Sweet Baby Jake

I realized today that it's been far too long since I've done an update on our favorite little guy (even though I've been promising one for months) so here's what's been going on with our almost 13-month-old!

Jake's disposition is still as sweet as can be.  He's happy and laughing 95% of the time... but when he gets mad, he gets MAD!  When he doesn't get his way he can throw quite an impressive temper tantrum.  We've gotten pretty good at just ignoring him when he acts this way and that seems to work pretty well.  But like I said, most of the time, he is quite the happy dude.  He's also quite independent and can play by himself for close to an hour with no problem.  Sometimes he even gets Daddy's primo spot in the recliner to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Signing Time.  One time he even successfully picked up the remote, went to the DVR list, and selected an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse all on his own!  It was probably a fluke, but still impressed us nonetheless!

Now that the weather is finally getting warmer (welcome to Illinois!... it was 46 degrees and cloudy today!) we're spending lots of time outside.  Jake is ALL BOY.  He beelines straight for the dirt and digs his hands right in.  He often brings me his shoes and then runs to the backdoor... at least he lets me know what he wants!

Speaking of outside, he's become quite a big fan of the slide.  We can now set him up at the top and he'll wiggle his way down and slide to the bottom on his own!  Such a big boy!

When we are indoors, he loves his books!  I used to laugh at the moms that said their 1-year-old (or younger) loved books, but now I understand that it's possible.  He'll flip through his books on his own for 30 minutes or so and definitely has his favorites that he likes to read.  Sometimes he'll bring one, have you read it to him, and then go get the next one.  So far I have The Boss Baby, What Is Easter, and The Night You Were Born memorized, which is handy when I'm reading to him while changing his diaper or want the room dark before bedtime.  The only downside is sometimes he screams when the book is over, which inevitably happens every time!  He gets mad that they end!

As for his stats, he is quite the big boy!  He weighs about 25 pounds (75th percentile) and is 32 inches tall (93rd percentile!).  He can now reach doorknobs, but thankfully cannot turn them yet.  Tabletops are no longer safe though as he can get to just about anything these days.

As for words, his favorite is "Dog" and he says it every time he sees one (or any animal for that matter). He also knows the sign for it.  He also knows Mama, Dada (his most frequent word), Pawpaw, and he still says "ball" from time to time.  He can answer you when you ask him what the cow, sheep, or baby elephant says.  The elephant is the funniest and we do have video that I need to post.  We have a book of animal sounds and he also does the rooster, but only when we're reading the book.  He also does the signs for "more" and "all done" during mealtimes.

We've mastered walking (and running) by now and he gets faster and faster everyday!  We're trying to teach him to hold hands and walk with us since he likes to wander wherever he wants.  He's very social and will walk up to just about anyone and start babbling... at least he knows what he's saying!  He also blows kisses very freely these days to just about anyone he sees.  He's even quite chatty by himself at home and loves to "talk" on the phone- he'll hold it to his ear, walk around, and have an entire conversation.  Sometimes he even laughs which cracks us up!  He still loves music and really boogies down!  I also have video of that, so one of these days I'll get that up here (so I say).  He has a set of drumsticks now and he is quite the little drummer as well!  He'll sit in his high chair and play along to any song on the radio with a big grin on his face.  It's pretty awesome.

Hmmm... what else?  Like I said, it's been a LONG time since I did an update so there are several new things he's doing now.  The other day I turned my back and when I turned back around he had climbed up and was sitting on the coffee table!  He can also get onto the chair in his room and if he's sitting on the couch he will climb onto the end table.  Our little monkey scares his mama to death sometimes!

Jake is quite coordinated these days.  He throws the ball like a champ and can hit a ball off of his little tee- something Aunt Angie is proud of!  Like I said, he's ALL BOY!  I just can't get enough.

I could go on and on and on as I know there are about a million other things that Jake does that amazes me everyday.  I have just loved watching him grow, learn, explore, and develop into this silly little boy who loves to laugh (and make others laugh).  Everyday just gets more and more fun with a one-year-old!  And every time I get a bit sad that my baby is getting too big, I am reminded that there's another one on the way and we get to start all over again so very soon!  Let's just hope I can remember how to handle a newborn!