Pointing - A New Found Talent

Jacob has found his finger and how to point within a day or two. We could definitely tell he has been pointing with his fingers and has become much more prevalent lately. It is pretty entertaining as he grunts and points at item, but at the same time a little frustrating because we don’t understand why. He is and has been pretty interested in ceilings and lights on them. We do know of at least a couple of other children that have this infatuation, so it could be normal... Anyway, back to the new finding, Jacob is now using a single finger to point things out and he seems to be pretty happy about it. We started really working with him, showing him how we point. It took a little bit, but all of a sudden you could see his fingers being folded a little more all of the time. He has now perfected it when he remembers how to do it. There are other movements that are becoming more “grown up” as well as time goes on. Just little things like bending in places that bending didn’t happen before, etc.

Jacob Loves His Donuts

With it being a fall Sunday, Amy thought it would be good for all four of us to get out and go to a cider mill today. We have been talking about going to one of the bigger ones that have more to offer in regard to playing, etc. However, we didn't think Jacob would be old enough to enjoy himself to make the expediture worthwhile. So, we ventured off to a cider mill with limited stuff to do, but still way more than last week. Last weekend we went to the Franklin Cider Mill and this weekend we settled for Yates Cider Mill.Upon arrival after once again fighting the stop and go traffic, we parked and walked in. We noticed a huge line, so I decided to head off a different way so that we could stop by the petting zoo. Amy went and got some goat grub and fed the goats while the lamas ventured around. Jacob was kinda okay with petting the goat once or twice, but wasn't sure about seeing the goat only inches from his face chowing down on the food. It didn't take long for the goats to devour the grain filled ice cream cone.

The line still looked long that we were able to see, so we headed over to let Jacob see the ponies. It wasn't long before we decided that we should try letting Jacob ride a pony. We were a little unsure about if he would want to do it or not because he didn't get much of a nap and he certainly was acting somewhat like he still needed it. We got in line and Amy held him while he took his first pony ride. He wasn't overly excited about the ride, but he did get to feeling a little more comfortable with them as time went on. About half way through the ride he found out what the horn on the saddle was.

Now for the big line... Well, actually, we found a shorter "express" line which basically meant that you didn't see the apples get squashed... We have all been there, done that so the faster, well sort of, line was fine with us. Before long, Amy had her cider, donuts and of course a caramel apple for Anyssa and herself.

Jacob had fun walking back and forth along the fence while grunting and pointing at the animals in the fence and the dogs as they went by. He even opted to go after the biggest dog he could find in the whole place. Emma was a very nice St. Bernard that allowed (more or less ignored) Jacob. He was pretty excited about it and the dog's owner was very nice and offered for Jacob to pet him.


When Jacob was done playing with all of the animals, we offered him a donut. It wasn't long before you could find Jacob devouring it. Eating one-handed didn't suffice, so he pulled the donut into two pieces and started eating two-fisted. You could really tell he was enjoying his donut. He might not be into eat a ton of different foods yet, but so far it seems we can count on him eating donuts.

Halloween Party - 2008

It was a cold dark blustery day as we loaded up the truck to venture off in the darkness of the night to grandma's house... Okay, so not really, but I was trying to set a Halloween mood... Did it work? So, the girls were off shopping while Jacob and I hung out for a while and then met up with the crew at grandma's house for a night of festivities.

The first item on the agenda was to get there, hang out and grab some grub while everyone got there. The weather was cool, but not windy or anything. It was actually a pretty nice night with a 3/4 moon shining down.

Everyone fed? Time to dive into a pumpkin of your choice to clean out and carve up. No one was in a real hurry and especially the little ones. Jacob didn't really want anything to do with the carving or the cleaning out the insides. Mom took the liberties of cleaning the pumpkin out and then Anyssa pitched in and did the carving for Jacob. Of course, she practiced on her own first.

Next up was nothing but good 'ol fashioned bobbing for apples. I'll spare you the gory details and that portion of the video, but those that were there know what I am talking about. After getting cold and wet it was time to eat donuts off of a string. This seemed to be close to impossible for Colton, but with a little help from grandpa he was able to handle the task. The donuts were no match for Anyssa as she got hers with lightning speed (the judges are still wondering if she cheated... ;)! ). If the food and donuts weren't enough already, it was time to decorate your favorite Halloween cookie for dessert and/or take home.

The evening was topped off with laughs and giggles from the youngest Halloween goblin. He was happy for it to be just his grandpa, grandma, Aunt Ab, Syd, etc. It was Jacob's time to shine before he decided to wither away in the night. It was a great time for all that attended.

Sunday In The Park

With little coersion, even though the Lion's were actually keeping the football game close, Amy, Jacob and I ventured off to Franklin, MI to enjoy the weather and get some cider and donuts. It was difficult to find a parking spot as the roads were lined with cars and we kept seeing people walking all over. We finally got over the hill and could see a park full of people and long lines at the cider mill. After a little debate, we decided to find a parking spot and venture through all of the people.
Amy was a little disappointed because she was expecting there to be bales of hay for Jacob to climb and a pumpkin patch to wander through and pick out a pumpkin. We waited in line to see the press, but there wasn't much to see. We still think Jacob like seeing it because there were a couple of guys moving the pulp out, etc. and he also liked the smell. So, it was up to Amy to get some cider and donuts. After that we walked around what little there was to see and then headed back to the park to taste our findings.

Jacob just LOVED the donuts as he almost ate a whole donut all by his Big Boy self (finished one by himself for breakfast). Jacob played around in the park pushing his stroller all around and crawling to meet other people...

WARNING: The following video is rate B for boring. However, it is our little boy enjoying eating his first cider and donuts...

Let's Go Tech!!

Who would have thought that wewould have been able to get a sun burn while watching Michigan Tech play football in October? On many occasions, I have seen snow and cold weather at this point of the season. Today was a great day to travel to the University of Findlay and watch the Huskies.

On the way to the game we dropped Jacob off at Grandpa & Grandma's house and were then escorted with door to gate service for the game. Findlay shares their stadium with the local high school and parking is limited once you are able to find the stadium. It is in a residential area with no parking per say.

The quantity of Tech fans rivaled the quantity for the home team and maybe even surpassed them. There was an impressive showing for the away team who was 12 hours from home. An Oiler fan even made a comment to us at half time.

The game was a good and close as the lead went back and forth. Tech had a few big plays and Findlay had one with the help of the refs. It was 3rd and short and the Oilers ran a short run which did not give them a first down, but the refs gave about a yard or two (yeah, literally! it was just crazy the whole day!!). The next play was a reverse pass for a 25 yard touchdown. Tech went ahead ahead 30-28 with about 6 minutes left in the game and missed the extra point. This definitely gave the Oilers a shot at going ahead with a field goal. Possession went back and forth and Findlay was pushing the ball up the field for a field goal. With about a minute left in the game, Tech intercepted for the first turnover of the whole game. At this point, the Huskies only needed to kneel down and the game was over.

Amy and I were happy to take Jacob to his grandparent's house and be able to see a good game regardless of who was playing... (well, that might be pushing it a bit). It was great weather and a great game.
After the game, we made the call to get picked up from the game. It was pretty funny because it brought back memories for Amy when one of her parent's would have to pick her up after an event.

Jacob is definitely feeling better, but still not himself completely. He slept the whole two hours there and then the whole two hours back. We were concerned that he would not want to go back to bed until after midnight, but he is already fast asleep and playing around a little while after we got home. His appetite is also beginning to come back. We'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings...

Roseola Virus

Jacob has now gone to see a medical professional for the third time this week. What started off being diagnosed as one virus has now either turned into another one or is just a continuance of the first one… (a little unclear) The first and second diagnosis was for more of just a cold virus, but it has now turned into/is the roseloa virus. We noticed that Jacob’s skin was breaking out more than normal and was different yesterday. It was much worse this morning, so Amy called the doctor at 7:30 am and they said to get him in there at 8:15 am. He hasn’t had a fever in a couple of days and we were thinking we were out of the woods, or so we thought.

Upon arrival and a few questions, the doctor immediately new what virus Jacob has. The breaking out/rash is a symptom or the course of the roseola virus. The name stems from the fact that the child’s skin is rosy. Since the fever has subsided, he is in the mildly contagious stage and should be back to normal in one to five days. He is definitely in the later stages of the virus, which is good news for us. Jacob displayed many, if not all of the symptoms, but the timing of everything is off, some longer, some shorter, etc.

1 + 1 = 2, Not 3

I was informed this evening after being home for many, many hours... ;)! that Jacob took one step and then two and then he was at his books. I wasn't here to see them, but I'll bet he didn't know what he was doing or did as if he would have known, he probably would have fell towards the books and not taken any steps.

Still Muddling Along

Jacob is still with his back against the ropes. His virus is still very much with him, but at least the fever has been back since Tuesday evening. He was pretty fussy all day today and still hasn't been eating or drinking very much. His skin has also been an issue more so. After the doctor visit on Monday, he starting breaking out more with what we think is a rash. Jacob's temperature spike Tuesday night pretty suddenly and after not having a fever since earlier the day before. We took him to pediatric urgent care just to get him checked out and also because his skin seemed to be getting worse as well. The urgent care doctor basically checked a few things on Jacob and confirmed it was still the virus and didn't notice the skin.

We don't know if Jacob is allergic to anything, but did choose to stop giving him the children's benadryl type stuff to see if that will help alleviate the rash. We are all missing Jacob's giggles, smiles and laughs and hope that he gets better soon. Even after another very rough day, Jacob did get a few giggles in right before bed. We are hopeful that Jacob will be better tomorrow as we would like to road trip to Ohio to see MTU play football. Guess it will be a game time decision, no pun intended, as to whether we are able to or not...

Oh This Baby Is Suffering

When I leaned over to kiss the little guy good bye for the workday, he was HOT HOT HOT!!! He literally felt like a burner on high. I said to Amy, whoa, he's hot!! He was eating his bottle quite nicely, so Amy let Jacob finish his bottle and then tried taking his temperature. It didn't work too well under the arm, but the time that the thermometer spent under his arm, his temp was 100.3, but probably warmer. So, Amy gave him some Motrin.

After waiting 'til 7:30 or so, Amy tried calling the doctor figuring the she would just have to leave a message. To her surprise, some one answered. She noted that Jacob was sick and they started noting time to bring Jacob in during the late morning and afternoon and then Jacob's temp was noted and they said, well we have an opening at 8:30. So, of course, Amy took that one. Jacob was also breaking out more and we had already discussed the potential of calling the doctor anyway.

At first sight of Jacob, the doctor said, "Oh this baby is suffering, we need to find out what his making him sick." We did find that Jacob actually gained 5 ounces since last Tuesday, so that is good as he is getting a bigger appetite. Anyway, Jacob's ears were clear of fluid and didn't have any infection. His throat was VERY red, so they did a throat culture in the lab. Jacob wasn't the trooper he was at the prior visit as things were put in his mouth/throat. Fortunately, the cultures came back negative, so he doesn't have strep. Jacob basically has a virus that needs to take its course. We are giving him children's benadryl and motrin as needed.

Amy and Jacob needed to get his prescription for his skin at Costco today. So, they went and all the while everyone was saying that that baby certainly doesn't look like he is feeling well. When I got home from work, that is the first thing I said as well. Amy said it was the best he had looked all day, even though he still didn't look very well. He ended up eating a good dinner and then got a bath as the doctor said luke warm baths would really help Jacob. He definitely felt better after the bath, but you could still tell that he just wasn't himself. We just hung out until bedtime which was a little later because Dancing With The Stars was on and he loves dancing to the music.

Today was a rough day for Jacob, but with some TLC and a close eye he should be getting better as time goes on...

Jacob Is Training For The Trails

Jacob and I put together Jacob's 4-wheeler this morning. He was all about the wiring and getting on that seat. He knew exactly where to go and was sure he was ready for the challenge. There has been a lot of pre-training and practicing what to do when he gets stuck. This isn't by choice as we have to let the battery charge for at least 18 hours the first time. This means we could be awaken at 3:00 am to get the bike on the trails. We won't need to set the alarm as Jacob is usually up at this time anyway.

After secretly practicing, we may challenge the twins as they have the inside scoop to riding as their dad was more than just a riding enthusiasts. Look out Zach and Hannah, Jacob is attempting to hang tough...

One Year Photos

Here are Jacob's one year photos:

Jacob Eats More People Food

Now that Jacob has been post partum for over a year, we are now feeding him more regular food and less formula and baby food. This is partly due to him not being as interested in the bottle. Yesterday, Jacob had more plain spaghetti and decided that wearing it can be just as fun as eating it.
Jacob can now eat eggs since he has reached the year mark, yolks and whites. The threat of allergies has now become less. He started devouring the eggs like they were candy for several bites. Then it was time to throw the eggs all over the place and become fussy. The mommy report was that Jacob was pretty fussy today. I'm sure part of it was because his cold is still dragging on and mommy isn't as fun as she usually is. She is somewhat under the weather too and trying to hold off getting a full blown cold.

One Year Check-up

The one year well baby visit was an interesting one with a few surprises along the way…

We checked in and were immediately sent to the lab, of which, we didn’t know they had one and weren’t expecting to get blood taken. In retrospect, we should have known or expected it based on what happens when we get physicals. Jacob wanted nothing to do with being held while we were waiting because there was so much new stuff to check out, buttons on the computer, desk chair and all of the other gadgets. We played “chase” down the hallway a bit just to appease him. Finally, the phlebotomist came in and started the procedure. To our surprise, Jacob was a real trooper and watched everything and I do mean everything that was going on. He watched the “poker” break his skin and his blood get squeezed into the bottle. This was fine for a while, but then he was tired of his finger being held. Jacob wasn’t too sure about the fish bandage, but he did like the fact that he could chew on it and forgot about it when he was crawling around. Then it was off to the waiting and waiting room.

The waiting room was not without entertainment on this trip. The phlebotomist’s next victim was waiting in the hallway to get his finger poked. It wasn’t long after he entered the room that we heard, “You are not going to take me alive”. With this Amy and I and the two other parents busted out laughing. Where in the world did he get that line… Some “discussion” by his mother and bringing up the little boy, Jacob, and how he didn’t even cry, he was finally settled down and his blood was taken. After the ordeal, you could hear the relief and bounce in his voice when he said, “That wasn’t that bad at all”.

So, FINALLY, after a 45 minute plus wait, we were summoned to an examination room. It was the “Fish Room”. Jacob paid no attention to this as he was ready to get out of this place. He was definitely hungry and just wanted his bigger toys at home. We were able to appease him a little bit with some Cheerios and wagon wheels as well as pushing the doctor’s stool around.

Before the doctor arrived, the assistant came in and measured Jacob. He is now 29-1/2” long (just under 50th percentile) and 21 pounds, 3 ounces (25th percentile). Doctor noted that the drop in weight is normal as he is now more active and nothing to worry about. Of course, it doesn’t help that he hasn’t been eating the norm because he hasn’t been feeling 100%.

Jacob was definitely now becoming “squirmy”, but the arrival of his favorite doctor calmed him right down as he started smiling at her and giggling. She checked Jacob out and found that he has some fluid in his right ear, but nothing to be concerned about as there is no infection. His skin was brought up once again, so we were given a steroid cream to apply this time. We have tried prescription cortisone already, which helped, but not enough, so we are trying something new. Unfortunately for Jacob, we will need to grease him up even more than we do now. The doctor noted that he is probably just a kid that even though his skin looks good, he still needs his skin lubricated. We discussed Jacob’s verbal skills of which are no concern yet. He is mildly delayed in his speech as he doesn’t say any words. We discussed his hearing, etc. and he seems to be fine as he can hear music on the tv when it is way low and hears his toys when they are across the room, etc., but we are going to pay attention more that we do now.

After discussions with the doctor, it was time for some more needles. Jacob received three of his regular shots (two in one leg and one in the other) which were followed up with a flu shot in his arm. He was less than excited about this, but quickly settled down.

So, we made an appointment to go back in a month to get the second flu shot, have his ears checked for fluid and status on verbal skills as well as a quick check of his skin.

Happy First Birthday Jacob!!

An All Star First Birthday Party

Jacob was an all star at his sports themed first birthday party. His fans came from all over to enjoy in his celebration of being a whopping one year old! Aunts, Uncles, Great Aunts, Grandparents and Friends enjoyed watching Jacob as he played and played.

The day started off a little rough with Jacob being pretty congested, but he knew that he needed to work through it so that everyone could see how good of a boy he really is. He did take a much needed nap, but for only a 1/2 hour. Would this be enough?

Jacob's cake was the first to arrive (along with the creator, Grandpa Randy of course, GREAT JOB GRANDPA!!!) and the ooo's and aaaahhhh's came right along with it. It was complete with different sports balls and Jacob's own personal baseball to be saved for the stage later...

After eating some grub, it was time for the birthday boy to perform. The stage was set (after a few adjustments...). First time for those well known words to be sung to Jacob as he gets to dive into his first birthday cake, the baseball...

Jacob was a little apprehensive with the cake and wasn't much into making a big mess. Although frosting did end up in his hair and all over his face from rubbing his "congested" nose. While Jacob was getting cleaned up, the rest of the gang dove into the #1 one cake and kicked back. Some of us could hear Jacob screaming as he was getting cleaned up and changed.

What's this? I am the center of attention again? Oh brother... Oh, but this time I can play with paper? Oh what fun!! Wait a minute!!! After I play with the paper, there is toys? This is pretty cool. I can get used to this! Aw nuts! Whenever I get rid of the paper, there is toys, but then they go away and I see more paper... Maybe this really isn't so fun. Every time I see a toy, it gets taken away. I guess I will just keep playing with the paper and not worry about the toys.Jacob opened his last present and was ready to no longer be held and rip into his toys. Zach, Hannah, Chloe and Coltman were also eyeing up their favorites. We opened the boxes as they would go from box to box so that they could help Jacob get all of the boxes openend. The kids romped around the toys and were sharing all of the new found fun.

The day definitely took a toll on the birthday boy. He very much enjoyed seeing and playing with everyone and playing. He was always being entertained whether it was playing "clap, clap" with Aunt Abby, laughing at Great Aunt Barb's sneezing antics, trucks and cars with Zach and Hannah or just cozying up with grandparents, he was constantly on the move. With all of the action and no nap to speak of, Jacob quickly wound down and crashed on his Grandma G. This was great for us because we quickly went into action to clean up most of the party.

Jacob, Amy and I would like to thank everyone who made it to Jacob's party, whether it was in person or in thoughts and spirit. We feel very happy and blessed seeing and knowing how much Jacob is loved.