New photos

Jake -

 Some new photos (and some old photos) have been uploaded to flickr.  Here are a couple of my favorites:





Love,
Dad

Espresso with your milk?

Jacob,
Well it has been a fun evening after a restful afternoon.

We had dinner with Dave, Lucy and Anna Slotnick. The Slotnicks are expecting a baby boy in a few months, so they enjoyed getting to meet you and hold you.

After dinner the three of us went to a local coffee shop. Your mom had a latte, I got a pretty gross espresso, and you enjoyed a bottle of cold milk (sorry!).

We love hanging out with you!
Dad

Jake's Video Debut

Hey Jake,

I got a new digital camera last night and I tried out the video on you. Check it out - there is a nice plot twist at the end :)

Love,
Mom

Friday night at Fralos

Hey Jake,

Tonight we introduced you to our favorite pizza place on earth. It's called Fralos, and the have great outdoor seating under huge Texas live oaks strewn with light bulb strands.

We brought our own bottle of wine, and you watched some big kids play while your mom held you and ate a delecious tortillini pasta dish.

Cya Wiggleworm,
Dad

Teddy bear

Jake,

You sure do love the teddy bear that Jen sent you. Today I set it beside you and when I looked back you were hugging it.

Mom

Big boy

Jake,

I can't believe how fast you are growing! You are already over 1 month old. It seems like every day you are learning more and like your dad said in the previous post you have started smiling at us which we love!! Last night you slept for almost 6 straight hours in your own room. After you woke up at 6 am I brought you back into our room because it was a little stressful and sad for me that you are already so independent :). It sure was great to get the sleep though.

Love,
mom

Monkey

Jacob,
Well it's a big night for you: you graduate from a bassinet to a crib tonight. You're decked out in your monkey PJs and you are being quite talkative about the whole thing.

So this means that your mom and I trade one kind of sleepless night for another, I bet.

Also, I don't know if Ginger already blogged about it, but the other day you came home after not seeing me for a night, and when you saw me you got a big smile on your face. Probably the 2nd coolest farherhood moment yet. The first was taking you to meet your mom for the first time after getting cleaned up at in the delivery room.

Love,
Dad

Prison stripes

Beach baby

Hey Jake,
We're at the beach and all you've been doing is eating and pooping. This morning you came to wake me up but then you fell asleep on my pillow, I guess we both stayed up to late last night. Well I guess I'll talk to you later Love your aunt Sam

Aunt Cathy

Dear Jake,

Your aunt Cathy came to meet you today and she brought you this seasons hottest accessories- sunglasses and a monogrammed bib. The sunglasses will be perfect for the beach tomorrow.

Love,
mom

Bath time

Jake,
Now that your umbilical cord has fallen off you've had two baths. Arguably not enough baths for someone who poops and pees on himself several times a day. ;)
Dad

Hot evening

Jake,
3 weeks of life, 4 trips to the mall.

Dad

Sushi Zushi

Jacob,
What an eventful day!

Magah's visit sadly came to an end this morning. She has to head back to Denver for her last year of full time teaching: very exciting!

It was also eventful because Rackspace, the company I work for, IPO'd on Wallstreet.

Your parents and their friends have a lot to celebrate so we all went out to dinner. Your mom passed her step 2 exam for medical school, uncle Jay finished a semester of graduate school, uncle Vidya moved to San Antonio, uncle Brian finished his MBA, and your friend Devon starts the third grade soon. We had fantastic sushi and champange and now we are playing a game of mario cart before bed. See you tomorrow.

Love,
Dad

More visitors

Hey Jake,
Wednesday night mom's friend Rebecca and her husband John came over to meet you. They brought you some toys and a cute outfit! Everyone thinks you are so cute and sweet!

Love you,
mom

Last Weekend

Hey Jacob,

While you are sleeping in your swing I wanted to post a quick update of the past weekend. Friday night we took you and Magah to First Friday which is a monthly event in San Antonio where local vendors come out and line the streets downtown selling art and jewelry. Ben bought a sign for his car for you that says "Baby for Obama on Board." Saturday Magah and I went to get manicures/pedicures while you stayed home with your dad and then we all met up and did some shopping. That evening Jennelle and Greg came to visit you and spoil you with presents. Sunday we spent the day working on your nursery and putting your swing together. Here is the link to the rest of the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/benvolio/ We are enjoying every second with you!

Love,
Mom

Dr visit

Jacob,
We still need to catch up on all the fun stuff you've been up to with Magah, but I thought i'd post to say you're at the doc for a checkup. You're now weighing 9lbs 8oz, 22in long.

Dad

Lazy baby, lazy parents

Jake
We have had a great past few days but we have been too lazy to blog about all of our adventures. Until we get to it here are a few pics. Aunt Sam and uncle Jay got to meet you finally and Jennelle and Greg came by too but we need to upload the pictures.
Love,
mom

You say poTAYto and I say poTAHto

Dear Jake (Jacob, Love Bug, Cutiepie, etc),
When your cousin Alexis was about a year and a half old, I moved to Denver and -- happiness! -- got to see her much more often than when I lived in Texas.  Because she was very articulate for her age, she was already talking a lot -- in sentences.  But, since she was so little, she was still learning how to pronounce some of what she said.  When I spoke of myself to her as "Grandma," she responded by leaving out the R completely and then, like many little children, inverting the order of the G and the M.  Lots of little ones get the consonants out of order (so they say, for example, Pasghetti, instead of Spaghetti).  So, instead of "Grandma," I became "Maga," though, since Alex said it in a way that rhymed it with Rajah, I began to spell it "Magah." 

As Alex and her sisters Haley and Katie got older, their friends didn't know whom they were talking about when they said things like, "I'm going to Magah's house."  So, they began to call me "Grandma Susan," to go with their other Grandma, "Grandma Jo."  Then, it shortened to "Susan".  However, I still love the memory of those sweet little voices calling "Magah," and it is -- to me -- an incredibly dear, sweet name. However, no matter what you call me, I'll always be thrilled to hear your voice.  We'll talk about everything.  It will be so wonderful to hear your own sweet voice tell me about all your wonderful adventures! 

Right now, it's a thrill to hear your incredibly wide vocabulary of grunts, sighs, gurgles, clicks, coos, and songs.  Love you!

Magah, Susan, Grandma, Ben's Mom

Great dinner

Jacob,
We're having so much fun with your Magah here that it is hard to find time to blog about it. Since we are all pretty tired tonight, I'll catch you up on yesterday for now, then post more tomorrow.

Yesterday we took your Magah to lunch at a great little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. This place serves something called Empanadas, and according to Texas Monthly, these particular empanadas are food you must have before you die. (you didn't get to eat any so we'll have to take you back later.)

Afterward we went to Barnes and Nobel, the grocery store and Blockbuster. All told it was a very full afternoon.

But yesterday pales in comparison to today. More on that tomorrow, and as a bonus: the origin of the word Magah.
Dad