Jacob - 2½ years

Age: 2½

Height: 29"

Weight: 36lbs.

Nicknames: Jakey (this is what he calls himself), Jake, J-bird, Boo Boo, Boosheto, Big Boy

 

Milestones: My goodness, Jacob has changed so much over the last 6 months! I chalk a lot of it up to him starting school, but he's also just growing and maturing. His communication and vocabulary is incredible! He comes up with new ideas and sentences, is so observant and is constantly pointing out all that he sees or asking what something is or what happened. He can count to 15, knows all his colors and shapes and animals, and we're working on ABCs now. He can successfully open my iPhone or iPad and get to whatever he wants (usually YouTube, DisneyJr, games or videos). He can unlock and open all the doors in our house, unless they have baby locks. We actually had to put a baby lock on the pantry door because he can now climb up the shelves and get to the cookies and pudding cups. Lord, help us! Physically, he's very strong. He can carry rather heavy stuff, he runs faster than me, can climb ladders (and shelves), takes on any and every slide at parks, and he rarely stays put when we put him in the stroller. He loves to stay active and engaged, which I can tell is going to be our biggest challenge this winter with a new baby (and we can't necessarily go out every day). Overall, I'd say he's really turning into a little person with his own personality and opinions. I love seeing him learn new things and remember it. It's such a rewarding part of the parenting process!

Sleep: Just when I thought his sleep schedule changed, he goes and changes it up again! Whew! So I don't really know what to say about that! Ha! Generally speaking though, he wakes up around 7:30-8am, takes a 1-2 hour nap and goes to bed around 8pm.

Eating: He's still very picky with what he eats. I try so hard to push healthy options, fruits and veggies, but he gravitates towards bread, pastas, cheese, milk, and sweets (just like his dad). He will eat most fruit, so we offer that as much as we can. I'd say his favorite meal is macaroni & cheese with a turkey dog and ketchup. His favorite fruit is probably either bananas or green grapes (has to be green). His favorite snacks are Pirate Booty and Goldfish, and he gets a cookie after naptime (either Oreos or Chips Ahoy). We give him a YoKids smoothie every night before bathtime and he slurps those up (but doesn't really like homemade smoothies- go figure)! In terms of liquid, he looooves his milk. He could drink milk 24/7. I try to put the milk up between meals and offer water or "gatorake", which he loves.

Clothes size: He's still wearing some 3T stuff, but I've started buying 4T.

Diaper size: Size 6 Cruisers. In terms of potty training, he doesn't really seem interested at all. He's been peeing on the potty nightly before bathtime for months now, and he occasionally will ask to go potty throughout the day, but for the most part we're still in diapers.

 

Teeth: 16 total, and he's working on his 2 year molars currently.

Favorite toy: He loves all his cars, trucks, tractors, etc. He is always carrying around his little Hot Wheels. He also loves to play in the backyard with all his little construction trucks. And he loves to play at parks.

Likes: playing outside, watching his shows on TV, playing on our iPhones or iPad, going for car rides

Dislikes: being told "no", mealtimes, when we take the electronics away

Personality: He's kind, funny, compassionate, empathetic, cautious, sensitive, obedient, silly, curious, and smart. He's very much like his daddy. He has started to show his independence through tantrums, which usually begin first thing in the morning (before mom has had her coffee- UGH!) or right after nap, and usually consist of him wanting/not wanting something...over and over...

Looking forward to: Seeing how he reacts to his new baby brother. He usually loves babies, so I'm excited about that, but we've never actually brought one home. Ha! He is such a sweet little boy though, so I think he'll do great! I'm also looking forward to the Christmas season and all that entails. He thoroughly enjoyed our trip to visit Santa, and has loved watching all the Christmas movies so far.


Overall, I just can't say enough about this little boy. He's such a sweet soul. He is so funny and energetic. He's getting so BIG! Every time I look at him, I wonder where my little baby went. He's such a joy and I really do feel like the luckiest mom in the world to have him as my son. I know the next few months are going to be tough on him, but I pray he knows how much we love him and what a blessing it is to have a sibling. Love you more than life itself, nugget!