fine which is good news. We also found out that we can now give Jacob Baby Motrin and that it is actually preferred because it lasts longer the Tylenol

Other discussion with the doctor led to how Jacob has been crawling for a couple of weeks and really moving around and how Amy thought Jacob would be sleeping better. The doctor questioned "Crawling?" Babies we found don't usually start crawling until nine months and the doctor wouldn't have thought too much of if it was eight months, but was pretty shocked that he was so active at seven months and really less than that. After discussing how Jacob's big toes are getting scuffed, etc. the doctor said, "Yep, he's crawling". Jacob's not yet on all fours, but he definitely has picked up speed. I guess I never got my belly off the floor either, but Jacob is starting to show signs of getting himself up. Amy didn't get a height, but Jacob is now 18#, 8oz.

Okay, so one more topic came up as well and Amy admitted that the doctor got on her a little bit. The funny thing is that I had just mentioned this, but about a different part of the day and Jacob's grandma also brought up how she spends her day. My comment was how Jacob is "playing us" and knows that he is fine, but fusses just so he gets picked up. Grandma mentioned that her day is spent bouncing Jacob around in her arms and that I should close my ears. I guess I didn't realize how accurate my statement really was until I got the call about Jacob from Amy. The doctor told Amy to quit going to Jacob's side during the night so quickly. I didn't think either one of us were, especially when it wasn't more than two hours after he ate at night, but I guess she/we have. He definitely doesn't get picked up right away and usually just gets pats on the back to soothe him, but I guess it is time to hear more of Jacob at night.