Oops, it's been a month since I updated. We have been so busy lately, and I just realized that I don't have any new pictures. Bad Mommy. It's not that I haven't tried, but whenever the camera comes out, he stops what he's doing and runs to grab it.
So, Jacob is almost 16 months old. He's still really into running and climbing, and now he's trying to jump too. He's been able to climb the stairs for several months, but now he can go down the stairs by himself (supervised, of course). His preferred method is sliding down on his bottom one step at a time. He is very helpful around the house. He helps to dress himself--he knows that the shirt goes over his head and his arms go in the sleeves, and he also knows that his pants go on his legs. He offers his feet when you ask where his socks go. After a diaper change, he likes to put the wet diaper in the trash, and then we wash our hands together.
Jacob is starting to talk a lot more. We think now that he's kind of mastered the area of running and climbing, he's more interested in words. He started babbling a lot around his birthday, and now he'll "talk" as though we are supposed to understand everything he says. I'll make a really fun list of the things he can say:
- uh-oh (his first "word" and still his favorite)
- uh-oh Spaghetti O's (he learned this from another kid, and he doesn't really say Spaghetti O's--it comes out kind of like "tha tha tha"--but we know that's what he's doing)
- oh no (this is soooo cute, because he says it as though he is scandalized)
- no no (hmmm...not sure where he picked this one up, ha ha)
- bubbles
- puppy (still comes out pa pa sometimes, but we know what he means)
- cookie (this has variations that keep us on our toes: coo coo, kee-ko)
- ma ma (he rarely says it, but we know he knows what it means)
- da da (this he says more often, because he is becoming Daddy's boy)
- hi
- all done (well, he says aaaaalllllll and spreads his arms apart)
There may be something that has slipped my mind, but this seems like a long enough list. You get it. Jacob is a genius. In addition to the things he says, he really likes to play peek-a-boo and will often cover his eyes until we notice and ask, "Where's Jacob?" He has learned to fake sneeze, but hasn't done it lately. He will say, "aaaaahhhhh choooooo."
OK, moving on to food. He's very good at feeding himself. It's still pretty messy, but he has very good control of his toddler spoon and fork. He's getting better at handling a cup without a lid, but he tends to tip it up too quickly, spilling milk all over. His new favorite food is mandarin oranges. I never thought he would like them, but he would probably eat them all day if I let him.
We just finished up our first session of Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE). Jacob was in a class with one-year-olds, and he was the youngest. I think he learned a lot from the kids who are 4-5 months older than he is. We are signed up for the winter session, which will have some of the same kids. Our new class is for 16-23 months, so Jacob will likely be one of the youngest again. I can't wait to see how many new things he learns in the next few months.
I'll be back with more pictures after all of our Christmas gatherings. We've already gone to one, and weather permitting, we have 5 more--plus our own Christmas at home.
Sitting in a diaper box
Reading the Sunday paper. I think he was kind of annoyed that I interrupted him.
Slouching in his booster seat. He likes to do this, even though it looks horribly uncomfortable.
A dragon! Jacob at the MOMS Club Halloween party
The back of Jacob's dragon costume 
Yes, I let him eat some Doritos for lunch. As you can see from his chin, he really enjoyed them.
Last but not least, someone spilled water at the party and Jacob helpfully sat in it to soak it up. 
