PartyLite

I'm getting rid of some of my old PartyLite stuff. I posted it on Craigs List. If I like ya, I might give you a better deal :)

Random Pictures

I don't really have much to report in the last week, so here are just some pictures that we have taken.





That last one is of cousin Ollie with Grammy's brother.

15 Months...Almost

I had Jacob's 15 month pictures taken today, a little early on accident. We just had his 1 year pictures taken in October, but we're just about out of wallets to give people. This was an easy fix...get them taken again (I love doing pictures :) When I called Portrait Innovations, I figured I'd have a hard time getting in. So I called recently, figuring I'd have to wait two weeks. But I was caught off guard when they could schedule me now! Here is Jacob's official 15 month picture.

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!

Halloween

So I know I'm a little late in my posting, but here are some pictures of Halloween. The beginning of Halloween was less than picture perfect. I stayed home and passed out candy while David took the boys out. They started with Matthew walking (who, by the way, decided he didn't need a nap that day...) and Jacob in his little push car. Awhile later I could see them approaching with Jacob is David's arms and Matthew in the push car. Apparently Matthew didn't want to go up to several houses - even people who were very close to the sidewalk. I guess he just didn't think it was worth it?? Who knows....but half way through the evening we got in the car and went over to Foxcroft to trick or treat (Foxcroft is where we both grew up and where Barb and Russ still live). It's more fun over there since we know all the neighbors. Matthew did much better there. And Jacob quickly caught on to the idea of getting candy at each house (and then trying to eat several pieces before putting them in his basket!)

Physics Lesson

Jacob recently discovered that in addition to going down a slide himself, he can also send different items down. Here he is sending a ball down....over and over and over and over. And it's just as hilarious as the first time he did it!

Spot's Spot

We recently lost one of our beloved fish :( When Matthew came running to me saying, "Look, Mommy. Spot is swimming upside down!" in a very excited tone, I wasn't sure how to tell him. He took the news very well and really didn't get upset at all. So we made him a nice bed out of a kleenex box and buried him in the backyard.
The picture of Jacob shows that he managed to climb up on top of the swing set by himself while I was digging the hole! He's so proud of himself!
Here is a clip of Matthew saying goodbye to spot. It's the only time he got remotely sentimental, but by golly, he almost made me cry.

In this video he's saying, "I miss you, Spot." over and over.

And stay tuned, I think our fist Ojos is not too far behind Spot!