Sheesh

It's already been 3 weeks since I last posted?!! I knew I was slacking but wow, that went fast. Jillian is now babbling a lot. She particularly does it when she has a rattle or her teether in-hand. She shakes her rattle and simultaneously babbles. It's like she singing to her rattle "music". She is continuing to sleep very well. Last weekend she slept 11-12 hours each night again with waking once around 5am to eat, then we all fell back to sleep. She's such a happy girl. She brightens our day and makes everything better. Jillian is now eating carrots, squash and sweet potatoes in addition to her rice cereal. She's had one jar of peas but doesn't care for them much. I mixed them with the carrots and she made a funny face but kept eating. She's catching on that with being put in her highchair, a bib put on, and mom getting out a small bowl, she knows she's about to eat. She zones in on me and has both of her hands on the tray in anticipation. She is a good eater. Daycare is now feeding her the cereal and vegetables in addition to bottles.

Jillian is still working on crawling. She has become strong enough to stay sitting up when we set her upright. She tries to sit up on her own but doesn't quite have the abs. We worked outside a lot this weekend and she continues to enjoy being outside. We set her in the Bob (stroller) and cruise around. I worked in the flower beds pulling weeds and got the bed just outside our back door mulched with mulch we had left over from last year. We haven't been able to buy more mulch yet so I'm trying to keep out those bad weeds as much as possible. Last year I could hardly bend over due to lack of lung capacity so the beds were quite overgrown by Fall. I'm determined to keep them in good shape this summer. Our day lilies and purple cone flowers have been growing. No flowers yet but the foliage is there. Garrett worked on fixing up the Deere and was able to mow the lawn for the first time. It looks very nice and it's great to see all the beautiful green grass. Now, if those farmers could just get that corn started, we'll have our own little oasis. The last average frost is May 9 and with all the rain we've had, they probably need to wait a while. It's supposed to rain more and the ground is already saturated along with giant puddles in the fields. I saw that southern MO is struggling big time with flooding. The Wabash (river) here is overflowing the banks.

A friend of mine had her daughter one week before we had Jillian. She has been using cloth diapers from the beginning and has been making new ones as her daughter grows. I've been thinking about them more so I started researching. I had no idea there are so many different "systems" and how simple or complex you can choose them to be. I have asked my friend to make us some to use when we have Jillian in the evenings and weekends. She is going to start them in the next few days and I'm so eager to try them. Jillian isn't having as many scary blow-outs anymore so it wouldn't be quite the mess to clean up as it was her first few weeks. I'll have to wash them daily and with a special detergent so the ammonia doesn't stick to leftover detergent residue but I'm excited to try. They will be a chunk of money up front, but then we won't have to buy diapers. We'll keep some disposables on hand but I'm sure we will still use them occasionally. I'll update you on that after trying cloth and let you know how it's going.

We hope everyone had a nice Easter. Sending our love!

Talker

I'm not sure if I'm if mentioned this in another post, Jillian is a talker. Either by herself or with Garrett and myself. She doesn't do it much with strangers and may not for a while but when she gets to hearing her voice, she continues for at least a good couple of minutes, usually longer. She is such a cutie. I'm posting a video of her making cute noises. She can be even more talkative than in the video but this will give you an idea.

Things are going ok. Very busy. Before we can finish one house project, another pops up. We're replacing the carpet in our living room off of the kitchen. With the work Garrett's been doing on the garage, we have been keeping Huntley in this room instead of his ~6X6 space in the garage. Therefore, it stinks. It more than stinks. Or should I say, DID stink. On Saturday Garrett ripped out the carpet and pad down to the concrete slab. It used to be the garage but the previous owners turned it into more living space during one of the remodels. Since the house was built in 1890, it's gone through a number of changes. Sunday Garrett spent most of the day tearing out and recaulking the upstairs bathtub and fixtures because it sprung a leak and we're hoping the new caulk fixes it. I made bread and carrot cake on Sunday so we've been staying very busy.

Above is a photo of Jillian sleeping. Friday, Saturday and Sunday she slept from ~8:30-8:30, and that's with me waking her. She is definitely growing and about to become very mobile. Garrett put the video of her eating on the harddrive and I keep forgetting to bring it to work with me. I promise I'll post it soon.

It's about time for me to pick up my girl. Hope everyone is well.

Food!

Jillian is all about the rice cereal! She tried it for the first time last Saturday. She moved it around in her mouth and most of it came back out. Last night we offered some for the third time and she loved it! I mixed up one tablespoon of the cereal with 4 T water and she ate all of it. She kept her eye on the spoon and followed it with her mouth, leaning as far forward as she possibly could in her bubble chair. She had her hands a-flapping as well. It was fun to watch her be so excited about it. We took pictures and video but I need to get them onto a drive so I can upload them. Meanwhile, I'll post other recent photos. Jillian is doing very well, being her happy self most of the time. She has started going to sleep quickly for us again which is a relief.

Garrett used the chainsaw on Saturday to cut up trees that Neighbor Frank brought us in the fall. It took him a few hours and 2 blades on the saw. Garrett dropped off the blades for sharpening so he can finish the last two trees. Between the trees from Frank and the wood from the tree we had taken down last summer, we should have enough for burning this coming winter. Garrett has been working on his Stryker project that has a deadline of the March 31. Things are on track and hopefully continues. The project consists of a rig he designed and had made by the local machining company that simulates breaking the spindle within the wheel well and collecting the data. I'm sure there is a lot more to it than that and he can catch you up the next time you chat with him. He's almost done collecting the data and will work on analyzing and writing the final report.

I've been busy working on numerous projects at work. The 4 day weeks are working out very well. The 10 hour days are long and the evenings short but having Friday off is great! Tomorrow I plan to make the rounds to the grocery store and Target to find deals on food and household items. I have been looking for sales and collecting coupons to add to the sale items to get awesome prices. Starting today, Payless has the pasta we buy on sale for 0.49. I found coupons that are $1 off of 2 boxes. So, that means free pasta (and I'll make a few pennies also)!! I plan to "buy" 10-20 boxes depending on the stock. I want to leave some boxes for other people, even though I'd like to clean out the pasta shelf! I know we will eat it (whole wheat) and it is shelf stable for a good while. Anyway, I'm excited about finding great deals and hope to continue getting better at it.

This was a quick update and I hope to get those other photos/videos of Jillian eating posted soon. I hope everyone is doing well and gearing up for Spring!

Beginning

After the sawing

I saved the best for last....

Fridays Off!

This week I started working 10 hour days, Monday through Thursday. The days have been long but I'm looking forward to Fridays. I also spoke with my KCA (dog playgroup) boss (Layla) and this coming Saturday is my last day. I took Jillian in to meet Layla last week and talked to her about taking some time off and possibly returning if I can ever start working part time. She was very nice and understanding and said she would gladly welcome me back if/when the time comes. It is tearing at my heart to be away from Jillian so much. Hopefully the scheduling actions I've taken will help.

After getting her shots last Thursday Jillian ran a fever that night. It was up to 101.6 before I decided to give her a dose of Tylenol. She was really fussy and obviously uncomfortable. At 102 we call the doctor. Within 20 minutes her fever was done and she was comfortable enough to fall asleep. Friday morning she was fine, no fever. Then the daycare called at 11am saying it was back up to 101.5. The rule is if a fever reaches 102, the child must leave so I went over and gave her another dose of Tylenol. Again, it helped. Friday night she began running a fever again around 5:30. She was very fussy but the fever was only to 99.6 so I didn't give her any medicine. She fell asleep for the night and was fine on Saturday. She has been very fussy ever since Saturday. I went to visit her over my lunch today and the caregivers said she had not been fussy. She's also been very upset when we put her in her crib. Before this, we would lay her down and she'd fall asleep within 10-15 minutes. Perhaps she's starting to figure out that fussing/crying gets attention. I'm not sure how to handle this but I suppose we'll get it figured out just in time for her to start changing more.

We've been cycling through a number of children's CDs that Mary and David gave us on our car rides into town and home. She seems to really like Raffi. She stops pouting when I turn it on and likes it even more when I sing along. Therefore, I have memorized almost every song on the CD. My coworkers have had a chance to hear my awesome talent of singing children's songs. They really stick in your head!! The songs are so cheerful and upbeat that I can't help but get energized when they pop in my head!

I have started couponing. Not crazy (yet) but trying to print coupons off from online sites to help with our grocery costs. I found one yesterday for up to a 4lb bag of IAMS cat food for free after mail-in rebate. That's almost $7.50! I'm hoping that on my Fridays off I can have coupons printed and do grocery shopping with Jillian. Have to start her early on the bargains/sales! Speaking of groceries, I work directly across the road from Walmart, which I truly dislike to venture into, but I do. So, every week or two, I do our shopping over my lunch hour. I take an insulated bag to work with me that has ice packs and put the cold items I buy into the bag so I can leave them in the car rather than hauling them up to my break rooms' fridge. Ugh, not fun. While on maternity leave, I would get up with Garrett on a weekday morning and go to the store at 7am. That is a great time to go and not deal with cranky customers and/or employees.

The photo above is after we tried everything to help Jillian be happy. We put her in the Bob and strolled around the house until she fell asleep, about 45 minutes, but it was a quiet 45 minutes. She slept here for almost an hour.

I need to get back to work. but thought I'd chat here for a while. I hope you're having a great week. We miss you all.

~Chris

Shots=Boo

Hi there everyone. I'd like to start off differently, but I'll jump right to it. Jillian had her second set of shots today and she sure was upset. All I want to do is be at home snuggling with her. She cried and cried during and after the pokes. I held her for a bit in the exam room after the nurse left and she sadly continued to whimper. I have to say she is still so cute when she's upset but I prefer the happy, smiling Jillian. I took her back to the daycare where she was so sleepy and wanted to be held. Instead of taking her home, I reluctantly left her with Sarah (caregiver) who said she'd snuggle with her. Leaving her after shots was right up there with leaving her at daycare for the first time. I'm antsy to leave work and pick up my baby. I'm sure she'll be fine but as most of you know, it's a tough thing to see your little one so upset. The good news is she is up to 13 pounds, 7 ounces and almost 24 inches long, the average for both weight and height. The pediatrician suggested starting rice cereal so I'll have to look into the different brands, prices, etc and find what Jillian likes.

Garrett has been very busy with work as well as myself. He had to move his primary project to Purdue's campus, which involved moving lots of heavy metal and many parts. He has been working so hard and coming home worn out. Seeing his girls always cheers him up. I've been quite busy at work also with odds and ends for a variety of projects. Lots of R&D and validation work has to be completed before production for a study can begin. Our method development group has been too busy so some of their work has come to us. I'd like to get back to production work.

I will be starting a new schedule at work starting next week. After thinking of a solution to spend more time with Jillian, I came up with a plan that has been approved to work 4, 10 hour days, having Fridays off. They will be long days but it means I get an additional full day with my girl. We don't have much time in the evenings with her since we get home around 5-530pm and she goes to sleep around 8pm most of the time. The daycare said this is fine with them and that I could still take her in on Fridays. I won't be doing that since the whole point is to spend that time with her but it would be great if I need to schedule Jillian's and my own doctor's appointments. I can plan two or three on one Friday to get them done and I won't have to miss work. When I proposed this idea to the head of my Bio department, he offered me the opportunity to begin training on mass specs and other equipment to lead me into a promotion. I sure hope it works out. I am also going to speak with my other boss from the Klondike Canine Academy this afternoon to tell her that I would like to stop working there for a while. I continued on with the dog playgroups after maternity leave to see how it went but I feel I need to spend every minute I can with Jillian. Even seeing her everyday, I feel that I'm missing so much.

Jillian continues to sleep through the night. She is becoming so much fun. She has now started "talking" so loudly that it hurts our ears at times! Last night she was sitting in her bubble chair while Garrett and I ate dinner and I thought she was getting fussy but she was just holding onto her little rabbit talking up a storm while occasionally chewing on rabbit. Developmentally, she is doing everything she should be at 4 months (yep, already 4 months). She's such a happy girl most of the time. Below is a video I took last week. She's only reaching half of her vocal capacity.

Funny Girl

Jillian's cold is mostly gone now, with just a bit of a cough remaining. There has been no need for the saline wash in the past few days and she seems to feel better. She is becoming very aware of her surroundings and watches everything gone on around her. She really likes watching the dog and cats walk around and she has started petting them with our help. Ally was next to us on the couch one evening and Jillian was watching her. I leaned us over and put Jillian's hand on Ally and moved her hand across the fur. I let go and she kept her hand on the cat and then grabbed and pulled out some fur. Ally didn't even care! Poor kitty, I think she just wanted attention and it didn't matter how she got it! She's also becoming so aware of her surroundings that after nursing for a few minutes, she pulls off looks up at me and smiles really big, then latches back on. She takes a few gulps, looks up and smiles, and latches on again. It is really funny and adorable but a little irritating, so to speak. I looked up why she might be doing this and what I found is that she is most likely becoming more aware of her environment and getting distracted. Last night I gently held her head in place and she would stop nursing, look up at me, then continue again which worked nicely. I just laugh when she starts doing this because she just smiles sooo big. She is a funny baby.

Jillian has been starting to fuss in the evenings when she decides she wants to go to sleep for the night. It took a few nights to figure this out but now most nights, as soon as we lay her down in her crib she falls to sleep very quickly. Beforehand, I can tell she gets sleepy and lots of talking to her or walking around with her is more stimulation than she wants and she gets a look of being overwhelmed. I've heard that once you start to figure out your child, it seems they've changed again and you start all over. I'm starting to see that. She is growing so fast. Sunday we moved her up into a small 6 month piece of clothing and we're finishing up the bag of Newborn diapers, going to start her in size 1. But I don't want her to be in bigger diapers! Sheesh. Happy and sad at the same time. Gotta love my Jilly Bug.

The Sniffles

We made it through the past few days of bad weather and are back to work today. Tuesday it began to snow about 1:00pm and I was able to leave work by 2:00pm. Purdue cancelled classes and only required essential staff to report to work so Garrett had the day off. This worked out well because Jillian's daycare closed so she got to spend a good part of the day talking to daddy at home. After I got home it started sleeting heavily. My work, Purdue and Jillian's daycare were all closed again yesterday so we tried to catch up a bit on cleaning. We had a little snow come yesterday after the continued sleet but we didn't get near the amount of snow originally forecast. The county roads this morning had been plowed but were ice covered most of the way into town.

Jillian has had the sniffles for a couple weeks now. I thought her cold was gone but it returned. I called the pediatrician early last week asking how I could help her. We've been doing saline washes along with running a cool mist vaporizer in her room. I took her to the pediatrician on Monday because she'd seemed to be worse on Sunday and I wanted to make sure she didn't have an ear infection or getting pneumonia due to the rattling in her chest. He said she was fine and just had to work through it. The saline washes work really well with clearing out her nose, but oh my how she dislikes it. She has figured out when we're about to do it and gets fussy and cries while we do it, but as soon as we're done, she stops crying and seems happy again. She's back to sleeping most of the night again which makes mommy happy. The two girls that watch her at daycare said that she is a joy to care for even when she's feeling lousy and that that is saying something. I love my baby. She is just perfect.

Jillian is now grasping items very well and holding on to them for a period of time. The past few days when we've set her on her activity mat she bats at the dangling toys. She reaches up to her mouth all of the time and if her pacifier is there, she either holds on to it in her mouth or pulls it out and keeps a hold of it. If anything gets near her mouth, she leans forward to mouth it. She really likes daddy's shoulders and gets them nice and slobbery for him. Instead of sucking on her pacifier at one point yesterday, she was chewing on it. In addition to chewing on things constantly, she has been drooling A LOT. I'm convinced she is teething and we need to get more things for her to chew on. This chewing is getting uncomfortable for mommy, too.

She is now on 1/4 formula in her bottles we take to daycare. I think my body has adjusted and I'm almost making what she needs each day. We gave her a bottle a few nights ago because she hadn't eaten it at daycare and we didn't want it to be wasted. When it got to the last ounce, she started chewing on the nipple instead of eating. Here's our sign (she's teething)! I wasn't expecting the teething yet but I looked it up and it can certainly be happening this early. It's hard to believe she's coming up on four months young. Every time we lay her down to be changed, she starts smiling big. She does the same thing when she hasn't seen one of us for a while and we walk up and tell her "hi". She brings her hands up to her face and smiles and wiggles. I took her over to a friend's house last Sunday for a play date. Addison is one week older and I work with her mom (Melissa) at Klondike Canine Academy as playgroup monitors. Addison was one week late and Jillian one week early. Addison is a big girl and very sweet. She really liked looking at Jillian while Jillian wasn't quite into looking back at her as much. We spent over 3 hours visiting and had a great time. More play dates to come I hope.

I submitted my online application and had fingerprints taken last week for my handgun permit. I need to take the paperwork the police station gave down to the sheriff's department to complete the process and then they will send me the permit. I should have it by next week. The fingerprinting was neat with it being digital. They roll your fingers across a clear plastic platform and it shows up on the computer screen while your finger is rolled. I found it really cool but I'm kind of a dork sometimes.

More to come later. Hope everyone is well. Stay toasty!