Week 29 - Milestones

(3/2/08 - 3/8/08)

Week 29 - Milestones

We hit a new milestone this week (actually we hit two milestones). Well one didn't end well, but it was a milestone none-the-less. If you have read all of my previous posts you know that Paul and I have had a problem with Jacob being on his belly for "tummy time". He has hated it from the beginning (which was partially our own fault) with the new "sleep on your back" routine that they push from the second your child is born (we even had to sign a paper at the hospital stating that we understood that back sleeping is the appropriate SIDS prevention position.) Because of this, we didn't start putting Jake on his belly until he was 4 weeks old to play and by then he wanted nothing to do with it. He would scream bloody murder so we would immediately turn him back over. We have since tried to have Jake on his tummy at least once a day and over the past few weeks he has gotten better, he still (at almost 7 months) can't do a "baby push up" but can now prop himself up on his elbows and stay on his tummy for awhile without crying and occasionally (unintentionally though) will roll over to his back.

So what was his new milestone you ask...........well...... the other night Paul and I were on the floor playing with Jake, Jake was sitting in front of me and trying to get a toy that Paul had placed on the floor in front of him. Jake then preceded to get up onto his knees with his arms locked and stayed in a "crawling" position for about 5 seconds before he face planted and screamed for 5+ minutes (I think his pride was hurt more than anything). What's the big deal???? Well for a baby who has been plagued with tummy time troubles, it was a HUGE milestone and one that Paul and I are extremely happy with. It shows us that no matter what, even if later than other babies he will eventually crawl and do everything else as he continues to grow and get stronger and stronger.

As you can see from the picture, the second milestone that we reached this week is SITTING!!! YEAH!!!! I still can't leave him alone, but he can now sit pretty good on his own. He will still occasionally topple over especially if he "isn't in the mood to sit" but he sat for over 20 minutes the other night without falling over and he did it while playing with toys. He has even figured out how to put a hand down to steady himself.

We went back to My Gym this week, Jake still didn't smile but had more fun with the toys and
the other babies. I am still hopeful that he will crack a smile and I am determined to have my camera with me every week so that I can capture the moment!

Week 28 - Staring is not polite!

(2/24/08 - 3/1/08)

Week 28 - Staring is not polite!

Jake and I finally made it to My Gym for our free trial class. When we got there Jake had just gotten up (effects of falling asleep in the car seat) so he wasn't too "with it". We went in and found a spot on the floor with one other mother. Her daughter was 10 months old and could crawl and stand with support so Jacob was watching this "little human" with great concentration. He looked at me once with this "where are we mommy and who are these little people" look on his face. Within a few minutes the class starting filling up with 5 other kids, one other girl, and 4 other boys. The ages of these babies in Jake's class range from 4 months old to 12 months old. We started class with a "Welcome to My Gym" song and then played "Three Little Monkeys"....you know the one......"three little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head......." Jake really liked that because as you are singing it you bounce him on your legs and you open your legs and let him fall through when the monkey falls off the bed. After about 10 minutes of different songs and "exercises" we got to play on the gym equipment. They have a ball pit, swings, see-saws (for babies), and many many mats, balls, blocks, toys, animals, puppets, etc for you and your baby to play with. All throughout this "play time" the two teachers Mr. Eli and Ms. ??? (sorry can't remember her name) would play with the kids and help the parents on the various equipment. Finally we were at the end where there is "free play" you are supposed to put your son/daughter in the middle of the floor where there are toys and let them "free play" without you. I couldn't do that since Jake can't sit yet, but as soon as he does I will be leaving him for 5 minutes to see how he plays with the other kids.

Overall it was a very very fun experience. Jake didn't crack a smile the whole time, but that is because he stared at all of the kids the ENTIRE time. I know he had fun, because toward the end there was some semblance of a grin lurking behind that drooling mouth of his.

We registered as members and will be going back again this Wednesday for our second class. I will try and get some pictures of him next week playing (hopefully smiling and not staring).

Onto other news, Jake has started liking his jumper and is starting to be able to hold himself up better while playing in it, and is also starting to sit without support. I have the boppy behind him just in case he falls over but he is doing great at sitting. Also I should have put the BOPPY on last weeks "The Good, The Bad, and The UGLY!" post. It is an awesome invention and I have used it since day one with Jake. I have used it to help me feed him, to hold him while he is sleeping, as a tummy time pillow, and now as a pillow to help Jake while he is learning to sit. My niece just had a baby and that is the one item that I purchased for her (even though she didn't register for it) because I knew that she would love it after she had her baby.

I am also creating an album which I will have linked under my profile at the top right of this website soon. You will be able to see pictures of Jake when he was first born since I didn't start this blog until he was 4 months old.

Week 20 - No needles please!

(12/30/07 - 1/05/08)

Is it just me, or is my baby the only one who HATES tummy time? Trust me, Paul and I have tried everything from buying "tummy time mats", floor mirrors, standing on our heads, putting him on the bed and being on the floor so he can see us, but nothing works. HE HATES IT! The only thing/gadget that I did purchase that seems to be helping a little bit is the Lamaze Spin and Explore which helps because since he doesn't quite push himself up on his arms yet it keeps him from face planting onto the mat. He can now tolerate the tummy for a few minutes without crying but still hasn't quite figured out that his arms are there to push up on! Does anyone have any suggestions?? The only reason he is doing as good as he is in the picture is because there are soooooo many pillows under him he can't help but put his arms down.


Well we took Jake to get his 4 month immunization shots.....

Lets just say that I completely believe it, it is harder on the parents than it is on the baby. Last time (2 month shots) he ran a slight fever for 2-3 days and slept ALOT! This time well....he was actually happier than normal the day of his shots and then the next morning he woke up with a slight fever (99.7 taken in the ear) but wasn't really that sleepy like the last time. But then again the last time he was 2 months old and slept more anyway. Paul and I have just made sure he is in comfy clothes and gave him tylenol every 5 hours to help alleviate any crankiness.


I have ONE BIG BOY on my hands. Jake is 4 1/2 months old and is in the 90th percentile for EVERYTHING. He weighed 18 pounds, and was 27" long. Everything checked out fine and he is doing well for his age. He has started teething or should I say drooling buckets so everything including my hair is in his mouth. I found these awesome teething tablets "Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets" that work wonders. His "high maintenance" that I mentioned in the last posting seemed to get better when I gave him the tablets, so Paul and I feel kinda silly that it was probably his teething pain all along that had us going crazy!