Butterflies at Dow Gardens

Several weeks ago our friends invited us to Dow Gardens for a rare "warm" day in March to see the butterflies. It felt amazing to not only get out of the house, but spend some time outside. Outside + friends + a Panera lunch = Layla in heaven. I am SO thankful for my friend, Neely...she's been a great help since Jack has been born and makes sure we having something to do weekly, even if it is just to play at each others house. :) Here are some pictures from the butterflies:

Checking out the butterfly nursery:

Maddie was the first to "catch" one. Hayden looks thrilled. LOL

Jack snoozed most of the time, I'm sure he'll get in on the action next year!

I was SO proud of Layla for wanting to hold one. She really enjoyed it! 

The girls being butterflies. ;o) 

Jack's Head Appointment

I'm writing it all down quickly so I don't forget (and have to explain it 100 times to everyone on the phone). ;o)

We went to Lansing today to get Jack's head squeezed. He was a TOTAL. ROCKSTAR. in the car...only cried for the last 10 minutes or so of the trip. Whew! We got to the doctor's office right on time, walked in and secretly started cracking up.

It was kind of like a spa/doctor's office/chiropractor's office. There was some kind of aromatherapy going on (it smelled heavenly) and it was very chill. The receptionist was so nice and seemed excited to see us even though I've canceled and rescheduled this appointment 10,000 times.

We were sent back to our room and Bryan and I started busting out laughing. There were some weird things going on...more aromatherapy, a massage table instead of the exam table I was picturing, a sink with bath toys and some kind of hieroglyphics on the walls. Bryan's exact words: "If this guy draws a triangle with a star on my son's head we are OUT. OF. HERE.". LOL!

The doctor walked in and was very nice. Answered all of our questions (Will this hurt? How many times do we have to do this? Yada Yada...) and got started.

I honestly think this is some kind of voodoo. He started by pointing out a "flat" spot in Jack's spine and a spot at the base of his skull that is lopsided and causing his head to grow funny. He explained that helmets work for some kids but for Jack, wouldn't fix the main problem (spine/neck) and would only make a cosmetic change.

He did a quick exam noting not only this spine/neck but also the obvious flat spot. He also pointed out to us that his ears are not centered (one is farther towards his face than the other) and that his head is pointier than it should be. Things that aren't obvious unless you knew what to look for, but we totally saw it once he started pointing it out. He also felt the roof of Jack's mouth...this is where it gets interesting folks-

He said that the roof is flat instead of raised. Something that Jack could grow out of but the molding and reshaping of his skull will surely fix. This could be the reason #1- Jack doesn't take a bottle. #2- Jack doesn't take a pacifier. #3- He wants to nurse ALL THE TIME (every 2 hours still during the day). Nursing helps relieve some of the pressure he's feeling from his head AND works better with his mouth.

I thought were we just going in for a little head squeezing but I came out feeling better about the fact that I'm not doing something wrong when it comes to this bottle thing. Ahhhhh...$380 worth of relief for both Mommy and baby. ;o) I know I should probably just enjoy nursing but let's face it, I'm tired.

After some vibrating, molding and massaging...we were done! The doctor confidently said we should see a change in a few weeks. Whaaaaaat?! We shall see. He also gave us a few things to do at home- lots of tummy time of course but also a relaxing technique to help take some of the pressure off his neck.

I was pretty pumped after leaving. I think this is really going to work for Jack and maybe even "fix" a few things (bottle!!!) that we haven't been able to work out. We will go back at the end of May for a quicker session and to check his progress. We hope to only have to go 2-3 more times...but it all depends on how Jack's head decides to grow. ;o)

Happy 5 Months Baby Jack!

Jack is 5 months old today! Here's what happened with Jack last month:

Jack was baptized:

We celebrated Easter:

And this is the only nap Jack took last month:

Ok so he took more naps that that...but our baby boy does NOT like to sleep during the day. We THINK we found the trick- no more swaddling and letting him sleep on his side or tummy. He's slept better the last few nights (last night we got 9 hours!!!) and does OK now during the day (3 or 4 30-40 minute naps). Let's hope he continues to figure out a better sleep schedule during the day...but he's a total rockstar at night. Bedtime is sloooowly being moved up- now he's going to bed around 9:30 and waking up between 5 and 7am to eat. Sometimes he'll even go back to sleep! 

Jack is SUUUCH a big boy. Mommy's arms and back hurt and I think I might need a wheelchair by the time he turns one. He is probably about 18.5 lbs right now...maybe more. He's still in 6-9 month clothes but will need to be moved to 12 months soon. I refuse to move him up before summer, I'm not buying this boy 12 month winter clothes! He has been officially moved to Layla's old carseat since he is too big for the carrier. This is tough because no more falling asleep in the car and easily transferring him to the stroller easily. He isn't sitting up so we still have to take the carrier everywhere. Plus it is still freezing outside so the cold makes this even harder. I don't mean to rush but I can't wait until he can sit up. Mommy's life will be a lot easier!

Jack has been pretty good at eating his rice cereal and oatmeal. He still doesn't care for it in the mornings but he does great at night. We are moving on to "real" foods soon...wish us luck! He still isn't taking a bottle and is eating more milk than ever. I'm still able to store some and plan on looking for a donor for "Jack's milk" soon.

Jack's favorite things are jumping in the jumperoo, Mommy's milk, watching Layla and playing on his belly. He also loves to be naked and LOVES our dance parties (he kicks his feet to the music and likes to dance with Mommy). Bathtime is his favorite time of day:

His eyes are still a funny bluish/brownish color. I have a feeling they will be brown but that blue is still trying to hold on. 

Layla loves to give Jack a bath! I can't get enough of the way he looks at her. They really adore each other even if Jack drools on her sometimes. Layla says her job is to brush his hair everyday. She also makes sure to bring us burp rags or his favorite toys when he's fussy. It is the SWEETEST thing to see them together.

Can't wait to see how much he grows next month!

Our MI Easter

We had a GREAT Easter yesterday. It was a little strange not having family around but we did get to spend the morning at church and then the afternoon with our good friends, the Elliott's. :)

First up- the Easter bunny came! Layla was SO excited to see her basket and eggs outside her door when she woke up.

Jack thought the Easter bunny did pretty good too. :)

Did you know the Easter bunny shops at Von Maur?! Layla always gets excited when she sees those little gold "ABCs" on a package. 

Jack's first Illini hat. 

We were 15 minutes late to church because someone had a breakdown. But after a great service we were off to our friend's house for some more Easter fun. Here is Layla with her BFF Maddie and Hayden (she let Hayden touch her for about 10 seconds! LOL). 

Hunting eggs outside. It was a GREAT day!

Trying to get a pic of the girls with their eggs. Layla screams "I have to poooottyyyyy". 

Jack hunted eggs in his dreams. 

The girls opening their eggs. 

Stickers! 

After a great brunch and egg hunt we headed home to lounge for the rest of the day. Layla looooooves her baby brother and Jack looooooves his big sister. 

Here comes Peter cotton tail...

LOL

Sir Drools A-LOT

My sweet babies. What a GREAT Easter! 

Jack's Baptism Weekend

This weekend was a total blur. It happened SO fast! We were very BLESSED to have a ton of our families here for Jack's baptism weekend.

I had such high hopes and major plans for this weekend. Lots of food, Easter fun...a relaxing time for me to get a break while the Grandma's held Jack and the cousins played with Layla. WRONG! Jack had the worst day of his life on Saturday. I was so bummed that no one really got to see our happy, giggly and smiley Jack. He refused to eat ALL day...shots? hunger strike since we've been pushing a bottle? Teeth? I don't know but it was terrible. I was so looking forward to a break and all I got was a day full of worrying about what the heck was wrong. I'm still glad help was here or I would have really lost it.

Grammy with grumpy gills:

Layla opening one of her MANY Easter gifts:

Her new favorite thing, Mini. She's a little cookie drunk in this picture...I think her mouth was full of cookies!

I swear I silently prayed all day that Jack wasn't getting sick and would be in a better mood for his baptism. He finally gave in and ate around 9 that night and woke up his happy, handsome self! Whew! Here he is with Gma Barton before his big moment:

Thanks for taking GREAT pictures Uncle Eric! 

 About 2 minutes before Pastor Mike started Jack got crabby (figures). But he still did great!

It was a great service and we were so excited to not only have Jack baptized, but also become members of our church.

After the baptism we invited all our Midland friends (our family away from family) over for lunch. I was terrible at getting pictures because I was busy eating or feeding Jack. :( I did snap this one of our adorable little girl:

And there's a great big smile for Uncle Chris, Jack's Godfather. 

Gma and Gpa Barton:

Sweet Aunt Ash!

Photographer of the day, Uncle Eric. Check out Jack's baptism hair!

Gma and Gpa Rosco...as you can see in Jack's face, it was all downhill from there...

Grandma's always have the magic touch. Thank God for Grammy taking over! Gramps- I didn't have a single picture of you and Jack on my camera and I forgot to get mine out when we took a picture of you guys with his blanket. I need a copy off  your camera!! ;o)

Before leaving we tried to get a picture of all the cousins. Layla wasn't feeling it. LOL

Even though my kiddos weren't 100%, we still had a GREAT weekend. I'm so thankful for everyone that came to visit and make this weekend special. And to our church friends/family for welcoming us. We are so very blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives! We love you ALL!!

PS- Next time, we WILL be in better moods!! ;o)

Jack is 4 Months!

Jack is 4 months old! Our baby boy has grown SO much this month. Jack is consistently rolling over from his back to tummy. Odd because he's been going from his tummy to back since he was about 3 days old but hasn't been consistent with it...I really thought he'd "get" that way first. But we know my kids don't do things the "normal" way. ;o)

He is also a champ at holding up his head and love to sit up on Mommy or Daddy's lap and watch his big sis. We FINALLY got some solid giggles out of him yesterday! I LOOOOVE that sound:

Jack is weighing in around 18lbs on our home scale...his doctor appointment is tomorrow so we'll have an official weigh in there. My guess is 99-100% for weight. This boy LOVES to eat. And speaking of eat...we've started rice cereal!!

He's digging it. He's not real sure what to do with it...but he doesn't cry when we feed him. I think he eats half of what we prepare...the other half ends up on his hands or his bib. Here's a 40 minute video (kidding...it's 3 minutes) that Daddy took:

Jack is in size 6-9 months and they fit perfectly. He's also in a snug size 3 diaper. What a BIG, healthy boy! :) We went through a rough patch last week when he started rolling over, but after swaddling and wedging him in his crib (this is tough when your baby is HUGE) he's sleeping better. Bedtime is around 10 and he wakes up around 6 to eat, then goes back to sleep for another hour or two. We've got a pretty good routine going!

He'll get 3 shots plus an oral tomorrow at the doctor. Hoping for no fever (he did great last time) and not too many tears (from Mommy or Jack).

Our Storyteller

Layla has entered into the "story telling" phase of life. It is pretty hilarious. All of our stories have been great, wholesome family stories about puppies, princesses and castles...until last week. I'll just let the videos speak for themselves.

 

Should I be concerned? LOL