Happy (Belated) Birthday Jacob!

Our sweet, funny, amazing, goofy, smart, adorable, lovable baby boy is no longer a baby. We officially have a toddler on our hands now. Jacob turned one (almost a month ago already, due to my poor blogging skills...) and I have no idea what happened to the past year. By all accounts it was the most interesting, most stressful, most fun, most difficult, most exciting, most amusing, most sleep-deprived, most adventurous year I think I've ever had. There were tears, laughter, mistakes, learning, growing, moving, challenges and love. More love than I've ever known possible. Becoming a parent really does change everything. And in ways you will never understand until you become a parent. 

I created this fun poster to help showcase Jacob's first year. 

Also during Jacob's first year, he has already lived in three different places (in three towns even and different parts of the state!), been to Nebraska and Minnesota in addition to his home state of Iowa, has visited a zoo, gone for some tractor rides, loves looking at himself in a mirror, looking at pictures of himself or watching videos of himself. He has developed an adorable belly laugh that I cannot get enough of. He's made new friends at two different day-cares, both of which have been great. He loves to go swimming and making noise - any kind of noise. He loves to eat and can make the funniest faces. He went as both Charlie Brown and Jake from State Farm for Halloween because we couldn't decide and he spent is first Christmas at home with just Mom and Dad. He's also already been to a Wartburg Outfly and Homecoming, so he's well on his way to becoming a Knight. And that cute little cone-head he was born with turned into an even cuter perfectly round head. :) 

Jacob is already a spoiled kid and had two birthday parties! We had one in Minnesota and then another one a week later in Iowa. I figured it would be easier for family and friends this way. And Jacob was blessed by everyone that came and helped out. We are so grateful for you all. The birthday party theme was of course, Goodnight Moon, after Jacob's favorite book! As much as Jacob loved the cake during his cake smash photo shoot, he wasn't into it at either birthday party. For his credit, he was probably tired and overwhelmed with all the people and a different schedule though. He did want to eat a lot of the fruit though, and I know I should be thankful my son wanted the fruit rather than the cake, but where's the fun in that? :) 

Jacob also had his one year check up and of course, is still a healthy baby! And he's finally a well proportioned boy! :) Haha! He weighed 23.3 lbs (81%), is 30 3/4 inches tall (83%) and his head was 18 3/4 inches (87%). In the 80% for everything - first time that's happened! He also got some more shots which I was nervous about because Austin couldn't get off work to be there with me, but I successfully distracted him with the "Hot Dog Song". 

Jacob is getting closer and closer to being able to really walk on his own. He has taken his first steps, but won't go more than a half a dozen steps before sitting back down or falling over. He's great at standing unsupported though. And those first couple of steps he took? They were towards mama, but I was also playing the "Hot Dog Song" on my phone, so I'm not sure I can take the credit. :) He also loves to talk a lot, but we're not hearing any real words yet. Although he is getting closer I think. The other day it sounded like he said "yeah" to a question we asked him and last weekend, it sounded like he was trying to mimic the words "I love you". 

We also successfully quit nursing. I was actually very surprised at how well Jacob did with this. I had been slowly weaning him, cutting out feedings until we were just nursing at night before bed. But Jacob started taking a bottle instead with no problems! In fact, we've even stopped giving him bottles already and just use a sippy cup. The doctor had told me at his appointment that he'd like to see Jacob not using a bottle or his pacifier by 18 months. So the bottle is done but I think his pacifier might be a bit more of a challenge. Although, I generally just let him have it in the car and at nap and bedtime. 

Jacob has also started cutting his molars and it has not been fun. I think this has been much worse than his other teeth. He seems to get fussy at random times but especially at meal times. When he's normally been such a good eater, now it can be a give or take. Although he does like things that he can crunch, probably feels good. And he also loves to eat whatever we're eating. So my food is no longer my own... I better get use to sharing! :) 

In other news, Jacob and I got to spend the week of July 4th up in Minnesota with my family. My sister Meg was down on vacation too and she was able to get in a lot of Jacob time, which is good because we don't get to see her much now that she lives up North. :) Austin was able to come up and join us on Thursday and it was nice to finally have him there too. It was a perfect week of relaxing and spending time with family and friends that we don't get to see nearly enough. 

Writing this also reminded me that in mid-June, I had my 10 year high school reunion! I don't think I ever mentioned that here so I'll do it now. It was so great to be able to see those friends again. Some of us were able to get together a day early and brought the kids and husbands (if they weren't working) for some nice family time. And there sure are a lot of kids when we get together now! :) Then at the reunion, it was great to just have some fun adult time with no kids! After that, I realized how much I miss my high school friends but how thankful I am that we can still get together, even if it's just once a year, and it's like nothing has changed. We also had a great time going over old yearbook pictures and memories! Always a good time! 

And finally, we're moving! Again! I know, shocker. We found a two bedroom apartment in Lisbon and will be moving around the second week of August - let us know if you're available to come help. ;-) It's a little smaller than where we've been, but it's nice and super close to work for me - only 8 minutes! And it's only 20 minutes for Austin. Hopefully within a year or so, we can start looking for a house to buy. It's about time we try to settle down in one place, right? No? Maybe. We'll see. :) 

9 Months Old

Note: I wrote this blog shortly after Jacob's 9 month check up, but never published it because I kept forgetting to get his measurements from the note at home to put in there! And now my baby is almost 11 months old! Oh well, better late than never! :) 

-------

I haven't been as good about keeping on top of this! But my little baby isn't such a little baby anymore. Jacob is 9 months old! He's officially been out in this world longer than he was inside of me. Crazy. And he's changing so much, every single day. I was just telling Austin last night that I feel like even in the past two or three days, Jacob has made huge strides in learning new things! It's such a fun stage to watch him learn, figure out new things, see how proud he is of himself and praise him for it all! :) 

I mentioned in the last post that Jacob had gotten sick and had an ear infection. Well that wasn't the end of it, unfortunately. At the end of that week of him being sick, Jacob picked up a separate stomach bug at daycare. It hit him on Friday night and he was throwing up quite a bit. We didn't even try any foods - just a lot of breastmilk. And then on Saturday night, it hit me and by Sunday, AJ. It took us all down. I have to tell you, that those 48 hours or so that all three of us were sick, were some of the worst. I've struggled quite a few times as a mom - we all do. But during that time of sickness, I didn't know if I would make it. It was that bad. Luckily(?) Jacob was still under the weather so he didn't need quite as much attention from us, which was good because we would not have been able to give it. But, thankfully, it passed. And we survived. And it took a good while for Jacob to really get back on track. When we had our follow up at the doctor, he still had an ear infection so we got some stronger medication for him. He seemed to like this one better and it finally knocked out that infection. But it took a couple weeks before he was back to eating normally again. 

At Jacob's 9 month check up, he did great! He did actually develop a rash over his body just like a day or so before we were suppose to go to the doctor so we were glad we already had the appointment scheduled. We also decided that "googling" baby rashes is not a great idea... ha! We were trying to figure out if it was from new foods we were trying with him, new laundry detergent or different water... we weren't sure. Luckily, the doctor told us it was just a post-infection rash that babies can get from being sick. It doesn't itch or bother Jacob at all and would go away on its own. Other than that, he is a perfect and healthy baby! His weight was 20lbs 4oz (67%), height 28" (33%) and head 18.5" (92%). Not really any weight gain from his 6 month check up but I think he lost some weight being sick and not eating like he normally was. So, a great appointment and no shots! 

Like I mentioned above, Jacob is in a really fun stage! He's learning so much! He's figured out how to clap and loves to make noise! He's still very much experimenting with his mouth and vocal chords and it's so fun to listen to him make all that noise! Although, maybe not when we're trying to watch TV. :) He also has really figured out some of his toys and it's so entertaining to watch him play. 

And we officially have a little mover on our hands. Jacob has finally figured out how to really move around. His crawl is a little unique and sometimes he'll crawl on one knee and one foot... silly boy. But he can effectively get across the room to get a toy or to come to mommy. :) And we're also quickly realizing how much more he needs to be watched and what types of things we can't leave laying around. Jacob has also been getting much better at standing without any type of support. You can see the determination on his face and he's working on his balance and sometimes he'll hold his breath! :) But he's able to stand by himself much longer. He can also pull himself into a standing position. He's done this in his crib, climbing up on Daddy or holding on to your hands. And when you walk with him, he wants to sometimes let go of your hands but don't quite have that balance yet. It won't be long before he'll be up and walking though! 

Jacob has also cut another tooth! His top right front tooth has peeked through and the left one is close to following. Hopefully this will help ease some of that teething pain, but he has been a biter lately. He bites our arms, fingers and he's biting while nursing. This is a behavior that we're having a hard time trying to stop, but we keep working at it. But I have to admit, with the biting during nursing, I have an internal struggle about continuing to breastfeed. I want to make it a full year, but I hate the biting and am so tempted to quit. I don't have enough in the freezer to get us through June and I also hate pumping so I don't think I'd have the drive to just exclusively pump. So for now, I continue to nurse while trying to teach my son the word "no". I must add, it doesn't help that when he hears us say no he tends to smile, giggle and try to continue doing whatever it is we want him to stop doing. Like, Jacob currently has this strange obsession with throwing himself backwards. He does it when he's on the bed or couch. But he also does in the highchair. Another behavior we're trying to stop. Oh, the joys of parenthood. :) 

Some other fun facts about Jacob: He LOVES the book "Good Night Moon". I mean, loves it. Every time we pull it out, he does his little hand grabbing motion and bounces in his seat. In fact, one time I just started reciting the book without it in the room with us and he looked all around trying to find the book! He also loves to help turn the pages! Bath time is still a favorite activity, especially trying to drink the water these days... He still likes the song "Six Little Ducks" as well. 

More than anything though, Jacob ADORES himself. Okay, so I don't know he really loves himself or just really loves that baby he keeps seeing in mirrors or on our phones. :) We started showing Jacob "the baby" in the bathroom mirror after his bath each night. He would get so excited to see this baby every time! And now, anytime there is a mirror, he loves to see the baby! And when we pull up old pictures or videos on our phones, he will just watch them or stare at the pictures, getting excited. But when we put the camera on so Jacob can see himself, he gets the most excited! He's a fan of selfies. :) It's too cute. 

Jacob is still a great eater. We've tried some fancier foods recently. Still a lot of chicken, but we've had corn chowder; minestrone; braised beef; veggies and cheese sauce; potatoes and peas; chicken with sweet potato and apple; potatoes with leek, carrot and peas; tomato, cauliflower, carrot and basil; and pasta and butternut squash, tomato and cheese. Very fun! And Jacob definitely eats better than Austin and I. Haha! We're also slowly starting to work on letting Jacob feed himself. He does great with puffs and these little biscuits called Mum-mums. But we need to start with small pieces of veggies or fruit for him to pick up by himself.  

Jacob has also slowly been getting better about sleeping. He's not always as fussy when it comes to going down for a nap or at night. It use to be where he had to be rocked or in the swing to fall asleep, or nursed to sleep. But he's been able to put himself to sleep just laying down some times. Austin even sent me a picture of Jacob sleeping on the floor in the living room - he had fallen asleep while playing! That has never happened. He still wakes up to feed at night so I haven't started any real sleep training yet - no point until I know he's capable of sleeping through the night. And when he does wake, he normally eats pretty good so I know he's still hungry. I'm not sure how exactly to start weaning these, maybe try feeding him more during the day or try offering a bottle of just some water at night? That'll be our next adventure though. 

Also, if you have some time, please check out our vimeo page! (link on the right sidebar) If you love videos and love Jacob, you'll love our vimeo page! :) There are plenty of videos to watch, as Austin pointed out to me the other day... 2 pages of personal videos and 9 pages of Jacob videos. I didn't see the problem! 

And in non-Jacob news (boring, I know). I've been at my new job for almost a month and so far I'm really loving every minute. I've really had to jump in with my feet to the ground and start running. It's a busy time of year with planting season soon starting so I've been thrown into a lot and have been kept busy. But I love it! I love being busy, I love learning new things, I love having a lot of projects to work on. I'm still getting comfortable with all the jargon and equipment but that will come in time. But I think this is going to be a really great fit for me. I've talked a lot on this blog about my calling and trying to figure out what I want to do and I have to say, I think this job is a step in the right direction. And that feels great.  

A Blessed and Busy Weekend

Last Thursday we woke up, did a couple of feedings with Jacob, packed up the car, did another feeding and hit the road. It was our first real road trip with the little man, and it was a long one. We were heading to Minnesota, just under a five hour drive. Luckily, Jacob does great in the car! He seems to really love the carseat and will normally just nap! We ended up stopping only twice to feed and the second stop worked out so we could stop to see Jacob's clans-aunt! 

We made it to Minnesota around dinner time on Thursday evening. On Friday we ran some errands in Mankato and then stopped to see Grandma Reedstrom at work so she could show Jacob off. On Saturday morning, we headed into town for a baby shower for Jacob with some of my high school friends. I love that even after all this time, we can still get together and have plenty of things to talk about. Our get togethers have also become more noisy with toddlers running around and babies crying - but still a ton of fun! Jacob got to meet a lot of family and friends all weekend! Saturday night, Austin's family drove up to Minnesota and we enjoyed a really nice dinner outside and spending time on the porch. But Sunday was definitely the busiest day! 

On Sunday morning, we woke up early and headed to church. It was time to baptize Jacob! My mom suggested it when she was down visiting. Megan was going to be giving the sermon back at my hometown church - the same church my parents got married in, my siblings and I were all baptized and confirmed in. We weren't sure it was going to work since the date was only a couple of weeks away when the idea was brought up but luckily it worked for immediate family so we went ahead and set it up. There was a baptismal gown that my mom had made which my siblings and I all wore at our baptisms and I wanted Jacob to be baptized in it as well. And with the way Jacob has been growing, I didn't want to wait too long! :) 

It had rained some that morning and on our way to church, we saw a rainbow. I had been nervous about getting Jacob baptized because I was worried he was going to scream either the entire service or at the very least during the baptism. And I really didn't want that! But when I saw that rainbow I thought of it as a sign from God that the service was going to go well. Austin later suggested that maybe my Grandma Reedstrom had sent the rainbow to let us know she was with us that day. I like to think that's true. And Jacob did great during the service! We ended up feeding him right at the start of the service and he pretty much slept through the whole thing! Megan gave a great sermon and Jacob even helped with the children's sermon! Then it was time for the baptism! Jacob's sponsors are Megan (my sister) and Amber and Matt (Austin's sister and brother-in-law). Jacob pretty much slept through the baptism but right after Pastor Salim got done pouring the water over his head, Jacob let out a cute little sigh. Jacob is so blessed to have such great family and now he is a part of even a larger family - God's family. It was a great service. 

After church, it was back to the house for lunch with family and friends. Then in the afternoon, we headed back out to church. My little sister was getting ordained! Megan graduated from seminary this past May and recently received her first call (aka, her first job!). She will be heading to the Minnesota north woods to a two-point parish in Bigfork and Effie, Minnesota. So on Sunday afternoon, the bishop of her synod came down to perform her ordination service. It was a really cool service to be able to witness and I could not be more proud of her! She's going to do great things up north! :) We're also excited to be able to head up there eventually and see her house and the churches she'll be working at. Although, it will probably be a little while because it's quite the drive! 

On Monday, we were going to head back to Iowa but the weekend had been so busy and exhausting, we decided to take one more day to rest up and take advantage of family who was willing to hold and watch Jacob while Austin and I slept. :) And on Tuesday, we finally headed back home. As nice as it was to be around so many family and friends, it was also nice to be back at home again. 

During our time in Minnesota, Jacob was more fussy than normal. I think that the change in location, routine, meeting new people and all the new noises were a lot for him. Understandable! But it made the weekend very exhausting. Even though I may have gotten more sleep, I felt more exhausted from trying to comfort Jacob so much and feeding more than normal. Now that we're back at home, we're trying to establish our routine again. And we're slowly getting there. 

But Jacob is definitely growing! He'll have spurts throughout the day where he'll feed every hour! Mostly this happens in the evening and that's also when he's the most fussy. It makes me sad because I don't know if there's something bothering him or if he just feels like crying. We did buy some gas drops to give him when he's being really fussy to see if it helps with tummy problems. And so far it does seem to be helping. 

I read a blog post the other day about surviving the first few weeks home from the hospital with a new baby. Reading it, I could have sworn it could have been taken from a journal I had written. (You can read it here) I had all this energy when we first got home from the hospital, which was surprising because I thought my recovery after a c-section was going to be harder on me. But I had a great recovery with hardly any pain. I wanted to be up and getting things done. But I resisted. Having family there to help me get those things done for me really helped. After the first couple of weeks my energy did start to slow down. I wasn't feeling exhausted but I was definitely finding it easier to stay and bed and take naps with my little man. The blog post had some good tips and the one I loved the most was to watch your newborn sleep. I love doing that so much. He's so peaceful looking when he's sleeping and I can't help but stare. It's very distracting. :) 

Another thing the blog briefly talks about is breastfeeding. This was something I always knew I would do. I wanted to do this. It's healthier for the baby, cheaper for us and I wanted to experience that bonding I had read about. But I have to admit, I don't love it. I don't necessarily enjoy breastfeeding. Please don't get me wrong, I love the fact that I am able to breastfeed because I know some women can't and I can't imagine not being able to provide for my son that way. But it's not something I just can't wait to do again when feeding time comes around - especially during Jacob's cluster feedings! It's exhausting knowing that my body isn't my own during those times. It takes time to get it done. And when we're with other people, I don't like having to excuse myself for 20 plus minutes at a time, missing out on conversations and taking Jacob away from people (because let's be honest, it's him people want to see!). I know I could use a cover (something I still need to buy...) and breastfeed in the room with people, but I just don't feel comfortable with that yet. Jacob and I are still figuring out how to work together. Right now, it just feels tiring, messy and time-consuming. But I know it will get better. And again, don't think I don't want to breastfeed, because I do! Jacob and I just need some more time to get it down to a science. 

But back to the what matters: Jacob! Jacob is officially one month old! And he now weighs just over 10lbs! And my growing boy is getting stronger every day! We're still working on tummy time to help strengthen his neck and back muscles, but he's working on that even when we're not doing tummy time! Putting Jacob up over our shoulder, he'll push himself with arms and hold his head up and look around! And he's doing it longer each time! The other night during tummy time, again he used him arms to push himself up to look around! It's just amazing! His legs are always getting stronger! He will push up against either Austin and I with his legs and hold his cute little butt up in the air. :) I just love watching to see all the new things he does every day! He also continues to find new noises to make, which are too cute! I can't believe one month has gone by already! Time can certainly slow down any day! 

One Month Old - July 26, 2013