Our little baby isn't so little anymore. Jacob is getting to be quite a young man. He is a big helper around the house, sweeping, dusting, etc. The other day at grandma's house he decided he needed to mop the bathroom floor. He got the broom, dunked it in the toilet and proceeded to mop. Needless to say, grandma had to re-mop. He also loves to water the lawn, not to mention water mommy and daddy. You should see the delight in his face when he is calmly watering the lawn and then he turns the hose your way with a sneaky grin which quickly turns to a laugh as you try to get away! He has found a new love in life - beef jerky. Now that he has 16 teeth, I guess it is easier to eat. Jacob is an avid reader. He has a book in his hands almost constantly. He also is becoming a more independant player. He will stay in his room for hours playing with all his toys. It is becoming more fun everyday as he is increasing his communication skills and speech. Some of his new words are "What's that?" "Ra Ra (for grandma)", "bubble", "baby" and more I can't think of. Jacob truly is a joy to have. He is sometimes a difficult joy, but never the less a joy indeed. There are some who may think that having a small one around is too difficult and hard. It is - but what a blessing to have those difficulties and hard times. I wouldn't change them for the world.
Months 12-15 3/20/99-6/30/99
The last few months have been very busy. Jacob is into everything!!! He loves to run around the house. He loves to throw balls and anything else he can find. He is “talking” a lot more too. He loves doggies and always make his “doggy” sound when he sees one. It is kind-of a gutteral bark. He sometimes will say “oooohhh”for a cow, but pretty much every animal gets the dog sound. He now says “yum, daddy, mama, “ his own version of “thank you” and some other words of his own version. He understands many words though. It still amazes me when I can say “it’s almost time to eat - go sit in your chair please” and he gets in his high chair. There isn’t anything he doesn’t understand. He just doesn’t follow everything though. He sure does keep us on our toes. He loves soda. Whenever anyone has a can of pop- he wants some. He also loves popsicles. He will munch off everyone’s and have a few full ones on his own. He also loves watermelon. He still seems to like bread, fruits and vege’s the most.
He still enjoys watching TV. His favorite programs are 1) Teletubbies 2)Zooboomafoo 3) Barney. When ever Jacob sees his teletubbie - Po, or his teletubbie towel, or the teletubbie videos or shows he rocks side to side and “sings” MMM--MMM . . .like the song. He has his own special TV chair that he sits in. He is so cute to look at just sitting in his chair watching TV.
Jacob also have become a great swimmer!! He can “swim” with his floaties on. He loves the water and will make every effert to go swimming, take a bath, or just play in puddles.
Jake is starting to play more with his toys. He will make car noises with his vehicles. We got him a kids size basketball hoop set and he loves it. He is a very good basketball player. He can place the right shape object in the shape sorter and turn all the door-knobs the right way to open or close a door. No more locking him in his room- hee hee - just kidding. He is an avid book looker. He loves books and he has TONS of them. Mommy loves to buy books and toys - daddy thinks she buys too much!
Jacob is usually a happy kid. He is getting harder and harder to take out to eat or to church because he doesn’t want to sit still. I’m sure that is mostly due to his age and that eventually he will settle down -(we hope). He is definetly the center of attention wherever he is. He loves to be there too. He is always making us laugh with his funny faces, noises and anticks. He like to wear a hat low or a blanket on his head and walk around the room. He can’t see where he is going so he bumps into things. Then he will lift the hat or blanket laugh and start over. Silly!
The last few months have been a blur. Everything is going sooooo fast!!!! Jacob had a good first Christmas. He was more interested in the boxes and wrapping than any of the toys he got. He fell asleep in the middle of opening presents - oh well - maybe next Christmas will be more exciting! We started looking at homes after Christmas and found the perfect home for us towards the end of January. He finally moved in the end of February and we are still trying to unpack. It wasn't much after Jacob's 11 month mark that he began walking. Now it is non-stop walking - everywhere! It is a lot more easier to have him walking, I think. We can just hold his hand and take him somewhere. Jacob has a bottomless pit for a stomach. He eats constantly. His average dinner includes a microwave soup thing, some crackers, a lunch cup of applesauce and anything else he can get his hands on! We can't believe how much he can fit into his body! He is really starting to play with toys, and he has a lot to pick from. He also likes music and will begin to "dance" which involves head banging or swaying depending on the style of music. He is the center of attention where ever he is. He is usually very friendly to people and will go right to them. He is getting to a really fun age of growth and learning. He loves 2 television shows: Teletubbies and Barney. He gets so excited when they come on - then he starts his dancing. I can't believe how time flys. Just less than 1 year ago he was a newborn, completely dependant on us. Now he can do so much. *sniff sniff*
Months 7 & 8 10/1/98-12/1/98
Jacob is a TERROR!! He is a pro at crawling, and walking holding on to something. He has become an expert at walking holding to the wall and climbing stairs. AHHH! He now has 7 teeth and is eating #3 foods. He loves to be the center of attention and will laugh when everyone else is. He likes the play on the computer. This consists of banging the keyboard, moving the mouse (then moving it to his mouth). He also likes to play the piano. He will set on your lap, bang the keys, "sing", and turn the pages of the music. A child prodigy if I ever saw one - hee hee! He is usually a happy kid. He does get upset when things don't go his way. He is really liking the Christmas tree. Pulling the beads and ornaments and watching the tree shake must be lots of fun because he is constantly sneaking over there! We are certain he understands the word "no" now because he is already not obeying it. He laughs when he gets in trouble and knows when he is being sneaky-naughty. He had a chance to test his social skills over Thanksgiving - he failed. He was shy around most everyone and head-butted the kids - oh well. Hopefully that behavior will pass soon too. He is lots of fun now. I think it must just keep getting better, and better, and better . . .
Months 5 & 6 8/1/98-10/1/98
WOW! How time has flown! Jacob has progressed very fast over the last 2 months. Just after his 4 month check-up, he started reaching for and grabbing toys. He also started to roll over a lot more. He loves to laugh and be tickled. He also love to be paid attention! At around 5 months he cut his 2 lower teeth! He also started on baby food. He loves sweet potatoes, banannas, and chicken noodle. He started holding his bottle at around 5 months which both mom and dad appreciate!. At his 6 month check up we were shocked to find out Jacob already weighed 20 lbs. 4 ozs. and was almost 29 inches long! He wears anywhere from 9 month to 2T clothes. He can now sit up on his own. Roll, roll, roll. Get from laying to sitting and crawl! AHHHH! We weren't ready for that soooo soon! He loves to crawl and now he is starting to "pull up" on anything. He can't get up into standing yet, but it wont take long! We are now in the process on cleaning and baby proofing. Jacob sure is fun though. I think we really like this age. He is starting to cuddle more and he also likes to play games and tricks. He likes to pretend he is sleeping and then when you get close to his crib he pops up and laughs and smiles! What a stinker!
Month 4 7/1/98-8/1/98
Jacob grew a lot this month; physically, and mentally. He is now reaching for and grasping objects, using them to sooth his teething gums. He loves to watch people, especially when they are eating or drinking. His eyes and head follow every movement. He also is starting to eat "big boy" food!! He gets rice cereal now, which he is NOT excited about. If we add in a little vege's he likes it better. He still hasn't mastered the art of rolling over. However, he is getting very good at sitting up and can sit up on his own for many seconds. He got professional pics taken of him this month too. They will be in towards the middle of Aug. so be on the lookout! He loves to fall asleep while resting his head on mommy or daddy's shoulder. He usally will have it no other way - isn't it sweet? He pretty much sleeps through the night without trouble, except for when his teeth are bothering him. He went to the Dr. on his 4 month birthday and he weighs 18 lbs and is 26 inches long (still in the 90%-95% percentile). Dr. said he IS teething! Two little teeth are working their way up from the bottom. He is getting more fun by the instant. He will get to spend a lot of time with one of his grandma's because mommy is going to be teaching school this year. Jacob will be really nice to grandma though, because he likes to take a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon! Jacob is also excited because mommy and daddy bought a new car which has great air conditioning!(pics coming soon) The other cars we had got too hot for poor Jake. He would arrive all soaked! Jacob is such a blessing to have around and we love him lots!
Month 3 6/6/98-7/1/98
Jacob is getting bigger and bigger each day. We swear he is around 18 lbs. by now (at least it seems). He laughs when he is tickeled, or when daddy makes silly faces. He really likes his daddy. Daddy makes scary dinosaur-like sounds and Jacob loves it! Jacob is becoming a little more easy to figure out. Now he gest REAL fussy before he goes to sleep so at least we know he IS tired and it will all end soon. He also think he might be teething - not sure though - but the teething gel helps his demeaner. Jacob loves to follow people with his eyes and smile. He also loves to look at his toys, but hasn't seemed too interested in reaching for and holding toys yet. He seems to be a little shy when he meets strangers but if they smile and talk "cute" to him he gives them cute little smiles. His eyes haven't seemed to change too much. I think they will stay pretty close to how they are now; dark blue/gray with brown streaks coming out from the center. His next doctor appt is 7/27 on his 4 month "birthday". He are anxious to see how much he weighs. For now we are doing great! Jake's been sleeping through the night (around 9 hours or so) for the most part. He is such a joy to have around.
Weeks 9 and 10 5/24/98-6/6/98
Not too much new. Jacob hasn't been sleeping through the night lately and is getting morning and night confused. He enjoys looking at faces and bright objects. We will be updating his journal at the beginning of each month for a while until things start to get more interesting! Be sure to check out his growth chart and see how big he is getting!
Weeks 7 and 8 5/10/98-5/24/98
Still nothing much to report on. Jacob is up to about 8 hours of sleep straight through, which is VERY nice! He loves to "talk" to someone who talks back to him. He even has cute little facial expressions for each series of sounds he makes. He does not like to nap. When he finds that he has fallen asleep, he wakes up, sticks out his bottom lip as far as it will go and furrow his brow. We think he is saying "I didn't want to sleep! I want to spend my time awake with mommy and daddy." He is now becoming interested in bright, colorful and noisy objects. He also loves to smile to happy faces!
Week 6 5/3/98-5/10/98
Not too much new and exciting has been going on. Jake has continued to sleep through the night for the most part. He eats almost non-stop. He loves to sleep in bed with mommy and daddy. He also finds the hot tub to be sooo relaxing. On Sunday we all went to Tyler, Texas to see the Rose Garden and go to the zoo. Jake was an angel and fit right in with all the new born baby animals at the zoo. We should have pictures from this trip sometime soon.
Week 5 4/26/98-5/3/98
This was a really great week! Jacob is now sleeping through the night! Yipee!!! He sleeps around 7 hours straight and then usually sleeps a couple more after eating. This makes us very happy. But what makes us more happy is that he has now learned how to smile and enjoys giving us big smiles often. Daddy can really make him smile with all the funny noises and faces he can make. We have been taking pictures like crazy trying to catch these cute smiles (hope to have them developed this week). Jacob also went in his grandparents hot tub this week. He seemed to enjoy it. I want him to be a waterbug so we can go swimming lots this summer! Today, Jacob was blessed in church. I spent every extra minute the last two days sewing him a cute little suit (we have pictures of that too!). He looked adorable. Ohhh, and he can already say two things; hi and ahh-ohh (at least it seems as though he can say them). We are having tons of fun!
Week 4 4/19/98-4/26/98
Jacob is a real trooper! He was a perfect angel on our trip to Utah. It was a 22 hour drive one way and he would pretty much sleep until we stopped the car for gas. He would then eat and have his diaper changed, then he was either back asleep or just awake and looking around. It was real nice! On the way there, Jacob was able to meet a new friend, Joshua. He is the son of my internet friend Christiana. Christiana and I were able to meet face to face, and so were Jacob and Joshua (who is 3 weeks older). It was lots of fun! Jacob was also able to see two of his uncles for the first time. Uncle Andy and Uncle Ben both attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, our destination. While at BYU, Jacob was also able to watch me graduate!!! I received a Bachelor of Science in Special Education. Jacob is starting to "coo" more and continues to grow strong. His face seems to be clearing up too! Watch for new pics from this trip coming soon!
Week 3 4/12/98 - 4/19/98
Jacob seems to be getting so much older and bigger each day. Luckily, (this week at least) his crying spells have stopped. He is now pretty much on a schedule: goes to bed around 11p.m. - 12a.m., gets up around 2:30 a.m. for 1/2 hour, sleeps until 6 or 7 stays up with a few tiny naps until 12 p.m. then sleeps for a few hours, then is up off and on until 11 again. Jacob loves to hold on to things; his bottle, your finger while you are holding the bottle, hair (especially daddy's chest hair!) and anything else. Jacob is also getting very strong! He holds his neck up like a champ. He get lots of tummy play time so he also likes to lift his head and move it around. Not too bad for a 3 week old! Bath time is becoming one of his favorite times. He seems to enjoy them at least! Jacob had his 2+ week check-up on Monday. He weighed 10 lbs. 12 ozs.,and was 21 1/2 inches. I;m sure by now he has surpassed 11 lbs. Next week will be an adventure because we are going on a road trip to Utah. We know Jacob loves car rides, but are sure what he is going to think about a 22 hour ride!! We will let you know next Monday (we will get back late Sunday).
Week 2 4/5/98 - 4/12/98
With each new week, Jacob brings us many new surprises. We learned much more about this little guy this second week of his life. Chad thinks that Jacob can only do one thing at a time; that is why when we change his wet diaper he immediately works on his "pooping" and then we have a dirty diaper to change. He just can't do them at the same time. Jacob lost a part of his body this week (don't worry it did not hurt). What is he missing? His belly button stump!!! It is fun to now see his cute little belly button. This week Jacob also got over his passive, happy state. He cries a little more than he used to. We think it is mainly gas (and we all know that is not fun . . . yeah, sometimes I cry too when Chad has gas - ha ha ha !) We hope that his digestive system will get into gear and this will pass soon ( not Chad's, but Jacob's). Also this week, Jacob got zits! YUCK! How can I take my cute little boy out with zits? They are not too bad though. We hope this too will pass soon. On the postive side though, he still is a sweet and handsome little boy. He makes our hearts melt every time we look at him. If you were a fly on our wall you would catch us just gazing at our son in awe and doing nothing else. We truly have been blessed.
Week 1 3/27/98-4/5/98
Jacob's first week with us has been lots of hard work, but lots of fun too! Chad and I finally realized a few days into his life that when we cries it is not always for food - he might need his diaper changed a little more often- Oops! We now know to check his diaper every now and then! :) We were feeling pretty proud that we still didn't have any "squirting" accidents, until yesterday during Jacob's bath. Watch out daddy! So, we also have learned to keep parts of his body covered at certain times! Jacob seems to sleep during the day and not so much at night. Mommy is hoping that will change pretty soon! But other than that, Jacob is a wonderful little boy. He hardly ever cries (unless he is hungry or needs his diaper changed) and is just content to look around while he is awake. He is a cuddler and loves to be held, and people love to hold him - so you better take a number when you come and visit! He loves to look at faces. He is very strong, especially in the neck. He can hold his head up for quite some time now. He even can move his head from side to side while lying on his tummy! He loves eating and fits into many of his clothes we thought he would fit into around summer time. But, he still seems tiny to us. We think he is pretty neat! Can't wait to tell you more next week!