Easter Sneak Peek

We had SO much fun with Laurie at Southern Style Photography last week to get some pictures of Jacob for his first Easter! She had four ducklings and a bunny to take pictures with, and Jacob was VERY interested in them! He even picked a duckling up by the neck! We were scared he was going to hurt the poor little critters but all survived unharmed and it was a hilarious event for all! Here are the "sneak peeks" of our shoot. We will get the DVD with our images the first week of April... Can't wait!

I did some additional editing to some of them... Here it is!

Run to the church playground

It was such a beautiful day today so I finally busted out the jogging stroller to take my first real post-pregnancy run. Whoa... I'm out of shape, but it felt SO good to be running again! We just did one lap around the neighborhood and then to the church to swing before heading home. This was Jacobs first time to swing outside too... He loved it!

First time to swing ... LOVED it!

Ready to jog

Checking things out...

Fell asleep... Hilarious!

Shooting into the sun...

          After talking with my friend, Erin, on the phone the other day, I decided to venture out and try a photo shoot with my camera on manual mode. So here is my first attempt at manually adjusting ISO and focus etc.. without the "help" of my camera! I have seen some really cool photographs recently where the photographer shoots into the sun to purposely get "flare" in the picture. I am LOVING learning how to take better pictures of my little man! Here is what I got...

This is one of my favorites!

Too bad he's upset!

Seriously, Mom? ... I get that a lot :)

I LOVE this one too!

Somethings not quite right with this one, but still cute :)

          In other news, We are LOVING having Jason home more! He has been working reserve 2 days on 1 day off, which means at worst we see him everyday either in the morning or evening! But, he has actually been home A LOT more than that! We are loving our family time in the mornings, and snuggling in our bed! Jacob is becoming quite the "Chatty Cathy" although we have no idea what he is saying! He did say "Dada" the other night at dinner, but I don't think he really knew what he was saying. However, I do think he is starting to recognize his name. Dr. D asked if we have a bunch of nicknames for him that we use instead of Jacob... which of course we DO (those of you who know Jason know he has a BUNCH of names for everyone)! SO, we are working on just calling him Jacob so he can learn his name ... this has been tough for both of us. I usually call him "buddy" or "little man" and Jason has a zillion names for him from "Dino Baby" to "Little J"!
          The ladies in the nursery at church have commented several times about how busy he is. Now that he is mobile, he is crawling all over the nursery to see what everyone else is doing! He is quite the social butterfly and seems to be very sweet with the other babies! But, he wants to play right beside them and talk to them! It is so cute!
          In the upcoming weeks, we are looking forward to heading home to Oklahoma City for Easter, My sister, Casey, will be there with her twins, and I am so excited to get some pictures of Jacob with his cousins. This will also be my FIRST time to get to hold those sweet girls! I am TOO excited!
          The week after Easter will be another very special week for our family. Jacob is getting dedicated at our church. Since the nazarene church does not baptize babies, this is a symbol of our commitment as parents to bring him up in the church and teach him about Jesus. This is a very special ritual in which we place Jacob back into God's hands, and ask our friends, family, and prayer warriors to pray for Jacob and us as parents. We are thankful to have an amazing family and group of friends that have already done SO MUCH praying for this little miracle, and his dedication will serve as a public testimony to our commitment to raising Jacob to fear and love the Lord. Well, that's all for now.... Hopefully more photography practice soon!

The announcements I sent out...

The message on the back ... I just wanted to send a picture and a note to friends and family

Pulling up on Everything!!

Jacob is crawling like a wild man, and standing up! He doesn't even need to "pull up" he just needs something to lean on for balance! Jason had to lower Jacob's crib because we were worried he was gonna try to climb out! He is usually standing in his crib waiting on us in the morning... And, sometimes not so patient! We've already had a few bumps with his new found mobility... We need to baby proof quick!! He is getting BIG too fast!

Photos

Still working on my photography skills... Todays goals -- blurring the background and getting better with light! We had a great time at the photographer's studio, and since Jacob was already dressed and ready I figured I'd try out my skills :) Here's what I got!

The only picture I could get him to look at me!

Seriously?

"I'm gonna get that rascally rabbit...I mean kitty!"

9 Month CheckUp

Today we went for our 9 month checkup and Synagis Vaccine (for RSV) with Dr. D. She was so proud of Jacob's crawling and pulling up! Jacob weighed 16 lbs 3 oz and was 25 1/2 inches long. That placed him in the 25% for both height and weight (and head too) for his adjusted age. He still is not making the growth charts for his actual age but Dr. D said it is usually their 2nd birthday before they totally catch up!

Jason and I are working on baby proofing the house -- Mr. Jacob is already trying to get into things! Mommies -- PLEASE, Send me any ideas for baby proofing! We are getting cabinet locks tomorrow-- Also, going to have Daddy lower the crib.

Mr. Jacob is fully crawling and pulling up on everything! He is not doing much with talking yet, but Dr. D. says its not uncommon for them to be better at either language or gross motor. She said he should start recognizing his name and starting to put together syllables like Mama and Dada soon! (I can't wait for that!) He is growing so fast and doing so well! We are SO PROUD of him!

Tommorrow we will be going for family Easter pictures with a new photographer in the area. I am really excited to get some new professional pictures!

Beautiful Day

Well, It's the first day of Spring Break for all my teacher friends... The forecast is in the mid-70's all week! I'm so jealous! But, Jacob and I got in a nice walk and some pics before my nap and work tonight! Too beautiful to miss out on this day!

A Visit from Mimi

Jacob was SO excited that his Mimi came to visit him this weekend! Mimi was so proud of how Jacob is doing. She was amazed at how much more alert and active he is since her last visit at the end of January. Jacob is becoming VERY active and is interested in everything that is going on around him. Here are a few snapshots from Mimi's trip.

Sippy Cups and High Chairs

The little man is growing up too quickly! He now insists on sitting at the table with us and trying to grab all of your food and put it in his mouth! (He loves chewing on french fries! Oh Dear!)

First time to use a high chair at a restaurant Feb 26th

We have been working on using a sippy cup for awhile now, and he just couldn't seem to figure it out! I have been watching, listening, and trying friends recommendations for the right cup! And, we seem to have found one he can use by himself -- it is the straw kind that finally worked for us! Thank you friends for the recommendations! Here he is grabbing, holding on, and sipping all by himself! What a BIG boy!

He finally got the hang of a sippy cup last night!

More Pics!

I am SO ready to take Jacob back to a pro to get some more pictures! Hopefully I can find someone to take some family pictures for Jacob's first Easter! In the meantime, I have been trying to take some decent pictures myself! I have found LOTS of tips online that have helped, and editing is a HUGE help! Here are some of the latest from Jacob's Mommy photo shoot!

Same picture with the power of editing!