Our Little Tax Write-Off

Jacob is going through a clingy phase right now. Lately, whenever we drop him off at daycare, he cries and cries and doesn’t want us to leave him. Even when he is eating his dinner, if he walks away, he starts to panic.

I talked to his friend’s mom today after dropping him off and it would appear that he is not alone. His friend is going through the same thing and it is a recent development. They both have fun while they are at daycare, it is just that initial separation that is hard for them.

While that made me feel a little better, it still makes me sad to drop him off knowing that all he wants is to stay with me. However, I must say that, even though it breaks my heart, today’s instance of cling comforted me to some extent.

Jacob would only stop crying when he had his arms wrapped around me, holding on tight, and resting his head on me. There was something comforting about the way he was holding onto me, hugging me with all of his strength and seeing his little face in the nearby mirror as he rested on me.

I love that little guys so much and while I wish he would get used to us dropping him off, I am going to soak in the small positive of the whole experience.

Today is a very special day for our little man. Just 18 months ago — plus 9 months or so — he officially joined our little family. Back then, we could not even fathom the amount of joy he would bring into our lives.

Sure there are late night interruptions, chasing after him as he runs around Kohl’s like he just won a shopping spree, messy dinners when more food hits the floor than his mouth, and the high costs of extra food and snacks for the little guy. It is all still very much worth it. Jacob loves us. He loves spending time and we love spending time with him.

We have our good days and our bad. Valerie is an amazing mommy. She is like a super mom. I have no idea how she does it. Jacob is lucky to have a mother like her and I am lucky to have her as my wife and friend.

What is Jacob up to these days? He is working on more teeth. He loves to dance. He loves to run and have us chase him. He loves looking for our tortoise, Chalupa, in the backyard. I’m not sure how we are going to get him to understand that he will not see her again until February because she is hibernating. He loves picking flowers and then taking them over to her so she can have something yummy. I’m not going to lie, I kind of enjoy watching some Disney Junior cartoons with him. He likes singing to the radio in the car. He loves loves loves the moon. And yes, he still loves toes. They may be his favorite thing in the world.

Jacob is always full of surprises. Every morning, I love seeing his little face. And every night, I love kissing him goodnight.

Jacob decided to pay tribute to those that drive the giant red trucks and make the “woo woo woo” sound that he loves so much. This year, Jacob was a fire fighter for Halloween. The day started with a costume parade at school with his friends.

Then Jacob headed over to mommy’s work to visit with her coworkers and see the giant pile of candy in her office.

Then once the sun went down, it was time to head from house to house to beg neighbors for candy … which would be donated to mom and dad because … well … he is one and a half. And dad said so.

Jacob enjoyed some time away from the busy stress of day care last week. He needed some time away. Some time to relax and reflect. So he took off on vacation to Palm Springs. Oh, and being the great son that he is, he took his parents and grandparents with him. What a great kid.

One of the highlights of his trip was a visit to the Children’s Discovery Museum just outside Palm Springs where he ran around, played, and learned.