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.

Grateful

Well 2006 is winding down and we have a lot to be grateful for this year. Jeffrey is truly a gift and I feel so blessed to have him. He’s such a pleasant guy, so full of smiles and giggles. I truly can’t image our life without him anymore. He’s just such an amazing creature. It’s a joy to watch him learn and discover the world around him. In a few short weeks he’ll be a year old. It’s amazing how quickly this year has flown by. I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers this year. I don’t know how we would have made it without everyone’s support.

I wanted to do this for Thanksgiving but somehow the time escaped me. I just wanted to make a list of the important people in my life and thank them, albeit belatedly for helping us make it through this tumultuous year, and also to let everyone else know how great you are. To start with our fabulous friends:

• Marc and Heidi helped us make it through the pregnancy and even letting me crash family events when I had bad days and Brian wasn’t home. They also were a great source of support and knowledge for the NICU, helping us understand all the ins and outs of preemie life.
• Kevin and Kimberly not only brought me Pepsi when it’s all I craved through the pregnancy but helped during the hospital and after when brought our little miracle home.
• Kurt and Steph drove all the way out here too many times to count to give us counsel and friendship and the knowledge that you don’t have to be next door to be great friends. They also continue to let us use them and their home as a way station as we travel for parts unknown.
• Liane has been our master babysitter. Letting us sleep at her house before Jeffrey’s MRI, watching him so we can clean our house, get out to dinner, and consistently making Jeffrey laugh like no one else. She also lets me vent on bad days and doesn’t get mad when we don’t de-cat our house very well.
• Jen and Michael have lent their support online and over the phone throughout the pregnancy and beyond. We wish them luck with their (almost here) peanut and can hopefully continue beta testing parenting techniques for them.
• Alicia came out and spent a week creating Jeffrey’s gorgeous mural and visiting the NICU with us. Thanks to her he has the coolest room in the world. We all wish we had this when we were kids. She has incredible talent and a beautiful heart. Support her art and buy some of her stuff, people!
• Mike and Wendy drove to our place at two in the morning to get us clothing and camera when we found out we’d be having a baby that night. It’s tough to find better friends.
• Adam & Joanne and Angela & Mark, the editors-en-absentia of our parenting guidebook, volume 2.
• Sue, the dispatcher from Hilton Fire Department, made preemie-sized clothes for Jeffrey while he was in the hospital and has been a great source of advice along the way.
• Monica (Jeffrey’s Physical Therapist), Jennifer (Jeffrey’s Vision Therapist) and Michelle (Jeffrey’s Early Intervention Coordinator) for being the closest thing to a manual for “Why did my kid do that?” and “When should we … ?”.
• Al Davis, the former president of RIT who setup the Sarah Patterson/Louise Hall scholarship in honor of his late wife’s sister which has greatly helped us to afford Jeffrey’s childcare expenses.
• My coworkers went out of their way to be accommodating to me during this entire year. They let me pump fifty times a day when Jeffrey was still in the hospital and understood why my mind wasn’t completely on the job. It’s a pleasure to go to work every day with such good people.
• The following people, in no particular order: Fred & Maria, Nichole, Tiffany, “Aunt” Cindy, Kitty, Barbara, the entire staff at Premier Abstract & Title/Gates Ambulance (for keeping Jeffrey entertained while Brian fixed computers!), the blog readers from misc.kids.pregnancy and misc.kids.breastfeeding, Mary, the staff of the Golisano Children’s Hospital NICU, amalah.com (there’s a humor-side to this, after all), Ben & Shipley, Rich & Lisa, Margaret’s House (especially Ana, Julie and Roberta)

A special note to our families:

Thank you so much. Thank you for my showers and for driving out to see us, for listening to our rules about the baby and not getting angry or demanding with us. I wish we were able to see you all more often and that I was able to adequately express my profound joy in having such a giving family. Thank you for the hours you’ve spent with us on the phone assuring us that it would all work out. Mom & Dads Meehan & Sheppard, Meme & Poppy, Grandma & Grandpap Sheppard, Bonnie & Roger all spent countless hours with us in person and in spirit – and sometimes just to remind us to update the blog!

Especially thanks to my mom. She drove back and forth with me daily to the NICU, gave up two months to come and stay with Jeffrey and respected our house and our rules without any complaint. She made me proud to be her daughter and I can only hope that I can be half as good to Jeffrey as she is to me.

I am simply so amazed at the love and care that people poured out for us. Thank you everyone for your generosity (of both gifts and spirit) and if I didn’t mention you specifically it is not because you didn’t touch our lives but because there are too many people to mention. Looking back, this was one of the most heart wrenching and yet fulfilling years of my life. We found our Jeffrey and he is life-affirming and spectacular. We discovered that life can be tough with your family far away, but that friends are the family you pick out yourselves. All in all, I’m looking forward to next year and new memories and more time with our precious little boy. Have a wonderful New Year and may all your wishes come true and your lives be full of blessings.

Danielle (and Brian)

Song Link

Can’t Get Enough

What do you get when you add a half plate of lasagna, a bowl of spaghetti, 2 cheese ravioli, and various croutons and assorted snack foods? If you guessed "a very full little boy", you'd be wrong. But don't be too hard on yourself… we thought the same thing, and yet his mouth opened and he cried for more. If this is a growth spurt, then we're going to need a bigger house!

That was the scene at Meloni's restaurant in Uniontown, PA last Friday night. Grandma & Grandpa Sheppard took us out to dinner with Aunt Ann. Everyone was amazed by our bottomless-pit-in-a-highchair. I, for one, see the silver lining on this cloud of insurmountable grocery bills. As he eats more off my plate, the oversized portions that restaurants give you don't end up going into my belly. Think of it as a sort of baby food diet.

We had a nice time spending Thanksgiving with the family. Folks that hadn't seen Jeffrey in a while were amazed at how much he'd grown, and those that met him for the first time and had only seen his early preemie pictures were very surprised. He's life sized!

And what does this baby, clearly a fussy eater with no appetite, eat for Thanksgiving? 4 slices of turkey, 2 scoops of mashed potatoes, 1 scoop of stuffing, 1 scoop of sweet potatoes, some broccoli & cheese and a slice of pumpkin pie. What's even more amazing was that he kept it all down. All told, it made for some monumental after-Thanksgiving diapers. I guess that's why they call it Black Friday.

Song Link

Teeth

The last 6 weeks of drool has finally paid off. Jeffrey's first two teeth came. We were feeding him and he chomped down on my finger. Imagine my surprise finding two small razor-like protrusions coming out of his lower gums. Danielle was excited too, but hers is more of a mixed emotion. Sure, it's great that he can start to eat more solid food, but he's still nursing and that poses its own set of concerns.

Monica, our physical therapist came to visit along with Jeffrey's Early Intervention service coordinator, Michelle. They met with us to discuss his progress in the program. They were very pleased with his progress, but based on the recommendation from the NICU follow-up clinic, his visits from Monica have been increased from monthly to bi-weekly. That's fine with us, because we really like her and it's like having our own personal user's manual for Jeffrey.

Although every doctor in the world will swear that it's just not true, Jeffrey got his first ear infection to coincide with his shiny new mouth scimitars. We took him to the pediatrician (our awesome pediatrician with late evening and weekend hours, I might add!) and they prescribed amoxicillin. It got better for a bit, but came back en force. He really handled it quite well. At his weight check, Dr. Smith-Burke noticed that he still had an ear infection. She gave him a stronger medicine this time. That was all it took, and 15 days later he was cured.

Now if only the next two top teeth would come in, our son/drool fountain might finally dry up. In the meantime, he's enjoying the many uses of his new pearly whites… tastier table food, crunchy snacks, cats, blocks, my arm… oh, anything that fits in his mouth, really.

Song Title

Splish Splash

It's fun to swim at the Y-M-C-A! Jeffrey started swim classes today at the local YMCA. We were unsure how he was going to react. Over the summer, we took him to Six Flags Darien Lake for the Gates Ambulance picnic and he certainly did not like the kiddie pools there. But in his defense, they were very cold and full of obnoxious children.

Armed with towels, a camera and a bag of swimmie diapers, we ventured forth to the pool where the class was held. At first, he was a little concerned by the water. Thankfully, it was pretty warm. Soon, he was splashing and kicking with the other babies.

As you can see from the picture, it's not really swimming lessons. To my dismay, Jeffrey will not be able to do the 400m Butterfly after this. The whole class consists of parents walking around the pool while singing to the babies as they hold them. Sometimes they get to sit on a floating mat in the middle of the pool – that's when we sing "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed". Sometimes we put the mat on the edge of the pool and "slide" the babies into the pool.

Jeffrey especially likes singing "Pop Goes the Weasel". Mom & Dad have had a tough time, forcefully pushing out the words "Pop pop goes the Weasel, the weasel… pop goes the weasel cause the weasel goes pop" in favor of the more traditional verses. This has posed the toughest time for Danielle, as we're not sure she ever really knew the real words. Her verse sounds like this:

Round and round the mulberry bush,
The monkey chases the weasel.
Something happened, I don't know what,
Pop Goes the Weasel!

We have hope for Jeffrey that he may yet learn the real words to nursery rhymes. After a half-hour, we said good bye to our class instructors and brought him home for a well deserved nap.

Down With the Sickness

It only took Jeffrey 3 days to get kicked out of daycare. He's been having a lot of fun with his friends, squealing, sharing toys and swapping viruses. I received a call from Miss Ana while I was in class to come get Jeffrey, he's got a fever of 102.

Thank goodness we have such an awesome pediatrician. They've got weekday hours until 8PM and weekend hours both Saturday and Sunday. Dr. Smith-Burke took a look at our little boiling boy and told us that his ears look fine. His throat, while it always sounds junky, was clear and there was nothing in his lungs. Therefore, he most likely had some sort of virus and it would be gone on its own in about 6-9 days. Then she shared with us the magic of baby Motrin.

Even though he was sick, Jeffrey was fairly playful the next day. I didn't have any classes until afternoon, so our friend Heidi helped us out by babysitting for Jeffrey. She's a pediatric nurse and she shared with us some advice on keeping him comfortable while he gets better.

By Monday, Jeffrey was ready to go back to school and play with his friends.

Wheels

Jeffrey got a new car this week. More accurately, we got Jeffrey a new car this week. Most accurately, Jeffrey’s parents got a new car in which Jeffrey will actively participate as a passenger.

In the past 8 months (can you believe it’s been that long already?), there’ve been a lot of times I’m amazed that I’m a parent. How can this be?

• I wearing jeans and a t-shirt from Pearl Jam’s “Ten” album.
  
• I play video games.
  
• I still like cartoons.
  

This is the point where my wife reminds me that:

• Pearl Jam released “Ten” in 1991.
  
• I use my Xbox to run emulators for video games systems from the late 80’s.
  
• My favorite cartoons are The Simpsons (c. 1989) and The Transformers (c. 1984)
  

So, if I’m not feeling like a parent all the time, at least I’m feeling old. My wife used to write me love letters. Now she writes me shopping lists. But nothing makes you feel more like a bona fide parent than driving a minivan.

Danielle and I spent the last few weeks researching vehicles. Minivans seemed out of our price range, so we initially looked at a wagon or compact SUV on a lease until I got out of school. The short list included the Chevy HHR, Pontiac Vibe, Saturn Vue and the Subaru Outback. We did test drive a nicely equipped ’06 Kia Sedona (the safest minivan on the road!), but at $27,000 it was unreasonable. But one by one, as we tried to fit Jeffrey’s car seat into the back seat of each vehicle, our options grew slimmer. It wouldn’t even fit in the Vibe and was pretty tight on the HHR. Neither allowed the passenger seat to recline, a must for the long trips to visit our parents. And most wouldn’t allow the car seat to be placed anywhere but the center, which is good for now but bad if another child ever travels with us.

Fortune shined upon us when we found a used ’06 Sedona at a local dealership. It had been a rental car previously and was in great shape. We were so close to buying it until Danielle began to get worried about finances. So I searched online to show what current Sedonas were going for on some auto-sales websites. That’s when I found another one for sale in Victor at Heritage Motors. With only 1100 miles on it, it was practically new! I called the dealer. Dave offered me a fair trade for my ’98 Dodge Neon (118K miles) and that night we drove our new minivan home. I like the comfortable ride and storage. Mom likes the seat recline and numerous cup holders. Jeffrey likes sleeping in it.

We put our first tank of gas in it tonight. That’s going to continue to be a shocker for a former compact coupe driver. We can’t wait to take a trip for visit the family!

I’m proud to be a minivan Dad.

Song Link

Working For The Weekend

These past two weeks have been like a volley of Aunts and Grandparents around here! Everybody just wants to come and visit Jeffrey, and how can you blame them? He gets bigger, longer and cuter everyday!

The first visitors this month were Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Bill. Along for the ride, my sister Kelly and her daughter Tory joined them. The four of them packed into my Mom’s new Toyota Yaris. It was worth them driving all the way out here just to see my Dad packed into that little car! Tory’s grown so much since our last visit, and she’s almost walking on her own now, just using tables and furniture around the room for balance. She’s still got a bit of baby fat to shed – she’s the only 1 year old I know that shops at the Big & Tall baby’s shop. She and Jeffrey played so well together. Tory liked rubbing his head, kissing him and offering him toys. At one point she picked up a coil of Cat 5 Ethernet cable I had laying in the living room, stuck one end in her mouth and offered the other end to Jeffrey. Hey, she’s got the concept down! Social networking?

My parents and I had a good visit together over the long weekend. They were excited to go to our Rochester favorite, the Dinosaur BBQ. Dad helped me around the house with some projects I needed advice on – leaky toilet, kitchen remodeling and a new storm door. In addition to being a firefighter, he’s also got years of experience in electrical, plumbing and carpentry. He and my Mom helped us renovate our family room in our old house, and they also built their own log cabin in the Adirondacks (it’s really nice). Of course, he’s a bit of a workhorse, so it was nice for Dad to have a weekend where he didn’t have to build anything.

Grandma Lelah and Grandpap Jim came up the following weekend. They had some serious drive in them! Their goal was to help us finish off the checklist of things we needed to fix in the house over the summer. In my naivety, I made a checklist of things I thought I could get done being home with the baby over the summer. He sleeps a lot, shouldn’t that afford me plenty of time to get some projects done at home? No, not really, as I learned. He’s pretty all-consuming.

On Sunday we visited the Upstate Watercraft Promotions Jetski race at Charlotte Beach in Rochester. It’s been almost a year since we’ve talked to AJ & Jennifer, the owners. I’ve worked the races as a course marshal for 8 years, and I brought Danielle on the first Summer we dated. This summer, we decided that the racing circuit (as far as Wildwood, NJ) was just too much travel for us with a newborn. So instead we visited and saw all of our old pals, racers and staff alike. Grandma and Grandpap got to see what we did, and learned that (in their eyes) it was just as horrible as they imagined. It’s a labor of love, I suppose.

Monday morning came swiftly. Jim and I started with a trip to Lowes for a new storm door. We re-framed the front door on the porch to fit our purchase, and Lee painted the trim when we were done. While we were banging nails and installing storm doors, Lelah and her sister Marilyn were furiously ripping out the overgrown shrubs and bushes around our yard. It was like the team from “While You Were Out” descended upon our home. The next day, Jim and I installed the trim in the kitchen from the flooring project I started last Summer. We also fixed the concrete steps out back which were wobbly and mis-aligned, cleaned out the garage, chopped up and threw out all the scrap wood in the yard and organized the workshop in the basement. I can actually find my tools now! And of course, what would a visit from Grandma be without her bringing more outfits for Jeffrey that she got “such a good deal on!”?

It’s always sad to see your loved ones go home after a nice visit. It’s doubly tough for us, with our parents living so far away in completely opposite directions from each Rochester. How does retirement near Rochester sound, everyone?

We can’t wait for their next visit!

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Travelin’ Man

Welcome to our first post in quite some time! It’s been a busy summer for Jeffrey & Co. He’s been quite the little traveler. In July we made a trip to visit Grandma & Grandpa Sheppard for an extended weekend. During the trip, we celebrated Great-Grandpa Jack’s 80^th Birthday, and bid “Bon Voyage” to Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Roger who just moved to Colorado for a new job with Seagate. Of course, everyone was excited to meet Jeffrey, as it was the first time he’d traveled to Pittsburgh. In general, he’s a really well-behaved car baby. He made the trip with relatively little fussiness and only one quick stop in Zellienople (not Istanbul) for a snack.

Just before we headed home, Grandma & Grandpap (and Aunt Marilyn) spent the day with us at Ohio Pyle State Park. Danielle and I took advantage of the babysitting to go for a bike ride on the rails-to-trails paths. The 11.6 miles along the scenic Youghiogheny (yak-uh-GAY-nee) river was a new record for the Mrs., and the canopy of trees to shade us from the summer sun while we rode was a nice touch.

On the 31^st of July, Monica (Jeffrey’s physical therapist) visited us and was blown away by his progress. He’s making great strides at sitting up and following objects. We hope that by her next visit, he’ll be able to sit up on his own. The next day was a check-up with Dr. Smith-Burke and our little chunk tipped the scales at 13.8 lbs! She encouraged us to increase his intake of baby food and decrease his dependency on breast milk. As you may remember, we started rice cereal (not so successful) and oatmeal (wildly successful) after the last visit. Since we had no other indications, we kept giving him just the oatmeal… for nearly a month. We now have official word that he can move on to other fruits and veggies. Her recommendations included: breakfast of oatmeal cereal + 1 veggie/fruit; lunch of 1 veggie or fruit; dinner of oatmeal cereal plus puree’d form of whatever we’re eating. Try to include meats, hard cheeses, yogurt or ice cream.

Wasn’t Jeffrey pleased when Kurt & Steph came to visit in August? We all went together to Six Flags Darien Lake as part of the Gates Ambulance annual appreciation picnic. There were many firsts, including his first time in a pool (didn’t enjoy), first Ferris Wheel ride (didn’t care), first Merry-Go-Round (Whoa!) and first ice cream (enjoyed immensely).

After weeks of trying to make a date of it, we finally made it to Mark & Angela’s house for dinner. They’re one of the virtual authors of our imaginary guide to parenting (along with Marc & Heidi and Adam & Joanne). Mark had a fun time playing with Jeffrey on the floor, and their two children, Zöe & Luke, were amazed by his ability to roll over. Luke (5) got rather concerned while Dani was discreetly nursing Jeffrey in the living room. Not understanding the concept of nursing or the relationship between Danielle and I, he informed me, “your baby is eating your Mom’s boob.” Kids say the funniest things!

On August 9^th, we got a visit from the early intervention program’s vision specialist. Her job is to evaluate his visual acuity and determine whether he needs services from early intervention, and what type. Jeanie worked with Jeffrey for nearly an hour, using all manner and sizes of shiny toys and rattles. She told us that most of his vision seemed age-appropriate for his adjusted dates – with the exception of things directly in front of him. Although his MRI in June came back with results that claimed “no PVL” and a clean bill of health, his initial grade II intra-ventricular hemorrhage and subsequent PVL have been shown to lead to Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), she explained. Jeanie recommended a few visits by a teacher of the visually-impaired, just as a safeguard. We should be having our first visit with them in September.

For all of you anxious Grandparents out there... we've posted new pictures!

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This Is How We Do It

After spending this weekend with the family, many people have told us how much they love to see the pictures we post on here every… so often. But they all say that they want to print them. Don’t print them on your inkjet printers! It’s just a waste of money and a way to line HP’s pockets. Instead, use a local grocery or drug store with a digital photo lab or an online picture provider like Kodak Picture Gallery (aka Ofoto), Snapfish, Shutterfly or WalMart. Actually, don’t use Wal-Mart… they print on Fuji paper.

Here’s how to save pictures from our blog and print them at the online.

1. Post a comment in the blog about which picture you’d like printed, so I can re-post it at a higher resolution. In order to save space, I post pictures at 1024 pixels by 768 pixels. That’s not enough resolution to print a nice 4x6. At a minimum, a 4x6 should be printed from a digital image no less than 1200 x 1800 – and the more, the better
   
2. Click the picture you like from the thumbnails to view it large on your screen
   
3. Right click on the picture. Choose “Save Image As…” (Firefox) or “Save Target As” (Internet Explorer).
   
4. Save the picture someplace on your computer, preferably in the My Pictures folder. Make a new folder within My Pictures to facilitate sorting later.
   
5. Repeat steps 1-4 until you’ve got all the pictures you’d like.
   

Now you have all of these digital pictures saved on your computer. What to do with them?

1. Download and install Picasa to manage your photos. Do it now. It’s free and offers very basic, easy to use photo editing and cropping.
   
2. Picasa will automatically find your pictures and display them from your My Pictures folder. You did save them there, right?
   
3. Browse the pictures in Picasa, and click the “Hold” button at the bottom of the screen when you find a picture you’d like printed. Repeat until you’ve located all the picture you want.
   
4. Online or Store?
   
1. Online: Click the Order Prints button. Picasa will give you a choice of Online print providers. Chose anyone that makes you happy. Snapfish, Shutterfly and Kodak Picture Gallery often have coupons for free prints or enlargements.
   
2. Store: Click the Export button, and then click Browse to save them in a convenient location. If you have a removable USB drive or a camera card inserted directly into your computer, that would be a good choice. If not, put them somewhere you’ll remember and then burn the images to a CD-R and take that to your local store to use the Kodak Picture Station. Find one here and try the demo.
   

While you’re at it, if you’re still using Internet Explorer to view this page, consider switching to the Firefox web browser.

That’s all for now. More on Great-Grandpa’s 80^th birthday later this week. I leave you with a cute picture…

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