Jake's Love Interest

Sorry ladies, but Jake's heart belongs to someone else. She's fun to look at, easy to handle, has a cute squeaky voice, and her rosy cheeks are irresistible. And she's French, to boot! Simply seeing her picture makes Jake's heart race. 

It's safe to say that Jakey est dans l'amour avec Sophie.

 
Oh and did I mention she's delicious?

Jake chews on every part of his little giraffe, but the bum is his favorite because that's where the squeaker is. Our little Cub loves to make it squeak with every little bite. It reminds us of this scene from Madagascar when Alex the Lion bites his buddy Marty in the bum:

Ah, good times. And a happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Jakey in January

Oh, hey! Here are even more pictures of Baby Jake in January. Bet you didn't see that one coming.

Last month, Jake turned 4 months old on the 7th:

He's a rather talkative little guy.

Jake prefers standing to any other position, and loves his jumping toy that facilitates such things.

Rolling over is also super fun. Although he'd done it before, he started consistently rolling over both ways on demand on his four-month birthday.

Jake loves his toys more and more, but his favorite toy is still his dad.

Sleep was a bit more scarce in January (the holidays threw him off in a major way). The pictures below made me laugh because one minute, I left Matt and Jake asleep on the couch and the next, came back to find Jake awake, arching his back and smiling at his still-sleeping dad like, "What's next?"

We don't leave him unattended on the couch. Promise.

Stretching is still a vital part of his little life.

And he's pretty good at just chillin', too.

Dinner with the A-listers

This one time, Matt and I scored an invitation to be seat fillers at the 17th Annual Critics' Choice Awards. So we got our first babysitter, dusted off our fancy clothes, and enjoyed a gourmet dinner with Hollywood's A-listers. True story.

The awards show was held at The Palladium on Sunset Boulevard, and the guest list included faces that even I am familiar with.

At one point in the night, Matt and I were just a few feet away from George Clooney. When he walked away, Matt whispered to me, "That is one handsome devil." Haha. That Meryl Streep also ages quite well, we learned. She was beautiful in person.

Our arrival was slightly less glamorous than the celebrities', but you know. Matt looked more dashingly handsome than anyone on the red carpet anyway. As for myself, I was just thrilled to have an excuse to wear this dress again and relieved I was able to make it out the door on time. Turns out, it is quite the challenge to get ready for a formal affair with a baby in tow! Putting your hair in an updo while wearing your baby in a Bjorn is particularly difficult. Go figure. And let's just pretend I had time to properly iron the ruffles, mmmK?

The entrance was lined with posters from all the movies nominated for Best Picture.

(PS- cameras weren't allowed, so you'll have to excuse all the cell phone pictures.)

We were given a little sneak peek at the seating chart. Each movie had its own table for its nominees and as seat fillers, we were curious to find out where we would be for the night. I ended up at the Midnight in Paris table, two seats away from Owen Wilson's name card (too bad he had to leave after presenting). Matt ended up at The Artist table, approximately 12 inches away from Meryl Streep. The Help and The Muppets tables were also our neighbors, along with Michelle Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio and the like.

Taking our seats:

Matt took a quick picture during a commercial break. Commercials are rather fascinating things. Everyone gets up and makes their rounds, socializing as much as humanly possible in that short period of time before the lights start flashing to return to your seats. This leaves little time to actually eat one's dinner since, as we were politely informed, commercials are obviously the only time you can pick up your fork. (Imagine if the camera caught you chewing! The horror!)

Speaking of dinner, it was to-die-for amazing. It consisted of filet mignon and salmon and other things I can't pronounce, and it was all delicious. And the company was lovely, as the producers at my table were all so gracious. One kindly poured me a glass of the very-expensive-I'm-sure champagne and good-naturedly declared he would be offended if I didn't drink it. I laughed and told him he would surely be disappointed then, because I don't drink alcohol. He was shocked to say the least, but was appeased when I indulged in dessert. As if I could ever say no to sugar.

Both Matt and my tables won awards, and it was fun to cheer for our tablemates. The Artist actors were especially excited about their wins, whistling, taking pictures, and recording everything on their phones. Those cute French, didn't they know the whole thing was on TV?

Oh, and speaking of TV, here's a quick screenshot just for kicks and giggles.
Me, Matt and Meryl. No big deal.

It was such a fun night! Not too shabby for our first post-baby date, eh?

Take me there

You know that Rascal Flatts song? The one where he wants his lady to show him all the major places from her past? Well, I'm not a big fan of Rascal Flatts -- his overplayed voice just sort of bugs me sometimes -- but I couldn't help but play that song in my head as Matt, Jake and I drove up the 99 over Martin Luther King weekend. I was finally introducing him to all the major people and places from where I grew up in Northern California, and I was so excited.

Once we were there, I kept kicking myself for not doing it sooner. It was so great to see so many old friends and bring two of my worlds together in a sense. Matt clicked well with everyone, Jake was an angel, and the weekend was perfect -- albeit too short. As we were driving home, Matt told me what a wonderful time he had, how much he liked my friends, and how cool it was to have all my old stories come to life by being where it happened, with the great people he'd heard so much about. "I feel like I get you more now," he said. It was so sweet.

Highlights included:

*Lunch at Pluto's with my old BFF Christina and cheer friend Kelley.

*Stopping by my dad's old work, where we once spent many happy days.

*Staying with my old babysitting family, the Eppersons. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love them.

*Giving Matt a grand driving tour that included my old schools, my first job, my favorite park, and our old home.

*Brunch at Crepeville with my cheer friend Tiffany and her awesome boyfriend Rich.

*A happy night with the Marbles and an afternoon chat with the Mathiesens.

*Starbucks hot chocolate runs with my PE buddy Christy and her husband Tyler, and with my cheer friend Sydnie and her sweet baby Marshall.

Hopefully we can make it back soon!

A baby Cougar

It's official: Jake's a Cougar fan.

We took Jake to his first basketball game when BYU came to Southern California to play Pepperdine. As we drove along the coastline to the campus in Malibu, I became increasingly convinced that I went to the wrong university. I mean, check out this view from the Pepperdine parking lot. The parking lot, people! Gorgeous. Someday when I'm a millionaire, remind me to move to Malibu.

We finally pried ourselves away from the ocean view and into the fieldhouse to cheer on my alma mater.

Jake wasn't quite sure about all the commotion at the beginning, but he warmed up to the excitement soon enough.

Despite a rocky first half, the Cougs finally pulled ahead, and Jake was pleased as punch with the final score. (I guess I chose the right university, after all.)

Cheering sure wears a baby out, though! He slept the whole way home.