Dog Days of Summer

AUGUST

Monday  8/6/12

Ready for Kick-Off

Isaac turned 5 months old (1 month adjusted age) on Saturday.  He is 7 lbs 8 oz and 18.5 inches long, which is about the size I was at birth.  His new accomplishments include army crawls during tummy time, kicking and hitting dangling toys while on his back, learning to hold his head up, and beginning to smile more and more.

Five Months

Yesterday, I was wiping milk off of his mouth with a washcloth and made silly noises while cleaning him.  I was met with a big gummy smile, so I did it again; he smiled again.  We kept up the game for almost a solid minute before he became distracted by something else, but I was thrilled.  It was the first time he smiled as a definite response to stimuli.  He has smiled many times previously, but sporadically, often in his sleep.  It was amazing to witness his beautiful reaction.  We love to see him grow and develop a little more every day.

Featherweight Boxing Champion

Monday 8/27

On August 8th, Isaac rolled over from his belly to his back FOUR times!  We thought that maybe it was a beautiful accident, but the very next day, he rolled over four more times, and I was lucky enough to catch it on video.  He also had an appointment with the pulmonologist that day.  He passed his breathing test, and we're excited to announce that Isaac can beginning weaning off of his oxygen.  We will start with one hour the first day, then increase his time off by an additional hour each day, until he only wears his cannula at night.  Next month, he will get checked again to determine if (fingers crossed), he can come off the oxygen all together.  This means we can take more photos of his cannula-free face.  Get ready for the Mom-arazzi!

By Saturday, the 11th, family visitation restrictions had been lifted, allowing Nana and Poppa (Aaron's parents) to come visit and hold Isaac for the very first time.  They took turns cuddling him, feeding him, and doting on him, just as grandparents should.

We also took the opportunity to get an updated family photo.  We took several, and actually achieved one where we're all looking at the camera.  Go team Engi!

The 15th was a long night.  Isaac's apnea monitor kept giving false alarms, until I finally replaced the lead on his abdomen shortly after 1:00am, then it was smooth sailing.  Unfortunately, by that point, I was so on edge, that I awoke with every noise he made for the rest of the night, making me on sleepy mommy the next day.

On the 17th, we had a big scare.  There's nothing quite like hearing someone trying to break in the front door to get the heart racing. Thankfully it ended up being the old man with dementia next door, but looking out the peep hole, I couldn't tell for sure. The elderly man doesn't speak English and we don't know our neighbors, plus I can't exactly leave the baby unattended, so I called the cops and they showed up THIRTY minutes later while I paced the house with a knife and cell phone. The sweet old man is home safely now, after arguing with his daughter that (I think) he wanted to stay in the chair on our front porch.  Isaac slept through the whole ordeal, thank God, and Otis stayed by my side on high alert through it all. What a day!  

On the 19th,  Isaac discovered the mirror on his play gym for the first time and became mesmerized.

On the 21st,  the news report said that (Tropical Storm) Isaac is getting bigger. Aaron, while playing with Isaac lifts him in the air, "Did you hear that? You're in the news! Isaac's getting bigger!"

August has been an amazing month.  Isaac has been getting bigger, gaining over 2 lbs and growing more than an inch (we will know exactly how much in a couple weeks at his six month check up).  He rolls over every few days now, army crawls all over during tummy time, eats like a champ, pushes his legs to stand up if supported,

greets me every morning with a smile, 

and snuggles with Daddy every night before bed.

Yes indeed, we are blessed.