The Little Ripper Report: Fun Weekend

We had a pretty good weekend other than the fact that Jacob may be coming down with something. Yesterday was a little rough, with watery eyes, more of a runny nose than usual, a low-grade fever, and just a general lack of spark. Jacob still had his happy moments, but he always looked tired. I'm hoping it's not pink eye, but he had the watery eye thing going on a couple weeks ago for a day or two and it turned out to be nothing. We'll see how things go this time around. I feel so bad for him that he just can't seem to catch a break! Still, he was pretty good yesterday, all things considered. He got to go in his new umbrella stroller for the first time, which he seemed to like. We stopped at the dollar store after church because I wanted to look at their selection of wall stickers. I had seen them there before and decided it was time to look for good kid-themed ones to put up next to the changing table. Jacob's been really squirmy up there lately and I figured any sort of diversion would be helpful. I got a set of wild animal stickers (cute elephant, zebra, giraffe, etc.), and he seems to like them so far. My ultimate goal is to make some sort of texture assortment for that same spot, but I figured I'd get the animals for a buck and if he seemed to like them enough, then we'd be good until he gets bored with them. But as for the stroller, we're definitely looking forward to walks as the weather gets nicer and the days get longer.

The low point of yesterday was when he was falling asleep sitting up in the shopping cart at Target. He'd taken a decent nap (for him) earlier in the afternoon, but apparently the impending illness may have gotten the best of him. I had to keep him awake for the last few minutes of the shopping trip so he didn't slump over too badly. Poor baby. He seemed better this morning, though, so I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed. (Side note: Later on while I was typing I did get a call from day care that his eyes are "gooping up" a bit...which they did from time to time yesterday...and he just hasn't been himself, so...bummer :( )

The only other notable thing yesterday was a couple new food options. I figured out that Gerber oatmeal does NOT have wheat in it (Beech-Nut does) so Jacob finally got to try oatmeal. He seemed to like it, at least when it was mixed with his favorite food, pears. I also tried giving him his first real finger food, a piece of this Baby Mum-Mum stuff. Imagine a rice cake that's been rolled flat and smooth...and that's basically it. It's got that styrofoamy feel to it, not a lot of flavor but a touch of sweetness. I'll admit--I tasted a corner before I gave it to Jacob, and it was pretty good for being a bland, baby-approved food! Our friends Laurie and Colin (more on them later) were nice enough to share a pack with us, and if Jacob takes to them I think we can get them at Wegmans. But by the time we got to the point of trying it last night, Jacob was starting to get cranky and didn't really want to hold it or bite it. We'll keep trying...I think he'll like it, though, because he's a big fan of holding on to things and putting things in his mouth!

His medication regimen is going okay so far. It's been a bit of a challenge working in four doses a half hour before feedings, though. He only has five milk feedings a day (and yesterday it was only four--I think the time change and our schedule threw things off a bit), and since he wakes up hungry we're really tied into a tight schedule. It's awkward to work around naps and trips out of the house, and I feel bad having to distract him for a half hour sometimes. It's just odd. I need to get some clarification from the doctor about the duration between doses, or what constitutes an empty stomach, because I may have to work around solid food feedings or make some exceptions sometimes when our schedule isn't as simple as it is on weekdays. Fortunately, he seems to like the taste of the Reglan a lot. It's butterscotch! He's not as big of a fan of the Prevacid, though. The dissolvable tablet really throws him off. I think the flavor is okay, but the texture of it all is a little odd. Yesterday he was drooling little bits of it out, and when I tried to help him wash it down, what was left of the tablet ended up in the dixie cup. So...time to figure out plan B. I know there's enough saliva in there to dissolve it, but it may just be a matter of laying him down so nothing drools out before it happens. His face is priceless, though...."what IS this thing?"

The highlight of our weekend was Saturday. We spent the evening with my parents, as well as Laurie and Colin and her parents. We were treated to a great dinner (still dreaming about dessert!!) and we had a blast watching the boys. They're still not very interactive, but just comparing and contrasting them was quite interesting. Jacob's quite adept at rolling over, while Colin's not a fan. Colin is the king of blowing raspberries, while that's a skill Jacob never acquired. Jacob was showing off his rocking abilities and tried to teach Colin how to use a bouncer, and Colin was showing off his unique (and hilarious) method of eating--following up each bite with his thumb :) It's going to be really fun to see the boys get older together...because even though there may be quite a few differences now, they're still only 9-1/2 weeks apart which will be nothing when they're older! We had a great time and definitely look forward to future visits!

Here are some fun pics: