12/28/12
Dear Jake,
Merry Christmas! Although you were a little too young to understand all of the festivities, you sure caught the Christmas spirit and loved every minute. That is except for the one minute that you sat on Santa's lap! You were not very happy about that! You "helped" your Mom and Dad put up a beautiful tree and you were actually pretty good about just looking at it. You danced to all the Christmas carols and you were proud to tell everyone that Santa says, "Ho, Ho, Ho! "
Every morning when you wake up you always seem surprised that all of your toys are still there. So on Christmas morning you sure were surprised that more toys had appeared. You loved every one of them but the apple that Santa placed in your stocking was worth taking a break to eat!
My favorite part of this Christmas was watching how much fun your Mom and Dad had making this a special memory for you. Poppa and I always loved making Christmas special in our home as did your Poppa and Nanny Gorra. It is wonderful to see that your Mom and Dad will be carrying the tradition on!
Love, Grammy
10/25/12
Dear Jake,
Happy first birthday my little friend! It is amazing how quickly the year has gone by and how much you have changed. You have changed physically from that little baby in a receiving blanket to the handsome little fellow you are today. The funny thing is that you really haven't changed your personality very much. You have always been so beyond your age and always looking to see what will be happening next. You are a thoughtful, cheery little gentleman with so much love to give you melt our hearts.
So of course being the first child, first grandchild and first great grandchild on both sides of the family your birthday was cause for a major celebration! The party was filled with people who love you so much! I don't think there is a toy that is left for Santa to bring! It was really special that two of your great grandmothers could be there to party with you. As usual you were the life of the party. It was so much fun and that night we raised a toast to your Mom and Dad for the outstanding job they have done giving you the best first year!
When I began writing this blog about our fun Fridays together you were an infant and for your birthday I am going to have the first year of our blog printed into a book. I hope that when you are all grown up you can read it and have happy memories of our Fridays together. They are Fridays that I will always treasure!
Love, Grammy
10/10/12
Dear Jake,
I am combining a couple of weeks together here because it's been really busy! Grammy is in charge of giving flu shots to our town and flu season really keeps me busy! Also, your Mom had to go on a business trip so we all pitched in to help your Dad. Of course your Dad really didn't need much help being the super dad that he is!
So one night Poppa and your Uncle Jack came to hang out with you. It was a beautiful fall night and we stayed outside bike riding and having a great game of hide and seek. You loved hiding behind the trees but you had a hard time not laughing while you hid!
The leaves are turning and the Halloween decorations are everywhere! The countdown to your birthday is winding down!
Love, Grammy
9/28/12
Dear Jake,
This Friday it was cold and rainy outside so we snuggled up inside and had a cozy afternoon. You got another tooth this week which caused a lot of sleepless nights so you were happy to be home. We had fun emptying out your toy box and playing. You have loved all of your toys but I would have to say that your overall favorite has been the Fisher Price Lantern. I love it as well because it gave me a much needed refresher course on many of the nursery rhymes!
It's also easy to see that you are going to love books. You love going through each one and for the most part you are careful with them. Sometimes you just can't resist the urge to rip out the pop-up characters and then you seem to feel really sad about it! Of course that's what tape is for!
This week marked your 11 month birthday and we are all getting very excited to celebrate your first birthday with you!
Love, Grammy
9/21/12
Dear Jake,
You have gone from toothless to having 3 teeth in 1 week! You are not quite sure of the whole situation and you are choosing to keep your teeth top secret for now. You might be worried that they will be taken away since you are in the habit of squirrelling illegal objects in your mouth!
This Friday we got to have a sleepover while your Mom and Dad went to a wedding. Poppa and I took you out to dinner at Stars where you loved sitting backwards in the highchair entertaining the crowd. We had a visit from Uncle Walter and Uncle Don. They had lots of fun stories about their visit to Italy to see the Heintzelman's.
It is always fun to have a sleepover with you because I get some snuggle time with you in the morning before you really wake up. It is also really fun to see how amazed you are each morning as you come downstairs and see that all your toys are still there! It's like Christmas everyday!!
Love, Grammy
6/14/12
Dear Jake,
Fall is here! After a summer filled with fun it's now on to pumpkins, Halloween and of course your first birthday! It is so hard to believe you are turning one! It seems like you were born yesterday but at the same time I don't remember life without you! I have no idea what used to occupy my thoughts!
So this Friday we went to pick out a pumpkin for you. Last year you were only a couple of weeks old and I picked a mini pumpkin for you. This Halloween you are a big boy and you got to pick the one just right for you. You didn't quite understand that it is a decoration and tried to eat it all the way home!
Love, Grammy
9/1/12
Dear Jake,
There is a beautiful bay side beach in Brewster where your Mom spent many summer days with her cousins swimming, making sandcastles and eating samores. Little did she know that your Dad actually spent some of his vacations a bit further down on the same beach! We used to take long walks on the beach and I am sure at one point they probably passed each other but they didn't actually meet until their college days. It was just meant to be!
We all spent the weekend at that same beach for Labor Day. It was low tide when we arrived and you couldn't believe that you could crawl so far without anything stopping you. You tasted a bit of sand and decided it doesn't taste very good. You loved sitting in the small pools of water that gather on the beach and going out into that great salt water. The sounds of the waves made you a bit sleepy. We are considering buying a wave sound machine for nursery!
It was a wonderful weekend filled with memories of fun times in the past along with making new memories for you. I sure hope that when you are my age you still enjoy the salty air and beaches on Cape Cod Bay!
Love, Grammy
8/17/12
Dear Jake,
Last Friday you got to go to visit your Grandma and Poppa Gorra! You had lots of fun swimming in their wonderful pool. So instead of Friday together this week we had a sleepover on Wednesday while Mom and Dad went to Fenway Park to see the Bruce Springsteen concert. They had a great time and got to see your second cousins Tim and Jenny there.
We had lots of fun on our sleepover. Poppa brought some pizza and you had your favorite fruit, some cantaloupe. You learned how to clap this week so we clapped a lot. You have to think about it each time but then you are so proud of yourself when you hear the clapping noise. We also clapped for your Godfather Jack who turned 24 years old this week!
One night this week you stopped by Grammy's office. You were so excited to see all the things on my desk that you could get into that you had a smile from ear to ear!
Love, Grammy
8/10/12
Dear Jake,
Whenever we take a stroll around your neighborhood you always look so enviously at the kids on bikes. So this week Poppa and I bought you your first tricycle! Poppa spent the afternoon putting it together and the look on your face as you rolled down your street was worth every moment! Now you are part of the neighborhood bike gang and you are loving it. We thought about adding a horn or bell to it but I'm not sure we need to with your loud chorus of; "ba, ba, ba"!
Love, Grammy
7/27/12
Dear Jake,
This Friday your Great Aunt Loretta came to visit! When your Mom was born on December 12, 1980, the first thing Aunt Loretta did was go with your Mom's other aunts, and buy a dozen doughnuts to bring up to the hospital. They were so excited about becoming aunts that they ate the whole box before they arrived! So, on October 25, 2011, Aunt Loretta came to see you in the hospital with a dozen doughnuts to celebrate. This Friday she brought you a book called, "Brown Bear" that you loved. Your attention span is getting longer and you are able to sit and really look at books now. The cardboard books work the best because you can chew on them after we finish the story!
Love, Grammy
7/20/12
Dear Jake,
It was fun to be back to our regular Friday's together this week. You were off on vacation with your Mom and Dad last week. We did get to see you at the beach at your Aunt Terese and Uncle Dan's house over the weekend. Then you stayed at a cozy cottage with your Mom and Dad. You loved going to the beach every day and the feeling of the sand in between your little toes. I was very happy that your Mom and Dad are keeping our family tradition of having ice cream every day on vacation! Any day that is filled with salt air and ice cream has to be a good one!
Your parents are now in full baby proofing mode trying to keep you out of mischief. We are going to have to be very crafty because you are so unbelievably quick at figuring things out. You are practicing your words nonstop. Your favorite thing to say is; "Ba, ba, ba, ba". We aren't sure what it means but you sure make it sound very official!
Love, Grammy
7/6/2012
Dear Jake,
One thing is for sure, you love a party so you sure loved your first 4th of July! You woke up bright and early and went downtown with your Mom and Dad to cheer Poppa Crowley on at the annual road race. Poppa was very proud of the great finish time he had but even more proud to show you off to the crowd. Next you were off to your friends, Brendan and Daniel to see their new home. You looked very envious of Brendan's big boy bed!
The next event was the 4th of July parade. You couldn't believe the marching bands especially as the drums went by. I have a feeling we may be watching you in a band of some sort one day! The rest of your day was filled with ice cream and some beach time and ended with a tired but happy little fellow!
Love,
Grammy
6/29/12
Dear Jake,
You are a man on the move! After weeks of practicing you have mastered crawling and you are going fast. Its like a whole new world on the move. You love seeing a favorite toy or book and being able to get it yourself. Of course this has led you into getting into a bit of trouble at home and your Mom and Dad have had to say,"No Jake" a lot! After crawling for about 1 week you seem to be thinking that crawling just isn't going to be fast enough and you want us to help you practice walking. I am predicting that you will be on 2 feet well before your first birthday!
Love, Grammy
6/22/12
Dear Jake,
This weekend your Mom and Dad went to a wedding in Vermont so Grammy and Poppa got to have a sleepover with you at your house. We started our weekend adventure by going to an outdoor cafe for lunch. You were much more interested in climbing the umbrella pole at our table than eating! Then we hit the beach. You loved the feeling on the waves and sand on your feet. Of course we had to spend a little time at Grammy and Poppa's house so we could show you off to all of our neighbors!
Before we knew it, it was 7 pm and time to start your bedtime routine! Although we checked on you many times, you actually only woke up once in the night!
On Sunday, after a fun visit from your Uncle Walter, we went out for ice cream at Nona's. You weren't so sure of the taste, but the cold spoon felt very good on your teeth that are trying to push through.
You were such a good boy for the first overnight without your Mom and Dad. We did notice that your smile wasn't quite as bright as when they are there with you!
Love, Grammy
6/15/2012
Dear Jake,
On October 25, 2011, we all waited what seemed like days and suddenly your Dad appeared in his hospital scrubs with a smile so wide we knew you and your Mom were fine. "It's a boy" he announced, and all of our worlds were changed. That smile hasn't left his face since that day. You guys are best buddies and it is easy to see that you are always going to have fun together.
The first Sunday that you were home your Dad could hardly wait for kickoff time so you could watch your first NFL game together. Seeing the two of you snuggled on the couch with your matching football jerseys was a picture of your Dad's world being complete. As soon as you started using your hands, you had a Father and Son band, with you on your Fisher Price piano and Dad on his guitar. It looks like you have inherited your Dads musical talents ! This spring the Town Hall playground seems to be you and your Dads special place to go. You love the swings and the toy car there.
Your Dad always speaks so fondly of his childhood and it is obvious he enjoys making your childhood memories great as well. The way that you light up and smile when your Dad walks in the house after a day of work, tells it all ! So on this Father's Day , I can tell you , that you have a great Dad !
Love,
Grammy
6/8/12
Dear Jake,
Pretty much the only thing that you really don't like is having to stop whatever you are doing and take a rest. This Friday you were going on a big trip to New York to meet your new cousin Reilly. So, it was important that I got you to take a rest. Grammy ended up with a black eye as you were swinging your little arms around in an effort to keep yourself awake! I won in the end after about 20 rounds of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and you did take a nap!
You are such a happy little fellow. With every new experience you have an expression on your face as if to say ; "I can't believe my life is getting even better"! The two pictures I am including say it all. One is your first time trying the little car in the grocery store. You look very cool with one hand on the wheel. The other picture shows how happy you are that you got new sports sheets! Can life get any better?
Love, Grammy
