Jacob Update

He loves the snow!

Too bad we haven't gotten much this year, but we make the best of the snow we do get!

Jacob is fantastic with math and numbers.  In fact he is so good, it appears that he needed more of a challenge with this exercise and decided to write half his name and the numbers 20+ backwards in a mirror!!  (They assure me this is normal kindergarten behavior ;)

Not a bad walrus, eh?  And look!  His name is all good!

MLK Jr day.  "My dream is to be nice"  Funny, that is my dream for Jacob too.  Be nice to his brothers, in particular!! 

I get awesome mom points, I picked out a hat that my son described as " is awesome".  Also, the scarf is red, coat is camouflage and boots is soft.  ;)  They better be!  Those are burton boots!

It's amazing how Jacob's interests stand out so much from things he doesn't like to do.  He LOVES numbers and does NOT like to color.  His teacher tries her hardest to encourage him to color "every part of the picture and use lots of colors".  Why do I get the feeling Jacob was mocking her when he colored his project like this?

Not sure what this is titled... Jacob with Jazz Hands next to Smoke Stacks?  Jacob with Jazz Hands next to Trees?   Maybe we'll just call it "Jacob with Jazz Hands and Toes" 

"Dear Santa, I have been good.  I help clean the dishes."  He is a good kid and is very eager to help out whether it's with the dishes, clearing the table, setting the table, the dishes or the laundry.  Hope I can say that when he is 16.  Also, that is a picture of me at the kitchen sink.  I think he captured the essence of my hair beautifully. 

It wouldn't be Christmas (in a public school) without the Grinch...

SCHOOL UPDATE:
Despite my concerns that maybe we started Jacob in Kindergarten too soon (I think the demands that they have for kids that age, the all day class factor, coupled with his size, and the facts that he is a boy, first born and a "young-ish" five maybe another year would have been better), he seems to be doing really well.  Here is a note from his report card:

Jacob continues to do well in all areas.  He has consistently shown growth in his understanding of letters and sounds.  His fine motor skills are also developing as he takes greater pride in his work.  Extra practice with cutting will help Jacob further develop these skills.  Jacob is very comfortable with capital letters and is working on using more lower case letters in his writing.  He is focusing on giving his best effort in all his work.  Keep up the good work! 

It did get a little ugly though around November when he started having major anxiety when I would drop him off in the mornings.   Three days a week his class starts the day somewhere other than the classroom (there will be a sign on the door advising them where to go - gym, outside or library).  For Jacob, it was just too much anxiety NOT knowing where he was going every morning and trying to find his friends (because 1st and 2nd grade was also hanging out in those spots).  We tried a few things but ultimately what works best for us is if I just drop him off right as school is starting (which is when the teacher goes and brings the class back to the classroom.  Sometimes that means Brody is a little late for school on Fridays, but usually no more than 10 minutes and that is just if it is snowy/icy.  But, it is well worth it to have Jacob start the day in a much happier, calmer mindset. 

Jacob has been chosen as student of the month for the month of February for showing "Caring Traits".  One child is chosen from each classroom and I get to join him and the kids chosen from other classrooms and their families for breakfast on Wednesday! 

SKI SCHOOL:
Jacob has been able to participate in a ski program through his school this year.  Since we already purchased him a ski pass ($20), and since he already has his equipment we only had to pay $25 for 12 weeks worth of weekly lessons.  It has been great and Jacob has learned a ton.  He's still not ready for the chairlift yet, but his skills as far as turning, walking with one foot strapped in, and getting on and off the magic carpet all on his own have really improved. 

HEALTH SCARES:
Ugh, I keep trying to write out this section and have had several interruptions, material accidentally deleted and other mishaps.  So I'll just abbreviate.  A couple of weeks ago Aaron was gone and Jacob woke up in an extreme amount of pain with symptoms quite similar to an inguinal hernia (something he has complained about for several months, but never caused him pain to this extent).  The pain subsided fairly quickly and we took him to the doctor the following week who said it sure sounded like a hernia but was baffled by the lack of the most obvious symptom (an obvious bump/bulge).  We had an ultrasound and $215 later we still don't know what happened.  Quite frustrating, but I'm just thankful he is feeling good now and doesn't need surgery.