Sleepy and a Crawling Story

OK, so a few times now Jess and I have seen Summer standing in her bed when we go in there...yikes...standing/pulling herself up...yowsers. Scary stuff. But other times we get in there and she is fast asleep. Like yesterday...turning on the camera woke her up, though, and I missed the cute sleeping pic. Here she is quite groggy, though!


And, the crawling story...OK, I could download a video, but this photo story will have to do. We put her down and let her go...and go she does. And as you can see in the story, she knows where her toys are kept!







So, yep, she's getting into everything, and moving around nicely. Now, we got our wish, she's more mobile...so, yep, now we want her to sit still in one place. She is going to be quite the little handful!!!

All I want for Christmas...

...my two front teeth! Well, she didn't get them for Christmas, but she was only 6 months old...but, now, at the yipe old age of 7 months, she's GOT'EM!!!

OK, so these are not the most flattering of pictures of Summer that we've put up on the blog so far...but, they do show a HUGE milestone! She's cut her first teeth!


This picture was from our stroll around the lake. I felt her mouth and said, this is the most they've ever felt...it felt like it was out...although the picture makes it look like there is still some gum over the teeth...and you can only see the one tooth, really.

So, that was Sunday. Now, just one day later, I took this picture around 7PM, just before putting her down for the night...both teeth seem to be out of her gums! The coloring is weird, like MAYBE there is the THINNEST layer of a membrane remaining, but THEY FEEL like they are out. They are SHARP. So, I think that look is just a trick of the lighting and focus on the camera. Here, you tell us! What do you think?


Are these teeth out, or not?

We are totally excited that she got through the last few days pretty well. We read that some babies can get pretty picky and such when the teeth come in, but not our Summer. She did very well, and she's happier now than she's been since before she was sick! So, maybe, she was still a bit fussy since after the cold, but not she's feeling better and her teeth are out, so she feels doubly better!!!

Lake Balboa

Yes, there is a lake in Southern California! Lake Balboa is a man-made lake nearby. This is the first time we ever went there. Jess' friend from work, Alecia, lives near here. We went out so Summer could visit Alecia's son, Tony, the one year old boy you can see in some of these pictures.

Well, without further adieu, lets get to the pics. There are quite a few!

First off, we parked our cars and started walking. We headed towards the lake to and saw lots of ducks...


Now, I don't think you are supposed to really feed the ducks, but everyone was doing it...so we shared a few of Summer's puff snacks with the ducks. Then we headed back up to the walking path. Summer and Tony made quick friends.


As we got part way around the lake, we stopped for a second and just enjoyed the view. Summer loved being in the stroller and just looking around.


OK, back on the path and walking around the lake. Here is Jessica walking next to Alecia.


When we got around to the dock area, there were a lot of ducks which made for some good pictures.


And here are a few close up...


And the brown ducks...


OK, so near the end of the walk, there was a little "water-fall" stream type area, so we walked down there. At first Summer was interested in the water and Tony was looking after his Mommy.


But after a couple of seconds, the kids found each other again.


So, that was the trip to the park/lake. It was WINDY, and chilly. Jess wasn't feeling so well, but she made it happen for Summer, which is awesome, because Summer loved it! Well, everything except for the loud honking ducks (geese...) not really sure which were which to tell the truth. There were also some pelicans and some swan looking things. Crazy. They were all along the dock/landing area and I brought Summer close, and she got a little scared. I leaned next to her and told her it was OK, and it helped a little, but she didn't want to stick around too much. So, we went home and Summer was EXHAUSTED and had a good nights sleep!

I took a picture of her teeth coming through, a little, but it's blurry, and I think it will be better with a comparison shot, so when I get home from work tonight, I'll try taking a better picture...and it will show her teeth as they are now more fully out of the gums.

The Importance of Being Earnest

So, wow, we've been getting out lately...amazing! Saturday, we got out to see the play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Our babysitter for the night was a friend/co-worker of mine, Tracy.


So, the funny thing about that night is Miriam Margolyes was in the play...and in the movie Tracy watched (Ladies in Lavender) while babysitting. Tracy left the movie for Jessica to watch. So, that's pretty funny, we all were watching Miriam at the same time!

So, thank you, Tracy, you are awesome! It's so nice getting to go out on a date!

Tracy says you were great Summer. Which is good considering you were totally teething. I'll show proof of that later tonight, when I can get another picture. But first, I have a larger post with more pics from walking around a lake Sunday!

Happy 7 Months

OK, just a quick 3 pics from Mommy on Summer's 7 month birthday!

Sitting up in the morning getting ready for day care.


Then she leans forward and gets ready to go.


And then she starts moving. You can see she's gone forward a tiny bit.


She is moving much better. We still haven't seen her fully crawl. Still more of a pull-along scooch, but daycare swears she's done a few crawling "steps" here and there. I'm sure we'll end up seeing some this weekend then.

Tomorrow Jess stays home with Summer, for another of her off Fridays; while I get to head into work. :-( Jess came down with another illness. How is it Jess gets sick, then I do, then Jess does...it's almost comical. And the whole while Summer stays healthy as an ox (except the one fever). I keep thinking it must be phycho-somatic. Jess and I make plans to go out and then we get sick, so we have to stay home with Summer. Hmmmm...

OK, so Summer is SEVEN MONTHS old today. Wow! Time SO FLIES!

Happy Birthday Summer!

Videos

So, Summer's feeling SO MUCH better...and I've been promising videos for a while now...so, here are a few.

First up is Summer swinging at the park. Our normal routine is to make sure Summer gets to swing a little and play in the sand. You've seen a video of her in the sand from my phone, and you've seen pics of her on the swing...so, now here's video of her swinging!


Next up is her walking, with a little help from Mommy. She does better than this sometimes, but I filmed this after Jess had already had her walking some, so Summer was a bit tired. I filmed this one because she was walking into the sun, so the picture was a bit brighter and better.


Lastly is her crawling and chatting up a storm...a few videos from this session. The first one shows her making up her own mind where she wants to go. It shows her trying to get up on her feet, and the problem she always encounters by putting her right foot in front of her left knee...it makes it very hard for her to move. Also, you'll see from this video, she is usually enthralled by the camera and it catches her attention.


This next one shows her chatting up a storm as she moves around some more. This time she goes from heading to the camera to checking out the piggy.


Lastly, is just a bit more scooching to the piggy. She's pretty much moved all around the rug on her own. So, since you can see she's always in a different spot you can see she does move around quite a bit.


OK, so that's it, those are the movies for now. I hope this gives an idea of how much she moves, and how inquisitive she can be and how talkative. We'll keep trying to get more, and after a year I'm really going to try and put together about 30 minutes or so together, from birth to 1 year on a DVD to share with everyone. Until then...I have work tomorrow, Jess and Summer are home for Martin Luther King Jr. Day...my next day off of work is Memorial Day...but, hey, I get a week off at Christmas, yay!! Good night!

Happy at the Autoshow

OK, so we're at the autoshow today, and I wanted to post a few pics. First up, we went in the room with some of the "supercars", most notably the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which Grandpa Mark talked with me about a while back. I loved the two tone cars they showed on the web. In the LA Times they showed a picture of an all silver one, so that was what I was expecting, but, Nope, they had the Black and Blue one! What a RIDE! Here I am with Summer by the viewing wall:


It's sad when you can't get closer to touch, look closer in the window, etc...but it's not just to keep fingerprints off and to protect the cars. It's also to allow people to take pictures like this:


So, there is a trade-off, be able to take photos, or be able to touch them, etc. For a car like this, with SO MANY people, the photos are better, since you wouldn't be able to take a picture of anything with that many people within touching distance. Anyway, this was a favorite to see. Summer was fresh from a nap and a ride in the car, she was ready to go, awake and enjoyed being in the pack for a couple of hours!

Next up, we walked around and saw all the major auto-makers. We saw a lot of models we were interested in. One in particular was Jess' favorite. She's always been partial to Mustangs...and she loves the color purple...so, you can see why she liked THIS car.


Then we kept walking around. We didn't think we were all that interested in some makes, but, we said, let's just go around and glance at everything, you'll never know when you see something...interesting. Something like the Saturn Sky.


This car was awesome. The 3/4 front view was blurry, so all we can show is the cockpit, but for further pics, you can always go to Saturn's website for the car. I IMMEDIATELY called Ginger for any details she may have on the car. She still has no info on date or cost, but she'll keep her eyes and ears open for us. Sure, we kept thinking of getting a fun 2-seater in a few years...but if this thing is a reasonable price...we're tempted...Sure the Ferrari 430 Spyder is a DREAM car, as are others even a bit closer to our price range, but we want something truly affordable, decent gas mileage, yet sporty, sexy, etc. We think this car is it...and, heck, we will have a third car garage it should fit in nicely, next to our beach cruisers. :-)

Anyway, back to a bit more of reality. If we were to get a new car, it SHOULD be something a bit more fitting to a growing family (no, Grandmas and Grandpas, we aren't growing YET!)...something like the Volvo XC90. Sure, we have the XC70 wagon, but this XC90 is a larger 7 seat SUV...comes with many nice features and options, and the 2.5L Turbo seems a reasonable price for such a large luxurious ride. We saw this one after lunch, and as you can see, I rotated Summer around and she fell asleep for a little nap, so we couldn't get her input, but we think she'd like it!


OK, so that was the Autoshow. Not too many crazy/cool concept cars, as they were all probably sent to Detroit, since that show started yesterday. Why they overlap, I'll never know. But, we still got to see a lot of good cars. Possible future family cars for Summer and her sibling(s). :-D

Another Beautiful Day!

OK, I'll keep this short and sweet. It's raining today...Jess was smart and checked the weather, so yesterday, our OFF FRIDAY!!! YAY!!! We took Summer to the park on the bikes again.

First we got her dressed and, as always thought she was too super cute, so we had to take a photo at home...


We always try to make sure she's wearing a hat when we take her out. It was another warm and sunny day. In the upper 70's at least. So, we rode around the neighborhood a bit more this time, and we stopped to play on the grass and just hang out.


She is getting pretty good at holding herself up, as you can see. But we were really surprised when she motioned to the tree. I asked her, "Do you want to climb the tree, Summer?" Well, you can guess her answer...always the adventurous baby!


So, she's walking pretty well being held by just her hands, she's started to scooch a little bit, not quite a crawl, but can definitely move. We took some video of some walking at home and in the park...so, of course, I'll have to try and get to that sometime, soon, since that's such a big thing, and you can only really share that with a video. OK, it's raining, Summer's asleep, I'm going to go try and eat some breakfast really quick. See ya.

Date Night

This post is WAY LATE...but, we've been busy little beavers, don't ya know! Didn't get this pic off of Jess' camera until just yesterday.

My ex-co-worker Shana babysat for us, back in Dec, just after XMas, so Jess and I could actually go out on a date. It was our first date since August! Thank you Shana! We know Summer was in good hands!

Update with Pics

OK, so as I said at 2:30 AM... Her fever broke and she was feeling better. Still coughing, sneezing, not eating so well, whining, etc...but the fever was gone, and when she woke up at 8 AM, she actually gave us some smiles. She took a couple of 2 hour naps during the day as well. We're just hoping tomorrow she'll be able to eat some for us. :-) As mentioned, here are some pics. First up is a picture of her actually enjoying playing with her toys. (You can note that she does have some boogers under her nose, though, so not totally healthy yet, but doing well. Her temperature got down in the 96's, which for the ear thermometer is great!)


Since she felt a little better, and I was cleaning the bikes off AND it was such a nice day, nearly 80°F outside, we decided to take Summer to the park. This is her first time on a bike...She LOVED it!


When we got there, we let her swing, as always, slid with her a few times and since so warm, we let her play in the sand.


She had a blast, and of course kept trying to put the sand in her mouth. She really liked the experience. Here's a close-up to prove it...


And if that doesn't convince you...how about this little movie?


If you have latest version of Quicktime you should be able to watch the movie. It is VERY small...all of these pics and this video came off my camera-phone. I should have adjusted the video, as I think there is a slightly larger mode. Next time, huh?

OK, so, Summer's been in bed a while, Jess went to sleep. I just had to make an update, in case you were tracking her progress, so ya'll know she is doing OK. Now, I have to get to sleep, too!

Good Night!

2:40 AM Update

Yay, the fever seems to have broken!

I woke up with her at 2:20...she felt warm, but not too bad. But the biggest thing was she ate! She finished 5 or 6 ounces, whatever it was in that bottle. Then I changed her and checked her temp.

97.4°F!

Super! So, I gave her one last bit of her medicine, which she was fighting against, which means she's caring more, since before when she was sick she didn't have that much energy. And when I was changing her she was smiling and laughing and playing with her toes.

She wouldn't take any more formula, so I walked her a few minutes, attempting to burp her, to no avail, and put her down for her sleep. Hopefully she stays out for a solid four hours.

Last night Summer was still a little trouble, not going to bed until almost 9PM. Summer was still not feeling well. Jess woke up with her once already, but I wasn't sure what time it was...about midnight I am guessing. So, that's pretty good, only waking up twice in about 5 hours. Good compared to last night when she woke up every hour.

OK, so I have to get to bed again. Jess will likely get up with Summer the next time, but I still need some sleep, too. Hopefully both of my girls can sleep soundly the next 5 hours, until about 8AM....that would be SO SUPER IDEAL!

7 PM Update

First things first, she is doing OK.

Second, here's a picture of her from Wednesday, before her fever. It was just too cute, and I wanted to post it!


Third, here she is with a rag on her head...helping to keep her cool, tonight.


See, even when she isn't feeling well, she's still so cute. She even cracked a little smile for the camera, which is neat, since she hadn't smiled all day. She was whiny and not feeling well all day, for Jess.

I brought home dinner and did some work around the house and tried to help feed Summer. She just would not eat or drink anything. We were only able to give her an ounce of formula, here and there. Her fever is lower, with some measurements under 100° sometimes, and just over at others.

6 AM Update

Well, she's been up a few times since 2, but she's doing better. Just got up with her at 6 and gave her some medicine, changed her diaper and fed her 2-3 ounces of formula. She went back to sleep pretty easily. Temperature measured at 98.8°F, which is mostly down to normal, just 1 to 1.5 more degrees to feel like the fever is gone. So, we just need to maintain our course of actions for the time being. It doesn't look like she's going to turn for the worse and need the doctor...whew...

Summer has a Fever

Wasn't sure if I should make a pithy title, like, "Summer's Finally Sick" or something like that...because, well, she is, and it's the first time ever. We're sharing night-time duties again and not trying to freak out. Getting sick/having a fever is not a big deal...as long as everything stays under "control".

Wednesday night Summer woke up 4 times (11, 1, 3 and 5...basically ever 2 hours like clockwork), which was bad (for all of us), but it just seemed a hunger thing. She ate three full bottles during the night and seemed fine.

Yesterday (Thursday night), right when I got her home, I fed her immediately. She ate 2 full jars of food and a touch of a bottle. I put her down for a nap, hoping she'd sleep an hour, then Jess could wake her, feed her some more and then she could sleep through the night, maybe. Well, after Jess put her down, Summer woke up even earlier than Wednesday night. She woke up at 10, and she was HOT to the touch. Not just warm from screaming when she woke up, or from being under a blanket, like other times she's felt warm. She isn't even screaming, just kinda mewling, or something.

Uh, oh, we say...pull out the thermometers. She's never had a fever before...(I think, hopefully and out loud to Jess, "maybe she's just warm...") So, we test, under the arm, 100.0°F. Not a good sign. Try a mouth/pacifier thermometer. They are much slower, and got up to 102.4°F before Summer got bored and spit it out angrily. The temperature change was slowing down, so I figured it would have stopped under 103, which is like the "magic number" for going to the doctor. So, we tried the last thermometer, the ear one. Fast, and should be pretty accurate. The nurses always use that at her appointments. Usually a little cooler, so normally, the reading will be about 96.7 to nearly 98. But tonight we see 101.8°. Kind of confirms the mouth reading and the under the arm, which is usually low, as well.

So, we gave her some tylenol cough and cold. Which, yeah, she has a wet sounding cough. The poor little thing. She's due for another dose around 2AM...I'm sure she'll wake up again in 30 minutes for it. If, not, whenever she next wakes up, we'll give her more. I was just walking her for 10 or 15 minutes with a moist rag on her head, until she fell asleep in my arms. I checked her temp and got a reading of 100.8. So, the acetaminophen seems to be helping.

Multiple online resources suggest exactly what we are doing. Give it 24 hours with the acetaminiphen and cool rags, not COLD, or a luke-warm bath. Nothing can be seen by a doctor, so it's a waiting game...unless she breaks that "magic number" of 103°F.

We're trying to not make a big deal of it to her. We are just talking to her fairly normally. We say, "Shhhh...it's OK, Honey...we know you don't feel well, but everything is ok. You'll be fine." And just talking about normal things and trying to make sure she drinks a little bit from a bottle to keep her hydrated.

So, I'll try to keep this updated, throughout the night, or tomorrow. Wish her well, and we'll keep ya'll updated. Right now, I gotta get back to my next half-hour nap before she wakes up...this post has taken 20+ minutes to write out...g'night! Aha, there she is a little cry....1:50AM right now...started writing at 1:23...See ya.

It'll be OK Summer. Mommy and Daddy will take care of you!

Santa

Did I hear anyone out there ask, "Hey, what about Santa?" Well, yes, of course, we set up a picture with Santa. What kind of parents would we be without going to the mall and taking a picture with Santa? :-)

Grandparents will be getting a copy sent to them at some point. We don't have a scanner, so this is just a cheesy attempt at taking a photo of the photo, without trying too hard to make it great, but it definitely gets the idea across, right?


Summer was GREAT with him. The doctor said she will start not trusting strangers and she wouldn't likely get along with Santa. Well, I can't say she LOVED it and laughed and giggled the whole time, but she didn't cry and we got a good picture! Yay. Summer's first Christmas sure was fun!

More XMas Pics

OK, so, on Christmas Day, finally, here are a few pics from my camera. (Still waiting to get a few from Uncle Gabe.)

First up is Summer all dressed up in her Xmas Duds. Grandma Debbi sent this cute scottie dog dress, which seemed very XMas appropriate, so it won out as the day's outfit.


Next up is Summer sitting with Mommy.


Then, with Daddy, as I'm stealing a little peck on the cheek.


Last pic for this post is the next day at Erika's again. Just a picture to show Summer sitting up, playing on her own. Yep, no more tricks of holding her up and wiping out our arms, or holding her and running away. As seen in other pics with Cheeto, this is all Summer. She's pulling herself up to stand, too. Not succesfully all the time or anything, but she so wants to be mobile and move around. Well, here she is playing.



That's all we have for now.

Happy New Year!!

Wow, what a year, huh?

I'm tired and going to bed. I'll write something tomorrow morning....but, just know, we are thinking of you all, and Summer wishes everyone a Happy New Year!!

Last Possible Post of 2005

Just a quick couple pics from Jamiellin from her XMas visit...always putting (those gifts) everything in her mouth.... :-O

Here she is chomping away.


Cute Bow on her head.


Just one more bite, please!



OK, that's it, I hope 2005 was as good for you as it was for Summer and us!