Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day! For those of you that did not get this in the mail, here are some cute VDay pics of Jacob!!



~ Nancy

Sick days = boring days

Sorry I haven't blogged lately. We really haven't done much exciting this week because Jacob got sick.

Before he got sick, I did get some cute/funny pictures of him I wanted to share. First, M and Pa bought him a shape sorter for Christmas this past year. He is really good at it, but gets very frustrated if the shape doesn't fit on the first try. So, he found a good use for it besides playing with the shapes...



Last Friday night, he had another first. I know this is something he should have already been doing, but I'm a neat freak and don't let him get messy enough. You should see his face and hand waving any time his hands get dirty! Anyway, last week I let him hold and eat a pouch of food by himself. I've seen younger kids at Little Gym doing it themselves, but Jacob really likes to squeeze things, so I was worried about the mess. He did great and ate the whole thing by himself!



Saturday morning, he discovered the sheer drapes in the house and looked like a ghost...



Saturday afternoon, we headed to Austin to take family pictures with Randy's side of the family. I'm not sure the photographer realized what she had gotten herself into. His immediate side of the family is 15 people...8 adults and 7 children! Jacob was the most difficult, no surprise there, but the photographer assured us that she got some good shots. We haven't seen anything yet, but we hope she is right! That night, we stayed in a hotel in Austin. Jacob had been sneezing and had a runny nose, and that night he could not sleep. When he woke up crying (and trying to wake up everyone around us) at 4am, we decided to head out. We had breakfast in Austin and headed home. By the time we got home, he had fever and was pretty miserable. We went to the doctor Monday morning, and he tested negative for strep. So, as usual, they say "It's just a virus and could last 5 to 7 days". Those are words I've come to HATE hearing!! I just wish there was something I could give him to make him feel better! Here is what a lot of our week looked like...



You can't see the tv here, but I can guarantee you it was playing Yo Gabba Gabba! He is feeling better now, eating better and not running any fever. However, he now has a hacking cough. But, at least he is in a good mood!
This was him admiring the cute baby in the phone when I turned the camera around on my phone...




This morning I tried to capture how cute he is when he's holding a toy and you say "Hello". At first, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with the phone...



Then, he decided to text his buddies...



And finally, some talking on the phone...





While I was getting these photos, he also showed off him impression of Randy. This is the ignore-Mom-while-I'm-watching-tv-face...(Randy does this when football is on)...






And last, just a cute picture of the little boy...






~ Nancy

Slide

Jacob got his slide from Debra, Craig and Kelsey for his first birthday. He has spent a lot of time climbing to the top and wanting down. So, I get him down. And he climbs to the top again, and wants down. Then repeats about 432,257 times a day. While we were in Las Vegas, Grandma even taught him to slide down, backwards, on his belly. Well, last night, he figured out how to slide the correct way, all by himself. He loves it!!

18 month check up

This is not going to be an exciting post, but I like to have it here on the blog because I actually do go back and look at his stats. Jacob had his 18 month appointment today. The doctor actually wasn't as worried about his speech as I thought she would be. The "normal" is for an 18 month old to have between 5 and 15 words. I'd say he has 5 (if you count Yea as a word).

He got one shot and did great! He was more upset about the nurses' hold on him than the actual shot. She lays him on his back, on the exam table, and puts his feet between her legs. My job is to kiss him (tough job) and distract/hold his hands. He wasn't fond of the hold, cried a second for the shot (thankfully only one) and then got juice. He was happy as can be before we even left the exam room! Then he got another sticker so he was really excited.

His official stats are:
Weight: 33 pounds (98%)
Height: 35 inches (97%)
Head: 19.5 inches (89%)


~ Nancy

18 months old, San Antonio wedding and a Girl's Night Out

Wow - this weekend was a very busy one! The highlight, of course, was our little man officially turning 18 months old. All this really means is that I can drop him off at the drop in day care without making a reservation! That doesn't seem like a very big deal, but I'm pretty excited about not having to remember to call the day before when I need to get something done (like very important pedicures). Saturday morning, before Randy and I headed out of town, we got the official 18 month picture.





This one looks just like all of the others, but there was also another cute one (of the 50ish I took), so I thought I would add that one too. He really looks like he is up to something in this one...






So, Randy had Saturday off because we were attending a wedding of one of his friends from undergrad. The wedding was at 3pm, so we left Saturday morning. We made it to San Antonio, checked in to the hotel, and met some of our other friends who were also there for the wedding for lunch. After that, it was back to the hotel to get ready. We got dressed, took our picture in the mirror, and were about to head out.




Then, I heard an awful sound and some not so pleasant words from Randy. Look what happened to his one and only shirt he brought for the wedding.



Luckily, he and Jeff are the same size and Jeff comes a little more prepared than Randy did! Here we are, take 2.



The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Due to some traffic, we were almost late but we did make it to our seats right before the bridal party started coming down the aisle! The reception was a lot of fun, complete with a full mariachi band during the cocktail hour.




Here are Jeff, Celeste and Randy...having a good time.



And here are Jeff and Randy with Brian, the Groom.



And, of course, the most awesome Groom's cake we have ever seen! I'm so glad we are already married so that Randy doesn't get any ideas...



How cool is that???

So, what did Jacob do while we were gone? Well, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and stay with him. They went to Bass Pro shop (without shoes for some reason)



Had lunch at Whataburger where he entertained a lot of the customers with his loud laughing






Played outside



Checked the mail



And even threw a little fit in the middle of the street when Grandma told him it was time to go inside



Had dinner (while clapping, of course)



Laughed some more



And snuggled with Grandpa



They both say he was really well behaved, and a lot of fun. We're so glad because he's usually such a pain (just kidding).

We got back on Sunday around noon, and hung out with the little boy most of the day. That night, I had a little girl's night out with Amanda and Dana. Amanda is a good friend of mine who also used to teach at Taylor. She has started running and had just completed her 1st half marathon. Even though I have zero desire to ever run one, I'm SO insanely proud of her for doing it. It's a goal she has had for a while, and finally accomplished it. I only wish I could have been there cheering her on. I'm glad I got to celebrate with her!



This is Dana and Amanda. I won't show the picture with me in it because I look very tired after a long weekend!

~ Nancy

A few new tricks

Jacob seems to be learning something new every week. No, it's not words. According to the doctor, he is a little behind in that area. We go for his 18 month check up next week, so we'll get to find out exactly how behind he is. He tends to learn a new word, say it for a day or two, and then never say it again. He's extremely stubborn (passed down from his father, I'm sure) when it comes to talking. But, we're pretty sure that once he starts, he will never stop. So, I'm not too worried about it! He's definitely talking more and more each week, but still babbling things I don't get.

Here are some older pictures (2 weeks ago, I think) where his Dad teaches him bad habits. Jacob loves Diet Coke/Pepsi/Dr. Pepper, and Randy and Grandma seem to think it's OK to give it to him. I do not agree but can't seem to get that through their heads. In these pictures, Jacob seems happy, so that makes Randy happy!







As far as his new "tricks"... If he is holding a toy, and you say "Hello", he'll put it up to his ear like he's talking on the phone. It doesn't have to be a toy phone, it can be a remote, car, train, block, etc. It's really cute!

Sometimes, if you ask him to wink, he'll do it. His version of a wink is to close both eyes, but it's soooooo cute! When he does it, I often say "Awwww" so he then tilts his head to the side to be cute. That's an old trick (the head tilt) but he now seems to think it goes along with winking.

Yesterday, he learned to open the bedroom door into our bedroom. This is not a trick I'm excited about! He hasn't done it again today, so I'm hoping he forgot. :o)

We've been going to the gym for the last week. Each and every day that I have dropped him off at Kids Club, he has cried. But he was finished crying before I even got going on the treadmill. Well, today, was his first day to just run in there and play and not cry! I was so excited for him. Speaking of the gym, here is our funny story from last week. First, you have to know that Jacob says "Yea" to everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. He's also pretty convincing when he says it. So, I was working out, and the workers in Kids Club thought they smelled poop in his diaper. So, the teenaged girls working in there thought it would be a good idea to ASK the 17 month old if he pooped. Apparently, it went like this...

Teenage girl: "Jacob, did you poop?"
Jacob: "Yea"
Teenage girl: "Does it stink?"
Jacob: "Yea"
Teenage girl: "Do you want me to page your mom so she can change your diaper?"
Jacob: "Yea"

So, they paged me. Really??? Who believes a 17 month old kid? I was almost finished (or close enough) so I just picked him up and was going to change him in the car. Needless to say, it was not really a big poop that needed to be changed immediately.

So, that's some of his recent "tricks". Here is a cute picture of him from lunch today, doing an old trick (the tongue roll).




~ Nancy

A look back

1 year ago, today, I had a happy little baby that needed the Bumbo seat to even sit up.









Today, I have the happiest little toddler that likes to be chased around the house...while he runs from me!







Everyone says it goes by too quickly, but I think this proves that it truly does!! I love every minute with my happy little toddler.

~ Nancy