Growing Girl

Hey everyone. If you have a hard time reading what her shirt says in the second photo, it says "My dad's a geek." Garrett's friend Nate bought us that onesie before Jillian was born. We thought it was quite funny.

Summer is in full swing in Indiana with the growing corn and beans around our house, our growing tomatoes and peppers in the garden, the increasing humidity (blek!) and our growing Jillian! She is so close to crawling I can see it. In the past few days she has been able to keep her knees under her for a good 15-20 seconds. We've seen her also try to get right up to her feet. She pulled up for the first time on our ottoman Sunday, attempting to chew on Merlin. She has been crawling backwards and then gets upset because she's only getting further away from what she wants. She loves hearing stories and looking at books. We're starting to get into a good bedtime routine, which includes reading at least one story before bed. She goes through a stage after being hyper to sitting still but not wanting to close her eyes just yet. That's when we read to her. She pays attention throughout most of the book(s).

Jillian is eating her vegetables and fruits very well. I bought a butternut squash, sweet potatoes and pears and blended them separately. She's been eating so well that she has been less interested in nursing during the day. We still are but I can tell that she isn't craving it as much.

Yesterday she "helped" daddy mow the lawn. She really enjoyed sitting on his lap holding the wheel. We didn't even put her hands on it! She immediately grabbed it and didn't loosen her grip. Garrett moved the mower forwards and backwards very slowly and she just smiled the entire time she sat on his lap. It was adorable.

It's a good thing Jillian is quite crawling just yet. Over a month ago I weeded the flower beds a good bit before having mulch delivered the next week. Since then, my right knee would ache for an hour or so at different times of day, every few days. Well, last week it became constant discomfort/pain so I had an appointment today with the same orthopedic doctor that Garrett saw for his shoulder. I have patellofemoral syndrome. In short, my femur is rubbing on the back of my kneecap tissue and continuously irritating it, causing swelling and pain. He prescribed physical therapy 1-3 times a week for two weeks and the therapist will decide how often after he sees me at my initial visit. I made the appointment for next Monday. If the physical therapy doesn't seem to help, I will go back and get xrays. I sure hope it helps.

For the past few weeks I've been working on validating a method so we can begin production on a new project. It is very tedious work and I'll be happy when I'm done, which should be tomorrow given that the results from my work today looks good. Garrett hasn't talked about any new things going on with his work so I have no news to report.

Two weeks ago we stepped out the front door one morning and found a baby skunk just off of the porch. It didn't have it's eyes open and was just growing fur. It wasn't able to walk yet but Garrett gave it a tap and it wiggled so still very much alive. Where it was laying gets full sun all day so Garrett got a dustpan from the garage and scooted it a couple of feet under a bush. When we returned home that evening it was gone. We are guessing that the mom was relocating the babies, probably under our porch. A few days later, I woke around 3 am smelling the horribly strong skunk scent. We think it sprayed under the porch, as we couldn't smell it anywhere outside the house. After getting ready for work, we were more than ready to leave the house. When G stepped out he saw an opossum with a baby on her back so perhaps the two mommas found each other. We haven't seen either creature since but I'm sure they are around.

Garrett's been working on the garage electrical. He wired to the locations we're going to have lights on the outside, he installed a fan and has been running additional wire for 220 outlets on every wall. He's been working very hard. He thinks he can start putting up the insulation in the ceiling this week. He's tired of working on it and I miss him with him being out there so much. So, Jillian and I venture out to visit for a while.

I'm sure there's more to talk about but I need to get ready to go home. Take care everyone.

Personality

Jillian is really starting to show her personality. Just in the last week she has started letting us know what she wants. She was playing with a cardboard book and when I took it away to free my hand for a moment, she began fussing. I gave it back to her and she was happy again. We have been using a few signs from the infant sign language and we're hoping she begins using them soon. The daycare also does the signs with her and the rest of the children so she is getting good exposure to it. According to the average child, she may be demonstrating the signs very soon.

Jillian had her 6 month check up last Friday. She is 15 pounds 25 inches long and looking great. She had another round of shots so she was very fussy and unhappy Friday night. She was back to her normal happy self by Sunday. Thank goodness.

She has been helping me pull weeds outside and cut asparagus. She just loves being outside. Soon she'll be crawling through the grass eating everything she gets her hands on. Good thing we take Huntley to take care of business in one far away spot in the yard! We will keep her out of that mess, or do our best! We had 10 cubic yards of mulch delivered last week and have about 2/3 of it spread. We have so many flower beds it takes a lot to cover them. Even then, the weeds are already poking through. Death to the weeds! Since our apple trees produced last season, we are going to grow ingredients for canning salsa. I was thinking we could can pasta sauce as well but I'll need to try a few recipes first. If anyone has good salsa or pasta sauce recipes, I'd love to try them!

We are having a playdate this Friday with my friend Melissa and her daughter Addison. She is in the process of making the cloth diapers for us and we'll be able to get a few on Friday. Melissa also does dress alterations for weddings and dances. She is a very talented person.

My work has continued at a good clip as well as Garrett's. We don't have any major projects going on right now. My company is doing pretty well and we've hired a few more people which is always a good sign. We don't talk about work much anymore because we're so happy to be home and play with Jillian that we don't think much about work. I was sad on Sunday at the thought of having to go to work on Monday and leaving her. I just want to be with her more. My schedule is still working out well though and I'm happy that BASi is being flexible.

The farmers are planting!!! I'm so excited to see the farmers out planting. When Jillian and I got home last night the land directly behind our house was getting planted, hopefully with corn. A farmer diagonally from our house was also planting. I just love seeing the new growth each year. There's something about it that is refreshing, promising. Saturday I was out weeding and Huntley started barking at something so I looked around to see what it was. There was a young deer in the field behind our house leisurly making it's way across the land. I suspect one was in our yard at some point over the winter because there are a few limbs on an apple tree that were chewed.

Until next time,

~Chris

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.