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."

Another milestone

OK, on the list of all time "big moments" this is probably pretty low down, but Jake was pretty excited about it, so I will include it in my digital memory book: Jake swung on a big boy swing! We had progressed recently from the baby swings to the "special needs" swings (which are basically chairs) and last night at the park near the house, he swung on the regular swing! He held on really well and even pumped his feet a little. So proud. We are looking at a backyard play set for him for his birthday/Christmas/Hanukkah. But, shhhh, it's a surprise so don't tell him!

He's well over 150 words now. Many times a day he will say something that I think "wow, I didn't know he knew that word!"

He didn't make it awake to the fireworks Saturday, but he got to play with the son of some friends. We were having dinner with them and the other little boy was in Jake's high chair (being 10 months younger). Jake was clearly a little puzzled at this (and at having to share his toys) so, just to make sure, Jake kept pointing to Steve and I and saying "MY Daddy! MY Mommy!" I don't know if he was afraid that we were auditioning his replacement or swapping out parents, but it was really cute.