Jake, as those of you with children know, is completely uninterested in staying still for a picture these days...
But he humored me (and Daddy) for a few seconds so I could get some shots documenting his eleventh month. This picture shows his (only) two teeth quite well. He pushed these babies out in July, and we have yet to see any more. I am hoping that more are on the horizon because he has gone back to waking up a few times each night....and very early each morning.
Speaking of sleeping...I hate to say it, but we have one of those babies. Brooklyn was an A+ sleeper from 8 weeks on. I tried not to brag to others, but if they asked, I could honestly say, "yes, she was a great sleeper." Jake was awesome from 3-9 months, but at 9 months, we have seen a whole new kid. This child (though initially puts himself to sleep like a rock star at 7:30pm), tends to wake up 1-3 times each night and then is usually up for the day around 5:45am. Sometimes I can nurse him at 6am, and he will go back for a teeny snooze (until about 7 or so), but other times, "Good morning, world!" During the night, he does not wake up to eat (nor will it ever be offered)...and we barely get up to even check on him. We do the initial "Hey buddy/go back to sleep/here is a paci/no? not interested/well, check ya later" spiel, and he usually cries for about 5-45 minutes and then puts himself back to sleep. (BTW, again, another future blog post topic titled "Mistakes I made with my first baby that I did not repeat with my second child.") However, with everything I have seen and heard with other moms, this method usually gets the child to start sleeping through the night again within a week or so. We have been doing this for 2 months now....8 weeks....56 days...give or take a day. NOT WORKING. But I digress...maybe it's lack of sleep.But back to the sweetness that is my Jake-Jake...
Jake makes the funniest faces and noises. He now does the Indian...ahem, Native American...yell when you repeatedly bounce your hand off of his mouth. I have had to remind Brooklyn that smacking him continuously in the face does not produce the same cute noise. Jake also does it to himself with the back of his hand..which is quite hilarious to watch. He definitely says "mamamamama" just randomly, but has a very specific "da" for Daddy. He also says "doh" for dog and "noooo no" when we tell him not to do something. Occasionally, we can also get a "nananana" for Nanny...or banana.
His blonde hair is coming in so nicely...and the fauxhawk is fading away. I am pretty obsessed with baby hair. (I trimmed Brooklyn's mullet quite frequently until her top hair came in as quickly as the bottom.) So, I have twiced trimmed up Jake's hair around the ears while he was in the bathtub. He still has both ears, so I feel I have been successful. :-) I think he's just about ready for real shoes...Striderite, here we come! Jake is wearing 18-24 month clothes, and actually has been able to fit back into some 12 month clothes because of all his physical activity. Work it, buddy!
Meals are so exciting now that Jake is starting to eat more table foods. His list of preferred foods is growing and includes: spaghetti, rice, hamburger, bread, Nilla wafers, pudding, baby yogurt, peas (the actual peas), baked beans, waffles, pancakes, cheerios, dried apples, Puffs, cool whip (don't judge), green beans (real ones), chicken pie, and mac and cheese. I am sure I am forgetting something, but I think my days of pureeing are almost over. I have now decided that if he eats the real version than I am completing eliminating the "baby food" version. No reason to backtrack. Besides, in 4 weeks he will start his "school meals," which are all real food, so he has to give up being spoonfed soon anyway. I am sure I am supposed to be all "My last baby is growing up!" but to be completely honest, I am soooo excited that he is growing up and doing so well!
Jake is also a little flirt...he loves to smile and laugh at friends and strangers alike. He actually likes men more than Brooklyn did and finds his grandfathers and some of our guy friends quite fascinating. Or maybe it's the cool electric guitars they play. :-)He gives me the best monkey hugs and open mouth kisses, and he gives his daddy a precious nose rubbing. He's quite ticklish in the armpits, thighs, and on the bottoms of his feet. He's only bit me once when he was nursing (holy Moses!), but has started self-weaning already, so we are right on track to stop nursing next month. (another post in itself...you keeping track of all these?)
Back to electric guitars...Jake LOVES music- especially our band's music. I'm sure it's just what he is used to, but I love when his little legs and arms just start a-pumping at church Sunday nights or at one of our shows. He does his own "diaper dance" when his toys play music, and he has started clapping his hands when we sing "If You're Happy And You Know It."
Jake loves balls...and blocks...and books...and Brooklyn's room. He could play in Brooklyn's room for hours. And, of course, that is wear I put all the little itty bitty toys when I childproofed the playroom and his room. But, that's where he prefers to play. I think it's just because Brooklyn is usually there...and he LOVES his sister. He has even tolerated her yanking him up by his armpits and dragging him around the house. (This act is discouraged by mom, mind you, but I don't catch it everytime.)
He's a joy- a precious, sweet angel who does well with just about anything thrown at him. I am so excited about the month that lies ahead and for all the adventures that await us with a one year old. I thank God everyday for my wonderful husband, my sweet Jake, and his big sister. They are the light of my life, and I just love all the memories that we are making as a family of 4.
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