Sing...Sing a Song.....

Yesterday, Jacob, Annabelle and I headed out to Toys R Us do buy a few birthday gifts for friends. On the way home, Jacob started singing:

JACOB: "I cwyin in the fields..I cwyin in the grass.....I don't know where it is...I don't know where it is...I hafta know where it is....I hafta know where it is...ffffffffffff-faaaaaah.....fffffffff-aaaaaaaaah."

I listened for a few minutes, trying to figure out what song he was singing. No luck. I had no idea.

ME: "Jacob, where did you hear that song?"
JACOB: "I heard it in my ear......it's a gweat song."
ME: "You heard it in your ear?"
JACOB: "I heard it in my ear! It's a gweat song! You like it mama?"
ME: "Yes, I like it."
JACOB: "Uh-huh. Mama like it."

He's so funny!

Fun at The Dentist Office

Are you perplexed by the title? The dentist...FUN?????? Is that possible? It is if you're two! I took Jacob to the dentist for the first time today and it went extremely well. The whole experience was fantastic! I wish grown-ups could go to pediatric dentists!

Even the waiting room was great. While we waited, Jacob played a bowling game on a Wii (well...sort of. He really just waved the wii-mote around...a lot!) and watched a movie in the movie room with another little boy. While they were "watching" the movie, the little boy looked at me and said, "You know what?......when my Mommy and Daddy were little, they jumped off a bridge." I wasn't really sure what he was talking about, but before I could even respond, Jacob chimed in. "I yuv my Daddy...I yuv him." (yuv means love, in case you didn't know). I dont know where that came from, but it was very sweet.

When it was Jacob's turn to have his teeth cleaned, he climbed into the big green chair like he knew exactly what to do. At first, he was a little hesitant to lay all the way back, but that didn't last long...especially when he saw the TV on the ceiling. The hygenist let him choose which toothpaste flavor he wanted. They have so many flavors! Jacob chose chocolate chip cookie dough. Weird, huh? Throughout the cleaning process, Jacob kept saying, "Mmmmmmm...dat's yummy!" When his teeth were all clean, he got to pick out a toy from the toy box and he had already gotten a Spiderman sticker when he got up in the chair. Cookie dough toothpaste...a sticker...a toy.....he was a happy camper!

As soon as we got home, Jacob took his little bag with his new toothbrush, floss and vanilla ice cream flavored toothpaste (I kinda want to try that) and ran to the bathroom sink. "Brush my teeth! Brush my teeth" he yelled. Unfortunately, I couldn't let him brush his teeth because of the flouride treatment he received. He can't brush until tomorrow morning. He actually cried because he couldn't brush his teeth.

I am sooooo happy Jacob did so well today. I knew he would. He's always been good for the doctor, so I figured he'd behave the same way for the dentist. I remember my first trip to the dentist. It was about as far from fun as you can get. I remember sitting in the big chair crying and screaming. Mom was sitting in the room across from me. I kept yelling, "I just want to give my mama a hug!" but the dentist wouldn't let me. I was terrified. I don't know why. I'm sure he was a perfectly nice man. And he just wanted to clean my teeth.

Why are people so afraid of the dentist? I've actually known people who have only been to the dentist once in their life because they are too scared to go back. I wouldn't say I enjoy going to the dentist, but it's not terrible. I guess I've just gotten used to it. In fact, at my last visit, I didn't even scream to give my mama a hug. :)

A FEW RANDOM PICTURES

Sometimes when Annabelle is supposed to be taking a nap, I'll walk past her room and see two little eyes (or one, in this picture) peeking up at me through the slats. So cute!

Walking in Daddy's shoes

I don't know why he decided to lay on the floor, but Jacob loves his frog raincoat! He wore it a lot last week!

I call this.....Chocolate Heaven! While visiting my parents a couple weeks ago, we ate at a great deli and I had to order this cake for the pure novelty of it. I mean, have you ever seen a slice of cake so big??? I also heard it calling my name from the dessert case when we walked in. Yes...I shared...a little. :)

Celebrating Memorial Day

How did we celebrate Memorial Day? I'm sure we celebrated just as everybody else did -- with peas, a backache, and fiddler crabs.

Annabelle is becoming quite the eater...when she wants to. She is very finicky, eating entire jars of food one day and absolutely nothing the next. On Memorial Day, she tried peas for the first time. I was anxious to find out how she would react to this green deliciousness (HA!). Surprisingly, she loved it! She ate the entire jar and wanted more! Can you believe it?! I guess she takes after her brother because Jacob has always loved peas. Although, now, he will only eat frozen peas. He rejects peas from a can.

I've found the best way to feed her is to strip her down to her diaper -- no bib. When she's wearing a bib, she tries to eat it along with her food. That makes an even bigger mess...if you can believe that!

Heath hurt his back over the weekend and could barely move for a couple days. He's doing much better now, thank goodness. Despite the backache, we decided we should at least get out of the house for a while, especially since it wasn't raining. It seems like it has rained almost everyday lately...and not just a little rain....downpours. We loaded Jacob and Annabelle up in the car and went for a drive.

We got in the car without a plan, so we just drove around for a while. That actually worked out well because both kids took a nap. We finally ended up around Hunting Island. The line to get into the state park was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long, so instead, we stopped at a boardwalk that stretched out over the marsh. It was such a beautiful day!

For Jacob, the highlight of our walk was seeing fiddler crabs. "Hi little crabs!" he said.

It's funny...Jacob does not like to walk through sand. There were a couple places along the walk that were pretty sandy (think beach sand) and everytime Jacob took a step he whined and looked up at me. "Hold you! Hold you!" he cried. He wanted me to pick him up because he hates walking through thick sand. He does the same thing at the beach. I guess some people don't like the feeling of sand in their toes. He's one of them.

When we're in the car, I can't help but laugh at Jacob because he is ALWAYS bobbing his head to the music. It doesn't have to be any particular kind of music, just as long as it has a beat. He can't help himself. The boy has rhythm. What can I say?

Mother's Day '09

I remember my first mother's day as being almost a little surreal. I couldn't believe I was actually a mother! Becoming a mommy is one of those things you dream about for years, then when it actually happens, you just can't believe it. I mean that in a good way, of course. I was so excited to get a cute little "I love my mommy" card from Jacob along with a teddy bear that I'm sure he picked out all by himself :). All those surreal feelings were doubled this year. God has certainly poured out his blessings on me with these two precious children. Jacob and Annabelle are the joys of my life and I thank Him everyday for my family.

For me, Mother's Day '08 was marked by a severe case of morning sickness, so this year was considerably better as far as that goes! We celebrated the day by first going to church, then going out for a Mother's Day lunch at Carrabba's. Going out to lunch anywhere on Sunday is always an adventure for us because we never know how Jacob will behave. On a typical Sunday, he falls asleep in the car before we even drive out of the parking lot. True to form, he fell asleep on this particular day too. When we got to the restaurant, I wasn't sure if we should go in or not. Believe me, waking up Jacob from a nap is never a good thing. Annabelle was asleep too, but at least she's in a carrier, so we can take her out of the car and let her sleep as long as she chooses. Heath and I went back and forth for a few minutes trying to decide what to do before we finally agreed to go in and have lunch.

I often wonder, excatly how obnoxious and loud do you have to be before you get kicked out of a restaurant? I am sure we have come close on several occasions, this day included. Just as we suspected, Jacob was not a happy camper and he wanted to make that known to the public. I have to say, he did a good job. Then, of course, while we were dealing with him, Annabelle woke up and wanted some attention as well. Thankfully, they both settled down for a little while, allowing Heath and I just enough time to scarf down our food. It was delicious, by the way :) I am a dessert person, but I decided to forfeit this time knowing if we didn't leave soon, our two little volcanoes may erupt again. All in all, it was a nice lunch. I can't say that it was relaxing, but it was nice.

So, back to where I said Jacob and Annabelle are the joys of my life. They truly are. I know I've said this many times before, but not a day goes by when they don't make me laugh. For example......

Do you remember the way George McFly laughed in Back to the Future? If not, here is a link to refresh your memory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wy4wq_lTbc

This is Jacob's best attempt at the George McFly laugh. At the end, he says it's the monkey laugh. I'm not sure where he came up with that.

He loves playing with (in) this laundry basket. Sometimes he puts it over his head and walks around the house saying it's his helmet. Other times, it's a cage for his animals. I'm not sure what he was pretending today, but he and the giraffes were having a fun time.

Annabelle is THE messiest eater I have ever known! She can't eat anything without getting it all over her and everything around her. She usually chases each bite with a thumb suck which adds to the mess. C'mon...you are six months old, Annabelle...and you've been eating from a spoon for TWO whole weeks now. I think it's about time to start keeping the food IN your mouth! HA!

A little bit of food...a little bit of thumb

Although she makes "icky" faces in the video, she has grown to love sweet potatoes. Now, she gets really excited when she sees that yummy orange stuff, and can hardly wait for the next bite. She can polish off an entire jar in no time!

Here I grow...a little bit, anyway!

Annabelle went to the doctor last Monday for her 6 month check up and all is well. She is a perfectly healthy baby. I was, however, surprised to hear that she had moved down into the 5th-10th percentile from the 50th where she was at her last visit. I was a little concerned, but the doctor assured me she is just fine and it is common for babies to reach a plateau with their weight around six to nine months of age. Annabelle now weighs 13 pounds, 9 ounces and is 24 1/4 inches long. Actually, I am used to the lower numbers because Jacob was always on the smaller side until he was around 18 months old.

First Bites

Food is a wonderful thing. (Boy, that's profound, huh?) I love a good meal, especially one that ends with dessert, preferably chocolate. Yum. By the way, if you haven't tried the Midnight Truffle blizzard from Dairy Queen, you should. It is delicious!! I just finished eating one and am now feeling a tad guilty for indulging. Oh well. I think it was well worth it.

Funny that I decided to have a blizzard tonight after having several "fat days" this week. Ever had one of those? If you say no, you're lying. You know, one of those days when everything you put on looks or feels too tight...when everything makes you look fat...when you look in the mirror and....whoa...helloooooo, muffin top! I don't necessarily like "fat days," but they do provide excellent motivation to work out extra hard, which is what I plan to do (especially after eating that blizzard)!

So, back to my original statement...food is a wonderful thing........

Annabelle has now entered the world of solid foods. Well, sort of. She had her first taste of rice cereal on Saturday. Baby's first rice cereal is more like rice soup, but it is considered solid food, nonetheless. I forgot how messy this stuff can be. In, it goes and out, it comes. Her bath schedule has changed from nighttime, to immediately after she eats cereal. :)

She still isn't proficient at eating from a spoon, but it's only been a week. I don't think she really cares for the "yummy" rice cereal either. Maybe she'll enjoy sweet potatoes. We'll see. That will be her next food. Jacob loved sweet potatoes, but he also loved the rice cereal. He was such a big eater. I still think it's funny that complete strangers would come up to me in restaurants to comment on how much my baby was eating. "I've never in my life seen a baby eat so much!" they would say. One woman told me she was sure Jacob would grow up to be a football player if he kept eating like that. His eating has tapered off quite a bit, but then, he does have those occasional bottomless pit days, like last week when he ate four bananas.

1-2-3- close your eyes!

The other day, I dressed Jacob and Annabelle in their brother / sister shirts and decided to take a few pictures. This is, by far, the funniest one. I laugh out loud every time I see it.

And no, I did not ask them to close their eyes (as if they would listen). It was a total coincidence that they both blinked when the flash went off.

Side note: I am very upset right now. I had so many more cute pictures to post, but something went terribly wrong with our memory card and all the pictures and videos I took this week are gone (along with several other older photos that I never transferred to the computer). Agggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh! Technology can be so aggravating sometimes!

And just like that, she's sitting up!

Annabelle is 6 months old now and very proud of it! She's getting to be such a big girl! Take a look:

Seriously, where has the time gone? I think we're on super speed warp or something! She doesn't know it yet, but Annabelle has a big day ahead of her tomorrow too. She's going to be trying out some delicious rice cereal. Oh boy! Yes, I will post a video. :)

She is so expressive now. She makes the funniest faces and noises. Most recently, she's taken to puckering her lips and breathing really hard through her nose. So funny. She does this for no apparent reason. This week, she put herself on a new schedule. Instead of sleeping until 8:30 or 9:00 AM, she's decided she likes waking up a bit earlier -- 5:45 or 6:00 AM. I don't particularly like this new schedule, but I can't complain even one little bit. She still sleeps through the night from about 9:30 PM until morning. She's done this for months now. Not bad, huh?

"Just Like The Wiggles Did"

Wednesday afternoon was...let me find a word.....interesting. We had gone to Publix earlier that day and Jacob fell asleep in the car on the way. I knew, then, it would be difficult to get him to take a nap later. (Even five minutes of sleep in the car can ruin a nap.) After lunch, I told him it was naptime and he went to bed willingly. Annabelle went to bed willingly too, and fell asleep immediately. Jacob, however, had other plans. He sat in his bed for an hour, playing, "reading" books, singing songs, etc... I waited and waited for him to go to sleep so that I could get in the shower. I finally gave up and asked him if he wanted to sit on the couch and watch a movie while I got ready. Usually, I can count on a movie to keep him occupied so he won't get into trouble...usually. Soon after I finished, Jacob came running into the bedroom with a big grin and a mouth full of food. I asked him what he was eating and he could barely get the word "banana" out because his mouth was so full. As we walked into the kitchen, he pointed to the floor. There, in front of us, were four banana peels...and yes, Jacob had eaten all FOUR bananas. These weren't small bananas either. FOUR BANANAS!!! He had started on the fifth, but was unsuccessful. The fifth banana had a bite mark right through the middle, peel and all. I said, "Jacob, you ate FOUR bananas??!!??!!??!!" He replied, "I eat foh bananas...just like the Wiggles did!" In one of his Wiggles movies, one of the Wiggles eats four bananas. So, yes, he was right. He did eat four bananas, just like The Wiggles did. When Heath got home that evening, I told him Jacob was ready for a bath and bed -- no dinner. I figured four bananas qualified as a meal.

Later on that day, as I was feeding Annabelle, I noticed the house was extra quiet and you know what that means -- somebody is up to no good. I called for Jacob. No answer. I called again. Still no answer. I called several more times and yelled, "If you don't come in here right NOW, I'm taking Mr. Monkey's cousin away." Still, no Jacob. I finally had to get up and search for him. I found him in our bathroom. The rug was soaked (so was the floor) and there he was standing there with a now practically empty bottle of contact solution. "See?? I pour it on the foor. See??" he said. "Yes, I see." As I put the bottle back on the counter I said, " Why didn't you come when I asked you to? I told you if you didn't come into the living room, I was going to take away Mr. Monkey's cousin. So, now I am putting him up and you can't have him back until tomorrow." What??? What did I just say??? Tomorrow??? I didn't really mean to say, "tomorrow," but after I said it, I couldn't take it back and I knew I had to stick with the punishment. Boy, that was a rough night...for Heath. I went to choir practice, so Heath was the one who put Jacob to bed...without his best friend, Mr. Monkey's cousin. Jacob screamed and cried for over an hour before he finally went to sleep. He even cried through his bedtime story.

I have to say, that may have been a rough night, but I think that punishment worked. Yesterday, Jacob actually listened and obeyed. All I had to say was, "Remember, if you don't do what I say, Mr. Monkey is going bye-bye again." Hey, whatever works, right?

Mealtimes are still as exciting as ever. In this video, Jacob pretended his carrot sticks were people and his cheese was a "doggie's bone" ( he bit it into the shape of a dog bone). On another occasion, he brushed his teeth with a carrot and used ranch dressing for toothpaste. Yesterday, he had to play doctor to a crouton who got a boo-boo.

Right after I turned the camera off, Jacob put his cheese to bed in between the lunchmeat slices. This kid has some imagination!