Merry Christmas!

Jake had a wonderful holiday. We were up before he was--he slept in until almost 7:30 am. He woke up in a great mood (and why not?)

We went downstairs and in our tradition, he put the 25th snowball on our Advent Snowman. Then it was over to the tree...where lo and behold! Santa had come and left a blazing red, flying V electric guitar, amp, and purple stand-up microphone. Jake was so excited, he was almost speechless. It's sad, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to top this gift. It's all he's talked about for months, and then it was there! Peaked in the gift-giving department at age three...

Then it was time for stockings and other presents. He really liked everything he got. We got him smaller stuff, as the guitar was his main gift -- games, DVDs, blocks, etc. But his family outdid themselves as always. Aunt Abby & Uncle Keith got him a Leapster Laptop, MeMe and Pappy got him a very cool cash register, Nanny got a Light Drawer, Uncle Ed & Aunt Linda and Uncle Greg and Aunt Vickie got gift cards...he had plenty of very nice gifts. His father dropped off a few presents to open, including a very cool digital art studio.

But the big gift was definitely the guitar. He played it all day long. He would make up songs and play his heart out, then turn to us and say very sternly, "Clap!" I think he would have slept with it if we let him.

We all stayed in our pjs all day long, grazing on snacks. Everyone got to eat whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. We watched "Shrek III" as a family that night, cuddled on the couch. Maybe it was just the Xmas spirit, but it was an almost perfect day--no fights, no tantrums, just love and happiness. A great day, other than me being on bedrest and having to spend most of the afternoon upstairs lying down....But Jake came up and asked to watch cooking shows with me, so we hung out together. He does like to watch cooking shows...and read cookbooks. If he doesn't turn out to be a rock star, maybe he'll be a chef!

Cattywampus

Jake's vocabulary has taken another huge leap. He's always been verbal, but now it's like talking to a 10 year old (or possibly a 30 year old).

Last night I made spaghetti and meatballs. (Jake will now deign to actually eat the pasta and sauce, not just the "balls of meat.") He was being very polite and practicing excellent manners -- asking me to please pass the salt and pepper, etc. He asked for the parmesan cheese and tried to shake it, but nothing was coming out because it had made that annoying clump it sometimes does.

Jake sighs and hands it to Alex, saying, "Poppy, can you please fix this? It's all cattywampus."

I'm sure that's something he's heard his father say. Between David's expressions, mine, and Alex's, it's no wonder Jake comes up with some funny phrases now and then...

Sense of Mortality

Where exactly does a three year old get a sense of mortality? He still insists Calvin the Cat is just sick, not dead, and he doesn't know his grandma died recently. Maybe at school?

At any rate, Alex showed him a video of a monster truck rally (he can't wait until one comes to town so he can take Jake--lord knows, I'm not going). Jake watched, and then Alex said, "So what do you think? Doesn't that look cool? Do you want to go with me sometime?"

Jake turned and looked at him as if he were crazy. "Why no, Poppy. I could be killed!"

Of course we explained that no one, including Jake, is actually in the cars when the monster trucks are crushing them!

Exploding Buildings

Poor Jake was absolutely terrified the other night.

He and Poppy like to watch Springsteen's "Atlantic City" video and there is a part where they show some of the old buildings being torn down. So Alex decided to find a clip of one of the hotels in Vegas being blown up, thinking Jake might enjoy it, as it's a total show--fireworks, music, a countdown, etc.

Jake was completely freaked out! He started sobbing. Finally, Alex brought him in and we figured out that Jake was afraid there were people still in the building who got hurt and that he was afraid it could happen to our house. We talked about it and explained how buildings are imploded, and that no one is ever, ever inside, and that could NEVER happen to our house. Finally he calmed down.

The next night, as soon as he walked through the door, Jake was asking to watch the "building blow up video" again. Poppy took him up to watch it and they talked about it. Turns out, Jake was fine so long as he knew that "Bruce" wasn't inside. Apparently, he made a connection between the Springsteen video and the implosion and was concerned that his hero Bruce Springsteen might have been hurt.

He then came downstairs and told me all about it. He asked again if our house could blow up and I said no. When I asked him why, he thought a minute and then replied, "It's made of metal!" We also talked about how our house was small and low to the ground, not high like a hotel. I asked if he thought anything else might blow up and he said, "Not Daddy's house. Not my school. They're too little." Yes! So he feels safe now, and I think he's proud that he watched the video again and didn't let it scare him.

Mommy's Helper

Jake and I had a really nice morning. We came home from the diner (our family Sunday ritual) and I asked him if he wanted to help me clean my and Poppy's room.

I turned on the iPod and he danced all over with his guitar, playing and singing. Once the room was clean, I switched the music to something a little mellower and we organized all the baby things. He was so helpful and so excited at seeing all the nice things for his baby brother. He particularly liked when I went through the clothes and told him if something had been his or his little brother Kyle's. He kept saying, "The baby will be so small!"

He also liked putting away the blankets and accessories, although he was a bit perturbed that the baby didn't have any toys. So I told him he could pick out a toy for the baby, from him.

He is SUCH a sweetie...

Smarty Pants

Jake has had a lot of colds/sinus stuff this fall/winter. He's gotten into the unfortunate habit of picking at his nose, mostly unconsciously.

I'm trying to help him break the habit, so I usually say, "Jake, please don't pick." when I see him doing it. Today, we were driving home and I saw him in the rearview mirror, picking away. So I say, "Jake, please stop picking."

To which he replies, "Mommy, you shouldn't watch me, watch the road!"

Oh Christmas Tree

We put up our Christmas tree over Thanksgiving weekend. Jake really had fun putting on all of the ornaments. We have a lot of ornaments that "do" something, so those were extra fun. We also talked about different ornaments, like the ones I've gotten him since he was born and the ones MeMe bought him. He liked hearing about when he was little.

The only thing he didn't like? The ribbons I put on the tree. Instead of garland or tinsel, I put gold wired ribbons on the tree, cascading down from the star.

The other night, Jake and I were looking at the tree. I said, "I like our tree this year, it's so pretty."

Jake thought for a moment, then replied, "Personally, I don't like ribbons, Mommy."

It was the "personally" that cracked me up...