Jakey-Boy is one month old!

Just home from the hospital!

Jake, furrowed brow. 

Snuggling with Daddy, three days old

Auntie Katie is here!

Lucy loves her baby brother

Baby toes

So tiny! I can't believe how much he has already grown

Marc is a good sport

So sleepy!

Lucy and her puppies

Sean and Jake

Grammie Pam and Grampy Dave got Jake a swing!

So serious!

Special girl! 

Lucy loves her Grandparents. At Portland's Rose Garden.

Grampy Dave with his first grandson

In love!

Jake's first concert!

We had a good time at the show

Lucy danced the night away!

So sleepy!

Happy 4th!

Jake slept through most of the 4th

Little Buddy

Jake is now one month old! It has been a great month of getting to know Jake, having family and friends visit, and adjusting to being a family of four. Jake has begun to smile, which is the best! It is still unpredictable as to when you might catch a smile, but when you get one it is fabulous. He squints his little eyes, coos a little...it is so sweet. He is a good sleeper as newborns go, and usually we get two 3-4 hour stretches of sleep at night. It is great. Like most babies, he loves to nurse! His eyes are grey, but look blue if he is wearing blue...we will see what they do over time. When he was three weeks old a birthmark showed up on his left shin! I guess birthmarks can appear anytime in the first month. He has grown a lot...it is hard to believe how big he has already gotten. He loves to snuggle and be held in the daytime.  He is a happy and healthy baby boy!

Lucy is adjusting and is a fantastic big sister. She likes to help change his diaper, get his clothes on, and will tell me "Mom, he's doing his lips, he needs Momma's nummies." This means he is rooting, and needs to nurse. She helps with his baths as well. She sometimes spontaneously comes up and squeezes his chubby cheeks, and gives him kisses. She loves taking care of her babies just like I take care of Jake. She has "nursed" her baby, changes their diapers, puts them in their jammies, and even wears them in a sling. A few days after we got back from the hospital she put her baby doll crib next to her bed, just like Jake's bassinet is next to my bed. My hormones were going and it made me cry, knowing that she still identifies with me. It has been hard at times as I am so busy with the baby, and she understands to a point, but I also know she has probably felt let down by me as well. Lucy has needed lots of extra attention from Marc and I, but she is starting to settle into our new normal. She is still really into doing artwork, and her favorite thing at the moment is cutting pictures out of magazines and using them in collages and cards. She adds stickers and paint...some of her creations are really quite cool. Before the baby, she had found a picture of a pregnant Mom and daughter which she cut out, and after the baby she started cutting out all sorts of pictures of babies. It's pretty cute. Lucy often says, "I love you really much." Lucy, we love you really much!

My sister Katie came to town for a bit, as did my parents. We were happy for their help, and so glad to introduce them to Jake. Lots of friends have come to visit, and we have spent a ton of time out at the farm. Rose and Robin's second son Sean was born 4 days after Jake. It is so exciting having a friend with a newborn at the same time. Lucy and Evan's birthdays are 4 days apart as well (plus a year)...it is clear that our families are connected! We took Jake to his first concert at the Oregon Zoo, and appropriately it was to see Jake Shimabukuro, his ukulele playing namesake. Leo Kottke played as well. Several of our friends came and we all enjoyed the show. Summer is in full swing here in Oregon, and although we aren't quite able to do all of the things we generally do in summer, we are loving getting to spend time with our little Jakey-Boy. We are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy family, and so lucky to have each other.