March

Spring is here and we're finally getting out and enjoying the weather! The kids have started their sports; Sydney is playing tennis again this year and Jud has decided to try his hand (or feet) at track. They're on the home stretch until summer with school and are both motivated to do well this semester. Sydney is attending prom in a few weeks so look for pictures. :)

Ruggs bought a new "baby" in March. He's so proud!

Joseph is moving in and out of things so I try to keep a camera handy - I'm not sure when/if he'll keep doing it! He was sucking his thumb for a couple of weeks (it was SUPER cute) and I'm not sure we even got a picture of it! We does still, however, suck on his big toe....

He also started sitting up in his own. At first I would hold him...

Then I sat him between my legs for support...

And now he can sit up on his own for about a minute!

A couple of times a month we have playdates with friends. In the picture above, he's playing with his friend Mason.

We've also started introducing new foods. I'm making all his baby food so everything is O'natural. We started out with cereals and have graduated to bananas, sweet potatoes and avocado. The first time he tries anything he's acts like he may not love it, but so far he hasn't refused to eat anything. His favorite is rice cereal with bananas.

I also read that introducing a sippy cup at 5 months is recommended since they accept things more readily at this age. So, when I feed him in the afternoon I offer the sippy cup with a little diluted pedialyte in it (I figure it's better than juice since it doesn't have any sugar). He loves it! He'll even cry/protest if I don't give it to him when he wants it! He knows exactly what to with it... well, sort of. He hasn't got the hang of tipping it up yet.

He also loves to play with his toys on a blanket on the floor. He's mastered rolling over from tummy to back and is now working on back to tummy!

We also got him a new ducky tub. It gives him more of a playful independent tubby time than laying on his back. We only do this a few times a week since it's not really conducive to washing, but it's a lot of fun for him!

He also got his first pair of shoes last month. Where to do they go?? Directly in the mouth!

He got a Sofie last month (after many shopping trips of me showing self control) and he LOVES it. It's really worth it.

He also got his first cold last month. We made it through ok and he was actually pretty mild through it all. The Dr prescribed him Amoxicillin and we finished that last Monday.

Wednesday, he developed hives. Since it pretty unlikely he's allergic to Avocado (the new food introduced to him that day), I'm betting he's allergic to Penicillin like Syd. :(  It comes and goes on different parts of his body and it doesn't really seem to bother him. He also doesn't have any other symptoms but it can look nasty! If it persists through the weekend I'll be taking him to the Dr. on Monday.

We're also taking him tomorrow to have his "6 month pictures" done. Yes, he's actually only 5 1/2 months and I was originally going to take him to visit the Easter Bunny at Flatirons, but I found a GREAT deal at Portrait Innovations. So be ready for wallets of JT's Easter pictures! :)

February 2011

Though February has less days than other months it seemed like a long month! As a family, we really don't have a lot to report. Ruggs & I found a great Mexican restaurant (Si Senor) close to home Valentine's Day weekend. We're addicted to the delicious food and giant Margaritas! Sydney registered for her Senior year (3 AP classes), went job hunting for her first job and started spring tennis. Jud registered for this freshman year! He'll be continuing to take band and Spanish next year. Otherwise, a pretty uneventful month for the older people in the household. Joseph is of course changing on a daily/weekly basis! Here's lots of new stuff to share...

We started giving him a little rice cereal a few times a week.

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We went swimming for the first time! He likes to kick his feet around in the water.

 He got an exersaucer (after seeing how much he liked playing with one at a friend's house) and it helps keeps him entertained while I make dinner.

He likes to play "baby fly"! This is when we first discovered how to make him giggle!

He still loves to listen to Dad play his guitar.

He's starting to love tummy time and will scoot around in a circle!

He has lots of friends to play with! 

(Sadly, he gets tired of each and everyone at some point during the day.)

I act ridiculous on a daily basis to get him to laugh! (It's so darn cute!) In this video I'm bobbing my head around like crazy and he thinks it's funny...

He likes the "Baby in the Mirror". They say babies can't recognize themselves until they're much older, but he doesn't act this way when he sees his friends at Stroller Class or New Moms Group. He smiles at them, but he doesn't flirt like this!

Joe also LOVES to read books! Sometimes he "reads" to me...

He's growing so fast! He'll be 5 months in a couple of weeks. Time flies when you're having fun!!

January 2011

Joseph will be 4 months old in 2 weeks and January was full of exciting developments for him!

He began sleeping in his crib at night on Ruggs' birthday (not planned). He had been napping in his crib and he decided he'd move into an earlier bedtime (between 7-8pm) that night so he just stayed there! He's been there at night every since. We have good nights (where he goes to sleep between 7-8pm and then wakes up at 12/1am and 4/5am and then it up for the day between 7-8am) ... and we have bad nights (where I'm up every hour or two). He's now sleeping with a lovey and he LOVES it. I think he likes it because it's snugly and easy to hold onto.

We're still working on napping. He's moving himself into an older baby nap time of having 3 longer naps per day rather than sleeping every 2 hours. Most of his naps are 30-40 mins. We've tried extending them by taking him on car rides, holding him, putting him outside the bathroom in his carseat with the shower running (see pic below - nice so I can shower after Stroller Class!!) and a variety of other techniques, but they're all hit or miss in getting him to sleep longer.

We went on our first walk outside in the carrier last month! It was finally sunny, but it was also windy so we wore a hat.

He also had his first trip to the mountains! We took a little trip to Breckenridge to see the Int'l Ice Sculpting Championship. Thankfully it was a balmy 40 degrees up there that day! We did have to put him in his bunting suit (super cute) and buy him a pair of sunglasses.

He's grabbing things with both hands. He concentrates very hard when he's moving for something and gets an adorable determined look on his face.

He like to sit upright! He can even sit in his Bumbo assisted for short periods of time.

He's not a fan of tummy time, but I try to have him do it a few minutes each day. He's not rolling over consistently, but he does on occasion.

A video of tummy time!

He's sucking on his hands and fingers. His pointer and middle finger are his favorite to stick on his mouth. Of course he loves to put EVERYTHING in his mouth now!!

He's started grabbing his feet. If he does this multiple times while on a blanket on the floor he'll spin counter-clockwise all the way around!

He still loves bath time! We do it every night as part of our bedtime routine.

---------------------------------------other updates---------------------------------------
Ruggs had his 40th birthday in January. We celebrated on his birth date by having a nice dinner at home with the kids. The following Friday, we rented out a room at a local restaurant and had friends and family join us for food and drinks. I think he has a pretty good birthday!

Darren is attending Front Range and seems to be doing pretty well! We're very proud of him for getting back in school! :) He also has a girlfriend named Julia who we've been able to spend some time with over the holidays. She's a sweet girl and seems to be good for D.

Sydney is in the second semester of her junior year and is starting to have to seriously consider colleges. She's planning on staying in-state, but is still turmoiling over which school to attend and which degree to get. She also has to register for next year in the next few days. Being the over achiever she is, she wants to take 3 AP classes next year! Ruggs and I are discouraging it because we want her to be able to enjoy her senior year and balance school with work.We'll see what she finally decides to do.

Jud is wrapping up his 8th grade year and will be attending a Legacy High School preview night next week! It's hard to believe little Jud will be in high school next year! Jud participated in a spelling bee last month. He didn't get very far, but we were proud that he was chosen to participate.

I'm still going to Stroller Class 3 days a week with J.T. and I'm thinking of going to a Baby & Me Water Aerobics class in a couple of weeks when Joseph is old enough to swim. I'm definitely in the full swing with baby and love waking up every morning to his smiling face and rocking him to sleep every night. We're super in love with each other! I've also put together a New Mom's Group. We met for the first time in January and are having our next meeting next weekend. It seems like a long time since I've seen my new mom friends and I'm looking forward to it! Now that we have a night-time schedule I'm ready for a part time work I can do from home. Still searching for something that will fill the need... hopefully a door will open this month.

Christmas at the Kochevar's

Christmas came and went and we're now staring down the barrel of 2011! We had a wonderful holiday! Ruggs took a couple of weeks off from work and we all got some great loot. It seems the last month or so we've been busy, busy until a couple of days ago and we finally had a couple of days to relax. It was a welcome change of pace!

Christmas morning at our house.

 

Darren, Syd and Jud @ Grandma Shirley's on Christmas Day.

J.T. and his new rocking horse.

 

Sydney with her new slippers. 

 

Jud with his new Xbox.

 Darren with his new jacket.

---------- Baby J.T. update -----------

 Joseph on Christmas Day 12.25.10

J.T. is changing weekly. I think he's actually getting cuter every day (if that's possible). He's very interactive and alert. He loves our daily conversations, playtime, and tubby time. He's learning to grasp things with his hands. He's become very interested in learning about what he's touching.  He'll grab hold of his own hands and pull with one hand and tug with the other (Like he's trying to get away from himself). It's hilarious.

He got a play mat for Christmas and loves to look at the lights!

He also had his first round of vaccinations on Monday and did pretty well. He didn't cry long, but had two very sore legs and a little temperature afterward. When we got home from the Dr's office I held him while he napped since he wasn't feeling well. While he was sleeping he was dreaming of what we had done that day. He was smiling and making silly faces (as he sometimes does when he sleeps). Then, he started going WAAAAAA, WAAAAAA, WAAAAAAA... but it was in a whisper. It was SO adorable. I wish I would've had the camera handy to video it. I felt bad for him, but he is doing just fine now.

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My New Years Resolution is to get in better shape than I was before I had Joseph. I'm going start going to a stroller-exercise class on Monday. It's an hour 3 days a week. I have a friend who already went once and she said she was sore! Hopefully it'll be the solution to my workout-with-baby dilemma. Now that J.T. is napping better, I'm also looking at ways to work from home doing more than freelance graphic design. I'm excited to see what 2011 brings!

We made it 6 weeks!

It took some adjusting, but were finally settling in! Joseph will be 7 weeks this Tuesday and it's been an exciting 6 weeks in our family! ...

We had family pictures taken. Here's a preview. We're still waiting on the rest of the photos...

Sydney turned 16 November 28. She was excited to get a Tulo jersey! She also got her license on December 1st and is officially on the road by herself!

Jud got glasses! We had his eyes tested a few years ago, but he was complaining of not being able to see far away. He looks pretty dapper!

JT LOVES Tubby time! (Careful there's baby boy parts in this video!) ...

He smiles and talks to us...

He's also starting to sleep a little longer so we get 3-5 hours of sleep at a time now! We don't really have a schedule down yet, but he recognizes night time as a time for sleeping. He'll stay in night time-mode for up to 12 hours. He still has a lot of gas, but it seems to be getting better. Laying on his tummy helps when it's keeping him from sleeping. He also likes the Christmas lights! We'll have lots of fun video and picture of the kids to come for Christmas....

Baby-Time Vortex

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It's been almost 3 weeks since Joseph was born and it's been a whirl wind! We've been in a "Baby-Time Vortex" where time just seems to slip away. Our days are spent holding, kissing, feeding and changing diapers. We've had lots of visitors and are now trying to establish a schedule of some kind (which is currently dictated by JT, not us). I will try to keep up the blog as much as I can, but I'm afraid that my days of being organized and always on top my to-do list are numbered. 

I wish I would've had the time to sit down and journal about my labor and delivery because it's slipping away from me. At the time, I remembering saying that I could've broken both my legs and it would've been less painful. Now, it doesn't seem all that bad. It's easy to see how women so easily forget after a few months... especially when you have such a wonderful gift afterward.

JT's birth was such an intense experience. There's no anyone could've prepared me! My water broke at 2am on Tuesday morning, we arrived at the hospital at 2pm Tuesday afternoon and Joseph was born at 9:34pm. At first the contractions were painful, but no more so than an intestinal cramp. After we arrived at the hospital they became much more intense. I dealt with each contraction by counting (it made me feel like I had some control). I counted each and every second of my contractions for 20 hours and when it was over I couldn't stop counting. I counted when I ate, slept... anytime I was focused on doing something for about 24 hours after he was born. I felt really silly each time I caught myself doing it.

I successfully had a natural birth, but almost gave up near the end and asked for medication. Thankfully Ruggs was able to keep me on track. Ruggs was such a big part of the labor and delivery. I literally wouldn't have been able to do it without him. He helped me change positions frequently and gave me drink or a cold wash cloth or O2 when I needed it. I'd never felt so simultaneously out of control and oddly in control at the same time. I knew what I had learned in class, but my body was really in charge and I was just along for the ride. :)

When we finally saw our little guy it was love at first sight. It's amazing! We're both infatuated with him and every noise or face he makes. I cherish each day because I know he'll only be that old 1 day. Each day I tell him, "Welcome to Day X" (today would be 19). When I was pregnant I told myself, "Be sure to tell him you love him everyday." It's hard not to tell him I love him 100 times a day! Funny how a baby changes you. I knew it would, but I it's better than I'd dreamed.