Speech

Jacob has been in speech therapy for a month now and he is doing fantastic, he is speaking sentences and loves his speech therapist.  He lights up whenever he sees her. 

I love that I get to take a few hours out each week to have some middle of the day one on one time with him.  He always begs me to stay home with him so this week I took the day off (we have his Bright Horizons visit too).  So much fun spending time with this guy!

Little Buddy Time

I had Friday off so I planned to keep the kids home with me and spend some quality time with them.  I asked them both if they wanted to stay home with me and Jacob's response without hesitation was "Yesh, stay home momma!"  Riley says "I proberry just want to go to school."  Turns out they were having an Easter Egg Hunt at school last Friday, I said she could go for that and then I would come get her after if she wanted and she then asked if she would have to take a nap at home.  Yes, Ri, you would.  Let the negotiation begin.  To which she responded "Maybe you could just get me after nap."  Sure, Ri, I'll get you at 3:00, that way we can still do something fun in the afternoon and you get to see your friends.  Negotiation complete.  That meant little dude and I got some alone time, it's been far too long since we've had a whole day just mommy and Jacoby.  We kicked the morning off with a little viewing of The Wiggles.  Jacob was so in heaven having my undivided attention, he kept coming up to me and randomly hugging and kissing me.  I could just tell he appreciated the time.  Then we went for a walk and then he requested the mall (he likes Wetzel Pretzel Bites).  We headed home for lunch and nap and then went to get Riley after a little more one on one play time.  Little man was SO sweet that whole day, I really need to make a bigger effort for one-on-one time with each of them.

Of course Riley was later jealous of Jacob's time with me so we ended up with some alone time on Sunday.

Polar Opposites

We've been told Jacob is SUPER aggressive at school, and I believe them because every so often we see outbursts of aggressive behavior.  BUT I also see polar opposite behavior where he is the sweetest, most affectionate little man that I have ever met.  Monday night was one of those nights.  Marc went upstairs with Riley while I did Jacob's breathing treatment, after we were done I let him go.  I figured he would go upstairs because he was asking for Marc and Riley the whole treatment.  I checked my email and before I know it, Jacob was back, standing next to me.  I patted his head and then he climbed right up on the couch and cuddled right into me.  We watched Sesame Street for a good half hour cuddled up together before he was ready to go back upstairs and find Marc and Riley.  We found them cuddling in bed watching Care Bears so we joined them.  Jacob laid in our bed with his head on my chest and his hand on my arm.  I don't get how such a sweet, affectionate boy can also be so aggressive!

We have lots of pictures of our cuddles because he kept saying "More cheese!"

Sick Day

I got called to pick up Jacob last week because he had another cough/cold and was wheezing.  It was a super stressful week but as usual, I enjoyed the one on one time with my little guy!

Much Needed Day Off

I took a much needed day off on Friday to spend the day with the kids.  They have definitely been getting the short end of the stick with my new job and Marc's crazy work schedule so I wanted to spend some quality time with them.  We walked to Peet's for breakfast then headed down to Morgan Hill to go to Marc's hotel to do some swimming.  After swimming we headed to lunch at Red Robin and then home for naps.  After naps we had gymnastics and then we did some food shopping.  It was such a fun time, I miss time with the kids.  Wish I could be around all the time!

Mommy/Jacob Time

Marc took Riley to a Giant's game two weeks ago and I stayed behind with Jacob so we had a fun day.  We walk to the grocery store, went to the park before it got to hot and then I made him my favorite all time lunch - grilled cheese and tomato soup.  He LOVED it, he had 3 bowls of tomato soup!

After his nap, I wanted to take him swimming at the Dublin pool but I learned online that they close on Sept 2 for the season, which is ridiculous because September is generally our hottest month.  My friend Elisabeth graciously invited us up to go swimming at their clubhouse since she was planning on taking her son so Jacob and I took her up on the offer, it was a SUPER hot weekend!  He wasn't so sure about the pool and didn't like any of the floatation devices but he loved me towing him around the pool.

Super fun day with my little man!

His And Her Days

Sunday Marc took Riley to the Giants game and I stayed back with Jacob and ran some errands.  I introduced Jacob to the world of Costco, I think Jacob thought it was heaven on earth.  He loved the sample tables and every time we passed one he grunted and bounced with excitement over the prospect of food.  There was one point where he had food in each hand and I had food in each hand, he couldn't consume it fast enough!

And while we were eating our way through Costco, Marc and Riley were having a blast at the Giants game despite their loss!

Look how good her feet look!  Even her left foot looks decent here, a little curvature in the forefoot but overall good position

Cutest Giants fan I ever saw!

Days I Love

Yesterday my company was closed for Good Friday, I was going to keep both kids home and take them to the zoo, Chuck E Cheese, park, something fun but Riley insisted on going to school.  They were having a party and she really, really wanted to go and didn't want to miss the party so I sent her but I kept Jacob home with me.  I don't get a lot of alone time with Jacob these days, Riley I feel like I do, I'll take her on errands with me, to get our nails done but Jacob I don't usually take and leave Riley with Marc so I jumped at the chance to have some one on one time with my little man.  We had a great day, exactly what I needed, I feel refreshed and reconnected to him, even though spending the day with him made me realize what I miss while he's at day care and I'm at work. 

I got up at 5:30, got my work out in (I'm a little obsessed these days with our Cancun trip right around the corner), dropped Riley at day care around 7:00/7:15 and then Jacob and I came home for some breakfast and then I did some laundry and he played/helped me.  Then we went for a walk down to Peet's and had a coffee and a snack and then we grabbed some groceries before walking home.  We actually sat at Peet's and looked at the trees, the dogs, the birds and I got to focus on him rather than his sister trying to be the center of attention.  When a bird landed on our table and he pointed at it and said "biry!" I realized how quickly he has developed in the past few weeks and what I really miss.  I try to convince myself that he's developing the way he is because he is in day care and they are teaching him things I wouldn't but the truth of the matter is, he's growing leaps and bounds in the blink of an eye and I probably don't even know a fraction of what he's learning or experiencing.

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to take the long way home and walked through the park and along the trail in our neighborhood, Jake-Os fell asleep soaking up all of the Vitamin D (he's cutting his incisors so he's been sleeping a little restlessly so he definitely needed the sleep).  We got home, put the groceries away, did some laundry and then Jacob woke up so we played a little, then made lunch before putting Jacob down for his nap. 

When big sister is away, brother will touch all of her stuff!

While Jacob napped, I gutted our play room and packed up some toys the kids either don't play with or have outgrown (bye bye playmats and exersaucer!).  I also baked a banana bread.  Jake-Os only napped for an hour, darn stroller nap ruined my napping plans so once he woke up we headed to the mall for some errands and picked up some dinner as a treat.  After the mall we headed to get Riley.  We dropped our food off at home, got Jacob in his stroller, got Riley her scooter and we walked down to the park.  Yep, 2 walks in one day, my little slice of heaven.  This was Riley's first time riding her scooter to the park, she did great, though her foot looked awful, I video taped it for Dr H to see in July.   She scooted all the way down and scooted all the way back and only fell a few times.  She also stopped at each corner and waited for me to help her cross the street.

 

The kids love the sand box, I'm not a fan but it does keep them both confined to one place so I'm not chasing 2 kids in different directions so I go with it. We also can't even look at the swings without Jacob melting down so at least the sandbox keeps everyone happy.  On the way down we saw a little girl and her mom walking down with her little brother, we saw them on our way home too.  It turns out the little girl is 4 1/2 and the little boy is 20 months so they are right around Riley and Jacob's age and they live 2 doors down!  Riley and Noelle hit it off and actually ran up to play in Noelle's room when we got back to our neighborhood, they ran down to our house so Riley could tell her where we lived and Kai (Noelle's little brother) and Jacob played outside for a bit.  Riley was so excited to meet her and even talked about her this morning and how she hopes we see them again so that she could have her over to show Noelle her stuff.  The mom and dad were super nice too so I'm excited to have met another family in our neighborhood, and Noelle and Riley will be at the same elementary school next September so that will be nice, Riley is already very worried about not knowing anyone at her kindergarten since all of her friends will go to different schools. 

It was a messy, messy afternoon but we had a great time and it was such a fun day off.  I need more days like that!!!

These 2 Make Me Smile

Time with the Big Man

Sunday Marc took Riley to her friend Bella's house to give me a break.  I just feel like I am always disciplining her and chasing after Jacob and I just needed some down time.  I actually thought about sending Jacob too and going to get a pedi but with Jacob being sick I decided just to hang at home with him (especially after a chilly morning at the pumpkin patch).  He napped an hour while they were gone and then he woke up and we had some fun together. He's a funny little man who REALLY wants to stand on his own!

My handsome pants and I!  Those blue eyes get me every time!

Sitting himself down, the squats are probably good for his chubby little thighs! :)

Look ma, no hands!

So proud of himself!  And yes, these days we always have to have a toy in our hand!

Good Morning from...

the Jacob-Burrito!

I still have to swaddle Jacob at night and for naps, he just can't settle down and get to sleep without being swaddled so I call him my Jacob-Burrito, I then tell him that I want extra guacamole (which I say funny) on my Jacob-Burrito and I nibble his cheeks.  He squeals and smiles with delight.

Tuesday night I had a work dinner, that was the first night that I didn't put my Jacob-Burrito to bed, of course I snuck in to see him when I got home (Riley was awake when I got home so I got to read her a story, I told her that's the perk of being a big sister) but in the morning I was extra eager to see Jacob, he always gives me big smiles in the morning so I was very hopeful that I would get even bigger smiles since I wasn't there to put him to bed.  Sure enough I got that goofy, gummy grin up above when he saw me. 

First Sick Day

And on the 7th day of day care, Jacob had a sick day.  Yep, I think we hit some sort of record, 6 days in day care before getting sick.  Last night Jacob was not happy, screaming, fussy, rubbing his eyes.  He even screamed through his bath which usually calms him and then when I gave him his before bed bottle (which he can't live without) he projectile vomited all over me and his room.  It was actually quite impressive, he managed to projectile vomit while still eating causing a water fountain effect, he's got mad skills.  So needless to say he did not sleep through the night since he lost most of the contents of that bottle and woke up at 4:15 to feed.  When Marc brought him in his eyes were completely crusted, great, pink eye.  So I kept him home and the stars aligned and I was able to get him an appointment with his Dr (who actually had appointments open, lately it's been so hard to get an appointment with her unless I make the appointment weeks in advance, maybe I should just schedule a bunch of random ones for the first few months of day care!) for 50 minutes after my appointment (have I mentioned that I've been sick for 2 weeks!!!).  So we saw my Dr and I have an ear infection and sinus infection and she thought it looked like Jacob had pink eye, then we headed downstairs for Jacob's appointment and we saw his Dr who wasn't convinced that he had pink eye but gave us drops just in case it gets worse, she did classify it in the computer as acute conjunctivitis but told us to just watch him and if it gets worse to use the drops but at his age it's common for the sinuses to drain through the tear ducts.  So basically the two of us are a hot mess but we got another day together and we loved it! :)  I love Riley to death, I think you all know that, but there is something super special about the mother/son relationship.  I definitely hoped for a sister for Riley before we found out I was pregnant with a boy but now that I am experiencing the mother/son relationship, I thank my lucky stars for my sweet boy and while I don't like either of us to be sick, I am grateful for the time with him, especially since he's growing so fast.  Jacob jumped ANOTHER percentile on weight, he is now at 14lbs 11.5oz and went from the 23rd percentile to the 26th in just under 2 weeks.  Love my chunky monkey!

Not too sick for smiles for mommy!

All boy!  Jacob loves to play with his balls!