What a wonderful, new, eye-opening ride it has been since Baby Sister Jena joined us 7 months ago. Jacob seems so much bigger now...and older. Which he is...but also still such a little one at heart. He shows his sister such a huge amount of love: calls her Princess Kitty when she wakes in the morning, is always sure to give her a hug and kiss before bed, has "taught" her how to play piano and drums and loves to make her laugh. He is learning the art of trading, when he wants what she has and he needs to replace it so she doesn't cry! Of course, he has asked if she can go back inside my belly and if he can also have milk but he also shows her so much affection and love. They have gone to the fair, to Florida, strawberry picking, swimming, to the playground, played putt-putt, watched Uncle John graduate from high school, played baseball every week....it's been a busy summer! And now we are moving into a new house. Jacob is so excited! His room has been painted yellow - at his request. He has also asked for a race car rug - we'll see!

Jake's new baby sister is here! Jena Ellie was born on Dec 9, 2006 with a head full of dark hair and barely a whimper. She was just 8lb 5oz and 18.5 inches long. Jake was there for the big entrance and his first questions were - is it a boy? and where is her penis? I just love his honesty and curiosity! He is "adjusting" as everyone keeps calling it, as we all are. It's a new world, full of sharing mommy and daddy and being patient. He really loves his sister and tells her, hugs her and kisses her all of the time. Here are some pics...

Woodstock, NY July 3, 2006
Waterfalls & Hippie Paintings make for a fun day!!

We've had a wonderfully relaxing 4th of July weekend with hubby getting out of work early on Friday and off thru Tuesday. We've had a picnic a friend's home where Jake enjoyed playing with Thomas, swam at a great pool with those same friends where Jake splashed in the kiddy pool and swam in the big pool, had dinner at Grammie and PopPop's that ended with firefly catching around the campfire and made a roadtrip to Woodstock, NY. If you've never been there, we highly recommend it. It was a beautiful, hot day. So we lathered on the sunscreen and started off on a walk around town. There are tons of unique shops, art galleries and eclectic restaurants. Jake was fascinated by the bubble machine outside of one of the "hippie" shops. One of the neatest parts of the town was the creek that flows through. There are many bridges where you can view mini waterfalls and there's even a short walk from town to a place to put your toes (or whole body) in. It's called Millstream and was, surpisingly, not freezing! Plenty of people had climbed over the guardrail and trekked down the sharp incline to take a respite from the heat. There were mini waterfalls and slick rock areas on which to sit. There was even a rock lodge from which you could jump and plunge into about five feet of water. Although that looked great to me, it was a little too much for our little one. So we moved up the road a bit to where the water simply cascaded over the smooth rocks in a gentle flow. As we put our feet in, thunder started to roll! So we enjoyed a few minutes of the clear, cool water before heading back to town. What a great day!

Contemplating life on a walk at Kinns Rd Park.

Daddy, this is how you climb the playground equipment.

CHEESE!


Like my new bathing suit?






Wow, those frisbee dogs sure can jump high!

He's going to be a big brother! He's so excited. He snuggles with and talks to the baby a lot. He tells him/her that he wants to play hockey together. He also tells me which "milk" baby can have when he/she comes. We refer to the baby as "our baby" so he feels a part of it all. When we have an OB appointment, he always asks if the baby is going to come out. We've told him that the baby will come when Mommy gets a lot bigger and it's cold and snowy outside (December). Jake saw the first ultrasound with us ("the baby on the computer").

What a big boy he is! Wow! The changes that he's gone through in his personality and ability to communicate recently are just mind boggling. His language has improved to the point that you can almost understand everything he is saying. And they are full sentences! Some of his favorite things to talk about now are golf (I go to putting green with Daddy!), swimming (I put on my swimming diaper and my bathing suit and take off my sandals and jump in!), and the playground (I go playground Mommy!). Golf has become his new passion. He has tons of clubs now, even a "real" club that Daddy had given to cousin Big Mike when he was little. That one's a little hard to swing because of the weight. He calls it the "goalie club"! He plays around the house every day - "Watch this big shot Mommy!" - and on the putting green with Daddy a couple times a week. He's so serious about it at the green. The flags are numbered so he lets you know which one he's aiming for then lines himself up and swings. He always wants to play through, he can't let a ball get close to the hole then try another one. So cute. We're going to take him to play putt-putt this weekend. I think he'll love it.
Summer has been very wet so far but he's enjoying playing outside, riding his tricycle to "get the mail", swimming and wearing shorts and sandals. I can't wait to see him at the beach in August.

He pee-peed in the big potty standing up! Yippee! While that might not sound like a big deal to those of you who don't have a little one, it's HUGE! Not only is he ready to really make the effort to go in the potty more often, but he is doing it like the big boys do! Potty training is such an interesting process. I believe that you should offer guidance as he shows signs that he is ready but don't force it. We've been praising him every time he goes. No award like M&Ms or stickers but good old-fashioned high-fives and hugs. Telling him we are proud of him always gets a sweet smile. So, we've been "going in the potty" on and off since last summer. But lately, he's been even more interested. He's excited about the prospect of being able to wear Buzz or Thomas underwear, which has been promised if he goes two days without peeing in his diaper. We're a long ways from that but the goal keeps him motivated. Dr. Sears, one of my favorite child rearing advisors, has some great tips on potty training. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t106600.asp Here's to more pee-pee in the potty!!

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.- Elizabeth Stone

How true this statement is. I want to hold him close, protect him. He is my heart, my pulse, my innermost being, a permanent part of my soul. How do you let something that treasured go out into the world without you standing right beside him, holding his hand? How do you let someone you don't know influence his every day thoughts and actions? How do you expose him to people who don't get it? Who don't understand what a precious gift he is? Who don't know what you've done to get him to this point? How do you let that little life spend day after day away from his cornerstone, his rock, his mother? How do you go out into the world and "work" only to come home to someone who needs you beyond explanation, who has had to survive the day without your loving arms and your grace? How do you give up being a part of those tender first years of growing and learning? How do you take a piece of yourself, just as much a piece as an arm, and walk away from it every morning only to feel it ripped from you? My answer is that you don't - no matter what the cost. Because the alternative is the great cost of his future.

Playing "Pin the Hat on Sir Topham Hatt"

Mmmmm! Yummy cake!

Self Portrait

Taking a bite out of the camera!

I'm two today!

Jacob turned two last week. What a strange and wonderful milestone. Strange because that means he's been with us for 2 years now, changing every aspect of our life. Wonderful because...well it's wonderful. As he officially becomes a "toddler", I find myself sometimes expecting different things - big boy things. Then I remind myself that he is still mostly baby, with baby needs that he will hold on to for a long time coming. So we stand on this see-saw of toddler and baby, trying to balance opening our arms so he can reach out to big boy things and opening our arms so he can come back for a newborn-like snuggle when he needs it. Now when we leave the house, he tells me things like "bright momma, me sunglasses" or "coollddd momma" or "rain momma, hood up". When did he become so observant? Sometimes he puts on his snowboots and announces that it's time to "play snow outside". When did he get so self-sufficient? Sometimes he crawls up on the living room chair with a book. When did he become so self-reliant? Sometimes he asks to nurse when I'm the one that needs to stop doing things and sit down for a minute. How did he get so intuitive? Sometimes he pets the kitties in such a soft, gentle way, cooing to them. How did he get so loving? It all seems to have happened overnight. But it didn't. It's every moment of every day. Trips to the library, visiting friends, going to Grammie and PopPop's for dinner, trying out yoga, exercising with mommy, reading books, playing puzzles, emptying the kitchen cupboards, going to see Daddy play hockey, napping, playing with playdoh, crawling through tunnels, playing basketball with Daddy every day, eating Mexican, Chinese, pizza and fries, drawing with markers, chasing the cats....these are his every day moments that help him to learn and grow. Every day with him is a present to us - full of surprise and delight. May all of our days continue to feel like birthdays.