My Loo Turned 4!

It's hard to believe that it's been two weeks since my Loo turned 4 (and that I am just able to sit down - sort of - and blog about it!).  So first, my note to my Jacob on his 4th birthday:

My Sweet Jacob Liam!  It's hard to believe that 4 years ago you came into this big world and made it a whole lot brighter.  What a little man you have turned into over the past year.  You are hell bent on being a big boy and hanging with Riley's friends.  It's no secret that you're not an easy kid but what you lack in flexibility, sleep and an even temperament, you make up for in empathy, compassion and overall kindheartedness.  You are always the first to run to someone who is upset to see if they are ok and see how you can help.  When you are sad, you easily and openly express your feelings.  You are sensitive and easily get your feelings hurt, especially if scolded my someone you love.  You are my cuddler and love to snuggle.  But at the same time you are all boy, you love Darth Vadar, light sabers, fire trucks, and all things boy.

In the past year, I have seen you open up and become a social little butterfly.  You have a tight core group of buddies that you love to hang with and openly approach other children to play, something that you would have never done a year ago.  But at the same time, you feel odd and overwhelmed being the center of attention.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy, may you always remain the sweet, compassionate, boys boy that you are and may your 4th year bring lots of love, happiness and FUN!  I love you forever and ever and ever again my little buddy!

To celebrate we had a super fun birthday party at Build-A-Bear Workshop, they did a great job and we are now proud owners of a Kylo Ren Star Wars Bear!

On Jacob's actual birthday we let him pick his day since it was a Saturday!  We opened some presents, then went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks.  While at the movie theater, we ran into a Droid!  So fun!  Then we hit Menchie's before having dinner at home (Jacob's request) and ice cream cake!

Jacob also had a great 4 year well check!  He's measuring in the 65th percentile on weight and the 55th on height.  And is the picture of health!  He even got 3 vaccines and did not shed one tear, he let out a little ow on the third one but didn't cry or meltdown!  All he wanted was a pair of Dr exam gloves so he could play Dr at home!  How old does he look at his checkup!

Hoops

We signed both kids up for basketball through the YMCA this late spring.  Jacob's old coach originally approached Marc about playing on his new team since he left the program that we had Jacob in so we signed him up.  Jacob has a hard time making connections with people and he loved Coach Ernie so we decided to follow him to this new program.  Jacob was in WAY over his head as he was on a team of mostly 5 and 6 year olds so being 3 was rough developmentally.  But he came around.  After we signed Jacob up, they needed more girl players for Riley's age group and she's been asking to play so we got her involved, it overlapped with softball a bit which made for long days (especially on the rare Saturday that she had PT).  Riley was the youngest on her team also and the shortest by at least a head but she was super into it. 

And In Jacob's News

Lots going on with my little man too...

let's see, he moved into the pre-school room.  He thinks he's hot stuff now.  Seriously, he walks around with an air of confidence not typically found in Jacob and when we ask him how he knows something he says "I bigged now, I in pwe-school."  I hope his little toddler accent never goes away, ok, I hope it does eventually because that'd be awkward in Middle and High School but I love his little toddler voice.

 

 

We also got Jacob to give up his much beloved "ba" (pacifier).  It was a rough first week but after 5 or 6 days he stopped asking for it, he's still not sleeping great but it is getting better.  As a reward, he got a trip to Build A Bear (two pacifiers are in there) and a big boy bed which he's been wanting for a long time!

 



And, finally, Jacob got asked to join his old basketball coach's new program at the YMCA.  So we drove up to Danville for 2 months for him to play, he was by far the youngest on the team but his coach is moving back to the Dublin program and told us to sign him up for the 4-5 year old class.  Jacob love basketball!

Happy 3rd Birthday Little Man

Jacob Liam!  I can hardly believe that you are 3 years old today.  It seems like yesterday you were entering our world, our sweet, cuddly, yet high tempered little man.  You have grown so much in the last year and I have loved watching every second of it.  You started the year behind verbally, biting, and anxious and you have finished your 2s with a full vocabulary, friendly and outgoing.  You are my sensitive one.  You get your feelings hurt easily (like your mommy) but you express them freely and I admire that about you.  You also worry excessively about those you love when you think they are hurt or upset and seek to comfort them.  Like when I was getting a flu shot and you ran to my side, held my hand and said "I want you be safe momma."  You held my hand and stroked my arm the entire process.  It was the sweetest, most compassionate gesture that even had the nurses oohing and aahing over you. 

Jacob, I have loved watching you blossom at your new school.  You are friendly, love to share, and have excitement over everything.  You are a gentle soul little man, who loves a good cuddle.  You are quite inquisitive and your favorite things to say are "What's that boy/girl doing?" and "Why?"  You could ask "why" all day long if we don't cut you off.  You can throw a temper tantrum with the best of them but are easily reasoned with.  Most importantly, you have learned to express yourself so you are no longer a biter!  Yippee!!! 

Little man, you are such an incredible joy.  I love seeing the world through your eyes, they are filled with wonderment over the littlest things and are so appreciative when you receive gifts and get to go somewhere with mommy or daddy one on one.

At your 3 year check-up you were excited about everything, especially the exam table that moved up and down and the pictures of your eyeballs!  Your stats, you ask?

Weight: 32lbs 8oz (60th percentile, my back can attest to that!)
Height: 37 inches (40th percentile which surprised me because you seem big!)
BMI: 16% (70th percentile)

Favorites:
Movie: Monster's Inc and Despicable Me
Word/Question:  Why?  (We can go on for hours doing the Why game)
Food:  Hot dogs and ice cream (you go nuts for ice cream!)

I'll love you forever and ever and ever again!

Monster Bash

To say Jacob likes Monster Inc is a bit of an understatement.  He is obsessed with Mike and Boo, he likes Sully but Mike and Boo are definitely his favorites so it only seemed fitting that we ring in his upcoming 3rd birthday with a Monster's Inc party.  It was ROAR-some!  Jacob had so much fun, we lucked out with the monster-sized storm we got this week passing through just in time for us to keep the jumpy house on the schedule.  Jacob was so excited to have a jumpy house and a party in his honor!  He requested a funfetti cake over cupcakes so I had my first attempt at a cake, I did it Friday because I needed time to make cupcakes if it was a fail.  I only had on small frosting mishap but Jacob couldn't tell or care and he loved his cake.  We had an awesome time and I can't believe my little buddy is turning 3 in less than a week!  Since pictures are worth 1000 words, I'll let the pictures from yesterday do the talking!

The kids went through "scarer" training!

An official Scarer!

Jacob's birthday twin Brycen! (they are a few hours apart!)

Brycen's beautiful sister McKenzie!

My first attempt at a cake

Happy Birthday Boy!

Jacob's face is pretty par for the course around here!

Big birthday wishes

This Guy!

I haven't blogged about this guy in a while but Jacob deserves an update.  He's doing absolutely FANTASTIC at his new school.  He's so chatty, friendly, personable, playful.  Don't get me wrong he definitely has his terrible 2 moments but he has come a LOOOONG way since early-August when we moved him to Bright Horizons.  He has a best buddy, Evo, at school, they talk about Giants all day long together and his mom and I always pick up at the same time so they leave school together.  They are like two peas in a pod and it's so stinking adorable since Jacob was SO anti-social just 6 months ago. 

Jacob is talking up a storm.  He graduated from speech therapy a month ago but he's speaking full sentences, he's really blossomed.  He tells me about his day, the walks they go on, what they have for snack (he apparently doesn't like hard boiled eggs so he just eats two crackers), that he only ate two corn dogs and two are left, what they did in school, who he rode bikes with, the list goes on and on.  He's speaking like 12 word sentences, this is a kid who 6 months ago could barely speak 2-3 word sentences.  He's due for an evaluation and I think Miss Katie will be SUPER impressed with his development.

And his temperament, WOW!  What a change, he can still be difficult but he is quick to use his words and not his mouth, hands or feet!   I picked him up from school today and one of his friends was climbing on his back, hitting his head and back and Jacob was crying and yelling, "I don't like it.  Stoooop!"  I was so proud of him using his words when 2 months ago he would have turned around to bite him.  The school's District Manager was there because the Director is on medical leave and she said he was having a great day other than this incident
 and I told her that I saw Oscar hitting him and two months ago Jacob would have bitten him but today he cried and used his words so I was super proud of him. 

Potty training has been a sore spot, especially #2s but {knock on wood} we have gone 3 days without an accident.

And finally, Jacob's new favorite activity...riding his new Spider-Man big boy bike!

I can't believe my baby is going to be 3 in less than 2 months!

Jacob had pajama day at school last week and he LOVES mustaches so of course he had to wear his mustaches

Listening to story time

Go Giants!

Every night when Jacob goes to bed he says "Mommy, can I please hold your head?"  Then he grabs my head, presses it into his squishy cheeks and hugs forever.  I love it!

Jacob got scared watching Monsters Inc (which he's seen a million times) this past weekend so he wrapped his arm around Riley for comfort

Jacob is obsessed with Despicable Me so I bought him Minion (which he calls Onion) underwear, apparently he liked it a lot!