Get Fuzzy

Hello, summer!

Yo! What's happening world? What do you think of my new shades and hat? They give me much needed protection from the sun. I went to the doc last week and he gave me some cream for my eczema. What, you're surprised? HELLO! Have you seen my parents? Mr. and Mrs. Whitey. Other than my sensitive skin I've got a case of reflux. I've been trying to tell my mom and dad about this problem and finally they get it. Burps hurt! They are learning...as much as I don't like it, mom makes me stop eating so my tummy doesn't get so full.

BAD NEWS though, no more rice cereal. At least not for a couple more months. Can you believe it!? That stuff is so good. I told mom if I have to give up the rice cereal then she has to give up the donut holes. I know she still eats them when I am napping. She's trying to be sneaky but I am a very smart boy. Anyway, things are under control and I am feeling much better. I've been busy rolling over - now I can get from my tummy to my back AND my back to my tummy. I'm getting taller too - up to 25 inches. Whoo hoo!

I'm off to catch some zzz's. I have a busy afternoon ahead of me. Talk to you soon!

Love, Jacob

A visit from the Sleep Fairy

Once upon a time in a tiny townhouse far, far, away there lived a mom, dad, baby, and two cats. For many nights the mommy stayed awake for many hours of the night.

First, the little baby was either too hot or too cold, hungry, wet, or had a tummy ache. So the mommy (and sometimes daddy) would have to wake up and help the little baby.

Second, the daddy made very loud noises from his nose. When the mommy would come back from feeding the baby the loud dragon noises that the daddy would make kept mommy awake.

Third, the cats thought that meowing would help their mommy sleep. They would jump on the bed by mommy's head and try to sing her a lullaby to sleep but they didn't realize that their singing was actually keeping her awake instead of helping her fall asleep.

Last night, something very special happened. The sleep fairy came to the tiny townhouse. She watched over the baby all night and made sure he didn't have a tummy ache and kept his blanket perfectly snuggled by his face so he felt secure. If he got to warm she opened the window just a crack to let in some cool breezes. Then she closed it so he didn't get too cold. While the baby slept she flew around the living room while the cats chased her until they got so tired that they fell asleep on the chair and didn't make a peep until morning. Finally, she gave the daddy a magic strip to put on his nose so he didn't make dragon noises.

And they slept happily ever after. At least until the next time the sleep fairy goes on vacation.

Piggies

hey all! i recently found my toes and have been practicing that yoga pose - you know, the one where you grab both big toes. i also rolled over from my tummy to my back today. it is a lot of fun to flip over - especially because i don't really like to hang out on my tummy for too long.

you probably won't hear from me for a couple of days. i am off to the big city of minneapolis tomorrow. we are going to spend the weekend at aunt sarah j's. grandma is going to be there too! i was thinking i might cruise the mall and pick out something nice for my mom for mother's day, but she told me that since i have started sleeping through the night, that is the best gift she could ask for.

have a great weekend and don't forget to tell your mommy and grandma how much you love them!

love, jacob

Grazi, Jami!

We spent this past weekend in Ames celebrating Grandma's birthday and Mother's Day. In addition to the swimming and family pictures, I was able to take a night off and have dinner with my best friend, Jami. We met our sophmore year and lived together through college and then moved to Minneapolis together after we graduated. We love to travel. We've enjoyed a cruise to Cayman Islands, a couple of weeks exploring Italy, and our most recent trip was Seattle and the Oregon Coast. Scott and I had to take a rain check on her most recent trip to celebrate her 30th birthday - to Fiji and New Zealand. Jim took good care of her though and brought her back an engaged woman - we're thrilled for them!

Jami has always been there for me - no matter what. This past weekend was no exception.

Friday night (aka night from hell) went like this... We got going a bit late on our trip from Rochester to Ames. Jacob woke up hungry about an hour from Ames. Of course he did...we've worked so hard at establishing his bedtime pattern! Why would he think it would be any different!? So, we pulled over. I fed him. He was so tired. He kept choking. Then he puked all over mom. He cried. We put him back in his carseat. Even more mad. We got to the hotel. We hauled all of our stuff to our room on the 2nd floor only to have to move everything to the 1st floor after cigarette smoke was wafting into our room from the wedding party next door. Not to mention the "suite" didn't have a door to close off the bedroom like we thought so Jacob could sleep/nap in peace. By this time Jacob just needed to go to bed. Now he was screaming. We got to our new room and Scott worked on calming him down while I made at least 5 trips up and down with our stuff. Then you can imagine my reaction when I opened up the cooler and found all of the milk that I had pumped spilled all over. They say you shouldn't cry over spilled milk, but when it is breastmilk, you definitely should! Jacob was still screaming. He cried for an hour and half before he was so exhausted he just fell asleep. Scott and I then sat wearily on the couch eating our cold pizza pit sandwiches that we had ordered almost 2 hours earlier. By this point, I have lost it. But Scott is so patient and calm - he doesn't dwell...he just agrees that this one of of the most exciting rose ceremonies ever. ;) We crawled into bed about midnight - knowing that we had to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our family pictures the next morning.

Despite the fiasco Friday night, the rest of the weekend turned out to be a lot of fun. Jacob did great (despite being a little sleepy Saturday morning) and on Saturday night, Scott took over after his 5pm feeding and I went on my merry way with Jami.

We went out for dinner and spent 3 hours chatting about politics, our jobs, weddings, babies, friends, our travels, all while enjoying a fantastic dinner and great wine. At about 10pm, Scott sent me a text message that said "Take your time. Peanut cashed out about 10". How lucky am I to have such a great husband that knew I needed an evening out with my best friend!?

Although Jami and I aren't living in the same town anymore I know I can always count on her to bring back my sanity. We can go two months without talking and pick up at dinner like we saw each other yesterday. She knows me well and I feel so blessed to have her in my life. Thank you, Jami, for being there for me and spending Saturday night reminding me who Nikki is. :)

OOL. Notice there is no P in the POOL.

I spent much of my life (yes, my life) at the Fairmont Swimming Pool. I started in the pool as an infant - my Mom and Dad took me to water babies. Dad was already teaching me to go under as a baby. As I grew up, swimming lesson after swimming lesson, one of my favorite things was when my Dad would take us to open swim. They would put all of the fun mats out (which you had to sign up for because there was only 2 or 3) and we'd spend all afternoon in the water - without having to practice the front crawl or treading water. It was all play, no work. Dad would always get us a bag of popcorn (25 cents) when we were leaving. That was the best popcorn ever.

After spending my days at open swim playing in the water, it turned into spending my days on the deck or teaching in the water. I got certified as a Lifeguard and Swimming Lesson Instructor. Granted, it was a lot of work, but we managed to have a little fun. Some of my favorite days were working early morning fit...we'd jump in the water if nobody showed up. Or, "breaking in" (it isn't really breaking in if you have a key, right?) for some after hours water basketball games.

We don't have a preference if Jacob decides to spend his free time in the water or on land, but we still want him to learn how to swim. This past weekend he took his first dip in the swimming pool. Dad even dunked him twice (Aunt Sarah B. has it on video so we'll see if we can get a copy of it). He seemed to enjoy it this time around. We'll see what he says when he gets to his first class and has to pick up the rings off the bottom. ;)