Open Wide

Jake loves to open his mouth really wide when he's in a good mood. I'm not sure what he's opening up for.

Bittersweet

Those of you who follow this blog are probably thinking...Wow, she's had a lot of entries in the last couple days. Yes, and the reason is two-fold. First, we have been busy so there's lots to share. Second, and sadly, I am returning to work tomorrow and I know I will not keep up with the blog nearly as much when I'm working. I have very mixed emotions about returning to work, and I can't write this without tears welling in my eyes. Motherhood has changed me like nothing else in my life, and my family means the world to me. We made the decision for me to return to work after much prayer and strong feelings that things are working out in a way only God can provide. I literally cannot ask for a better childcare situation for Jake. A good friend of ours, Sarah Brown, will be taking care of him at our house. Those of you who know Sarah already know she has a special gift for loving and caring for babies. Jake is in the best possible hands. I have no doubt Sarah will love and care for him as if he's her own.

Here are some pics for everyone's Jake "fix." We put him in the Bumbo seat for the first time. He seemed to like it and did pretty well. His head is still a little wobbly at times, but overall, he has good control.

Jake has been smiling a lot more. A baby's smile has to be one of the most adorable things in the world. It's hard to be upset when you're flashed one of these.

One last pic showing off those big blue eyes. Jake, I love you so much. Mommy will miss you.

Family

We returned Thursday night from visiting family. It was a whirlwind trip with one night in Allen, two in Gainesville, and one in Aledo. There was a family shower thrown by Kevin's side of the family. The two main highlights of the day were Jake and Cohen's first meeting and Jake meeting his great-grandmothers. For now, Jake and Cohen are each other's only cousins. For now, neither of them have any idea of that, but we did capture some pics. Here's the first meeting....Here are the proud grandparents, Big T and Nana, with their two grandchildren....

Jake took to Great-Gandmother, Mom Barr, instantly. He was smiling and talking to her like they were old friends.

Jake also loved Memaw instantly. He is named after MeMaw's husband, so this was an especially special meeting.Mom Barr has 5 great-grandchildren and every one was at the shower. Here they all are: Cohen, Gavin, Jake, Hogan, and Olivia. The kids had a great time playing with each other--except I think Olivia didn't like being the only girl. Maybe we'll have another girl joining her in the near future?!?

I thought this pic was really cute. It looks like both Jake and Cohen are really engrossed in the book. I told you, Jake likes reading!Since it was a couples event, there was a game where the guys competed to see how fast they could diaper and clothe a baby doll. Kevin was the champ!!!! I guess he's had a lot of practice over the last 11 weeks.

It was really great to spend time with Chad, Cassy, and Cohen. Unfortunately, we don't get to see them as often as we'd like, so we really treasure the times we do. Cohen is talking and playing a lot...he's such a big boy...it's really hard to believe. It was really fun getting the chance to play with him and to also see what our future holds with Jake. Here are Kevin and Cohen hanging out. They had been practicing their animal noises--Cohen is an expert at animal noises.

State Tournament: Baby style

Every year, Kevin enjoys going to the UIL high school state basketball tournament. Since we've lived in Austin, we have turned into the hosts for the event for some of Kevin's friends. Basically, the guys watch basketball for 3 days straight, and are really only home long enough to play dominoes and catch a few hours of sleep. It's a great tradition and I know Kevin really enjoys it each year. Usually I'm kind of lonely during the tournament since the guys are gone all day, but this year Phillip brought along his wife Heather and their 9-month-old daughter Emily. The four of us enjoyed spending time together while the guys were off watching basketball. Here are some shots of Jake and Emily.

I especially like this one. Emily looks like she's petting Jake. Actually, she did a great job being gentle with her younger friend.

Here are the proud Papas...

One of many faces

Jake makes many funny faces. A lot of his faces are grumpy/grouchy faces. He also likes to bring his eyebrows in like he's contemplating something. It really makes me wonder what he's thinking. All these pictures were taken on Thursday, the day of his 2 month doctor's appointment. Following the shots, he was basically either asleep or grumpy, but he is now fully recovered.
Here are his 2 month stats:
Weight: 11 pounds, 12 ounces (50th percentile)
Length: 23.75 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 39.4 cm

Jake and I arrived to Thursday lunch with friends to discover Jake was wearing the same outfit as his older friend Luc. Noelle and I thought it was precious, but here's proof that girls aren't the only ones who are bothered when someone steals their outfit...no smiles here.

2 Months

Jake turned 2 months old yesterday. Here our some photos to mark the day. This first one shows his double chin...a sign he's starting to get chubby. I love chubby babies, and have been waiting for the rolls.

Kevin was home early, so we took a family walk to enjoy the pretty day. Here are the boys ready for the walk in their matching hats. I think they both look super cute.

The record and Sunday afternoon

My last blog I was singing praises to Jake sleeping over 7 hours straight. Well, for those of you moms and dads who were amazed and maybe even jealous....be jealous no longer. I just thought I'd let everyone know that one night was the one and only night he's slept so well. I can't complain that my nights are horrible, but I am getting up in the middle of the night EVERY night.

Here's a pic of Sunday afternoon at our house. Daddies can show attention to 2 kids at the same time!