11 Months Old & Sick

Jake turned 11 months old last Tuesday. I meant to update the blog that night, but things have been crazy with Jake being sick. So just pretend you are reading this a week ago! (Jake was not majorly sick, just a fever virus with a runny nose & cough. It was his first "sick" doctor's appointment. I thought that was pretty good that we went 11 months (most in daycare) & this is the first sick doctor's appointment.) It was so sad to see him not feeling good. He wouldn't hardly eat, would just sleep all day, and would not smile. SO unlike him! Since he couldn't go to daycare, I'd work from home in the mornings & Robbie would watch him in the afternoon.

By Tuesday he was getting stir crazy, but wasn't well enough to go to daycare. To try to entertain him during my conference calls, I tried lining up toys on the sofa. It worked for about 5 minutes.

I was on a conference call (I was muted!) & looked up to see Jake pushing his exersaucer across the room. I guess he didn't like where I put it! Strong boy!!

Who needs to purchase a baby gate?!?! Just pile up some boxes at the top of the stairs. (Just kidding! We were cleaning out closets. We do need a baby gate though:)

The weekend before he got sick, meeting the Chick-fil-a Cow

So what is it like a day in the life of 11-month-old Jake?

• He wakes up around 7:00 AM & has to start out with a 5 oz. of milk. He plays while I finish getting us ready to leave.
• I drop him off at school around 8:00. He loves school, but does sometimes get weepy when I leave. He gets excited though when he sees his friends. It is so cute, they run up to him when we come in. There are 5 other boys in his class & 2 girls. His class has 3 teachers & we love them!
• His least favorite thing at school is nap time. He takes the shortest naps in the class. They usually have to push in him the umbrella stroller in the hall until the other kids wake up. If not, he wants to talk & play loudly and wake up the other kids. Funny thing is, his teachers say that even though he takes the shortest naps, he is the easiest kid (& one of the happiest) in the class!
• His favorite thing at school is outside time. They say that he plays so hard! His favorite outside toy is a big ride-on sailboat.
• He eats breakfast & lunch at school and has 2 7oz. bottles of milk.
• Robbie picks him up from school & they get to have their father son time.
• I get home & we hang out as a family. We play, cook dinner & feed Jake. (We [Robbie] still make all of his baby food.) His favorite thing right now is walking around the house pushing his walking toy. He looks like a little old man pushing a walker!
• Around 8:00 PM I give him his bath (he loves baths!). He has one last 7 oz. bottle of milk. We follow the same routine each night, but I am flexible about how I put him to sleep. Sometimes I put him in his crib awake. He'll talk & play a little bit and then fall asleep. Other nights I rock him until he falls asleep in my arms. Thankfully, he goes to sleep fine either way. I know that the experts say that you should be exactly consistent every night. I just can't help it though. Especially on long, hard days, it just feels so good to have my little man asleep in my arms. So hopefully I haven't messed up anything too bad!! I call our method "flexible consistency"!
• Jake might not sleep well at school, but he sleeps great at night! Thankfully he is a very sound sleeper. I usually go into his room at least 3 times before I go to bed. Most times, it is just to stroke his hair, touch his little hands & kiss his sweet cheeks. Sometimes I just watch him sleep. That is one of the hardest things about being away from him so much during the day. I miss him so much, I feel like I have to cram in every second I can with him. Even if he is asleep!
• Jake is a happy little boy who loves to snuggle & loves to laugh. He loves attention (which can be good & bad)! He has crazy hair, chubby cheeks & the sweetest smile. He is the joy in our lives and the greatest gift we have ever been given. And we can't wait to celebrate his birthday!