Hello February

(Please click on the photo to view some non-MRI pictures .)

I just thought I'd throw a post up real quick to get some photos and videos uploaded, and to give a quick update on Jake's melon.

First, as we posted last time, Jake has learned all about being mobile. We need to get another video soon because his progress is unbelievable. He has no trouble getting where he wants to go. He doesn't quite army crawl, but rather just pulls himself around by his arms, dragging his legs. This technique works very well on the hardwood floor, but not so well on carpet. His favorite mode of transport, however, is still riding in one of our arms.

We recently found out from the pediatric neurologist that the MRI showed that there is SOME extra cerebral fluid, but barely even enough to be considered excessive. Regardless, he has suggested we get an appointment in with the neurosurgeon for a second opinion. We are currently in the process of trying to get that appointment made. Michele found out that we're about number 15 in line just to be considered, so it could be a while. In the mean time, we got some paperwork and a CD with MRI images from MIND. If you would like to read all the "doctor speak" click the button below to open or save the PDF file with their scanned results. Some of it is redundant, but a lot is pretty interesting.




You can also click on the YouTube video below to see almost all the MRI photos strung together to form a mini-movie.

Bust out the Baby Gate

I guess we called it! Jake took his first crawls (?) forward this morning while Michele was playing with him before day care. Per usual, he did much better before the cameras came out. You can still see a little bit of it in the video below.

While we can still catch him pretty easily, gone are the days we can leave the room while he's playing on the rug with his toys. Who knows where he might end up?!

Just Past 10 Months Old

(Please click on the picture to view more 10 month photos).

The OTHER thing we did on Sunday was get a few shots of Jake since he turned 5/6th's of a year old!

We tried to get a picture of him crawling backwards, since that's his new favorite mode of transportation, but, as you could guess, he did not cooperate. He still hasn't quite figured out how to propel himself forward, but it probably won't be long.

Pretty much at the same time that he learned to get up on his knees and scooch backwards, he also figured out that the knee makes a better pivot than his belly. He can spin around on a dime now, and is VERY quick about it.

Looks like we're going to have to start baby-proofing!

The Week Flew By

(Please click on the picture to view more photos.)

I should have never said this in the last post,

We're kind of going through the post-holiday lull right now. There's not a ton going on, but we're keeping busy.

We had quite the week this week.

Monday
After spending the day with Jake, I went to the Red Wings game with Jason. We had great seats given to me by a friend, and got to watch the Wings beat the Habs 2-0. We also had a great view of the CCHA and GLI banners. It was a beautiful sight (bottom of the photo on the left - spoiler alert: they are both green and white)!

Tuesday
Michele had a snow day, and spent the whole day entertaining Jake and doing some chores, as the photos clearly show. All I know is I don't get the camera out every time I do chores, but maybe I should. At any rate, this is where the bulk of our photos came from for this post.

Wednesday
We took Jake in to get his MRI in the morning. He did VERY well with the oral sedation, and stayed asleep through the scan. He then woke up promptly without any real stimulation after the test so we were able to head right home. They had warned that some people have to stick around for several hours while the child comes out of the sedation!

We hope to find out the results around the 23rd of next week.

While Michele took the rest of the day off to be with Jake, I headed down to work. I then stuck around after work and met Dad for dinner at his favorite downtown restaurant, Loco Bar, and then we went to the North American International Auto Show. There weren't a ton of new cars, but there were a couple that stood out.

My Personal Picks
If we needed/slash could afford an upscale minivan: Nissan Quest
If we needed an affordable minivan: Kia Sedona
Favorite hotrod: Holden Efijy
Favorite full-size, pickup: Ford F350
Favorite SUV: GMC Acadia
Favorite convertible: Saturn Sky Redline
Favorite convertible that I could fit in: Pontiac G6 (I still love the hard top).

Thursday
Thursday was a somewhat normal day. Michele got stuck at school late in a meeting while I tended to Jake. He had a great day back at daycare, and Michele said he got VERY excited when he saw his teachers in the morning!

Friday
Michele took Jake duty again Friday night so that I could resume going to the gym. It's been very hit-or-miss since Jake was born, and I decided that I really need to start getting into shape. I want to be ready for swimsuit season, and they already have their suits out at Target.

Saturday
After grabbing a few lattes from Beaners, we headed up to Pete and Teri's. DLCnM also joined us shortly after lunch as did Grandma Remenicky. We all basically just hung out and played around with Maiya.

Saturday night, after putting Jake to bed, Michele and I went to Fenton Cinemas and finally saw The Pursuit of Happyness. We both thought the movie was good, but probably won't look to buy it on DVD.

Sunday
Sunday morning found us headed to Flint to pick up Grandma for church at Saint Michael's with MPnA. Jake did very well during Church, but ended up getting a bit fussy at breakfast. Michele had a bunch of school stuff so we headed home right from the restaurant.

We did one other thing on Sunday, but that will have to wait for another post.

Happy Monday

(Please click on the picture to see more photos.)

We're kind of going through the post-holiday lull right now. There's not a ton going on, but we're keeping busy.

Jake has his MRI on Wednesday. To prepare for it, he can't eat for a few hours before (only water) and also is supposed to only get half of his regular amount of sleep. I'm thinking that will result in a very upset baby, but we have to follow the rules. Michele will be taking the full day off to be with him after the test, but I thought it might be smarter to let daycare deal with him :) Actually, we like his teachers, so we probably wouldn't want to subject them to that.

Jake has a lot of toys that are pretty cool. We found one, however, that I think every parent with an infant/toddler should get. Jake fell in love with the drum we gave Elle for Christmas, so we went out and got him one as a 9 1/2 month birthday present (good reason for a gift, huh). Not only does Jake like watching the lights, rolling it around, and beating on it, but it doesn't annoy us! The melodies are not harsh, and the lights really are spectacular. If you have access to a Discovery Channel Store, I would highly recommend it, or you can find it here.

Also, we just got back Jake's 9 month professional photographs from JCPenney's. We ended up getting four different poses this time. You can see them here: POSE1, POSE2, POSE3, and POSE4.