Fun in the Backyard

Sadly, there is a very short window of time when our backyard is truly enjoyable. In the hot summer months, the bugs are too oppressive, and in the winter everything is dead, dead, dead. But in the fall and the spring, it is a true joy and haven. Below, Jacob enjoying his first day in his Osh Kosh(b'gosh) overalls:

And, a view of the terrifying beasts that one might encounter in the backyard.

The Baby in the Bathroom

Jacob is getting REALLY GOOD at high-fiving his new friend. He's also been terrorist-fist-jabbing the baby in the hallway.

Links

You'll notice that on the right hand side of the Blog, we've added in two frequently requested links. One is a direct link to all our online photo albums. Another is for Jacob's Christmas Wish List. This is not any sort of hint that we are expecting you to get our most spoiled little child anything at all, it is simply a resource for those aunties, uncles, and grandparents (you know who you are) who want to make sure that his every desire is met. Right now he's pretty indiscriminate about his desires - my shoulder or a good couch pillow work just as well as a teething toy - but I've done my best to try and guess what he might want a couple months from now.

Festive

We went to the Botanic Gardens for their costume festival today. We were joined by Adam and his lovely parents, and it was an unexpectedly beautiful and fun afternoon. The boys were ADORABLE in their costumes, and we had a great time walking around, catching up, and generally enjoying the Park-Slopiness of it all.

Jacob is the cutest little moose on the loose you could ever find. His eyes have gone back to looking a brilliant blue in the fall light we caught for these pictures. He is such an agreeable and game little guy - he absolutely loves going out for walks and even when he gets sleepy is totally happy to cuddle up in his stroller and take a snooze instead of grousing at us. How long can the perfection last? Seems like it could be indefinite!

Hmmm...

The cats are usually pretty good about keeping their paws off of Jacob's toys, even the rattly ones. But his activity mat...that is a hotly contested item. I wouldn't mind the occasional cat nap if they didn't leave all sorts of fuzz and dirt in their wake. But, as Stella's glare suggests, they haven't been taking my hints about moving on and finding a better napping spot.

5 months old!

Jacob, believe it or not, is 5 months old! Here are some of his favorite things:

• He loves to sit and stand with a little support from Mommy and Daddy.
• He is no longer angered by tummy-time, in fact he kinda likes it!
• He is now eating cereal twice a day, and in a couple weeks will start on pureed fruits.
• Naps in the stroller are a thing of the past - this kid wants to see everything!
• Jacob's mouth is his primary investigatory tool. Everything within reach goes straight into his mouth, which is frequently gushing drool.
• Stella! But he knows enough to stay away from Hank.
• Daddy is always good for endless giggles. Always.
• Blowing bubbles is the highest form of art-making, and Mommy's fake sneezes are the funniest jokes in the world.

Some accomplishments that make Mommy and Daddy very happy and proud:

• His tummy-troubles seem to have eased up for the time being. I still don't eat dairy or soy, but the constipation and resulting colicky moodiness have disappeared.
• Jacob has finally established a nice sleep routine which have let him start falling asleep for naps and at bedtime without crying and needing to be rocked. We did some sleep-training that involved a lot of routine-building and a little fussing-it-out, and after a couple days of wondering if we would ever have peace again, he suddenly started going down without a fuss. FOR NOW. For we have learned, painfully, that all phases are temporary, even the good ones. This week we are working on sleeping through the night - he's done very well the last couple nights and we (so-far) haven't had any of the horrifying scenes that one hears about.
• Jacob is still on the low end of the growth charts for his age, but his rate of growth is perfect, so his doctors are well-pleased. He is a perfectly happy, healthy and growing little boy.
• Miles of smiles, morning noon and night. Frequently I go in to get him at the end of a nap and am greeted with smiles and bubbles.
• Jacob is a very quiet young man. He giggles and grouses, but not a lot in between. But for someone so quiet, he is very, very social. He has smiles and cuddles for everyone!
• His eyes are starting to change colors - they are still blue, but much more toward the gray end of the scale, more than even two weeks ago. I predict they will either be green like Mommy's or gray like Grandma's.
• Jacob loves books. We read several times a day and he loves to help turn the pages.
• He is just flat-out beautiful.

Here are some pictures from his 5-month birthday:

Play Date

We hosted our first play-date for our neighborhood friends the other day. Claire, Liam, Adam, and Quinn came over to play! Jacob is the youngest of the group by a couple months, so he was pretty much enthralled by the bigger kids but not really able to keep up with them...or escape from them when they rolled/crawled/scrunched their way over to him to grab a toy or his eyes. These are a lot of the moms I went to prenatal yoga with and it is so much fun to now all have babies that are rolly-polly puddles of fun.

Jacob and Adam dog-pile on the floor.
Claire, Liam, and Adam:
Pandemonium:
Having the older babies in the apartment with us really made me realize that the mobile days are very quickly approaching, and we need to start baby-proofing the house. Things are about to get crazy...

Unbearable

Why does Lauren have a stuffed animal in her carrier?IT'S JACOB!!!!
WARNING - women can spontaneously become pregnant just by looking at this picture:
It's cute, it keeps him toasty warm, and it attracts all sorts of comments on the subway.

The Beginning of Autumn

Autumn has arrived in Brooklyn. With it has arrived a whole new world of fun with Jacob.

Special story-times with Michelle...
Afternoon snoozes after being bundled up warmly...

Jacob is COMPLETELY in love with Daddy and smiles every time he walks in the room (they both do, actually)...

We went to dinner at John and Sarah's and made Jacob a little bitty Bean nest for him to sleep on in their room...

Long walks in the park...free of humidity and bugs...

We're finally settling into a nice routine with Mommy's work and our babysitter, Margot, coming twice a week. There is time for work, but plenty of time for fun.

What a change...

Afternoon Light

Inspired by a happy baby and beautiful evening light, we had a little photo shoot the other day. I was trying to capture the absolute deliciousness of his expressions - from boredom to delight to disbelief, to comfort. He is turning into such a little person who is all himself! I feel in some ways that I have known him forever, even though I also get to know him better and better every day.

First Solids

Jacob's gastrointerologist (yes, he IS a fancy little boy) said that he could start some yummy oatmeal goodness mixed with breastmilk as soon as he hit five months. So first thing this morning we mixed up some yummy-tummy cereal and rubber-covered spoons and proceeded to paint the baby with it. He didn't seem to LOVE it, but he ate a couple teaspoons worth and was DEFINITELY into the spoon. I can't believe I have a little boy who is eating food with a spoon! He's getting so big so fast.

The Day of Bubbles!

Jacob has been working on his bubble-blowing skills lately, frequently pushing out strings of bubbles with his tongue. I've been blowing my tongue at him and making raspberry noises, which he was fascinated by, and yesterday he FINALLY mastered the raspberry! Once he got it, he got it and spent the entire day blowing bubbles.

Fun in the Capitol

While in DC, we had brunch with friends, hung out with Grandpa, and went to the Zoo! Jacob is a very good traveler and was very amenable about napping, eating, and playing on the go. He's a New Yorker, so he does prefer walking in the sling to the car seat or even the stroller. Highlights to look for in these pictures:

• The eyes! In most lights they are a bluish gray, but in some lights they are just blue, blue, blue!
• The chub! Do you see those cheeks? They are decidedly edible.
• The oral fixation! He wants, at all times, to have something in his mouth for sucking on. Toys, hands, the front of his carrier. Whatever.

Also, I just want to point out the light, joy, and amazingness that is Jacob's smile. His whole face transforms into complete delight. He is perfect!

AIDS Walk 2009

Jacob walked (in the sling) to help raise money for AIDS prevention/services/education this weekend in Washington DC. He raised $130 and helped our team raise over $34,000 total for Whitman Walker Clinic! It was certainly a fun event and everyone agreed that Jacob was by far the cutest walker.

Cute Boy

Those eyes! He is getting more expressive and bright every day. Jacob has had some tummy troubles the last couple weeks and it's made it difficult for him to sleep, so we've had to adjust to a baby who actually fusses every now and then. But that chubby little smile more than makes up for any griping!