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!