The Karlin Clan

2012-02-12T21:34:00.001-06:00

Jacob Reading "Brown Bear Brown Bear"
Jacob has memorized many books and loves to read to himself. Its so cute!

OMG.. its been 2 months?

2011-12-24T13:47:00.002-06:00

I am so sorry that its been almost 2 months since the blog has been updated. I bet you have missed adorable Jacob pics and videos.

The main thing that has changed with Jacob is that he is talking FULL sentences at all times. I love having conversations with Jacob. Its so much better than prompting him to say something. Also, he is super smart and has such a great memory. He remembers events that happened 2 months ago. He corrects me sometimes when I make a mistake. He is such a cutie patootie!

The bad news is that I am not longer having Karlin #2. :( We went for our first ultrasound and there was no heartbeat. We ended up having an ectopic pregnancy which my Dr. put me in the hospital for 4 days when we first found out about the ectopic pregnancy. I am slowly but surely getting better. We will hopefully have some good news on a possible baby #2 in the upcoming months. Check back every now and then for an announcement hopefully in the future!

Because I am not 100% better, my Dr. has told me to stay in town during Winter Break (just incase) so that means no Texas for me during the break. :( It is a tradition for us to be in Houston over break and celebrate Hanukkah together. Hopefully next year. This year we were invited to my friend Bri's house to celebrate Chrismakkah! We will be celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah and we are all super excited. Pics to come!

Thats about it. More to come!

Cute video of Jacob showing off his Smartness!

2011-11-03T18:46:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-03T18:39:00.002-05:00

SOO sorry! Its been so long

2011-11-03T18:33:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I havent updated the blog with posts other than Muffin Tin Monday! Sorry! Lots of posts in the next few days!
Update on Jacob:
- 2 1/2 yrs now! Crazy!
- talking in sentences. Not even 6 months ago he had a hard time saying 1 word but now he talks in sentences. Its great
- Knows all of the colors
- counts to 13 in english
-counts to 10 in spanish
- recognizes about half of the letters in the alphabet
- sings most of the alphabet
-has two best friends at school, Collin and Jackson
-Into trains, airplanes, blocks and legos, Dora, Gabba, and Loves Chuck E Cheese
- all around a very happy kid and hardly ever gets in trouble. He is such a good boy
- still weighs 23 lbs and is 33.5 inches tall

Look for more posts soon!

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-10-23T19:27:00.003-05:00

Its time for another Muffin Tin Monday.

I was working on teaching Jacob his shapes this week so I decided to get out the Shapes muffin holders. Perfect Timing! He ate every bite! He is such a good boy.

Blue Star: Apples
Pink Triangle: Sausage
Pink Heart: Grapes
Green Square: Sweet Rolls
YUM!

Check out other Muffin Tin Mondays here:

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-10-16T22:03:00.003-05:00

This muffin tin Monday's theme is: This Weekend! HAHA. I couldn't think of a theme so its just a bunch of different things from this fun filled weekend.

Top Left: Pink Pig (from the pumpkin patch), Orange Pumpkin, Chocolate pudding with a pirate flag (we went to Boo at the Zoo with Waylon and Waylon was a pirate)
Bottom Left: Hay (fries), Choo Choo PB&J (from pumpkin patch), Chicken Baseballs (RANGERS WON and in the world series!)

Check out more Muffin Tin Monday here:

Happy Birthday Nana!

2011-10-14T17:07:00.000-05:00

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-10-02T23:30:00.003-05:00

All 3 of us love the new frozen yogurt shops around the corner from our house. Two new shops opened a couple of weeks ago and we go at least once a week. They are those shops where you choose your own ice cream, mix in your own toppings, and then weigh/pay. Jacob is really into it. So this Muffin Tin Monday is Dessert Themed: Sundae Bar

Top Left: Sprinkles, Bananas, Cherries
Bottom Left: Ice Cream, Chocolate, and more Ice Cream

Making his own Sundae

Look at other Muffin Tin Mondays here:

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-09-25T21:56:00.002-05:00

We hosted a fun BBQ last night with my work friends. Jacob of course was the entertainment and we ate some yummy food. This Muffin Tin Monday is BBQ Leftovers. HAHA

Top Left: Pickles, Ketchup, Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Bottom Left: Cheese hotdog, cheese hotdog, ruffles chips

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-09-18T22:35:00.003-05:00

Sorry I missed last week. I was in Kansas City visiting my very best friend the beautiful Rebecca Katz and her wonderful husband Jonathan before they become parents in a few weeks. Of course we had a wonderful time. Its been a good year and a half since we have seen each other but it was like no time ever passed by!

This week Muffin Tin Monday's theme is FALL!! Fall is in the air and we love it. No more 90's or 100's temp. We are loving the 70's and 80's we had this weekend.

Top Left: Orange cheese crackers, orange and red JELLO, and a leaf cookie
Top Right: Cheese acorn, pumpkin PB&J, orange carrots with ranch

Check out other Muffin Tin Mondays

Day out with Thomas

2011-09-05T17:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Nashville, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Jacob heard Thomas and his friends were chugging their way into the Tennessee Central Railway over the Labor Day weekend and insisted we drive into the city to see the little blue engine.

"Dada, ride choo choo," he said. "Chugga chugga, choo choo!"

Every year a full-size Thomas the Tank Engine rolls into Nashville as part of a nationwide tour called "Day out with Thomas." Included in the all-day attraction is a 25-minute ride in a real train car for the young train enthusiasts, along with other fun activities like wooden train sets, mini golf, bounce houses and a petting zoo.

Trains are one of Jacob's latest obsessions. He loves watching Thomas and Friends; he knows several of the characters. His favorite character is Percy, the little green engine whose main job is to pull the mail. Other than the $18 per person, it was a no-brainer to take Jacob to see Thomas while he was in Music City.

Erin and I thought the train ride was rather lame because it moved too slowly and we were stuck on the side that faced nothing but rocks, trees and rusted train cars.

Jacob, however, was too busy moving up and down on his seat, blowing his wooden train whistle, to care about such annoyances. He loved staring out the window as we moved past those rusted train cars standing motionless on a parallel track, he was amazed to see a car drive under us as we crossed over a bridge and he enjoyed passing by a flashing signal.

I think the real train experience helped solidify a longtime fascination with the iron horse.

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-09-05T07:37:00.004-05:00

Jacob + Choo Choo Trains = L-O-V-E

So we took him to Thomas Day Out. He had a WONDERFUL time.

This Muffin Tin monday is Choo Chooified!

Top Left: Jacob's Train Ticket (graham cracker), chocolate pudding, Train Cheese
Bottom Left: banana train, PB and J train, and pretzel train track
All put on his new Thomas placemat

Check out other Muffin Tin Mondays:

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-08-28T22:30:00.004-05:00

Its Sunday which means its time for Muffin Tin Monday!

Today was kind of a boring Muffin Tin Monday but Jacob still loved it. We did a Muffin Tin Snack with some of his favorite snack foods.

Top Left: Strawberry Yogurt, Peanut Butter, Cheese

Bottom Left: Crackers, Crackers, and more Crackers

Check out other Muffin Tin Mondays here:

Cookin' Away

2011-08-28T22:23:00.002-05:00

Jacob has recently been very interested in cooking. He loves to help cook. He will go grab a chair from the kitchen table, move it over to wherever we are cooking, and ask to help. I love that he has this interest. Of course all he wants to cook is Noodles and Cheese but its a start. Maybe we will have a professional chef in the future. :)
(the water he is stirring is on a burner that is not on, but he doesn't know that.)

Jacob's greatest milestone

2011-08-23T19:18:00.002-05:00

The grandest moment in Jacob's life happened on the day he uttered the most celebrated word in all spoken languages.

We captured on video this milestone, in all its glory, to be replayed one day on a warm May afternoon in Lawrence:

Born to talk Jayhawk

Songs Jacob has learned

2011-08-22T21:20:00.003-05:00

Jacob has learned many songs at preschool. This is one song out of many songs that he has learned and loves!

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-08-21T21:55:00.003-05:00

Its time for another Muffin Tin Monday.

Theme: Mexican! YUM!

Top Left: spanish rice with cheese, cookies, bananas
Bottom Left: Cheese Enchiladas, refried beans, and more Enchiladas

I want to thank Megan Koller for making the delicious Enchiladas and for giving us extras to give to Jacob!

Check out other Muffin Tin Mondays!

Friday night lights

2011-08-21T12:25:00.014-05:00

Jacob got his first live glimpse this weekend of football under the lights.

The three of us returned home from dinner Friday evening to the sounds of cheering, marching bands and loudspeaker announcements coming from a nearby high school.

"Football!" Jacob shouted.

He's been conditioned to associate these sounds with America's favorite sport from the many shortcuts through the school's parking lot while band members and football players practiced.

He was raring to go to the game.

So, I put the overzealous sports fan in the jogging stroller and we quickly made our way to the school. We got there just in time to see the home team score a touchdown.

I'm certain he fell asleep that night to dreams of thousands cheering his name in the end zone.

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-08-14T19:52:00.004-05:00

Its time for another Muffin Tin Monday again! Just like last week, I am posting on Sunday instead of Monday because of work and I dont want to forget tomorrow.

No particular theme this week! Just yummy dinner. But he did enjoy it!

Top Left: Green Peppers with ranch dressing, Blue Yogurt, and pepperoni
Bottom Left: Homemade pizza, mac 'n cheese, and more Homemade pizza

Check out more MTM's Here

2011-08-13T20:20:00.007-05:00

Add midway rides to Jacob's list of favorite things.

We spent most of the day Saturday at the Williamson County Fair. It was Williamson Medical Center's Employee and Family Appreciation Day. Everyone who attended received a free lunch and a wristband for unlimited rides.

Jacob rode rides more than a dozen times. What a way to experience your first fair.

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-08-07T17:32:00.002-05:00

Since I work tomorrow, I decided to do MTM today instead of tomorrow.
I made a flower design

Pedals- yogurt, bananas, sausage, syrup
Stem- french toast

He loved it!

Terrific Twos? Hardly, but there's still hope

2011-07-31T22:07:00.004-05:00

Like most parents of 2-year-olds, I am quick to complain about what my toddler is doing to live up to the billing of the "Terrible Twos."

Tonight, I witnessed something that makes this age group rather... terrific.

Around 7:30, Jacob and I were playing with his Mega Blocks (oversized Duplos) and watching an Elmo DVD. I told him it was getting close to his bedtime so we needed to start cleaning up the blocks that were scattered across the floor.

He shouted "NO," stomped his feet and ran away to pout in the corner.

Terrible Twos at its basic level.

About 10 minutes remained on the Elmo DVD. Rather than completely ticking him off, I sought a compromise.

I called him over. He slowly walked toward me, head down, bottom lip protruding.

"We can play until Elmo is over. OK?" I said.

"Kay," he replied cheerfully before sitting down to play with the blocks.

Short time later, the credits began to roll. "OK Jacob, Elmo's over," I told him.

Before I could remind of the second part of our deal, he already had three blocks in his hands and was walking toward the bag.

My jaw hit the ground. I was floored. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My son had remembered our agreement and was fulfilling his half of the promise without even a reminder and some usual prodding.

Seamlessly he collected every block, gently placed each one in the bag and then carried it over to its designated corner of the room.

I gave him a hug and told him how proud I was of him. A big smile across his face told me he was proud for himself, too.

Terrific.

Summer of travels & changes

2011-07-25T20:08:00.018-05:00

Jacob started preschool this week, signaling the official end to an adventurous summer that took the 2-year-old across thousands of miles through the air and on the road.

From Tennessee to Texas to Chicago and down to the Florida gulf coast, Jacob experienced things that now will remain with him forever through his quickly developing vocabulary.

Beach, water, boat, algae, sand, crab, shark, yellow cab, pool, baseball, pitch, hit, kick, lion, gorilla, monkey and giraffe are a just a few of the many words he developed from his travels.

***

Here are a few highlights from our summer:

In Dallas...

Went to an indoor safari, where he rode a mechanical zebra.
Attended a couple baseball games that created a love for the game, at least the throwing and hitting parts. He met players, saw pitchers in action up close and learned the throwing motions, spitting included. He gets excited now every time he sees baseball on TV.

In Chicago...

Rode in a cab (that was a car seat-less experience for us all)
Saw about a dozen suburban fireworks shows light up the southern horizon from our hotel room on the 25th floor
Visited Lincoln Park zoo where he saw a lions, gorillas and rhinos up close—three animals that are not at the Nashville zoo
Played in the frigid water of Lake Michigan

In Fort Walton Beach, Fla. ...

Listened to/watched Elmo Potty Time at least two dozen times in the car and throughout the week
Played in the white sand and water Gulf of Mexico. Jacob enjoyed smashing my dream to build the most amazing sand castle, or even a very simplistic one. He enjoyed shoveling sand into his giant Tonka dump truck, pouring it out and then being pushed around in it... by me. He enjoyed being buried up to his waist in sand.
Jacob was able to communicate with us whether he wanted to go to the beach or the pool.
I drove home solo with Jacob in the back seat (Erin left early to attend a teacher conference). Jacob was surprisingly cooperative. We stopped only four times during the 450-mile trip, had no accidents, ate well and napped for three hours. A great end to an amazing summer!

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-07-25T19:04:00.004-05:00

Florida/Beach Style

Top Left- Starfish brownie, sand applesauce with fruit rollup crab, cheese boat
Bottom left- Dolphin and Whale chicken nuggets, Algae (peas) with Meatball beach ball, and fish sticks

We spent all week last week on the beach in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Jacob had a blast and thought that this theme would fit perfect!

Check out other MTM's

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-07-11T12:42:00.004-05:00

Muffin Tin Monday- Sports Style!

So Jacob is really into sports right now. You can tell if you read the post below! Doesn't matter what sport it is, he always thinks its baseball. LOL. If the sport has a ball then its baseball. So I figured I would do a sports theme this week.

Top Left- Cheese football, Bologna pendant, fruit rollup Stars (for Allstar)

Bottom Left- Yummy toast jersey, Baseballs (meatballs), and a baseball bat(banana with stars on it. Thanks to Bri for the idea)
Check out other Muffin Tin Mondays

Team Jock-ob

2011-07-07T23:35:00.000-05:00

Jacob has become a sports junkie. Baseball, soccer, football, basketball, golf, pool—he loves to play them all.

He's become obsessed with baseball after attending a couple minor league games this summer. He doesn't have the attention span to sit in a seat for three hours and watch the game along the baseline, but he does enjoy seeing the pitchers and hitters up close behind the plate. Since then, he always shouts "bayse ball!" when he sees it on TV.

He's surrounded sports. Erin's dad, of course, showed him how to throw a baseball—spitting and wind-up motions included. My sister bought him a soccer goal for his birthday, my parents bought him a soft Titans football that he likes to throw in the air and I'm teaching him to shoot a jumper... or at least how not to shoot a jumper. On recent trips, he got to experience golf and pool.

Here are several videos highlighting Jacob's athletic prowess. I hope coach Self is watching.

Jacob's Sweet J

Throwing the Heater

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL!

Hustling Pool

Putting Time

Muffin Tin Monday (a day late)

2011-07-05T11:49:00.002-05:00

So happy to finally do a Muffin Tin Monday again. We just got back from Chicago yesterday morning and drove to Clarksville yesterday evening for some fun 4th of July fireworks with Eric, Bri, and Waylon. Bri does Muffin Tin Mondays as well so we decided to do it together! YAY!!

Theme: 4th of July (of course)
Top left- Fruit Star (oranges with a grape), chocolate covered pretzel and a cupcake, strawberry stars with a 4th of july strawberry (white chocolate and blue sugar)
Bottom left- Yogurt with red and blue sprinkles, USA hotdog, red and white chips
Decorated beautifully to celebrate Independence Day

Thanks to Bri for doing Muffin Tin Monday with me. The Boys loved it!

Check out more muffin tin mondays here:

No Muffin Tin Monday due to Potty Training!! :

2011-06-27T21:38:00.002-05:00

We will do a great Muffin Tin Monday next week to make up for today. We will be doing Muffin Tin Monday next week with the one and only Bri. Of course it will be 4th of July Themed!

Jacob has been showing many signs that he is ready to be potty trained. I wanted to put it off as long as I could because I was not sure how to potty train and because the daycare Jacob will be starting in August will potty train for us. Well, I decided just to go ahead and do it now instead. I am so glad that I did this. Jacob sure is ready! I received an E-Book from a friend a while back talking about potty training in 3 days. I thought this was amazing and decided to read up on it and give it a try. Well today was day 1. Jacob woke up and we watched Yo Gabba Gabba in bed for a bit and then went to eat breakfast. After breakfast we went to his room and he threw all of his diapers away. Even the ones in the diaper bag. He chose his pair of underwear. He was able to choose from Yo Gabba Gabba, Mickey Mouse, or Thomas the Train. He chose Thomas the train. What the 3 day potty training is, is that he should be fully trained in 3 days but its very frustrating and difficult. There are no diapers or pull ups involved. We are stuck inside for 3 days and can't go anywhere. I have to be very close to him all day every day. If he starts to have an accident, I have to pick him up immediately and rush him to his potty. I have to catch him in the act. Well after the first 3 accidents and no peepee in the potty at all, i was getting very frustrated and about to lose hope and put a diaper back on him. Then after a few minutes from his last accident, he was showing signs that he had to go. I ran him into the bathroom and he sat down and he went. I was so happy for him. We did the potty dance and i gave him an M&M and sticker and he helped me flush. He was so happy for himself. After that, he was pretty much good to go. He had a few accidents here and there trying to make it to the potty but he def. knows when he has the urge to go. All in all, we had 6 accidents today and he peed in the potty 10 times. He is so happy for himself and he knows when he has to go. He says "mama peepee" and runs to the bathroom and does his business! He even woke up from his nap dry. Again, no diapers or pull ups at night or nap. If tomorrow and Wednesday go as good or even better as today, then I am certain that he will be fully trained in 3 days!! YAY!

Before we threw all the diapers away!

Jacob in his Yo Gabba Gabba Big Boy underwear

Jacob in his Thomas the Train Big Boy Underwear

Muffin Tin Monday and 200th Post

2011-06-20T12:04:00.002-05:00

Yes this is our 200th post on this blog and Yes its Muffin Tin Monday!!

Muffin Tin Monday's Theme is Animals. Enjoy!

Top Left: Giraffe Leaves (snap peas), Hay (Cheesy rice), Pig (Pink Marshmellow), Cow Milk
Bottom Left: Yogurt with Bear sprinkles and animal crackers, elephant PBnJ, Snake (Banana)

Muffin Tin Monday (actually tuesday)

2011-06-14T09:04:00.004-05:00

Hello from Dallas, TX!

Jacob and I are in Dallas for a week visiting my parents and of course we are having a wonderful time. Even though we are on vacation, my mom and I decided to do a muffin tin monday. Jacob had a stomach bug yesterday and didnt really eat much so we changed it to today, Tuesday.
No theme this week except he can say all the foods! Which is very exciting!

SO Muffin Tin Monday is brought to you Dallas Style..LOL

Top Left: Oranges, Cereal, Sausage
Bottom Left: Eggs with cheese, waffle in the shape of a car, and syrup

No allergies?

2011-06-12T10:37:00.015-05:00

And so continues the metabolic mystery of Jacob Karlin. Steadfast speculation surrounding Jacob's slow weight gain engrosses our family, leaving us more worried every time a new dietary technique fails to pack on the pounds.

Last week's visit to an allergist in Nashville only added to our guessing game.

Apparently, Jacob does not have a food allergy. Every scratch test administered at the doctor's office came back negative.

Dairy? Nope.

Wheat? Nope.

Peanuts? Nope.

Seafood? Nope.

It'll be about another week before we receive the results from his blood work, but it looks like the reason behind Jacob's slow growth will remain an enigma. Maybe Jacob just has high—very high—metabolism. But when we think back to the inflamed allergy cell near his stomach, it makes us wonder if there's more at play than just burning calories at an extraordinary rate.

We're going to follow up with the GI specialist. We are very thankful the results of the allergy tests came back negative; we just hope someone can give us an answer—soon.

Possible food allergy

2011-06-07T20:04:00.011-05:00

Well, Jacob's biopsy results came back today and it's still unclear as to what exactly may be stunting his growth. However, there's a 98 percent chance that it is not celiac disease! Hallelujah!

Dr. Rosen, Jacob's gastroenterologist, told us he did see inflammation on Jacob's small intestine, but much of it was located on an allergy cell on the lower part of the intestine near his stomach.

So, what exactly does that indicate?

According to the doc, in the simplest words he could muster, Jacob most likely has a food allergy. He said everyone reacts differently to food allergies. Some break out in hives or rashes. Others, like Jacob, may struggle with growth.

To what food he's allergic is the new mystery. It could be peanuts, it could be dairy, or it could be wheat. Dr. Rosen is going to refer us to an allergist to continue, and hopefully conclude, the investigation.

Erin's putting her money on dairy, but we're hoping the odds are against her. The reason she thinks the culprit may come from a cow is because Jacob was, in fact, once allergic to dairy—at six weeks old.

One day Erin found blood in Jacob's stool. Our pediatrician at the time determined he was allergic to cow's milk, so Erin had to cut dairy completely out of her diet if she wanted to continue nursing him. He's consumed a lot of cheese and milk without a bloody stool he stopped breast feeding, so we assumed he outgrew it. Another reason you shouldn't assume.

Whatever food he may be allergic to, we'll change our habits to help our little man grow big and tall... especially tall. For now, we're very thankful we can rule out celiac disease.

We'll keep everyone posted as we get more information.

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-06-06T14:01:00.005-05:00

Time for my second Muffin Tin Monday. This Muffin Tin Monday is brought to you by the color Yellow! Jacob's favorite color is Yellow.

Top Left: Corn, Yellow dino gummies, Cheddar pringles
Bottom Left: Monkey shaped grilled cheese, mac 'n cheese, hot dog (not yellow though)

Cute video of my Cutie Patootie

2011-06-05T09:55:00.002-05:00

My Smartie Pants

Cute video of Jacob tell us his name, age and color of hair!

Scope update

2011-06-03T19:36:00.010-05:00

Jacob's scope procedure, from prepping to post-anesthesia recovery, was a success, though immediate results were inconclusive.

Earlier today, Jacob underwent a medical procedure called a sigmoidoscopy, which sent a scope down his throat to check for inflammation in areas that impact the absorption of nutrients, including the stomach and both intestines.

We'll find out more information toward the end of the week after Jacob's physician studies the biopsies, but we're anticipating he'll diagnose him with celiac disease.

The small intestine was the only area of concern, where the physician noticed patchy white blotches. He said those blotches typically are signs of celiac disease, a condition that results from gluten-based products, such as wheat, inflaming certain parts of the intestines and interfering with the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

He didn't want to draw conclusions before he studied the biopsies. So we'll wait and keep everyone posted.

Jacob was able to ride in a car to help ease his anxiety. He refused to go in the red car and insisted on riding in the pink one. Pink is just faded red, right?

Before they took Jacob back to the OR, they gave him some medicine that would help him relax so he wouldn't freak out when he is wheeled away and figuring out that we can't come with him. About 10 minutes after they gave him the medicine, he was acting pretty silly. Very out of it. It was funny and cute but we felt sorry for him.
We sat in the GI waiting room for about 45 minutes, when the doctor called us back to discuss the results. Then we were able to go to recovery to see our baby again. As soon as we walked in, we saw him sitting up in his bed and he started to cry pretty hard and only wanted Mamma. It took him about an hour to calm down. All he wanted was the IV out and to relax on Mamma's shoulder. He finally calmed down and wanted his popsicle.

Jacob enjoyed his popsicle as he recovered in the post-anesthesia care unit.

To sum it all up, Jacob is a very brave trooper. He did so great and we couldn't be any prouder of him! He just goes with the flow. After we got home at about 2:00, Jacob ate a yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwich (first meal of the day), and he has been his wonderful active self for the rest of the day! He is such a blessing and we are so lucky to have such a wonderful kid!

No therapy for this little man

2011-06-01T20:34:00.018-05:00

Erin took Jacob to a speech evaluation today to determine whether he's delayed in language development.

He's not.

The therapist said his receptive and expressive skills are right where they should be. We had a feeling his language development was on par after his second birthday set off a spontaneous word explosion, but we wanted to get a professional opinion. No need for speech therapy, the therapist told us, though we need to continue to monitor his development during the next six months.

Just like everyone warned us, Jacob won't shut up. Our drives are filled with this sound:

"Dada." "Dada." "Dada." "Dada." "Look!" "Truck!" "Bus!"

"Mama." "Mama." "Mama." "Mama." "Look!" "Truck!" "Bus!"

And when we try to ignore him while we're talking to each other, he only gets louder.

"DADA!" "DADA!" "DADA!" "DAAAAA DAAAAA!"

"MAMA!" "MAMA!" "MAMA!" "MAAAA MAAAA!"

Now he can verbalize what he wants. No longer is he limited to pointing in the general vicinity of what he wants to eat or play with, leaving all three of us frustrated and annoyed when Erin and I can't figure out what he wants. He can tell us, for example, when he wants to see a school bus in our neighborhood, or ride the choo-choo train at the zoo. He can even tell us their colors. Yellow bus; his hair is red.

He can tell us if he wants to picked up or put down on the ground. He can tell what he wants to watch on TV (usually, Yo Gabba Gabba). He can tell us when he wants to go outside and what he wants to do. One of his favorite games is called "sky," where he and I throw balls in the air.

We can even carry on a little conversation with him... if you limit your end of the dialogue to a series of close-ended questions.

We're relieved his language development is OK. Now we can focus our worries on his weight.

Muffin Tin Mondays!

2011-05-30T18:10:00.007-05:00

My First Muffin Tin Monday!!

Every Monday I am going to prepare one of Jacob's meals in a muffin tin. Each muffin cup will have a different food. Sometimes I will do a theme and sometimes it will be random. I am hoping this will get Jacob to eat more and hopefully help him gain weight. I was inspired by this blog, Muffin Tin Mom. Such a cute idea. And a big THANKS to my friend Bri who is doing it too at All About the Maray Family. She told me about this blog and I can't wait to continue to do it every monday!

Today I did his favorite breakfast foods:

Watermelon Stars, Sausage, Strawberries
Fruitloops, Airplane shaped french toast, syrup

He absolutely loved it!
He loves airplanes right now, so i figured airplane shaped foods would be perfect!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!

2011-05-28T09:27:00.003-05:00

Are you ready for it?

JACOB IS 23.4 POUNDS!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! It has taken a year to get over the 23 lb hump and he did it!!! Not only did he get to the 23 lb mark but he is 4 ounces more than the plain old 23. I AM SO HAPPY!!!!

Thats all!!!

I GOT THE JOB!!

2011-05-25T22:15:00.002-05:00

I am now a Spark at Blackman Elementary school.

I accepted a job position to teach Kindergarten. This is a new challenge that i am super excited to take on. I am going to miss West Creek and my West Creek family so much but ready to work closer to home, ready to spend more time with my family, ready to meet people in the mboro/smyrna area, ready to save money on gas, and ready for a great change! I have been commuting to work every single day which is 150 miles a day. My poor car needs a little break. My birthday is tomorrow and this is a wonderful present!! HOORAY!! Things are finally starting to look up!

Mother's Day gift

2011-05-17T19:44:00.009-05:00

I know Mother's Day was more than a week ago, but I just got back Erin's gift from the paint-your-own pottery place. The fervent pottery painter that I am, I should've known it would take a week to fire. Oops. I'll be sure to teach Jacob better.

I at least was able to take it home after it quickly dried to show Jacob's gift to Erin on Mother's Day. Then I took it back to get fired.

Jacob did the prints. The calligraphy was already done; we were just lucky enough to find one with "Jacob" written on it.

At first I painted Jacob's hands and placed them neatly on the tile. Then Jacob wanted to do it himself...

It was his gift to mama, after all. He did a great job!

Growth update

2011-05-15T19:54:00.017-05:00

Jacob will undergo a scope procedure on June 3 that hopefully will give us definitive answers as to what's impeding his growth.

The medical procedure, called a sigmoidoscopy, is a minimally-invasive operation that will primarily check for inflammation on areas that impact the absorption of nutrients. Of course, the doctor will check for other things that I shall avoid explaining until I complete my marketing residency at Williamson Medical Center.

Erin and I have been concerned with Jacob's slow growth ever since he was born. He has always been a picky eater and never one to overindulge. Even when he was on formula he struggled to finish a six-ounce bottle. It got to the point that we had to put him on an unusual feeding schedule of every two hours, per a nurse's orders at our original pediatrician's office in Clarksville. That just made it worse because he was always full from the previous feeding.

But he did continue to grow, albeit along the bottom curve of the growth chart. Our pediatrician in Clarksville, who was the only reason we didn't want to leave that town, kept telling us Jacob was just small-boned and petite, based on the number of vertically challenged people on all sides of our families.

We recently changed pediatricians in our new hometown of Smyrna because we didn't think the first one was listening to our concerns. We always thought we were just another number at this popular private practice.

So we found a new pediatrician near our house, and it was one of the smartest moves we've made since Jacob was born. Our current pediatrician, who's practice has been open for only a year, gave us the attention we'd been yearning for since leaving Clarksville. He listened to our concerns and set us up with a GI specialist at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

What really concerned him was for the first time Jacob had actually lost weight, booting him off the growth chart altogether. In the past couple weeks, for example, Jacob's weight dropped from 22.6 to 22 even. A few ounces may sound minuscule, but it's equivalent to a ton for a 25-month old who's already 13 pounds below the average weight.

So we met with the GI specialist last week who recommended the scope procedure because we've exhausted all dietary supplements--Carnation instant breakfast and other high-calorie foods--to fatten him up without medical intervention. The doctor was especially concerned with Jacob's weight loss.

We also told him Jacob had negative results from testing his kidney function and for Celiac disease. He said the Celiac test Jacob yields few false negatives, but he will check for it nevertheless.

We'll post an update following the procedure.

***

I would be remiss not to end on a positive note: Jacob finally got his appetite back! I don't know if Jacob's two-year molars have complete poked through because he always has his hands in his slobbery mouth, but they're certainly not affecting the little piglet's appetite.

It helps that he now can TELL us what he wants to eat. He can say cracker, cheese, noodles, cookie, eggies, juice and waffles. He enjoys taking ownership of his meals. He had a waffle for dinner a few nights ago. Why?

Because he said so.

No, no, no, no, no.

2011-05-14T16:15:00.012-05:00

When Jacob was younger, he said "uh-huh" in response to every question we asked him. Now he is in his "no" phase. When someone does something inappropriate, Jacob will wave his finger at that person and say "no, no, no, no, no." Erin taught him to say "no, ma'am," which has become his favorite response to Dolly after she steals food out of his hand.

Sometimes he says no because what we're offering him actually is not what he wants. Most times, though, he says "no" because it's new and fun.

Here is an actual conversation I had with Jacob following a short run:

Jacob, do you want to play outside?

No.

Do you want to play inside?

No.

Do you want to play in between?

No.

Where do you want to play?

Umm...

Jacob reads!

2011-05-11T20:26:00.000-05:00

Jacob has memorized many books.
Here is a cute video of jacob reading "moo, baa, lalala"

Mothers Day

2011-05-11T20:12:00.000-05:00

I had a fabulous Mothers Day.
I was able to sleep late (8:00) and was woken up with breakfast in bed. Yum!!
I spent the morning playing with my boys.
I went to get a pedicure while Jacob naps.
We drove to Clarksville after Jacob's nap and met Eric, Bri, and Waylon at Outback. It was so much fun and good to see Eric again since he just came back from deployment. The boys got along really well.
After dinner we went to get some yummy FroYo at Beary Bear. And talked for a while.
On our way home, we stopped in Joelton to see Kelly and Eric and hung out for a while. It was nice to see them. Its been a while since we have hung out.
I couldnt have asked for a better mothers day.
Jacob painted a tile at the pottery place. I love it! He did such a great job.
Cute video of Jacob and Waylon playing

Couple of new videos

2011-05-01T12:29:00.002-05:00

Jacob Feeds the Geese

Jacob and Nate went over to Megan and Josh's apartment Sat. night to feed some geese.. Jacob had a great time and fearless Jacob went right up to them! So Brave!

Jacobs first haircut

A quick video of Jacob's first haircut

Snip Snip- Jacob's first haircut

2011-04-20T14:05:00.004-05:00

We took Jacob to a place called Snip-Its in Franklin to get his haircut. This place is so cute. Its a very kid friendly place. Jacob loved it. We walked in and we put Jacob onto the chair and buckled him in. He didnt want to be buckled in but the hair stylist gave him a lollipop and turned on cartoons and everything was great. She snipped off some of the mullet in the back and a little bit off the sides and a bit off the top. He did so good. Of couse Nate and i were standing there taking video and pictures. After he was done, he was able to put some of the his hair in a machine and out popped a toy. I am so proud of my big boy!

2 Year Appointment

2011-04-14T20:20:00.004-05:00

When we moved, we left the best pediatrician ever! He was so wonderful and would recommend him to anyone. I knew it was going to be very hard to find a Dr. as wonderful as Dr. Rhoads. Nate and I did some research and read so good reviews about a Dr. that was about 5 minutes away from our house. We were excited. At first this Dr. was good and we were pleased but of course she wasnt Dr. Rhoads. She tried to help us figure out why Jacob wasn't gaining weight but we feel like she didnt try hard enough. After a year of weight check ins, he still wasnt gaining weight and she never gave us new ideas. She kept telling us the same thing everytime we went in for a weight check-in which is feed him high calorie foods and give him carnation breakfast. We have been doing this for almost a year now and nothing new. We are also worried about Jacobs speech. He isnt talking as much as he should and is a little delayed. We showed our concern for that and she never said anything about it. To make a long story short, Nate and I decided to meet other pediatricians that can help us and show concern for our child when needed. We found another pediatrician's office down the street and interviewed this new Dr. So far, Nate and I have absolutely no complaints. He is very personable and a lot like Dr. Rhoads. Needless to say, we changed Dr's and now we go to Dr. Hughes.

We took Jacob to his 2 year appointment on Tuesday at this new pediatric office and Dr. Hughes is going to help us as much as we need! YAY!!! Jacob still weights 22.6 pounds which is -3 percentile which is off the charts. Good news is that he now is 32.5 inches tall and he gained 1 1/2 inches since his 18 month appointment. This is a lot for Jacob. Dr. Hughes has referred us to a GI Specialist who can help us find a reason why Jacob isnt gaining weight. Also, Dr. Hughes is referring us to a speech therapist to help Jacob's speech and vocabulary. Nate and I are very excited to finally get some help and find out some solutions to why this is all happening.
The Dr.'s appointment went really well and Jacob is right where he should be as a 2 year old and is advanced in some areas! He got his last shot until he goes to kindergarten. So far, things are turning out a little better and so happy that we found a pediatrian that we really like!
Updates to come about Jacob's progress on weight and speech!

Two is not completely terrible.

2011-04-11T20:33:00.012-05:00

I found myself really missing Jacob today as I headed to work after dropping him off at day care.

That's not to say I've never missed him in the past when my job interrupted our time together. It's just that something about today felt different.

Jacob is two years and one day old. He transformed overnight into a full-blown toddler. He's more independent. He knows what he wants to do, and he'll kick and scream when we have other plans. He wants to try everything on his own before asking for our help. If he had his way, he would play outside 24/7--popping bubbles, being pulled in the wagon, riding his four-wheeler, climbing up the slide ladder before going down.

And of course, he's mastered the tantrum. Some nights he spends most of the time in the corner. He cries loudly. He screams. He throws toys that aren't intended to be thrown. He pulls Dolly's hair. He pokes her eye and sticks his finger in her ear, saying those body parts out loud as if it were a learning activity. He keeps us on our toes and our blood pressure high.

But on my way to work this particular morning--one day after his second birthday--a light went on in my head. Just then I realized how trivial those blood-boiling, terrible-two moments are. It's easy for first-time parents to put too much emphasis on the bad annoyances.

I thought about how much fun he had over the weekend at his birthday party, his face lit up from a combination of elation and record-breaking heat. He was independent. He was outside. He was having the time of his life running around the back yard. And I had the best time just sitting back and watching him.

I thought about the adoration he has for Erin and me. His constant mimicking. His high-fives. His big hugs and kisses. He wants us to know every new thing he learns, sees or hears. He's always trying to grab our attention, make us laugh and smile. He's successful every time. It's impossible to stay mad at him when he flashes that baby gap-tooth smile, accompanied by his little giggle.

I'm looking forward to what this year will have to offer. Airshows, rodeos, county fairs all are on the calendar. The parental learning curve will be steep as we battle the Terrible Twos, but the bonding memories will last forever.

Year two is going to be hell, and it's also going to be heaven.

And then there was one, pacifier.

2011-03-22T22:05:00.012-05:00

Saturday, March 19, 2011, is a day that will be passed down through Karlin Clan lore.

It will be remembered as the day Erin and I took charge to curb an obnoxious habit.

For the longest time, Jacob has fallen asleep with two pacifiers--one in his mouth and other in his hand. On special occasions like flying and long-distance car rides, we would let him suck on a pacifier. And of course he needed to hold that second one. It became an automatic motion for him to stick out his hand.

At first it was cute, but it quickly became a nuisance. He would drop it or throw it. He would misplace it while sleeping and wake up crying. He NEEDED to hold a pacifier.

Pacifiers are designed to soothe babies through simulated suckling. They're a blessing when used appropriately.

They're annoying when your kid just wants to hold the damn thing.

So, on Saturday, we put an end to this ludicrous obsession. After all, he doesn't nap with a pacifier at day care.

That night, we made him sleep with only one paci. Jacob may not agree, but we thought we were offering a respectable compromise.

He will turn 2 years old in a few weeks. He shouldn't need a pacifier at all, period. But we decided to break up the pacifier breakup, so he won't completely hate us before he's a teenager.

We plan to take away the remaining pacifier after his birthday party. God help us.

At first, I was just going to hide the second pacifier and hope he wouldn't notice. Wishful thinking. Immediately he began looking for the pacifier. It was heartbreaking to watch him crouch on the floor, stick his butt in the air and look under the bed for his AWOL sleeping buddy.

Erin and I looked at each other with matching frowns. We didn't want him spending the entire night searching or waking up in the middle of the night to look for it. So we decided to show him the pacifier and explain to him it was going bye-bye.

He knew exactly what was transpiring. Not a second was spared before tears drenched his cheeks. He gave the pacifier a kiss goodbye and lied down in his bed.

As Erin stared at Jacob through the video monitor after putting him to bed, she said it was nice to see him just lying there holding Mickey, rather than twiddling the pacifier or scraping it against the wall or bed rails. On most nights, it would end up on the floor, causing him to wake up and lean over the bed to retrieve it.

Fifteen minutes later, he was asleep. One pacifier down, one to go. Cold turkey.

Another cute video of jacob

2011-03-19T23:08:00.000-05:00

Click Here for video

NEW VIDEO of Jacob at the zoo's playground

2011-03-19T22:26:00.005-05:00

Click here for video

A Little Late but Jacob's V-Day

2011-03-14T20:49:00.003-05:00

Jacob's Valentine's SHirt

Jacob and his friends Cole, Ryder, and Billy doing a VDAY art project

Baby Brady is in this one also

Showing off their art projects

My Sweetpie

COloring

Jacob's best friend Cole- Jacob calls him Cole Cole

Jacob's valentine bag from Mrs. Barbara

Jacob prays at night

2011-02-26T23:23:00.004-06:00

We've recently started reciting the Sh'ma before Jacob goes to bed every night. It's important to us that Judaism is in his everyday life. We read him two books and then he covers his eyes while either Nate or I say the Sh'ma. He knows to remove his hands when the prayer is over, and he tries to say amen.

Growing UP-date

2011-02-19T10:15:00.003-06:00

Jacob's blood tests all came back negative. He does not have Celiac Disease and his kidneys are functioning properly.

Sigh. Of. Relief.

So now we're tasked with figuring out how to consistently fill up the belly of a toddler who isn't exactly breaking down the pantry door to appease an insatiable appetite.

After too many frustrating nights and wasted meals, we finally wised up. I shouldn't say we—it was Erin who had the epiphany. She suggested having Barbara, his day care provider, give Jacob his Pediasure at lunch. Brilliant!

One thing we have changed is when we give him his daily Pediasure—an expensive milkshake-like supplement designed to grow love handles on even the most stunted toddlers. We used to give it to him at dinner where he would down it in one sitting. We were pleased he enjoyed this high-caloric drink, but it would leave little to no room in his stomach for dinner.

He eats much, much better around his friends than he does with us. We assumed he would continue to eat his lunch, even after consuming his Pediasure, because he would see the other kids eating.

So far this move has worked perfectly. Barbara gives him his Pediasure and he still eats his lunch. And lately he's been eating much more at dinner. He's still a picky eater, though, but I guess we shouldn't nitpick the situation.

Other times we've had to get a little creative—picnic in the den, dinner and a movie and eating with "friends."

If Jacob isn't going to eat for us, then maybe he'll eat for his friends at home: Buzz Lightyear, Mickey, Elmo and the vacuum.

Quick side note: Jacob has become obsessed with the vacuum cleaner. He's terrified of it when it's on, but when it's just standing silent against the wall or in a closet, he always says hi, gives it hugs and shares his toys. I don't know if it's some sort of fear coping technique, but it's really cute to watch.

Back to his friends. Jacob wasn't eating his waffle one morning so I decided to place Buzz in front of him. I told him to show Buzz how he eats his food. He grabbed a piece, dipped it in syrup and pressed it against Buzz's face. "Now you eat it," I said. Thankfully, he did. I had to continue playing this game, but whatever, it worked.

Stay tuned. We'll find out in a couple months at his 2-year checkup whether these moves will help pop the button off his skinny genes.

Is he growing?

2011-02-09T22:24:00.000-06:00

Erin took Jacob to a special pre-2-year checkup on Tuesday. His pediatrician wanted to see him early to check his weight.

Two months ago he weighed 20.12 pounds. On Tuesday, he clocked in at... drum roll, please... 21.6! That's nearly a whole pound! Plus, it finally put him over the 21-pound hump.

Most people reading this will probably think 10 ounces... whoopity doo. But if you're familiar with Jacob's slow growth, you'd agree 10 ounces in two months is reason for a "huge" celebration.

But we're not out of the woods yet.

The pediatrician seemed relieved. She told Erin she saw three other kids before Jacob who had signs of failure to thrive. Still, Erin elected to have Jacob's blood drawn to test for Celiac Disease, kidney malfunction and other causes for stagnant growth.

Erin said the most difficult part of drawing Jacob's blood was not sticking a needle into the little boy's arm, but having to hold down the mobile munchkin for three minutes. He may be small, but he's a tough little guy.

We're expecting the Celiac results in a week. The pediatrician said she doesn't think he has it because he's gaining weight. We're going to keep our fingers crossed, anyway.

Last-minute trip to Texas

2011-02-08T21:45:00.000-06:00

It was around 4 p.m. Tuesday when Erin called my cell phone. I was still at work, wrapping up things for the day.

"There's a 7:30 flight to Houston. Should I book it? It's the last flight out of Nashville."

We knew we were going to have to fly to Houston sometime this week, most likely on Thursday. I had already talked to my boss and co-workers about taking care of the weekly newsletter on Wednesday before taking off the rest of the week on bereavement.

Earlier that day we got the call that Erin's grandfather passed away. His death didn't come as a shock--he was spending his final days in a hospice--we just thought it would happen closer to the weekend.

"Do you think we can make it?" I asked Erin over the phone.

I still had a good 40-minute drive ahead of me. But with a crippling snowstorm on track to hit Nashville starting at midnight Tuesday, this was going to be our only chance to get out of the mid-state in time for the funeral.

"Book the flight. I'm leaving work now," I said.

I arrived home at 5:30 to a scene of pandemonium. The house was a disaster. The TV was on, but no one was watching. Erin was frantically packing two suitcases while making last-minute arrangements with the American Airlines. Jacob and Dolly weren't even at the door to greet me like usual. Dolly was outside and Jacob was in our bedroom, tearing up paper into tiny pieces.

Before jumping into the frenzy, I took a moment to admire Jacob's ability to ignore his surroundings, completely preoccupied by the task at hand. Not once did he look up to say hi to me. Normally the 22-month-old would be adding to the stress by bringing attention to himself. But on this particular night of madness, he stayed out of our hair until it was ready to go. Dolly was picked up by some friends just before we left.

By 6 p.m. we were on the road. It was raining. Jacob was hungry. We hit traffic. But in spite of all that, we got to the airport, made it through security (grope free), grabbed some dinner and managed to board with 10 minutes to spare. I don't know how we did it, but we were in the air on our way to Texas before the snowstorm made its way to Tennessee.

Scratch that off the ol' bucket list.

***
Jacob was perfect the entire week. He didn't complain about going to bed at 11 p.m. after our flight to Dallas. He didn't complain about waking up at 4:30 the next morning to make our connecting flight to Houston. He didn't complain about sleeping five nights in pack 'n play, and he didn't wake up when we went to bed in the same room. He ate well, and he enjoyed playing with his cousin, Beau.

During the funeral, he stayed quiet and didn't try to squirm out of my arms, as if he knew it wasn't the time to act up. Toward the end, he caught a glimpse of Erin sitting with her family and belted out "mama!" He saw her crying and wanted to sit in her lap.

He made a great first impression with the family members and family friends he met for the first time.

Jacob and Beau... friends from the start

2011-02-02T20:37:00.001-06:00

Jacob and Beau getting into trouble already. They are going to be partners in crime!

Yo Gabba Gabbaing

2011-01-11T19:27:00.004-06:00

In the previous post I told you that Jacob is starting to Love Yo Gabba Gabba.. this proves it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HHv-GrBlM

21 months-3 months to go

2011-01-10T13:12:00.003-06:00

Jacob has such a wonderful personality! Ever since he was a little baby, i have always wondered what his personality will be like. Well at this age, it really shows. He is such a warm hearted, kind, funny little boy. This age is so much fun. He is imitating absolutely everything he sees. Whether it be on TV, the radio, or in person. He has started to sing more. We listen to Raffi in the car and he loves this CD. He knows some songs and tries to sing along with Raffi. Also, he is starting to love Yo Gabba Gabba and tries to imitate the characters as the dance. Its too cute.
He is doing awesome in his toddler bed and showing a little interest in the toliet but we will not start potty training until this summer when I am home with him.
He loves to read books and plays independently so nicely. Also, he is starting to play with others. He has good friends at daycare, Cole, Billy, and Allison.
He understands everything. IF we ask him to do something, he will do it immediately and then clap for himself when he is finished. His talking is getting a little better. The newest words in his vocabulary are bubbles and snow. Its too funny.
He is still having a difficult time gaining weight but the Dr. isn't as worried as she was a few months ago. We go in for another weight checkin in Feb.
Jacob is turning into a wonderful boy and we look forward to watching him grow. I can't believe he will be 2 in 3 short months. Time flies by so fast.

New videos

2010-12-19T19:33:00.014-06:00

I'm finally getting caught up on cleaning out the video camera. Keep checking back this week for more videos.

Jacob meets Mr. Potato Head
It's amazing to watch Jacob fit pegs in to small holes. He gets frustrated, but for a 21-month-old, he exhibits incredible determination and concentration.

A fun evening with Jacob
What Erin thought at time of recording would be a boring video has turned into one of my favorites. I was hoping to record Jacob and Dolly playing, but what transpired was much more entertaining.

Tug-O-War
Here's another one of my favorites. There have been a few videos where you can see Dolly snap at Jacob. Hopefully this video will dispel any notions that Jacob's isn't safe around her. She really is very good with him; she just gets annoyed at times and reacts like anyone would who's constantly poked, prodded, hit and targeted by a book-throwing toddler.

It's snow time
This last video is of Jacob playing outside after our recent snow storm. Unfortunately it was too cold and windy to stay out for a long time. He was less than pleased, to put it mildly, when we brought him inside. None of that is on the video, though.

Jacob's first tent

2010-12-05T08:07:00.002-06:00

My Big Boy in his Big Boy Bed

2010-11-20T12:13:00.003-06:00

Yup! Its officially! We all said goodbye to the baby crib as Nate took it down this morning and moved Jacob in to his big boy bed. Jacob is currently loving Mickey Mouse so we decided to buy him Mickey Mouse bedding and he loves it! I put him down in his bed for his nap, put his new comforter over him and he fell right asleep. I am so proud of him. I can't believe he is old enough for a big boy bed. Next step is potty training. LOL (not for a little while). We ordered a video monitor and it will be coming in the mail today, so we can watch him and make sure he is not getting into any trouble if he gets out of his bed. Hopefully he will fall asleep nicely tonight.

New video... finally!!!

2010-11-13T22:41:00.004-06:00

I'm still experiencing technical difficulties with my editing software, so it may be a little longer before I post more videos dating back to our summer trip to Galveston. It really sucks. I apologize to everyone who hasn't seen Jacob in motion in quite some time.

But, for now, enjoy this little piece of cinematographic mastery featuring Middle Tennessee's cutest toddler.

FYI: Jacob is eating a piece of chicken.

In Austin on a Saturday night

2010-11-09T14:31:00.045-06:00

Sixth Street, Austin, Texas

After 18 months of servitude to an infant-turned-toddler, Erin and I were freed from the shackles of parenthood. Together. For an entire weekend.

Free to sleep past 8.
Free from changing diapers.
Free from schedules.
Free from having to find a babysitter.
Free to wake up late, run late and stay out late.
Free to go where we wanted, when we wanted.
We were free, free, free.

It was a moment we'd long been dreaming about. And yet, we couldn't stop thinking about the reality back home -- our lives filled with giggles, cries and dirty diapers -- from which we temporarily escaped. Leaving Jacob for the weekend was a difficult decision, but ultimately it was one we were happy we made.

* * *
We traveled to Austin, Texas, this past weekend to help celebrate our good buddies from college FINALLY tying the knot. My parents and sister came up from Atlanta to watch Jacob and Dolly.

It was a great weekend to catch up with friends who we hadn't seen since our May trip to Kansas City, hang out with the in-laws and party on Sixth Street til 3 a.m.

The Kansas crew at Mike and Paula's wedding

And of course everyone was eager to see Jacob, too. This was one of a couple reasons that made it difficult to leave him behind. Plus, we had yet to be away from him for an entire weekend.

On the one hand we were excited to show everyone all the new tricks he's learned since the last time they saw him. For some, this would've been the first time to meet him.

But on the other hand, their attention to Jacob would've lasted for maybe 5 minutes here and there, leaving us to plan the remaining 23 hours and 55 minutes around his needs.

And as the following sequence of events unfolded, Erin and I guiltlessly admitted we made the right decision:

12:30 p.m. -- Our plane lands, already past lunchtime.
12:50 p.m. -- Our friends pick us up. Our suitcases, along with their tuxes, barely fit in the trunk. Where would we have put the stroller and pack 'n play?
1 p.m. -- We arrive at our hotel to check in. We can't. Not until 3. Where would Jacob have napped?
1:30 p.m. -- We arrive at Salt Lick for lunch (incredible barbecue, by the way).
3 p.m. -- We leave Salt Lick. Jacob probably would've made it through lunch without a nap, but he would've been absolutely miserable at the rehearsal dinner. Our night would've been cut short.

Some people may view our decision-making as loaded with selfish intentions -- that Jacob is part of our lives and we just can't dump him off whenever we want to have a good time.

That is far from the truth.

For a year and a half, we have waited hand and foot to meet Jacob's endless needs. And we did so without the help of a nanny or grandparents, who live too far away to relieve us at any given notice.

We've been able to stay out late with friends only a handful of times since April 2009. Twice were on separate occasions when one of us stayed home with Jacob.

Wherever we go, our son is right there with us.

That being said, we earned this vacation ... we needed this vacation.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Music City, Jacob was having a great time playing with two dogs, his mimi, grandpa and Aunt Heather. They went to the zoo, visited a battlefield in Murfreesboro and came home with some Elmo bath toys from Toys R Us.

He slept well, ate well and minded well. He's such a good boy.

Over and over Erin and I reassured each other he was having much more enjoyable time at home than he would have had during a hectic wedding weekend in Austin. My dad e-mailed us photos throughout the weekend. Here are a few:

Train wreck

"Howdy, y'all"

"Was that your horn I heard on Yom Kippur?"

Smashin' taters with Mimi

Bath time with lots of "Memos"

Reading with Grandpa

Partners in crime

Crossing the bridge with Aunt Heather

"Take that, you damn Yankees!"

"What you lookin' at?"

Trick-or-treating

2010-10-31T22:45:00.083-05:00

Up and down the streets of our subdivision, neighbors sat on their covered porches, front stoops and driveways, transforming the most spine-chilling night of the year into a pleasant aura of sugary Southern hospitality.

Portable fire pits blazed, illuminating the night sky.

The distinct piano tones of the Halloween melody softly pervaded the cool air.

Dozens of families with small children, and groups of tweens and teens lined the streets, asking for candy from folks who welcomed the costumed youngsters to grab from bowls full of delectable treats.

It was an evening well worth every stressful minute of working the past Friday and Saturday nights to have off this one special Sunday.

Oct. 31 in the Chaney Woods subdivision was a night that exceeded our expectations. We couldn't believe how many kids were out.

Jacob's first official trick-or-treat experience, and our first as homeowners, will go down in Karlin Clan history as one that will be difficult to top.

Perfect weather.
Perfect costumes.
Perfect candy.
Perfect neighborhood.
Perfect memories.

Little lion and his flower

For the final time this year, we donned Jacob in his lion costume - the one that drives women wild and even brings the toughest men to utter the words "ain't that cute."

We wrapped a cloth flower around Dolly's neck, rolled out the wagon and hit the pavement at 5:45 p.m.

We were early. We caught the first few homeowners a little off guard, but we didn't want Jacob to stay out late, and we wanted to get home in time to catch a few trick-or-treaters.

Not long after, as the Titans wrapped up their fifth consecutive loss to the Chargers, people began unfolding their camping chairs and preparing themselves for the frightful evening to commence.

Jacob's costume was a hit, of course, especially when he would growl after we asked him what a lion says, but we think Dolly actually received more compliments. Many kids wanted to pet her, and two police officers patrolling the area stopped to ask what kind of dog she was. We thought they were going to say something about her being part pit bull, but they just wanted to pet her.

The first homeowner we approached let Jacob pick from an assortment of candy. He grabbed Skittles. The man asked if he wanted another piece. He grabbed another bag of Skittles.

Noticing his redundancy in selection, the man asked Jacob if he wanted to grab one more piece. I told Jacob we have a big bag of Skittles at home and tried to guide his hand toward a mini Reese's or Kit Kat.

Just as I thought he was reaching for one of them, his hand followed his eyes right back to the bright red bag of Skittles.

The man gave him the Kit Kat, anyway.

About an hour later, we went home to try to catch the last leg of trick-or-treaters. We followed neighborhood suit and sat on our porch. Jacob, jacked up on sugar, had a blast running back and forth across the porch. He thought it was hilarious running into our fake webbing - until he got tangled up.

Jacob collected enough candy to fill his Elmo bucket to the top.

And not one of those pieces was of those crappy peanut butter kisses.

I love our neighborhood.

Pre-Halloween festivities

We made sure to get our money's worth out of Jacob's costume. By Halloween, Jacob had trick-or-treated three times: twice at the zoo and once at The Avenue, an outdoor shopping center in Murfreesboro.

Ghouls at the Zoo was an after-hours event where parents could take their kids for a safe night of trick-or-treating, go on a hay ride, ride the carousel, play games and see spooky shows.

Here are some pictures from those events:

Trick-or-treating at the zoo

Jacob coloring a lollipop ghost

"Check out my mad colorin' skillz"

Cleaning up the pumpkins at the zoo

Trying to pick up a pumpkin bigger than him

Getting candy at the zoo

Daycare Halloween party

Erin and Jacob with our Clarksville friend, Bri, and her son, Waylon, at the zoo

Riding the deer on the merry-go-round

Our haunted house

What's "Memo" doing in the "nah-nah"?

18-month checkup

2010-10-28T16:23:00.004-05:00

The weight-gain woes continue.

It's been no secret Jacob is petite, as he's drifted along the bottom of the growth chart his entire life. But after stuffing his face full of high-protein foods for the past couple months, his weight continues to hover around 20 pounds.

Our pediatricians, both former and current, said they typically don't fret over a child's impeded growth as long as it remains consistent with the child's percentile.

However, at his 18-month checkup last week, our new pediatrician, Dr. Bottoms, said his growth was beginning to plateau.

She said if he doesn't show progress in a couple months, he'll need to be screened for Coeliac disease - a condition that disrupts the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, resulting in a child's failure to thrive.

My heart sank when I heard this. I just stared at Jacob sitting obliviously in Erin's lap, playing with whatever he could get his little hands on. I tried to combat a heap of negative thoughts infiltrating my mind with positive explanations.

Dear God, let it not be true. Is this our fault? How could we let this happen? Why have we been letting this go on for so long? What will this mean long-term?

He's fine. He eats. He eats plenty. He just had a bad week; He's getting over a nasty bug. He's constantly moving; He burns a lot of calories. He's fine.

One good thing going for Jacob, when asked by the doctor, is he's a good pooper. Diarrhea is a symptom of Coeliac disease; Jacob's had none. His lungs and heart also are in tip-top shape.

Regardless of what happens at his next appointment, we're pleased our new doctor is showing concern over Jacob's weight struggles, rather than telling us he's just petite.

So now we're trying to fatten him up - again - at a time when Erin and I are trying to trim down. We've been ordered to feed him healthy fats, such as avocado, butter, and the mother of all healthy fatteners, Pediasure.

At 240 calories a bottle, this love-handle-inducing drink is advertised as a sure bet your toddler will lose further sight of his feet every time he steps on the scale. Jacob can down an entire bottle in one sitting, and still have room for dinner.

Erin had to drink Pediasure when she was a child, so it could hereditary. Our day-care provider also tries to ease our worries by telling us her two children were petite just like Jacob, and now they're average size. Every child grows physically, emotionally and cognitively at his or her own pace.

That being said we're certain he'll be OK. Just because he's not morbidly obese, which seems to be the encouraged norm for today's children, doesn't mean there's something wrong with him. We'll find out in a couple months. For now, think heavy thoughts.

Girth aside, Jacob has grown upward 2 inches since his last checkup - a sign that maybe, in a family of many vertically-challenged people, he inherited his uncle's gangly genes.

The next Rembrandt

2010-10-26T12:34:00.003-05:00

Jacob finally brought home his first piece of artwork from day care. Ms. Barbara transformed his little pale feet into little orange ghosts. When Erin picked him up at the end of the day, she said he was so excited to show her his painting. Barbara told Jacob to go to his cubby and show his mommy what he made. Understanding every word, Jacob went straight to his cubby and pulled out his picture.

Pumpkin Patchin' Boy

2010-10-24T22:16:00.004-05:00

Jacob has been to the pumpkin patch 3 times in the past month. He loves pumpkins aka Nanana's. We are looking forward to taking Jacob trick or treating for the first time next Sunday. Pics to come soon of Jacob in his Scary halloween costume. LOL

New Words Wednesday!

2010-10-06T21:03:00.004-05:00

So I am going to update you with his words on a Wed. just this one time because I won't have time to do it tomorrow due to parent/teacher conferences. Also, I probably won't have a lot of time to update next week because Jacob and I are flying to Dallas on Saturday and will stay a week to spend time with my family and friends.

Anyway, New Words in the past month

1. dada
2. mama
3. ball
4. bear
5. elmo
6. more
7. hi
8. bye bye
9. car
10. here
11. All done (still working on consonants)
12. Night Night (still working on consonants)
13. He can roar like a lion.. its too cute!
New Words
14. Juice
15. Cheese
16. CiCi's... i dont know why but he says it
17. Zoo
18. Tickle (loves to tickle Dolly)
19. Head
20. Ear
21. Mouth
22. I am trying to teach him Trick or Treat.. but it comes out Too Tee (he's trying)
23. He can Moo like a cow
24. He can make a car sound when playing with cars and when asked to make a car sound

More to come in November! Can't believe Jacob will be in 1 1/2 yrs on Sun. Crazy!

The plasma babysitter

2010-09-27T23:07:00.007-05:00

Thousands of DVDs that have been created to entertain children all over the world and soak their little sponge-like minds with as much knowledge as they can absorb.

In Jacob's world, there are only two that matter: "Sesame Street's Kids Favorite Songs 2," featuring Elmo, and "Wee Sing in Sillyville."

All other movies and TV shows, for some reason, just don't grab his attention. He'll stop for a second to stare at what's happening on the screen, but then move onto something else. But pop in one of the two aforementioned movies and Jacob will fall into a hypnotic trance.

Jacob has become a big fan of Elmo and Snuffulupogus. He always says hi to Snuffy when he appears on screen, and he turns his head when he hears Elmo's distinct, affable voice.

Erin and I often accuse ourselves of lazy parenting when we turn on the DVD player, but it has yielded a few positive results:

— Half-hour window to get stuff done (i.e. emptying the dishwasher, cleaning) without Jacob's little paws reaching and grabbing for everything we're trying to put away.

— Thirty minutes of serenity. We love when Jacob's jovial personality is on full display, and tolerate when he's crabby, but I think it's safe to assume every parent welcomes a bit o' quietness every now and again.

— Jacob has shown us he can sit nicely, albeit for a short amount of time in one given spot. He loves to moves back and forth between his Toy Story chair and wedged in the corner of our couches. He's learned to use his stool to boost himself up onto the couch. He'll occupy just about every spot on the floor before the movies ends.

— He's beginning to make connections between what he sees in the TV and in real life.

One example is he recognizes the songs from the movies when Erin and I sing them. Every morning I sing "On Top of Spaghetti" when I'm changing Jacob's diaper, and he always forms the biggest smile. He knows that song because Snuffy sings it in the movie (spaghetti and meatballs is his favorite meal, by the way).

To enhance his obsession with Elmo, we bought him a bucket shaped like Elmo's head for Trick-or-Treating. He's developed a fear of almost everything that the average person would consider scary, such as zombies, skeletons, witches and things that crawl abnormally or make unusual, loud noises. I thought at the time of purchase that walking around on Halloween with an Elmo bucket would give him a sense of security. We'll find out in a few weeks.

For now, he carries that bucket with him all over the place, along with his Elmo cell phone our friends Eric and Kelly bought for him.

Ironically, he's afraid of his Tickle-Me Elmo hands.

Give me liberty or give me death!

2010-09-15T12:05:00.038-05:00

Today is the 16th of September.

In the Karlin household, today is independence day. In fact, every day is independence day.

Jacob is at that age where he hates -- and I mean HATES -- when we force his dependency on us.

If we try to help him when he thinks he doesn't need it, he sets off a barrage of fireworks in the form of cries, screams and tears.

I thought about this the other morning after he refused to hold my hand down the concrete steps in front of our house.

Jacob never learned to go down steps like the typical infant/toddler, scooting butt first, so it always makes us a little nervous to watch him go down a flight of stairs. His depth perception, however, has kicked in nicely. He's learned to hold onto a railing or another object as he makes his descent. Before yesterday, he would grip one of our fingers with one hand and grab the railing with the other and, not really paying much attention, sort of just fall from step to step while we held onto him.

But yesterday was a new day, and he was determined to seize the opportunity. He wanted to step down by himself. So I let him go. I kept my hand in front of him, of course, but I didn't touch him.

He gripped the railing with both hands and twisted his body forward. You could see the hesitation in his face as he slowly inched his right foot closer to the edge. Carpe Diem! I'm sure is what he was thinking. Within a matter of seconds, he firmly planted it on the step below. Just as quickly hesitation turned to elation.

Then came the second foot. Confidently, he wrapped his left leg behind him so he could keep both hand tied to the railing. Gravity assisted him the rest of the way, pulling his 20-pound body down six inches in the blink of an eye.

Balance sustained. No trip to the emergency room. Next three steps no problem.

But there was still one more. This time there was no railing, only a wall. Jacob was not deterred. He pressed his palms against the brick facade, slightly leaned his shoulder into it and took the plunge.

He nailed the landing. Perfect score from the judges. Jacob rewarded himself with a congratulatory round of applause.

***

We do feel sorry for him at times when he wants to do something on his own, but he just can't because he's either too small or he just doesn't understand what to do and becomes frustrated.

For example, he almost always cries and squirms when I put him in his carseat. Partly it's because he doesn't like straps and buckles confining his mobility, but the bigger reason is he wants to do it himself. The problem is he's not tall enough to reach his leg onto the step bar on the side the truck. So I have to pick him up, as he's squirming, and stand him up on the seat. Then he tries to get into his carseat, but again, he can't pull himself up.

So what does he do? You guessed it. He emits a piercing scream, upon which the decibel level quickly doubles within the cab's enclosed space. When I try to distract him with some toys or his sippy cup, he responds by throwing them on the ground.

Here are a few other things he would prefer to do on his own (unfortunately changing his his diapers is not one of them):

-- He wants to feed himself. He'll close his mouth and shake his head if we put a piece of his food up to his face. So we put the food on the end of a fork and lay it on his tray. He puts it in his mouth, pulls the food off and claps for himself. He's OK with us taking the fork to add another piece of food, but every now and then he tries to spear the food himself.

-- He doesn't like sitting in a grocery cart. He'd rather help us push it or walk beside us. He loves walking, which is fine with us as long as he doesn't wander off or pull everything off the shelves.

-- He doesn't like holding our hands in public. He screams and snatches his hand away when we try to grab it. We try to explain to him that he could get hurt if he doesn't hold our hands, but he doesn't understand. If it's a busy area, then we pick him up and he has to suck it up. When he realizes a particular place is crowded, he'll hold our hand to stay close to us.

-- Bathing himself. He likes to pour the bucket of water over his head while in the bathtub and then pull the plug to watch the water disappear down the drain.

All of these are just more signs of our little baby Jacob growing up.

New Words Thursday!

2010-09-09T20:09:00.002-05:00

I am going to post one Thursday every month to update you with new words coming from Jacob. His vocabulary is growing every day.

1. dada
2. mama
3. ball
4. bear
5. elmo
6. more
7. hi
8. bye bye
9. car
10. here
11. All done (still working on consonants)
12. Night Night (still working on consonants)
13. He can roar like a lion.. its too cute!
He can sign Please, More, and All done

Thats all I can think of right now.. but I am sure there will be a lot more next month!

Heard ya, loud and clear!

2010-09-02T16:07:00.001-05:00

Jacob's ears are perfect. He will not need tubes or a hearing aid.

After Jacob's left ear failed an initial hearing screening at the pediatrician's office a couple weeks ago, we decided to have an audiologist double-check it.

Jacob understands almost everything we say to him. He understands "Give Dolly a kiss," "Give mommy a hug," "Go to your room" and "Put on your shoes," among others. He even knows how to sign a few words after he hears them (more on that later).

At 15 months, however, Jacob should have a vocabulary of roughly five words. At the time of his checkup, he had only three: dada, mama and hi. He had a few other words that Erin and I could understand, but the average person would think he's speaking jibberish. For example, "all gone" sounds like "aww-aww."

He also struggles pronouncing certain consonant sounds. For example, "ball," when it comes out of his mouth, sounds like "ba." He can say mama and dada, but not mommy or daddy.

So at his initial screening, his right ear passed, but his left ear failed. In order to pass, each ear must recognize at least two out of three elongated, high-pitched beeps. At the time, our pediatrician, Dr. Bottoms (the one we originally wanted to see at his 15-month appointment; she was much better, by the way) told me if Jacob has fluid in his ear, he'll say those words like he hears them -- under water.

When she checked his ear with her little scope (that's a technical term; I know I'm a writer) she said she didn't see any fluid and his ear looked "perfect." She told me boys typically don't develop language until close to 2, and day care will help speed up his vocabulary.

Still, we decided to play it safe -- Jacob has already had a couple nasty ear infections -- and visit with the audiologist. After a more advanced test, she said Jacob's ears were fine. We're going to check them again in six months.

But for now, when Jacob doesn't answer us, we'll know it's on purpose.

They call him Baby Jacob

2010-08-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

Aside from good health, almost nothing makes a parent more proud than to see his or her child interacting, learning and having fun with other children. And you know you've been accepted by your peers when they give you a nickname.

Jacob's new day-care buddies have dubbed him "Baby Jacob." The older boys have taken Jacob under their wing -- literally, he fits under their armpits.

They play a game with him where one of the older boys connects a couple Lego blocks and hands them to Jacob, who then takes them apart. Everyone thinks it's hilarious. Jacob's day care provider, Barbara, said they could do that for hours and laugh every time.

The other day, one of the girls was singing at the top of her lungs. Barbara said Jacob was chiming in with some type of high-pitch noise. Erin and I wish we could be flies on the wall one day and just watch how Jacob interacts.

Here's how Jacob's first week went:

Day 1: I carried Jacob into the room. After prying him from my shoulder like a cat digging into a sofa, I placed him on the floor. He just stood there, stoic, motionless, like someone still in shock after surviving a traumatic event. I called his name. "Jacob. Jacob, go play. C'mon, let's go play."

He just stared straight ahead. Dazed.

Seconds later his eyes began to well up. His bottom lip quivered. His recently developed separation anxiety was on full display. Jacob knew something wasn't right.

I couldn't help by laugh, and I couldn't resist not giving him sympathy. I gave him a hug and then picked him up (I know it's bad form, but even the most heartless person with a stone-cold soul would do the same). I tried handing him over to Barbara, but he just turned his back, dug his claws into me and buried his face in my shoulder. Finally I just sat him on the floor and let him cry it out.

Barbara said he opened up not too long after I left.

Day 2 yielded similar results. His neurons were firing on all cylinders, though, as he just stood back and observed the other children.

On Day 3 I decided to let Jacob walk into the room so he wouldn't cry when I put him down. Turned out to be a smart move. He felt more comfortable. He even walked up to Barbara to give her a high-five.

Days 4 and 5 looked as if Jacob had been attending this day care his entire life. Barbara said he never gave her trouble, slept well and ate like a little piglet during feeding times. We couldn't have been happier to hear that news!

Now when Jacob walks in, he immediately goes over to the toys, or sits on the couch, or gives Barbara a high-five, or lets her pick him up. If I were to leave without saying bye, he probably wouldn't realize I'm gone until long after.

We're sad to see him grow up so fast, but we couldn't be happier to see how much he loves going to day care. As everyone knows, day care is expensive, but you can't put a price on learning and happiness.

From a boy who cried the first few days we left him now cries when we take him home.

Toes in the sand, fish in a tank

2010-08-27T22:27:00.000-05:00

Editor's note: Videos to come later.

The Karlin Clan's summer has come to an official close. Erin went back to work. Jacob is back in day care. But we refused to let summer go quietly into the night.

Before Erin headed back to work, we embarked on an Interstate expedition to Houston, Galveston, Dallas and Atlanta. The nearly 3,000-mile trip took Jacob to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico and on a deep-sea exploration of the millions of wondrous creatures that inhabit our rivers, lakes and oceans, with plenty of pool time in between.

Getting there

Having already made the 11-hour trek from Nashville to Dallas when Jacob was 2 months old, we learned a few things in preparation for this go-around:
1. It's a really, really long drive with a baby and a dog.
2. If the baby isn't happy, none of us will be.

So we made a few adjustments:

First, we decided to break up the drive to Houston into two days. Last summer's 11-hour trip to Dallas turned into 13. There was no way we were going to drive straight to Houston, which was already at 13 hours. We drove eight hours to Texarkana (so nice, they built it twice), spent the night and then proceeded with the remaining five hours.

Next, we moved Jacob's carseat to the side behind the driver seat to give Dolly more room. Poor 60-pound Dolly was stuffed in the corner last summer for the entire drive. This time she was able to lie down, stretch out, and occasionally rest her head on the middle console like she did before Jacob stole all of her attention. Jacob now faces forward, so unlike last time, keeping him entertained would be much easier.

Erin came up with an idea to fasten our portable DVD player to the back of the driver seat with a bungee cord. It held up fine, but Jacob's legs were long enough to reach it. So he felt obliged to kick it. Erin then stacked it on top our cooler and a Cheez-It box so he couldn't reach it. That worked well until he figured out he could reach the Cheez-It box. So he felt obliged to kick it.

Annoyed, we placed the DVD player on the console between us. I couldn't rest my arm and Dolly couldn't come up to the front, but the baby was happy (see lessons learned NO. 2).

We were worried before the trip that Jacob would show a disinterest toward the DVDs. We couldn't have been more wrong. Elmo and Sillyville saved our sanity. The only times Jacob took his eyes off the screen were during boring parts. Then he would he just look out the window.

We also allowed him to suck on his pacifier. He's been 95 percent weaned from his paci (only using it when he sleeps), but we knew it would help him keep him content. Sure enough, when he wasn't feeling fussy, he would place it in his cup holder.

Overall the drive went surprisingly smooth. Jacob and Dolly behaved and didn't complain about stopping on our schedule.

Toes in the sand
After a brief overnight stop in Houston, the Karlin Clan (minus Dolly; she stayed at our friends' house), Uncle David, Nana and Papa Bodzin drove down to Galveston. Erin's parents rented a condo overlooking the beach.

Tropical Storm Bonnie was there waiting for us. Luckily she was out on her way out as we were getting in.

The rain stopped before sundown that night. After dinner we took Jacob to the beach. He was a little hesitant of the waves at first. He loved playing in the sand, though. We went to the beach the next morning. We plastered his pasty skin with sun screen and spent nearly the entire day on the beach. He napped in his stroller for a couple hours so we didn't have to cut the day short.

He preferred to play in the sand.

He helped me build sand castles. Well, I would mold the castle with his bucket and he would tear it down. He loved tossing the sand in the air and watching the rest trickle through his finers. And yes, he tasted it, too. He didn't make that mistake twice.

Georgia Aquarium
A couple weeks later, we drove a mere four hours to Marietta, Ga., to see Jacob's Mimi and Grandpa and Aunt Heather and visit the Georgia Aquarium. The spectacular view inside was well worth the pushing, kicking and biting through hoards of sweaty people outside. Atlanta's a very busy city.

Inside, Jacob saw sharks, sea dragons, penguins, otters, Beluga whales and jelly fish, among many other sea creatures. He also touched a sting ray.

After the aquarium, we walked across the street to Centennial Olympic Park so Jacob could cool off in the Olympic-ring fountains.

Little update

2010-08-12T14:25:00.008-05:00

We're experiencing technical difficulties with our new video editing software we purchased along with our new computer. Apparently we need a more powerful graphics card. Thanks Best Buy representative for informing us on this minute detail after we repeatedly asked if the new setup would handle HD-quality editing.

After we solve this problem (if a graphics card truly is what we need), we'll post stories, pictures and videos from our summer-ending road trips to Texas and Georgia.

Stay tuned.

Jacob at 15 months

2010-08-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

SOOOOO.. we took Jacob to his 15 month appt. with a new Pediatrician. I am not thrilled about it. We love love love Dr. Rhoads!!!! He is absolutely wonderful and def. spoiled with a great doctor. The new pediatrican was not kid friendly and seemed like she really didnt know what she was doing. We are going to try out a new pediatrician for his 18 month appt. Hopefully it will be better.

We are going to compare stats from 1 yr and 15 month appt

1 yr.- 19.1 lbs and 29 in. long
15 months- 19.9 lbs and 29.5 in. long

Jacob is having a hard time growing. The Dr. told us to not give him us much liquids and give him more meat. He eats wonderful at daycare so hopefully something will happen and he will go through some kind of growth spurt between now and his 18 month appt.

Also, the Doctor told us that Jacob is a little delayed in speech and asked if we wanted to do a hearing test. We decided to wait till his 18 month appt and see how many words he can say then. At that time he was saying 3 words when he should be saying 5-7 words. He was saying mama, dada, and Hi.
Now, Jacob can say talk a lot but having a hard time getting the consonants out. He can say all gone but cant say the consonants with it.. he can also say night night but with out the consonants. I am a little worried so I have scheduled a hearing test for next week and see what we need to do. Since scheduling the hearing test, he now says 2 more words. He says bye-bye and ball. So hopefully he will be ok and wont need Tubes!.. other than that.. he is an extremely healthy boy!
Stay tuned for more posts!

Introducing Beau Stafford!!

2010-07-31T15:44:00.003-05:00

My cousins Annie and Trey had their first son, Beau, at the end of April. We are so excited for Jacob and Beau to grow up and be able to play together. We went to houston and was able to finally meet Beau. Jacob has never been around a little baby, but he did really well.

happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T14:15:00.003-05:00

The three of us enjoyed a wonderful evening on July 3rd at Lee Victory Park in Smyrna. We had so much fun eating watermelon, walking around the field, hanging out in the back of the truck. Jacob enjoyed playing ball with the other kids. He didnt understand to kick the soccer ball but he picked the ball up to give it back to the kids and then ran after it when it was kicked. It was too cute. At 9, we watched a great firework show and Jacob absolutely loved it. He sat very nicely in my lap for the first 5 minutes and then got up to watch it standing up. I am so glad he liked the fireworkS!

An important message from Jacob Lee Karlin

2010-07-01T08:19:00.006-05:00

I replay Jacob's "Hi!" all the time in my head while I'm daydreaming at work, and it always brings a smile to my face. It's really weird to hear his true voice. For the past few months he's been grunting, squealing and whispering under his breath in the form of "dada" and other consonant sounds. But those sounds, to me, are different from the word he just created through his finely-tuned vocal chords.

Can't wait to hear what comes through those high-pitch pipes next time. I hope it won't be anything inappropriate.

Jacob's first word: Schlep

2010-06-30T08:49:00.007-05:00

No, that's not his first word, but it should be.

We just bought Jacob his first backpack with his name embroidered across the top. He doesn't like the feel a cap on his bald head, but he doesn't seem to mind the loose straps draped over his shoulders. We'll see what he thinks after we load a few dozen rocks in it.

Without the use of a rapid-fire camera, it's very difficult to capture a photo of him standing still because it does not happen. He's like a wind-up car. As soon as you release your hands, he's off until something stationary distracts him.

Hopefully his backpack will last until he gets to preschool.

Jacob is going to love carrying our stuff.

Fun in the sun

2010-06-19T10:08:00.035-05:00

What's the difference between a boring summer and a fun summer? About 50 miles.

Ever since we freed ourselves from our little townhouse in Clarksville and moved to La Vergne (house pics to come later; still unpacking, er, decorating), it's become much easier to find family-friendly activities around the area, spontaneously take a trip to Nashville or simply go outside.

In La Vergne, we're 10 minutes from Murfreesboro (where I work) to the south, 20 minutes from Nashville to the north, 20 minutes to Franklin (wealthy part of Nashville) to the east and plenty of other stops along the way.

In Clarksville, we were 40 minutes from Nashville to the south, 70 minutes from Murfreesboro even farther south and right on the border of southern Kentucky (what the hell were we supposed to do there?).

Simply put, there is much more to do as a family near our new home, and we are taking full advantage of it before the dog days of summer arrive and Erin goes back to work. We've made an effort to get Jacob (and Dolly) out of the house every day, whether it's going to a specific place or just playing outside for a few minutes in the backyard or in the cul-de-sac.

And of course Erin plasters a thick coat of SPF 5,000 all over Jacob's ghostly body.

Here are a few of the things we've done thus far:

• Became members of the Nashville Zoo (have already been three times)
• "Swam" in the inflatable kiddie pool in our backyard
• Splashed around the splash pad in Smyrna (adjacent to La Vergne)
• Attended Books and Babies at the Smyrna library
• Went to the Science Center in Nashville
• Went to a free after-hours Father's Day session at the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro
• Shopped and walked around The Avenue outdoor mall in Murfreesboro
• Play with Dolly in the backyard. Jacob loves to laugh at her fetching tennis balls.

Activity details:, One of the best part about living in La Vergne is we're only 15 minutes from the zoo. It's not the world's best zoo, but it has a lot of room for growth and improvement. We decided to buy a membership. We've already paid it off and then some. We've been three times, although the second time we had to cut it short because of an unexpected storm. But, hey, that's when memberships come in handy. The past two visits were spontaneous. We just decided that morning to pack up the baby bag, let the dog out and head down to the zoo. Jacob enjoys looking at the animals and we get exercise. We've had to start in a different spot each time because Jacob falls asleep about half-way through. One day he'll get to see everything in the same trip.

Murfreesboro is a great town. It's smaller population-wise than Clarksville, but there's so much more to do. The Discovery Center is a building full of hands-on exhibits and learning stations suited for little kids, including Jacob's age. There was a firetruck, an early 1900s pickup truck, music stations, coal mining, arts and crafts, reading circle equipped with rocking chairs, tire-changing station and more. I tried to learn something from that last station long after Jacob lost interest. There's also an area called Tiny Town where little ones can go grocery shopping, build and paint at Home Depot, play music and climb in a tree.

The Avenue is this ginormous, beautifully developed outdoor mall. It's great to walk around on a nice day. Erin's already obsessed with it. In front of Maggie Moo's ice cream and Great American Cookie is an open turf area for kids to run off their sugar high. Jacob was no stranger. Man, that little squirt must run on Energizer batteries 'cause he keeps going and going and going and going... Just outside the 'Boro is the Renaissance Festival fairgrounds. Can't wait to feed Jacob his first giant turkey leg next May!

This blog post was paid in part by The Avenue, Maggie Moo's, Great American Cookie and Energizer batteries.

We moved in

2010-06-14T14:25:00.010-05:00

I can't believe that we haven't posted yet about the new house. Nate was living in the new house starting April 5th. We closed on April 2nd and Nate's new job started right after that. Ever since we have closed on the house, we have made this house our own. We started with the guest room, painting it a pretty yellow. My vision is to make it a Beachy room so we can finally hang up our frames and art that we bought in Jamaica. We currently have a full size bed in it. Thats it. Its currently storage for boxes that w are too lazy to unpack right now.
I have not done a lot to it but this is what it looks like now.

Jacob's room is almost complete. We threw away the Jacob letters that were above his bed and we are ordering other pictures to hang there. Also, we bought him a new and better crib because he other one did not make the move.

The guest bathroom/Jacob's bathroom is almost complete as well. Just waiting for a couple of pictures that i bought on Etsy.com. The color/theme was a hard decision. Should we do a nice and calm looking guest bath or a kids bath since its jacob's bathroom too. We decided to make it a kids bathroom since he will be using it more. I love monkeys so of course the theme is MOnkeys.

We have not painted our bedroom yet so pics to com later.

Our Bathroom theme is Blue and brown. We painted the room blue and have brown accessories. It looks really cute. Art and pictures will be hung up and we will be putting up a shower door as well.

When I get pictures and art up in the living room/hallway I will post pics.
My parents bought us a patio set for a house warming gift. I love it and its really comfortable even without cushions.

Jacob has adjusted very well to the new house. I was a little worried about him not sleeping well but we had no problems. He is a ton of room to run around and it tuckers him out quickly. Also, Dolly has a ton of room to run around outside and has already lost some weight.
We love this house and it is the perfect fit. Our neighbors on both sides are so nice and are second fathers to us (kind of). They help us with anything we need help with. They know that we are first time home buyers and we have no idea what we are doing.
More pics to come soon!

Zoo Fun

2010-06-13T19:07:00.006-05:00

We took Jacob to the Zoo. It is about 15 minutes from our new house, so we became members. Jacob had a great time. He loved seeing the farm animals and the monkeys! Enjoy some pics!

Plastic cups

2010-06-01T20:33:00.004-05:00

Jacob wanted to show everyone the first of his plastic cup collection. Now that we have the cabinet space, we're going to keep plastic cups we get from various kids meals for Jacob to use when he's older. This one is from Jason's Deli.

I think I'm as excited about living near a Jason's Deli again as Jacob is about his plastic cup.

New crib

2010-05-31T20:55:00.018-05:00

I'd like to share a moment of silence for a dear member of our family.

Jacob's crib did not survive the cross-mid-state move from Clarksville to La Vergne. The crib made the 80-mile journey safely in the back of the truck, through the front door, around the narrow hallway, and that's where it stopped. It couldn't fit through Jacob's door.

Its time with us ended there, just across the threshold from its new home.

We decided to take it apart in an attempt to salvage the year-old crib. As we began to dismantle its delicate frame, the plastic clips that lock the drop-down side snapped off. Even if we were able to figure out how to reassemble the crib sans instructions, Reassembling it at this point would have left us with a faulty crib. With the recalls and discontinuation of these cribs, we decided to call its time of death at 5:30 p.m. and rush out to buy an emergency replacement before Jacob's bedtime.

It wasn't the best crib in the world, but it lasted longer than either of us originally thought. We never worried about the drop-down side collapsing — even with Jacob's constant banging and Dolly occasionally resting her paws on it to peer down at jacob — because we never used it for its intended purpose. We always simply reached over the side.

We weren't thrilled about having to spend the money on a new crib but ultimately we're happy we did. The new crib looks similar, but the absence of a drop-down side makes it much sturdier and leaves us feeling even more confident in its safety.

Jacob's new crib is much sturdier, and safer, than his old one.

Back-seat driver

2010-05-24T22:36:00.024-05:00

No longer must Jacob look at where we've been, forced to talk to himself as he stares at the rear window.

Now he is a forward-facing toddler.

He clocked in at 19 pounds at his 1-year checkup -- a pound shy of the minimum recommendation to face forward. We decided to turn him around anyway. His legs were pressing against the Corolla seatback in the smaller carseat, and besides, we figured a pound won't make a difference.

It's a lot easier for us to tend to his needs when we can see what he's up to and we don't have to reach over the back of the seat to get to him. Plus, it's more fun for Jacob.

He loves having the ability to see us all the time. That's good for him, but bad for us. If we're not giving him attention, he knows what he needs to do to change that.

A week ago he was screaming nonstop. It was one of those annoying, albeit happy, high-pitch screams. I often wonder while eating dinner at a crowded restaurant which is more annoying: incessant, shrill crying or joyous screaming. Anyway, the screeching was so piercing that we were forced to turn around to tell him to stop. Played us like a fiddle. That's exactly what he wanted us to do.

Every time one of us turns around, Jacob would flash a sly grin. It looks similar to a ventriloquist's dummy. His head is cocked slightly to the side, his mouth open just enough to show his gap-tooth pearly whites and his eyes shift between Erin and me.

It's hard to get mad at that face, and he knows it.

Jacob loves facing forward, like a big boy, with his friend, Emerson.

He loves falling asleep now with the wind blowing through his hair...

Dolly, too, loves facing forward.

Sleepy baby

2010-05-23T23:42:00.006-05:00

Jacob's exhaustion is inspiring.

Jacob was so tired one day at day care that he sat down on the floor and fell asleep with his head titled on the couch. It was hilarious, but it also was sad to see a baby so depleted of energy that he falls asleep in the most uncomfortable position.

Well, that sadness gave me the idea to create a slideshow of Jacob's many lullaby moments dating back to his birth.

Who doesn't enjoy watching a baby sleep?

Survivor dad

2010-05-11T15:07:00.066-05:00

One year!

One whole year is in the books. It has been, hands down, the wildest trip of my life. Here's how I would describe it: happy, sad, anxious, eager, angry, frustrated, annoyed, lethargic, amazed, ACCOMPLISHED.

I've been meaning to write about this since Jacob turned 1, but I haven't had much time since I started my new job and living temporarily without a computer.

Now that I have a year of parenting experience under my belt, I'd like to share some thoughts, feelings and advice to those other dads still wet behind the ears (as if the backs of mine are anywhere near dry).

At Jacob's birthday party, my friends congratulated me on "surviving the first year." I laughed at the time, but then I began to think about the truth behind that statement. Early parenthood really is a game of survival. Just like being lost in the woods, you must adapt your knowledge and resources to your new environment to help find your way back to a more comfortable setting.

Once that baby is here, it's go time. There's no turning back. There's no more sitting around. There's no more going about life on your own accord, at your own pace. You are forced to change your habits in order to protect this new life, as well as your own. Your life is no longer about your wants and needs. It's all about what's best for the baby.

When he's up, you're up. When he's hungry, he eats. When he cries, you better figure out what's wrong and fast. When he's ready for bed, you go home. When he sleeps, you sleep. But then there are days you must forgo your nap to get stuff done during your elusive free time. You learn to schedule your days around feedings and nap time.

Oh ya, how could I almost forget one small detail: Babies are freakin' expensive!

For some parents, like Erin and me, survival becomes more intense when you don't have others to rely on. We didn't have that luxury of dropping off Jacob at the grandparents when we needed to get out for a night as our nearest family, my parents, are a good five hours away. We had to learn to calm ourselves during peak frustration levels. Sometimes our annoyance with each other made the situation more difficult than what Jacob was doing, but we always managed to work through it and talked about how we could make it easier the next time.

Sure it's every dad's dream to watch his son catch his first fly ball, score his first goal, touchdown or basket, take him to the rodeo, the air show and monster truck rally. But those thoughts are furthest from your mind when your son is only six weeks old and can barely roll over.

***

A few weeks ago, one of my good friends from college asked what it's like being a dad. I told him it's hard, tiresome and frustrating. It's nonstop work from the sleepless nights to the early mornings, to the incessant crying and abundant diaper changes, to the round-the-clock feedings and back to the crying.

Quick anecdote: When I was watching Jacob during the day, I remember one time my friend, on his way out of the office, called me a slacker as I strolled into work at 5 p.m. My quick reply was as such: "Please, this is my second job. I've been up since 7 a.m. watching a 9-month-old. Who's the slacker now??" But I digress.

Raising an infant is a full-time job. It's ain't easy. But I told my friend there's no greater feeling than when Jacob flashes that first smile in the morning, or when a pat on my leg in a crowded area indicates to everyone I'm his dad or when he gives me a quick hug as he walks around the room, or when he smiles and runs to me as I call his name.

***

More than a year ago, I wouldn't have felt comfortable talking to a baby, let alone touching it with a 10-foot pole. There's a story Erin vows to never forget that I'll voluntarily share with those who have kept reading this far.

Around Christmas time one year, I was in Kroger when a little girl sitting in a shopping cart said to me "Merry Christmas!" I turned around, looked at her, opened my mouth to say something, but couldn't muster any words. I awkwardly stood there for a few seconds until the mother wheeled the girl away. I quickly walked back to Erin. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

I blamed it on my upbringing. Not everyone is Christian so don't wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Erin insists she was just a little girl, and that I was afraid of kids. Needless to say she was embarrassed... for me, she said.

So here we are, more than a year later. Erin and our friend Rebecca went shopping last weekend during Jacob's first trip to Lawrence, Kan. I stayed home with Jacob. Man, did that kid tire me out. For an hour straight we ran around the house. I chased him. He chased me. I would catch him and tickle him. He would laugh and squeal, and run away. I would sit down. He would pat me on the leg, and run away.

From the den to the hallway to the dining room to the den to the kitchen to the den to the hallway to the den to the kitchen to the den to the kitchen and back to the den. He was a little Energizer bunny. I finally put up a baby gate to corral him inside one room.

He absolutely loved being chased and playing peek-a-boo. The giggles and smiles were endless.

***

So let's recap. Babies are a loud, smelly, tiresome, life-changing bunch, and only doctors and lawyers who live next door to their parents should have them.

Looking back, though, I wouldn't trade any of it.

Parenthood will only get harder with Jacob's evolving tantrums and curiosity. But the fun is just beginning.

Here's to waving and pointing. Here's to more hugs and kisses. Here's to whispers of "da da" and "ma ma" becoming shouts of "daddy!" and "mommy!" along with a growing vocabulary.

Oh, and here's to that little baldy growing more hair!

I love you, lil buddy.

Flood Craziness!

2010-05-05T20:31:00.004-05:00

Wow! Thats about all I can say about all of the floods going on in the middle Tennessee area. Its incredibly devastating. Fortunately we are very lucky and were not personally affected by the deadly storms/floods.
On Saturday, May 1, 2010 I had a job fair in Murfreesboro. I found a job that i want so bad. Its at a school that is about 3 miles from the new house and its a Pre-K Teacher position. She sounded interested in me so hopefully i will get an interview. It was pouring outside and I was drenched at the job fair. I walked outside afterwards and it was still pouring. It was raining even harder. Nate and I went to the new house to paint the guest room. A good friend of mine, Rachael, babysat Jacob for the day. We finished painting the guest room a pretty yellow color and decided to leave around 3:00ish to head back to Clarksville to pick up Jacob. Also, Dolly was with us and we just needed to get home before the storms got worse. We got in the car and drove around the neighborhood and most of the lawns already were flooding. We got to Sam Ridley PKWY (the main street in Smyrna) and it was completely flooded. When we got onto the highway, there was horrible traffic. It was awful. We finally drove 6 miles in 1 hour. We got up to the problem that was causing the traffic and we saw a huge lake in the middle of the interstate and cars were not able to drive through that. SOme Semi's were trying to drive through it but other cars tried and got stuck. So we turned around and spent another couple of hours just tryin to figure out where we were and figuring out another way to get back to Clarksville. We were going to go back to La Vergne and wait out the storms but we heard on the radio that they were not letting people back into La Verge/Smyrna area. There were tornado sirens going off and they were already under a State of Emergency. But THanks to our wonderful Handy Dandy GPS, we found another way and finally after 4 hours on the road we were on our way back to clarksville. I have never seen anything to horrible before. I think the worse part of my experience with all of this was the idea that I couldnt get home to Jacob. There was too much water inbetween Jacob and I. We got home safely with Jacob and woke up SUnday morning with more storms and more rain. Clarksville ended up with over 8 inches of rain and Nashville ended up wth over 15 inches of rain. I didnt have school for 3 days and finally going back tomorrow but no school for the students. This is something that the Tennesseans will never forget. Flood of 2010. INSANE!

This picture is in Smyrna which is about 2 miles from our new house

Birthday video is here!

2010-04-30T14:14:00.005-05:00

I finally got around to uploading the video from Jacob's birthday. Sorry about the delay, but this past month has been really hectic with my new job. I'm only in Clarksville on the weekends so videos between now and the end of May might be sparse, but Erin and are doing our best to keep up with the blog.

Jacob is still experiencing milestones every day so keep checking back to see what we're up to. He just went to the doctor for his 12-month checkup. It was his last time to see Dr. Roads. He is such a great pediatrician. It's going to be tough trying to find someone who is as helpful, understanding and easy to talk to as Dr. Roads.

Quick update: Jacob is still a little guy. His height (29") is in the 18th percentile, his weight (19.1 lbs) is in the third percentile and his head still barely exists in the one percentile. We're thinking he's going through a big growth spurt, though, because he's been eating like a pig lately, scarfing down anything we put in front of his face. He's also one pound shy of legally being able to face forward in his car seat. That's going to be one of the most exciting days in Jacob's life!

Jacob is 1 Year Old

2010-04-20T08:10:00.005-05:00

Can you believe it?? I certainly can not believe that my sweet son is a TODDLER. I have been told many times, "Welcome to the life of having a Toddler". As soon as he turned one, things have changed. I dont know why all of a sudden. He has been acting like a toddler. He throws huge temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. I talked to the doctor about it and he says that is completely normal. It is his way of communicating with me. All I do is ignore him when he throws these tantrums.

Jacob's Birthday weekend was WONDERFUL! My parents came to visit from Dallas on that Thursday before his birthday and Nate's Parents/sister came to visit on that Friday. We had lots of family time. On Saturday, April 10, we threw Jacob a birthday party at Chick-fil-a. We chose this place because our house in La Vergne has no furniture and the house in Clarksville is way to small for 25 people and has boxes everywhere. We thought it was easier to choose Chick-fil-a. It was so much fun. SO many great friends and family were there. We started off with Chicken and fruit salad (that I made, not Chick-fil-a's) and then the Chick-fil-a cow came out to say happy birthday to Jacob. Next we lit the "1" candle and sang happy birthday to Jacob. He was so shy about it. He kept turning his head away from everyone as we sang to him. He loved his cake but didnt appreciate the icing all over his hands. He wasn't very messy about it until I dipped his face into it. I needed some pics of a messy cake eater. After cake we opened presents and it was so much fun. He got so many nice things. Lots of clothes and fun new toys to play with. One of the funniest gifts he got was the butterfly bluejean cutoff shorts from John. Ricky bought the gift for John, so John didnt know what he was getting Jacob for his birthday. As soon as I opened the gift and saw the butterfly shorts I knew it was a joke but thought John pulled the joke, not Ricky. But now that I go back to watch the video, John's face is so red. So hilarious. After gifts we cleaned up and went home. Jacob was EXhausted. A birthday party for a little boy is exhausting. BUt it as a HUGE SUCCESS!

A tour of our new house led by the man of the house

2010-04-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

Updates

2010-04-06T22:30:00.004-05:00

Its been a while since we have updated the blog and I am so sorry about that. A Lot has been happening in our life and have not had a lot of time to sit down and blog.

Updates:
1. We closed on our house! YAY! Its wonderful and Perfect and we love it

2. Jacob got sick on Thursday with a stomach bug. He had a high fever and had to pick him up from Daycare early. He came with us on Friday to close on our house and was so sick that we left and went to see the pediatrician. She told us that he has a double ear infection, double pink eye, and a 102.3 fever. Poor baby. He was very cheery and smiley though. He is on a lot of antibiotics and feeling much better.

3. I am applying for new jobs closer to Smyrna and its been kind of crazy

4. Jacob turns 1 on Saturday and I have been cleaning for family coming in town and finishing up last minute things for Jacob's Birthday Party

5. Jacob is talking more and more everyday. He has such a cute little voice and loves to whisper a lot.

6. Nate has started his new job in Murfreesboro and now lives at the new house during the week. I miss him so much. He took Dolly with him and I miss her sooo much too! Its hard getting the baby ready all by myself but we are dealing with it and I havent' been late yet!

Thats all I can think of. Update later with a video of a tour of our new house led by the man of the house, Jacob and pics of Jacob's Bday party/weekend

FInish this post of with some pics

Hear ye, hear ye!

2010-03-27T12:07:00.004-05:00

Listen up, y'all! Jacob's got something to say:

For several months, the only sounds Jacob would make were a boisterous grunt or a high-pitched squeal. We were worried he was behind in language development, although everyone told us boys develop language slower than girls.

A couple weeks ago, we finally heard Jacob mutter "dadada" under his breath. Heck yea, I though, he likes me more! Mom does all the work and Dad gets all the credit.

Yea, that thought quickly backfired.

At 6:30 one morning, we heard Jacob moving around in his crib. Erin and I were hoping he would go back to sleep. Minutes later we heard "dadada" coming from the monitor. That's when Erin turned to me and said, "he's calling for you, dad."

Ugh... coming.

Next on his vocabulary list is "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" and I suppose "Hook 'Em Horns." "Rocky Top," however, will be omitted from his lexicon.

Gigglicious

2010-03-27T11:38:00.001-05:00

Here's a cute video of Jacob getting bit by the giggle bug.

Pictures for your viewing pleasure

2010-03-23T21:58:00.005-05:00

No destination, no problem

2010-03-19T19:29:00.001-05:00

We love that the weather is starting to warm up because we can take Jacob outside to play and walk around. Boy, does he walk around... and around, and around and around.

The Karlin Clan

OMG.. its been 2 months?

Cute video of Jacob showing off his Smartness!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

SOO sorry! Its been so long

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday

Happy Birthday Nana!

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday

Day out with Thomas

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday

Cookin' Away

Jacob's greatest milestone

Songs Jacob has learned

Muffin Tin Monday

Friday night lights

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday

Terrific Twos? Hardly, but there's still hope

Summer of travels & changes

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday

Team Jock-ob

Muffin Tin Monday (a day late)

No Muffin Tin Monday due to Potty Training!! :

Muffin Tin Monday and 200th Post

Muffin Tin Monday (actually tuesday)

No allergies?

Possible food allergy

Muffin Tin Monday

Cute video of my Cutie Patootie

Scope update

No therapy for this little man

Muffin Tin Mondays!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!

I GOT THE JOB!!

Mother's Day gift

Growth update

No, no, no, no, no.

Jacob reads!

Mothers Day

Couple of new videos

Snip Snip- Jacob's first haircut

2 Year Appointment

Two is not completely terrible.

And then there was one, pacifier.

Another cute video of jacob

NEW VIDEO of Jacob at the zoo's playground

A Little Late but Jacob's V-Day

Jacob prays at night

Growing UP-date

Is he growing?

Last-minute trip to Texas

Jacob and Beau... friends from the start

Yo Gabba Gabbaing

21 months-3 months to go

More videos

New videos

Jacob's first tent

My Big Boy in his Big Boy Bed

New video... finally!!!

In Austin on a Saturday night

Trick-or-treating

18-month checkup

The next Rembrandt

Pumpkin Patchin' Boy

New Words Wednesday!

The plasma babysitter

Give me liberty or give me death!

New Words Thursday!

Heard ya, loud and clear!

They call him Baby Jacob

Toes in the sand, fish in a tank

Little update

Jacob at 15 months

Introducing Beau Stafford!!

happy 4th of July!