Recap of February

Sometimes I have more words than photos to share. This will not be one of those times. I'd like to share a chunk of my favorite photographs from the month of February.

February was our second month living in our new (to us) house we are renting. It's started to feel more cozy, now that all boxes are out of sight...and unpacked :) I am happy Jacob has his own room now! When we lived in Carbondale, we called his room the "Nursif". Half nursery, half office. Even though he has his own room now, for some reason, most of his toys are stored in the corner of the living room.

I can't believe how much Jacob has changed since we moved in. We're having to baby proof EVERYTHING now. There's not a cabinet, drawer, or end table, that he can't get into. His new favorite thing is to pull himself up to standing and take things one by one off the end tables in the living room and drop them on the floor. Sometimes I'll wait in the hall until he's reaching for something and then come out and say, "Jacob!" He startles and laughs :)

When it was in the 70's a couple weeks ago, I took Jacob for a walk in the stroller. It was the first time he was outside for a while, since the fall. And he's changed so much since then...noticing everything, so much more alert... The way he was looking at cars going by, trees, houses, people walking, it was like he was seeing it for the first time. He was so excited, his little legs were wiggling the whole time :)

One of his new favorite things to do is pull himself up to standing & hang on to a dining 

room chair and walk while pushing it across the floor!

Sometimes I'll put his toys in it for him to find
...this time we put him in it :)

This is a cabinet in our kitchen Jacob is
allowed to play with.

Jacob is doing really well at pulling himself

up & standing, on everything!

(Including his dirty clothes hamper!)

Jacob has recently tried pancakes for the first time. 

He loves them!

Especially when I make them with applesauce :-)

He's starting to prefer self-feeding over baby food!

I can't get enough of that face!

                                               Somehow he found a role of tape & it became his new favorite toy for a day :-)

3 teeth on the bottom! He just got one on the top, too!

James' 25th birthday was February 27th. I threw him a surprise birthday party the evening before. He got home from work and walked into the dining room... Someone flipped the lights on and everyone shouted, "Surprise!" 

I made James a vanilla & carmel layered cake!

My sister Julie decorated the back of the envelope of a card from from my parents.

She drew "25 Cats for your 25th Birthday!"

Neither of them are cat lovers or anything... Julie was just being, Julie :-)

This is an envelope worth keeping :)

My sister's Sharon & Lisa, and good friend Holly

Me & Beverly (James' mom)

James was zooming Jacob around on his new toy when they went around the corner and Kita (the family dog) ran towards them to see what was going on & startled Jacob. I don't think we've ever seen him pout like that before!

This is usually how their relationship goes :)

Grandpa Cichon (my dad) helping Jacob walk.

Grandpa & Jacob, waving :-)

Sharon at the table with the birthday lunch my Dad made for James.

Everything he cooks/grills is DELICIOUS!!

Aunt Lisa & Jacob :-)

Jacob's first day out in a while! A few seconds after I took this picture...

he scooted over to the mud next to him and touched it with one finger,

decided he liked how it felt, and started grabbing and 

squeezing it through his fingers!

I would have taken a photo, but I was afraid he was going to eat it next!

Playing with our front door for the first time :)

Watching cars go by...

Recently we had a nasty storm, complete with tornado warnings. 

So our lantern that we got as a wedding gift came in handy!

(hopefully we can go camping sometime & really use it!)

Daddy & Jacob hanging out :-)

Jacob walks!

Kind of.

So, don't mind the pink walker in this video... it belongs to the little girl I nany :) On the weekends, it stays at our house & lately Jacob has been curious. Jacob is almost 8 1/2 months and every day I am amazed at how he is growing up so fast! Yvonne, I am thrilled you guys are having a little one! ~ Don't forget to enjoy every precious moment because they fly by :)
Check out this video!

When did I get an 8 month old?

    You don't have to answer the question, I know how it works. I am just amazed daily at how fast Jacob is growing, changing, and discovering. I am so proud of all his little milestones!

•     Jacob can pull himself up to standing now! He pulls up on just about everything...the entertainment center, couches, chairs, boxes, his tool bench... And the cutest is when he wakes up and I go into his room and he is standing up in his crib smiling and wiggling with excitement for me to pick him up :)

•     He's learned to wave! Jacob and I were at the mall a couple weeks ago with my sister, Lisa, when someone walked by and looked at Jacob...and he waved! Since then he's been waving all the time. I think he's starting to connect waving with the reason behind...like waving when someone is coming or going. Sometimes he'll wave at James when he's leaving for work. And lately he's been waving at his toys :)

•     When Jacob eats all of his food I clap my hands and say, "Yay, Jacob!" Now when he finishes and I say it, he claps his hands! He also claps his hands when he's excited about something...like when there's fun music on, when James comes home from work, or when he gets a visit from Aunt Lisa :)

•     For about one month now, Jacob has been consistently sleeping through the night! When he would wake up I would go to him right away and pick him up (1st mistake). Then he would act like he was starving, so I would feed him (2nd mistake). After he finished eating I would rock him back to sleep and then...SPLAT! He would spit up everything. This went on for a couple of weeks. He had a well-check coming up, so I asked his wonderful pediatrician what could be going on. Doc said Jacob wasn't waking up because he was hungry; rather, he was waking up out of habit. He also said babies usually adapt to a new change/schedule in about 3-4 days. So he suggested that for a few nights in a row when Jacob wakes up I should just let him cry. THAT WAS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE! 3 nights did the trick. Jacob sleeps wonderfully through the night now. And mommy likes sleeping through the night, too :) I had forgotten how amazing it felt to wake up feeling well-rested.

    Recently, I was going through Jacob's box of newborn keep-sakes. I found his hat that he wore the day he was born. and his little white hospital robe that ties on the side. These things are tiny and definitely cute...but not as tiny as the newborn size diaper I saved! Until I saw that, I don't think it had really hit me how much my Baby had grown! I went to the living room and held it up for James to see. "Did Jacob ever fit in that?" He said, "It's so tiny!" Yes! He wore that size for one whole month! And then size 1 for a month. Followed by size 2 for a month, and then 3! How many sizes do they make anyway? :-)

    So my Baby's growing up. And ready or not, here he comes! He's not quite crawling yet, but he's mastered the army crawl. And when he's standing up against the couch or at a toy, he takes steps! Sometimes we wonder if he'll learn to walk before he learns to crawl :)

    One weird & exciting thing is getting used to seeing teeth in Jacob's smile! He has 3 teeth on the bottom and his top front 4 teeth look like they're going to come through at any time...maybe tomorrow!

 

Just had to do it!

    I love photos of babies in their diapers! And I may be a bit bias, but I think Jacob is the cutest baby in a diaper I have ever seen :) I can't believe how much Jacob has changed and grown. He is 7 1/2 months and lately he's been discovering so much. He can stand up holding onto things. He's starting to pull himself up on the entertainment center, coffee table drawers, boxes...etc.! He can't crawl yet; however, he has definitely mastered the army crawl! He can scoot anywhere. Sometimes I'll leave him in the living room and walk to the kitchen and call his name. He starts scooting and grunting until he sees me. Then he starts scooting faster and in a desperate voice says, "mom, mom, mom!" He started saying "Dada" and "Mom" about 6 weeks ago, but now we're pretty sure he has actually learned to associate Dada & Mom with James & I. We LOVE hearing him! It's funny though, because anytime he says "Dada", it's in a happy sing-song voice. And when he says "Mom" it's when he's scooting towards my feet and needs something, anything. It's so intense, so serious. So cute!

   Here are some pictures of Jacob at 7 1/2 months:

Jacob's favorite stand-up toy: his tool bench

playing with his spoon before dinner
if you look closely, you can see his 2 bottom teeth!
AND his 3rd bottom tooth came in today, too!

yummy!

he's a baby, so it's cute :)

bath time!

Special Visitor!

Lisa & Jacob @ 3wks
Jacob's first time to St. Louis!

    I know you shouldn't say your child has a favorite Aunt, especially if you have more than one sister. But I tend to break that rule. You can't really do anything to hid it when your baby only lights up a certain way around one particular person :)
    When my husband found a new job, we moved about 2 weeks later. Our lease wasn't up for a couple more months and we didn't really have time to find a place to live, so we stayed at my parents house for about 2 months. Where my older sister lived, too.
    Jacob got to see Lisa EVERY day! In the mornings when she was getting ready for work, when she walked in the door after work, and most weekends. Lisa had a routine in the mornings: wake up, get ready for work, let out and feed Kita, pack lunch, make breakfast, & leave for work! -All of this was usually done in 45 minutes. But when you add a cute, happy, baby to the mix, it takes a little longer to get out the door!
   Lisa came by to visit last night and Jacob was so excited. Here are some pictures of the two of them:

Lisa & Jacob @ 12wks

Lisa & Jacob @ 4 months

Lisa & Jacob @ 5 months

Lisa & Jacob @ 7 1/2 months

He loves to chew on her ID badge :p

Thanksgiving with the family 2010!

Lisa & Jacob @ Christmas 2010

ok, so this one doesn't have Lisa, but it's one of my favorites :)
Jacob & Kita (the family dog) @ 4 1/2 months :)

Four Christmas's

Have you seen the movie? I didn't think it was very good. Anyway...among many other firsts, this year was Jacob's first Christmas! And he got to experience it four times! Let me explain:

• Christmas #1 - One week before Christmas my Grandma passed away. She lived in northern Illinois. Jacob and I took a road trip up there with my sisters for her funeral. It was nice to see relatives. While we were there we stayed a few days at my parents house near Milwaukee. (the only person missing was James :( He stayed home to work.) And that is where Jacob opened his first Christmas present! 
• Christmas #2 - Our second one was on Christmas day back at the house. It felt slightly odd since my parents weren't there, it was only James, myself, Jacob, and my three sisters. 
• Christmas #3 - Later that day, we went over to the in-laws. I think that was James' favorite part about Christmas...because he got to enjoy his moms famous potato salad :) Grandma & Grandpa Lord gave Jacob the cutest stuffed dog wearing a santa hat & holding a stocking.
• Christmas #4 - Everyone made it for this one! Dad, Mom, Lisa, Sharon, Julie, James, me, & Jacob, & Kita :) By the time we were all together it was New Year's Eve, but that just meant we had a whole weekend together. 

Christmas in Milwaukee, WI

Jacob's 1st gift: from Aunt Julie

Sharon gave him the onsie. It says, "All mommy wants for Christmas is a silent night"

James got my Beauty and the Beast!

Jacob's new favorite toy: a Batmobile from Daddy!

siblings & cousins at Grandpa's

Jacob meeting Great Grandpa for the 1st time!

our Christmas ham Lisa made

Happy New Year!

    What better way to bring in the new year than moving? That's what we did! James & I found a cute house to rent. It has 2 bedrooms, a big living room, a kitchen with LOTS of cabinet space, a separate dining room, and a basement. It feels so nice to have our own place again! It's our first house together and it feels like a house. Our apartment was nice...but I like this better :)
    Oh, and James' 6 minute commute to work change to 2 minutes ;)