6 month photo shoot pictures...better late than never!

    I can't believe Jacob is 6 months! Well, now he is closer to seven months, but I took these pictures when he turned six months. I love having a six month old. Jacob is just so stinkin' happy, pretty much all the time! Here are a few things about my 6 month old...

• Jacob can get just about anywhere doing the army crawl 
• He enjoying scooting up to Kita (our dog) and "petting" her
• He has a special squeal for James when he come in from work
• Sweet potatoes are his favorite vegetable and bananas are his favorite fruit
• He has officially lost ALL interest in his baby swing
• Aunt Lisa and Jacob have a special friendship, Jacob loves being around her :)
• Jacob has 3 favorite toys: his diaper wipe box, yellow ducky, and his blue hippo!

              

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for...

my husband

my son

my family

my church

my friends

and holidays, such as Thanksgiving, that bring people together and give us excuses to fix a nice dinner together and take an afternoon nap!

Five months and First Swing!

    I can't believe Jacob is five months. Where has the time gone? I am definitely trying to soak up every special moment with him. A few new things you may or may not already know:

• Jacob has absolutely begun to teeth. No doubt about that one. For some reason his most painful moments occur during the middle of the night. I've probably resembled a zombie these past few days. But, Jacob's smiles and laughs throughout the day make up for it =)
• When put in the sitting position, Jacob can hold himself up for a few seconds! Until he gets distracted (usually by his feet).
• Kita has been warming up to Jacob. She's always been friendly to him, just shy. For the longest time, she wouldn't come near him if someone was holding him. But things have changed over the past few days. When Jacob is playing in his exersaucer or jamp-a-roo, she'll walk up and give him a sniff or two. Today, when Jacob was on the floor, she went up to him and let him reach up and touch her face!

  
    A few days ago, Jacob went swinging for the first time! It was so funny how much he loved it. I put him in the swing and gave him a gentle push and...he started laughing! It was a perfect day outside for the park, too. After the swings, he watched the ducks for the first time...and went out on the dock over the pond for the first time as well. At this point, just about everything is a first!

White Chicken Chilli

    
    Last weekend, we went to a fall chili contest & bonfire put on by James' company. It was a perfect Friday night for a fire...the air was finally starting to feel and smell fall-ish. James and I enjoyed meeting more people from his new job and trying different kinds of chili. And of course Jacob had a great time because it was outside =) 
    Did I say this was a chili contest? Well, let me explain... I like contests, I usually enjoy competition (if I think I have a chance!), I like to win!


     
    


    
    So when I heard there was going to be a chili contest I wanted to come up with something that would catch the attention of the taste tester. I was assuming it would be a man, so I was going to go with something with a kick of flavor and spicy.






    I consulted my older sister, because I LOVE her cooking. No matter what she whips up, it smells good, has LOTS of flavor, and is usually visually appealing. It didn't take long to decide I was going to make a white chicken chili. Every chili cook off I've been to, there are many classic beef chili's. I'm sure the taste of them vary, but I always think they look the same.




    So we came up with a recipe! The ingredients were as follows: seasoned and baked a whole chicken & shredded it, diced tomatoes, great northern beans, chick peas, freshly chopped cilantro, sauteed garlic, onions, and green chilies, chopped jalapenos,black pepper, salt, cumin seasoning, chicken bullion, water, corn starch.




    
    We arrived at the bonfire and found a spot on the table for our chili. To my excitement and surprise, it was the only white chili!  It turned out really great; by far the best chili I have ever made. Lots of flavor with a slight kick. I wasn't as spicy as I had anticipated, but that meant if was enjoyable for everyone, not only the men =P Towards the end of the evening, people were asking about the contest... The man who hosted said the best bowl of chili he had was the bowl that was filled with a combination of all of them. Maybe he didn't want to hurt any ones feelings, and that's okay. People complimented each other on their chili & it was a great evening.   

Yummy, yummy, yummy... Rice in my tummy!

Here we go!

Jacob is 4 1/2 months old now and has been eyeing and reaching for our food for a couple of weeks. This presented a new challenge to me, because Jacob often sits in my lap while we eat. He enjoys his jump-a-roo and his exersaucer, but sometimes he just wants to be a part of what's going on at the table! He would also open his mouth when we would bring a fork full of food to our mouths. I had mixed feelings about this: my baby may be ready to try baby cereal, but this also means my baby is changing and growing so fast =(

What is that?!

    
    So we went to the grocery store and bought a box of baby rice cereal. I probably looked over the selection longer than the average person would. I wanted to make the best decision for my baby. His pediatrician said we could start rice or oatmeal cereal any time and if he didn't like it, wait a month and give it another try.




    Jacob is very determined. He's willing to try hard at everything. Though he cannot crawl yet because he hasn't developed the arm strength, his legs can do the work for him. If he sees a toy he wants while playing on the floor, he'll scoot his legs underneath himself and give it a grunting push. He'll do this over & over again until he reaches what he wants. All the while, his poor little face is rubbing across the floor. Does he mind? Only if he gets too tired in the process; but he's willing to do what it takes. That's my boy!

Yes! I want mooore!

    
    So because Jacob seems to have the "go getter" mentality, I really had no doubts about him accepting the cereal. We got it ready shortly before bedtime & were probably more excited than he was at first. I thinned out the cereal to near milk consistency with breast milk. We gave him his first "bite" and... He seemed to like the taste! 
    The next evening we gave Jacob cereal again. After several bites, he seemed to be getting frustrated and kept reaching for the bowl. So I gave it to him & he drank the cereal! It was adorable. The evening after that, I made his cereal a little thicker. He seems to like it best that way. Our little Jacob is growing up! 
    He has also been teething...mostly at night. Why does it always work that way? So, needless to say, I haven't been getting much sleep. But thanks to Tylenol for infants, he can handle it =) If you looks closely, you can tell his 2 bottom front teeth will be here soon! The gums have changed from really red to almost white-ish. In the light you can see those 2 little teeth are just under the surface!

Leaves are Beginning to Fall

    
    
    Fall season kind of crept on on me this year. I feel like one day I was just wondering when the heat would go away and the next I was driving down a country road and noticed all the leaves were changing into bright yellows, oranges, and reds. It's been perfect outside lately, perfect for taking pictures of Jacob =) He absolutely LOVES to be outside. Crying? Fussy? Unconsolable? Take him outside. The moment we cross the threshold he is calmed. A few days ago he played in his exersaucer on the driveway. Today he was happy just laying on his blanket while chewing on his favorite book. Kita joined us!