Growing like a weed...

I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks since my last post about Jarvis. He has grown so much during that time!

He'll be 9 months old in just under a week, so this will probably be his 9 month post...

His biggest development is pulling up to standing. A week and a half ago, he still needed lots of help, although he was trying hard. Now, he pulls to standing on E.VE.RY.THING. Seriously. Everything. The couch, the sides of chairs, the coffee table, his big wooden block toy, his music table, the cubes that hold his toys, the dog's crate, his crib, his pack n' play.

The crib and pack n' play (portable crib) have big the biggest developments. He's now standing, peering over the top of the crib when you come to get him up from a nap. It's adorable. He used to have independent play time in his pack n' play for 30 minutes twice a day. I used to have it in the playroom, and I could still wash dishes, be on the computer, etc without it disturbing him. Once he learned to pull up in his pack n' play, he stands and yells at me over the top of it the entire time. Thus, we have moved independent play time into his crib, which he has handled very well.

Just in the last few days, he has learned to pull to standing on flat surfaces, like a wall or the door to the outside. He loves standing at the back door watching the puppy outside. Really, he loves standing. Period. Loves standing.

He also loves music and dancing... I was trying to post a video below, but it's too big, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NjqzjB0VJM, such a cutie.

He has also been trying to talk with more purpose. He imitates tone and inflection more, and is obviously trying to talk and say things at appropriate moments. He really loves talking.

He understands the sign language for "all done" after eating or changing a diaper. He doesn't sign it himself yet, but if he's fussing and wanting to get out of the high chair, he calms when you sign "all done" and lets you wipe his hands and face and get him out. We are working on "more" and "hungry" and other simple signs.

We've branched out on his toys recently, moving into some "big boy" toys like dump trucks and garbage trucks, and he loves them! He has a peek-a-boo book that makes car, truck, train, and ambulance noises when you raise the correct flaps, and he LOVES lifting the flap, groaning in joy (another new development), putting it back down, then raising it again to hear the noise. I still can't believe he's learned exactly which one (of the 4 flaps) on each page makes a noise.

We started "finger-painting" once a week or so, and he enjoys that. Mostly he enjoys making a mess all over himself, and heading straight to bath time. Speaking of bath time, he has moved out of the "big baby tub" (the blow-up duckie) and is now just taking baths in the bath tub. He loves moving around in the water, splashing, playing with the letters that stick on the tub sides, and the spray of the water from the jet. He even seems to love the water over his face, he licks his lips and tries to drink it as it runs down his face!

Clothing-wise, he's in 9-12 month onesies and shirts, and 12-18mo pants and socks. His big little diaper bum makes all his pants not fit :P He mostly dresses like a big boy now, in pants and shirts, rather than onesies. It makes him look so much older!

I really think he will be cruising any day now (cruising is when they walk along things, holding on, around tables, along the edges of couches, it's early walking). He's very close and lifts his legs and turns, and sits back down after standing with no problem. Walking may still be a few weeks away, but probably not more than a month or two. It looks like we will have an early walker on our hands.

Hmmm, guess that's it for now. I'll add some pictures down here, but check at www.chelseaandjace.shutterfly.com and http://www.youtube.com/user/jace26 for a bunch of recent pictures and videos.

And ummmm... wow does J look like his dad in these pictures!! John, I didn't know you had come for bath time!! :D

Much love,

J, C, & J

In Memory...

Some people have expressed an interest in doing something more, honoring Job in other ways.

You are welcome to do anything that helps you honor the memory of Job and his short, precious life. We appreciate all the thought and love that goes into anything you wish to do. Some people have wanted recommendations.

If you wish to do something, but aren't sure what, we recommend donating to the March of Dimes. Here is their mission statement:

Our mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. We carry out this mission through research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies' lives. March of Dimes researchers, volunteers, educators, outreach workers and advocates work together to give all babies a fighting chance against the threats to their health: prematurity, birth defects, low birthweight.

This is an organization that we support whole-heartedly, and if you wish to give in memory of Job, you are welcomed to.

Here's the link for online giving:

https://www.marchofdimes.com/howtohelp/donation_in_memory.asp

Thank you again for your love and your wishes to honor our sweet boy. We love you all very much

J, C, & J

Update...

Dear family and friends

This update is overdue, but things have obviously been a little busy around here. I want to thank you all for the love and encouragement and prayers. J and I wanted to share the basics of what has happened and will happen directly with each of you. We want to make sure that you know the facts and know that we love each of you.

I was over 20 weeks along on Thursday, September 16^th when we went in for a routine anatomy ultrasound. They were unable to find a heartbeat. They think that Job had been gone just about a week then. I had no bleeding, cramping, or any indication that anything was wrong, and the pregnancy had progressed normally up to that point.

Once a pregnancy nears 20 weeks, they no longer consider it a miscarriage, but a stillbirth. As a result, their suggestion (and our choice) was to schedule an induction of labor and deliver the baby naturally. We went in on Friday afternoon and began induction around 3 pm. Labor was fairly easy and quick, which was a blessing. At 3:35am on Saturday, September 18^th, Job Whitcomb McCown was stillborn.

He weighed 3 oz and was 7.5 inches long. He was very tiny, but an absolutely perfect baby. We got to hold him, get footprints and handprints, take some pictures, and spend some time with him. We have decided not to share the pictures at this point in time as they might be hard for some people, but if you would really like to see, please let us know.

At this time, we still are not sure what a happened. There were no visible issues with Job, the cord, or the placenta, so more tests are being run. We hope to find out the results of those in the next couple of weeks. There is a good chance we will have some idea what happened, but it’s also very possible we will never know.

Job’s namesake is from Job 1: 20-21-

Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said:

“ Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Our sweet Job has been cremated, and is with us right now, but we are still deciding how exactly we would like to handle things. We have not scheduled a memorial service yet, but for now, we are planning that there will be one in Texas, sometime later this year. I’m not sure exactly when, but we will be sure to let you all know.

We are obviously struggling and mourning the loss of our child, but trusting in God’s big plan for our lives. We know that Job is happy, pure, and so loved up in God’s arms right now, and we anxiously anticipate the day when we can meet him. He will always be with us and we will always grieve not getting to know him. He will still always be our Duckie.

We feel so very blessed so have our sweet healthy Jarvis and to have his smiles, giggles, and love in our lives. We are especially thrilled and blessed to have gotten good tests results back and to have Jarvis cleared of any immediate danger from conditions associated with Triphalangeal Thumbs.

We love you all very much and please know you are welcome to call and talk to us anytime. If we don’t feel like talking at the moment or are unable to, we will be sure to tell you and will call you back later, so please do not hesitate.

Once again, we love you all very much,

J, C, and J

Duckie.

Job Whitcomb McCown was stillborn at 335am on Saturday, September 18th. He was 20 weeks gestation. He was baptized and is in his Heavenly Father's loving arms. He was 3oz and 7.5 inches, very tiny but perfect.

Mom is home from the hospital and recovering. We are all grieving the loss of this sweet child, but rejoicing that he is in his eternal glory where there is no pain, suffering, sin, or loss. We look forward to the day when we can meet him.

Job 1:20-21

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Much love

No words.

I don't have much to say right now. Most of you know, but we discovered that our sweet Duckie has passed on, we were no longer able to find a heartbeat. More to come later... but for now, just prayers please.

How very softly
you tiptoed into my world.
Almost silently;
Only a moment you stayed.
But what an imprint
Your footprints have left
On our hearts.
--Author Unknown

We love you all,

J, C, & J

Quack, quack...

Poor Duckie hasn't had a post devoted completely to him/her, so here goes!!

Duckie hit 20 weeks today, halfway through (assuming this one comes on time!) and I am starting to get excited. This pregnancy has gone so much faster since I've been distracted by Duckie's older brother!! I am so excited about the ultrasound on Thursday and finally getting to see this little one!! I have felt Duckie move some, but not as much as I had felt Jarvis by now, think I may just be more distracted!

I am definitely in maternity clothes and have quite the belly. It's funny how you aren't quite as proud of the belly the 2nd time around, because you know how much of it was the 'momma pouch' from the 1st!! I think that's probably why I haven't been taking many belly pictures, but we took one today and I will get it up soon! I have been gaining weight steadily and feeling pretty good. Tired alot, but that's probably just as much Jarvis related as Duckie :D

It is amazing how quickly you forget all the unpleasant things about pregnancy (despite the fact I only had a 3.5 month break :P) My migraines, which plaqued me throughout pregnancy with Jarvis, have returned, and are much worse. Rather than the 2 a week with Jarvis, I get them nearly daily. Caffeine is the only thing that seems to help, but even that is a hit or miss. Overall though, I have very easy pregnancies, and this one is progressing the same.

I have begun plans to create a toddler room for Jarvis so that Duckie can take over the nursery! Since it's gender neutral, it will work either way! Which means all new sewing and furniture will be for Jarvis' room, not Duckie's (which kinda makes me feel bad for the poor baby :( ) There actually is very little that we need for Duckie besides a few more cloth diapers (since I will have 2 in them!!). And although some people don't believe me... we really are NOT finding out Duckie's gender on Thursday, this one will be a surprise too, sorry :D If Duckie is a boy, we really won't need a thing!! If Duckie is a girl, we will have to start a girl wardrobe, but other than that, we would just use what we did for Jarvis!

I am excited about this addition, but a little nervous to see what everyday life will be like. It will definitely change for all of us, and I'm afraid Jarvis has NO IDEA what's gonna hit him!! I can't wait to find out if Jarvis' little playmate will be a brother or sister, it's actually been more tempting to find out this time compared to last time!!

I will be sure to post pictures after Thursday!!

Much love,

J, C, J, & D

Oh, and 7 posts in 14 days... impressed?? I'm trying :D

Bismarck, ND

A slightly bigger Minot... :D

Yesterday we made the 2 hour trek to Bismarck, ND to see a pediatric cardiologist. We left right about nap time and our good little boy took a decent nap on the drive down there! (Only 1.5 hrs instead of the normal 2, but still good!) We got there just in time to eat at SCHLOTZSKY's (which alone makes Bismarck better than Minot!), feed the bit, and head over the doctors.

We got comments all day long about how cute, precious, adorable, and friendly he was! Jarvis is quite the people person and does not mind smiling and flirting at all!

We started off the appointments with an Echocardiogram (ECG) and Jarvis did very well, he enjoyed watching the ultrasound pictures of his heart up on the screen. He was trying to grab the wand sometimes, and he did push out his belly like a little horse when she was trying to lightly press on it to get a better picture! She was thoroughly amused by him.

Then came the part I was most concerned by- the chest x-ray. I have a good friend who is a x-ray tech, and she warned me that they often need little babies to be crying in order to get them to take a deep enough breath. I wasn't too excited about that!! I, obviously, could not go back with them, so J took Jarvis back. He said they actually had Jarvis sitting up against a plate rather than lying down, and just had to hold him arms out. They snapped a few quick pictures and he was done! No fussing, no crying, no nothing. Looks like I worried for nothing, haha! And the entire Radiology waiting room was entertained by Jarvis' attempts at walking!

We then headed up to the cardiologist's office. The wait was rather long, but be did get to weigh and measure Jarvis! He now weighs in at a whopping 19lbs, 9oz and was 27inches long. (I could have sworn he was over 20, he's getting so heavy!!)

We had an Electrocardiogram (EKG) done while waiting in the room, so Jarvis got to have lots of little stickers and probes hanging all over him. This one proved a little more difficult, because we couldn't hold his arms and legs down or else it would interfere with the machine. After a busted attempt with bubbles, Mommy sang 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' and kept him distracted long enough to get the test done.

By this point in time, he was already an hour late for his afternoon nap, and starting to show it. But a little music from Mommy's Iphone and he chilled out for the long wait for the doctor.

First off- the condition the geneticist was concerned about displays the triphalangeal thumbs, some deformation of the radius', and a large hole in the septum of a baby's heart. We had already confirmed that his radii (? each radius? whatever!) were not deformed, so we were feeling pretty certain that the testing was just a precaution. Plus, babies with big holes in their hearts don't grow and develop like he has been!

The doctor confirmed that he does not have a big hole. HOWEVER, he does have a small hole, called Patent Foramen Ovale. When babies are the womb, since they rely only on Mommy's blood for oxygen, they have a small hole in their heart that allows blood to flow back and forth and skip the lungs. In normal babies, this closes up at birth, when the change in blood pressure forces it shut. In about 25% of babies, it does not close right away. Most of them (about 90%) it closes on it's own within the first 2 years of life.

There really are no implications or concerns with this condition, it is a fairly common abnormality. Older patients are at risk for strokes since it allows blood clots through, but that is not a concern until he is much, much older. We will have it checked when he is 5 years old, just to make sure it has closed on it's own. You can find more information here: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/congenital/pfo.aspx

Basically, it was a good day. We have determined that Jarvis does not have the condition we were most concerned about, although he does have another minor heart issue. He held up pretty well, and was a good little trooper despite missing naps and being poked and prodded or stuck in a car seat all day long. He is back to his happy smiling self today, climbing all over the puppy!

For now, at least, the testing is all done on Jarvis, and we can determine that he just has special thumbs, and that they are unrelated to any other issues. Which is such a blessing! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and concerns during this time. We are very thankful to our Lord for the blessings he has given us, and for our sweet, healthy baby boy!

Duckie's ultrasound is Thursday afternoon, I will try to get the pictures up as soon as possible!

Much love,

J, C, J &D

X-rays!

We were able to get copies of Jarvis' x-rays and they are very interesting, so we wanted to share some with you.

The picture below is Jarvis' left hand, and you can see, there are three bones in his thumb. Both of his thumbs look like this. You may note, that in baby hands, there is significantly more cartilage and less bone. That's J's finger down in the bottom and you can clearly see his joints, Jarvis' have not solidified yet. You can see that his wrist is nearly all cartilage.

And oh my goodness, look at all that chub!!

Here's another view from the side.

And just as a point of reference, here's a random x-ray of a normal baby hand.

Interesting to look at for sure!

C

You turn around for one second....

And he's off!! Such a little crawler now :D

Yesterday, while Mommy was at a meeting, Daddy left the bit with all his toys and walked 6 feet to the open kitchen to put away a dirty bowl, and when he turned around, Jarvis had pulled up on a big wooden block toy- he was standing!!!

It's the first time he's done that, and gave Daddy a heart attack... he's growing daily!

Just wanted to share that, and some 8 months old pictures :D

I like to do head stands for some reason....

J, C, J & D

2/3rds of a year!

Well, we are all moved over, and mostly settled in. Still have a few pictures to hang, and the garage needs to be unpacked, but we are all done other than that! Everyone loves the new house, lots more living space, and it's easier to keep the now mobile Jarvis contained!

and on that note... Jarvis is now 8 months old!!

He has mastered crawling for sure, and gets faster everyday!! He loves being able to be mobile and looks absolutely delighted when heading for something fascinating! He easily pushes up to sitting, but has not shown any sign of pulling up yet. He is strong enough to hold his weight on his legs, but doesn't have much balance. He picks his feet up and walks while you hold his hands, he gets the concept!!

He has learned 'yes' and 'no' and nods his whole body yes, and shakes his head no. If he's liking what he's eating, doing, or hearing, you are sure to get a whole body nod. But lay him down to change his diaper, or offer peas, and you will get a head shaking no! It's fun to start the communicating process!!

We still only have the 2 bottom teeth, but with the drooling and hands in mouth, we are expecting another one any time now!

He is still eating like a champ, 4 bottles a day and TONS of solid foods. He now does purees of veggies and fruits, followed by a myriad of finger foods. He eats basically all the veggies and fruits you could think of, the only ones he doesn't really like are peas and tomatoes! Finger food-wise, he eats small pieces of veggies or fruits, whole wheat toast, whole wheat pasta, cheeses, turkey, chicken, and his favorite (seriously) tofu. He has gotten very good at getting those little bites into his mouth, although he still does the entire hand scoop, no pincher grasp yet!

He is currently in the middle of another 'Wonder Week' which are predictable mental developmental leaps. These include fussiness, clinginess, food picky-ness and sleep disruptions, and usually last about a week or two. They aren't terribly pleasant, but always end with a very happy baby, who has learned to perceive the world in a whole new way.

On a good note, we received the results back from Jarvis' blood work, and he has been cleared of the condition in question, which is excellent news!! We will be seeing the cardiologist on Monday to do a thorough check-up of his heart, and will let you know how that goes.

There will be some new pictures up on shutterfly later this week, so check back in!

Duckie is doing well, 19 weeks now. We have a big ultrasound scheduled for next Thursday and will be able to share the first pictures of our next little one!! Be sure to check back for those!

I guess that's it for now! Miss you all!

J, C, J, &D

Crawling, crawling, crawling!!

In the last week, Jarvis has hit a major milestone!! We are now actively crawling on all fours!! It took quite a bit of wriggling and frustration, but every day he gets better and better at it! And every day Mommy's multitasking abilities deteriorate a little more!!

His favorite things to crawl for are puppy toys and any type of technology. The toy spread has started, and we are getting a larger carpet for the play area since our floor is just laminate over concrete, no padding! He's also discovered he can crawl to where the kitten is laying, much to her displeasure!

I have posted several videos on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/jace26, but here's one for you!

We are coming up on another month here, so I will save the rest of his update for next week, but I just had to share about our little crawler!

Much love,

J, C, J &D