Jacob Anthony's Blog: January 2014

We had a lot of new beginnings over the holiday season. At almost 9 months old, Jacob is speed crawling, getting up to the furniture, and sitting in the bathtub without assistance. Food is a very touchy subject for him. He literally gags when I bring certain foods toward his mouth; it's actually hilarious. All in good time, I guess. We woke up and spent Christmas Eve like it was Christmas this year. The kids spent the day playing with their gifts and then we went to Asia City for dinner. It was the first time I put Jacob in a highchair at a restaurant; he handled it like a pro. I kept him busy by giving him a can of mints and letting him suck on a lemon wedge, which he Loved. It was precisely that evening that we realized Jacob is a ladies man. I have three boys. My first son, Deven is a ladies man and always has been. His grandmother was his favorite lady and as a baby, he flirted with all the women no matter where we were. Even today, most of his friends are female. Conor, my second son, is and always has been a mans man. His favorite guy was his papa. He was always a rough, fearless tumbler properly dubbed "The Terminator Destroyer" with a poison control file an inch thick. Today, he has a gang of bros that he calls his friends and isn't really interested in having a girlfriend although he has "about ten different girls who really want to be his girlfriend." It was on Christmas Eve at Asia City that Jacob made his first move as a Lady Charmer. She was a very lovely, Asian hostess with long black hair who seemed very serious about her job and was very busy at the time.. until she stood a little too close to my Playa. Jacob very gingerly seized her arm and looked up at her. He didn't smile or laugh, he just stared at her with his striking blue eyes and she melted right there at the table. She giggled and kind of danced around and didn't dare try to remove his hands from her arm. I sat there watching thoughtfully. It was only a moment ago that this woman was so engrossed in her duties and even irritated with the indecisiveness of my drink order. And now she was a prisoner at the hands of my baby and I wasn't offering her my assistance. It was during this reflection that Deven leaned toward me and whispered, "Mom! He's a ladies man!" "I see this." Jacob's amazing behavior opened a new door to some freedom. We have been able to go out to a few meals since that night and even spent New Year's Eve at Zingerman's Roadhouse where he had his first bites of steak, mashed potatoes (which he loved), and hot fudge brownie sundae.

Jacob is s super solid guy. It was difficult for me, at first, not to scoop him up when he bonked his head or face planted from a sitting or crawling position. If he wasn't clearly hurt, I would let him fuss for a moment and he would soon forget and move on. Now, he doesn't sweat the small stuff and usually only cries to me when he's tired or frustrated. I'm so proud of my little bruiser.

Jacob Fact #7: Jacob loves cuddling and watching cartoons with me at night.

We lowered the crib mattress just in time..