Been Too Long

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated this. There have just been so many things to do this summer - mostly involving pulling weeds somewhere. However, we did take a few photos so I will share a few now.

Most recent first - this morning Jacob was playing with his hard hat...

We all had great fun at the Blair-tastic Talk Like A Pirate Day Party last Saturday!
This summer we flew to Fargo to visit my family and allllll his cousins!

We also went to the park - a lot.

And visited Grandma and Grandpa Luce.

Welcome to the World, Baby Rowan!

I want to officially welcome my newest nephew - Rowan Scott Nelson - to the world! He was born just a few hours ago. Mom and baby are doing extremely well.

More to come on him later (I can't wait to see photos!)

In the meantime, here are a few photos from last weekend. Thank you, Nancy, for taking them and getting them to me! We went to a park to get in some swinging time...

I think Jacob had fun, don't you?

So Much To Do!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. We've been very busy the past few weeks.

I have to get photos of Steve's hole that he's digging in our "way back" area. It started off as a project to create a garden by digging out all the current weeds. However, Steve has taken it very seriously and it's now a personal vendetta against all weeds and their entire root systems. We may have a garden by next year. One or the other of us goes out digging every night after work (unless it's raining...grrr) and on weekends.

Jacob's been working to get rid of all but 1 of his naps so he's been a bit tired in the evenings after his dinner. But he still loves bathtime and can usually cope well with that added energy-drainer on bath nights.

Things at work have been very busy, too. I have a big project that I'm lucky to be part of that will take the entire summer.

So, on to what you're all here for...photos of Jacob! He's learned to take this half-step backwards and now doesn't even hesitate to turn around when he gets to it. He's so proud of himself!

The other weekend started off cool one morning but was going to get hot. So...I stuck Jacob in his baby leg warmers (thank you, Aunt Betsy!).
We had good friends Ron and Barb over for dinner the other weekend (what fun!) and while Jacob was leary of Ron and his facial hair, he and Barb hit it right off!

Jacob is still the king of drool, but still looks great in this cool T-shirt from Aunt Sandy and Uncle Jason.

On the Big News front, Jacob took his first steps yesterday (I don't really count it when he takes one step and then collapses)! When I picked him up at daycare he took 5 very excited steps toward me and was sooooo proud of himself. Of course I was so proud of him that I burst into Happy Tears. No photos of it yet, but we'll get some!

A Visit from Aunt Sandy

Memorial Day Weekend brought us Aunt Sandy! She hasn't seen Jacob in ages - OK only since Christmas but he's doing so much more now - so she just had to see him again.

Jacob took less than an hour to get used to her and then he couldn't get enough of her hugs, smooches and squeezes. In fact he would even reach for her while being held by Mommy or Daddy.

Aunt Sandy had great fun changing diapers, walking (he loves walking while holding someone's fingers!), going upside down, feeding, assisting with sippy cups and snacks.

We all, including Steve's parents, had great fun playing together, building towers for Jacob to knock down, helping him down the small step between the "play room" and the living room, turning his push toy so he could push it across the room into the opposite wall, hugging him, and participating in the Great Jacob Love Train. That's where we all stood in a circle and he would start off being held by one person and then want to get passed to each person in turn.

It was a terrific weekend - Jacob was even so excited by all the extra attention that he stayed up an hour later each night and woke up an hour early each day. We'll have to wait to see Aunt Sandy in Colorado later this year when we'll also get to catch up with Uncle Jason and meet the Fritz Trips!!!

Friends are Important

No matter when you meet them in life, friends are invaluable. That's why, when we heard that a friend who is currently living in Italy (Ok, so we're also a little jealous of that fact) was going to be in town we jumped at the chance to see her again.

It was terrific to meet up with Kathleen last Wednesday along with a bunch of Jaycee friends whom we haven't seen in a few months. We got to catch up a little, hear about future plans to visit Kathleen (again, just a little jealous, Val) and let everyone see how much Jacob has grown.

That very same day I learned that a good friend from back in high school had passed away after a long, courageous, and tough battle with Cystic Fibrosis. As an entertainer (on Broadway and international tours of Broadway shows) his lungs were his life and they failed him. He had an absolutely gorgeous and powerful tenor (he truly could have been a soprano if he wanted to) voice, excellent acting ability, decent dancing skills and boundless energy.

Not exactly things you would associate with someone with CF. Of course, the fact that Matt didn't know he had CF (just problems gaining weight and a constant dry cough) was probably near the top of the list as to why he didn't let the illness get him down. His constant optimism and contagious laugh would be at the very top of the list.

Unfortunately I missed my last 2 opportunities to see Matt perform. He returned to Fargo following his diagnosis so he could spend his remaining time with his close-knit family. While back home he participated in an NDSU production of Chorus Line and at last year's Trollwood reunion spectacular. Since Jacob had only just arrived I wasn't able to make it to either which makes me feel like I missed out on saying goodbye to someone who helped make my life in high school a lot better on so many days.

I don't ever want to say I missed my opportunity to let a friend know how much they mean ever again.

Picture Post

Wow! It's been waaay too long since I've posted anything. It's been a bit crazy at our house between trying to put in a new garden (Steve got it all dug out!!!), Jacob (just everything associated with him - play time, finger foods, play time, 7th tooth, etc), installing the window A/C units when it suddenly hit 90 on 4/25, and finishing baby-proofing.

Oh, and Jacob has a new expression - very determined:

Did I mention play time? Notice the motion blurr of his feet in this one

He's getting better at balance so he's not trying to reach for things or turning while standing.

Jacob loves to knock down any tower we build (video coming on that).He also loves to try to tear apart the play mat.
Jacob just looks so cute in shorts! He'a also figured out how to let me know he wants a Cheerio - he picks up then drops their container while looking at me.

Living As If

Now, before you think I've gone all Cher (the one from the movie Clueless for those of you who don't know there's a second Cher out there), let me tell you that I was listening to NPR last night on my way to bell choir. One of their commentors spoke about a Kurt Vonnegut quote discussing living "as if..."

Since it was Earth Day yesterday the NPR commentator discussed living as if everything they did to help the environment would matter. After all, I am only one person and what I do to help the environment will not make much of an impact in and of itself. However, if we all live as if everyone else is reducing, reusing and recycling then together we will, in fact, make a huge impact.

However, as a mother, my thoughts then strayed to other ways in which I live as if.

For example, I now try to live as if Jacob is going to, at some point, repeat every word I say. There are numerous anecdotes of children repeating their parents' words in the most inappropriate ways are at the worst times. Check out the Dennis the Menace cartoons of whenever they have guests for dinner if you don't believe me. Of course I also don't want him to be the class pariah - you know, the kid who swears. I'm now using Jumpin Jehosephat quite often, like last night when I came home to find Weasley accidentally shut up in the spare bedroom.

Now I try to live as if Jacob is watching my every move and will eventually do what I do, like volunteering, driving safely, and weeding. OK, so one day (sooner than teaching him to drive!) I do plan, selfishly, to have him help with weeding. But there are life's lessons in that simple task, too. I'm sure there are. I'm also sure I'll figure out what they are by the time he can help with that task!

I want him to know: friends matter; cleaning up your own messes matters; being active and eating healthfully matter; that being truthful matters; so many other things. The best thing to do is not only to tell him these things matter but to show him they do by the way I live.

Some would say that I should have been living that way anyway as if God were listening and watching. And I would say that you're probably right. But I guess I didn't really, I mean really, think about living as if until Jacob came into our lives. Perspective changes everything.

That's how I live as if. How do you live as if?