The Long Journey

Never travel alone. No man (or DVD) left behind.

Sad Face

Jacob is a really happy, easy-going baby. So pictures of Sad Face are hard to come by. Now, a true Sad Face is before the crying - it is identified by the trembling lip, the questioning eyes, the furrowed brow. You can catch a very quick glimpse of it here before it devolves into full panic.

Is it wrong for us to do things that will make our baby cry for the sake of a photo? Perhaps. But his irrational fear of wearing the birthday hat from Daniel's party was too funny not to capture.

You might think that the tears are just the sign of the tired baby. But he freaked out at the hat every time I tried to put it on him all day. He liked chewing it, holding it, and watching other people wear it, he just COULD NOT abide it being put on his head. This from a baby who wears hats every day! There is no telling what sorts of things a child might take exception to.

An Almost-Warm Weekend

Mostly warm...warm enough to be outside, but not without layers. Close enough!

Good Times at the Park

I may never get tired of taking pictures of him laughing on the swing. It is amazing.

He's finally almost big enough for the Tot Lot, a playground near our house where all the toys are less than 2 feet tall - perfect for crawlers and cruisers. He likes pulling himself up, but can't really move yet, so once he's up he just hangs out and watches the other babies play.

Rare Exclusive Images

...of the sleeping Bean.

What does Jacob do 12 hours a day? Here it is, folks. Note the kicked-off swaddle, the assortment of lovies, the strategically placed binkie.

Sneaking in and watching him sleep is one of my favorite things to do. But beware! He wakes easily and will sometimes flip over onto his tummy and stare me down until I quietly back out of the room.

Jacob likes his private time.

Lately he's taken to chatting to himself and his lovies for about 10 minutes before and after a nap. Nothing gets a boy in the mood for a nap like singing a little song!

Wildlife

Finally, spring has sprung! We spent some time in the backyard yesterday, cleaning up and tormenting the cats. You can hear Jacob here saying "Ra-ra", which we think means "Stella". Also, he's very into laughing at me and the cats, not just as a reaction, but to get our attention and communicate with us. A-Dorable.

Milestones

These two videos are taken a month apart.

A couple of milestones for your enjoyment: First, some of Jacob's first finger foods. You can see him falling in love.

Next, he doesn't crawl, he doesn't have teeth, but THIS BOY IS STANDING!

Isn't it amazing how much bigger he is in just a month?

Back on the (cheese) sauce!

VERY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS! After 8 very, very, very long months, both Jacob and Mommy are back on dairy and soy! Yes, for 8 months neither of us had even an ounce of any dairy product because of someone's sensitive tummy. Mommy started slowly introducing dairy products into her diet about 6 weeks ago, and when that went off without a hitch, Jacob followed suit. Here is his very first taste of yogurt! He now is eating a couple servings of dairy a day (yogurt and cottage cheese) and is starting to get weaned off of his special-diet formula. He's still nursing, but getting a bottle or two a day because he's often just too busy to slow down long enough for a full feeding from Mommy. First soy formula, soon milk! My goal is to get him on whole milk by his first birthday, and we can just put this whole thing behind us.

Mommy loves: cheese, cookies, cheese, cheesecake, sour cream, cheese, lattes, and CHEESE!

9 months

The last month has been filled with visitors, playtimes, a new babysitter, and more milestones than you can shake a stick at! We've been too crazy busy to upload pictures, but don't worry, here are a bunch to make up for it!

Highlights:

• FINGER FOODS! Jacob loves squash, banana, avocado, and anything else we chop up and stick in front of him. And the majority actually makes it in his mouth!
• Lots of snow this month, so we spent a lot of time inside. But when we did make it out, we made the most of it!
• Little Guy is still doing his one-arm-hook belly scoot instead of crawling, but he is a ninja and able to get around faster than you would believe.