Jensen Family Christmas Party

Last night we had the annual Jensen Family Christmas party. We had the traditional reading of the Christmas story by Uncle Jim, a delicious dinner, the traditional " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" white elephant game by the other Uncle Jim, and a new tradition -- a visit from Santa. It was Davis's first time meeting the jolly man...

He did pretty well until it was time for him to sit on Santa's lap...

7 Months Old!

Davis turned 7 months old on Wednesday. He celebrated with a trip to the doctor and a new prescription! Yes, he has another ear infection. This time we caught it pretty early (thanks to mother's intuition), but the doctor was worried it might have hung on through the last antibiotic (since it had been less than a month since his last ear infection). So Davis is trying a stronger medicine, which apparently tastes better than amoxicillan because he doesn't fight me nearly as much when I give it to him. The amoxicillan required two people to administer (Russ literally hold Davis's head still while I gave him the medicine), but I can give him this new stuff on his own. Yeah! Anyhow, his ear infections have been accompanied by lovely colds, and I've been reminded of how much he hates getting his nose wiped! And, needless to say, his sickness has put his sleep training on hold...again... Maybe the first of the year will bring good health and few enough interruptions to our schedule that his sleep training will be successful...

Latest Pics

I thought Davis just looked extra cute last Wednesday. I spiked his hair a little bit (although, there is also a significant amount of static going on as well...). Here are my favorites from that batch of photos. Davis is sitting on the cute Toy Story couch that Grandma & Grandpa Hadfield bought him for Christmas (and gave to him last week so that he could enjoy it). Davis absolutely loves sitting up -- he doesn't fall on his face much anymore, which is definitely a plus! Oh - and that soccer ball is not a prop -- he was playing with it and was actually surrounded by some of his favorite toys when I took these pics.

Sleep Training

So when 10 pm hit on Monday night, and Davis was still not asleep, we (Russ) decided that sleep training must begin that very night. We put Davis to bed and of course he cried hard...for 45 minutes. I kept checking on him every 5 minutes, then 10, then 15 (thanks Dr. Ferber). He slept for a few hours, and then we repeated the crying for another 45 minutes at about 1:30 am. Long story short, last night we had another 45 minutes of crying, but then he slept for over 6 hours! His naps were better yesterday too.

However, as I type this, I can hear Davis crying his guts out. "Mom mom mom mom mom!!" That's what he says when he is angry, and when he cries hysterically and sounds so pitiful, it rips my heart out! Tonight is the first night I have to put him to bed by myself with this new crying method, and I'm not sure how I'll be able to take it. It is truly awful to hear my little baby screaming. I know that he needs better sleep habits, which will be a greater benefit to him than nursing every two hours all night long. And I know that I need more sleep. But it is so hard to listen to him cry out without helping him!

More Thanksgiving Pics

In addition to our little Thanksgiving family photo shoot, my darling older sis, Amy, took family photos too. These are some of my favorites -- they really capture the personality of her adorable kids! Isn't Amy lovely?!

Thanksgiving

We spent a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend at my parents enjoying time with my family. They are so much fun to be around! We ate a delicious Thanksgiving feast, and I'm still enjoying the leftovers! We also took a few family photos -- here are a couple of my favorites.

Hives

After anxiously awaiting new foods for Davis, we have reached another setback! He has some hives today (hives that come and go on their own -- how weird is that?!). The doctor thinks it's caused by the same virus that is making him congested, but just to be safe I'm not supposed to give him sweet potatoes for a month! And I will probably avoid any other new foods for a few days too (until the hives clear up). Poor deprived kid! (And sad mom who has so much fun watching Davis try new foods...)

Growing Like Gangbusters

Davis had his 6-month appointment today. He is a healthy kid -- weighing 18 lbs 7 oz (75th percentile) and measuring 27 3/4 inches (95th percentile)! The doctor said his ear infection was cleared up, so I am starting on some sleep training ASAP! Last night I only got about an hour of sleep at a time, and I am beat! It will be hard to let Davis cry, but I've GOT to do it! We both need better sleep.

Today I let Davis try a new food -- sweet potatoes! He has been eating rice cereal for over a month, and he absolutely loves it! He's not so keen on the sweet potatoes... We would have tried new foods sooner, but the doctor thought it best not to start new foods while he was already sick, and since he's had diarrhea and an ear infection for several weeks... let's just say I've been dying for him to try the foods I stocked in my cupboard weeks ago!

Girl Time With My Sis

This is my beautiful sister, Michelle:

Yesterday we had a little girl time. We went to see New Moon. Even though she is a fan of Edward, and I am a fan of Jacob, we still had a great time together. We went to a tiny theater in Syracuse, and there were only about 30 people at the show. It was kind of fun to watch the movie without all the crazed fans...although that would have been fun too. Thanks for a fun afternoon, sis!

CPE

This week I had two full days of continuing education (I have to have 40 hours a year to keep my CPA license). Thanks, mom, for watching Davis for those days. I know it was an adventure since he doesn't like bottles... It was fun to go to the class and reconnect with friends from my office. It was also nice to learn a few things and feel like I still have some skills. But I sure missed Davis! I am so glad I get to stay home with him and that I don't have to leave him every day to go to work. I am soooo lucky!

Six Months Old!

It is hard to believe that six months have already flown by since this bundle of joy arrived at our house:It's been a challenging time, but also a very, very rewarding one! We love our little guy!!!

Sleepless Nights

So after several weeks of sleepless nights and a couple of trips to the doctor, we've discovered Davis has infections in both of his ears! Poor little guy! Last night he was inconsolable and was up for a couple of hours before he finally fell asleep in my arms. I went to the doctor today, and he is going to be on antibiotics for 10 days (in addition to the gas drops and Tylenol and Acidophillus he's already taking). The doctor said the medicine should make Davis's diarrhea worse for 4-5 days. Lovely! He's already had diarrhea for 3 weeks! Luckily, he only goes about once a day, and so far it's been mostly contained to his diapers. I just feel so bad for him -- I wish I could do more for him. It breaks my heart to hear him cry out in pain. But I'm grateful to know why he's in pain and that we're going to fix it.Another plus from going to the doctor today: he laid on the doctor's table as happy as can be, kicking his legs and rolling. It's the happiest he's been all day!

My Mouse-killing Man

I love this guy:

Last night, when I saw a mouse run across the living room, he set up twenty traps at the door of the closet we thought it had run into. Then, when I was lying in bed and I heard the mouse, Russ hunted for it until he found it in my bathtub. Then, he killed it with a shoe, cleaned up the mess, and filled the bathtub with bleach water for the night. Then, this morning, when I wasn't fully convinced the mouse in the tub was the same mouse that ran into the closet, he took everything out of the closet to prove to me that no mouse was inside. He is fabulous!!!

It Made My Day

So, this may be kind of lame, but I was super excited yesterday when I logged on to my favorite recipe-sharing website. I had finally submitted a recipe, and it was the featured recipe that day!

It is a sad commentary on my life when something this small makes my day!

Trick-or-Treat!

We took Davis out to trick-or-treat at a couple of houses. He liked holding his pumpkin basket until candy was put in it; then he just dropped it!

Davis enjoyed watching Russ carve a pumpkin for him. I roasted the seeds, and they turned out delicious (and somewhat addictive).

Russ dressed up in his dad's old army uniform for a Halloween party with the Young Men & Young Women. I thought he looked pretty handsome, even if I did take a blurry picture!

Another Sunday Photo Shoot

We dressed up Davis in a super cute outfit for church again. We love hand-me-downs! Thanks, Lynette for loaning us the vest and shirt, and thanks for the pants, Amy! Now I guess we just need some Sunday shoes!

Sunday Photo Shoot

Davis received this super cute outfit from one of my friends at KHSA. Unfortunately, I waited a little too long to put him in it (the pants are longer than any of his other pants, so I thought it was still a little big), and the shirt & vest were a little snug. No problem -- we just rolled up the sleeves and untucked his shirt, and he looked adorable (of course!)!

Good Weather & Good Friends

After a week of being sick and trapped indoors (well, we did escape to WalMart), the warm weather yesterday and today were a nice break. We were able to get outside and visit with a lot of our neighbors. I really look forward to visiting with the neighbors -- we live in such a great neighborhood. The winter could be a long one if I'm trapped indoors too much! One of the highlights of the last two days was a last minute Costco trip I conned my neighbor, Kati, into taking with me. I was going for the sole purpose of getting a vanilla ice cream bar hand-dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed almonds. Believe you me, this is one addictive treat! Anyhow, Russ ended up working til 5 am, and I really needed a friend that day -- I'm so glad she came with me!

Davis's hair is getting so much blonder on top (although it's still dark on the back of his head). Russ was super blonde as a kid, and my hair was pretty light too, so I'm not surprised. He has also started scooting a bit on his back -- mostly when I'm changing his diaper. He arches his back, and digs his heals in, using his head for leverage!

Hadfield Halloween Party

Friday night my parents hosted a Halloween Party for all of the grandkids. Davis was napping during the games (which was just fine, since he really dosen't have the motor skills for bean bag tosses yet...), but he did get dressed up for a few minutes when he woke up.

Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa Hadfield for a fun night!

A trip to the pumpkin patch in Grandpa's lawnmower wagon

Grandma & Grandpa with Brett, Dani, Ethan, Abbie, & Davis

We totally dig this hat -- thanks, Shar!

The kids all dressed up in their costumes to play some Halloween-y games

Davis the giraffe

Batman Brett

Ethan the Bumble Bee

Minnie Mouse Dani

Abbie the witch

It's no fun to be sick!

The title of this post comes from a Sesame Street book we had as a child. I don't remember a lot about the book, although I think Big Bird might have pretended to be sick to get attention and then he actually gets sick and realizes it's not very fun. Anyhow, we have had a few sleepless nights at our house. Davis & I have both had colds, and, while I could sleep without a problem while being sick, Davis doesn't sleep very well when he's coughing. I have spent several nights trying to catch a few minutes of sleep in the recliner. Although I haven't been able to sleep very well in a chair, I am sure glad we bought the recliner instead of the rocking chair we were looking at! I am trying to remember, as I watch the hours pass when I should be sleeping, that at least I get a little extra cuddle time with my favorite little guy!

Bubbles

A few weeks ago Davis went through a bubble-blowing phase:

I love his bubble beard!