Conversations with Jacob

Tonight at dinner...

Daddy: Do you want another cheese stick?
Jacob: No, I wait til Santa Claus comes.
Daddy: Santa Claus doesn't come until tomorrow night.
Jacob: No
Daddy: Yes
Jacob: No
Daddy: Yes
etc., etc., etc.

This morning while playing with stickers.......
Jacob wants to put the stickers back onto their sheet:

Me: They won't stick anymore...they've lost their sticky
Jacob: Let's go find it!

Christmas Carols

Jacob's version of Jingle Bells:
"Jingle Bells Jingle Bells
All the Way Home
Say Hey!!"

Jacob's version of We Wish You a Merry Christmas:
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
All Year Long"

I will try my hardest to get video of these so they can be fully appreciated for how darn cute they are.

Sarcasm

Tonight, while cleaning up the kitchen, Jacob and I were singing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'. As we wrapped up our beautiful song I said, "We're good. We should go on the road." Jacob replied very enthusiastically, "OK!!!!"

anatomy

Jacob lifted his elbow after lunch to show me that he had applesauce on it. He said, "It's on my armpit!" A doctor in the making :)

Adam

Adam has a hard time in the afternoons and evenings. Apparently the well has pretty much run dry by that time and we have to supplement with formula. After all the crying he does between 4ish and 9 he has trouble going to sleep....I guess his adrenaline is pumping. But he is generally happy by 9ish even though he's awake. When he is in the crib he smiles at his friends on the mobile (pooh, tigger, piglet and eeyore). When he's in the living room there is a particular spot that he loves to look at. We discovered tonight that he seems to be staring at our picture of Jesus! He will throw his body backwards in order to get a better look and strain his little neck. We tried to tell him that Jesus wants him to go to sleep too, but he didn't seem to understand.

Where did he go?

I was putting pictures from my cell phone onto my computer and began wondering.....what happened to my baby? This is a picture taken while we lived in Norfolk, VA, so Jacob would have been between 13 and16 months old. He was just beginning to show an interest in coloring.

These are pictures taken just a few days ago.

See how much my boys have grown??

The Concert

Our little virtuoso!

Two Happy Boys

This morning before church.

Celestial Mercy

The gods have smiled upon me today. It's been about one week since we started Adam on reflux meds and I cut dairy out of my diet....and I am pleased. Today Adam napped.....and napped well. There was no waking up 10-15 minutes into his nap with a shrill cry of pain. There were no endless bouts of crying. There was only one sweet baby boy, who was all too happy to eat, play and sleep...eat, play and sleep...eat, play and sleep. I hope this continues. Jacob also made a giant leap tonight. He actually took a bite of something he had never tried before at dinner!! He didn't even spit it out!! It was a pineapple chunk. He only had one, but it more than made my night. He even picked some noodles out of his spaghetti and ate them! I have no idea how this child hasn't withered away to nothing.

Happy Thanksgiving, me!!

Koelz Family Elves

I saw one of these videos on a friend's blog and laughed my tail off! Jacob really enjoyed helping me make this. Unfortunately it ended up "glitchy" when I posted it to the blog. Make sure your sound is turned up...and remember to pause the music at the bottom of the page first. Enjoy :)

So Far

My day...so far.
Let's start with bedtime, last night.

9:00- nurse Adam
9:30- check on Jacob and notice that he sounds a little sick
10:00- sleep
1:00- nurse Adam
sometime btwn 1 and 3- Jacob climbs in bed with us...sick
3:00- Jacob is repeating over and over and over, "I want water."
3:01- I get Jacob water, and listen to the hiss of the sippy cup for 5 or so minutes b/f get back to sleep
5:30- nurse Adam
6:00- back to bed but hard to go back to sleep b/c Jacob is snoring.....finally asleep
6:30- Lee's alarm goes off
sometime btwn 6:30 and 6:45- go back to sleep and have nightmare about dinosaurs and the end of the world
6:45- Adam starts screaming
6:50- while changing Adam's diaper he projectile poops across the room....it's on everything!
7:00- my husband kisses me and leaves for work....was that a sigh of relief I heard as he left??

Btwn 7 and lunch time Adam doesn't nap for longer than 10-15 minutes
Lunch- Jacob brings me a can of peas that he is requesting for lunch...then drops it on his toe :(

But everything is o.k. when Jacob climbs in my lap and plays with my hair.....my greasy hair that needs to be washed and brushed. I don't think he notices that his Mommy hasn't had a chance to bathe lately....he's just happy I'm here :)

Identity Theft

Every time Jacob sees a picture of Charlie Brown he exclaims, "Caillou!" I showed him these pictures, side by side, and he said, "Two Caillous!" He has a point.

?????????

So I was looking at my blog and wondering how all those duplicate pictures got up there....
Am I that tired??
Yes.

I'd love to write and catch everyone up, but there's so much to tell and not enough energy to tell it all. In a nutshell....Adam cries...alot....like any newborn. Jacob loves his little brother and tells him that. Jacob loves to give Adam kisses and hugs. Jacob, who never wanted to sit in my lap, now always wants to sit in my lap (while I'm nursing). Today, on our walk Jacob said to me, "You big??" I replied, "Yes." Then he said, "I little??" I replied, "Yes." Then he repeats...."You big and I little." And that was all. I'm always surprised to find out what's going on in his cute little head.

Halloween

So far, so good

This is Adam's fourth day in the world. So far he has been a very cooperative baby! He is eating and sleeping well...even through the roaring of our resident lion. Jacob is in love with his baby. He wants to know what Baby Ah is doing all of the time. He is eager to touch his little brother and make sure that they have all the same things...eyes, nose, fingers, toes. It is only our second day home, but there has been no jealousy thus far (knock on wood). I would have to say that my biggest problem at the moment is trying to find a new name for the blog. Obviously Jacob's Journey is not the most appropriate title anymore. I am open to suggestions!

Jacob was so excited to hold his little brother!!

Adam looks exactly like Jacob did....it looks like Jacob is holding a little replica of himself.

Adam and Jacob's first video together!

Welcome, Baby Adam!!

Adam Lee Koelz
October 7, 2009
2:30 pm
7lbs 6oz
19.5 inches

Doctor's Orders

I haven't been able to indulge in sweets for the last couple of months, due to my gestational diabetes. Those who know me, know that I have a sweet tooth......a very sweet tooth. To my surprise my doctor was all in favor of me having cake for my birthday. When I told her I might have a small piece she said that I should have a big piece.....and as much milk as I wanted!!! She did have to assure me a couple of times that I would not be killing my baby and I eventually trusted her recommendation.

THANK YOU DOCTOR!!

Day 6

Day 6.....still sick :( I am however trying to look on the bright side. I'd rather be sick now than in 2 weeks, when our newest bundle of joy arrives. Being sick has also forced me to lay down...alot. This isn't something I like to do alot of. I'm a mover. I know now, that it comes from my father. He never stops. Lee says that I "flit about the house" doing things all day long. This makes me happy. When I sit still for too long I feel like I'm being useless....and that would not make Sir Topham Hatt proud. (I've seen too much Thomas the Train!)

So, even though I feel a little useless, I know that my body needs the rest. It is telling me that.....constantly....for the past 6 days.

So, 15 days to get better. Surely we can make that deadline!

Let the countdown begin

20 days. Why am I counting down?? Well, when I found out I had developed gestational diabetes one of the first things that actually went through my mind was.."I hope I don't get sick." You know, like a cold or something. Because I NEED sweets when I am sick. I can't stress this enough....NEED. As of today, Jacob has shared his sickness with me. I feel like I need to be tied down to a dolly like Hannibal Lecter, mask and all. Not only am I pregnant, but I'm sick...and can't have sweets. I at least think the ladies who read this can understand..empathize. I'm allowed to feel sorry for myself every once in a while...and today is my day. I've done really well with the restrictions on my diet. I've watched my son and husband eat ice cream in front of me on more than one occasion and didn't mind. I've watched Jacob drink chocolate milk every day. If, after dinner, Lee wants a snack he eats it.....and I haven't minded. But now I'm sick. Someone please bring in the straight jacket!!!!!!!!!

Rain, Rain......

It was raining today when I woke up. I love rainy days. For some reason I feel no expectations on rainy days. If it gets done, great...if it doesn't, who cares....it's raining after all. It's a day to stay in your jammies a little longer and cuddle up in bed. Jacob also loves the rain. He always says, " I wanna touch the rain." Since there was no thunder and lightning I thought, why not? He told me he would need his rain boots and his rain coat, so we donned our rain gear and headed outside for fun. Well, he headed outside, I kept in the doorway....I was afraid I would melt :)

I realize these videos may be boring for some, but I figured the grandparents would want to see. I love how he didn't even hesitate to step out into the downpour. And he was so excited to find a "waterfall" in his own backyard!! And the bird's nest is still there.....despite the absence of the birds for some time.

While we were playing, Lee came home for lunch....in uniform!! (a treat for me :) ) He was not very surprised to find us playing in the rain, and since he was already wet, I got him to pose for a picture.

Aren't my men handsome???

Pink Palace

The Pink Palace is a museum in Memphis. I remember going as a child and seeing a dinosaur that really moved! We thought Jacob would really enjoy that. We found out that admission is free on Tuesdays after 1:00pm.....so we went. I'm glad it was free. Jacob was terrified that the T-Rex was going to eat his Daddy. He was saying, "No, my Daddy, No, my Daddy, No, my Daddy!" I wanted a picture of both of them in front of the T-Rex, but Jacob wasn't going anywhere near him. But Daddy was very brave!! My hero!

In the video you can hear Jacob say that the dinosaurs are going to eat us. We somehow managed to escape unscathed :)

For Aunt Jean and Uncle Rick

Aunt Jean and Uncle Rick sent Jacob a couple of books for his second birthday....over 6 months ago. He shunned them. Every time I tried to read them to him he refused. For the past 2 or 3 weeks one of these books has become his favorite! He knows the title and asks for it by name. Come and Play, Jake is something we read all the time. I think he likes the fact that it has his name throughout and that Jake wears a very soft sweater that is nice to touch. So now, Aunt Jean and Uncle Rick, you can rest easy, knowing that the books are being read and loved!!!

Belly

I had a request for a belly shot. Here's the beast!!

33 weeks.....and counting!

Dear Jacob

My dearest Jacob,

Don't you realize that 5:22am is a little too early to wake up? Don't you know that your baby brother will be here soon and Mama needs all the rest she can get? Mama spends most of the night repositioning her massive body and going back and forth to the potty. Can we make it all the way through the night tonight? Give Mama a break....I mean, you're hardly a newborn anymore. Surely we can make it through the night. I love ya kid, but you've got to start sleeping a little better.

$$

We have access to the commissary, seeing as Lee is in the Navy, but we rarely shop there. It always seemed to us that a trip to the commissary cost about the same as a trip to Wal-Mart. Since gestational diabetes came along and with it the cost of insulin, needles, testing strips and lancets and not being able to eat those cheap pasta meals, we've had to take a close look at our budget. Hmmm, do we cut out the van payment or the toilet paper? (I use alot of toilet paper these days) So we decided to do a detailed comparison of the prices between Wal-Mart and the commissary. We made a spreadsheet of about 31 items that we commonly buy on a grocery trip and we took a trip to each store and wrote down the prices. Imagine our surprise to find that the commissary was $23 cheaper than Wal-Mart!! Wouldn't you be happy if someone told you that you could get about $20 bucks off your average trip to the grocery store?? I think we were somewhat prejudice against the commissary. You see, if you think Wal-Mart is a madhouse you should take a trip to the commissary. I guess with prices that low, everyone who can shops there. You often see people pulling two carts that are packed full. So, it takes us a while to catch on. Hopefully we can keep buying toilet paper now.

Pictures

Well, since I was so bored this morning, I took some pictures of my little angel. I was trying to convince him to put his clothes on.

Here are his jeans....not on his body yet.

He did eventually give in and let me put his clothes on. But I think he is cuter with them off.

Question

This morning I asked my husband, "Why are you always messing up and I'm always cleaning up?" This was his reply: "If I didn't mess up you would get bored." Then he gave me a kiss and went to work.

Maybe it's true.

Not Today

We went to the zoo today. It was perfect....around 80 degrees and deserted. But on the way to the zoo, Jacob finished the cookies that he was holding in his hand. Then he said, "I want more cookies." This may not sound earth-shattering to anyone but me..so let me explain. Jacob doesn't say the word "cookie". Cookies are called "Coo-Coo's". Yes, I knew that one day he would begin to pronounce words correctly..."Coo-Coo's" would become "cookies", "Neighs" would be "horses", "totty train" would be "thomas the train", and so forth. But I just wasn't expecting it today. With his 3rd birthday right around the corner, I feel like he's getting ready to move out!! Of course, he might want to wait until we get the whole potty training thing under control :) My point is, where does the time go?? It seems that just the other day he couldn't talk at all. Does he have to turn 3?? Can't we do 2 again??

Dog

Our neighbors have a small dog, that I'm assuming is full grown, since they've had it for months and it's about the same size. Today, the dog discovered that he can fit through the privacy fence between our patios. This was a dream come true for Jacob. I would put the dog back in their yard and he would immediately come back through the fence. At some point during the day he returned home, but I see that he has returned this evening. Jacob is crying and crying to go outside and play with the dog. I guess the dog had fun with him earlier since he has come back.

One of the perks of NOT having a dog, is not having to worry about stepping in dog poo when you're outside. I enjoy not having to ever think about this. Now, I have to think about this. Something must be done.

Cloth Diapers

Well, today was just beautiful!!! It was in the 80's and partly cloudy. Jacob was VERY excited that his big pregnant Mommy took him outside today!! I'm surprised he isn't as white as a ghost :)

Since it was so beautiful I decided to do the pre-washing of my cloth diapers. Step 1 : Success!! But this isn't the challenging part, huh?

Lucky for me, my Dad is the handiest guy in the world, and figured out how to hang me a clothesline without breaking any of the community's guidelines!!

Also lucky for me, the diapers dried very quickly. In fact, the shells were practically dry right out of the washer. They are the only part of the diaper that is absolutely line dry. Apparently the inserts can be put in the dryer, but it didn't really take that long for them to line dry. Since these diapers have to last for several years, I'm going to line dry as much as possible just to be on the safe side!

Again, lucky for me, I had a great helper. He walked over and touched the diapers every once in a while to see if they were dry yet. I asked him if he wanted to wear one and he said, "No."

Conversations with a 2 year old

This morning, after breakfast, Jacob found a hat that he said was his cowboy hat. It was not a cowboy hat, although he'd love to have one. He was wearing said hat and riding his stick horse....actually it's my stick horse but that's another story. So, I went to grab the camera hoping to catch this moment. Unfortunately he did not want to cooperate. Let's just say by the end of this conversation I was telling him that I would buy him a camera. He's always pretending things are cameras and I thought he might like to have a little camera when his baby brother gets here anyway.









Later in the day, we were coloring. He asks me to draw Daddy, so I draw a stick Daddy. He asks me to draw Mama, so I draw a stick Mama...with a huge empty belly. He asks me to draw Jacob, so I draw a stick Jacob. Then I ask him who's missing and he replies, "Baby Adam." But it sounds like Baby A...Adam without the "dam". So I draw stick Baby Adam in stick Mama's belly. A moment later he draws this picture and tells me that he drew Baby Adam.

Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!

Jacob LOVES his Pooby!! They are the best of friends. One of my biggest fears is that Pooby will go missing or be torn beyond repair. Jacob has been carrying Pooby around for about a year and a half. For the last year and a half, we have been in pursuit of an extra Pooby. Unfortunately Target didn't carry the old Pooby anymore...they opted for a newer Pooby. I caught a break while shopping at Big Lots one day and saw that they were carrying the old line of Disney characters, just like Jacob's. But to my dismay, there were no Pooby's left. But I picked up a Tigger for 2 bucks!!

Tonight, after I put Jacob and Pooby to bed, I felt like I should search the internet in one last futile attempt to locate a Pooby. Imagine my surprise and JOY to find old Pooby, under a bold red heading of "coming soon"......at no other place than Target!!! I guess he is a very new product b/c he is not available to ship for another 2 to 4 weeks. And at the bargain price of $14.99...and comes with a fleece blanket!!!! I guess it's a good thing they (Target) didn't know how much I was willing to pay. What a steal!! I wanted to order two, but my better half said to wait :(

I think that some desperate mother called up the Target execs and demanded that they carry the old Pooby again!! If so, they should erect a statue in her honor :)

Jacob Clarifies

"You not a girl, you Mama!" I'm so glad he cleared this up for me. I was so confused!

Adventures in Motherhood

Sometimes Jacob insists that Pooby get "cake" in the morning too. It's "Pooby cake, Pooby cake, Pooby cake, Pooby cake!" until something is done about it. Sometimes I can just put an empty plate in front of Pooby and that works. This morning I tried letting Pooby share cake with Jacob. And it worked!! It may not work tomorrow, but it got us through today! :) Jacob was saying, "Pooby, open your mouth." He cracks me up!

BEST FRIENDS! Both full of waffles!

Later in the day I received my cloth diapers in the mail!! Yes, I'm going to use cloth diapers this time. Environmentally conscious?? Well, let's just say I'm bank account conscious! I didn't want the extra cost each month of another in diapers and decided I would rather pay up front what I'd pay for about 6 months of disposables. And why not?? I'm at home, and there's no reason I can't wash diapers...I mean I have a washing machine, I don't need a scrub board :)

I will be sure to keep everyone updated on the success or failure of this venture.

I took a picture because they are so darn cute, and once I use them they will be covered in poop. Not so cute.

My Poor Body

Jacob's great uncle Jim recently commented that it had been a while since I posted. So I am trying to provide him with plenty of reading material!!

Finding out I had gestational diabetes was fun. What's more fun is that 3 weeks later, my blood sugar is still not under control. What's more fun than that??, one might ask.

Today, after 5 hours in a waiting room with my 2 year old, I found out that I have a vitreal detachment in my left eye. It really sounds worse than it is. Basically the ooey gooey stuff in my eye is sloshing around b/c it came apart from the rest of my eye and it causes sparkle lights and floaters. It is in no way associated with the pregnancy or gestational diabetes...it just happened to occur at this time.

My body is falling apart.

It may take Jacob days to recover from our adventure today. Considering all the circumstances, he was FANTASTIC. But there was one scream he released in the waiting room that left all the older patients turning their hearing aids down. In my defense, I had no idea we were going to the Dr. today. I would never subject my child to such a wait on purpose. But apparently it was important enough to send me straight from the base clinic...no time to find a babysitter and Lee had a gig.

I'm anxious to see what part of my body gives out tomorrow......I'll put money on my brain!!

Part of my Job Description

Tonight, Lee and I were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. Jacob had already climbed up in his seat and was eagerly awaiting his roll. He started calling out, "Mama, come get this boo--!" We couldn't understand the last of the word. So Lee went into the other room to see what he wanted. Lee said that he pointed his finger and said, "get this boo--!" Lee thought he was pointing at the bowl on the table and told him that we were going to be using it, so he couldn't move it. When Lee came back to the kitchen the call came again...several times, "MAMA, come get this boo--!" Lee went in again. "Oh" is all I heard Lee say. Then Lee comes back to the kitchen and says, "Mama, come get this boog." Jacob had a booger "boog" on the tip of his finger and was holding it out for Lee to take....not pointing at the bowl!! But I want to know why he kept calling for me to come get it.

Lee ended up collecting the boog.

Counting

Jacob and I were playing hide and seek this morning. As he hid his face in his little arms he started counting. He usually counts, "1,2,3,2,1,2" and so forth. I was very surprised to hear him count, "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10!" He's a genius!!!!

Big Eyes

"Big Eyes", is one of Jacob's newest looks. I found it especially cute this morning seeing as he had a cream cheese mustache from his bagel! It was one of those times that I wished I had a camera in my head, so I could permanently place that image in my brain.