Spoiled

Aug 2, 2012 -Jacob had another visit with the cardiologist today for an echocardiogram. He passed with flying colors! He doesn't have to return for a year! Jacob has had one cold this summer. That was the first one without oxygen and a feeding pump on hand in case things got out of control. A little nerve wracking for us not to have those safety nets close at hand, but he did very well, no respiratory distress. His cardiologist was very pleased with how well he has done and how "big" he has gotten. He is still on the really small side, only 16 pounds and 27 3/4 inches long. The funny thing is Hazel at 9 months old Hazel was also exactly 16 pounds (and exactly 27 inches long).  I always think Jacob is going to be my biggest kid, but then I realized he is quite a bit smaller than Landon at the different baby milestones.


Looks like our snuggling in bed together started at the hospital.

One thing that is very different in raising Jacob than the other two is how we give in and are such softies. We find ourselves giving in on things we held so strong to while raising the other kids like sleeping and eating habits. Maybe it's just being the third kid and those things just aren't that important, maybe were just flat out tired, but most likely it's because Jacob had such a rough entrance into this world we want to make up for it.

Andy and I have always agreed that we don't want to co-sleep with our kids. Landon got to sleep in our bed as a new baby only because we had heating issues in our bedroom and we were afraid of him being freezing cold. Landon was such a light sleeper that if you moved or even breathed too heavily he would wake up. Thus, I would get stuck in the most uncomfortable sleeping positions but would not move for fear of waking him! Hazel pretty much always slept in a co-sleeper next to our bed. She was (and still is) unable to settle herself and get comfortable so she is moving constantly keeping us awake.  Another issue is I am always worried Andy will unknowingly crush our baby with his giant, heavy arms or the blankets will get over the baby's head.  I just have never been able to get a good night's sleep with a tiny body next to me. With Jacob, sleeping is completely different. He gets to sleep in our bed just about whenever he wants too. Maybe it's just pure exhaustion, but I can sleep like a rock with him nestled next to me. That's a difference too. Jacob nestles. He scooches and curls up next to you forming his body to fit the shape of yours. He turns to the side and rubs his face against the sheets snuggling his nose up against your body. It's like he craves the human touch and he LOVES our bed. He can be screaming upset and just laying him down on our bed will cause him to immediately go limp and quiet. There are times when he is really fussing and is throwing himself backwards trying to lay himself out. It's like he's begging just to be laid down in our bed. Unlike our other kids, he sleeps heavily and will even allow you to turn him over and reposition him. Andy and I don't want to create a habit and most of the time Jacob sleeps in his own bed, but there are those times when exhaustion takes over (mostly in the middle of the night) and we just don't care anymore. It's not like he will be sleeping in our bed when he's sixteen or anything. I also feel like this is our last baby. I need to get as much snuggling and nestling as I can. I'm cherishing every moment.


King of the Castle

We are also softies when it coming to eating. With Jacob's eating issues, he is welcome to eat just about anything he will put in his mouth. I've seen people give us looks once in a while, and I just don't care. One of Jacob's issues has been gagging on any new flavor. So when he was happily sucking on a piece of licorice, we laughed. If he wants to have tastes of our Otterpops, we encourage it. I mentioned how he loves the oh-so-healthy Otterpops to the feeding therapist, making a joke of it and she says, "Well, you know, you can make healthy popsicles quite easily." Ya, I could, but I don't. It's just not what's important. Third child syndrome? I don't know. I'm sure Jacob will grow up to be quite healthy. (He does like other things besides sugar.) We are always just so happy that he is experiencing new flavors, textures, and temperatures without a gagging/throwing up reaction. I'm sure as he eats more regularly, he will eat a more steady, regular diet. For right now, as long as he's having a happy eating experience, we are tickled pink!



Mommy's View-I never want to forget

And so it goes with a lot of little things for Jacob. We feel so blessed to have Jakey, that we tend to love on him and spoil him maybe a little bit more than we should. He hardly ever has to cry (and the housework hardly gets done) because he is constantly carried around or sat with on the floor, never left alone (which makes him so anxious.) But since he is most likely our last baby, we'll take every last cuddle!