Jacob figuring things out

For the past 6 months, Jacob has showed extreme desire to learn. One of the latest learnings is involving emotions. At the beach last month, he got some new books. One was his new favorite for a couple of week. It is entitled, Commotion in the Ocean. When reading the book, he really takes notice of the 'expression' on the fishes' faces. For example, he says a fish is mean because their eyebrows are angled in or furrowing. The others are subsequently, happy. Ever since this started, he has started commenting about being sad or happy and asking me if I am one or the other. His favorite time to ask if I'm happy.... as he's getting into trouble. So, understanding of emotions are starting to come out.

Ever since learning all of his letter sounds a couple of months ago, he loves to show off his skills. Anytime letters are around he "sounds out" each letter and recently follows up his 'reading' with asking me what it says. Not quite reading, but getting the general gist.

And finally, he is getting better about learning people's names quickly and figures out who "goes together." For example, at the beach, if one of the cousins were around, he asked, by name, where his brothers and mom and dad were.

It is so neat to see those little wheels turning...

and the Randomness continues...

Last week was a tough one for Jacob and naps. He was really fighting taking a nap most days. He gets so emotional and fussy by evening time if he doesn't take a nap, so we aren't quite ready to drop it yet. (Plus, I'm not ready for him to drop his nap. I still need that break, even if it is just one kid at a time while their naps are staggered.) This week, I pushed his naptime back about 30-45 min and it seems to be helping a bit.

It has been a few weeks now, and Jacob is getting ridiculous with his lack of eating lately. I feel bad that he goes hungry often (because he refuses to eat what is served to him), but I don't know of another way to get him to eat his meals and not just fill up on snacks.

Monday began a 2 week session of swim lessons for Jacob at the YMCA. The first day, he acted a little shy at first, but with the other 2 kids in his class being so outgoing he was just fine, copying what they did and acting silly. He seems to be having a good time. The instructor said they reviewed basics the first day, so we'll see how things progress as the week goes on. He didn't shy away from doing anything she asked, but he didn't actually "swim" to her like he's done for us.

One of the words Jacob has had a hard time saying is strawberries. Today, for the first time, I finally heard him saw 'strawberries' correctly. I kinda miss the cute way he used to say it.

On Tuesday, Luke learned how to climb on the couch in our playroom. And like everything else, he doesn't just sit or climb up and down. He's "jumping", bouncing, diving to his belly, leaning over the arm rests and climbing up the back. He also climbs up the back of the recliner. I really can't leave him out of my sight for more than about 15 seconds these days. Hopefully this daredevil phase will lose its novelty quickly because it is dangerous and tiresome for me.

Luke is doing great with his sleeping lately. He will make some noise around 5am, but usually will go back to sleep for another 45min to an hour before needing to eat (and subsequently be up for the day.) Weaning continues slowly, down to 3 feedings some days. He gets fussy at times and I think he wants to eat, but overall he's doing ok.

After 4 days of his swim lessons, Jacob has gotten extremely comfortable in the water and is having fun. Hopefully he learns to swim too. We'll see.

The last few days have been a bit better with meals. I think he may have learned that he doesn't get a second choice, especially at dinner so if he doesn't want to go to bed hungry, he needs to eat something.

The new topic Jacob has been talking about lately is monsters. Its funny, because he's not scared of them, just saying they are around, etc.

Luke is starting to follow David around a lot more and walks to him immediately when he gets home. Jacob is getting into the "I want to do like Daddy" phase full force. 2 boys who love their daddy.

Randomness

Since this blog is not only a way to keep family up to date on the happenings of the boys' lives, but a little journal medium for me as well, I have been putting a few notes down each night of things the boys are doing or did that day. Most will be of no significance to any of you, but just my way of 'recording' life as we live it.

Almost 3 weeks ago, we moved Luke up to a size 4 diaper at night because he was waking up in wet pajamas some mornings. I have friends who's children never got out of size 3 before potty training, and now my 12 month old is wearing a size 4 at night (as did Jacob). On the diaper front, Jacob is still in a pull up at night. When we started potty training, he was able to go through the night without wetting, but now, he is wet in the morning most days. Not quite sure what to do with that....

Luke is wearing 12 months and some 18 months clothes. Jacob is in 3T for the most part, but crazy enough he is in 4T in his Disney Cars underwear. I guess they run small???

Luke loves Jacob and would love to play all day with him, Jacob just doesn't let him play. It is cute, yet sad, to see Luke follow Jacob around trying to play.

About 2 weeks ago, I realized that Luke didn't seem to recognize any body parts when prompted (shame on me, that is all my fault). So, we have started talking about a few. He picked up on 'feet' very quickly. I said something to the tune of 'what is on your feet' and he reached down and touched his feet. I know Jacob knew several body parts by this age, so I know it is lack of teaching on my part.

Luke is really really into fruit right now, and would fruit all day if we let him. Jacob, on the other hand, has started to become picky and doesn't eat much. As picky as I am, I really can't be surprised if I end up with a picky eater. We are working on it though.

A week ago Thursday, as we were driving to the gym, we were stopped at a red light. Unprompted, Jacob says, "Mommy, red means stop, green means go and yellow means, don't slow down." I about peed my pants when he said that. Definitely a Houston driver in training.

Luke has gotten really fast walking already. He often times will just take off, especially when going somewhere he knows he is not supposed to go. As he's toddling off, he'll take a look over his shoulder to see if you are following, smile at you, then runs off, giggles and hides in a corner.

The biggest adjustment to Luke's walking, is his intensified climbing. A week ago Sunday, he learned how to climb onto our Lazy Boy recliner and now does it all the time. If he would just sit down, I wouldn't worry about it so much, but he just climbs to new heights, onto tables, and leans over the arm rests. Gives me a heart attack everytime. On Tuesday, he figured out how to get onto our couch too(which is fairly tall). I find him on top of all sorts of boxes, play tables, buckets of toys, etc.

Jacob has a book about trucks. He's learned all the names of the different loaders, scrapers, excavators, etc. Excavator is said 'escagator', all terrain vehicle is my favorite, said 'veecaler.' He and Daddy love to read that book and get very excited to say GIANT DUMP TRUCK in a loud, deep voice.

Last Friday, I needed to vacuum. Luke got a little vacuum for his birthday, so Jacob decided he wanted to vacuum while I did. He went room to room with me, but he made sure to stay away from the big vacuum. I think he is still a little apprehensive about it.

A new things Luke started a week ago is squinting his eyes when 'crying' and when 'laughing' I think he's doing it on purpose, it's pretty cute.

When we went to the doctor for a recheck last week, Luke had lost half a pound from 2 weeks ago. Honestly, I'm not sure how because he eats so much. I guess all that walking/running around burns a ton of calories.

Unlike any other activity that requires staying in one spot for more than 5 seconds, Luke seems to like putting on his shoes. He will sit calmy and let you put them on. He LOVES being outside, even though it is nearly 100 degrees everyday, and I think he equates shoes with going outside. He isn't all that steady in in shoes yet, but I see progress everyday.

A week in review

After last week's post about trying to do better with documenting, I actually feel like I'm doing better, however, I still haven't posted my notes yet. Why? Because that is just what they are, notes. I need to clean them up a bit and post my jumbled thoughts soon. So...that will be coming.

Meanwhile, last week was a fun one for us. We got to celebrate Jacob's and Daddy's birthdays on Tuesday,

and Jacob's again on Saturday as he had his first 'away from home' birthday party at a local bouce place. Jacob, of course, enjoyed the party, but Luke surprised me in having fun in all the commotion too. I don't feel like I got very many pictures because the kids were just go-go-go. Jacob had his 3 year checkup this week too. He is 33.25lbs (68%) and 38" (54%) He is doing great in all areas of development, especially speech. The pedi and nurse both commented on how well he speaks (both in clarity and a big vocabulary.)

Luke contines to do well sleeping, but can't seem to drop that 5am feeding. He is such a happy baby right now. I am looking forward to our 1-on-1 time when Jacob is in school this fall.

Here are the rest of the pictures from the week.

Broccoli Casserole

Tonight the boys each tried broccoli casserole (Luke for the first time and Jacob only maybe the 2nd or 3rd time). Neither was a fan. I couldn't catch Jacob's reaction on video because he wouldn't repeat it, but Luke did. (First, he removed it from the fork, then later let it just fall from his mouth.)

Happy Birthday

3 years ago our dinner reservations to celebrate David's 30th birthday were foiled when this little guy was so adamant about sharing his birthday with his Daddy that he decided to make his entrance into the world at 11:47pm on July 21st. Here he is 3 years later. Why is it that it sounds so much older to say "my 3 year old" instead of "my 2 year old" ?

Happy Birthday to Jacob and of course to David, who, even though he got the best birthday present ever 3 years ago, does have to share his special day with his son.

**Here is Jacob one his 1st and 2nd birthdays:

Feeling Better

As the boys got to feeling better this week, we ventured back into a busier schedule. On Monday, we went to the zoo. Because it is so hot (100+ degrees for many days in a row), we arrived early and only stayed a short time. The boys enjoyed it even though it was a quick trip.

Jacob had an appointment with the ENT this week too. Looks like fluid is just sitting in his ear causing infection after infection. Tubes will likely be scheduled soon.

After a couple of days with PJ mornings and shopping afternoons, the big event of the week was a reunion with 3 of my best friends from college and their kids. 10 kids all together ranging in age from 1 to 6 years old. It was a wondeful visit, but way too short.

Over the weekend we took the boys to ride kid-sized trains at a nearby park with some family friends. I know the boys would have loved to ride again, but once again, the heat dictated our schedule and we only hung around to ride the train once.

Luke's sleeping last week was much much better than the week before when he was sick, but still not back to the feeding schedule he was at before getting sick. He was still waking most nights in a coughing fit about 3 or 4am and then was ready to eat.

Weaning slowly continues as we've dropped to only 4 feedings most days (including the early morning one.) He's walking all the time now and getting quick. Though he doesn't talk much yet, he does have a new favorite word- "wassat?" (meaning what's that, we think) which he says while pointing at something.

Jacob's favorite phrase of late is "are you happy?" He's starting to learn about/pay attention to emotions a bit more lately and likes to ask if you are happy. Ironically, he often asks this question of me after he has been scolded or punished. Of course, my answer is no, I'm mad or angry or sad or upset or frustrated because of what just happened. What is his response? "Mad again?" I wonder if he is trying to tell me something...

Here are the rest of the pictures from the week

I'm going to try...

I was reading a friend of a friend's blog last night and really got to feeling guilty at how poorly I have been documenting the boys' babyhood and childhood. Although I do take a lot (A LOT) of pictures to capture the growth of the boys, I have not been very good about documenting what they do. Like what skills have they mastered, what funny things do they say now, who seems to be their favorite person at the time, how do they get along, etc, etc, etc. The biggest reason I don't do better with this? I like to post pictures with each post I write, and that takes time. If I would just post without pictures, it would be a much faster process. So, baby steps. I am going to try to write a little blurb each day. I probably won't post it everyday, but perhaps every few days. This time in the boys' lives is so special and goes so fast, I want to have a reminder to look back on in 10 years when they are driving me crazy as teenagers instead of driving me crazy as toddlers.

Luke turns 1 and other news

Big news from last week was Luke turning 1. Though he seems pretty hefty to me, he is in the low percentile for both height and weight (21.2lbs and 29".) He's developing right on target though, so no worries here.

In 'honor' of his birthday, he decided to walk almost exclusively. He still teeter totters some, but he is getting more steady everyday. I bought his first pair of shoes this week (5.5XW) and he is still getting used to walking with them.

Unfortunately, we slowed down our busy schedule with trips to the dentist and doctor's offices. We made 5 trips to the MDs officies last week. One day was spent at the dentist to check on Jacob's now gray front tooth. Luckily, she said that is most cases the normal color returns after 6 weeks. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

The following day was Luke's well-check appointment which turned into a sick visit for both boys (Luke had an eye infection and Jacob's ear infections were still not healed) as well as the well check for Luke. Add a visit to an external lab for bloodwork and the pharmacy for a prescription and we had a long morning.

Because 3 rounds of antibiotics couldn't knock out Jacob's ear infections, we decided to treat them with 3 consecutive days of an antibiotic shot. He was less than thrilled, you can imagine. But, it seemed to work as his ears are finally better (for now.)

And as I write this today, the cold bug has bit the boys and I. It hasn't been horrible, but having all 3 of us sick hasn't been fun. The worst part, Luke is no longer sleeping through the night as he was before illness struck. He was sleeping until 5:30am very consistently without eating, so hopefully we'll be back to that soon.

Here are more pictures from the week (very Luke intensive because Jacob has decided he really doesn't like to have his picture taken and often times runs or turns away.)

1 year old

Jacob a day after turning 1:

Luke a day after turning 1:

Jacob's 1 year stats:

Height: 29 1/4" (25%)

Weight: 22.0 lbs (35%)

Head: 48 cm (90%)

Luke's 1 year stats:

Height: 29" (22%)

Weight: 21.2 lbs (19%)

Head: 47.5cm (80%)

New Shoes

Since I'm not really one for putting my kids in shoes before they need them (i.e. they are walking), we hadn't needed to buy Luke any shoes yet. But, since he's now walking more than 50% of the time, I decided now was a good time to buy him his first pair of tennis shoes so he can wear them a bit around the house to get used to walking in them. I figure he'll be ready to wear them out all the time in the next few weeks, so we should break them in on familiar territory.

Just as I did with Jacob, I decided to buy a pair of Stride Rite's for his first pair. They are a size 5.5XW. Jacob's first pair were a 5XW (we bought his when he was about 10 months or so.) My boys and their extra wide feet....

Aren't they so cute?

When not at the beach...

...we did spend some time at the beach house pool.

Here are the pictures from our playtime in the pool. I also have a short video of Jacob 'swimming' and Luke relaxing in the pool float that I will upload once I figure out how to get it off the video camera DVD.

Huntington Beach State Park

One morning of our beach trip was spent at Huntington Beach State Park in Litchfield. A man-made marsh sports alligators for people to come look at (we spotted a couple of alligators),

several boardwalks to watch birds and fish from,

a beach,

and when it got too hot, we visited the nature center, which Jacob thought was really neat.

Here are the rest of the pictures from the state park outing.

Beach Bums

We arrived at the beach house around 6pm on Saturday. After a quick pizza dinner, everyone put on their suits and made our first trip to the beach. This was Luke's first experience with the beach/ocean, and it has been over a year since Jacob has been, so both were a bit tentative, even scared, on that first day.
But thankfully, by day 2, both were over the fear and absolutely loved the water. Jacob wanted nearby to hold his hand or occasionally pick him up, but he loved jumping the waves and running through the water. He enjoyed playing in the sand too.

Luke wanted to join in the fun too. He would take off crawling towards the ocean and wouldn't stop. He went right into the water and the lapping (and sometimes crashing) waves. He would get knocked over or splashed in the face, but would get right back up and do it again. He played in the sand a bit and was quickly covered from head to toe with sand.

I have a couple of little beach bums.

Here are a LOT of pictures of the boys at the beach. I started to weed through them and just leave the best ones, but I got so tired of going through them, so there are a lot.