Struggling With Time and (Lack of) Creativity

Finances are pretty tight, but D~ and I are trying to make a go of me taking some time off work to be a SAHM for a while. I feel like I've missed out on so much of little J~'s life up to this point. He's grown so much, and I missed out on so much of his babyhood. Now that I've been home with him 24-7 for a couple of months, though, I'm having some mixed emotions about our days.

Most times J~ and I just "hang out" and spend the day playing around the house - trains, cars, playing with his baby (cabbage patch boy) or other toys in his toy stroller, blowing bubbles, reading books, playing with play-doh, playing with his kitchen set, etc. I love watching him play and trying to get into his world. I love talking with him about things, seeing his little mind processing what I say and then listening to him trying to babble-repeat the important word(s) of what I just said.

I love this stage right now, but I literally can't get three minutes of peace while he's awake. If I'm not by his side playing, he seeks me out within a minute or two and tries to pull me to wherever he wants us to be. If I don't go with him or try to tell him to wait a minute, he screams/cries. I want to savor this time with him because I know this won't last for too long, but sometimes I get so frustrated with his inability to entertain himself for just five minutes.

I used to be a pretty creative/crafty person before he was born and literally have done *nothing* (save for three scrapbook pages) since he was born. I miss my crafty time, but I just don't have the energy (and my mind is zapped) after he goes to bed at night. I thought that after being home with him for a while, his clingy-ness would die down and I would be able to have a few minutes to just sit down and do *something* creative. I hoped that maybe I'd be able to sit down with a sketch pad for a few minutes and draw and that he'd either want to draw, too, for a few minutes or else go about doing his own thing. But that just doesn't happen. Maybe a lot of you have kiddos like this, too... always on-the-go from one thing to the next and always wanting you to be right there with them. Yes? Please say "yes"! :P

A while back I "liked" this one mom's blog on facebook but never really took a look at it. I just spent a little time browsing through the entries she tagged for when her kids were 15-19 months old, and I'm amazed at the things she did/does with them. I'm jealous of all of the educational/sensory toys and art supplies she has for them - not to mention actually having a home big enough for everything! - and envious of her enthusiasm and patience at letting her kids do so many art, cooking, and life skill activities at such young ages. I guess maybe I just need to try to work on "loosening up" and not worrying so much about messes. We just don't have much practical space for being messy (EVERY room in this place is carpeted except for the eat-in kitchen!) and we don't have a dining table at the moment.

*Bubble Art at the Friday Night Fair - He loooved this... and loves seeing his art displayed and talking about it.

I guess I should sit down some night and evaluate the house layout, the furniture arrangement, and so on... figure out what I activities I want to focus on with J~ and what I need to do to make the place more accessible for him (a lower clothes rod in his closet and maybe one of those hanging organizers so he can pick out his own clothes, bowls/cups/silverware at his level somewhere in the kitchen, etc.). Make a list of art/craft/cooking/learning activities that I want to do, find/gather/buy the supplies, and find a good spot for them. I think I'll feel better about our time together (and my lack of solo crafting time) if I can find more ways to be creative and productive WITH him.

Pottying Update

August 14, 2011

Pottying was going fantastic once I was out of school (work) for the summer. I’ve heard/read that cloth diapered babies generally catch on to pottying quite a bit sooner than babies diapered in disposables because they can actually feel the wetness since cloth diapers don’t magically absorb the pee instantly like chemical-laden disposables ones do. At just seventeen months old, J~ was down to only two accidents during the day on most days and even had a few dry-all-day days after just a week or two of working on it all day long. And even when he had “accidents”, it was typically that he had just started to go a little, realized/felt what was happening, came to tell us “paaah” (his word for “potty”), and finished going in his potty. I was so proud of him and really felt good about my efforts in making a go of it.

Unfortunately, moving really threw things off. I knew to expect a decrease in his consistency for a while after a change, but I didn’t realize how bad it could get and for how long. We have yet to have an all-dry day here, and Jacob typically has accidents at least five or six times each day. Most times, J~ will wet himself just minutes after he’s gently shaken his head and answered, “Nooo”, when we ask him if he has to go or when he’s gotten off of his toilet from us trying to get him to go. It’s so frustrating, but I guess I just have to keep reminding myself that he’s still really just a baby still. Most kids don’t even start making the connection - and most parents don’t even start trying to *attempt* pottying their little ones - until they’re at least two. Thankfully, he’s very consistent with letting us know that he has to potty for the “big stuff”. ;P Hopefully that doesn’t start diminishing over time!

August 27, 2011

Well, I may have “spoken” too soon. Over the past few days, J~’s had a few “big stuff” accidents. I think they all happened when he was playing in his room and then came out to let us know that the deed was done (by saying, “Eeeew” and patting his pants). Sigh. Everything’s just hit-and-miss these days. Sometimes he’ll agree that he has to go and go into the bathroom with us happily. He pees and gets all kinds of praise. Or he at least tries to go and gets praise for trying. Other times he’ll say “no” and start fussing if we try to take him… so we back off and let him resume whatever he was doing. I know it’ll click in one of these days (months/years). It’s just tiring knowing how close he was before the move.

18-Month Check-up

August 11, 2011

We haven’t gotten around to looking for a pediatrician in our new town yet, so we took a little road trip last month to visit my dad for a day and take J~ to his 18-month appointment the following morning. He was so thrilled to see his Papa N~ again and all of the toys we had left up there solely for these kinds of visits. I brought a bag of toys with us that he plays with regularly down here, but he was so excited to play with the “lost” toys that the only favorite toy he cared about was his barn with the stacking rings - his “bracelets”.

J~ spent a little time on the computer with my dad, but he didn’t seem to have much interest in that this time - probably because he had all of his old toys to play with. He was overly happy watching the youtube videos that he and I used to check out every night, though. Like most toddlers his age, he really enjoys nursery rhymes and “finger play”/movement songs now. Two of his current favorites are “Where Is Thumbkin?” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider”. He’s pretty good at doing the motions for each part of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and smiles every time while trying to move his fingers for the Thumbkin song. Too cute!

His appointment with the pediatrician went well. Raising him vegan (not following the typical Standard American Diet), I’m still worried about making sure he’s getting all that he needs in regards to nutrition - mainly healthy fats. (He gets the bulk of his B and D vitamins in the fortified - and usually organic - soymilk that he drinks with or between each meal.) I’ve been trying to be vigilant about adding healthy fats wherever I can in his diet and try to feed him good snacks throughout the day now that he’s finally actually *wanting* snacks. (When he was younger, his tummy was just too small. He filled up with his milk and meals, and I didn’t want to push more food at the time since he was still having reflux issues back then.) Since healthy vegan meals typically don’t *have* much fat, I’ve been trying to make sure to give him healthy fats in at least two good portions of his meals and snacks each day. So far, that’s basically consisted of adding full fat coconut milk (the kind you find in the “ethnic” section of the grocery stores) to his soy milk, natural peanut butter on whole wheat bread/crackers/or by the spoonful, hummus on crackers or by the spoonful, and 1/4 of an avocado with meals. I need to try to remember to grind some flax seed and sprinkle that over some of his foods… but anyway. He’s still following his curve as to his weight, so I’ve apparently been doing a good job. He’s almost at the 45th percentile for his weight (almost right in the middle of the range of kiddos his age) and the 65th percentile for height. Supposedly he has a pretty small head comparatively - only in the 34th percentile. Personally, though, I think he looks almost perfectly proportioned right now.

He’ll be nineteen months old tomorrow. The days and months have really flown by. I’m so glad to have this time off from working to watch and help him grow and to see his personality emerge. The Terrible Twos are already rearing their head, but - while I was pretty irritated with his whininess for the first week or so of the fussiness -, I’ve been trying to collect myself and deal with each little fit in a more calm and collected way. I look at him and shake my head with a disapproving frown and remind him or prompt him to “use your words”. If he’s nearby, I’ll crouch down to his level and say, “No crying/screaming. Tell Mommy what you want.” If he wants something that he can’t have (another “sugary” snack, something dangerous, etc.), I try to redirect him to something else and just let him throw a little fit - and ignore it - if that doesn’t help. Hopefully we’ll get through this stage without ALL of our hairs turning gray. ;) J~’s pediatrician said that the Terrible Twos start around this age and continue all of the way through the threes! Supposedly after that come the Fantastic Fours… but my friend, C~, says she’s seen some four-year-olds... and begs to differ.

August 10, 2011

I’m sure most kids grow up loving books - at least in their first few years - if they are surrounded by them and if their parents read to them on a regular basis. J~ has a ways to go before he understands the stories inside them, but he loves books and has a growing collection of favorites. It’s a good thing we have a big selection for him to choose from, because his favorites seem to be changing about every two or three weeks now.

I started out reading him Goodnight, Moon before bed every night from the time he was about six months old until a little after his first birthday. One night, I decided to offer a different story - Goodnight - A Touch-and-Feel Bedtime Book -, and he started choosing that one each night for a while. Every now and then, he alternated between the two. At some point, I brought in a few more books… and it all went crazy from there. ;P We went from three or four book choices to around ten in just a few weeks time!

These are the books that have ended up in regular rotation -

Goodnight, Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Good Night - A Touch-and-Feel Bedtime Book

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Five Silly Monkeys illustrated by Steve Haskamp

Three Little Dachshunds by Margaret G. Otto (Copyright 1963; an old book that Dave got somewhere along the way - First published as Pumpkin, Ginger and Spice c. 1952… I’ll have to look for that one!)

I Howl, I Growl by Marcia Vaughan

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. (illustrated by Eric Carle)

Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. (illustrated by Eric Carle

I like bugs by Lorena Siminovich

Quack! Quack! (baby touch and feel) by Louise Rupnik - a 2011 Easter gift from his Grandma Taylor in Connecticut

Sesame Street - A Sweet-Smelling Garden by Gina Gold

Sesame Street - Elmo’s World - Puppies!

I am a Bunny by Ole Risom (illustrated by Richard Scary)

And his current favorite… Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off To the Moon by

With most of the books, there’s usually a certain page or two that grabs his interest the most. Sometimes it seems that he only wants to read whatever book he chooses for the sole purpose of seeing the images on those pages and/or having me talk about them.

· With Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!, he’s fascinated with the pages that show the rocket with numbers on the side for the countdown (5 to 0), the page with a lunar rover driving on the moon followed by a picture of “moon rocks in a box”, and then the page with the lights, buttons, and dials on the control panels.

· With Kitten’s First Full Moon, he loved “acting out” the pages where the kitten had a bug on her tongue and when she leaped from the porch and tumbled (“bumping her nose, and banging her ear, and pinching her tail”)… probably because he thought it was funny the first time I acted it out reading it to him as he sat in his crib watching and listening

· Brown Bear, Brown Bear - I have no idea what it is about the teacher, but he’s always been fascinated by the teacher at the end of the book. At first, he liked seeing all of the children with their smiling faces, too, but he studies the teacher intently.

· Goodnight, Moon - For the longest time, J~ seemed to like the cow, the kittens, the clocks, and the balloon. Around thirteen months (I think), he started really focusing on the difference in lighting/brightness on the pages showing the whole room (as the moon rises outside the window, the room gets darker inside). He started noticing more detail and would point out the areas of the room that were illuminated by the light (or the shadowy areas). I talked to him about it getting darker outside and needing the light to see and shadows, etc. I don’t know any other moms with kids his age, but I think that’s pretty perceptive for thirteen months.

I tried reading Where The Wild Things Are to him tonight, but he lost interest after the second page. I let him off of my lap to play and kept reading it anyway. Oh well. Maybe in a few more weeks.

Babbling the Day Away

August 9, 2011

J~’s communication is coming along pretty well, and he has his first three-word phrase - “There it is!” - when he finds something that he’s looking for or when playing peek-a-boo with a toy. Of course, it’s more jumbled and strung together as if it was really just one word… but it’s definitely a three-syllable word. He’ll also say “Teere” for “Come here”. We’ve been working on having him add “please” to single-word requests, but that might be a while yet. He understands a TON more than he can say, of course. He tries to say the first letter or syllable of every word that interests him or is important to him, but the only clear words (recognizable to any random person) he has are “mama”, “dada”, “bye bye”, “hi”, “no”, “yes/yeah”, and “papa”. I guess his versions of “down” and “up” are pretty understandable since he points in the direction or lifts his arms when he says them. And “shoe”. I think “shoe” would be pretty clear, too. He doesn’t say “nana” for banana anymore. He knows that it starts with a “b” sound, so he says “Buh” and tries to do the sign along with that. He says “Taaaa” (with the short “a” sound) for cat (again, while trying to do the sign), but hasn’t made the connection of the beginning “c” for that word yet.

Here’s a list of other words I can think of that J~ tries to say - beginning sound or first syllable with the correct short/long vowel sound - that we generally understand (since he points, tries to sign, or since the word is something related to what he’s looking at or talks about a lot… or is a repetition of something we say fairly frequently) -

Abacus * Airplane * Art * Avocado * Baby * Back * Ball * Banana * Bath * Bear * Beard * Bell * Belly * Bike * Binky * Bird * Bite * Block * Blue * Book * Box * Boy * Bracelet * Branch * Bread * Brush * Broom * Break/Broken * Bubble * Bug * Bus * Butterfly * Camera * Candle * Car * Cat (but said as described above) * Chair * Chin * Clap * Close (“coe”, when closing a door or box) * Cold * Couch * Crayon * Crib * Cry * Cut (“tuuh” or “tut”) * Dinosaur * Doctor * Dog * Door * Drink * Duck * Ear * Eat * Egg (his plastic Easter eggs) * Dump (dumping toys out of buckets, etc.) * Eye * Fan * Fish (“ish” or “iss”) * Flag * Flip-flops * Flower * Friend * Fun * Ghost * Girl * Go * Grapes * Green (“deen” or “geen”) * Hat * Hear * Help * Hot * Ice * Jam * Juice (“deuce”) * Knock * Lady * Leaf * Light * Lunch * Mad * Mail/Mailman * Man * Medicine * Melon * Milk * Mix * Moon * More * Moss * Mouth * Mushroom * Music * Neck * Nice * Nose * Noodles * Not * Nut * Open * Ostrich * Outside (“siiigh”) * Pants * Paper * Pat * Play * Play-doh * Pom-pom * Potty (“pahpah” or “paaah”) * Pop (pop-beads, ball popper toy) * Pour * Pull * Puppy * Puzzle * Sad * Sauce * Silly * Sit * Sleep * Stay * Slide * Snack * Smack (“Mack!” as he’s trying to smack us or one of the cats) * Snack * Sock * Swing * Table * Take * Tap * Tear * Tired * Toast * Toe * Toy * Truck * Tummy * Umbrella * Van * Vacuum * Watermelon * Water * Wet

He’s making more connections with his signs, too. Just over the past few days, he’s suddenly started signing some words that I’ve been doing for months - like “flower” and “silly”. However, with “silly”… it was pretty weird. I had been doing the same sign for months (learned from one of my co-workers at school) and happened to look it up in two of my sign language books that I have here. Apparently, my co-worker hadn’t remembered it correctly (or else *I* didn’t remember it correctly from when they showed me!), and I had been signing it wrong this whole time. The next time I told J~ he was “silly” and signed it correctly, he immediately did it the way I had been doing it all of that time! So he signs “silly” now. Maybe not the correct way… but *I* know what he means. ;P I never found a sign for “flag”, but Jacob loooves pointing them out everywhere we go. So, I just started extending a straight hand and waving it back and forth a little (like a flag waving in the breeze)… so now that’s how he signs flag.

Here’s a list of some of his newer signs - some just in the past two or three weeks and some over the last few months (since the last time I blogged about his signs). He isn’t doing them every time he says the word (because I’m not always consistent in using them when talking either, but I *try* to remember!), but he’s signed his version of each of them several times in context. Oh, and like I mentioned with “flag”, a few of the signs are ones I made up that seem like good enough imitations of what the true sign might be. :P

Baby * Banana * Bear * Bed * Broke/broken * Bubble (new?) * Bunny (our own version) * Car/Drive * Cat * Clean * Cold * Cracker * Dad * Door * Eat (new?) * Fish * Flag * Flower * Friend * Girl * Hard * Hear/Listen * Hippo * Hot * Kiwi * Later * Lion * Monkey * Mouse * Music * Pear * Rain * Sad * Shoes * Squirrel * Thunder * Turtle * Wait * Watch/Time * Wet * Window

I wish I had taken a sign language course or two in college along with my Special Education classes. Most of the signs I know I picked up over the years at my different jobs from kids and/or staff who might not have actually had the correct sign down or else learned on my own through sign language books or web sites. And the signs I learned on my own, I’ve either been doing a few of them wrong all along or somehow transformed them into my own version. I usually try to check a few different sources before starting to use a sign with J~, but sometimes that doesn’t always work out as planned. Oh well. I guess as his speech improves, it won’t be so important… but it would definitely be nice to actually teach the right word from the start.

A New Place To Call "Home"

August 7, 2011

It was never our intention to live at my dad’s house after Jacob was born. It was never our intention for me to even spend the summer pregnant at my dad’s house. Life is always throwing us for a curve. The most recent major curves came in the form of more costly, unexpected car repairs and then a derricho that ripped through Southern Illinois and demolished what was going to be our home.

Anyway…

Jacob had grown up knowing my dad’s house as “Home”. Dave stayed home with him while I worked, so he never went to daycare or anything. In eighteen months, he’d only ever seen the inside of about six or seven other houses(/apartments/etc.) and never spent more than a few hours at any of those places (my mom’s house, Dave’s dad’s apartment, and four friends’ houses).

He was really good during the whole moving process. My mom watched him for a few hours a couple of times, but he was great even while we were packing and moving everything all over the house and out to the moving truck. I showed him the moving truck the day we first picked it up and opened it up while trying to explain moving in toddler language.

We didn’t get to our new place until past his normal bedtime, but he was still in a decent mood. He had fun running back and forth from one end to the other and messing around with his toys. When bedtime came, though, he was scared and confused… crying and stomping his little feet outside of the doorway refusing to come into the room for his Binky and his puppy blankie. I picked him up and cuddled him in my lap for a few minutes trying to explain that this was our new home, but it just wasn’t right to him. (“Playing somewhere new for any length of time is perfectly fine, but you simply *don’t* sleep anywhere new, Mommy!”)

I couldn’t bear leaving him alone crying his little heart out in a new place on the first night, so I tried lying down with him in our bed. His chest heaved for a little while still trying to calm down from crying. He moved around a little but fell asleep within about fifteen minutes. He slept there next to me all night - not even waking up once. That hadn’t happened (him sleeping next to us) since he weaned himself from bed-sharing over three months ago. It was so nice cuddling next to him again. I’ve missed that so much.

The next morning, one of the neighborhood dogs came over to meet us. Jacob was so happy and excited to see a dog; he was grinning from ear to ear. Foxy always comes wagging her tail and ready to sniff and roll over onto her back for a quick pet or two. Jakey smiles whenever he looks at her, tries to say her name (“Fah… Fah… Fah”), and goes over to her to give her a little pat on her tummy or to point at her nose. He giggles when she runs ahead or follows behind him. Actually, he giggles and smiles almost the entire time she’s here.

The first week in town was pretty hectic, but we managed to throw in a few outings, too. It’s quite a challenge trying to move into a new place - unpack, arrange furniture, etc. - while trying to maintain a fairly normal schedule (eating, naps, etc.) with a toddler running around. Oh… and while trying to keep on top of pottying him, too!

We checked out Carbondale’s Friday Night Community Fair (music, vendors, kids area) where Jacob and I spent the majority of the night at the kids area playing with a ball toy & Play-doh and occasionally crawling through the tunnel when the older, rambunctious kids weren’t rolling around inside. Jakey could’ve easily spent the entire evening there playing with the balls, but we took him around to see the music, art, and everything else a couple of times. He tried blackberries for the first time and had fun feeding a few to me. J

The next morning, we headed back into town to the Farmer’s Market. We had moved during the hottest week of the year, and it was pretty miserable there since most of the market is in direct sun. Dave took Jacob around so that I could see who had what, and I picked up an eggplant, a zucchini, and some donut peaches. There was a harpist playing across from a shaded area, so we stopped there for a little while and Jacob listened and watched her play.

My brother and sister-in-law invited us over for dinner that night at their new house. It’d been a while since we’d seen them, so we got to catch up on what they’d been up to… and Jacob had a blast. He was excited to see his Uncle Derek and Aunt Ali again and their dog, PJ, but he was a little overwhelmed with PJ’s energy level (crying and running away when PJ came bounding towards him with his toy). He tried to get their cat to play, but Waffles was more interested in trying to appear invisible. They had the baby’s room pretty much set up already (Jakey will have a second cousin sometime next month!), and Derek got out a turtle constellation light and spent some time showing it to Jacob. He put it away after a bit, but Jacob took Derek back in there and insisted on checking it out again. Derek decided that Jakey needed one of his own, so he ordered one just for him.

We didn’t make it to any of the Thursday night Sunset Concerts this year. It was just too hot each week, plus Jakey’s bedtime usually falls just thirty minutes to an hour after the bands are scheduled to start. He wakes up during the night a LOT more frequently if he doesn’t get to bed within the usual time frame. And since I’m always the one to get up to respond to his cries in the middle of the night, I’d rather keep to a schedule even if it means missing out on something that might be cool. Being a parent really changes your perspective on things.

*Sweat mohawk from the heat and humidity! ------->

Stalling and the Beginnings of the Terrible Twos!

August 5, 2011

I never knew it could start so early, but somewhere around fourteen or fifteen months, Jacob learned that he could stall bedtime by asking for a series of things that he knew by name or sign. He’d ask for another book… a drink of milk or water… or tell me that he had to go potty. Or he’d just start babbling trying to get me to talk about his favorite things or exciting things that happened that day. At first, I gave into his requests - happy that he was communicating more and more. When it became apparent that it was becoming a nightly ritual, I started incorporating each thing into our nighttime routine to prevent any uncertainty as to whether he actually needed those things or not (drink, potty). Since then it hasn’t been much of an issue (and I haven’t been doing all of those things consistently for a few weeks now, save for pottying), but it was amazing seeing how young all of that can begin!

Apparently stalling (trying to figure out how to get his way) sets the stage for the “Terrible Twos”.

Our little guy is really starting to test his boundaries these days. Not listening… looking at us when he’s doing something he’s not supposed to be doing (to see if we’re watching and get a reaction)… getting our attention to show us that he’s doing something that he’s not supposed to be doing… fussing, screeching and/or crying when he doesn’t get his way or when we remind him that he’s not supposed to be doing something. :P It’s pretty funny to see but not so fun to actually have to deal with all day long. And then there’s his “Pull… pull… pull” all day long as he says that and tugs on my pant leg trying to get me to come with him - usually for nothing more than to sit with him to play (after just getting up from sitting with him for an hour straight!) or to show me something that we’ve already talked about a zillion times that day. Argh! I’ve taught him to say “Come here” (“Teere… Teere”) instead of “pull”, so at least it *sounds* nicer. :P We just need a maid and a chef to do everything that I need to do so that I can devote my time to playing with Jacob instead. ;)

Further Taming of the Domestic Squirrel

July 15, 2011

My dad has had a family of squirrels living in the maple in his front yard for as long as I can remember. Jacob spent most of last summer and fall babbling away at the branches and leaves swaying in the breeze, but this summer he was actually able to see and focus on things running around… like the squirrels. About once a week, I would go outside and throw some bread bits around the yard and by the base of the tree. Jacob would go out with me and throw a few pieces, too, but they generally ended up right by his feet. He’d pick up bits and try to throw again only to have it land in pretty much the same place. We’d toddle back to the sidewalk together (or else a patch of grass a short distance from the tree) and sit down to wait for one of them to scamper down the tree trunk. There’s always been a brave one in every bunch, and this year we had the bravest one I’ve seen yet.

The last week of June and the first week of July, Jacob and I unintentionally started tossing out bread and dry, unsalted peanuts on a daily basis. It wasn’t long before the brave squirrel got brazen and started jumping and climbing up the storm door wondering why we hadn’t come out to feed him each morning! Oops.

The first morning it happened was the first day that we hadn’t fed them that week. Dave and I were sitting in the living room (while Jacob was taking his first nap) and heard the cat smacking and scratching the door trying to get a bug. Or at least that’s what we thought the noise was… until I turned around to take a look and saw the squirrel up on the handle of the storm door! He leaped down (probably unable to hold his precarious position any longer) and stood by door looking in. He slowly walked back and forth in front of the door and then tried to jump up to the doorknob again. “HEY! Where’s the food, people?! I’m HUNGRY!”

Dave thought it was cute and insisted that we should throw something out to the little critter. I felt bad for having made this “wild” creature so tame as to approach a human dwelling for food, but I was pretty certain that it would start foraging again - for nuts and whatever else town squirrels eat - once we moved and it wasn’t being fed any longer (by my dad). Winter was still a ways away, so it had plenty of time to become “wild” again.

This happened again the next morning, and Jacob was awake to see it. He sat down in the doorway with Dave… and Grace. Jacob was so excited to see the squirrel so close. I love kids’ natural adoration for animals. Dave tossed some peanuts onto the sidewalk, and the three of them sat watching until the peanuts were gone. Squirrely stood around waiting for more but was content to lay around on the sidewalk and poke around in the grass once we left the doorway.

Potty Time!

I bought Jacob a potty chair around his first birthday and introduced him to it shortly afterwards. He would go almost every time I sat him on it, but I was working full-time at that point and wasn't around to try to be consistent with it. Dave was home with him all day, but he wasn't up for that. I'm just thankful that he's been with me on cloth diapering from the day we started *that*.

Anyway...

Fast-forward to the beginning of June after my job at the elementary school dismissed for summer break. I started working with Jacob on pottying full-time beginning the first full week of break. I left his diapers on for the first week and got into a routine of taking him before and after every nap, before and after every meal, and probably about every twenty minutes or so when he was just playing around the house. (Just *writing* that sounds exhausting!) After the first day or so, he started making the connection and would say "Paaaah" and tap his pants when he had to go... or when he was wet. :P

During this first week, I took him shopping with me and he asked to go twice while sitting in the shopping cart. I was almost in disbelief, but he even held it and actually went on the big toilets! The next week we went out again, and he was wet THREE times without any indication whatsoever. Go figure. :P

I started having him "go commando" (no diaper, just pants) around the house starting with Week Two. Most days we would go through between five to eight pairs of pants or shorts. He had his first Dry-All-Day day last week (well, excluding naps, of course) and *almost* stays dry throughout the day every day now! Usually we have at least one accident daily (sometimes two) when he gets involved in playing and I get distracted with stuff around the house and forget to ask or take him.

I'm so proud of my little guy and proud of myself for starting this right away and sticking to it! Now I just have to hope that he doesn't start regressing as he grows and becomes more independent!

Off To Dreamland

(Actual posting date - July 5th. I really hate that blogger doesn't let you re-date entries!)

Jacob was never a good napper. He fell asleep pretty well to start out his naps, but he was always our "Power Napper Extraordinaire". From the time he was three months old, we were lucky to get more than a 35-45 minute nap out of him during any of his nap times throughout the day... and until he was about six months old, most of those naps were in our arms. We tried rocking, singing, playing lullaby music, pacing while holding and patting, walking him around the house in his car seat stroller, keeping things quiet, making the room as dark as we could, "white noise", cuddling with him, rubbing/patting his back gently and "shushing" him. Try as we might in our efforts to get him back to sleep, Jacob just did NOT want to miss a thing.

I think it was when he was about a year old, Jacob started letting himself fall back to sleep when Dave would bring him into bed and cuddle him (upon Jacob waking from a 30-40 minute nap). They would sleep together for over an hour sometimes... but Jakey never wanted to this with me on my days off. Stinker. :P At that point, I was still bringing him into our bed when he awoke between 2-4am unable to be smoothed back to sleep, but he just wouldn't sleep and cuddle with me during the day.

Over the last month or two, the power naps have finally started stretching out to an hour or more. Sometimes he even sleeps for almost TWO HOURS! The majority of babies I've come across have been taking two or three hour naps since infancy, so this news would be nothing to their moms. For us, though... for ME... it's pure bliss! I actually have time to do something around the house other than breathe for a minute or two. I can wash the dishes, throw a load of laundry in the washer and get it into the dryer, prep food for the next meal and sometimes even start cooking! At this point, other babies his age are transitioning to one solid 2-3 hour nap in the middle of the day... but I'm perfectly happy with the two separate hour-or-more-long naps right now.

Bedtime Routine...

Goodnight, Moon was part of Jacob's nighttime routine every night from about three or four months until he was almost a year old. The first time he saw the video for it, he was amazed. His bedtime story had come to life! About three or four months ago, he started pointing to certain items in the story making connections to real life items or toys. Every night as we made our way towards the bedroom, we said "goodnight" to our own things around the house, and he'd either look towards each thing as I said its name or touch it if we were close enough (wagon, kitty, bathtub, computer, flowers, pillow, Mommy and Jakey in the mirror). I added a new bedtime book a few months ago (Good Night: A Touch and Feel Bedtime Book), and he loved the last page where the author says, "Good night, little one. It's time to turn out the light...". He quickly caught on to my prompt for him to turn the light out himself (via the removable wall remote) and this became his favorite part of his bedtime routine.

Since the introduction of the touch-and-feel book for a new bedtime story, we've been switching it up on a regular basis. Sometimes Jacob will choose the same two books for a few days in a row, and sometimes he'll alternate stories each night. We currently have about eight books by his crib from which he can choose. :P Sometimes he's up for sitting on my lap and cuddling while I read. Other times he wants to sit in his crib and listen - forcing me to kneel by his crib and read upside-down. Oy.

For months, I sang "You Are My Sunshine" (and a soothing, repetitive song or two of my own creation) when I put him down for his morning or afternoon nap and then sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and a few other nighttime songs when laying him down for the night. I don't remember how or exactly when, but he doesn't care much for my singing anymore unless he wakes up scared, teething, or whatever in the middle of the night. Anymore, he just wants me to read to him. And even though I miss the lullabies and watching his eyes get heavy... knowing that my voice was so soothing and comforting to him that he fell asleep to it within a few minutes every time... I'm so happy that he's developing a love for books. Most kids do, though, eh? ;)

Oh... the binky. Hmmm. Jacob had decided around four months old that he didn't want a binky anymore. I was kind of happy with that because (pre-child days) I was never really a fan of them. This really changed his soothing ability, though, since he never took to sucking his thumb or fingers for anything more than daytime play or soothing. Trying to get him to sleep involved lots of swaying and very intense bouncing/rocking sessions while walking around the house. We didn't have a nice cuddling baby swing, so this left me with just my arms. And they got VERY tired! When I unintentionally reintroduced his binky (around six months - using a pacifier-style thermometer to take his temperature), he fell in love all over again. Being new to this whole baby thing, I guess I hadn't been paying attention to the varying age ranges for pacifiers. The type that babies come home with from the hospital and the other ones we had for him were supposed to be for babies up to three months. Jacob probably just needed the next size/style all along. :P

(Continued - August 28th)

Since then, Jacob and the binky have become inseparable at bedtime and nap time. He'd probably suck on it all day long if we didn't make him leave it in his crib when he's ready to wake up and play. He gets very fussy if we don't allow HIM to be the one to put it in his crib. He likes to poke it through the crib rails and then tries to be sneaky and pull it back out to run off with it if the binky's still within reach. ;) When he gets like that, I have to pick him up and encourage him to "throw it down" onto the mattress. Then he's content to toddle off to start his day (afternoon, evening, whatever).

Jacob Loves... - 16 months Version

So I haven't done one of these in quite a while. Hmm... in almost a year. Oops. Oh well. Most of his interests stayed the same for quite some time and, of course, recently changed a bit (or have been added to) since he's become more mobile and understands more. He's up on his feet and has a pretty short attention span these days, but he does still love a lot of the same things as at five months - just in different ways.


* Being Outside

Jacob has to touch everything in reach and always wants something to carry around in at least one of his hands - sticks, rocks, flower tops, little mushrooms, seed pods from flowers, "helicopters" from the trees, grass, small clumps of dirt, leaves. He noticed little ants crawling around a week or two ago, so now he squats down and says "Buh buh buh!" (for "bug") whenever he sees a crawling insect and waves his hand to say "hi" (or "bye" if they're retreating into the ground).

We have a few squirrels that live in the one remaining tree in the front yard and a neighborhood bunny that usually makes an appearance a few times a week in front of one of the houses across the street. Jacob gets so excited whenever he sees them, so I usually leave the front door open so that he can stand at the storm door and watch for them. Then I'll quietly open the door and take him outside (holding him) so that he can see them closer. Sometimes I'll take him outside when they're not around and give him some raw, unsalted peanuts to throw under the tree for them. It's so cute to see him try to throw them - especially since most of them land within an inch or two of his shoes. ;)


Now that spring's here and summer's on its way, there's almost always someone outside mowing their lawn... and Jacob loves watching that, too. He'll say "muh, muh" (for mower) and move his little hands back and forth imitating someone pushing a lawn mower. The kids next door (probably about 8 or 9 years old?) come over to visit most times when they see us sitting or playing outside. Jacob loves watching them ride their bikes or do cartwheels or just mess around with each other. The boy loves wrestling almost as much as Dave does, so he and Jacob will play with the action figures sometimes. Other times Jacob will just watch them and smile at them while they talk or try to play with his toys with him.

I take him for walks in his wagon when I'm not too tired after work and on the weekends if it's nice out. He loves being able to look all around (which he can't do fully in a stroller) and reach out his hand to try to grab or touch things that we pass - flowers, bushes, Sweetgum Balls. He's very observant when it comes to spotting things that interest him (flowers, dogs, kids, squirrels, etc.), and I try to point out and talk about other things we come across (signs, puddles, our shadows, flags).


* Grandpa Nick

Grandpa's back for the summer, and now life for Jacob is a bit more interesting than simply looking at silly faces or smiling at silly noises. He likes Grandpa's computer games, but he's not as fascinated by them as he was when he was a little "bump on a log". He'll sign and say "Ah duh!" ("All done!") when he's ready to get down from Grandpa's lap and go play elsewhere. :) Grandpa has a change jar in his (Grandpa's) bedroom for Jacob, and Jacob loves putting the coins in whenever Grandpa comes around with money. All it takes is hearing the sound of coins jingling in Grandpa's hand or pocket, and Jacob stretches his arms out to be picked up and taken back to Grandpa's room. Sometimes he'll walk down the hallway and pat on Grandpa's door just to try to go in and play with the money. He loves his Grandpa. (He loves all of his Grandpa's, but he's been able to see Grandpa Nick much more than any of his other grandpas. If money wasn't such an issue, he'd know them all almost equally.)


* Throwing Things

I guess all toddlers go through the throwing stage, and that's where Jacob's at right now. Everything is so fun to throw - especially on the kitchen or bathroom tile (CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK!). I bought him a Leap Frog Magnetic Farm set with two-piece animals that you match together to hear a song or fact about each animals. He's not up to matching the pieces yet, but he loves throwing them as far into the kitchen as he can. ;P


* Putting Things IN Things (and taking them right back out)

Coins in banks or jars, plastic lids inside reused Earth Balance (vegan butter) containers, ping pong balls inside containers, crayons in and out of the crayon box... it's all fair game and fun for a few minutes here and there.


* YouTube Videos

I've tried to limit my computer time with him while my dad's here for the summer since he plays around online with Jacob almost daily (facebook games), but Jacob has several YouTube videos that he likes watching together - mainly before naps or while brushing his teeth before bed. Sometimes we'll watch signing videos to learn or reinforce signs. Sometimes we'll just watch videos of other little kids dancing, running, playing, singing or brushing THEIR teeth. Mostly, though, he likes watching these ones...


Twinkle Twinkle Little Star




Goodnight, Moon




Five Little Monkeys




The ABC Song




Five Little Ducks




and his new favorite...


Elmo's Ducks




We've watched the middle four every few nights since he was maybe six months old, and he still loves them. :)


* Watching, Observing, and Following

Jacob loves following us around and trying to get involved in everything. Whether it's messing around with all of Daddy's stuff while Dave's trying to sort things out in the "eBay room" or watching me while I cook or bake or taking the mail right out of our hands... Jacob wants in on the action.

* EVERYTHING!

I feel like this list could go on and on at this point in time. Jacob gets excited about so many things, but his attention span is about two minutes with most things. I'm always trying to find new things to show him and let him play with. Recently that's included cutting up a new dry sponge and playing with them in his highchair with a shallow dish of water. He loves getting them wet and squeezing the water out... tapping his fingers in the water... dumping the dish onto his highchair tray. A few days ago, I pulled a bag of cotton balls out of the bathroom and introduced him to fluffy balls. He loves throwing them and pulling them apart little by little. He thought it was hilarious when I "boinged" them on the top of his head and on his little nose and also when I took handfuls of them and blew them off with a few puffs. I'm thinking of doing shaving cream play next (well, baby-safe shaving cream alternatives like soy yogurt or pudding) as well as maybe some finger painting with natural materials. There's plenty of time for everything; it doesn't all need to be thrown out there at once. I'm just so excited to have the summer off to share it all with him!

Dashing Through The House

Jacob's EVERYWHERE these days. It's very rare to get him to sit and play or listen to a story for more than a minute or two at a time. He'll ask us to pick him up... but then he wants down immediately (and then back up again) or else to be passed from one person to another. Mama... Dada... Papa... Mama! If he stumbles or falls, he tries to catch himself and gets right back up. Every now and then, he might crawl for a second or two... but those times are getting very far and few between. I was playing around with him the other day crawling on the floor next to him and "making" him crawl, too... he thought that was hilarious. ;P

This house was NOT designed with babyproofing (baby gates) in mind, so there's really not a lot that we can do to confine him to just the living room. There's a very wide opening between the living room and dining room... no place for a baby gate. The entry to the kitchen finds the refrigerator on one side and cabinets on the other... no place for a baby gate. So, basically we're stuck with following him around from room to room all day long.

His therapist, Jenny, came for her final visit this week. She was pretty impressed with how mobile he is now and gave us some ideas of things to work on to increase his independence with his mobility - creating "ramps" next to walls for him to walk up, kicking and running, throwing balls into baskets (instead of just throwing random objects across the room at no spot in particular), and climbing stairs. It's amazing to think back and realize how little Jacob was when Jenny first started coming for sessions. He's gone from not even being able to roll onto or off of his tummy to crawling and pulling himself up to toddling all over the place. Ms. Jenny's been such a great help and has always been very supportive and reassuring. She helped transform us from nervous, overprotective parents to confident supporters and cheerleaders of our son's progress. I'm sure that Jacob would have gotten to this point eventually, but I'm confident that he's gotten there (here!) much quicker with all of her suggestions and pointers.

I picked up a potted flower (white mums) for her and wrote on the planter card... "Thank you for helping me grow. Love, JACOB". She told us she had some gardening to do this weekend and would have to find a good spot for it. She said she'd call it her Jacob flower. We're sad to see Ms. Jenny go, but it's a good thing. Jacob really developed an attachment to her and lit up every time she came. Whenever she worked with him and he made a little frustrated noise or let out a cry, she would say, "I knoooooow!" Between therapy sessions, I would imitate this and Jacob would look up and grin - sometimes looking towards the door, sometimes trying to imitate the words/inflection himself. So cute. I'm sure he'll probably forget her eventually, but she really made an impression on him for the time being.

He's getting steadier on his feet outside both with and without shoes. Of course, he still falls down here and there, so we're pretty much always right next to him if he's not on the grass in the middle of the yard. I'm trying to give him a little more space to do his own thing, but I'm not in any rush to see his little body all scraped up by the cement... or to have to make a mad dash to the E.R. I'm sure all of that will come soon enough.



First TRUE crawling "steps" (up on all fours, alternating knees to move forward) - late November

First independent walking steps - late March/early April

Talk, Talk

It's amazing to sit back and watch our little guy play and figure things out. It's even more amazing to see firsthand how quickly he learns things these days - both through independent play and through watching and listening to us. Our little human sponge.

Spring has been contemplating its arrival for several weeks now. The weather will be beautiful and sunny - in the 60s, 70s, and even 80s - for a few days... and then it'll pour and be freezing for the next week or so. On the nicer days, I've been taking Jacob for walks in the Radio Flyer wagon that we got him for his birthday. (Until recently, we'd been pulling him around inside the house... and he loved it!) He's absolutely fascinated with the outdoors and points at everything wanting me to talk about the trees, squirrels, birds, the colors of flowers, cars, and so on. I recently started pointing out stop signs and being dramatic about it.

ME: Look, Jacob! STOP!
I abruptly stop the wagon in front of the sign and perform the ASL sign for "stop".

Jacob smiles with a huge grin. By the third stop sign, he's vocalizing (grunting) and attempting to make the ASL sign himself.

Now we can't go past a stop sign without him making a noise and signing "stop". :)


A lot of the more recently learned signs are Jacob's own approximations of the sign. He's only fifteen months old and still has a lot to figure out when it comes to coordination and imitation, but the important things are that he's trying and that at least *we* can understand him. With that said, Jakey's doubled his ASL "vocabulary" since March. :) Here's a list of Jacob's current signs (bold words are the new ones since March)...

bath * bird * binky/pacifier * book * ceiling fan (fan) * dog * done/finished * eat * hat * help * hurt * milk * more * orange * please * stop * thank you * water * work * yes * yogurt (soy yogurt, of course)

<----- signing "bird"


If we're not outside, Jacob loves to sit or stand by the front door and watch the squirrels hop and skitter around nibbling at the helicopters from our maple tree (or whatever it is that they nibble at out there) or chase each other around the yard, across the street, and up and down the trees. I recently learned the ASL sign for "squirrel" from one of my co-workers at school and have been using it along with making a munching-squirrel sound whenever Jakey and I are watching them. He's been making the sound for a while and today, for the first time, took hold of my hands wanting me to make the sign. (He's done this for other words, too, but it's been a while since the last time that he was so interested in knowing.) It's kind of a complicated sign for a little guy, so I'm not counting on him picking it up for a little while yet. He could surprise us, though.



As far as actual speech, he's up to five words now. A few weeks ago, he started saying "nana" for banana and then a few days later - after a visit from Dave's dad (and one day before MY dad arrived to stay for the summer) - he started saying "Papa". Over the past few days, he's started trying to say "dah" or "ah dah" when he's finished eating... but mainly with our prompting. He's in looove with bananas, though, and will say "nana" anytime he sees one. Lately, he's been tuning in more to my speech and trying to say the first letter sound for "b" and "d" words. So cute.

He was so happy and proud of himself for saying it the first time... and got pretty bored and disinterested by the end. I was so happy to hear him say it that I just wanted to hear it again and again. :P

Closer and Closer to True Toddlerhood

March 8th

Ever since his crawling took off, Jacob's been very resistant to let us help him walk. We'll encourage him and try to get him up on his feet, but he drops to the floor and scatters away after just a few steps. We've had a baby walker toy since before Christmas, but all he's ever wanted to do is play with the toys on the front of it. He's great at pulling himself up on the furniture and "cruising" and has been letting go of things to stand independently for a few seconds at a time... but he just hasn't been crazy about trying to walk. His therapist recommended putting stickers on the walls or kitchen cabinets and getting him to reach for them and walk along the wall or to get some chunky magnets for the fridge. We've been doing that for a couple of weeks now, and I think it's really been helping to boost his self-confidence and improve his balance.

About three weeks ago, I was playing with him and trying to get him to walk behind the walker. His first and second attempts were a little wobbly, so I stayed right by his side in case he started to tumble over. By the end of the second stretch, he was doing pretty well. So, the third time, I actually got him to walk halfway down the hall completely unassisted!

And then he was back to having no interest at all for several weeks. :P

This past Saturday, he actually initiated using the walker and has been making several trips around the house with it a few times each day. Usually he does one stretch and then drops down and crawls the rest of the way... mostly giggling like crazy because one of us are always behind him "chasing" him and he finds that hilarious. :)





April 20th

Jacob's walking is starting to come along more and more each day. Sometimes I wish he would just hurry up and "get it", but I know that once he does... we're going to be a lot more tired than we already are with chasing him as he crawls away from us!

This week, he's been seeking out his walking toy and has figured out how to maneuver it himself when he gets stuck up against the wall or a chair or something. He's much more interested in using it to actually get somewhere instead of just for practice/play. The difficult thing for me is telling him "no" when he uses it to walk to the door (wanting to go outside) when it's pouring or freezing outside.

He took his first unassisted steps a few weeks ago, and I've seen up to nine wobbly independent steps in a row. Generally he'll take about four or five steps before falling forward, and he's great about putting his hands out to catch himself. Dave and I have been giving him some extra practice by having him walk back and forth between us for hugs or to get a toy. He seems to have more confidence in himself when he knows we're right there to catch him if he starts to fall the wrong way. He still holds onto things for support most of the time and only lets go if he wants to turn or take a step or two towards a toy so that he can be closer to it when he plops himself down to the floor. I'm sure it won't be long, though, before he's all over the place.

(The "action" here is in the first couple of seconds; I kept filming hoping to capture some more.)

First Words and Baby Signs

February 4th


I can't believe I haven't mentioned this before. At least I don't think I have... and if so... oh well. :P Jacob's first true word - associating the word with the person/thing - was... Ma-Ma. Even though Dave has been a stay-at-home dad ever since I had to return to work following my maternity leave, Jacob figured out how to refer to me by "name" first. It was right around Thanksgiving and was so cute at first, but then it morphed into him ONLY doing it in a whiny-cry whenever I would leave the room or walked past him to go prepare his bottle or food.

"Maaaa-ma ma-ma ma-ma ma-maaa!!!!!"

A few days before Christmas, he finally started saying "Da-da" in context. And then my name disappeared! The funny thing, though, was how intentional it seemed to be on his part. If we were playing or having a meal together (just Jakey and me), he would say "Da-da". I would remind him that Daddy had gone bye-bye or was sleeping or whatever and then prompted him - "But Mommy's right here. Can you say Ma-ma?" Then he would look at me with the most devilish grin and say, "Da-DA!" He never whined for Dave like he had done for me, though. And whenever I would walk past him to prepare his bottle at this point, he would just cry and chase after me without any words. :P

My name finally came back a few weeks ago. I've been starting to try to teach him to call for one of us when he needs help with something instead of fussing or crying about it. We've gone from me saying, "It's okay. You need help. Say 'Ma-ma' or 'Da-da'." to "You need help. What do you say?" And now he'll respond with an oh-so-cute "Mum-ma". I've been signing "help" when I say it and trying to help him form his hands into the sign. It might be a while for that, but we're working on it.

When Jacob was about five or six months, I started trying to teach him some simple sign language. There's a class called Baby Signs offered through the park district, but they want $100 and the classes are during times when he would usually be taking a nap anyway. With all of the kids who I've worked with over the years, I know a good handful of ASL signs already. It's mainly just a matter of teaching myself more and introducing them to him in context. For example - signing "milk" as I'm giving him his bottle, signing "more" when I'm giving him more food, or "eat" when we first sit down for a meal.

He's finally picked up on the sign for "more". I've been working on that one with him (along with "milk" and "Mommy") since he was about six months old. He was always too busy crying or grabbing for his bottle or spoon or too focused on something else to pay attention to what my hands and fingers were doing. He started clapping as an approximation for "more" about a month or so ago. I praised him for it and encouraged it since it's pretty close. I think he's really starting to pay attention to my signing more now, though, and is starting to pick up on the fact that it means something when I make certain motions with them. A few days ago, I watched him as he looked out the back door and then down at his own fingers making a perfect "more" sign. "Are you practicing "more"? Good job, Jacob!" It seems that he does it more precisely when he's just playing around than when he's intentionally trying to do it for more food or more playing or whatever. Maybe he has a case of performance anxiety? ;P

I'm working on a few other signs as well - done/finished, daddy, ball, help, and cat - and should probably start introducing a few more (dog, bath, eat, banana, sleep/bed). Now that he seems to be paying more attention, maybe things will start zipping right along. That's I'm hoping, anyway. :)


March 3rd

It's amazing how fast babies learn at this age! Just since my post above, Jacob's picked up on several signs! He now knows/does MORE, EAT, BINKY (pacifier), DOG, HURT, ALL DONE/FINISHED, PLEASE, HAT, and MILK. I'm teaching them to Dave, too, so that he knows what Jakey's trying to communicate when he's at home with him alone during the day. He's picking up on them fairly quickly, too. ;P I've been working on several others, so hopefully he'll have a few more "words" within the next month or so - book, star, flower, apple, orange, juice, water, music, dance, ball, cat, help, work, and drive/car. I've been doing Mommy and Daddy since six months, too, but he doesn't seem to care about mimicking those signs since he can verbalize them.

It's so incredible watching him sign to tell us what he wants or what he's thinking about or wants us to talk about. I've always known that I would try signing with my baby if I ever had one, but seeing how all of my efforts are paying off with my OWN child is just so amazing and heartwarming. I was worried for a while that he'd never pick up on any of it, but he just needed a little more time. He's like a little sponge right now and is watching everything we do. He looks at me sometimes as if he's waiting for me to show him the sign for everything... but I have a lot more to learn! In the meantime, the pointing thing is good. At least he can direct our gaze in the general vicinity of what he wants or wants to see or talk about. :P

Jacob's First Christmas

We had some trouble trying to get the Christmas tree down from the attic this year. So, a few days before Christmas, I ended up going out and buying another tree so that we could finally have one set up. Jacob was playing in the middle of the living room when I first took the pieces out of the box, but he immediately crawled over and sat down by the box and parts once I started assembling it. He's so adorable in the way that he just sits around taking things in. Every now and then, he would reach out and touch the branches or try to grab the labeling tags, but otherwise he sat quietly and watched me intently. Once the tree was put together, we admired it for a few minutes and then resumed playing.

I started decorating it the next day (Christmas Eve Day), and Jacob came over to supervise. The ornaments really piqued his curiosity, and he decided he wanted in on trying to decorate it. Just like with his books, he was very careful and gentle when he tried to hang one of them. He got it right up to the branch but just couldn't get it on there since the loop to hang it from wasn't open. I helped him put it on after letting him try a few times and then added a few more while he watched and stood at the rocking chair feeling the branches and looking at the lights.

It's been several years since we've had snow on Christmas, but the flakes started falling that day leaving us with four to five inches by Christmas morning. Jacob watched the snow fall through the sliding glass door from his highchair in the dining room as I fed him his lunch and got excited with me (flashing me a big grin) when I talked to him about it. I love how you can practically see the little gears turning in babies' heads when they're trying to process something new. He didn't have any kind of facial expression, but he was practically oblivious to the fact that we were trying to eat. He would open his mouth when he saw the spoon getting close, but he just stared out the door looking and looking.

We have a Santa-face wall decoration that Dave's adoptive mother sent us a few years ago. I showed it to Jacob (telling him "That's SANTA! Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!") and then hung it on a wall opposite of the tree. Ever since then, whenever we say "Santa", his eyes go straight to that wall to look at the Santa face.... and then he smiles.

I placed a few Christmas-y stuffed animals on our stereo next to the entertainment center on Christmas eve in between wrapping presents and adding a few more ornaments to the tree. I put them out every year and didn't think anything of it that night, but Jacob noticed them as soon as I brought him into the living room. Something NEW! He gave an excited little grunt, and at first I had no clue what it was all about. He turned his head toward them and made a little "AAAAHHA!" noise. As soon as I realized that he had noticed the stuffed critters, I took him over to them and showed him each one. It's amazing that with all of the STUFF that we have around the house and with as much as we move stuff around... Jacob's observant enough to notice something like that.

When I was a kid, we always got to open one present on Christmas eve and then our stockings as soon as we got up on Christmas morning. I'm continuing this tradition with Jacob (even though most of the rest of my family doesn't do this anymore) and wanted to incorporate it with a new tradition of Christmas pj's. So, he got his pj's as his Christmas eve present (already washed by Mommy) and then I made a big scene out of his stocking on Christmas morning.

Me (gasping in mock surprise): "OOH, JACOB! LOOK! FROM SANTA!"
Jacob's eyes darted up to the Santa face on the wall.
Me (excitedly): "Look what Santa brought you! What's all THIS?"

I was hesitant about doing the whole Santa thing with Jacob (as I'm not religious and have mixed feelings about the commercialism/materialism that accompanies a lot of what Christmas "means"). Dave thought I was nuts and insisted that Jacob needs to have Santa in his life. So, here we are. :P

We went through his stocking together - me encouraging him to pull stuff out (which he's become an expert at over the past few months) of the stocking and talking about each thing. Santa got Jakey banana-flavored Baby Mum-Mums, a little stuffed monkey, a new set of stacking cups that can be used in the bathtub (each one has a different cut-out design on the bottom so water can spill through at different rates), an Elmo toothbrush and baby-safe toothpaste, and a tangerine. He hadn't tried tangerines yet at that point, but he was excited about the Mum-Mums. I let him try them out, and of course he loved them. We played for a while, ate breakfast, and then he napped while I started making a few dishes to take over to my mom's for Christmas dinner.

Dave took over Jakey-duty when he awoke from his nap, and I finished cooking. For the past umpteen years, I've searched for a different veggie/vegan recipe for a main dish for just about every Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year, I took the easy route and just made a Tofu-Spinach Lasagna along with the traditional (vegan) green bean casserole and a (vegan) apple pie. Dave tried to entice Jacob with the presents and helped him open a few more before we headed over to my Mom's.

My brother and his girlfriend drove up from "down south", and they cooked a few things and helped set up before we arrived. My mom had heart surgery just after Thanksgiving and was in the hospital for two weeks (after originally anticipating on being released after just five days due to two additional unexpected surgeries) afterward, so she wasn't able to cook and bake up a storm like she loves doing every year. With a combined effort, though, dinner was delicious.

After eating and chatting and laughing at, smiling at, and admiring Jacob and his cute little emerging personality, we gathered in the living room and took turns opening presents. Jacob slowly caught on to ripping the paper, but he was just as interested in the packaging as he was most of his gifts. He had never seen Styrofoam before, so he was very intrigued when he saw it in a box containing one of my mom's gifts. He got quite a few presents and has been enjoying several of them on a daily basis since bringing them home.

We stayed for a bit after exchanging gifts to have dessert and then brought Jacob home. My mom's house is just over a mile away, but Jacob was asleep in his car seat by the time we got halfway across town. Dave unlocked the door when we got home while I slowly unbuckled Jacob's seat beat and eased him out of the car. I was worried that he'd have a difficult night sleeping since he didn't get his afternoon nap and had been awake all afternoon and evening, but I think (if I remember right) that he slept soundly for hours until his usual 3-4 a.m. waking (when we bring him into bed with us).

Jacob's been obsessed with his Playskool Busy Ball Popper lately, so it took him a day or two to warm up to his new toys. He was perfectly content between the ball popper and his new toys, but he still hadn't finished opening his other gifts we had for him under the tree. So... Christmas was extended for a few days until he finally got around to opening everything.

His favorites of his new toys are a farm with shapes to sort and a stacking tower (silo) by Little Tykes and the small, squishy turtles from a mom-and-babies floating turtle bath set. He loves taking apart the silo and carrying the rings around in his hand while he crawls. He doesn't like it when we put it back together and will crawl over like a speed demon to take it apart again. The little turtles are perfectly sized to fit in his mouth and are apparently have just the right amount of squishiness to satisfy his frequent chewing urges. It only took a few days before he realized that several of the shapes from the farm AND the turtles will fit perfectly inside the opening of the ball popper. :P