Announcing...

No, silly. I'm not pregnant again... yet. I was talking about Jonathan's first tooth! I tried to get a picture of it, but lighting and a stupid crappy camera didn't allow for the best of pictures. Besides, it's only a little bud. But boy he can sure use it! Sharp little toofie!

It was a hard day for him. He's not been as sensitive the last couple days to baby Orajel as he was when he was first teething, (he would throw up immediately or within ten minutes after putting it in his mouth). But no matter where I looked, I couldn't find the tube. He was screaming like it was the end of the world for around a half hour. Then he finally settled down to nurse after being so exhausted. He went out for a long time. Woke up once hungry and disoriented, but went right back to sleep after a quick-nurse. Then I went to look after I put him down and guess what, I found it. UGH! LAME!!!

The little toofer is his left bottom front. I thought for sure he'd get an incisor first because those have been swollen even though most baby books state that the front tow teeth, top or bottom, come in first.Mostly I thought so because he chews the most on those sides of his mouth. But one coming in on the bottom was completely out in left field because his gums are soft down there and very swollen and hard on top.

And one more little tidbit: I just realized today he's been trying to say his first word, for over a month now. Hello dense mommy. He's been trying to say "hi". So funny!!! He tries and tries to say it by mimicking the shape of our mouths, but it comes out sounding like a giggle, no wonder I didn't see or hear it to make sense out of it. Really, I promise he is trying to talk. Only mothers would be able to discern baby babble from their own child. Just ask a mommy! =D

My attempt on taking a picture of the new little tooth bud...

(Kellie! HELP! I need your camera!)

Buh-hind

Sooo, I've been TERRIBLE about keeping up with my little bloggy. I have a gagillion things to post clear from Spring Break at the end of last month and I promise to try and get them all up by the next couple weeks in time line format, but the reason is because I've discovering my "domesticity." I discovered I'm an amazing cook! I love to bake! Since coming back from Idaho, I've been spending my blogging hours baking. My stepmom taught me how to make bread from scratch back in Idaho and it's like a curtain has been lifted from my mind and I have no fear of cooking. I feel like such a good wife and mom!

I've also been exploring my new sewing machine. It's WILD! Fifteen types of stitches and a million changeable parts... one of which it does quilting designs!! Now I can sew my own comforter for our ginormous California king size. I can never find a quilt big enough to drape far enough over the edges the way I like. YAY! It'll be a real learning experience. I've only repaired a pair of maternity jeans to lend to a girlfriend since being home, but I have a several pairs of jeans and dress pants to hem. It's been nearly 3 years since my stepmom showed me how to do it, so let's hope I can remember. I want so much for Larry to look decent instead of dragging his pants all over the place. Both of us have short legs that are impossbile to fit and long torsos that make it diffecult to find shirts long enough. (I'm so grateful for the trend change the last few years with the longer shirts.)

I've yet to collect enough pairs of jeans to make a jeans quilt, so that's on the project list, too along with a Halloween costume for Jonathan. Now that I have a machine, I can't stop thinking of things I want to try. For now though, I'm good with the little projects I have already. It's nearly impossible to find the time to do those, let alone a major one like a quilt or costume.

Larry's been busy, too. He will graduate on Sunday, May 24th at 8 am. Early, you say? Yes, but it gets STIFLINGLY hot out here by 10 in the morning, so because the graduation is done outside, they try to have the ceremony wrapped up before noon. Smart I think. I'm very proud of my husband. It seems like he's in school FOREVER. In a couple weeks he'll take the CSET to determine if he's proficient in teaching his particular subject: chemistry. I'm sure he'll pass, but prayers are much appreciated on his behalf. We would love very much to be finished with school for awhile (until we can afford to put him through graduate school) and to be independent. (Larry's mother has been generously sharing her house for very little rent so we could afford to get through school).

I thought I'd post some photos of my little angel from bath time tonight. He's getting SO BIG! I had a couple size 4 diapers left at our house back at Christmastime when he was still a newborn, but I wanted to see if he was big enough to fit into them and he did! Now I need to get a Costco membership. No diaper has fit him better or been better for his sensitive skin than Pampers, but apparently he does fabulous in Kirkland diapers from Costco. Good thing, too. MUCH cheaper!

He's also been doing a lot of new things. He's most talkative right after he nurses, so it's hard to catch it on video due to mommy modesty issues. But he started to make a "yah" sound Sunday morning before church. It's his first major attempt at consonents. He's become very dexterous and loves to pick up and hold things to chew on. He's also tried French fries (which he loved), avacado, pear, green apple slices (he loves them cold to teethe on), and he's finally come around to eating banana unlike his second feeding.

Anyhoo, enjoy the photos!

Jonathan's First Mohawk

Baby Goings On

Today was full of amazing things. I spent the entire day with Jonathan until 5:30 pm without turning on the tv or computer. I thought it would be hard, but it wasn't. I made up my mind that I wanted to be a better mother than I've been thus far. I spend far too much time wasting away in front of some dumb screen rather than spending that time teaching my wonderful little boy good things and helping him to accomplish physical feats for his age. It felt good to close out the world wide web and experience the earth as it was intended: outdoors with family.

We went on a wonderful walk this morning and then came back home and spent time learning to sit up, tummy-time on the floor mat together, and time in the new walker learning how to use our hand dexterity with different objects including banana cookies (which he LOVED), among other things. It's truly amazing how much time goes by when you choose to spend quality time with those you love.

Tonight when we all went to the grocery store, Jonathan was getting restless in his carseat in the cart, so I pulled him out to see if he would be able to sit in the child seat part of the cart.... and he was able to!! I'm very proud of his growing up, but it seems like all his growing is happening all at once. Just yesterday, he started to swallow most of the rice cereal we fed him. Now he's big enough to sit (with a little help from a blankie) in the chart chair and Larry bought him his first sippy cup. **sigh**

When we were bathing him during his regular night time bath, he discovered the hose to the sprayer that I rinse his little head off with after shampooing. He quickly grabbed it and put it in his mouth. I yelled to Lars to get the camera, but he came running with the camcorder instead. After spending so much of the day learning about objects, I don't know why I'm surprised he discovered the hose. He's such a clever little boy. =)

This is the video clip from bath time tonight. (Larry wanted to make sure there was enough light, so excuse the random turning toward the wall in the middle of the clip... as well as the lame joke at the end.)

Sweet Memories

My sister-in-law was talking to me earlier today and told me she has been meaning to give me these little videos. I has NO idea that Jonathan's birth was even recorded and was even a little sad b/c we had no money at the time of his birth to purchase even the cheapy camcorder we have now. These little blurbs were taken by phone and I am ever so grateful that we even have these little nuggets. Enjoy!

Behind

Sooo, I'm about 2 1/2 weeks behind in my posts, but then again, I'm on vacation. I thought I might post a quick one right now.

On the 23rd of last month, Jonathan went in for his four month check-up. I was nervous as he'd been sick with my sinus infection and they don't usually give babies shots if they're not perfectly healthy. But seeing as we had already rescheduled his appointment for 2 weeks earlier after finding out the insurance changed our doctor, (lovely surprise finding out the morning of the appointment you couldn't go in and get it done)there really was no time to bat around. Jonathan was quickly closing in on his 5th month.

Larry met me over and the pediatrition's office to keep me company before he had to creep off to take a test in Fullerton. He filled out all the nasty new paperwork. He says I take too long. He kept his eye on the time and ended up leaving before we even got in to do the check-up. I hate going in to doctors alone out here. I rarely understand most of them because English in not their first language and seeing as Lars in used to decifering, I take him along with me. Call me Idahoan. I'm used to redneck speak.

Around 20 mintues after Larry left for school, Jonathan and I were called back in a room. My beautiful little boy was a little cranky because of teething, but still mostly happy. He had a ginormous diaper and I had to change him before he got weighed and I found out that this doctor's office doesn't allow you to throw away your diapers. They give you a baggy to seal them in to put back in you diaper bag. I was way ticked. Lame, I know. But it made me upset I had to carry around poopy diapers from a sick little boy just because they were too darn lazy to change out the garbage at the end of every night. (They do it every 3 days, unless otherwise needed.)

I stripped my little BooBoo Bear down to his diaper and the nurse measured him. He was 25 1/4 inches. Over 2 feet! In the 60%. Slightly higher than average for babies his age. Then she needed to weigh him. I put him on the scale and he was 18.71 lbs. Nearly 19 lbs. He was completely off the charts for babies his age! Call me a proud mama. He's drinking pure cream. ;)

Then the doctor came in. I couldn't understand her. (Larry where are you!) I asked the same questions a million times because she wasn't making any sense. But it was good for me. I've learned to be assertive until I get the answers I'm looking for. She quickly did her thing and said a nurse would be coming in to give him his shots. Ick. A mother's least favorite thing.

I'd given him Tylenol when we first got into the office so it could set in while we waited. He fevered at his first check-up and wailed for 4 hours before finally passing out and I wasn't going to go through all that again. The nurse came back in with two shots and a little plastic container with a snapoff piece to open it. Polio vaccine. Last time Jonathan took it, he held it in there for 10 seconds and then giggled as he let it leak out the sides of his mouth. Devious little child. He did better this time around. He took most of it as he was used to taking Tylenol. (Both are grape flavored).

The first shot was ugly looking. I said to the nurse, "Here we go." But she explained to me that it's the second shot that really hurts because it has a higher concentration of medicine in it. She proceeded to give him the first shot in his left thigh. No response. All Jonathan did was look up at me a little surprised. Wow. I was impressed. Next shot... **gulp** The nurse poked it into his right thigh and 10 seconds later, the all too familiar shriek of terrorized pain filled the room. I hadn't heard him make that kind of noise since I left him in Miller's Children's Hospital for his surgery. Talk about nerve-wracking. I picked him up and walked him around the room as I got him dressed (yes, I can do that at the same time). He quickly calmed down and I put him in his car seat.

I got all turned around on the elevator and got off on the wrong floor. UGH! Humiliating. Now is the time I wish I had the stroller. A 20 lb. baby, a 10 lb. carseat, and a 12 lb. diaper bag in a hot building on a hot day with a weird guy in the same elevator who won't stop going on and on about your child and how much he'd like to hold him.... Like I said, "Larry! Where are you??"

We did make it out to the car, a little worse for wear, only to find both sides of the car blocked in and completely unable to open the back doors wide enough to put the carseat in. By this time, I was so mad. Stupid poopy diapers, a doctor I didn't understand, getting lost, worrying about a weird guys following me. I'd had it. I threw open the back door on the driver's side and dinged the car next to me. Not my problem. They want to cram their SUV into a compact car space, that's their choice. I put in my little one and pulled his pants off before closing the door. It was hooooot in the car.

Jonathan stayed awake on the way to the CVS by my house. I dropped off a prescription for his nightmare of a diaper rash and went home to nurse him. After all that, he dropped right for off to sleep for about 4 hours. What a little trooper. Hardly any tears and a long nap for mama's sanity. I was proud of him.