Jake's Favorite Books

There is kind of an obsession with books in our house in this stage of toddler-hood. It has been going on for quite some time. I LOVE it so much, most the time. I used to long for the day Jake would bring me a book and ask to have it read. And at first, I enjoyed every time he'd do it. And I hate to say this... but there are so many times where I'm like, "kid, we read that book 5 times in a row... five minutes ago!" I know they like repetition and to hear momma's voice, etc, but sometimes it is a bit much. :) I'm sure one day I'll give anything to go back and do it over, so I try my hardest to enjoy it, even if we are rereading it for the 10th time that day.

Jake loves all books. But there are 4 books that he is just crazy about. And he has a special name for each book. He will randomly ask for these books, even when they are not in sight; especially at night time. :)

This book is called "cocoon".

Because of this page. And it is hilarious to hear him say it.

This sweet, sweet book is called, "Honey".

This book, that we have read at bedtime since he was teeny tiny, is called... "Moon".

And this book is called "BOOK". When he asks for Book, this is what he wants. And he knows every thing inside this book (besides the emotions page, I don't like it, so we always skip it ha!)

Of course he loves to turn the pages. And at the end of every book, he loves to close it and say, "THE END". So stinkin' cute.

Tonight we are trick-or-treating with Jake's buddies. Pictures to come soon of my handy costume making in action.


Happy Halloween Monday, friends!!

A Jake Kind of Day

We have hit the terrible-twos as if we were running full force and hit a brick wall. I knew my day was coming, and maybe all moms feel this way, but I feel as if I've done something wrong! Did I not spend enough time with him reading, playing outside, working on words and skills? Did I let him watch too much TV? Do I have his schedule too flexible? Do we need to go back to the very rigid scheduling? Why is he acting out like this? And WHO is this child?!

Deep down, I know that it's nothing I've done (right?!). But I still ask myself all these questions.

So, I decided, for the sake of all things Jake... that we would just have ourselves a Jake kind of day this afternoon. So, when we got home from Mops, we did whatever he wanted to do. Because, truthfully, we never do that. We do what mommy wants. I get little to no opposition, but I thought, what the heck... his attitude is not in tip-top shape and, honestly, I need some time to enjoy him rather than feel like I'm constantly in "no" mode or redirection mode. So, this is how we spent our afternoon. :)

Outside. It is his favorite place. Isn't it every little boy's? So much to explore! I wish I'd started taking pictures earlier than this. When we first went outside, we had a picnic. Then he took his chips and put them on his little lawn mower and pushed the chips all over the backyard until they fell off the mower. And then he ate them off the ground, in perfect little boy fashion.

Of COURSE we colored.

We played ball.

We looked at bugs.

We swung in the swing (notice chalk still in hand).

Shoved every piece of chalk inside of the dump truck's cab.

pushed the dump truck around with chalk in cab and lawn sign in back.

Pushed the ball in the dump truck.
FYI our big outside truck came from the Goodwill--love that place!!

Now, don't get me wrong... we go outside frequently. But today we spent literally hours outside. Like, we postponed nap time just to be doing what Jake wanted. This was quite a feat for me. In fact, I spoke with both my parents during this time, both of which were very shocked I'd let Jake stay "up" for so long. Haha. I don't feel like I'm that rigid. Maybe I'm more rigid than I thought! Anyway, we enjoyed our little fun time. And I enjoyed be able to enjoy my little boy during this crazy time of terrible twos.

Accidental and on Purpose

I was inspired by Pinterest today after "pinning" this.

I followed the link it provided and it took me to a blog and then to flickr.com. At first, I didn't really care for a lot of the letters it had shown, because I really prefer the "accidental letters and numbers" and the ones I had linked to were less accidental and more on purpose. So, my example will be mixed with accidentals and purposeful letters and numbers. Go here for accidental numbers and letters. You can really just search flickr for just about any of the letters or numbers. Some are easier to find than others. It took me a good 2 hours (yes, ashamedly, I burned away two hours of my day doing this... but wait till you see it!!!) to get mine just how I wanted it. Well, between that and all my other social media catching-up I had to do.

Here's mine!! I plan to blow it up and put it on the wall above the couch.

Ooooh, I LOVE it!!!!

Happy Monday, friends!

DJ Lance Rock

Halloween is fast approaching!! It really caught me off guard a few days ago while I was looking at costumes online with a friend. I have really loved the idea of making Jake's costumes just because I can. Last year, Jake was very bald and chubby and naturally made a great little Charlie Brown. 

See...

Last year, he had no favorite shows, or special things yet. Boy, what a difference a year makes!!! There are tons of things he loves and could be for halloween, but there IS one thing he could not live without. And if you know Jake very well, you know that thing is Yo Gabba Gabba!! I had decided he would be DJ Lance Rock. Allow me to jog your memory, or perhaps introduce you to DJ Lance.

I am fully aware that DJ Lance, along with all the other Gabbaland friends, are way creepy, but Jake LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba, so I do too!!

I have never made a full outfit before. I am crafty, sure. But I've never made real clothes before. So, I decided I'd just use a pre-made costume, as much as I really didn't want to. I actually even borrowed one from a friend. This is the costume I'd borrowed. 

It's a really cute costume and I totally would have used it, if I hadn't made THIS!...

Now trust me, up close, it is nothing special. BUT I did complete the goal of making his costume! The glue hasn't dried yet, so the ROCK is a little light still, but I LOVE how it turned out! All we need is a turtleneck to go underneath and white shoes. I used the borrowed costume as my prototype. 

See!...

Ok, the best part... I made this costume out of two women's long-sleeved shirts from Goodwill. Not kidding!! I just used my favorite pair of Jake's pants and one of his shirts that fits really well as my "pattern". It took me all morning to complete. I worked on it from 9:00-1:00. My favorite part, other than I made it, is that it was upcycled from the ugliest Halloween shirts you've ever seen!

I wish I'd have taken a picture of the shirts from before, but this is all I have... the leftovers.

Ok so I had seen this little homemade costume and I loved how the sleeves and the pants did not gather at the bottom. So, it kind of was my inspiration. Isn't this little guy cute!?

I still have to make a boombox, but that ought to be a piece of cake, comparatively. 

I'm sure there is no way I could recreate it, I'm happy I'm done with it. It was quite a challenge with the little mess running around trying to help me make his costume. I can't wait to see it on him!!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

A [Revised] Day In The Life Of...

This was the first video I uploaded to the blog, almost an entire year ago! I remember thinking little J was so big then! He didn't even have (visible) upper teeth yet! Look how little he was!

In November, I made a post entitled "A Day In the Life of..." and ran through a very detailed account of Jake's day. I just re-read it tonight, and I must say, it is amazing how much you forget and how quickly it all happens! I am so glad I have this blog, and I really hope Blogger never crashes, because I hope to read back on this one day and read all about the little things I'll probably forget.

Well, now I want to run through a day in the life of the TODDLER Jake. :)

We wake up now between 0730-0830. Today we'll go with our 0800 schedule since that's when he got up today. Yell, "MOMMY!!! DADA!!! MINNIE!!! BENCY!!!" He will start singing, or just talking "Dada-work" "I go out-side" until I muster up the oomph to get out of bed. Some mornings he will throw "Bear" or "blanky" out of his crib and then he starts yelling at them. I still hate morning, no matter the time. Side note: our schedule is not nearly as regimented as it once was. We talk for a minute. This morning he asked me about his Nena and Bop, He said "Nena? Go bye-bye? Bop, bye-bye?" He hands me Mr. Bear and blankie and we get up and change a very wet bedtime diaper. He sometimes still has a pooper for me when he gets up, but mostly he saves that for the clean, dry diaper immediately following breakfast. He's gotten to where he likes to hide when he stinks it up. We greet the dogs, let them outside, and he asks lots of "what's that's". He asks where Dada is and then we talk about Dada being at work. While I'm fixing breakfast, he comes to the kitchen and starts asking for nanas (bananas) and bilk (milk) We eat two of the following each morning, well, I guess I should say that 2 of the following are offered... he's gotten to where he is finicky from time to time.
banana
oatmeal
yogurt
fruit and grain bar
muffin
donuts
blueberries
and he has recently developed a love for my cold cereal

 I tell him to get in his chair for breakfast, referring to his high chair, and he ALWAYS climbs in the chairs at the table instead; and he sits there waiting, like I'm gonna change my mind that day. I put him in his high chair and give him breakfast. He eats several different things now. A most recent addition to his palate is biscuits & gravy and bacon. Anyone who followed me on facebook while I was pregnant with Jake knows that I was OBSESSED with eating that then. I'm happy to say that I passed on my love of biscuits and gravy to him. The one constant thing every morning, without fail, is always a cup full of milk. He sometimes still signs milk while he requests it. For a long time it was the only sign he wouldn't say the word to, but since he basically says all words he hears... he says it now. When he's done with his breakfast, he lets me know he's "all done".

0840- Play time. If I do cleaning now, he'll follow me around and "help" me clean. He likes to wipe down any and all surfaces and sweep. Or if he gets bored with it, he'll run off into his playroom to make a mess in there. He doesn't last long some days without my presence. He's gotten a little bit attached lately. Not complaining. :) But sometimes I do need a little space. So, when he gives out, we will go outside and play. The kid LOVES to be "ow-sigh". We like to go for a walk, or run errands now too. When we do run errands, I require a sweet tea from McDonald's and a certain someone in the back seat thinks we always gets "bies" (fries) when we go, so he requires a small fry. Whatever. It keeps him happy. Small price. When we go places, Jake loves to ham it up. I swear, he's better in public than he is just being at home. Thankful for that. He'll talk to anyone that will listen to him.

1130 is lunch time.

1200 is calm down time. I usually let him watch "Bickey" (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) or "Gabba Gabba", and drink some milk while he sits in his little chair watching. Some days, like today... I give him his milk while I rock him and read to him. I have to be careful though, because books have become somewhat of a stall-tactic and attention-getter lately. If I'm not paying him enough attention, he brings me a book. And if we're getting ready to go somewhere, he brings me a book. His most favorite book right now is "Bunny, My Honey" which he lovingly refers to as "Honey". He loves to say it. I love to hear it. Works out.

Sometime between 1230 and 1:30 Jake lays down for his nap. He is, for the most part, a delightful little napper-baby. And, truuuust me, I LOVE it. He sleeps for a solid 3-4 hours during his nap most days. Yes, it is wonderful. And, no, I do not take it for granted ONE BIT. In fact, on some days you may or may not find me napping for part (or possibly all) of that 3-4 hours.

4:30-5:30 - wake up time. Sometimes he wakes up in a good mood, but some days here of late he's been waking up like a bear!! Oh, man. He definitely inherited that from me. I HATE waking up!! When he gets up, he gets a snack and a little cuddling/tv watching-waker-upper. I cook dinner, or attempt to.

5:45 - Dada comes home. Exciting!! Jake and Derick play and get happy and I finish preparing dinner. We eat and then head to the living room for fun times. Sometimes we go to the park or for a walk.

8:00 - bath time, followed by a cup of milk and calling Nena and Bop.

8:45-9:00 - bedtime. This includes snuggles, "kishesh" (kisses), bedtime prayers, and a bedtime book.

Our day today wasn't exactly like this though, because we had MOPS this morning and I had a dentist visit this afternoon. But, we did both get our nap in! ;)

It is so crazy how much he's changed in a year! This time last year, he was beginning to walk. This year, he's speaking full sentences. And by full sentences, I do mean, complete ideas spoken by him... not just phrases. His first sentence was, "is it off?" lol He's up to four word sentences now. At Jake's 18 month visit he was supposed to have a 50 word vocabulary... I stopped when I got to 50, because counting that many words is silly, but 50 doesn't even touch it. He will literally say whatever you tell him to say. And sometimes it doesn't sound so cute coming out of his little mouth. Dang it, butt, shoot... these things don't sound quite so cute when repeated. I don't even really know where he picked up butt as the identifying word for his rear-end. I've always called it a "tushka" haha, like the town.

It is so unbelievable how quickly their little minds develop. Some of the things he says are just too stinkin' funny. We have a good time with that little guy. I feel like I haven't really kept Jake updates up to date so it seems like he went from saying a few words to speaking full sentences overnight. It actually feels that way day-to-day too. I don't really even know when it happened!!



In other news, Jake goes to the allergist today for a scratch test. My hcg levels STILL have not hit zero... yes, I am STILL dealing with the ridiculousness!!! The levels are close though, a week ago, they were at 23, so they are SO CLOSE!! :)

Hope this day finds you well!!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Wordless Wednesday

Oh my, my, my...

Let me start off by saying Jake is a healthy 28 1/2 pounds and is 34.5" tall. The 18 month old is almost 3 feet tall!!! He is TALL. Since May, he has gained 2.5 lbs and grown 1.5 inches. Anybody have any pointers on how to pause that growth so I can keep him little... let me know!

Jake and his "geen bawoon"

Well, as most of you might already know from my post on facebook... we now have a peanut allergy we have to be on alert about! That little guy really freaked us out good.

He has never eaten a lot of peanut butter, but it is not something we've kept from him either. In the past, I've offered him peanut butter and he's mostly refused it. Since last night, I have learned that is a sign of a food allergy. Good to know, right? The first time I offered it to him, he wouldn't even try the peanut butter and jelly sandwich... he spit it out. So, I never really gave him anything with peanut butter on it. I assumed he just didn't like it. Now what I've been told is that each encounter with the allergen may cause a more powerful response from the immune system. We were super lucky that hives, itchy eyes and a slightly swollen throat was as bad as it got! He ate peanut butter on animal crackers because he saw me eating them. He ate gobs of peanut butter. Literally within minutes of having ingested it, the kid had welts all over his face, neck and hands. His eyeballs and eyelids were bright red and they apparently were itching him really bad. He was rubbing his eyes and crying, "eyes! eyes, mommy!!" :( The bottle of benadryl, like most other medicines, does not say what to give a child under the age of 4. It says consult with a physician. Well, I didn't have time to do that, so he got a half teaspoon initially. Once we found out he should have had a full teaspoon, he was starting to make funny noises with his throat and was drooling... these are signs of an impending closure of the airway. Not good. Anyway, gave him the second half and with very watchful waiting, he started to feel better. However, anywhere he touched (because he obviously had peanut butter on his hands) brought hives back. So, he was quickly put in the tub for an early bath. And to think, we were literally headed out the door to go to church! I am the "everything's fine, he'll be ok" parent (because that's how I was raised lol) and Derick is much the opposite, probably because someone usually did have something wrong with them in his family. Jake's aunt actually had/has a ton of food allergies and it is familial. It was something I was really hoping my kids wouldn't inherit. But, I didn't get so lucky. Things could be worse, though! I'll take a peanut allergy any day over some of the things some kids have to go through. :) Anyway, Derick was right in this instance, but my calm presence was definitely necessary too. I'm proud to say that my calm-everyone-down-nurse instincts took over instead of my mommy-panic mode. Thank you very much. :)

Last night, we began our journey into the world of allergies. I was hoping to scathe past this part of parenthood. Oh well, here we go. Let the learning begin!

Today, we saw Jake's pediatrician. She gave us the basic run-down on food allergies, a few prescriptions for some emergency drugs, and a referral to a couple allergists in town. Jake had a lab draw-just allergy tests, and the boy has definitely inherited the good veins his daddy and I possess. That little AC was a beaut if I do say so myself! He was absolutely hilarious while he got his blood drawn. I was super nervous. It definitely didn't help that the kid before screamed her ever loving little head off. That made me nervous. Jake had no idea, so that made me sad for him. We got back there and the lady was like, "You guys wait here, I have to wait on my co-worker to help me hold him down". Greaaaaaat. It's already sounding worse than I had pictured it. They sat him in my lap, had me hold his free hand down, strapped on the "big arm hug" lol aka the tourniquet, and bam... stuck his wittle AC vein and drew out 10mls of blood from my little brave boy. Jake, he just sat there and watched them. Didn't make as much as a peep. He really wanted to take the tourniquet off, so he was trying to catch it with his mouth while they were getting the blood. Haha! What that means is, that the lady drawing the lab was really, really good. I've had a lot of lab drawn lately, and I've drawn quite a bit in my time and the amount of pain felt during the draw is a direct effect of the phlebotomists skills. We got a good one today, thankfully, because my brave boy didn't hardly feel a thing! AND the best part... he got a Mickey Mouse sticker AND a Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba sticker too!! ;-)

We will follow up with the allergist next week. I'm anxious to find out what all we should be avoiding. I feel like I should only be feeding him vegetables and fruit until then! But I think we'll remain cautiously optimistic until then.

Jake is just as happy-go-lucky as he was yesterday afternoon. You'd never know anything happened. I love that wild kid so very, very much! And his new take-everywhere-friends the Epi-pen JR, Orapred and Benadryl. I think we'll all get along just fine. :)

Happy Thursday, friends!