Spring Forward

Spring is here! It's hard to believe that this is Jake's second spring.  We are coming up on his first birthday next month! Every day I am amazed by how old he looks, how far he has come, and how much he is learning.  He took his first steps a little over a month ago, and is already doing more walking than crawling.  He is just under 19 pounds but has a huge head. (20th percentile weight/90th percentile head size).  He is babbling non-stop and has recently started imitating sounds that i make, which leads me to believe that his first word is coming soon! When he is super-alert, he will even copy intonation, whispering when I whisper, shouting when I shout. It's so cute, and I love him more and more every day!  Also, he dances sometimes.  My current phone ringer is the theme song from "the office" and every time he hears it, he starts bobbing his head. 

What a happy kid!

I love watching him walk, it's so cute!

Jake is also becoming a lot more dramatic. The pre-tantrums have started...dun dun duuunnn!!! He will often scream and arch his back when we try to move him away from something dangerous (like electrical outlets) or take something away from him (like my cellphone).  Pretty much anything we do to "throw off his groove" gets a pretty big reaction.  Mostly I just think it's hilarious, and maybe sometimes kind of obnoxious.  

Classic tantrum face

In the last week, Jake has become fascinated with putting things into things, and taking them out as well.  He has a bowl in his ballpit that he will fill with balls and then dump over the side of the playpen.  When he gets bored of this, he puts the bowl on his head or just launches the balls out one at a time.  He empties all my bookshelves and any drawer or cabinet he can get his hands into.  Just this morning, Jake was in his high chair eating some blueberry puffs.  I was drinking a glass of OJ and he was eyeing it like he wanted to have a taste.  I brought the glass to his mouth so he could drink, and with a mischievous look in his eye, Jake quickly dumped a handfull of puffs directly into my juice.  

Its not all mischief though.  He is getting good at following simple directions, and when prompted, will often bring me whatever he is playing with. And most importantly, he will walk over and give us hugs when we hold our arms out.  After being stiff-armed for the last few months, this little milestone is definitely one that melts my heart every time he does it. 

(this picture is from Jessica's baby shower--It was so fun having her visit!)

It's so fun watching him discover his world more each day.  The weather this past week has been so perfect, and we have definitely been taking advantage of it.  (after all, in Utah, it can be 70 degrees one day, and then snow the next...)  The other day I laid out a big blanket full of toys on the driveway.  Jake was happily entertained for awhile, and then all of a sudden he took off crawling. He seemed to be a man on a mission, and I couldn't figure out what he was after at first.  He would crawl just a few steps, then pause and lean forward slamming his hands on the ground. He did this again and again, working his way across the concrete.  I realized what he was doing.  It was late afternoon and the sun was casting very large shadows.  Much like Peter Pan, Jake was trying to catch his shadow, but with each step, it got further away.  He never did catch it, poor guy. 

 

We are enjoying Jake more and more each day.  The relationship he has with his dad is so awesome to watch--it's obvious he has a hero.  Every afternoon his ears perk up when he hears the garage door opening.  It doesn't matter what else he's doing--he drops it and runs over to our gate, waiting expectantly.   As soon as he sees dad he starts waiving furiously, shouting random things to make sure he is noticed.  Pretty much, if Wes doesn't give him the attention he "requires"...he'll start crying, looking very betrayed.  The hugs and kisses between my husband and I have to include Jake or total panic ensues.  What can I say? He definitely has us wrapped around his finger! 

We love him and are so happy to have him in our family.  I can't help but feel so blessed these days.  Life isn't perfect, I mean, Jake and I are suffering from our second cold in a month, but seriously, I couldn't ask for a better family.  He and Wesley are so good to me, and I just feel so loved.  Thanks guys, for making my life so rich. :)