Straws!

Lots of new things happening today!  We started by going to music class.  Jake was a little out of it because he had a late nap and I had to wake him up to go to music class.  I took some videos, but nothing too great came of music today.  The teacher did mention how Jake is moving his mouth as we are singing, so that's a good thing.  If you listen to her talk at the beginning of the "Sand Piper" song, you'll hear her mention Jake.
"Sand Piper song"

I gave Jake a whole banana today for breakfast to see how he would do.  I cut it in pieces, but by the end, he was eating it right from the peel.  He only left about 1/4 of it!  At dinner time, I steamed some baby organic carrots and cut them up.  He did ok, but most ended up on the floor, in his highchair, or in Addy's mouth.  We'll keep practicing!

We all took a family trip out to get some things for Jake's birthday party.  It was a successful trip and I managed to get all the things I needed for the invitations, snacks accessories, and wall decorations!  Still more shopping to go.


The biggest event tonight was that Jake has learned how to use a straw!!!  I bought mini organic juice boxes and taught him using that.  I would squeeze the box so the juice would come up.  Eventually, he figured it out on his own.  So, now I give him his sippy cup that has a straw on it and it works so much better for him.  Not as much water ends up on his clothes.  I'll still be giving him his regular sippy cup, too, so it teaches him how to tip back a cup. I'm very proud of my 10 month old!

Lots of pics and videos to post tonight, so I'm going to get to it!

They saw a squirrel on the porch!

 

Notre Dame Bound!

This past weekend, Jake got to go to Notre Dame for the first time OUTSIDE the womb!  ha ha  It was my five year band reunion and us alums got to march back on the field and play a few tunes.  It was a bit chilly on game day, but Jake did great!  He got to watch the band rehearse and even manged to fall asleep while the band of over 800 members played the fight song!  Luckily, Grammy & Papa came up to watch him while Daddy and I went to the game.  Daddy was very excited because our seats were on the field near the end zone.  Jake watched the game inside where it was a bit warmer!  It was a great trip back!

Ready for Fall!

Jake and I had a fun day today!  He is finally feeling better and slept through the night last night.  He slept in until 7:00 and was up and playing.  We went to music class for the second time and he did so much better than last week.  He was, again, the center of attention as he was screeching and "singing" along to the songs.  He's really starting to bounce to the music now and was even on beat at times!  He chose a drum to play during instrument time and grabbed the mallet that went with it.  He would hit the drum as hard as he could and look for me and smile.

Racing!

Daddy has been teaching Jake "touchdown."  Daddy will put his arms in the air and say it.  Jake is catching on and will put one arm in the air and say "Da."  It's a work in progress, but I'm sure he'll have it mastered by Superbowl time.

Trying to figure out how to take the scarecrows down

We have started to get out the Halloween and fall decorations.  I put some scarecrow window clings on the patio window and Jake has a blast with them.  He peels them off and scrunches them in his hands.  Then he'll try to stick it back on the window.  They have since been moved up higher so they will actually stay on the window longer than 30 seconds.  Now, he tries to stand and peel them off.

Still no luck with finding a Halloween costume.  We searched at Target today, but nothing stood out.  We'll try again next week.  Heading to a little place called "Monkey Bizness" tomorrow.  It's a brand new place where infants through toddlers go to play.  It has lots of playground type structures, but it's all indoors.  It is also a little cafe for the parents.  I'll be sure to bring the camera.


Lots of random pictures tonight from last week.  Some from Jake and Angela's playdate and others of Jake and Daddy racing down the hallway.  Enjoy!

Carolynn, Angela, me, & Jake...oh and Addy, too!

Wedding Weekend Adventures

I love Grammy & Papa

Family Photo

Papa & Jake outside on the porch

Grammy showing Jake all the trees and animals

Four Generations of Butwins

We had a great time at Alaina & Tim's wedding!  It was beautiful and we were so excited for Jake to meet all the family!  Jake did so good over the weekend.  He enjoyed hearing his voice in the church, which ultimately lead to us having to go to the "cry room" area.  Jake LOVED William and played peekaboo with him.  He also enjoyed looking across the way at Madelyn and screeching.  Once we got to the reception, Jake was all about entertaining.  He would keep an eye on Ella and try to get her attention by hitting his sippy cup lid on the table and talking.  He ate "real" food at the wedding, too.  Grammy gave him some green beans, so when I brought him back to our table he ate chicken, potatoes, and some bread.  I couldn't tear it apart fast enough!  Jake also had a great time chasing after his cousin Jack.  Jack would crawl around on the floor and Jake would spin in circles trying to get him.  It was very cute!

Jake held on tight to Papa and Grammy the rest of the night!  Lots of adorable pictures from the weekend!

On the Go!

Lots going on this week!  We're really excited about heading down to Indy for Ben's cousin's wedding!  Trying to get organized for the trip and hotel stay! 

Jake has been climbing on the furniture lots and walking while holding on to the couch.  He's still army crawling, but seems to get up on his knees more frequently.  The only toys he is interested in lately are balls and books.  He can sit there and entertain himself with one flip book and one ball for hours!  I enjoy this time so I can straighten up the apartment a bit!

Jake and I went to our first music class on Wednesday.  I thought I timed it perfect since he got up from a nap at 10:30 and then I fed him a bottle right before we left at 11.  The class runs from 11:15-12:00.  Jake was being so ornery and again didn't sit near me at all!  He would crawl in the middle again and climb on other moms and grab at the smaller babies faces!  He even stole one of the babies pacifiers!!  He doesn't even use those anymore.  Every time I would relocate him back to me, he would arch his back and scream!  Oh, Jake!  As the music started, he settled down right away and was very focused on the director.  He would screech and flail his arms to the music.  It was so cute!  When she dropped some instruments in the middle, Jake grabbed a maraca and started hitting the drum with it.  At one point, I heard him playing triplets (music rhythm).  He really did enjoy the class, so I'm hoping he is better behaved for next week.  No pictures or videos of music class this week since I was constantly chasing after him!  :-)

I will blog again after the weekend so I can post pictures of Jake at the wedding!  Can't wait to see all the family!

These videos are of Jake and Addy at dinner time!What a team!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

We had so much fun with Grandma D and Grandpa!  Jake was showing off for both of them.  He was crawling around super fast and standing up on the furniture.  Then he looked at Addy and saw her holding her "Chick-Chick" in her mouth and picked up his puppy dog and put him in his mouth, no hands!  We were cracking up!  He would crawl around with the puppy in his mouth and never touch it with his hands!  He tried using other toys, but he'd always come back to the puppy.

Grandma D watched Jake while I ran out looking for an outfit for him to wear to Alaina's wedding this weekend.  It's hard to believe that there are very few stores with dress clothes for boys!  Everything is super casual and flannel type material!  I finally found him a nice pair of khaki pants with no cargo pockets (this took an hour to find) and a button down long sleeve shirt with vertical orange lines at Gymboree.  Now, all that's left are the shoes!  I found cute patent leather type ones at JCPennys, but I couldn't find it in me to pay $20 for them.  Not after already spending $40 on his outfit!  Hoping he'll be able to wear it more than once!

Showing Grandma D his puppy!

This video is a little dark

This is a better one of him carrying his puppy

Jake & Grandma D playing

Jake & Addy...listen for a car horn, that was Nick!

Mommy & Me Music Class

Jake had his first music class today!  He was so funny!  He didn't want to be anywhere near me and when I did move him in my lap, he screamed and crawled right to the middle of the circle!  He observed everything that was going on around him.  He loved the songs and was playing with lots of the kids.  It was just a half an hour mini class, but it was perfect for him to socialize and get out with other babies!  It was great for me to get out of the house, too!  We're really hoping to do these classes more often.  Lots of videos and pictures to post, so I''ll keep it short!

Daddy takes the boards tomorrow!  We are wishing him luck and know he will do fabulous!  He'll be taking the tests all weekend, so I'm glad Grandma D and Grandpa Petrella will be driving up tomorrow to spend some time with me and Jake!

The girl to the left next to him is 14 months old! Jake is a giant!

He LOVED this part and we played peek-a-boo!

Auntie Em & Uncle Jim Visit

We had a great labor day weekend!  On Sunday, we waited for Uncle Jim and Auntie Em to come visit us.  Jake was a bit shy at the start and didn't say too much.  He sure did LOVE Auntie Em's glasses!  He would pull them off her face the minute she would put them back on.  Jake loved Uncle Jim's hat and beard.  Jake showed them how he reads books, crawls, and even stands up on the furniture!  Later, we all went out for dinner at Cozymel's to eat some good Mexican food!  I don't know how I did this, but I forgot to bring the Puffs along!!  No worries though, I improvised and got him some shredded cheese to munch on.  He couldn't get enough of the stuff!  And do you believe that they charged us $2.00 for a small plate of cheese for a child?!  Crazy!
Auntie Em & Uncle Jim left a little bit after dinner time and Jake gave them lots of hugs and slobbery kisses!  He misses them already, but gets to see them in less than two weeks!

 For Labor Day, we all went to Naperville for the "Last Fling" festival.  We went with Becky, Steve, & Emersyn.  It was a beautiful day, just a few sprinkles for a little bit.  Jake was excited to watch all the people and see the ferris wheel turning.  No rides for him, yet!  He did get a green balloon from a booth and we tied it on the front of his stroller.  He would punch it like a punching bag and swat at it.  He loves seeing Emersyn and even got to hold her hand today!  Of course, Jake was pretty much clawing at poor Emersyn, but she didn't seem to mind and they smiled and talked back and forth!  We ended the day by going to a yogurt place called Red Mango.  Jake got to taste original yogurt, but he was making some unhappy faces so I'm guessing it was either too cold  or too tart for him.  Sorry no pictures.  We forgot our camera!!  :-(

Jake did horrible today with napping.  He only took two naps, one for 30 minutes and another for 45 minutes!  This is a huge change since he usually takes three naps, two of them for 2 hours and another for an hour!  Hopefully, he'll go to bed early tonight. 

  

Jake's 1st Notre Dame Victory!

TOUCHDOWN!

   

Jake had a great day watching the Irish!  He fell asleep for a nap right at the start of the game, but woke up around 4:00ish to see the great finish!  He was playing with Addy and screaming for Notre Dame!  We can't wait to bring him to campus on the 25th!

As many of you have seen, I've been making my own baby food for Jake.  He's not a fan of the jar meats or green veggies by Gerber or any other brand.  Ben went to shadow one of his professors and came back with a book she had called "First Meals (the expanded version)."  I fell in love with it!  Quick simple meals to make for babies!  AND it goes all the way up to seven years old!  She's just letting us borrow it for a week or so, but I must buy this book!  We went to Buy Buy Baby and bought little containers to freeze the food in, but that's all we needed to buy.  I thought making baby food would be way too expensive and take too much time.  Boy, was I wrong!  I made Jake three different meals in bulk for a grand total of $8.00! The first meal I made was 1/2 Chicken, one potato, 2 carrots, 1/2 leek, and 2 parsnips.  Cooked them all and blended it in the blender.  I got eight 2oz. containers worth!  The second meal I made for him was Spinach, 1/2 potato, & cheddar cheese.  The last meal I made for him was Chicken, one sweet potato, onion, and a few blueberries.  All of this only took me about an hour or so and I did it while he was napping.  I'm going to try fruit blends next, but like I said, I'm mainly doing it so he'll eat meats and greens.  I make it a little thicker than the Gerber ones and he seems to like that better.  Still getting used to the different flavors, but I think he likes it much more!  He finished at least!

Today, we are waiting for Auntie Em and Uncle Jim to come visit us.  It should be lots of fun!  Jake can't wait to see them!

All Fours!

Today was a very dreary day.  It rained all day until about 2:30 when there was a small break.  I decided to get Jake and Addy out for a short walk before more rain came.  Daddy went to shadow one of his professors for a few hours so we needed to get out of the house!  Just a small taste of what winter will be like when we're stuck inside all day.  We walked outside and ran in to Carolynn and Angela so we all went on a walk together. Jake and Angela squealed over Addy the entire time!

I just recently joined a group called the Moms of Dupage (our county).  I was so excited to find them because they have a calendar of events that Jake and I can go to and meet other moms in the area.  Jake, me, Carolynn, and Angela will be going to the Stork's Cradle in Wheaton for a free music class on Thursday!  Carolynn and I think it will be a great escape with other moms as the weather changes.  They also go on frequent walks around the area together and meet up for playdates.

 Today, Jake started crawling on all fours!!  No belly touching the ground!  He crawls a bit and then goes back to the belly crawl, but I bet in the next week or so he'll constantly be up on his knees. 

 Below are videos of Jake eating kiwi for the first time...a little too sour for him.  And also of him crawling!  

Children's Museum

Lots of videos tonight! Not too much happened yesterday. Daddy and I went to the dermatologist to get our 3,000 moles checked out. We both left with a pretty clean slate, except Daddy has three moles she'd like to remove and examine, and I have two. Doctor said they were in between moles that could go either way. I also went in to the chiropractor again. It was only my third visit, but my arm is completely healed! Amazing what a little IFC and adjustments can do for you! (note from Daddy: IFC = Interferential Current)

Jake has been crawling faster and faster and has now taken on the challenge of trying to stand up. He has succeed a few times! Right now, he is constantly pulling up and just leaning on his knees. Addy's food and water dish had to officially be moved to the kitchen because Jake has spilled the water everywhere a few times and was even grabbing at her food and trying to eat it! It's crazy how this can happen right in front of your eyes no matter how much you watch him! His new favorite spot in the apartment is the sliding door. He hits it with his hands and watches the cars go by (note from Daddy: I think he's trying to escape!). He also loves the blinds there and tries to pull them down. I now push the blinds all the way back so he can't get to them. I bet I'm burning thousands of calories chasing after this little 21 pounder!

Today, Daddy took a small break from studying (note from Daddy: BIG break) and we all went to the Oak Lawn Children's Museum. We were originally going to a closer one in Dupage, but it's closed for the next two weeks. Oak Lawn is close to the school I taught at. It was small, but Jake was free so we couldn't complain. They had an infant area with shapes and mini slide and tunnel. Jake wasn't sure at first, but by the end of our trip he was squealing and having a great time. His favorite area (no surprise) was the veterinarian area with lots of stuffed dogs! He also enjoyed crawling through a small tunnel, but would never push himself all the way through. A little girl, probably about 3, dressed up in a unicorn outfit and galloped around Jake and he laughed at her. Her name was Sarah and as she was leaving, she gave Jake one of her puffs. It was so cute!

Jake's new word that he repeats over and over again is "Meh" Still working on the whole "Mama" thing. We sure know who he's going to be rooting for this Colts season since "Ad-DIE" is still, by far, his favorite word to say.

Enjoy all the videos!