Happy 5 Months Jake!

Jake turned 5 months old on Sunday. A few things about him:

• He has lost most of his hair from when he was born. He has a few long twigs left, so he looks kind of like Woodstock from Snoopy. The hair growing back is a white blond, so we will see what happens.


• He has cut his first tooth! My friend Jessica pointed it out over the weekend. It is just starting to pop out. I didn't think that it had broken the gum until I was feeding him & he bit down. Ouch!


• He is rolling over. He started with rolling from his back to his stomach in the middle of the night. By the weekend, he was pro (except he won't do it when everyone is watching or when I have the video camera!) On Sunday he started also rolling from his stomach to his back as well.


• Yes, he is a plump little baby. His doctor assures me that he is healthy and there is nothing to be concerned about. Robbie says that I will give Jake a complex if I keep obsessing about it. I can't help it! It is the one thing everyone comments on! Most of the comments are cute and funny. But I have had a few people say things such as "Oh my gosh, he is HUGE!" or "Are you breastfeeding? WHAT are you eating?" All well. It makes him an extra good snugly baby.


• He loves baths and he loves for you to talk to him. Actually, you don't even have to be talking to him. Even if 2 adults are carrying on a conversion, he will start laughing like he is a part of the conversation.


• He does not like to be left alone on the floor. He doesn't mind being alone in a chair or bouncer, or being on the floor as long as you stay with him. But he does NOT like being on the floor all by himself.


• He loves rice cereal. He sticks his tongue out when he is ready for the next spoonful. We are going to start introducing baby food to him over the weekend. His doctor said to feed him vegetables for 3 weeks before introducing fruits. Any suggestions for a good one to start with? We are going to attempt to make his baby food. Robbie's Uncle Mike & Aunt Sylvia gave us the Williams & Sonoma Baby Food Maker. It is a 4-in-1 Steam Cooker-Blender. It steams, blends, heats & defrosts baby food. We'll see how it goes!
  
• He is still a good sleeper. He is not consistent during the day, but he is at night. I usually feed him in the evening & then we play for a little while . After that he takes a bath and then I rock him or read to him for a little while. I try to put him in his crib still awake, but sometimes I just can't help myself & rock him to sleep. As I said above, he loves to snuggle in your arms. It makes it so hard to put him down! He goes to bed pretty easy and sleeps until around 7:00 in the morning when I go to feed him & get him ready for school. I know we are very lucky. I honestly don't think that it is anything that we did. I just think that he really likes to sleep!


• Every day he amazes me more & more, and I feel luckier & luckier to be his mom. He is a sweet happy baby boy and the greatest gift I have ever been given.

His favorite sleeping position

Happy Boy! Rolling over. Just did catch it!

Jake & Grant: Best Friends

What a week & weekend last week! I was in South Dakota & Minnesota for business Monday through Thursday. Robbie & Jake picked me up from the Atlanta airport Thursday. We spent the night in Auburn & then headed down to Fairhope for the weekend. Lots of fun things going on! Jake was getting to meet his best friends Grant, Gabe & Sellers, I was getting to meet Grant for the first time, plus it was Stephanie's 30th birthday. Her husband Jonathan had planned a surprise birthday party for her on Saturday, and it was my job to get her out of the house. We had so much fun and so many people came from so far away to celebrate Stephanie! (Today is Stephanie's actual birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!) I loved getting to hang out with Grant. He was even more precious in person. He is such a happy baby & has the best smile. Just as Stephanie & I had expected, Jake & Grant became best friends instantly. We had lots of good food, a lot of fun catching up with friends, playing with babies and just an all around wonderful weekend. (I'll warn you though, there are tons of pictures! We got a little carried away. Plus it is really hard to photograph 4 month olds!)

At lunch

Jake with his other best friend Gabe
Mike & Amanda with sons Gabe (14 mths) & Sellers (almost 4), Stephanie with Grant (4 1/2 mths) and Robbie & I with Jake (5 mths) [We missed you Jonathan!]

Being best friends wears you out...

Jake putting his arm around Grant. Jake shared lots of advice, since he is 2 weeks older.

With the blanket my mom monogrammed. It says "Best Friends Grant & Jake"

Trying to get a good picture of both boys (or at least one that they both look at the camera!)

Grant falling over

Both boys falling over. I love the look on their faces. Stephanie & I were laughing so hard we could hardly take pictures.

Tried moving them to the chair. Now Jake is falling over.

Jake eating Grant's arm

As close as it is going to get!

For some reason, very time I said "best friends", Jake would die laughing. Poor Grant looked traumatized. Jake kept waving his arms knocking Grant in the head. Grant was a good sport about it!

It was my job to get Steph out of the house while Jonathan prepared for her party. Here are the boys shopping.

STEPHANIE'S SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!Dori came from Arkansas, Jessica came from Troy & Hayley came from Birmingham

Jessica & Dori with Jake & Grant

Stephanie's mom with Jake

My 2 best friends!

Look at the size difference in Jake & Grant's legs!!

The boys watching Baby Einstein

It was such a wonderful weekend spent with my best friend. Stephanie & I have been best friends since meeting our freshman year at college when we were both in the same pledge class. No matter how far we live from each other, our friendship will always be as close. In fact, our friendship seems to only grow stronger and stronger. She is the greatest friend I could ask for and I pray that Jake's life is blessed with the amazing type of friends that I have been lucky enough to have in my life.

Over the Weekend / Busy Upcoming Week

It was a nice relaxing weekend and we enjoyed being in town! Friday night Robbie grilled out and we enjoyed a nice dinner on the patio. It was such a beautiful night. On Saturday I used my gift certificate the Robbie & Jake gave me for Mother's Day & had a massage. Robbie played golf that afternoon & then we went over to Zach & Kimberly's for dinner. We were celebrating Alli & Chris's engagement. Congratulations Alli & Chris!! After church today, we started preparing for the upcoming week. I have to leave on business tomorrow morning. It is going to be a busy trip. We're flying to 2 different cities, meeting with 3 different banks all in 4 days. The worse part about it is I'll be away from Jake. I don't know what I'm going to do without him. I'm going to miss him so much, it hurts to even think about it. It will be especially hard in the mornings & before bed. Those are both our special times. And they are the only times left that I am still nursing him. I'm trying to be brave, but I sure am regretting that I agreed to go on this trip. I just keep trying to think about the great thing that comes once I get back late Thursday night. Friday we are going to Fairhope!!! Robbie & Jake are going to pick me up from the Atlanta airport Thursday night. We will be spending the night in either Auburn or Prattville. We are getting up early Friday & driving the rest of the way down south. We are going to see my best friends Stephanie & Amanda. And the really exciting thing is it will be Jake & Grant's first time to meet!! Plus it will be my first time to meet Grant & Stephanie's first time to meet Jake. We are so excited! Stephanie & I both agree that it was a lot of fun being pregnant together, but it killed us to not be able to travel to be there for each other's births. I'm so excited I can hardly see straight!

I went to get Jake up one morning & this is how I found him. He had his feet on sheet saver where he lays his face.

Hanging out in his Delaware onesie that we bought him when we were up visiting Robbie & Denise.

Jake played in his swing while Robbie & I ate dinner

Flying in the air

It's just going to be him & Daddy next week

Grant & Jake's first actual meeting. Stephanie & I were 8 weeks pregnant.

Easter

Okay, so this post is a little late. I was waiting until I had the chance to take pictures of Jake in his actual Easter outfit that he pooped on before I could get pictures Easter morning. I finally had a chance over the weekend.

Jake with the Easter bunny. He had been asleep, but he woke up when I put him in the bunny's lap. I guess I laid him a little bit too far back because he started to try to nurse on the bunny. He kept trying to get under the bunny's collar. You couldn't see his face, it was buried in the fur. We finally repositioned him with his back to the bunny. He wasn't too happy about it.

Easter morning

Jake with his cousin Jackson. Jackson is such a huge help with Jake! He loves helping take care of him. They are such sweet cousins.
Original Easter outfit

This was such a cute picture in my mind. But I didn't factor in that Jake is not very steady sitting up. Especially stuffed in a basket. And it started to sprinkle rain. His facial expression says it all. He is going to kill me when he gets older. All well. It is still a cute picture in my mind.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We love you soooooooooo much!!

I just told him that it was Nana's birthday

His shirt is for Nana

Sorry for the sideways video... Happy Birthday Nana!

Over the Weekend

Busy but WONDERFUL first Mother's Day! We started off Friday evening by stopping in Birmingham to have dinner with the Bush's. Then it was on to Prattville for the weekend. On Saturday, we had a cookout for my mom's birthday. Then we all headed to my niece Maddox's dance recital. She did great! She was definitely the most spirited out of all of the girls. She is such an actress. I could just sit, watch & listen to her all day. She is probably one of the funniest people that I know! My parents were watching Jake that night so that Robbie & I could go to Auburn. We were helping host a wedding shower for our good friends Chad & Melanie. I was worried how Jake would do. He has spent the night away from Rob & I before, but it was at our house in his crib. This would be his first time away from us in a different bed/room. My parents said he did great though (like they would tell me otherwise!). He ate his cereal, took a bath & got ready for bed. My sister, his Aunt Lindsey came by & he adored getting to hang out with her. He went to bed around 9:00 and slept until 7:00. We were really proud of him! Robbie & I had a great time in Auburn. We always have so much fun with our friends there. And we are so excited for Chad & Melanie's wedding in June! On Sunday we got up early so we could meet my family at church in Prattville to celebrate Mother's Day. We ate lunch and hung out a little while before getting back on the road for Chattanooga. Mother's Day was such a special and wonderful day. I'm so thankful for all of the amazing mom's around me. So many of them have been a 2nd mom to me & role models of the type of mom I want to be. And I could just never say enough about mine & Robbie's moms. We could never thank them enough for all of their unconditional love, wisdom & support. We are so lucky to have them as moms & Jake is very lucky to have them as his Nana & Mimi!

Before school one morning. Waving to everyone!

Jake with Mimi

Jake with Granddad
Riding the bouncing horse at my parent's

Jake's sweet beautiful cousin Marrell

Jake & Marrell playing

Jake trying to be a big boy & sit up (the big belly doesn't help him roll over, but does help him sit up!)

Maddox showing Jake her bugs she caught

My mom bought Jake some sunglasses for the summer

Sweet cousins holding hands

Maddox before her dance recital

Enjoying the dance recital!

At Chad & Melanie's party. Me, Melanie, Katherine & Summer

Robbie & Tricia

Robbie & Chad

Chad & Melanie with Robbie's parents Chuck & Judy

My first Mother's Day

Mom, Jake & Me

Maddox was cracking Jake up

Nana with her 2 babies