Merry Christmas Part Deux

Jacob has started this thing where he gets really excited and squeals/screams/shrieks. Last week, it was reserved for when he was on his favorite changing table looking at his favorite tv underside. But today, he was doing it a lot. We managed to catch some of it on video:

Finally got some pictures of Jacob with his grandparents. It took us several takes because someone was not cooperating very well. As you can see from the pics, it was not the five month old.

This year has been an amazing year, with lots of ups, a few downs, and never a dull moment. More than anything, it has taught me to be thankful for all the blessings God has given me. There are so many things that I am thankful for that I can't list them all, but here are a few:

1. I have the most incredible wife in the world. But I already knew that. I also knew that she would be a great mom. But she has blown me away. She is not teaching right now, but she definitely works...and she deserves a raise. How she does what she does amazes me, and I know there is no way in the world I could do it. She is an incredible mom, patient, selfless, tireless, and above all, she does it all with a smile on her face. Jacob and I are very, very lucky to have her.

2. Speaking of moms...I also have the most amazing mother. Despite a setback or two this year, she is as strong and selfless as ever. My dad is pretty great himself. They are both crazy, of course, but that is part of why I love them. I am looking forward to spending Christmas on New Years with them this year, and many more Christmases with them in the years to come.

3. I have the most amazing son in the world. Just over 12 months ago, we found out that after a little preheating, our little bun was finally in the oven. To watch him go from a blurry black and white blob on an ultrasound screen to the little guy asleep in his bed right now has been nothing short of miraculous. He is the sweetest, funniest, cutest little creature I have ever seen, and I don't know how we ever lived without him. Even after the longest, most terrible day at work, seeing him smile at me as I walk in the door makes it all disappear.

4. The list goes on and on... awesome in-laws, great job, great employees, great friends, great home. Blessed for sure.

When you have a baby, they don't send a manual home with you, much to my surprise. Between Google and good old fashioned experience, I now know a lot more about babies than I did 6 months ago.

A few things I have learned in the past 4-5 months:

• What regurgitated baby formula mixed with carrots tastes like. I already don't much care for carrots, but this sealed the deal. A well-timed spit-up while going in for a kiss will do that to a man.

• Not to remove the diaper before the replacement is ready to go. Between his own personal water gun and unexpected hershey squirts, his mother and I have learned this lesson the hard way.

• A baby can spit up a volume 3 times greater than what he has consumed, and yet still be in the 90th percentile for weight. Nancy has given up on changing clothes when J-Dub covers her shirt (pants, hair, face) with chunky white creamy goodness. Now she just wipes it off and goes about her day. Otherwise, she would be doing five loads of laundry a day and not have time to sleep. By now a completely reflexive response, every time he burps, Nancy cups her hand under his mouth to catch the inevitible tidal wave that is coming.

• Every single word to that literary classic, Pajama Time.