Playtime

By 9 months old, Jasper should be pulling himself up on furniture, etc. So ... just like we did when he was 5 months old and had to be able to sit up by 6 months, we're in training mode. Jasper has shown us that he can completely pull himself up onto us. His legs are very strong, and he's arms are pretty strong too. However, I don't think he has his bearings yet to pull himself onto furniture and completely control the situation to keep from falling. So, we practiced propping him up against the ottoman to see how he'd do. He can stand up along side it quite well, and he can even move along side it. It's probably only a matter of time before he's pulling himself up onto the furniture. Perhaps we'll regret this early training. I don't know.

Jasper and I play together everyday, but with no one else here - it's often not documented. I think we've said this before, but Jasper is becoming responsive with us. He laughs in response to what we do and even does things he knows will elicit a response from us. It's great fun to play with him. But beware: with 6 teeth, those playful chomps can pack a punch!

Jasper's bedtime routine is managed by daddy. Drew gives him his bath, gets him dressed in his jammies, feeds him a bottle, reads to him, sings to him and puts him down. It's a long process, but Drew's got it down to a science. Jasper LOVES reading time. He peers over the side of the rocking chair looking down at the basket of books, waiting for Drew to pick one up to read. It's even sometimes a distraction to eating his bottle. Currently he's really trailed off on how much he takes of his bedtime bottle. Sometimes it's only 2oz, when before solids he sometimes took up to 10oz at night. Oh well ... we think he's continuing to grow, albeit slower than before.

Jasper loved green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots and oatmeal. Meats and peas are still routinely rejected. However, tonight we successfully got Jasper to eat about 1.5 tsp of beef ... disguised with sweet potatoes. Have you ever smelled baby food meats? Wow! They do not smell good. I don't want to think about how they taste, and no I am not one of those dedicated parents who think it is required to taste all food given to their kids. I say, just go with Gerber for now. Once we establish a normal palette, then we'll feed him from our own food (which we will have obviously tasted).

We're not giving up on meats, though. With enough training, soon Jasper will be ready to eat at Rudy's.

So Much Activity

Jasper is growing more and more active these days, and by that I really mean mobile.

He climbs on us all the time, and our legs have the bruises to prove it!


His inch-worming skills continue to improve and quicken. He moves off the play blanket with ease and is really not content to be contained in that small area, when there is so much more of the living room ... and the rest of the house to be explored.


After I feed Jasper his solid food, we have a fun little routine. I creep toward him with a wet washcloth saying "I'm gonna get you." He loves that & laughs! I wash his face, and he sticks out his tongue so I can clean his teeth and tongue, too. I also tickle his hands when I wash them, so all in all it's a laugh-a-minute clean-up session. But what he loves the most is to take the washcloth after I've cleaned him up and suck on it or move it from hand to hand, shaking it like a maracas.

8 months old!

On Wednesday, Jasper turned 8 months old. I love the fact that his birthday is December 1st. That way, whatever day of the year it is, is exactly how old he is. For example: February 1, he was two months old exactly. September 15th, he'll be 9 months and 15 days. Apart from him being born at the height of cold and flu season, an RSV outbreak and Whooping cough outbreak in Austin which kept us conservatively home bound for those early weeks of his life, I like this not having to think about how old he is all the time. It's one less math calculation I have to do in my head.

Tonight, while taking his 8 month photo, we had his nighttime bottle on the table next to the couch. He noticed it, and pretty quickly he moved to get his hands on that bottle. The bottle was sitting on a bib, and just as Jasper grabbed hold of the bib to drag the bottle to him, I picked up the bottle and thwarted his efforts. Don't worry ... he got the bottle eventually, and really he isn't going unfed. :)

Jasper is a total green bean fanatic, but he is also showing a growing appreciation for carrots. Sadly, he is unwilling to ... give peas a chance.

Cue the flutes ... this is Jasper's Mission Impossible pose.

Inchworm

In just the last few days, Jasper has dramatically improved in his "inchworm mobility." Maybe all those days stuck inside last week were the trick. Now he's pretty darn quick. Just have a look at this video for living proof. :)



Speaking of last week, amid all the rain and gloom I decided it was time to bust out some new toys. Jasper (and I) needed new stimulation. We got out the Fisher Price Animal Zoo, and Jasper has enjoyed exploring all the animals. The giraffe is an early favorite. It must be the long neck which gives him something to really stick into his mouth. Other than that, the alligator and flamingo are high on his list. I personally find the quail to be adorable. She (yes, I'm claiming it to be a female) looks like a nun in a habit. So cute!

Apart from inchworming, Jasper also spends a lot of time generally rolling around the floor either trying to get to a particular toy or just having fun. He's quite proficient.

Rain, Rain Go Away

It's been raining in Austin I think ever since we got back from Minnesota. Maybe not quite, but for sure all this week we've had rain every day. It comes out of nowhere and can be very heavy. Consequently, I don't feel comfortable taking Jasper out for a walk when I'm not sure if we're going to get caught in the rain. That means we've been inside a lot. Here's a view into our rainy day world.

Back in the Digital Age

Our new digital camera arrived last Friday, and we quickly broke it open to resume documenting Jasper's life. Here is image 0001:
New in Jasper's repertoire is rolling with a purpose. Today I sat him down in the middle of his bedroom floor, and in no time he was nearly at the door. He had first pitched himself over onto his belly (a pretty common move), then rolled and rolled and rolled over to the bookcase. I was changing the sheets on his crib as this was transpiring, so I got to watch it all. He was certainly in the moment, not just haphazardly flailing about. He looks like he has some plan he's getting ready to concoct, doesn't he?

Our lives are going to change (once again) as he is on the verge of becoming increasingly mobile. (Yikes!) Time to cover the sockets and lock the cabinets. And we have started shopping for an entertainment center that will enclose the DVD player, etc. Considering how much he LOVES the remote control, I think it's only a matter of time before the lure of the lights on the DVR and DVD player are too much.

Everything goes in Jasper's mouth these days. He loves the DVR remote control, and the scratches on the bottom are a testamony to how often he grinds his teeth on the plastic. He also chews on the stacking cups, a small stainless steel bowl I let him use for playing, all his discovery toy mini stuffed animals ... and his puppy. He virtually attacks the puppy. It's hysterical!

Over the weekend, he did some chill-axin' with his daddy:

His new jammies match mommy's, too:

Jasper is a little tired here ...

Another change in Jasper's life is that he is sleeping on his tummy regularly now - and he doesn't mind it. When this started he would roll onto his tummy and then couldn't get back onto his back. When he would wake up, he would get scared and cry. Now he's totally fine when he wakes up, and he talks and plays. Below are current pictures of him napping. Drew placed the puppy in the crib for a size comparison. Take a look at the photo below of Jasper when he was just 2 weeks and 1 month old, respectively.

2 weeks old

1 month old.

What a Difference a Year Makes!

Just over one year ago Drew and I went to our 20 week ultrasound appointment and got our second glimpse of our baby in utero. We were delighted to find out that the little one was a boy! The whole Jasper clan has predicted we would have a boy, even our nieces who really wanted us to name him Drew.

We were so amazed at the ultrasound to see our son - all his hands, feet, arms, legs, head, heart, and "boy stuff" (as the doctor referred to it). He looked beautiful even then, and we praised God for his provision and protection of our little guy.


Just one year and two days later, little Jasper is even more beautiful. His hair is just like his parents when we both were little - he's a little tow head. His eyes are bright blue and full of spirit. He does prefer to hang out on his back, but he's learning that his tummy isn't so bad either. Perhaps he will crawl before he walks. He sits up to play and can balance himself very well. Toppling over happens pretty infrequently these days. He is a strong boy and loves to jump. God has certainly given him good health, strength and a lovely temperament. We are blessed.

Our lives have changed dramatically since Jasper's birth. For one, I stay home with him all day long. I love the time I can have to take care of him and chart his progress. I can call Drew when he does something new so that Drew doesn't miss out on too much. Not all moms have this chance to stay home and care for their young children, and I know this is a blessing.

Another thing is that we pretty much cannot do anything without thinking of Jasper and the impact on him. We can't be out running errands all day or going out for dinner and gelato past 9pm. And I have to watch what I eat and drink. Jasper rolls with the punches well, but he does have to nap, eat and sleep at night - and we just can't ask him to give those things up. Of course, we mess up from time to time. But I don't think we've messed up too bad so far - and Jasper doesn't appear to be any worse for wear to have two newbie parents.

Our living room is now the play room with toys piled up in the corner and spread all over the floor. Our front hallway is the home to our many different strollers ... not some nice piece of furniture. And despite the fact that I am home all day, the house is pretty much a mess most of the time.

Despite all these changes, the greatest change is that we have been entrusted by God to be the parents of Jasper: to love him, protect him and train him up in the way that he should go. Wow! That is an amazing responsibility and full of such promise ... promise of joy and pain. But I know it also holds the promise that God will walk beside us on this path in our journey and he desires to bring us fulfillment through it. Drew does a great job of taking mental pictures of time he spends with Jasper. He has seared on his memory various moments that he treasures. I look forward to filling up our memory banks with all the moments that lie ahead.

Jasper Drinking

Here is a short video of Jasper trying to drink like a big boy from a water bottle. We are in a little sun shade down by the water at the Jasper family cabin. You can hear the waves of the lake splashing on the shore in the background.

7 months old!

We've had to go old school and use our film camera to document Jasper's progress these days. Poor thing, he'll have about 30 photos from his entire 8th month of life (in contrast to something like 300 photos from his 1st month of life).


Jasper is now 7 months old.

Here are some updates:

• Jasper has moved up to his convertible car seat from his infant car seat. (Mom and dad are glad for the break from carrying that very heavy car seat with an even heavier boy in it. However, we will really miss being able to transport him into/out of the car without waking him when he's sleeping.)
• Jasper has FOUR teeth. The fourth (upper right) came in at the end of last week.
• Jasper has learned how to roll over from his back to his stomach.
• Jasper is learning how to crawl ... slowly.
• Jasper is eating green beans - a little. He also smacks his lips after he takes a spoonful. It makes Drew crack up.
• Jasper took a nap in the church nursery this morning - on his tummy, in the crib. He generally has cried at home when he is in his crib and gets turned over onto his tummy and can't get turned back over. We were totally surprised that he slept and on his tummy. Hopefully this will be a good pattern for the weeks ahead, since Drew and I are going to teach Sunday school starting in August. That means we'll be at church for about three hours each Sunday. Jasper continues to amaze us in how agreeable he is!

Check out my teeth!

He looks kind of confused here, doesn't he?

We're still feeding Jasper while he sits in the Bumbo seat. After he has cereal and green beans, he gets a "top off" of milk. He leans back, kicks his feet and swings his arms as Drew feeds him. It's pretty cute.

Jasper is getting Verbal!

Jasper has started to get pretty verbal in the last few days. He's transitioned from the long, loud squealing which dominated his repertoire before our trip to Minnesota to very clear "dada" verbal segments. He mixes in a few other sounds, so it then sounds like he's actually trying to carry on a conversation. It's pretty cute. Sadly I do not have any audio or video clips to share because our digital camera died when we were at the cabin last week. We anticipated this was going to happen and had started looking for a new one. We just hoped it would happen after our current one died. No such luck. We'll update the blog once we can.

The transition back to normal life after being at the cabin has been a little rough. I think this 4th tooth is really giving him pain, and going back on rice cereal has caused him to spit up several times and be generally discontent. Yesterday was rough. Today is a little better, and we hope later on Jasper will not cry randomly throughout the evening like he did last night. Poor kid, I know he just misses his Grandma, Papa, aunties, uncles and cousins!

People Photos

Here are some of my favorite photos of some of my favorite people.

Here I am with my mom's side of my family.

Here I am with Nana Jasper

As you can see from my outfit, I love my Auntie Lindsay!

Here is one of my favorite pictures of me and my mom. Dad says that he smiles every time he sees it.

More updates from Minnesota

Here are some additional updates from my time in Minnesota.

I spent some time on Papa's boat. I really liked it when the boat would bounce in the waves. My dad would say "weee", and I would laugh!

To ride in Papa's boat, I had to wear my life vest. I didn't mind wearing it even though it pushed my cheeks together.

At first I didn't like the cold water, but I started to enjoy it as long as only my legs got wet. Once the water got higher, I really didn't like that, but I had fun splashing in the sun.

Floating on the tube was very fun!

I really wasn't sure what was going on, but my mom had me walk on my Auntie Lindsay's back. As I did, she said it felt good. I'm glad it did, but it was a little odd. Maybe I will understand it when I am older.

I got my third tooth during this trip!

Finally, I slipped up and let a photo be taken of me while I chomped on my toes. I was so comfortable in the barcalounger that I lost track of my surroundings. You can see the look of surprise in my eyes as I see the photo being taken. I was more on my game after this photo was taken. There isn't another, but I like toying with dad as he races to try and capture another.

Happy 4th of July

We are spending the week in Minnesota at the Jasper family cabin. We will send a more detailed update of our time here, but we wanted to share some highlights up to this point.

Papa Jasper bought a boat, and his grandchildren joined in the celebration.
We introducted Jasper to the grasss and shore of Pokegama Lake near Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Jasper has been enjoying his time with his Aunties.