Well, the last you heard from us was roughly three and half weeks ago and life was not the easiest. I had gone back to work, Jen was still feeling the effects of the surgery and Jake was wreaking havoc on the night telling the world (mostly just his parents) that he was not going to go quietly into dreamland.
Between then and now we have had halloween, group birthday parties and Grothtoberfest. I have had busy work weeks, Jen has has filled her days at home and Jake has visited the doctor a couple of times. We have all looked as tired as we have felt but have kept smiles on our faces (except for Jakers) because we feel like we are a very lucky family.
The doctors diagnosed Jake with an acid reflux problem that we have tried to medicate off and on with terrible luck the past couple of weeks and finally gave up around four days ago. He would not keep the medicine down and we were sick of watching him try to choke it down and then watch it all come right back up after he ate. So, Jen has held off of any dairy products and we have continued with our schedule and by a miracle, or simple grace, Jake has finally gotten on a schedule that does not include waking us up 5-6 times a night.
Over the last four nights he has slept a minimum of 3 hours at a time with a max out of around 5 and a half hours. The normal (and read that with heavy quotes) is to go to bed around 10 or 11 PM wake up around 3 AM, get some grub then hit the hay until around 6 AM. It is as if heaven has dropped down to terra firma and answered his parent's prayers. I no longer have to confiscate a coffee pot for my workday and Jen isn't at wits end by the time I arrive home.
In our absence from the blog we have still taken pics, many pics, and instead of putting them all up here I have uploaded them to the web to a location I can pass along here. There are lots, some repeats from previous blog entries, but many new ones that I'm sure you will all enjoy!
Take a peek at http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisgrothkopp/JacobRyanPics
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Big Sis and Jake Play Nice
Before we tucked in Alyssa for a good night's rest we popped little Jake down with her to see how the two worked together. After some initial fist-a-cuffs and a brief pitched battle over who was going to get the much sought after stuffed dog, Lap, they settled in to their pillows and decided they could set aside their differences, be satisfied with the stuffed animals nearest them and show mom a little love for the camera...
Monday, October 22, 2007
Back by Popular Demand...Pics of Jake...
People say, "I like reading what you write!" "The writing is soooo good!" Yeah, people, okay, I get it. I'll give you more pictures... jeez.... :)
Friday, October 19, 2007
Oh What a Night
To start this post off I want to give a huge kudos, pat on the back, high five and gold medal to all parents who are reading this blog who have raised multiple young children at the same time. Last night Jen and I had our first night where Jake was not the only kid who needed a little TLC.
For those of you who are just joining the party, it is a known fact that Jake has his days and nights a little mixed up. His favorite time to be up...10 PM to 1 AM. Well, yesterday was no exception. Our little guy took a nap from around 8-10 PM but around 11:15 he perked up compoletely and was looking for some of mom's milk. Normally she would have been right there, ready to take him...however....
Around 10:30 PM we heard a rustling outside our door and with a little creak, our door opened to Alyssa looking very tired and very unhappy. A migraine, or at least a very severe headache, was keeping her up and causing enough discomfort to keep her awake. Jen and I jumped into action (luckily Jake was sleeping and did not need any immediate help), acquired a cold, damp wash cloth, fed her some disgusting (her words) medicine to help ease the pain and then Jen laid with her to help calm her down and allow her to get some shut eye. All of this left me in our bedroom alone with the little one.
His little cherub face looked so calm, and he was nice an quiet....and then....he awoke....
I did everything a dad with no food can do to quiet a baby with healthy lungs and an empty stomach, but in the end I had to wake Jen (who also looked very calm and angelic) to appease Jake's needs. Then, as I have done since we have been back home, I returned to bed to get some shut-eye before work while Jen fulfilled the role of top mom.
It is because of last night that I write this post and say "Wow" for all of our mom's who managed to raise their horde of little ones and not have any of us end up on the wrong side of Corrections...
For those of you who are just joining the party, it is a known fact that Jake has his days and nights a little mixed up. His favorite time to be up...10 PM to 1 AM. Well, yesterday was no exception. Our little guy took a nap from around 8-10 PM but around 11:15 he perked up compoletely and was looking for some of mom's milk. Normally she would have been right there, ready to take him...however....
Around 10:30 PM we heard a rustling outside our door and with a little creak, our door opened to Alyssa looking very tired and very unhappy. A migraine, or at least a very severe headache, was keeping her up and causing enough discomfort to keep her awake. Jen and I jumped into action (luckily Jake was sleeping and did not need any immediate help), acquired a cold, damp wash cloth, fed her some disgusting (her words) medicine to help ease the pain and then Jen laid with her to help calm her down and allow her to get some shut eye. All of this left me in our bedroom alone with the little one.
His little cherub face looked so calm, and he was nice an quiet....and then....he awoke....
I did everything a dad with no food can do to quiet a baby with healthy lungs and an empty stomach, but in the end I had to wake Jen (who also looked very calm and angelic) to appease Jake's needs. Then, as I have done since we have been back home, I returned to bed to get some shut-eye before work while Jen fulfilled the role of top mom.
It is because of last night that I write this post and say "Wow" for all of our mom's who managed to raise their horde of little ones and not have any of us end up on the wrong side of Corrections...
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Daddy Goes Back to Work
Sometimes in life, you just miss the bus, and in the case of paid paternity leave that was the case for this working dad. I was able to take a week of virtually no contact with work (paternity leave) and then a few more days of pseudo-work where I would check in intermittently but really wasn't doing much besides an occasional email and surfing the web with the appearance of work. The bus that I missed, even though I was running for the bus stop, was the month-long paternity leave that Microsoft offers. Why would that matter you may ask? Well, Microsoft purchased our company and has incorported us into their world domination plans...but we don't get their benefits until January at the earliest. I am hoping a well placed call to Microsoft HR and a threat of monopoly charges might get me the retro-active benefits I am looking for... :)
Jen gets the joy of staying home with Jake until the end of January and she has been a trooper about getting up to appease our little guy. I wake up every time he cries and occasionally try to calm him down without any food, but most of the time he is looking for mom and for services that I am unable to render. Knowing all of this, Jen has spared me too many lengthy periods in the middle of the night where I get up and tend to Jake. She has absorbed that hit with grace and I hope is getting her rest during the day while I am at work and Alyssa is at school.
Jake seems to be enjoying what the doctors dubbed "tummy-time" although he almost always spits up milk when he is plopped on his front side. He spends time trying to raise his head looking like a toppled bobble-head doll that someone has bumped while his arms and legs move in spasmodic fits and starts as though he is battling the air in an attempt to move. My goal is to get him crawling by Christmas but Jen seems to think that is unreasonable. I say, set your goals high... :)
Jen gets the joy of staying home with Jake until the end of January and she has been a trooper about getting up to appease our little guy. I wake up every time he cries and occasionally try to calm him down without any food, but most of the time he is looking for mom and for services that I am unable to render. Knowing all of this, Jen has spared me too many lengthy periods in the middle of the night where I get up and tend to Jake. She has absorbed that hit with grace and I hope is getting her rest during the day while I am at work and Alyssa is at school.
Jake seems to be enjoying what the doctors dubbed "tummy-time" although he almost always spits up milk when he is plopped on his front side. He spends time trying to raise his head looking like a toppled bobble-head doll that someone has bumped while his arms and legs move in spasmodic fits and starts as though he is battling the air in an attempt to move. My goal is to get him crawling by Christmas but Jen seems to think that is unreasonable. I say, set your goals high... :)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Getting Out of the House
We don't have many pics from this little endeavor, but since we have all been fairly cooped up for the past week and a half we decided to load up the family 4 x 4 with mom, dad, Alyssa, Jake and the dog and make our way to the local bastion of young, urban professionals...the Marymoor dog park.
With the dog whining in the back of the car, Alyssa singing along to Brad Paisley, Jake making noises similar to that of a squeaky wheel on a hot weel toy and Jen and I smiling at our all-american family in the front seat (2 kids, 1 dog, SUV, country music blaring, suburban home) we rolled down the freeway towards our little slice of heaven.
When we arrived I donned the baby bjorn for the first time since bringing Jake home. For those of you who may be wondering to yourselves, "What the heck is a baby bjorn?", or "Why does Chris have Mr. Borg's kid?", I can clarify for you. No, I do not have the former tennis star's child. What I do have is a harness that I can strap to my chest and support young Jake without having to carry or push him around in his car seat. I have to admit, I only had the bjorn on for about 45 minutes but in that short time I could feel it a bit in my lower back and it made me appreciate even more the strain of carrying a baby for nine months. Way to go ladies, I don't know how you do it...and even more so how you can do it with a smile.
With the dog whining in the back of the car, Alyssa singing along to Brad Paisley, Jake making noises similar to that of a squeaky wheel on a hot weel toy and Jen and I smiling at our all-american family in the front seat (2 kids, 1 dog, SUV, country music blaring, suburban home) we rolled down the freeway towards our little slice of heaven.
When we arrived I donned the baby bjorn for the first time since bringing Jake home. For those of you who may be wondering to yourselves, "What the heck is a baby bjorn?", or "Why does Chris have Mr. Borg's kid?", I can clarify for you. No, I do not have the former tennis star's child. What I do have is a harness that I can strap to my chest and support young Jake without having to carry or push him around in his car seat. I have to admit, I only had the bjorn on for about 45 minutes but in that short time I could feel it a bit in my lower back and it made me appreciate even more the strain of carrying a baby for nine months. Way to go ladies, I don't know how you do it...and even more so how you can do it with a smile.
Baby Zag Fan
Check out the little Zag fan! Thanks to Deanna and Rob for the onesy and Cathy (Nana) for the blanket!!!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Baby's First Doctor Visit
We packed up the family hybrid yesterday for the long trek into lower Northrup to visit Jake's new (read "only") pediatrician for his first check-up. They took us right in and we had to strip down Jake to his birthday suit so they could properly weigh, measure, poke and prod the little guy to see how he is holding up to his new surroundings.
Many of you (and by "you" I mean people who think I am a large man) thought that any offspring I were to produce would have a large head. Perhaps one that could hold $20k in nickels without batting an eye. Well, I am here to tell you that young Jacob's head falls squarely on the average line as he is in the 50th percentile for head size. Head weight I can't speak to (his brain is most likely incredibly dense...that didn't come out right) but the circumference is well within normal limits.
In other measurements, he has returned to his fighting weight of 8 pounds 9 ounces (75th percentile) and we are sure has already rocketed past that number in the last 24 hours. His length is in the 90th percentile and was measured at 21 inches. Rim rattling dunks should only be a few years away at this pace...
Many of you (and by "you" I mean people who think I am a large man) thought that any offspring I were to produce would have a large head. Perhaps one that could hold $20k in nickels without batting an eye. Well, I am here to tell you that young Jacob's head falls squarely on the average line as he is in the 50th percentile for head size. Head weight I can't speak to (his brain is most likely incredibly dense...that didn't come out right) but the circumference is well within normal limits.
In other measurements, he has returned to his fighting weight of 8 pounds 9 ounces (75th percentile) and we are sure has already rocketed past that number in the last 24 hours. His length is in the 90th percentile and was measured at 21 inches. Rim rattling dunks should only be a few years away at this pace...
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Breathtaking Bundle of Beautiful Baby Boy
Based on the title of this post you may think that I am going to fill this text with cute alliterations related to little Jake. However, my brain reached its creative limit with the title so you will have to settle for some standard prose from here on out.
Jake and his fatigued parents have now been home for four wonderful nights. The funny thing is that Jake doesn't realize the difference between day and night and has decided to keep them flip flopped for now. Theories abound as to why this is the case, but theories don't wake up when he yells in the middle of the night so we are disregarding them as academically interesting but unapplicable.
Jen has been a model mother throughout this process as she is the one that Jake is yelling for during the night since daddy can't feed him steaks just yet. Without complaint she rolls out of bed, scoops Jake from his little swing (a god send for keeping him asleep during the intervals between feedings) and rocks him in the nursery until he has had enough to eat.
While we have been home we have been overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of our family and friends who have visited us with prepared meals, groceries, flowers and little gifts for Jake. The assistance has made a huge difference in our first few days back home and has allowed us to relax our concerns from the daily rituals that seem pretty easy when you don't have a 6 day old who needs constant attention and care. We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have such a great support group who all seem to love Jake as much as we do.
Today is Jake's first appointment with his new pedatrician and he will be sure to report back on the poking, prodding and general impression of his new doctor's offices.
The following are more pictures for all to enjoy....
Jake and his fatigued parents have now been home for four wonderful nights. The funny thing is that Jake doesn't realize the difference between day and night and has decided to keep them flip flopped for now. Theories abound as to why this is the case, but theories don't wake up when he yells in the middle of the night so we are disregarding them as academically interesting but unapplicable.
Jen has been a model mother throughout this process as she is the one that Jake is yelling for during the night since daddy can't feed him steaks just yet. Without complaint she rolls out of bed, scoops Jake from his little swing (a god send for keeping him asleep during the intervals between feedings) and rocks him in the nursery until he has had enough to eat.
While we have been home we have been overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of our family and friends who have visited us with prepared meals, groceries, flowers and little gifts for Jake. The assistance has made a huge difference in our first few days back home and has allowed us to relax our concerns from the daily rituals that seem pretty easy when you don't have a 6 day old who needs constant attention and care. We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have such a great support group who all seem to love Jake as much as we do.
Today is Jake's first appointment with his new pedatrician and he will be sure to report back on the poking, prodding and general impression of his new doctor's offices.
The following are more pictures for all to enjoy....
Sunday, October 7, 2007
My First Night at Home
Mom and dad got me home at around 3 PM and I decided to go easy on them and just slept quietly in my car seat. They seemed busy getting resettled after a few nights at the hospital and it looked like they were setting up my nursery to get ready for some action later tonight...and I can tell you right they should make sure the diaper bag is stocked.
We went downstairs once the house was organized we got comfortable on the couch to watch some football and recorded shows. I just kicked back and relaxed and tried to take in my new surroundings. We all fell asleep as a family on the couch, and after a quick nap downstairs decided to move upstairs to the bedroom. Dad brought up my play yard and was getting very frustrated trying to get it to set up. Mom says he is smart but I don't know...
At about midnight Dad has the play yard ready and I had a full tummy and was looking for a bed. I spent a couple of minutes hanging out on my parent's bed with them and then was put in the play yard with my teddy bear for a night's sleep. Mommy got up with me a couple times during the night to feed me and change my diaper and then daddy got up with me at around 5:45 to burp me and keep an eye on me for the rest of the morning. We were both happy that mom got to sleep for a few hours without any interruption. She deserves it!
Well, I will write more later this week. Right now I am tired and this blanket feels really comfortable. I wonder if mom is ready to feed me lunch...
We went downstairs once the house was organized we got comfortable on the couch to watch some football and recorded shows. I just kicked back and relaxed and tried to take in my new surroundings. We all fell asleep as a family on the couch, and after a quick nap downstairs decided to move upstairs to the bedroom. Dad brought up my play yard and was getting very frustrated trying to get it to set up. Mom says he is smart but I don't know...
At about midnight Dad has the play yard ready and I had a full tummy and was looking for a bed. I spent a couple of minutes hanging out on my parent's bed with them and then was put in the play yard with my teddy bear for a night's sleep. Mommy got up with me a couple times during the night to feed me and change my diaper and then daddy got up with me at around 5:45 to burp me and keep an eye on me for the rest of the morning. We were both happy that mom got to sleep for a few hours without any interruption. She deserves it!
Well, I will write more later this week. Right now I am tired and this blanket feels really comfortable. I wonder if mom is ready to feed me lunch...
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Jake Heads Home
At around 2:30 PM today (10/6/2007) we packed up the room, took some final pictures and escaped...uh, I mean were escorted...uh, I mean left the hospital and headed home. Now the fun starts. :)
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