Merry Christmas!

Wow, am I glad that's over. I want my happy kid back, please! He's been toddler-glycerine lately - one touch the wrong way and POW! it's all over but the crying! We think that maybe his 2 year molars are starting to come in. He usually has teeth issues at the same time as a growth spurt and he's certainly been eating like a growing boy lately. And he's complained that his head hurts, so I'm hoping that's what's making him grumpy and that this isn't the kid I get until he's 4. But if it is I still adore him and he's still better than most kids (in my humble and completely unbiased opinion). So, the holidays.

Christmas Eve he stayed home with me and we made Candy Cane Snickerdoodles for Santa. Well, more Doodle than Snicker. Mommy read the recipie wrong and didn't put in enough flour so they were more like lace crisps, but they still tasted good! Jake loved cooking and wanted to cook more after his nap so he helped me make cinnamon rolls (see picture). I'd love to tell you what a help he was but, well, he's 2 so not so much. Still, he's very ernest about it and loves to cook so I plan twice as much time as I would normally need to cook (and 3x what I'd normally need to clean) and off we go.

Santa must not have been too dismayed by the cookies because he still brought Jake the green wagon he asked for. And the kitten. OK, stuffed, but what are you going to do? His name is Meow and he has joined the ranks of the elite in Jake's bed. Santa also left a lovely thank you note, which I thought was very Emily Post of him. Christmas was pretty laid back after that. We spaced out the presents so he got to play with them all, including a pony (on a stick) from Memaw, hot wheels and a case (!), and a fishing game that has become all the rage. OK, mostly he takes the fish out, puts them in a bowl and "cooks" them, but hey.

Saturady Ama took us to a park that had BUNNIES that were tame. Jake got to feed them carrots and Mommy got to pet one of them. It was seriously cool and much fun was had. Sunday was a kick-back day with a trip to McD's (it was raining, we didn't eat there!) and a walk around the block (twice) with Lauren in our new wagon. Have to show off the new wheels to the girls! Of course, Mr. didn't want to go back to school today (he's been in a very clingy "Mommy" mood - another possible sign of teeth coming) and put up quite a fight, but I'm hoping as we get back into our routine life will settle back down. Granted, with a little more clutter, but settled none the less. Here's to a happy, healthy, uneventful 2010!

Two quick videos before I do the whole update...

Two quick videos to post: one is Jake singing the A-B-Cs (without N-O, which is ironic because that's a word he can't manage to go 5 minutes without saying lately!) and the other is the Zoo Phonics song (through "N") from school. With guitar accompniment, of course!

OK, I can't resist commenting. The first you really can't hear him, he's too far away from the cheesy mic on the Flip, but you have to love that he got up on "stage" to do this. The second video you can hear much better. I love that he's really trying to sing and modulate his voice. He has a real Bob Dylan kinda thing going on at some points. Also digin' on the guitar usage and the multiple sets. Though these two were taken only minutes apart, you can tell the second is much more his "unplugged" style.

Happy Holidays

We have had an eventful and happy holiday season so far. Jake appears to like Hanukkah just fine (especially latkes and getting presents). Also dreidels are good. He had a great time with his cousins at the party Saturday night. (Picture)

But this year it's hard to compete with Santa. Any man in a red hat is Santa. The lights, the carols (Jake loves Jingle Bells and Jingle Bell Rock), and the tree. He got his own Santa hat at the grocery store Saturday and spent the rest of the trip telling everyone he saw "I'm Santa! Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!" Too darling.

Last night I was treated to a bath-time spontanious recitation of the Alphabet Song. OK, he missed "I," but who needs "I?" It was great - I had no idea he knew pretty much the whole thing. I think he was happy with the burst of happy that Mommy showed, so after the bath I got the Zoo-Phonics song from school up to "H." I think there should be a law that schools should have to send home the words and music for any song they teach the kids: I feel like a dolt when I don't know the songs he wants me to sing!

We're looking forward to Christmas, and even more to all of this fuss being over. Santa is bringing the requested green wagon (or so I hear) and the kitten is ready for the stocking and life will go back to normal soon. Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year to all our friends and family. We love you.

Holiday Recital

I'm going to state up front that I haven't yet decided whether to post the video. I was off to the side, the Flip has very little zoom, and you can't really see anything, certainly not Jake. There is at least one still (Ama to the rescue!) that I will come back and add to the post when I get it.
That said, as a member of the live audience I can state that you didn't really miss anything. I watched and saw him sing one word (which was one word more than a lot of the other kids his age). He mostly sat there staring blankly and occasionally pondered the Christmas tree right behind him.
However, there was a second act. I got down a little closer (along with every other parent there) to get video. Unfortunately for that theory, I was spotted. He got this HUGE frown on his face (I honestly didn't know a person could get the corners of their mouth that low - I thought his chin might actually become disconnected and fall off!) and started crying "Mommy!" He pulled it together while they were singing, but I rushed up and got him right after to avoid any more drama. Not too bad. Honestly, better than the kids that kept grabbing the mic and shouting parts of the song or other random words into it.
As truly painful as it was to sit through the other class' holiday offerings while waiting to retreive my son, I am looking forward to many years of watching him belt out holiday songs I've never heard of in a key that can only be described as "hopeful."

NEW ADDITION: Pictures. You can see the frown from the side in the second one, but nothing could replace the original!

Preview of Wednesday's recital

Here's Jake singing Jingle Bells and wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Mommy's Big Boy!

OK, so this probably won't seem like anything to anyone but me, but I'm so jazzed over it, I had to post. First, Jake had a rough night last night. Basically, I slept (on and off) in his room from 1:45 a.m. to 4 a.m. But, after I went back to bed I slept until the alarm woke me at 5:30. As usual, I rolled out of bed and tiptoed into the kitchen and toward Jake's room to close his door so I could get his backpack ready for school today. I assume he's asleep because when he wakes up he has always, since the day he got his bed, come to get me the second his eyes open. But not this morning! As I entered the kitchen I noticed that there was more light than there should be (I know, a lot of you are thinking there shouldn't be ANY light at 5:30 a.m. but that's beside the point). I found Jake sitting on his bed with his reading light on reading books! He informed me that he had "read" Meatballs (Cloudy With A Chance Of) and was now reading Terrible Day (as in Alexander and the). I sat with him while he flipped through Alexander and commented on what was going on in the pictures. He remembers from all the times we've read it what the story line is at any given random point. He also has favorite parts of the pictures that should be commented on (where the kitty is sleeping and how said cat may have attained that position, for instance). It was so cute and, frankly after keeping me up half the night he owed me, but also a little bittersweet to see him continually grow in his independence. He's speaking in clear sentences and even showing some empathy (eg. last night's comment when told Dippy wasn't going to get ice cream with us "So sad, Dippy. No ice cream for you."). He's growing up so fast but he's growing into such a wonderful young man that how can I be sad? Still, somehow I manage a few tears, both sadness and pride, as I watch my baby drop away like a thin cocoon and the beautiful young man emerge and take flight.

The elusive chicken

Ha! I was right! It's a chicken at school that he wanted. Check out the picture of the elusive "chicken."

If anyone sees this chicken (crossing the road or otherwise) please let me know! Of course, there's something to be said for having a toy at school that he loves but isn't "his" per se. So maybe we won't have one at home and will hope for no repeats of "the chicken incident" in the future.

I WANT MY CHICKEN!

It was a fun filled weekend in our house, let me tell you! First, we started with a major tantrum at 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Jake screaming "I WANT MY CHICKEN!" for almost half an hour. The problem? We don't have a chicken. Not anything that even looks like a chicken. I trieed sneetches, ducks, even a fish (I was desperate and it was 2 a.m.). I had a brief momentary thought of offering him the chicken thighs in the fridge if that would help. Finally, he calmed down, resigned to my complete inability to satisfy this particular whim at that particular hour.

Saturday we went to the Natomas fish hatchery and met up with Jack and his parents. The boys loved throwing food to the fish, watching the tractor feed the fish, and just running around in general. Very fun! After that, Jake and I went to Ama's and he got to play with a very cool train that was made by the husband of a friend of my mom's. See picture.

Sunday was a slow day at home. Jake decided about 10 that he wanted to cook. I'd had about 3.5 hours of sleep (thanks to another midnight tantrum) so I agreed. We made cookies and had a great time. He was very helpful in dumping ingedients in, counting scoops of things, and in mixing. His faorite part was either washing his hands after mixing or getting to pick the chocolate chips out of the batter. He was also very helpful in the eating of the cookies portion of the adventure. Not that I didn't contribute my share to that too. I should have had him help me make chicken for dinner. Then at least I'd have an answer if he wanted his chicken later. Well, honey, remember when we were cooking...

I'm so proud!

So we went out to dinner for Steve's birthday and on the way home I turned on the classical NPR station. Jake heard the music and, after commenting on the presence of violins, asked for the opera CD to be put on! Yay! My baby likes opera! In just a few short (all too short) years I will again have someone to go to the opera with. In fact, the last time I put that CD on, I asked if he liked the music (I told him it was opera and he asks for it by name). He said yes and so I told him I would take him to the opera someday. Now every time I put it on he reminds me "Take me to the opera, Mommy!" You know it, My Darling. You know it!

Oh, and the opera of choice, as the picture should make obvious, is Offenbach's "Les Contes d'Hoffmann"

Another Facebook style update

The last one was such a hit, and things have changed of course, that I thought I'd do it again:

Favorite TV Show: Dora the Explorer
Favorite Number: 8 (ocho)
Favorite letter: R (a pirate at heart?)
Favorite color: Still yellow. Wait, pink. Blue? No, really, yellow.
Favorite saying: No way!
Best friend: Jack T.
Favorite song: To listen to, Upside Down (Jack Johnson). To sing, Three Blind Mice.
Favorite instrument: String bass (by his admission). I think it's probably the violin.
Favorite toy: Bink, the monkey. The guitar is a close second.
Favorite food: Still cheese. Especially brie. My expensive child (sigh).
Favorite ice cream flavor: Pink
What he wants from Santa: A big boy bike (and, presumably, legs long enough to reach the pedals. Maybe next year, sweetie.).
Favorite book: Zin Zin Zin A Violin.
Favorite place to go: The zoo. Especially if Mommy lets him ride the train.
Favorite animal: Monkey!
Least favorite animal (using the term liberally): spiders
Favorite superhero: Spiderman (resolve THAT conflict if you can).
Favorite outfit: Sweats and his Hulk T-shirt.
Any more questions for Jake? Ask them in the comments!

When pigs fly.

Well, the doc yesterday said that, yes, Jake had H1N1 (swine flu - get it: pigs fly? No one appreciates my humor.) Symptoms started a week ago (tuesday, really, but bad Wednesday) so he is pretty much past the worst of it, we hope. He went all day yesterday fever-free and was clearly feeling better last night so off to school he went. He has gotten so used to being home cuddling with Mommy watching Dora that he was really upset about having to go to school today, but he actually told me yesterday "miss my friends" so I know he'll be fine once he gets into it. Here's hoping he really was past it and that 1) his appetite picks up and 2) he doesn't wear himself out today and relapse. I can't even imagine the damage he and Jack will do today... I pity the poor teachers when those two reunite! Stay well, my Sweetheart!

Just as a side note...

Tractor '08

Tractor '09

OK, a ton of stuff....

I should probably make this 2 or 3 posts, but oh well.

We're up to 3 new teeth and probably another soon on the bottom.

Jake had a great time trick-or-treating, even though he has the flu. He was a yellow jacket (get it? get it?) and couldn't have cared less about the candy. He just liked going up and knocking on doors and saying "trick or treat." And he was, as always, polite and said thank you when he got candy (even if he didn't know what it was all about). He was also very into the decorations. Christmas is going to be great with all the lights and stuff and Halloween next year should be a riot!

As mentioned, the IBO has been under the weather. Cough and fever - definatly the flu. Since the seasonal isn't going around yet, we're assuming it's H1N1. Good news is no shot. Bad news is he's been home from school since last Wednesday. We're taking turns being the pillow he lays on while watching Dora. I finally got him to branch out to Green Eggs and Ham and Curious George yesterday (for my sanity was slipping. Say "slipping!" Say "slipping!"). I'm starting to hate Dora, but she makes him so happy. We're hoping for no fever today so he can return to school tomorrow - I know he misses his friends and is bored around the house. I think the saving grace today is going to be the keyboard that Memaw sent yesterday. I literally had to remove it from his room for him to go to bed. Now it's set up in the front room and when I left this morning he was happily banging away.

Last weekend we went to the zoo with Cassie (pictured in the truck with Jake), as well as to a second pumpkin patch. He got to ride a horsey! He was really jazzed about it. He also got to ride the train in Old Sac the day before that and got a carriage ride in Old Sac. Sadly, it was all a guilt-ridden make up from Mommy who had failed to buy tickets to Saturday's ballet and thereby disappointed my darling boy. I'm so sorry! Who else could possibly have a 2 year old boy who is so cool he's disappointed by missing the ballet? I must be the luckiest Mommy in the world.

Two new teeth!

And on bottom no less! Way to go, Jake! And he was the first one to wish Mommy Happy Birthday. Who's my little dude?! Smooches!

Jacob is not an alligator

Just in case anyone was confused. We went to Grandma Lynn's this weekend where Jake to ride a "motorcycle" and play piano. After dinner Jake wanted to leave and was telling everyone "bye bye." Grandma Lynn said "see you later, alligator." Jake proceeded to point out that he is NOT an alligator. Alligators go "snap snap." Then he told us all the way home that he wasn't an alligator. I asked him if he's a monkey (we went to the zoo and spent a lot of time with monkeys that afternoon) and he said yes. So, there you have it, my son is not an alligator, but he is a monkey.
No real reason for this post, just thought it was a cute story that, I have a feeling, will live for a while. :-)

Pictures from yesterday

We're back up! Yay for electricity! Sadly, Internet is still on the fritz, but I brought the pictures to work. The pictures that go with the post below are:

Doctor visit and other fun times

*** This post was supposed to go up yesterday but as I was uploading the pictures (which will be in a seperate post) the power went out. That was 15 minutes or so into Jake's nap (about 12:45 p.m. on the 13th). The estimate to get our power back is either 5:30 p.m. tonight or sometime tomorrow afternoon. So, we have a fridge full of rotten food (and probably a freezer as well), no hot water, no lights, no Lolli-Pops (GASP!), a freaked out dog and toddler, and I want my HOUSE BACK!! I will post the pictures from the pumpkin patch when I have a home network again. Trust me, they're cute. ***

Jake had his 2 year doctor visit today. He is 35.25" tall and weighs 28# 6 oz. That's 75% and 50%, respectively. He got his first (of 2) seasonal flu shots and was very brave even though it hurt. No crying and he recovered quickly as soon as I told him we were all done. The one shot visits are definitely easier than the 2+ shot visits! After that we went to Mommy's office to show him off, got a donut at Marie's, and went to Kline Music in S. Land Park where he got to hold a REAL violin, play drums, and Mommy bought him a tom tom drum and a harmonica. We came home and ate lunch while watching Nemo. Pretty good morning for all that it involved a shot and a massive storm (the weather is monsterous outside! Pouring rain, high winds, and cold!). The doc pronounced him a perfect 2 year old, super smart (very verbal), and darling. All information we knew, but it's nice to have an expert tell you!

Last weekend we had fun at the Bishop Farm Pumpkin Patch in Wheatland. It was a bit of a drive, but they had a petting zoo, a train, a fort, HUGE pumpkins, and a ton of other stuff that we didn't even get to do because we were only there 3 hours!! And we still have to go to a local pumpkin patch because we were having so much fun it got dark before we had time to buy a pumpkin!

Sunday we went to have a play date with BFF Jack. The boys had a blast jumping off of the fireplace hearth (well padded) and Jake fell in love with Jack's garbage truck (see his updated Amazon wish list for details for Christmas! He's been very good, Santa.).

All in all, life continues to be a series of fun days with my boy and basking in the amazingly sweet and brilliant little man that we're raising. OK, the tantrum going down for his nap today wasn't all sunshine and puppy dogs, but hey, what's 10 minutes of shreeking "MY GUITAR!!!" between friends? All in a day's mom-ing. TTFN... I need a nap too.

Growing and blowing

OK, I'm getting a little strapped for new titles. But Jake is, in fact, both growing and blowing in this installment. First, growing: he measured 34.5 inches on his 2d birthday. Not sure if I'd mentioned that. He also has been taking in food like a toddler shaped black hole lately (and chunking up a little) so I'm thinking there's more height in store soon. He's also outgrown his high chair. I put him in it Tuesday night just fine. Wednesday it was pinching his legs and, bye-bye high chair. So he's sitting at the table like a big boy and lovin' it.

The picture is Jake at South Land Park in this snazzy new sweater Ama got him from Alaska.

Now, to blowing. As you all know, I think, Jake has been fascinated by musical instruments of all types. His favorite changes randomly, but the trombone has been getting quite a bit of "play" lately. So we had Poppa bring his trombone over and play it (and let Jake play it). After that, it slipped in the polls for a few days (really loud, Momma) but it's back with a bullet since Momma's friend Carrie sent him "Zin Zin Zin, a Violin!" for his birthday. In the first 12 hours we had the book he read it 6 times. Keeping in mind he was asleep for 10 of those hours. We read it twice when he got home, 3 times at bed time, and first thing this morning before even getting out of bed! Good choice (and THANK YOU) Auntie Carrie. And a special IBO shout out to Jude who is also just two!

Baking cakes and other news

I wanted to post the pictures of Jake and I baking his birthday cakes for school. We made carrot cake mini-cakes in the shape of dinosaurs. They were a HUGE hit with all involved. In fact, we seriously over made the batter, so Mommy's office got a bundt cake out of it, which disappeared in record time. Yes, it WAS that good. Probably Jake's doing. He dumped dry ingredients in, beat the eggs, and mixed the batter. He was very excited.

Also wanted to share the picture with the guitar. He's destined to be a star: can't you just hear him saying "Look, why don't you papparazzi just leave me alone?"

So he's been having problems sleeping lately (thus, so have I). I think it may be, in part, a growth spurt. I went to put him in his high chair last night and he got stuck! He fit Wednesday. Now it's in the garage and he's sitting on a tall chair at the table. Just like that. Last night he "scared" his pony (puppet) and I asked him what Jake was scared of (because I think it may also be some nightmare issues) and he told me he's scared of robots. Oooooo Kaaaay. No idea where he' got robots or that they're scary. I don't think there are any robots at his school. How very random. So I tried to ward off the robots last night but was informed this morning that it didn't work. Must get stronger robot repellant. Anyone know where I can find some?

T-W-O

I just love this, so I'm posting it...

Happy Birthday, Jake!!

I can't believe my baby is TWO! We had a lovely party with family and friends on Saturday. Jake got a soccer ball, which he loves, a lot of books, a puzzle, clay, a video of an orchestra (Lolly-Pops), and - his favorite thing of all time - a GUITAR! He carries it with him everywhere and it is not allowed out of sight for long (thanks again, Auntie Heather!). His birthday cake was a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake with Nemo on it, which was very exciting. His favorite ice cream flavor (pink) inside. Sadly, the cake topper was lost and I don't think there's much hope of "finding Nemo." Maybe we can replace it at B&R tonight.

On Sunday we had a pretty mellow day. He spent some time leaping onto his chair, playing guitar, and generally hanging out. Then Jake helped me bake mini-carrot-cakes in the shape of dinosaurs for him to take to class. He helped dump in the ingredients and he stirred! They were darling and yummy! Must get a picture before they're all gone...

Monday was, of course, the big day, but not a huge deal. He got a Nemo lunch box from Mommy's friend, Lori, which is way cool. He saw it and immediately announced "Birthday cake!" Great, now the Disney themed fish is associated with cake and ice cream as well as the movie. I'm sunk. Still, the video requested most often has been Lolli-Pops, so maybe the reign of the fish is waning. Pictures!

Busy weekend!

Well we had a fun weekend! Saturday Jake got his hair cut and pictures taken at JC Penney. The new photographer, Angela, did a great job. A little TOO great for my pocketbook, in fact. We had so many great shots to choose from I'm afraid I got a little carried away.
These are some of my favorites.

Sunday we had a playdate with Jake's BFF, Jack. The boys were hilarious together. One of them would start saying or doing something and the other had to join in. It was like living in an echo chamber. They spent the time after dinner playing ring-around-the-rosie and jumping down the stairs. I'm so excited that they're starting Jake's transition into the next room today so he and Jack can be together again every day! While Jake is not a model sharer, what two year old is, he and Jack did better than most, es evidenced by the picture below.

All in all, another fabulous weekend with the best and cutest boy on the planet. Lovin' life.

Happy Labor Day

Fun weekend. We went to a swim party Saturday and Jake had a great time. Mommy got a little dehydrated, but whatever. Sunday, after nap, we went to Gold Rush Days down in Old Sacramento. Jake got to pet a horse, see a band, rope a (fake) cow, and be scared by a real train. The train was LOUD (as it was about 10 feet away when the horn blew) and, as Jake will tell you, "hot." I think he got that from the smoke coming from the engine. If you want to see a crowd of 2 year old boys break instantly into hysterical tears, stand at the end of the platform in Old Sac when the train pulls in. Poor kids. Monday we had a BBQ at Lauren's house. Sucha busy schedule for a little guy!

Jake continues to be an amazing talker. I stopped counting words a while ago but you can actually have a conversation with him. This morning (after 2 nightmares last night) he retold the whole train incident (including him crying and Mommy holding him). His new facination, however, is music. Musical instruments of any kind fascinate him but he is especially fond of guitars and violins. Sunday he got to strum a real guitar (thanks to a very sweet guy passing by the park) and he got to see guitars, violins, and a cell0 at Gold Rush Days. Mommy bought him a stocker set of instruments too. I'm now looking for any (free or at least cheap) concerts we can go to because all I hear is "More Guitar!!"

Speaking of the spoilin's that occurred this weekend, Jake also got a new puppet. After an extensive conversation with Dippy's dog puppet (Mr. Barkey) I bought him a horse puppet (1/2 off at Kiddilywinks in Placerville). He loves Pony (the new puppet's name) and has been very attached. He's no Bink, but he made the "must have for nap" list. So cute: Jake did the sign for snake and hissed when we were talking to Pony this morning, so I made Pony "scared" of the snake. Jake told him "no 'nake"and related it to when he'd been scared by the train. What an amazing thing this kid's brain is!

I know, no new pictures for a while. And I'm really sorry I didn't have my camera when the cowboy was teaching Jake to throw a lasso (drat, drat, drat!). But we're doing 2 year pics at JCP this weekend so watch out!

California State Fair!

This weekend was Jake's first CA State Fair experience! We went mostly for the petting zoo (for Jake), the zucchini weenie (for Dad), and the time with family. Jake's Ama and MeMaw went too. Jake got to pet a llama, an alpaca, a wallaby, goats, deer, and a donkey. The llama and the donkey were the hits - I'm not entirely sure the donkey wasn't a tribute to recently passed Sen. Kennedy. We are a family of Democrats after all! Still, not as much of a fan of the petting zoo as I would have thought. He mostly wanted to climb the fence out and get to the carousel. Boy is a nut for a carousel.

We also saw the arts and "Weird, Wild, and Wacky" exhibits. Jake loved the guy playing the saw. "Mommy! Violin! Well, not exactly, but he was playing it with a bow, and who am I to argue. We also tried to get on the monorail but, after wrestling Jake out of his stroller to check it in and getting the little ticket for the stroller check, we were informed that it was a 35 minute wait. Uh, no. It was 93 degrees out, almost 5 p.m., and we were going home. So, over chants of "Choo choo! Choo choo!" we strapped Jake back in and made for the exit. Very disappointing.

However, on the whole, I think the clear favorite event for Jake at the Fair was the food. He polished off an entire ear of BBQ'd corn and a huge spear of watermelon. Not to mention about a bottle and a half of water. Ama had to trick him to get the gnawed-down-to-the-nub corn cob away from him and still a few minutes later he was asking for it again. Hmmm... at least I know his weakness now...

All quiet on the home front

Well, it's been a week of good and bad. The good news is that (as of this writing) there have been no further accidents (that left marks or required a call from school). Unfortunately, we also have lost our hummies. I went out last night and checked on them and the whole nest (with the exception of the very bottom) was gone. I'm sincerely hoping it wasn't the gardner, but something along the lines of a squirrel might be worse. Whatever the cause, our little family is gone and we're very sad. We still get the visits to the feeder, but no more baby. And I would assume, after this incident, that they are not likely to be back - at least not that low. Our yard is just not a safe place for hummies. :-(
On a brighter note, I would say that Jake definately gets the concept of colors now. He's pretty good with yellow, orange, green, and pink. Will sometimes get blue, white, and purple. Red is tough and, like most men, anything other than that is completely foreign. This may relate to his new tendancy to want to pick his own shirt out in the mornings. For some reason the white polo is "no" despite it not being Labor Day yet. I guess toddlers have their own fashion rules.

Hurricane Jake

Well, it's not been a good week so far for Jake's head. Here's the run down of his week, so far - and it's only Wednesday:

Sunday, while playing on his new fort, he walked straight into the side of the steps. Didn't leave a mark and after a few minutes of crying, we were back to playing.

Sunday, 20 minutes later: while climbing UP the slide, fell from about 3 feet and landed on his head on the grass. More crying. This one earned a trip inside. Ear is swollen and red. Mommy, in a fit of caution, let him stay up late (to make sure there was no damage). He wheedled a little Nemo, ice cream, and an extra book before bed: clearly no permanent damage to the brain.

Monday: Amazingly, no serious mishaps.

Tuesday: At school, while coming in from recess and flirting with the girls (according to sources who were there), ran full into a door. Bruise on the forehead and bruising around the eye. Not quite half a raccoon, but working on it.

I swear, the week before his 2 year pictures I'm going to wrap him in bubble wrap. I don't know how CPS does its job with 2 year olds - they all look like they've been beaten!

News from the home front

We have guests in the back yard! While water-sealing Jake's new fort, I discovered a hummingbird nest in the tree in the back yard. It's down really low so it's pretty easy to see in. We have one itty-bitty baby hummie and an egg that didn't hatch. I wish Jake was older so that he could appreciate the amazing thing that this is, but, alas, it falls to me to wonder at the miracle that is a humming bird.

Jake was so cute tonight. We went on our nightly walk and he insisted on walking Dippy. It was precious - him walking down the street holding her leash. She was really good about not pulling or doing anything that would endanger him. And he was pretty good about waiting for her to go potty before walking on. Of course, at his speed she could have taken a nap and still caught up to us before the end of the leash was reached. He walked half way around the block and only stopped when we met up with his friend Lauren.

Yeah, this is a picture of my son's interesting choice of accessories. A lovely orange plush anklet (ok, dog toy) contrasted with the bright green monkey boa. Of course, the bright blue dinosaur water bottle is a must for the well-dressed toddler as well. Nice.

One more month and he can join up with all of his friends in the 2-3 year old room. He really misses the, especially Jack, and is a little bored being the oldest in his current room. It just makes me even more sure that he needs to start Pre-1st when he's one of the younger kids in the class. He loves a challenge!

L'Artiste!

Oy vey! They grow up so fast!

So this is a silly post but something every "Jewish Mother" should be proud of. My little Chaim Lior, Jake said his first Yiddish word this weekend. See, Dippy (the dog) has this fish. It's white and blue plush (it was a Hanukkah present 3 years ago - yes, the dog celebrates Hanukkah too) and it has"Gefilte" embroidered on it and when you squeeze it, it says "Oy vey" and then makes bubbling noises. Jake has played with this before (yes, they share toys) and thought it was funny, but no big deal. But Sunday he was playing with it and laughing every time it "talked." At one point he looked at me and said "Fish says 'oy vey!'" Well, understandibly, I cracked up. Which only egged him on (fortunately, because this is definately a behavior I want to encourage) and he will now tell anyone who wants to know that "Dippy's fish says 'oy vey." Complete with head-slapping action. Now I have to teach him to use it in context: "Oy vey, I had such a day at school, Mommy!"

Jake climbing

I was asked to post pictures of Jake playing on his new fort (just to prove it's in OUR yard? I'm not sure). So here they are. The girl in the first one is Jake's friend Lauren. She goes to school with him and lives around the corner.

Time flies. I was looking at the past posts on the blog yesterday and came across the one labeled "100 words!" Oh, my gosh (I thought) that must have been AGES ago! Ummm.... June 8th. Wow. Two months later and he's at 180 and full sentences. He looked at Ama while she was babysitting last weekend and told her (after many previous attempts to communicate) "Ama, I need a snack!" Wow.

It's Heeeeeeere!

OK, just to show the real excitement:
Before:

And After:

Yes, Jake got his birthday present last night. The face wasn't the priceless part, which was good because I was outside talking to Mike, the wonderful guy who put that bad boy together, when Jake and Daddy got home and I didn't have the camera with me. So Jake saw it for the first time in it's not-so-final form. But he did get to swing on it right away. Sadly, we then had to take him in to dinner, which he would NOT eat because "OUTSIDE!!! MORE OUTSIDE!!!!" The set wasn't finished before bath time, so Jake still hasn't really seen it. I was thinking about taking him out this morning but then I realized that we'd never get him to school if he knew this was in the back yard. So this evening he will get to play on it, all assembled, for the first time. His friend Lauren is probably coming over to check it out too. Personally, Mommy climbed up into it last night, with the delta breeze blowing in and the tree rustling around me... it's pretty cool. Jake may have to share.

Bay Area Discovery Museum

We decided today that 103 degrees wasn't fun for anyone so we beat a not-so-hasty-as-it-turned-out retreat to lovely Sausalito to go to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. We left at 1 - we hit traffic - we got there about 3:30. Yikes. They close at 5. Still, they have a whole outdoor area and an indoor area for kids Jake's age to explore. He liked the two-level "tree" and made a foxy friend (pictured). There's a stream and burrows and all kinds of fun stuff. Then we went to the wave lab and played with more water. Awesome. Then we went to Lookout Cove where there were all sorts of cool things to climb on and play with that were part play structure and part art. It was like Burning Man for kids. Only not hellishly hot and, you know, wearing clothes. The location of this place is amazing, there's all kinds of fun stuff to play with and I just really wish it wasn't so darn far. The drive was not worth it. Especially since it took us about the same amount of time to get back. Although, we did stop for dinner at the Blue Frog in Fairfield (we wanted to hit Fenton's at the Nut Tree but traffic was just too terrible). Anyway, a fun time was had by all. Pictures!!

For shame!

Two posts in a row without pictures?! How could I? CPS will be here any minute! The popsicle and the sprinkler speak for themselves. The other? Well, he loves wearing other people's shoes around, mostly Mommy's, but in this case Daddy's. The only time I could get it on camera was when he was in his jammies, so there it is.

He's up to about 160 words and speaking in sentences. It's to the point now that I can kind of even have a conversation with him, which is really neat.

Watch this space in the coming two weeks for pictures of Jake and his (early) birthday present. Hint: it's huge, goes in the back yard, and rhymes with "wing net."