...and yes we are having fun.
Well, not too much fun the past two days as Jake has been sick for really the first time in his
life. He is running a 101-102 degree fever with no other symptoms. He has vomited (spit up an entire feeding in a projectile manner) a few more times than usual, but I think it maybe that he was gagging on the medicine we were trying to give him to reduce his fever. We started mixing it with some formula and he takes it much better that way than just giving it to him straight. Even sick and vomiting on me (twice on me, once on James) he is still cute and he is being really sweet even though we can tell he doesn't feel good. He hasn't slept well (or any more than usual) but he wants us to hold him most of the time. I am hoping he will be back to his usual self tomorrow. I can't believe that in two and half months Jake will be 1 year old! I can vividly remember this time last year, being pregnant and impatiently awaiting his arrival. I just can't believe that it has only been nine months since his birth I have gotten so used to life with him and then some times it seems unimaginable that he is that old already. My baby boy is steadily turning into a little boy.
As you can see from these pictures Jake loves music! He likes to listen to James play the guitar and sometimes we let him play with the guitar. He found a brass bell that one of my students gave me for Christmas and he loves ringing it and then turning it over to see where the noise comes from!
We baby proofed all the cabinets in the kitchen except one. I put all the things Jake can play with in that cabinet that way he can play in the kitchen when I need to be in there. So far it is working out well for both of us. For a while the kitchen was off limits for him, and he used to scream whenever I would step over the gate into the kitchen. Even though he could see me, he didn't like being left in the living room even if it was just long enough for me to get a glass of water!
Jake enjoying some pasta in a teething bag. He has had a lot of trouble making the transition to solid food. He seems to gag on anything and everything. Someone recommended these teething bags because he can't bite off too big of a piece. So far it works pretty good!
Jake and his great aunt Yvonne.
Hayden, Jake's second cousin, who is 11 months older than Jake-Hayden is 20 months, Jake is 9 months.
Last Saturday we went to Adamsville, TN to visit James's aunt, uncle, first cousin, his wife and their son Hayden who is 11 months older than Jake. Hayden was very sweet and cute. I think we all had fun!
Two Saturdays ago we decided to go to the park. We go to the park often to walk and swing because Jake likes to watch the ducks, geese, and people. This visit I brought the camera to capture
his first time on a slide!
Jake loves his Daddy! He watches everything James does and if James is eating it or drinking it he just has to try it as well. Here James let him try chocolate milk and below Jake tries some of a roast beef sandwich.
High and dry. Jake loves climbing up on stuff and crawling over stuff. This day he was standing at the end of the couch and so an interesting toy so instead of crawling around the diaper bag, he crawled right on top of it and proceeded to play with the toy. This is a picture of Jake climbing on the baby gate that we used to keep him out of the kitchen. We have tile floors in the kitchen and we were afraid that he would hurt himself falling. Now that he is almost walking he has much better control over most of his falls. He almost always lands on his butt and it is almost always a planned fall--meaning that at the time he thinks it is the fastest and most convenient route to get somewhere else fast.
Jake loves playing peek-a-boo and has a pretty good sense of humor for a baby. I was having trouble convincing him to eat something one day so I pretended I was feeding it to his stuffed bunny rabbit and he started laughing. Another day he just would not take his nap (and I was exhausted) so I told him the bunny and I were going to take a nap without him and I laid down on the bed and cuddled up to his bunny. He also thought that was hilarious. Sometimes he reaches up and grabs my teeth and then bursts out laughing. I still haven't figured out what that is about. His only two teeth are on the bottom, so maybe he thinks it is funny that I have teeth on the top of my mouth. Who knows. All I know is that I am completely smitten. His current favorite song is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." So I sing it to him even though it creeps me out. I have come up with a compromised version that allows me to sleep better at night. For the last line when you are supposed to sing "and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again" I sing "and the itsy bitsy spider was never seen again." On a more serious note, we can't go anywhere without at least one person going on about how cute, sweet, charming, smart, etc he is. Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am. This past Wednesday I went to a PW (Presbyterian Women) meeting at church and the nursery worker was going on about what a little angel he is and how cute he is. She then brags to another worked about how involved James is in Jake's life and how James sat in there one Sunday during church to make sure Jake was okay (I was there too but I guess they are used to mothers staying). She then told me I was very lucky that James is such a good father. It is true, although I would like to believe that it has more to do with good planning and management, communication and love than luck. I am very content with my life. I was happy with my life when it was just me and James (although now I don't know how). I am very happy to share my life with James and Jake. I want more children, but if for some reason it doesn't happen that way, I know that I will be fine with that too. I feel very grateful for what I have.
Well, not really monkey pox, just Baby Measles. We call Jake our little monkey (he climbs things, bites things, makes whooping and hollering noises, he clings to us with his hands and feet, he even wears a diaper like a domesticated monkey AND he is curious and always into mischief like Curious George). My mom used to call Carrie and I monkey 1 and monkey 2 so I think that is part of it as well. Anyway, the two day 102 fever was followed by red rash pictured below. His fever finally broke Sunday night and he has been mostly his usual self since then with the exception of his sporty red spots.
Click on a picture to see what Baby Measles look like.
As you can see it has not dampened his spirits one bit. Here he is trying to break into the refrigerator, his newest appliance obsession. 
