It's hard to believe that only one year ago, after a calm and complication-free delivery (what a change), Jacob Blue came into our lives. We're all so excited to see him turn one and begin to explore the world on his own. Coupled with this excitement, there's is a bit of sadness or nostalgia too, now that his baby days are coming to an end. Even Ryan and Lucie have commented that they want him to stay how he is now forever. But there's no stopping our Jake, so age one, here we come!
When it comes to mobility, Jake has changed by leaps and bounds in the last few months. He now crawls steadily on hands and knees, forgoing the
army crawl all together. His newest move this week it to crawl on hands and feet, in an ape-like fashion. Walking is clearly right around the corner.
When it comes to mobility, Jake has changed by leaps and bounds in the last few months. He now crawls steadily on hands and knees, forgoing the
army crawl all together. His newest move this week it to crawl on hands and feet, in an ape-like fashion. Walking is clearly right around the corner.
He pulled himself up for the first time on New Year's Day, surprising the whole family. There were a few days where he couldn't get himself back down, and would cry and cry for help (especially at nap time). Thankfully that didn't last long, and he's now a master of getting up and down, finding every piece of furniture in the house to practice on.
Along with physical progression, he's made some strides verbally. He babbles, babbles, babbles, especially when he's "reading" to himself. He loves books with pictures of babies in them, and giggles when he sees his favorite little faces. The "That's Not My..." books are another hit, especially a Lucie and Ryan hand-me-down about a car.
He loves balls (what a surprise, right?) and has started to say "ba" when he sees one. "Mama" and "Dada" and "mo" (for "more") are other words, along with signs for "more", "all done" and "milk", often done in the wrong context, but no matter. He's working on "bye-bye" waves too, accompanied by a "buh-buh" that sounds slightly different from his ball sound, or at least we think we can tell the difference.
If you want to make Jake happy, turn him upside down. This little guy loves to see the world head first, and will often throw himself back while in our arms to get a better view. He giggles and giggles and wants to do it over and over again.
Jake is getting teeth just about as quickly as Ryan and Lucie are losing them. At recent count, his toothy grin includes two on the bottom and nearly four on top. We joke that the tooth fairy has been passing R & L's baby teeth right down to their little brother.
When it comes to mealtime, Jake's favorite foods are carbs and dairy. He'll eat any kind of bread, preferably by the slice and not served in little pieces. Cheese and yogurt are adored too, especially chunks of cheese and whole string cheese sticks. He likes fruits and veggies too, with favorites including strawberries, peeled apples, avocados, and blueberries.
It warms our hearts to see how loved Jake is by his big sister and brother. For two kids who have already had to share so much in life, they have impressed us by how happily they are willing to share again now that Jake is here. They kiss him, read to him, feed him graham crackers, build endless towers of stacking cups and delight in all his new accomplishments.
The first thing Ryan and Lucie do when I pick them up from school is run to us and tightly hug Jake. He beams and kicks his legs in delight, because nothing makes him happier than being around his siblings. There's no better Little League and girls' softball supporter than Jake.
A very happy birthday to our dearly loved Jake. I must admit I felt a tinge of sadness on the big day. But the feeling lasted only for a few minutes, and now I, and the rest of the family, can't wait to experience the adventures of toddlerhood with our little guy. You make every day a joy - we love you, Jakey!
