Georgia Trip

Jacob and I looking at the Whale Sharks...so cool!
The Beluga Whale looked like it was dancing for Jacob
Parker and Jacob playing with the dump truck. They took turns pushing each other!

We just returned home from a week in Georgia visiting Jacob's "Grana" and "Pop". Jacob had a great time playing with his grandparents, Aunt Mandy and Jacob's only cousin, Parker. I spent the week reading a book (WOW!) and watching Grana and Pop chase after Jacob...what a treat! The highlight of the trip was taking both boys to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Jacob was fascinated by each and every exhibit. He was so engaged and attentive that I couldn't quite believe it. Parker...not so much! Parker and Jacob did almost everything together for the week, played outside, played with trains and trucks, chased the cat around the house, watched some DVD's and of course took their bath together in Grana's big tub. The last night we were there, Parker had already left and when it was time for a bath, Jacob ran through the house calling for Parker.

They are such great buddies!

Surgery and Spinning

A couple of months ago we learned that Jacob had to have a mole on his ankle removed. There are a number of reasons why they wanted to remove this mole: size, color, symmetry, etc.
So, we scheduled Jacob's surgery for the first possible time in the morning, on Matt's Birthday! Happy Birthday Matt. We drove 1 hour north to Bangor where Maine Medical Center is located. Prior to the surgery we waited in a little room with nothing to distract Jacob with exception of some old blocks. This got old very quickly and Jacob decided that it would be more fun to run out of the room and explore (typical toddler). It wasn't long before Jacob was being chased down the long and empty hallways of the recovery room (empty at the time because it was 6:30 am)by his pregnant mother (I was trying to make sure he didn't tip over the IV poles, or touch ANYTHING for that matter)...he thought this was so much fun, and most of the staff thought so too, they got a good laugh out of us! I'm not sure if they were laughing because Jacob is so cute, or at me because I'm pregnant and running!!! The doctors did a great job of making sure Jacob was going to be comfortable with them, and I made sure that he was going to be OK by requesting to be at his side as he went under. He was a very brave little boy and only cried a little bit. Jacob's surgery went very well. He was only under anastheia for 40 minutes. We waited to be called and didn't have to wait long before I heard my baby crying down the hall. I went to him and scooped him up. He was pretty out of it and trying to rip out the IV in his arm. The nurses decided to take it out before Jacob did and once this was done, he was still weepy, but quieted down and was comforted easier. The nurses helped us get Jacob dressed and out of there! I think they wanted us to take our crying kid home :) As soon as he was strapped into the car with his Baby Einstein DVD playing, he was as good as new! After a good 3 hour nap Jacob was acting as if nothing had even happened. Kids are so resiliant!

THE VERY NEXT DAY:

Jacob has learned how to spin. Oh my, what fun. Last night we had pizza and Jacob didn't want to sit at the table. So we did what any sensible parent of a toddler would do and didn't push the issue. We let him run around the kitchen and come get bites when he wanted them. At one point he grabbed his sippy cup of milk off of the floor, tipped it up to drink and started to spin. He spun around and around and around. Matt and I just looked at each other and all we could do was laugh. Jacob stopped spinning and was so dizzy he almost fell right over (Matt caught him!). It made us all laugh so hard. I love the never-ending surprises of living with a toddler!

Merry Christmas Jacob

It was Jacob's second Christmas, but really seemed like his first. Last year he was just a little baby and hardly even played with toys. This time, he's really into toys, and loves to play, play, play. Especially with trains. So it's only fitting that Santa got him a train table fully decked out. A week prior to Christmas, Jacob found a catalouge in the house and turned to the page with the train tables on it. He pointed to the trains, signed "please" and made a sign by opening and closing his hands over and over, which I interpreted to mean, "I really, really, really want one of these". All while squeeling with delight at the thought of a train table. So, I was very excited to know that Santa would be bringing Jacob his very own train table.

Our strategy for Christmas morning was to feed Jacob prior to opening gifts, knowing that he wouldn't eat once engaged in play with his new toys. We almost accomplished this task. Jacob bolted out of the kitchen and noticed the toys under the tree, the John Deere tractor to be specific. He ran over to the tree and turned around and made his happiest of faces. This was the first of many happy faces we recieved on Christmas day. We managed to feed the boy and then continued to open gifts, saving the train table for last. Of course, Jacob loved all of his gifts and is still overwhelmed by the amount of things to do in our house! But, the train table is by far his favorite. Each time he sees it, he acts surprised to see it there. I think he is overjoyed that he gets to keep it!

The "help" of a toddler

Here are some pictures of Jacob being my little "helper". He is so into everything I do lately and just wants to help, so I let him! It makes my tasks take twice as long, but at least I have company. Lately, he has been into helping me bake. He likes to stand on a chair and watch what I do, while sampling the goodies.

First Snow

This weekend we had our first snow. Technically, not the first snow, but the first worth mentioning! We picked out our Christmas tree the night before and it was ready to be "decked" right as the snow began to fall. And so began the fun process of decorating a tree with the "help" of a toddler. Jacob was really into it, he loved the bright shiny lights and was so excited to see the ornaments. Why do they all have to look like little toys? Matt encouraged him to hang some ornaments on the tree but, he quickly discovered that it was more fun to take the ornaments off of the tree rather than put them on. I have a good number of plastic ornaments that we let him play with and he gathered them and hid behind the couch with his loot! How funny! Our tree is pretty, but definitely not magazine worthy! The ornaments are all clustered at the top of the tree, a sure sign that we have a kid!

After Jacob's nap, the snow had accumulated enough for us to go out and play. We all bundled up (At least Jacob and I did) and ventured out into the snow. I was so proud of Jacob to finally wear his snow boots. I've been trying to get him to wear them for a good month now, and today, he decided that they aren't so bad! He did cry when I put them on, but it subsided once we were outside in winter wonderland. We went for a walk through the neighborhood and took turns holding onto Jacob as he learned how to walk in boots and snow. We only experienced one faceplant and Jacob shook it off without a tear! We returned home to a cozy living room with a twinkling Christmas tree and enjoyed hot cocoa by our fire. What a wonderful winter day.

How Thankful are We?

What a great Thanksgiving we had! The day before Thanksgiving was my 20 week ultrasound and we found out that we are having a HEALTHY, baby GIRL. I am Thankful for that! How exciting to have a little sister for Jacob!

As Matt and I prepare for the transition from one child to two children, we feel very complete to have one of each! I am also very Thankful that this big transition is still 20 weeks away. I'm not quite ready to give up "my time" with Jacob. We have had so much fun playing together, laughing, chasing and enjoying each other's company over the past 17 months. What a joyful time it has been. However, I can't help but wonder, what will I do when I can't devote my every last minute to his needs? I wonder how it will impact him to have to wait his turn to have me hold him. I wonder how he'll feel when he sees me holding his little sister. I wonder if he will ever remember what it was like being the only child. I never ever wanted to have only one child, but there is a part of me that is sad and grieving for Jacob as he will never have "all" of me again. But, I am Thankful for all of the time I have had to spend with him. I can only hope that Jacob and his sister will have awsome memories of playing, laughing, sharing and growing up together. I am Thankful to be able to give Jacob the gift of a sibling.

Is my kid normal?

I'm sure that every parent experiences times when they think, "is what my kid doing, "normal"? Jacob does many things that make me think...he's NOT...or at least his behavior is sometimes not! For instance, he ocassionaly decides to crawl around on the floor with his face pressed to the floor. Of course he mostly saves this strange behavior for when we are at our Music Class and the other parents and teacher can get a good look at this fine talent he is displaying. Or, there are the days when he likes to bang his head into things. Possibly we have created this behavior by responding..."did you bonk your head?" And he pats his head, then proceedes to do it again. The latest "skills" that Jacob has discovered are jumping and climbing. The climbing is a very normal toddler behavior that I know will loose it's appeal soon, or at least I hope so. He's climbing on everything, the couch, the chairs, and even up onto the shelves. It's quite funny to watch. But also very nerve racking. Finally, he's discovered how to jump. This came from a song we sing in music class and he has been trying to master this skill at home by practicing all the time. He's so funny to watch. Most of the time, he doesn't clear the floor, but on occasion, he will get both feet off the ground. I know that kids do silly things and you may not think that jumping is silly. But I do! It's so funny to see him working so hard to master this skill. I guess I should be so proud of my little boy for learning to do all of these wonderful things. And oh yeah, he's discovered that he can stick his finger up his nose. That's another fine site to see. All in all, Jacob is living up the life of a toddler and all of his "normal" or "abnormal" behaviors are a part of learning, growing and discovering the world around him. I'm so happy that I get to be around to watch it all take place. What a wonderful job I have.