Brave Big Boy

Two weekends ago on a whim, we went out and bought Jacob a new bunkbed that I found on craigslist. Since he's having a brother we knew that we'd want them to have a bunk bed in the future, but for now we wanted Jacob to be able to use the top bunk on it's own as a toddler bed since it has a rail. And with the arrival of this baby getting closer, everyone encouraged us to switch Jacob to the bed before the baby comes to make it easier.

And I was planning on making the transition easier by putting his bed in his room for now so he could ease his way out of the crib but still be in his room a little longer. But understandably, Luke didn't want to have to set up his bed and then have to move it to his new room in a few months from now, so we agreed to just start getting his new room ready and he could make the change all at once.

So all last week Jacob watched us set up his bed and buy things for his new room, and he's been so excited! He talks about his bunk bed all the time and loved jumping in it (and on it) and pretending to go night-night like a big boy. So the room isn't much, but we figured it was cozy enough that he could make the switch over.
So Easter night was the big night and Jacob was finally ready to sleep in his new bed. I think I had the hardest time with it- all the sudden I wasn't sure that I was ready to give up all the mornings he'd let me sleep in, and figured maybe we really did still have time to put it off a little longer. And most of all I worried that maybe we were trying to push him into too many transitions at once- new bed AND new room.

But we stuck with it and kept his same night routine. He was obviously pretty nervous the first night and was close to tears but kept repeating that he was going to be ok. It seemed that he was mostly just nervous being in this new room. But after a lot of stalling on my part, I left him alone and closed the door behind me. It was quiet for 2 minutes and then he started crying and came running to our room. I put him back to bed twice and was about ready to give up, I hated forcing him to sleep in a bed if he wasn't ready.

But then I decided to get him a soothing CD with just soft piano music, and then Luke layed down with him and just kept telling him to be brave, and after 20 minutes he left him alone. Surprisingly, Jacob stayed in bed after that and put himself to sleep soon after without crying again at all. I couldn't believe it. Although it was hard and heartbreaking at first, Jacob actually did a great job!

He slept through the night, finally falling asleep at about 9:45 and woke up at about 7 when Luke was leaving for work. So that was not as fun having to wake up 2 1/2 hours earlier than normal, but then yesterday he slept until 8:15, so maybe it wont be too bad soon enough! And since he is falling asleep just a little later and waking up earlier, he's at least taking nice 3+ hour naps again to make up for the sleep lost at night. So I guess I can live with that, haha.

So anyway, it's been 3 nights now that he's slept in his bed and he has completely impressed me. I had spent so much time worrying about how to set up his new bed situation and how he would handle it, and I'm so glad that, at least so far, he really has done amazing! And it's so sweet how every morning when Jacob wakes up he's so proud of himself for sleeping in his bed, and tells us how he was brave, and did a good job, and is a good boy. It's nice to hear him being so proud of himself because I think that's what's been helping him keep it up, because he knows how happy and proud of him we are each morning.

So I originally started this post thinking I was going to need to ask for advice, but as a few days have passed I'm pleased that things are going smoothly enough so far. I never really expected the transition to be easy and it still is taking us all some getting used to, and I know it will still take a little more time until Jacob's completely comfortable with the idea. But I'm just so proud of him- and sorry for all my details but I wanted to be able to remember how we did this, for future reference and because this really is a big deal for us! Jacob has been growing up so quick lately, but we are so proud of our big boy!

Easter

Not too much going on for Easter this year, but at least gave me an excuse to finally pull out my camera again! I've been so bad at taking pictures of Jacob lately. Anyway, we went to a small little Easter Egg Hunt at the church on Saturday and Jacob loved looking for the eggs!


And it didn't take long for him to realize that there was candy inside- that got him pretty excited too!

He ate about half his candy before we even left, I tried to get a picture of his face stuffed with 3 chocolates, but he just stuck his toungue out :)
And here is my big boy on Easter, all dressed for church. Actually we had Stake Conference and were lucky enough to have the apostle L. Tom Perry there, and so that was a neat Easter Sunday. And we showed up over an hour early to get a seat for the 2 hour meeting, and Jacob did great- we were so proud of him sitting with Luke the whole time!

We also enjoyed a nice dinner of salmon(though I was really wishing we did pork chops!), potatoes, green beans, rolls, and deviled eggs. Then we had a yummy strawberry shortcake for dessert- Jacob had 3 helpings!

And luckily I took some time to take some Easter pictures too, I never really got around to taking nice ones of him at his birthday, but I managed to get a couple of cute Easter ones in our backyard- so enjoy!

Spotlight on Jacob

So I got all caught up on what we did for Jacob's birthday but I didn't really mention much about what Jacob is doing now that he's two. And so I want to try and capture what Jacob is like so that we can remember how fun and cute he's been at this stage!

First off, here are Jacob's stats at 2 years. He's 23 pounds 4 ounces- I know, he's tiny! I was worried he'd be off the charts in weight but his pediatrician reminded me that they don't grow as much in the second year and from here on out like they do in the first year. So even though he's only gained 3 pounds in the last 6 months, he's still in the 3rd percentile for weight, right where he's always been. And he's 33 inches tall in the 25th percentile now. Poor kid hates going to the doctor, at least he doesn't really need to go back for another year! (But isn't this doctor gown so cute?!) At two, Jacob LOVES:

*Songs!- He loves to hear songs on the TV or radio, or makes Luke play music for him on his phone or when we're on the computer. But he especially loves when I sing him songs. His favorites are ones that have hand motions that he can do with me while I sing, especially: The Eensy Weensy Spider, Popcorn Popping, The Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and his latest favorite Happy Birthday! There's not really hand motions for Happy Birthday but ever since his birthday he'll try and sing the song to himself ("hap bersday.. you!")and he'll ask us if it's his birthday ("bersday?") or the other day he told his babysitter that it was his birthday and that he's two- haha.

*Walks!- Jacob begs to go on walks, especially if it's to the park- because he also loves to go down slides! He also now begs to go to the store! I think he just likes to get out of the house every day! *Books!- He loves to be read to and often likes to have a book in hand. Even when we go to his room to change his diaper he has to get a book first! His favorites are this little fairy tale series we have and he can tell me the title of every one and can read along with a lot of the words- which he has been doing for awhile but still a really fun stage.

*Baths!- What kid doesn't love laying in water and playing with toys and bubbles? But, he does hate when I wash his hair.

*Cars and Trucks!- Jacob loves to play with car toys and trucks and make little beep beep sounds or whatever. He also loves seeing and hearing real trucks outside, including firetrucks, ambulance, police cars, the garbage truck(which he calls the "dragon"- meaning trash can), construction trucks, and airplanes, trains, and bikes too. He also loves to ride his toy truck and bike at home.

*Bubbles!- He doesn't care so much about bubbles themselves but loves to just blow the bubbles. Even if I give him a small tube of bubbles that's empty he'll still carry it around and pretend. He got a bubble mower for his birthday but he was too worried about the bubbles coming out(or not coming out actually) that sometimes it's better to just keep bubbles away, or else he drives me nuts asking for bubbles!

*Sports!- He loves to play basketball, catch, and kick balls while running outside. He also likes to watch sports on TV and knows the difference between when Dad is watching basketball or football.

*Eggs!- Sometimes Jacob will go through phases of foods he likes, but he's been very consistent with loving to eat eggs- he could eat them any meal! Luke has even taught him how to dip his toast into his eggs and so this is his favorite way too eat it too.

*Taking Off His Clothes!- At first he started doing this just because he loved to be in charge of zipping, or unsnapping, and just seemed to think it was funny to constantly be slipping off his pants. Then I figured maybe his pants were getting in the way when he was trying to play. But more and more I'm starting to think he'll also slip off his clothes when he knows he needs a diaper change- which he'll also always tell me now by either saying "diaper" or "change". But I still think he finds it funny to run around in just a diaper :)

*Cameras!- Of course all kids are obsessed with holding the camera or seeing themselves on camera- which is why it's nearly impossible to take videos of him or pictures of him cooperating with me. But it's still funny when I scroll through my pictures and find about 7 in a row of his feet on top of my kitchen table!

*Elmo!- Yes, Jacob still loves Elmo! He sleeps with, not one, but two Elmo "dolls" at night- he either has to have them both together or none at all. He still likes watching Elmo's World, and he's much better at sitting still through episodes, which is great especially when I need him still for at least 15 minutes. But he also loves all the Sesame Street characters and can say all their names and likes to imitate Cookie Monster and laugh like the Count. He also laughs along when he watches TV, and tries to count and interact when he watches the show too. And as much as he enjoys shows like that, I am happy that he's not a TV junkie like I was worried he was getting to be earlier. He'll watch about 2 shows a day (he also likes Caillou), which I think is not too bad since I think he does gain some learning that way too.

*Candy!- As I've mentioned before, Jacob always begs for "can-dee", "nougett", "taffy", "gloc-let", "cookie", "cake", "ga-bar", and so on. We've tried to set the rule of 2 pieces of candy a day, and only when he's earned it but somehow he always earns one when Daddy comes home from work? Haha, soon enough we'll be taking him to the dentist, and hopefully he just hasn't ruined his teeth yet!

*to Laugh!- Jacob has such a fun personality and finds amusement in many things! He finds random things funny, will laugh at others, laugh when he thinks he's being cute, or he'll try to make others laugh. He loves attention from us and loves to be tickled and be silly. He has a great, contagious laugh and such a sweet smile!

*Mommy and Daddy!- This one I guess is the most important of all! Even though Jacob is growing older and becoming more independent I love that he still loves us! Just recently Jacob has almost started favoring me over his Dad, which can be frustrating for me sometimes when all I want is a break. And he's started trying to push buttons and do things he know he shouldn't too. But I love that he still likes to cuddle with me on the couch, and bring toys and books to me so that we can play together, and I love the time we spend together when I tuck him in at night, and I know that he loves all our time together too.

More things to know about Jacob:

*Jacob is a sensitive boy. Sometimes this means that he can get emotional or sad easily, but he also always notices when others are sad too. He always will point out to me how others are feeling- whether they are sad, crying, or happy. Even when he hears or sees a firetruck or ambulance go by he always asks what "happend?" He still likes to give hugs and kisses, and cuddle with us. He is just simply a good, loving, sweet boy.

*Jacob can be a very good helper. Naturally he may not always want to clean up, but all I usually need to do is just sing a clean-up song and then he's happy to help! And whenever he knows that he's done something good, he always calls himself a "good boy!" which I think is pretty cute.

*He is becoming much better at keeping himself entertained for longer periods of time by just playing with his toys, or watching a short Elmo DVD while I clean up the kitchen and make dinner.

*He plays well with friends and other kids, older and younger. I love picking him up and people telling me he was the best behaved kid, and doesn't get upset or cry when other kids take toys from him. I love that he is easy to get along with and just loves being around "fends".

*Jacob is good so far at sharing and using his manners. He is good at saying "please" and "sorry" and I love that he always says these words in a soft whisper. He's finally getting better at saying "thanks" and (your) "welcome" too.

*We've started using time-out a few times now, the only times I've had to go to that is when he hits me with toys. Usually I know he's just trying to be funny or play around, but I have to draw a line somewhere, and it seems to have worked so far, and hopefully I won't need to do it much more as he learns what's expected.

*I still think Jacob is a picky eater, but I think he's gotten much better and has started trying more foods that he used to always turn away- meat in particular. He does love to use his utensils and feed himself and is great at sitting at his little table until he's done.

*Jacob is talking and using so many words it's almost useless for me to make lists of words he knows now. All I need to do is say a word once and he's basically picked it up, if he hasn't already. We can communicate pretty well now, and it's nice to know that others can understand him too- enough anyway. I love this stage though and how he loves to talk about things, and I can start to see how he thinks and processes things by the words he tells me. Sometimes though he'll say a string of words that just sounds so random he doesn't seem to make any sense at all! And I'll admit, when he repeats a word over and over and over... it's not as cute, haha.

*He can be whiny, but not to the point of tantrums, luckily. He'll get frustrated if he can't do something- like a puzzle, or get his shoes on by himself, but I just remind him to ask for help. He'll get whiny and repeat himself when he wants something- like candy, or to go on a slide, and if it's not something I can give him I just have to try my best to distract him with something else until he stops. So far though, we haven't had too many problems with this, and I'm hoping this means he'll be an easy-tempered kid overrall.

*Jacob has not officially started potty training but he has definetly shown and interest and is showing a lot of signs that he's ready to at least start practicing. As I said earlier, he tells me immediately when he goes and tells me that he needs me to change his diaper, and he'll often take off his pants too. He got a new potty for his birthday and so every now and then he'll tell me that he wants to go sit on his potty. So for now I'm just letting him get used to the idea, but I want to wait until I know he's really ready and would also like to wait until after the baby is born too.

*Jacob is full of expressions! Especially lately he's been big on rolling his eyes, looking up when I'm trying to give him directions, making his eyes and mouth real wide, make puppy faces, and just being silly! He really makes us laugh! He'll often make silly faces or shy smiles to strangers too, so he still gets a lot of attention from others too.

*We've also seen the "spiritual" side of Jacob lately too. When we dress him on Sunday he knows where we're going because he tells us "urch...eezus" (church, Jesus). He always finds pictures of Jesus and points them out to us and I've caught him reading my scriptures where he then said Jesus again. Last Sunday Jacob and Luke didn't go to church because they were sick but Jacob got a hold of Luke's cell phone and somehow opened an app that had church music and he just went into the other room and laid on his belly with his chin in his hands listening to church music, and when Luke found him, Jacob simply told him "song, Jesus"- it was sweet. He's also good at doing prayers with us and doing surprisingly better at being still and reverent during church. *Has started saying "Jacob" and refering to himself and identifying himself in pictures, videos, and even in the mirror.

*Jacob has still been a great sleeper. He'll take a shorter nap during the day- typically an hour and a half, but then he usually sleeps about 13 hours on average each night. He goes to bed at 8 and typically wakes up at 9, but still sometimes sleeps in close to 10. I'm really trying to soak it all in before this baby comes!

*Jacob has been sporting long hair for a long time now and over the weekend we finally cut his hair short! Luke and I were really sad to see his long hair go, and so was Jacob- he haaates getting his hair cut! And he had so much that it took awhile too. But he got a lollipop so he made it through, and I think it looks so cute now! And I'm glad that it helps make me feel like he's older now too- he looks more like a toddler to me now! So I know this was a long post but writing it all down makes me realize how much I just love this little boy and everything about him! Jacob has always been so sweet and good, and I still just can't imagine how my next boy will be able to compare- he has a lot to live up to! At least I know Jacob will be a great older brother and I know he's getting excited to have a baby and be a brother too. I'm just trying to enjoy the time that I have left where it's just me and Jacob- we spend so much time together it's really like he's my little best friend! These two years have really been wonderful, and I'm excited to see how much more Jacob will learn and grow in this next year!

Jacob's Birthday Weekend

Jacob's birthday was a busy day! I tried to make it as fun as possible for him so he could really feel special on his day! And lucky for him, his Grandma and Grandpa Decker were able to fly out that morning so they could enjoy his birthday weekend with us! So first thing Jacob and I did was go pick them up from the airport. Then we headed to Target so we could get our last minute birthday shopping done- and we got some great stuff for him! Then we went to McDonalds for lunch.

Luke went in to work at about 5 am that morning so that he could get off halfway through the day, and he was able to meet up with us there at McDonalds- we were glad he could come hang out with us! Jacob loves running around the play area- but he was a little scared about Ronald. This was as close as he would get to him for a picture!
Then we were able to go home for a bit and relax with everyone while Jacob took a nap. Then after he woke up we headed out to the park. Both last year and this year we've been lucky that it's been such amazing weather in March on and around his birthday. And Jacob is now absolutely obsessed with slides- so he had a lot of fun at the park!

Yea, he could have spent hours on all these slides!

He was also cute riding this saucer and little pig too

So as if that wasn't enough, afterwords we headed to Chuck-E-Cheese (or Chunky Cheese as someone kept calling it, haha)

he loved all the little rides and always got sad when they stopped moving

and he even got to play basketball after watching all the big kids do it, including Dad and Grandpa :) So after $5 of tokens, we put all our tickets together and Jacob was able to win a box of Nerds, SweetTarts, and a little toy frog. He seemed to have a lot of fun but I think it will be a long time before we take him back- that place can be a little crazy, and a little overrated honestly too.
So then we came home and picked up some Anthony's II pizza for Jacob's birthday dinner. And I wasn't sure since Jacob can be a picky eater, but I was happy to see he loved the pizza too!
Then it was time to open presents!

He loved all the attention he was getting from everyone!
This box was a new elmo potty, and Grandma picked out a fun bubble mower for him.

We also got him this new trike which he's been so excited about, and then some clothes, books and little things too. I am still on the search for some sunglasses too so if anyone knows where I can get some I've had the hardest time finding ones his size!
And if the bike wasn't his favorite new toy it's this car rug and all the little toy cars! I've been wanting to find a rug like this for awhile and Brenda found this perfect one at Target!And even better, all the little cars that match with it were all at the dollar section in Target too! And they all make little noises and light up so Jacob just loves them!
So after presents was time for cake. And with the busy day I ran short on time decorating his cake- it's not exactly what I had pictured- but Jacob still seemed to like it, so that's all that matters!
And he absolutely loved when we would sing Happy Birthday to him. We made sure to do it a couple times throughout the day and he always beamed. And he can tell us that he's 2 years old now too!

He only took a couple bites of his cake and then all he wanted to do was play with his cars on top. After that he was ready for bed, it had been a long day but I know he knew that it was a special day because it was his "bers-day". And the next day was just as jam-packed since we were trying to take advantage of the short time that his Grandma and Grandpa were in town.
So the next morning Luke set up Jacob's trike and Jacob was very happy to wake up to all his new toys again- he loved going from one toy to the next all morning! Then we ran some errands together, then headed south to Cherry Creek to this burger place they wanted to try out. I can't remember the name-Duffy's maybe- but it was real good, and it was at a cute little part downtown. So Luke's parents also checked out some shops too and Luke and I found a park for Jacob to play at for a bit- more slides!And it was another beautiful day so after lunch we headed over to Red Rocks to check out the stadium, which we had still never seen. I was a little worried about climbing to the top because it looked so far and steep, but it wasn't as bad as it seemed. And it was all so neat and pretty!
Once we got near the top, Jacob was such a good sport at climbing all the steps up too!
Here's the stadium at the top.
Grandpa and Grandma with Jacob- he really did like them but was just not in the best mood at this point because he ran into a pole and fell just a few minutes earlier, and was tired since he didn't get a chance to nap- poor kid A picture of Luke and I with Jacob
We didn't stay up there for too long since it was so windy, but the walk back was much easier. We were all proud of Brenda for making the long walk up too since she had just had hip surgery only 6 weeks or so ago. So we all felt good about getting out for the day to do something fun and different. That night we went out to dinner to Outback together, and by the end of the night Jacob was exhausted! But before putting him to bed we got one last nice picture of him with his grandparents since they had to catch a flight home early the next morning. It was a short weekend with them but I know Jacob really enjoyed their company for two days and all the attention that he got from them. He's still talking about "ga-pa" and "ga-ma" so hopefully he'll get to see them, and other family soon!
So it was a fun birthday weekend for Jacob! Now that he's two I think it's also time for a fresh hair cut! Luke and I love his "long luscious locks", but I'm ready for a change and hoping that maybe he'll look older to me too. So as soon as he gets that hair cut I'll take some new pictures of him, and hopefully he'll cooperate! This boy is always on the go and can be a handful at times, but overrall he is the best little boy I know and I could not have asked for a better son! Happy Birthday Jacob!!