Disneyland - February 5th

Jake & I went 2 times that week!  So fun . . so exhausting!

Show Biz: Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Conan, & Ellen

We are trying to squeeze in every LA experience we can before we leave - - and attending tapings of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy was *definitely* on my list.  Our thoughts:

the stages/sets are MUCH smaller than you'd imagine

the audiences are much smaller than you'd imagine

Pat Sajak is awkward!

Alex Trebec is very well-spoken and hilarious - with a dry sense of humor.

Wheel of Fortune is SO. MUCH. CLAPPING.  Seriously, it is kind of exhausting!

Watching people in real life is . . hilarious.

If Alex Trebec pronounces something incorrectly, the crew will re-tape him reading that clue, and then fix it for the TV episode.

We much preferred watching Jeopardy - it was SO low-key and chill, it required a lot less work from us, and there was more fun content to watch.

Wheel of Fortune with Chelsea & Will

Jeopardy

When Ben was finished with his Applied Market Research project - the capstone of his MBA program, he and his team attended a taping of Conan O'Brien

I was invited to go to The Ellen Show with some friends from our ward.  We had stand-by tickets, and unfortunately we were about 15 people away from making it into the studio!  We had to wait outside the studio, in the Riff-Raff room, and watch the show on TV.  We could still hear it all live, though . . and that was kinda fun . . ?  Ha!  We were given guaranteed return tickets, but they are for after Ben & I will have already moved.  Major bummer!  

Jacob: Eleven Months

Seriously, this is shaping up to be the best year of my life.  I can't believe Jacob is 11 months old!  Time is flying by at the speed of life and I am trying to savor every moment.

At 11 months, Jacob: 

- is WALKING!  Holy smokes, he was full-blow walking at 10.5 months.  Talk about advanced ;)

- finally taking an interest in eating!  Maybe he'll manage to put on some weight and grow out of his size 3-6 months clothes.  Daily foods include: corn, beans, strawberries, raspberries, avocado, applesauce, and Cheddar Rockets (Trader Joe's goldfish)

- starting to communicate with us in more understandable ways . . he says "bah" for ball (first word!), and sometimes says "uh uh oh oh oh."  When Jake is ready to eat, he walks over to his booster seat and looks at us.  He can't say these words, but he definitely knows what we mean when we say books, shoes, milk, Mickey Mouse, ball, diaper, outside, . . .

- Speaking of outside, this little boy LOVES to be outside.  It is his happy place.  When we go down the stairs and turn left to go to the garage instead of turning right to go to the playground - - tears!  He loves to play in the fake grass, slide down the slide . . or crawl up it, play with balls, ride on tricycles (our backs don't love that one), play with other kids' scooters, and eat rocks/dirt/leaves.  It's fun to sit back and watch him play . . and then run after him when he puts something in his mouth.  We have several little friends at our apartment playground - it is so fun!

- HATES having his diaper changed.  Like seriously it takes two of us.  It's a terrible battle.

- Sometimes enjoys his bath . . and sometimes slips and falls or gets water in his eyes, and then it's all over.

- enjoys long walks on the beach . . but really - last weekend he walked probably 200 meters up the beach and back down . . trying to stay out of the waves!

- has 3 teeth - two on the bottom and one on the top - and that 2nd top tooth is about to come down!

- is mischievous and hilarious and keeps us on his toes.  I'm getting myself in shape so I can keep up with the little booger!  :)

Oh, how we love our Jakey!!

Valentines Weekend

On Valentine's weekend, Jacob had his first date.  She's a couple of weeks older, so she's kind of a cougar, but they have many things in common - like they both like to eat tables.  It was love.

We love our photo spot by the LA Temple!  Valentine's Family Photos.  <3 nbsp="" p="">

Grandma Molly & Emily Visit

Grandma Molly & Aunt Emily came to visit last month!  They spent 2 days a Disneyland (Jake & I did one day with them) and then we had a fun lunch at the American Girl Place!

Jacob: Ten Months

Jacob is turning into a little boy before our very eyes!  Every day he seems a little bigger (well, sort of) and a little smarter.

At ten months, Jacob:

- is little - weighing in at 18 lbs 7.3 oz and measuring just shy of 27 inches.  This puts him in the 2nd percentile for height and 21st percentile for weight.  He's been 18 lbs since December!  Ha!

- is still wearing size 3-6 month clothing. 

- is very smart!  Jacob's tricks include playing peek-a-boo, waving, clapping, smacking his lips, and sticking out his tongue!

- knows where the "books" are and where to find "Mickey Mouse."  We couldn't be more proud.  ;) 

- is learning how to make a basket in the basketball hoop.  Sometimes he does, and sometimes he just throws the ball elsewhere and then does a little cackle laugh.

- always has a bruise, or two, or three, somewhere . . mostly the head region.

- can stand by himself for upwards of 5 seconds!

- has taken one step and then fallen multiple times.  Walking is SO close.

- loves the bathroom: i.e., loves to throw things in the bathtub, pull things out of the cupboard below the sink, and observe the use of the toilet.

- usually enjoys bath time, but now he's starting to be wild and falls down sometimes . . he doesn't like that.

- hates having his diaper change; is expert and crawling away with no diaper on.

We love, love, love our Jakey-boy!  He is the best!

Jacob: Nine Months

Nine months seems like such a legit child age!  I can't believe Jakey is 9 months old!  He is ever more fun each day and we love him so.  (But that hair - it is something else!  Jake had his first haircut last month and hated every second of it.)

At nine months, Jacob:

~ weighs 18.5 lbs.  He's tiny!  He's dropped to the 30th percentile in weight and is in only the 4th percentile for height!  He is still wearing size 3-6 month clothing.

~ sleeps through the night 7 am to 7 pm, and takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap

~ crawls ever so quickly . . . especially when he's crawling into a bathroom and he knows you're coming after him!  No more throwing things in the toilet or knocking over the trash can!

~ still puts everything in his mouth!  And puts his mouth on everything!  Think: him seeing his reflection in the mirror - try to eat it; him sitting in a shopping cart - try to eat it.  Even going to the park is no fun because I spend the whole time taking leaves and twigs and rocks out of his mouth!  This is exposure therapy for my germ phobias at its finest!  It's just his way of exploring the world.

~ walks pretty darn well (and so cutely) with his little walker he got for Christmas.

~ loves to look at books and will crawl right into my lap whenever we read Red Truck.

~ definitely knows what we mean when we say "book" and "Mickey Mouse."  He'll crawl right to them.  He's basically a child genius.

~ loves to play with nesting cups, blocks, cars, and books.  He also loves to put his hands on something (a box, a book, my wallet, etc.) and push it around - it slides and he crawls.  Two other favorite toys are a shoe box and a Christmas gift box - what fun to push around the kitchen floor!  We're working on teaching him to play chase.

~ enjoys FaceTiming with Aunt Emily, Grandma Molly, and Nana & Grandpa Myers.  Especially when they pay attention to him (and not Ben or me).

~ makes lots of noise: yells and "aadaa!" and the sweetest Jakey laughs.

~ still loves bath time, but now it is filled with crawling and standing and slipping in the bath tub, trying to eat the water spigot or the drain, and throwing toys out of the tub.

~ loves to nurse.  He'll drink out of a sippy with a straw pretty well if it's filled with breastmilk (enough that I left him here in CA with Daddy while I went to Utah for less than 48 hours!), so-so if it's filled with water.  He likes yogurt and berries, but is not really a champ at eating food yet.  We're working on it!

~ has fun playing with his other baby friends at church each Sunday.  And we have fun watching that chaos!

~ waves on command (he definitely knows that word, too) and will wave to most everyone we see when we're out.  He has many, many, many admirers when he sits the shopping cart at the grocery store or Costco.  It takes us twice as long to shop because everyone wants to stop and chat/be waved at.

Jacob is happy, active, and sweet.  He loves us and we love him! We couldn't have been blessed with a sweeter child.