16 Months

Hi, guys!  You miss me?  I’m not going to make excuses for not posting much in the past few months.  I have a life.  I was living it.  The end. 

Regardless, I wanted to share some of the latest pictures in our life.  Jake has been growing so much.  He’s actually becoming more like a little boy instead of a baby.  He’s gotten a lot more independent, often playing for long stretches of time on his own.  He loves attention, though, and makes it a point to get lots of hugs and kisses from Mommy and Daddy.

He’s saying tons of words now, specifically Mommy, Daddy, Nana (banana), soos (shoes), cra-ka (cracker), bubby (blueberries), etc.  He knows where his head, belly, hands, and feet are.  I think he’s starting to get ears and eyes too.  He can blow kisses and leans in to give Mommy a kiss when she leaves for work.  He will pick things up and give them to us when asked and he’s even managed to throw some things in the trash on command.  He’s getting a lot better at following directions.  He’s also getting a lot worse at following directions.  We will ask him to do something and he will throw a holy tantrum.  Other times, he does it just fine.  He definitely tests his boundaries.

One of his tricks he’s been doing for a while is throwing food.  He’ll do just fine for a bit and then all of a sudden he will pick up some food and throw it on the floor.  I’ve started removing his tray and/or taking him away from the situation, which helps for a bit, but hasn’t had a long term effect yet.  The last time it happened, I put him in his play pen and we continued to eat dinner, which he absolutely hated.  When I took him back out, he finished his meal like a little angel.  Last night for dinner, we actually set him up in his little table and chairs my mom bought for him for Christmas and he did better.

He’s transitioning into the next room at daycare, which means no more high chairs (all their meals are at baby tables) and transitioning to a cot instead of a crib at 18 months.  Jeff and I agree he’s growing up too fast!  He has a toy train that he pushes around all over the place now.  It makes noise and sings to him, which he loves.  It’s the cutest thing.

In the spirit of the NCAA tournament, we have started teaching him how to play basketball.  The kid is smart.  Now all he needs is a UK jersey!

He’s the sweetest, best little boy.  If all children were like Jake, I would have a million of them!

Thank goodness for iPhones, right?

Wishful Weekend Weather

I’m excited to be off this weekend.  All weekend long.  What I’m not excited about is this:

I’m supposed to do a 5k on Saturday morning with my work.  No big deal because I can get all bundled up if need be.  However, we are also supposed to take the little man to hunt for Easter eggs that afternoon!  It’s going to be 43º.  It could be worse, but doing an egg hunt in the warm, sunny, 60º weather of my dreams would be so much better!

Guess we’ll just buckle down and deal with it.  It’s not like the weather will be changing for the better any time soon.  Apparently.  Stupid groundhog.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Capisce?

Jacob would like to wish you a HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! Capisce?

Flashback (And Things To Remember)

Don’t adjust your computers.  You are ACTUALLY reading a post.  A new post!  I have had a lot of stuff going on in the past few months, particularly working 60+ hours a week in December, that put blogging on the back burner.  I am hoping this blog post is the return of my blogging, but now I’m sick so who knows.

So much has happened lately, but probably the most important thing was that Jake turned one!  He ate yummy blueberry pancakes for breakfast!

We had his party at our house on his birthday (December 8th).  He loved playing with all the kids and squishing the delicious cupcake between his finger.  He would probably have eaten the entire thing, but mama was worried he would get a belly ache.

Another important event was (obviously) Christmas!  Jake still didn’t really understand what was going on, but he was such a good boy the entire day.  I was worried he would get over-tired and cranky, but he both napped and played well with the other kids.

He’s been doing some really cute things lately.  I kept telling myself to write them down before I forgot!  He has learned so much from us and from the teachers at daycare.  For example, he waves bye bye, shakes his head when you say no, and claps any time you say YAY!  We recently just taught him this little trick:

And he just started doing this on his own:

His official first word is Uh-oh!  But he also says dada and occasionally mama (very rarely).  And he got some maracas for Christmas and he LOVES them!

We also discovered his love for pasta and meatballs.

He also loves the roomba and making raspberries.

Another thing that is his favorite to do is close doors!  He never catches his finger in the door either…knock on wood.  I don’t have it quite on video yet, but I’m sure I will soon.

Just wanted to drop in, say hi, and let you guys know what was going on in our lives lately!  Talk to you all soon.

 

Little Monster

As you may recall, Jake was under the weather last week.  In fact, he was sick the entire week.  No fun at all.  Not for him, not for us, not for the ladies at daycare that had to clean up his vomit from the floor on Friday.

We thought he was better since he didn’t get sick all day Thursday, but around 11:30a on Friday, I got a call saying he had gotten sick twice and needed to be picked up.  Boo!  Luckily, Jeff’s work is very understanding and flexible so he was able to take care of the little guy.

As I was finishing up my long day at work Friday, I started to feel…iffy.  I just felt off.  I thought maybe it was the pizza I had brought for lunch that day as it had started right around the time I finished eating.  But as the day went on, I kept feeling worse and worse.  I eventually called it a day about half an hour early and went home.  About 15 minutes after I got home, I was running to the bathroom to throw up.  (Sorry…tmi.)

I ended up getting sick twice that night and quarantining myself in our bedroom.  Too bad it didn’t help!  Jeff got sick twice, but luckily I felt better after a good night’s sleep!  I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I didn’t question it.  (I don’t know how lucky you can call getting the stomach flu twice in one year though…)

Saturday, since Jeff felt gross most of the day and I didn’t want to get too active with Jake, we hung out at home, playing inside.  It was very cold out and I didn’t want to risk making Jake worse.  Then, Sunday, we were all feeling much better.  After running some errands and taking a short nap, I dressed Jake in his Halloween costume and took him outside for a photo shoot (and some tree tasting).

Since he was sick on Tuesday, I didn’t get a chance to take him trick or treating!  I really wanted some pictures of his oh-so-cute costume, so I figured better late than never.  In a few years’ time, I won’t remember anything aside from how cute my little monster looked.

We also managed to snap a few family photos today as well.

I gotta say…those boys make my heart smile.

Ten Months in Pictures

Time really flies, doesn’t it?  I posted back at the beginning of the month that I had forgotten to update you all on Jake’s nine month birthday.  I opted to, instead of skipping over that month, post the ninth month instead of his tenth month.  (PS…he turned ten months on 10/8.)  Then, I forgot about updating you on his tenth month!  Phew!

Instead of going over the same things over and over again, I decided to make this mainly a picture post.  When I read monthly updates, I skim the contents and focus mainly on the pictures anyhow.  Two birds…

I’m also giving you guys a heads up that I am going to try to keep up the thrice weekly blog posts, but with the holidays coming up my schedule is going to get pretty hectic.  November is typically one of our busiest months of the year (it’s the main time for people to purchase food supplies and, yes, even Christmas decor) and it goes without saying that December is busy.  I also work 6 days a week in December, so needless to say that one day off I have is pretty jam packed.  I’ll do my best, but in years past I have let my blog go by the wayside in November and December.  Just sayin’…

Without further ado, here’s my boo boo:

We had such a fun month.  Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Wes came for a visit, we went to the park and the Renaissance festival, Jake tried on Grandpa Wes’s hat and felt grass for the umpteenth time (still not a fan), and discovered he likes apples of all kinds (edible and electronic).  We tried a new treat: banana bites rolled in cereal.  He fell in love.  And we also got some new Halloween skeleton jammies.  It was a fun month!

Color Me Happy…and Healthy

Remember when I wrote this post a while back?  I talked about running in a few 5ks.  Last Saturday, I fulfilled leg one of the 5k journey.  I participated in the Color Run!  I’m sad to say I didn’t run this race due to an injury, but I (along with a couple other ladies) walked it with pride.

Let me spend a minute here talking about my “injury”.  A few months ago, I started noticing when I would wake up in the morning, my feet would ache for a few minutes.  I had no idea what it was, but figured it would get better eventually.  I kept running, not thinking much of it.  When it started to get worse, I began asking other people what they thought it was.  Most everyone gave me the same explanation:  plantar fasciitis.

My shoes were not the best shoes for running, plus I had had them for a looooong time, so it’s no wonder my feet hurt.  I also work retail, thus resulting in me being on my feet most of the day.  The only choice I had was to take some time off from running and to get new shoes.  Well, I haven’t been running, but I kept putting off getting new shoes.  Not that I don’t want to, I just never seem to have the time!  My feet aren’t getting much better though.  I’m not quite sure what to do at this point.  Oh well.  I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

Anyhow, back to the Color Run!  My sister-in-law Shannon, my manager Kristy, and my best friend Carolyn had all agreed to walk with me.  Early Saturday morning, I swung by Shannon’s house to pick her up and then headed over to pick up Kristy.  We arrived in Cincinnati in a decent amount of time and spent a couple minutes getting ourselves ready.  I had picked up the packet of goodies for all the girls the Thursday before.  We got race bibs, sweatbands, color run temporary tattoos, wristbands, and a packet of colored powder to throw.  Oh and a Color Run t-shirt of course!

Once Carolyn arrived from Louisville and got herself situated, we were off to the race.  We did the obligatory pre-race picture and then found a spot amid all the other runners.

It was packed!  I’m not sure how many people were in attendance, but I do know our race was sold out!

The race info said it started at 8:00a and would let people start running in waves.  It said the waves would be released every 5-8 minutes.  So there we were, just standing around talking, taking pictures, and freezing.  (PS…it was about 45º when we started.)

We stood there for at least 45 minutes without moving.  We couldn’t figure out what was going on until we realized we were almost at the back of the lineup!  Before we were even close to moving, people were already finishing the race!

We eventually got past the start line at 9:04a (yep, over an hour after the start of the race!).  Yay!

The way the Color Run works is you walk or run for a bit and then go through these color stations (read: a 40 ft stretch where people spray you with colored cornstarch).  I had fun with it, raising my arms up and dancing around, walking backwards, and other such things.  I wanted to be covered in color!

First color station down.  Orange!

Second color station complete.  Blue!

Third color station (though it’s kind of hard to see). Pink!

Here’s a somewhat far away shot of the color station.  I was taking pictures on my phone and didn’t want to get powder in it.

Fourth (and final) color station finished.  Yellow!

I loved the back of Shannon’s shirt.  It looked like a neat abstract painting to me.

I love this picture!  What a fun day.

Kristy and I had a blast.  We thought it was a great thing to do to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma foundation.  Too bad more of our coworkers couldn’t join us!

It was a great bonding experience.  I love doing things with my friends and family.  I only wish I could do more.  One day…just need to be a manager first!  (Hint, hint.)

After the race, we were all pretty hungry, so we headed over to the Findlay Farmer’s Market and picked up lunch.  A yummy flatbread with chicken, peppers, onions, eggs, and asiago cheese never tasted so good!  I also picked up some fresh pasta and raviolis at Ohio City Pasta, a company about which I’d heard lots and lots of great things!

I wanted something sweet after lunch, so I grabbed a Belgium waffle from Taste of Belgium.  Oh my gosh, you guys.  This waffle was the best thing I’d had in a LONG time!  Light and crisp with little balls of sugar running all through it.  Mmm mmm mmm.  Makes me want another one right now!

If you’re ever in Cincinnati and have a chance to go to Findlay market, go!  Even if just for the waffles…

After all that, we were all pretty beat.  We parted ways and I went home to this smiley little fella.  Life is good.

Thief

I have a ton of blog topics rolling around in my head, but have found myself with a lack of pictures for blog posts. I think I know why…

The camera thief is at it again! Hoping to steal it back and regain photography control soon. Happy Wednesday, y’all!

Eight Months

I know I say this every month but…where does the time go?  I know before I can blink I’ll be buying him stuff for his dorm room.  Oh, God, let’s not think about that…

So, I was supposed to have this post up on Wednesday.  I typically write my blog posts the day before and have them auto release early in the morning.  Well, instead of drafting my post on Tuesday, I played with Jake the entire day!  Many of you know how rare that is for me but for those who don’t…

I have a retail job and, while I actually do like my job, I don’t like the hours.  I work days, nights, weekends, holidays, you name it.  The nice thing about my schedule is that I get days off during the week.  More often than not, I go ahead and send Jake to day care since we have to pay for it anyway.  Then I’m able to get my list of chores done (read: cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, food prep, running errands, etc) more quickly and efficiently than if I were to have him with me.

When I’m with Jake, the whole world stops.  I try to focus 100% on him, playing, laughing, tickling, etc.  This is the main reason I take him to day care even if I’m off.  I want to be able to focus and get my stuff done so that when I do have him with me, I don’t have to worry about that.

Jeff has been doing a great job of pitching in lately.  So much so that I decided to *gasp* spend a whole day with my little guy!  It was fabulous.  We played in the morning, he took a 2.5 hour nap (from which I had to wake him!), went to a play date, went in to Mommy’s work, and then came home.  What a great day!

Long story short…I didn’t get my blog post written.  #sorryimnotsorry

So here it is.  Two days late.

But who’s counting?

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Jacob is eight months old.  Eight whole months.  He’s such a stinkin’ cute kid.  I feel like his last month or two have really been full of milestones!  Here are a couple new things we’ve learned to do in the last month:

He is completely sitting up by himself unsupported.  He’s alllllllllllmost able to pull himself to a sitting position.  Typically he rolls on his side and then tries to swing his torso around so it’s upright, but a lot of the time he just kind of clunks himself down.  Silly boy!

He’s had a ton of new foods!  His list of foods include broccoli, apples, peas (loves them!), green beans (blech!), banana, and peaches just to name a few.  I have pretty much stuck with purees, but he has recently shown an interest in puffs, so we’ve been practicing on those. He loves these pouches.  I unscrew the lid and just let him suck the contents out like a juice box.  He is actually really good at it!

I am going to start moving more towards the baby led weaning approach (where you give them bits of actual food and let them eat it), but I still get nervous every time.  He has gagged several times in the past with banana and the puffs, but hasn’t had an episode in a while.  I’m thinking he might possibly have figured out what he’s doing.

He can stand pretty well.  I like holding him up in front of me because I can easily hold him and hug him at the same time.  We use this table thing to help him stand.  He can hold on to it pretty well and it’s got pretty colors and lights on it to keep him interested.  Jeff said when he picked Jake up at daycare today, they were talking about how Jake can stand (assisted) really well and that he had been trying to pull up on things all day.  We think he’ll be standing on his own very soon.  Perhaps by his next birth month?

He is all about the crawling lately!  He started scooting on his front.  We called this the army crawl.  Then he started getting up on his hands and knees and just sort of bouncing or rocking back and forth.  Then one day, he figured out what to do and started crawling!  He still does a mix of the two, but it is so cute to watch.  One of his favorite things to crawl after is the camera.

Mommy doesn’t like that though.

He threatens us unless we give him lots and lots of yummy food.  The other day, he grabbed on to Jeff’s adam’s apple and I snapped this picture.  It’s grainy (thank you, iPhone) and sort of hard to see, but it’s cute.  Jeff’s face is priceless!

He is the happiest baby when we go in to get him from his nap or from sleeping overnight.  Speaking of that…he sleeps through the night!  He’s been doing it for a couple weeks now.  Every few nights, he wakes up crying, but I typically just put the monitor face down on the bed and try to tune him out.  Usually within 5-10 minutes, he’s back asleep.

It’s funny.  Just last month, I was contemplating calling the doctor to try and figure out why he wouldn’t sleep through the night.  Then I told myself to just be patient and see if maybe he’s just stubborn and he’d do it in his own time.  I was right!  Let’s hope he doesn’t revert…

He officially has two teeth!  In the Seven Month post, I said he was just starting to get teeth.  Now he has two beautiful pearly whites.  They are the bottom front two and they are so cute!  Of course I don’t have a picture of them.  You’ll have to make do with the cute one above!

He really is the happiest baby.  He gets fussy between 6-7:30p as I’m assuming many babies do as they are tired.  We were putting him down around 6p, but he was waking around 4a, so that was quickly changed.  Now we do our best to keep him up until at least 7:30p.  Sometimes he does great and stays up until 8 or 8:30p.  Other nights, he is so tired he’s practically asleep sitting up by 6:30p.  Those are the nights we pull out the big guns:  bathtime.

He has such a great time in the bath.  I have been putting on a swimsuit (yes, I know I could just get in naked, but for some reason I don’t feel comfortable doing that…call me crazy) and getting in with him.  It’s much easier to wash his hair if I’m able to be right in the middle of the action.

So anyhow, happy eight month birthday, Jacob!  You get playtime, I’ll take the Starbucks.  After all, they never miss a birthday!

 

Seven Months

Our little guy is seven months old!  He is such a good little boy, always smiling and laughing.  He loves his mommy and daddy and lights up when he sees us.  One of Jeff’s and my favorite things to do is pick him up at day care.  In fact, we fight over it!  When we were on vacation last month, we would almost always pick him up together because we wanted to see that smiling face so badly.

In the last month, Jake has had so many new experiences.

He went to a friend’s birthday party,

and then got to sleep in Mommy and Daddy’s bed.

He ate solids for the first time, his favorite being apples!  He gobbled those apples right up and asked for more.  He loves peaches too.

(BTW, that bib says “Star of Mommy’s Blog”…thanks, Auntie Carolyn!)

He started sitting, unsupported, on his own.  I can now put him on his little booty and leave him there.  He can hold himself up with no problems!

He has continued scooting and has pretty much mastered turning around in a circle.  I watched him on the day care video feed from Friday and he was turning all over the place!

He has a tooth!  It’s just starting to come it, but it has broken through the skin already.  We didn’t even know he was teething until Jeff told me he felt something sharp in Jake’s mouth last week!  What a good little boy.

Just yesterday, he took a big boy bath without the baby tub! (Yes, I know this is still him in the baby tub, but I didn’t have a picture from yesterday.)

We are so lucky to have this little boy in our lives.  Every day is a gift and is more precious than the last.  Love him!