Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

Jacob is a body part-naming expert. I'm not sure when he learned them all, but he was obviously absorbing all the parts when we pointed them out. It seems like one day he only knew "eye," and then suddenly he knew them all.

He enjoys being "quizzed" on body parts. He smiles as he points to each one, and you can tell he feels very smart. Here are the ones he knows:

• head/hair
• ear
• eye
• nose
• cheek
• mouth (points to his lips)
• teeth (opens his mouth to point)
• tummy/belly button
• arm
• hand
• fingers
• knee
• foot
• toes

Jacob talks all the time now, as many of you know. He repeats things all the time, especially the particular way you say something. He loves to "make fun" of Mommy. He requests to watch Elmo or Wiggles several times a day (but only gets to watch sometimes), and has learned to say "please" and "thank you." He doesn't always use them correctly, but he's getting the idea!

Jacob started his summer ECFE class today. He walked in there like he owned the place and made himself right at home. It was like we hadn't taken 7 weeks off. I can see that he's changed a bit. He focuses a little bit more on one thing at a time than he did before. He went down the slide several times at the gym instead of only going once. He spent a lot of time cooking in the play kitchen, and at snack time he knew that he needed to go wash his hands first. He sat nicely in his chair and ate his crackers one bite at a time (who can believe that?). I'm going to be really happy to have class for the next month. It will give us something really fun to do once a week.

I have new pictures to put up, but as usual naptime is almost over and I don't want to be in the middle of loading pictures when he wakes up. I'll add them tonight.

My new favorite picture

This is my new favorite picture of Jacob. It's been really hard to catch him still enough for a picture, let alone get him looking at the camera AND smiling.

His naptime is almost over, but I will try to update soon with all the exciting new words and phrases he is saying. And I haven't forgotten about the video I said I was going to work on!

Busy Days

We have had a very busy couple of weeks. On Mother's Day, we participated in the Race for the Cure. It was our second year of doing the 5K walk, so Jacob has done it every year of his life. How about that? It was very windy, but not too chilly. After the walk, we went inside the Mall of America to let Jacob run around for a bit and to eat lunch.
Later that week, Jacob went to the amusement park at the MOA with his grandpa & grandma Schoenbauer and his cousins Abby and Libby (and Aunt Kati). He loved the rides. There was a roller coaster, a train, a car that whips you around in a loop (his favorite), a merry-go-round, and a few others.
He doesn't understand that rides are timed, so he got upset every time our turn was over. We will have to take him back there someday, because he had a lot of fun.
Last Friday, Jacob got his first skinned knee. Who would believe that it took this long to finally draw blood? I guess it was fortunate for him that he's been wearing pants all winter, when he would have done the most damage. Of course, the first time he wore shorts this year, he fell and got a good "owie." He was upset for awhile, but after it was cleaned up and he got a bandaid, he was OK. He thought it was a sticker. (See his right leg in this picture for his bandaid.) A week later, it still has a long way to go before it heals, but we expect a full recovery. Jacob knows that he has an "owie" on his knee, but he also calls it "cookie" and pretends to eat it. What a weirdo.

Last weekend, we went to Rochester. Jacob saw Grandpa & Grandma Boyum, Aunt Jena & Uncle Ty, the dogs Claire and Gracie, and Great-Grandpa & Grandma Kuehn. I have to get some pictures from Grandma B., because my camera wasn't working. Jacob went to a really big and fun playground in Rochester. He could run forever, and he almost did. It was nice that his great-grandparents got to spend some time with him, even though he was running around most of the time.

Jacob just woke up from a nap, so that's all the updating I can do for now. I am going to try to work on getting some new video clips on here. He's been very entertaining lately.

Too Much TV?

I forgot to mention in the last post that Jacob has a couple of favorite TV shows, and just recently he has started saying the names of the characters.

First of all, he does not care for Sesame Street in general, but he has a love for Elmo that seems to be hard-wired into every kid born after the year 2000. A few days a week, I make sure that he's able to watch "Elmo's World" so he gets his "Emmo" fix. He also has 2 Elmo toys, and always points out to us that Elmo is on his diaper. Oh boy.

Secondly, and less annoyingly, he LOVES The Wiggles. I have several episodes stored in the DVR, and every morning he gets to watch an episode. He can definitely pick out a Wiggles song among random music. There are several fun characters on the show, his favorite being Wags the dog (of course), but the one he has started naming is Dorothy the Dinosaur ("Doty"). When he sees Dorothy on screen or hears the song about her, he says her name.

What a little smarty pants!

Talking Non-Stop

Jacob has become quite the little chatterbox. He seems to come up with a new word every day. Here are some recent ones:

• Outside ("side")


• Light ("ight")


• Hat ("at")


• Car ("ca")


• Color (sounds a lot like car)


• Shoe (he knew this one awhile ago, but it's made a comeback)


• Grandpa ("papa")


• Kick


• Meatball (b-ball)


• Football (fo-ball)

He can also say some names--his cousins Abby and Libby ("wibby") and his friend Scarlett ("sala"). One other cute thing is that he's started saying "bye...see ya."

We don't have any pictures yet, but Jacob has a new climbing toy for the backyard. It has a ladder to climb up, a slide, and best of all a steering wheel. He can't wait to show it off to all his playgroup friends.

On Mother's Day we are walking in the Race for the Cure again. It was a lot of fun last year. Hopefully we'll get good weather again, and Jacob will be as good on the walk as he was last year.

Pictures:

Exercising on the treadmill

Climbing. Of course.

Looking a lot like Daddy in this picture

Learning New Words

Jacob has picked up a few new words recently. He started saying "OK," which he picked up from his friend. Now he says it all the time. He says "jump" as he jumps on our bed. He also learned "cake" because I made a crumb cake and he thought it was so delicious, he wanted to call it by name. He's gotten to eat "cake" for breakfast a couple of times. Finally, he is getting interested in body parts and has known "eye" for awhile, but now he knows "nose." He'll usually point to his nose if we ask him, and he can say it. Next we'll work on ear and mouth, because he's always pointing to them. It's fun now that he wants to learn these things! He hasn't been too interested in the past. Oh, one other thing he has been saying is "football." It sounds a lot like "bubbles," but I can tell the difference.

Playing with toys during the Twins season opener. He looks kind of sad as he wears his Johan Santana shirt.
Playing in the ball pit

Checking out the yard at Grandpa & Grandma Boyum's

Eating something at the "breakfast bar" at Grandpa & Grandma Boyum's. I can't remember what he was eating.

Organizing Grandma B's cupboards. First, you take everything out...

"I think this one might be expired." Notice there is no picture of him putting it all back. Part of his organization program is to let you put it back yourself.

Doing a "peek" through his legs. This is a favorite random activity of his, and it's been very hard to catch on camera!

New Comment Process

Just to let you all know...there have been several unwanted comments left on here by spammers, who leave links to viruses, so I've had to switch to moderated comments. I now have to approve them before they appear on the blog.

It seems that this is happening to a lot of people using this site. It's really annoying, but I would rather do it this way than to disable comments altogether. I was just deleting the posts for awhile, but I'm getting tired of it and I don't want anyone to accidentally click on one of the links before I get to it.

Updates

I don't have any new pictures yet, but there are a few things we wanted to share.

We had snow last week--about 6 inches--and it stuck around for about 2 days. Jacob never got to play in it because he had a runny nose and I was keeping him inside. Yesterday, it was 50 degrees so Daddy took him outside to play. He apparently had a lot of fun splashing in the mud. Today, it's snowing again! I'm not sure Jacob really knows what is going on. Every time we leave the house, it looks different outside.

We're making some progress on learning body parts. He already knows "eye," and he'll show us his tummy but doesn't say it. He calls hair "nice," because we taught him that you touch people's head nicely. I guess that's something! When he says that, I always tell him, "yes, that's nice hair" so he'll hopefully catch on some day. He's been trying to put things in his ear recently, so we're trying to teach him "ear." He calls it "eye." If we correct him, he corrects us. It's pretty funny.

He has enjoyed playing with light switches for quite some time, but now he knows that they turn things "off." I might be combing my hair in the bathroom, and all of a sudden I hear "off" and then I'm in the dark. He also likes to be the one to close the garage door when we come inside. He always says "off" when he pushes the button. Close enough for now.

One other thing is that he is finally learning what "hi" and "bye" really mean. He will say "hi" when he sees someone, or if I'm on the phone. He just recently started saying "bye" when he leaves the room or if he wants you to think he's leaving. Then he will come around the corner and say "hi" again. Just this morning he said "Hi mama" to me, and that was pretty cute. He's been trying to put 2 words together, but most of the words he knows are objects, so it doesn't really work. We know he's working hard though! His friend Scarlett knows a lot of words, so I think he's picking some up from being around her. They have these really cute "hi" back-and-forths.

He should be up from his nap soon, so that's all the updating I'll do for now. Hopefully next time I can have some new pictures. I just need to get some that don't have him running away from me.

A Big Boy Haircut

You may not recognize the boy in the pictures, but that is Jacob. We double checked to make sure we brought the right kid home with us, so we know it's really him. He just had his first haircut today! He sat in a tall chair and watched Sesame Street. He didn't cry at all, but he was pretty annoyed that someone was touching his hair so much. He was a little afraid of the scissors, but he kind of liked the clippers that buzzed some hair off. When it was all over, he got a sticker and a sucker. He went 2 whole minutes with the sucker before he set it down, and then that was the end of it.

A "before" picture showing how long his hair was in the back

"Before" on the side

"After" on the side

"After" from the back

"After" from the front, and ready for a sticker

If you want it done right...

I have to do everything myself. Mommy was sick for over 2 weeks, and I guess she was too tired to give any updates. How is everyone supposed to know what I've been up to?

Well, I'm having a lot of fun these days. I still go to my class every Tuesday, and I get to climb, run, play with toys, paint with water, and most importantly have a snack. We'll have a couple of weeks off between sessions, and then I start again in April. I need to get my fill because from June-September I won't be going to class. That's a long time to wait! But Mommy says there will be plenty to do this summer, so I won't be bored.

Last Friday I went swimming. My friend Scarlett invited me to go to the YMCA for open swim. It was so fun! We played in the shallow pool. I could splash as much as I wanted, and I also walked in until the water was up to my shoulders. Then Mommy needed to help me. I could doggy paddle on my tummy, or I could go on my back and kick. I kept trying to climb the wall of the pool, because of course I like to climb. Mommy wouldn't let me though. Meanie. After swimming, I got to play in the shower area with no clothes on! That was almost more fun than swimming!

I should go for now. I have more internet browsing to do. How old do you have to be to get a MySpace page?

Valentine's Day Bug

Jacob has been a bit under the weather for a couple of days. He woke up yesterday feeling really warm, but seemed fine. We went to a Valentine's Day party for our playgroup, and he had a lot of fun. I decorated a cupcake for him, and he ate 2/3 of it himself! He likes frosting.

By afternoon, he was running a fever and was trying to be his normal active self, but was getting worn down. Poor guy. He conked out early, slept for 3 hours, and then woke up ready to play. We got him back to sleep after about an hour, and he slept the rest of the night. He has a yucky cough and runny nose. He took 3 naps today (all fairly short, but he's been taking one nap for over a month). Tonight, he is full of energy. I think it's because he finally ate a decent meal. He just hasn't been hungry since he got sick, and as soon as he got some food in his belly, he perked up. Maybe we turned the corner already.

Anyway, I managed to get a couple of pictures of him yesterday while he was feeling OK. We must do the comparison of last year again, because it's cute. And of course, he won't sit still for the camera, so it was hard to get a picture before he climbed out of the chair. If I still had my Bumbo seat, I might have used it!

Farmer Pants

Was it me or Jena that used to call overalls "farmer pants?" Either way, I think Jacob should wear them more often. Also a note to myself, I need to keep the camera on the setting for capturing moving subjects. It always gets a little blurry as he runs toward me. Maybe next time I'll remember.

Jacob just saved a bunch of money on his car insurance

We're still trying to figure this one out, but Jacob's new word is "Geico." Like the insurance company. It doesn't seem to refer to any object in particular, but one night Tom heard him saying, "no no Geico." Tom's theory is that he is trying to say JACOB. Because he has heard us say (once or twice), "no no Jacob."

If this is true, at least he's not telling people that his name is Joe anymore.

He is also somewhat obsessed with Wheel of Fortune. Mostly the spinning wheel. So we usually watch it in the evening so that Jacob can see the wheel. Last night, he was off playing when the final puzzle came up. He went running to the TV when he heard the music that is played before the final puzzle. I am not kidding. They spin a little wheel with the prizes at that time, and that is his favorite part. So he knows the music that goes along with it. I'm not sure if that makes him very smart, or if we should be worried. Maybe a little of both.

This is Jacob one year ago (5 months old). Look at that baldy!

Jacob letting us know that he would like to please go upstairs. He started screaming at me just after I took the picture.

Going for a spin around the basement on his motorcycle. Or bicycle.

Jacob's New Talents

Jacob has been working really hard lately on drinking from a cup. He's learning, but he needs to remember that if you tip it up too fast, the milk goes everywhere. He has also discovered recently that brushing his teeth is REALLY fun. We can't get him to stop once he starts. He gets really mad when it's time to put his toothbrush away.

One other thing he has picked up that we're less proud of, but is still pretty funny, is after he takes a big drink he will go, "Breeeeeh." We're pretty sure that this is a fake burp. *Insert big sigh from Mommy and Daddy here*

Drinking out of his big boy cup, and doing a really good job!

Jacob playing on his climbing toy with his little friend, Scarlett (his girlfriend!)

Temping fate by standing on the edge of his slide. He loves to do this, and when I tell him to sit down, he just gets a big smile on his face. So far, he hasn't fallen off, but I'm sure it will happen eventually.

Snuggled into a corner reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

Happy New Year!

Hooray, it's the first post of 2008. And it only took me 9 days into the year to get to it. I just realized that I never went back and put in captions for the Christmas pictures, so I'm going to do that. I also never finished putting up Christmas pictures. Oops.

It's been a year since I created this website. I'm hoping to be able to update a little more often this year, but it all depends on how much time Jacob gives me to do it! A year ago, he wanted to be held all the time, and I thought once he got a little more independent I would have more time. Now that he's a little more independent, I'm likely to find him on top of the entertainment center if I give him too much time. So, naptime and evenings are probably my best bet.

We had a good New Year's Eve. For the first time in 2 years, I was awake at midnight! Yay, me! We were invited out to dinner with my friend from playgroup and her husband. The kids came along too. So, yes, Jacob had a date with his little girlfriend on New Year's Eve. We went to a restaurant called "Enjoy!" and as its name requested, we did enjoy ourselves. The food was good, and there was live music so that when Jacob and Scarlett made noise (mostly Jacob), none of the other diners noticed.

Have a great 2008 everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Updated with sparking captions for the pictures.

Our Christmas tree with lovely presents underneath

Jacob sweeping the floor at Grandpa & Grandma Boyum's house

Jacob's first taste of bubble bread. It's a Christmas morning tradition! This is a funny face, but he really liked it.

Jacob and his cousins Abby and Libby at Grandpa & Grandma Schoenbauer's house. This is Jacob's standard "sitting on someone's lap" pose.

Jacob with his presents on Christmas morning. He's sitting in his awesome new sled!

Checking out his stocking--"You gave me socks? That's not a good present!"

Opening a present, which turned out to be a little ride-on toy. It's like a tricycle without pedals.

It was such a nice day on Christmas, Jacob had to get outside and try out his sled. It works really well when Daddy pulls him while running around the yard.

The best part about being outside is running down the driveway. We thought maybe the snow would distract him from the street, but he still knew where it was!

Jacob doing some minor repairs to his new vacuum. Don't worry, it works just fine!

After vacuuming the whole upstairs, Jacob decided that the carpet needed some trimming. He ran his mower around the house several times.

This is the snow we got right after Christmas. It stuck to all the trees and looked very pretty!

We're Still Here

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.

A Visit to the Children's Museum

The Children's Museum has become one of our favorite places to visit. Here are some pictures from the last time we were there.

Let's play "Where's Jacob?" He's in the pond area of the Habitot.

Exiting a cave. Maybe he was doing some spelunking.

Here he is ice fishing. I wish we knew someone who actually does this--they would be so proud!

Crossing the bridge that takes you to the really fun, really steep, really fast slide (really).

Checking out the "creatures" in the water. He found some tadpoles and a lobster.

Playing with the water in the discovery center. This is even better than the bathtub!

Isn't the smock just the cutest thing? By the way, that's not a bagel he's holding. It's a ring made of cork. He's checking to see if it floats in the water.

Testing out the produce in the grocery store. This is in the "Our World" area of the museum.

I guess I need to teach him that to check the produce, you don't taste it.

Jacob's grocery cart. It's a bit blurry because he was trying to run into me with it.

Picking out some ingredients for his delicious dinner in the restaurant.