So Expressive

Pouty Face
"Mama's Crooked Smile" Face
Smiley Face
I love my granddads' pictures!
"Changing Table Face"
After my last post, I realized that I haven't been a very good mama and taken many pics of Jake lately, so...I whipped out the camera and caught him making all these cute faces. His favorite place lately is his changing table; he is all smiles when you put him on it. I haven't figured out if he just really enjoys getting his diaper changed or if he just really enjoys looking at the football pictures above his head. He especially loves the one of Tyson's dad as you can tell from the pictures.

Slow week

Jake checking out the toilet during the tornado
Lunch time at the UAB Football Office
Tummy-time turned in to nap-time
This week has been a very slow week, but I am trying to enjoy every minute of it since I start back to work next weekend. Also, it has been so cold here that we have only gotten out when necessary. In fact, the only time we really got out was Tuesday when I had to go to the hospital here in Birmingham to finish up some paperwork. Tyson was sweet enough to keep Jake at his office again while I ran around. Apparently, the UAB football office has turned into Daddy Day Care during lunch, but I don't think the guys mind it that much. Well...when I came to pick up Jake, I met Coach Barlow at Tyson's door and was greeted with a hug and a "thank god you're here" look. Tyson had laid down a blanket on that nasty floor, put my child to sleep on it, closed the door, and met with his players across the hall. Jake was good and slept for a while, but then he woke up hungry in a strange place and a huge cry errupted. According to Tyson, he and Coach Barlow rushed into his office and tag-teamed Jake while Tyson got the bottle ready. Oh what a site that would have been! Tyson really is cute with Jake at his office; he is so proud and shows him off to everyone (even the players)! Did I mention how exhausted we were that day? We were awaken that night to the tornado sirens at 3:30 am! I'm not one to get freaked out by tornados, but after living in this town, I am now. The whole town of Birmingham shuts down (no joke) at the mention of a tornado! Being a new mom, I did the right thing and moved Jake into the bathroom. The warnings didn't last that long, so Tyson went on in to work and I ended up staying up the rest of the night scared out of my mind. I am glad it is all over!

Smilin' up a Storm

I love my new formula!
Hey Mom, can you see my tonsils?
My mommy and my doctor are really smart people
But my daddy is my favorite!
Can someone please change my diaper?
Jake had been unusually fussy for the past 2 weeks. After racking my brain (and consulting my brilliant pediatrician), I finally figured out it must be his formula. You see, I have started weaning him off breastmilk since I am about to go back to work; thus, he has been getting more formula. Apparently, Jake has a little problem with lactose (just like his daddy). All it took was a little lactose-reduced formula, and our problem has been fixed. Thank you Jesus! I thought I was going crazy (well, crazier than normal according to Tyson). He has been all smiles ever since. My sweet baby is back to normal! These are pictures from this weekend when he would not stop smiling (except for the last 2 pictures when he was "concentrating really hard" if you know what I mean).

Lazy Day

My two boys
Greasy Jake and Greasy Mommy
Those are Tyson's hairy legs...not mine!
Today was a cold day in Birmingham, so we were lazy and stayed in bed for a good part of the morning. After Jake woke up for his 9 am feeding, I went and got him out of his crib and put him in bed with us. He was so cute; he just stared up at our fan and cooed and talked to it for almost an hour! The boy loves a ceiling fan! Who needs toys and mobiles anyway? After that, we did manage to have a productive rest of the day. We ventured out to the Galleria (which is "the mall of Alabama")...big mistake to go on a cold Saturday! We survived until hour 5 hit, and Jake had had enough. So that is it for us. We are trying to make the most of our weekends together because spring practice starts soon for Tyson and I will be going back to work soon also. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

2 Month Checkup

Dr. Dudgeon (the best pediatrician in the

world...except for the fact that he is an Alabama fan)

Gettin' ready for the shots!

Nurse Jessica

Jake had his 2 month checkup today even though he is not quite 7 weeks old. I was extremely impressed with how well he handled the 4 shots; he cried as he was getting them, but then he acted like it wasn't a big deal afterwords. In fact, he smiled as we were leaving! I hope this is a sign that he is going to be tough! I have to admit, I was extremely impressed with how well I handled it, too. Since I did work at this doctor's office for a couple of months when we first moved to Birmingham, I knew how it all worked. I was worried about how I would handle seeing my baby hurt (even though I stick other people's kids all the time), but I did fine because I didn't look! All I kept thinking was "is this nurse really going this slow or does it just seem this way because this is MY baby!" (I claim to be a fast shot-giver...parents really appreciate it!). All in all, the pediatrician was very satisfied with my big boy. He weighed in at 13 lbs 7 oz (95%) and was 23 1/2 in long (90%). Dr. Dudgeon knows what big football fans we are, and he said Jake was definitely going to be a tackle. While we were there, we got to see one of my best friends, Jessica; Jessica is a fairly new nurse, but she is one of the smartest nurses I have ever met! Thanks for all your advise and wisdom, Jess!

Visit from the Grandparents

Jake loves his Pa-Pa (sounds like Pat-Pat)
Thank goodness for grandma's!
And thank goodness for great-grandparents!
Granddaddy's "Partner"
MaMa working her charm!
After Amy left, my mom and her parents rolled in to town and stayed for a couple of days. Tyson has been really busy (working 15+ hour days) with mat drills and preparing for spring practice, so I really appreciated the help. Plus, I just love spending time with my family, and I know Jake loves it, too. In fact, he slept all day long the first day in my grandmother's arms. It is so sweet to see Jake with his grandmother and great-grandparents. Thanks for coming and for all the help. I miss y'all already and can't wait to see y'all in a couple of weeks. I love y'all!

Amy's visit

Amy and I at Mellow Mushroom
Our friend Zach who lived with us when we first moved to B'ham. He is one of Tyson's best friends, like a brother to me, and like an uncle to Jake.
Too sweet!
This one melts my heart. Do you see how big his smile is?
I love my Aunt Amy!

This weekend really flew by! My sister, Amy, came to visit us this weekend, and we had a great time. As soon as she got here, Jake got so excited he pooped all in his pants. Amy handled it like a pro, though, and she still let me and Tyson leave and go on our date. Jake must have still been really excited because he would not sleep at all while we were gone. In fact, according to Amy, he "screamed bloody murder the whole time." I know that may be hard to believe for those of you who insist my child is an angel, but like I said, I honestly think he was so excited from seeing her, he didn't know how to contain himself. Amy was a huge help...thank you! I hope his constant fussiness and massive poops don't scare you off. We can't wait for you to come back! Love you!

For our dads...

Jake's Room

The collage in Jake's room
Tyson's dad, Andy, playing for the University of Florida
My dad, Frank, posing for the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College
Tyson tackling for the Blue Hose

Since I decorated Jake's room in an airplane motif and not a sports theme like Tyson insisted, Tyson had the brilliant idea to post pics of the men in Jake's life playing ball. With the help of my mom and Tyson's mom, I framed these awesome pics of Tyson, Tyson's dad, and my dad playing football. Since Tyson's dad is no longer with us and since Jake will not ever see my dad or Tyson in that capacity, I think they are a great way for Jake to honor these men. The sign above the pics says "A father's love warms the hearts of his children forever". I have to admit that this was an awesome idea, and Jake already loves it. As soon as we had it up (which is above his changing table), he just stared at all the pics. By the way, I forgot to originally post the link to Jake's photoshow from his birth. Here is the link: http://www.photoshow.com/watch/hP4Wj2eC but be warned- some of the pictures are graphic!

All for Daddy

From macho football player to full-time stroller-pusher
Hangin' out in Jake's Room

Trying to kill time before Aunt Amy gets here!

So when is she coming mom?

I thought these were some cute pics of Tyson and Jake from today. We have been enjoying our weekend and enjoying just having daddy at home. Tyson still manages to sneak away to the office in the wee morning hours, but I can't complain because he does so much when he is at home. For instance, he got up with Jake at 4:15 this morning, fed him, and then went to the office for a couple of hours. He was already back at home by the time we were awake, so I put him to work at home. We have finally been able to do some things around the house that we have been meaning to do for a while but haven't gotten around to (either because I was REALLY pregnant or because of football season). Anyways, we are anxiously awaiting Amy's arrival; I've been telling Jake all week about her coming and he just smiles (that may be gas, though). Tyson and I are especially excited because we get to go on a date all by ourselves!

Happy Valentine's Day

Jake's first Valentine's Day!
Getting ready to go to Daddy's office!

Who put you in those high-waters?

Charlene, Melissa, Jake, and Jen P.

Happy Valentine's Day! Jake spent a good part of his first Valentine's Day at daddy's office while mommy went to the doctor. Tyson said Jake slept most of the time, but judging from the amount of spit-up on Tyson's shirt, that wasn't all he had done! Thanks, Tyson, for babysitting! Sorry your shirt got so messed up! Speaking of babies, congratulations to Mary Beth Smart and Kirby Smart! They welcomed their twins, Julia (4 lb 14 oz) and Weston (4 lb 11 oz), on Feb. 8, 2008. Because they were preemies (34 weeks), they are still in the NICU. It sounds like they are doing well, but please keep them in your prayers. We can't wait to introduce Jake to the Smart twins! In the pictures above, I couldn't resist taking pics of Jake in his overalls. They were the first time that he wore them, and they were cute, but short! Somehow, Tyson and I have produced a really long child that outgrows his clothes quickly! I just hope he keeps growing and is tall like my dad! In the last picture, some of the nurses from my hospital in Alabama (Charlene, Melissa, and Jen P.) came to visit yesterday. We really enjoyed seeing them, and Jake loved all the attention. He fell asleep quickly in their arms! Thanks for visiting and bringing food!

Jake's latest milestones:

• he smiles back at us when we smile at him (and it's not just gas!)
• he can push up with his arms and hold his head up for several minutes
• he swats at the toys in front of him
• he is sleeping for about 6 hours at night!

Another new buddy for Jake

Jake (5 weeks), Ryan (3 weeks), and Brantley (1 week)
Can you believe how big my child is?

Yesterday, Jake and I went with our neighbors Ashley and Ryan to visit our other neighbor Ginger and her brand new baby boy, Brantley. Brantley was born last Monday, Feb. 4, which makes him exactly one month younger than Jake and 2 weeks younger than Ryan. We are so glad Ginger and Brantley are doing so well; Brantley was born a whole month early! We are so excited to have 2 new friends for Jake who are so close in age and distance (3 baby boys in a 4 house radius!). We are going to have a great time! Congrats, Ginger and Ryan!

A 4 Day Weekend

Jill and Jake
Apparently he isn't a big fan of hats with ears (neither was daddy)

Coach Callaway was kind enough to give the guys Thursday, Friday, and the rest of the weekend off, and we enjoyed every minute of it! Well, Tyson called it "Daddy day care weekend"; I just wanted to make sure he knew what it was like to be with a newborn for the WHOLE 24 hours of a day just like I get to experience daily! Surprisingly, he only snuck off twice and he actually came back! We had a great weekend. Friday night, we got together with Coach Friend's family and Coach Zo's family at Zo's house for a Wii party (a nintendo game). I am sad to announce that I forgot my camera because it was the funniest thing you have ever seen. We are gonna have to get a Wii for Jake when he gets older just so his mommy and daddy can play!! Saturday, we had lots of company. My friend Jill came all the way from Athens, and Tyson's friends Zach, Ivey, and Sumner Ellis all came to see baby Jake. We ended up spending Sunday recovering from the busy weekend. Thanks for coming to see us guys...please come back soon!!

UAB Signing Day Press Conference

Tyson introducing his linebacker signees
Our little family
Miriam holding Jake and Kesha introducing Taylor to Jake

Katie with Jake

Presley with Jake

Last night we attended the UAB Signing Day Press Conference. Coach Callaway and the assistant coaches did a great job introducing their signees...until Tyson referred to one of his guys as "this joker." I thought it was funny and totally typical of Tyson. Jake enjoyed his daddy's speech; in fact, he let out a loud burp and then a loud grunt to make sure his presence was known. I think he learned that from his daddy! He wasn't the only one...Presley chose the quietest moment of the night to let a loud "You funny, grandmama!" And Katie kept whispering to me during the speeches "I want to see baby Jake," so I stopped burping and turned him around to show her. She just smiled so sweetly! Gosh, we have the cutest kids on staff! Way to go Tyson and the other UAB coaches!! The press conference turned out to be really nice (and packed too!); it gets better every year! I think we have an awesome signing class! Way to go guys (and wives, too...somebody's got to recruit the mamas!)!