While this week has had us quite busy with Johnny, Jimmy has been a great big brother! The blog updates have been quiet recently, but stay tuned for some updates from the last couple of months.
As of today, Jimmy is 18 months! Running laps around the house, pointing to everything, shouting for Dad, turning the light switch on and off, dancing, and sharing his goldfish with Dunder Dog are all part of his daily activities. He really enjoys playing with his basketball hoop. It is always a surprise what he dunks. It ranges from his toy shovel to the pretend corn-on-the-cob. He also likes cars and will make the corresponding sounds of “vrooom.” When he isn’t playing basketball or cars, you will find him busy at his picnic table creating art. He love coloring and most of the time it is in his coloring books. He accidentally worked on some wall murals in our family room. We welcome any advice on crayon removal from walls! At school, Jim creates some masterpieces. He is always eager to show off his gallery in our kitchen.
At school, they use basic sign language. Earlier this month, Dad was sharing his yogurt and asked Jimmy if he wanted more. Jimmy surprised us in his response – sign language for the word more. We were all excited, and in turn James was very excited that he was able to communicate with us and has been asking for more quite often! Since then, Grandma and Grandpa have been showing Jimmy YouTube videos of baby sign language. He might even pick up a few more words!
With mommy on bed rest at the end of her pregnancy, we had to adjust Jimmy’s bedtime so he would wake up earlier for school. Daddy started new bedtime rhythms to get Jimmy to bed earlier. This includes brushing the teeth, blowing kisses, and pointing upstairs. We have been very lucky that he goes right to sleep with no fuss! Way to go Daddy! We are hoping this a pattern that will continue when Johnny comes home.
One exciting update is Jimmy had is 6 month checkup with his glasses. His eyes are doing great, and we picked up a bigger pair of glasses today! We will keep you updated with the new look.
Although Jimmy is not old enough to see his brother in the NICU, he has visited the waiting area. In fact, he now walks the entire way from the parking garage to the Special Care Nursery. Over the past year, Jimmy would visit the NICU to say hello. At each visit, he is always in awe of the large fish tank in the entrance. It is a beautiful tank filled with a variety of fish. It captures his attention and now that Jimmy is into pointing, it was neat to see him pointing to every fish. Jim and I especially like the inscription on the tank with the analogy associated with the Special Care Nursery:
“Our SCN resembles this fish tank. There is a balance of the fish, water, light, darkness, plants, gravel, and filters. When everything works, it is beautiful! The tank is dedicated to all the hardworking staff that allow us to provide the best care for your children.”
We are truly impressed by the care that Jimmy received, as well as the care Johnny is experiencing. Although it was 18 months ago, it still seems like yesterday when we were in the NICU for Jimmy. He has come a long way and we are very grateful for the nurses and doctors that spent five weeks caring for Jimmy. It is a reminder to us what good hands Johnny is in for the next few weeks until Johnny comes home and Jimmy can meet his little brother.
