Jacob on the Move!!

I am totally amazed at the amount of progress Jacob has made developmentally over the last week. As many of you know, Jacob had tubes put in his ears last Wednesday (after 9 ear infections!) I was so relieved to finally have that happen. The amount of time (and money!) that we've spent at the doctor and pharmacy in the last 6 weeks is absolutely ridiculous. In the back of our minds, David and I have been wondering if the reason that Jacob wasn't walking yet was because of the fluid that was always in his ears. We had heard that it was a possibility. Jacob has been walking while holding on to fingers since he was probably 6 months old. I thought he was going to walk 6 months ago, but he just never would let go. Well, our thoughts were confirmed when Jacob took 25 steps across the room on Thanksgiving morning - the very next day after his surgery. Earlier in the morning David and I had been saying that we thought he'd be walking by the end of the weekend, just by how he was moving around. Little did we know that later that morning would be the magic day. When it happened, I had a bowl of food (Let me just tell you that Jacob and food are pretty tight...they're good friends) that I was holding out for him to get. I kept backing up - mean, I know, but it worked! He walked clear across the room. And he hasn't stopped since. He really seems like a happier kid now that he can move. It probably helps that his ears feel better too :)Jacob has been so much more verbal since the tubes were put in too. We have, several times, heard him say, "I did it". The way he says it you kind of think to yourself, "Did he just say that?" It's wierd that he went from only saying, "Mama, Dadda and Ubba (up)" to a full sentence. I've also heard what I think is, "All done", which comes out "adone" and "more", which comes out "mo". Here is a little clip of the new toddle, which I happen to think is just one of the cutest things in life, for all kids (and I happen to think my own is pretty stinkin' cute too...) I can't help but smile every time I see him toddle across the room, looking so absolutely proud of himself.
Jacob has also started being more confident in all his maneuverability. He is starting to climb. One of his favorites is climbing up on the chair we have by the light switch in our basement. It's there so Matthew can turn the lights on. Jacob climbs up on it and turns the lights on and off (and on and off and on and off.....) He also likes to climb up on Matthew's high bed (which is pretty high! It's the top of a trundle bed, probably 3 feet off the ground). As soon as he climbs up, he crawls to the other end to slide off the end on his belly so he can get down. Then, of course, he goes over the stool and starts it all over again. It's all about the process for Jacob. He just wants to make sure he has mastered the process, more than whatever it is he is trying to accomplish. At Thanksgiving, my mom had out a marble track for Matthew to play with. First, the adults had a blast with it. Then Jacob decided to help himself as well. He did so amazingly well and putting the little marbles in the track and watching them go down. I heard a couple "I did it!"'s while he worked. Here's a little clip of him doing it. At the end he tries to put a marble in his mouth, which I have to say was probably the only time I caught him trying to eat them. Otherwise he has done so well. He's a hoot!