How did you get in there?...

This is where I found Isaac on Sunday afternoon:

Since he can only go backwards, I imagine he backed himself right in the exersaucer! He was happy until he sat up and got stuck inside the seat! I wasn't sure how to get him out but it was fun to laugh at!

Still not crawling forward but has recently learned to sit up from the lying down position! This meant we had to lower his bed so he can't fall out. We will have to lower it again when he learns to stand but we hope that will be a few more weeks! Here are some pictures of the places I find him and the last one is of him standing in his crib. (I stood him up and he doesn't stand very long by himself so he leans more than stands!)

Oh the places I go...

Isaac is mobile and getting into everything. Although he doesn't crawl forward, he is very good at going backwards! Here are a few pictures of the places he likes to play.

He also likes to play with Zach's guitar, the DVR box, and the cabinets on the entertainment center. I wish he understood the meaning of "no"!

Yesterday we went to Isaac's 9 month appointment. He was really upset when the nurse came in and we laid him on the table for his measurements. I think he remembers his shots! He officially weighs 22 pounds and is 29 1/2 inches long! He is in the 75th percentile for weight and the 95th for height! He is certainly a big boy!

Jake is doing a little better. We put him on some steroids to decrease the swelling in his lymphnods. He's eating and drinking better but we know it's a matter of time before the swelling will return and he will take a turn for the worst. Last Thursday night he went blind. Luckily a couple doses of the steriods helped and he can see again. That also will come back eventually.

I end with this very cute picture of Isaac playing under our end table. He looks a little mischievious to me!

My boys...

Aren't they adorable?? Isaac decided the other day to just roll over to Jake and play. Jake loved it! He gave Isaac a spit bath and Isaac tried his best to pet him.

This last week hasn't been easy for Zach or me. Over Christmas Zach found some lumps under Jake's jaw bone and we went to the vet last week to see what it was. The diagnosis was cancer and there is no cure. We've had to make a very hard decision to treat or not to treat. Treatment will only prolong his life by 6 months to a year and it's incredibly expensive so the decision has been made to let him die. Zach read online that the average dog lives 4 to 8 weeks after diagnosis so this may be very quick. We are feeling a wide range of emotions: shock, helplessness, disappointment, etc. It's been difficult because Jake isn't even 4 years old. Please pray for our family as we prepare to say good bye. We still have to make the decision of when to put him down. We don't want him to suffer.

That's really been our life the last week. Isaac is still close to crawling but hasn't quite figured it out. He's starting to pull up on his knees and has been in EVERYTHING!!! I took him grocery shopping the other day and when we were in the checkout line I heard him messing with something but didn't think anything of it until the box of candy crashed to the floor! He's never reached outside the cart like that but I can see shopping being much more difficult in the coming weeks and months!

As I write this I am reminded of Isaac's new favorite playtime. He is currently banging his head on the Christmas tree box. He loves to take his toys and hit himself in the head. Zach finally got this on video the other day so I will have him post it when he gets a chance. It is hilarious but it always makes my head hurt!

One more story of Isaac's adventures...We went to Country Kitchen the other night for supper. The waitress brought our drinks but Zach and I were concentrating on the menu so we didn't realize that she set them right in front of Isaac. I heard the lady behind me say "he's going to get that..." as soon as I looked I saw my glass in Isaac's hands, just about to be spilled in his lap. Luckily the lady behind us caught the glass before it spilled. We determined that the waitress had no children because she continued to set things in front of Isaac all night.

Happy New Year!

We are back from our travels and ready to stay home for a while! Isaac did really well at my parents, he even slept through the night a couple of times. Now that we are at home, he is back in his routine and doing an excellent job of sleeping from 8ish until 6ish.

Our Christmas was fabulous and we really enjoyed spending time with our families. Some entertaiment at the Beerends household included playing RockBand on the Wii and playing the Farming Game with my parents. I am happy to say that we made it through this holiday without getting sick!

Isaac seems to be getting ready to crawl, although I think it will be a few weeks yet. His new task to conquer is getting up on all fours, which as long as he's by the couch he is successful! One thing he had to learn the hard way was not to try to roll over while on all fours. It's a long way down to the floor from up there!

Isaac is a pro at going backwards on his tummy. We are amazed at how fast he can get from one place to another. Sometimes I blink and he's already across the room! He loves to roll to the entertainment center and open the storage doors on the bottom.

I did a major cleaning yesterday and Isaac got to investigate the vaccuum. I think he just might be a little helper when he's older! At least I can hope!