Merry Christmas

We had a wondeful Christmas and feel very blessed to have been given so much. We woke up on Sunday morning and took Jacob downstairs to see his train table. He LOVED it! He had a wonderful time looking at all the buildings, trains, and making the noises on the track.

After opening gifts, we had a nice breakfast and headed off to church.

When we got home from church Jacob took a nap while Andrew and I prepared to host dinner for the grandparents. Andrew made a wonderful ham and the grandparents helped to provide the sides. The dinner was wonderful and it was great to have everyone with us. Jacob had a wonderful Christmas and was in bed by 7:30. Today Andrew and I head off to my parents to drop Jacob off for a few days. Andrew and I will be driving down to Williamsburg, VA on Tuesday morning and spending a few days there to celebrate my 30th birthday.

Christmas Tree

On Saturday we headed out to get our Christmas tree. We decided to take Jacob's wagon this year. Jacob happily got in his wagon and we headed out to the farthest corner of the tree lot to get our Frasier Fur.




















Once we finally made it to the trees, we got Jacob out of the wagon and started looking for the perfect tree. Jacob, taking after his father, decided to take a huge poo in the middle of the tree lot. I chuckled a little because I now know he will fit in perfectly up at deer camp and in the woods hunting. :) After the battle of changing his diaper in the middle of the tree lot we found our perfect tree.




















Andrew cut it down and Jacob said "oooohhh no". Jacob was very worried about the fallen tree. The whole way back through the tree lot Jacob kept saying "oh no, tree". We took the tree to the "tree shaker" to get all the dead needles off and he loved that part. He kept shaking like the tree. HILARIOUS!

We then headed back to the truck to load the tree and wagon. Poor Andrew had a time trying to fit everything back in the truck and secure it. The nice thing about taking the wagon is it will go everywhere and Jacob loves to sit and go for a ride. The bad thing is it takes up so much room. We finally got everything to fit and used the tailgate as a picture taking opportunity.






(Wasn't it nice that Paul Bunyan stopped by to get his picture taken?)










I think in a year Jacob will be able to carry the tree out of the farm by himself.






















It was hard work picking out the perfect tree.

1st Haircut

Before





















Today Jacob got his first haircut. It started out a little rocky. He didn't want to sit in the chair by himself and he wouldn't put the cape on. Once he got on Andrew's lap and saw the lollipop come out he changed his tune. He sat pretty still while he ate a lollipop, smartees, and M & M's. He even sat while the stylist got the clipper out and buzzed around the sides and back. Our little baby's curls are all gone and he has turned into a little boy. (We have about a 40 second video b/c the batteries weren't charged..sorry)

18 Months

Jacob had his 18 month appointment on Friday

Height: 34.5 inches (95%)
Weight: 34 lbs. 3 oz. (99%)
Head Cir: 50.5 cm. (97%)

He was very good for the doctor and showed her all his tricks. He was even pretty good when he got his flu shot.

At 18 months Jacob has added about 30 words to his vocabulary since a month ago. He is taking one nap a day during the week but twoa day on the weekends. He sleeps on a cot at school. He is really starting to get into music. Tonight he even signed more please and pointed at the radio for me to turn on the music. He loves to start songs and have you sing the rest. Right now his favorites are Ba Ba Black Sheep, Row Row Row Your Boat, and Elmo's Theme Song. I think I'm going to sign him up for a music class in the spring.

At our appointment on Friday our pediatrician said to get a potty chair and start casually putting Jacob on it at bath time and other times throughout the day. So, today I ordered one online. We are not to push him, since boys take longer but she said to just start introducing it to him. I have to say I am not looking forward to emptying potty chairs. (Yuck) I don't think I'm looking forward to trying to teach a little boy how to aim either. :)

This weekend was a perfect fall weekend. We raked leaves yesterday, and Andrew and I stained our deck today. We are both very tired and sore. Thank goodness the stain is supposed to last 15 years because we do not want to do that again. :) Andrew said he will sell the house before he has to stain the deck again. I have to say it looks much better than it did when we moved in 3 years ago. It was worth the hard work.

Halloween 2011- Our little lion

Well it took a little convincing and a few skittles but we got our little lion in his Halloween costume on Monday night. He had his Halloween parade at school around 3:45 and he refused to wear his costume, but he still wanted all the candy. Then, after the parade at school and Halloween snacks we headed home for the parade around the neighborhood and neighborhood pizza party. I convinced Jacob, with some skittles, to get in his costume before all the neighborhood events. Once we got down to the events with all the kids Jacob had a WONDERFUL time. He loved running around after all the boys in their costumes. After the neighborhood parade and pizza party Andrew took Jacob around to a few neighbors for some candy. I went home and started passing out candy to about 200 kids. I think Jacob had a good Halloween and so did his mom and dad.

Class

We have had some changes this week in our household. Jacob started in his new class at daycare and Andrew started a project management class at work.

Jacob LOVES his new class. His teachers are so kind and wonderful to him and Jacob gets to be a big boy. I think he loves the class because he has a lot more freedom to run around and they have big boy toys like cars, trucks, and tractors. They also get to sit at little tables and chairs for snack time and lunch time. They have storytime, sing songs, go outside twice a day, and do art projects everyday. He has to sleep on a cot at nap time and he has done a really great job with it. At night he is so exhausted from only getting one nap a day that last night when Andrew put him in his crib he said, "Bye Bye". Andrew said he must have been so tired he just wanted Andrew to leave so he could go to sleep. :) I think the BEST part of his new class is it is mostly boys and they are all his size. He isn't constantly being nagged to be gentle or to calm down like his last class and he can totally be himself.

Andrew was selected at his company to participate in a project management class. The class is for several months on Wednesdays. The class has a textbook he has to read and study and he also has homework every week. On Monday night Andrew came home with the textbook and put it on the kitchen table. Jacob climbed right up on the chair at the table and got the book. The book was pretty heavy and he was getting frustrated with not being able to open it and read it. I put him down on the floor and he happily turned the pages and looked through the book while I made dinner. I hope his love for books continues throughout his life.



Our future engineer :)

Fall Things

We have been busy doing fall things with Jacob over the past two weekends. Two weekends ago we took him to pick out his pumpkin with about 1000 other people at the pumpkin patch. This past weekend we took him to the Hereford Fall Festival to check out the fire trucks, tractors, and monster trucks. Yes, they had two monster trucks at the fall festival. The most popular attraction....the tractors! Andrew and I liked the school bus monster truck smashing cars but Jacob hated the loud engine.

All in all I think Jacob has been enjoying fall.

Little Helper

Jacob loves to be our little helper around the house. On Saturday he followed me all around the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms with a rag in his hand pretending to dust. After I would dust something he would take his rag and do the same thing.

He also LOVES to sweep with the broom so I went online and ordered him a little broom last week and he loves it so much. My friend told me the swiffer can be adjusted down to his size so on Sunday he followed Andrew all around the house helping to clean the wood floors with his swiffer.

You think he will still want to be this helpful cleaning when he is 16???????

Time at Grandma's House

Well Jacob has officially started his trips and weekends at Grandma's house. Back in September my mother in law asked if she could take Jacob for a weekend. Andrew and I picked a weekend that would work for us and so the date was marked on the calendar and the countdown started. I didn't know how I felt about Jacob leaving for a weekend. I wasn't worried for him but worried for me and not having my baby boy around. I think if you are a stay at home mom you are probably thrilled to give your kids away for a weekend, heck a week or maybe month but when you work all week you look forward to the weekends with your baby and getting to play with him for two whole days.

Of course, like I said, I had nothing to worry about and Jacob had a wonderful time. He must have played and played and been the center of attention because when he came home he was in the best mood, laughing and joking around. I heard he was a great helper sweeping leaves, said lots of words, was in a good mood, and hopefully did not wear grandma and grandpa out too much.

On Sunday morning my parents brought Jacob down and attended church service with us. When my parents walked in with Jacob on Sunday I felt like I hadn't seen him in forever. I think he grew 2 inches and learned a few more words at Grandma's like "night, night".

I did miss him but it was nice for us to have some time to ourselves too. I forgot what that felt like to just hang out and not have to worry about a kiddo. Andrew and I went out to eat on Friday and Saturday night and we also painted the guest bedroom so we could say we were productive.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for watching Jacob over the weekend!

He Called Me Da-Da

Although Jacob has a wide range of vocabulary, can tell you when something is hot, where his nose, head, and belly are, when he is thirsty, and understands when you ask him to close a door he still called me Daddy or Da-Da until September 23, 2011. It melted my heart when I walked in the door on Friday evening after work and Jacob was in his highchair, looked right at me, and said "Ma-Ma." I could have died right there and been a happy mommy forever.

When I would come down the stairs in the morning and Andrew would be feeding him yogurt he would say "Daddy" and point right at me. When we went to my parents a few weekends ago he called me "Daddy" the entire weekend. Now, in his defense, we didn't really work on Mommy and Ma-Ma and Dad was his first word. He also loves Andrew to the moon and back and you can tell he wants to be just like Andrew so I guess I should be flattered.

Jacob would say "Ma Ma" and walk around the house saying "Mama Mama Mama" but would never associate me with Ma Ma.

I thought the moment would never come when he would call me Ma Ma. I'm so glad he learned my name.

His Words..........

Jacob is really starting to talk and gain a vocabulary. We have been working with him on certain words and then others he will pick up after you say them once or twice.

We are working on body parts right now and putting two words together like "bye bye Daddy". He can point to his nose, belly, and head. He can also find mommy and daddy's belly.

The teachers in Jacob's class say he has the best vocbaulary in there and they say he talks all day. Andrew said the apple doesn't fall far from the tree with the two grandmothers he has.

At 16 months here are the words he says:

- More please (with the sign language). I think Grandad will be teaching him "just one more" pretty soon.
- Daddy and Ma Ma
- Apple
- Bubble
- Hi and Bye
- Book
- Truck and Tractor
- Bottle
- Shoes
- Baby
- Shhhh (with the finger to his mouth)
- Thank you
- Wee (when going around bends in the road and over bridges)
- Poo :) He tells you when he's gone in his diaper. (Does that mean we're ready to potty train?)
- Dog and Woof Woof
- Hot
- Ball
- Row
- Uh-Oh

Disclaimer: Most words are in "Jacob language" but we know what he is saying. I was also recording him by myself.

Independent

Jacob has become very independent lately. Last night I made butternut squash soup and he decided to feed himself.



I am so glad that my little boy is growing up but very sad that he is becoming a little boy instead of my baby. His hair is getting pretty long in the back and I keep telling Andrew we need to cut his hair. Andrew will not let me get it cut and I think Andrew doesn't want to cut Jacob's hair because once we do our baby will be gone.

So what other things make Jacob so independent.....
1. He likes to turn on the water at the sink and brush his teeth
2. He wants to pull his wagon around
3. Go up and down the stairs by himself
4. Feed himself
5. He likes to read his truck book and farm book to himself
6. He loves to be the DJ and play the music when we have DJ Dance Party in the kitchen. He will push the button on his toy and play music while we all dance around.
7. Jacob likes to be the one to close all the doors around the house
8. He will brush his hair and my hair in the morning

I'm sure in the next few months he will only become more and more independent as he uses his words more and gets bigger and stronger.

Walking

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I really am not into the whole blog thing and when I get home from work in the evenings the last thing I want to do is get on a computer. The first week of August Jacob came down with a horrible case of hand, foot, and mouth so Andrew and I took turns staying home with him until he healed. While we were home with him we worked on walking and sure enough when he went back to daycare on Monday he was walking around the room.

Last night we went to an outdoor concert with some friends and Jacob walked all around. I now know why you don't want your children to start walking :). He got really mad when we tried to put him in his stroller because he wanted to walk by himself. He is very independent.

He is now getting into all new things at home and trying to climb up on everything. We need to step up the baby proofing in the house this weekend. Our little guy is all grown up.

Happy Father's Day

We had a wonderful Father's Day today. We woke up and headed to church and then went down to the Baltimore City farmers market. Jacob had a great time looking at all the characters at the market and checking out the scene. He also loved eating donuts with Andrew, trying kettle corn, and drinking some of Andrew's smoothie. I think Andrew had a great time sharing everything with him too. After we got home from the market we all relaxed for a little while. Then, Jacob and Andrew wrestled on the floor (one of Jacob's favorite thing to do) and watched golf. Of course, Jacob kept saying, "ball, ball, ball" I think Jacob needs to learn some new words :)


Tonight we had steaks for dinner and then we took Jacob for a walk in his wagon. Andrew said he did everything he wanted for Father's Day. I'm so glad that he had a nice day and felt loved.


We love our daddy Andrew! He takes wonderful care of us. :)

Busy, Busy

Well...as you can see I have not posted in over a month. I am not very good at this blog thing but I promise I will try to get better.

Lately we have been very busy. February through May, I was taking a class to sit for my Human Resources Certification and in May I sat for the test. I PASSED!!! WOO HOO. I am now a PHR. I also started a new job last week. I am now the HR manager at an all girls school, Garrison Forest. So far, so good. I am training with the girl I am replacing until the end of the months so it has not been too stressful to this point. Today we actually got out at 12pm because of graduation :).

Andrew and I have also been busy keeping up after a very busy little boy. Jacob is really crawling now and really knows what he wants. He is "talking" a lot and wants to know the words to everything. He really tries to say the words but it is hard for him to make all the sounds. His favorite word and word for anything he doesn't know is "ball". We got a little basketball hoop that suctions onto the oven and he loves to put the balls in the basket.

This week Andrew taught Jacob to put his sippy cup onto the table. He was always throwing his cup on the floor and then the water or milk would go flying. Now, every time he puts his cup on the table he looks at us and waits for us to clap and make a big deal out of his new trick. I hope when he is 18 we are still not having to cheer him on for putting his cup on the table. LOL

What does Jacob love to do now.....follow after his daddy, be outside, ride in his wagon, and swing in his swing. He loves to snuggle, be hugged, sit on your lap, and read books at bathtime. He still LOVES to eat and really wants to eat everything by himself. The one thing Jacob is not doing is walking. He stands, he'll walk with you holding his hands, he'll climb up all the stairs in the house, but he will not walk. I am not complaining....but I am because the kid is heavy. I am a little tired of carrying around almost 30 lbs all the time.

Jacob is turning out to be just the cutest and chubbiest little guy. His hair is growing and growing. Every morning he wakes up with bed head that I cannot seem to lay flat. On Saturday he had Dennis the Menice hair with a little piece sticking up in the back that would not lay flat. It was super cute. I think I might let his hair grow out to his shoulders. What do you think?

To our son on his 1st birthday

Jacob,

Today is your first birthday and your father and I cannot believe this year has gone by so quickly. I can't help but think back (with tears in my eyes) to this day last year when I sent an email to your Aunt Rachel, got up and went to the bathroom, and on the way there my water broke. I can't help but think how scared but how excited I was to meet you. Now, here you are, 1 year old and the most beautiful baby boy I know. I can't express how completely in love I am with you and the joy you have brought to me and your father.

You make us laugh every day. You have your fathers laid back personality and go with the flow attitude. It takes you a while to fall asleep and you always fight your tired eyes but when you finally get to sleep you snore and are out like a light, just like your dad. You have my attitude. You will sit in your high chair, look right at me with a hand full of food, drop it on the floor, and laugh in my face because you know you aren't supposed to do it. I try so hard not to laugh because I know it only encourages you, but I love that you have your opinions and stick to your guns when you don't want to do something. You will yell back at us when we tell you "no" and to not do something (like open the entertainment center doors). You are a ham at the snack table at daycare. You scream, carry on, throw your cup, and make noises and everyone always thinks its a hoot.

You can say dad-da, ball, all done, dog, and uh-oh. You can throw a ball, wave bye bye, play patty cake, give high fives, put a ball in the basketball hoop, and love peek a boo. You love your dad, any toy that makes music or noise when you shake it, your bath, fruit (especially strawberries and grapes), balls and to play basketball, and to be outside. You can't walk but I think you would love to be able to run. You always want to be with your dad but sometimes it is hard for you to keep up or understand why you can't always go with him. You have the pudgiest thighs and chubbiest cheeks that I could kiss for hours if you would let me.

Jacob, you are the best thing in our lives. We love you to the moon and back. This past year has been tiring, stressful, aggravating (b/c you seem to be sick all the time), but so rewarding, filled with love, laughter, joy, and some of the best memories we could have ever hoped to have.

We are so glad that God gave us you and that you are a beautiful, healthy, and loving boy.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Stats:
- Left ear; ear infection
- 28 lbs
- 32 in long

VERY BUSY

I have been very busy over the last few months and I don't see an end in site. I started taking a class on Saturday mornings in February and the reading for the class has bogged me down every night.

Jacob has also been a very busy boy and really cruising around the townhouse. He loves to pull himself up on the trash can and push is across the kitchen floor. Andrew and I have really been enjoying the past few months with him as he has started to say more, point to what he wants, and cruise around on furniture.

Last Thursday, we went to a consultation with and ear, nose, and throat doctor for tubes and we decided to get tubes put in his ears. The doctor had an opening on Friday so we scheduled the appointment. Friday morning at 6:30 we headed over to get the tubes and Jacob did very well. He was pretty mad when he woke up but he calmed down after 45 minutes or so. The rest of the day he was up to his old tricks and played with his cousins at grandmas. Hopefully we can say goodbye to the ear infections or at least antibiotics.

We had a very nice Easter weekend and enjoyed spending time with family. I think Jacob's favorite part of the weekend was crawling around after his cousin Garrett and being a big ham at the kitchen table at my parents. My little sister took some really cute shots of Jacob on Friday in his Easter outfit that my mom made. What a cutie!!

10 months

Jacob turned 10 months old on March 5th and I cannot believe we are only 2 months away from 1. Jacob had another rough spell with being sick last week but I think (knock on wood) we have gotten over the hump. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and the germs will go away. We really enjoyed the nice weather over the weekend and this week. Jacob and I took a few walks the past few days in his new jogging stroller. On Saturday it was so sunny that I made him wear his sun hat (see below :)

At 10 months Jacob is:
- pulling up on everything and starting to cruise around the couch and furniture
- added some vocabulary and screams and yells in delight
- kicks in the bathtub when you say "kick, kick, kick"
- Claps his hands
- Wave bye and hi
- Eats solids like grilled cheese, pizza, hot dogs, peaches, pears, oranges.
- Loves to knock down towers, play peek a boo, and play with this car on the floor.

I just love this little guy so much.

Sick Week

Jacob sitting on the bathroom floor with a steam shower running.

Over the last week Jacob has been home and very sick. The poor guy came home on Valentine's Day with a fever and was having a hard time breathing. Andrew took him to the doctor on Tuesday morning and he was given an inhaler and orders to stay home for the week. Since Andrew and I both work, we were not happy that Jacob had to stay home for the week, but we also felt bad he was so sick. Andrew and I took shifts during the week and it worked out well for the both of us. Andrew would take the morning shift at home and then I would come home at lunch and take the afternoon shift. On Friday, I took the whole day off because Andrew had a "meeting" to attend. He did come home at lunch and said, "Jacob, next week you have to go to daycare because my house can't take anymore." LOL Andrew came home to toys strewn all over the kitchen and a basement that looked like a toy bomb went off. What are you going to do when the kid is into everything?

Friday afternoon Andrew's parents came down to watch Jacob for us and allow us to have a night out on the town. We went down to Federal Hill and celebrated Gui's 29th birthday. Andrew and I had a wonderful time going out with friends and got home around midnight. At 1:30am Jacob decided he didn't like that we had a night of fun without him so he got up and stayed up until 3:30! UHHGGG (Jacob, if you are reading this we learned our lesson and won't have fun without you again :))

Saturday we went shopping and had lunch with Andrew's parents. Grandma and Grandpa bought Jacob his first sneakers and they are adorable. He looks so cute in them! Now that I know his shoe size our bank account may have a baby boy shoe shopping problem.

On Monday, Jacob headed back to daycare and he seems to be on the mend for the most part. He still has a cough and coughs sporadically throughout the night, but I'm hoping he will soon be healed for good.

Andrew and I both really enjoyed our time home with Jacob, but working and having a kid is really hard to manage. Most of the time I feel like I'm losing my mind and have a list a mile long of things that need to be done. Even though working, having a husband, and child is hard, I do enjoy having a life outside of being a mom.


Don't you love the track suit and new shoes :)









Jacob with his cousin Garrett.

9 months and cousins

On Friday Jacob had his 9 month appointment. He weighed in at 24 lbs. 12 oz and is 30 in. tall. He is the 95% in all categories. When the doctor checked his ears he had a double ear infection so he was put on some antibiotics. He seems to be in better spirits today. At 9 months Jacob is crawling, pulling up on tables and chairs, "talking" to us a lot, eating table food, and starting to drink out of a sippy cup. Tomorrow he gets moved into the next room up at daycare. He will be the youngest in the new class so I'm sure he will be learning all new tricks pretty soon.

Yesterday we traveled up to PA to visit with the Davis Party of 4. Jacob had a wonderful time watching his big cousin Charlotte jump around, scream, sing songs, dance, and entertain him the entire afternoon. He laughed as she screamed down the hallway, crawled to balls she would roll around for him to get, and happily ate the dinner she nicely fed to him. Charlotte even gave up her special seat (her highchair) so Jacob could sit in it at dinner. I loved watching the two of them get along so well and can only imagine what will happen when Jacob and Max can walk and run around after Charlotte. Jacob had a good visit with Max too. He only tried to poke him in the eye one time. I love that Jacob has cousins so close in age with him I just wish they didn't live so far away.

Snow Day

Well Baltimore got hit by a major snow storm yesterday so today we all had a snow day. Last night around 4:30 the snow started coming down so hard and it didn't stop until 10pm. We got about 11 inches of very heavy and wet snow. The lights flickered and we were nervous the power would go out and we would have to pretend we were ma and pa Ingalls but thankfully we were save from a power outage. Around 9:00pm Andrew decided to go out and start shoveling. I went upstairs and got in bed but then I felt really bad that Andrew had to do everything himself so I went out to help him. The only problem was the snow was so heavy I could barely throw it so I mostly kept Andrew company.

This morning we woke up and Andrew made us pancakes. Then we all got dressed and headed out for a walk. I dressed Jacob up in his snow overalls, jacket, and boots and we ventured out for our walk and to see what the roads were like. I took the most adoreable pictures but in my stupidity and exhaustion I deleted them off the camera. UHHHH. I only have the one posted above left. The rest of the day we spent hanging out and enjoying watching the people shovel from the bay window. Jacob took many naps on me and Andrew and is now upstairs enjoying his bath time with daddy.

Last year Andrew and I had many snow days but I think this one is the best one we have had so far. :)

Spaghetti Face

I know it has been a while since I have posted but work has been crazy and now that I don't have Fridays off anymore I am playing catch up the entire weekend. I am glad that tonight I have a minute to sit down and post some pictures.

We have moved bubba from baby food to adult food lately because he has been so interested in what we have to eat each night. He likes to say grace and participate in our meal. On Sunday I went to Babies R Us and got him some stage 3 meals but he hates them. He makes a terrible face when I try to give them to him. He doesn't even beg for more..so you know they are bad. Tonight we had eggplant parm and spaghetti so I gave him some to try. He loved every bite and screamed when the eggplant was gone. He made a terrible mess but enjoyed every bite.

He will be moving up to the next class Feb 7th and they will be giving him the school meal each day. I just hope when they put him in the table with all the other kids he doesn't steal their food. I may need to warn the teachers about what might happen.

Jacob has also learned another fun trick. He can have his very own fort in the bottom of the excisaucer. He takes a few toys in the bottom and plays for a few minutes. At daycare they said he doesn't care if a kid is in the excisaucer or not, he just pushes their legs out of his way and stays in the bottom. :)

I would not trade my boy for anything in this whole world and OHHHH I just love kissing those chubby cheeks.