Me, three!

Jakob never ceases to amaze me. The way that his little mind works is spectacular to watch grow and grow. Jason pointed it out to me about a week ago but I hadn’t witnessed it myself until today. Our conversation today while cuddling post-nap went like this: Me: Are you happy? Jakob: Yup Me: Me, too! Jakob: Me, three! Too funny. And too cute. Apparently he has done this many times with Jason and Jakob’s Nana. I think it is quite creative of him and reasonable. Reasonable to think that if Mama is happy too/two that I could be happy three. My smart little man.He has grown up so much in the past few months. He is talking like a real person! I think that his time at daycare/”school” has increased his vocabulary and made him quite chatty. There are times that I miss my quite boy, but then I wouldn’t give up conversations like the one above for the wor1d. He can chat and chat to me all the time. And I will love every minute of it.

A long update....

It has been so long since I have been able to find the time to type out my feelings and what has been going on in our crazy little life. Life has been good to us. Everyone is healthy and happy. I haven’t had too many days where Jakob has pushed every button he could find! And now that Aiden is a little older (a whole two months now!) he is falling into a little bit of a routine and that always makes life easier. Aiden had his 2 month appointment with the pediatrician today. He sure is growing quickly. He is up to a whopping 13 lbs and has grown 5 inches and is now 24 inches long! They are happy with his progress and think he is a cutie patootie. The only thing that Dr. C mentioned that we will be watching for the next couple of months are the ridges on the side of his head. They “should” have rounded out a little more by now and not be so pronounced. I hadn’t really thought about it. With Jakob we were so concerned about the roundness of his head and the flat spot that was developing. With Aiden we have been so focused on making sure that he didn’t develop a flat spot like his big brother. Aiden has a nice round head. So hopefully that wont change and there wont be a helmet in his future. Today has been a very sleepy day for Aiden. The shots have made him groggy and sleepy. He really hasn’t been awake much today. I haven’t had to give him any Tylenol yet, and would rather not unless he really needs it. Right now he is curled up squeaking in the crook of Jason’s arm with his head on Jason’s chest. Just adorable. My mother was asking me some questions the other day about my family. She asked me if I liked being the mother of two boys, and if I was still enjoying being a stay at home mother. I didn’t hesitate to say that I love being the mother to two boys. I couldn’t imagine it being any different. I know she was asking out of curiosity. And even though we talked about my missing work sometimes, I told her that I am happy that I am doing the most important job of my life. I wouldn’t give up a day for anything. As any stay at home mom will tell you there are days that you wish you could be anywhere else but at home with your kids. I do miss my job at the nursing home, I miss teaching in Korea, and I miss working in the aromatherapy store. But I know in my heart that I would miss my boys more. The longer I can spend at home raising them and being there for them is a) what we will do, and b) the best thing I can do for them. A part of me hopes that Jason may continue to stay in the Army past his retirement date so that we might be able to rely on the paycheck, the health insurance and the stability. I want us to have the time that we both need to finish our education so that we can support our family. My obsession with cupcakes is kind of out of control. I have been doing so much research and thinking about recipes and combinations and decorations, etc..etc…etc. And I recently ordered a custom made stamp with the logo that Jason drew for me. I am dreaming about the cakes that I have coming up, the cookies that I have been asked to make for my friend Janine. Doing Natalie’s and Jakob’s cakes this month are going to be SO much fun. I get to do a girlie cake for Nat. The little princess. All pink and glittery. Its going to be super fun. And I love that Janine and Steve trust me enough to make their little girl’s cake pretty and memorable. That means a lot to me. Ok – that is the catch up for now. No – wait! I am enrolling Jakob in gymnastics. But I will write about that soon. The classes don’t start til the 17th. Can’t wait. Hope all is well with everyone – take care, be healthy and show love.

What to do, what to do...

I am excited about the spring season coming soon. I know that the groundhog says that we have six more weeks of winter, but I am an optimist. I am looking forward to days out in the fresh air and watching Jakob run around outside again. He has so much energy and it isn’t fun to watch it be bottled up during the winter months. I am finding more programs that he can participate in. Actually, I am a little overwhelmed with options. Once he turns three (March 29th) he will be able to participate in all kinds of things. He can go to daycare two days a week, recreation programs at the community center, Soccer Tots, art classes, music classes. Some are cheap, some are reasonable, and some are expensive. So how do you decide what your child will benefit from the most. I will be making some decisions based on what his friends will participate in. Taking the Movement Exploration class with his “girlfriend” at the community center for example. But then what other venue do we explore. Do I help encourage his artistic side? Do I get him involved in the sports that I know he will love? Unfortunately we have to choose. The budget does not allow for us to do it all, I wish it did, but that just isn’t the case. Jakob isn’t quite at the age and understanding that if asked he would tell me what he wants to do more. I wish he was, that way he could make the decision. So maybe the answer is to rotate. Do one session of art, then soccer, then cooking, etc, etc. I also hope that there are these options available to us wherever we move in November. It would be very sad to get him involved in something that he wouldn’t be able to continue.

can you just slow down a little please?

My boys are getting so big. I looked at them both today and was amazed at how much they have grown. Aiden is getting big. He is eating like a horse and sleeping great. I cannot wait til his two month appt so I can see how much weight he has gained. And looking at Jakob and thinking that he is turning three next month is incredible. I have booked a photo session for the family. I am going to go shopping for matching outfits next week. I think it will be so unbelievably cute. I am also thinking about “big brother” and “little brother” tshirts for some photos too. Jakob has blossomed these past few months. His vocab has increased, his coordination is developing quickly, and the ability to carry on conversations that are meaningful is amazing to me. I love the kid so much. And seeing him growing up so fast on one hand makes me sad, but on the other I see the “fruits of my labors”, and the teachings we have given him developing. But enough about that.

A Patient Pooch

My poor dog is going to bite Jake one of these days. And you know what? He will deserve it. Jakob tortures this dog. Toby gets no peace when she is in the same room with him. He teases her with food, he throws toys at her, he hangs onto her tail, and pretty much does anything he can to get a rise out of her. She puts up with a lot. But lately her patience has been getting shorter and shorter. I don’t blame her. It drives me nuts too. I feel bad for her. Today is her birthday. Toby is five today. She was given some treats for her special day. But what I wish we could give her is a day free of harassment from the boy. He doesn’t respond to punishment at all. I have put him in time outs, put him in his room alone, taken away toys and privileges, but nothing works. It isn’t fair that she gets banished to the porch or kitchen to get away from him. So the question is, what do I do to get him to leave her alone???