Jacob....on turning FOUR!

I cannot believe my #3 son is FOUR today! I am in awe how fast time goes by.
What can I say about Jacob Henry Rowinski, born 9/21/05?

He was sort of our "after thought" child (and not in a negative way). Hank and I thought we were done having children after Stephen was born. But then our hearts were saddened when Stephen turned one year old. I couldn't imagine that Stephen would be our last baby. I wanted another child, but didn't know how to tell Hank. Little did I know that Hank was thinking the same thing. Then, there was my age to consider. I was fast approaching 40! If we were going to have another baby, it had better be soon!

After prayer and discussion, Hank and I decided to go for it. We got pregnant in January 2005. I would be 41 when Jake was born. Oh my! Tack on another 18 years to that, and I would be 59 when Jake graduated high school!! Yikes! What were we thinking?! Well, the fact is we weren't..thinkging that is. At least not with our heads. We were following our hearts! And I am glad we listened. Life would not be the same without our Jacob.

Jake was a hard one to get into a routine at first. It didn't help that he was only home from the hospital for one week when we had to move. Our house in Whitehall sold quicker than we thought, and we had to be out by the end of September. Our house in Victory was still unfinished. We still had to finish the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms in order to move in. We couldn't rent an apartment because all of our money was tied up between the two houses. With nowhere to go, my mother-in-law offered up her home to us. We really had no choice and were so grateful! So, the five of us, including one week old Jacob, moved into my mother-in-law's 70'x40' trailer in Corinth. It had 2 available bedrooms and one bathroom. My mother-in-law was gracious enough to give up her bedroom for Hank and I, the second bedroom to the boys, & she slept on the couch. Jake slept in the pack 'n' play in our room.

What we thought would only be two weeks, turned into a month! I'm sure my mother-in-law wanted her house back, but she said nothing and was very accomodating. Jake spent hours at night crying. I was exhausted. Nothing I did seemed to sooth him. After the third night of this, around 3am, my mother-in-law gently knocked on the bedroom door and asked if she could take the baby. I just gave him to her...I had nothing left. She had that baby asleep in less than 20 minutes!! I could not believe my ears. The next morning I asked her how she did it. She just placed him over her shoulder so his belly was on her shoulder, and he fell asleep. Miracle! I knew God had a plan! :)

When we finally moved into our home in Victory, I was able to get Jake on a schedule. He didn't always follow that schedule though. It was more like he had me on a schedule! haha! It seemed like half a lifetime before he started crawling, but once he got that down, he was standing, walking and climbing in no time at all!

Jake was a very happy baby during the day. Night time was a different story. He cried most nights. Relentlessly at times. I thought I would lose my mind. He had multiple ear infections. And by the time he was one year old, the ENT decided to place tubes in his ears. He started sleeping better, and was infection-free for about two years after that. It's amazing what a mom and baby can endure.


Jake always ate well, and still does. He eats things that other children would turn their nose up to, like grapefruit, lemons & kilbasi! Jake is also a very strong-willed child. He knows what he wants. Just check out my blog post about potty training (Feb 09). Jake tests my patience daily, and pushes my tolerance to new levels!! His temper may flare, but he has the sweetest smile and big blue eyes! His laugh is contagious, especially when he's being tickled! He has a gentle, giving spirit, and a loving heart.





Jake loves to be tickled, cuddled, he loves taking baths and playing in the dirt. He loves dinosaurs, cars, trucks, trains, super heros and riding his tricycle. He is in preschool this year, and knows his ABC's, can count to 20, knows his colors & shapes, & recognizes his name in writting. He absolutely loves his family, especially grandpa. They have such a close relationship. He is constantly moving, talking & making noise, except when he's sleeping. I love to watch him sleep. So peaceful. He's my last baby. My number 3 son. What would we do without our Jacob? I love him so much!