two months [but closer to three]

A few things to remember about Jake at two months old, even though we're now closer to the three month mark (sigh..)

+At around eight weeks old, he'd "slept through the night" two or three times, but not in a row. Baby books say sleeping through the night is a five hour stretch---uh, what? I believe a good night's sleep is a full eight hours, so while we'll take what we can get, I'm not celebrating quite yet.

+Still wearing his newborn onesies and he's finally filling them out. We're starting to see some chubbiness develop although he's still pretty long and lean. I'm dreading the day he finally outgrows his newborn clothes.

+Car rides knock him out before the end of the driveway. Consequently, he sleeps through anything fun we do: the park, shopping trips, visiting friends, etc. He also sleeps through church--and he can't blame the car on that one (but he can blame the sling). I'll admit, it is pretty convenient. I also dread the day I have to put him in the nursery because he's too vocal while Jason's trying to preach.

+Baby J's overall demeanor is still pretty relaxed. Bath time, diaper changes, car seat...he rolls with the punches. The kid does love to stretch out though. One of my favorite things is to get him out of his car seat after he's been cramped in there just a little too long because he immediately starts to stretch out but stays frog-legged at the same time. I need to catch it on video, this doesn't do it justice.

+He likes to lay with one hand almost behind his head. Every once in a while (although he's finally realizing his mistake), his little fist will grab a handful of hair and he won't be able to release it. These are the only times I've ever heard him really cry out and honestly, it's hard not to laugh once I realize he's not in imminent danger. Poor kid!

beach + baby

One of my goals while in Virginia was to make it to the beach, if only for a few hours. Well, I made my goal but we only lasted a meager thirty minutes. Like I mentioned in the last post, I'd almost forgotten how humid Virginia can get. Mom, Jake and I headed out mid-morning to Virginia Beach, planning to spend a couple hours on the beach before meeting my dad for lunch. We lugged all our stuff out (the stroller moves surprisingly well on sand), I got a quick dip in the ocean, and then we turned right around because poor Jake's cheeks were just a bit too red. His first trip to the beach wasn't too memorable, but lunch with Dad (not to mention the crabcakes he recommended) redeemed the trip and made the drive worth it.

The next day, Jake took his first dip in my parents' pool and it went significantly better than the beach fiasco. Its a shame he doesn't have a swimsuit in his size yet, but he didn't seem to mind a seriously heavy diaper. The boy's got two swimsuits already lined up for next summer, so we'll be sure to do both the pool and beach again!

VA in the summertime

Deric had back-to-back trips with the youth group these past two weeks, so Jake and I jetted off to my parents' house in Virginia while he was away (assisted by my mom, who graciously drove 16 extra hours so she could keep us company on the road). We had a great time catching up friends and family despite some serious Virginia humidity that I'd almost forgotten about. Most of our days were spent relaxing at the house, a few hours here and there in the pool, meeting (and punching) new little friends--hi Loreley!--and taking trips around town with my mom. Any down time we had, Jake spent napping on someone's chest. That kid can take some serious naps when he's got someone to cuddle with. He's got his priorities figured out for sure.

3 years (give or take a few weeks)

On our actual anniversary, my sisters and mom were in town so we spent the day with them and decided to celebrate after they left town. Last Saturday night, we headed to the brand new Cheesecake Factory for dinner (and definitely dessert). But honestly, the night didn't play out how I would have liked. Torrential rain all weekend dropped the temperature so low we were both wearing jeans and long sleeves, which was no fun since it meant I had to bust out my maternity jeans again. That, combined with my stomach's disagreement with my meal (tmi, sorry) didn't put me in a great mood by the end of the night. Since I wasn't feeling too hot we headed home pretty early, but the night did improve from that point forward. We collected Jake from our friends' house and spent the remainder of the evening how we usually spend our evenings: playing with Jake, watching an episode or two of our favorite show (currently, New Girl), and just being together. I even managed to eat some of the cheesecake we'd brought home...bonus! So while the anniversary date wasn't as fabulous as I'd hoped it would be, it actually made me even more thankful for Deric and for our relationship. Because we can still have a good time together even when plans don't work out, when we feel lousy, or when the day is just an ordinary day. Even those ordinary days are a blessing with Deric...and Jake! Happy three years Deric, you are without a doubt the best.