Sitting Up!

Jasper went from not being able to hold up his big belly to sitting up quite well in no time flat. Last Thursday I sat him up and told him he had a month to be able to sit up in order to impress the pediatrician (since he's still not rolling over), and what do you know! he just sat there. Sure, he wavers and wobbles and keels over at times. However, we are really impressed with how well he's doing. He can even lean over his belly, reach for a toy and sit back up again. Here are some photos of him in the act, and there is a long-ish video below of him playing and reaching for toys.

We try so often to get cute faces or pretty smiles from Jasper, and sometimes we get funny looks instead. I love 'em! I wonder what he might be thinking at this moment.

Here's the cute smile we were looking for!

"Come to me, Mr. Froggie"

"Oh ... you're there, mommy. I'll just give Mr. Froggie a kiss."

5 months old!

(update)

I'm actually not a fan of the photo we posted for 5 months. I don't know what it is, but he looks abnormally long and something else I can't quite put my finger on (definitely not as cute). So I took another picture the following day. Here it is ... slightly better.

Yesterday Jasper was 5 months old (just over 21 weeks). I don't think he's putting on the poundage like he was before, but I do think he's lengthening out. The photo from last month doesn't look very different in comparison to yesterday. However, he certainly is getting more active. Getting him to sit in that spot was harder yesterday than it has been in the past. Whenever he has the chance, he wants to lunge for his toes.

Jasper, 5 months old.

Jasper, 4 months old.

Reaching for his toes, of course.

Clapping in excitement. ... there's a camera!

Mr. Bubble Machine

After the photo extravaganza, we propped him up against the ottoman to see if he could stand on his own. His legs are quite strong, and when he stands on our laps he certainly doesn't need us to hold him up any. I thought he'd be able to do it. After some initial missteps and definite listing to the right, he got the knack of it and stood for a little while, even taking a few steps while holding onto the ottoman. It was a trip!

listing

look ma, one hand!

Erica and Jasper

Erica does a great job taking care of Jasper while I work, and she puts a great deal of effort into the blog. Unfortunately, that leaves her out of many of the photos posted here. I've been wanting to put some photos up of Erica and Jasper, and here are some good ones from tonight.





Yes, those are his pants on his head. Yes, that was Erica's idea. No, Jasper did not mind.

Neighborhood Walk

Yesterday evening, Drew got out the Kelty backpack/stroller we bought when we were first pregnant. He's been waiting a while to be able to use it. Jasper has enough neck control and is stout enough that we think he is ready for this adventure. Jasper enjoyed inspecting the Kelty while Drew was getting it set up.

Jasper is strapped in here snug as a bug.

Check out the reflective tape on the shoulder straps!

Jasper was already a little tired when we left, but he did a great job. He spent the entire walk looking at the trees, the street lights, the sky, etc. He was taking it all in. He controlled his head really well, and only as we were turning into our driveway at the end of the walk did his head start really bobbing ... but his eyelids were also closing. Drew said the backpack is really comfortable, and he's looking forward to more walks with Jasper to train for his backpacking trip this fall.

Here is a quick video from our walk. Warning: it's a little bumpy b/c I was walking along side them to take the video.

Look at those eyes!

Play time

Jasper loves hanging out on his back with his legs in the air. We put him in position to kick the toys hanging from his activity mat, and he kicks so hard that some of the toys held on the links with just a magnetic closure are kicked off the links.

Jasper also loves his hands, and he sucks on them all the time. He can't fit his whole hand into his mouth. (He has a pretty small mouth.) But he can fit multiple fingers in. He's a really content kid, and generally plays for a good while on his own.

Bumbo Seat Update

I'm not sure how long it's been since we've posted a photo of Jasper in his bumbo seat. He sits in it very well now. As long as he can hold on to a toy of interest, he is totally fine hanging out on the seat. This toy is from Ann, Joel and Johnny Z.

SplashCity!

Jasper has started splashing uproariously during his baths. We've cut back on how much water we put in the tub, but he still manages to get the counter, wall, floor and Drew very wet by the end of bathtime. We sadly must move bathtime into the bathroom. Drew and I love the ergonomics of giving Jasper a bath on the kitchen counter. It was great! But, he's a growing boy, and the arrival of this day was inevitable. Here's a video of bathtime tonight to see first hand how crazy things got. Sorry it's a little shaky, I was laughing while filming. :)



Here is what Drew looked like at the end of the bath.

Hanging out with Daddy

This is Jasper's Sunday outfit.

Jasper isn't a fan of tummy time, however he is strong enough to lift his huge head (think Mike Meyers when you say that) and torso. He hasn't figured out how to lift his big belly yet, so crawling isn't immediately in his future. Tummy time generally winds up with his head & belly on the floor, his rear end up in the air and his legs trying desperately to push himself somewhere. Once he gets his belly up, look out!

Play time with daddy.

Ultrasaucer

Jasper is getting really strong! He likes being in his ultrasaucer that he got from Papa and Grandma Jasper for Christmas. He bounces in it, turns around and is generally engrossed by the buttons that play animal sounds & music when pressed. One of the songs is Old McDonald. If you push any other button while the music plays, the animal sound for that button will cut in on the song. Drew and I find it especially funny when it gets to the point in Old McDonald: "... and on his farm he had a ..." and Jasper hits the lion button so a big roar comes bursting in. He manages to time it well more often than we'd expect.

Today Drew & I spread mulch in our front yard planting beds. Jasper napped for the first half of our outdoor activity, and then for the last part he hung out on the front step in his ultrasaucer. The days of him hanging out in his bouncy seat are nearly over. He is getting so big that he can twist around in it and sometimes even sit up, reaching for his toes. So thankfully he likes his ultrasaucer and is happy hanging out in it. Below is a video of a portion of his time in the ultrasaucer earlier this week while I was having breakfast.

Uncle Jon

Jasper's Uncle Jon (Drew's brother) came to visit us this week. He got to spend three days here in Austin, relaxing, eating BBQ, hanging out with his nephew and soaking in the sun (and the rain). As he said, "it was just what the doctor ordered." He and Jasper totally hit it off, and they had a great time hanging out. Jon and Drew even got to play golf yesterday. It was nearly 80 degrees and beautifully sunny with a slight breeze. Just about perfect.

Meeting Floyd!

I'm going to hijack Jasper's blog to tell all of you that I met Floyd Landis tonight! Floyd won the 2006 Tour de France, and he was in Austin sharing information about his case with those in attendance. Going into the event I was pretty much convinced that the evidence shows Floyd's innocence. While I didn't learn much of anything new about the case, I did learn a little insight into Stage 17 of the '06 Tour. It seems that a couple of his Spanish teammates let the cat out of the bag before the start that he was going to attack on the first climb. I asked Floyd to share with me what events lead up to the stage, and it was great to hear the story from the man who created it. It was an honor to meet him.

Unfortunately, I felt like the event was not as well attended as I would have hoped for from a strong cycling town like Austin, Texas. I purchased a poster while I was there, and my brother took a couple of pictures. If Floyd gets a fair hearing, I think he has some strong arguments, and I only know the evidence they are willing to share at this point. We will have to wait until May 14th to hear USADA's case, but the "B" sample testing looks like they are getting pretty desperate. For any update on the case, go to Trust But Verify .

Bluebonnets Take 2

The weather was so nice here on Sunday that we set out for the hill country to enjoy the wildflowers. We found a beautiful patch of bluebonnets, and Jasper was patient while we took some photos.

Check out our little sunbather!

Meet more of the family!

We visited Michigan last week, and Jasper got to visit with more of his family. I had to be there for work, and Erica enjoyed spending time with her sister Lindsay and parents. As a wonderful surprise on Friday, my parents brought my grandparents to Michigan. Jasper had a great time meeting his Great Grandparents.
It was great for us to see Jasper and my grandparents enjoying their time together.Once again, Jasper was a great traveler. He didn't fuss on the plane, nor when we waited to change planes. We know Jasper will change, but we are very happy that he is a good traveler currently.

Play Time at the Gant Home

Our friends Ryan and Ame asked if we would take care of their daughter Azalea while they attended a wedding reception on Saturday evening. Azalea is approximately 3 weeks older than Jasper which means that we had two children under six months of age in the house. It also gave us a little glimpse into life with twins.

Azalea was a good kid during the time we shared, and the two of them interracted a little throughout the evening. However, we both have a new respect for families that include multiples.

Texas Bluebonnets

We took Jasper out to a field of bluebonnets to introduce Jasper to some of the beautiful Texas wildflowers. The bluebonnets are out, and more of the wildflowers are coming out all the time. Unfortunately, it wasn't a sunny day, but the weather was predicted to worsen over the weekend. To add to the unfortunate circumstances, Jasper was not in a smiley mood. Consequently, the photos aren't the best, but it was still fun.

Living up to his nickname

At our visit to the doctor for Jasper's 4 month well check-up today, first things first, he had his weigh-in. To our surprise, he came in at 17lbs ... 13oz! He's just 3oz shy of 18lbs. Yep, he's a whopper, and apparently truly linebacker material.

4 Months Old!

Sunday was Jasper's 4-month birthday. Drew got him dressed for church. Isn't the outfit totally adorable? I saw him after he was dressed and thought, he looks so much older than 4 months! Someone at church thought he was 6 months old. While he might not have put on a ton of weight since last month, his personality is certainly developing more. He laughs and smiles on a daily basis. Sometimes it is for no apparent reason, but it's great! You can see he is more relaxed with his body. He's chill-axing on the couch in the photo from yesterday just below. :)

The photo below (w/ the whale shirt) is from when he was 3-months. My how he's changed!


Jasper has such strong legs, it really amazes us. We help him walk around, although he has no idea what he's doing. Right now, it's just fun for us. Isn't he cute with his daddy in their Sunday best? The shirt is from grandma Gant, a 9M Polo button down. The pants have 5 real pockets and two faux pockets in the back. Of course, anything small enough to fit in the pockets would be a choking hazard for him, but the pockets are cute nonetheless.


Yes, he's a looker and linebacker material. The comment we always get about him is "he sure hasn't missed any feedings."

Tomorrow we go in for Jasper's 4-month Dr. visit. We were looking at Phoebe Gainey's blog yesterday (check out the link to the left), and we noticed that she was 16lbs 13oz at her 4 month visit. Drew asked me, "do you think Jasper is going to be bigger than Phoebe?" I don't know - but if not, he'll be darn close! In honor of our doctor visit tomorrow, I decided we had to try napping in the crib again (Jasper, not both of us). He went down this morning well and slept soundly for 40min. This appears to be his maximum length right now. (It's been that since the beginning. He's never slept more than 40 min in the crib, at least according to my notes.) I tried multiple things for the next 50 min to get him to go back down in the crib, but nothing worked. He was certainly very tired and not really hungry - so he should have been able to sleep more. (He wanted to, just not in his crib.) I think he should be able to sleep a total of 1.5hrs in his crib. Somehow we just have to help him learn how to fall back asleep in the crib when he wakes up in 40 min. Not sure how to do that yet. I'll keep you posted.

If you happen to check out the other links to the left, specifically the "Trust but Verify" blog (Drew's favorite, second to Baby Gant) you'll see that the owner saw we linked up to his blog and commented about it in the Sunday Roundup. Drew was geeked about that. :) Speaking of Drew, today is a big day for him. He starts a new job today at M3 as the manager of the Healthcare Innovations team. He's excited about the prospects for new work and really helping M3 chart a course in this field.

Along with the blog links to the left, we also set it up so you can send us email right from the blog. We know many of you check out the blog at least pseudo-regularly, and we'd love to hear from you. Let us know what you like. :)

And last but not least, we want to send a shout-out to Mindy and Ryan. Congratulations on year #1! Despite being married on April Fools Day last year, we know your commitment wasn't a joke. Now when are you going to come visit us in Austin???

Rolling Jasper

We are trying to teach Jasper how to roll, and here is a video of our early attempts.

Toes!

Jasper has found his toes, and he can't stop! He looks for his toes whenever he can...on the changing table...in the bath...everywhere.