Never a dull moment

Since I last posted almost a month ago, Jacob has undergone some major changes.  In less than a month he went from only rolling from his tummy to his back (not the other way) and sitting up supported to crawling like a maniac and pulling himself up on things to stand up.  He is now getting braver every day and actually letting go of our hands or other support objects and trying to walk.  His crawling is hilarious because he has two types of crawls.  The first type is a 'normal' crawl with knees and hands.  He can cruise around really fast with this crawl on carpet and in his crib.  The second type of crawl is the 'one-knee' crawl where he uses one foot, one knee, and two hands.  He uses this crawl on linoleum and hardwood floors so that he can have more leverage and not slip so much.  This crawl is so funny because he gets going so fast he almost tips over head first.  Needless to say he is keeping us super busy.  I think that he will  be walking before he is 9 months!  Crazy kid!

Seattle Trip

My older brother, Josh, got married on July 19 in Tacoma, Washington.  My whole Gatherum family made a trip out of the wedding and spent a week exploring the Puget Sound.  The weather was wonderful (80 degrees, no rain, cool nights) and we had a great time.  

Here are just a few of our adventures. 

Jacob and I checked out the octopus at the Seattle Aquarium

Jacob finally got a chance to just hang out with Grandpa G. at the aquarium.  Who cares about a glass roof room where you can see fish swimming above you when you can play with Grandpa's sunglasses?

My younger sister Channdra and Jacob at the Undersea Naval Museum.  Chann decided that it would be cute to see Jacob sitting on a submarine missle.  

Jacob and me in a park in Gig Harbor, WA.

We went to Twanoh State Park for boating, jetskiing and hanging out with the bride and groom.  I like to call this picture "Our little Ratatouille".  Jacob kept pulling Tony's hair almost like he was trying to tell Tony to do something.  Very funny!

Jacob's first dip in the ocean.  Granted, there were no waves because we were in the Puget Sound, but he didn't seem too disappointed.  In fact, he loved being in the water. 

Jacob with his cousin Carter.   Every time Carter came near Jacob, Jacob would grab Carter's ears and try to bite his nose.  It was hilarious to watch and both Jacob and Carter would bust up laughing.  They say that children Jacob's age can't play with others, but he sure loves to see Carter.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the wedding.  By the day of the wedding, Tony and I were just trying to keep Jacob calm and ended up not getting any pictures.  Jacob was great the whole week, but was starting to get a tooth and was exhausted from all the excitement.  We can't wait to go back and visit Josh and his new wife, Erin.  Tony and I really want to try out kayaking in the sound and do some hiking through the beautiful areas around Seattle.

WARNING!

If you leave vegetable oil in a very hot house for three weeks...it will go rancid.  Just ask Tony who ate some not so tasty brownies made with rancid oil.  Just thought I should share that with everyone.  Also, we finally got our a/c back!  Hooray!

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 9th wedding anniversary!  I just want to say how happy I am that Tony endured everything I put him through during my Ice Princess days and that we got married.  We have had our ups and downs just like everyone, but things have always turned out for the best, and in many cases better than we could have imagined.  

I love you Tony!

The Heat is On!

A few months ago I wrote about how our central air was broken.  Well we got it fixed, but in the middle of the night on July 3/4, the stinky machine broke again...this time for good.   Of course it happened just as the temperatures outside topped 100 F turning our once cool home into a virtual oven.  Anyway, we are in the process of replacing the a/c, but in the mean time we have had to take some drastic measures to try and stay cool. First, we went and bought a window a/c that we literally shoved into our master bath window.  Second, we took Jacob's crib mattress and put it in our master closet.  Third, we have practically confined ourselves to the master bedroom/bathroom in hopes of creating a little oasis in our otherwise hot home.  We have also taken to spending more time with Tony's parents so that we can avoid the heat.

Here is a picture of sweet little Jacob sleeping in the closet.

The temperature reading at 10:30 pm at our house (this is with all the windows open...we live in an oven)

Solid Foods

Our pediatrician gave us the green light on solid foods...I'm not sure this is what he had in mind.  

Jacob absolutely loves to gnaw on his toes, fingers, and whatever else he can put in his mouth.

Frogs with crazy hearts

Since most of you don't know what I do...sometimes I even wonder what I am doing... I thought I would post a quick picture of my frogs.  This is a picture of one normal frog and one frog that I caused to have its heart and gut reversed.  These frogs are five days old. 

 I am studying how the left-right axis is determined and how even though you look symmetrical on the outside (two hands, two eyes, etc) you are not symmetrical on the inside.  Frogs are just easier to study this than humans.  So, what does this have to do with real life?  Well, there are a few human syndromes where the left-right axis is messed up internally.   The biggest one where all the organs are switched is called situs inversus, but you can also have instances where only the heart or gut is reversed.  Sometimes people are fine who have this condition, and other times it is a major cause of congenital heart defects.