I decided this year that I would not do monthly updates, but rather have four updates at 3-month intervals. The downside is that I won’t remember to write all of the amazing things that Jacob learns and does (or stops doing) in the span of three whole months! I mean, the last time I did one of these he was still CRAWLING! That seems like ages ago! I can’t remember him not able to walk. SIGH. So here are some pictures and updates of my 15-month-old mini man, Jacob Connor:

It’s gotten so hard to take pictures of this guy. I mean, harder than ever. REALLY hard. He is non-stop on the move, exploring, touching things, breaking them, making a mess, throwing them all over. It’s a fast-paced world to follow him and explore having the attention span of a one-year-old (similar to that of a fly?). Everything at waist height to counter height can be subject to sticky little hands, drooly lips, and being thrown across the room. He will reach far above where he can see and pull things from the kitchen counter. Knives have to be pushed far beyond his reach. Cups of water are safe almost no where.

But my goodness is he cute.

I wish I could capture on film the heart-melting smiles and laughs I get to see, and the sweet expressions, and just every precious little detail, but when the camera is out I have to capture what is there. I hardly trust my memory to gather and store every piece of adorable data. It makes me nervous! I don’t want any detail to slip away.

This boy is a talker. He talks non-stop. He makes eye contact and then blabbers away in a language that only he can understand. He will stop and say “mm-hmm?” or “umm” and then nod as if to convey “well?? What do you think?” When I do not understand the complex sentence he’s just spoken, he gets mad now. Oh to be a toddler! The world is so complex and interesting, he is mobile and able to explore it all, and yet so much of it is off-limits! He communicates with me so much better now; he signs “hungry” and “more” quite proficiently and OFTEN. He says “this, this, this” and points at exactly what he wants. He says “yes” and “no” (which sounds either like “NAH!” or “neeew!” depending on what he is saying no to). I think that his increased communication skills have taught him the joy in being understood, so when I do not understand him, he gets very frustrated. In those times that I don’t know what he is telling me, or what he wants to eat (sometimes, I swear, what he wants isn’t in our house) he will get mad at me and let out a roar! 

He also says “daddy” and “Koal” for his two favorite people. Actually, he says “Koal” for any four-legged animal (horses, goats, other dogs). When we walk in the morning and I tell Koal to stop barking he will yell “Koal! Noooo!” He likes to go to the back door (which I’ve been keeping open as the weather is beautiful and Jacob can go in and out) and call Koal over to him, and pet him. So cute.

He definitely has a mind of his own. He decides what he wants to do, and he does it. Heaven forbid I should stop him. That also elicits a roar. He will only hold my (or anyone’s) hand if he really needs help going down a stair or over some uneven terrain. When he needs a hand he holds his up in the air and makes eye contact, maybe even a pleading noise, to let you know. Otherwise, he won’t hold your hand at all! When you try to take his hand and guide him somewhere, he will bend at the waist and refuse. You either drag him, or give up and pick him up. 

All this talk of his stubbornness is fun, but I should balance it out with a discussion on how gosh-darned SWEET he is. He is a little lover. He hugs and kisses us spontaneously. It’s like being chosen for a great reward, or winning the lottery. He kisses Josh on the lips before bed. He stretches out his little neck and puts his mouth forward for a kiss. Then he waves “bye-bye!” He befriends and flirts with everyone, everywhere we go. He will catch their eye, make eye contact, and smile, wave, and even blow them a kiss. He yells out “HI!” to any children we pass. He will giggle and run up to them, as happy as can be, if I let him. In Bible study this week, his friend Austin was crying when he came into the class and apparently Jacob was trying to cheer him up, handing him toys and hovering around him, very upset. The class leader said “what a wonderful quality in such a young child!” He loves everyone. He is ecstatically happy to see his favorites (grandparents, daddy, his friends, aunts and uncles). He is so sweet with baby Alexis; he touches her very gently, on her head or arm. He kisses her tiny arm and just stares at her. 

He is an eating machine! He eats constantly, and everything! I am always being signed to that he is hungry. There is hardly anything he does not like, although he uses his toddler stubbornness to refuse things that I KNOW HE LIKES for no reason at all. He decides now what he wants to eat and when he wants to eat it, and he tells me. There is no option of his eating what I give him (in his mind). From meal to meal his wants vary, and I wonder what it is in his mind that makes him feel this way, and make those decisions. He currently weighs over 25 pounds, which is still on the lighter end for his age (35 percentile) but he gets a LOT of exercise, so I’m sure that is why!

Jacob’s favorite activities right now are walking, running, dancing…oh the dancing! It is the cutest!! He will press the buttons on this motorcycle (pictured, from Aunt Niki) and dance to the music it plays with a huge grin. He loves to explore new things, so the other day when he snuck his hand in the path of the linen closet door as I closed it, he was delighted to find all kinds of containers to stack and knock over (and break, as it happens). He is an organizer. He likes to move clothes from washer to drier, laundry basket to floor and back again. He unloads the dishwasher (of utensils) and now he will even put them in the silverware drawer! He can’t see in of course, so he tip toes to the edge and drops them in. Then he claps for himself. He is his own fan. 🙂 It’s amazing to see how much he understands of the world around him. He really knows what is going on much better than I give him credit for. Of all the drawers in the kitchen, to know which one holds silverware?? To understand where things go and where to find them again? It’s amazing. He remembers things better now, so if he has done something fun at a certain place, he will want to do it again. I think this will complicate his future doctor’s office visits, but we will see! He picks up every toy, remote, and object and puts it to his ear and talks into it. Josh thinks this is because I talk on the phone all day, but I think he is just excited to do something like me. (Oh and I don’t talk on the phone all day. If he picked up a block and started typing on it like an email, blog post, text message, etc., THEN I would be worried). I think it’s adorable that he’s “on the phone” so naturally I encourage it. 

We have been doing a lot of activities lately. It seems that my boy was getting cranky when stuck in the house. It sounds like an obvious statement, but with toys and my ultra-fun guidance, I thought he’d be okay. WRONG. He needs fresh air and new sights! Not all of the activities have worked out, but we are learning. I take him to the park, which he usually enjoys, but I have to go on the playground with him because he can’t go down stairs without my help, and I don’t want him to fall out of the sides. One day a little girl (like 7 years old) pushed and kicked him for getting in her way, so that was frustrating. We went to the OC Zoo and he was only interested in the other children there, and didn’t want to go where I told him or do anything I said. However, he loves to get out and see things. Pretend City has been a hit, and Disneyland keeps his active brain going. I try to make sure we go somewhere every day, out of the house. We also play in the yard, color on the patio, and little things to give him a new activity. He loves to be outside. Even just walking around the backyard makes him very happy.

I tried to catch some “sun mohawks” to capture this very cute stage of his hair growth. It really naturally makes a mohawk. Sometimes I put lotion on his head and “style” his hair with it. My mom likes to style it into a side part which is pretty cute and funny, too. Of course he will have to mess it up as soon as possible with his hand, and then put food on his head. Because why not?

He’s gotten all four molars (that he can have, before the two year molars). The inside of his mouth looks so strange with ALL those teeth! Hearing him crunch away on food is about the cutest noise ever.

He is a funny little goofball. He plays a game with me where he pretends to have something in his mouth, but when I run over there to find out what it is, he holds his empty hand out to me and laughs (how smart is that?!). He likes to play hide and go seek A LOT. He runs and shrieks. It’s darling. When it’s time for a diaper change he runs and hides and laughs, wanting me to chase him. When I catch him he giggles and throws his head back with pure joy. He likes to play a game where he finds my foot (in a shoe, under a blanket) and touches it, and I scream and wiggle it in the air. I hope I never forget the feeling of his tiny hand wriggling down the side of an UGG boot. 🙂 He thinks it is funny when I playfully tug his shoes and socks off. I yell that his feet are STINKY and he screams with laughter. 

Speaking of shoes: he really likes them. He likes to hand me a shoe and hold his foot up for me to put it on. If one falls off, he will bring me the shoe and hold up the naked foot. He understands where socks go and holds up his feet, wiggling his tiny toes and waiting. Before we walk at night Josh will sit down with his sneakers and Jacob holds them out to him, one at a time, to “help” him put them on.

He understands where glasses go, and likes to take ours and try to put them on his face. They are always upside-down when he does. 🙂 I got these little sunglasses for him, and he loves them! Of course you can’t catch him wearing them for more than a second, because he takes them off and starts over. 

Oh he is too precious and too cute. Time is flying by, and the world is a whirlwind of activity. He changes daily. He amazes me with how smart and intuitive he is. I love that he is empathetic and kind, gentle with animals and babies, and such a happy soul. He is funny and loves to make people laugh.

I love him.