Jacob's 1st Vacation In America

Jacob and I took our first trip together as a family. We had four generations of our family together for the weekend. The picture above is Jacob's Great-Aunt Shauna, Great-Uncle Gary, Great Grandma, Great-Great-Aunt Virginia, Great-Great Uncle Cecil, Jacob and Grandma. Not pictured are me (Mama), Grandpa and our Au Pair. We also met up with his Great-Aunt Patty and Cousins Katherine and Caitlin.

We spent the weekend in Branson, Missouri. Jacob was his usual happy self for most of the time. He was tired which meant he was a little crankier than normal but that is to be expected. As seems to be custom lately, Jacob was spoiled the entire weekend. He loved being passed from his new relatives to Grandpa to Mama and back again. He got several new outfits, two new cars, a new doll and two toy cell phones. I told him not to get used to it! Even Santa Claus won't bring that much new stuff!

Jacob did well in the car. He played with a toy steering wheel and pretended to help me drive. He also enjoyed playing with his toy Shrek from McDonald's and watched a little of the DVDs we brought. Jacob has never been very interested in watching TV or movies. That is fine with me. I would much rather just have him play.

A Wonderful 1st Mothers Day!

Today was my first mother's day. It was my mother's 29th mother's day. Jacob is pictured with her above opening her candy bar. We had a wonderful day planned. The two girls I have mentored for the past 7 years spent the night last night, went to church with us this morning and then spent the afternoon with us at my parents' house. My brother was there along with my dad and our au pair. Some of my favorite people that I love gathered today to celebrate not only mothers but each other.

I got a necklace and earrings from my son. My mother helped him pick them out. That wasn't my favorite part of the day though. My favorite time was before the day started. Jacob woke up early (he often does when people stay overnight). I brought him into my bed and laid down with him. My favorite moment was then. Watching him smile while snuggling against me and staring into my face. He followed it with a very tight hug around my neck. It was one of those moments that I will always cherish. The realization that I am a mother of a little boy that I love more than I could ever imagine.

I can only imagine how I will feel when Jacob is 29 years old. I hope that he loves me and appreciates me as I appreciate and love my mom. Happy Mother's Day Mom! I hope we can share many more together.

He's still a baby!

Someone told me yesterday that Jacob is "approaching two." A mother of another boy the same age as Jacob stated her son was "almost two." I don't agree! He has four and a half months to go. It's not that I don't want him to grow up. It's that I want him to remain my baby for as long as possible. Maybe part of it is because I missed so much of his infancy. I think it is just that I really like the age he is at now.

I do have to admit that he is growing up fast. He started swimming lessons and preschool last week. He cried during swimming lessons and reminded me that he is still a baby. Preschool meets for 1 1/2 hours one day a week. He loves it! The teachers stated he didn't cry or miss me at all! He also spent the entire hour in the church nursery without showing any anxiety. He had fun watching some of the older kids play and tried to follow them around.

I know it won't be long befoe he is two. I just want to enjoy these last few months of him being one. He is such a joy (when not having a tantrum because he is tired and didn't get what he wanted).

No More Diapers?!?

I was not planning on starting toilet training until Jacob was around 2 years old. He is now 19 months. He had other plans. After his nap yesterday, Jacob went into the bathroom and began pointing at the toilet. I put him up there and he went! He has since gone 3 times. I am in shock. I knew he was beginning to get interested I just didn't realize he was ready. It makes me both sad and proud. I'm not ready for him to stop being a baby.

Jacob also starts swimming lessons today. I explained that we were going to the "big thing of water with all the kids" that he saw last week. I then showed him his new swim suit. He yelled "Yeah!" I don't know if he understands but I think he will enjoy the lessons. Even if he is a little scared the first time.

Jacob had lots of firsts today

It is amazing to watch as Jacob grows each day. I watched Jacob cry as I combed the tangles out of his hair this morning. I have been meaning to get him a haircut but just hadn't gotten to it yet. Each day his hair was getting a little longer and harder to comb. I decided it just couldn't continue so we took our first trip Cost Cutters. It was traumatic. Jacob seemed ok until he realized it was his hair falling around him. Then the screaming began. He didn't stop even after they gave him a sucker. The ladies were great though. They cheered him on and he was able to finish the haircut. He now has a much "cleaner" looking head of hair that will hopefully be easier to comb.

After the haircut, I decided we should take advantage of the warm weather. We stopped at a park and Jacob enjoyed climbing on the playground. He also went down the slide by himself for the first time. I had helped him down before but this was the first time he went alone. He fell off at the bottom once but soon learned to slow down at the bottom.

For those watching what "phase" Jacob is in now, let me update you. Kitty is still a favorite word but not used exclusively now. He no longer searches for "Kitty" whenever he gets bored. His new phase is to go in the kitchen and demand a "cookie" even if it is just minutes before dinner. Twice in the past week he has tried to get me to give him only cookies for dinner. Unfortunately, I can be just as stubborn as him and even better at ignoring his tantrums. He is beginning to learn to eat more at dinner and then ask for a cookie. That strategy works much better. Although all of the battles go out the window at Grandpa's. Grandpa will give a cookie almost anytime Jacob asks and smiles :)

America Gives Back

This is my reaction to American Idol Gives Back show last night and their efforts to make a difference. Previously my posts have been about my son and me. This one will be about something bigger. For those of you who only want happy stories about my son, please forgive this post. I will return to happier topics next time.

America took notice of the poverty in Africa last night. It was wonderful but it is not enough. Millions of dollars were raised to help fight poverty in Africa and the US. I just hope we continue to raise more. I sponsor a 8-year-old boy from Ethiopia. In his last letter, he begged me not to stop. He stated without me he will be required to work, not able to go to school and there will be no one to help him. He is just one of millions.

In a country of 70 million people, 4-7 million of them are orphans under 18 years old. Although there are questions regarding my son's birth family, one thing is certain. He would most likely have died if left in Ethiopia. The world loses a valuable soul and life every time a child dies because there is not enough food to eat, medicine to go around or access to education. Without those things, the children also lose hope. Imagine living in a community where your neighbors are dying, no matter how hard you work there is never enough food and even the world has given up hope for you. Next time you look at a child close to you, imagine if you could not give him/her the basic things he/she needs to survive. Not just succeed but survive.

So what is the answer? That I don't know. I do know that we all need to do our best to save not only the children but the adults and communities as well. Our government needs to fulfill it's promise it made to the world at the G8 Summit. Our corporations need to share some of their profits to make the world a better place and each individual needs to do their best to help. For some people, it may be sponsoring a child from a country far away. Other people may be able to give large sums of money to non-profit agencies working to help others. And some people can only afford to buy some food for the food pantry.

The important thing isn't how much you give. It is that you do your best to help our brothers and sisters both near our homes and far away. People are dying and we can all do something to help.

Social Worker Visit

We had a visit with our adoption social worker yesterday. Jacob arrived for the meeting with mud on his pants, tears on his face and a toy stethoscope around his neck. No he wasn't hurt. We were 30 minutes early for the appointment and decided to go to the park. The mud was from crawling on the wet equipment. The tears were because he did not want to leave. The stethoscope was a two-day phase. He refused to leave it at home. I grabbed his shoes and said we were leaving. He grabbed his stethoscope and put it around his neck.

So what else have we been doing this week? The above picture was taken when my yard was full of young people. Our friends Jasmine and Brooke, 13 and 12 years old, came over to make chocolate chip cookies. Later Jasmine left and returned with her cousin. Trudie, Jacob, Jasmine, Brooke, their cousin and I all ended up outside. The above picture is Jasmine and Jacob spending a quiet moment on the steps.