The Big.... 2.

On Thursday, my darling, first-born baby boy turned two.

I know it's been quite a long time since I have updated Spencer's blog.   If you are my Facebook friend, you more than likely are bombarded with all sorts of Spencer (and Collin, his new little brother, born September 1) statuses and stories, so while I feel a little bad about neglecting his blog, I take solace in that fact.  It's been a hectic few months, introducing the new baby into our family, moving, and all sorts of other things.

Spencer is now 36 inches tall and 30-ish pounds.   He can count to ten, and partially to twenty, all by himself.  He can recite the entire alphabet by himself.  He can point out and name both numbers and letters when he sees them.  He knows red, orange, yellow, chartreuse, green, aqua, blue, purple, pink, black, gray, white and brown.   He knows circle, flower, star, heart, square, triangle, rectangle, moon, and oval.   He knows a ton of animals and their sounds.  He is learning words like crazy.   He's full of hugs and kisses, climbing and exploring, and of course, mischief.  He's an amazing boy that I am grateful for, every single day.   Yes, sometimes, I will admit, he drives me a little batty, but you'll have that.  


With that brief update, I will leave you with a few videos, taken on his birthday.

He's already 19 (months old)!

Today, Spencer turns 19 months-old.  My slacking blogging skills mean that it's been a month since I last wrote about our little guy!  Yikes!

We've been keeping busy.  Spencer is on the go pretty much the entire time he is awake nowadays.  He's been doing "cute" toddler things, like lying on his tummy to play cars, and saying 'vroom vroom' as he drives them across the floor.

He's also been doing not-so-cute toddler things, like throwing a fit if he doesn't want to do something, like come in the house after he's been re-routed from entering the street four times in a row.

He's been doing funny and mischievous toddler things, too, of course.  Recently, he discovered he could re-position the rolling computer chair and climb in it so he can reach things off the table.  He also discovered he can take the computer keyboard off the desk and type.  He's been found using Google as well as trying to print things from my email.  Good thing we don't have a printer, I guess.

Overall, though, it's been a good month.

Jake started his new job, and Spencer and I went through a period of sleep-training where I would let him cry-it-out in his crib until he finally went to bed on his own.  The past two nights in a row, he cried a little on the way to his crib, where he went willingly, because I won't give him his milk in a cup until he gets there.  And as soon as I laid him down and gave him his cup, there wasn't another sound.  He just drank his cup, plopped it out on the floor, and went easily to sleep.  I was so proud.

He has been learning more animal sounds, too.  He has a See-and-Say that he got from Nana Mindy and Travis for Christmas that's been aiding in that, though he sometimes seems a little freaked out by it.  He also has been practicing them with a few books that have animal pictures.  It's been interesting, because even animals that don't really have distinct noises have to have some sort of noise or he won't turn the page.  So, we make them up from time to time.  So far, he's knowing goat, owl, horse, cow, duck, dog, cat, bee, bear, lion, snake, and a couple more that I can't remember.... monkey... and something else.

One of his new favorite past-times, I think, is watching Hot Air Balloons launch.  His uncle Jesse and honorary aunt Samantha help crew hot air balloons for her family that owns them, and invited us to watch two weekends in a row.  The first time we were pretty close to the action, but when the fire started, he got scared.  The second time we were about 100 yards away or so (I'm bad with distance, so just guessing) and he stood, silently, happily, and mesmerized for about 15 minutes while the balloons were inflated and took off.  It wasn't until he couldn't see them in the skyline anymore that he first moved.  It was SO cute.

Last weekend, he got his hair cut for the fifth time.  This time, my aunt opted to try the clippers.  He did NOT like them at all.  So, she switched to the scissors for the main part and then trimmed up again with clippers, and then the scissors once more.  He looks like he's three now, I think!  But goodness, he's handsome!


Next week, he and I are going to stay at my mom's house and visit my mom, dad, and siblings for four days while Jake works his new job in my hometown area.  I'm really excited.  I hope he does fairly well sleeping, I am a little nervous since it'll be not at home, but I think it'll be okay.  And then, in two weeks, my sisters are both coming to stay.  Yay!

The pools opened in town now, too, so I bet we're going to start swimming quite a bit, as soon as it gets hot again.  It's been pretty chilly this week.

Mister Mischief.

Spencer is definitely entering toddler-hood. Not that we didn't know that already, but lately, it's seeming more and more evident that he's not so much a baby.

I say this because, lately, he's been getting into a lot more mischief.

No, I wouldn't say he's a naughty boy. He's curious. He's inquisitive. He's exploring. And he's learning boundaries. It's pretty normal for a child his age.

Here are some examples of his current mischievous acts:

• On Saturday of this last weekend, Spencer was sitting in his high chair, finishing up his lunch, while I was standing in front of him, starting to work on our lunch dishes. I had my back to him. I periodically was checking on him to see if he was finished, and sometime in between the check-ins, he did finish, and decide that it was time to get out of his high chair. The picture to the left is how I found him. Scared the heck out of me!
• Also on Saturday, he was flushing the toilet, just for fun, while the naughty dog had stuck his head under the toilet seat (ugh) and was trying to drink from it.
• On Monday (yesterday), while I was going to the bathroom, he went into his bedroom and pulled the strand of Christmas lights we use for nightlights off the window (they had been falling down... or he had been pulling them down, not sure) and into the hallway. He then pushed the bathroom door open to show me.
• On Monday, a little bit later, I was in the bathroom again, and I came to the kitchen to find that he had emptied 3 desk drawers onto the kitchen floor. There were file folders, pens, envelopes, and highlighters all over. He did not want me to clean it up.
• And, this morning, I am not sure what I was doing, but I came into the kitchen to get us both some juice, and I found that he had used a blue crayon and gave the fridge door a little makeover.

And yet... I just love him to bits. That's a good thing, right?

On a side note: He learned to say "There you go!" which sounds more like "Tay-go," and he spent much of yesterday handing me... anything he could find, and saying that to me. It's his new favorite game, it seems.

15 Months!

Spencer is already 10 days past 15 months old! Wow!

He had his well-baby check this past Wednesday. His daddy took him, because I had to work.

He weighs 24.8 pounds, and is 32.25 inches tall! He's definitely getting taller, but also slimming down some. Most likely due to all the running and dancing he does lately!

Unfortunately, while they were there, it was discovered he has RSV. He seems to be doing okay with it, though it's been kind of a rocky week. I think, well, judging by today anyway, it is finally maybe starting to go away. We can hope!

Starting yesterday evening, Spencer and I are now staying home together, full-time, until it is no longer possible for us to do so. I am very excited! I'm looking forward to being able to focus more intently on his needs and his learning. Some things I hope will become more noticeable is his ability, attention, and desire to help clean up toys, to say please, and you're welcome. I would like him to work on using his eating utensils, and hard-topped sippy cups.

As a treat for him on this new journey, I purchased a car ramp and a few matchbox cars for him yesterday. He loves them, and has been playing with them for the better part of the day today!

Let's see.. what else. Spencer has molars! Three of them are in the process of breaking through. I can see them, but they're not all the way in yet. Not sure where the fourth one is hiding (well, I know, but it's not making it's way quite yet). We've been fortunate that the molars haven't affected his mood too much.

He can say "Happy Birthday!" Too. We taught him that on January 23, for his auntie Sam's birthday.

He says "What's that?" probably 100 times a day now, and I've been working hard to clearly identify what he's pointing at and give it a proper label. He seems to really like lights and windows. He also likes to say "no way," and what sounds to be "uh-oh-dear."

And, lastly, he LOVES walking around outside. I don't think I could get him to happily stay in a stroller anymore. We go on walks around the block, with Wendell, when it's nice enough out. He walks the entire way. Sometimes we'll walk for an hour. He had been trying to use driveways and corners as an access point to the street, but after many times turning him a different direction, and saying "turn around," he's pretty much got it figured out, I think.

That's all for now. Time to read a book it seems!

Fourteen Months!

Today, New Year's Day, our darling young lad turns 14 months old! That seems so crazy to me.

He is quite the little monkey climber now, as well as a chatterbox. He learned to get up and down on the couch, and can get down from our bed all by himself, too.

He learned to climb out of his high chair if he's not strapped in. I learned this one evening, while he was eating and my back was turned doing dishes. I turned around to check on him and see if he wanted more to eat, and he was on top of the kitchen table!

He can say quite a few words now. Most of them seem to be dog commands, like "go away," "sit down," "no," and "out." He also says "no way!" That sounds pretty funny coming out of his mouth. He is perfecting "Wendell" more every day, too. He can also say "baby," "bath," "girl," "duck," "dog," "hi," "mama," and "dada." There are other noises we catch from time to time, though we're not sure if he is saying actual words.

Lately, his favorite activities seem to be playing with his toy snare drum, carrying around his giant puppy dog that he got from his aunt, uncle, and cousin for Christmas, watching Elmo or Praise Baby DVDs while mom is trying to get housework done, playing balls, and his shape sorter.

He also LOVES playing with glow sticks, especially in the bath tub.

Spencer had a good Christmas. We stayed home because I have been tormented by sciatica, but, fortunately for him, his aunts Samantha and Allison were here for an entire week! He had a ton of fun with them. I'm pretty certain this next week he will be crabby and depressed with them gone! We opened gifts on Christmas morning (he wore his new holiday elephants Mud Butt Diaper (see picture) for the occasion), and spent the day just spending time together. The following day, his Grandpa Lee and Grandma Angela came to visit. Today, he and daddy took his aunts home, and visited Grandma Anita and Papa Web, and then went to Grandma Mindy's house for supper (while I stayed home). So, despite my limitation on travel, Spencer still got to see all of his grandparents for the holidays. :)

I can't wait to see what this year brings for our little boy!

some photographs

Here's a collection of photographs displaying events of the past few weeks, such as Halloween and Spencer's first birthday party!

If you are my Facebook friend, you've probably already been able to view them, and this post may seem redundant.

And, just a forewarning, these are in opposite chronological order, because I'm too lazy to fix them. Whoops.

One of Spencer's birthday gifts was a tricycle. Yesterday, daddy helped him to ride it for the first time.

Since it was nice out yesterday afternoon, he also took some of his new cars out to play. These were another birthday gift.

Spencer is obsessed with plastic bottles. He digs in the recycling bin all the time to get them out. He especially loved this almost empty one that I hadn't gotten around to putting into the bin, yet. He carried it around for the better part of a day.

At his birthday party, he ate a lovely frosted cupcake. He actually had two, his and Grayson's.

Because SJ is super fab, he got to celebrate his birthday on three different days. On Wednesday, the day after his birthday, he had a birthday-cake flavored rice crispy bar when he celebrated with mommy, daddy, uncle Jesse, and BFF Samantha.

On Tuesday, his birthday, he went to Barnes and Noble with mommy and "Auntie" Tarah, and he got a giant cookie for free, because he's a member of the Kids Club.

He also got to wander around the store and practice his walking skills.

The evening of his birthday, we went to the mall to play in the play area and have supper at Burger King (he LOVES chicken fingers), and open a gift with Uncle Jesse, BFF Samantha, and "Auntie" Tarah.

At daycare, on his birthday, he had a celebratory blueberry muffin. He didn't really eat it.

For Halloween, he was an elephant, and his best buddy, Grayson, was a Rhino.

He was so darn cute in his Halloween costume!

Now, he's getting his fourth upper tooth in, hopefully it will break through in the next few days, because especially at night, he's been pretty restless and fussy. He is also trying to say a few more words, like "Wendell" which sounds like 'nu nud' (but he only says it for Wendell, so I'm pretty sure that's what he's trying to say), "All Done," and "Okay." Haha.

And he's walking EVERYWHERE, and getting pretty fast. He loves to wander the mall. That seems to be his new choice activity.

oh, the things he will eat...

Wow. I can't believe it has been nearly a month since we last updated Spencer's blog! My apologies.

It has been kind of stressful around here.

Spencer is now almost eleven months old! It seems insane to think it has been nearly a year since he was born. We are in progress planning his birthday celebration.

On the 1st of September he officially started crawling, and since then, he has been into all sorts of "mischief." He got a container of salt out of a box I had forgotten was stashed under the table and dumped it on the floor and then later got into the dog food bowl and threw that all over the kitchen. That was all the first few hours of his crawling beginning!

He has also been found throwing things in the garbage and bath tub, playing with the dig kennel, unplugging cords (yikes!), and tormenting the dog.

Lately, he has developed an interesting palate for non-food items as well. His favorite things to stick in his mouth seem to be dog food and rocks, though I have also found him attempting to eat (or eating) such peculiar items as chapstick, paper, shoe laces, socks, keys, coasters, and my personal "favorite," his dad's wedding ring (which he then lost...).

He loves pulling up to anything and everything he can reach, especially his excersaucer as it is eight next to the keyboard. Today, he let go of the fire pit in Jillian and Robert's backyard tonight, twice, and stood, all by himself in the middle of the patio, for over 20 seconds each time before sitting slowly down! He also let go of the side of the bath tub tonight and just stood in the middle of the tub. He seems too little in my mind to be doing that, but I am clearly mistaken.

He also learned to crawl up the stairs all by himself, on his first try!

He has started "talking" a bit, too. He says "dad/dadda," "go," "uh-oh," "cracker" and "Nicole," though the last two aren't quite as clear. He doesn't usually call me "mom/mama" but occasionally I hear it, mostly if he's stuck in his crib and wants out. Haha. I think he started saying "Nicole" because we have been asking Grayson to say it at daycare, and the other kids, and Jillian, call me Nicole, so that's what he hears me referred to most often. Hopefully, he will call me "mom/mama/mommy" consistently, eventually, but for now, it's kind of funny to hear him call me by first name. It sounds more like "Kih-cole" but we're pretty certain he's saying my first name.

We went to the apple orchard with Jake's brother, Josh, and his girlfriend, Jessica, a few weekends ago. It was cold and windy, but Spencer loved seeing the animals in the petting zoo. That's about all we did before we were too cold to continue. This past weekend, we went to my high school friend Jason's wedding reception, and Spencer had fun "chasing" another friends' three daughters. It was cute! He also met some of my friends from high school for the first time. That same day, we visited Grandma Mindy's house for a little while, and he got all kinds of kisses from her big fuzzy dog, Jeb. We're going back there this weekend, possibly to spend the night, so I'm sure he'll get a ton more. Yesterday, my dad and sisters came to town, and we went out for lunch, then to Falls Park for a few hours, and then out for frozen yogurt. Spencer had a great time and was pretty smiley most of the day!

He also had his first "sleepover" at a couple of his/our friends' house a week and a half ago, without his parents or any family. He did a pretty good job, from what I hear, and came back saying "uh oh" more clearly, and seemingly on a broken-record fashion of repeat. His baby brother or sister was born into Heaven (as a miscarriage) that week, and I was unable to care for him, so he got a little vacation from home to play with Judah and Izzy.

I have uploaded quite a few videos onto his youtube channel over the last month, mostly poor-quality cell-phone videos because he and his dad forgot our video camera in Iowa, but you can check them out here: http://www.youtube.com/ninjasj

Big Brother is almost crawling!

Spencer is getting so close to crawling... but lately, it seems he wants to avoid being on his knees as much as possible. He seems to like to crawl on his shin and his foot, which is pretty normal so far as I have ever witnessed. Though, he also likes to stretch his legs straight out and try to "crawl" flat footed. He's not so great at it, and falls on his face a lot!

He loves to walk along furniture. He loves to push toys across the floor, walking. At daycare, there's a walking/push toy in the basement, and the other day, he walked the entire length of the basement and back at least 10 times! What a goofball. He LOVES it though. He also likes to push dad's milk crates around the living room.

I really need to get planning his first birthday party, scheduled for November 5. I can hardly believe he's going to be 1 so soon!

Spencer is going to be a big brother!

It sounds so crazy to think of our baby, who turns 10 months tomorrow, as being the older sibling already, but really, that's what we wanted!

This morning, he got to see Sprout via ultrasound, with mommy and daddy, of course! Baby is scheduled to arrive around April 18, 2011.

Funny little toothy boy.

Spencer has been a hoot lately! He's really quirky, so he makes me laugh a lot. Okay, maybe it's just me, but I think he's really funny. You should check out some of the videos on his youtube channel. I'll provide you links below:

First Popsicle

Silly Daddy & Spencer (good for a laugh!)

Hiccups

Coffee Table Drummers (co-starring his best friend, Grayson)

Arguing (another laughable one)
And... I found his tooth!

Yesterday, Spencer's first tooth broke through! Yeah! It is the lower left front tooth. Then, this morning, after his nap, I noticed his SECOND tooth had broken through! That was the top right front tooth. Ah!

He has been moving a lot lately, which is crazy! He doesn't crawl yet, but he, as he has for quite some time, bounces on his bottom all over, and now he also scoots on his tummy backward. He inchworms too, which is super fun to watch. And then, he scoots on his butt, too. Sometimes, I think he might not crawl until after he walks.. just like I did!

He also eats mostly "table food" now, and has been for a while. He loves eating what we're eating (if he can), including things like chicken noodle soup, or grilled cheese, cereal, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and yogurt! I think yogurt is his favorite, but he also loves to feed himself peas. It's really cute. I can't believe how crazy fast he is growing!

In fact, he will be 9 months old on Monday. HOLY MOLY. That just seems... absolutely incredible. He'll be 3/4! And with that in mind, we're already working on planning his first birthday party. It will most likely be family and a few friends (which he does have, thanks to daycare and church!), and possibly be a pool party. I guess it just depends on the cost associated with a bunch of kids swimming. Our place is not big enough to have a party here, so I've been looking into other options. I know it seems far away, but most of his family live far away, so it only makes sense to plan ahead and get it on the calendar! I'm thinking the party will be Saturday, November 5.

He's been sleeping through the night (almost every night) for like a month now, too? I think? And loves pulling to stand, especially in the bath tub (UGH, but when he does, I take him out and tell him bath is done). He also loves walking alongside the couch. And shaking his head no.

Tonight, he waved many times in a row at me and Uncle Jesse! Yay!

6 Months!

Spencer had his six-month well-baby doctor's visit today!

He weighs 19.1 pounds.

He is nearly 28 inches long!

He is in the 75th percentile for height and weight, and head is around the 50th percentile, I think.

He had a blast playing with the paper on the exam table, and attempted to rip the stethoscope right out of his doctor's ears. Haha.

He did all sorts of talking and laughing and squealing... until his shots. Hated those, of course. But, he's still in a relatively good mood!

He got a ball at the grocery store tonight, and I had him laughing so hard he drew a small crowd. I was bonking it on his forehead saying, "bounce! bounce!" He was SO cute.

He got to eat a chunk of watermelon after supper tonight! He loved it. I did not take photos. I will next time.

He also got to spend time with Grandpa Lee today, shopping, and then with Grandpa and Uncle Jesse for supper.

Lately, he's been playing outside a LOT. He LOVES being outside under normal circumstances (unless he's really cranky or tired). He is also experimenting with different "hard" foods, like crackers (which he's had many times before) or toast (which he had for the first time on Friday).

Here's a quick video from tonight, where Grandpa made him giggle:

World Record Setting.

Last Saturday, on Spencer's uncle Bryan's 19th birthday, he and I participated in the Great Cloth Diaper Change World Record Setting Attempt, held locally at Elegant Mommy in Sioux Falls.

Here's a news article to explain more:

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=114160

While there, we opted to participate in a Cloth Diaper Mini Shoot, done by Mprints. Click the business name to see the facebook page! He donned an infamous Mud Butt, of course. He loved having his picture taken, and it was a lot of fun for me to watch him have his photo taken by someone else! I can't wait to see more, this is just the facebook preview image she shared.

Anyway, the event was pretty fun. We scored a bag of random goodies, and showed off our super cute Mud Butt diapers. Spencer got a certificate stating he was a part of the local attempt as one of 49 participating babes!

I was really excited to take him to the event, mostly so I could put it in his baby book some day. I mean, I've never been a part of any world record, so it's pretty cool that he is! The official results will be posted in a few weeks, I think.

In other news, Spencer likes baby yogurt, drank from a sippy cup, loves bouncing, ate some pureed tater tot hotdish (which looked DISGUSTING, but Grayson wouldn't eat it, so we gave it to SJ), and was bit twice this week!

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Yesterday, Jake and I took Spencer swimming for the very first time! We're getting a family membership at a local wellness center, which means that not only can we work out, but we can take Spencer to an indoor pool!

After touring the center on Saturday, we were very excited and could hardly wait until open swim time on Sunday. Spencer's aunt Shari and his cousin Alyssa joined us as we went to the pool!

He seemed to enjoy it right away, maybe a little unsure at first, because it was pretty loud in there. The "therapy pool" was open for family swim, and it's about the temperature of a bathtub as opposed to a typical swimming pool, so there was no shock there. Almost immediately, he stuck his butt up and began floating by himself... well, with the help of me holding up his chest/head. He would do the same when you tipped him over to his back. He'd pop his belly up to the surface! Seems we have a natural swimmer on our hands!

The first time or two that we dunked him under, he wasn't a big fan, needless to say, but he didn't really cry or anything. He made a couple wimper/cough noises, and pouted a bit, but the sadness was short lived. I think that shocked him more than anything, as well. As we continued swimming, we would occasionally dunk him under. By the end of our hour swimming, he wasn't too phased by it at all.

Jake took him "wake-boarding" on a floating raft, and he loved it. He would smile and squeal and kick his feet in delight! We really do think he'll be a great swimmer!

He also thought it pretty funny when I would hold him up in the air, and then go under the water myself and blow bubbles. Jake said he'd squeal with delight then, too!

I won't lie, we each accidentally dunked him under the water from some sort of floating device. I know the time I did, he tried to roll off the raft thing (successfully, obviously) and rolled right into the pool. My instincts grabbed him in record time, I feel, and after, I had the residual panic thinking "what if he drown!?" I wasn't prepared for that feeling, but I didn't really dwell on it for more than a few seconds.

Shari was awesome and took a few videos for us. Well, Jake took the first one, and she took them after. I'll share two- the one Jake took where he first entered the pool, and one Shari took of him "wake-boarding." Enjoy!

Bathtime Fun and Voice Exploration

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but because of continual flooding in the kitchen due to Spencer's desire to splash like crazy, he moved from his infant tub in the kitchen sink into the big bathtub in the bathroom a few weeks ago... or so.

Anyway, he LOVES it. Not only does he get to float (which he attempts occasionally... and I find impressive) if he chooses, he can play with more toys, and splash much, much more. I think that he also enjoys the change in sound while he's talking and what not created by the bath tub itself.

You can see some of his fun bath time videos on his youtube channel.

He's been a bit.. louder lately, too. I think he's realized more of what his voice can do, and is having a blast experimenting with it. His pitch fluctuates more and more, as well as the decibel at which he uses it. He has different squawks and squeaks as well. He's hit that "pterodactyl" phase. (For the record, I love how not only many people describe baby noises as "pterodactyl" type noises... but the fact that we all seem to know what that means, despite no one actually knowing what a pterodactyl sounds like.) So, it's fun (and sometimes kind of a pain, say, if you're at daycare and trying to let other kids sleep).

He's also eating more lately.. which is crazy to me. It's almost like he's currently a bottomless pit! I can't quite guess how many ounces to put in his bottle at any given time, and it's really thrown me for a loop.

Today, he sat for 31 seconds, unassisted. I know it doesn't sound like much, but when you're right there waiting to catch him if he starts to topple, it seems like quite a long time!

And he LOVES to stand. Assisted, of course.

So... that's all. Just wanted to throw in a quick update.

Sitting and Such.

Spencer is getting really big, really fast. Not necessarily size-wise, but... developmentally, I feel like.

Currently, he's between 15 and 16 pounds and 24 to 25 inches? Not certain, but he has his next well-baby visit and shots on Wednesday, so we'll be able to report then.

He has some really long hairs. Like, 3 inches long. They're funny. They stick straight up and you can really notice them in the sunlight.

He's really taking interest in people and movement around him. The other night, Jake came in, and talked to him, and left the room, and then I noticed Spencer was looking around the room to find him. He got a little mad, and I called to Jake to tell him, Jake came back, and SJ smiled. When Jake left again, Spencer began the search all over. It was pretty cute!

On Tuesday of last week, I got a wild hair, and let go of Spencer while he was sitting up. He stayed sitting up for 6 or 7 seconds. On Thursday, he sat up, unassisted, for almost 15 seconds! It doesn't sound like much, but when you've never sat on your own before, it's kind of a long time and a big deal, at least I think so.

But, he's only four months old, so I feel like he's already growing up way too fast! He's got amazing core strength already, too. And, he loves to stand. He can support his own weight for quite some time, and I just keep my hands around his torso so he doesn't fall. Ah! My tiny, big boy!

Carrot Lou.

Spencer LOVES carrots! Last night, I decided that instead of staining a bib or his clothing, I would just put him in his bouncy chair in the buff (well, wearing a diaper) and feed him that way.

Naturally, I finished feeding him and he was orange from head to toe. So, I gave him his burp rag so he could help me clean himself off.

He thought it was hilarious.

Wendell also enjoyed watching me feed Spencer, and was not more than two feet away the entire time. Too bad I didn't give him any carrots, so I think he was a little downhearted at the end.

Until I went to get the camera, of course, and he was sniffing Spencer and licking his legs and stuff. Spencer thought that was really funny as well.

Anyway...

This morning, I brought Spencer into bed with me around 8 and nursed him there, and we both fell back asleep. I woke up to go to the bathroom and left him on the bed with a big teddy bear that Jake's mom gave me in 2002. I came back, and he was wide awake, talking to Lou!

Click here to watch the video. I can't figure out how to embed it.

Jus tkidding. I guess I figured it out. Now you can watch it either way?

Oh! And SJ held his bottle today! For fifteen minutes! He actually fell asleep holding it and eating! I was so proud.

Ear Infected Carrots.

As you may have heard, last Sunday (Superbowl Sunday), Mister SJ was diagnosed with his very first ear infection! Idealistically (yet, unrealistically), I would hope it to be his last.

He's had a rough week. He'll be his happy, joyous, exuberant and laughing self one-minute, and then the next shrieking like someone was trying to break his bones (not that I really know what that sounds like). It's been hard on me too, and Jake, I'm sure. He was given amoxicillin, which has made him poop quite a bit, but I'm not certain it's helping with the ear, seeing as how it's almost a week later and he is acting about the same. Next Wednesday will tell, I guess.

Jake saw him roll over on Saturday or Sunday, I think. I added him as an author to this blog, so he might tell you about it.

One thing that's changed is that last weekend and early this week, SJ was not really into eating/drinking much. Today, he took Jillian, Brieanne (her sister), and I totally by surprise when it seemed he was having a bottle or nursing every hour. And then Jillian suggested we try a vegetable, and he devoured carrots. He'd get SO mad when I'd take the spoon away for too long because he wanted MORE, NOW! Wow. Talk about a boy growing up super fast.

Anyway, he's awake again, so I better go.

A few weeks worth.

As you may know, on January 20-23rd, Jake and I were in Coronado, California, and Spencer was home in Sioux Falls. My mom and sisters came to spend the four days with SJ and Wendell, which was very wonderful of them.

It was very hard to leave Spencer, but we all did pretty good, I think, for the four days of separation. Grandma and Aunties said he was a little fussy, which was to be expected, but generally, a pretty good little guy, as usual.

The week following our return, Spencer and I spent a lot of quality time together. Over the course of just a few days, he was paying attention to his hands, sucking on them, playing with them, grabbing his own fingers... and then he was holding onto toys... then bringing them to his mouth. He was babbling and talking tons, and laughing like crazy! It's like overnight, he became extra jolly and playful!

On Saturday of last week, we tried cereal for the first time, and he did REALLY well. He barely had problems swallowing it and keeping it in his mouth (for a 13 week old, especially)! He loved it, smiled, talked, and laughed through it all. He's been having it every night ever since,

followed by a bath and bedtime.

That's been helping him sleep longer at night, I think. Three times since then, he's slept from 11pm or so until 4-5am or so! Wow!

On Sunday, January 30, SJ and his best friend, Grayson, were dedicated to the Lord at our church. It was wonderful! I had goosebumps during the whole part of the ceremony. Afterward, we all gathered at

Grayson's mom and dad's house for a luncheon. We dressed our boys to match, and they were SO stinking adorable! I could have just hugged and kissed them to bits!

On Tuesday of this week, we got a video camera! Jake gets points for his sales at work, and he used some of them to get the camera for our family! We've been having fun with it. Spencer is "warming up" to it too, you could say.

You can see his videos on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/ninjasj

My mom and her boyfriend spent four days with us this week too, while she looked for a new vehicle (hers was totaled by some punk kid driving over 75mph in our 30mph residential zone the night before we left for California), so SJ got to spend more quality time with her this week, which was pretty wonderful for all, I think. She couldn't believe how much he's changed in the last week!

He also wore shoes today, for the first time, just for fun, since he's liking to stand more and more.

Well Baby - 2 Month

SJ had his 2 month Well Baby doctor's visit this morning.

He is a fraction over 24 inches tall. Two feet tall sounds so short, and 24 inches somehow sounds tall. Go figure. That puts him in the 75th percentile for his age. I was a little surprised because he seems so tall to me. Not complaining, of course!

He is 13 pounds exactly. Though, of course, that changes with ever feeding and digestion, seeing as how babies are so small that 4 ounces of fluid fluctuates their actual weight. But anyway, he is in the 75th percentile for that, too! Yay! I was afraid he would be considered "big" for his age, because he seems to be getting so big so fast!

His head is 16 inches circumference. It's in the 50th percentile. The doctor laughed when I told him he had a small head.

Developmentally, she said he's right on track. She was very delighted with the amount of movement he was exhibiting, all of his talking noises, his smiles at her, and his few laughs! He was a jolly good sport, I tell you.

She even said she LOVED his diaper. Hadn't seen a cloth diaper before, and said it was the coolest diaper she has ever seen. That made me smile. She asked how it works and everything, so I gave her a mini lecture. Thought that was fun! He was wearing his kelly green with lime green snaps Mud Butt diaper that he got in the mail on Monday!

He had three shots this morning, and an oral vaccination. He did very well and guzzled the oral one right down. I had to sit down and not watch when they gave him the three in his thighs though, so Jake held his hand. Poor baby! I didn't like that. I didn't cry, I was strong, but he wailed and of course turned bright red. It took a few minutes to calm him down, but now he's sleeping soundly. He was a good boy. :)

Interesting fact for those out there who will deal with infant vaccinations: our doctor informed us that studies are being performed that are pointing to the fact that giving an infant Tylenol before they get their shots may in fact hamper the effectiveness of the vaccination. They recommend only giving Tylenol if a fever occurs after the injections, and you should let it get to 101 degrees before you administer the Tylenol anyway.

Days with Auntie Sam and Auntie Allie

On Tuesday, Spencer and I roadtripped to Minnesota, to visit his Grandma Anita, Uncles Dustin and Bryan, and Grandpa Richard (haha, that sounds funny)... er... Papa Web, and also to bring his Aunts, Samantha and Allison, back to Sioux Falls.

He did very well in the suburban, sleeping the whole way there and the whole way back.

He got some Christmas presents from the family as well, shoes, onesies, a sleep sack, and Papa Web gave him a Bumbo chair! Although, the Bumbo was purple, so Jake exchanged it for a blue one. It was a mistake on Papa Web's part. He thought the chair was green! Spencer does great in his Bumbo already. He can hold his head up pretty well for up to five minutes before his neck starts getting tired (though it's usually not that long at all). (In this photo, I was sitting in the chair, so he was looking up at me, whoops.)

On Tuesday night when we got home, the aunts gave Spencer a bath. Of course, he loved it. He loves his bathtub. He has a cold though, so he used the Vapor Bath, which really did calm him down, too!

Wednesday, Jake's best friend, Brian, came to spend the night. Spencer stayed awake with a couple very tiny naps, from 6pm until 1:30am. He drank 1.5 ounces at 1:00, and then he slept until 5:55am when he woke starving! I was very surprised. He seemed to have a good time with the pizza and cards party we had, smiling and playing in his bumbo chair, bouncy chair, and swing.

Thursday, Spencer, Sam, Allie, and I went to "the Land of Books and Coffee." (That's Barnes and Noble.) He slept basically the entire time there, too. He had kind of an off day on Thursday, a little fussier than usual. He got another bath, and then, go figure, as soon as his dad came home, he had a massive poop, and so daddy took him to the shower.

It was pretty funny. Spencer started out screaming and crying in the shower, but before long, was silent, and all you could hear were Jake's constant giggles. Apparently, Spencer likes to shower!

Samantha and Allison will be here until Sunday (unless the weather or MN roads are still horrible), so we still have two days and a few hours to spend together. Since it's snowing and icy, we'll most likely stick around the house today, maybe have a New Year's Eve pajama party. I can't believe it's almost 2011, and Spencer will have lived in two years! That's amazing!

Oh, but some Spencer related developmental joy: talking and laughing! He's making a lot of talking noises lately, random utterances we love hearing, (especially instead of his cough), and he is also laughing! Not very often, and it's very short lived when he does, but he has laughed at least twice a day now, all week! We're just not sure how to get him to do it consistently, so we're hoping he does, soon. He loves when you stick your tongue out at him, or make buzzing noises with your lips.

Anyway, off to play!

Acid in the tummy, smile on the face.

SJ in his swing, 5 weeks old.

Over the past few weeks, we have had the unfortunate experience of being covered in frequent baby spit up. The indicents have been increasing, and Spencer has been having some fussy times after eating. Following a discussion with another friend whose son has acid reflux, I decided it was in Spencer's best interest to place a call to the doctor.

So, for about a week now, SJ has been on Zantac (or a generic version, anyway), as the doctor did think he probably is suffering from acid reflux. For infants, it's called GERD, but it's basically too much acid in the stomach, causing upset, and occasional heartburn like symptoms in babies.

Poor little guy. Makes sense though, seeing as how the increase was happening, and he's had more hiccups, and gas, and fussy times after eating. We were told to try the medication for a while and if it doesn't work then we will take him in to see what they'll try next, I guess. So far, its' a toss up. Sometimes I think it's working, and then other times, I find my back covered in messiness.

That's not stopping Spencer from being a happy little guy most of the time, though. His smiles are becoming more frequent and consistent. He smiles at me many, many times a day, often after I make silly noises, or just talk to him after he's sleeping. He also smiles at his toys, and at his swing.

He loves his swing. So much, that the he's used it to the point of battery exhaustion. His daddy is a hero though, and brought home new batteries this morning. He's finally taken interest in the mobile, and likes it even more when the music is playing.

On his daddy's birthday (12/8) we set up the Christmas tree, and he loves playing under his toy gym, under the tree, looking at the pretty lights. He even loves when I sing Christmas music, especially my favorite, "What Child is This?" Though, that one comforts him to the point of nearly falling asleep every time I sing it!

Anyway, wanted to post a quick update, and also say our computer is temporarily working again!