Jake's daycare

Julie, who cares for Jake, made all the wooden cut-outs herself! She's
a Disney fanatic.

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Because all things seem belated lately, I finally got Jake in for his 18-month appointment. Our little guy is officially... big. He's a little over the 75th percentile for height and weight. He weighed in at 27 pounds (I thought for sure he'd be at 29 or 30 -- man he feels heavy lately) and I honestly forget his height measurement. He got "As" on all his milestones, and he won't be screened for autism any longer, which is just routine screening they do for all children starting at age 1, but is honestly a big relief to have it officially ruled out. I begged and pleaded and finally got him a dose of the H1N1 vaccine - he can't get the second dose so he's not fully protected, but it makes me feel better about travelling with him. We leave next Saturday for an east coast romp - one week in Mass and one week in Philadelphia, where we'll finally get to meet Annalouise and Elizabeth. I'd whine about how horrible it's going to be to fly with Jake, but you've all heard that before.

In other news, Jake had his first sleepover. Julie took him for the night so Dave and I could go to Napa to celebrate Dave's birthday. It was our first night without him, and I think we both feel guilty, but it was GREAT. Love you Jake, but road trips are so much easier without you! We spent the day wine tasting and having dinner at Ad Hoc (poor man's version of the French Laundry). Can't wait for the next time we can sneak away (again, sorry Jake!).

18 months

Our little guy is now 18 months, and it came upon us so fast that we didn't realize it until the morning of his 1.5 year birthday. Can't blame us though, it's been a busy month! Jake passed up a celebratory cupcake for watermelon.

This picture is from our recent visit to Davis to see Vishal, Allison, Jay, and Deven. Turns out the pumpkin patch that was just a field of pumpkins with some hay was exactly what Jake wanted. He ran and ran and climbed on the pumpkins - way bigger hit than the pumpkin patch we took him to in San Jose with all the bells and whistles. We went up to say goodbye to Vishal, who was deployed to Afghanistan last week for six months... can't wait for his safe return.

Jake and I also took a trip back to Massachusetts after finding some super cheap airfare that we just couldn't pass up. The flight out was horrid (learned the hard way that benadryl doesn't make Jake drowsy), but it was worth it. Perfect weather, lots of play time with his cousins, and his first chance to jump in leaves.

And the Project from Hell finally broke me down and I gave my notice at eBay. I was lucky that eBay worked with me to find a position that would fit my needs a bit better right now, so I'm moving to PayPal. If all goes well, I'll be in the office only a few days a week on a smaller project, and with flexible hours... so if all goes well I'll be able to swing some quality time with Jake during the day.

Enough about me! So what's Jake up to at 18 months? He's saying more words (airplane, turtle, water, night-night, yellow... and my favorite "Mom-EE"), is obsessed with the Wiggles, and still wants to be outside all the time (so daylight savings has been a BIG problem). He's showing just how stubborn he is - and if he hears the word "no" all hell breaks loose. Boy, he can throw a fit! And, Dave and I think he might be left-handed. His little personality just shines. He becomes sweeter every day.

Watching Dora

I am very concerned about Jake's new habit - constantly wanting to
watch tv... but I can't help but find him completely adorable when
he's doing it!

New photo

No description necessary. :)

haircuts and hayrides

Jake turned 17 months (sigh) and reached some other milestones - his first haircut and his first visit to a pumpkin patch. The haircut was a success (but I'm kicking myself - I think I rushed it and I miss the long, baby-looking hair he had, looks so much like a little boy now). The pumpkin patch was just ok - I'm from New England and the idea of doing fall-like activities when the weather is in the high 80's just isn't that fun. Although seeing Jake's face light up when he went on his first pony ride was worth it. Oh, and we left without pumpkins - the line to pay for them was too long and when I handed Jake a mini pumpkin he said "apple" and "all done" and put it on the ground. It was a pretty fancy pumpkin patch so we also went on a train ride and in a corn maze.

I say this every month but I can't believe Jake's 17 months old. Yikes he's growing up fast. His favorite things to do are walk around the neighborhood with his pink doll stroller, watch tv (the tv issue will have to be a separate post), and read books while sitting in my lap (it's the best). He's eating much better, too. He loves any kind of fruit but is partial to bananas, cottage cheese, yogurt, and pasta. Vegetables are out unless it's avocado. Still not into sweets at all, except for the overpriced madeline cookies from starbucks. He's definitely saying "Momma" now, which makes me melt into a big puddle and give him whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

Looking forward to a visit back east at the beginning of November! (So not looking forward to the 6 hour flight alone with an antsy toddler. Ugh)

One year ago...

Photos & video from maine

Daddy in training

Jake and his new favorite toy - courtesy of the guilty-working-mom syndrome that took us straight to Toys R Us when I returned from Zurich. I was checking out the Thomas trains when Jake went crazy with excitement over this doll stroller. The funny thing is, nothing can go in the stroller - not his bear or his monkey or even his favorite book. It has to remain empty and he gets very upset when I try to teach him that things can go in it. He still isn't verbalizing much, but his expressions and tone are enough for me to know in that little head he's saying "what the hell are you doing, mom??"

Story time

Jake at story time - right before he freaked out because the librarian
was reading "Moo, Baa, La La La." I think Jake thought it was his copy
and was not happy the weird lady wouldn't give it to him. (Yes, I
should have been
at work... No, I don't care - I have a week to make up for.)

Delayed response to mom

After a week in Zurich for work and a total of 9 days away from Jake and Dave, I'm back home. And although I fell absolutely in love with Europe and am already itching to get back, I can't imagine leaving Jake again. Jake, on the other hand, didn't react much to me when he met me at the gate and I have to admit that made me feel a little sad and very guilty. But yesterday, everything changed. I went to pick him up a daycare and he clung to me... snuggled into me when I picked him up, and cried when I tried to put him down when we got back home. I've never been so happy to make spaghetti and meatballs one-handed, with 25 pounds of cuddles and hugs in the other arm. :)

Santa Barbara or bust!

... and it was a bust. Here we are on our way home after, oh, 12 hours
actually in SB. And most of those were spent trying to comfort an
extremely cranky teething Jake. So we gave up, packed up, and headed
back up 101. Luckily the little guy spent most of the ride home like
this (with Dave and I in complete silence so as not to wake him). So
our 4th anniversary trip was definitely a bust but once we were home,
Jake was sleeping soundly in his crib, and Dave and I were enjoying
wine, a big hunk of triple cream Brie, and 'Dexter' -it was a nice
anniversary after all. Oh and a shout out to our friends Steve and
Jenn who bravely took on a screaming Jake so Dave and I could enjoy a
quick, but amazing anniversary dinner in SB!

Aw Dah

Jake isn't one to sit and enjoy his meals - he's a picky eater and the faster he can get out of his booster seat, the happier he is. So when he recently started announcing "Aw Dah" when in his chair, I wondered: Is he really saying "All done"? Even if he is (maybe it's something he picked up from the older kids at daycare), he surely can't understand what it means. Hell, he still doesn't really say "Momma."

But then I realized he is in fact saying "All done" and he knows exactly what it means. Here are some examples:

When his strawberries are gone from his tray and all that's left are chicken nuggets and vegetables which he refuses to eat = "Aw Dah"

When I try to change his diaper = "Ah Dah"

When the pediatrician tried to take a look in his ears and mouth at his checkup = "Aw Dah"

When I try to hold him in my lap and put his shoes on = "Aw Dah"

And the best example, when I knew for sure? When I recently had to take his temperature rectally = "AW DAH AW DAH AWWWW DAHHHH!!!"

(Here he is riding the "roller coaster" at Gilroy Gardens)

Loving his new swing

Santa left this swing for Jake under the Christmas tree. Mom and Dad finally got around to putting it up in the backyard... Santa would be so disappointed in us. But hey - a wagon, a swing, and a 'jungle gym' (pictures to come soon), all in one weekend? I say we're doing ok. And it was totally worth the effort - can't you tell by his reaction?

New wagon

We finally assembled Jake's wagon from the McCutcheons. He sat
strapped in for about five minutes then started fussing. We undid the
belt and he climbed off the bench and onto the floor of the wagon...
Rode around the block with just his little head sticking out laughing
hysterically!

More updates!

Another weekend is already almost over! We enjoyed a break from the insane heat with cooler temperatures these past days which meant lots of walks and visits to the playground. Thankfully we have the nicest group of neighbors because Jake's new favorite past time is running up and down the sidewalk and all over everyone's front yards. He doesn't understand the concept of trespassing yet. Dave had full-on daddy duty yesterday so I could spend some time at work on PFH (the project from hell - I've been whining about it for so long it's just morphed into an acronym), we bought a mac (I know I know! We've always been PCs), and we tried to stay up past 10:00 to watch a movie but woke up on the couch around, oh, 11:30. We're old.

We did have the chance to go on a date last weekend! We saw a matinee of "The Hangover" thanks to Kika and Grandpa, our saviors (I mean babysitters!) that give Dave and I the chance to go out alone every so often. It's so weird to be able to eat somewhat slowly.

Next up is a weekend trip to Santa Barbara to celebrate our anniversary. Four years! We'll see how Jake likes the Pacific compared to the Atlantic. Maybe he can show off his mad swimming skills (here he is graduating from swimming lessons).

The egg

The egg I mentioned! Side effect of his new hobby -- running!

15 months ago

... and he just keeps getting sweeter.

Wow, he totally looks Asian in this picture!

15 months

My little guy is 15 months old today. Here he is eating his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich - he didn't like it and I had to resort to strawberries and avocado. At 15 months, he'll do anything to be outside, has just learned to jump (feet yet to leave the ground), still doesn't really sleep through the night, got his first egg on his forehead (last night!), first skinned knee last week(didn't even cry), and received an official polywog (sp?) ribbon at his swim class graduation last week. Other updates? He really loves music -- and definitely has his "favorites" (Lady Ga Ga is on repeat in my car - thanks Auntie Kathy for that one!). He loves cats and dogs. I catch him waving to people in adjacent cars at stop lights. His new favorite book is "the bed time book" (shoot, or is it the "goodnight book"?) by Lisa Boynton and he carries it over to me every night.
Even after 15 months, I still catch myself wondering if this adorable, funny, smart, and passionate (ok, stubborn/determined) little guy is really mine. So, so lucky. :

Summer updates

I can't believe it's already August -- the summer has flown by. It's still been a tough adjustment being back at work, and I'm definitely sad that a busy, hellish project has kept me away from Jake. Dave's been a huge help, taking him to day care in the morning, but that means even more time away from my little man. So today I snuck out of work at 4:45 to get him and have some extra time with him. I showed up at "school" to find him just being released from timeout after pinching two of the other kids (one being his cousin Sabrina... he better watch it, Sabrina's a tough cookie).

But who cares, right? He's still the cutest kid there and I can't help but love the little spunk he has. I can also see how frustrated he is that he knows what he wants, but can't communicate it to me. He's saying more words now: Cracker (kaka!), Kitty (ditty), Car (cah), and Banana (nana) - Yes, I do swing a banana in front of his face and when my grandmother (Nana) gets on the phone with him to get him to yell "Nana!". Let's see, he's running now and he's pretty steady. I think he even jumped the other day. He's a champ at swimming lessons and I think genuinely has the instructor impressed by how long he can hold his breath. He's off of bottles during the day, but I still give him one at night (or two, or three - depending on how often he wakes up). I don't want to jinx anything, but he's been sleeping through the night!

We did Maine in June and have been trying to get in some day trips with him. The zoo earlier this summer with little O, Gilroy Gardens (our local, horticultural-themed amusement park), and just recently pier 39 in San Francisco, but we're quickly learning that he's just as happy (if not happier) going to our neighborhood playground and taking his routine evening walk in his litte car. The best part is we're meeting neighbors since we take the same route every night... and we've met some neighbors that let their dogs out so Jake can say hi. He gets SO excited. Just last night our neighbors let their old Golden Retriever, Freddie, out to say hi to Jake. As our neighbors yelled in unison "no licking, Freddie - no kisses!" Jake leaned over and full-on licked Freddie's head. Hey, better that than pinching!

Back to work

I'm about to hit the 1 1/2 mark back at work, and boy do I miss Jake. What a hard transition... mainly because I miss being with him, but being so behind at work doesn't help. Luckily most of my coworkers have been pretty accomodating and understanding as I try to get back into the swing of things, but boy the few who aren't sure make it a living hell to be back at my job and away from Jake. The last few nights have been spent handing him off to Dave and trying to get caught up, so I feel like I barely see him (or either of them). Makes me realize how happy Jake makes me, and how I wish I could really stay home with him. :(

Sweetpea

He's still not sleeping through the night, but I gotta say even at 3
am rocking him like this is pretty wonderful... I have plenty of time
to sleep, right?

Dada's biggest fan

I have Maine pictures to post (once my laptop cooperates and lets me
download them), but until then here's a picture from today... Jake
standing at the window while Dave mowed the lawn. He stood there the
entire time and waved every time Dave passed the window.

Proof

I told you he was walking! Dave's mom got this great picture of Jake
walking from me to Dave. He's starting to be brave and walk more and
more, but he still holds his arms straight up in the air. (so cute)

Zoo and news

Old picture... It's hard to get pictures of him when he's walking
around. You heard me right -- Jake's walking. For real this time! We
went to the Oakland zoo today with Randy, Jenna, and Owen and learned
first-hand just how challenging this walking thing is going to be. He
did NOT want to be in the stroller at all... he also tried to climb on
a goat in the petting zoo. His feet definitely work!

I walked today!

Jake walked today - really walked! Soon after I took this picture (can
never have enough pictures of him in the swing!), I put him down by
the slide. He was standing by the slide and just WALKED over to
another area of the play structure. It was about eight steps. No
wobbling or hesitation, he walked like he'd been doing it for years!
He refused to do it again, but I saw it with my own eyes, and I have
plenty of witnesses at the park who heard me scream "You're walking
Jake!!! You're walking!!"

Yum... Dim sum

We had lunch in Milipitas today and Dave is so proud that Jake is
taking so easily to dim sum. Odd, since otherwise he will only eat
strawberries. We can't quite figure out what's been bugging the little
guy for the past week but he has been... difficult (I have the bite
marks to prove it). Maybe he's so intellectually advanced that he hit
the terrible twos a year early?

Bliss

After three failed attempts at putting Jake down for a nap, he curled
up and fell asleep in my lap as I rocked him. Oh after I gave him a
bottle. He's been asleep on me for close to an hour. My pediatrian,
daycare provider, and probably my own mother would be so disappointed
in me, but I'm in heaven. Day one of sabbatical couldn't be better.

The case of the coordinating shirts

Friday at 5:01 pm was the beginning of my much-anticipated sabbatical (6 weeks off of work), and this weekend was a great start! Saturday Dave and I went on a date... I had pretty much forgotten what those were - we hadn't been on one since Erica and Nic babysat for us in March. On Saturday, Dave's dad and girlfriend were nice enough to volunteer and Dave and I had the day to ourselves. (Jake and Grandpa wore matching shirts for the occasion!) We caught a movie and dim sum, and talked... mostly about Jake. (Is it unhealthy for two parents to share a conversation mostly made up of "Our baby is SO cute. He's the cutest, isn't he?"? Today we went to a Greek festival in San Jose with some of Dave's coworkers/friends. Jake was a hit, walking around holding my hand. His favorite part of the "festival"? The curb. It was in a parking lot of a church and he found a curb the he stepped on to and off of, oh, for about two hours. It was a great weekend, and I have to say I haven't been this excited for a Monday in long time. Although I've gotten teased a lot about not doing "anything" for my sabbatical by my coworkers (sabbaticals are usually spent touring Europe or exploring Australia) I can't think of any place I'd rather be than home with Jake.

Lake Anza

I love you Lake Anza!

Happy Memorial Day!

We spent today in Berkeley at a real lake. Five years in the Bay Area
and I haven't been able to find a lake or pond I could swim in (or
really at all, I guess it's too dry), but I read about one last week
and Dave was kind enough to suggest trekking out there to find it. It
was so worth it! Little Lake Anza is so pretty... It's no spec pond,
but as close as I'm going to get out here. If it were a tiny bit
closer, I could tell you right now where I'd be spending the first
part of my sabbatical!

So big!

And here he is on the carousel! He spent a good amount if the ride
licking the pole.

The roller coaster

He braved this one with Dad. I was the crazed mother who jumped the
fence and snuck up to get a picture.

Gilroy gardens

We took Jake to his first amusement park today - Gilroy Gardens. Here
he is on his very first 'thrill ride,' the Artichoke Dip. He also went
on two carousels and a worm roller coaster. He loved it so much I'm
now a proud season pass owner.

Racing naked

Beating the recent heatwave by riding around the dark livingroom on
his new race car-truck thing from Lucas.

These swings suck

So much for the highly rated park in fancy Campbell... our
neighborhood park is just as nice, and the swings ate way better.

One year old

I've done a terrible job updating Jake's blog lately, and most updates are one-handed via cell phone, so I can't get out all I have to say (and you have to deal with lots of typos). The past few weeks have been busy getting ready for Jake's first birthday party (fun, huge success, very very hot) and me getting ready to take a six-week leave from work. But I was out this morning to take Jake to his one-year check up. The results: 30.5 inches long, 23 lbs., and head circumfrence is 47 inches. I think that puts him in the 50th percentile for height and weight, and like the 95th for head circumference (my little bobble-head).

Jake's favorite things these days are walking around with his Fisher Price walker, showing us how he can stand, taking a ride around the block in his new car, and "dancing" to music. He gets really excited if he sees a dog and is still a big fan of the swings at the park. He also had a blast on his new bouncy zebra that came in the mail from Auntie Kathy last night. Bouncing and music? I think he was in heaven.

He's starting to eat more, both in variety and amount. He loves avacado and mango. I think it's safe to say those are his favorites, but he also has taken to strawberries and figs. It's the vegetables, dairy, and meat that he's still a little picky about. He loves his bottle, and I guess I just thought I'd always give him one. When the pediatrician told me today he shouldn't be on a bottle anymore, I panicked. What ever happened to weaning? And I guess I also have to stop rocking him to sleep. And getting up with him at night. But I think I was also told this at his nine month checkup and I never followed through, so maybe I'll just wait until I get scolded again at the next checkup??

We did the milestone check list again and I can't help but laugh. Is he pointing? No. Is he saying any words? Yes, "Hi." No ball or dog or Momma? No, just "Hi." Walking? No. Signing? No. The best was when I was asked, "Well how do you know when he wants something?" Me: "He goes like this" (arms tense, hands in fists) "And screeches like this: AHHHHHH." Or "He bites me." Or "When he sees the cheerio box he pants loudly, so I think that means he wants some." The thing is, I finally got him to wave, and that wasn't even on the milestone checklist this time!

Jake is really just the sweetest little boy. His face lights up when I pick him up every day, and plays with me now - patty cake is one of his favorites. He is so tickelish and has a cute, deep belly laugh. He loves climbing... from his toys to me. And he's becoming a little more cuddly. Basically, he's just the best thing in the world.

I'm 1!

I'm eating cake and ice cream for the first time!

One more day of less than one

Only one more day of my baby truly being an infant. Actually, I have
no idea what qualifies as an infant, newborn, or toddler. I noticed
this morning that his shirt tag said "newborn" 12-18 months - you're
still a newborn at 18 months? I guess that was yesterday morning -
that's right, it's 2 am and I've just rocked him back to sleep. So
much for tough love, huh?And after six months of trying, Julie has
given up on getting him to nap. So he just stays up while the other
kids nap. In her 25 years of daycare, "she's never seen anything like
it." That's my boy!

Happy Mother's Day

I had the best first mother's day. Jake gave me an LCD frame so I can
see his sweet face at my desk, we went out fir brunch (Jake had the
attention of everyone in the dining room, thank to his constant
babbling and banging), and we finished up the day getting birthday
presents for Jake. A great day, and a reminder of just how lucky I am.

All quiet on the west coast

We missed a lot of festivities this weekend... Jack turned nine and
Emma recieved first communion. We had a quiet weekend, if you don't
count Dave and I sobbing hysterically while watching "Marley & me."
That movie should be banned. It was described as a "feel good" movie.
It's right up there with watching baby seals get clubbed.

Kids to work day

Jake went to work with me on Thursday for California's "Bring your kid
to work day." Totally inappropriate for a one-year-old, but I couldn't
resist. Suprisingly, eBay had it ALL over DreamWorks. We visited Dave
first - god it's quiet there! After I whined about no giant Shrek or
Donkey characters roaming around, we headed south to eBay where there
was a giant carnival and about one billion children . Jake could've
cared less, he was too into his badge (it's so cute!). l

Out to dinner

This is what Jake looks like choking in a tortilla.(see the tears?)

Night owl

Nothing beats this face, but I could go a whole night and be ok with
not seeing it. Dear god, will he ever sleep through night??

Vegas baby

Jake and I flew to Vegas on Wednesday to visit granmie and grampy. He
lived the lights and sounds in the casino, but his favorite thing was
grammie and grampy's hotel room floor. Which, yes, he licked.
Definitely worth the trip, but it's getting harder to fly with him.

The frog. Again.

He can't get enough of LL (Latina Leapfrog). He crawled to her this
morning in pure excitement and immediately started dancing. He further
showed his appereciation for the Hispanic culture at a local Mexican
restaurant tonight -- it played only music in Spanish and jake would
not stop dancing. Can't wait to see what he's like on Cinco de mayo.

What's so great...

about this picture?? It's Jake dancing to his leapfrog frog... that
sings to him in Spanish. Its so cute! But between Jai Ho and his
singing latina frog, i wonder if Jake's ever going to luke music in
english.

Countdown to the big birthday!

A big thanks to Katie -- she let us copy the design she used for her first birthday invitation.

11 months

Jake's eleven months old as of yesterday! Our little guy loves remote controls, cheerios, being outside, and the two steps in our house that lead to the laundry room. He does NOT like: five-point restraint harnesses (doesn't matter where), getting dressed, naps, and getting his nose wiped. He's on the brink of so many new things -- from taking his first, unaided steps (better not happen at daycare) to starting dairy! He's silly and sweet and determined... and 11 months later I still look at him and can't believe he's really my baby -- I'm so lucky. :)

Happy Easter!

Walking with dad before dinner.... The E bunny came to our house and
left a basket of toys and hid eggs (filled with puffs) but Jake
completely ignored all of it and went straight to his regular
favorites: the remote controls, the cable box, his walker, and the
door mat. Ah well, maybe next year.

Do not want

His face says it all.