Camping

This Memorial weekend we decided to try camping for the first time with not only Jacob, but also Roxy. Jacob did GREAT, Roxy... not so much. Roxy was very uncomfortable with all the strangers running around and well, whenever ANY other dog would bark, she would have to chime in, too. Our campsite was a little crowded, and not because of Jacob, Roxy or the friends we camped with, but because of SNAKES!!! They were NOT invited and I think it was quite rude of them to hang out near us. They minded their own business though, so I didn't have that big of a problem with them. Aaron was quite surprised that I didn't make him pack up and head home the minute I saw one. Our campsite was right on the Betsie River in Benzonia (only about 10 minutes from our house) and was very beautiful. It was a little tiring constantly making sure Jacob stayed out of the campfire and river, but not as much as I expected it to be. My other concern was Jacob being able to sleep in the new environment and with all our noise at the nearby campfire, but he did just fine and slept through the night. Jacob's favorite part of the trip was collecting rocks in any sort of container or cup and then shaking them. He was pretty darn cute too, dancing to some Bob Marley that Dennis had playing for us, waving to strangers and just being silly.

Here are some pics from the trip:

The UNinvited guests:

Roxy trying to figure out how to bust out of the camper:

Aaron fishing:

Jacob and Cori being cute:

And a video Kim will appreciate of Jacob playing soccer with the Zoe's water bowl:

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ALL BOY...

I think this video best describes why people say Jacob is ALL BOY...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Exhausted

Jacob, that is. Jacob had a great birthday and birthday party and is still trying to recover. He has had two 12hr nights in a row (usually he has about 10hr nights) and then yesterday he took a 3hr 45min nap!

The party was great, it was nice to hang out with friends and family. The food was delicious, thanks mom! I think Jacob's favorite part of the party was when he discovered a puddle and ran back and forth splashing, having a ball! Something mom would ONLY let him get away with during his birthday party! Jacob didn't care for the cake too much. He really didn't like the way the frosting felt in his fingers and eventually just picked up the whole piece and threw it on the floor. He DID enjoy the punch that Grandpa was feeding him though!

Here are some pictures from the day....

Guess Jacob thought he needed a little alone time here:

Thanks for looking!

One Year Ago Today...

I remember...

Being in an extreme amount of pain (that came and went, which surprised me... as difficult as the pain was, I really didn't expect the periods of relief in between contractions) .

Thinking I "tricked" my doctor into admitting me after my second trip to the hospital telling them I was in labor. The nurse told me "you are going to have your baby today!" and I remember thinking "Yes! They bought it!"

Loving the bath and shower and the relief in provided to my labor pains.



Jacob's heart rate dropping with each contraction until finally the doctor and nurses lost Jacob's heart tones completely and prepared for an emergency cesarean section and thinking I lost the person who meant more to me than anyone in my whole life, yet I had never even met. I just kept thinking I can't believe I've come so far to lose it all now. Amazingly I held it together until we finally found those amazing heart tones... of course afterwards I lost it, bawling hysterically to which one very wise nurse informed me "we can't hear your baby's heart if you keep crying like that", never in my life have I tried harder to regain my composure.

Being INSANELY jealous when peeking in on all the other Families in their maternity rooms, enjoying their babies and feeling like I had SO FAR to go before our baby would be born.

Hearing my nurse tell me "He's really good, you know" when referring to Aaron as a labor and delivery coach... "They aren't all like that".

My doctor running between my room and the room next door as we were both delivery babies at the same time and assuring me that she was keeping a close eye on Jacob, despite catching a placenta in the next room

Thinking things CAN'T be going right... after all I've been pushing for like 30 minutes, aren't most babies born after like 3 good pushes?! I've given at least 5 good pushes!!

Feeling an enormous sense of calmness when Jacob was finally born.

I've got to say... as uncomfortable as pregnancy and childbirth were, I would do it all over again in an instant.

What a miracle.

Amazed

It seems like everyday Jacob does something that just amazes me. Jacob has learned how to remove the tops or caps off of just about everything. He knows how to open the flip tops, the twist tops and even the "childproof" safety Advil tops. Just the other day, he was playing with Aaron's Nalgene bottle and removed the cap, took a drink (got a little wet in the meantime, but we just let him go) and then tried to replace the cap. I think if he weren't my son, I wouldn't find that too amazing, but it is just crazy to me that he figures these things out, either by watching us or just fidgeting with something enough. What I don't understand is how he knows to do stuff without watching us. We have one little step off the front porch and Jacob is so funny because he always approaches it with caution, then turns around and backs down off of it on his hands and knees. I assure you Aaron and I have never approached a step and been like "Whoa, brakes! Let's back it up here!" So, how does he even know to do that?!

Anyways, the weekend was great, except Aaron had to work and wasn't feeling well :( Jacob and I made it to Cori's birthday party (she turned 4!) and Jacob did great! He played with the toys and had a great time. I was especially impressed because he wasn't very clingy at all and did not seem intimidated by the other people there. Although, he DID prefer the company of certain people, when Grandpa Bruce arrived, he went right up to him with a big smile and wide arms! It was too cute. We had a nice time on Sunday too. We went to Church and for the first part, Jacob sat there quietly and then the second part he wanted to run around and dance, so I took him out to the entry way. Then we had brunch with Grandma and Grandpa and then visited Mark, Lisa and Noah. Aaron got me a bike seat for Mothers day and so we enjoyed a nice bike ride after Aaron got out of work. Jacob, of course, loved it! In other news Jacob can now say "Dada". So we are up to two words: Kitty and Dada. Maybe for Fathers day Jacob will learn how to say Mama.

Entrapment

Yet another video :) Here is a video I took that I like to call "entrapment" (poor kid!) showing Jacob learning "NO". He's got the head shaking part down... we still need work in other areas ;)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So far, so good...

Well, so far Part time is going great. My first official part time day off was last Thursday and I couldn't quite enjoy it because I kept feeling like I was going to get busted for not showing up to work. Luckily, I think it sank in over the weekend and I was way more relaxed today. It was SO great. We had a busy day, but it was so nice to spend it with Jacob and I'm sure he enjoyed it too.

Sooo, I took Jacob back to the doctor today for this recurring diaper rash that he has and they covered his bottom in this purple dye. No problem, I thought, I'll just give him a bath tonight and wash it off. Not so easy. Jacob STILL has a purple bottom and now our tub is purple too. Well, it WAS purple... Aaron was finally able to scrub it clean with bleach and elbow grease (thanks, hun!). I've never heard of this before, I sure hope it works.

Anyways, guess that is all for now. We are planning a birthday party for Jacob soon, here is the invite draft...