I know everyone loves their kids, but I seriously had no idea how much I'd love being your mama, Jakey. You may question my love considering I skipped your five month blog update, but that's only because I'm a slacker and is totally not indicative of my love for you.
Jake in Fukuoka - five months and three days old (photo taken by the talented Martine Cotton)
So you will be turning seven months old next week. Seriously where did the time go? The theme for the last three months has been MOBILITY. We have a gamut of nicknames for you that have ranged from daddy's little fatty (that's when you were in the womb), attack dog (this was a game that dad played with you when you were a newborn - he would pretend you were an attack dog and then he would hold you and attack whoever was nearby....it was funny), j-dawg, roll dawg, crawl dawg, six dawg, jake scissorhands (I still use this one), SLOBBERdan milosevic (we don't think you are an evil dictator...it's just that you slobber a lot sometimes). Anyway I'm getting off track here, you are now officially mobile. What began with you rolling over at 12 weeks snowballed into you somehow moving to a different position than where we left you, to superman flying, to combat crawling, to rocking on your hands and knees....to crawling. You still sometimes fall down, but you get stronger everyday. We recently bought you a jumper and you LOVE it. You can see us from a standing level and you love staring at the pigs - sometimes you even laugh at them. You really give that jumper a run for its money - jumping up and down as hard as you can. It's hilarious and I've never seen you happier actually (although you are not smiling in the photo below).
Another big milestone has been the introduction of solid foods. We officially gave you your first meal just after your six month birthday - it was banana I think - but I did actually let you suck on some apple and carrot before then. We won't mention the time I let you suck on a piece of watermelon and you managed to gum a piece off, which you then seemed to choke on. Um, not my proudest parenting moment but I'm sure there will be many more of those but hopefully with no choking. You really love food by the way. So far you've tried banana, avocado, sweet potato, carrot, winter squash, pear etc.
Also during the last couple of months I've gone back to work and I miss you terribly. Luckily we still get to spend A LOT of time together and your dad is doing a fantastic job of your daytime parenting. Every Friday we meet up with our buddies (aka the ladies in your harem and their equally wonderful mothers). Last week we went to Yoyogi Park and you LOVED it. You loved looking at the strange little dog club gathering nearby, rubbing your hands in the dirt and just sitting up and laughing to entertain all of the ladies. It was fantastic!
Unfortunately another young lady in your harem will be leaving Japan in less than two months - sweet blue eyed Sienna and her fabbo mama, Kirsten. We'll miss you guys! Kirsten was able to capture a great moment between those two at the park.
Jake you light up both my life and your father's life and we adore you so much. We are so blessed to be able to watch you grow up although we wish you could stay this small a little longer. Thank you for choosing us as your parents.
Big hugs and kisses from mama and papa dawg OOXX
those eyes! what a sweet post and precious pictures!
Posted by: molly! | May 15, 2008 at 07:35 PM
It really is like a love affair, isn't it?
Jake is more adorable by the day!
Posted by: Heidi | May 15, 2008 at 11:45 PM
He is just the most adorable little guy EVER. I love the expressions on his face!
Posted by: Carrie | May 15, 2008 at 11:48 PM
I just wanna smother that little dude in kisses!
Posted by: Jenn | May 16, 2008 at 12:05 AM
happy seven months jake!
man, he is cute! even long distance he is making me clucky!
love c
Posted by: claire | May 16, 2008 at 07:52 AM
7 months! what?! i thought he was just born. i know time flies but wow! he is adorable and it sounds like you will have a runner on your hands soon. one of our twin boys started standing at about 6.5/7 months and that was it....did not walk until 10 months but the movers really love to move. keep up the great work, mama and dad.
Posted by: mamie | May 16, 2008 at 11:09 AM
it's like falling in love again, no? KP and i thought that was the corniest saying until it happened to us, too :) he's absolutely the most handsome kid! gonna be knockin' the ladies dead with that smile someday.
Posted by: gleek | May 17, 2008 at 06:05 AM
Beautiful post! What a little charmer Jake is - he looks like a rock star.
Posted by: momo | May 20, 2008 at 11:44 PM
Jakey, you light up our lives, too! You're such a charmer and always give us a giggle. We love our weekly playdates with you and are very impressed with your mobility. You're the best!
Posted by: kirsten | May 23, 2008 at 11:19 PM
woha! he's crawling already? my second daughter is about the same age and is not ready for it. my eldest was the same, i think she crawled at around ten months? they are very much unlike their grandmother and her father: the former walked at 12 months, the latter at ten months. i guess they are more like their mamma: she loves to wait a little and "scope around" (is that how you'd say it?).
people here are very much against jumpers. not me, though i haven'y bought one but i will take out the old walker. ophelia loved it and i'm sure elisabeth will too. :-)
Posted by: stevienixed | June 01, 2008 at 10:08 PM