9 Months

January is nearly gone, and since I was at Riley all this month February could not come fast enough. If nothing else, Riley reminded me everyday not to appreciate JJ and not take him for granted because taking care of him could be MUCH more difficult. It's interesting to think about my approach to kids now compared to when I was there 2 years ago. I'm more comfortable dealing with the kids, but having a boy to compare the patients with really helps when discussing milestones, development, and weird stuff normal kids do. I cannot count the number of times I told a mom, "that's nothing... my son did that." I wouldn't say that I hated my time at Riley, but I don't see me looking back fondly 5 years from now either.

Since I had a rough schedule at work, Sara had an equally rough month at home. She not only took care of JJ by herself for the vast majority of the month, but added in training for the Mini-marathon. I have been impressed with her dedication. She only missed one training day this month and that was because it snowed like 3 inches the night before and was like 2 degrees out.

Now that JJ is approaching the big 01, his milestones are falling almost daily. He has mastered going from crawling to standing while holding onto the couch. Most days we don't even need to get all of his toys out because he just plays with the couch pillows and coasters over and over - and of course his socks which spend more time in his mouth than on his feet.

In addition to all his achievements, JJ has also picked up a couple bad habits - most notably biting. Wasn't a problem when he was all gums, but now that he has almost 4 teeth he can really do some damage. The other night we were playing on the couch and he leaned over and bit me on the arm. I told him "No, you don't do that" in a fairly stern voice and he immediately made a face as if he were going to cry. It was so funny I started laughing hysterically - of course that lesson didn't set in so he bit me again. Another warning resulted in more crying and a few tears - hopefully that one stuck because I hid my laughing behind a pillow.

JJ had his 9mo checkup on Friday and sounds like all went well. He is now 21.3 lbs (65%), 30in (95%), and his head circumference was in the 99th percentile. The first two could be misleading, but with a head measurement like that there is no chance he isn't my kid. No shots this time - saving those for his 12mo visit.

February will again keep us busy, but we're that much closer to our April trip to Hawaii and June trip to Mexico. It'll be tough to leave JJ here, but I just look at it as there's at least two weeks where no one will bite my arm!

Till next time...

PS. My Super Bowl pick is Green Bay by 6. Go Packers!

JJ's First Christmas

I hope everyone doesn't mind if I take my blog back from Sara today and give a few updates. She did a great job in my place and I expect her to continue adding posts in the months to come.

It has been a very busy month, especially in the last week... here's a quick rundown.

Saturday: Sara and I went to the wedding of her friend, Ryan, who used to work with Sara at Old Navy. The reception was at a small reception center (which I didn't know existed) by the movie theater in Metropolis. Between the wedding and the reception, there was enough time to walk through some stores and do some scouting for what I was going to get Sara for Christmas.

Sunday: We went to a post-church breakfast at Bob and Mary Francis' house. The food was great and we had a good time catching up with all the guests. I was essentially in a food coma during the Colts game that afternoon, but from what I vaguely remember they won.

Tuesday: JJ and Santa.

JJ isn't quite old enough for stranger anxiety, but I still expected him to scream instantly because my visions of Santa have been tainted by A Christmas Story. He actually did very well; only crying once he was repositioned on Santa's lap and he looked up to see who was holding him. I don't think it'll go so well next year so I'm putting this visit in the memory bank.

Wednesday: Sara, Stevie, Anna, and Betsy increased the family blood sugar by 20 points each with piles of Christmas cookies, rice crispy treats, oreo balls, and whatever else can come from a combination of sugar, chocolate, and icing.

I also received a contract in the mail from Hendricks Regional Health with a job offer. I interviewed out there a week before and apparently it went as well as I thought it did. They are offering me an opportunity to open my own practice in Avon - at 36 and Dan Jones. Barring any surprises or setbacks, I'll be signing the paperwork next month!

Friday: The Cline family Christmas was at our house this year. Donnie was able to make it back from MD or WV, wherever he is nowadays. Add in dad, Vickie and Alfredo, Theresa and the kids, and Donnie/Chandy and their kids and you have a FULL house. All went well until Jacob dropped the vegetables and salad all over the kitchen floor. Other than that it was a great night!

Christmas: Unfortunately I had to work at Wishard on Christmas morning so our Christmas didn't start till around noon, but it was worth the wait. JJ was better at opening presents than I expected, but of course his favorite gift was Cubbie's new rawhide bone. That afternoon we had Fon family Christmas, which once again resulted in a food coma. Chase and JJ got tons of gifts - as the smiles in this picture implies.

So that was a quick rundown of our busy week.

As for JJ milestone updates, he hasn't slowed down any. I don't think he was crawling for two weeks when I walked in to get him from a nap and he is standing in his crib. Now I can't keep him entertained with any of his toys because he just wants to crawl, pull to a stand, or follow Sara or me into the kitchen so he can play with Cubbie's toys.

Now is close enough to the start of 2011 that I'll throw out some New Years Resolutions:

1. Increase reading/studying by one hour/week to prep for our resident exam and board exam

2. Drop a few lbs, plan to be under 200# for the first time since 8th grade before I go to Hawaii in April. Hoping to get to around 190-195# for Matt's wedding in June, but going to be tough with all the mass I'm gonna put on working out with Andy.

3. Have JJ doing entry level algebra by his first birthday.

- Figure 2/3 won't be too bad. We'll see which ones work out by next Christmas 2011. Hope you all had an equally great Christmas. Stay safe for New Years!

Hello...it's ME again! :-)

Once again, you all have the pleasure of hearing from Mrs. Dr. Dad, MD.!!!

November and December are always so busy for everyone, so I'm not surprised that I am needing to keep up with the blog. Scott has been busy with work, having to work a few extra calls and such because a few other residents are out on medical leave, as well as picking up a few extra shifts to help pay for our Hawaii trip! The plan was for us to save the $50/week that I would get at Old Navy to pay for some of the trip...well, that has pretty much turned into paying my Old Navy Visa bill because I can't make it out of there with at least getting 1 thing! :-)

JJ was has been able to achieve A LOT of Firsts over the past few weeks!

1. He has achieved a 100% in crawling! (And yes...everyone was right about not wanting him to learn to crawl soo soon!) He knows just how to get to things and there is always a look of determination in his eyes if he really want to get something!

2. 1st Haircut! Yes...I know! He's only 7 months! But it was OUT OF CONTROL! We took him to Everyday Joe's in Brownsburg where Scott's barber, Tommy, had the pleasure of cutting my little boy's hair! Here's a few pictures to enjoy...

3. JJ's 1st Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving was wonderful! We were able to spend the day with my parents, Stephen, Anna, and Sheryl and Wood. Then we took JJ to a visit with Grandma Polly...and to surprise her with his new look, as she was the one who kept asking if we had gotten his hair cut yet! :-)

4. 1st TOOTH!!! JJ and I had gone to church with my family, went to mom's and had breakfast, JJ played, met Scott home from work, and all of a sudden I see something catch the light in JJ's mouth! Sure enough...his 1st tooth! We had gone ALL day without noticing it! Looking back at it, he just hadn't really been the same the few days before. A little cranky, sleepy, and just wanted to be held, but nothing out of control, so I had NO IDEA that this tooth was trying to make it's appearance! We don't have any pictures of it yet, as 99% of it is still in his gums, but I can already see the next one is going to be joining us soon! Maybe next month we'll have a picture!

5. Last but not least...I would have to say he is 99.9% with his sitting skills and has pretty much mastered getting into a sitting position from crawling! It is SOO funny to go walking in his room in the morning to see him just sitting there in his bed playing with his blanket and glow worm! He could probably sit there all day if I'd let him!

So there's JJ's 7th month in a glance! We are very excited for his 1st Christmas and can't to tell you all about the loud toys that do not turn off! :-)

Wishing you and your families all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sara

Tales from Mrs. Dr. Dad, MD...

Since it has been a while since Scott last updated his blog, it was suggested that I write one for him! (Probably had NOTHING to do with me nagging him about JJ almost being 7 months old and that he had not posted anything for month 6!) :-) So I have never done anything like this, besides my random postings on Facebook...so here I go...

We'll start with JJ...His 6 month check up went great! I actually took him all by myself, and had to watch him get 3 shots! Unfortunately, I am the one to blame for the 3rd...it was his flu shot and they asked if I wanted him to have one. I do not even think they were finished asking me before I said yes! Anything that can be done to help prevent him from getting sick...sign me up! JJ was 16 pounds 5 ounces, and grew another 1 1/2 inches! He's definitely gonna be tall and skinny! We have started to transition him to formula and he is a BIG fan of rice cereal. I am thinking the treat this weekend will be to try out his 1st veggies! We'll see how that goes! JJ has definitely become a little stinker! I have never thought something soo stinky could come out of someone so small! I have dealt with messes before...helping raise Anna and Stevie, having to clean up vomit and fixing broken toilets at the store...but I would have to say I thought I was going to vomit for the 1st time while changing JJ's diaper the other day! Scott came in to see if I needed help and he could barely walk into the room!

Any day now, JJ will be on the go! He definitely has the rocking motion down to start crawling, but tends to only move backwards! He does have a bit of an Army crawl, so between that and rolling around, he can definitely get to something if he really wants it! I have already started using "NO" A LOT! Then he looks at me and starts to laugh! Times like that, I know he is Scott's son! :-)

Moving on to Scott...He has been busy with work over the past month. He just finished a month working at Riley, and is glad that is over. He has never really liked working on the Peds. side of neurology to begin with, but hates it even more with having JJ around now. For the rest of this month, he is working at IU, and continuing working extra shifts at Methodist Occupational Health. We have been trying to get into a workout schedule, but Scott's shoulder has been acting up again so we have been very hit or miss with gym time!

As for me...I have tried to get JJ and I in a schedule. For the most part, we have pretty easy days. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that JJ sleeps 10+ hours a night, so that means that I get to sleep in til about 8 or 9 each day! :-) I have been working a couple times a month at Old Navy still. Definitely love the fact that I get to say..."It's 1pm...Time for me to go home!" :-) We are also saving our money up for our vacations! Scott has a conference in Hawaii in April and we have a wedding to go to in June in Mexico! Everyone asks if we are taking JJ with us and I quickly answer NO! I know we will miss him A TON but Mom AND JJ need a vacation!

JJ's 1st Halloween was a success! Unfortunately, Scott's grandmother had passed away earlier that week, so we were not able to make all the stops we wanted. We were able to do an "early" Trick-or-Treating at Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Steve's house that Friday, as my family all gathered to carve pumpkins. And then on Halloween, we were able to make it home in time for Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. So we got JJ all dressed up in his Shark costume and took him to our neighbors and then handed out candy at our house! I'm sure JJ was trying to figure out what in the heck was going on!

So here we are...a beautiful week in November! I suggested to Scott that he put up the Christmas lights outside this weekend. He looked at me like I was crazy and then I replied..."Well, I don't want to hear you cry about it when it's freezing out!" :-)

And to end my ramblings...

It is that time of year that we look back at all that we are thankful for, and I want to take this time to thank ALL of our friends and family! You have each played such a special part in our lives and we are better people because of all of you! We thank you for always being there for us and we hope we do the same for you and your families!

Here's wishing you all a VERY Happy Thanksgiving!

Sara

5 months...

Yesterday marked 5 months for JJ and it was one of his biggest days yet. A small group of our closest family and friends joined us at St. Malachy for JJ's baptism. Fr. Troy was kind enough to drive up from central Kentucky to perform the ceremony. Everything went off without a hitch and we went to the Fon's house for a great dinner. This also gave me a reason to break out my last bottle of Tokaji. I passed it around the table so everyone could try a little then disappeared out back with the guys to finish it off. Add in a few beers and a little Slovenian firewater and everyone was having a good time.
Otherwise it has been status quo around here for the past month. JJ continues to explore the house by rolling and every once in awhile he'll scoot as if he's trying to piece together crawling. Sara is maintaining her sanity with the help of a few shifts per month at Old Navy as well as training with Betsy at a fitness bootcamp in Brownsburg. There's talk of mini-marathon... anyone want to tackle this one with her???

Since I don't have a whole lot to update on, I'll digress to something I was debated one day at work. What is my favorite song of all time? It seems like a simple question that should have a simple answer, but it's more difficult than you might think. It took about an hour but here is my list.

Top 10 list of favorite songs...

1. Going to California (Led Zepplin).

Hard to argue against anything LZ did, but this song has the simplicity that makes me think I could play Jimmy Page's part while knowing full well that just is not true.

2. Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd).

While I do enjoy the guitar on this as well, the lyrics are what sell this one for me.

3. Renegade (Styx).

I was never really into Styx until I went to a concert where they were accompanied by REO Speedwagon and Def Leppard. I was shocked at how many of their songs I liked and Renegade is the one that you will keep the car running for until the song is over.

4. Hot for Teacher (Van Halen).

I don't know how this song isn't in everyone's top 5. "I don't feel tardy" makes me laugh every time I hear it. Not to mention the drum solo to start the song, spectacular.

5. Shakin' (Eddie Money).

I mean... it's Eddie Money. 'nuf said.

6. Moondance (Van Morrison)

I know he has more famous songs, but this one is his best. Check it out.

7. Sympathy for the Devil (Rolling Stones)

This one was tough because I like so many Stones songs, but when they played Super Bowl XL my ideal set list would have included Sympathy for the Devil, Tumbling Dice, Gimme Shelter, and Paint It Black. Can't have a four-way tie, so the nod goes to SftD.

8. Superstition (Stevie Wonder)

I've been listening to this song for as long as I can remember so it's gotta make the cut somewhere.

9. Home (Jack Johnson)

Not even close to his most famous song, and actually may not even be his best song, but it really hits home for me (no pun intended). His ability to describe the evolution of life and love requires his placement on this list.

10. Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who)

I can't scream like that, can you?

Honorable Mention: AC/DC Thunderstruck and Doobie Brothers China Grove.

I have more "Best Of..." categories to come. Please feel free to discuss or leave comments but know that since it's my blog, I'm right.

4 months...

JJ has been hitting a lot of milestones over the past month. Not only is he still smiling consistently but he is laughing more and more. His grasp has improved a ton since my last blog, so much so that he is starting to pull hair (not just us, but Cubbie too). His latest achievement has been rolling over. And not just once and done like I figured he would start out... almost as quickly that he flipped back to front he was flipping back over. Now I basically have a log rolling down a river for a son. Sara or I will walk into the kitchen just to grab a drink or put a dish away and upon our return his head is either under the coffee table or pinned next to his chair swing. If I'm gonna be gone for than 30 seconds I've starting jamming pillows on either side of him to keep him in place!
Try out the movie clip below!

JJ also made his debut at Fogo last month during Devour Downtown. Matt and Abby, Heather, and Stevie joined us as well - always a good time whenever a group like that gets together. Sara tried a caipirinha, I won an argument against Matt about lamb, and we all got papaya cream with creme de cassis. Letting someone else pay for my Fogo is better financially, but not nearly as much fun.


The Cline family had their picture taken a couple of weeks ago at St. Malachy. Once our pictures arrived, I started looking back at JJ's old photos and wow has he changed. When he was first born, he was definitely a Cline. I think he looked just like me when I was born - especially with the thick dark hair and large blue eyes. But I gotta admit that 4 months later, he's starting to show more and more Fon.


Had our 4 month checkup last week and he just keeps getting bigger. For some reason I always hear Michael Buffer in my head when we take him into the measurement room... "And now... weighing in at 14# 6.5 oz... measuring 25.5 inches long... JJ Cline! (for those who don't know that's the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" boxing announcer). Everything checked out just fine. Unfortunately, he also got another round of vaccines. However, while the first injection was a surprise to him - he did not cry at all. That's more than I can say for me...


I had my shoulder injected early that morning and I was not prepared for what a human joint feels like when it is abruptly filled with fluid. I wasn't sure it was going to do any good, but my shoulder hasn't felt this good in years and I now think everyone should have it done - whether you have pain or not. Hoping to get back into the gym this week, which gives Sara and I nine months to get into beach shape for Matt and Abby's wedding.

That's about all I got for now. I'll leave you with another installment of my favorite names from Riley that will ensure a proper future: Nevaeh (note the name spelled backwards), Oranjelo and Lemonjelo (they are twins), Miracle, Desire, and Precious.

3 months...

July has been a busy month for me, and therefore Sara as well. I am finishing up a surprisingly busy month at the VA. In addition, I had a couple extra calls to help the new residents get their feet wet before throwing them into the night call pool. Add that to a few moonlighting shifts, a busy 4th of July weekend (special shout out to Pete and all his guys who put on a spectacular firework show from him backyard), a couple Fogo dinners, and a couple days of golf and that adds up to a busy month. Unfortunately (but luckily at least in this context) my shoulder has limited my weight lifting and softball and that has freed up a lot of nights.

Our anniversary was July 17 but Sara allowed me to delay our anniversary celebration a week so I could golf up in Hobart with Dave, Cook, and Andy. We played quite well and even won a little money for winning our flight.

The next weekend Sara and I dropped off JJ with the Fons and went to Jack Johnson up at Deer Creek (it'll always be DC to me, just like the Hoosier Dome -- take that RCA). Bought pavilion seats for the first time because of concerns about rain. Didn't know the last 2 rows of the pavilion are not under the canopy though, man I would have been mad if it had rained. Luckily it didn't rain till the ride home. Otherwise it was a beautiful night and a great show. Gotta say I loved being able to take our time, walk in during the opening acts, grab our seats and hang out in a smoke free area till the show started. I was surprised at how smoke free it stayed during the show and I'm definitely thinking those seats are worth the extra $20/ea just for that.

JJ has been spending a lot of time with the Fons over the past few weeks. Sara and I have been trying to get into shape but our inconsistent schedules have made that difficult. Graciously, Sara's family has been willing to watch JJ while we hit the gym. Also Sara went back to work two weeks ago, just Friday afternoons. It's not really for the extra money, but that it gives her time to be around adults and talk normal English with normal inflection for 5hrs/week. Most importantly we keep our discounts - who knew kids clothes were so expensive. Shirts for JJ and I the other day cost the same amount!

I took JJ to the barber shop the other day because Tommy said exposing him to the sounds of the clippers early would make getting his hair cut later much easier. I sat him on my lap the whole time and even when Tommy took the clippers close to him he didn't flinch. I was tempted to get him that trim he's needed since the day he was born but figured it wasn't worth Sara never speaking to me again. By the way, for those who said JJ's hair would fall out take a look at his latest pictures. For those who are thinning up top, we're taking bids for hair rights when we do finally cut it. Should be long enough to weave into something respectable.

No updates from the doctors office since we don't have to go back until his 4mo checkup. I'm sure JJ is quite content with that because I think he gets vaccinations at his next 3 visits. Since we don't have a weight update Sara weighed him on our scale at home by subtracting her weight from the total. He came in at 12.5#. Not sure how official that is, but sounds like we're still on the right track.

Sara and JJ have developed a pretty consistent routine during the day, which includes sleeping through the entire night!!! That does of course lead to less sleep during the day but I think Sara has distractions figured out so she can still get stuff done. He enjoys his mat with the mirror octopus, seahorse, and kickball (thanks Dave and Mo), his baseball rattle, and not surprisingly the television. Sara puts it on cartoons like Mickey Mouse and Tom and Jerry (none of that newer crap). I put it on SportsCenter or a Cubs game and he's still mesmerized. I think it's 55" of HD that he's impressed with but whatever it is that keeps him from crying I'll take it.

For some reason I got the urge to check the Riley ER list. Gotta leave you with an update of what I am calling "Names You Should Name Your Child if You Want to Visit Riley Hospital." Here are a few of today's favorites: Atlanta, Kaya, Jarek, Xaiden, Chaydon, Jadn (yes these are spelled right), and the best of the night... Tamiracle. Good luck to all these children in their future job interviews.