Nine Months Old: Jake

Our little Jakey is nine months old and even more lovable than ever. In the past few months, this guy has accomplished so much, making us feel like time is flying by even faster than before his arrival (if that is possible).

The biggest recent change is in Jake's mobility. It used to be that you could put him on the floor with some toys, leave the room for a minute, and come back to find him in the same place where you left him. Those days are no more. He is a man on the move and loves to explore.

Jake started army crawling around 7 months and can now fly across the room. He occasionally rocks back and forth on hands and knees in the classic crawling position, though he really prefers to get around pulling himself on his tummy. Some of his favorite things to explore include Daddy's closet and shoe rack, Lucie's dollhouse (much to her dismay), any form of footwear, lotion bottles, laundry baskets, and, the one true baby toy in this list, stacking cups.

We started feeding Jake pureed foods at six months to a mixed reception. He seemed to prefer green foods, with pear, pea, and broccoli being a favorite combo. Unlike his brother who went crazy over sweet potatoes, he scrunches his nose up at anything orange.

Pureed foods are old news now, as his preferences have changed to eating finger foods. He likes to feed himself and not have to wait around for someone to put a spoon of food in his mouth. I don't blame him - in a house of three kids, that can be a long wait sometimes. Puffs, cheerios, black beans, cut-up cheese and soft fruits are some of the finger foods he enjoys now. I'm still a wimp/worrier when it comes to starting new finger foods, so we wait until dinner when Daddy is around to try a new one.

Nicknames abound for this little guy. Newest ones include "The Little Mister" or "Mister Mister" (Lucie's creation), "Muffin", or "Baa-Baa's" (Ryan). Lucie has decided that we really should be calling him by his proper name, so he is now Jacob to her and Ryan. Over Thanksgiving, I even heard her converting Gigi over to calling him Jacob too.

We thought we'd see him start sucking his fingers by now, though so far that has not happened. He sucks on his arm occasionally, but hasn't found that one thing to comfort him. We have a frog lovie in his crib at all times, similar to Lucie and Ryan's beloved Bunny and Ducky. He hasn't taken to it, in fact I often find it flung across his crib. I still hold out hope they'll become inseparable, though the rest of our family isn't convinced, calling me a "froggie pusher".

Each day is another adventure, another accomplishment, another baby-proofing project, and lots of love and laughter with our Jake. We're looking forward, but not too forward, to what the next months will bring. Stay little, big man.

Six Years Old: Ryan

To our Ryan: As I watched you join your class on the first day of kindergarten, with only the slightest nervous look on your face, I was hit by how quickly you've grown and matured into a little boy. With the beginnings of school, this will be a year of growth and accomplishment, and I want to remember it all. Here's a glimpse of you at age six:

I am not exaggerating when I say that you eat, sleep and breathe baseball. It all started with your first experience playing t-ball this spring. You loved it, looking forward to each game the moment after the last one ended. Each week you'd declare that this next week would be the time you hit a double or a triple or a home run or whatever your latest goal may have been.

Your big accomplishment was catching a fly ball in the final game of the season. You received a standing ovation from your team, the opposing team, and the opposing team's coach (who happened to be a former Dodger player). I think it may have been one of the most exciting moment in your (and your Dad's) life.

During this t-ball season, you and Lucie played for the Phillies. Despite your middle name, and your Dad's strong allegiances, you have declared yourself a Phillies fan through and through. You have an extensive knowledge of the MLB Phillies players, their positions, the schedule and their current standing. It doesn't hurt that the Phillies are doing great this season and have good chances for the playoffs. I hope we'll all get to watch the World Series together this year with your adored Phillies at bat.

Along with the love of baseball has come an interest and aptitude for sports statistics. Your Dad downloaded an application on his phone to track MLB standings. The first thing you do every morning is grab his phone to check the standings. Then begins the commentary, "Lucie, did you know that Ryan Howard hit a three run homer against Florida? Mom, did you know that Philadelphia plays Cincinnati tonight at 7:10? What time is that in our time? I hope Ryan Madson is pitching, but it could be Roy Halladay. " (Notice he loves all players named Ryan.) It's like living on ESPN's Sports Center around here.

You love your little brother like crazy. You come up with the most creative nicknames for him. It started with "Cutie" then moved to "Cute-a-lot" then "Cutie-sticks" and "Stinky Pants", and

now with a funny french accent, "Jacob Bleu!"

As a protective older brother, you've decided that Jake needs a body guard when he's out in public, and you're more than happy to take on that role. As we walk through the grocery store you scan the aisles, doing fake karate chops, and declaring, "Nobody hurts my Cutie-sticks!" We may get funny looks, but it's actually quite endearing and sweet. Little Jake is so lucky to have you looking out for him.

Some of your favorite things right now include: mangoes, stealing the sports section of the newspaper from your Dad, finally losing your first tooth, family baseball games at the park, legos, playing tackle, Magic Tree House books, soccer practice, wearing out your family with your unbelievable amount of energy, watering the garden, breaking in your new mitt and spending time goofing off with your sister.

You pick things up so quickly, and are already reading a ton of words, and can do addition and subtraction problems quickly in your head. We can't wait to see how much you change and grow this year (but not too fast).

Being in your own kindergarten class, with your own teacher and new experiences, it is sure to be a transformative year. We're so lucky to share it with you. Happy Birthday Ryan!

Six Years Old: Lucie

Our little five pound Lucie has turned into a big six year old girl. You're tall and lanky, and proudly trotted off to kindergarten in a size 8 dress. With the beginnings of school and adventures away from us, what a magical time for you. I hope to capture this moment in a few little notes about Lucie, age six:

You are so loving with your baby brother. You have a gentle, calming presence and can instantly turn his cries to smiles and then giggles. I completely trust you with him when I'm in the other room, and know that you will watch over him like the doting, protective older sister that you are.

Like me, you love choosing Jake's outfits every day, and are in charge of picking his pajamas each night. You get much joy from this, and even named one of his sleepers the "cute as cute can be" sleeper. Reading his bedtime stories is another favorite job; you love it when he likes to sample each page with a big gummy slobber.

Your teeth are coming out left and right! It all started with a slightly wiggly tooth late last September. We didn't quite believe you when you said it was loose. Had you fallen and hit it instead? Nope. At only a few weeks past five years old, it was already time to call the Tooth Fairy. Out that tooth came on the day we left for your first Disneyland trip, and three others have followed since. You now have four adult teeth coming in, and make us laugh with your partial-toothed grin.

As I wrote when you turned five years old, you love to swim. After four weeks of daily lessons with swim instructor "Mr.T", everything really clicked for you. You can safely swim across water over your head and are working hard on your free style and breaststroke. You love to jump into the water and recently mastered both forward and backwards somersaults underwater. Handstands are another new skill, reminding me of the various "synchronized swimming" moves your Aunt Rach and I used to come up with as kids.

You also love to boogie board in the ocean with your Dad. You'll try wave after wave after wave, only coming in when you're shaking with cold or covered in sand and seaweed. With a golden brown tan and goggle marks around your eyes, you are our little fish.

You are wonderfully inquisitive and insightful. You come up with such thoughtful questions, and occasionally stump your parents with your inquiries. When looking over a map together you wondered, "Has anyone ever had a family member in each of the 50 states? If so, how would they get around to visit each one? Which road would they take?" Or, when filing papers together, you ask, "Daddy, what are taxes? And why do we pay them?"

You're very interested in who was the first person to do something, recently pondering, "Who was the first person to ever wear a watch?" and "Who was the very first ruler in the history of the world?" With all these "firsts" questions, we've talked a little about the development of humans. When Ryan asked a similar question, you replied oh-so-matter-of-factly, "You know, Ryan, it's evolution. People came from apes". College anthropology, here you come.

Some favorite things right now include: bread with butter, cotton dresses (you haven't worn pants since 2009), unicorns, Magic Tree House books, bedtime stories about the adventures of three magical ponies named Brownie, Blackie and Polka-dotty, ballet camp, soccer practice, Cinderella, making up stories with dolls or stuffed animals, being read to, and family movie night.

We are so proud of how quickly you take to new things. You played t-ball in the spring (one of only two girls on your team!) and won the "Most Improved Player" award. This summer you did two camps, one with Ryan and one by yourself, and enjoyed both of them. You have the same interest and excitement about kindergarten. For the first time, you are in your own class, with your own teacher, classmates and unique experiences. You seem to be loving it.

We know this will be a great year for you, full of growth, new adventures and friendships. How fortunate we are to be able to share it all with you. Happy Birthday Lucie!

Jakey Firsts

As the little tagalong in our family, Jakey has had quite a few first experiences long before his brother and sister ever did.

The first beach visit came at only a few weeks old, tucked in a stroller and sleeping away. A few more trips followed, either on morning walks or afternoons watching Lucie and Ryan boogie board.

Our last beach visit was the first time little toes dipped in the waves. I think the water was a bit too cold for him. He wasn't a big fan. We all liked seeing him in big brother's old rash guard and swim trunks though.

Another of our little guy's recent "firsts" was the first soccer game (of many to come). With Lucie and Ryan on their own teams, we spend a good portion of our Saturdays on the field. Here's our little fan with a proud member of the Forest Green Pirates:

And next, a smiley moment for Jakey trying out his first high chair. He was getting tired of looking up at us from his exersaucer during meals, and is now thrilled to pull right up to the table:

With the first high chair came his first meal. He took one spoonful of oatmeal and looked at us like, "Where has this been all my life?"

Yes, Jake — we know. You love being just like the rest of the family. Just don't grow up too quickly, little man.

Six Months Old: Jake

Jacob Blue, you came into our lives on a foggy March morning and have been charming us ever since. I have to remind myself that you've only been here for a short time, as it feels like you've always been a cherished part of our family.

At six months old, you are full of happy energy and smiles. You love to interact with people, especially your big sister and brother. When they come into the room, you light up and crane your neck to see them. They adore you too, and have invented all sorts of silly games and songs to make you laugh. If ever we want to clear up a fussy moment, attention from your siblings will do the trick.

You are Mr. Flexible, and perfectly happy to go with the flow of our family. As the third child, you are toted everywhere, from school drop-off to soccer practice to family outings on the weekends. You had more experiences out and about in the world in your first six weeks than your sister and brother did in their first year! Fortunately you are a great sport about it and are happy to catch naps in transit throughout the day.

You have many nicknames. Lucie and Ryan like to remind us that your real name is Jacob, though we rarely call you that. Instead you are Jake, Jakey-boo, Boo-Boo, Cutie, Cutie-a-lot (Ryan's creation), "Guh" (your favorite sound), and the most fitting name of all, Lovable. With your chubby cheeks, eager smile and sunny disposition, this name fits you perfectly.

You've recently started to babble, with sounds closely resembling real words. A girl at the pool was convinced you smiled and said, "Hi!" to her, though I'm not sure you're quite that far along yet. You do say "da-da" over and over again. I wouldn't be surprised if this is your first real word, as you adore your Dad and beam whenever you see him.

Just within the past few weeks, you've mastered rolling over, both front to back and back to front. Unlike your big sister at this age, you don't roll much at night, and prefer to sleep on your side, with your arm flung across your face, in full surrender to sleep.

We're still trying to figure out if you will be a finger or thumb sucker. At this point you seem to like all fingers equally, or simply prefer to jam your whole fist (or fists) in your mouth. I often see you sucking on your arm when trying to fall asleep, but mostly your favorite pacifier is nursing. As our third baby, I'm so happy to have this relationship with you, knowing how quickly you'll grow out of it. Even in the middle of the night, I enjoy our special time, feeding and dozing off together.

You've grown and accomplished so much in six months. We can't wait to see what the next six months will bring (though I wouldn't mind keeping you at this age forever). Your entrance into the world has brought so much happiness and joy to our family. Happy half birthday Jakey-boo!