10 months old & 43 wk highlights!

Sometimes I really wonder where this thing M&D refer to as "Time" actually goes. Mommy is constantly telling me how it seems just like the other day I was writing my 42 wk highlights and now I'm trying to squeeze in time to write my 43 wk ones before I'm going to have combine it with my 44 wks old highlights! It's been quite the year thus far and I still have 2 months to go before I officially hit the big ONE mark! Nonetheless, I have to make this quick since I'm super busy becoming a TODDLER.

43 wk highlight:

-Officially turned 10 months!

-At 10 months I weigh 25 lbs and am 30 3/4 in long.

-I eat almost everything and anything (although at times I can be picky just to give Mommy guff).

-I crawl everywhere (Mom calls me her “Little Speedster”). I even managed to slip away from both M&D the other day; Mommy thought I was going to see Daddy and Daddy thought Mommy was watching me. Daddy stepped into the kitchen and I was nowhere to be found. Then they looked down the hallway and there I was, taking off after some shoes.

-The results are in: According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular names of 2009 were—drum roll, please—Jacob and Isabella. What can I say.....it's a great name! And it's been going strong for the last 10 years.

-Discovering the world on all fours, climbing and cruising on everything. The instance I'm put down, I'm off on all 4s to the closest thing I can climb and then off cruising I go to whatever I want. I can switch from furniture to furniture, I can grab onto my stand/push toys and move with them. Nonetheless, there is no stopping me from getting from point A to point B!

-I absolutely love walking with my lion push toy! I love making laps in the apt. I still don't understand why I run into the wall all the time, but Mommy helps me flip around or make turns, so I can head the other direction. I enjoy chasing Rambo down with my lion too; Rambo on the other hand is not a big fan

-Finally went on a walk with the family in the woods and got to see a small branch of the Potomac River. We’ve wanted to go on another walk, but the rain is delaying us from venturing out.

-I’ve discovered that I really am a boy in the bath tub:)

-I can climb up half the stairs all by myself.

-Mommy insist that we take these weekly pics, but I have other plans and usually take off the instant I'm put down. This makes taking my picture quite tricky, but somehow Mommy manages to do it.

-I can read/recognize Mouth, Arms Up, Clap, Tongue, Dog when my M/D show me the certain word. I will open my mouth, raise my arms, clap, stick my tongue out, and tap my side for dog.

"From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth."- Psalm 50:2

Finally moved and 42 wk highlights!

FINALLY we've MOVED into our new place and I have a NEW room! It's been another busy week moving things, unpacking things, packing things from the hotel and then unpacking, etc., you get the point that our world has been full of boxes and bags. Mommy & Daddy have been working so hard trying to get the apartment into a livable environment and they've finally succeed. I no longer have to crawl around boxes to get where I want to go. With all the craziness in this whole moving adventure, I too am having a ball with this thing called moving. I'm super fast on all fours and love to climb up on things. I'm all boy and am changing by the minute. Here's what I've been up to this past week.

42 wk highlights:
-I'm officially an Ashburn, VA resident!

-My room was the first one finished in the apt. I love playing with all my toys in my big room and am sleeping great in my new crib and room.

-M&D moved me into a new crib that goes down to a lower setting and can be changed into a toddler bed. I'd previously been sleeping in a crib that my late Great-Grandpa Warner had hand made. It's still at our house in StL and when the time comes one my sibling will use it.

-So I had quite the nap the other day. All was well on the monitor Mommy thought, until it was about 1:30 into my nap and I just started screaming. Mommy came into find me hold onto the top railing and standing in my crib. I was scared to death and didn't know how to get down. Mommy thought it was kind of funny; I on the other hand was a little distraught. I now climb up and down things with ease. I guess that's all it took for me to figure out this climbing business.

-I've officially given up my army crawl and now am a speedster on all 4s. I haven't army crawled in over a week now.

-My frustration level has dropped so much these past couple weeks, because I can finally get where I want and get up from my belly to a sitting position. I'm very good at getting from my tummy to a sitting position.

-I love to mimic what M&D say. Classic example would be Daddy saying, "Ball, ball, hi, hi." And I say, "Ba, ba, hi, hi!" etc. etc. M&D think it's the greatest thing ever.

-I love to clap my hands all the time and raise my arms up. I'm really good at my flash cards and when I see "Arms up" I put my arms up. The same goes for clap, mouth, tongue, occasionally horse too. Anytime Mommy does pig and her oinking sound I think it's hilarious.

-M&D think I'm a busy baby! But really I'm just a 'lil tike' (as Mommy likes to call me now days) with lots of energy to burn. I'm constantly on the move and going like crazy even when I'm sitting in my high chair or car seat. The arms and legs are usually moving, thus hints why I eat so much food.

-Food wise right now I eat: breakfast (5 oz bottle of milk, yogurt, sometimes cereal but not lately, some finger foods). Lunch (5oz sippy cup of milk, whatever Mommy is eating...pasta, chicken, mac and cheese, veggies, fruit, etc). Snack (yogurt, water in sippy, finger foods). Supper (sippy cup with water, whatever Mommy is eating...pasta, chicken, grilled cheese, toast, Gerber toddler meals, mac and cheese, veggies, fruit, almost all Gerber snack foods, cheerios, etc). Night bottle (9 oz bottle of milk). I love to drink water throughout the day and occasionally get some snack foods here and there. Food wise their is not much I can't eat or won't eat. I'm not a picky eater at all and if I don't like it I will just simply stick my tongue out in order to get it out of my mouth.

-Since we've been staying at the hotel this past week M&D have taken me down to the pool a couple times. I love being in the water and despite it being a little chilly I loved every second of it.

-I'm mastering how to stand up holding onto the couch.

-I cruise really well along furniture.

-I love to walk assisted with two hands, but lately Mommy has been just using one of my hands to help me walk. I was really uneasy about this at first, because her two fingers are my security blanket, but I'm slowly catching on and learning how to balance my whole body really well.

-Went to Redskins Couple Bible Study with M&D for the first time. I did alright for awhile but was ready to leave and go to bed about half through. So nonetheless Mommy missed most of the study, but spent sometime with me and the other kiddos.

-I sign milk really well, especially at lunch time. I'll be eating then my left hand starts signing like crazy, Mommy then gives me my sippy cup with milk. When I'm finished and ready to eat some more I push it away and eat some more (then repeat)! I'll keep signing milk until Mommy gives me some milk to drink too.

-My upper front right tooth is starting to cut through my gums. My first tooth was my lower front left one quickly followed by the right one.

-With my two little front teeth in front, I know leave teeth imprints in everything I chew on. What can I say, I'm just marking my territory!

-I absolutely love doing all my Baby Can Read things. And it never fails, if I'm in a bad mood and M&D break out the flash cards, book, or video I'm happy as can be.

-I like to hold my bottle with one hand now days too.

-I love to play with my basketball hoop. I'm really good at putting the basketballs (and sometimes any other toy that will fit) through the hoop.

-While Mommy finishes doing the dishes, I love to get down and push around my high chair.

-I love to watch Daddy throw the ball up in the air and catch it. I lift my hands up and drop the ball in my hand as if I am playing catch too.

-One of my new favorite games is the take away game. If you have a toy and go to give it to me and then snatch it right before I can grab it, I laugh like crazy.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”-James 3:17-18

A ring bearer, 1st Mother's Day, Moved to VA, The 3 Cs and 41 wk highlights!

I've been a busy baby this past week, everything from going down the aisle to moving to a new state and home! Between crawling, climbing, and cruising (the 3 Cs) there is never a dull moment in my life right now, but I suppose I have time to write down a few of my highlights for this past week.

41 wk highlights:
-I'm crawling on all fours and climbing up on everything. I really like to crawl over to Mommy and pull up on her until I'm standing and ready to walk.

-I love my flash cards and it's one of the few things that I will sit still for and pay attention to.

-I shocked my Mommy the other day when I was watching my video and they said, "Clap" "Clap your hands!" and I clapped my hands. Then they said, "Arms up!" and I raised my arms up. She couldn't believe her eyes, so we had to repeat "Clap" and "Arms up" about 10 times before she believed that I actually knew what I was doing. Now Mommy and Daddy just absolutely love having me do my words and seeing me do the actions!

-Annie & Tina (neighbors) babysat me one evening so Mommy could finish getting somethings packed up and ready to move. Annie could entertain me for hours on end and always makes me smile.

-Wednesday I spent the whole day with Shannon (babysitter). We played, ate, slept, and played some more. I did great for her the whole day. It really freed up Mommy to get a lot of things down without having to drag me everywhere.

-The movers and packers have kept me pretty entertained this week. The taping of countless boxes and people moving everything out of our house, left me just watching in awe wondering where all my toys were going. I liked cruising around all of the boxes though and everybody thought I was "Oh, so cute," which always makes me smile and laugh.

-Daddy turned the big 26 on Thursday. We were able to Skype with him, while he open our present we sent him. As soon as the family is all together we will be eating some cake and celebrating his birthday again!

-I was in my first wedding over the weekend. Mommy and Daddy's good friends Jenna and Jason tied the knot on Saturday and I was the ring bearer. I did great the whole time and everybody "ooohhhed and aaahhed" when Addison (the flower girl) came rolling down the aisle in our wagon.

-I helped Mommy celebrate her 1st Mother's Day on Sunday. Unfortunately Daddy couldn't be with us to celebrate, but we will be celebrating at a later date when we're all together. Daddy and I got her flowers, which of course melted her heart.

-After church on Sunday, we went and said good bye to our StL family and friends. I played with the neighbor kids all afternoon and then joined the Rigonis for a nice supper and had some extra play time with Annie. Jenna and Jason stopped by to say good bye too. I'm really going to miss everybody, but am ready to meet more people in our new home.

-I took my 9th airplane ride! I did awesome the whole flight and pretty much the whole big moving day in general. Mama & Papa Mannio picked us up at the hotel, we then picked up Rambo, and finally off to the airport we went. I was a little live wire when we left and couldn't stop climbing all over Mommy on the plane and playing peek-a-boo with the people sitting behind us. I think I had the whole plane worried when I was squealing, laughing, talking, and just being the typical noise machine I am. But after about 45 min and a clean diaper, I gave in and fell asleep in Mommy's arms. I was out like a light until we were getting off the plane!

-We officially moved to Virginia. We're living in an hotel room right now, but will be moving to our apartment shortly.

-I've discovered how to make a ticking noise with my mouth. I also like to make other noises and squeals as well.

-I've been trying new foods here and there. I eat pretty much anything, but if I don't like it I will just open my mouth, stick my tongue out and let it fall out. I especially do this with any dry tasting food (bread, rice, etc.).

-I love grilled cheese sandwiches! At the wedding I ate almost a whole sandwich!

-For the past week I've been living in a hotel room first with just Mommy and now here in VA with Daddy too. I really can't wait to have my big living room back and for my toys to be everywhere.

-I'm constantly signing milk and have started clapping when I want more.

-I love anything that has wheels. I will crawl over to my stroller, toy, pack 'n play, anything with wheels and just love to play with them.

-I bit Mommy on the shoulder this week. I like to mouth things and decided I would just bite on her shoulder one time. I thought it was funny, Mommy on the other hand did not think it was.

-I've also discovered how to pinch. I especially like to do this if M/D are doing something I don't really care for.

-I'm already a motor mouth and I'm only 9 months old. I love to chit chat all day long with Mommy, the pup, my toys, pretty much with anybody and anything at any time. Mommy and Daddy just laugh every time I get into one of my talkative moods.

-Not only do I love to talk, but I also like to move. I'm usually going nonstop all day long (unless I'm napping, which I still move all over the place during). I can be sitting in my stroller and my legs and feet will be going back and forth. What can I say.......I'm a little boy!

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”-Proverbs 31:30

Time with Grandma and 40 wk highlights!

First off Happy Birthday to my Daddy! I wish Mommy and I could be there with him to celebrate with him, but we've already made a deal that we have to celebrate Daddy's bday and Mother's day the instant the whole family is together again. We sent Daddy a big birthday present full of many gifts! I can't wait to see my Daddy in a couple more days.

So I thought we were busy before, but nothing compares to the madness in this house now. I didn't get to see Daddy all this last week and Mommy flew out to see him over the weekend so they could find us a place to live, all while I stayed with Grandma. The packers came Monday and since then the craziness is just picking up day by day. Mommy and I (& Rambo) are headed out to VA next Monday to start our new lives out there. So before they pack the computer away, I better get to my highlights.

40 wk highlights:
-Spent 5 days with Grandma (McBride), while Mommy was out in VA with Daddy trying to find a place for us to live for the next two years. I did great for Grandma the whole time she was here! And M&D found us an apartment to live in for the next couple years.

-Grandma and I played on the trampoline, took walks around the house/court/lawn/everywhere, she pushed me in the swing, watched my video, played with the dog and had some great Grandma and Grandson time together!

-I've been sleeping and napping like a champ, despite the madness in the house. At least one solid 1-1.5 hr nap a day, plus a 30-45 min nap, and then sleeping 8-8! I usually wake up early, turn my fish tank on and then back to sleep I go. What can I say, I love the sound of water running!

-I can stand on my own for about 3 seconds. I rarely stand still, so it's kind of hard for me to practice standing. I would prefer to just take off running.

-Can eat really good with my fingers and if I pick it up, it usually (98%) of the time will make it to my mouth! And if I don't get it into my mouth I stare at my hands and highchair looking for where the food might have gone.

-I love to eat about any table food. I especially love bread and butter!

-Ate mashed potatoes and meatloaf for the first time. Loved em!

-I bit Mommy for the first time. I was gumming at her shoulder and then just latched on and bit it. She was not very happy with me and told me "No, no, no Jacob!"

-Speaking of "No, no, no Jacob!" I seem to hear that a lot lately, especially because I take off and crawl everywhere and get into almost everything.

-I no longer have an interest in my toys and would rather go crawl around and find house hold items as toys. Mommy (& Grandma) try to get me to play in the living with my toys, but I take off to the other rooms the instant I'm put down. I especially love to crawl to the window and grab the cords, Rambo's dishes and toys, my high chair (pushing it back and forth), and the vents on the floor (of which I love to pound on).

-My two bottom front teeth are growing like crazy and you can really seem them now.

-I've been chewing especially on the right side of my mouth because I can feel more teeth coming through.

-When Mommy finally came home Sunday, I was squealing and acted like a wild child the rest of the night. Grandma told Mommy the instant we went outside to walk around I was squealing like crazy and couldn't walk fast enough to explore the world.

-I love to be walking around outside! By far this is my favorite thing to do! If you take my hands and we're walking around inside, I will walk to my shoes and the door and then just stare at you wondering when we're going outside. And if we don't go, I will definitely let you know I object.

-Just call me "Mr. Drama King!" If you do something that I absolutely don't want to do, I will cry (real tears even), scream, and protest like no other.

-I love to Skype with Daddy and laugh/scream/giggle the whole time we're talking. He even plays peek-a-boo with me! I love being able to see him on the screen!

-Mommy got me some new tennis shoes and they actually fit me perfectly (size 3).

-The packers came to start "Moving our lives!" to our new apartment/home in VA! I'm quite interested in what they are doing (taping boxes and packing all day long) and love to cruise along the boxes they've stacked in the house. Good thing I find them and everything else entertaining, because they've packed up almost all my toys.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."- 2 Corinthians 10:5