Today, April 30th, brings many changes for us. First, Ryan has his LAST final exam tomorrow for the 2L year, so this signifies the last night (at least for a good while) that we won't all get to have dinner together at home and do the bedtime ritual together! We're all excited to have Daddy back (not that he was gone per-say, but you know). It also is the last day of my vacation month, which is both sad and happy. I've really loved having these days with Jake - what a blessing. Plus I feel like I could use another vacation month to get ready for moving. However, with the end of vacation comes the last rotation of medical school EVER (barring something awful happening). And with the end of this final rotation (and it's a not too demanding one at that), graduation arrives. I hate to sound melodramatic, but I've been waiting and working for May 15th 2009 for pretty much as long as I can remember. Holy cow.
Today, Jake and I visited the Big Backyard in New Berlin. It was kind of a yucky day, so not a good one for the park. Big Backyard is like an indoor park complete with play structures, but it's nice for little kids because there are houses to play in, trikes to ride, balls to play with, and Jake's favorite - the Cozy Coupe (that red and yellow retro car that you drive with your feet, Flintstones-style). Jake was not a fan of sharing it with the other boy his age, but got better the longer we were there. He did a very good job of sharing the houses with his 18 month old houseguest, however. He had an absolute blast, and was not happy to leave, but was a trooper. Something tells me we'll be back there soon.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Pajama Party
Ryan was at the library late again last night, and Jake woke up late in the morning and again from his nap, so I decided to try having a pajama party movie night with the two of us. We got the movie "Finding Nemo" since he loves fish so much. After dinner we (well he) took a bath, and we put on our jammies, and made some popcorn. Mom bought Raisinettes and Junior Mints at the store too, so we had quite the feast! Jake made it through about a half hour of the movie, maybe a little more. He loved the popcorn and the candy, and as you can see he also thoroughly enjoyed wearing Mom's pink slippers. Jake also spent a good portion of the movie asking "Eemo, uh are youuuuu?" which means "Nemo, where are you?" It was a good time, and I think we're both looking forward to doing it again soon :)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Two in One Day!
Now for my second quick update. Today is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous - 81 in SE Wisconsin! I'm very excited to have busted out short sleeves and shorts for Jake for our afternoon in the park (don't worry Grandmas - I'll bring a pair of pants and a sweater just in case). This morning, we woke up to discover about 7 ants crawling around a small table near our sliding glass door. Now, anyone who knows me knows that ALL insects terrify me, regardless of size or actual ability to cause harm. So needless to say we spent a good portion of the morning cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, and spraying. I found maybe 5 more crawling around in the sliding door area, but none since then. Let's hope it stays that way. YUCK.
For snack today, I let Jake try some Fruit Loops and we made a necklace from the cereal too. He was pretty excited, and also excited about letting the dog try the necklace (I said "No way kiddo,") and he was excited about letting Elmo try the necklace on.
And finally, after much deliberation we (well, I guess mainly I under the veto powers of my husband - wait, does that make me Congress?) anyway, a name for baby boy #2 has been decided upon...
For snack today, I let Jake try some Fruit Loops and we made a necklace from the cereal too. He was pretty excited, and also excited about letting the dog try the necklace (I said "No way kiddo,") and he was excited about letting Elmo try the necklace on.
And finally, after much deliberation we (well, I guess mainly I under the veto powers of my husband - wait, does that make me Congress?) anyway, a name for baby boy #2 has been decided upon...
Benjamin Joseph Parsons
(For nicknames we like "Ben" "Baby Ben" or "BJ." No offense to the "Benny" 's out there, but I'm not a fan of that one and don't anticipate using it.)
So that's all for now. I'd better shower before the Jakester wakes up. Have a good weekend!
So that's all for now. I'd better shower before the Jakester wakes up. Have a good weekend!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter everyone! We had a very nice day together, though we did miss our family and friends very much. The day started early - we opted for 7:30am Mass since we figured it'd be less crowded (we were right). So that meant the crew was up at 6:15, which is very early for Jake (and Mom too). We were all dressed to the nines - both Jake and Daddy wore ties (yup, Jake tolerated the clip-on) and Mom even wore a dress (yikes!). Mass was very nice, and Jake was a superstart - he was SO well-behaved. The people around us even commented about how good he was. Then we went out for breakfast at Perkins, which was very nice. Jake came home and played with his toys from the Eater Bunny - he got a toy train, an airplane, and a lawnmower (which ultimately circulated through the apartment consistently all afternoon). Then it was naptime for Jake, and the Easter Bunny surprised Mommy with some coffee-flavored frozen custard (I gave up ice cream and cookies for Lent). When Jake got up we went on an Easter egg hunt (see pictures and video below). It was fantastic! The rest of the afternoon Mommy worked on cooking the ham and cheesy potatoes for dinner, which turned out pretty tasty. We watched a little golf, walked around outside (well, Jake and Daddy did while Mommy took a little rest), and watched the movie the Easter Bunny brought, "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh." Then it was bathtime and bedtime, both early as Jake was getting quite sleepy. I hope you enjoy the pictures and video, and I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Easter!
A lucky shot of Jake in his church clothes (Grandmas: I promise, at one point his hair was combed, his shirt was tucked in, and his tie was properly aligned ;))
(Sorry, for whatever reason I can't get this to go to the middle.)
A lucky shot of Jake in his church clothes (Grandmas: I promise, at one point his hair was combed, his shirt was tucked in, and his tie was properly aligned ;))
Jake attempting to play with his lawnmower and his train at the same time.
(Sorry, for whatever reason I can't get this to go to the middle.)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Proudest Moment of the Day
While Jake does many amazing things (seemingly more every day), I think today's takes the cake - at least for a while.
I was a little late getting dinner ready tonight, we had quick chicken parm with pasta/noodles/"goo-ga's" in Jake terms. Anyway, Ryan got a bowl of pasta ready for him while the chicken finished cooking so Jake could get started eating. Dad helped Jake sit down in his booster seat, and Jake started going to town shoving noodles into his mouth (note to self: cook faster and/or earlier next time). Then I hear him talking quietly to himself saying what sounds like "Bess us O Wowd an bees by giffs..." with some additional babble, and ending with "Name of Fader, an Son, and Howy Spiwit AMEN."
Blessed Holy Week/Passover to all!
I was a little late getting dinner ready tonight, we had quick chicken parm with pasta/noodles/"goo-ga's" in Jake terms. Anyway, Ryan got a bowl of pasta ready for him while the chicken finished cooking so Jake could get started eating. Dad helped Jake sit down in his booster seat, and Jake started going to town shoving noodles into his mouth (note to self: cook faster and/or earlier next time). Then I hear him talking quietly to himself saying what sounds like "Bess us O Wowd an bees by giffs..." with some additional babble, and ending with "Name of Fader, an Son, and Howy Spiwit AMEN."
Blessed Holy Week/Passover to all!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Congratulations and a Picture Update
Congratulations to my cousins Steve and Tricia Tandy (and their kids Samantha and Jacob) on the birth of their new baby Nathan! Grammy Esther shared the happy news with us tonight (via answering machine - I suspect Jake hijacked the phone and hid it somewhere in his room) and we are very excited for them! Also, guys, I promise not to take your baby name this time ;) (Backstory: their Jacob is a few months older than ours, and we figured out we'd picked the same name for both our babies just before their Jacob was born! Again we seem to be copy-catting them with a baby boy a few months after them.. ;))
As an aside, I hate posting pictures of myself, but I'll give you one today. This is me at 25 weeks (or 6 months):
As an aside, I hate posting pictures of myself, but I'll give you one today. This is me at 25 weeks (or 6 months):
Sunday, April 5, 2009
C is for Cookie Dance
Finally figured out how to take videos with my camera, and now I know how to upload! This is Jake (clearly) dancing and waving clothing around to "C is for Cookie" by Cookie Monster. Sorry my voice is so loud at the end of the video. Also, Jake's last statement is "All gone!" Enjoy :)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Been away a while..
Hello loyal readers ;) Sorry it's been a while since the last post. I have finally started VACATION!! This is the first month of vacation I've had since July of last year, so I'm ready for it. However, Jake's at Heather's today because I have my 24 week ob appointment during his naptime. I'm going to attempt to take advantage of the time by doing some stuff for the pathology project I'm working on. Also, I'm blogging ;)
We're very excited that Jake's really into his "Baby Brother". He yanks up my shirt (occasionally in public, which is probably terrifying for strangers and certainly mortifying for me), rubs my belly, and says "Hi Baby Brother!" and gives the belly a hug. In fact, the other day, he came up to me, yanked up my shirt, and put his face on my belly saying "Hi, Baby Brother (sounds like Bwuder), I WUB you!" and gave my belly a big wet kiss. Hopefully he doesn't change his mind when baby brother comes home with us!
Now, this is mostly an update on family stuff kind of blog, but today I've got a quick rant/comment to make. This morning Jenny McCarthy was on Good Morning America talking about her new book, co-written by a pediatrician, on autism and how to cure it. Oy. Based on what they said this morning, they both believe vaccines are to blame for autism, and that purification and detoxification will cure kids of autism. Ok. So, I'm not even going to pretend I know what it's like to have an autistic child. I've had the opportunity to work with some autistic kids, and have been blessed to watch the improvements that can be made and the interventions that can be done for these kids in special education (Mom, you rock). And you know, if you want to try putting your child on a gluten-free diet I think that's appropriate, as long as s/he is getting proper nutrition. What I cannot handle is that people still hang their hats on this belief that vaccines cause autism. A few decades ago a paper was published which drew this conclusion. Since that time, a multitude of studies have not replicated the findings. The author of said initial paper was discredited - data in the paper were falsified when compared with the medical records of the children in the study. The kids were rounded up according to their parents' concerns with the MMR vaccine - they weren't selected randomly. And by the way, there were 12 participants. TWELVE. That's it. That's not a lot. The main author is a surgeon, not a pediatrician or an expert on development or special needs children. And finally, it was discovered that the main author of the paper was in cahoots with a lawyer, and the pair was gearing up to try and sue the manufacturers of MMR two years before the study began. Oy.
So I looked up this physician who is an author on the Jenny McCarthy book. He went to SLU (good school), did a peds residency in the military, and now, he sells vitamins. Oh yes. Lots of vitamins. In fact, $220 for a month's worth of vitamins intended to treat and prevent autism. It saddens me that people will take advantage of the innate nature of parents to do anything and everything possible to keep their children healthy or make them better. And as an aside, I'm not familiar with any lab research McCarthy has done on autism, or any large randomized controlled trials she's conducted. I'm glad she's found something that works for her son, but it doesn't appear to work for everyone - I wish she'd make people aware of that. Also, I've read reports that her son may have been misdiagnosed; he has a seizure disorder along with his behavioral issues, and improved dramatically once his seizures were controlled. I could be wrong, but I'm not aware of seizures being a major component of autism.
My kids have and will continue to receive all of their vaccines. Did you know we had a measles outbreak in the state just over a year ago? I applaud the parents working hard to help their kids, and send my empathy to parents of autistic children, and I thank God for hardworking special education teachers and staff who help make life a little easier for autistic kids and their families. I'm thankful for the people to research autism and are working hard to find a cause and cure; I hope we find it someday. But I abhor the people out there who falsify information to create controversy and further their own careers and gains, and those who take advantage of hurting families.
Thank you.
(hops off soapbox, as easily as a large pregnant lady can do so)
We're very excited that Jake's really into his "Baby Brother". He yanks up my shirt (occasionally in public, which is probably terrifying for strangers and certainly mortifying for me), rubs my belly, and says "Hi Baby Brother!" and gives the belly a hug. In fact, the other day, he came up to me, yanked up my shirt, and put his face on my belly saying "Hi, Baby Brother (sounds like Bwuder), I WUB you!" and gave my belly a big wet kiss. Hopefully he doesn't change his mind when baby brother comes home with us!
Now, this is mostly an update on family stuff kind of blog, but today I've got a quick rant/comment to make. This morning Jenny McCarthy was on Good Morning America talking about her new book, co-written by a pediatrician, on autism and how to cure it. Oy. Based on what they said this morning, they both believe vaccines are to blame for autism, and that purification and detoxification will cure kids of autism. Ok. So, I'm not even going to pretend I know what it's like to have an autistic child. I've had the opportunity to work with some autistic kids, and have been blessed to watch the improvements that can be made and the interventions that can be done for these kids in special education (Mom, you rock). And you know, if you want to try putting your child on a gluten-free diet I think that's appropriate, as long as s/he is getting proper nutrition. What I cannot handle is that people still hang their hats on this belief that vaccines cause autism. A few decades ago a paper was published which drew this conclusion. Since that time, a multitude of studies have not replicated the findings. The author of said initial paper was discredited - data in the paper were falsified when compared with the medical records of the children in the study. The kids were rounded up according to their parents' concerns with the MMR vaccine - they weren't selected randomly. And by the way, there were 12 participants. TWELVE. That's it. That's not a lot. The main author is a surgeon, not a pediatrician or an expert on development or special needs children. And finally, it was discovered that the main author of the paper was in cahoots with a lawyer, and the pair was gearing up to try and sue the manufacturers of MMR two years before the study began. Oy.
So I looked up this physician who is an author on the Jenny McCarthy book. He went to SLU (good school), did a peds residency in the military, and now, he sells vitamins. Oh yes. Lots of vitamins. In fact, $220 for a month's worth of vitamins intended to treat and prevent autism. It saddens me that people will take advantage of the innate nature of parents to do anything and everything possible to keep their children healthy or make them better. And as an aside, I'm not familiar with any lab research McCarthy has done on autism, or any large randomized controlled trials she's conducted. I'm glad she's found something that works for her son, but it doesn't appear to work for everyone - I wish she'd make people aware of that. Also, I've read reports that her son may have been misdiagnosed; he has a seizure disorder along with his behavioral issues, and improved dramatically once his seizures were controlled. I could be wrong, but I'm not aware of seizures being a major component of autism.
My kids have and will continue to receive all of their vaccines. Did you know we had a measles outbreak in the state just over a year ago? I applaud the parents working hard to help their kids, and send my empathy to parents of autistic children, and I thank God for hardworking special education teachers and staff who help make life a little easier for autistic kids and their families. I'm thankful for the people to research autism and are working hard to find a cause and cure; I hope we find it someday. But I abhor the people out there who falsify information to create controversy and further their own careers and gains, and those who take advantage of hurting families.
Thank you.
(hops off soapbox, as easily as a large pregnant lady can do so)
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