December 2010 - Jacob 17 months

December was a month full of family gatherings, and we spent more than a week at home together - away from work and day care.  Jacob's grandparents visited for almost two weeks, and we had a great time. 

At day care, Jacob started sleeping in a cot in preparation for the transition from baby room to toddler room.  Finally now that he started walking he is ready for the next step - just in time for the annual rate increase Jacob will no longer be at the highest baby room rate.  Wow, day care is quite expensive, but we've been extremely impressed with the curriculum, care, and love he's received in his first year.  He loves the art activities, outdoor play, dancing, and of course the food and snacks.

Jacob continues to be a very good eater, but this month 'more' was a word he used quite frequently.  It gets confusing because he says the word (and does the sign language) for 'more', but it could mean that he wants anything.  We have to be creative to try to figure out what he wants more of - could be a pacifier, food, milk, water.  Unfortunately that pacifier is desired more frequently, and we usually give in because we don't want him to scream in public or just in general we like to 'keep the peace' at home.  Jacob only uses the pacifier during his daily 2 hour nap at day care, but as soon as he's picked up at the end of the day or first thing in the morning that's what he wants.  We need to find a plan to be stronger and NOT give it to him every time he asks.

Jacob also LOVES dogs.  'wow-wow' is another of his favorite words.  He got many dog Christmas gifts, and he loved them: pillow-pet, tall Dalmatian (look very real), stuffed animal dogs, musical plastic dog, etc.  Jacob had a lot of fun this year opening all his Christmas gifts and he's having fun playing with all the fun new things in his play rooms.

Jacob is becoming a good walker, and he's trying to run.  On Christmas day, he tried to chase the kids back and forth across the yard.  I saw him sitting alone in the corner - he was taking a break and exhausted.  Poor little guy, but the exercise is good.  He's maintaining about 30 lbs and he's getting longer.  Jacob no longer looks like a plump little baby - he's a tall, slim boy!  My baby is a toddler now : )

Mejia Family reflecting on 2010

As 2010 comes to a close, we fondly reflect upon all the great experiences our family has had together this year.  We’ve enjoyed watching Jacob learn to crawl and recently start walking.  We had a large gathering of friends and family in July to celebrate Jacob’s 1^st birthday, including Manuel’s family from Mexico.

We’ve had so many blessings and wonderful experiences watching Jacob grow.  Jacob is big, healthy, happy and full of smiles.  He’s also very observant, intelligent, sometimes impatient, but also very loving.  Jacob loves music and he dances to all kinds of music, even classical.  He says many words, including: ma-ma, da-da, ball, bird, more, milk, uh-oh, car, dog, wow-wow (referring to a dog or any other animal: bear, cat, etc.).  Jacob also uses baby sign language when he wants ‘more’ to eat or is ‘all done’ eating, although he usually grabs one last bite before truly being done.

Looking back on 2010, we remember:

• Last year at this time Jacob was just starting to eat solids – single grain cereals, but now he eats almost everything - and a lot of it!  Jacob has his three meals a day, plus a morning and afternoon snack.  And then he finishes the night with a 10 oz bottle of warm soy milk.
• Our week in Cancun during April with Manuel’s parents to celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary. We discovered Jacob’s love for water while preparing for this trip by taking baby swimming classes.
• Michelle’s mom, Maria, moved down from Michigan and lived with us 10 months.
• Michelle’s step-dad, Ruben, moved down from Michigan after retiring, and he and her mom, Maria, bought a house in October.
• Jacob loves the action and activities at day care.  There was a month of transition when he changed classrooms and cried every morning when daddy dropped him off, but now he heads straight to the breakfast table and is ready to start the day with Ms. Janice.  We don’t visit during lunch anymore because we disrupt the routine and Jacob has a screaming fit when we leave.
• Jacob blows kisses with his hand when you leave, even as he was crying in the a.m. when daddy dropped him off at day care (several months ago – he doesn’t cry anymore in the mornings).
• Jacob climbs upstairs to his room every night, and he recently walked all the way back to the living room to give daddy a kiss before going up.
• Michelle sits with Jacob to say a nighttime prayer and then rocks him for several minutes, but Jacob is frequently more interested in spreading out in his bed to pass out than being rocked. 
• Jacob is a good sleeper – about 10 hours at night plus a 2 hour nap during the day.  About once a week Jacob wakes after 5 or 7 hours, but after a diaper change he falls right back to sleep.
• Grandma Maria babysat Jacob in early November, and he directed her through the evening routine by taking her to the stairs, moving the rocking chair, and pointing to his stack of books for a nighttime story.
• Last year Jacob was extremely plump, but now he’s long and slender wearing 3T and 4T clothes.
• Jacob recently started walking with arms up in the air and frequent falls.  He’s not yet running, but it’s just a matter of time.
• Manuel’s parents recently sold their house in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, and they are moving closer to the border to Reynosa.  They will be closer to us for visits, but we hope and pray that the violence in Mexico gets under control soon because it’s very scary to think that our loved ones could get stuck in the middle of a gun fight at anytime, even in their homes.
• Manuel’s brother, Armando, and his family are moving to California for a great job opportunity at the end of December 2010.  Jacob’s cousin Antonio has already been learning English at school, so it should help the transition.  We are very happy for them!
• Manuel and Michelle have been having parents’ night out almost monthly for the past five months, enjoying dinners, a two family weddings, and they a Shakira concert.

 We look forward to many more exciting adventures in 2011.  We’re planning for vacations to Puerto Vallarta for spring break and maybe a visit to California.  And perhaps we’ll get started on a sibling for Jacob.

Happy Holidays!  With Love,

The Mejia Family - Manuel, Michelle & Jacob (17 months)

December family pictures at Mission San Jose

Ok, these were actually taken in late November, but they are our family Christmas pictures.  We took them on the grounds of historic Mission San Jose - where Michelle and Manuel were married 4 years ago.

 

Jacob 15 month pictures - October 2010

Jacob (15 months) enjoying an afternoon in the back yard with our friend Carmen (and Chris) - 10/10

Jacob is happy eating cookies and watching a soccer game with friends Danae and Elliott.

Amelia and Jacob after the big soccer game

Jacob is holding his friend Amelia's hands and walking

Jacob eating breakfast in his Halloween PJ's at his table - feet are not touching the floor, but he wants to sit!

Jacob (15 months) meeting his Uncle Armando for the first time with mommy and Aunt Sonia - 10/10

Welcome home Mando!

Jacob with Uncle Erik and cousins, Maddy and Erik Jr.

Jacob's weekend nap with daddy

Jacob is a football player for Halloween - playing with cousin Jonas

Jacob celebrated Halloween with Uncle Mando, Aunt Socorro, cousins and friends - 10/10

Jacob 16 month pictures - November 2010

Jacob (16 months) and his Uncle Mando watching the monkeys at the Zoo - 11/10

Jacob (16 months) and his mommy watching the fish at the Zoo - 11/10

Jacob (16 months) with his Uncle Mando, Aunt Socorro, and cousins: Reyna, Marissa, Joey and Anita - 11/10

Jacob's first steps at day care - 11/10

Jacob (16 months) practicing standing and sitting with no hands at his new couch - 11/10

Jacob (16 months) barking at Ingrid.  Grandpa Ruben and Aunt Julia watching.  11/10

Jacob's Thanksgiving feast with Aunt Socorro and Grandma Elsa - 11/10

Jacob's Thanksgiving siesta with Aunt Julia at Grandpa Ruben's house - 11/10

Jacob's fun at the playscape - 11/10

Jacob (16 months) climbing the playscape in his new size 7 wide shoes - 11/10

November - Jacob 16 months

Jacob has really developed a cute personality into his 16th month.  He imitates the world around him, for example after taking a drink (himself or someone else) he makes an 'AHHH' sound.  Jacob shares food and drink willingly with all around him, and he willingly gives hugs and kisses.  He's a very happy baby full of smiles, and he LOVES to dance.

Jacob is observant, curious, and also sometimes quite impatient - he wants his way NOW or there's going to be some yelling!  Hopefully as he learns to express himself with an expanded vocabulary in the near future, Jacob will become more patient.  Jacob definitely understands what you tell him, but whether he decides to listen to instructions or pay attention to you is another matter.

Jacob has had several close encounters with dogs this month and he's definitely become more comfortable.  Before he was very hesitant to touch, but now he will pet dogs.  Jacob loves his uncle Moses and aunt Gaby's small dog, Percy.  And he also likes his grandma Maria and grandpa Ruben's big dog, Ingrid.

Jacob met his uncle Armando Jr. this month for the first time.  His uncle was on leave from the Navy, after spending 1.5 years stationed in Japan. We had many nice visits, and enjoyed a day at the zoo.  Jacob saw many animals, but the monkeys and birds seemed to catch his attention the most.

At 16 months, Jacob started to walk!  He was already cruising by holding on to furniture, but he didn't really want to let go.  Jacob started standing without holding onto anything at the beginning of the month, even in the bath tub.  And by Thanksgiving, he was walking all over the place with his hands up in the air for balance.  He falls frequently, but gets right back up.  At the end of November, we bought Jacob new size 7 shoes after getting his feet measured at 6.5 wide.  Wearing his new shoes, Jacob headed to the playscape and climbed up the steps and slid down the slide.  He had a great time, and mommy and daddy enjoyed another fun evening with our big sweet boy.

Walking and pooping

Today was an exciting day for my baby Jacob.  At 16.5 months, he's finally taking more than a few steps without holding onto something.  Jacob recently started practicing sitting on the potty, and he was successful in both objectives this evening (although I'm not 100% sure it was 100% intentional)!