Jake's First Halloween

We had a very ambitious day planned for Jake's first Halloween: pre-trick-or-treat party at our friends Chad and Heather's house, our niece's birthday party, a stop to trick or treat at the grandparents house, and then back home. Our day got off to a shaky start...Jake had a very restless night and after a night of very little sleep for me, he decided to start his day at 6:30 this morning! (an hour and a half earlier than usual) I knew our day depended on Jake sticking to his schedule and such an early start could make for a very crazy day! Thankfully, I got him back on track with his morning nap and we actually had an amazing day! Jake made it through all our activities like a trooper, and never fussed while posing for the many, many pictures of the day. We even were able to make an extra trick-or-treat stop on the way home. What made the day even more special, is that Stephen did not have to be up at the fieldhouse and we were able to make it a true family day for Jake's first Halloween, I was so happy!

Here is Jake, all ready for his first Halloween...what else could he be, but a football player!

Posing with the pumpkins...he wasn't too sure about them, but mommy insisted he take his picture with the pumpkins. :-)

Daddy and future linebacker

Our first stop of the day was a pre-trick-or-treat party at the McKinney famiy's house. They had a yummy spread of all sorts of fun Halloween themed food! It was so fun to get our boys all together for a group shot of them in their costumes...and it is always fun for their mommies and daddies to see each other too!

Me and Jake...I really thought he would hate his helmet, but he never minded it each time we put it on for pictures

The mommies and their boys!

Leanne and Carter, Heather and Tyler, Me and Jake

And then it was the daddies turn:

Jon and "monkey," Chad and "teddy bear," Stephen and "football player"

After some yummy hot dogs, chips and guac, cupcakes, cookies...and a diaper change, we headed off for our second stop of the day, our niece, Mia's 3rd birthday party. Thankfully, Jake took a quick nap as we drove. This was Jake's first birthday party! It was at a pre-school in Lucas and the theme was "a pony party."

Granna and Grandpa with Jake

(Stephen's Dad and Stepmom)

Granna took Jake for a "carriage" ride...he was more interested in looking at his shoes :-)

Family shot: again, he's more intersted in his shoes. Finally something he gets from his mommy!

Jake on his first pony ride...he wasn't too impressed. I think he thought it was just a big version of Daisy!

Then Daddy took Jake for a carriage ride...the little Shetland's name was "Giddyup" and she was dressed up as a pumpkin for Halloween, too cute!

Jake did really good at the party, we got to eat birthday cake and ice cream...he got to eat a bottle, so unfair for the poor guy! After leaving the party we wanted to stop by Stephen's mom's house so that Jake could see his other grandparents on Halloween.

Jake with Grandma and Grandpa

(Stephen's mom and stepdad)

We were getting close to bedtime, and Jake got a little fussy at Grandma and Grandpa's so we decided it was time to head home. He fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the car. I was really hoping we could stop by best friend's house on the way home. Auntie Seana and Uncle Jason live just 3 blocks over from us, so I kept my fingers crossed that he would wake up when we got closer to home, and he did! So we stopped by for Jake's first official "trick or treat!"

Here we are waiting for Auntie Seana to answer the door

Jake and Auntie Seana "trick or treat!"

and with Uncle Jason

Stephen decided he needed to try on Jake's helmet...oh my!

After trick-or-treating, we headed home and our little man passed out! I also wanted to post a few pictures from our trip to the Dallas Arboretum yesterday. My mommy group had been trying to get the arboretum all together, but the weather kept interupting our plans. Heather and I had a semi-spontaneous trip on Friday afternoon and had a fun time with our boys! Here are a few pictures.

me and my little man

Chillin' in the pumpkins

my first time carrying Jake in the baby bjorn

I got one great shot of Jake in his stroller, I love his "baby blues!"

4 months

It is so hard to believe that our little man is already 4 months old! The past 4 months have passed by so quickly and at the same time we just can't remember what our life was like before Jake. He has changed so much over the past month, I feel like Jake has gone from a baby to a little person :-) Well, okay I can't really use the word "little" and Jake in the same sentence! We go for our 4 month check-up next week...I am guessing he is at least 28 inches long and somewhere between 18 and 19 pounds. We had to move into 6-9 month onesies and pj's this past week, not because of weight, but length! Aside from growing a lot physically over the past month, I feel like Jake's personality has grown as well. He has favorite toys and activities, and his face and tone of voice are so much more expressive. His personality clearly takes after Stephen and I. Jake is not a baby that will lay in his swing all day and just "chill." He wants to be playing, going and doing every minute! He is not so much a cuddler, but he does love to when he is getting tired before naps and bed. The funniest thing for me is he already has very specific trait...he is stubborn! If we are playing with a toy and he wants to hold it, he won't be happy until he is! He is very particular about how he wants to play with his toys and will make sure we know when we aren't doing things "his way"...so much like Stephen and I already! He isn't a fussy baby, but he is quick to let us know when we aren't doing things "his way." But I can't be mad at him, because I am the same way! This boy loves his schedule and isn't happy when we deviate from it...it is so hard to get him to take a bottle at playdate or a football game, I think because the surroundings aren't familiar to him...same thing with a nap, I have yet to get him to take a real nap at playdate...I can see his little face say "nope, this is not my crib and I only sleep in my crib!" Heaven help us when he can really start talking, it should be pretty entertaining! But, in all seriousness, I can't begin to put into words how fulfilling it is to be Jake's parents! Jake has been the biggest blessing from God in my life...my biggest life's goal is that Stephen and I provide a godly home for Jake to grow up in and that our love for the Lord will one l day lead Jake to that same relationship with Christ. It's funny how quickly everything else fades to just secondary things...

Here are some pictures from the week Jakey turned 4 months old. He has started doing lots of new things that he wants to tell everyone about, so I will turn the blog over to him :-)

Here I am sitting in my bumbo! Yes, I finally like it now...but I'm so big that when mommy or daddy pick me up to get me out...the bumbo sticks to my legs and bottom! I'm going to be too big for it soon. Oh, I also have decided that I like my swing now, but I won't let mommy take pictures of my swinging in it.

This week I started sitting in my high chair during dinner time...but all I get to do is watch mommy and daddy eat their food. They tell me they are helping me get ready for eating solid foods soon, but I think it's mean to eat yummy food in front of me without sharing! But I am usually a good boy and play while they eat.

This is me doing one of my favorite new things...sitting on mommy's tummy and touching my toes...I love my toes! They are the coolest things! I didn't know they were there at first, but now that I have found them, I think they rock! Aren't I cute in this picture?

Here I am showing off one of my new skills, firmly grasping all my toys independently. (bet you didn't know i knew such big words!) I love holding all my toys by myself and I get very frustrated if mommy tries to help me hold things.

After I hold things, I LOVE to put them in my mouth...EVERY thing goes in my mouth now. I just love to chew on things...my fingers, rattles, toys, it all tastes good to me!

Here I am watching football...mommy thought this picture was funny because I was watching so intently. I wish she would stop taking pictures while the game is on! If I had a profile picture of my daddy, mommy would post it so you all could see just how much we look alike!

This is my favorite thing to do with Daddy! He holds me up in the air and flips me upside down, I laugh SO hard when he does it! Then he kisses my neck and I laugh even harder...mommy is putting a video of it at the end of the blog.

Here is Daddy giving me kisses! I miss Daddy a lot right now because it is football season, so I am extra happy when he is home on Sundays and plays with me all day!

Here I am at playdate yesterday with my friends Ava and Brinley. We all loved the toy! I am the youngest of the babies in this pictures, but you sure would never know it! I think the girls are really pretty though :-) Maybe they like younger men....

Here is a video mommy took of me playing with the toys on my bouncy seat. When I was a little baby I didn't pay much attention to them, then I got older and started batting at them, then I got a little older and would grasp the handles, but now I'm a big boy and I really go to town on them!

Here is a video of me and my Daddy playing. I love my Daddy so much, he makes me laugh really hard!!!

Bye everybody, mommy says it is past my bedtime and I need to go to sleep! Over the past month I started waking up for a bottle around 3 AM each night...I don't know why mommy and daddy aren't excited about this! I was sleeping through the night ever since I was just 7 weeks old, but I am a big boy now and formula just isn't keeping me full overnight anymore. Mommy and daddy are hoping once I get to start solid foods this month I will go back to letting them sleep at night! I'll think about it :-) Love, Jake

Jake meets his cousins!

Today was a very special day...Jake got to meet his twin 'cousins', Hannah and Hayley Cossey! Seana, Misty, and I have been best friends going back to our single days at Lakepointe Church. The three of us are more like sister than friends, so our babies have become our 'nephews' and 'nieces.' Misty and her husband, Cecil Ray, moved to Arkansas several years ago, so the time we get to spend together is extra special. Misty and I found out we were pregnant about the same time, except she was having twins, and the girls were born exactly one week after Jake. Since they are 'cousins' we hope they grow up having the same special bond that their mommies have! Today, the Cossey family was visiting Texas so we got to see all the babies in person for the first time! Jake was very excited to meet Aunt Misty and Uncle Cecil Ray (who is also a football coach, so he and Stephen always have fun talking football!) Uncle Cecil Ray's #1 rule is that since the kids are 'cousins' they are not allowed to date each other, ever! Well, when Jake met Hayley, Misty and I noticed they smiled at each other...hmmmmm! It was a very fun afternoon and we can't wait to see all of the Cosseys when they are back in Texas for Thanksgiving!!! (oh, Misty's mom also said that Jake looks "just like me"...that is the first person to say that, and even though I know it's not true...it sure was nice to hear it, just once :-) )

Misty, Seana and I with the babies: (left to right: Jake, Hannah, Hayley)

Look how much bigger Jake is! The girls were 4 weeks early, and being twins, smaller at birth...but it makes me realize just how big Jake is for his age! (he is only 1 week older!)

Me with my beautiful niece Hayley...she was so LIGHT!

She was the littlest of the twins and weighs about 10 lbs now,

I'm so used to carrying my 95% percentile Jake...I don't think he was every that light!

Aunt Misty with Jakey


Auntie Seana with Hayley....Hannah was asleep when we got there, so she missed out on all the early picture taking :-(

Uncle Cecil Ray and Jake

Grammy and Mamaw visit

This past week we were very lucky to have my mom and mamaw come to Texas from Chicago to see us...well, mostly Jake :-) Mom hadn't seen Jake since the week he was born, and my Mamaw met him for the first time. I will admit that growing up I was very spoiled, but Jake has taken my place! He is the first grandchild and great grandchild so Grammy and Mamaw gave lots of lovin' this past week, along with lots of clothes, toys, diapers, formula, and even groceries for us. I am so blessed!!! We had a great time going to the State Fair (pics in the last blog), going to Stephen's football game, shopping for Jake pretty much every day, eating yummy home-cooking every night (I'm a pretty good cook, but it's not the same as mamaw's cooking!), and lots of quality play time. I think Jake got used to having an audience around because today when it was back to just he and I all day, he kept looking around like "you're it?" Here are some of the pictures from this week.

Grammy and Jake

Jake loved sitting on Mamaw's lap

Jake and Grandpa at Stephen's game...I love this picture!!!

Grandma and Jake at the game

Grammy feeding Jake, it was a nice break for me!

Mamaw giving Jake a bottle

Mom in her "grammy" shirt that she found at the fair

Playing with Grammy

Grammy taught him all sorts of new tricks this week

Jake goes to the State Fair

On Sunday, we took a family trip to the State Fair of Texas. It was even more special, because my mom and mamaw are in Texas this week to see Jake. Mom has come to Texas for the fair before, but this was Jake and Mamaw's first trip to the fair. I was a little nervous about how Jake would do, he loves being outside...but we would be gone for a long time, it was TX-OU weekend, and he's a baby, so you just never know :-) He did FANTASTIC! The only time he fussed all day was when we passed a ride that made a loud noise and it scared him, other than that, he loved that fair. He kept staring at all of the food we were eating, I think he was a little jealous! Stephen and I told him that next year he would be able to eat the yummy fair food.

Jake in his stroller, ready to enter the fair...and since he it was Texas-OU weekend, Jake was representing proudly for the Longhorns, HOOK EM!

Stephen headed straight for the Fletcher's line when we got inside, we love us some corny dogs!

Jake was not happy, he wanted his own corny dog :-)

Grammy and Jake, shopping

We tried to take Jake to the petting zoo, but it was insanely crowded! Wall to wall people, not wanting to push our luck, we snapped one picture and left.

We brought Jake's baby bjorn with us, we had only tried it once before and Jake wasn't a fan, but I hoped he would like it more now that he is older, and he did! Stephen was an awesome Daddy and carried Jake for a while this way! Jake loved the front flap, he chewed on it the whole time, it must have felt good on his tooth coming in.

Jake and I after some corn on the cob and a bottle

At the auto show, me and a Chevy Traverse...hopefully, my next car

This is how Jake spent his time in both buildings of the auto-show, an exhibit hall, and lots of walking...he took a 90 minute nap, I wish he napped that well at home!

Jake and his first Big Tex picture!

Family picture!

4 Generations: Jake, me, Grammy, Mamaw

We saw Auntie Seana and Uncle Jason as we were leaving, Jake always has smiles for Auntie Seana