Look Mommy! Jakey is STANDING!

Yes, my little baby boy is standing up all on his own. He doesn't make a big deal out of it but me and Katie look at each other with wide eyes and smiles, sharing the moment. I don't know if Katie does it because she knows I'm excited but it sure is cute - of both of them.

He's done it so much in the past week that it shouldn't be an event each time... but it is. We get excited and we watch him and we try not to make any sudden moves. And he calmly reaches out and holds on again when he feels like it.

Jake started just letting go one day. He was standing by the couch and he... let go. And stood there till I got nervous and slowly reached out my hand to steady him if he got wobbly. Once he saw my move to steady him, he put his hand out and reached for the couch.

The other day he was holding on to the cabinet in the bathroom and he... let go. He stood there and then he started to crouch down... got a little wobbly and reached for the cabinet door but didn't stop what he was doing until he had one knee and one foot on the floor.

We were in the kids' room and he was holding on to the bed and he... let go. He stood and watched what was going on until he got wobbly and held on again. Calmly.

So I started thinking that maybe it's time for me to let go a little. Not panic when he stands up on the hard kitchen floor or a baby gate falls over onto him or he gets bopped in the head and almost run over by Katie because she decided she needed to carry her pink chair while running around the living room playing with Jake (yes, playing with Katie can be a contact sport). Not even when he crawled onto the seat of her pink chair and kept going over the back till it tipped over and he fell off laughing(!) when he slid to the floor. I did panic a little at that one.

He loves to stand up and "walk" while he holds onto the rolling chairs in the kitchen and I decided that I would try to let him even when I'm afraid he will fall over. I'll let him do this on his own so he can learn what he's capable of.

After all, it's not like he hasn't gotten a bump or bruise here and there and a little fall onto his tush isn't going to hurt him (not with his diaper padding the fall).

Matter of fact, most of the time he's doing great till I started to get involved!

Katie was easy when it came to this stuff. She waited so long to crawl and walk that once she did it she went full speed ahead (and it was time... I was ready to let go of my tiny baby and accept that she was growing up into the next stage of her life) so I wasn't as worried. Once she started walking, I could tell her "Katie, be careful" and she would slow down. I don't think it will be that easy with Jacob.

But I do think it's time for me to... let go. Let him see what he can do, test out his boundaries, be there for him when he does fall.

Halloween (I'll add pictures later)

Katie had a great time on Saturday. She got dressed in her princess costume about 2 hours before we needed to be at church so I took some pictures. Jake didn't mind his lion costume (that Katie also wore when she was a baby) and he even kept the hat on!

Went to church and played games then saw a play.

Went to Target and Katie got a set of small pots and pans with utensils, which she loved. She was telling me "I keep my kitchen cleaned up mommy." "My kitchen is neat, isn't it mommy." So I really wanted her to have something special. And she loves it. She has been picking up her toys really well and she's been keeping her kitchen clean so I figured she deserved something special!

Pee is gross. Don't read this if you're squeemish.

We made our rounds to Costco (and yes, I did hold my ground and did not buy the huge bag of chocolate chips!) then to Paigey's to drop off Uncle Mike's camera charger, then to Rainbow for some extra stuff you can't get at Costco (at least not in a size that fits into our cupboards!).

We're finally at the checkout lane. Waited forever for it to be our turn and finally I'm ready to load our stuff onto the belt. When...


SOMEONE


had to go potty.


I asked her, "Katie, do you really have to go potty now? The bathrooms here are not super clean and if you can wait for just 20 minute, we can be at home and you can go there! Can you wait?"

She replied, "I really have to go mommy... now."

So we left the checkout lane with only one longing glance and headed to outer Siberia, oh, I mean headed to the back of the store to use the bathroom.

Found a stall that looked okay, got her on the potty, then remembered something kinda important.

If she's not all the way on... sometimes there can be overflow... over the seat.

And as I watched, sure enough, out of the potty and onto her pants. Then I pushed the small scrap of toilet paper onto the seat, trying to stop the flow running down the base and again, onto her pants.

This was gross. And icky. But finally I just moved her legs out. Wish I had been that smart in the beginning!

It wasn't too bad, but she started to complain and I started to laugh. She was getting cross with me and I told her she had to stay put because mommy had to wash the pee off her hand. And I laughed while I washed. Twice. With lots of soap.

Then I turned and tried to figure out how to get her out of the store, into the car, into the house without the pee from her pants getting all over. Ick.

Finally decided to fold up the paper towels (thank goodness they had paper towels and not one of those air dry things) and put it next to her tush so it wouldn't get irritated, then wrapped another batch around her waistband so it wouldn't get on the seat and her shirt.

Made it out of the store (luckily the checkout lanes were pretty empty when we went back) and into the car with a minimum of complaints about how itchy she felt.

I'm laughing now too... It was funny. Even though it was gross.

Actually, I can say this is the first week BOTH kids have peed on me. Jake got me during an early morning diaper change.