CRAWLING!

Just posting a few videos and pictures from the past two days. Daddy has to study using the computer tonight, so I'll let the videos speak for themselves! Night!


The first video is Jake trying to crawl yesterday. And the next one is him crawling today. What a difference a day can make!

And the Screaming Continues

Jake and I had a great day together! I found a park within walking distance to our place. It's nice because I can walk and get my workout and Jake can swing and have fun! We met a little boy named Judah who was 18 months. Judah looked a lot like William. He had curly blond hair, super blue eyes, and was saying the most adorable things. I think at one point he said "Peace be with you" to me. (Side note: we must find a church around here if an 18 month old already knows peace and what church is!) He swung next to Jake the entire time we were there. Jake watched his every move and listened intently at his babbling. The mom and dad were from Bloomington, IN and they were in town visiting their parents who live in Wheaton, IL. It was nice to talk with someone who understands how hard it is to be away from family, especially as our little ones grow. We talked about the numerous nights of Skype and how you can never get home enough to see them. I'm sure glad some of that will end come next summer!!

Jake spent the rest of the day screaming. Screaming at Addy, screaming at his zoo friends, screaming in the tub, even screaming at the TV. I think by the end he was losing his voice with Daddy.

He took a bath in the big tub for the first time tonight. He did really good and spun around a lot since he figured he wasn't trapped in the baby tub. Most of the time was spent screaming at Addy, of course.

Jake is 8.....months

I forgot to post a blog last night and we had such a fun day I
couldn't skip it. Jake turned 8 months old!! And just yesterday he really started showing the signs of crawling. It's more like an army crawl, but it's a start! Glad I bought a baby gate! Video below!




Jake was having lots of screaming contests yesterday, too. He would just scream and scream. The next video is him testing his voice out!





Last night we went out to Ra for sushi. Jake loves sitting in the highchairs. I bought him a place mat that sticks to the table so he won't touch the tables at restaurants. I also bought him a tub mat because he will now be taking baths in the big tub and not his baby tub!!




Today I think we're going to take a trip to the park and relax! My car's check engine light is still coming on, so I have to bring it back to the shop tomorrow to see what's still wrong. Bummer! I'll post again tonight!

Who Needs Toys?!

The storms last night were pretty rough, but luckily Jake slept through the loud thunder and flashes of lighting. I on the other hand did not sleep well through the storms, so when Jake decided to wake up at 6:00, I knew we were in for a long day. He ended up taking a small 45 minute nap after his 6:00 bottle, which gave me a chance to energize.

It rained most of the morning, but it stopped by noon, so I took Jake and Addy on a walk. Daddy had class today, so he wasn't able to make it with us. It was cool at first, but on our way back from our loop it started to heat up fast! I'm glad I was able to get both of them out for just a bit.

Jake is starting to pull up on his zoo and me! this makes me nervous since he isn't crawling yet. He sure is strong! So, I've been putting him more and more on his tummy in hopes that will help him to start to crawl first! He loves standing against the couch and looking up at Addy when she's laying by the window. He just laughs and laughs!

The play mat has to be put together every morning now since Jake takes apart every possible letter and edge! He gets his feet stuck in the spaces where the letters go and rips the blocks off. I even found him with one wrapped around him up to his waist. He thought he was quite the character!

Today, Jake and Addy played a lot together. Below is a video of them playing with the sheet that covers "Addy's couch." Jake had pulled it down and Addy wanted to play ghost with it. Just goes to show you that the simple things make the best toys sometimes.

Today we had an early morning since we had to drop my car off to get fixed. Jake did not want to wake up! It was a flash forward to what it's going to be like when he's a teenager and I'm trying to get him up for school. He would toss his head back and forth and keep his eyes closed. Even on the changing table he flipped on his tummy and went back to sleep. Poor thing!

We stayed in most of the day because it was so hot out! I took the dog out and the whole minute I was out there I came back covered in sweat. Addy was the trouble maker all day today. She was upset since I didn't take her for a walk. So, she thought if she cried like she had to go outside every 5 minutes that I would give in. No way! She would have lasted a whole block out there and that's all!

Once Daddy got home we gave in and decided to head to the pool. Jake was flirting with the older ladies next to us as they were "oooing" and "ahhing" over him. Jake had fun pulling me and Daddy's sunglasses off our faces and throwing them in the water. Then he floated in his raft and insisted on sucking on the front part.

The videos tonight are of Jake trying to use his teeth and playing with his zoo. Notice how everything around him is destroyed! How can a baby make such a mess with his toys?!

Paper? Really?

Jake and I had a fabulous day! He woke up at 6:30, but was down for a nap from 8-9:30. We went on a walk right after his breakfast because it was going to be another hot day! It was a short one because even by 10:00 it was toasty out.

Jake has completely figured out how to destroy the play mat. He can take off every edge and most the letters. He takes them off, chews on them to hear the squeaky sound they make against his teeth and then moves on to the next one.

He is obsessed with paper, which is not a good thing. I was reading a parenting magazine on the floor today while he played and he rolled himself to me and started ripping the pages! Well, then Addy thought it was a game so she started ripping the pages from the back. So here I have a baby ripping the pages from the front and a dog ripping the pages from the back while I hold the middle section and say NO! I finally threw the magazine away which made Jake very anger. He cried for a good 15 minutes while I tried showing him baby proof toys. He'd take whatever toy I gave him and throw it the other direction! He is too smart!

Later on, he started obsessing over the remotes. We were on the floor playing and he spotted the remote on the edge of the couch. He whined and stretched for it but I moved it back to the TV remote caddy thing we have. He rolled over to it and started crying. Again, it took me a good 15 minutes before I found something to distract him from the remote!

I found a water park right down the road from us today, "Rice Pool and Water Park." I think I'm going to check it out with Jake and see if he likes it. It has a baby area with little spray fountains and such. He loves the water so I think he'll love it! Hoping to make it this week!

Our camera ran out of battery today so I'm just posting some pics from when Grammy and Papa were here to visit. Charging the battery overnight so we'll have some good pics and videos tomorrow!

A New Poop Pail

We had a great start to our day when Jake decided to sleep through the entire night and not wake up until 7!! YAY!! We watched Mickey Mouse and Jake smiled and squealed during the Hot Dog song, of course! He took his morning nap pretty early (8:30) and woke up around 9:30 for breakfast. He never sleeps through a meal!

After breakfast, I decided to head to Buy Buy Baby and pick Jake out a new diaper pail! I had a $10 off coupon, so I figured it was worth it. Our old one was really doing a horrible job! It wasn't so much the smell, as it was the process of getting the diapers to fall through to the bottom. Plus, we had to keep changing (and buying) new filters for it. We'll see how this one holds up. While we were there I also found a sippy cup/bottle holder. Basically, it attaches to the sippy cup and the other end attaches to a stroller or highchair so when Jake decides he's done, it won't land on the floor! I used it today when we met Daddy out for lunch. I attached it to his bottle while he ate and it was great not to worry about it falling on the gross floor! Definitely a good buy. Then I came across closet organizers and couldn't resist buying a six shelf one that hangs. It's perfect for Jake's clothes that are too big, and I even fit some more clothes he outgrew on the bottom until I buy another container.

We ate some shrimp scampi with artichokes for dinner and took a nice walk. Then we came home and I got Jake in his PJs . All four of us sat on the porch and watched the cars drive by. It was a beautiful night, cool breeze. Jake waved and screamed at each car that passed and would follow it until it was out of sight!

Below is a video of Jake eating. He would take a bit of food and then shake the entire highchair until I gave him another bite! He's ready to move!!

Making Friends In the Neighborhood

Not too much to report today. Jake was one sleepy kid. Two naps before 11:00 this morning! He had lots of fun playing on his ABC mat and watching Addy chase her tail. We went on a walk this morning (between his two naps) and ran into a neighbor across the way named Carolynn. She has a little girl, Angela, that was born Nov. 12th, just a week and a half before Jake. It was fun to compare stories and talk about what stage each of them were going through. Seems we have quite a lot in common, too. Her husband is finishing up his PhD in religious studies, they're only staying here for another year, she's a stay-at-home mom, and she's from Cleveland. I was so excited to finally meet a neighbor! We already planned going on walks together with the kids! Angela is MUCH smaller than Jake. She looked like a little peanut compared to Jake.

Jake played with Daddy and Addy the rest of the night and was "talking" very loudly. He gets so excited that he can't stop his arms and legs from moving about!

Below is a video of me putting Jake down for his late afternoon nap. He clearly was not interested in sleeping, but he sure is smart! I would kneel on the ground so he couldn't see me and he would pull down the bumpers and find me. He's too cute!

Here's To 15 Years...What?! It's Only Been One?!!

What a great and eventful weekend! Grammy and Papa came up to visit and babysat Jake most of the weekend while Daddy and I had our anniversary date. Jake was hamming it up as soon as they arrived. He was clapping and smiling and squealing! It's great to see him recognize and remember faces now. He sees both of them on Skype, so I think that helps him know who they are. He sure turned into a "Hot Dog" by the end!

On Saturday, we went out to shop for a car seat. That was our anniversary gift from Grammy & Papa and let me tell you that it was the BEST (and most practical) gift we could have received. We ended up with the Britax Roundabout 50. Jake fits perfect...no more squeezing him in to his little infant one anymore and no more Mommy with a sore arm from carrying him in it. Grammy couldn't resist in buying Jake some more gifts, so he also got three new touch and feels books. Lots of puppy ones, which he loves because he thinks they look like Addy. I bought him an ABC play mat that he loves and he also gets some good traction on it, so I'm hoping it will help with crawling!

We all went out to dinner and had lunches together. Jake sat in a highchair at the restaurants for the first time. I think he likes it much more so he can see what's going on at all times. It is MUCH harder for us since he wants to touch (AND taste) everything around him including the disgusting tables! YUCK!

Grammy and Papa did such a great job taking care of Jake while we were out on our dates! They went on walks together and Jake was even trying to eat both their noses! Once they post pictures, I'll be sure to put up a few!

We ended our day today with a dip in the pool. We're sad Papa already left because I'm sure Jake would have LOVED splashing around with him. We only stayed for a half an hour, but Jake was enjoying every minute. He went down to bed tonight at 7:00pm so I'm sure it'll be a early morning for me. I think all the excitement wore him out!

Also, a Happy 52nd Birthday to my Dad!! He told me today that he could never have an excuse for forgetting our wedding anniversary since it's the day before his birthday. Oh Dad! hahaha

Below is a video of Jake on his new mat! He loves spinning on it! The picture at the top is Ben and I on our anniversary dinner to "Ben Pao" Very tasty!

Who Did You Buy the Bubbles For?

Lots of videos to show you today! Another rough start to the day since Jake skipped his morning nap. He is in love with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoon and at the end of the show they always sing the same song. Some "Hot Dog" song. But, every time it comes on he starts smiling. I'm not sure if it's because the characters are dancing or just the colors. It's so cute though! Video below! He finally went down for a little nap after the cartoon.

It was way too hot to go on our walk today so we stayed inside and read all our touch and feel books and played with Addy. Jake was laughing so hard at Addy when she was playing in his room. Video below.

Once Daddy got home he played with Jake on the floor while I cooked Rosemary-Garlic steaks topped with arugula that had lemon juice, cherry tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese on it. Served that with a twice baked potato. Mmmm Mmmmm! Delicious! This is the end to my cooking a new meal everyday since tomorrow is me and Ben's anniversary dinner! I had a lot of fun cooking, though, so we'll see what I can find for next week.

Jake started getting real fussy at dinner time and believe it or not the only thing that would calm him down was sitting in his stroller and doing a lap around the apartment! That kid is something else!

So after dinner I ran to Walmart to grab some formula and bottle liners, but decided to grab some bubbles for Jake. I figured we could go outside and I could blow them while he watched and tried to grab them. Well, turns out, our OTHER CHILD, Addison, had much more fun with the bubbles than Jake did. Videos below.

I bought some oatmeal for Jake instead of rice cereal to see if he can eat it without breaking out in his rash like he did with the rice. We will try that for the first time tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

We're all really excited to see Grammy and Papa tomorrow! They are coming up to spend the weekend with us, well, really Jake since we'll be gone doing anniversary things. Jake has so much to show them!!

Pool Fish

What a great day we had! The day started kind of crazy because Jake refused to take his morning nap. I think he knew we were going swimming so he didn't want me to leave him at home while I went! haha We finally got all loaded up in the car and drove to Marylou's house. After coating Jake with twelve layers of sunblock we jumped in the pool. Jake was a non-stop splash machine! Even with the water pouring down his face from splashing, he wouldn't stop. Luckily, Marylou had a huge umbrella that covered part of the pool that Jake and I stayed under the entire time so I wouldn't worry about him burning. We tried putting him in a little boat to float in, but he just rolled around looking for more water to play in. Jake decided to use Marylou as a float and would lean back on her and just kick his little legs and hit his hands on the water! Video below, but I will say it was hard to take videos and pictures since I was in the pool as much as Jake was! It was a HOT day!

After FOUR HOURS of playing in the pool, we went home and I made dinner. I made a pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, Mediterranean greens, feta cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Not as great as the previous days meals, but still ok. Then we took our family walk and I gave Jake a bath and his night bottle. You would think after all that swimming that he would be sound asleep, but as I type he is throwing Scout the dog around his crib and "fake" coughing! Better go rub his back! Goodnight!

We Got a Clapper!

Jake had a fabulous day today! No fussing! YAY! We spent the day working on clapping and he really has it now. Video below! We have to move his pack n play down a level now that he knows how to rock while he's in it. He really gets it rocking, too!

We took a different route when we walked today. Addy was really tired by the end and Jake fell asleep. So, I looked on the computer and here, I ended up walking over 2 miles with both of them! No wonder I was so tired today! Jake got completely off schedule this afternoon when he decided to take a 2 1/2 hour nap! It was wonderful for me, but he didn't end up eating lunch until around 2:30 today.

When Daddy got home, he played roller coaster with Jake. Video below. He had a blast!

Tomorrow we're heading to Marylou's house for a swim party with all the other moms and kids from my school! It'll be nice to see everyone again! I'll make sure to take lots of pictures of Jake and the kids tomorrow!

One Puff For Jake, Six Puffs for Addy

A pretty laid back day today. Jake was up early again, but went right back to sleep after his bottle and I got to sneak in a few more zzzzzzzzzzzzzzs. Our big challenge today was eating puffs. Jake is learning how to feed himself, so I put a few puffs (broken in half bc of my fear he'll choke) on his highchair and let him figure it out. Video below. He eventually did it after the camera was rolling. Addy was having a field day! I don't think she'll ever stray far from that chair when Jake's in it.

I've been having more and more separation anxiety issues with Jake that I'm hoping he outgrows soon, but it's not looking promising at this point. It's not that he won't go to someone else, he just hates me out of his sight EVER! I try talking to him when I'm in the kitchen or even bathroom, but he just screams and screams! He's in to throwing all his toys, too when he's having a little tantrum. If you give him something to calm him down he'll just flap his arms a few times and release his toy in the air or at your head. Oh, Jake! Maybe this is prepping him for football.

We were also working on clapping today. He is finally putting his hands together once he figured out they make a sound. I tried to video tape it, but of course, he gets camera shy and only will do it if you're doing it with him. I'll try again tomorrow!

When Daddy got home, I started dinner (steaks with a blackberry wine reduction sauce, asparagus, and mashed potatoes) and Jake played with Daddy's hat. He was having so much fun taking it off Daddy's head and wearing it on his head. Video below.

The other videos are just random ones I took of him finally holding his own bottle to eat and the one when I was trying to get him to clap (unsuccessful). Heading to bed now! Until tomorrow...

Happy Birthday Papa!

Today is a very special someones birthday! Jake squeals "Happy Birthday, Papa." It may not sound exactly like that, but he is excited! We're really looking forward to Papa and Grammy coming to visit this upcoming weekend!

Jake woke up at a fairly decent hour today, 6:45. And surprisingly after I gave him his bottle he fell back asleep until 9:30!!!!!! Can you believe it?! Daddy and I's first weekend sleeping in with Jake! He's been doing much better today as far as fussiness goes. We played with his zoo and read his peekaboo books a thousand times today because all he wants to do is flip to the next page. We also had some fun with a wash cloth while I was folding the laundry! Video below!

I took Jake outside in the grass and he was NOT having it! I tried to have his feet touch it and he'd pull up real quick. I sat him down in the grass and he shook his little fists and threw a tantrum. I'm going to have to get him used to the grass somehow!

We took two walks today since it was cool and the clouds were out. He sure does love his stroller rides! If he's ever being cranky, I put him in that stroller and he's good to go. I don't even have to wheel it outside...simply do a lap around the apartment and he's set! Jake still hasn't started the whole crawling thing, but I'm fine with that! Prolongs all that baby proofing that needs to be done in such a small space!

I worked on Jake's 6 month shutterfly book today and got it finished! I'm falling a bit behind, which I promised myself I wouldn't do! Hard to believe he'll be 8 months old in two weeks! YIKES!

Tonight I'm cooking jalapeno lime chicken with an avocado dipping sauce! Can't wait to see how it turns out! That's all for tonight.

Out with the Crazy People!

So, today we got some good news that our neighbor next door was officially gone! YAY! This guy was super young and kept us up at all hours of the night while he threw parties and even was doing some drugs on weekends AND weekdays. Scary! I finally complained after another night of him and his friends partying and the smell of drugs in our apartment! I'm not about to have Jake exposed to that kind of mess! After my complaint the apartment complex changed his locks to his apartment and put a tow notice on his truck forcing him out of the place! I feel so much more at ease knowing the parties have stopped and our family is safer!

We had a fun filled day today. Jake was again off schedule because he woke up at 5:00 this morning! I tried calming him back to sleep but he wasn't having it....soooooooo a bottle and back to bed for him it was. I'm thinking he's getting a little too smart and waking up early on purpose. His teeth may be bothering him a bit...I'm just hoping that he's not doing the whole separation anxiety, yet!

All of us took a trip to the grocery store to stock up on some food since we didn't leave much when we left for our trip. We got lots of great stuff and I am cooking something new that I haven't made everyday this week. Daddy cooked dinner tonight, though! Shrimp, pasta, peppers, in a cream sauce! Yum yum!

This afternoon was Addy time. We took her to the dog park where she ran and fetched for only about 30 minutes. The heat was pretty bad so we headed home. Daddy then took her to get her nails cut and bought her a toothbrush, finally! He gave her a bath and scrubbed her teeth! She is smelling beautiful again!

Jake also got a bath tonight (before Addy!) and we had fun reading books and just trying to keep him happy. It was a rough day for him and he was always fussing! Let's hope tomorrow is a better day for him.

The pictures today are from Grandma "D" and Aunt Kath. Enjoy!

Back to Being Mommy & Daddy

We made it back from our trip and had a blast! It was fun to be just a married couple for a week, but we sure missed Jake!

Grandma "D" did an awesome job watching Jake. She took lots of pictures and videos that I'm hoping to snag so you can see. It's amazing how much bigger Jake got in just six days! He's really trying to crawl and he's doing lots of rocking on his knees and arms. Changing his clothes or diaper is quite the challenge now!

Grandma "D" and I notice that Jake goes for all his purple toys. I'm hoping that won't be his favorite color, but it is strange how in a bucket of shapes he'll always pick the purple one first. He loves his purple elephant and he just got a new zoo set that has a purple monkey that he is always grabbing at!

Jake officially started to eat lunch now, eliminating one of his afternoon bottles. He's doing really well with lunch and seems to want more, but I usually just give him a little bottle afterward. Food and diapers are going quicker and quicker as he gets bigger! Scary!

Today we took our walk early before the humidity took over. Jake was a little off schedule today since he thought waking up at 5:30 seemed like a good idea. We've been playing with his new zoo set that Grandma "D" bought for him and his mirror! Reading books with him is so cute now that he flips the pages when we're through with a page. Touch and feel books are still his top choice!

Once Daddy got home we all took a nap together and then made dinner. Our day ended with a nice walk around the block!