You Talkin' to Me?

I really want to make sure I remember the conversations and cute quotes that come out of Jacob's (and later, Alex's) mouth. That's one of the main reasons behind this blog.
This particular quote from Jacob may be teetering on the line between smart-alecky and spirited, but because he said it with a half grin, and because Jeff & I couldn't help but laugh, I'm chalking it up to funny and sassy. Plus, sassy sounds better than smart-alecky.

Last night at dinnertime, Jacob was picking at his food, but asking for ice cream at the same time. Following my several attempts to explain that dinner needs to come before dessert, Jeff decided to pipe up and help a mommy out.

Jeff: "Jacob, you need to eat your dinner."

Jacob set his fork down, leaned forward, and put his hand on the table. Then he got right in Jeff's face, looked him in the eye, and said:

"Oh yea, tough guy??"



(You can tell he's been working out, right?)

Credit goes to "Toy Story" for teaching him this expression.
But credit goes to Jacob for using it at just the right time.

A Lesson about Germs

Any questions you have about germs just might be answered during this conversation that took place between me and Jacob. You may want to take notes.


Me: "I don't feel good."

Jacob: "I got a cold. I been sneezin' and coughin' and hiccupin'."

Me: "I know. Mommy has a cold too."

Jacob: "I have germs."

Me: "You do?"

Jacob: "Yea. Germs are ucky."

Me: "I know. They are yucky."

Jacob: "Yea."

Me: "What happens when you have germs?"

Jacob: "You put soap on 'em, go like dis (rubs hands together), and make 'em go away!"

Me: "That's right!"

Jacob: "I wash my hands for a long, long time."

Me: "Yes, you do. But I think sometimes you're just playing in the water, right?"

Jacob: "Yes. I love it."

Me: "I know you do. Can germs make you feel sick?"

Jacob: "Yea. Dem can hurt you. But sometimes dem don't hurt you."

Me: "That's true. What do germs look like?"

Jacob: "Germs are red, or yellow, or blue, or green, or orange, or...purple."

Me: "Wow, really? Purple germs?"

Jacob: (nodding with a very serious expression) "Yes."



Jacob: (sighing) "Can I watch Spider-man now?"

Me: "OK. Can I have a hug first?"

Jacob: hugs me quickly, then pulls back, saying, "I have lots of germs."

Me: "Mommy has germs too."

Jacob: Confused how they could have been transmitted during such a hurried hug, he asks, "Already?"

Like Father, Like Son

This evening, Jacob walked in the kitchen while I was making dinner. He stood there, watched me for a moment, and then said, "I got gel in my hair."

OK, first of all, there was no way he could have gel in his hair. I knew he'd been in the family room, and I'm fairly certain we don't have a supply of hair products secretly stashed away in there. (Although maybe we should consider it in case of any hairstyle emergencies that don't allow us enough time to run upstairs. That could happen.)

So I looked at him, and sure enough, his hair had definitely been styled with...something.

Me: "What is in your hair?"
Jacob: "Gel."
Me: "Jacob, there's no gel down here. Is that spit in your hair?"
Jacob: (grinning) "No. I got gel* in my hair. I love it. Don't it look amazin'?"



That spikey hair atop a face so like his dad's brought to mind a picture from the past. More specifically, a picture from 1994. If there is anyone out there who doesn't think Jacob is Jeff's Mini Me, then this picture (complete with identical hairstyle) might convince you.



See? Like father, like son (only Jeff's hair is most likely not styled with spit). Both very cute and both sporting an oh so stylish hairstyle. Maybe the spike will make a comeback.

*For those gullible readers, in spite of Jacob's very convincing argument, the "gel" was, in fact, spit.

P.S. That picture of Jeff might also make you see why I had a crush on him (and stalked him) my entire junior year of high school. But not because of the spike. :)

Our Playdate

While Jacob was at preschool this morning, Alex and I snuck in a little playdate. It's only fair that Alex should have an opportunity for 1 on 1 play time with a companion his age while Jacob is off learning and playing with his classmates. Poor Alex usually spends that time running errands or having to rely on his old mommy to play with. It goes without saying that I am one heck of a fun playmate (I can play cars with the best of them since that was one of my favorite things to do as a kid), but I might not be able to compete with a little boy Alex's own age.
Through the wonders of the internet (specifically, Facebook), a friend I lost touch with found me! She has a 5-year old daughter and 2 little boys. We used to work together and were pregnant at the same time with our boys. It was nice to experience my first pregnancy with someone who was on the same timeline (her older son was born just 1 day before Jacob). This also allowed us to babble on about babies, or when the symptoms called for it, give us an opportunity to commiserate together.
"You look great...why do I look so much fatter than you?"
"Really? You feel sick? Not me. I can't stop eating."
"Seriously, though...why am I so much bigger than you are?"

Her little boy is just two months younger than Alex. Upon their arrival, Alex didn't quite know what to make of his guest. He's very accustomed to playing with other children, but really, the kids closest to his age are girls. Maybe he thought he was the only boy his age in existence. Alex enjoys playing with anyone, but it was a nice change for him to experience playing with a boy his own age, instead of trying to keep up with the likes of his older brother and cousin, Daniel.
I was looking forward to the playdate for many reasons: because it's always fun to watch your kids playing with other children; because I knew Alex would have a good time; and because I knew I would enjoy the adult interaction with a friend!
Between all of the playing and chatting, I didn't have my camera out anywhere near as often as I thought I would. But I did manage to take a few pictures of these two cute little boys.

Introducing Alex's adorable new friend, Liam.


They had fun pelting us with balls, which we were then immediately required to return to the ball pit...so that they could be thrown at us again.


"Um, Alex, I don't want this to come across as rude, but you've been hugging me a lot, man. And we like, just met today."


Alex and Liam discovered they have a mutual love for scattering the balls everywhere. I think this was a bonding moment.



Alex and I both enjoyed our dates! Since there was talk about doing it again, we're pretty sure they had a good time too. :)

Third Person

I've noticed that when I'm talking to the boys, I refer to myself in the third person. It doesn't happen all of the time, and probably not even the majority of the time. But for whatever reason, I occasionally find myself saying things like, "Mommy said no wrestling on the couch", "Mommy said no jumping on the furniture", or "Mommy is getting your juice as fast as she can."
This manner of speaking seems to be reserved specially for Jacob & Alex. If memory serves correctly, I'm certain I've never greeted Jeff in the evening with, "Come eat this dinner that Lauren made," or called a friend to say, "Hey, Lauren was wondering how your day was."

Is this a mom thing? Or is Lauren in the minority here?

Well, today, as Jacob & I were hugging, I heard myself doing it again.
Me: "Mommy loves you."
I guess speaking in the third person can be contagious, because he looked at me with such sincerity & seriousness, and replied:
"Jacob loves you too."

This made Lauren laugh and she hopes you find it at least half as cute as she did.

Quote of the Week

Jeff has always teased me (out of envy, I'm sure) for my ability to get as much out of one baby wipe as possible. When I'm changing a baby's poopy diaper, I am able to use half the number of wipes Jeff does because of my impressive skills with wiping, folding, and wiping again with the same wipe. I've become quite skilled in this area.
Oh, but my Wiping Conservation trick is not limited to baby wipes. Guess what? It can also be done with toilet paper.


Earlier this week, after dramatically announcing, "I need to go poopy!", Jacob dashed to the bathroom. (I hated potty training, but the results sure are nice.)

A few minutes later, I heard the usual "Mommy! I all finished!"

(What age do they start wiping their own butts, anyway?)

After Wipe #1, I folded the toilet paper in preparation for the second wipe. But somehow in my hurry to finish, I had a dirty little mishap. The downside to this wiping conservation: there is a pretty nasty risk involved.

Me: "Oh, yuck."
Jacob: "What is it?"
Me: "I got poopy on my hand."
Jacob was silent for a moment, and after his next question, I realized the reason behind his long pause. In a tone that can only be described as purely baffled, he asked:

"Why are you wipin' with your hand?"

:)

Young Love

I think I'm raising a couple of charming flirts.

A few weeks ago, Jacob began Speech Therapy for some minor issues he is having with pronunciation. He meets with a Speech Therapist two mornings a week, and there is a little girl in his sessions with him. Let's call the little girl Kelly. She's just a month older than he is and the two of them hit it off right away. Even the therapist commented on what a good pairing they are. As I was helping Jacob get dressed this morning, I told him we would be going to see Ms. Marsha in a little while.
Jacob: "And will Kelly be there?"
Me: "I think she will be."
Jacob: "You promise?"
They really are adorable together. They giggle and grin at each other, occasionally interrupting the session for an impromptu hug. After all, what better time than Speech Therapy to engage in public displays of affection?
Since Alex and I sit in and watch the sessions, I've been fortunate to witness the progression of this relationship. This morning, the little girl leaned over and touched her hand to Jacob's cheek while they gazed lovingly at one another. Meanwhile, my flirtatious little 17 month old is leaning forward in my lap, peering around a file cabinet to grin at the little girl's mom. He likes the older women, I suppose. Every time she smiled back, he considered this encouragement to continue peeking and showing off his famous, adorable, gap-toothed grin with dimples.
At the end of the session, Jacob and his little girlfriend ran together to the door. They embraced, and it was one of those hugs where neither one initiated first. It was completely mutual, both reaching for the other simultaneously. Cue the romantic music. As we all walked outside, they laughed and ran around, until finally, her mother and I literally had to pull them away from each other.
As we were walking away, his hand in mine as I pulled him along, Jacob looks over his shoulder and shouts to her, "I love you!!!"
And, without a moment's hesitation, she yells, "I love you back!!"

Parting is such sweet sorrow.