Sorry

Not sure if anyone reads this blog anymore, but I realized today that I haven't updated it in a while, so I will today. I will put up a bunch of posts from this summer today. Keep an eye out for them!!

6 Months

We have had Jacob for 6 months today.

He seems like he has always been a part of our family. I still cannot believe that he is ours, at times. He is such a happy little boy and that fact warms my heart! He is such a smiler, also. His laugh makes me teary-eyed. He has such a wonderful giggle.

He is also a very sensitive child at times. There have been numerous occassions that a simple (but "stern"), No-No, reduces him to tears. Deep, heart-wrenching sobs sometimes. Ones where cuddling with him isn't even an instant fix. It breaks your heart, but he is SO cute when he pouts!

Like I said yesterday, we are SO in love with this face....

20 Months Old

What can I say...

He is a card...

And we are SO in love with him!!

5 Months

Jacob has been a member of our family for 5 months today. Thinking of Zachary and Allison also. I can’t believe that we have had them a short 5 months when it seems like they fit right in and belong in our families so well! The last 5 months have been a blur in so many ways. It was a full summer off for our family, something that is rare for us, because of my job. We moved 4 miles down the road and are feeling quite settled in our new home. Yes, there is some more unpacking/organizing that I still need to do, but we are comfortable. The new school year has gone very well.

Like I posted last week, Jacob is really adjusting well to daycare and really enjoys going. He is so happy when we get there. This morning, he crawled right into his highchair when we arrived and was ready to kiss us goodbye! It is nice to know he is so happy there.

I am often amazed that after all the very serious pictures that we received of him the 10 months that we waited to travel for him, his most common face now looks like this....

19 Months Old

Boy ~ time flies! Our little guy is getting so big. His height is clearly in the 18 month range, but he is still thin. His ribs don’t stick out so much though, so we can see where the 3+lbs went!

His personality is really showing through. He is usually such a happy, smiley baby, but when he wants something, he lets you know! His language is coming along also. I still think that his comprehension is wonderful and he is beginning to say more and more. He is very influenced by his surroundings. While visiting my parents this summer, he said “doggy”, “puppy”, and “buddy” while with their dog. Seeing them in books didn’t get the same reaction though. We were talking to our neighbor this weekend and he became SO excited to see and pet her dog. He was saying “puppy” all day!

He is still pretty shy around strangers though. He can warm up to some, but it takes time. The bribe of a lollipop didn’t get the giver a smile yesterday. We were in the mall on Friday and he stayed by me, but 2 older women said how cute he was and he was smiling and flirting with them! Yesterday the appliance repairman was playing catch with him and he really was having fun! He even let his godmother pick him up.

Fall Day

One of the perks of my job is that I work 4 days a week and have a 4 day weekend every other one...until this year. Our schedule this year is HORRIBLE!! We have many 5 day weeks and rarely any 4 day weekends. This was my last Monday off until mid-January. Jacob and I were outside enjoying it!!!

As I posted before, my camera seems broken. I will definitely have to buy a new one soon. I borrowed one from a friend though to take some pictures of a large tree in our front yard that should be coming down this week. While we were out there, I was snapping pictures of him....

It is Official...

Jacob LOVES daycare

When we walked in this morning, we said Good Morning to his teacher and then he immediately starting pointing to his high chair. I put him in and asked for a kiss. He puckered right up and began to wave Good-bye!

Glad to know that he is happy there.

1st Haircut

We have been saying for awhile that Jacob needed a haircut. He was looking quite shaggy. I made an appointment for yesterday. It was our first time with our new hairdresser. I had wished that I had known when our other was leaving and that I had gotten Jacob into her, just for sentimental reasons, but the new one did a good job. We let his see Abram and I get our cuts first and then we had him sit on my lap. I did thing that I was sad that I hadn’t thought to bring my camera to record the event, but it was a CRAZY day and I didn’t. Another regret…what’s new?! He did pretty well. I think it came out pretty good. 1 shorter piece in front, but since we sweep his “bangs” to the side, I figured it would be OK.

We get home and I ask my husband his thoughts and he said he didn’t like it. I asked why and he said that it was shorter than he was expecting and he wasn’t there to see it. I was heartbroken. I had been discussing the fact that we were going today and I had even spoken to him on the way to the appointment. He was home. He could have met us there. I mentioned to him that he could get the older kids and meet Jacob and I there (he had his 18mth appt). We agreed that it wasn’t necessary since I had to drive right by the kids’ school to get to the mall. I feel bad though. If he was there, he would have seen it and taken pictures.

Before...

After…

I finally borrowed a camera from a friend for another purpose,
but I took some cute shots of Jacob also!

18 Month Check-up

Jacob had his appointment today. He was seen by our regular doctor who is back from his FMLA. It was great to see him and to have Jacob seen by someone we know and trust.

He was very happy for Jacob and how he has grown. He said that he is doing very well. Jacob received 3 shots.

He was 21lbs 7.2oz and 31.5"

Looking Back...

Tonight, I have been reading over my blog the weeks before we traveled to Vietnam, as well as our time there. It is so neat to read my reactions to things and to think back to those days when things were so uncertain. 4-5 months later, in many ways, that time seems to far away. I have been meaning to post some of my reactions and feelings of those days and I promise that I will soon.

Reposting a few things that are SO much more meaningful to me now though...

The most emotional moment for me, more than even seeing Jacob for the first time, was when when we walked into the Justice Department meeting room and I first saw his birthmom. It was startling to see her in person. Like I posted here, what do you say to the woman who gave you her child? How do you look her in the eyes after you see and hear her cry? That was when I cried that day. All I could tell her was that we were SO grateful and that we would always love him and take care of him. She and her Mom told us that they knew we would give him a good life. I told them of our other children...that he would have older siblings, like herself. I hope she has found peace again, after that emotional day.

and a quote....

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time & miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands."

~ Kristi Larson ~

1st Popsicle

Video by Abram.....

Jacob is getting Teeth #9 & #10
top 1st molars

1st Corn on the Cob

Caught Red Handed

Baby Einstien

Is a hit!

sorry our TV room is so dark

My parents bought my sister's boys the entire set. I have asked her if she would mind sharing a few with us, because we have watched this one quite a bit already!

Has It Only Been....

3 months?!

It seems like Jacob has been a part of our family for much longer. As another member of our travel group said, our 2 weeks in Vietnam were a simplier time. It was our time to focus on this little boy that was entrusted to us...a time we truly enjoyed.

Jacob has so naturally fit into our family, like he has always belonged with us. He was meant to be ours, for that I am sure. I always knew that once we had him, I wouldn't "care" what it took to get him there. That was true with our other children, as well.

Of course, he was walking when we met him. Watching video of those first days, you can see just how much better he is getting at it and how new it still was then. VERY soon after getting home, we discovered that he was fairly proficient at going up stairs on his knees. Coming down backwards soon followed!

Jacob still eats just about anything that you place in front of him. Mangos are still the BIGGEST hit and we cater to it as much as possible in Central PA. We stocked up on a lot of mango products while in CT last month. Trader J*e's and Cost*co!!

Jacob continues to say more words. This is the area that we watch the most, not that we are at all concerned. He babbles A LOT. He develops new words as needed. At my parents, "doggie" and "Buddy" were needed and used often. "Daddy" and "ah oh" are staples! "Momma/Mommy" have been heard, but they are still rare. "Pappy" was said a lot yesterday while we were visiting my in-laws. His comprehension is through the roof though. He understands everything. His version of Yeah and shaking his head No are common.

Ending the first week of daycare and it too has gone very well. Not always the happiest when I leave, but always happily playing when I come for him in the afternoon. He naps well and plays with the other kids also. We were thinking that this is the environment that he was used to....LOTS of other little kids around him! They are always amazed how he can put away the food, in his little frame!

It has been a tiring week though....looking forward to the weekend!!!