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Jake celebrated his birthday last Friday with a visit to the New England Aquarium. Alex and I both took the day off so that we could spend the day as a family, celebrating our little man. We both have birthdays in the summer and know it's really cool not to have to go to "school" on your birthday..so we hope for this for Jake for the next 18 years!

We started our morning by treating the little man to a "cold one" from DD. Whip cream and all! It was a kiddie coolata..very small but delicious all the same.



We spent the rest of the day watching the seals ("BIG" Seals"), turtles ("BIIIGGG Turtles") and fishies at their home in Boston.



I have to say, I was a bit surprised that he wouldn't touch anything in the hands on part. He loved looking at the crabs and star fish, but had no desire to touch them ! There was even a bronze statue of a turtle at one point and he was afraid to touch that as well! So cute.







We were able to walk Faneuil Hall after the visit to the fishies. Here, Jake got to ask Red what happened with the Celt's NBA Finals loss the night before...Red had no response. Typical.



Lunch at the Aquarium did not satisfy this Birthday Boy.. Frozen Yogurt topped it all off.










In all it was a great day..and a tiring one.


Happy 2nd Birthday Jake!

I know it's been said before...

.....but WHERE does time go? My "baby" will be two years old tomorrow. My b a b y. Two years ago tonight, I spent the night cleaning the house, taking a trip to Marshall's to shop, cooking dinner, comforting my stressed husband, counting minutes between contractions, and watching the Celtics win an NBA championship before heading off to the hospital. After going 5 days over my June 13th due date, I was SO ready to give birth! It was June, I was large and it was hot. I was also SO ready to be a Mom and meet this amazing little baby boy!

The past two years he has brought his Daddy and I more joy and happiness than we could have ever imagined. Although, the day he was born, I wish I could say was blissful and without mishaps. It wasn't the birth I had planned, but thankfully it was the happy ending we prayed for. I was sick, very sick during labor. After 24 hours of labor, 3 hours of pushing and much pain - Jake ended up being born with the umbilical cord around his neck. For a few moments (which seemed like an eternity) although neither of us admitted it to each other at the time, we weren't 100% sure he was OK. Pediatrics came running in and Jake was whisked away..Daddy didn't get to cut the umbilical cord and Mommy didn't immediatly hold her baby. These plans were replaced with him being taken away for "help". Apparently he was not well.. but thankfully the nurses and doctors gave him the "help" needed and we heard a quiet whimper and then not too long after, a nice cry. At those sounds, I lost it! I've never experienced tears of joy as I had at that moment. The flood gates opened. I'll never forget the nurse telling me "he is OK"..I said "I know, thats why im crying!!" Joy.

Sure, there have been stressful days since- nights holding a vomiting toddler, chasing him up and down the stairs countlessly, the first dreadful drop off days at not one but two daycare's, the one year mark that meant the end of nursing, the day he got tubes (I cried the most), his first burnt fingertips, crayon drawings on our dining room walls...but they are nothing compared to the days he has simply amazed us!

Just tonight Alex asked him if he saw the "digger" as we drove by it. Jake corrected him by telling him it was a "tractor". Whether it is the sound of his belly laugh when he ASKS us to tickle him, the way he holds your chin with both hands and plants a wet one on your lips, his requests for "big hug"s, his dance moves, his bed head with all the cow licks, his need to wear his "bip bops (flip flops) every day, the way he asks you to smell his feet (lol!) his nightly requests for "chicken nuggets, hamburgers, donuts, munchkins and ice cream" just minutes before he knows it's bedtime....there is A LOT to love about Jake.

Tomorrow we will celebrate his big day and head to the New England Aquarium. I can't wait to enjoy this special day with him! Next week, we will celebrate with a family/friend party. After all, we need more than just ONE day to celebrate this little boy.

Happy Birthday Jake man!

Vocab U larious!

Jake's vocab is getting pretty large and we love hearing his little voice say new things every day. My favorite, of course, happened just a few minutes ago.. Daddy was taking Jake up to bed, so I said " I love you, Jake". His response " I low, Mommy". He says love w/e the v and it melts my heart every time! He is very inquisitive and asks where people went, over and over. "Where Daddy go?" Where Titty (aka Zak the Kitty) go", "Where Bella go?" Bella is his FAVORITE dog, owned by Auntie Shelley and Uncle T T.
He is still very affectionate and randomly hugs and kisses us, all the time! His favorite song is Barney's "I Love you" song. While, I used to be very annoyed by it, pre-Jake..its adorable to hear him sing it! He has the alphabet song down pretty well too, and can count to 12 with ease.

He has "I want" down pat, and will say please and thank you often as well. "I want elmo apple juice" is a favorite. If we give him sandwhich of any kind, he calls it "lunch" but with a cute almost french accent! Strawberries and Kiwi are among his favorite fruits, as well as "nanas". He also like "bars" in the morning..cereal bars but isn't a fan when they break in half before he eats them. On weekends he likes to be spoiled with "nonuts" and "muchkins" at DD. Daddy loves to spoil him...
Fire "cucks" and "cocker" balls are some of his favorite objects and he loves to help daddy "mow, lawn". Whenever we see a couple together, he points at them and says "Mommy, Daddy?" He thinks everyone is a mommy and a daddy!

When I am driving home from his school and come up a few streets away, I have been asking him which way to turn to go home..he loves this game and points away! It's not very far away from the house that we play this, but he has it down pat!



Side note - This is in NO way to brag about J man.. I am just writing all of this in this blog so that I can look back with him and reread this information!

Congrats Mia

Our niece, Mia performed in her very first dance recital tonight and did so well! She was adorable in her dress and her dance moves were even cuter! I was a tad worried as to how Jake would do at this recital, but he sat on his YaYa's lap until intermission just watching all the pretty girls. At intermission, Papa was kind enough to buy him a few brownies..needless to say, he did NOT sit still after intermission. He and Mia were in the lobby for most of it and she and him did splits and dance..quite entertaining!

I only have pictures on my phone, so i'll share when I upload.