Jake's 6-month Check-up

Jake had his 6-month check-up with Dr. Dreamy today. He has been a little more fussy today than normal - must have been the 4 shots he had to have. Trying my best to keep him healthy with all these vaccines they recommend...but man, the poor kiddos! Jake continues to grow and remains healthy & strong. We LOVE him! Today he weighs in at 18 lbs 2 oz (60th percentile), measures 27 inches in length (69th percentile), and has a head circumference of 18.5 inches (99th percentile)! Yes, he has a bit of a large head right now. No worries though, Dr. Dreamy says when kids are between 4 and 9 months their heads are the most disproportionate to their size. Around 10 months they begin to grow into their heads! At 6 months old, Jake is doing the following:

• Smiling (a ton!)



• Laughing - he does this excited breathing thing when he laughs, we love it!



• Drinking a 6 oz bottle every 3-4 hours



• Sleeping most of the time from 9pm-5am



• Coos - especially dadadada



• LOVES the Dogs...especially Lola



• Plays in his Winnie the Pooh exersaucer/bouncer



• Loves when Mommy sings to him - usually what it takes to get him to fall asleep



• Just started 2 days ago on rice cereal - he seems to like it!



• Sits up with a little support



• Rolling tummy to back, but still haven't seen him roll from back to tummy - we think it is because he just doesn't like to be on his tummy, so why would he roll onto it!



• Favorite toys - blue elephant, crunchy sounding book, green gall (given to him by Gramma Lewis for Christmas), Learning Puppy



• Splashing in the tub is probably his most favorite thing

We took him to FotoFly last week for some updated pictures. We were pleasantly surprised with some great shots, even though he tended to have a few meltdowns. I thought he cried the whole time, apparently, to me a little crying is a lot because I am just so not used to it! Here are his 6-month pictures.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 2011 was a GREAT year. Excited to see what this year brings. Bring on 2012!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

What a wonderful time of year! I LOVE Christmas time. Of course, it is nice to have extra time off work to spend with my cute family, unexpected gifts are a nice touch, yummy food and sweet treats are a bonus...but the BEST thing about this time of year is the opportunity to reflect on Him who gave us everything. At this time of year, I am especially grateful for a Loving Savior who gave His life for me. This year in particular, I am SO thankful for my sweet family. Steve is a wonderful husband that would do anything for me. He works very hard to provide the things we are able to enjoy in our life. He helps around the house with projects and chores. He is always so complimentary to me and makes me feel like the most important woman in the world. He is constantly making me laugh with his fun-loving, witty, and charming personality. What a miraculous blessing to be able to bring Jake into our family this year. He is the cutest little person in the world! I can't imagine our lives without him in it! He is such a good, sweet baby. He is growing so fast and I can't seem to make time slow down. Currently, we are loving his sweet smiles and contagious laugh. He can bring a smile to anyone's face just by looking at his. We will be forever grateful to his birthmom who chose to allow us the opportunity to raise him and make him ours forever. We look forward to many more exciting adventures this year with him. And of course, I can't leave out our cute girls. Macey & Lola are a joy to have around. Both are so sweet and loving, in their own way.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jake's 1st word...you be the Judge?!

Jake has really taken a liking to Lola...they are best little buds. Well, today I was taking a quick video because Jake was laughing so much and in the middle of this clip, it really sounds like he might have said "Lola". That is one of our dog's names. Not 100% sure, but it sure sounds like it! We love our little Jakey!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgjR3SiCZwM

**pay attention at approx 37 seconds into the video*

Jake is 5 months old!

I can hardly believe it but my little boy is 5 months old today. He is such a blessing in our lives and I couldn't imagine life without him. We sure love you Jake!

Jake's 1st visit to see Santa

Jake got to see Santa this weekend. Jenny's friend was having a party and Santa was the guest of honor. We met up with Jenny and Zoey (poor Layney was sick). Zoey helped ask Santa for a choo-choo for Jake...she said that is what he wants (of course, he must have told her)! And yes, Santa might look familiar to some of you (an old high school friend was helping Santa)...

Christmas Card Pictures

Jake is almost 5 months old, and we haven't been so good about getting a family picture yet. Of course, we have a million pictures of Jake, but we don't take too many of us. So, last weekend, I asked my sister if she would take a few pictures of us that we could use for our Christmas cards this year. I was pleasantly surprised at how great they turned out! My sister doesn't have too many photography skills, but her camera is awesome and she was able to capture some great shots! Thanks Jenny!!

MeRrY cHrIsTmAs EvErYoNe!!!

We have a DATE!!!

We are ecstatic! The date has been set for our Adoption Finalization! We will go to court on Friday, January 27th, 2012 for finalization. I seriously can't wait for it to be complete! Of course, we know that Jake is ours in all ways possible, but it will be so wonderful for the court and State to recognize it as such! Once court finalization takes place, we will have the wonderful opportunity to take Jake to the temple to become a part of our family for Eternity!! I love Jake & Steve SO much and can't believe my Heavenly Father has let me be a part of their lives now and forever! I am a lucky woman!

Random Pictures - November 2011

Jake keeps on growing...he is full of smiles and laughs!

Thanksgiving 2011

Our Thanksgiving was pretty low-key this year. We spent the day with family and loved every minute of it! We started the day at my Grandparents home in Bountiful for a yummy Turkey-day lunch. It was fantastic to be with my family. We missed the Spencer's this year, so Jake was a lonely kiddo this year...but we still had fun! That afternoon we headed over to Steve's sister's home in Sandy. We enjoyed Cheri's delicious pies. Michael (Steve's nephew) was in town from Denver. Henry (Steve's brother) was also in town from Portland. This was both mine and Jake's first time meeting Henry. It was great and we look forward to visiting them someday (I have never been to the NorthWest area). Funny story...at least to me... Steve is talking to his niece who proceeds to tell us that Steve's brother was in town for Thanksgiving and that we should come over that night for pie and to see them. She tells Steve that Henry really wanted to see the baby. I say to Steve, he has never met me, doesn't he want to meet me too? Steve says, "Well, wives come and go in this family!" Haha...I thought it was pretty funny...although, this wife isn't going anywhere :) Since Jenny wasn't around this Thanksgiving, I failed to take any pictures. Thanks to Emily for snapping one that night...here is Jake on Thanksgiving!

Tummy to Back

On November 27th, Jake rolled from his tummy to his back for the first time. I was down on the floor playing with Jake and put him on his tummy. The doctor has encouraged more "tummy time" so his neck muscles will continue to get stronger. Steve was on the chair behind me and I had turned to talk to him...when Steve says, Jake just rolled onto his back! I was so sad that I missed it! So, I put him back on his tummy and watched until he did it again... 5 minutes later, he did it again! He is getting so big and starting to hit those milestones. Love my boy!

Jake - 4 month Stats

I'm so behind on blogging! How does the time go by so fast?! Jake had his 4-month check-up with Dr. Dreamy on November 23rd. He is a big, healthy, growing boy!

• Weight - 15 lbs 7 oz (60th percentile)


• Height - 26.5 inches (93rd percentile)


• Head Circ - 17.5 inches (95th percentile)

Watching him get 3 shots isn't the most fun part of the visit, but Jake is a tough little trooper! We couldn't be happier and continue to love every moment of being this little boy's parents. It is the most amazing gift and experience we could ask for. Love him!