Happy Valentine's Day

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. "

Thornton Wilder

I wished I looked this cute so early in the morning... My little Valentine was up at 4am to celebrate his last, first holiday (I don't think President's Day really counts as a holiday). He was obviously excited to see what Valentine's Day is all about! Here's hoping that such an early wake up will lead to an early bedtime, so that I can have a little alone time with the other man in my life. I hope everyone is able to take a minute to enjoy their "treasures" today, whoever they may be.

Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. Jax's pic was featured on my friend's blog today. Check it out here!

11 Months!

How is it possible that we will be celebrating your first birthday a month from now?! Everyone has been commenting about how big you are getting and how much older you look. In fact, you had quite a growth spurt this month. You were 22.8 pounds when they weighed you at the doctor last week!! That's almost 3 pounds more than last month! You've also grown about an inch- you're around 31 inches (it's very hard to accurately measure a squirmy baby). Please, slow down my sweet little man!

It has been a quiet month- partly from that mid-winter, post-holiday limbo and partly because you've been sick practically all month. A cold, turned into a nasty cough, which lead to a high fever, and double ear infection.

After several calls to the nurse line and a couple trips to the doctor, you were put on your first round of antibiotics. Unfortunately, the antibiotics caused you to get an "upset tummy" which caused your first diaper rash. Your firsts this month weren't as fun as your firsts last month... You just had your final dose of medicine last night and I think you're almost back to your old self!

Despite not feeling your best this month, you continued to refine your crawling and cruising skills. You're not yet walking on your own, but can get around very effectively with the aid of various pieces of furniture and the walls. You also figured out how to climb up the basement stairs! It's amazing how quickly you can get up them. You are constantly busy exploring your surroundings, so daddy and I have been busy baby-proofing. However, along the way, we have learned that "baby-proof" doesn't necessarily mean "Jax-proof." For example, in anticipation of you getting your helmet off, I decided to put some corner cushions on the sharp edges of our coffee table. I knew that if you saw me put them on, you would immediately try to get them off so I waited until you were napping (aren't I sneaky?). After your nap we went downstairs to play and, as soon as you pulled yourself up on the table, you noticed the new addition. (They are clear and don't stand out very much at all, so I was shocked!) You picked and prodded at it until you figured out how to get it off. Then, you proceeded to walk around the table pulling each one off along the way. I guess you get the last laugh...

Other new skills include:

waving

sticking out your tongue (Grandma White taught you that...)

and drinking from a straw.

I thought that your teething had slowed down this month, but then I noticed a little white peak sticking out on the lower right, in the back. It looks like you already have a molar coming in! Lord help us! Maybe that explains why you started chewing on your crib rails like a little beaver! At least the rail guards I installed have proven to be Jax-proof (so far).

KG continues to be your greatest source of amusement. You are constantly pulling his hair, poking him in various places, tackling him, and taking his toys away. His patience with you has amazed us! Maybe it's because you also play fetch with him and feed him your treats...

Other highlights from the past month include:

A trip to the MN Zoo with Grandma White and Aunt Nicole.

Another reunion with our friends from "New Mamas."

Dinner at Rice Paper (you had the Soupe Tonkinoise- Vietnamese chicken noodle soup).

 

Amazingly, it has even been warm enough to squeeze in a few walks around Lake of the Isles!

I have also been busy planning the details of your first birthday party and cannot wait to celebrate that milestone with you!

Happy eleven months, peanut!

Love, Mom

Helmet Graduation!

Jackson's helmet and head mold now serve as a "unique" (and expensive) accent on his dresser.

After 5 months, Jackson is finally done with his helmet! I am so, so happy!! And so is Jackson! In the last couple of weeks, he seemed to be getting pretty sick of it and even figured out how to unvelcro the strap (he probably would have figured out how to take it off before too long). Best of all, his measurements all ended up in the normal range! Woo hoo!! Here's a before and after look at his noggin'.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I guess it's kind of hard to see the difference with all of Jackson's hair, but this printout from the orthotist clearly shows the progress Jackson made. The inner (somewhat lopsided) circle is what his head looked like before the helmet and the outer circle is what it looks like today.

 

Isn't that amazing?! The whole process was easier than I imagined at the beginning, mostly because Jackson adjusted to it so well. That being said, I am still over the moon that we can put this "stage" behind us. No more daily helmet washing and no more fear of getting a black eye or tooth knocked out from a blast to the face with it. I am also looking forward to kissing that sweet little head whenever I want (and without it smelling like a dirty sock). I'm also relieved that we won't be met with stares and sad faces and from strangers wherever we go. Although, it was somewhat amusing to hear what people assumed the helmet was for:

• "Oh, did he crack his skull?"
• "Did he have brain surgery?"
• "Did you guys ride your bike here?" (ummm... no it's the middle of winter...)
• "Does he have epilepsy?"

After several questions like these I began to understand why people would look at Jax and I with such pity. I also became increasingly thankful that the helmet was not for any of those reasons- it definitely put things in perspective. Some of my favorite comments were from kids. Many of them were curious and would ask me (or their parents) why "that baby" was wearing a helmet. Even more of them were jealous and would say things like-"look at his cool helmet!" or "I want a helmet like that!" While cruising around Uptown one evening, a young woman approached us and told us how she had to wear a helmet when she was a baby and proceeded to show us how round her head is now. (Although, she said her dad still calls her "block head"). She said that he'd thank us one day. I also appreciated all the mothers and grandmas that would stop me and tell the stories of their kids or grandkids that had to wear helmets. They would all reassure me that we made the right choice and that it made a huge difference for their loved one... You've got to love the camaraderie of mothers! Especially when articles like these were coming out in the midst of everything. All in all, I am definitely happy that we decided to put him in a helmet and am very pleased with the results! Bring on the cute winter hats!!