Let's Get It Started

The gift-giving started tonight in the White House.

Since we are traveling this week we decided to let Jake open his presents from us a little early. 

No use hauling them to kingdom come and back...right?

So here's the first-look at the first presents of the season.

Merry Christmas!!

  By the way... I had no idea Dave's hair would be so popular. He took everybody's wise advice and  finally got it cut!! 

I need your vote

So, the discussion around the White House for a while has been about David's hair.

 I've been "asking" him for at least a month when he's gonna  get it cut.

 The answer: Today.  Tomorrow. This Week.

 Well...folks at least 30 tomorrows have come and gone and still no scissors, razor or guard of any number has touched his locks.

 The hair has become such a site that it's even been a discussion at the Predators.

His boss says leave it.   The Preds'  color analyst Terry Crisp says "get a haircut kid."  Even one of the Predator players was overheard on the plane during a recent road trip saying: "What's up with that White guy? Who does he think he is?" (you have to read that last statement in your best broken english accent)  I think that means he dosen't like it.

 So my question to you? Should the long locks stay... or should they go.

Here's Dave now:

And here he is with shorter hair:

I was all for him getting it cut... then I saw George Clooney in "Leatherheads" and his hair kinda reminded me of Dave's .. and oh...I don't know... I now kinda like it long.

Jacob And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

Here's that Christmas tree picture I promised.  Yeah, I know you can't see the tree but that's what makes it funny.

  I feel like I moving in slow motion back to normal. 

 We've been down folks.

 Way down.

Last week Jake had eight appointments in four days. EIGHT!!!

To top it off he got a double ear infection. Our first and if  I get to choose our last.

I will not bore you with all the appointment talk. Just know that everything is going well and what he's suppose to do ...he can... just won't. Jake does things when Jake wants. (Like most kids I assume)

The biggest highlight from last week. He got his tongue clipped.  I don't recommend it but my little boy is still not chewing at 13 months so hopefully this will help.

We found an oral surgeon who had a tiny little laser. 

Ever wonder how you hold a one year old still for a laser?

The answer: with tears and force. 

That was Thursday... my parents came over since Dave was busy producing the game that night.

Thursday night I traveled three hours back to my hometown..

Little did  I know it would be a weekend from THE SWAMP. ( my version of ..well you know..h-e-double hockey sticks) 

Jake slept little the next three days....cried a lot... and ran a fever. Dave was away with the team and my dog and his little friend barked constantly.

So you see I happy to say...Normal is nice and slowly coming back.

I do have one last request. As you pray for Jake's heart....also pray for my Ganny's.

She is having heart surgery in the morning.  I love her. Lots.

WHEW!!! ANOTHER ONE THROUGH!!

We started this rainy/snowy Monday morning at the worst place I know... the heart doctor's office.

 It's a totally nice place with people I now know pretty well... but I hate going there.

 So Jake got his 2 month check-up this morning and once again everything is staying the same.

 YEAH!! It's a bittersweet yeah.

The doctor told as again that at some point he's gonna have to have surgery. And today she threw us a little curve ball. She wanted to begin the conversation about a surgeon. Which let me tell you is very scary. But the good news is God ALWAYS gives me a peace that surpasses all understanding and I talk to her about it like it's nothing. There are never any tears or panic or the lack of thoughts. 

  So back to the surgeon chat. Long story short... the plan now is to go out of state. We're talking Ann Arbor Michigan, Boston or Philadelphia. 

 Now.. don't let me mislead you... this could be years away. Or not.

So continuing praying that my little boy's ticker keeps goin' strong. That God works a miracle.

But we are also praying for the right hands to perform the work that needs to be done.

Please pray for Dave and I to accept God's plan for our little boy. HIS plan IS perfect. It just may not be mine.

 So...let's change the subject and have a little fun. Tonight my man and I are gonna have a good time...(no, not that way..sorry mom I know your saying all three of my names right now out of embarrassesment)  

We're gonna put up our Christmas tree. 

Stay tuned... pictures are soon to follow.

 

Gotta go

 Can't stay long... I gotta go to Grandma's house.

 My mom's been busy packing and cleaning and just being busy.

But this is where I stay...

yep in the doorway. Cause you see I'm ready to go see my Gammy, Pops, Grandma and PawPaw..not to mention my Aunt Meg.

Oh wait...I need to go get something.

I needed to get my doggy Riley. I love him so much. He's still getting used to me but we make it work. 

I wish all of you a great Thanksgiving.  I may actually get some mashed potatoes this year.

By the way, keep me in your prayers.  I go back to the heart doctor on Monday.

Love you all,

  Jacob

Your Reading What???

Forget Dr. Seuss and nursery rhymes, my boy is moving up to the classics.

Yep, he found Mama's book.

So here's a question. Is Steinbeck too much for a one year-old?

Team Jacob

So we're about a week away from the big eating day.

This time next week I'll be in my parents cozy den. A fire will be going in the fireplace and we'll all be burning up...except for my mom. 

I can't wait!!

 So, since it's that time of year... let me introduce you to some people I'm extremely thankful for.

First, meet Miss Sandra.

She is Jake's Physical Therapist. She's good...real good. She loves my little boy so much.

She's the one who got him to crawl and is now workin' on the  walkin'.

Right now we see her twice a week.

Second, meet Miss Brooke.
She does Jake's Occupational therapy every week.

She's had him in ball pits, tubs filled with beans, and even a laundry basket. She's got the hard task of getting him to clap, point, pull and poke.

Third, meet Miss Yolonda.

Doesn't she just ooze kindness?

 She's is Jake's TEIS services coordinator.

She's the one I call anytime I have problems or questions. 

There's one more person I want you to meet on Team Jake. Since I didn't get her picture today... I'll save  the introduction for later. It truly is best...because she's extra-special.

So..that's Jake's "A" team. The Lord has blessed both Jake and I by putting them in our lives.

Snip-It

We've reached another milestone this week.

Today Jakey got his first haircut.

So here's the before:

During:

  A few whines and fussin' but I gave him my keys and he was fine.

Then...tah-dah.

After:

New Things

So Jakey's been doing a lot of new things lately.

Here's one of them:

He just loves to sleep on his tummy with his knees underneath him. 

It's adorable to see...but not so cute to live with. 

He tends to wake himself up trying to get comfortable and since we can't let him cry...it's kinda hard.

Another change... we've said bye-bye to the bottle.

I now have a sippy-cup boy. (This I LOVE!!)

And speaking of bye-bye. My boy has actually started waving and saying something that kinda resembles Hi!

He continues to turn my world... well you know.

UPSIDE DOWN!!!

Light It Up!!

    No...not a smoke...but the Christmas lights at the Opryland Hotel. ( At work the hotel always made us refer to them as the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort...I feel like a rebel not doing that now.)

 I called Dave yesterday afternoon and told him I was picking him up from work and we were headed out to see the lighting ceremony.  The only problem...traffic was horrible...Jake was crying for some milk and of course we had to park a mile away.

 So..... we missed the ceremony but started a new family tradition.

Our camera was acting funky so look past the haze.

A Little Laugh

 

It's been a crazy week around here. 

Jake had three appointments Tuesday. He went for his one year check-up, went to therapy and then to Vanderbilt for a feeding appointment.

Everything went well. He weighed in at a whopping 26 pounds and is 31 and a half inches tall.

He's getting better with learning to chew but it's just gonna take time.

So after running around for eight hours we got home exhausted... and then it all went down hill.

 Jake had a horrible night...woke up crying 5 times...had a hard time sleeping and woke up this morning with snot running down his face. He's sick. Running a fever and just grouchy.

I know it's probably the shots...but it's just no fun for him. He got approved for that RSV shot and I think that's the one that made him sick.

So with all this going on... God knew I need a little laugh today.

 Here's how HE did it:

 This morning the doorbell rings. I roll my eyes because it caused my dog to go crazy and I was in no shape to answer the door. I go anyway thinking it's my friend that didn't my message not to drop by. Instead, it's a neighborhood lady who informs me I've won yard of the month for my neighborhood. ME!!! YARD OF THE MONTH!!

Just picture it- me standing there with my curly hair still in it's morning glory, Jake with breakfast on his shirt and snot running down his nose accepting the award.

Now ya'll this is funny. We just mowed our yard after about two weeks of nothin'.  Just four or so months ago we got in trouble for our grass being too high. (It was right after Jake's diagnosis and we just shut down for a while)

 So here's my acceptance speech. 

"Thank you weeds for staying under control this weekend. Thank you Dad for mowing my yard Saturday while I ran from Madison to Murfreesboro to Nashville...and buying my$25 mulch and my 79 cent pansies that were on clearance at Lowe's.

You made this all possible. You are the wind beneath my wings."

 

Dad and I laughed till there were tears in our eyes when I called him today.

So you see this thought of me...the yard of the month winner has made me laugh even while my child sniffles and my dog barks. 

You know if God can allow me to win Yard of the Month... He truly can do anything.

(sorry no pictures of my awesome yard today)

Jacob's Big Birthday Show

 Dave just sent this too me. 

 It's the video we put together for his party.

 Hope you enjoy our look back.

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY

 NAKED TIME!!! 

Here He Is...

For Halloween, Jakey was  the cutest clown I've ever seen... I know you agree.

Seriously...he's cute..i mean make-my-heart-melt-buy-you-what-ever-you-want-cute.

We drove him around the neighborhood in his little car.

I think he enjoyed that more then anything.

 I enjoyed his candy.

Earlier in the day his Aunt Megan (the greatest in the world) brought him a present. In Aunt Megan's world, there's always a reason for a present. This summer he even got an Olympic's gift. Yes, it was sports theme... and yes it was awesome.

 Yesterday.. the package was covered with frankenstein. 

Hope you all had a great night. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Thought I'd mainly let the pictures do the talking for this one.

I love you Jakey... just the way you are. 

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

Oh What Fun...

 Jake got handed two free go-to-bed-late cards this week.

Tuesday and Wednesday evening we met Dave at his work to spend time on a special project.

We edited a little video to show at his party this weekend.

Jake was a hoot crawling around Dave's office.

 
He had the run of the place.

Jake was actually very good.

We contained him in Dave's edit bay.

And since all he wants to do now is pull-up....I just showed him my chair and he was a happy camper.

  I'm not some ultra-creative person. But it I enjoyed being back in a bay looking at video and coming up with a plan.  I don't want to do it 40 hours a week anymore but it was a nice blast from the past.  And guess what... it's my favorite project I've worked on so far.

 

WHAT???

Hold on to your knickers... my little boy is turning ONE!!! 

Saturday is the big day. 

Sunday is the big party.

 On Monday we had some pictures made and they turned out adorable.

Our photographer has posted some on her blog. 

Check it out.  Mandy Johnson Photography » Online journal for Mandy Johnson Photography

Ok so here's another shocker. 

I made Jake's party invitation.  Of course I had help from my craft sensei. (you know like Mr Miyagi but creative)

Now I am not a crafter. I try but bless my little heart all my craft sensei does is snicker.

So, here they are. Simple but cute.

Happily Every After

DAAH-Dat-dee-DAHH...Daahh-dat-dee-Daah.

OK at first it may not make much sense...but go back over it with the wedding march in mind.

Dave and I spent this past weekend on the Ocoee River.

 No, I didn't go white water rafting... I'm not that brave.

Instead we attended a wedding.

 Dave's younger brother is now a married man.

The wedding was held at a place called Welcome Valley Village.  You can rent the entire property ...which includes five cabins and a pavillion right on the river. It was absolutely beautiful.

Here's my favorite picture from the weekend.

Dosen't it just make you cry.

 My mother-in-law loves her boys with a passion and it shows.

Welcome to the family ML!!

Here's the new gang.

Scrub A Dub Dub...

  Look at my cutie in the tub.

Shop or Fish?

Hmmm...wonder which one I did this weekend.

While Dave-o was out camping and fishing with "the boys" I left Jacob with my parents and Meg and I headed to Atlanta for a marathon shopping day.

We hit an outlet mall...IKEA and Atlantic Station all in one day.

That was Saturday. Sunday was church, lunch with Dave's parents and then...a little fall fun.

Since we were in good' ole Rhea county we headed up the mountain to Wooden's Apple Farm.

Pops  wanted to buy Jake his first pumpkin.

 I've got better pictures but due to another missing cable...I can't get to them just yet. I'll post them as soon as I can.

  I do have pictures from Dave's camping trip. My fly fisherman was on cloud nine Sunday. He had such a good time that he was still smiling Monday night.

Oh look...here's my cute fisherman now.

Here's one of the many trout he caught...

And this is what he did with them.

So real quick....let me tell you about this week for Jake.

 Monday he had a feeding assessment at Vanderbilt. He's eleven months and still can not eat a puff, a cheerio or cracker. 

 The feeding specialist believes he just hasn't figured out how to chew.

 Did you know chewing is not instinctual? She gave us homework and we go back in a month.

Today he has a visit by his early intervention teacher, therapy and a consult with a oral surgeon to fix his tongue. (since he's tongue tied.. something the feeding specialist says is affecting his eating)

Wednesday and Thursday he has therapy and then we're getting ready to go out of town for a while.

 This little boy keeps a full calendar. 

 

Are you sure it's not Friday yet?