Haircut

Daddy doesn't like Jake's new haircut :(

20 Months

I don't know what happened to our sweet, adorable baby. It's like some demon has possessed him, causing him to throw himself on the floor, kicking and screaming. I think we've hit the terrible two's a few months early. Since we've returned from PA, Jake has had one tantrum after another. They are usually triggered by taking something away from him (like cleaning supplies, remote controls, phones - you know, all of the things children should have) or making him come inside from outside. He has learned how to make himself limp so you have difficulty picking him up. He then precedes to lay on the floor kicking, screaming and crying. The dogs and I had to step over him yesterday when I was putting groceries away and wouldn't let him have a bottle of beer.

On the other hand, Jake went to daycare today and had a great time. The staff said he was very well-behaved. No tantrums. Go figure.

I think I'm going to have that beer now.

Family

I took this video before we went on Spring Break. Jake didn't say everyone's name in this video, but he knew everyone in PA.

Spring Break 2008

We're back! It's been a long and busy spring break. We traveled to PA where we spent 11 days visiting friends and family. In the course of a week and a half, we dined out every day, did tons of shopping, threw a bridal shower for my friend Steph, went to an Easter egg hunt, attended several church services, and celebrated birthdays passed. I don't think Jake has ever had a better time.

Jake learned several new words and phrases while in PA. He now counts to 15 and says the entire alphabet (with some prompting). He has so many words that he can ask for many objects by name. But, the most exciting thing - he is now singing! He sings Pat-a-Cake, parts of Twinkle, Twinkle, Rock-a-Bye Baby and a special song we sing at nap time. He has such a cute, little singing voice. However, he remains incredibly energetic and busy. If he's not strapped into a stroller, he just takes off. I ask everyone if their child was this busy and they all say, "I don't think so, but it's been so long I don't remember." We are constantly looking for ways to keep him physically active to burn off some of the energy.

Check out these pictures.

One Crazy Weekend

So the blizzard of '08 ended here in Cincy. But, we woke up this morning with no heat. Our heater broke down some time yesterday. Greg called several people to come out and look at it. Do you know how hard it is to find someone who can fix your heater immediately following a blizzard? We finally found this guy who came out and fixed the electric pilot light. I was afraid we were going to have to spend the night in a hotel.

Jake now has a cough and stuffy nose. I'm hoping he feels better for his upcoming visit with family.

We were able to get out of the house today. We went to Toys R Us and the mall. I couldn't believe how many people were driving on barely safe roads without 4-wheel drive. We bought this really cool game called "Frame It!" If you are the competitive type, you'll love this game!

Blizzard

Shut In

We've spent the last 2 days shut inside. As of 8:30pm Saturday, we've gotten about 15 inches of snow. It's drifted in some areas where it totals 3+ feet. The forecast calls for another 1-2 inches tonight with very strong winds and lots of drifting.
I'm so impatient to get out and go somewhere! I can't believe how antsy I am. When Jake was first born, I would spend entire weeks at home without stepping outside the door. I was so paranoid about taking a fragile preemie anywhere except the doctor's office.

This Week in Pictures

This Week

Overall, this was a pretty good week for the Smiths. As I mentioned in a previous blog, we celebrated my birthday. I plan to milk it for all it's worth. I've declared this my birthday month!

Yesterday, we saw Michael Feinstein perform with the Cincinnati Pops. It was a great show, but I swear we were the youngest people in the audience. Every Jewish grandmother and grandfather was there. On the way out, we noticed several retirement home buses and an ambulance! I guess they wanted to be prepared.

We spent a lot of time outside this weekend. Jake loves to "go outside." He throws a major temper tantrum when we bring him inside. One of his favorite words is "awesome." Going outside is awesome!!!

We are desperately trying to put some weight on this kid. What do you think?

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. It's the last birthday that I'll have that will round down to 30. Overall, it was a pretty good birthday. Greg and Jake bought me lots of presents including a new cell phone, a new webcam for when I travel to Vermont without them, a CD and Dutch Blitz the card game. We went to this pit beef place on the other side of Cincinnati and had a nice lunch. I even got to sleep in until 9am. Not a bad day!!!