Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving was very special this year - we stayed home and had a quiet day just the three

of us. We made a killer turkey, and plenty of other dairy/soy-free delights! The pumpkin pie was my grand finale (grapeseed oil crust and coconut milk in the filling). Jacob loved having Daddy and Mommy home all day long and didn't quite understand why he wasn't allowed to pull on the tablecloth but was a good sport nonetheless.

We made a list of things that Jacob is thankful for:

• Orange Horse (favorite toy)
• that Stella doesn't get upset when he pulls her ears
• babies in the mirrors
• not bing in the hospital anymore
• not having to drive anywhere for the holiday (the car seat is not his friend at the moment)
• a Mommy and Daddy who love him

Balloons!

Jacob and I went to go see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons being blown up on Wednesday night. I have always wanted to go to the parade but it just is a little too crazy on Thanksgiving morning, so we compromised and went the night before. The balloons were awesome and Jacob was properly entranced. Although, to be fair, he was just as interested in the regular sized balloons being held by the woman standing in front of us as he was by the 5-story Dora the Explorer.

IT HAS HAPPENED!

I have a mobile baby!!!! I knew this was going to happen! Adam was over yesterday and was rolling and scooting all over and Jacob was watching him with complete fascination. Sure enough... not 24 hours later, Jacob has figured out the backward scoot!!!!

I think I need to childproof my house now...

Sending messages

Sometimes Jacob sends IM messages to daddy at work. He is good at helping Mommy to type:

hi daddy

we

are goign to do another nap now

a belly full of carrots aNDafv

o

cad

o

and oappoesaude

nm

djFG.

so r

so there.

Sent at 1:49 PM on Tuesday

Who is that boy sitting up on his own?

IT'S JACOB!!!!!!!!

Jumping Jacob

Aunt Carolyn knows just what a kicky little baby needs! This showed up in the mail the other day and is rocking our world. Jacob hasn't quite worked out the full jumping possibilities yet, but he is THRILLED to be able to stand up like a big boy!

Working it out

Almost overnight, Jacob's voice got turned on like a switch. He is babbling and sputtering up a storm. It is amazing to watch him, actively figuring out how to make new noises. Every minute is a new exploration.

Cute

A message from Hank and Stella:

Jacob is NOT the only cute creature around Team Jost HQ and nor is he the only one who needs naps and cuddles.

Thank you very much.

3 videos from today

Mr. Kicky McKickerson, moments before falling dead asleep in the middle of a meal.

I will eat you. I will eat your face.

Jacob has, out of nowhere, started growling like a bear. Not sure if it's mucus or just a fun sound, but he does it all the time. The doc says he isn't stuffed up or congested at all, so we choose to just make fun of him and call him our Growly Bear. You can hear a little of it in the first few seconds of this video.

And that was our day.

Storytime

I've been invited a couple times to do a storytime at a Barnes and Nobel through my company, The New Victory Theater. It's really a wonderful opportunity to hone my storytelling skills outside the classroom. The most amazing and fun part is, of course, the chance to have my own little bean in the audience. What a privilege!

Fall Fun

It is clear that Jacob is quickly approaching his 6-month mark. He is growing by leaps and bounds, constantly making discoveries about his body and the world around him. He is wanting to stand and sit (with help, of course). No more baby-cradling for this young man! The feet are ALWAYS in the mouth, and if they aren't, about three toys are. He always wants to be on move and seems to realize that there IS such a thing as mobility and is kind of frustrated that he can't achieve it just yet. He's started occasionally flipping over from his back to stomach, but not with any predictability. And he can't seem to remember that he can go from front-to-back and back-to-front at the same time, so the log-rolling is still an elusive goal.

Jacob is so very, very incredibly social. He loves being around friends and having visitors - he rarely will fuss if there is a new fun person there to play with. He's a very laid back and quiet baby, but he is not shy and will shower friends and strangers alike with endless smiles. He is absolutely over the moon about other babies, whether it's the baby in the bathroom mirror or his play-date friends. I really need to spend more time getting him to social baby events on a regular basis. Yesterday he hung out with his older friends Adam and Quinn for about 15 minutes (wise elders of almost 8 months old!) and within minutes his sitting skills and vocalization shot through the roof. It's as if he were inspired by them!

Every day is a joy and delight. I am exhausted and exhilarated every evening. I can't believe what a big and strong little man he is turning into!

Spooooooky...

Jacob's first Halloween was a week-long affair. There was, first, the trip to the Botanic Gardens, which we had pictures up of last week. Then, on Friday, our dear friends Victoria and Adam hosted a party for our play-group. The mommies sipped cider and ate candy corn, and the babies tumbled all over each other in their adorable costumes. The attempts to capture all 9 kids in one picture was...interesting...given that half of them can't sit up yet and Jacob got a little freaked by all the big kids rolling around him, but cute nonetheless.

Then Jacob and I went to the lake with Brad and Michelle and enjoyed a relaxing weekend of hanging out in a moose suit while Daddy had to stay home and work. We missed him terribly, but not so much that we couldn't have a little bit of fun.

The Trials of Hank

If only Zach hadn't been too distracted to come to his aid...sigh...Hank has to do everything himself these days.

Catching Up

Tara visits and brings Jacob's soon-to-be friend, Tara Junior, with her.

Nana and Papa want to make sure that Jacob is a true NW baby in his REI fleece.

Stella actually seems to like being kicked by the baby. Which explains a lot about her relationship with Hank.

Jacob is a tummy champ! It is no longer torture, in fact sometimes preferred. He can roll from his front to his back, and from his back to his side. It is very very soon that I will have a full log-rolling baby on my hands.

HULK SMASH!

Whitney, Elliott and Eleanor introduced us to Babysmash.com, which is an application you can put on your computer that locks out all the dangerous keys and brings up fun sounds and images when the baby, well, smashes the keyboard. There have been some reported casualties (Whitney's old keyboard was destroyed and is now Eleanor's new tummy-time-toy), but our first session went very well. Jacob was DELIGHTED. It is amazing to see how excited he was to discover that he could actually make the sounds appear. Cause and effect, baby, cause and effect. What a big boy!