11 Months

 I can't believe my little boy is going to be 1 in a month! This year has gone by so fast... But he is back to being his perfect little happy self again which means I'm back to loving being a mom! I've decided Jacob goes through insecurity fazes where he just wants to be held all the time and isn't content and just grouchy. This last one started at 9 months and lasted for about 6 weeks. This exact same thing happened when Jacob was 2 months old and lasted for the same amount of time. So I don't know exactly what causes them, but I know that they will end, and I will get my happy baby back.

Jacob is now 18 lbs 12 oz which means he has finally, officially doubled he birth weight! YAY! He has also been growing a lot and is 28 1/2" tall. I feel like Jacob's personality is really starting to show. He is such a people person, and even though he doesn't always want to go to someone, he hardly ever cries if someone he doesn't know holds him and he smiles at EVERYONE. I also feel like he is a problem solver. We got him a new little

tykes play set to climb on and no matter how many times he's lost his balance or gets in tricky situations he has never fallen. He always figures out a way to get out of it. I think it helps that he has terrific balance and such a strong core as well. I also feel like he is a fast learner (which probably all babies are, haha). We have started doing just the very basics of sign language with him. And haven't even really been that consistent with it, but he has already started figuring out what more means and signing it on his own. He is also starting to figure out all done and has signed it a few times. Although he isn't starting to talk at all I do think he is starting to understand more words. And he did say his first word about a week ago, "ball".

Jacob took his first steps a few days before turning 11 months old and will take a couple steps walking back and forth between me and Scott. He might be walking by a year old afterall! I really just thought he'd be walking by now.... He starting crawling so early that I thought for sure by 10 months at the latest he'd be walking. But he just likes crawling. He just doesn't see any benefits to walking. In his eyes walking is slow, and crawling is fast.
Jacob has gotten 4 teeth this past month which brings his total to 5. He also discovered he has holes in his ears and likes to stick his fingers in them and plays with his ears all the time. He has also taken to monkey crawling if he is crawling on hard surfaces or transitioning from one floor surface type to another. I think it's the cutest thing.

I feel like Jacob is starting to also pick up on everyday patterns. Like if I'm getting him dressed if I'm putting his shirt on he'll automatically just hold up his arm for me to put thru the hole then when that's done he'll hold up the other one. And when I'm putting on his socks he'll hold out his foot for me to put it on, then hold out the other one. I think it's so cute. He also knows the first thing we do when we come down the stairs in the morning is open the blinds.

Jacob's eating has gone from bad to worse. I really just don't know what to do about it. He has now stopped eating all veggies. Pureed or not. And will eat pancakes, rolls and fruit... He is still nursing 4-5 times a day so at least we have that going for us. On a positive note, as of about a week ago I'm pretty sure Jacob has starting sleeping though the night! YAY! He went about 5 days sleeping through the night in a row. Then he got sick with Roseola and that kind of threw things off a bit. But I hope he will go back to sleeping through the night when he is over being sick... I guess we'll have to see.

10 Months

 

 

Well.. This past month has not been the most enjoyable month of Jacob's life. I think the two main contributors to this are A) Teething, and B) Going from being the world's greatest eater to the worlds pickiest eater within a two day span. Back to those later though.

 

Jacob is now 2 months from being a year old! I just think it's crazy... I can't believe how fast time has gone by and how much Jacob has grown and developed. Jacob is now 18 lbs 3 oz. Still hasn't quite doubled his birth weight yet, but will for sure by next month. I didn't get Jacob's height this month but his 6-9 month clothes are starting to get a little small so I know he's got to be growing a little.

I guess Jacob's biggest achievement this month has been getting a tooth! I felt bitter/sweet about him getting teeth. With out them he was still just my little baby. It was just one of those big mile-stones they pass that means they're growing up. And it makes sense why he has been such a huge grouch this past month! I didn't even realize he was getting it, so he's probably just been in pain. One day I just decided to look in his month and there was a tooth there! His top left tooth. I also noticed that it looked like he was getting 3 more teeth. The right top and the two middle bottom. Talk about when it rains it pours... Jacob also finally learned how to click his tongue! He's been working at it for that past couple months and got it figured out. He also makes the most adorable 

scrunchy face you've ever seen! He now started scrunching up his face if you try to feed him something he doesn't want to eat. I love it :) He will also wave good-bye occasionally. It's really cute when he does but he doesn't do it very often. When you wave at him he just stares at you like what are you doing. Then when you stop waving he will sometimes return it. But it's kind of funny because he wont do it while your doing it. 

We also taught him how to throw a ball. This kid just loves balls of all kinds and sizes. If it's big he wants to kick it, if it's small he wants to throw it. We hope now that he throws the ball Cricket will play fetch with him! But that much take some more training and treats on Cricket's part.

 

We got to experience Jacob's first stomach bug this last month as well. Now I do not do well with throw-up. But I feel I did pretty good with Jacob's. And I feel like we got the WHOLE experience just from him being sick once. It all started when Scott went to check on him before we went to bed and discovered him sleeping in a pile of throw up. Covered head to foot. Poor thing, he didn't even cry. Just threw up, then went back to sleep. So we got to wake him up, undress him, give him a bath, strip his bedding, get new bedding all around midnight. Thankfully he went back to sleep quickly. Not before throwing up a few more times. Once on me and the other in his bed again... The next morning I get to practice my catching throw up in my hand skills. And I have to say I didn't do to bad.... Now thankfully this only lasted about 12 hours then he was done throwing up. Unfortunately, Jacob will now not eat anything! Meal times are a nightmare where Jacob is screaming

Green pancakes!

 the whole time and by the end I'm just so frustrated I never want to feed him again. And he was such a good eater before! He would eat anything we put in front of him. So that has taken some time to get used to. I still offer him a variety of food every day, but he will only eat like 2% of what I offer him. Thankfully he will still eat his pureed veggies and fruits. Only if they are pureed. And he will eat pancakes and spaghetti. That pretty much sums it up. And we are still nursing 4-5 times a day. But I think I can officially say that meal times are by far my least favorite time of day... Good thing he's so cute to make up for it.... One thing I can say that is a bonus. Jacob will not spit out his food. If he tries something he doesn't like then he just wont take anymore if you try to offer it to him. But he won't spit it out. Now he's starting to realize if he doesn't open his mouth then he doesn't have to try to new foods either. So that's kind of a pain. Especially if it's something I'm pretty sure he'll like. I just have to force it into his mouth.

 Jacob loves anything he can climb on. His walker is now one of his favorites. One day Scott noticed that he had pushed it up to the piano, and then climbed up on it so he could play it. It was pretty funny. Still no walking though. I thought with how quickly he was learning everything else that he would for sure be walking by now. But it seems the desire how left him because he can get anywhere he wants and climb on anything he can by just crawling around. And he's a pretty fast crawler. He is starting to get better at standing though and will sometimes stand up just so he can clap 

Can't get enough of these cute jeans and the Boy wearing them!

or something like that. Jacob also loves playing pick-a-boo with a blanket. Especially if he's locked in his car seat. He'll pull the blanket over his head and uncover it all on his own. It's pretty cute.

I think I can officially say Jacob is only waking up once a night! YAY!!!! I've always felt like Jacob was a good sleeper. I think if it weren't for his adaptability to change so easily it would be hard to do all the things Scott and I enjoy doing with him. If he couldn't handle his schedule changing all the time then it would be a lot harder to get out and do the things we love. Jacob is taking two naps a day that total between the two of them about 3 hours. He goes to bed around 8 and wakes up around 8.

9 Months

I am LOVING this stage with Jacob! He has just been so much fun! I feel like he's achieved a new level of awareness and he just plays and jibber/jabber's all day. We had a doctor appointment this month (no shots!) and Jacob is weighing 17 lbs 9 oz and is STILL 27 1/2 inches tall.... Keep this up kid and your not going to pass your dad up in hieght!... If anyone has noticed, Jacob has a slight yellow complexion and so Dr. Ward wanted to do some tests to make sure he doesn't have jaundice. So we went over to ERMC to do some blood work and take a urine sample. So right when we got there I attached a bag that has sticky tabs at the top so you can basically attached it around his penis so when he pees it will go into the bag. Then they poked his heel to draw so blood, but because Jacobs feed are starting to get so much muscle it wasn't really

Bandage from getting poked for blood.

working. So then they poked him in his arm to get the blood. After that they realized Dr. Ward wanted a catheter urine sample and not just a pee in the bag urine sample. But just at that moment another baby came in to get some blood work done so we had to wait for them. Well, after over an hour of being there (of which the whole time he was still wearing the pee bag AND he still hadn't peed) we were finally ready to do the catheter. The doctor said he took the bag off, turned around to grab the catheter, and Jacob peed everywhere... Except in the bag. So they put the catheter in anyway to try to get any urine but Jacob had emptied his bladder. It was a little frustrating to be there for over an hour and still not get anything. So we had to come back in a few hours and try again and thankfully they were able to get a sample! Because I think Jacob and I were both tired of Jacob's penis getting poked! All test came back normal, which didn't surprise me. He's been yellow for a long time and I'm pretty sure it's just because the majority of his food comes from veggies.

We did start Jacob on yogurt and eggs this past month. He seems to like them both a lot. When it comes to food I feel like I haven't really pushed him as hard. Probably just because I'm lazy and it's just easier to puree all his food and feed it to him with his feeder. Although, I really hate making baby food. It's just so tedious and takes a long time. Time, that I don't have because I'm trying to work 30 hours a week which is hard enough as it is. But still, its easy once the food is made, and Jacob eats it the best from his feeder.

I am pretty positive that Jacob is going to be a climber. Like the type of climber you find on top of your fridge climber. My mom pointed out that he does watch Scott and I climb rocks all the time so he's just using us as him perfect example. Which is probably true. No, he is not climbing on the fridge yet. Yes, he has started climbing on,

 or in, everything he can.

He has learned how to open the cupboard doors by himself and loves getting into them.

So of course we have bought baby proofing clips for the doors but they apparently aren't adult proof because I forget they are there, open the door, and snap! They break. We have already gone there multiple on each of the doors because I break them. The first time he climbed up on the stool I was baking, and I could feel him next to me but didn't realize what he was doing and the next thing I know his little hand is reaching on top of the counter, I look down and he is standing on top of the stool next to me. I had to laugh.


Jacob started giving high fives this past month. I feel like it took a while to learn because every time we would try to give him a high five he would act like we were punishing him and he would get the most emotionally hurt expression on his face (like you broke his favorite toy) and shy away from you. It was so cute, but so sad at the same time. But once he finally realized we weren't punishing him, or hurting him in some way he thought it was fun! He also constantly does the sign language sign for dad. I don't know
 what he thinks it means, but he does it all the time! Also, when hen he doesn't want something, instead of yelling like he used to do, he will now hold his chin down to his chest if you try to offer it to him.  No, this does not mean he has stopped yelling. He is getting more and more opinionated as he grows up. And yells to let you know it. It's actually been kind of hard because at times Jacob will know exactly what he wants. I'll have no clue what he wants, but if I don't give him what he wants he'll yell and start to throw a little fit.


Jacob loves piano's and music. If Jacob is in a bad mood 9 times out of 10 if you start singing to him it will change his whole mood around.

We have recently started listening to a lot of Disney music and he seems to like that. I think he will always love music. Because he always has. He still hates getting diaper changes, changing clothes and getting out of the bath. It's really frustrating because he will not hold still when I lay him down to change him. I get after him and get after him, but I swear he is head strong. He knows he's not supposed to do it but he does it anyway. Most of the time with a huge grin on his face. He finally has figured out how to go down the stairs and I love it cuz now I don't have to worry about him around the stairs! I was sad though because at first he would go down them so carefully and stay as close to the stair as he could as he slid down. Then when he would hit the bottom he wouldn't realize it was the last step so he would continue to slide on the tile till he was laying flat. Then when he was out stretched completely and didn't hit another stair he would realize he was at the bottom and then crawl away from them. I really wanted to get a video of this but the camera was lost. By the time we found the camera he had figured out that he didn't need to do that anymore. But I did get a video of him going up and down them!

We also got to experience a double ear infection this past month. It was so sad because I could tell he was just in sooooo much pain and so miserable. We were on vacation and didn't know it was an ear infection and just didn't get him into a doctor until we had got back, which was 2 days of him having the infection. I have just never seen him look so awful in my life! His whole dameener what just so so sad. I was glad when we finally got some antibiotics in him and medicine!

Fell asleep standing in his crib. Love it!

Jacob's is now going to sleep around 9:30 to 10 and waking up around 7 and 8. I think we really messed up his schedule with our life style and trips. He's still getting up twice a night about half the time and taking two naps a day.

8 Months

Jacob is now 16 lbs 10 oz and hasn't grown at all.... Still sitting at 27 1/2" tall. Definitely has slowed down his growing. For the past couple months he's only gained 7 oz each month and has only grown 1/2 inch. But I'm ok with it. I think this is as much as I weighed when I turned a year old. So he's doing better then I was.

This past month Jacob has mastered pulling himself up on everything. And it was kind of funny because he didn't know how to get back down after he pulled himself down so when he was ready to get down he would just start yelling until someone came over and helped him get down. Thankfully it wasn't long before he decided he was tired of either falling off whatever he was holding onto or waiting for someone to come help him so he decided to learn to get down himself. I just love how calculated and careful his thinking process is as he tries to get down. :)

Jacob started getting up in his crib as well. And let me tell you, I was NOT excited about it.... Because before when I would lay Jacob down for a nap he would just lay there contently and eventually fall asleep. Now as soon as I lay him down he stands in his crib and just cries and cries. And I have to go in a couple of times and lay him back down before he'll finally go to sleep. For some reason even after he'd learned to get himself down from standing up it took him a couple weeks to figure out he could do it while standing in his crib as well. It was sure nice when he did though, cuz then I could just let him stand up and cry as long as he wanted then he'd eventually lay back down and go to sleep. To go along with his pulling himself up on everything he also has started to walk along the furniture and even stood by himself without holding onto anything! I really think he's going to be walking within the next month or so! (Or maybe I shouldn't be excited about that... ) It was only for a few seconds but it's a start!

Apparently dad sneezing is pretty funny....

I think Jacob is going to be a soccer lover! At one of our soccer games we were warming up and Scott was holding Jacob and whenever the ball would come to Scott and he would kick it Jacob would just laugh and laugh. He thought it was the funniest thing! It was sooooo cute! I will not complain in the slightest if he is. :) Jacob is also such a little flirter. In church he just flirts with everyone
 behind us. And if you aren't giving him attention he'll tilt his head down so that your forced to look at him. I love it, I think it's the cutest thing! Jacob has also started banging his hands on things while alternating hands. He especially loves doing it on the new high chair we got him! We used to just feed him sitting on the ground and he'd just sit there the whole time. We had to break down and get a high chair when Jacob decided he didn't want to just sit there anymore and it would be more fun to try to climb on you to get the food. The high chair is nice though!

We started feeding Jacob finger food about a month ago but he started figuring out how to actually feed himself just after turning 7 months. So that's been fun. I love watching the concentration it takes for him to get the food in his finger, then up to his mouth without dropping it. I started Jacob on more chucky solids this month and he seems to like them. I don't like them because I can't use the feeder with them. So as of now I'm feeding him fruit for breakfast, then veggies for lunch and dinner, nursing every 2-3 hours.

Crickets dog bones are the best though!

Jacob does not like getting his diaper changed or changing his clothes. As soon as you lay him down he just starts screaming. Its kind of annoying actually.

 He also doesn't like getting out of the tub. I think because then, he has to get a diaper on and put clothes on. But he does love when you hold onto his hands and let him walk/run around with your help! He also learned the new emotion fear this past month. Jacob has been kind of starting to climb up the stairs more. I swear he had no fear before. But then he took a nice trip down my parents full flight of stairs and I think that jogged some fear into him because now he just avoids the stairs altogether. I think it's a good thing because he was starting to get a little out of hand thinking he was invisible. Now he at least takes a little time to consider something before diving into it. We are trying to teach him how to go down them but so far he isn't catching on.

Because Jacob loves cricket so much we have now been forcing Cricket to play with Jacob... notice I say force Cricket because she would never do it on her own. We started this when I noticed one day Jacob crawl over to Crickets toy, pick it up, then wave it around trying to get Cricket to come play tug of war with her like we do with Cricket. It was to cutest thing!

Jacob is still getting up a couple times a night. I swear he'll never sleep through the night... And has gone down to only taking 2 naps a day. He is going to bed anywhere between 8 and 9:30 and getting up between 7 and 8. I liked it more when he'd sleep in till 9 or 10! But at least I got a kid that would sleep in at all. Even if it was only for a few months!