Wheel Of Learning

Let's try this for the dozenth time... We have been having issues with our internet provider, Comcast. We think it is only the fact that we cannot send messages from our e-mail accounts. We have been able to receive messages though. Comcast support has been called a few times and they still don't have it fixed. I think the first call was this past Tuesday (now Saturday). We were told that they needed to escalate the issue which basically means that some one that knows more than them needs to work on it and that the issue would be resolved in 24 - 72 hours. Well, a call was made at about the 48 hour mark because we could still not send messages. When I called, they said that Amy's was working and that they had called to let us know. No, they didn't. I was home all day that day and there were no messages, etc. As a matter of fact, Amy's e-mail didn't work either. They also noted that my e-mail address wasn't being worked on either even though when I called after Amy called on Tuesday, I didn't get added to the notice... While they were working doing whatever they were doing, they offered to save me money because they have phone service. I politely told them that I wasn't interested because I may be taking my business elsewhere because this wasn't the first time that we have been having issues. With Amy taking an online class, her internship, etc. where things need to submitted by specific dates and times, we can't be having a service that you don't know if it is working or not. He was still dumb enough to ask, "so you don't want the service?" The dummy tried again later. Here we are, another 48 hours after two more phone calls and our service still doesn't work and we have not received any updates like they offered and we accepted. Comcast customer service and support seems to be less than competent... Oh, we have not been able to send messages for what we think is about 3 weeks now. So, I guess we can't be upset if you haven't responded now can we... ;)!

Anyway, I am trying to updload this video again... Jacob was pretty tired, but wanted to play. It was one of those times where he is crying because he is tired, but cries because you pick him up as he turns to try and play some more. Only moments after this video ends, Jacob is crashed on my chest for an hour and 45 minutes.

Yeah!!! It finally worked. Let's hope I can keep posting videos. I think there are a few more to share... I am not going to push my luck right now though. I will loading another one tomorrow...

Crawling Snippit

The Great Outdoors

With the rising temperatures and the sun coming into view on most days, Jacob is now being introduced more to the outdoors. In addition to the stroller rides, the ground is new adventure... While I was working in the front yard, Jacob and his mother laid on a blanket playing with various toys, watching daddy work and all of the passersby enjoying the weather.

Laying on the blanket proved to be a new endeavour for Jacob. He tested the feeling of the grass just off the edge of the blanket and was sure about its feel. He would caress the grass and then be sure that he only touched the blanket. There were a few rolls in the grass, but no crawls/squirms propelling across the lawn... ;)! There was one family that went by that had a baby girl that will be 6 months old next week. They seemed pretty nice, so I guess we will really have to watch Jacob so that he doesn't run off with just any old girl "strolling" past the house. We have yet to mee the 6 month old across the street, but we are seeing them out more now and willl be attempting to get over there. They are new neighbors from the fall that we haven't really been able to welcome to the neighborhood. Between Jacob being born and them having their own preparations, our paths never really had the opportunity to cross.

So, Jacob is getting the feel of the outdoors. We are working on getting to the pool at our membership and getting him in the water, but we haven't been able to find the time yet. We are curious to see how he will react as we don't want him to develop a fear of the water and would like to get him in as young as possible...

Less And Less Is Safe!

Less and less around the house is safe from little hands... Over the weekend, I was in the kitchen either cleaning or cooking something when Amy put Jacob on the floor behind me sitting up. Without hearing a thump or anything, Amy came back a few seconds later and I turned around to find Jacob in a puddle of water hanging onto Frankie's water dish. Jacob had a look of bewilderment, but true to being a boy, the fact that his onesie and pants were sopping wet didn't phase him. Fortunately, he didn't continue to the next bowl to enjoy a "Frankie" appetizer. Guess his mother will just need to keep him in the living room to buy some time until he reaches the dog dishes, at least for now...

Jacob is spinning on his belly much less these days. He has found that he can travel on his stomach while moving his arms and legs similar to a snake. Most of his movement is in his arms. I found out over the weekend that I pretty much crawled with my belly on the floor. So, we will see if Jacob continues getting better at what he is doing now (which he is), or if he will spring into action with his belly off of the floor.

Determination is definitely a trait that Jacob possesses. Once he sees something that he wants, there is nothing stopping him until he gets it. I'm sure this is the same for all "new movers", so we will see how this progresses with time...

6 Month Photo Picks

Here are the 6-month photos that we decided to keep and print, etc. Of course, they are edited from the originals. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have...



This last picture was an impromptu photo op that presented itself when we were getting pictures of Jacob with his cousins. A special thank you goes out to Colton for backing out of the photo while Jacob was in a photo shooting mood. There were also some pictures of just Jacob and Colton that were pretty funny, at least to us because we saw what was going on... I just might have to post a couple of those and explain the laughter behind them...

Phone Call: Can You Hear Me Now?

A recent conversation went like this on our cell phones:

Doug: "Hello"
Amy: "Jacob called"
Doug: "Okay, Jacob who?"
Amy: "Your son, Jacob"
Doug thinking - This doesn't make any sense. Jacob can't call, he's too young. Did he get his mother's phone off the couch or floor and somehow figure out how to open it and pushed a button? Oh, but wait, Amy was on the other end when I answered the phone...
Doug: "How did Jacob call?"
Amy: "He went across the floor"
Doug thinking - Yeah, so then he must have gotten the phone and dialed somehow, but refer to earlier thought...
Doug: "Yeah, so he went across the floor, but how did he call?"
Amy: "He went left, right, left and moved!!"
Doug: "Huh?"
Doug thinking - Ding, ding, ding, ding!
Doug: "Oh, you meant crawl, not call!!!!" LOL ROFLMAO!!!!

Jacob is now using another method of getting around the house, and we can really say around the house now. Guess we really should have babyproofed the house last weekend, but we didn't... Jacob was scooting around and doing his circles and then got his back legs under him and crawled/pushed off for a few steps. His mother was right there watching him and when he started, she jumped up and was screaming with happiness, surprise and congratulations!! With this, poor little Jacob stopped, looked at his mother for a brief moment and started crying... Jacob's silly mother obviously scared the bejeezus out of him!!! He was consoled and then the phone call transpired.

Later in the phone call...
Amy: "Jacob hasn't crawled since and it was just that one time"
Doug: "No kidding, you scared the crap out of him and he is probably afraid to..."

Poor kid, makes a monumental step in his development and his mother scares the life out of him with her excitement... At this rate, he'll never want to walk... ;)!

What Will He Come Up With Next?

We have found Jacob in his swing with his mobile on his head and in his mouth. Now we have found him in his crib with his mirror/toys on him while is feet is on the side of the crib. Just goes to show you how active he has become. I think this was the first night the mirror was in his crib and it was definitely its last at least until we figure out a better way to secure it.

I was correct in thinking earlier that Amy wouldn't believe me that we needed to lower Jacob's crib this weekend. Although we won't be doing it this weekend, it definitely won't be very much in the future. She did make the comment that we will need to baby proof the first floor because he is definitely on the move. It was pretty fun to watch him last night turning himself in circles. He would do 2 or 3 spins and take a break and then go at it again as he was searching the room for where he was going to go next. There is some development towards crawling as well, but we should be safe from that for another week at least, but you never know... My guess is that we are probably closer to a month, but some things just happen over night... ;)! Sorry we didn't get any video, but as soon as we would get it out, he would stop! He can be a little stinker already!

You Got Me Spinnin'...

You got me spinnin' 'round and 'round... Jacob is definitely on the move and working to figure out different ways of getting one place to another. Amy was putting in some hours at her internship (playing Sorry because no one had homework and doing the Soldier Boy dance...), so it was daddy/Jacob time. Jacob had a rough day with filling his diaper in a way that is not normal and was not himself as much as he wanted to be. So, it was thought to be a rough night...

Jacob was very happy once I got home this evening which is a big turnaround from last night. After getting fed, we played and played and played. Amy was gone by this time now and it was time to have some tummy time on the floor. Before you know it, Jacob was all over the place!! He was spinning himself in all directions and putting multiple rolls together. He ended up out in the dining area and was pulling himself towards the table. He was pulling himself towards things with one arm, so he must be working on his biceps or something... ;)! After watching Jacob in awe for quite some time, I thought it would be fun to get some video of him. Of course, by this time, he was starting to wear himself out, so there was as much movement, but some nonetheless...

Anyway, here is a little bit of video of Jacob on the move.

Sneaky...

Not sure if you noticed or not, but I did post a number of photos to the picture website for the 6 month photo shoot. I am hoping to redo a couple of them this weekend if possible, but if not, I will work with the photos that have been taken. Anyway, there are quite a few pictures out there if you want to get a giggle. I don't think I posted one where Jacob's face is really red and straining. This wasn't done on purpose and Amy couldn't believe that I took a picture at this point... Amy couldn't stop laughing the first time she saw it.

Stay tuned for updated 6 month photos.

Kicking The Wrapper

Can you believe that I just uploaded some videos (36) from the camera to the computer and didn't realize that there was something that I wanted to post from Easter? I reviewed the tape and found this Easter basket battle. Jacob eventually won, so everything was okay...? It is a battle between Jacob and the wrapper that the baseket came in.

Just as an FYI, Jacob from time to time shows a little on how to crawl. Nothing that convinces us he knows what he is doing, but it is only time before he realizes why he moved forward instead of rolling over when he does certain things...

Spring Is Here!!

Spring is finally here, or at least it was today, so we took advantage of it while we could. The family took a 3.5 to 4 Mile stroll around town. The first stop about a mile away was for a train crossing... Yep, you bet, we stopped and waited although we thought about trying to beat it. This was the first time Jacob saw a train and was able to really hear it. The whistle didn't startle him as his mother and I watched him and the train. We weren't sure if it was the fact that the stroller stopped, the train or us staring at him, but he began to cry. Fortunately, it was a short train and we were able to get moving again. Almost as soon as the stroller started moving again, Jacob was settled and taking in the scenery once again.

We made it to downtown and decided to get something to drink at the Pita Pit. There were definitely a lot of people out enjoying the weather all over. People were walking, riding bikes, running, playing baseball, tossing the football around and just whatever they wanted to do to avoid the cabin fever that has set in...

While downtown, we checked out an ice cream and dairy shop that Amy saw on the news. At this point, we didn't feel like actually partaking in their services, but thought we would in the future. We did stop and grab a treat on the way home at an ice cream shop closer to home. We ended up being on our stroll for close to two hours. Nope, Jacob didn't sleep the whole time, nor most of the time. He was very interested in seeing the area he lives in. We certainly thought he would have slept more.

The last stop on the stroll was to the corner store for a couple of items for dinner. Jacob enjoyed flirting with the cashier as he was sportin' his contagious smile to her. Alas, we were at home.

Uh oh! Dad forgot to run an errand earlier in the day and had to before the stores closed. What to do? oh, what to do? Do I take Jacob with me so that mommy can rest her back, or do I leave him at home because I am tired too. The thought of having a father/son venture sounded very exciting, but I wasn't sure how things would go... Well, the mini diaper bag was still packed and he was basically still ready for an adventure, so I put his coat back on and grabbed his grocery cart thingy and we were off. This was a perfect time to take Frankie along with us too as she hasn't been for a "ride" for a while because of the weather, other than going to the vet...

Jacob was put into the shopping cart with his padding cover thing and was sitting up like a big boy. From time to time, he would tilt to one side. I think he was doing it on purpose, but happy nonetheless. There were many families checking out Jacob as we would pass by and noting the little guy sitting up,etc. I would only be bragging if I also said that a lot of them were making comments on how cute and adorable he was, but I won't say that... ;)!

Sittin' Up Big

The time has come that we can officially say that Jacob is sitting up by himself. He really has been for quite some time for little spurts, but he can really sit up on his own now. He has been sitting in carts, high chairs at restaurants, on the floor, etc. all by himself. Hopefully, he will even sit up on his own long enough for us to be able to get his 6 month photos done. Earlier today, I had him on the floor with his laptop while I was making breakfast and he was sitting there for the longest time playing with the laptop and links that were on the floor with him.

Eating Out

It may not be a first for Jacob, but it was a first for us with Jacob. Jacob is definitely getting bigger contrary to what one person thinks, story to follow... Jacob sat in a high chair at a restaurant!! (second time, first time was with grandma...)

Amy and I were finally able to make it to Chilis tonight. We tried last week, but things just didn't work out. Upon our arrival we were escorted to our table. Along the way, Amy asked for a high chair for Jacob. Now, Jacob was covered up in his car seat and the lady gave her some attitude and mentioned that the baby was too small. How would she know, she wasn't able to see him?!?! After she ran around doing other things to waste time and we were standing in the aisle, she eventually got us one and again commented on how small Jacob was. We noted to her that he was six months and sitting up by himself. When I took him out of the car seat, again she commented on how small he was and had to tell others that he was 6 months and small. I think either her eye sight is going bad or it has been a long time since she was around a baby and her memory is gone too. Jacob is in basically in the 50th percentile for height, weight and headsize. Anyway, this went on a few more times,but Amy and started avoiding her annoying idiocracy. However, once in a while Amy would still make a comment... This is only a digression to the real story...

The real story is that Jacob sat at the table in a high chair all by himself. He played drop the links and whatever other toys he had, so that his mommy and daddy could pick them up. Amy made a comment that she thought this game would start later, but Jacob said the heck with that, I wanna do it now... Heehee!! Jacob was fed his food and ate like a big boy. We didn't have a bib, but very minimal food was found on his clothes... Good job daddy!!! There were the passers by that would get Jacob's attention in mid bite which would cause his food to end up on his cheek, but what can you expect from an inquisitive 6 month old, right? Just keeps his parents on their toes ;)!

We ended up having a fun time and look forward to warmer weather so that we don't need to take the car seat in any longer... especially when Jacob is awake already :D!