Sleepy time

This week we have discovered that you have a temper. You were mad one day that you had to take a nap, you were so tired and just needed to sleep but you got mad and decided to let us know that you were very unhappy with us. You screamed, not just any scream but a blood curdling scream, then you lifted your legs up and slammed them down in the crib repeatedly. I cried, felt terrible and then had to walk away. Daddy came in and calmed you down a little but you had to do it yourself. This has been the hardest thing for me, teaching you to be independent. Yes I know you are only 5 months old but I can't always help you fall asleep you have to learn and I can't always help you do things you have to learn to crawl. I would love to do everything for you but then when you are four and still not walking or falling asleep with out me patting your chest until sleep over comes you we would have an issue. It's plain to me that you have a strong will, welcome to the club, but being able to put yourself to sleep is a precious gift that we will both enjoy.
I know that not everyone lets their babies cry and that every technique is controversial but this is what we chose to do. I tried not letting you cry but then you needed me to sleep and I didn't feel that that was healthy. Now after breaking you of that little habit you go down pretty easy, only minor whimpering as sleep closes your heavy eyelids.
I love you. Daddy loves you. We do, and will do, everything out of love for you. "no selfish ambition or vain conceit" (Phil.2:3) is always our goal and my promise to you, my son.
Love,
Mommy/attempting selflessness

This has got to be my favorite picture of you to date! This is you,  Jake. Oh, man do you have a personality. It amazes your daddy and I that you are a little person with likes and dislikes, a temper and quirks. We adore you!!

Love, Mommy and Daddy/fools for you

Teething...Arrrghh

So we bought this little guy for you the other day and it has been a lifesaver. In this whole teething process you have gotten a fever and a stuffy nose pretty much 24/7 but it gets worse at night. You were having trouble breathing so, enter the humidifier. This one is particularly cute and goes with the whole jungle theme and the cutest thing about it is the mist comes out of his trunk!! Those things aside this elephant helps you breath and sleep though the night. Also the addition of a pillow helps elevate your head. This teething thing totally sucks. I feel so helpless. I'm here to apply numbing ointment and donate my fingers for chewing but other than that, I'm helpless to watch you in pain. I hate that. I want to take it from you, to fix your pain. I can't. Know that I will always be here to cuddle and wipe away all of your tears though. I may not be able to solve your problems, in fact I can't, that's part of life, but, I will never leave your side.

Love,  Mommy/Here to stay! 

This is what you did today. You sat like a big boy in the cart! Oh my gosh where did my baby go? You are so strong and doing big boy things! You really enjoyed yourself up there, looking at everything. It’s so rewarding to watch you grow and explore. Everything is new and exciting and funny! You are my joy!

Love, Mommy/privilaged to help you grow up

Chillin'

Your daddy sent me this picture of you on Sunday and said, “he is your son”. This photo is proof, if nothing else is, that you are my son. When I was little I used to sit like this in my stroller! I love that you are chill and like to sit back and observe your world.

Love, Mommy/deffinetly your mommy

A Very Eventful Day

Pastor Mark said "woah" when he took you...yes you are a big guy!!

We are so proud of you!!

Our family

We are all crazy!

Happy First Mothers Day to me!!

 May 9th was quite a day. It was my first Mothers Day, last year you were about the size of a lime in my tummy! We also had you dedicated in the church that your daddy grew up in. Pastor Mark had the honor. He did our pre-martial counseling and officiated our wedding and now he got to dedicate you! Pretty cool!! This whole dedication thing is more for us as parents than it is for you. We are saying that we choose to raise you in a home where God is the focus. We are asking the Lord for help in raising you how he would see fit and our friends and family are promising to support us in this! One day your daddy and I hope that you will come to the knowledge of your savior Jesus Christ and then you can be baptized as a declaration of your Faith. I pray for you daily not just that you will know Christ but that you will give your life to his purposes and not your own, that you will seek his will for your life and that you will love people as He loved people. 

The pictures of our family crack me up. This is my family and daddy's family and they all get along, well, better than get along, they all like each other! This is truly a unique situation and you are blessed to have such a great family!! 

This was a special day that I will cherish in my heart forever! 

Love, Mommy/praying for you

While we were at the beach we had a little photo shoot. You were hungry and a little grumpy. I was also trying to keep you covered from the sun but it was hot and you weren't too happy in your long sleeves. But you are quite the trooper and had some fun with all of us! 

This is your daddy's side of the family. They are fun and goofy! They are so in love with you. Your uncle Matt is especially fond of you and when he's around you are always with him! These are great people Jake, they are full of wisdom and love. I know that you will love growing up with them and they will love to love you!!

Love, 

Mommy/proud to be a Meyer

First Beach Trip

Your Daddy introducing you to the ocean

Silly boys

My cutes guys!

First dip in the ocean

You and Mama

Our little family of three

This was your first time on the beach. This is a very special place for your daddy and I. This is where we would come to get away while we were dating. It's also where we got engaged! We came here when we were newly married and while I had you in my tummy. This is a special beach. We will take you here every chance we get and hopefully you will love the ocean as much as we do. You fall asleep to the sound of the ocean every night, granted it's a fake ocean coming from a sheep but, it still sounds like the ocean!! Sunset Beach was your daddy's and my spot and now it is our family spot! 

Love, 

Mommy/Beach Bum

Hey Jake,

This is your first time eating solids in the form of rice cereal. Well, solid is a relative term, this is the furthest thing from real food but, for some reason (to avoid allergies) we choose that this should be a baby's first food. You didn't really like it. Your first bite you spit out, you tried to lap up the food from the spoon, you made icky faces, got distracted by the cool bib you were wearing and decided in the end that the bib tasted better than the mush we were trying to feed you. 

First Bite

Gross!!

Can I lick it up?

It's so nasty

I'm still happy though

This stuff tastes like nothing...

I'm just going to eat my bib!

Now you love to eat. You get excited when I walk into the kitchen. When you see your spoon you get super excited and pretty impatient if I decide to eat first. You really love bananas and sweet potatoes and enjoy apples, prunes (these we had to give you for there great poop inducing qualities!) and carrots but you are not so fond of carrots plain. I am making all of your baby food in my awesome baby food steamer/processor. I love it!! You love it. We all love eating!! It's really cute to watch you watch adults eat. You get jealous, you want what they are eating, soon enough, my boy, you will get to eat enchiladas and burgers. 

Love, 

Mommy/proud of her good eater

Big Boy

Yes you are a big boy. Not chubby by any means, ok maybe a little, but you are tall. You are 5 months old and you look like most 8 month olds. I'm glad you're not some tiny little thing.  But it gets so old hearing, "oh my, he's a big boy!" or "wow he's big for his age" or my favorite, "He's huge!". I guess I should be glad that they know you are a boy. I have only gotten the gender question once. I make sure to dress you like a boy. Anyways, your size has it's advantages. You are strong and can hold your head up very well and you're getting close to sitting and crawling. You eat well and that means you sleep well!! being big also has it's disadvantages. I never had a small baby. you went through clothes so fast as I'm sure every baby does but your in 9 month outfits now! and the hardest thing of all is that people look at you and think you should be walking! and when you can't they think something is wrong with you. Then I explain to them that you are only 5 months old and then they say one of the above phrases! I'm proud of you, my big boy. I wouldn't have you any other way. Healthy!!

P.S. this in no way dooms you to be "big" for the rest of your life. The first 6 months of life you grow based on diet and then you grow based on genetics.

Love,
Mommy/proud to have delivered all 9lbs. 13oz. of you!!! 

Nap Time

Nap time has become a struggle for you. As you are growing you're becoming more aware, aware that mommy and daddy do things when you are sleeping and aware that you would rather play than sleep.
Yesterday we were out most of the day so you caught a few 30 min. cat naps and you were so sleepy by dinner time. You fell asleep sitting in your daddy's lap. It was the cutes thing to see. I came up stairs to find you passed out on your daddy. He said you were playing and you just fell asleep!

Today, I made sure to put you down when you needed to sleep. This afternoon presented me with the perfect opportunity, you were rubbing your eye during lunch. So we went up to your room. I forgot your binkey so I ran back down stairs to get it. By the time I was back in your room you had convinced your self that you were definitely not tired! You were wildly flailing your arms and legs and holding your eyes open as wide as they could go. It was a desperate attempt to convince me that you didn't need to sleep. I saw right through you! I put binkey in and out I went. Know that I'm not in favor of crying it out, sometimes, but not most times. You squawked for a few seconds, literally, seconds and you were out.
Good Night...I mean, nap, little boy...

Love,
Mommy/Wishes she could nap too!

P.S. Just so you know when you nap I mostly clean or read a book or magazine. That's all. Your not missing much. 

Smarty Pants

You are such a smart boy!
Clever, Clever!!
To prove my point here are a few things you did today.
I offered you your first sippy cup. You love water, you love anything I'm drinking pretty much. You grabbed that cup with both handles and opened your little birdey mouth and drank some water!! You then spit out most of that water but the point is that you knew what to do with a sippy cup!!! I'm so proud!! I know you are rolling your eyes right now but know that you are my world and every new thing you do amazes me!!

The other thing you started doing today or recently at least is this fake cough. You make this face like you are choking and you cough but it's weak...really weak. You look at us like, "notice me, I'm coughing!"...and I think you like the sound of your own voice and probably the way it feels on your throat. Whatever it is, it's totally funny!!

In other News, you have officially rolled over, both ways. You also want to crawl really bad...oh boy, here we go...

Love,
Mommy/so proud of all you do

Goose Egg

You got your first goose egg last week. It was very small so I'm being a little dramatic but it was a little red bump on the side of your head that lasted for a day and a half. 

Here's how it happened:

It was bath time on Tuesday night. You were in a particularly good mood and we were all joking around. I was holding you and you were looking at your daddy. He (your father) grabbed your ticklish ribs and said, "roarrrrrr" You jumped and went to burry your head in my shoulder except, my face got in the way. You slammed your forehead into my sharp pointy tooth (that is really called an eye tooth but i like sharp and pointy better.) I was so surprised that you didn't split my lip and that you didn't break any skin. You just got a little bump. You did cry, I mean shoot, it hurt me, it must have hurt you! 

So the first bump on your head was caused by your parents! Sorry about that. 

Love,

Mommy/the one with the fat lip