Cousins

Thanks to the snow, we had an unexpectedly long visit with our favorite niece and nephews. We love them so much!

"You should read in your wagon"

And he did...

Nana and Papa visit for Thanksgiving

We were very excited to host Nana and Papa Jost for Thanksgiving this year. Zach and I have never hosted a family holiday before, and it was very fun to get to cook a big meal for the people who are usually hosting us. We also got to share some of the wonderful things about the holidays in New York: the fall colors in the park, the ice skating, the holiday markets... It was a beautiful weekend and Jacob LOVED having two grandparents around to spoil him.

Oh Tannenbaum

Pretty much the most precious thing of all time is a young child decorating a Christmas tree for the first time.

Until 2 minutes later when he decides that he wants to take ALL the ornaments OFF the tree and throw them around.

So, it's all plastic ornaments this year and fairly frequent "gentle touching" reminders. I'm nervous for having him around other people's trees over the holidays, but he only seems interested in destroying MY tree because he knows he's not supposed to. But the sweetest moments are when I ask him, "Where is baby Jesus?" and he runs to the tree and points at the nativity ornaments. It just melts my mama heart.

Little Explorer

I can't interest this kid in a path. He wants to blaze his own.

A cuddly day

When teeth are hurting, extra cuddles are required.

Baby Model - the end result

Jacob's baby model picture from last January was finally posted online! They only used one shot, but it is ADORABLE. I can't believe he was such a little munchkin and that this was almost a year ago...

The website can be viewed at http://www.egg-baby.com/striped-modal-jersey-hoodie-baje314-navy.html.

The Naturalist

On Monday we went to the Museum of Natural History with Nana and Papa. It wasn't Jacob's first trip, but he is finally old enough to really recognize and get excited by all the animals. He LOVED running from diorama to diorama, finding familiar animals and exclaiming, "oooooohhh!" to let us know. The dinosaurs were also fun, but less familiar. Skeletons are a pretty abstract concept, it turns out.

Vocabulary at 18 months

Words Jacob says most often:

Ball (baah)

Book (buuh)

Yogurt (Go Gur!)

Taxi (ta si!)

The Bus (da buuh)

Truck (druh)

Bath (Baaaahs)

Boat (boah)

Bear (buuh)

Outside (atie)

Milk (mooah)

Bye (bye!)

Night-night (bye!)

Dog (duh)

Baby (beebee)

As you can see, some of these sound very similar, so context is everything...

Words/phrases he thinks he's saying but isn't quite saying:

Keys

Door

Family names

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" (nomuh! (with finger waving))

story

wheels on the bus

Animals he can say the sounds for:

elephant (raspberry lips)

cat (Mao!)

Bear, Tiger, Lion, Leopard (Raowr!)

sheep (baa)

goats (baa)

fish (lips open and close silently)

whale (weeeeohhh (like a siren))

horse (nay)

cow (moo)

monkey (ooohh ohh aahh ahh)

owl (whoo)

parrot/bird (awwww)

Animals he can make the movements for:

gorilla (thumping chest)

penguin (turning head)

donkey (kicking feet)

buffalo (shrugging shoulders)

The sounds that wake us in the morning and put us to sleep at night and keep us entertained pretty much every hour of every day:

Fire engine sirens (whee oohh whee ohh!)

beeping cars, taxis, and buses (beep beep)

Spoon

Jacob mostly eats his own food, but I tend to give him finger food that doesn't require a utensil. But sometimes we do spoons. Usually I'll spoon up some rice or stew or whatever we're eating and put the spoon on the highchair and he'll pick it up and eat it. The only thing I still spoon-feed him is the yogurt, because it's just so messy. But the other day he insisted on spooning it himself.

What a big boy.

18/18

Today marks Jacob's 18 month birthday AND mini-jost's 18 week mark. Jacob celebrated the day by reading some books, learning a new word (taxi!), and practicing a juggling routine. The Deuce celebrated (presumably) by rolling around a bit and kicking, but I still can't feel more than the occasional flutter, so that's just a guess.

Jacob is becoming acclimated to the idea of a new baby. When I ask him where mommy is growing her baby, half the time he pulls up my shirt and slaps my belly. The other half of the time he points to my boobs. We talk a lot about how mommies get to grow new babies, which I think he is starting to comprehend.

I've been thinking a lot today about how blessed I am to have my little boy and another on the way, and I'm thankful for how happy our little family is, even when we have a busy or stressful week. It fills me with joy.

I love you, my babies!!!

New toy box

In a small apartment, everything must either break down or serve more than one purpose. So jacob woke up this morning to find a new toybox/coffeetable/footrest in the livingroom. It also is turning out to be a great baby-clubhouse and cat-nap-perch.

Adventurer

Jake goes to happy hour!

Art

Every artist needs a studio, so Jacob has a new Jacob-sized table and chair for doing projects. Or climbing. Depending on his mood.

Welcome, Caleb!

Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Matt brought Caleb Ian Monson into the world at 4:09pm yesterday. He weighs 8lbs, 15oz and is 20.5 inches long, and rumor has it he's a good eater!

Catching Up

I haven't been the most avid blogger recently. This has been for two reasons.

1) I got a phone that can upload photos and videos to the blog very quickly. This is good for single shots, but I've gotten lazy about putting together albums that are more complete and take more time. And VERY lazy about typing anything.

2) We misplaced our camera for awhile, and then our connector cord for awhile longer, so I had a backlog of about three months of pictures that I hadn't even copied to the computer.

But I am trying to resolve these problems and regain my former blogging glory. So here are some catch-up albums of pictures from the summer and fall that you may have missed!

In July we were in Portland and Black Butte Ranch in Oregon. We spent a lot of time with family and enjoying the non-city life. I think it suits us well!

One shot from vacation that was just too good to lump into the whole album:

Some pictures from New York in our long indian summer - Around home, the park, and a quick trip to Long Island.

And a beautiful morning trip to Governor's Island - just the three (and a quarter) of us!

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Library Lions

One of Jacob's favorite books is "Goodnight New York" which features awesome things like zoo animals, taxis, NYFD trucks, and, of course, the library lions. So while we were in the city this morning we did some sightseeing, book in hand. In addition to the lions, we got to see the hotdog carts, times square lights, and theatres also featured in the book. What a day!

The Birds

They somehow seemed to know that a 1-year-old would be good for lots of crumbs. Once there got to be about 30 of them, we decided it was time to go. City birds are no joke.

Halloween!

This wasn't Jacob's first Halloween, but it was his first time trick-or-treating. In Brooklyn, everyone sits on their stoops or in front of their shops with bowls of candy, and the kids wander up and down the sidewalks in search of treats. Jacob got a ride on Daddy's shoulders for most of the evening, and Daddy earned his share of the candy by bending over at every stoop so that Jacob could grab a treat. By the end of the evening he was quite a pro at grabbing a piece of candy and then holding it out to Mama to put in his basket! We also ran into a lot of our mom's group friends on one of the streets that they had closed traffic off for.

It was a wonderful evening!

Those eyes...

No ducks here...

Ducks!!!

Duck Hunt

We spent an unreasonably warm october morning looking for ducks and waterfalls in the depths of Prospect Park. Success on all counts! Jacob loves pushing his own stroller, but the eighth-of-a-mile walk took us about an hour. I had not taken into account the distractions of leaves, fences, and puppies. But that little man was determined to push his own stroller, despite the obstacles!

Pardon the mess

Man at work.

Filophile

Jacob has pulled down, read, and discarded every book on his shelf for the fourth time today. I love watching it, but I am kinda tired of cleaning it up...

Peacoat

He looks like he's ready for college. Be ready for MANY more pics in this coat before he grows out of it!

The Deuce

Fruitloops Bananapants

The rumors are all true! Team Jost is once again expanding it's ranks with a new member, due April 20th! We have had such fun with Jacob since he arrived that we decided to just keep the party going and bring another babe into our somewhat tiny but very happy home.

So far, Lauren and Baby (also known as Fruitloops Bananapants) are doing well as they begin the second trimester. Jacob is also excited, but he doesn't know why, since he has no clue what we keep talking about. Zach just keeps muttering "Father of two, Father of two..." and feeling his age.

We're attaching a picture of the little peanut below (Grandma thinks it looks like a kitten, Zach thinks it looks like an alien, Lauren thinks it looks like a boy) for you to enjoy and speculate about. Remember, you can always follow the adventures and hijinks of Team Jost at http://teamjost.blogspot.com.

Thanks in advance for all your warm wishes! We couldn't be more excited!

Much Love,

Team Jost

Jacob has many jobs

Like picking grass,
Collecting leaves,
Moving strollers,
Keeping me informed.

It's a wonder he finds time in the day to fit it all in...

Finally Fall

First time stacking the rings

Amazing!!!!

Bye, train!

Lunch on the train

Modern Baby

Jacob couldn't give two shakes about what is on the TV (even though I sometimes wish I could distract him with a well-timed Sesame Street), but he is a real fan of YouTube. He crawls up on my lap when I'm sitting at the computer and yips until I put on a video.

Favorite video search terms:

Gorillas

Kitties

NYC Bus/Subway

Dumptrucks

Laughing Babies

Bulldozers

I've never been a YouTube fan, myself, so I am completely in awe of the number of videos that people put up on line that are just little clips of exactly those things, with no commentary or anything. Welcome to 2003, Mama Jost! The future is now!

Of course, his absolute favorite videos are those of his cousins, which never fail to bring a smile, giggle, and shriek!

Looking for airplanes

After several weeks of dancing around the issue, Jacob has finally nailed down that a) airplanes make that loud noise that we hear every couple minutes (due to the fact we are beneath the LGA flight path) and, b) you can see an airplane if you look in the sky when you hear the noise. THUS: every three or four minutes he drops what he is doing, looks up in the sky, and waves at the airplanes. A. Dorable. I can't wait until our next trip at Christmas when he will actually know what an airplane is as he is riding in one. Life is full of mind-blowing wonders, don't you think?

Like a gorilla

In both action and belly

Multi-tasking

Caught in the act

Taking a rest

Jacob moves pretty much moves non-stop these days- climbing and running and digging and more climbing. So when he sits down long enough to play with some leaves and take in the sights, it warrants a picture.

At the beach

Happy Labor Day from Peconic Bay

Who doesn't love bathtime?!

Uh oh!

Sounds like talking to me!

Slide

Jacob is finally discovering how to slide on his own! He still prefers that I help him, but he gets more confident every day.

Butt Piano

Farmer Ted

A hot summer calls for a hot look.

some more vacation pics

We are finally home from our big trip, and have been warmly greeted by the sticky, smelly arms of New York. Ahh...humidity...

We seem to have left our camera somewhere along our travels. Not too worried about getting it back - it is probably at Nana's house - but it has left us with out some of our favorite pictures to share.

Let me share, then, these photos from my phone. Some may be familiar if you have been following our progress on Facebook, but some are teamjost.blogpsot.com exclusives! Enjoy!

Vacation Update

We have been having a wonderful vacation in Oregon! Jacob got to see both sets of grandparents, and experience all the beauty and clean living that Oregon has to offer. We don't get home for several more days, so I am not able to upload all of our pictures, but I wanted to share a couple moments that are particularly sweet:

Exploring the zoo:

Playing with cousins:

Enjoying the fresh evening air:

Wondering where all the buildings and cars have gone:

Brooklyn Summer

It has been a hot summer in Brooklyn. Lots of days over 90, a few over 100. Jacob is growing fast and furious, and our apartment is just a little small, so every morning and afternoon we take a walk, to the park, the zoo, the Botanic Gardens, the fountain. Just to get out of the house and do some exploring. He is so into everything, and always wanting to be moving!

We'll be out of town (back to the West Coast) for the next couple weeks, and I may not be able to do much posting, so here is a little Brooklyn moment for you to enjoy while we are gone.

Keep tuned to Facebook for pictures during our trip - I'll be able to do mobile posts there from the road.

Baseball!!!!

The Mariners were in town, so we took Jacob to go see them (at Yankee Stadium). We were there for only 3 and a half innings, which was just about right for him. He was very intrigued by all the cheering, and cried at the end when the Mariners lost (possibly showing his team spirit, or maybe because of the noise and confetti). A very proud moment for his Daddy.

Grabby Hands

Jacob is sweet, smart, curious, and clever. But he is not gallant. Especially when he sees a lady holding a toy that he wants, he just goes for it and gets it. He has been persecuting the girls at the Tot Lot, stealing their dolls and strollers, and yesterday got QUITE upset when Eliza came over and started playing with toys he hasn't had an interest in in months.

I'm not sure what this means...Either he's a good feminist and not predisposed to preferential treatment based on gender, or he's NOT a feminist and doesn't like to see girls having primary control of objects. Hmmm...

Peek a Boo

Water park

There is an awesome new park down under the Brooklyn Bridge, complete with the most state-of-the-art, badass water features I have ever seen. Streams, sprinklers, dams, ponds, rocks, and fountains, all for little boys to explore. Jacob was pretty tentative, so we may need to go during a time it's a little less busy, but by the end of the afternoon he was diving in and having fun. And BOY is he sleeping hard tonight!