Whitmen Family Blog

Ripley's Aquarium (Myrtle Beach, SC)

2012-02-04T14:18:00.001-05:00

Wow its been 3 months

2012-01-25T09:18:00.011-05:00

Most, if not all of you, may have thought that I have decided to no longer blog about our family but that is not the case. With all of the holidays, moving and our busy schedule I have neglected to keep up with blogging, so I will try to get you all up to speed with what has been going on since Halloween...yikes!
This year was the first time we got him dressed for Halloween (he was a dinosaur) and he loved going from house to house and instead of saying "trick or treat" he would say "i need more"...he didn't want us to hold his hand or his treat bag he wanted to do it all himself. Just a few short weeks later was Thanksgiving which we celebrated as a family I made the whole deal from appetizers to dessert and Don and myself enjoyed the yummy food while Jacob wanted to only eat cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. As for Christmas we opted out a tree because of the move and being so busy but we still all enjoyed ourselves. Jacob had such great fun opening the gifts this year since he was a little older and we look forward to this next year to create more Xmas memories. Currently, we are settling in the new house...which is so great...we have so much more space for ourselves and visitors (hint to all of you reading). Isabella is also enjoying the bigger living area. For the first time I had Jacob help me make brownies in our new kitchen and he had so much fun I can't wait for us to cook together again.
Jacob is talking in sentences now so it is much easier to communicate with him he is also in big boy underwear!!!! Woohoo :) He is using a diaper/pull up only at nap and nighttime. He also is in a big boy bed..no more crib! He has fallen out only once but luckily it is only a few inches off of the floor so he remained asleep when this happened. I feel like in the last few weeks he really has grown up and he adjusts to change so well and we are so thankful for that. I almost forgot to mention...NO MORE PACIFIER for him as well. Christmas night we decided to take it away. I kept saying by the end of 2011 we need to let the pacifier go and we stuck to that agreement so I cut the tip of the pacifier with scissors and handed to Jacob he put it in his mouth and quickly took it out, looked at it, and we told him "it's broken". I thought it would be traumatic but he cried a little bit but didn't want the broken one and we were determined to stick to the agreement and not give it and IT WORKED. Since it was now broken I told him it needed to go in the trash and asked if he would like to throw it away and he said yes so he threw it in there and the rest is history! If you ask him now what happened to his pacifier he will tell you " it's in the trash". We are so proud of him and we are having so much fun with him at this age. At times it can be a little challenging but very rewarding seeing how he is thriving. We love him and are so thankful for our healthy boy.

More pumpkin patch photos

2011-10-28T15:02:00.000-04:00

He's 2!!

2011-10-24T15:12:00.005-04:00

Well can't believe I am writing this but Jacob is now 2! It's crazy how quickly the past 2 year have gone by. We have enjoyed every moment of being parents and feel so thankful and lucky to have such a happy and healthy family. This past Friday I took Jacob for his 2 year old well check and he is officially 30 lbs and 36 inches. He is now putting 2-3 words together and doing so well using the potty. He has transitioned to the young 2's classroom at school and has adjusted well but can be a little rough with his peer's at times (the only downside of daycare, I think, is seeing the way other children act and then reciprocating the same actions) but they use timeouts as do we so hopefully this behavior is short lived. He really is for the most part a sweet boy who loves reading, outside play, puzzles, drawing and playing with Lego's.
This past weekend we went to the pumpkin patch and picked out a pumpkin to carve and Jacob also enjoyed the hay ride, feeding the goats and the jump house. We are looking forward to going Trick or Treating next week for the first time with him.
Don just got back from a 2 week long training course at a welding institute in Ohio in which he was being prepared to become a Certified Welding Instructor and he passed his certification with flying colors. This is such an accomplishment since he has been only in this field for a little over 3 years and they normally do not encourage individuals to attempt this until they have worked in this line of work for at least a minimum of 5 years.
For myself I am just getting over having Strep throat and I am feeling much better than the previous 2 days and I also am taking a cake decorating class with a friend from work. We are having so much fun and I am looking forward to taking the next 2 courses sometime early next year.

The latest

2011-09-03T13:26:00.008-04:00

It has really been forever since I have taken the time to update the blog. All is well with the 3 of us :) We have been extremely busy, more so than usual but enjoying as much of the remainder of summer as possible. We are more than ready for fall since it is truly the best time of the year here for weather.
Jacob is doing really great and is really starting to speak many of his words much clearer. I have lost count on the number of words he is speaking (too many!) but he finally says his name when you ask him, for so long he kept telling us his name was Nana. He also knows all the kids name's in his class at daycare. School has been back here for the last few weeks and he really enjoys seeing all the buses when I take him to daycare. He really is loving when we read to him, doing puzzles, stacking blocks and Lego's, throwing and kicking a ball and coloring (as you can see he can create quite the masterpiece!). He loves to be outside so we can't wait for the cooler weather headed our way soon to be out there more often. Temp's are still in the 90's but it wont be long :)!!
I cannot believe it but Jacob will be 2 next month, crazy how time flies, I say it all the time but it seems to go faster once you have a child. Hopefully soon we will try harder with potty training he has used the potty about a dozen times but nothing consistant, he is still young but I think he will pick up on it sooner than later or at least I hope.

Growing Up!

2011-06-16T13:14:00.008-04:00

As all or most of you already know Jacob has broken his collarbone. We are hoping it is healing but I'm not confident that it is where it's supposed to be. On the positive side he is talking so much, a lot of which is babbling but he is learning new words every few days. We are having a great time teaching him and taking him on new adventures.
He is still as sweet as ever, we are always getting compliments from strangers and from his teachers at school that he is well mannered, listens and is great at sharing. We are trying to slowly work on him with potty training, he has used the potty once (may 18th) and he likes to sit on it, so we will continue to work with him. His eating has slowed down and he definitely refuses a lot of foods that he loved just a few weeks ago. Mostly veggies and meats are the struggle right now which I expected to happen so we do our best and hope that it will change soon.
As you can see from the video he has learned many animal sounds and he also is able to point out most of his body parts (nose, mouth, eyes, ears, teeth, tongue, leg, arm, foot, head, belly button). We are working on teaching him his ABC's and colors. He LOVES his new room at school, they moved him up to the toddler room now he goes outside 2 times a day to play and get exercise. They follow a daily schedule which includes art/project time, reading, "circle time", and free play. They have the children sleeping on cots for nap time :)
We plan to go to the pool this weekend and will celebrate father's day, love to you all. Can't wait to see most of you soon.

19 months!

2011-05-22T21:42:00.000-04:00

Its been a super busy last few weeks. Jacob has had pink eye and quite the reaction to his last DTap vaccine among other things. Currently we are all healthy and doing well. Jacob is now 19 months and getting into everything. His favorite place to be is in the kitchen, pulling out all sorts of items from the cabinets and drawers. He is in the 90%tile for height: 33 inches as of a few weeks ago and 75% tile for weight: 28 (heavy) lbs.
He just had his first dental appointment when Nana was here. He has all but 4 molars that need to come in. We really enjoyed the visit from Nana, we went shopping, to the park, saw the "oldest Oak tree in the world", and strawberry picking. We were able to catch up and spend quality time together which we miss so much being so far from family.
At this point, I have lost track of how many words Jacob is speaking, so needless to say he is soaking up a lot. One of my favorite words he says is "Bellwa" for Isabella our kitty and I love his attempt at "I love you" it's really sweet.
He still is super sweet, he loves to hug and kiss, but at the same time can test limits, which at times is challenging. He still is super tough and all boy... he loves to climb and stand in places that are not the safest but doesn't quite get why he is not allowed to do those things.
As for Don and myself we are doing well, Don, is as usual working a lot and studying for his work cerifications.

17th Month Update

2011-04-05T10:36:00.004-04:00

Things have been super busy around our house with work and keeping up with Jacob. He is doing really well, speaking better each week and picking up more words. He is super sweet and well behaved (most of the time). He makes sure to sign for please and say thank you. He can be shy but is also very friendly. He waves to everyone and is so excited to get up in the morning once you open his door to his room he is repeatedly saying "Hi". It is a really sweet age. Unfortunately though, the temper tantrums have begun...I knew it was only a matter of time, but it comes with age, so we work through them. Jacob is still eating really well, which is no surprise to us, he eats too well in my opinion. We have to stop him or he would eat until he is blue in the face. He is learning how to use a spoon when eating which helps slow him down a little, the fork is next on our list. He's having fun building with Lego's and stacking blocks and rings. We are waiting for him to get more interested in puzzles and reading.
In case you haven't heard we are making a trip to MI in August and I cannot wait! It will be Jacob's first plane ride (should be interesting) but we decided the 13 hr car ride would be a lot rougher for all of us.

Hello from Jacob

2011-03-07T19:38:00.005-05:00

Over the past few days I have written down the words Jacob is saying and he is picking up more and more daily. Here is a list of them (so I don't forget): diaper, bubbles, nana (for you mom and for banana), Dada, thank you, ball, bye-bye, nite-nite, baby, mama, book, daddy, papa, i love you, thank you, purple, more, hi, cup and star. It's so exciting to hear him sound out words and pick up words well. Here is a little video he put together for some (not all) of you that are frequent readers here at our blog.

Cuteness!

2011-02-15T20:41:00.003-05:00

Just thought I would show some cute videos of Jacob saying a few words. He has picked up quite a lot of words just in the past few days...diaper, cup, star, thank you the video shows some of those :)

What's been happening?

2011-01-31T09:47:00.006-05:00

I know it has been almost 2 months since I updated everyone on what our family has been doing, I kept telling myself I needed to be better at posting but I have yet to follow through...but here is the latest with our family.
We have been having so much fun with Jacob, he has developed quite the personality...just acting like a complete goof ball sometimes. Needless to say we laugh often at the things he does. Yesterday he was (almost) running back and forth in the living room covering one eye with his hand while we proceeded to say "where is Jacob", he will put almost anything on his head, including a large plastic drum and crate and will run through the room cracking up at himself. He also
likes to put socks on his hands and make sock puppet gestures.
He is also learning some of his body parts, if we ask him where his head, eyes, ears, nose and belly are located he is able to identify them. He has started as of this week signing for please and it melts my heart everytime he does it. He loves to be outside, read books and enjoys playing with blocks. He is a busy boy.
He has just starting going to a daycare facility and has transitioned well considering he was in a home daycare with only 2 other children and now is with 11 other children. So far so good....his teachers are all very nice and we look forward to him learning a great deal being in a more structured environment.
Lastly, we just enjoyed a quick little visit from Nana and Grandpa. They were able to spend some time watching Jacob and also we were able to take a visit to the aquarium in Charleston which Jacob absolutly LOVED. We really enjoy spending time with family since it isn't often that we can.

The latest...

2010-12-07T21:41:00.006-05:00

Since the last posting Jacob starting walking! He's into everything now. He just got over a week long illness that I felt like was never going to end. He had it all and lost some weight in the process but is now back on track. He now says ball (very clearly I might add), kitty and book (we understand him but most wouldn't),Mama, Dada, Nana, and the latest bish (for fish) He has cut two top molars and handled it well because we had no idea until I was brushing his teeth and the angle I was at I was able to catch a glimpse. He is starting to sit still longer to listen to us read to him and throws almost everything. He hasn't grasped the concept that we can throw a ball but not books/toy cars/mega blocks, so we are working on that. He started using the signs for hot and eat amongst the others that he uses so well.
We had a wonderful thanksgiving (just the three of us), we missed everyone, of course, but did our best to make it feel as traditional as possible. I made everything from scratch and we enjoyed some outside time since it was really mild. This weekend we plan to get a tree and decorate for Christmas, should be interesting, since Jacob finds it entertaining and fun to play with everything but toys. Hopefully it stays upright...I'll post pictures of the tree once it's up!

One year old! :)

2010-10-24T16:19:00.003-04:00

So as most, if not all of you, know Jacob turned one year old on the 15th, we cannot believe it, the year flew by. I made him his very own birthday cake, which we really enjoyed watching him make a huge mess with the cake. He had a ton of fun demolishing it. I took him to make a plate at a pottery shop not far from here and was able to get his 1 yr old handprints. Last saturday, we took him to get his very first hair cut. He really looks like a big boy now, it is amazing how something so little made a big difference in his appearance. He has now mastered the sign for "more" (in sign language). He has 8 teeth and is taking steps. You can tell he really wants to walk, but still is not completely 100% with mastering the task, it won't be long though. Other than that we are busy as usual, enjoy the pics I have posted.

Latest Accomplishments

2010-10-08T11:16:00.010-04:00

I wanted to update everyone about new things Jacob has learned. He is developing more of a personality each day. The latest that he has learned is to shake his head yes and no. He is becoming aware of what he is not supposed to be touching (for safety reasons) and will start to shake his head no when he is getting close to the object(s) that are off limits for him. He is able to sign for milk and all done and we are teaching many other signs so he is able to better communicate with us. He loves to dance whenever music is on and he has a play cell phone and will put it up to his ear and start babbling like he is talking to someone. He also can throw a ball so I think we have a future athlete on our hands! He now has 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on the bottom)and one more cutting through on the bottom. FINALLY Jacob said "Mama" (Oct 4th), I can't tell you how hearing him say this was such an amazing moment. It seems just as I stopped pushing him to say it he then said it and now he won't stop saying it! Don and I are super busy these days, he is pulling 12 hour days and working weekends if they need him, so never a dull moment for us. As most of you know, in just about a week Jacob will be turning 1 yr old, it's a little sad (a happy sad) feeling for me. I just cannot believe how quickly a year has passed. One year ago we were waiting for our little boy to meet us and here he is today, talking, signing, crawling and learning so many new things before we know it he will be starting school!
We really enjoyed Nana and Grandpa's visit last week. The weather finally started to cooperate toward the middle of the week and we enjoyed going to the Zoo in Columbia. Jacob also got a walker from Nana and Grandpa and has been making his way back and forth in the living room.

Updates!!

2010-08-23T10:23:00.025-04:00

Okay so I know I have said this before but so much has happened in the past (almost) 2 months since I last updated everyone and I am sorry for the length of time in between posts, we have been busier than ever. So about one week after we got home from a well needed vacation in July (to Michigan) Jacob started crawling. He was "crawling" but didn't have his tummy off of the floor, he was throwing his whole body forward. Now he is an expert at it and gets around so quickly. Not only that but he pulls himself to a standing position on everything. We have put up a gate so that he can no longer make his way into the kitchen (for safety purposes). He also is waving, it's so adorable, when we are on our way out the door he waves or when we say we are going to go bye-bye he then proceeds to wave.
The latest milestone is that Jacob can feed himself soft foods. On the 4th of this month he started picking up food with his pointer finger and thumb and putting it in his mouth. I was so excited for him but this brings much more safety concerns because now every little speck (food or not) he comes across works its way to his mouth. So needless to say we have to watch him like a hawk. The nice thing about it is that he can eat more of a variety of foods. He absolutely LOVES cheese this is probably his favorite food at this point. As a result, it's the last thing we put on his tray at meals because that is all he will go for once he sees it. We have not found any food that he doesn't like which is great. Soft foods that he eats include sweet potatoes, avocado, cantalope, whole wheat toast, pears, bananas, mangos, peas, black beans, scrambled egg yolks, and green beans.
He still has yet to say mama...I am waiting patiently, every time I say mama to him he replies back dada.
We are having a blast with him, it's so exciting and fun at this age. I think back almost daily to the day he was born and how fragile he was, it seems like just yesterday. I guess you don't really realize how quickly kids grow up until you have children of your own, it amazes me each and everyday and we are so thankful for a happy and healthy child.

Teeth, crawling and more

2010-07-08T11:48:00.007-04:00

We're back! I know I have neglected to post the latest with our family but I have a little extra time and thought we would share with you what has been happening the last month since our post. Well Jacob has two bottom teeth that have poked through. June 11th was the first I had seen and felt the teeth, he did so well with cutting these first teeth that we had no idea. I was giving him his bath and wiping his gums as usual and had felt that they were coming though so no more toothless grin for him.

He can now crawl, if you want to call it that, he gets on all fours and throws his whole body forward and gets from place to place this way. He also just started on June 26th (about 8.5 months old) being able to go from laying down to a sitting up position all by himself. So he is getting quite strong. We have now found Jacob in the morning and at nap time able to sit up and turn on and hold onto the animals that hang from his mobile so we have since moved his mattress to a lower setting so the mobile can stay for a little longer. This was discovered when on the monitor when we heard a constant clicking noise (due to him holding on and not letting the mobile spin) and discovered him with a big grin and a handful of mobile animals in his closed fist.

He sure has a lot to say...Da-da, Ba-ba and Va-va sounds no Ma-ma yet but I keep trying. He gravitates towards anything that has a wire/cord and anything in which we don't want him to play with. He still very much enjoys bath time and splashing around. We took him to the beach for the 2nd time time past weekend and I put his feet in the ocean but he wasn't all that thrilled with the idea of that, not yet at least.

His legs are definitely getting stronger by the day. He will stand for a short period of time against the seat of the couch with little or no assistance. Most recently, last night in fact, I put him in the glider rocker his bedroom and he proceeded to move his upper body back and forth and found that he can rock when this happens. He is really figuring out cause and effect and this happens to be another one of his findings. He giggles everytime.

I am using this blog as a virtual scrapbook, since I don't have time for a real scrapbook this is the next best thing that is why I have put actual dates for my own knowledge. Oh, and the best part of all is we leave for MI in 2 Days, I am beyond excited so most of you will see everything I am typing for yourselves next week!!!!

First official illness

2010-06-04T19:02:00.005-04:00

Well to say the least.... we have had quite the week. Jacob officially has had his first illness and it has had many stages. It started off Monday morning that Jacob woke up with a fever, I gave him continuous doses of Tylenol which only seemed to calm the fever momentarily. Tuesday morning his fever was still raging around 102 and about a hour after he had his breakfast it all came right back up, all over the floor and on Don. We took him into the doctor that morning, as soon as they opened and the MD diagnosed him with a "stomach bug" and said it was probably going to last 3-4 days, not what I wanted to hear at all. Wednesday morning same deal, he woke up with a fever and instead of vomiting we had diarrhea, not fun for Mommy or baby. I thought for sure this thing had run its course by now....but no, it gets worse. Thursday morning he still is running a fever and now his face is covered in a rash, this rash appears to be getting worse by the hour. By 9 am it was covering most of his face and working its way toward his chest, wonderful right? I was wondering what else could possibly be happening to this poor child. I took him back to the doctor to find out what in the world was going on now. Well he has something called "viral exanthem". This is a rash that develops from a viral infection. I have posted a few photos of Jacob and his rash, he seems to feel a little better today, he has been a little perkier today than in the days prior. I am hoping the rash disappears soon for him, the doctor did say it could take up to a week to go away.

7 months old

2010-05-22T21:02:00.011-04:00

Time is flying by...Jacob is another month older! He is doing well as usual. He loves all fruits and veggies that we have introduced to him. His favorite thing right now is to play peak-a-boo with anything he can over his eyes with...a burp cloth, stuffed animal, blanket you name it. He is so cute. He will cover his eyes and if you say "where's Jacob" he will giggle and then pull it off of his eyes and laugh when you say "there he is". Mother's Day was wonderful, we took a day trip to Savannah, GA, it's roughly 2 hours from us and enjoyed shopping and walking along the river and throughout the downtown area. It is a really beautiful city. It was the perfect weather conditions, 75 degrees and sunny with very little if any humidity. Now the weather here has started to really heat up and the humidity has gotten bad. The summer months are those that Don and myself dread because of the heat but we deal with it the best we can. We plan to make the LONG trip up to Michigan in July for a well needed vacation and so that most of Jacob's relatives can finally meet him, we can't wait!!! Jacob received some adorable gifts (handmade hats and a sweater that he can wear in another year or so). The white hat his Nana made and the blue knit hat was made by my Grandma Joanie and Grandpa Buddys' friend both are just beautiful, thank you to both :)

Updates at 6 months

2010-04-26T10:03:00.012-04:00

Jacob is doing really well as usual, he turned 6 months old on the 15th of the month and has started a few new things. He has begun to say Dada as of the 22nd. It is adorable. We are so happy that he is thriving and doing so well. He also can sit up, he tends to sit up for awhile then will fall back or to the side.

He is eating his baby food like a pro. He is not very fond of sweet potatoes, yet, but he loves carrots, winter squash (which he may have an allergy to), and peas, green beans are the next that we will try. He is drinking water from a sippy cup and LOVES his cup and water. He does great tipping the cup back and drinking the water out.

Nana made a visit out to see us about 2 weeks ago and we all had a wonderful time. Jacob was able to spend a few days with her, just the 2 of them. Me and my Mom took a trip to the Columbia Zoo with Jacob and he really enjoyed the fish and other various marine life. We had a great time celebrating my birthday, relaxing and catching up. My mom took a trip to Hilton Head to see my Aunt Julie and had a wonderful time chatting, shopping and walking the beach.

Cereal

2010-04-03T21:48:00.004-04:00

Jacob has officially started eating solids (rice cereal). At times he was a little more interested in grabbing the spoon but he did really well with eating the cereal and seems to really like it. Just this past week he has started waving (bye-bye) it is really adorable. I have tried to capture this on camera but it is near impossible. He is so mesmerized by the camera and he doesn't wave all the time but hopefully soon we can get it on video. He also has figured out how to roll from his back to his tummy. He still doesn't have any teeth which I am fine with, he loves to take walks, being outside, reading and LOVES bath time. We are looking forward to a visit from Nana in a little over a week!

More Updates

2010-03-23T21:58:00.006-04:00

Jacob is now a little over 5 months old. He is doing really well. I keep trying to get photos of him smiling (which he does a lot) but he becomes really interested in the camera every time we try to snap a photo. I took these photos yesterday. He is such a happy and easy going baby. He doesn't have any teeth yet but everything seems to make its way to his mouth these days.

Updates

2010-03-05T14:37:00.007-05:00

What has happened over the last month since our last post??? A lot. Jessica and Nora came for a weekend (in mid-Feb) and Jacob was able to meet his Auntie for the first time as well as his cousin. We all had a nice time together, talking, catching up, visiting the aquarium and walking the streets of downtown Charleston. We crossed our fingers the night before that they would still be able to make the trip since we ended up receiving 5 inches of snow, it NEVER snows in SC, funny how things come up when you would least expect them to. Thanks to the warm sunny 50 degree day that follow it, it looked as if it had never snowed at all so everything went as planned. (We had lost power in the middle of the night on Friday and it ended up going down to 59 degrees in the house but luckily the power came back on after about 9 hours).

Jacob is thriving, he is sleeping great, 10 hours at night! He is rolling from his tummy to his back both ways now. He is laughing, smiling, talking, and learning so much, oh and did I mention growing..he is 19 pounds. He is one heavy boy. But he is every bit of healthy and we are so thankful for that.

As for Don and myself, we are doing well. I just battled some kind of bug, a fever for 3 days and no energy whatsoever, but now I am feeling great and staying busy with work and motherhood. Don has been really busy with work, business seems to be picking up (which is always good) and he is also working on studying to become certified in a few different areas within his line of work.

Another Milestone Reached

2010-02-07T18:06:00.007-05:00

Today Jacob really surprised us. He rolled over today for the first time!! I placed him on his tummy for some tummy time and went to get the camera, I turned back around to see that he was rolling onto his back. Don was outside and said that he could hear my excitement from the driveway. I got the camera out and captured the second time that Jacob rolled onto his back. Enjoy!

Updates

2010-02-01T20:45:00.006-05:00

Just thought we would post a few new photos that we took. We are all doing well and staying busy. Don and I seem to think that Jacob may be teething. He is showing many of the symptoms of teething. If he is, he does not seem bothered by it. I have included photos of one of his new toys that Nana and Grandpa sent and he is really having a blast playing with all of his toys.

3 months old

2010-01-18T15:57:00.004-05:00

A lot has been going on since we last updated the blog. I have started back at work which has been quite an adjustment. We have been really busy at work as well, which helps the day pass by. I am able to see Jacob during my lunch hour, which is a real treat. He has adjusted well to the change and we really like the woman we chose to watch him. She runs a daycare out of her home and watches two other little girls, ages 9 months and 13 months. Jacob is now sleeping extremely well. He goes to bed at 10:30 pm and I have to wake him up at 7 am. He just turned 3 months old Friday and is such a happy boy. He is now grabbing things, giggling, smiling and jabbering all day long, holding his head up and he is trying to roll over onto his back, it won’t be long before he does. He is 16 pounds and 25.5 inches long.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T21:35:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed our new year with our new addition. Things are going really well with all of us. As I think back to what we were doing a year ago it is much different than what our life is like now. I'm not complaining, in fact, it's a wonderful responsibility to have. We are busy watching our son grow and learn new things. Here are some photos of our little man looking quite big and enjoying some reading time with mommy before bedtime.

Jacob's 1st Christmas

2009-12-27T19:15:00.004-05:00

Hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as we did. Nana and Grandpa drove 13 long hours to join us for Jacob's first Christmas. We all had a really nice time together relaxing, eating great food, and spending time as a family. We captured a photo of Jacob in an outfit my sister sent that is truly adorable (a little big that is why he appears to be quite large in the photo, he is a big boy but not that big). The shirt says "All I want for Christmas is my Auntie". The other photo shows how much fun he is having with the play mat Auntie Jessica and Uncle John have so graciously given us amongst numerous other items and clothing (we are so thankful for everything they continuously let us use).

Jacob is keeping us entertained day in and day out since he is staying awake longer throughout the day and becoming more talkative and chatty as well as laughing; he is really a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone for the all generous Christmas gifts you have given to our family, we are so thankful.

First Shot

2009-12-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

Today Jacob received his first shot and he amazed me as usual. He did not mind getting poked one bit. I took him into my work for the shot so it was nice to see all my co-workers and they were so excited to see Jacob and are just as impressed as to how quickly he has grown over these 9 weeks since birth. On Tuesday, we had his 2 month check up and the little man tipped the scale at 13 pounds 13 ounces and is now 24.5 inches. This puts him at the 95th percentile for both his height and his weight. Let me tell you...I can feel all 13 lbs 13 ounces of him especially lugging him around in his carseat.

2009-12-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

Jacob is now 8 weeks old and doing really well. He is cooing and smiling more and more everyday and laughing, which you can see in the photos. He is discovering his hands and trying at times to suck his fingers. He has his 2-month-old check-up on Tuesday and we will find out his weight then; he is pushing 13.5 lbs according to our scale so he has no problem with gaining weight. His length is probably around 23.5 inches or so. He can fit into some 6 month old clothing currently. He is working on tummy time everyday and his head and neck control is getting better everyday. When Don and I talk to him he smiles so he recognizes our voices and loves to be sung to. We are having so much fun with him and cannot believe how quickly he has grown but we are loving every minute of being parents

2009-11-30T11:32:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving with Jacob at Hilton Head. We drove down to Hilton Head, SC to visit with family (Aunt Julie, Uncle Jim, Aunt Chery, Andy and Alison). We did not take any photos but enjoyed a really good meal. It was about a 2 hour drive and that had been the longest car ride Jacob has taken thus far and he did great, he slept the entire time. We are enjoying every moment of being parents, time has flown by, and Jacob is such a joy. He is growing so fast as you all can see by the photos we are posting. We feel really lucky since he is sleeping for 6 hours straight throughout the night so we get some really good rest. He takes long naps throughout the day as well so I am able to catch up on housework and laundry.
Don and I have started back up with playing tennis, we played several times a week before our pregnacy but had to stop once we found out I was pregnant. It felt really great to get back out there and Jacob enjoyed the fresh air (he slept the entire time) as well. I took some pictures of the nursery we are still adding things here and there to liven it up but so far this is how we have it decorated. The bedding was had made by Nana and we just love it.

Getting bigger everyday

2009-11-21T15:09:00.000-05:00

Our friend Jennifer knit this hat for Jacob and it is just adorable. She also sent us the outfit to match, this morning we dressed Jacob up in it. He looked so cute so we had to share the moment with all of you.

First Bottle 11-14-2009

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Daddy gave Jacob his first bottle. He did great with taking it from Don and gulped it down in no time. He is so content and loves his Daddy which is captured in these photos.

11-13-2009

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Daddy’s boy. We are truly enjoying being parents and the new responsibilities that we are encountered with. We have a beautiful, happy and healthy baby that we are so thankful for.

First Real Bath...11-5-2009

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Jacob is growing like a weed. No joke, he has quite the appetite and the scale does not lie…he gained 31 ounces in one week! These photos were taken just after I gave Jacob his first real bath in his bath tub, since his belly button had fallen off, you can see how he has really filled out since birth.

October 22, 2009

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One week old today! Jacob is posing for his week old photos. The quilt underneath him was handmade by his great Aunt Chery and is just beautiful.

October 19, 2009

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Jacob’s 1st sponge bath at home. Nana assisted me while I gave Jacob a good scrub. The photos tell all, this baby loves bath time. We went to his first doctor appointment and his weight gain is great. Initially, he lost 6 ounces (while in the hospital) but gained back 4 of those ounces within 3 days. The photos of Nana and Jacob were taken just after his sponge bath, he is very content.

A Baby is born..10-15-2009

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He has arrived! Welcome Jacob Alexander Whitmen. Born 6 pounds 15 ounces and 20.5 inches. Labor was quick according to the statistics that you read and hear about in terms of the total time it took from start to finish. My water broke at around 8 pm (Oct. 14th) while Don and I were attempting to take a walk around the neighborhood (we didn’t get very far…we made it down the driveway) and had to turn back around. Everything from that point progressed quickly, very quickly. We headed to the hospital immediately as my contractions were 6 minutes apart only to speed up to 3 minutes apart within 1.5 hours. I progressed so quickly that the epidural was now out of the question because it was almost time to push. They did give me a little “something” to “take the edge off” which helped me to relax a little between contractions. I ended up pushing for 2 hours and at last we were able to wish our beautiful baby boy a Happy Birthday. Don did really great coaching me and rubbing my back during labor as well as staying calm and keeping me focused.

Nana and Grandpa spent the week leading up to Jacob’s arrival with Don and myself and they were a great help. Nana stayed with us an extra week she cooked, cleaned and lent a helping hand we really appreciated all their help. Thank you again to Nana and Grandpa.

The Last Photo.. 10-13-2009

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This is the last photo taken of me before Jacob was born. My due date was Oct. 9, 2009 but that day came and went and still NO baby. Although my midwives' were sure he would have been born 5 days prior obviously, that was not the case, he had a plan of his own. I felt as if I was going to be pregnant forever. My pregnancy was really great I truly have no complaints. I was really lucky; no morning sickness or cravings and overall I felt great and was able to work during the entire time without missing a day of work.