Jake 18 Months Old

Jake at 18 Months: 

All About Jake

Height: 33 3/4 inches

Weight: 26 lbs 8 oz

Jake's sleeping habits are:

Since Jake has turned 15 months old he has gone through a few different stages.  He went through a stage where he had a hard time falling asleep at night and he didn't want me to hold him, but I would sit in the chair and sing until he fell asleep.  The night before we left for Palm Desert he slept with us, he hogged the bed and woke up at 4:20 so we won't be doing that again for a while.  He had a few nights where he would go to bed fine and then wake up really upset sometime between 9:30 and 11pm.  He usually wakes up between 5:30 and 6 am, but we rarely get him from his crib before 6.  When we were in the desert, a few weeks before 18 months he started taking 2 hour naps everyday consistently and continued that (or sometimes even longer!) after getting home.  Just a couple weeks before our vacation Jake discovered his stuffed Dog (now known as Big Doggie) that his Aunt Danielle gave him.  He never really had a security item before that.  He came on our trip and I think is one reason night times are so easy.  He added a second stuffed animal, Little Doggie (pictured above), when we got home and he is a more manageable size for the little guy to carry around.  Both join Jake in his crib for naps and bedtime and "doggie" (or "papa") is usually the first word he says when we go get him.  

Jake's favorite foods are:

Jake has some new chompers to help out his eating.  A couple molars on the bottom cut through just before our vacation.  He also has 4 front teeth on the bottom now, but has had those for a while.  He loves cereal, both dry or in a bowl with milk (very messy) and enjoys oatmeal too.  He would eat plain yogurt for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  He still likes every kind of fruit and discovered honey-wheat pretzels while in the desert.  He likes to dip them in hummus and suck the hummus off, not actually eating the pretzel sometimes.  He still doesn't eat what we eat, but he is a lot more adventurous than he has been the past several months.  I am still convinced it is just a developmental milestone for him to exert his independence as it comes to meals.  If you know Jake, you know he will certainly make it known what he wants. 

Jake's favorite books are:

Jake still loves the Carl books, all about a dog that is also a babysitter.  The books have no words, but he loves the stories.  He also loves the Spot flap and lift books.  Anything curious george is usually a hit, sometimes the same story (Ice cream surprise and Pancake social) several times in a row.  He went through a stage for a few weeks where he wouldn't let me read any books before bed or naps.  He wanted to do his shape sorter blocks, and when you do those each a few times a day for a few weeks, well lets just say that "circle" is one of his first words and I think he has memorized where each shape goes.  

Jake's talks about:

At about 16 1/2 months Jake started to babble all the time.  You could tell he was ready to talk, but the words just weren't there yet…then just after 17 months the words started coming.  While we were in Palm Desert he was probably adding one word a day.  When we got there it was just a few and when we left it was close to 20 including calling us Mama and Papa for the first times.  Good job Grammy…she was on a mission to teach him that.  He also knew "raffle" (waffle),  "druck" (truck), "car", "hot", "all done",  "again", "bye", and "dog" to name a few. 

Jake's new tricks include:

Jake took swim lessons for the first time.  We had 10 classes over 5 weeks at the community center.  We mostly just sang and played in the water but Jake learned about front and back floats and putting his mouth in to blow bubbles (or in his case just drink the pool water). Jake's talking is definitely his cutest and most exciting new trick, but he also likes to run now too.  Along with all of his words, his animals sounds are still top notch and include a bumble bee and a snake.  I'll be honest when I say I know he has other fun new tricks, but I lost some of the details of the past 3 months in the fog of first trimester nausea.

Jake loves to:

Above all else, Jake loves to be outside.  Rain or shine we have spent a lot of time outside.  Mostly we just walk around, sometimes with a bucket or a broom or a bag, but most of the time just exploring.  Jake also likes bubbles and anything that makes bubbles, person or machine.  Jake loves to entertain but he gets very shy in front of strangers or people unfamiliar.  With the exception of his Mama and Papa, grandparents and aunts, he stays pretty close to Mama until he is sure.  Auntie Stephie (Ti Ti Boom) came to visit us from NYC in February, unfortunately I wasn't feeling too great for her visit, but Jakey sure liked having her here.  Her visits are never long enough and then she has to go far away again, but as Jake gets older he will know his Ti Ti better and better.  We had a big snowstorm in Portland and Jake got to experience a sled (which he did not like at all) and playing in the snow (which he thought was ok.) Regardless, it was a special treat for his parents who got a long weekend to spend as a family. We also spent a long weekend in Sunriver at Grammy and Grampy's new house.  I felt terrible most of the time, but Jake and Grammy spent a lot of time outside together despite the cool and wet conditions. Most of the time Jake was dragging something he found in the garage behind him.  Around Valentine's day Grammy and I took Jake to a wall in NW Portland for a photoshoot and he was such a ham.  This little guy loves the spotlight.  Jake got his first haircut as well.  I was getting in for a bang trim and he sat on my lap for his first few snips.  He really didn't like it, but looked so handsome when it was done. Since then he has had 2 more cuts, this time with Papa and he did much better!

I'll never be able to capture the sound of Jake's little voice for those first few words or all of his little looks and expressions in the blog, but as much as possible I am trying to keep those memories close.  I have loved every stage with this little guy and I can confidently say that I haven't missed a thing.  I feel like we are beginning a new stage now though, one that I am really going to like even more.  This kid has got a lot of personality and I think our fun has just begun. 

Jake's adventures (15-18 months):

 

#redballoonsforRyan

I feel like I need to write this because I can't get this story out of my head.  I'm not sure if it pregnancy hormones or just being a Mama that has made this story affect me so deeply.  I follow a few blogs regularly and a couple of those I also follow on Instagram.  A little over a week ago two of my favorite bloggers both posted with the hashtag #redballoonsforRyan.  When I went to follow the thread and read more about the story I was grateful that I had.  It was a reminder that everyday is precious and that social media can do good when a community pulls together.

The path lead me to this blog and her most recent story which you can find here.

The story is about a young boy, 3 years old, with fiery red hair and the sweetest smile.  It's a story about a fun day at Disneyland, two parents that adore him, and a tragic accident one Friday evening when the frisbee flew into the street.  Its honestly hard for me to type just that.  I didn't know Ryan, I didn't know his parents, but I don't think it takes anything more than knowing how much you love your child, your son, to feel deeply for this family.

It is unfathomable the incredible pain losing a child would bring.  It's scary loving something so much.  I read once a mother that wrote "when you have children your heart is no longer yours, it is out in the world walking around in these tiny bodies."  It couldn't be more true.

It doesn't feel right to even tell this next story in the same post with Ryan's.  You can't even compare, but it was a moment for me, even just an instant, when I was helpless and my baby was in trouble and there was nothing I could do.  We were at the park with a friend and Jake was running around the tennis courts.  There were some older kids playing, a couple just running around and one on a bike and one on a scooter.  I told Jake it was time to go to the car so he ran from me.  I was walking behind him and realized that the older kids were getting closer.  Then I saw the one on the scooter riding straight for Jake and looking behind him.  Jake is fascinated with scooters and stood and stared.  It was like slow motion as I yelled and I screamed and the kid slammed into Jake.  It scared everyone and thankfully everyone was fine.  The sweet little kid was so worried about Jake but it wasn't his fault, I should have been there.  He shouldn't have been playing so close to their game.  I cried, probably a lot harder than Jake.

It only made me realize that we can do everything right, all the time, but things happen.  We can teach them and watch them and hold them, but things happen.  I'm not comparing a sweet 3-year old getting hit and killed by a truck to Jake's incident with a scooter.  I'm only saying what every parent already knows.  This is a tough job, not because it's a lot of work, but because you can only do so much.  It's a human we are working with here, not a spreadsheet, or a checklist and we can't control it all.

So if you have a chance, read Ryan's story, give a prayer for his sweet family, maybe even a red balloon, but most importantly read one more book before bed, give a little longer hug and some extra kisses and be thankful you get to hold your baby tonight.

Jakey Does the Desert

I came home from 2 1/2 weeks in Palm Desert with 706 pictures that my Mom had taken, and I am not lying, they were all good.  Once again I have to say how LUCKY we are to have this photography of our family and our Jake.  It is simply the most priceless thing we have.  Our vacation was fabulous.  I hope Grammy and Grampy liked having us as much as we enjoyed staying with them.  I'm not sure we will be able to go for as long next year with two kids…my parent's might disown me, but this year was great.  Days were filled with bubbles, water play, pool time, golf cart rides, long walks, new toys, fun with Grammy and Grampy, meals on the patio watching golfers, and lots of Jake entertainment.  Brian came down for about 5 days and we loved having Papa there.  Jake didn't want to let him out of his sight.  Jake was the man of the hour, every hour, at least every hour that he was awake.  He took great naps and I didn't have any housework so I read while he slept and finished my first book in two years!! My Mom even made me lunch…talk about a vacation! 

When we first got there Jake was scared of the sprinklers, the wind, standing barefoot on the grass, bugs, and the water.  When we left, he was chasing the sprinklers, running down to the golf course in his diaper, chasing bugs, and swimming like a pro.  He loved oatmeal time with Grampy and would stand as close to him as possible, many days on his actual foot.  He would run onto my bed "mattress on the floor" and wait for Grammy to find him for tickles and rough house.  He entertained us on the putting green at the golf course and loved exploring the hotel stairs.  He loved riding in the golf cart and would sit so still on Grammy's lap while she drove, just enjoying the sights.  One day he sat so still he actually fell asleep.  It was precious.  He got a "shave" or two everyday from Grampy and learned the word "cute" because we always said that about his little Resort outfits.  He played golf with Papa and laughed hysterically at Papa's pool games, usually involving throwing something.  He had his first ice cream sandwich which he was supposed to share with Mama, but he stole the whole thing.  He smiled and laughed, learned lots of new words and had a wonderful time in the desert.  We can't wait until next year!