Step by Step

Jacob has so much fun walking with his walker now. For the past couple nights he has been doing laps back and forth and loving every minute with it. Along with getting "ma ma ma" down I really can't believe how quickly he's growing up.

- Don't mind the laundry on the table...it isn't normally like that.

It Burns!

Tonight for diner we had pot roast, green beans and carrots. I steamed all the veggies, but the green beans were too crunchy for Jacob to get down; he just left them in his mouth while he stuffed everything else in. Before I steamed the carrots I put some seasoning with a bit of spice which I thought wouldn't be too much.
He loved the pot roast, cheese and crackers, and we were getting him to eat the carrots (he'd had about 2 baby carrots) when all of a student he started yelling and sticking his tongue out. I felt so bad that the spices must have burnt his tongue.
We gave him some more cheese and it was quickly relieved, and because we fixed it so quickly I can say without much regret it was kind of cute how he stuck his tongue out like that and we instantly.
The good part of me ruining all the food (except for the meat) for Jacob was that he got cinnamon crackers with yogurt between them and he absolutely loved it!

New Trick!

He just realized he can stick his tongue out, and it is so freaking adorable.

9 Months

Jacob hit the 9 month mark this week. Wow! Where does time go?
Last night Michael was talking about how he can't wait for baseball season to start because it is perfect timing to Jacob (he'll be 1 year). We won't watch much baseball, but he'll love walking around seeing everything and playing in the play area. I can't believe we're planning outings like that when just a few months ago I was impressed to see him sit by himself for a few seconds.

Some of Jacob's newest tricks:
- Waving. He started it a while ago by opening and closing his hand at random times, but then stopped for a while and just pointed at people, and now we're back to waving. Mommy however still gets the point - like, "I found you!"
- This isn't really an accomplishment for Jacob, but something that helps him grow: Michael and I have opened the bubble a bit and aren't as worried about all the germs. We let Jacob explore almost everywhere now including playgrounds, which make Jacob so happy.
- Scoot and Jacob have a love hate relationship (the hate part is only from Scoot's side and doesn't last long). Jacob is learning to "pet" Scoot which mainly consists of patting him on the side. Scoot doesn't mind that, but he's not thrilled with the fact Jacob is learning to grab everything, which includes Scoot's hair and tail. This always happens when Scoot is just falling asleep. On the loving side though they play together too. Jacob will grab Scoot's frisbee from him and crawl off, Scoot follows and then they play tug-of-war with it. Once Scoot gets the frisbee back he acts like Jacob is chasing him. So cute!
- He's getting used to bath and is realizing it is a play time too instead of just a silly thing his parents do to him.
- Mirrors are AMAZING! Jacob went to the mall with me and loved it because I stopped in front of almost every mirror for him to smile and yell at himself. In fact earlier tonight he took a fall that scared him and started wailing right as Michael was on the phone. I couldn't bend down to get the pacifier so I raced (hobbled) him to the bathroom to look in the mirror. He calmed down and was soon laughing.
- In the past week he's started letting go of things while he's standing. It doesn't last long and is almost like he is just testing it out, but it is the start to running.
- Just recently he's started chewing on his feet. If he's wearing socks he likes to bite the toe of the sock and pull to see if he can get the sock off. (Picture to come soon)

Doctor type stuff:
- Length: 28 inches - just below 50th percentile
- Weight: 20lbs 5.5oz - 50th percentile
- Head: Michael went to the appointment and didn't tell me, but he did say it is at 50th
- We're starting to decrease his formula intake to get rid of his extra feedings. He's at about 24oz a day and we need to take 5-10 oz out.

Worst Fear

I took Jacob to the park today to make up for making him go to the mall with me yesterday. It was overcast out and rained like crazy yesterday so I had high hopes that people wouldn't be there. Yeah, not so much. Apparently everyone had the same idea. The trails were full and the playgrounds packed with kids running around.

We sat by the lake to watch people feed the ducks, found a spot on the swings, and then ventued to the baseball field to roam freely. We made it a great experience and were ready to go home.

I had Jacob in my arms and we started to the car. About half way back i stumbled. Immediately I knew I was going to fall and had to keep Jacob safe. It's strange how quickly you fall, but I could remember every part of it trying to move my body in a way to keep him surrounded and safe from the impact. When we hit the ground I had succeeded in keeping Jacob completely safe.

A jogger saw us go down and came over to help. She held Jacob for me while I regained my composure. Stupidly I looked at the gash in my knee to assess the damage and instantly began to get woozy, a minute later I was out cold.

Waking up and seeing this stranger holding Jacob scared me more than the fall or the pain. I was so glad to see her still standing closely and taking care of Jacob instead of all the other horrible scenarios that played in my head. When I woke up the next time she was still there with Jacob and now two more men. One last time out and the group was still there, but this time with 911 on the phone for an ambulance to come and mend up my knee.

I had both Michael and family on their way over to take care of Jacob, and they got their just in time to head to the hospital.

Now 12 stitches later and a lot of pain killers, Jacob is completely safe and at home, I'm healing, Michael is taking care of both Jacob and me, and I'm a bit nervous to walk around and carry Jacob.

Jacob the Explorer

Jacob has found a love for the park.
We've tried three of them so far, and with each of them he can go from fast asleep or semi-happy to ecstatic by simply climbing on play

The swings have been the favorite so far, but it is starting to be eclipsed by other fun equipment.

Going down slides is still a bit scary, but trying to climb up is fun

Attacking the equipment

Up, up, and away

Grinding

Jacob has had his two front bottom teeth for a while, and now he has the two top ones in and the ones right next to them on their way.

1) It is very strange to see my little man smile with his teeth in his mouth. I never thought that would be strange, but it really is. He's had this huge smile with nothing there and all of a sudden it is a toothy smile.

2) Jacob is getting used to having teeth in his mouth by grinding them. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard and can make you cringe from across the room when he starts rubbing those teeth together. We want to get rid of this horrible racket as soon as possible, but everything seems to say it is normal. We've even taken to giving Jacob his pacifier more often than needed to pause the grinding.

6 teeth in/coming and one step closer from a baby to little boy.

Christmas is Coming, the Goose is Getting Fat...

I love the holidays. I love all the red and white candy cane striped decor, the crisp coolness of the weather, the smell of a fresh Christmas tree, and almost every single song about Santa and Christmas. It may not have the best meal (Thanksgiving), but it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

For the past few year the holidays have been a blur. When I signed up to work retail, I would have never thought the marketing manager had to be there on all the holidays and work events almost every weekend during the holidays. It kind of made me forget how much I loved the holidays as a time to celebrate with family.

This year however, I sent the kids off for Christmas break on Friday and am subbing at the daycare for two days next week and then I'm off until after the new year! The house is decorated, all the gifts are bought and wrapped, we're ready for some special visitors, and I can't wait for Jacob's first Christmas.

Below are some pictures of Jacob's preparations

Jacob showed us how all the cool kids are wearing their Santa hats this year

"How many days til Christmas mom? I can't tell now that I pulled the Snowman off."

Funny Daddy

The past few nights have been kind of hectic at our house which delays dinner and causes me to improvise for Jacob's dinner. The other night my quick and easy fix was a great suggestion from Jacob's Mamoo - vegetable soup. The veggies are soft, there is a broth to make it tastier and I found one with alphabet noodles - the perfect size for him to handle.
All of the foods he's had to eat so far have only been messy because of dropped pieces and mushiness, but not because of sauce yet. This however was messier than either of us expected.

The start of the fun

Pretty yummy

What mess are you talking about?

It's Finally Christmas in our House

We've had the tree since Monday, the presents all bought and wrapped for over a week, and the boxes of decor have been sitting in the attic ready to come down, but we've just been too busy with everything else in life to get our act together.

After going to the German Christmas Festival yesterday we finally got in the spirit to get everything done.

We pulled out the pack n' play to the living room and Jacob sat while watching us move everything around and giggled at the new pieces being brought out. We planned to get a family shot by the tree, but the only ones groomed and dressed were Scoot and Jacob. So...below are some pictures (I also learned how to add effects to them with the camera).

Teething Update

Our little guy was back to his normal self this morning and closely watched Michael and I finally set up all the Christmas decorations while playing in pack and play. We checked out the one tooth we've been watching and with it all the way out now was hoping that this round of teething pain was done.

While changing him a bit ago he was yelling at the toy in his hand and I noticed white beginning to emerge in three other spots up top. Our poor boy was miserable because he's not just handling one or two teeth...he has four upper teeth coming in at once.

I feel horrible for him and am in shock that our baby will have 6 teeth soon.

Teething

A few months ago I was sitting at lunch with a girlfriend when I told her I thought Jacob was teething because of several symptoms, including extra drooling. She asked if it was like a waterfall because if it runs non-stop then you know it is teething.
He wasn't drooling non-stop, and he didn't get fussy or anything you commonly read, but within the next day 2 teeth popped out on the bottom in the middle.

For the past few weeks we've closely been watching the top center teeth and swearing they were coming any day now, but nothing. We just couldn't really be sure when they would come because he handled the first two so easily.

On Thursday Michael noticed a little white showing from Jacob's upper gums and we were so excited for the teeth to come, but we had no clue how different this experience would be from the previous set.

First, we completely understand what "waterfalls of drool" looks like now. When he's sucking on his pacifier drool is streaming down, while he's crawling drool is pooling on the floor like a map of where he's been. There is constantly drool.

Then there is the neediness. For the past couple days Jacob hasn't wanted to leave our side. In all honesty it is probably my favorite side effect of teething this time since with all his crawling and standing up it is nice for him to just want to cuddle every now and then.

Lastly, is the low-grade fever and mood change. Our little boy that smiles all the time seems to be scared to ham it up because of the pain in his mouth.

While we're still excited for these pearly whites to show up, I wish they would hurry along because I miss my feel-good all smiles little man.

Hats

Jacob has had a fascination with hats since he could tell they weren't part of your head. Early on he would laugh and grab at Michael's hat, and when we placed hats on his head he would pull them down as far as he could and give the biggest smile.
He still loves hats, but has more fun taking them off.

The other day we went to Hobby Lobby for some extra Christmas decor when I found a Santa hat that semi-fit Jacob. He was completely occupied the whole time I shopped taking the hat off each time I put it on him.

Below are some cute pictures where I tried to trick him into wearing his hat.

8 Months

Little Man turned 8 months on Sunday! I can't believe he is 8 months already and growing so much.
When you're pregnant people constantly give you two pieces of advice -
1) Get your sleep now
2) Enjoy every minute of it, it goes so quickly
Although I hated hearing those while pregnant, I now see why everyone says them and would use them as my top two pieces of advice now too. It seems like just yesterday he was content laying in his play mat and batting at toys, now toys are no fun and game to play is "catch me if you can."

Some of the things the last month has brought us:
1) The word "no" is a joke. We're reaching the point where it is no longer just playing all the time, but time to parent now and Jacob finds it hilarious. As soon as he hears the "no" he turns his head to face you and gives the biggest, full face encompassing smile, then returns to what he wants to do. We haven't quite figured out how to get over this one.
2) Everyone who sees him eat is amazed by his love of food. Jacob cries the loudest when there is no more food on his tray in front of him, or when we're eating and he isn't (which has made it much harder to go out to eat). If we're out to eat he's quick to reach for what I'm eating, even if it is a giant chicken sandwich...looks good to him.
3) He eats what we eat. Buying and making pureed food is almost a complete thing of the past. For breakfast Jacob loves yogurt, cottage cheese, pancakes, toast and fruits. Lunch and dinner bring pretty much everything else. He hasn't found anything he can pick up that he doesn't like.
4) The pincer grab is starting to evolve, but his favorite way to stuff his face is to grab a handful and jam whatever he can into his mouth. Once a little is swallowed he's quick to replace it with more food.
5) The boy can move - and quickly! I can't turn my head now without Jacob being on the opposite side of the room. He knows how to do a real crawl, but still loves the army crawl because it is just so much faster.
6) All our tables are cleared now. Anything on the table is fair game for Jacob to grab, there's just no getting around that.
7) He started the month starting to pull up but crying because he couldn't get down, within a week or so that problem was gone and he easily goes up and down now whenever he pleases, but now that he's mastered it, he doesn't see the need to stand as much anymore.
8) Laughing - whether he is crawling down the hall with us chasing him or we're tickling him Jacob's laugh is contagious. The best laugh is the one he now does with food he likes. With each bite he takes he gives a long goofy laugh to show how much he likes it and the pattern lasts through the whole meal.
9) In his carseat he knows if I say up it means he is about to get out and raises his hands and arches his back to make it easier.
10) High Fives and Kisses - Mainly the high fives are for Michael and me, but he has been known to give out a few. However, the kisses have been reserved only for his monkey blanket. If I have the blanket near him and say kisses he moves his head closer to it and closes his eyes, but if I say it near me or anyone else he looks at me and smiles.
11) For most of the month the babbling was gone and replaced with clicks and clacks. I've never heard a baby make these noises before and the only thing we could come up with is that he was repeating the kiss noises we normally give him. Thankfully he has moved on to watching our mouths and trying to imitate what we say and I no longer have to worry.

Before I know it he'll be 1!

Starting to look a lot like Christmas

Today Michael went to pick up our new entertainment center from the warehouse with a very helpful friend. While they waited in line to load everything up I stayed home and watched Jacob and our friend's daughter (who is in love with Baby Jacob).

He started the morning wondering why this crazy girl wanted to hold him so much


Then he taught her how to play with the activity table


Once the guys got home, the furniture was mostly set up and naps were attempted we all went out to the Christmas Tree farm. Although we didn't get a tree during this visit Jacob loved being out there. He smiled pretty much from the time we entered the area until we left.

Feeling his first Christmas tree.


Then he did a great job posing in front of the trees - so adorable




Spreading holiday cheer to friends


And after a long day he still smiled and posed as we sat him with various Christmas cut-out characters.


I wish I hadn't cut the head off of Tigger on this one

Yum Yum Yum

I feel like all the posts lately have been about Jacob's ability to move around the house and what he's eating now, but that's not going to change with this post.

Tonight was completely unplanned to try something new. Jacob went down for a nap around 5:30 PM because he didn't sleep much during the day and I figured I could wake him up at 6:30 for dinner. Michael and I made our dinner and sat down to eat at 6, and after we both took our first bite we began hear rustling on the monitor soon followed by the echoing sound of crying. Michael ran to the nursery and I yelled after him to just let him wake up and bring him out for dinner so he could eat with us.

I pulled out the diced pears for him to eat because he's loved the peaches this way and he started gobbling them up. Then I added the diced carrots and peas we were having with dinner, and he didn't love them, but he ate them and didn't just leave them sitting there. At that point I decided we didn't have to worry about the whole making him his own dinner thing. I tore off pieces of my baked chicken and added it to Jacob's tray. He went crazy with it all.

It's strange how this simple meal made me so happy and excited. We've talked several times about starting to feed Jacob what we're eating (when it is healthy) but this was the first time that we fully did that.





Scoot liked the new meal too and waited semi-patiently for pieces to drop

Cheese Please

Today we tried a couple new things.
Breakfast - Cottage cheese and diced peaches. Peaches went well, and he even smiled for the peaches with cottage cheese on them, but the instant he got just a spoonful of cottage cheese in his mouth he'd act like he was chocking to death and couldn't spit it out fast enough.
Lunch - We added American cheese slices to the end of lunch today and I think we have a new favorite.

For me?!?

I'm afraid Jacob is getting to know that good things come from Diapers.com boxes.

Poor thing - there's nothing special in it, just stuff we are storing for a garage sale. However, he doesn't seem too upset.

Oh the Places You'll Go

Less than a week ago Jacob learned to pull up and stand with support. He now can't find any reason to be on the ground and will use anything he can find to help him get up.


The window is a great place to see the world and stand for a bit.


The crib is no longer for sleeping, it's now just another place to party.


And it's always nice when Scoot stops by for a visit.


Above everything - don't lock him in anywhere!

Run, run, run all around the house we go.