Big Boy

We have had a busy few weeks. I can't believe how big Jake is getting. He gets more fun to be with everyday. Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks of Jake.

I think Jake inherited his mother’s intensity

Jake’s Downward Dog
Jake has got the yoga moves. He is a pro at the downward dog. Uncle Dave’s response to this at a recent family gathering was to “teach” Jake to do the plank. Clearly Jake is questioning if he should listen to Uncle Dave’s ideas….


Whatssssss Up!!!!!!
I don't know if anyone remembers the Whatsssss Up Bud commercial from a few years ago or if I should be making a comparison to this regarding my son buy anyway. Jake loves to yell right now and it sounds very much like Whatssssssssssssss and then Erik and I finish it with the Up. We laugh whenever he does it so he keeps it up because of our encouragment. (So sorry Jake!)

First Swim
We went to my hockey tournament (which we won) this weekend in Burlington and Jake got his first swimming experience. At first he was unsure but after a few minutes he was kicking his feet like crazy and loving life.

I wish I could sleep half as well as Jake

Jake sits up

Jake is just past the 6 month mark and he is sitting up on his own. Crawling is coming soon, so it is time to baby proof. Some of this is already done because we had to put baby locks on the cabinets years ago to Hank proof. Jake is able to “crawl” backwards and around in a circle. This morning he did propel himself forward, but of course he wouldn’t do it again when I finally got the video camera going. Jake's favorite things are food, walks, and the dogs. He smiles whenever one of the dogs comes near him. Hank has actually been interested in Jake these days and is really good to him. Hank often goes nose to nose with Jake and Jake smiles like crazy. I am guessing that when Jake starts to crawl Hank won't think he is so interesting. Here are some photos from the last few weeks.

Wild Man

Jake is our little cute wild man. He is in constant motion when he is awake. My Mom said it took her 20 minutes to dress Jake today because he was moving so much. He loves to make sounds now and play with his “piggies”. See video to see how much he likes his feet. Sorry we haven’t posted in a while but we have been really busy. Things will slow up a bit in a few weeks and I promise to post more. It is amazing how much Jake has changed in almost 6 months. He is a really happy kid and loves his food. He now eats sweet potatoes, avocado, carrots, and oatmeal. We are going to be trying bananas in a few days.

Yummy Oatmeal!!!

Jake had his 4 month check up and shots on Monday. The doctor said he was doing really well and noted how strong he was (head control and abs). She said we could try to give him some food. He already gets a small amount of rice cereal in his bottle because of his reflux so she suggested oatmeal. Yesterday was our first try and he did not know really what to do. However, when we tried tonight he loved it. I don’t think we were giving it to him fast enough (you can be the judge based on the video). I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that he is so into food because neither Erik nor I have ever passed up a good meal or push ourselves away from the table before we were more than full. The first video is at the start of the meal and the second is at the end. Notice how Erik is makeing sure I feed Jake enough so that he can be a linebacker.

Farmer Jake

Jake is happy in his overalls and flannel shirt. I guess he has a little country in him…..

Roll Baby Roll!

Jake rolled over (back to belly) for the first time at 1:10pm on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. You might ask why do we know the exact time. Well right now I am student teaching so grandma is watching Jake during the day. We are very thankful for that. One of the big bonuses is that she keeps detailed notes of what Jake does each day and the associated time. So while Erik and I missed Jake rolling over for the first time my Mom was there to take copious notes. Thank you mom for taking such good care of Jake! The next day Jake rolled from his belly to his back around noon. Here is video of his third roll and a picture of Jake and Grandma’s first solo walk together.

Jake gets baptized

Jake got baptized on Saturday. He slept through most of the ceremony and only let out a little whimper when the water was poured over his head. His god parents are Devon (Erik’s sister) and Pat (Erik and my college friend). Jake is a lucky boy to have these two people in his life.

On Sunday we were lucky to have a visit from the Blanco family just after all our house guesses that were here for the baptism cleared out. Jake and Vanessa got to meet for the first time. They had a good time checking each other out. At one point Vanessa was holding Jake’s hand (so cute and I hope it was captured by Juan). While the Blanco family was here the Manahan family stopped by while they were on their walk. All the dads were holding the kids. Jake was lucky little guy two of the cutest girls around here together. Jake already has a lot of “girl friends”.

One of Jake’s new favorite things to do is to suck on his hands. Sometimes he sticks his hand in his mouth so far that he makes himself gag.