Growth of a Sprout

Charlotte's second week

2012-01-13T13:39:00.005-05:00

Such a little peanut in her big crib!

Jacob's 2 year appointment

Nurse Ebony let him color with the markers...but he still cried while she measured him!

We weighed Charlotte while we were there - only 1oz away from birth weight at 6 days old! Which means she probably hit her birth weight the next day at one week exactly!

Jacob did not appreciate the exam. At all. But the doctor said everything looks good! He estimated that he is going to be about 6 feet tall

Charlotte meets Rocco

How appropriate is his shirt? Love it!

Baby swap!

Thanks for visiting, Holly and Scott and Rocco!

Nicole visits

0 month picture

Natalia visits

Tummy time! I love the ruffle butt!

"Mommy's white balance is off and she is too tired to fix it in PS! I'm not really THAT red!"

Practicing my fencing

Daddy play!

Could they possibly look more alike??

Charlotte's first walk- we walked with Bubbe and Zayde and Jake to Interlachen Country Club

Jacob following Zayde to see the bird

He had fun pulling his wagon around

It was a beautiful day!

Chilling on the way back - this is the way to travel!

1-13 2 weeks old exactly- second doctor appointment

She gained 8oz in the past 8 days- perfect! So proud of my awesome eater! Just look at that belly! When I did a before and after weight at TEA the other day, she took 3oz in 8 MINUTES! Unreal!

I knew her head was tiny!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jacob!

2012-01-04T21:19:00.004-05:00

January 4, 2010

January 4, 2011

January 4, 2012

Dear Jacob,
   What a great year it has been! You have changed so much this year and it is so neat watching you grow. You have learned to walk and talk and even sing! You know your colors and you can count to 5 (and when you are done you always say "yay!" and clap for yourself!). You love trains and cars, balloons, Kindermusik, clocks, your swingset, and books. You REALLY love guitars! You carry your blue guitar ("boo tar!") all over the house, and when we ask you what pajamas you want you always say "tars!". You like Mickey and Elmo. Your favorite foods are bananas (nana) and grapes. You have a new baby sister, although I'm not sure you quite grasp that she is here to stay!
   One of my favorite things to watch you do is have a phone conversation. You pick up your play phone, say "hello" very clearly, and then proceed to have a whole conversation in gibberish (but very serious). Then you say "bye bye!". It makes me laugh every time! When I ask you who was on the phone, it is always Emmy or Bubbe.
   You have such a sweet nature and you love to hug and kiss everything, from your stuffed animals to characters in your books. Before you go to bed at night, you say "love you" to Daddy and I.
   Jacob, I love you so much and I can't wait to see what this next year brings!

Love,
Mommy

Birthday Celebration: We started out by giving him some balloons in the morning since he loves balloons.

He carried them all over the house

Next we gave him our present- a train table

pretty fancy! There are things that light up and make noise too

He played with the table while Sean made one of his favorite breakfasts, crepes

Then we went to Monkey Joe's

He loves to "play" the video games

Tired!

Charlotte

After lunch (pizza) and a nap, it was time to open more gifts!

He is getting pretty good at opening presents! This one is from Tanta Sarah

From Bubbe and Zayde:

Also from Tanta Sarah:

After dinner we had cake and ice cream

I think he had a great day!

12-30 Charlotte Leah - birth story

2012-01-03T14:54:00.014-05:00

Our C-Section was scheduled for December 30, 2011 at 8:15am and we were told to arrive at Winter Park Hospital at 6:15am. No food or drinks for me after midnight. The night before, we had dinner with Jacob and Sean's mom at a pizza place, and then she took Jacob to spend the night at her house. It was so hard to believe that in just a few short hours, he would no longer be an only child. My parents arrived at our house around 8, and we finished packing our bags and getting the house ready and went to bed early.

At the hospital

Last morning of being pregnant! 39 weeks exactly

Checking in

The next morning we got up EARLY. I took a shower since I knew I wouldn't get to until the next day, and then we all headed to the hospital. We arrived at 6:15 (eh ok, 6:30), went to labor and delivery and checked in. They would only allow Sean back in the room, so my parents had to wait in the waiting room. In our room I changed into my gown and filled out about a million papers. They hooked me up to a fetal heartrate monitor and contraction monitor. Then a funny thing happened - after 39 weeks of not having a SINGLE contraction or even Braxton Hicks - I started having contractions! After I felt the first one I looked over at the monitor and sure enough, it was a contraction! The nurse confirmed this. I continued to have contractions the whole time I was there - they weren't painful yet, just uncomfortable. Then came what was probably the most painful part of the whole day - the nurse (who was an intern) tried, unsuccessfully, to put an IV in both hands. I had a bruise on my left hand from it for about a week. After that the other nurse put one in my arm with no trouble. I was given fluids for about half an hour or so. Dr. Lincourt came in to say hi and to get some of the paperwork. Then the nurse anesthetist ("No pain Wayne") came in to get his paperwork and to answer my questions. He told me that the spinal (last time I had an epidural) was going to work almost instantly. Pretty soon it was time to go and they were wheeling me down to hall to the OR! Sean had to stay behind and put on his scrubs. He was told they'd get him when they were just about ready to pull the baby out, just like with Jacob. This time they told me the reason they do it that way - if for some reason the spinal doesn't work, they would have to put me under general anesthesia and in that situation, Sean wouldn't be allowed back at all.

Me with my mountain of paperwork!

Sean in his scrubs waiting for them to come get him

Once I was in the OR, Dr. Moore, the other doctor doing the surgery, came and said hi. Dr. Moore and Dr. Lincourt are 2 of my favorite doctors, so I was very happy when I was told they'd be the ones doing the c-section. Then No Pain Wayne did my spinal. I had to sit up on the edge of the bed, just like for the epidural and curve my back. It was much easier to sit still this time since I wasn't having contractions! (well, not painful ones anyways). I felt the shot which was the worst part- it felt like a bee sting. I didn't feel anything else, but it was done after about 2 minutes! I couldn't believe how fast it was - the epidural probably took at least 20 minutes. As soon as he was done, Wayne said - lie down lie down! I did and almost instantly felt my legs going numb. Within a few minutes I was completely numb, and the doctors got started. I felt a lot of pushing and tugging. Soon I heard them say "get the husband" and Sean was by my side. I was FREEZING so they kept covering me with blankets. Shortly after Sean arrived, they told him to look over the sheet (last time they asked if he wanted to and he said no thanks! haha). This time he was TOLD so he did it and he got to see her being born! My beautiful Charlotte Leah was born at 8:36am, weighing 6lbs 12 and 1/2 oz and 19 inches long. At my last doctor's appointment, I had asked Dr. Lincourt if she could hold the baby over the sheet for me to see after she came out. She said as long as the baby was ok she would, and so I got to see her right away! She also cried right away - a really loud cry! I cried with her.

Charlotte brand new!

6lbs 12.5oz- little peanut!

19 inches

As the doctors worked on me, Sean and and Wayne kept me posted on Charlotte and told me she was doing perfect. Her apgars were 9 and 9. Sean got to cut the cord this time! After a few minutes, Sean was able to bring her over to me and I got to hold her. They actually never tied my arms down...I think they might have forgotten but I wasn't going to remind them! Holding her was great and I was sad when I had to give her up. Sean went with her back to the original room we were in (which would be my recovery room), so they were both waiting there when I got there. Last time Jacob was taken to the nursery and I wasn't allowed to have him in recovery, so it was a few hours before I got to see him again and nurse him. As soon as I got there, Sean brought Charlotte to me and the nurse helped place her on my chest so she could nurse. I love that I got to nurse her within the first hour of her life. She was a champ and latched right on and ate! I was still very numb. We stayed in that room for about an hour, until I could wiggle a toe and then they were able to send us to our post-partum room. Oh, at one point they let Sean go to the waiting room and let my Mom came in to see her. At this point we still hadn't told anyone the name.

Meeting her for the first time!

I was covered in blankets because I was so cold!

Her first time nursing

Up in our post-partum room, it was finally time to reveal the name! My parents and my sister were in there with us, so we wrapped Charlotte in the special receiving blanket that we had had monogrammed with "Charlotte Leah" and handed her to my mom. They all said they loved the name, and it was a complete surprise since it was not a name we had ever mentioned! Sean took a picture with his phone and sent it to his parents. They loved that the middle name is after Sean's grandmother.

We spent the next 2 days and nights in the hospital, and our stay was pretty uneventful. The first afternoon, Sean's parents and brother came and they brought Jacob to visit. I was so happy to see him! He got to meet his sister but I'm not sure he really understood what was happening! He had fun playing with everything in the room though! Then my parents took him home to our house and Sean's family stayed a little longer to visit with us. For lunch they had me on a liquid diet (I chose chicken broth from the very exciting liquid diet menu!) and for dinner, a soft diet (macaroni and mashed potatoes).

Uncle Conor

Bubbe

Jacob meets baby sister

"Baby!"

Emmy

Grandpa

Daddy and Charlotte

Tired but happy

Tanta Sarah

Zayde

Charlotte was an absolute champion eater in the hospital! Our nurse said she was an A+ eater and the best on our floor! She has NO TONGUE TIE!!!!! and only takes 10-15 minutes for a full feeding! She only lost 7% of her birthweight at the hospital, which the hospital pediatrician said was great. She was a little jaundice, but the doctor was concerned at all. She said it was borderline (I think the level was 7?). She said the way Charlotte was eating it would be gone in no time! When Jacob was this age he was taking 30-45 minutes for a feeding, so I just couldn't believe a newborn could be so efficient already! I even emailed the lactation consultant I had used with Jacob to make sure she was getting enough, and she assured me that she is. She said I deserve for nursing to be easy this time, and I'd have to agree with her!

On our second day in the hospital, December 31st, both of our families and Jacob came over around 4 in the afternoon for an early New Year celebration! My mom brought crackers and cheese and little petit fours that said 2012, and champagne! It was so special to be able to celebrate with our families and our new daughter. They let me get out of bed that morning (I BEGGED to get up the night before, but my blood pressure was a little low and they were afraid I would faint so they let me stand but not walk around) and I got a shower which was the best shower ever! I felt like myself again when I could walk around, even though it was a little difficult. That night, I set the tv to the channel that the ball drop is shown on in case we should be awake for a feeding at that time. But we weren't and we slept right through it! Oh well. Sean was such a great Daddy in the hospital- every time Charlotte woke up, he got up and changed her, brought her to me and when she was done eating, took her back and got her to go to sleep.

Our family of 4

Zayde makes a toast

The next morning, Dr. Lincourt came by around 8:30 and said "Happy New Year!" and I responded with "Can I go home? Oh happy new year!" haha. She said she could either discharge me right then but she couldn't take my staples out yet so I'd have to come into the office, or I could wait until 4 and get them out and then go. I said I'll go now! So she discharged me and we just had to wait on the pediatrician to come and discharge Charlotte. Little did we know, she wouldn't get to us until 3:30!! She finally came and said Charlotte looks great and discharged her. Then we still needed a few things - a prescription for me, tdap shot for me, Charlotte needed her bellybutton clamp thing taken off, etc. It seemed like each little thing took FOREVER! We didn't get home until about 5pm that night! But the silver lining was that I got to get my staples out since we were STILL THERE at 4! We did finally make it home, and now we are adjusting to our new family of 4!

Bubbe and Zayde came by to say goodbye and brought Jacob (then they took him to our house and Sean's parents came over to watch him until we got home)

Hugging his baby sister

She looks so little in Sean's arms!

When Joanne and Javier told me they wanted to visit that afternoon, I thought for sure they'd be visiting us at home!

FINALLY we are leaving! Getting my security band cut off

Charlotte getting her band cut off

First car ride!

Dr. Lincourt and Charlotte at my 2 week check

Charlotte's first few days

2012-01-03T14:54:00.012-05:00

Shannon and Anna visit

Besties

They might look like they are sleeping, but really they are sending each other messages via brainwaves!

Charlotte chatting up her new friend

Kisses!

Oh how fun it is to dress a little girl!

1-3-12 Charlotte's first doctor appointment at Middleton Pediatrics, 4 days old

Height

3oz away from birthweight- Dr said that is excellent! He said that he likes the babies to be back at birthweight by 2 weeks and that she will be there WAY before that :)

Waiting for the doctor

Dr. Middleton examining her- he said everything looks great!

12-29 baby room

2012-01-03T14:53:00.003-05:00

12-26 sanford zoo and 12-29 greenmeadows

2012-01-03T14:53:00.001-05:00

12-25 xmas

2012-01-03T14:52:00.003-05:00

12-18 J's party and 12-22 science center

2012-01-03T14:52:00.001-05:00

12-16 Anna and 12-17 MGM

2012-01-03T14:49:00.003-05:00

12-13 sprinkle, gift exchange

2012-01-03T14:49:00.001-05:00

12-11 Danielle and sprinkle

2012-01-03T14:48:00.003-05:00

11-30 disney

2012-01-03T14:48:00.001-05:00

11-13 Sprinkle

2012-01-03T14:47:00.013-05:00

My dear friend Joanne threw me a sprinkle to celebrate Baby Girl. She did a fantastic job; everything was wonderful and I had such a good time celebrating with friends and family!

Everything looked great!

And the food was delicious!

Baby Girl Toole received the cutest, girliest clothes!

She officially has more boots than I do!

Thank you to everyone for celebrating with me!

11-24 thanksgiving

2012-01-03T14:47:00.007-05:00

11-22 Playdate

2012-01-03T14:47:00.005-05:00

11-17 Rocco and 11-21 swimming and Kim visit

2012-01-03T14:47:00.003-05:00

11-11 Lauren's wedding

2012-01-03T14:46:00.008-05:00

Wedding number 4 of 4- Lauren and Chris. This wedding was here in Orlando (yay!) at Season's 52.

Married by her sister, Jennifer

Newlyweds!

Us with Uncle Ron

Kaufman/Denton family

The siblings

11-10 Jacob's artwork

2012-01-03T14:46:00.007-05:00

Since I do not have room to store all the artwork Jacob has and will ever make, I decided to take pictures of everything. Most of these were made in an art class that we took at the JCC

This is a sukkah that he made at a Sukkot program at Barnes and Noble

He painted this with his feet!

11-4 Jeni's wedding

2012-01-03T14:46:00.006-05:00

Wedding 3 of 4- Jeni and Chris. This is another wedding we attended without Jacob. It was down in Clearwater.

We went down Friday night and went to Bern's to celebrate our 3 year anniversary.

The giant wine list!

In the dessert room

The wedding!

Danielle

So cute!!

Newlyweds!

Look at that evil smile...looks like she is going to...

Yep! Cake smash :)

Chris was such a good sport!

Happy couple!

So sweet!

Danielle and I

10-31 Halloween

2012-01-03T14:45:00.006-05:00

10-29 David and Caissie's wedding

2012-01-03T14:45:00.005-05:00

This post is somewhat unusual because there is no Jacob in it! We went down to Miami Beach for David and Caissie's wedding, while Jacob stayed with Emmy and Grandpa. This is the second of our 4 fall weddings.

Havdalah at the rehearsal dinner

That night there was a Halloween party. We did not go but it was fun to see the others in their costumes!

Me with Sammy- how cute is he??

Sunday evening- waiting for the wedding to start

After finding my missing earring in my dress!

8 months pregnant

Mom and Marcia

The men

First dance

David sings a song to Caissie

The next day we visited Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa decided that he would like us all to dress up like ghosts and take our picture!

10-27 kindermusik and ymca

2012-01-03T14:43:00.005-05:00

Costume day at Kindermusik

tip-toeing

I love how Ms. Katrina really holds their attention!

egg shakers

story time

One of the activities we did was to build a spider web, and we put Jacob in the middle since he was a spider!

costume parade!

The whole class

After swimming lessons at the Y one day, they were having trick-or-treating around the Y. I happened to have his costume and pumpkin bag in the car, so we got them and went trick-or-treating! Jacob loved it!

10-25 WP playdate

2012-01-03T14:43:00.004-05:00

Playdate in Winter Park, 10-25-11

Our attempt at getting a picture of 5 21-month olds

And then there were 2...

Jacob hugs

And one from Autumn

10-22 Melissa's party and 10-23 Sea world spooktacular

2012-01-03T14:42:00.005-05:00

Melissa and Jerry's Halloween Party 10-22

Paige and Jacob

Lorelei, Jacob, Paige

Bounce house!

His spidey legs got caught in this chair a few times so he'd be walking around dragging the chair! lol

10-23 Sea World Spooktacular with Kristin and her friends

All the kids

Jake with his trick or treat pumpkin

Jacob and Paige

Resting

His favorite treat- a banana!

I love the way the legs move when he walks!

Baby sea lion!

Mom nursing her baby

Jake and I in the penguin exhibit

Halloween shirt

At Shamu Rocks

10-21-11 Pumpkin patch

2012-01-03T14:41:00.002-05:00

10-15 Landon's party and 10-18 Monkey Joes

2012-01-03T14:33:00.007-05:00

Getting ready to go to Landon's pirate party!

It is hard to see against the dark background, but his pirate hat has mouse ears! We got it at Disney

Landon with his friends and his cake

Were Jacob spent a good portion of the party

He LOVES bounce houses

10-18 Playdate at Monkey Joes

Rowan in front, other Jacob behind her

The Jacobs "playing" the video games

10-14-11 Jacobs go to Disney

2012-01-03T14:33:00.004-05:00

Holding hands waiting in line for Haunted Mansion

Monsters, Inc. show

Pirates of the Caribbean

Naptime

10-6-11 St. Louis

2011-12-28T00:03:00.025-05:00

10-4-11 Greenmeadows Farm

2011-11-17T15:35:00.001-05:00

We went to Greenmeadows farm for a play date- what a neat place! It is all the way out in Kissimmee but worth the drive. They take you on a tour of the whole farm.

Paige and Jacob shared a wagon

First stop- hay ride

Jacob gives Paige a hug

Turkeys!

Riding a pony

Miniature horse

Petting his nose

Train ride!

Next- milking a cow

Me showing him how to do it

This is what happened when I told Jacob to feed the cow some hay- he picked up ONE piece to feed to the cow!

Zorse = Zebra and horse. I never knew there was such a thing!

Petting the pig

We got to hold a baby chick

And a baby duck

Last stop- chicken coop

In October they have a pumpkin patch and you get to pick out a pumpkin to take home

Jacob had to find just the right one

The one!

9-10 baby expo and 9-29 Rosh Hashana

2011-11-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

Jacob and I went to a kids and baby expo. There were lots of vendors, and he got a free bike helmet. He also met Chewbacca-

I think he is giving him a hug?

Not sure who this character is

Rosh Hashana in Tallahassee- I just love his little suit!

9-24 Trip to Fort Myers

2011-11-14T21:33:00.001-05:00

We went to Fort Myers for the weekend to visit Sarah. First stop- the Imaginarium.

That night we went to a Mexican place for dinner. We got to see them make a flaming dessert

And the band came over to serenade Jacob!

The next day- the beach!

Jacob makes a friend

It rained but we toughed it out (no lightning) and it got sunny again

He likes to roll around in the sand

happy boy

Sarah at her job

9-12-11 First day of "school"

2011-11-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

Jacob has started going to Mom's Day Out at the JCC. He goes once a week from 9-12. This was his first day!

"Let's go Mom!"

New turtle backpack

Visit to Tallahassee 9-3-11

2011-11-14T11:40:00.002-05:00

We went to Tallahassee for Labor Day weekend. We took a little day trip to Marianna Caverns-

Bubbe, Jacob and Zayde in their Keens!

Go Gators!

Inside the caverns

sparkly!

Jake takes a rest

We were allowed to touch this one

spider

Madison's 4th birthday party

pinata

Jacob gives it a try!

Birthday girl

Jacob and his cupcake

I think he enjoyed it!

Opening presents

Deer in my parents yard

8-12 Gymboree playdate, 8-17 North Carolina and 8-25 North Carolina again

2011-11-14T11:17:00.000-05:00

Gymboree play date 8-12

Jacob, Jacob and Autumn

We took a trip to North Carolina to stay at the Toole's house. 8-17

About to go out on the boat to get some dinner!

Ready to go!

With Emmy

driving!

snack time

Browsing the menu at dinner

beautiful sunset

so sleepy on the way back

8-25 North Carolina again!

More pictures to come!

8-6-11 Tallahassee visit

2011-11-14T10:57:00.000-05:00

Jake and I went to Tallahassee for a visit while Sean was out of town for work.

Bailey won't be left out of swimming!

Bailey kisses

We went to the Mary Brogan science museum

trying to pull himself

messy boy!

Baby girl ultrasound pictures

2011-11-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

As promised- here are all her ultrasound pictures to date:

6-2-11 Dating ultrasound

6-22-11 NT Scan

8-15-22 Anatomy Scan

Baby Jelly Bean/Gender Reveal

2011-09-07T13:42:00.000-04:00

So, this blog is no longer only about Jacob, but also our new little one on the way, who we refer to as Jelly Bean. This pregnancy has been so different from Jacob's, in every way. I am WAY more tired, but I guess that is to be expected from chasing around a toddler! I have no heartburn, and I had it bad with Jacob from the very beginning. I was very nauseous from about week 5 or 6 until week 14; with Jacob I was only a little bit nauseous, only for a few weeks and ONLY in the evenings. This time it was all day, but the evenings were the worst. I craved a variety of things with Jacob- pickles, lemonade, tootsie pops, jolly ranchers, and mostly FRUIT! This time, my only cravings are orange juice and runts. I know every baby is different so every pregnancy is different, but I guess I wasn't expecting for them to be this different!

At around 14 weeks I started feeling kicks (last time it was 18 weeks), and at 15 weeks on the dot I knew for SURE it was the baby I was feeling. It is such a neat feeling. At 22 weeks, I could feel it from the outside and so could Sean. I could even see my belly moving!

On to the gender reveal....we realized that on the day we were going to find out the sex (August 15), both of our parents were going to be out of town. I knew I had to think of a creative way of telling them; over the phone just wouldn't do! So I bought these baby boy and baby girl m&m's....

And packaged them in little boxes.....

And wrapped the boy ones in gold (top) and the girl ones and silver, and gave a gold and silver to each set of parents (and one to Sean just in case he didn't make it back to the US in time for the ultrasound, but he did)

boy

girl

I took this old wives tale test online just for fun:

You have a 8% chance of having a boy. And you have a 91% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...
You are carrying the extra weight around the hips and bottom, so it's a girl.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
Boys are carried low. You are going to have a boy.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy, so you are expecting a girl.
You are not looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a girl, because girls steal their mother's looks.
Your chest development has been quite dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a girl.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl.
You are craving sweets, which means that it is a girl.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.

And here are everyone's guesses from facebook:

Deborah Kaufman Toole
Alright, give me your guesses- is this baby a boy or a girl?? We find out soon!

· · August 14 at 9:25am

Alyssa 'Steinmark' Hirsch and Lynn Clausen Chandler like this.
- Jeni Peetz Boy!!
  August 14 at 9:29am ·
- Holly Glick Mintz I'm guessing girl!
  August 14 at 9:38am ·
- Mindy Falcioni Ramirez Girl
  August 14 at 9:55am ·
- Alyssa 'Steinmark' Hirsch boy
  August 14 at 10:29am ·
- Mandy Cabral-Hangsleben Girl!!!
  August 14 at 10:32am ·
- Shannon Walyus I'm going with boy
  August 14 at 10:43am ·
- Deborah Kaufman Toole Wow, exactly even, interesting! Well, half of you will be right haha
  August 14 at 10:47am ·
- Mandy Felter Gibbs Girl!!!
  August 14 at 10:51am ·
- Marisa Licer I'm guessing a baby brother for little Jacob... But Rania would luv it if she had another girl friend to play with soon :-D Either way will be AWESOME!!!!
  August 14 at 10:55am ·
- Katie Albright Jasiewicz Congrats on another baby!!!
  August 14 at 11:17am ·
- Star Jimenez Girl
  August 14 at 11:44am ·
- Lindsay Parish Duggar I am having difficulty with this one, I think it's because I want to say girl, but I keep picturing a brother for Jacob :)
  August 14 at 12:38pm ·
- Amy Gorin girl!
  August 14 at 1:05pm ·
- Joanne Loubriel GIRL!!! My fingers are always crossed for everyone to have a girl! :)
  August 14 at 1:33pm ·
- Shannon Rebecca Lamb Girl?
  August 14 at 3:06pm ·
- Kayla Stein Boy
  August 14 at 4:23pm ·
- Sarah Kaufman what is your guess Deborah?
  August 14 at 8:53pm ·
- Shannon Rebecca Lamb Sarah thinks boy...I think, right?
  August 14 at 9:29pm ·
- Deborah Kaufman Toole I don't have a guess
  August 14 at 9:31pm ·
- Kim Helman Rosenberg Girl
  August 14 at 10:23pm ·
- Alexandra Keller Boy!
  August 15 at 12:43am ·

So 6 boys, 9 girls

And the correct answer? GIRL! *ultrasound pictures to come*. We are so excited that Jacob will be having a baby sister! On the way home from the ultrasound, we stopped at the Gap so I could buy some girly things :) Now, about a week or so ago, we finally decided on a name. However, we are keeping it a secret! You will find out in 18ish weeks!

More Playdates- OSC (8-1), Sea World (8-2), and gymnastics (8-4)

2011-09-06T14:49:00.002-04:00

Orlando Science Center with Jacob F.

Sea World with our playgroup

Shamu tried to sit in Jacob's stroller!

On our walk through the arctic exhibit, Jacob threw his longest tantrum to date! (because I made him leave his snack cup in the stroller). Fun times

Gretchen, fussy Jacob, Paige

Waiting for the Shamu show

Eating lunch while waiting for the Shamu show to start

Jacob and Gretchen

We were in the splash zone, and here is everyone giving Shamu the signal to splash us...but we did not get wet! Again!

Splash pad fun

Open Play gymnastics with our play group. Jacob loved this; we'll definitely go back!

Jake and Rowan on the trampoline

This was his favorite thing- jumping into the pit

Hutchinson Island, 7-22

2011-09-05T20:55:00.008-04:00

Sean had been working and out of town a lot, so we decided to get away for a long weekend. We chose Hutchinson Island because...well...they had availability on such short notice!

Going out to the beach!

Working

Bathtub Beach- it has a reef surrounding it, making the water calmer

Sean took these underwater pics while he was snorkeling

snack time!

This picture appears to be out of order

He swims like a little fish thanks to ISR! There was a swimming instructor at the pool who said he couldn't believe how well he swims for his age

surfing!

He made a picture frame during art time at the hotel

A very rocky beach (that we went to BEFORE bathtub beach..yeah these are out of order)

And here is where my camera fogs up. I kept cleaning it but it would fog immediately. Darn humidity!

Bathtub Beach again (we only went there once but again, these are not in order)

Not a fan at first!

These are his 18 month pictures that I did on the beach in the evening

throwing sand in the air

At our beach at the hotel

admiring Daddy's sand castle city

And this is a wave knocking me over!

He liked climbing in his stroller and trying to buckle himself in!

First ice cream cone!

This is what happened when Daddy took it away for a few seconds to clean it up

getting every last bit!

And this is what happened when Daddy tried to take it away- no thanks!

on our balcony

On the way home we stopped at an aquarium

trying to pet the sting rays

touching a starfish

feeding the fish

sharks!

turtle

18 month doctor visit 7-20

2011-09-05T20:33:00.002-04:00

Getting weighed

Shot :( Only one this time though, hep A

Overall it was a good appointment (though Jacob might feel differently!). The doctor said he is doing great and his growth is right on track. He said his eating and sleeping were great. Everything on the survey we filled out looked good. We discussed our concerns about Jacob not talking much, and the doctor wasn't concerned about it at all. He said boys just tend to be slower at talking sometimes and to give him some more time (until age 2).

More playdates! Amaya Papaya (7-5), Dr. Phillips Splash Pad (7-12), and Gaylord Palms (7-19)

2011-09-05T19:47:00.003-04:00

Amaya Papaya

Jake, Paige and Rowan

Being sweet to the baby!

Hugs for the baby

Stairs with Other Jacob

Trampoline

More hugs for the baby!

Dr. Phillips splash pad- I really like this one!

He really liked Gretchen's truck

Rowan and Jacob

Paige and Jacob

Jake and Autumn

Jacob and Gretchen

Front view

Rowan and Jacob

Hugs from Rowan

At the Gaylord Palms they had a Dreamworks exhibit. There was a show, all the characters and tons of free food and drinks.

The babies feelings on the show were unanimous- they all hated it! I guess it was too loud

Touching the ice sculpture

Jacob didn't want to touch it

He always manages to find the stairs

Visiting the characters

Blowing kisses to the panda

Shrek is catching the kiss that Jacob blew him

Our little secret 4-26-11, and South Florida 7-2-11

2011-09-05T19:06:00.003-04:00

4-26-11 - this is the night we found out Jacob was going to be a big brother! I couldn't post this at the time since we were keeping it a secret, so here is the story. It was a Tuesday night, and I had decided I was going to take a pregnancy test on Thursday, which is the day I would be officially "late". Sean called me on his way home from work to tell me someone had given him tickets (BOX seats!) to the Magic game, we had to leave as soon as he got home and his mom was on his way over to babysit. They were in the playoffs so it was a big game! I rushed to get ready, get Jacob's dinner ready and everything ready for Sean's mom. She arrived about the same time as Sean, and just as we were about to leave it occured to me- I COULD be pregnant, and sitting in the box means free unlimited beer! What to do? I asked Sean and he suggested I throw a pregnancy test in my purse and take it at the game (there was no time to take it at home, we had to leave!).

It was a great game and the Magic won!

Stuff the Magic Dragon

Nicole happened to be there so she came over and sat with us for a bit

Sean and Nicole and I

And the result- pretty clear! I was pregnant! There is a little more to the story though. A few weeks ago we had a discussion about how I would tell Sean I was pregnant this time (whenever "this time" ended up being). He said he did not like the way I told him the first time (basically pouncing on him as soon as his alarm went off at 6am with the pee stick that he couldn't even see...who wouldn't like that? haha). So we discussed different ways to do it, and decided that this time SEAN would look at the stick and tell ME if we were pregnant. Well even though things had changed a little (I never imagined I'd be testing at a basketball game!), I wanted to stick with our plan so I threw a plastic bag in my purse along with the test. After I took it I stuck it in the bag without looking, came back to Sean and handed it to him. He studied it for a while and I was sure it was negative and he was just looking for something that wasn't there. Finally he turned to me and said "I think you're pregnant!". Turns out it was so dark where we were sitting he was having a hard time seeing the line. We walked up to the light part of the box and it was very clear!

We decided to keep it a secret from everyone except our families until after the NT scan. For our families, we decided to tell them on Mother's Day just like we did last time. Except this time, we were all together. Sean had planned a surprise 30th birthday party for me at his parents house on Mother's Day (May 9). After all the guests had left except for our families, we had Jacob walk out wearing this shirt:

Our families were very excited! We got their reactions on video, but I wish we had thought to take some pictures too.

South Florida: we went July 4th weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and we got to tell them our news in person

Dad and Jake taking a nap!

Coming out in his shirt...

Excited great-grandparents

This is what kept him entertained

Cheesecake factory to celebrate Grandpa's birthday and Grandma and Grandpa's anniversary

We ordered Jacob the "kids strawberries" for dessert, not knowing that it comes with a mound of whipped cream! He loved it!

July 4

Riding on the luggage cart

Sea World- just Jake and Mama 6-29-11

2011-08-22T22:44:00.001-04:00

We had a great day!

Whale shirt? Check!

Meeting Shamu! Jacob petted his fin and called him a kitty!

This is one of his favorite things- watching the dolphins go by

Waiting for the Shamu show to start. It was so hot we sat in the splash zone, but we didn't get wet!

After the show, it poured!

Eating lunch while we wait for the rain to let up

He fell asleep with his sandwich still in his hand!

Thanks to the rain cover, he did not get wet at all!

Play dates! With our Tuesday Playgroup

2011-08-22T21:59:00.003-04:00

We love our Tuesday Playgroup!

6-14-11 Florida Mall

The Jacobs imitate each other now! It is so cute to see them start to play together

Those yoga classes are paying off!

Orlando Science Center 6-21-11

I think I might have gotten all the kids here! Jacob, Shayna, Jacob, Gretchen, Rowan and Paige

Favorite instrument- look at that smile!

Picking oranges

Gretchen and Jacob on the train

Jacob and Jacob

Jacob and Rowan

Splash pad 6-28-11

Hugs from Gretchen

Beach 6-18-11

2011-08-22T21:54:00.000-04:00

New Smyrna Beach with Holly and Scott and Joanne and Javier

There was a great sandbar, perfect for Jacob!

We are making the same face- maybe we're related after all!

Javier and Joanne

Holly and Scott

Jacob hangs out with Joanne

Even though he knows how to kiss his animals, whenever I ask him for a kiss he sticks his cheek out for me to kiss HIM!

Hugs