Take This Job and Shove It

Note: new pictures are up, finally. And he now weighs 20 lbs.

Hey. Remember me? I'm the one that brought the Y chromosome to this party. OK, so I've been a little derelict in my posting duties. To say that school's been a little consuming would be a monumental understatement. But that's all done now - my undergraduate degree is complete. Whew!
But hey, that's boring news. You came to hear about Jeffrey, right? Of course you did.
Last week we met with Judy, an occupational therapist. Despite the fancy job title, she will not be helping us to find gainful employment for Jeffrey. That's too bad, it would sure be nice to have two steady paychecks again. In fact, an occupational therapist works with developing fine motor skills. Jeffrey may carry cuteness in spades, but his cup does not necessarily overfloweth with fine motor acuity. We met at RIT because it was convenient for all of us. In one of the meeting rooms, Judy conducted a series of tests to evaluate how well Jeffrey could perform certain tasks with his hands, feet and... get this... his tongue. Yup. Who knew being able to roll your tongue at 12 months is an important milestone? He can, by the way. According to the evaluation, she was supposed to stop after Jeffrey was unable to perform more than 3 tasks. It was a good thing that she didn't, because he surprised us by showing us more advanced skills. Overall, Jeffrey scored just shy of being age appropriate. That's nothing to be concerned about, though. He's not going to catch up overnight, or over... year. Most preemies catch up between the ages of 2 and 5.
The end result of all this is that Jeffrey will be seeing an occupational therapist bi-monthly, just like he's currently doing with his physical therapist, Monica. And speaking of Monica, she came to visit Jeffrey this week. It's always funny when see works with him. We could be working diligently with him all week on some new exercise to no avail, but the moment she shows up he turns on the performance art. She asked us if he's making any deliberative sounds that correspond with an action. We turned to Jeffrey as he tries to place a puzzle piece into the wrong shape... and he replied, "uh oh!". Well, maybe it was more like "UUUUHhhhh..... ahhhhhhh". "How's he doing with standing?" she asks. From his stool, he stands up and then leans forward to the couch. Previously he had been doing that in the wrong order.
By this point, I'm convinced that she could ask us, "So, how's he doing with riding a unicycle while spinning dictionaries on poles and singing the French national anthem?" and he would dutifully perform it with a smile. He's such a flirt.
Today's post title is a triple-entendre. Now that my studies at RIT are drawing to a close, it's time for me to rejoin the work force. I mean, if Jeffrey's not getting a job then it's probably up to me. So today I attended the Digital Rochester job fair. Rather, I mean "we attended". Jeffrey was sent home from daycare yesterday with a low grade fever, and that means he's not allowed back until he's been fever free for 24 hours. While he was busy waiting out his sentence, he rode front seat in a Baby Bjorn at the job fair. "I'm looking for 1.5 full time positions." All the recruiters got a kick out of it. Let's hope that he brings me some luck. There's another career fair at the end of next month at RIT. If I can't land a job between the two of them, then I'm just not trying hard enough.

Song link

Jive Talking

Today is an amazing day, for I have finally learned how to post videos on the blog. Unfortunately, only on wordpress so far.
So...head over to phonemom and checkout Jeffrey in all his video goodness. If you think he looks cute in pictures; he's even better on film.

In other news, Jeffrey got his sixth tooth this week. He is definitively dangerous to get your fingers near. Therefore, he's well on his way to self feeding at least with finger foods. We're still working on spoons and forks. He gets about one mouthful and then he throws the spoon. Jeffrey has an appointment with an occupational therapist on Tuesday to discuss self feeding, drinking from a sippy cup and other developmental milestones. Hopefully she'll be able to help us or tell us that Jeffrey is okay and doesn't need help. Either outcome is alright with me.

The other GIANT update is that Jeffrey sorta said a word. Not for us of course. He only shows off for Miss Monica, his physical therapist. On Tuesday, we were working with sorting toys and Jeffrey dropped a few blocks. This lead to Monica and I saying Uh Oh, several times. Jeffrey was repeating us and he said "Uh Oh!" It was pretty disjointed but still clear. Yay!! I realize that it isn't the greatest utterance of all time but we are so excited that he's started down the track to talking.

Until the next time, don't forget to check out the video and we'll keep you updated.

Song Link: Jive Talking performed by the Soultans and composed by Barry Gibb

Comin' Home

We took the long trip out to Minerva to visit the Meehan clan. It's been a while since everyone had seen Jeffrey and I think everyone was surprised by how much he has grown.
We left from home late in the evening as I was not feeling well. I felt quite dizzy and was extremely nauseous. I ended up taking a muscle relaxant on the way out. Eventually I realized that I had forgotten to take my medication for a few days and these were the side effects. We arrived late at the homestead and went to sleep.
We got up Saturday morning and had a relaxing day with Brian's parents. It's been a long time since it was just us visiting and it was nice to just visit with the 'rents for awhile. We had a low key exchanging of Christmas gifts. Jeffrey played with his new toys and ran around Meme and Poppy's house. For dinner we traveled down to Glens Falls to meet with Kelly, Joe and Victoria at Outback. We had a pleasant dinner and stopped by their apartment after. Jeffrey had fun visiting with his cousin Tory and with Kelly and Joe's dog Spud. Tory is a fabulous child, she's so happy and vibrant. Kelly and Joe seem like they're doing pretty well at home and with Tory.

On Sunday we went to Meme and Poppy Sharrow's house for a birthday party for Jeffrey. Almost all of the cousins, aunts and uncles were there for Jeffrey. He received a ton of great gifts and had fun visiting with all of the family. When it came time for cake he did what we thought he was going to do at his original birthday party. He played in it for a few minutes, dragged his fingers through the icing and then promptly threw the cake on the floor. Luckily there were dogs at this party and Jeffrey was thinking of them. After tossing the cake on the floor, he smeared it through his eyes and hair. Needless to say he got a bath at Meme's house.
After the party I ran over with all the girls to see Dee's wedding dress. The dress was beautiful and I was glad that I was able to be there to see it.

We left late from Meme's house. Brian stayed to help with Meme's computer and just to gab for a bit. We got home late tumbled into bed. The baby slept the whole way home. He's a good sleeper and he travels pretty well. I guess he kinda has to with all the long trips we take.

All in all it was a really nice visit. We got to visit with most of Brian's family and got to relax a little. Everyone was really generous for Jeffrey and we had fun at his party. Thanks everyone! Can't wait to visit again!

Song Link: Comin' Home by Kiss

Bigger Cars

Alright, alright I've been awful about posting over here. I have been quite prolific over at phonemom though. However we do have things to talk about.

First, Brian put up some new pictures but not nearly all of the new pictures. This quarter ends at the end of February, expect tons of new pictures at that time.

Second, did we mention new car seats? Jeffrey purchased (thanks to all who have given him money) two Britax decathalon car seats. Shortly after his birthday we noticed that he wasn't quite fitting into his infant carrier anymore and it was time to upgrade. Since everyone has given him money this past year, we thought it was only right that he pay for them. (The boy needs to learn the value of a dollar sometime). The car seats still need to be rear-facing, until he reaches 20 lbs. Hopefully that will be soon because it would be nice to be able to turn and see him to soothe him.

Lastly, Thank you everyone for the generous gift-giving from Christmas and Jeffrey's birthday. I have been a horrible person and have not sent thank you cards yet. Trust me, they are coming. Thank you.

Song Link: Bigger Cars by The Buzzrats

Bad Medicine

Update: I forgot to let everyone know about Jeffrey's reflux medications. They are history!!Yup, at the last pediatrician appointment, we let her know that we didn't think he needed them anymore and she agreed. Our son is no longer a druggie!

Song Link: Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi

Sickness on the Wind

Well it's been a messy week at the Meehan house. We knew that there was a GI bug going around, but I was hoping it would miss Jeffrey. He wasn't feeling 100% on Friday and then on Saturday, he threw up on his Move and Groove Table. It was so disgusting. Brian had to take it apart and clean out all the little plastic pieces. If he hadn't gotten it clean I think we would have thrown it out. It smelled so bad, it could gag a maggot. (All thanks to my mother for that lovely saying). He seemed to be a little better on Sunday and Monday. He wasn't eating like he normally does but I thought, maybe he's just slowing down.
On Tuesday he went to daycare and fell apart. Poor little guy, he had diarrhea and a fever of 102. He was refusing food and didn't want any milk. Brian brought him home and tried to get him to take some plain pasta and unflavored Pedialyte. After spitting Pedialyte everywhere, I drove to Big M and got him some flavored ones. Luckily, he liked the fruit flavor and polished off five ounces.
Brian took him to the pediatrician on Wednesday and they said we were doing all the right stuff. They said keep him hydrated, let him rest and give him Motrin every six hours and then three hours later start Tylenol every six hours. That way when the Motrin wears off, the Tylenol will be there to keep the fever down. Bri dropped him with me at work so he could go to school and then I took a half day. Little boy and I snuggled on the couch and watched movies. I finally got him to eat some oatmeal in the afternoon and fell asleep in the high chair. I took pictures (of course)!
Thursday his fever was down to 99 and his stomach seemed more settled but we kept him home from school just to be sure. He spent the day with dad and Uncle Kevin, playing at home. His fever was gone completely in the evening and we decided to put him to bed without meds.
Today we sent him to daycare and (so far) I haven't heard from them. Hopefully he's recovered. We're going to visit Brian's family this weekend to celebrate Christmas and Jeffrey's birthday.
Hope everyone else is healthy and hale. Love to you all!
Song Link: Sickness on the Wind by Tor Lundvall & Tony Wakeford

Growing Up

Jeffrey is officially on the charts! He had his one year visit to the pediatrician yesterday and all was well. For the first time his measurements were on the growth chart and not below it. He is 18 lbs 6 oz. (5th percentile for 1 year olds), 28 1/2 inches tall (10th percentile), and has a head circumference of 27 1/2 (15 percentile). Our little guy is growing up!!
In addition to his amazing growth, Jeffrey needed two vaccinations. He received the combination measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox as well as the first of the hepatitis A series. Otherwise Dr. Smith-Burke pronounced Jeffrey healthy and hale.
Later on in the evening Monica dropped by for Jeffrey's physical therapy session. Unfortunately he was in a fussy (and hungry) mood making him quite uncooperative. We are going to continue to work with him on cruising the furniture, drinking from a sippy or a regular cup and working on release skills (releasing toys out of his hands). Monica decided that we are finally ready for the occupational therapist appointment. We got approval for it in September but we waiting for Monica to feel that he was ready.
Link for Song: Growing Up by Peter Gabriel

New Blog

Just a quick note. Momma aka Dani has created her own blawg over at wordpress. Please check it out. I plan on blogging about things other than Jeffery although I'm sure he'll have his own share of stories. Please read! Make me feel cool!! http://phonemom.wordpress.com
Cheers!
Dani

Fergilicious

In case you’ve ever wondered if 30+ people could fit into our humble abode, the answer is an astounding yes! Brian borrowed some chairs from the ambulance, I cleaned up the house, Jeffrey took a two hour nap; we were ready.At two o’clock everyone started showing up and it was a little bit disorganized until everyone settled in. We broke out the wine and started serving drinks and food. Everyone mingled for awhile and I must say we have really fabulous friends. Everyone got along well, the kids played together, and Jeffrey was a spectacular little guy. He was in a wonderful mood, crawling through the crowd, smiling and laughing. We are truly blessed with a pleasant little guy.

After everyone settled in and we finished eating, we decided to open gifts. WOW! Our friends are really generous! Jeffrey received a number of sorting toys, a rocking horse, his first fire truck(!), some beautiful clothing , books, his first xylophone, and … a vibrating rocket ship! It seems that once a child reaches 1, they should definitely be into sorting shapes. Thanks to our guests, he is now very well equipped. He has a new dinosaur to play with and of course some new stuffed animals and handsome clothes. He's even ready to play his first video game... er, Interactive Video Learning System. Everything was a big hit and we’ve been playing with all of our new toys in the days since the party. It was amazing to watch all of the older kids play with toys designed for a one year old.

Once the gifts were opened, it was time for cake. For Jeffrey, instead of a cupcake, I bought a “perfect” cake from Wegmans. It’s a cake designed for one person, and it's about 4" x 6" x 1.5". I figured that Jeffrey would smear some on his face and eat a bit and we would save the rest for later. I completely underestimated my child. He ate the entire cake and did not drop a single crumb. He was all about the sugar! All the other parents in attendance were amazed, to say the least, at Jeffrey’s appetite. Not to mention that he was hungry two hours later and eating stew. As an aside, he did not get sick, did not get fussy, or suffer any ill effects from the cake eating. He simply has a hollow leg.

Thank you everyone that was in attendance for Jeffrey’s one year celebration. As usual the generosity of our friends simply amazes us. We are lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives and we’re proud to have their help and advice as we raise Jeffrey.

Pictures will be forthcoming. Brian is extremely busy with school and knows that you are all anxiously awaiting. For those that couldn't make it, hopefully these pictures will suffice until we get a chance to get together.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

We spent Christmas 2006 at the Sheppard household. It was quite a sight to behold. Brian and I almost drove past my parents house. It had… lights in the windows. Those of you that do not know my parents have no idea how unheard of this is. Normally there is one green light and one red light on either side of the front door. That’s as Christmassy as they get. But this year was different, this year little boy was coming and Mom celebrated by lighting the windows, buying a beautiful new tree and baking cookies.

It was a short holiday, we drove down Friday night and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. Jeffrey is doing better and better in the van. We try to leave at about five in the evening, that way he plays and talks to us for a few hours and then settles down to sleep. As usual with my family, it was a relaxed fare. Dad had to work on Saturday so we just hung around the house and visited with the various relatives that wandered by. Sunday we drove down to visit Uncle Stu. We do our best to stop by and see him whenever we are down. It was Jeffrey’s second meeting and he was quite the sight crawling down the hall of the nursing home. We finished visiting and were off to pick up Aunt Ann from her home and bring her back with us for Christmas. We spent the evening reading to Jeffrey and arguing about when to open gifts. Finally agreeing on opening the gifts to and from my parents on Christmas Eve (after the boy was in bed) and opening the Meehan gifts in the morning. Brian wouldn’t budge about opening his gifts the night before, he didn’t care if it was our tradition or not. The big hit of the night was when my father received his GPS. We’re all hoping he’ll know where he’s going from now on.

Christmas day dawned bright and early the following day and we commenced the opening of Jeffrey’s gifts. He got a ton of books and several CD’s of children’s songs from my parents. Brian and I got Jeffrey a LeapFrog Moove and Groove Table. It plays music and he just loves it! Mom also got him a mat that makes farm animal noises for the back of the seat in the car. When he kicks it, it makes the noise of whatever particular animal. When we drive now, it sounds like we’re being chased by a crazed barnyard. Jeffrey thinks it is hysterical. We like it because it has an off switch. J

Hope everyone else had a fantastic Christmas. Saturday is Jeffrey’s birthday party and I’ll posting news as soon as I can.
Cheers!

Happy Birthday

Jeffrey is one! Yeah!! We all finally made it J Jeffrey's birthday passed with little fanfare. We sang happy birthday to him about fifteen times and I danced like a moron for him, luckily he found it humorous. We gave him his first birthday gift, a Ride to Stride Learning Walker. Jeffrey's physical therapist thinks that it will help him on the road to walking upright. After a relaxing morning at home we went to visit friends Angela and Marc. Brian gave them a demo on the Rainbow and we hung out for a bit. Their kids, Luke and Zoe were a great source of entertainment for Jeffrey. After we visited, Brian and Jeffrey cheered the Red Dog volleyball team to victory as I played my weekly volleyball match. It was a good day, not too much fuss. Lots of friends called to wish our little guy a happy day. The real fun will come next Saturday at his birthday party. We're having people over, cake and Dibella's subs (yum). Kurt and Steph are coming out from Albany (and hopefully Nichole and Tiff too!) Jeffrey will be surrounded by friends and they can help us celebrate our little miracle.

Speaking of miracles, Jeffrey got another birthday buddy yesterday. Victoria Brugger was welcomed into the world by her proud parents yesterday. Check them out at their blog, and see how their doing. It was a little crazy for them as well, but all three appear to be doing well. We especially want to thank them for having her on Jeffrey's birthday, so that we never forget the date! Congrats guys, can't wait to meet your beautiful girl. Jeffrey's getting his flirty smiles all ready for her.

As a side note, I know I've been slacking but I'll post something about Christmas later this week.