Happy 2-Month Birthday Jake!

Our little man Jake is 2 months old today (what's left of the 15 minutes of the day). Happy Birthday Chubby Cheeks! He is rocking out the power fist.

Jake - 8 Weeks

I've had this post written since Wednesday, but was unable to get the video to post, so I kept putting off posting it. So pretend you are reading this on Wednesday! Jake turned 8 weeks old today. He is still growing like crazy. He weighs around 13 lbs and most of it is in his cheeks, hands & tummy. He is smiling, but he doesn't normally smile at the same thing twice. Robbie & I try very hard though! Jake is a very good baby, but he hates the time of day between 7-10 PM. But I figure if that is the only time he really cries, it's not that bad. I just hate I miss my prime time show! Thank goodness for DVR! Lately he likes when you rock him, for him to rest his head on your face. It is the craziest thing. I don't see how that is comfortable. You can move his head to your shoulder, but he just moves it back so that his face is touching your face. We are also starting to hear Jake's voice. Sometimes it startles him too. It is nice to hear something from him besides screaming or grunting! But my favorite thing he does, is when his big blue eyes get so wide when he sees you. It completely brightens my day!

"I will not smile"

"Well, maybe I will think about it"

"Okay, you talked me into a little smile"
A smile & a wink!

And now he is passed out

My mom came up and watched Jake for 3 days so that I could go into the office. It was such a huge help & I cannot thank her enough!! Jake loved spending time with his Nana.

Sleeping on Nana

Jake loves his Nana!

It takes Jake a while to wake up (unless he is hungry, in which then he wakes up very quickly). He stretches and grunts forever, and then falls right back to sleep.

Over the weekend

On Friday, we went to visit Daddy at work.

Resting before getting ready to see Daddy

I sure hope work is not too hard today
Thankfully Daddy's work dress is business casual

Working at Daddy's boss's desk

With Daddy at work

Working so hard sure makes you tired

Mimi & Granddad (Robbie's parents) were in Chattanooga over the weekend to visit with their grandsons. Jake had so much fun hanging out with them and Robbie & I enjoyed the baby-sitting so we could go out to dinner!

Mimi & Jake

Granddad introducing Bruiser to Jake

Granddad with his grandsons - Jackson & Jake

On Sunday we went to church and had lunch at Andrea's (Robbie's sister).

Resting before church

Ready for church (Thank you Amanda for the beautiful outfit!)

Jake doesn't know what to think of the dog

The bib says it all "Crabby when Hungry". And yes, he is hungry in this photo.

Jake is excited to spend the next few days with Nana (my mom). She has come up and will stay with us a few days to keep Jake as I start working back from the office. (I've been working from home the last 6 weeks.) I'm going to miss my little man so much when I go back to work in the office, but I'm glad that my mom is here to help with the adjustment. Jake will start going to daycare next week, so this is my adjustment week.

Jake - 7 Weeks

On Tuesday, since she was in Nashville, Amanda drove over to hang out & meet Jake. We had such a good visit. It was so good to see her & catch up. I wanted to cry when she had to leave. Amanda is such an amazing friend and I miss her so much!

Amanda & Jake

Sometimes when I work, Jake sits beside me in the boppy. I looked over today & he had turned to the side and was asleep. He looked like Robbie using the boppy as a pillow!

7 Weeks Old

Over the weekend

Great weekend, but somewhat low key. We had a photographer coming on Sunday to take pictures, so Robbie & I spent most of the weekend getting the house ready. (We had not deep cleaned top to bottom since the weekend before Jake came. I've missed being able to clean like that!!) We did have a great dinner out just the 3 of us Friday night & then again with friends on Saturday night. Jake did very good both times. He woke up both times during dinner, but just sat in his car seat watching us. He didn't cry or anything. Then he drifted back to sleep. Yippee! I think that he loves eating out as much as his mom! On Sunday, the photographer came. She was awesome! I'm excited about the pictures & hope that they come out good. It is hard to tell what all photos they take when it is journalistic (I think that is what it is called!). Anyway, they should be on the photographer's website in a week, so we will be sure to post a link. Jake was okay during the session. Explanation in detail below the pictures. (Robbie jokes on me when my blogs are too wordy, so feel free to skip!)

Fell asleep working out Trying to wish Gran a happy birthday. It is not easy to make a 1-month-old sit up & hold a sign.

Dropping the sign

Looking away

Falling over

He just needs to tell Gran Happy Birthday in Person!!

This is how he sleeps. All stretched out.
Happy Birthday Amanda! Today is one of my best friends Amanda's 30th birthday. She is in Nashville with her husband for a conference, so she is driving over to visit tomorrow. Jake & I can't wait to see her!!
Amanda & I Freshman year 1997

2008

Sunday Photography Session: I messed with Jake's nap & feeding time so that I could feed him an hour before the photographer would get there. I thought that would put him in the best mood. Wrong! He was fine for the first 15 minutes, but then started having a meltdown. So the photographer got lots of pictures of him crying. I had planned on him only wearing his diaper in the pictures. Well, he screamed every time I took his onesie off. So we had to take almost all of the photos with him wearing it. I was frustrated that this was not what I had planned, but you can't really reason with a 1-month-old. It is a lesson that Jake loves to teach me. That life doesn't always go according to Plan A. (examples- finding out I was pregnant, him not cooperating during ultrasounds & him coming 4 weeks early. And these were all before he was even born!) I don't like Plan B's because that means that Plan A (which I thought was perfect) did not work out. Once I have a vision in my mind, it is hard for me to not be disappointed if it doesn't happen exactly that way. But Jake is teaching me, that, that's okay. When I was rocking him to sleep Sunday night (he was still wearing Plan B onesie), as he was falling asleep in my arms he opened his eyes & looked at me, and then closed his eyes & smiled. It was so precious. It was a reminder that sometimes the non-existent Plan B is better that the best Plan A that you could have ever imagined.

(Of course we'll see if that holds true once the proofs are in!)

Happy Birthday Gran

Happy Birthday Gran! I miss you & love you so much! I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!! Love, Jake

Gran making a funny face at me

I love my Gran!

Gran & me
Gran & mommy when she was a little girl

Jake - 6 weeks 1 day

I did not have a chance to update the blog on his actual 6 week birthday. Jake has decided the last few days to forgo daytime naps, so I haven't been able to get as much work done during the day. That means I have to finish stuff after we have dinner & he has gone to bed. Leaves little time for blogging! He is doing great. I can't believe how big he has gotten! His feedings are spaced out & he doesn't eat for long periods, it is just when he eats, he eats a lot & fast. He also chokes himself. You would think we never feed him the way he acts! His personality comes out more & more each day and it melts my heart when he looks up at you with those big blue eyes and smiles.

Jake's Great Grandmother (my grandmother) brought him back a onesie from Hawaii. Thanks Maw-Maw!! Jake loves it!

Okay, we've had tons of questions of why haven't we posted pictures of Jake in Alabama or Auburn stuff. Truth is, he really doesn't have a lot of either (but don't worry, he has plenty!) Robbie & I both agreed early on that neither one of us would buy or promote Alabama or Auburn. Now what each set of grandparents chose to buy or do, they were free to do so, but Robbie & I would stay neutral. Together we promote Troy. Go Trojans! I didn't want Jake's first picture of him to be wearing either Alabama or Auburn, so he is wearing both! Thank you Aunt Deborah for the precious bib!! (Note- My Aunt Deborah is the same person who made Jake's bedding. She is selling her stuff now and has a blog. There is a link to her blog (Sew Maid) from our page so check it out! She has the cutest stuff!!)

Couldn't leave out Troy! (Thanks Granddad for my bib!!)

One of our recent projects: Robbie & I saw something similar in a boutique and since I already had the old window, Robbie did the rest. He did such a great job! It is all pictures from our wedding.

close up

Over the weekend

We finally had a weekend that we felt somewhat normal again. On Friday night, we went out for dinner. Again, Jake was a very good boy. He even woke up midway through our meal, but was kind enough to let us finish it. On Saturday we started out running errands, but then decided it was such a pretty day (at least compared to all the others) that we would take Jake downtown for a walk. It was so nice to get out & get some fresh air. Afterwards we met Lara & hung out for a while. We ended up being gone for 7 hours! Jake was great throughout the whole time. Then on Sunday we went over to Zach & Kimberly's to watch the super bowl. We were not too worried about that outing. As long a Jake is being held, he is happy. We figured that there would be plenty of people to hold him to keep him happy. I know that our lives will never be the same now that Jake is here. While it might take extra planning and we can't do as much, it is so much better now. I'm so happy that he is here to take along, experience & share in this crazy adventure called life. He certainly makes if more fun & special.



This weekend was also a special weekend for Robbie & I because on Saturday, it was the 3rd anniversary of the weekend we met. Little did I know that the guy I sat there & talked to all night, would 3 years later be my husband & father of my child. It scares me to think, what if Julie, my friend from college, had not decided at the last minute to come into town to visit & I had not gone out that night? What if Robbie had not gone to Birmingham to visit Kevin, his friend from college? What if we had gone to different locations that night? But everything lined up right that night, and it was a night that changed my life forever. And for that, I could never be thankful enough.

Walking in the park downtown Robbie had Jake wrapped up in blanket we keep downstairs. He looked like a caterpillar coming out of a cocoon.

Lounging around Sunday afternoon

I don't really like this picture, because Jake's eyes look cross-eyed, but I know that Robbie loves this picture (he took it). He says that Jake is sticking his tongue out at Baylor.

Go McCallie!

I came home to find this - both guys asleep & Robbie using the boppy as a pillow. Nice...

Before leaving for the super bowl party. Jake is trying out some new material for the ladies.

Busy weekends sure make you tired