Changes

Jesper graduated from the Middle Infant to the Older Infant classroom on May 7. We had a parent-teacher conference prior to the change. They said he is excellent at manipulating toys (stacking blocks is his new trick) and is very social and active. He loves to play “Where’s Jesper” and often initiates games.

He is going to have so much fun in the new room – they have a lot of new and different and more challenging toys, do art projects every week, and have a music teacher come into the classroom on Thursdays.

So far, the transition was the easiest of any of his classroom changes. He hardly even seems to care that he is going to a new room. In fact, many times that first week he could hardly get on the floor fast enough when he saw the fun things they had planned for him that day (giant blocks one day, a parachute with balls the next, and mirrors all over the floor another day).

The same week as his graduation, he began transitioning to one nap per day. Oh, the freedom that comes with only one nap!! Several times, he has waited to go down for his nap until about noon but sleeps until almost 3pm. It’s amazing how much stuff you can get done in a 3 hr. time span. :)

One-Year-Old

Jesper’s one-year appointment was on April 16. He was 32 cm. tall (97 %) and weighed 24 lbs. 10.5 oz. (75th percentile). I think he hit a growth spurt just a few days before his appointment, so his weight will probably catch up to his height in the next few weeks.

His sleeping and eating patterns are very much the same. We are still working to transition from a bottle to a cup. Jesper understands the concept but still gags and chokes on about every 3rd sip. I’m wondering if his tongue-tie is affecting his ability to control liquids in his mouth.

We asked Dr. Koch about the tongue-tie (again), and he referred us to an ENT specialist. We made an appointment for later in the month. The ENT specialist told us that Jesper is 100% tongue-tied (the frenulum goes all the way to the front of his tongue). He cannot stick it out past his lips. There isn’t a perfect correlation between how badly the tongue is tied and how many issues it can cause with speech, eating, dental hygiene, etc. Some people are badly tongue-tied and can talk well, while others are only moderately tongue-tied and have major speech issues. Either way, we are scheduling the frenuloplasty for Jesper and are hoping to eliminate the potential for problems later in life. If we waited and he did have issues, he would also have to have speech therapy to correct any bad habits he had formed while learning to talk.

Hurricane Jesper in the doctor's office

He is still working on his first word and walking. He took a spill at school when he was cruising around the classroom and split his lip slightly, so his courage isn’t growing as fast as his balance. However, he is a very proficient crawler and is definitely getting into EVERYTHING!

Happy Birthday in DC

Jesper turned one on Easter weekend (April 6). Happy Birthday, my sweet baby boy!

We flew to Washington D.C. to celebrate the weekend with Jodi, Paul, Stacie, John, Elise, Ariana, Grandma June, Grandpa Ron, Curtis, and Robbe. What a fun trip!

Wednesday

Josh and I both worked half-days on Wednesday because we were scheduled to fly out Wednesday evening. At about 11am Wednesday morning, I got a call from Jesper’s teacher because she had just taken Jesper’s temperature and it was 103 degrees. They suspected he had Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Yikes! We had 4+ hours of travel time ahead of us that night.

However, despite his fever, Jesper was in a relatively good mood. It actually seemed to work to our advantage on the flights because he was tired and mellow. He even fell asleep right at take-off from Milwaukee to DC and slept for a good portion of the flight.

Thursday
On Thursday, Grandpa and Grandma Ratzlaff arrived from Charlotte right after Jesper went down for his nap. Once he woke up, we decided to visit the city of DC and do some sightseeing. We took the metro to the Air and Space Museum and then walked down the Mall to the Washington Monument and World War II monument. We could see some of the cracks in the Washington Monument from the earthquake last fall.

Grandpa and Grandma Arriving

Side note: Air travel is a luxury I take for granted, but the Air and Space museum reminded me that it’s a relatively new science. I asked my parents about their first flight, and was surprised that they did not go on an airplane until they took Jodi and Stacie to visit our relatives in Oregon for Christmas 1981. They did not even purchase tickets before they drove up to the airport – they just bought the tickets at the gate!

On the metro

Jesper does not sleep while moving anymore (too much to see!), but the sight-seeing really wore him out. By the time we got to the World War II monument, he was absolutely cashed. I picked him up out of the stroller and he fell asleep in my arms after only a few minutes. For a moment, I bravely thought I could carry my 25 lb. child back to the metro station that was 30 minutes away, but I was obviously wrong (a little behind on my strength-training, apparently). We got a cab back to Paul and Jodi’s house instead and my little man slept the whole way.

Josh and Jesper in front of the Washington Monument

Grandpa, Grandma, and Jodi at the WWII Memorial

World War II Memorial

 The Gopher hockey team played in the Frozen Four later that evening against Boston College. We ordered pizza and watched the gophers lose a heart-breaking game. Oh, so sad to see the season end that close to the prize!

Friday
The guys (John, Paul, Dad, and Josh) headed to Andrews to play a round of golf. Stacie and Mom went shopping for a couple hours in the morning while Ariana and Jesper slept. Jodi and I hung out with Elise and sidewalk chalk until the babies woke up. Then we went for a little walk – Elise and Bailey skipping ahead, Jesper in the stroller, and Jodi trailing behind with Ariana in her walker. We must have made quite the sight!

One gift on Friday morning

Birthday Boy

Jesper and Ariana playing

Curtis and Robbe arrived later that afternoon just in time to tag along on our trip to the White House. Paul had organized a tour for the whole family with the VP’s presidential aide. We saw the Vice President’s official office first and Elise and I both used the secret bathroom attached to the room.
 Then we headed to Vice President Joe Biden’s actual office (the one he uses vs. the one that is shown on tours). We waited around for a little while until President Obama left the oval office. At one point, Jesper dropped his pacifier and I was afraid that we were going to lose it in the office. He also had his diaper changed on the VP’s floor. In summary, he was kind of a big deal on his birthday. :)

Waiting in the VP's office

The girls in the Press Room

White House

 We also saw the Oval Office, press room and rose garden.

The man who made the tour happen - Thanks, Paul!

Later that night, people without babies went out to eat at the Wharf. Those of us with children drove back to Jodi and Paul’s house for Thai take-out. The children had a pool party in the bathtub that night and LOVED it. I wish we were closer so they could see each other more often!

Saturday
Josh and I walked around Old Towne Alexandria on Saturday morning. We were looking for a little brunch place, but unfortunately, nothing opened until 11:30am. To pass the time, we walked up and down the street, through the Farmer’s Market, and down by the water. It was a beautiful spring day and really nice to spend some time together sans child.

Playing

When we got back to Jodi and Paul’s house, we officially celebrated Jesper’s birthday (a day late). He is generally very tentative with new food or situations, but didn’t seem to hesitate with the cake. He seemed to like it a lot! I’m pretty sure he would’ve made it his lunch if we had let him.

The boys watching the celebration

Birthday cake

Jesper received money from both sets of grandparents and Bruce and Marnee Brandenburg and a giant blowup ball pit from John and Stacie and his cousins. We gave him a “lawn mower” with popping balls when we got home.

The party included clowns

Mom and Jodi

Later, we all went down to Olde Towne Alexandria to take family pictures and go out to eat. Thanks to our photographers, John and Robbe, we got some great pictures!

The grandparents with their grandbabies

Grandma and Grandpa

Cousins

How many adults does it take to coordinate 3 children in a photo?

Sunday
Curtis and Robbe left on Sunday morning and I went to church with the family on Sunday morning while Josh stayed back with Jesper while he napped. After a barbeque lunch, the kids (Elise and Jesper) went on an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. Jesper wasn’t really sure what was going on, but I think he enjoyed the walk with Grandpa and Mom holding his hands. Elise was very generous with her Easter eggs and “helped” Jesper find many of them.

Easter Egg Hunt

Walking with Grandpa and Mom

Elise finding Easter Eggs - so pretty in her Easter dress!

We napped, talked, and watched the Masters for the rest of the afternoon until Grandpa and Grandma left for their flight.

Love you, Birthday Boy!

We flew home Monday morning. It was a fun trip and we are both looking forward to going back in September to visit Paul, Jodi, and little Baby G.

First Haircut

Jesper got his first haircut on March 31. We went to Kid’s Hair in Edina and paid $16 ($12 with a $4 coupon). One lady cut his hair while another blew bubbles to distract him. They also had kid’s shows playing. The haircut took all of 5 minutes. He was a little unsure about the whole thing, but it was over before he could react. :)

11 Months – My little explorer

Now I know what my book means when it says, “Your child will be curious and like to explore the world around him.” Jesper is all over the place, opening and shutting doors, cabinets, and drawers. He is incredibly curious about just about everything, particularly the things we wish he wasn’t so interested in (toilets, Sabi’s food bowl, etc.). :) 

11 Months Old

 He still hasn’t grown out of the 18 mo. clothes. This could become an issue with the WARM temperatures we’ve been having recently. All his outfits are perfect for winter, but not so great for 80 degree weather. One night, Jesper fussed for about 20 minutes at bedtime (very unusual) and we realized when we went to go grab him that he was much too warm in his fleece pajamas. Luckily, we had some summer pajamas in the next size up that have worked well.

Summer Pajamas in March!

We officially had a winter with no snow that ever stayed longer than a few days. This week we had consistent 70 degree weather. It may be time to go to Once Upon a Child to pick up a few summer outfits in his current size.

Bottles, naps, and bedtimes are very similar to last month. However, he does seem to be shifting to a more “food-heavy” diet. I would say that this is the first month that he seems to need meals more than he needs his bottles. I’m not sure what the distinction is, other than he seems to be eating a LOT. Maybe a growth spurt will hit again soon?

Pasta!

I stopped making most of his food in February. He is becoming a much pickier eater and the commercial food seems to go over better. Also, he is getting to the age where he can just about eat what we eat.

Mom and Jesper

Notable News:
- Two new upper teeth: My child may look a little like a vampire in a few weeks. Two new teeth broke through, but not the middle ones. It looks like they may be the upper “fangs” (not sure of the technical term). Good pictures to come, I’m sure. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to bother him much when they broke through.

- Pre-Walking: We have a walking toy that he used very often for about a week. He loved it! However, he took a couple tumbles from the toy and now won’t touch it. However, he still loves to walk holding on to our hands. He immediately starts giggling with excitement as soon as we hold our arms out. He can’t stand on his own yet, but is starting to get braver with the one-handed hold.

  - Stairs: Jesper’s personality hasn’t changed – he is still my cautious little boy and takes a little coaxing to try something new. Except for the stairs, that is. One day when we were playing in the basement, Jesper started up the stairs, laughing the whole time. We spotted him to make sure he didn’t fall and he went up the entire flight! It’s one of his favorite games. He even likes it when he slips and slides down a step – it gets a laugh every time. Now we need to have the gate up all the time when we’re in the basement or he heads straight for the stairs.

10 Months Old

Another month has gone by. Our little boy is getting so close to 1 year old! It's strange to see some of his classmates turn 1 and learn to walk. It doesn't seem like Jesper should be approaching those milestones quite so quickly!

10 Months Old

He doesn't seem like he's grown much over the couple months. He's still wearing basically the same size that he was in early December, although he is officially in 18-mo. clothes now (we retired the last of the 12-mo-old sizes in the last few weeks). It's all relative, though - it just seems like he's not growing as much because he grew so ridiculously fast last fall. I'm sure we will hit another growth spurt sometime this spring.

With the stomach flu at the end of January and still smiling

 

Playing at school. He wouldn't look at the camera, but his classmate Lizzy was all smiles.

 
Bottles, naps, and bedtime are the same as last month, but many other things have changed. Some of the updates from this month:
 - Two new teeth: His second one broke through at the end of January. We think he's working on his upper front teeth as well because he hasn't been sleeping as soundly and his fingers are ALWAYS in his mouth. Here's hoping they are not as sore for Jesper as for some of his little friends.

Two new teeth!

 - All finger foods: We've entered a whole new world of infant eating. Who knew food could end up literally all over his body (on his back, in his diaper, in his ears and nose, on a sock...) after eating? It truly is so much messier than I ever imagined. And there are often times when he leaves the table and I think that most of what I gave him ended up in his high chair than in his body. He's still having wet and dirty diapers, though, so he must be getting enough food, somehow...

Loving his yogurt

 - Skills: Clapping, giving high-fives, letting us know he's "all done" after a meal. It's so fun to watch him learn something new and use it correctly. :) 

Playing in the pillows with Dad

Peekaboo with the pillows

 - Words: He definitely knows who he means when he says "Dada" or "Mama". The "Da" sound is his favorite - when he wakes up in the morning, he starts babbling "Dada dada dada dada". He's also starting to understand much more. I asked him if he wanted a bottle today and he stopped and looked and me and then started to fuss just like he does when he sees the bottle and is hungry.

 - Gettin' Physical: He easily pulls himself up on anything, including the door. He is still very tentative about cruising, but I think that will be coming soon. The bathtub is one of his favorite things to pull up on, and it's everything I can do to keep him from jumping in when we are getting it ready for him. He gets up on his tiptoes and leans over the edge as far as he can. What a little goof!

I see you! He loves looking outdoors. Still no snow this year!

Looks like trouble



27th Birthday

Happy Birthday to me! I turned 27 on February 4. Just one more year closer to 30...

On Friday night, I went out for a couple drinks with my cousin Megan and her roommate, Allison. So fun to catch up with her, as always. She and Allison are graduating in the spring and they are excited to join the working world. Ahh...so idealistic. :)

Daddy Daycare

 Then, on Saturday, Josh gave me my birthday present - a day of shopping by myself while he did Daddy daycare. It was amazing! I had a lot of gift cards that I hadn't used in the last few years and some Christmas money, so I went shopping at the Mall of America and purchased something in nearly every store I visited - guilt free! I got a couple dresses, leggings, boots, Kensie flats, t-shirts, and a pair of jeans. The best part was that I got to try on clothes for however long I wanted. I think Josh was glad he didn't come with me because I spent nearly an hour and a half in H&M - his worst nightmare. :)

27th Birthday - Heading out to dinner

New dress!

 Later that night, Josh took me out to dinner at Jensen's Supper Club and then we went bowling afterwards. Our friends, Brandon and Sarah, watched Jesper.

Such a fun birthday! Looking forward to what this new year will bring.