The Other Side

As Jace grows he continues to develop his own little personality. Much of the time he is a pretty happy baby--there are times however when he lets his disgust be known. Looking back at pictures revealed to us that many of you (although some have) probably haven't seen Jace's disgusted side. Much of the time--to his dismay I'm sure--his disgusted side makes mommy and daddy laugh. For example, he has discovered that sticking his bottom lip out usually gets him whatever he needs. If, for some reason it doesn't work, he moves on to the full on cry.

Jace also sports a disgusted/concentration face while filling his diaper. Although this has been done many, many, MANY times in his 12 weeks of life, it continues to be an activity which requires thought and concentration.

Of course the bath brings out Jace's mad side at times. He actually really enjoys the water but does not appreciate being cold and flips the switch to 'unhappy Jace' as soon as mommy stops pouring the warm water on him.

We love Jace mad, happy and everything in between--and actually the mad times are sometimes more entertaining--but happy Jace does take great pics!!

Jace's weekend

This was a busy weekend for Jace! On Saturday he got to visit Bluff Lake for the first time. For those who have never heard of Bluff Lake--don't worry about figuring out what it is because you will never find it anyway! Daddy's family likes to frequent Bluff Lake--a restaurant basically in the middle of nowhere. They have great food though and Jace very much enjoyed himself. He was able to see his grandma and his great grandma, as well as his great aunt and uncle. Because we had to wait for a table, Jace also had his first bar experience with Daddy while we waited. You can see that Jace and Daddy even shared a drink.


Jace really liked his Aunt Darcy and gave her many smiles and giggles. His Great Grandma Austin and his Uncle Keith are watching him in the background.

Jace's Grandma Cook must have been too boring because he fell asleep while we were eating. You can't see her drinks in the picture but they were not nearly the size of Grandma Fraune's when we were in FM!!

Sunday was a great day! It was warm and sunny and Jace made the most of it. He was able to go over to Aunt Erin's and visit her and her friends. He also got to go shopping with Mommy which he actually loved (yay for mommy!). Jace got to spend much of the afternoon outside walking and hanging out in the garage with Daddy and Ozzy. By the time he came inside he was one pooped out baby. He was able to hang out in his diaper for a while and then put on his brand new shorts.
He really is happy in the pic---just yawning from the busy weekend.

Big, bigger, biggest

As our little man approaches 3 months we are amazed at the changes we have seen in such a short time. Jace has gone from a tiny baby to a little man with a personality. He seems to have changed a little more each morning when we get him out of his crib. Each day gets better and better as he learns new things and interacts more with us. Looking back in the short time he has been here shows incredible changes and we thought it was pretty cool to compare the beginning of January to now, the end of March.


Going home from the hospital





2 weeks






2 months






2 1/2 months

Back to Work!!

It has been Mommy's first week back at work and it has been an adjustment for everyone. Our little genius knew we'd be getting up earlier and slept 9 hours one night and almost 10 another!! However, being a little genius, he also realized daycare was not home and he decided not to eat there. Luckily that was short-lived--as we knew it would be since he has never refused food before!! Dropping him off was difficult at first. It was a good thing Mommy had a little drive to work to let the tears out---hers not Jace's. Jace gets to go home around 12:30 every day and spend the afternoon with Daddy. Although this has all been a little confusing for Jace, he really likes this time with Daddy. Mommy also appreciates it because Jace doesn't have to be in daycare all day long. Mommy was glad to get back to work and see all of the kids, however, she has started a countdown until summer!!


Off to Daycare!!

Kiss Me, I'm Cute!!

Jace celebrated his first St. Patrick's Day today with Mommy, Grandma Cook, and of course Ozzy. He got to wear his brand new green t-shirt so nobody would pinch him!


Ozzy also had some new duds to wear. He showed them off to all of the neighborhood dogs. In case you can't tell it says--Bark if you're Irish! Ozzy loves when Mommy dresses him up--we think.

Jace also recently received a brand new hat from his Great Grandma Austin and he had the chance to wear it today on his stroller ride. It fit perfectly and kept him warm while Grandma pushed him.

Mommy's last week

It is Mommy's last week off work and luckily it has been a nice one. Jace has very much enjoyed getting outside in his stroller. Mommy even tackled taking Jace in the stroller and Ozzy on the leash at the same time. Ozzy wasn't sure why he had to go so slow but he was a good sport.

Jace also has a new 'talking' game he loves to play. Somebody says ahhhh to him and he will say it back. Of course this new found skill doesn't always come easy. He tries so hard and usually can get some sound out after a few tries. You can see the concentration on his face in the picture!! He rounds his lips and opens his mouth but just can't always coordinate everything to make a sound. Sometimes he even gets mixed up and sucks air in which really sounds funny!!

Of course after all of this playing he needs a good daddy shoulder to sleep on!!

Jace and Mommy go solo

Jace and Mommy made their first trip to Fort Madison alone last weekend! Mommy was a little nervous about the long drive but Jace did awesome and slept the whole way there and back!! Jace had a very eventful weekend and got to do many new things. He got to go on his first stroller ride outside (thanks to being born in Iowa in Jan.). He strolled down by the river with mommy and fabulous Aunt Kay. Jace also visited his Grandma and Grandpa's restaurant--10th Street Station-and got to go behind the scenes. He will be downing the cheeserites soon! Jace also got to go to his very first birthday party. He had a good time and got to play with his cousins. It was his cousin Emma's 3rd birthday and he loved her! She is making him smile in one of the pics and the other is of Abby--who he also had a good time with. The next pics are of Jace at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He loved Reggie and Reggie loved him. They spent quite a bit of time snuggling. Jace also found Grandma pretty entertaining and loved to share smiles with her. Jace also got to go out to eat with the girls (a.k.a. Grandma, mommy, and fabulous Kay and Debbie). He went shopping with them first and was a little cranky. He finally fell alseep on Grandma and rather than waking him to put him in his car seat, Grandma walked Jace to the restaurant (across the highway). Who is boss here??? Jace has it all figured out!!

2 Months and 5 Bandaids

Jace is officially 2 months old as of Sunday!! He had Grandma Fraune and Aunt Erin here to help him celebrate. The first picture is of him waiting for their arrival. They had a great time and got to see a few smiles and giggles. Today we went to the Dr. for his 2-month checkup. His official stats are 11 lbs and 23 1/2 inches long--not too far from mommy and daddy's estimates. The second picture is of Jace getting his Tylenol from his bottle. Mommy first tried to give it to him by itself and she got it right back in her face!! She was sneaky then and mixed it with a little 'mommy milk' and he got it right down! He had blood drawn and had to be poked in each arm. Then he had 2 shots in his left leg and 1 in his right. He was a trooper though and even laughed a little on the way home. The rest of the pictures are just some new 2-month, big boy pics. The one of Ozzy is just to assure everyone he is still just as spoiled as before--although he doesn't think so!