Jacob Andrew and William Colin: February 2014

Happy February! Jake and Will keep us very busy and very happy these days! We had a wonderful holiday season with lots of play time with cousins, Sylvie and Ames, and many fun visits with family and friends. The boys were loved and spoiled and Mommy and Daddy even got to go to a movie and a Thunder game thanks to Oma and Opa, GM and GP.

We were so blessed to have many special family members and dear friends with us as we celebrated Will's Hebrew Baby Naming Ceremony at the Temple. Will was given the Hebrew name "Ze'ev Gavriel." Ze'ev means "wolf" (which coincides with Colin that means "little creature") and Gavriel means "God is my strength." (William means determined protector, so we decided that a protector must have a strong faith). Will was happy and laid back as usual during the ceremony while Jake took over the show. He spent most of the beginning of the service sitting in the front row requesting Disney songs when Hebrew songs were playing, demanding specific favors of suckers, and speaking loudly to GP and Opa who were on the Bema. When they didn't hear him, Jake just got up and went up there with them. Jake joined us on the Bema for the naming ceremony during which the Rabbi picked him up and he decided to take his turn on the microphone. As she was reading a prayer and listing names such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he decided to add to the list by naming, "Mommy and Daddy." I guess he figured that they were both listing people they knew and he was contributing. Two can play this game. Rabbi Harris (who was incredibly flexible and patient with our spotlight stealing big brother), gave him the special job of concluding the prayer with an enthusiastic "Amen!" I can't tell you much about the rest of the service (although I heard it was lovely) because I spent the remainder watching Jake run sprints in the hallway. We enjoyed a lovely Oneg Shabbat reception afterwards (thanks to GM's planning) and got to visit with many people and eat cookies!

Will's names fit him well thus far. He's not even close to being fierce like a wolf (in fact he is the sweetest baby there ever was), but he sure is strong. He likes to try to stand up and sit up with assistance. If he wants something, he is determined to do everything in his 2 month old capability to get it. He spent quality time one evening trying to grab Matt's finger and get it into his mouth, which he succeeded in doing. If someone is not paying attention to him, especially Jake, he "talks," laughs, smiles, and wiggles his failing arms and legs to catch their eye. When he gets a return smile or hug he squeals with glee. He's such a happy baby! Will isn't quite the "little creature"that his name would imply. At 7 weeks he weighed in at 11 pounds 9 ounces and at 2 months he grew to 12 pounds 3 ounces (over 2 pounds more than Jake weighed at 2 months). His chubby little cheeks are so precious when he smiles - which is often. No one gets him to smile more than big brother. Will finds Jake to be hilarious (especially when big brother is having a tantrum) and he looks at him with such love which is reciprocated tenfold. Baby brother sleeps 8-10 hours a night (with an occasional one time wake up to eat and give Mommy good early morning smiles). He's moved into 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers. Other than some reflux issues (just like Jake), he is a healthy and wonderful baby! His favorite activities these days include playing in his play gym, vocalizing to the dogs, watching Jake, and having his hands clapped together. Will also enjoys reading books with Jake and listening to music with Daddy during bath time.

Jake is just a hoot. You never know what he's going to say or do and I love his creativity. He is obsessed with "butt gas" and "tummy gas" as well as sports injuries. Currently, he reminds us daily that "Russell Westbrook has a knee injury. He be back soon. Jake have a knee injury. Need a bandaid." All injuries must be kissed immediately regardless of severity. He loves watching the Thunder while playing basketball in our living room with his Little Tikes goal. "I make a great shot, Mommy! Jake is a great basketball player." No need for cheerleaders, he pats himself on the back. His confidence is also strong in his singing ability. "Jake's a great singer" he says as he belts out Aloe Blacc's "The Dollar Song" or "The Man Song." He will tell you that Daddy is the man, but Jake's a kiddo.

Jake is really starting to love gymnastics and is getting the hang of it. He is strong and has no fear and would be an Olympic star if he would just listen. I don't see that happening anytime soon, but he does have a great time and gets energy zapping exercise. In addition to school and playgroup, we have returned to story time after a brief hiatus due to his inability to sit still. On Wednesdays, we travel from playgroup to the library with his little group of friends and we have a great time! Jake loves The Three Billy Goats Gruff and can recite the story from memory including voices and speaking tags. "Who's that tripping over my bridge, roared the troll." That sweet boy loves to read with his flashlight before he falls asleep each night and as soon as he wakes up in the morning. Other favorites right now include Mr. Greedy, Mr. Funny, Bubble Guppies Fire Fighter Gil, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Jake adores Will and loves to "take care of him." He's great at wiping up spit up and burping forcefully until the job is done. Jake loves to run, climb, and bounce. This boy is constantly moving. He uses his imagination daily as he plays with his beloved trains, cars, and trucks. Jake craves information and loves to learn which makes talking to him so much fun. Jake loves to color (for 1-2 minutes at a time). His verbal skills amaze me. Jake uses lots of new vocabulary words every day (some not so appropriate - "Mommy, I can't get my pants off. What the hell?"). He is putting together sentences very well complete with adjectives. He's a bit of a talker…not sure where he got that but I imagine Daddy would say it comes from Mommy. I could update you on potty training but, at this point, there is no update. Stay tuned as I'm sure he will be potty trained by age 15 or so.

Our family looks forward to a busy spring as Matt gets promoted to Major in April and we look ahead to our move to Fort Leavenworth for CGSC (Command and General Staff College) this summer. Although we love living in Oklahoma close to family, this will be a wonderful opportunity for Matt and we all look forward to a newArmy adventure. It's only a 6 hour drive, so surely the movers won't lose another one of our kitchen chairs this time, right? We'll see. I continue to work as the School Coordinator for the Oklahoma City Memorial Kids Marathon and enjoy working with schools to get their kiddos running and learning about an important piece of Oklahoma history. Tank and Bella are doing well although they will tell you that their life was turned upside down when we kicked them out of our bed and straight to the couch. We love them, but we love sleep too and they don't suffer. I make them a cozy blanket pallet on the couch every night and tuck them in with a few treats.

Until next time!

Shanda