The Great 8

Jake is 8 months today!  I cannot believe how fast it's gone, but then in other ways I look back and can't remember what life was like without him.  What the heck did we do all day?

This past month Jake picked up on a few things.  My favorite has been smiling for the camera.  All I have to do is pull it out and hello cheesy grin and squinty eyes.  Oh what an adorable face!

Jake's 6th tooth is finishing coming through, and I think this has been the worst of them all!  My normally laid back little man has been a lot more demanding the past few days, and I know exactly why when I look at his gums stretched so thin, red, and swollen.  That darn tooth better finish coming in fast!

Jake LOVES his dog.  Loves, loves, LOVES.  Unfortunately he now enjoys kissing him, which really consists of getting as close to him as possible and opening his mouth for the dog to lick inside.  YUCK!  I never thought I'd get a picture of that awful sight, but when I was trying to get a picture of the two of them together yesterday, I did.  Definitely an accident, but fun to document I suppose.  I guess he doesn't know where that gross dog tongue has been...

Another favorite for Jake is bath time.  He now stays in until the water starts to get cool and his fingers and toes turn into raisins.  And he smiles the entire time.

Jake still isn't crawling.  We are so lucky!  Andrew and I joke that when he starts to, we'll push him over.  Of course we wouldn't, but we're enjoying the last little bit of time when he can't get too far.  He's an excellent roller, but can't make it through the doorways yet.  Life is going to get a little crazier when he's mobile.

He's now to the point where he gets on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but then he gets tired and lays down to rest.  Oh I love this little boy!

Last night Andrew lowered Jake's crib!  I learned I have to kiss him goodnight before putting him in his crib from now on- he's way to low for me to reach anymore.  Just tonight for the first time he got EXTREMELY close to sitting up from laying while in his crib (we were reading in his room when we first put him to bed).  I can't believe how fast he's growing and learning!

As of late Jake has been making new noises.  His favorites are kissing, clicking, and gasping for breath.  The first time he made the gasping noise I thought he must have asthma and freaked out a little.  But then he saw he got a reaction out of me and laughed.  Now he does it ALL the time.  He has also picked up on singing a little.  When we're in the car with music playing, he hums along, and it is the cutest thing.  Andrew and I always look at each other, smile, and say how lucky we are to have such a sweet little boy.

Jake also loves kicking.  And boy can he kick.  I knew before he was even born that he liked to move his legs, and he hasn't disappointed...at all.  He kicks in the tub, sitting on the floor, in his carseat, and most of all when we put him in his crib.

He's also starting to notice when we take things away from him.  He used to not care when we took something from him that he shouldn't have, but that's changed recently.  He also seems to know when we leave the room.  I wish he wouldn't have figured that out, but at least he loves us and wants us around :)  He loves leaving the apartment (and will cry if he watches Andrew or I leave without him), being outside, our porch, going in the car, grocery shopping, and going on walks in his stroller.

We love this little boy to pieces and have enjoyed the past 8 months as his parents.  I can't believe how blessed we are to have him!

BEST news ever!

Andrew passed the 2nd Qualifier Exam at OSU!

Hallelujah!

He spent the entire summer studying for and worrying about this grueling test, and he found out yesterday that he passed!  That means he can get started on his research for his dissertation and go on to get his PhD.  I'm a proud wife :)

Water park fun

Yesterday we took Jake to the water park again.  We're running out of opportunities- now that school has started it's only open on the weekends, and next Monday is already Labor Day- when it closes!

Jake had a lot of fun splashing around in the baby pool, but I think his favorite was the lazy river.  We went around and around for over an hour.  It was nice for Andrew and I to just talk, and Jake loved gnawing on his sunglasses and watching everyone around us.

My favorite was when we came to the waterfalls or other obstacles that would splash Jake in the face- Andrew is so funny holding him up in the air, one direction or the other, to keep him from getting splashed (too much).  I laugh and Jake loves it.

Andrew helped Jake ride a water slide for the first time.  I'm not sure he knew what was going on, but it didn't seem to bother him at least.

I'm sad to see our swimming for the summer come to an end, but we certainly enjoyed it!

Jake's first haircut

Last Saturday was a big day for Jake (and for me): his first haircut!  His hair was starting to get a little long and ridiculous looking over his ears and forehead, so my friend Michelle cut it for us.  Michelle's husband is also getting a PhD in stats from Ohio State, and both he and Andrew graduated from BYU, so we were instantly friends.

Here are a couple before pictures showing how badly he needed a haircut:

And here it goes!

We fed Jake some dinner to try to keep him from moving around too much.  It kind of worked...

Even though he didn't sit still for Michelle very well, he didn't seem to mind getting a trim

Our dog Kyle also got a haircut the same day.  Jake still looks like the same little boy, although a little older.  But Kyle.  He looks like a different dog!

Our boys before:

And after:

I can't believe how fast he is growing- almost 8 months, 6 teeth, and already had a haircut.  Yikes!

Back to school

Yesterday was Andrew's 19th first day of school.  That's a lot!  And only 2 more (hopefully) until he's done.  I am so excited, although being in school isn't too bad.  At least he gets a stipend and the school pays for his tuition- it could be so much worse!

Yesterday Andrew, Jake, and Kyle hung out on the porch for awhile, enjoying the cooler weather, which lasted a few wonderful days.  I love fall.  I'm excited for it, although I'm definitely trying to soak up the last of the summer weather as well.  We're going to make another trip to the water park this weekend, after finding out it's now closed weekdays with school back in session.

Jake loves the water.  Bath time is his absolute favorite these days.

He also loves eating.  Starting really recently he gets mad when we eat things that look good to him but don't share.  Today I had PB&J for lunch and he about lost it.  He doesn't cry much, but that put him over the edge.  Poor little guy with just milk and some jars of mushed up fruits and veggies- at least he gets the puffs now too!

Jake also loves the mobile over his crib.  He about loses his mind every time we put him in his bed- he kicks and squeals with happiness.  And it's broken!  It has been since he was less than 2 months old.  It doesn't even spin.  I can't imagine how enthralled he would be with one that spun, let alone one of the fancy pants ones that lights up the ceiling.

Also within the past couple of days he's started smiling for the camera- and not just any smile, a huge cheesy grin with squinty eyes and all.  It's so funny that he's already learned that trick.  This evening Andrew was just holding the camera up and putting it down to see his expressions change.  We sure love this boy!

Too Fast!

My little baby is growing so fast!  Too fast!

He used to look so small in his crib- now he's taking up more and more of it!  And same with the bath tub.  The little plastic one seemed to enormous when we first put him in it, a month or so after he was born.  Now he doesn't even fit in it anymore and has to take a bath in the big, regular tub.

He's also filling up his high chair way more than he used to.

And his carseat- wow.  He's just growing like a weed!

But when I notice how much he's grown the most is when I see Andrew holding him in his rocking chair.  It's sad that he has gotten so big so fast, but every stage so far has been my favorite.  When he was first born I thought it was wonderful that he was so new, then when he started sleeping through the night I didn't think things could get any better.  But then he started interacting with us and leaning new things so fast.  My little Jake really is getting more and more fun by the day!

Just as fast as this little boy has grown, so has my heart.  I loved him when he was first born, but I feel like I am so much more connected to him now.  He knows who I am, likes when I hold him, and calms down when he is upset and sees me.  I think it's obvious, I'm head over heels for my little (but growing) man!