We have a 'Cruiser'!

Heaven help us - Jake is now cruisin' all over the place.  He holds on and moves where ever he wants.  Usually this entails mischief of some sort. 

And so it begins.......we are no longer safe!

First Day of Kindergarten

Natalie was SO Excited to finally be starting back to school after the long summer.  Kids!  She will eat those words later in life.  lol   She was a little sad that she would not be with her friends from preschool, but was eager to meet the new kids!  Here are some pics.......

Breakfast of Kindergarteners

I'm not nervous! I'm not nervous!

Through this door, a new chapter begins.......

OK, mom!  No more pictures - PLEASE!

The little student

Finger Puppets

Hey! A Science Room......C O O L!

After a day of school, Natalie was upset when I came to pick her up.  She wanted to ride the bus home.  Jon and I were a little leary about having her ride the bus.  But, putting on a stiff upper-lip, I contacted the transportation supervisor and arranged for Natalie to ride the bus home from class.  Wednesday was her first ride.  She did great - she loved it!  I was a bundle of nerves until I saw the bus round the corner.  They dropped her off at our driveway.  How's that for service!!!!!

She's Home!!

Pouting.......Then and Now!

Sept. 1, 2009 -  "The Scrunchy Face"

January 5, 2010 -  "The Lip"

August 30, 2010 -  "The Whine"

Our Little Ravioli Man

In the blink of an eye, Jake went from only eating baby food (stage 2 because the chunky stuff made him gag) to eating people food. We were having lunch the other day and Natalie was eating Ramen noodles. I thought ""What the heck, he'll play with them, and be kept busy so I can eat lunch in peace." Jake was sitting quietly in his highchair next to me, when I looked over at him, he was eating the noodles all by himself. This is a little boy that refuses to hold him own bottle. AND he has never put anything in his mouth. Now all of a sudden the idea has kicked in and he is putting everything in his mouth. "Must Vacuum, Must Vacuum" - my new mantra.

Here are a couple of pics of lunch today with Jake eating baby ravioli. He loved it. Other new favorites are: cookie dough, oatmeal, toast, mac-n-cheese, french toast, Orange Chicken (YES, Orange Chicken) and fried rice. That is in addition to any noodle he can get his hands on.

What is this called again?

 Mmmm, Not too bad!

This ravioli stuff is pretty good - can I get some more?

Our Little Man's Surgery

Well, the day finally came for Jake to have his surgery.  He was born with cryptorchidism (look it up).  After seeing a specialist, the dr. said that he would have Jake come in as an out-patient and they would perform a laproscopy to try and locate the missing gonad.  They were able to find it and, surprisingly, it was in great condition and looked fully functional.  The dr. tacked it in place, so now our little guy looks complete.  While they were working in that area, they snipped Jake, too. 

It was a L-O-N-G for Daddy, Mommy and Natalie.  Jake was loopy, so he didn't care.....at the time.  Natalie was so mature while she waited with Mommy.  Daddy went to be with Jake in Pre-Op.  Jake was great about taking the pre-op medication....in fact he was mad because he wanted more!  Daddy stayed with him until Jake fell asleep, then Daddy join Natalie and I in the waiting area.  The staff there was fantastic, they kept us informed every step of the way.  When surgery was over, the dr. came out and talked with us.  He told us that surgery was the 'best case scenerio'........everything went perfect!  Daddy joined Jake and waited for him to wake up, then Natalie and I were allowed to 'sneak back' to join them in Post-Op Recovery. 

Jake slept a lot and didn't seem in too much pain.  It's been a week now and all the tape and gauze has fallen off.  The bruising is almost completely faded and he is no worse for the experience.  We are so glad that we were able to have this done now.  It would have been a nightmare if we had waited until he was older.  But that is not a bridge that we need to think about.  It's over and done with.

At home, feeling no pain

Oh these meds are GOOD......