Big Step

I forgot to mention earlier this week that we hit a milestone the other day. While I was home with Jacob on Tuesday, I officially moved down the mattress on his crib! He's been getting more mobile by the day, not to mention stronger, and we were getting nervous about him learning to pull up on his crib with the mattress in the higher position. The one day I had him sitting in there while I was doing something in his room, he scooched right up to the front rail and got pretty close to getting up on his knees using the rail. Granted, I don't think he's gone directly from laying down to sitting up yet, but I wouldn't put it past him to figure it out quickly one of these days. He rolls all over the place and finds ways to get around , so at this point I'm starting to think that there is little that's out of his reach these days, one way or another. As a result, we were getting nervous leaving him in his crib unattended (even when he'd wake up in the morning and just play around in there quietly), so it seemed to be time to get it done. I had been waiting for some replacement brackets for the crib--it was recalled a while back but they said that it was only urgent for brackets that had gone through major trauma during assembly or if the mattress was being used as a trampoline--but I just couldn't wait anymore...I was stressing out every time I left the room with him awake. So I took care of it on Tuesday. It looks so different! The change didn't seem to phase Jacob, fortunately. The only downside for us is that it's a little harder to get him in the crib when he's already sleeping. It's a little more of a reach if you do it with the drop rail up, but if you have the rail down, it makes some noise when you put it back up, which could easily wake him right back up! I think for now we can reach around it, but it might take some practice to do smooth transitions from the arms into the crib. Last night when I had him in there again while I was doing something in his room (sometimes I just need my two arms--and the lack of his--to get things done!), and he was doing his darndest to pull himself up! Definitely a good decision, I think!

Another random side note was this little purchase I made the other day that seems like a brilliant, why-didn't-I-think-of-it idea. I was looking in the clearance section at our Wegmans (usually a lot of seasonal stuff), and I saw this package--can't remember the name off-hand--but it contained two straps for securing toys to strollers, highchairs, etc. The straps came two to a pack, one black, one white, and the pack cost less than $2.00. They have a couple different snap positions, and you basically loop one end around the stroller or highchair, and the other end around the toy, and voila...enough slack for the baby to play, but when he loses interest and drops the toy (as all babies do), it doesn't have to hit the ground and get dirty or lost. I think I will keep one with whatever stroller we seem to use most this summer, and another with the diaper bag for toys Jacob plays with in the highchair at restaurants. Maybe they'll be terrible, but it seemed like a good enough idea to spend about $1.50 on in the event they work!

I also made a rather large purchase earlier this week. Have I mentioned that for ages I have been trying to find Fisher-Price Peek-a-Blocks for Jacob? I wanted to get him a set back at Christmas but couldn't find them anywhere. They're basically blocks with clear sides that have something going on inside them...maybe it's just a little plastic animal, or maybe something that would make noise or move around. One set was an alphabet set with the letters printed on the sides and something with that letter inside. Anyway, about that same time I discovered an activity center called the Incrediblock that worked with the Peek-a-Blocks and thought it was the greatest thing ever. It's basically a big cube with activities related to the blocks...one side is like Plinko, another lets you stack the blocks then hit a lever and they all drop out, the top plays sounds related to the eight special blocks that come with it, etc. The block retailed for $50, so I figured it would be a good first birthday gift. Well...turns out both were discontinued. Why, I have no idea. As far as I could tell they were really popular. There are still similar things called Roll-a-Rounds in the stores, but they're round (rolling + hardwood floors = lost under furniture) and I like the block concept better because boys like to build things. I obsessed over this for a while, and eventually decided to try looking on eBay. I've never used eBay before, though I have looked there from time to time. I found one auction for an Incrediblock and a bunch of blocks, but got outbid late in the auction. I kept looking and found a really good deal but forgot to bid before it was up! Doh! It was someone with a huge lot of Peek-a-Block related stuff and a bid of 1 cent! It was pickup only...so not a lot of competition, I guess. We would have had to drive an hour and a half, but it would have been worth it. I guess between signing up for eBay and PayPal I just lost track of time. Earlier this week I stumbled upon another auction thanks to a reminder email. It was within what I was willing to pay and was close to the end of the auction, so I bid a buck higher and won! It has an Incrediblock, the eight original blocks, and 47 additional blocks. The package is sitting on my doorstep as I type, and I'm looking forward to getting home and checking it out. I will have to give it a thorough cleaning, as it is used, but I think it's going to be fun. I think I might let Jacob play with the blocks now, and wait on the Incrediblock at least for a while (age is nine months anyway), though I may do a test run with him in the meantime...though if he loves it I'll be sad to put it away for now, so we'll see how strong I am! It'll be better when he is crawling, though, so he can crawl his way around to all four sides and pull up to play with the top. I've seen great reviews so I think it will be cool.

Well, I'm off for the weekend...Craig is working part of tonight and all of tomorrow, and then we're off to Buffalo for Craig's mom's birthday dinner. Should be busy but fun! At least the weather is looking up....warm enough for a walk? Not sure we're ready for that yet, but tempting...

Likes and Dislikes

Now that Jacob's personality has really started to come out, I figured I'd give you a rundown of his likes and dislikes...so here goes:

Likes:
- Electronic devices with buttons - remotes, phones, keyboards...you name it.
- Accessories - Daddy's baseball hat and glasses, Mommy's jewelry - if it's hanging off of your body in any way, he'll grab it and hold on tight
- Women - he smiles at most women he sees, which makes outings quite interesting sometimes. When we went to the doctor he smiled at the nurse, the doctor, and some random woman in the hallway, to the point that she stopped in to say hi to him! He's not so sure about most men, but females (from little girls on up) elicit smiles all the time.
- Clapping - he could be hysterically crying, but the second you start clapping for him, he gets incredibly happy. We keep working on getting him to clap himself, and he's getting there--he at least does it by accident now!
- Pears - and really, most baby foods. He hasn't really rejected anything since the green beans after his puking incident. While he's not one of those "can't get the spoon there quick enough" kind of babies yet, he's really gotten quite good at eating.
- Cups - particularly big glasses like most restaurants have, and generally clear ones. He'll grab them with both hands and try to drink out of them, even if he doesn't really know how yet.
- Peek-a-boo - Big giggles every time! Recently I've taken to hiding out of sight beyond his high chair tray and popping back up. He LOVES it.
- Wearing a "halo" - We play this game where we put his Rock-a-Stack rings on each of our heads and let them slide off. For some reason, he thinks this is hysterical.
- Beeping noses - He loves when I beep his nose and then make him beep mine. Hopefully soon he'll learn to do it without me helping him beep.
- His Reglan - the medicine that speeds up his digestion tastes like butterscotch, and most of the time he's eager to suck it down
- Biting - Not nasty biting, of course, but what we're sort of hoping are his kisses...where he comes at you with a big, open mouth. Generally he goes for cheeks or the snouts of stuffed animals, but once in a while he'll try for necks, arms or anything else he can get his hands on. That got a little scarier for everyone once he got those first two teeth!
- His Jumperoo - Since he loves moving, the Jumperoo is perfect...he bounces contentedly for a long time, particularly if you're in the room watching him.
- Standing up - He loves being upright, and has since very early on. As adept as he is at rolling and being on all fours, most of the time he'd rather be standing.
- Being able to watch the action - Whether it is being in his new stroller, or getting a piggyback ride on Mommy's shoulders, or no longer having the winter cover on his car seat, Jacob just loves being able to check everything out.
- His own image - I'm not sure if he knows it's him or just thinks the baby staring back at him is cute (who can blame him), but whenever he sees himself in a picture (like our computer wallpaper) or a mirror (the ones around the house or the mirror in the backseat of the car), he smiles.
- Singing - mostly songs he's familiar with...the alphabet song has gotten me through a few cranky car rides with minimal crying...as long as I sing it over and over and over...
- Farts - I know that sounds crude, but seriously...every time he does one, he smiles like he just did the coolest thing.
- Moose - He comes by this one honestly, since his parents have quite the collection, but he seriously smiles whenever he sees them...particularly the Mariner Moose (mascot) we brought back from Seattle.
- Snuggling - particularly with Daddy. He will snuggle into Craig's chest and go to sleep almost every day when Craig picks him up after work.
- His feet and socks - He pulls on his socks and gets them off so he can suck on them...and when the socks are gone, he'll suck on his feet.

Dislikes:
- Having his nose wiped - even the slightest wipe starts up hysterical crying
- Getting bundled up and getting in his car seat - arching his back when angry has made this extra interesting...ever try strapping down a stiff, wiggling baby?
- Lack of motion - he can scream through the strapping in, but the second you pick up the carrier or the car starts moving, he usually quiets right down. If he's getting fussy while you're sitting down, all it takes is standing up and he's fine.
- Truly "solid" foods - namely, anything that's not pureed. He hasn't quite figured out anything chunkier than a puree, including things that would melt in his mouth if he ever kept them there. We'll keep working on it.
- His nebulizer - he squirms and shrieks, sometimes to the point of tiring himself out.
- His Prevacid - apparently dissolving pills are just as weird for babies as they are for adults.
- Teething - I'm not sure I've ever seen him as miserable as when he was teething. Not looking forward to future teeth, that's for sure.
- Going to sleep - once he's sleeping I think he's a fan...it's just getting to that point than can be tough. He likes to see what's going on, and doesn't want to miss the action. As a result, it's tough to get him to go to sleep, or to get him back to sleep if he wakes up prematurely. He's the king of the 30 minute nap.
- Getting dressed - He's put on a shirt over his head almost every single day of his life, but he still fusses most mornings when we do it. Not sure if he's got recurring nightmares from coming down the birth canal, or what.

I guess it's good that he's got more likes than dislikes, because I think that means he's a pretty happy baby! He'll definitely let you know when he doesn't like something, but for the most part his life is full of smiles...and consequently, so are ours!

Update...

Well, I got a couple calls from daycare this afternoon that Jacob's fever was back and his eyes were getting goopier. I took him to the doctor this evening (thank heavens for doctors that are open late!) and it appears that he has pinkeye. His fever had gone up to 102 by then, as well. It appears to be viral so they can't do much for him. They gave me a prescription for eye drops and I just have to keep him Tylenol-ed up to keep the fever down. The doctor said that the inside of his one ear was just a tiny bit pink, which could be from all of the viral activity, but since this is just the first couple days of this, we could still be in for an ear infection in the next few days. Ugh. Fortunately we're scheduled for a well visit on Monday anyway, so if one pops up, that may be good timing. But let's hope it doesn't become an issue. Craig and I are splitting up tomorrow at home with him...and we'll see how the rest of the week goes. If his fever goes away he can go back within 24 hours. So, his parade of meds continues. And here's a scary one...when I went to the pharmacy tonight (between the three of us I spent more on prescriptions than I did groceries!), the one woman asked me where "the little one" was tonight. Now, considering that this is Wegmans and there are thousands of people that go through there, this is a little scary...that I'm at the pharmacy enough that she knows me AND remembers that I have a baby. Yikes. Never a good sign.

On the bright side, Jacob did perk up a lot the second he saw me, and all things considered he was in a really good mood tonight. He ate well and smiled a lot despite the runny nose and the goopy eyes. We'll see how tomorrow goes...

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:

The boys just chillin' on the blanket...

Jacob's trademark smile!

One of my all-time faves, I think. About two seconds after I took the picture, Jacob and the bag went toppling over. He was still smiling, of course!

The four of us!

Busy week, I guess...

...seeing as I haven't posted since Tuesday. Not much to report, though. Jacob is still rocking up a storm. No actual crawling yet, though. It's funny to watch in the meantime! It's tough to tell, but it seems like the medication he's on is at least preventing him from spitting up. He didn't do a lot of it before, but I don't think he's done it at all since he started the meds. Good sign, I guess. He also seems to be pooping more frequently. There's good and bad to that. In theory, more pooping would mean less per poop, which probably means less of a chance he'll blow out. However, blowouts aren't always volume-related. Sometimes they're all about how he's sitting. As a result, more poops up the odds of a blowout on any given day. Hmmm. For example, last night. We were out to dinner and Jacob made his "poopy face" (essentially a very stern, almost-smile with a little grunt--you may not realize it, but you probably make the same one). I couldn't smell anything when I checked, but that doesn't mean much because I swear my sense of smell has been decimated by something--most likely constant allergy issues. Craig thought he could smell it, but regardless, it was only two pushes and he'd pooped earlier in the day so I wasn't that concerned. However, when we got home, it turned out he had pooped up the back of his diaper. Whether or not that was at the restaurant or somewhere in transit, I'm not sure. Fortunately the onesie (a red one...whew) contained it and it was a pretty easy cleaning. At least his poo is thicker now so it doesn't travel as much. In that case he must have been sitting in an odd position in the high chair, because all of the poop was concentrated in the very back of the diaper. He pooped again this morning, so that's three times in less than 24 hours...only one blowout, though, so his odds are getting better. But anyway....he's still got the cough. I have no idea how long it's going to take to get that under control...probably a question I should have asked. Our big challenge today is going to be remembering to give him his meds before his feedings--the first time we've had to do all four doses in one day. We're still mastering actually giving it to him, but he doesn't seem to mind the taste. He's a little thrown off by his dissolving Prevacid tablet, though! I think I'm going to start giving him a dixie cup with a little water at the same time, just to help it dissolve...and with the added benefit of him learning to use a little tiny cup! He loves cups to begin with, so we'll see how he does with one his size.

This week my main worry was his head size. The did his measurements at the pulmonary specialist. He's finally up to 18 lbs., after stalling out for a while when he was sick and teething. He's 27-1/2 inches long. His head measured 42 centimeters. Curious, I looked online for a percentile calculator and filled in all of the figures. According to at least one calculator I found, his weight only puts him in the 18th percentile, and his length in the 34th percentile. Basically it means that if you lined up 100 babies in order of size, 82 of them would weigh more and 17 would weigh less. I'm not worried about the weight because Craig and I were both skinny kids. He's also really getting into solids now, so I know the weight will come. As for the length...I actually sat down to read the literature for his nebulizer treatment meds a couple weeks ago, and found out that it can stunt growth a bit...like 1 cm per year. While I doubt that's having a huge impact yet, you never know. Not eating well for a month could have impacted that as well. What ended up concerning me most was that his head circumference was coming up in the single digits. He's always had a small head--I think originally he was in the 15th percentile--but it's never looked disproportionate to the rest of his body so I think it never really bugged me. When I compare him to other babies his age at daycare, he does look a little small, but again...that could just be genetic. Still, the single digit percentile for his head did throw me off a bit. While he seems to be hitting all his physical milestones okay, I still wonder a little. I feel like his babble doesn't seem particularly purposeful yet--in that very little of it sounds like actual syllables that could eventually turn into words. It's still mostly squeals and laughs and gutteral noises. He's never been a good mimicker...he's never stuck out his tongue on command or learned how to blow raspberries, nor have I ever noticed him mimicking sounds...and all these actions are things that the usual baby literature says that many babies do by now. They ALSO say that not all babies develop the same, so again, I try not to worry about it. But as a parent you can't help but wonder. I'm sure he's fine, but you just wonder sometimes if all of the medicines and stuff he's endured in his 8-1/2 months have had some sort of impact. We'll see what the doctor says in a couple weeks.

Well, if you made it through this post of poop and irrational worrying, you deserve a reward...so here are a few pics from last weekend...

If I did a closeup of this one, you could see his little teeth...they're coming in nicely now :)

Just thought this was a cute one!


He's obsessed with cups so my mom gave him the orange one on his lap...never noticed it matched the afghan! Anyway, as you can see, he was thrilled!

My child the drugstore...

So, we're back from the pulmonary specialist. Our pediatrician's instincts were correct, that they would prescribe Reglan. It will speed up his digestion so there's less risk of acid reflux. While he's never had bad spitup incidents like a lot of reflux babies, he's shown a couple other signs and the scintiscan last week confirmed that he has it. The Reglan scares us a bit because one of the main side effects is muscle spasms. Another one the doctor mentioned is diarrhea (duh, it gets things moving faster), but hopefully that will only be a short term one. He needs to take that four times a day, each time on an empty stomach, which is a lot to coordinate considering sometimes I have a hard time figuring out when he ate or will be due again. However, I'm thinking most of the burden there will fall on daycare (which saves us, obviously, but involves a heck of a lot of trust that they'll do it when they're supposed to) because he's always hungry first thing in the morning so I won't be able to pull it off then, and he's only got four other feedings the rest of the day, three of which are there. Still, the thought of taking the medication there every day, getting it back, and coordinating all of this stuff for the next six months (we have an appointment in two months, but most of the time they're on it for at least six) makes me a little crazy. In addition, she prescribed a different reflux medication--one that stops the stomach from producing a lot of acid, rather than just neutralizing what's there. That one also has to be taken on an empty stomach.

As far as the diagnosis itself, the slow stomach emptying can allow for more reflux issues. When the acid comes up (even if he doesn't spit up out), it can irritate his esophagus. Apparently the esophagus and trachea share a nervous system, so if one is irritated, so is the other. The irritation causes mucus to be produced, which is why he has chest congestion and the coughing. While a lot of it seems to make sense, I keep wondering if all of this is necessary. Could just the Prilosec prevent these problems? Is the Reglan really necessary? I mean, Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong is a pretty great place to be able to take your kid, but sometimes you just wonder if there are symptoms that doctors just hop on because they make sense, but in reality it's not really what's going on. It's so hard to know.

At the end of the day I'm just sort of intimidated by all of the coordination these medications involve. We'll still be doing the nebulizer, too...did I mention that? I'm tired of co-pays...doctor visits, prescriptions...it never seems to end. And when it seems like there's no end in sight right now (heck, six months puts us to the end of summer...and it's barely 20 degrees out right now), it's a little disheartening. But as I mention often, I know this is really minimal stuff compared to what some people have to deal with. That hit home a little bit as we were walking out of the hospital and passed a woman and her two daughters, one of which had Down's Syndrome. Or when I think of my longtime friend Heather and how she can't have children, so she and her husband are going through the difficult process of trying to adopt. I know we're so incredibly blessed to have a happy, mostly healthy little boy. And I know we'll get through this, and hopefully Jacob will get healthy soon. It's just a long road and I'm still trying to find the most comfortable way to travel it...

Rockin' & Rollin'

As I mentioned the other day, Jacob has really started to rock in preparation for crawling. He is already finding ways to get where he wants to go, mostly by rolling around. He's gotten very good at that, in fact. I can hardly leave him alone for more than a couple seconds anymore without him rolling one way or another and getting into something. He's obsessed with the stack of magazines under our coffee table, and is constantly trying to wiggle away. Changing him, dressing him, and strapping him into his carseat have all been very trying the last few days, because he arches his back and tries to flip over, screaming the whole time. I'm not sure what has prompted that, but it hasn't been particularly fun. I'm definitely concerned about babyproofing, and I'm really concerned about Jacob hurting himself when he tries to get into things. He's so curious that I'm not even sure that my best attempts at babyproofing are going to be enough. He's really getting some sort of independent streak, and I'm afraid that the second he figures out how to move, we won't be able to stop him...or if we try he'll freak out, screaming and wiggling out of our grasp. He doesn't understand the word "No" yet--or if he does we're in big trouble because he usually just responds back with a smile--but we'll keep trying to use it when he tries to get to something he shouldn't be getting into, and hopefully he'll pick up on it as we go along. My goal is to teach him (and this is a ways down the road) that if it isn't his and he hasn't been given permission to touch it, don't. Curious as I was as a kid, I think I was pretty good about that sort of thing, so hopefully I can teach Jacob to do the same. We have a while before he'll start absorbing stuff like that, though, so in the meantime we're going to have to do a lot of babyproofing! Bring on the gate and the doorknob things and the cabinet locks! But for now, here's some video of the rocking...

In other news...Jacob tried chicken for the first time over the weekend. His first attempt was only moderately successful, and I can't say I blame him. Pureed baby-food chicken seems pretty gross. Although, when I warmed it up on Sunday for attempt #2, Craig thought it smelled pretty good. Each time I've mixed it with his cereal and sweet potatoes, but he still gagged quite a bit the first time around. I think it was probably more the texture than the flavor, but he made enough funny faces that I think the taste threw him off a bit as well. Jacob did much better with it the last two tries, though...ate it right up! The little pieces make it a bit harder to clean off his face after he's done, but it's a new source of nutrition and I'm glad he seems welcoming to new foods. There really hasn't been anything he's rejected yet, other than green beans...which I haven't tried since a couple days after the throwing up incident...so I can't say I blame him. Soon we'll try again, though. He's been eating really well, about 1/2 of a stage 1 jar or 1/3 of a stage 2, with an equal amount of cereal, twice a day. He really gets into it sometimes, though he's still not quite at the "freaking out because I'm not getting him the next bite quickly enough" stage. Not a bad thing. It's just so nice to have him eating well, though.

Tomorrow is his appointment with the pulmonary specialist. We'll definitely be interested to hear what they have to say. We held off on giving him the medicine his doctor prescribed, just because the side effects bothered us and if there's any way we can avoid it--namely, they don't think the slow stomach emptying/reflux is what's causing his problems (and seriously, I just don't think it is...poor kid is just too congested)--then I'd rather do just that. No sense risking it. If that is his problem, hoepfully they will have some words of wisdom for us to ease our fears. Either way, I just want to make Jacob better...and if they can't do that, I at least want to know what has caused all of this and if there's anything else we can do to help him out in the meantime. Being sick for over six months just isn't fair when you're only eight months old. He's been a trooper, but I'd like to know what it's like to not have a coughing, stuffy baby.

Well, I'm about ready to fall asleep sitting up, so I think it's time for bed...maybe Jacob's 9pm bedtime would be a good thing for mommy too!