Updates

Fantasy Football seems to be getting in the way of my blog. Going to try to post in the mornings until it's over! haha

Update Jake's doctor's appointment
Weight: 21 lbs. 1oz (59%)
Height: 30 in. (93%)
Head: 18 3/4 (96%)

He also got a Hep. B shot. Doctor said he looked great and very strong. Got referred to an eye doctor just to make sure his left eye is fine.

We're going for Jake's 9 month pictures this morning. Hoping he is full of smiles like always!

Below are videos from the weekend.


Jake got a tiny bit of pudding that I was eating. He loved it and wanted more and more!


Jake takes over the kitchen



Jake flipping the pages of his book (sorry so dark)


Jake screaming

Doctors

Quick blog tonight since Daddy has a fantasy football draft tonight.

Today was all about Mommy. Not in a good way though. :-( Last night, I got a shooting pain in my shoulder and down my arm making me unable to lift it past my waist! So, first thing this morning we went to the chiropractor to see what was going on. I guess I strained a muscle in my shoulder which pinched on some of my nerves in my neck! Not sure exactly how this happened, but Daddy thinks it's from me doing the repeated motion of picking Jake up. Now, I go to the chiro everyday for two weeks to start doing rehab for my shoulder and getting my range of motion back. This has put me at quite a disadvantage when it comes to caring for Jake. Luckily, Daddy is home and can help me with the lifting and changing!

Then me and Daddy went to the dentist for our cleaning and checkups. Daddy came back perfect, while I came back with three cavities and another appointment! BOOO! They also had to reshape my crown on my one tooth because my bite was off.

Jake has been playing lots with Addy so I have some videos of the two of them. I couldn't resist putting Jake in his ND jersey today! I smell football! Don't mind Jake's messy hair! Jake's 9 month appointment is tomorrow so we'll hopefully have a clean bill of health for him!

9 Months Old!

Happy 9 months to Jake! Wow! Hard to believe! Jake has his 9 month appointment on Friday so we'll be able to give some stats as far as growth goes. I'm hoping he slows down so I can figure out what size clothes he'll be in for fall and winter!

This morning, Jake, me, and Addy went for a walk. I wanted to try going in another neighborhood instead of the same route. It was a beautiful neighborhood (reminded me of Spring Mill where Grammy & Papa live)! There was a nice cool breeze until we got to the end of our walk. We ended up walking three miles so that could explain why I thought it got hotter! Addy was exhausted, but it's best to take her on lots of walks now since in about three months or so it'll be too cold to take her on long ones.

Then we all took a family trip to the bowling alley next door. Daddy needed a study break! We thought it was going to be fine, but Jake was throwing a fit as soon as we got our shoes on and paid for THREE games a piece! He wouldn't eat food or a bottle, his diaper was just changed, and he didn't want to play with toys. Turns out all he wanted was for me to recline the stroller seat and push him up and down the bowling alley. So, Daddy bowled our first game alone while I pushed Jake. Luckily, there were just some old people bowling leagues going on, so there weren't a lot of people. Jake finally fell asleep mid way through the second game. Daddy won all the games! This was a first, but I blame it on me being worried about Jake and not concentrating! haha

After we got home, Jake woke up and played for a bit before having a LATE lunch (3:00pm). Then he went down for a real nap (until 5:30!). He was a bit off schedule to say the least. After I fed him dinner at 7:00, we all took a family walk around the block. It was chilly out and I even had to put a jacket on Jake! When we got home, Jake had a surprise poop that was everywhere, so I cleaned him up and it was in the bath tub again for him.

We did our nightly reading and he fell asleep around 8:30. Later than usual, but maybe this means he'll sleep in until 7:30am! Wishful thinking! Tomorrow, it's off to the dentist for Daddy and me!



Jake gets the hiccups!





Jake climbing on me and trying to say "Addy." He gets better and better every day! Notice when I ask him where Addy is, he turns his head right to her! I think he understands more than we think!

Spinning!

Another fabulous day today! Jake and I met up with Carolynn and Angela for a walk this morning. They were talking back and forth in their strollers. We set out for a half an hour walk and ended up on over an HOUR one!! We got a little lost! haha Carolynn said next time we'll bring the GPS! Because we ended up on such a long walk, Jake got hungry because he was due for lunch. I'm usually super organized and bring bottles and food everywhere, but, OF COURSE, the one time I think I'll be fine, he needs one badly! Poor thing cried for the last 15 minutes of the walk and I ended up holding him in one arm and pushing the stroller with the other. Talk about a workout and a sore back tonight. Ouch!

Jake played with a unopened water bottle most the afternoon. He would roll it and then crawl to get it. Then he'd chew on it for a bit and roll it again. He thought it was the best game in the world. Addy was getting quite jealous and watched the water bottle roll over and over again.

His top left tooth finally came through completely! It looks so cute! It's still not all the way down, yet, but I'm sure it will be in the next week. He clunks the bottom teeth and his top one together. He finds it very entertaining. It grosses me out, especially when he grinds them together! Since it poked through, he's not as fussy. Until the next one, I guess!

Later on, Jake was playing with Daddy. Daddy would circle around Jake and he would scoot in circles to try and find him. He got so dizzy and played quite a few times before stopping. Video below.

We ended the night on a family walk since it was nice and cool outside. Jake got a bath and now splashes around on his tummy! He loves when the water splashes in his face!! He stayed in the bath for a good 25-30 minutes and he still would have stayed if I didn't pull him out of there! We read again, four books, and this time he wanted to read the flip peekaboo one over and over and over again! After the sixth time reading through it, I put it away, gave him a bottle, and he was down for the night.

Overalls Are Overrated

What a fun day we had! Jake slept in until 7:30 and I finally went in to wake him up so he could say bye to Papa. Papa fed him his bottle and headed back home. After he left, I got him dressed for the day and decided to put on an outfit that I've really been holding out on putting him in.....OVERALLS! I don't know what people see in them, but Jake got them as a gift. I put a picture of him in them, but they were short lived.

Daddy watched Jake while I went and FINALLY got the waiver for my car! It took them another hour and a half, but I wasn't leaving without it! As soon as I got home, I ordered my registration sticker. I should be good until Ben and I get our plates changed.

After a few hours of studying, Daddy took a break and we all walked to the park so Jake could swing and Addy could run a bit. Jake was having a blast swinging. He loved going high because it tickled his tummy! He would laugh every time. We only stayed for a bit because it was pretty humid and Addy was panting heavily!

Later, Jake and I played on the floor and I brought out his basketball hoop. When we first set this up, he didn't quite know what to do with it and didn't seem interested. Well, after only two months, he is completely in love with it now. He understands how to put the ball in the hoop and would do it over and over. I got a quick video of him scoring some points!

After dinner, I took Addy and Jake on one more walk because it was so nice out. It got cooler around 7:00pm and it was perfect walking weather! Addy hit a record low and only went pee ONCE the entire walk! This was crazy considering we usually count 10-15 times that she goes.

I got Jake in his PJs for the night and we read five books and repeated two of them! He loves to read! One of his favorite activities to do alone is flip through the pages of all his books. You can tell he is really focused on looking at the pictures and if it's a touch and feel book, he knows exactly where each item is that he can touch. He amazes me!

Jake's 1st Cubs Game!

Today was Jake's first time watching baseball at Wrigley Field! Daddy, Papa, me, and Jake headed down to watch the Cubs take on the Braves. I was so surprised at how well Jake did with all the loud noises and cheering that was going on around us (mainly by the Braves fans, sadly). He sat really well with Papa for the first half and then sat with me and Daddy the second half. He was alert and curious about everyone! Jake fell in love with a lady behind us and he talked and squealed at her for, at least, two innings. Luckily, the lady had a granddaughter who was 16 months, so she understood.

By the 7th inning stretch, Jake had just finished a bottle and was half way asleep, so when the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" started, he was a little startled and cried the entire song! That was the part of the game I was looking forward to the most with him and instead I was trying to sway him and calm him down. He finally settled down. We clapped and cheered on the Cubs, but it ended poorly. We left in the 8th inning.

I posted pictures and videos from our day! It was one of many memories we'll have together with Jake!

When Is This Over?

Jake is in the worst part of teething!! YUCK!! He is so cranky and nap time is nearly impossible. I have even got as desperate as putting baby orajel on his poor teeth even after being completely freaked out about the effects. It seems to be the only thing that helps him at this point. He has his hand in his mouth 24/7 chewing away. I'm also giving him the homeopathic tablets and lots of cold teething rings. What else can I do to help him?! It's much worse than when he got his bottom teeth.

Despite all the chaos, we have managed to have a few happy times in between. We went to Buy Buy Baby today because Jake has been chewing on the top part of his crib. Teeth marks everywhere. So, I bought him the crib rail cover to chew away on. We also bought a power cord cover since he is always crawling towards the TV cords. I found a sippy cup that has a straw so he can start learning how to use a straw. I'll start trying that soon. He loves going shopping and was making lots of squeals and shouts. I think he likes to hear the echo! He did the same thing tonight when we all went grocery shopping!

We're really looking forward to seeing Papa and taking Jake to his first Cubs game. I'm hoping we'll at least make it to the 5th inning! We'll see how antsy Jake gets or how poorly the Cubs are doing!

VIDEOS!

This first one is Jake taunting Addy with his dinner mat. He wanted her to grab it and sure enough she did. Then she wouldn't give it back! Sorry you have to hear me yelling Addy's name 500 times! haha




Jake and Daddy were playing with the letter "O." Jake was trying to put the "O" on Daddy's head because that's what we always do with him. He was having a fun time!

The Next Chapter

A little behind on the blogs, but not much going on in the Butwin household besides watching Daddy study his butt off this past week for finals. On a GREAT note, he is finished! On to the next chapter! Only one more year until we're on our way to Indy!

Jake has been teething really bad this week. I can see the top teeth bulging and trying to cut through. Poor little guy is really struggling at night and during nap times. I've been leaving teething rings in the crib for him during these times and it seems to help a little. He's so miserable. Super cranky, too!

Lately, we've been calling Jake "Barefoot Butwin" because he HATES anything on his feet. Back when he wore socks, he was still small and not mobile. Now that he's moving and more aware, he tries to kick his socks and shoes right off. I've been putting socks on him, at least while in the house, so he gets used to them. Fall is right around the corner and he won't be able to crawl and walk around barefoot!! He's already making progress. Not so much with the shoes though. Hopefully, by 9 month picture time, he'll keep his new shoes on! If the pictures come back with him barefoot, you'll know why!

Now that Daddy is off for two weeks, we're going to spend some good old fashion family time together. This weekend we'll be going to the Cubs game with Papa. And later next week we'll be making a trip to the Dupage Children's Museum and if the weather's nice, to the water park.

Below are two videos. One is Jake attempting to crawl under the kitchen table and the other is of him playing with my old cell phone! He LOVED it and talks away.

Books And Surprises!

Today, Jake slept in until 7:30! YAY for Mommy and Daddy! He wanted to play all day and was very fussy when it came time to take his naps. He is pulling up on everything he can now and keeps sliding the TV doors back and forth. I guess I'll have to tape them shut! After I had cleaned up all his toys in the living room area, he went right over to his baskets and started taking everything out! He had books everywhere!

We went out to RA again for some 1/2 off sushi! Jake loves it there because there are huge Asian red lantern type lights. He says "Ooo" and "O" at them. He started getting really fussy at the end and we couldn't figure out why. Sure enough, when I picked him up out of the highchair, I could SMELL the reason! YUCK! He had a silent poop! And I hate places that don't have baby changing stations! Is that supposed to mean they don't want children in their restaurant?! Poor Jake had to sit in it for 10 minutes while we drove home because we didn't want any spillage in Grammy and Papa's car!

The rest of the night Jake played with Addy, or I should say, climbed all over Addy and played with his Elmo phone. We're thinking of taking Jake to his first Cubs game this weekend. I'm sure someone would just give us tickets at this point!

What A Day!

Lots of videos to post tonight!!












Jake discovered Addy's cage. He never went towards that area before, so when I saw him slamming her cage door open and shut, I knew that would be one more thing to baby proof and always keep shut! One thing that does stop him....The Hot Dog Song!




After his morning nap, it was time to change him into clothes for the day. Well, I set him down in the middle of his room after I changed a pretty terrible diaper and was cleaning up the aftermath to come back and find that he was tearing apart his room and having a blast!! He had Lil' swimmers diapers in one corner, his bibs pulled out from the table, and all his shorts and swim shorts on the floor! He's a riot!




We took a family trip to Babies R Us this morning because we had $125 worth of gift cards that were just burning a hole in our pocket! Jake loves shopping with me, Daddy not so much, but we all had a great time. Daddy picked up all the essentials- lots of formula, bottle liners, baby food, while I went for the fun stuff- a new toy, a snack trap, and socks. Below are a few videos of Jake and his new toy ball popper.






Later that night, I got Jake's snack trapper out. I filled it with some puffs to see if he'd get the concept of it. Sure enough, he did, and only after a few failed attempts! Video below is of the first time I gave it to him.




This last video had me cracking up so much. I had just yelled at Addy because she kept eating the puffs that would fall out of Jake's snack trapper. So, she was watching and begging for more when Jake drops one right between his legs. See who wins this match!

Air And Water Show

Side Note: I had to get a new phone yesterday and it was my first time taking pictures with it since I forgot the camera. Sorry there is some kind of crazy frame around the pictures. I have no idea how I did that, but I finally figured out tonight how to get rid of it!

Today, Jake and I went downtown while Daddy stayed at home studying. Poor Daddy! We met up with Jenny, Chris, and their friends Travis and Lauren. Travis and Lauren have a little boy named Jack that is just two weeks younger than Jake, but they didn't bring him...bummer. We all went out to lunch and then headed towards the lake to watch the air and water show, which is an annual event in Chicago. We decided to walk the 2.2 miles to the harbor. It was sooooo hot, but we made it!

I was a little nervous bringing Jake because I wasn't sure how he'd do with the noise. He did so good though! Us girls and Jake sat under a tree on a blanket and Jake got to play and crawl around. He was going towards the grass and even started grabbing at it. Then he wanted it in his mouth and I had to stop him there. This made him very mad and he continued with all his might to grab the grass.

Then I saw the ice cream man and grabbed a Popsicle! I gave Jake a tiny bite to see what he'd do. His little face got all scrunched up because it was so sold on his teeth. Jen has a picture of him eating it that I'll have to grab from her. Of course, he wanted more and more, but a few bites was enough!

Somehow, Jake fell asleep amongst the loud sounds of all the jets! Picture below. Suddenly, a jet flew by that was so close that it startled Jake and he gave my the frown and I knew it was over. I kept covering his ears and was just crying and holding on for dear life. Poor little guy! Luckily, that was the finale, so we left right after and then he was fine riding in his stroller the 2.2 miles back!

We had so much fun together! Tomorrow we'll just be lounging around the house since we had such an action packed day today! I'm exhausted!

Water Bottles

Just a quick blog tonight since Daddy is in the middle of finals and needs the computer!

We had a great day despite it starting at 5:30 in the morning. Luckily, Jake went back to bed after his bottle. Jake and I ventured out to Kohl's today since I had a $10 coupon and another $10 in merchandise credit. I found him some great fall clothes, but had no idea what size to get. I got all 18 month shirts and pants...keeping the tags on for awhile though until it gets closer to fall time. It wouldn't surprise me though if it all needed to be returned for 24 month stuff come October! After Kohl's, we headed to Target and Jake picked out two toys; a dump truck and some crazy green ball. Once we got home, the green ball quickly became Addy's. No surprise there! I also got him some 18 month P.J.'s since he only has three pairs that he can fit in now.

Jake continues to crawl all around the apartment, but tonight his favorite thing to crawl towards was a box of bottle waters on the floor. I posted a video below. Hoping when Papa comes up this weekend, him and Daddy can put the hardware on the baby gate so it's permanent and Jake won't be able to get in too much mischief!

We ended our night with a nice bath and lots of playing in the bath tub! He loves the bath toy Uncle Mike bought him. Jake is also getting much braver in the water, which makes me nervous. He dunked his head, face first, twice during bath time tonight! Oh, this boy!

Jake and I might head in to the city tomorrow to visit with Jenny & Chris. We'll see how the weather is though since it's supposed to rain most of the day. Until then...

More Babies And Shopping

What a crazy day we had today! Jake has been crying in the middle of the night and is having a hard time getting back to sleep. I'm not sure what the problem is, maybe more teeth, but me and Daddy have been getting very little sleep. We finally got up with him around 6:00 to feed him a bottle. He didn't finish, so again, I am thinking it's teething. How many teeth do we have left?!

This morning I had an OBGYN appointment and I had to take Jake since Daddy had class and finals all day. I haven't been back since my check-up after I had Jake, so my nurse that I had all through pregnancy greeted me with a hug and a surprised face to see how big Jake got. Jake was giving her lots of smiles and she was eating him up! He did so well and Dr. Cheng was excited to see him, as well. Of course, her first question to me was, when are we gonna have the next one. YIKES! I told her let's not get ahead of ourselves. So, after my examine, she said she would see me in one year and hopefully pregnant by then. Gees, I guess OBs are all about the babies! haha

After my appointment, Jake and I met Daddy for a quick lunch since he was going to be in class until 5:00. Late day for him! Then, we called up Becky and Emersyn to see if they wanted to go shopping at Old Navy with us. They met us there and we were shopping away. I was shopping for a cute outfit for Jake's 9 month pictures, which are coming up in two weeks! Emersyn and Jake talked back and forth to each other. Jake always wanted to be able to see her. The shopping trip was a success! I even found jeans 18-24 month on clearance. Figured he'd be in those by the end of fall if he keeps growing at this rate!

Jake did horrible when it came to naps today. He would sleep on and off in the car driving places, but that was it. I put him down for a late nap in hopes he'd catch up on some sleep, but only slept for 45 minutes. This would explain the reason he has been in bed since 7:30 tonight!

The video below is of Jake trying to take a nap. He is constantly going from a laying position to a sitting up position, so he thinks crib time is play time! Sorry it's a little dark.

O-H-I-O

Wow! What a fun-filled weekend we had in Ohio! We were constantly on the go visiting both sides of the family, but it was worth it.

Friday night was my Uncle Jim's 60th birthday party. Everyone was amazed at how big Jake got compared to Easter time. We forgot to take pictures that night (oops!), but Grandpap took quite a few that I'll have to get from him. Jake fell in love with Uncle Michael's girlfriend, Nicole. He was always reaching out for her and pulling on her hair. Poor thing!

Later that night, Uncle Mike brought over some gifts for Jake. Uncle Mike is always buying Jake new toys! I think he just likes going through the toy aisle! He got him a cool tool set and a super fun bath toy that you'll also see in the pool videos below.

Saturday we went to Great-Grandma Phyllis's house for brunch! There was too much food there to even name, but Jake got to taste his first bite of watermelon! He loved it! Baylor played with Jake and only calls him "Baby Jake." I have a feeling he'll be "Baby Jake" until he's twelve! haha Jake got really fussy and I knew he needed a nap, so I had Ben feed him for me. Little did I know that Ben ALSO needed the nap! Picture below.

Later that day, my Mom's Aunt Lou came over with her three grandchildren. Mira, 5, Dominic, 3, and Demetri, 3 months. They were so excited to play with Jake. I think Jake was a bit overwhelmed! Video below.

That evening, Grandpap brought us out to see the house he's building. It's a great layout and I've never seen someone so excited over bricks. I guess that's what we have to look forward to when we start our home search! He took us out to dinner at a little Italian place, of course, and Jake was getting lots of smiles from the servers!

Sunday was picnic day at Grandma D's! Everyone came over for lots of food and swimming! Jake slept through the first half of the picnic, but when he finally woke up, we couldn't get him out of that pool!! Lots of videos and pictures of him and Gino swimming! Grandma D has all the other cute pictures of them on facebook.

Yum Yum Plums!

Just wanted to quickly post some videos from today since we're still organizing for our trip tomorrow. We had a great day!

Standing with Addy


Jake and the plum!



Jake playing

Oh, Oh, Oh It's Magic!

Today was quite the fussy day for Jake. I think it was because we were, again, stuck in the house because of the rain and the horrible humidity! That will get anyone fussy and antsy! He needed to be entertained the entire day, which makes for a tired mommy right now. Usually, he'll play by himself for 20 minutes here or 30 minutes there when I can get things done around the apartment. Not so much today. I even took a nap when he did at 11:30!

Jake saw me eating a plum today and he started to scream for it. So, I gave in and let him suck and gnaw on the plum. He LOVED it! He couldn't get enough. I didn't have the camera near so I missed out on such a cute video opportunity. He really enjoyed the sweetness of it. After we were down to the pit, he was very unhappy when I told him we had to throw it away.

For the past two days, Jake has been pulling some tricks on us. The other day, I set Jake on his back in his crib for an afternoon nap. He always will flip to his yummy and listen to "Scout's" bedtime music and fall asleep. The next thing I know I hear him talking up a storm. I peek in to check on him and he is sitting straight up grabbing for his mobile and talking to it. I did a double take. How did he get to a sitting position?

So today, he pulled another fast one on us. We were all in the living room and Jake was crawling around as usual. He started to crawl towards his pack n' play. Daddy and I turned our heads to watch something on TV and when we turned back to see Jake, he was sitting right next to his pack n' play.

We both have not yet caught him in the act of going from a crawl/tummy to a sitting up!! Once we do, we'll be sure to tape it!

No videos tonight, just photos of Jake, me, Daddy, and Addy who was caught laying on the adjusting table. Uh oh!

Sorry For The Delay, Folks!

I'm a bit behind on the blog, but we've been busy! This past weekend we headed down to Indy to visit Grammy & Papa and to meet up with Dr. Zimmer and his wife, Sherri, for lunch. I got to check out the clinic that we're hoping Daddy will get into after graduation. I loved it and I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for Daddy! Grammy & Papa watched Jake during that time and squealed at Grammy every time she came in the room! He was doing his fair share of squealing! We went to church and he was even squealing at Grammy there! I think she's egging him on! haha :-) Jake also got to see Jane, Tim, & Auntie Em over the weekend.

Jake is getting much harder to travel with since he does not want to be confined anymore. Plus, he doesn't sleep as long as he used to. We're going to be heading to Ohio this weekend which is double the travel time! YIKES! I am stocked up on Puffs for him, so I'm hoping we'll survive!

Jake is still crawling around on his tummy. He is getting places much quicker than when he first started crawling. He goes after Addy quite often and she tolerates him very well! Video below.

He also had chicken for the first time today. I gave him a tablespoon of chicken and rice baby food. The consistency was very much like his veggies and fruits, but the taste was much more savory and it threw him off guard. He finished it, so I'm hoping the rest of the introduction of meats goes the same way. I also gave him a piece of a banana cut up into small bites to see how he'd do. He had a hard time picking them up (those things are slippery). His reaction was great when he finally got one in his mouth. He puckered his lips and shook his hands and feet. I think it might have tasted sour to him compared to his banana baby food!

Today we took a quick walk because it started thundering and raining on us. Guess I should have checked the weather. It was so muggy, I don't think we would have lasted longer anyways! We also headed out to do some grocery shopping. I let Jake feel the peaches I was buying and he didn't want to let go! He loves looking and touching all the many things in the grocery store. He even managed to knock down one of the towers that holds the twist ties. He's quick with those little arms!

Tomorrow we'll start packing for our trip. Making my checklists already!