Happy Halloween '09!

Here they are:



For those of you who can't figure them out, they are Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat!



I didn't get a good picture of Jacob, because he was a tad bit grumpy from having been woken up early from his nap. We'll try to get more tomorrow.

isn't this little man the cutest thing?



And another one, just because I can't resist.



Happy Halloween, everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Bad Nights

This was just last night, which wasn't as bad as the previous several nights.

5- The number of times I got out of bed
2- The number of times I fed Aaron
1- The number of times I went to help a crying, sick Jacob
1- The number of times John went to help a crying, sick Jacob
4- The number of times Aaron woke up
3- The number of days Aaron has woken up earlier than normal (getting earlier every day)
4- The number of days until time changes, which means Aaron will be getting up even earlier
23- The number of minutes I lay in bed with Aaron this morning, hoping and praying that he would go back to sleep, before John gave up and got up with him.
142- The longest stretch of sleep I got last night, in minutes.

We really need both kids (and Mama and Daddy, too) to not be sick by Friday. We have a really busy weekend and don't want to miss out. Their costumes are really cute and it would be a shame to not use them.

Tanaka Farms

This morning we went with Jacob's preschool to Tanaka Farms. Tanaka Farms is a u-pick farm right in the middle of Irvine, which is great for all these suburban city kids who have no real exposure to farms and how foods really grow. Jacob was very excited to go the the "Pumpkin Farm" but really wanted to see some cows, pigs, and horses. Sorry kiddo. This wasn't an animal farm. But he still had a great time, and is currently taking a nice, big nap.

*Since there are so many pictures, I posted them in an album this time. To see all the pictures, click on the picture below, which will take you to the whole album.

Tanaka Farms

The Big Kahuna; Including Crawling AND Teeth

This post should really be like 4 or 5. Oh, well. Here goes. It's LONG...



Nana and Papa came to visit for several days last weekend. We finally got to show them "the new house" as Jacob still calls it. Of course, we put Papa to work almost immediately with a number of "fix-it, please" items, which he totally rocked on. Everything from building a gate, building a canopy, building and installing shelves, hanging lattice, and many other things. Jacob, of course, wanted to help with everything, so Nana and I were busy coming up with things to keep Jacob out of the way as much as possible. Jacob got to learn how to use the apple peeler-corer-slicer to help Nana make pie, and play in his freshly filled sandbox.





Aaron has had the biggest changes in the last couple of weeks. Not only did he start crawling 2 weeks ago (yes, at only 6.5 months, he began army crawling), but then 4 days later, he began popping out teeth. In 7 days' time, he cut his first 4 teeth! Of course, of the many pictures, there is not a single one of his little teeth, yet, but we'll get one soon. He is getting pretty adventuresome already as he discovers his new world, and so John has been working like crazy to get the gates installed. We finally got the last one up tonight.





Nana and Papa left on Monday, and then Grandma and Grandpa stopped by to visit this morning. Aaron got a new hat:





So did Jacob. But I don't have any pictures of Jacob with his hat.

Jacob and Grandpa (and Daddy, too) played a little pinball on the playstation and Jacob and Grandma drew some pictures.





During the past week, Jacob also decided he wanted to learn how ice was made.



Jacob really wants to help feed Aaron. We let him help with water.



And he wants you to know that watching tv is always better with a dustpan and brush set.



And of course, one more picture of Aaron, because he's so darn cute!

Chuck E. Cheese!

Over the weekend, Jacob went to his friend Noah's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. He had a ball!! There were toys and games in every direction, and he just kept darting from one thing to another. (He wouldn't eat the pizza, though.) He even learned how to play air hockey, although he didn't quite understand the idea of scoring.

Noah's Birthday Party

Wordless Wednesday

Okay, Scratch That

So, remember when I posted here about what sizes Aaron is currently wearing? Just a few days ago? Well, yeah, that's old news. Let's try 18 or 24-month onesies and 12-month pants.

Between the going through clothes like a crazy man, and eating anything and everything we give him (except he doesn't really like bananas), he's going to break the bank. And most of the stuff from Jacob in the sizes listed are short-sleeved t-shirts, because he was already walking by that point. I guess it's time for another trip to Carter's. And I'm really hoping the Halloween costume will still fit.

Fire Trucks!!!!

What a day! After jumping out of bed and heading to the Original Pancake House for breakfast (we discovered their tropical syrup, yum!), and then getting haircuts for Mama and Daddy, we headed to north Irvine to the Orange County Fire Authority's annual Open House. Wow! We told Jacob he was going to see a fire truck and boy did he get to see fire trucks. Lots and lots of different kinds of fire vehicles. Jacob was able to tour their garage, spray a fire hose, climb in a number of vehicles, try on a hat, and we all even got a free lunch (our tax dollars at work)!

OCFA Open House

Aaron

(Wow! Two posts in two days!)

Aaron and Jacob are like night and day. When I was told that we were having another boy, my first visions were of another Jacob. Don't get me wrong. I love Jacob! He is my joy, and he makes me laugh daily. But he's Jacob. And he takes after me. So, he's not exactly easy. And truthfully, I had a (one-sided) conversation with Aaron the day before he was born, recognizing that he would be his own self, different from Jacob, and still very much loved. And he is! Thankfully, Aaron takes after John.

Aaron has grown super-fast. At his sixth-month check-up, he weighed in at two ounces shy of twenty pounds. Jacob weighed in at exactly twenty pounds at his nine-month check-up. John's comment, "Oh good. Aaron is growing fifty percent faster." He is going through clothes like crazy. Currently he is wearing 12-month onesies (which some are tight), 9 or 12-month pants (but only the really stretchy kind because denim or cords won't fit over his thighs), 18-month pajamas and 18-month shorts (Jacob also wears 18-month shorts). They both now wear the same size diaper, size 4. Many of the clothes I have saved from Jacob, Aaron has not, or will never be able to wear. Again, he is his own person! Aaron has started pre-crawling. He can just about anywhere he wants to by lunging, flopping, and rolling. I'm hoping this mobility will slow down his growth-rate, because my back needs a break!

Eating is a major area where Jacob and Aaron are completely different. I have always blamed myself for Jacob's difficulties with breastfeeding, solid food, and just general eating. Feeding always was (and still is) a battle with Jacob. But it's not so with Aaron. Feeding Aaron has been easy (well, as easy as a child who refuses the bottle can be- and again, another difference, for Jacob LOVED the bottle for over two years). We've had very little problems breastfeeding. Aaron LOVES solid food and will eat just about anything you put in his mouth. He was able to get a breadstick from John the other day and just sucked on it until little bits came off into his mouth. Jacob refused the breadstick. And when I was eating lunch next to Aaron the other day, he got so excited, that I decided to get something for him too. But he was less than thrilled about my walking away with the plate and let me know it. That little man loves to eat!

Do I ever love this little guy! He is just so squishy and adorable and lovable and I could just eat him up!