"May" we share about Jakob?

Okay, bad joke. For those of you who don't get it, it's a reference to the month of May coupled with the use of the word "may" in a manners question. Yes, it's a bit of a reach, but that's what we do.

First, if you're on Twitter, check us out at @vasquez007.

This month Jakob continues to advance in communication skills. He's learned to say "no" when he feels like being obtuse, but he's also shaking his head with it. He's also developed the funniest laugh that's a bit more high pitch. He's pointing out "bus," "caw-caw," (bird) and every four-legged creature is either a "woof-woof," "meow," or "moo."

We like to watch "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. Everything I know about coiling rope or hoses over a railing I owe to the guys on the Cordilia Marie.

To recap, on Mother's Day Marc co-lead worship at Vineyard and then we decided to see how the other half lives and went with Marc's parents to The Elms for a killer buffet. The weather was great and we all had a fantastic time celebrating Kim's second Mother's Day and Marc's mom's 35th. :)

Jakob has decided that his name is "buddy." We can't imagine where he gets that from. Oh wait. I could be because we call him that ALL THE TIME. He now says, "mama," "daddy," "buddy." Nice. Project Jakob-is-my-name reprogramming will commence soon.

With the weather turning warmer, we decided to fire up the grill only to find that due to the lack of large trees in our area BIRDS had built a grill-sized nest inside. This came complete with five screaming baby birds. Because Marc is more than a bit of a germophobe and Kim thinks it's . . . well. . . gross, Jakob sprang into action. He went comparison shopping at Lowe's and Home Depot and bought daddy a brand new awesome grill.

Next week, Kim and Jakob will be heading up to Iowa during Kim's week off from school before summer school starts up to spend some quality time with her folks. The first week of June Marc heads to Chicago for an event site visit. This weekend is Memorial Day and we honor those who have fought before us and who are currently fighting to protect our freedoms. Thanks especially to our dads.

More soon.

Changing every day. . .

We knew it would only be a matter of time before Jakob put together that shaking his head from side to side would signify that he didn't want to take part in something. This has now been compounded by one little two letter word that he completely understands and enjoys using on a regular basis. . . "no."

It's not all bad. That coupled with him pleading with us and saying (and signing) "please" have made for one demanding little boy. Here are a few scenarios:

Us: "Jakob, do you want to go night-nights?"

Jakob: [shakes head side to side] "Naw, naw."

Us: "Jakob, we're going to go eat now."

Jakob: [pointing downstairs vigorously and signing] "PEASE! PEASE!"

The latter would be due to one amazing discovery Jakob has found a new love for. . . the Lego Star Wars game on the XBOX. He's not ready for his own controller yet as he only stays engaged for a short while and he can't quite play the game yet (hey, he's only almost 2). BUT, that didn't stop Marc from buying an old, used controller, snipping the cord and giving it to Jakob to use during Father/Son game time. Worked like a charm. . . until Jakob realized his was not white and pointed to daddy's controller pleading, "PEASE! PEASE!"

Yesterday, we went to a daycare educator meeting to get an update on Jakob's status. His teachers continue to rave about his progress. He's not only one of the smartest kids in class, but very well behaved. His language and motor skills have shot through the roof over the last few weeks. His teachers know he's going to be full time in the next room soon and they're going to miss him. They also reinforced that they really appreciate us as parents and that we're doing a great job in trying to incorporate what they're doing there into our home routine. It was super cool.

Later, we went to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or as Kim thinks the anniversary of the Mexican revolution (haha), up on the square with Nana and Pape. There was a huge crowd so Jakob was clingy, but that's fun and Nana and Pape can't get enough of it.

Lately, Jakob has enjoyed spending time at the windows looking for dogs he can "woof, woof" at or birds that he can "caw, caw" at. He's also developed a new fear of the vacuum cleaner, but loves his toy one still. In fact, he doesn't call it "vacuum" but "buddy" instead. We may never know why. . .

Jakob knows who he is and picks himself out of photos. Pretty funny to see him point at the photo and then at himself.

Today, Kim and Jakob saw a full arch rainbow. It was Jakob's first so they got a photo of it. Pretty cool stuff!

This weekend is Mother's Day and while it's Kim's second, we're still cherishing every one of them because of the miracle Jakob is. We're heading up to see Nana and Pape to go to the Elms Resort. Hopefully, soon we'll be on the road toward a sibling for him which will bring a new set of challenges and positive experiences for us and for him.

More soon.