New pictures and milestones!

A great black and white shot.



One of my favorites so far. I knew as I was shooting this that it was a keeper. I love that!



I put on a Baby Einstein video for Jake this morning as I was buzzing around the house, trying to clean up our pigstye and get ready for the yard sale next weekend (come one! come all!). I came back in the house from letting Ruth out to go potty and found Jake asleep in his highchair, using his fleecy teddy bear as a pillow! It was just about the cutest thing on earth. I had to restrain myself from making high-pitched "aawwhhh awwwwhhh" noises and biting his chubby cheeks. Instead I grabbed my camera and snapped away.



He is holding his bottle by himself now! Notice that when he holds the bottle by himslef, he shoves the ENTIRE nipple into his face! If it would fit, he'd force the whole damn bottle in there. How he does not choke is beyond me. I try to ease it up, but he still forces it down his throat. When I held his bottle for him, he sucked on it like a normal baby. But now, JAKE is in control! Oh, I have started to add a spoonful of rice cereal or applesauce to his bottle lately, to get him used to the taste so that he might start accepting the baby food again. He knows something is up, but he is still drinking the bottles anyway.



In other big news, Jake is also SITTING UP by himself! Woo-hoo! AND... he is almost saying his first word!! He grimaces and makes this "dadadadadada" noise when he gets tired. I can't get him to do it in front of anyone but me and the dog, and when I try to record it on my cellphone or on Ralph's voicemail, he stops. Of course. But nice big milestones, and we welcome them!

I owe y'all some pictures

So here they are!

If Jake could talk, I would assume he is saying: "I am NOT going to eat any more of that crap."



"I'm serious, Mom. I will use this spoon if necessary."



"You know what? I can just feed myself."



Some progress on the bowl of rice cereal.



Chewing on the highchair instead...

Ehhhhh....

Well, I might have gotten a bit ahead of myself with the new daycare situation....

We went over for a second visit today, and I brought Jake back with me. I wanted to see how Jake interacted with Miss Daycare Lady and her son, and vice versa.

Yesterday, I thought I smelled a faint odor of cigarettes, not fresh in the air, but I walked in and distinctly thought "Ok, a smoker lives here, keep looking." But she told me she didn't smoke or drink, nor did her husband. (So is she lying?) I figured out today that they are renting and they have only been in this home since June. So it certainly could have been a previous owner who was the smoker, and the scent is just lingering in the carpets or something. (Ok, she's probably not lying.) Not necessarily a deal breaker, but....

Then today, I also found out how old she is, or rather, how young. I thought she looked young, but she is married and has a child, and so she couldn't be *that* young. Well, she's 21. Not that it means anything, but I still think 21 is pretty young. I had figured about 24 or so. Again, not necessarily a deal breaker, but....

So then we were sitting there chatting, and I realize Jake is on my one side (almost completely sitting unassisted now!), and her son is siting on my lap, and she was just sitting there across from the three of us. Wasn't she supposed to be the "baby person"? So why are the kids huddled around me? I realized I was the one interacting with them, not her. She didn't ask to hold Jake, or try to play with him, or try to interact at all. She gave me the old "Oh, he's so cute!" But really, isn't that what everyone says to a baby? I have given out my share of "He's so cutes" at the grocery store and in the pharmacy, but it really means nothing when you get down to it. Every baby is cute. They are just made that way.

Then, there was the dealbreaker. Tell me if I am an overreacting germ-a-phobe here (probably), but I call em as I see em... Her son had a binkie (pacifier, nippie, whatever you all wanna call it) that had fallen to the ground. In one swift motion, she picked up the binkie, stuck it in her own mouth (presumably to clean it off), and popped it back into her son's mouth. I just blinked.

New Daycare?

A big collective sigh of relief here please!

We *might* have found a great new daycare option for Jake. I met with the woman this afternoon, she was nice, her son was nice, the house seems safe, etc. She is a stay-at-home mom who has a little boy (four months older than Jake), and she occasionally watches another little girl. She is located near work, is very flexible with drop-off/pick-up times, and seems to be a sensible, responsible, common-sense non-psycho person. I grilled her with a million questions this afternoon when I met with her, and I will be taking Jake to meet her and her son tomorrow afternoon.

I still need to get a background check, talk to her references, and do some poking around for my own personal sanity, but I think this might be a viable option. AND - she is cheaper than the current daycare! Woo-hoo! I will be a much happier, much less stressed mommy if this all works out. Her son has NEVER been sick (as opposed to Jake who has been sick since he started at the big giant germy daycare), and I am hoping he and Jake will have a great time together.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us!!

6 month checkup

Jake had his six month check-up yesterday, and had to get three shots - waaaaah! He was NOT happy. He is still right around 27 inches tall, and over 18 pounds. So he still fits in his infant carseat, but I installed the new carseat in my car and we are using it every day on the drive to daycare.

I attempted to give him carrots last night - I even tasted some, and it wasn't that bad! Jake clamped his mouth shut, tried to take the spoon himself, and then when I got some in his mouth, he gagged, his face turned red, and then he threw up all over himself. Okay, I get the hint. Back to the drawing board...

More cell phone pics from the weekend

On our pillows after eating the other morning...



In his stylin new duds from Old Navy...

Visiting

Sunday afternoon, we headed over to Cousin Jess & Bill's house to celebrate Jess' 21st birthday. I didn't bring my camera, but luckily Jess had hers handy, and uploads all her pics to Yahoo, so I went and stole them off her pic site! :) The dogs (mostly) got along, and Ruthie and Zena will sleep well tonight, having chased each other in circles all afternoon and evening.


Jake, Daddy & Ruthie


Jake and Zena (Jess & Bill's Shipoo)


Jake and Zena #2


Jake blows 'raspberries' while cousin Beccah holds him


A cute picture of Jake and cousin Bec.


Jake gives Aunt Marianne a full dental exam.


A cute pic of Jess and Jake.


Jake, with football on in the background. Oh.... yeah.... it's... football... season.