April News

Our sweet boy is now 14 months and growing like a weed! Jake loves playing hide and seek. He goes to our room and hides behind our curtains. All we see are his feet sticking out, it is so cute. He also loves to open our dresser drawers and pull out our socks. He grabs them and runs! Jake's facial expressions are priceless. He has so many I need to get pictures of them for his scrapbook. He has his frown face, his cheesy grin face, his I didn't do anything wrong face and of course his mad face. He is showing me that face now as I try to type this, lol. Jake loves his new bubble mower. He goes back and forth all over the living room floor. He pulls the mower instead of pushing it. Jake or should I say Jeff has started a collection of monster trucks. I have never seen so many trucks and what scares me is that Jake is only 14 months. We are going to have to get a bigger house to support daddy's monster truck addiction! Jake's newest trick is that when he wants Jeff or I to do something for him he puts the object in our hand. Yesterday Jake wanted his snack and couldn't get the lid off by himself. He took the container over to daddy and opened his hand and gave him the container. Jake is so smart!!
School is going well. Although Jake's teacher is changing her hours so I am praying they get someone good in there to take her place. Overall Jake seems to really enjoy playing his friends. When I pick him up in the afternoons he is running all over the place making lots of noise. there is one boy in his class that picks on Jake. He has gotten hit and pushed and the latest on Friday was that he got bit. Poor Jake had teeth marks on his leg. I don't want Jake to hit back but I do want him to learn to take up for himself. I think its time for daddy to give him some lessons in self defense, lol. During the week I have to wake Jake up at 6am and he does not want to get up. On the weekends he has been waking up at 5am...what in the world my sweet boy?!
We bought Jake his first pair of crocs. They are so cute!! I will for sure have to get a picture of him wearing them. I did get pics of Jeff cutting Jake's hair. Its scary how much they look a like. Jake sits pretty still while Jeff uses the clippers. I will also need to get pictures of Jake's new tractor. Jeff painted it John Deere green and yellow of course. Wow, imagine me short of pictures...I have a lot of catch up to do.

Update

Well, it has been rough but we have made it through a month of teaching/daycare. We had to take Jake back to the doctor because his ears weren't getting better. They put him on a stronger antibiotic this time. Knock on wood after a week of that he is better. He still has a runny nose but I am thinking he may have allergies like his mom. He has graduated from the infant room and is now in the toddler room. He seems to really like his new classroom. Lots more toys to play with! There are 2 other boys and in a few weeks 2 twin girls will start. This past week Jake was on the playground and some older boys (2 yr olds) took his hat from him. Well every since that he cries when he is outside. I told Jeff he needs to teach Jake to fight already, lol. He is also sleeping on a mat for nap time. Its so cute to see him on it. Jake is an eating machine. I can't believe the amount of food he is eating for breakfast and dinner. Our growing boy!!!
The weather has been warmer and the past 2 weekends we have gone camping. It has been nice to get away from the house. Easter weekend we hid some eggs for Jake to find. He found them and loved the marshmallow bunnies inside. Now every time he plays with his eggs he grabs our hand and then puts the egg inside. He wants us to open them but is disappointed that there aren't anymore marshmallows inside! Jake got another haircut. Daddy took the clippers to him and he looks so cute. He really looks grown up. His 2 bottom teeth are now through. He has 12 teeth now!! There is so no thinking twice about walking. He has mastered it and before long he will be running. He loves being outside and right now is cutting grass with daddy. Jake loves his daddy!!! Jeff is teaching Jake all about Lowe's. Between that and Toys R Us I am in so much trouble.
The dogs are doing well. Still wondering where Haley girl is. We miss her!!! Our first camping trip was weird not having Haley there with us.
I hope to get back to my scrapbooking soon. I am so behind and miss walking down memory lane. Maybe one of these days I will have some extra time, lol.

Busy Busy Busy

Rest In Peace Haley Girl 1996-2010

Playing Outside

First Day of School and Work

Wow, where have the weeks gone? As many of you know I have started working. It has been an adjustment to say the least. My first week of teaching was pretty rough on Jake. He ended up missing 2 days of his first week. Our poor guy had his first ear infection. He went an entire year without being sick and the first week at daycare he got sick. He still has a nasty cough and a runny nose. We felt like he was on the mend and then today he has been so fussy and pulling at his ears. I did some looking around and now he has a tooth making its way in. I sure hope he gets a break soon. On top of being sick he has been trying to adjust to school. The last few days he has done much better. I am able to check on him during my lunch break. A few times when he has been awake he stays with me for the hour. I am enjoying being back in the classroom but I sure do miss my boy! I get to see him when he plays outside on the playground but I don't let him see me. I don't want him to get upset. He also got to go on a buggy ride with the other babies! And he had his first fire drill. They put 4 babies in the crib and roll them out into the parking lot. He is also starting to eat the school lunches and seems to be enjoying it.
The weather has been warm the last few days!! We have been taking Jake outside and letting him explore. He likes playing on his slide and swing. Today he did some raking with daddy! Jeff also took Jake and I on a tractor ride around the neighborhood. Jake is walking better and is able to stand up without having to hold onto anything. He is into everything and I mean everything!!!
Jake hasn't been sleeping well at night since he wakes up coughing. Well he ends up in our bed so we can all get some sleep. Jake wiggles and tosses and turns all night. I dozed off and woke up because he was crying. I couldn't find him. He had fallen out of the bed on Simba on top of the dog bed. Scared me so bad. Thankfully, Jake was half asleep and only cried for a few seconds. I put him back in the bed and back to sleep he went. We need rails up on our bed, lol. I don't want to jinx it but the last 3 nights he has slept in his crib all night!!
Our sad news is that Haley girl is no longer with us. Her health went down hill pretty past. The vet said she had lost muscle mass in her back legs causing her to fall and walk sideways. She developed cataracts, her teeth and gum's were so bad she stopped eating and she was messing in the house. The vet said chances are she was in kidney/liver failure. It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make but I know in my heart I did the right thing. I didn't want her to suffer anymore. We miss you Haley girl!!
This coming weekend we are going to get away for the weekend! We are going on our first camping trip of the season. I am looking forward to some rest time. I am hoping for a fast easy week!!

Our Birthday Boy!

Wow, we have a one year old now!! Who is walking all over the place. It's so neat to see this little person walking around everywhere. We had a great birthday party for Jake. I spent Friday baking his cakes and decorating them. A special thanks to Aunt Stef who helped with the food and clean up. Thank you to everyone who came and showed Jake how much you love him!! He is a lucky little boy!! Jake did great considering he needed a nap. He is a sweet little boy who had a good time opening his gifts. He received so many nice things. The best part was watching him eat his cake. He had a blast squishing it between his fingers and wiping it all over the place. I know a certain someone who is a very proud papa. Who by the way ended up taking 247 pictures!!

Today I started my new job. Jake spent the day at Aunt Stef's and did an awesome job. No tears from him. Believe it or not no tears from me either. I knew Jake was in good hands that makes things easier. Another day of training and then on Monday Jake and I both start at our new school. I will update when I can!

Lots of Changes!!

Our sweet boy will be 1 in just a few short days. I look back over the past year and I wonder where it went. It seems like just yesterday and we were walking around the hospital waiting for this little guy to make an appearance! Now, he is walking and climbing up on everything!! He is so happy when he has made it up on the couch. I love seeing that smile. Jake now has 11 teeth and will eat pretty much anything you give him. His new favorites are chicken, carrots, wagon wheel noodles and popsicles!! He loves trying to open the cabinet drawers and has in fact broken a few of the child locks. He loves playing in the dog water bowl and he loves helping me do the laundry. I try to fold the clothes and well Jake has his own system. He likes to throw them, lol. Jake's facial expressions are priceless. He has a new squished up look, I will have to get a picture to give it justice. Our big trip this month was to Richmond where Jake got his first haircut. He looks so grown up now with his hair cut. He sat right in the cab hair cutting chair and did a great job while Allison cut his hair. Of course we got a cute picture and a lock of his hair for his scrapbook. Our next big event is his birthday! We have been planning and are almost ready for family to come over to celebrate. I promise myself I won't cry....well I promise I will try not to cry!

Our big news is that I will be going back to work full time. It's bittersweet, but its what will be best for our family. I will be teaching PreK and the good news is that Jake will be coming with me. He will be in his own room but I find great comfort knowing that we will be in the same building. I can check in on him and spend my lunch breaks with him. I am ready to work again but I am so nervous and pray that he will be fine and well taken care of. Today we went to Aunt Stef's and Jake stayed there while I ran some errands. That was the first time I have left him with someone else. He had a great time playing with her and cousin Trent. Not once did he cry. She will be watching him next Thursday and Friday while I do orientation. Then on Monday I start teaching and he stays in his classroom. I will miss our days together but after seeing Jake play with other kids I know it is important for him to be socialized with other kids and start exploring the world! I will treasure the next week of being home with my sweet boy!! The next update will be about his 1st birthday!!!

Another Snow Storm

Well, we made it through another snow storm. We were one of the lucky ones and only lost power for 5 hours. Stephanie and family came over yesterday because they had been without power a lot longer. She brought over a yummy lasagna and the boys had fun playing. They also went outside to play in the snow for a while. Before long Jake will be running around out there with them. Jeff did make Jake a special sled, a rubbermaid container. On Saturday we were able to take him out for a little while. We pulled him around in the container. Jake kept blinking from the snow falling and he tried licking it. He is such a happy go lucky boy!! Earlier in the week Jake and I went outside to shovel out the mailbox. He hung out in his wagon and watched. After I finally found the mailbox I sat Jake down in the snow. At first he wasn't too sure about it but then he started to play with it. I wish you could have seen his facial expression from tasting the snow. It was too cute! I think we all agree that we are so over the snow. We now have another storm coming on Tuesday and possibly one for the weekend. We are ready for spring!!!
On January 27th Jake turned 11 months old!! We shared the day celebrating Dana's birthday. Stephanie and Grandma Scruggs were able to come over too. We had some yummy snacks and birthday cake. Jake loves all the attention!! He was even giving out his sloppy wet kisses!
Jake has a special bear we made for him before he was even born. Here lately when we play the music from the bear Jake sticks out his bottom lip and cries. Its so funny and sad at the same time. Not sure what is going on with him but I did get it on video!! His new foods are rice which he doesn't real care for yet. Also broccoli which is not a big hit yet. He does love his veggie sticks, mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets!
Jake got his first boo boo that left a mark! He fell and hit his head on the TV cart. Poor guy likes to hold his breath and scare us half to death. He calmed down after a few minutes and continued to play. He is pushing his walker around more. He also likes to hold onto our pants leg and walk with us. We are working with him on walking but he likes to do things on his own schedule. The big news is that Jake has 3 new teeth. 2 top teeth and 1 bottom one coming in. He has had a rough few days. I got out his travel swing to try to sell...well it turns out Jake still fits in it. His feet hang over it but he takes his naps in it and seems to be comfy. Such a silly boy!!

The Latest News!

Sleepy boy! He fights taking naps but always seems to fall asleep during lunch!

Jake loves Cousin Trent's shoes!
My favorite picture! Jake looking up to his big cousin Trent!
Our sweet boy!!

Maybe one day soon I will give updates more often than every few weeks! But I highly doubt it. Mr. Jake keeps me very busy and I wouldn't have it any other way. Jake is growing up so fast. We have been looking for birthday ideas. Did I just say that, "Birthday!" I can't believe our little guy is going to be 1 in a month. He is learning so much. He has mastered waving hi and clapping. He just started giving five! I was saying high five but he would wave. So I had to change it to give me five. We are still working on blowing kisses! Jake loves to dance. Any music he hears he holds onto the table and starts bouncing and waves his arm. Of course the big news is that Jake took 4 steps!! I know any day now he is just going to walk across the room and I will cry, lol. We are still working on child proofing. Every few days Jake reminds us of what we need to do. We had to buy a toilet lock since Jake decided it would be fun to play in that bowl of water, gross. We have a lock at the top of our front door since Jake can now reach the door knob. Jeff hung up the floor speakers since those got to wobbling when Jake decided they would be fun to push on. We also have a lock on our stove. Jake grabbed the tea towel just right and opened the door. Thank goodness the oven wasn't on. So I moved the tea towel but now he can hold onto the handle of the stove. He also likes to hold onto the kitchen table and swing his feet. Oh and I have to cover the dog's water bowl with a rubbermaid container when we are in the kitchen. Out of sight out of mind...its working at the moment, lol. Jake loves Jeff's computer! Jeff gave Jake his own mouse and remote control and that has helped some. That and Jeff had to gorilla tape all the wires etc down on his computer desk. Now if we could just figure out how to put mini walls around the actual computer...hhhhmmm. Jake likes to keep us on our toes!!
This past week we had 2 days of warmer weather!! Jake and I went on walks and were able to get outside and swing. Now its raining and sleeting on and off. We are so ready for spring!! I think we may have another tooth coming in. Jake has been so fussy the last few days. Believe me he lets us know that he is not happy. He has some great facial expressions. His newest that he tries on us is sticking out his bottom lip. He gets so mad and out goes that lip. When he doesn't want something he closes his eyes and squishes his nose up and turns his head away. One of my favorites is when I vacuum. He starts to talk loudly, well he tries. Its more screaming and its so funny. Jake does not like when Jeff or I leave the room. He always needs to see one of us. Forget about taking a shower. He screams the whole time now. Our little monster boy and we love him so much!! Valentine's Day is coming up...Jake's last first holiday. Bittersweet!! Jake has been playing so well as I type this. I guess I am in for it later, lol. So until next time.........

Happy 2010!!

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Jake's 1st Christmas went well. Although I believe he was pretty overwhelmed with unwrapping so many gifts from Santa Claus. He has plenty to keep him busy for a while. We were able to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Cash, Grandpa Al, Grandma Scruggs, Aunt Stef, Jessica, Trevor, Trent, Aunt Wendy, Ryan, Kourtney and Kaleigh! We had a great time with everyone and are so thankful to have such a wonderful family. Jake received some very special 1st Christmas gifts that we will treasure for years to come.
For New Year's, Jake, Jeff and I watched Ice Age 3! Jake and Jeff fell asleep through the movie. Then I fell asleep. Jeff said he was awake to watch the ball drop. Oh well, there is always next year to watch the ball drop, lol. I couldn't imagine being any other place than with my guys!!

Jake was 10 months old on the 27th. And he officially got his 2 front teeth for Christmas. He now has 6 teeth. No more vampire teeth, boo. It's exciting but sad to see him grow so fast. He is walking really well when we hold his hands. He is also learning to use certain toys to stand up on allowing him to reach higher. Little stinker is smart. I have been teaching him to kiss. He loves to give big wet kisses! We are still working on how to pucker up his lips, lol!

It's time to start planning our little guys 1st birthday!