Jacob Andrew and William Colin: September 2013

Jake's personality is certainly shining these days! His rapidly growing verbal skills are giving us joy and laughter (and a bit of a shock at times.) He continues to be very active and athletic, jumping off anything in sight and mostly landing on his feet with the announcement of "I fine" or "need helping hand." Jake now sleeps in a big boy bed (twin bed) and has done so well with this transition. Each nap time and night time he clearly articulates a list of which items need to be in bed with him. Included in this list is always a dinosaur which he asks for by name (triceratops, stegosaurus, etc.) Jake goes to school two mornings a week and loves his teachers Ms. Maria and Ms. Topi (he calls them Ria and Topi). Upon leaving school, he always says, "Bye Ria! Bye Topi! Bye friends, see you next time!" My sweet little man loves to give hugs, kisses and snuggles. When he gets in trouble, he's quick to say, "Sorry Mommy!" Jake knows many songs and sings them one after another, loud and proud. He's such a little negotiator. If you say, "Jake, would you like an apple?" He will say, "Um, no thank you. How about fruit snacks?" This scenario is his strategy for all negotiations.

Jake can count up to 30 (although 13-17 are a bit muddy), knows his ABC's, and recognizes most shapes. He can also count backwards from 10. As a teacher, it amazes me how he recognizes all of these in his world. Yesterday he told me his bendy straw was, "like a 7." Sometimes he bites off part of his pretzel and tells me what letter it looks like. My little helper even pointed out the speed limit was 15 as I approached the Fort Sill gate the other day.

This boy is obsessed with cars and "ro ro bikes" (motorcycles). He can tell you what kind of cars Mommy and Daddy drive. He loves trains and building blocks too. Reading and looking at books is another one of Jake's favorite hobbies. Often, he picks up a book he knows well and "reads" the story as he remembers it. This is such a joy to see as a teacher! His current favorite is If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Jake always takes a few books to bed and reads them before he goes to sleep and after he wakes up. Of course, playing outside and running is his true love.

With the beginning of football season upon us, Jake has really taken an interest in Daddy and Mommy's favorite game. It's so fun to hear him yell at the TV while watching his Steelers or Sooners. He actually watched most of Army's winning season opener and cheered them on all the way! Jake enjoys throwing and catching the football and kicking the soccer ball. Although he gets disappointed Tank and Bella won't catch the football, they remain his favorite playmates.

With fall approaching, we are all getting excited about Jake's new baby brother's arrival. When trying to decide on a name, we would often ask Jake and he'd come up with some funny ones, most memorable being "Putters" after his beloved golf club. Although Daddy and GP think that name should stick, we have come up with a different one.

Jake's brother will be named William Colin Bandi and we will call him Will. Both of Will's grandfathers are William and his maternal great grandfather was William. William means "determined protector" and Colin means "young creature." Colin honors both of our Irish heritages and is fitting for a little brother.

We can't wait to welcome Will to the family and we know Jake will be an excellent big brother.