So, since I last posted, my little boy became a toddler. We had his 1st birthday party at a fun little place called Amazing Jakes. It is an arcade and mini amusement park all rolled into one and we had a blast! The birthday boy got to stay up waaaaay past his bedtime and he was just such a champ. He and his Grandma Gloria (Gigi) hung out all night while his parents played putt-putt, laser tag, and the stuffed animal claw game (yes, I am addicted to that thing for some reason). Jake played in the kiddie area, rode his very first Carousel, took a mini train ride with Mommy and Gigi, and discovered that he LOVES helium balloons. His Daddy won him a giant Amazing Jake's beach ball that helped him transition from just taking a few steps to actually walking!
That's right, I said WALKING! The day after Jake's birthday bash, (Saturday, August 16th for those who like specific dates)he decided it was time to start walking for REAL. The most steps he had taken before this day was probably 5 or 6. So our little boy started walking before his first birthday! We are so proud! I have a video clip, but of course I won't be able to upload it until I get my computer back from the shop or until this ancient thing decides to cooperate. Now, a week and a half later, Jake is a PRO at walking. He loves it and cruises around everywhere. He walks with his hands out in front of him like he is a mummy or a zombie It's super cute!
So, I am sure you are wondering, "if Jake is such a pro walker, why the title of this post?". Well, let me tell you. Ever since the 16th, when Jake isn't walking he does the stink bug crawl. You know, the one where his arms and legs are straight and he has his little bottom up in the air? He looks like an upside-down V, or for those of you who know yoga, he crawls in the Downward Dog position. It's quite amusing to watch, but on Monday (the 25th) something happened that wasn't so amusing.
I had just finished work, and Tim was working from home that day. My friend Rachael called and I hadn't talked to her in forever, so I asked Tim to watch Jake for a bit while I catch up with my friend (which I don't get to do very often without a little boy pulling at my pant leg or squealing in the backgroud). So I head to the bedroom to talk and just a bit later I hear Jake start bawling. I go out there to see what is going on and to make sure Tim was watching him, and hadn't gotten a work call or something. Well, Tim was with him and said he fell, so I didn't think much of it and went back to finish my phone call. When I was done, I went to go see what had happened since it seemed Jake had kept crying for quite a while. Tim told me that he was pretty sure Jake had chipped his two front teeth! WHAT!?!?!?
I thought he must be kidding. "Please be kidding, please be kidding" was all that kept going through my head. The look on his face told me it wasn't a joke. So I looked in my little buggers mouth, and sure enough his two front teeth were both chipped, ever so slightly. Jake had left the office, where Tim was working and stared to head down the front hall toward our living room. Tim got up to go get him. Jake loves to be chased and tries to get away from us as quickly as possible when we come after him. So I guess he was in his stink bug position, saw Tim coming and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, his body moved faster than his hands, and his arms fell out from under him and he went face first into the tile floor. :(
The good news is that our baby boy is okay and as sad as it is that he already has chipped teeth, it really could have been much worse, so we are thankful that was not the case. With two little boys around, I am guessing this won't be the last chipped tooth I see. I just pray that we can keep the ER trips to a minimum and that nothing will ever be too serious. I can't handle seeing my baby in pain!
So those are the BIG stories. Here are some other updates:
Jake had his 12 month appointment on his actual birthday. That's right, I am a mean mom and took him to get FOUR shots on his birthday. Happy Birthday baby! He wasn't very happy about the shots, but he is still growing well and is hitting all of the developmental milestones for his age, and even a few for the 15 month range. We have strict instructions to wean him from the bottle ASAP so that he won't even remember what its like to have a bottle by the time his brother is taking one. So far he is doing well. We have weaned him from every bottle except for his nighttime one, and we will take that one away in another week or so. Here are Jake's stats:
Weight: 20lbs, 12oz (25th percentile)
Height: 31 inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18.5 inches (75th percentile)
So Jake is tall and slender with a big head! He goes back for the second half of his flu vaccine next month, but after that he won't have to go in until he is 18 months!
Some new things Jacob is doing:
He loves to play catch and is pretty good with throwing the ball. We're still not sure which hand he prefers.
He has shaken his head side to side to say "no" before, but now we can tell he really knows what it means and he uses it more often. We are in trouble! Tim tried to get Jake to go to him the other day and he adamantly shook his head no. He did NOT want to go to daddy. He still kind of looks like a bobble head when he does it, so its hard not to laugh. We're going to have to work on that!
He loves books. He got a bunch of new books for his birthday and he loves to look through them and brings them to me to read to him. I hope I can keep him interested in reading as he grows up!
That's all I can think of for now. I am sure there are more, as he seems to do something new every day. We still just can't believe how much love we have for him. He amazes us all of the time and makes us laugh so much. It is hard to imagine that our hearts could be filled with any more love, but we know that in just a few short weeks (we are in single digit weeks now people!) our hearts will grow yet again to make room for our 2nd baby boy. It's incredible!
If you made it through this whole post, thanks! I know I get long-winded sometimes. I hope you all are doing well. I will try to upload pictures as soon as I can! Take care!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I forsee many trips to Urgent Care and the ER in my future...
So much for a relaxing morning of blogging...
I was really excited to finally sit down and catch up on a bunch of pictures from Jake's birthday since for once I am not trying to take a nap before I start work. But this DARN ANCIENT COMPUTER I am working with is NOT cooperating and will only let me see some of the pictures on my memory card. WHY???? Ugh. Sometimes I hate technology. So for now you will just have to settle with a boring typed out update with NO pictures. Booo :(
Hang tight, the update is coming soon!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!!
A year ago today our lives were forever changed when we welcomed you into the world. You have brought to us more love and joy than we ever could have imagined and our hearts grow bigger for you every single day. From those first sleepless nights in the hospital and at home, to your first smile, first giggle, first roll-over, first time sitting, first time crawling, and now, your first time walking and your first birthday, you have been amazing. Of course there have been times that were hard, but seeing your precious face and that big huge smile always puts things in perspective and makes all of the tough stuff worth it.
We could not feel more blessed to have you as our son. We are already so proud of you and love the little personality that has blossomed out of you. Because of you we have learned to love on a whole new level. You have taught us to be more patient and to laugh more often. You have shown us that there is nothing better in the world than sloppy wet baby kisses and sweet baby cuddles.
We love you SO MUCH Jacob Alan and we have truly enjoyed watching you change throughout this past year. We will always cherish these moments when you were "just a teeny-tiny baby", because we know that we will miss them when you are all grown up, but we also can't wait to watch you learn and grow in the years to come!
Thank you for making us parents! We are so lucky to have you!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Oodles of Posts!
I have just posted a ton of pictures because I have been slacking on the blog lately and I finally got a minute to post. It seems like we have barely had any spare time lately, and when we do I am usually too exhaisted to even THINK about opening up my computer. But today I was just watching the Olympics while Jake takes his morning nap and it seemed like a perfect time to get caught up.
Before I start with updates on all of us, I would like to send some love to my friends and family!
Aunt Cammy - We love you and are praying for a complete and speedy recovery for you. You are in our thoughts and prayers!
Megan - HUGE congrats to you and Joe on your engagement AND on the new house in a new city! We are so thrilled for you and I can't WAIT to come visit and get you ready for what I know will be a FABULOUS wedding! I am sooo looking forward to it already!!!!
Alisha, Dave & EJ - CONGRATS on your new home! It looks beautiful and I hope someday soon we will get to come out there and see it in person. I know you have been waiting for this for a long time and I am just so happy you have found a place to call home.
Rachael, Dan & Jack - HOORAY for a baby girl!!! Baby 2.0 is already looking forward to meeting his girlfriend :) I'm so happy for you guys and can't wait to catch up with you!
Kym, Brad & Ellaina - CONGRATULATIONS on the birth of baby Braden! He is such a cutie pie and I just love his tiny little hands and feet. I can't wait for Braden and 2.0 to get together for playdates!
I hope I am not forgetting anyone. If I am I promise to post when I remember! I have had major pregnancy brain lately and even went to my doctors appointment on the wrong day, so it doesn't suprise me when I forget things anymore.
Here are some Olson updates:
Jake is still just taking a few steps here and there, but prefers to crawl. He talks and talks all day long. His clearest words are Beebee (baby) Maymee (mommy) but it seems like he is starting to say Da (dad) and the beginnings of Bear (right now it sounds like "beh"). Jake's favorite food is fresh blueberries. He is completely switched over to whole milk and we are trying to slowly wean him from the bottle (which doesn't seem like it will be too difficult). He's been eating more and more meat and still doesn't LOVE it, but he will eat it. He just prefers breads & grains as well as fruit.
The BIGGEST update we have on the Jake front is that we have been cloth diapering him for about a month now! You may have noticed in a few of the pictures. The cloth diapers make his bottom look a little bigger :) So far its going really well and hasn't been as painful of a transition as I expected. For those of you who think I am just absolutely crazy, I promise you that cloth diapers have had some major improvements over the years and there are some really neat diapering options out there. I will probably try to post a little more about this in a separate post so you can see what I mean.
As for Tim and me, there aren't a lot of new updates. I am really struggling with feeling fatigued pretty much all the time and wonder on a daily basis. I am just really uncomfortable at night and can't seem to get a good nights sleep. Tim is struggling with dealing with a cranky, tired wife :)
Everything with 2.0 is going fine. He is a wild man in my belly, kicking and punching all throughout the day. At my appointment yesterday I was measuring exactly where I should be and baby's heart rate was in the 150's which is normal and healthy! We still don't have any idea what we will be naming him, but we aren't too concerned about that right now.
My mom (Jake's grandma GiGi) is in town for the week and we are just enjoying having her around! I hope to update you all again very soon with lots of pictures. Jake is going to be ONE next week!!!! EEEEKKK!!!!
Also, you will have to excuse the red-eye in some of the pictures I post. My computer broke and is currently shipped off for repairs, so I am using my ancient computer that has pretty much ZERO programs on it, so I don't have any way to edit the red-eye.
Ta-ta for now!!! Hope you all are well!
Water World!
We've been trying to get Jake in the water as often as we can, especially with the 100+ temperatures we've been having here. Here are some pics from a few of our water adventures:
Mommy and Jake at the Bunco Gals Playdate
Having a blast!
Splashed!
Big Boy!
At the pool again!
Swimming with Grandma Gigi!
Hangin' at Home
Cute face :)
Cruisin' down the main drag in his cool outfit
Mom, quit following me!
Close-up!
Hmm, how can I get the sippy cup in my mouth if I am standing...
This might work....
Much better!
Sporting his red Chuck Taylor's
Friday, August 01, 2008
Someone turned the big 3-0 today!!!
Happy birthday to Tim!!! You have accomplished so many amazing things in your life thus far. I am so proud of you and know this next decade will bring even more success and happiness your way. Jake and I love you so much and hope this year is your best EVER! XOXO
Jake and his "old man" ;)
