holiday season

it seems that this blog gets an updated post every month because it has been 1 month and 2 days since i last posted :) and so much has happened to fill you in about!

- jake fell out of our bed last week and scraped his nose and bumped his head on the night-stand....it was so sad and such a horrible sound to hear in the middle of the night....he always gets in bed with us at some point each night and this particular night he was on the edge rather than in the middle (because henry must have been taking up more room).....that same week, jake was sick with a fever of 101.3/flu symptoms and had to miss 2 days of school and a field trip :(

- we had a nice thanksgiving and henry enjoyed this first holiday and even had a small bite of mashed potatoes, which pretty much gagged him :) since then he has tried several finger foods such as biter biscuits and mum-mum rice cakes for babies...he also tried a sippy cup with water for the first time and got his flu shots at the last doc visit (seasonal and h1n1)....he weighed 20 pounds and was 27.5 inches long

- we now have our xmas tree up and jake has enjoyed helping me decorate....he likes to cluster decorate and hang them all in the same area :) he is enjoying looking at the gifts under the tree and seeing which ones have his name, which he can recognize now....he also can write J, A, K, and is working on E :)

- we went to have breakfast with santa at the 4h center and jake said that that santa was not the real santa because he was not wearing glasses :) i felt sad for jake because i want him to have a vision of santa as kind, distinguished, and magical and this santa was rough, grumpy, and not very magical. he hope to visit yankee candle in w'burg and see their special santa :) all jake wants from santa are hauling trucks for when he plays farm :)

a month of tidbits

right now we are experiencing a nor'easter storm and it has been raining for 2 days now - roads are flooding and schools are closed. this means we are at home together.....and have found new fun in our wii video game system :) and jakes LOVES it! he is really good at the golf game and right now is playing the racing game :) henry is playing in his exercausing, blowing strawberry bubbles and putting everything in his mouth. he is around 19.6 pounds and is sitting up by himself for small amounts of time. he outgrowing all of his 9 month clothes and is starting to get a little more hair blonde hair :) both of the boys are super cute and amaze me everyday with the cute things they say and do. jake is enjoying school although he has been feeling a little under the weather lately (we hope to go to the doc soon to check on their ongoing coughs as well)- he got a progress report at preschool and had a few Goods but ALOT of W's (working on the task) - he likes to tell us about his days at school and will have confession time and tell us if he got in trouble or time out. so far he has admitted to kicking the teacher (nice), telling her to shut-up, and other mischevious activities. he is still around 48.5 pounds and 43 inches tall, wearing a 5 clothes but needing a 6 VERY soon :) he is completely potty trained and doing great! we used to give him a pooping toy for incentive but lately he hasn't needed any. he has been acting out alot lately, telling us to shut-up, stupid, idiot, etc.....oh dear! we are trying to set a good example for him but it can be hard on us not to lose our cool as well :) also, henry is a good little rider when we go in the car and if he gets fussy, he'll calm down to the shaking sound of his toys/rattles. he went with me shopping the other day and was the best! i was always nervous about taking jake places when he was a baby but now i am more confident and henry and i venture to stores while jake is at school :) he tried squash for the 1st time today but did not care for them. he likes bananas alot. he also eats peaches, pears, applesauce and rice cereal :)

halloween was fun and they were both dinosaur dragons! henry had a good first halloween!

october

today we did a photo shoot outside with the pumpkins, to get a good shot of the boys for a halloween card. i got a few good ones (see above) - jake did really well holding henry and is being alot more careful and gentle with him than initially. although this morning jake came upstairs crying that "henry had pulled his hair"....if he only knew what was to come! it was cute :) you could tell that jake enjoyed being on the other side of the painful incident!

henry gets to try bananas for the first time tomorrow. last week he did applesauce and made some AWFUL faces- he seems to be liking it better now :) also tomorrow, jake gets to take his first school field trip....to the pumpkin patch at our farm. kinda funny, i know. but he should enjoy showing his friends around and being "boss" of the pumpkin patch-we shall see. i bought the kids special cookies as an extra treat :)

it has been nice for henry to wear all of jake's hand me downs...and they bring back sweet memories of jake as a baby....i miss him being a baby....he'll always be my baby but i miss him being little in size and easy to pick up :) he took a bath tonight and likes to turn on the jets and make massive bubbles in the tub. i have also started giving henry a quick bath beside jake (in his bath seat) and look forward to when they can bathe together, side by side, once they are older :)

my big boys

this photo was from our trip to chuck e cheese for grandparents day with pa and grandma :)

henry went to the doctor yesterday for his 4 month checkup and weighed 18-3 lbs and was 26.5 inches long, with a head circumference of 17 inches :) he is just slightly larger than jake was at that age! wow! i have 2 big boys :)

jake is loving preschool and now can say the pledge of allegiance, the blessing, and several songs that he learned "bumble bee, bumble bee, what is your name, say it loud and we will do the same" and "there are 7 days, there are 7 days, there are 7 days in the week....sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday" :) he also likes to make jokes. for instance, he was talking the other day about a farmer named david barnes. he said "do you know why his name is david barnes? because he has a barn!" and he laughed and slapped his leg as though it was the best knee slapper ever! he has quite the humor for a 3 year old :) he is pooping in the potty very well and even wiping himself pretty good too! we are not giving him as many pooping toys but he asks for one every now and then :)

milestones

today jake said the pledge of allegiance by himself and henry rolled over! what a day :)

x-rays and tummy time

jake's left leg has been hurting him alot lately and we are not sure why. it was so bad today that he cried and limped and could barely walk. so we took him to get x-rays and all was well....and he was walking on it again by tonight. better safe than sorry. and jake did so well getting the x-rays done :) so precious and what a big boy! he weighed 48 lbs at the doc......henry is crying so i need to cut this short............................

updates

so much happens each day that i mean to record here, but time gets away from me. so this will be a list of updates that my memory will recall:

- jake is fully potty trained now, which is bitter sweet. i can't think too hard about things or else i will get sad because he is not my baby anymore. he told me today that henry was my baby boy now and i reminded him that he would always be my first baby boy :) but jake gets a "pooping toy" every time he poops in the potty and that has helped him get and stay excited about using the potty. he also continues to pee outside every morning off our front stoop, and the grass is officially dead there now-

- henry weighs 15 pounds, according to the vegetable scales at the farm. he is sleeping all night now (yes) and is soooooooooooo cute! jake bit his fingers yesterday for some reason, leaving bite marks. of course, henry cried HARD but i told him he might as well get used to it because i am sure this won't be the last time that jake beats up on him :(

jake has been doing well at the summer "playschool" program. his preschool teachers have been working with the program and so when it comes time to start preschool next week, i think he will be fine since he already knows the teachers well and will be familiar with most of the kids and the facility. he does still cry a little when i leave, although last time he did not cry at all! i am excited for him to start school because he will enjoy all of the activities. we plan to get his school supplies this week and he already has his new bookbag and lunchbox (farm theme with tractor)- jake is growing like a weed and weighs 46 lbs and wears a 5t/6t size...size 11 shoe

jake fell at playschool last week and busted his lip and bloodied his nose. the scabcame off the other day and jake came down and said 'the tag" came off his lip-

jake also confuses henry's middle name and calls him "henry wilson"....too funny!

weigh-in

henry went to his 2 month check-up today and weighed in at 14-1 pounds and was 25.5 inches....off the charts for length and 95% for weight....

jake pooped in the potty 3 times today :)

keeping up...barely

i really want to keep up my posts about my boys but it is hard to find the time! i have been doing pretty good with photos, at least :) henry likes to be held....he has been sleeping for about 5-6 hours at night which is nice....he is still in his bassinet in our room but we know we need to move him to his room soon....very hungry during the day, eating about every 2.5 hours....getting mostly formula with a little expressed breastmilk....likes to ride in his carseay carrier.....jake is a big helper with him and likes to make his bottles for us!

BOY have things changed :)

Well, it has been several week since my last post.....and Baby Berryman has been with us for almost 7 weeks.......and Pokie was a BOY and his name is HENRY WILLIAM BERRYMAN! He is simply adorable and the greatest joy and Jake loves being a big brother and has adjusted VERY VERY VERY well :) I was really worried and stressed over that issue more than I needed to be :) But HENRY arrived on MAY 18TH 2009 at 9:28 am weighing 7-14 (much smaller than we thought) and 20 inches long - he had a little hair and looked JUST LIKE JAKE! Everyone says he either looks like Jake now, or like my dad :) I have so much to say so I will post again soon :)

counting down

2 more days before the new baby arrives....we are going in monday morning (may 18th) at 6:30 am to prepare for the c-section. i am excited but very nervous....i just want jake to be happy and alright with the soon-to-be changes in his life..........

jake is actually getting over a cold right now and i hope he will feel better by monday :) he has given us his "blessing" on our baby name choices at this point.....callie and henry....so we'll see on monday what it will be - soooo exciting!

still busy as ever at the berry patch - had the last BIG school group today - now i have 2 days to "relax" before pokie arrives :) jake likes strawberries this year - last year he picked them but would not eat them.....he is waiting for bluberries though...his fave food that we grow on the farm...he likes the "plump" ones

2 weeks to go

Only 2 more weeks before Pokie arrives :)

Jake is constantly making us laugh and amazing us with the things he says. Today, he got in trouble for hitting and was upset with Steve. He said "Let's go talk about it, Daddy" and led him to the table, and sat down to talk! I have not had a chance to ask Steve what Jake said after that :)

Open full-time at the berry patch - busy times!

Jake is wearing a size 6 "underwears" :)

3 more weeks

Just 3 more weeks until Baby Pokie arrives - wow! Hope the weather cools off before then....it is April but has been 95 degrees the past 3 days!

Jake is now drawing stick figures and can write a J for Jake :)

We plan to officially open at the berry patch this week :)

jake updates

Jake went to the doc today and had his blood pressure taken (93/66) and peed in a cup. He weighed 43 pounds and was 42.5 inches tall. He's off the charts, over 95% :)

He just grabbed my cell phone and said he was "texting"-

He turned 3 this past Thursday, April 16th, and had a Scooby Doo party theme with his grandparents and cousin Taylor-

Baby Pokie arrives via c-section on May 18th - 4 more weeks!

jake's 4th easter

Today, Jake celebrated his 4th Easter and he's only 2....I think I explained this neat trivia in an earlier post :) But wanted to make reference to it again!

groundhogs and plants

Today, when Jake was in the bathtub, he made a comment about the plant that is growing in a pot next to the tub. It is old and has always had brown leaves....Mommy does not have a green thumb like Daddy. Anyway, Jake said "that plant looks kinda sad" - it was cute :) And then he watered it, hoping it would "perk up" right away - and was sad when nothing changed in the plant's appearance.

Yesterday, after Jake had played hard, he was sweating. I made the comment that he was "sweating like a hog" and he later told me he was "sweating like a groundhog"..... I like that expression much better!

Baby Pokie has been moving lots and lots lately - he/she is scheduled to be delivered via c-section on May 18 at 8am - I am super excited :)

nice and sweet

Jake really likes sweet things....he does enjoy fruit likes apples, grapes, oranges, pears, bananas, and "plump" blueberries (not sour) - we hope he'll enjoy strawberries this year because last year he did not care for them (the year before he did)- But Jake REALLY likes sweet treats, like desserts. When he wants something, he'll say " I want something nice and sweet" - it is too cute! He would stick his fingers in the sugar canister and just lick it off of his fingers if we let him!

jake's "secrets"

Jake likes to pretend like he is telling us secrets in our ear. He will say " I have to tell you a question" and then will whisper jibberish in our ear - too cute :)

He has pooped in his pants alot lately - he is not telling us ahead of time so we can offer him a pull-up...but maybe this is the transition to get him pooping in the potty!

He now has a little cold/runny nose :(

He is also going through a stage where he does NOT want to be left alone......in a room by himself, or especially in the car. I used to be able to buckle him in the car and then run back inside to gather my things/get organized. But this brings him to tears.......this too shall pass!

Jake readies for the baby

Jake has been really interested in feeling Baby Pokie move. Every now and then, especially at night, he will put his hand on my belly and wait. Sometimes Pokie will kick and Jake will truly feel it....other times he waits so patiently and long that I purposely "flinch" my belly so he thinks the baby kicked - he is always excited to feel something!

The other night, he got to have some play-time with his cousin Taylor, who is 10 months old. He did very well with her and was not too agressive - hopefully that is a good sign!

survey

last night, i asked jake a few questions, like a little survey. i asked him what my favorite food was and he said "salad" - he responded hot dogs for his and daddy's fave food. i asked him how he knew that i loved him and he said "because of this" and gave me a big hug - and then did the same for daddy :) precious!

we have been working on teaching jake not to hit when he gets mad - so far he is doing better. he knows that if he hits us, he will get his fire trucks put in the attic for the day -

right now he is at grandma's playing for a bit and having lunch :)

baby #2 has been moving around alot and giving me heartburn!

how was your night

i asked jake, just now, how his night was last night - did he sleep well? he said "no, i was not comfortable" :) we are going today to the surry ruritan auction to see my dad/jake's poppie, auctioneer :) it is going to be nice weather and very warm, like 70 degrees!

lots of playtime

jake likes to play play play! every day, we always play fire trucks, make a craft, play trains, watch scooby doo.....and often we paint, play office, do play-dough, and go outside if it is warm enough and swing high on the swing. he also likes to help with chores, especially sorting laundry or helping put clothes in the washer and adding the detergent :) some days he is too busy for a nap - other days he happily lies with me in his bed for a "little rest" or falls asleep on his own while watching tv on the sofa :) such a sweet boy!

today while pooping in his pull-up, he asked me to leave so he could "have his privacy" - ha!

a funny filled day

today was filled with alot of clever comments from jake:

1- he told me that he was doing an "obstacle race"

2- i watched as he used a screwdriver and on his own, with no help, opened up his toy fire truck to change the batteries - and then put the truck back together - he then said he wanted to be a mechanic

3- at dinner he said it was "delicious"

4- he pointed a "magic pencil" at me and said "magic cadabra - mommy disappear"

of course, not every minute is cute and clever. he also hit, threw toys, and said the bad word (shut-up) alot this evening and got his scooby-doo show taken away for tonight -

frustrated

yesterday jake went to his grandmother's house. she asked him what he had been doing that morning. jake said "playing" - she asked with who and he said "mommy" - she asked him if he played with his daddy at all. jake said "no, daddy didn't play with me because he is frustrated" - what a hoot! jake is getting so smart :) he and his daddy were at odds the night before because jake got in Time Out several times :)

baby pokie is moving alot - i think maybe she is a she......but maybe a he??????

an early summer

this morning when jake woke up (he was in the bed with us), he stood up and looked out the window. he said "get up - it's summertime" :) it was cute!

baby pokie and jake meet........with a kick

jake got to feel the baby kick for the first time today. he said he could feel it on my belly. he asked me "why did she kick - does she want to get out?" - too cute! he says "she" alot - we'll see if he has insight-

throw up 101

for the first time, jake got sick and threw up....twice last night about 3:30 AM and then again this morning - poor little thing! this was the first time this has happened to us so it was throw-up 101 for me as a mommy! jake is feeling better now and still managed to be funny throughout the day. he was pretending to take his temp under his armpit and as the numbers changed he said "i am getting smarter and smarter" - it was really cute! too bad we can't really measure our smartness by inserting something under our armpit :) right now he is sitting on his daddy's lap, left thumb in mouth (as usual when he's snuggling), and watching his fave show of the moment "scooby doo"-he goes through stages with his tv.....his fave movie to watch now is "peter pan", "polar express" is #2, and "cars" has come back into the picture as well :)

my wishes

before i ever was pregnant with jake or baby #2, i always said i wished my babies would have turquoise eyes with dark long eyelashes (unlike my pale, short ones) - precious little jake inherited the exact traits that i so desired! he is a beautiful child :) baby #2 may follow after me, rather than steve, which is just fine :) either way, he/she will be just lovely!

just a photo

jake still in his pj's (minus the shirt)- with his favorite tool, his hammer

big mama and bedtime routine

every night, steve and i lie down with jake to get him to sleep. he has his frog to snuggle with and his milkshake to drink (milk with strawberry nesquik powder) - he pets my hair for comfort and wants us to tell him a story - lately he wants stories about monsters!

we also say our prayers:

now i lay me, down to sleep
i pray the lord my soul to keep
the angels watch me through the night
until i wake in morning light
amen

the other night before i got into bed, jake said "here comes big mama" and said "you're going to break the bed" - it was funny

you are NOT a farmer

jake told me last night that i was NOT a farmer because i am a girl.....and he also said you have to know how to drive a tractor, in his own words :)

jake weighs 41 pounds, wears a size 10 shoe, and is growing out of 3T clothes fast and into 4T-

at our 22 week appointment, baby berryman weighed 14 oz and was in the "head down" position - i have gained about 8 pounds since then, for a total of 15 so far.......0 lbs on the 1st/2nd visits , 2 pounds 3rd visit, and 5 pounds 4th visit.....we shall see what i weigh this wednesday! i have had a growth spurt and the baby is moving alot and feels alot larger :) i gained 35 lbs total with jake, so i still have 20 lbs to go if i get that big.....i know i will at least gain 8 more to make up the baby's total weight :)

1st night away from home

jake spent his 1st official night away from home this past saturday, jan 31st. it was the first time he has ever slept away from mom and dad, other than the night back in april 2008 when i had to go to the ER and he stayed with grandma and pretty much stayed up all night. but this time, he stayed at his poppie's and sassy's house just for fun and had a great time. i was worse off than him, worrying all night that he would need me. but he didn't cry once and didn't want to leave when i went to pick him up! it was a momentous occasion for jake AND mommy ;)

paper clips

jake calls paper cuts "paper clips"

baby talk

yesterday we went to the doc for an ultrasound on baby #2 and got some great photos. the baby looks like a boy in the sonogram pics although we did NOT find out the gender. jake flip flops between saying baby "pokey" is a girl and then a boy the next day. either way will be fine - it would be neat to have a girl too but we have everything we need for a boy in terms of clothes and gear. so either way is win, win :) jake is starting to make alot of references to my growing belly, patting it and talking about the baby or "pokey", as he calls the baby :)

the pic above is the best sonogram photo-

new room - new big boy bed

jake slept in his new room and new bunk bed (bottom of course) for the first time last night! i was nervous that he would wake up and be disoriented but he was excited and slept all night. he is there right now, sleeping for his 2nd night :) we are decorating his new room in a trucks/equipment theme so his new sheets have bulldozers/loaders/dumptrucks/etc on them - also last night, he pooped in the potty - we made sure to praise him and make sure he knew how cool it is to poop in the potty :) baby berryman was kicking up a storm tonight. i used to feel like the baby was a girl.....now i don't know what i feel :) i felt confident that jake would be a boy- i just had a feeling. no super strong feeling yet on baby #2 :)

my heart is burnin'

last night at dinner, jake had a hearty appetite and had eaten alot, maybe a little too fast. he exclaimed "my heart is burning" and grabbed his chest/tummy- it was so cute! he then took a drink of water and said "that was better"-

he is still doing well with potty training - pooped in his pull-up today but is pee-pee'ing in the potty like a pro!

jake now weighs 39.5 pounds and wears 3T/4T clothes and size 10 shoes-

A new blog for 2009

Ok, FINALLY! I have been wanting and meaning to create a blog for Jake and Baby Berryman to-be, for a long time. I used to have a daily calendar on which I would record Jake's milestones and cute happenings. But it ended when he turned 2......then I started slacking. I created a blog through AOL but it was closed at the end of the summer (and I never managed to save those blogs either!)- So here I am, at last, hoping to catch up on Jake's ever-changing and quickly developing world! And why not start in the new year :)

First of all, Jake is starting to potty train. It has gone well so far but I will not hold my breath because I know we might have a relapse! But he wears undies during the day and pull-ups when we leave the house. Diapers at night still, until we can be sure he stays dry all night. Pooping is harder to get right than peeing, but we're working on it!

Jake also says the cutest things, like: "I can't pa-member" (instead of remember) and "Let's sit pa-chether" (let's sit together)-

Jake can definitely come up with some cute things to say. In my opinion, he speaks really well :) And he's so funny. Like this morning, when we first woke up, we were lying in bed facing each other and he said "go the other way - you're breath stinks!" - too funny! And then we were talking about going somewhere and he said "I went there last morning" - he makes reference to the past, just doesn't always use the right time frame. We could have visited someone the day before and he would say that we saw them "last year" :) He also told me that he had a dream last night about water and about an airport he saw with Daddy. Speaking of dreams, his Daddy has allowed him to start watching cartoons like Scooby Doo, which in my opinion might be too scary for his age. He'll cover his eyes at certain parts and it makes me worry that he start to have bad dreams about the "monsters" in the shows. Steve thinks it's fine but I prefer the "everyone is happy all the time" cartoons for now :)

Baby Berryman #2 is due on May 23rd - I am starting to feel him/her kick and move alot now - that started right before 18weeks and I am 20 weeks now :)

Ok, let's see how this blog stuff works once I'm done with my post!