Jude turns TWO!

- Obsessed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

- When he wakes up from a nap he is either insanely happy or crazy grumpy. No in between.

- Loves to dance and has the weirdest dance moves ever.

- He can't get enough of watching Peppa Pig on my iPhone.

- An amazing talker.

- Loves bath time and doggies.

- Has started answering questions at the dinner table in a dinosaur voice.

- Dreams of driving a car.

- Is learning about taking turns and sharing.

- Says "Bye-bye pee-pees!" whenever someone flushes a toilet.

- Thrill seeker.

- Too busy to cuddle or sit still.

- Adores his family.

- Hates Nursery at church.

- My favorite little boy ever.

Happy Birthday, Judo McMudo!

1

Jude is 18 months!

WORDS JUDE SAYS REGULARLY

Daddy, Mommy, Ella (Ewwa), Eva, Bonka, Cici, Judo, Doggie (Doddie), More (Mo), Cookie, Banana (Nanna), Thank you (Teek-Oo), Soft, Bye bye, Cracker, Ny-night, Drink (Ba-ba), No-No, A-choo, Fishy, This (Diss), Diaper, Jump (Dump), Cereal (Ceree-o), Hi, Uh-oh

TWO WORD PHRASES

Hi Daddy

Cookie Nana (Meaning he wants to eat a banana)

LIKES

His family, jumping on the trampoline, dancing to his favorite songs (Gold Digger by Kanye West and Jump Around by House of Pain), drawing with markers on everything (ugh), bananas, any kind of meat, fruit snacks, bath time with Bianca.

DISLIKES

Having his nose wiped, waking up from naps,

QUIRKS

He loves pushing things! He pushes chairs, garbage cans, toys, anything he can around and around.

RECENT HAPPY MEMORIES

He puts bottles in Cici's mouth when she's fussy

He hands out the wettest, grossest kisses to mommy.

Him jumping with his sisters out on the new trampoline.

2

Jude turns ONE!

He is the happiest, sunniest, busiest little boy.
We adore him.
Happy Birthday to my Judo McMudo.

3

heaven help me...

in his defense, 

when he was finished 

he picked up the end on the pile 

and tried to put it back on the roll.

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this week in cuteness

somebody loves the swings at the playground.

3

Big Things are Happening.

This past weekend was the Girl Scouts of America Camporee.  This was a three day event for Ella and a one day event for Evangeline (since she is a Daisy).

Evangeline would be driving up on Saturday morning and spending the day doing crafts and singing camp songs.  Ella was set to drive to the camp on Friday night and spend the night in a tent. Spend all day Saturday there and sleep over again, arriving home on Sunday afternoon.

(Insert picture of Evangeline here. Why don't I have any? Sorry, Eva.)

Of course, I was highly doubtful that our little Ella would be able to handle this trip with her anxiety.She never mentioned being nervous once.  She begged me to pack her duffel bag every day for 8 days leading up to the camp.  I kept waiting for a meltdown or some tears. They never came. I dropped her off at the carpool point, she waved goodbye and ran to be with her friends.  It started raining just as a pulled away from the drop-off.  Sleeping in a tent in a storm? I felt sure I would get a middle-of-the-night phonecall from her Troop Leader. But it never came.

We picked her up on Sunday afternoon, dirty, smelly and happy.  I wish I could figure out this Generalized Anxiety Disorder thing.  It's just so hard to predict, but I'm just glad she did so well.

Bianca suddenly started "getting it" this past week and we have now been 6 days without accidents and dry at night.  I am so relieved.  I am still pretty vigilant about making her go to the potty before we leave the house and twice during church, but she's doing great!

Bianca also moved to her Big-Girl bed last night and up into the Girls' Loft with Ella and Evangeline. I made her repeat the two rules about five times. (1) NO talking (2) NO getting out of bed.  

Before I went to bed around midnight I went to check on her. Clothes removed, blanket on floor, horizontal across the top, pillow for a blanket.  But she made it through the night and loved being upstairs with her girls.

Jude is eating stage 2 foods like a champ.  He is also sitting up for long periods of time, although he is still at the point where if he loses his balance he might just slowly fall in the direction like a tipping oak tree. he is SUCH a charmer at church. This kid loves people...especially women with jewelry. The ladies all fight over who gets to hold him and I swear I hardly touch the kid for the three hours of Sunday service.

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Jude | 6 months

Jude had his 6 month check up this week. His stats are kind of hilarious (see below). He is so sweet, but kind of temperamental. he is always happiest in the morning and wakes up ready for fun. This is not Mommy's favorite. She just wants to stay in bed and snuggle Jude, but he is ready to PLAY! This produces eye-poking, hair-pulling and general madness.



Height:
25-1/4" (75 percentile)

Head:
17-3/4 (75 percentile)

Weight: 
14 lbs. (3 percentile)



Loves: 
- His sisters.
- Watching mommy cook dinner.
- His exer-saucer.

Hates: 
- Sleeping on his back
- Chicken Noodle baby food. He actually gagged and then shot me the stink eye for the rest of the day.

Quirks:
- Has started sleeping exclusively on his tummy.
- Put his hand on someone's face only if he really likes them.



This past month's milestones:
- Commando crawling.
- Reaching for and moving towards toys.
- Saying Oh, da-da-da-da!

Favorite memories from the past month:
- His excitement when he sat in a highchair at a restaurant for the first time.
- Snuggling with him while I still can.  I know it's almost over.

1

Today's Dose of Baby Cuteness

All of the sweetness is just leading up to the kill...

1

Memorizing Baby

Last night I laid down on my bed at 8:00 pm to monitor the girls' bedtime and accidentally fell asleep. So when Jude cried for his 3:00 am feeding I was uncharacteristically alert when I awoke to feed him.  I gently lifted him from his crib by the side of my bed and fed him his warm bottle of soy formula.  After almost finishing the bottle he fell asleep on the bed beside me.

I picked him up to return him to his sleeping place, but hesitated.  He was sound asleep, the coarse breathing of babyhood making even rhythms of breath against my chest.  I sat there, with my last baby, my only boy, and memorized everything about the moment.  I measured the exact weight of his little body in my arms and how his little head, compact body and tiny legs curved just so into my arms.  I rubbed his soft, fuzzy head against my cheek and inhaled the smell of his skin and the baby wash we had used for his bath before bed.  I curved my finger down the softness of his cheek and held his little hand. 

And tears filled my eyes.

Tears because I am so blessed.  That family family I always longed for, but never felt I deserved, is here. Now. Tears because this little person won't be little for long. Soon, too soon, he won't fit into my arms so snugly.  Tears because this moment is what life is about. At least, it's what MY life is about.

I said a silent prayer.  

Just two words, whispered towards Heaven...

Thank you. 

8

Jude: 3 months

Jude was so, so, SO cranky today. So I don't feel I got a really superb photo of him (maybe I'll try again tomorrow), but here are a few worth sharing.

Height:
(23.5 inches)

Weight: 
(11 lbs. 3 oz.)

Loves: 
- Being tickled under his neck.
- His sisters.

Hates: 
- Being cold.
-Any other bottle except the expensive Dr. Brown's...sheesh!
 

Quirks:
-Is only happy being carried vertically and facing out.  He wants to see the world.
- He kind of has a Mega Mind head.  I'm sure he'll grow into it...right?

This past month's milestones:
- Jude's first big, hearty, laughing.


Favorite memories from the past month:
- Jude's first real laughs.
- How cute he was in his Christmas jammies

6

Jude: 2 months

Height:
23" (60%)

Weight: 
10 lbs. (25%)

Loves: 
- The morning. He always hands out his biggest smiles then.
- His sisters.
- Singing 

Hates: 
- Being cold.
- Wearing hats (darn it!)
- Having a dirty bum.  The minute his diaper gets wet or dirty he's gunna let you know about it.  High maintenance.
 

Quirks:
- Every night he sleeps in his swing, while it's swinging.  He loves that thing. When he grows up he'll have to be a ship's captain since he'll never be able to fall asleep in a non-moving bed.
- He often smiles with one half of his face only. The right side.  It's pretty adorable.
- Jude looks like he wants to say things so badly. I thought just I noticed, but a friend of mine commented on it this past Sunday in church. His face looks like he has a LOT to say, but just can't get it out.
- When he's not smiling his eyebrows are always furrowed. He looks very concerned about life in general.

This past month's milestones:
First laughs

Favorite memories from the past month:
- Jude playing the baby Jesus in the Live Nativity
- Jude's baby blessing 

2

Sunday Report

Yesterday was pretty crazy. In a good way and a crazy way.

First of all, it was Jude's blessing day.  In the LDS faith we bless our babies between 1-3 months old. It is usually done in our main church meeting and the baby is cradled in their father's arms and other worthy men also participate.  Their father (in our case, but it doesn't have to be their father) gives them a special blessing with council and insights just for that baby.   It's a beautiful day for our family.

I was particularly touched by how much of Jude's blessing had to do with his becoming a person who chooses to help and serve others.

"We bless you, Jude, that you will be able to...enhance the lives of people that you cross paths with.

We bless you that you will always be mindful of the Lord’s will in your life. To always be mindful of His will for you to reach out to others. We bless you Jude that you will have insight into the service of those who are in need. And that will be a gift that you can cultivate to become an instrument in the Lord’s hands..."

And what more could a Mother ask for than raising a Son who loves and serves others? As an ancient Prophet said, "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)

When we went into church at 9:00 am it was a cold morning.  When we came out at noon it was snowing Polar Bears and Penguins (that's my new snow version of raining cats & dogs).  I had planned on taking photos of Jude in his blessing outfit and pictures with the family, but that darn snow made it impossible.  The kids and I loaded into the car (while Matt stayed behind for choir practice) and our 15 minute drive home took us 1-1/2 hours.

We did have an amazing dinner to celebrate (a dinner for Jude, which he slept through).  We had a delicious pot roast and gravy, funeral potatoes (which I finally got a good recipe for) and roasted broccoli.

Hopefully I can snap a shot of Matt and Jude this week in their Sunday best!

0

Sweet Little Baby

Jude was the Baby Jesus in our church's live Nativity tonight. It was freezing and he slept through the entire thing (good boy!). It was a sweet experience for me, as a Mother, to see him with this young Mary and think about that sweet baby long ago who would change the world forever.

 

2

A Week of Family Updates: Jude

( He's horrified by this much love and adoration. Sorry, kid. Get used to it. )

- When we don't call him Jude, we most often call him Judo or Schneebly.

- He hates having a dirty bum.  The minute his diaper gets wet or dirty he's gunna let you know about it.  High maintenance.

- Jude always smiles in the mornings.  He just wants to look at us and show his love with crooked grins.

- Every night he sleeps in his swing, while it's swinging.  He loves that thing. When he grows up he'll have to be a ship's captain since he'll never be able to fall asleep in a non-moving bed.

- His feet are so tiny there are no shoes to fit him.

- This week I was giving Jude a bath and when I was cleaning with a washcloth under his chin he scrunched up a bit like it tickled.  This morning I tested my theory out during his morning smiling time. He gave me his first little laugh while I tickled under his chin.  Best ever.

- We are not certain if his hair is pure blonde or strawberry blonde. It seems to have some definate red in it when in certain light.  Now we just wait and see.

- Jude always wants to be snuggled.  I have never had such a snuggly baby. He sleeps best when cuddled in Mommy's arms, with a blanket, in a warm bed.

- He is definitely getting chunkier, although he is still such a little man compared to other babies. I like him little.  He'll get big soon enough.

- Jude looks like he wants to say things so badly. I thought just I noticed, but a friend of mine commented on it this past Sunday in church. His face looks like he has a LOT to say, but just can't get it out.

- He smiles often with one half of his face only. The right side.  It's pretty adorable.

1

Ick. I'm becoming a "mommy blogger".

Confession:  

I dislike it when Moms make their profile picture their kid or have a handle like "JacksMommy". Not because obsessing over your kids is wrong...because it's not...but because I think it sometimes marginalizes women.

Yes, being a mom is the most important thing in my life right now, but it's not the only thing. I am a woman and an artist and a wife and reader and a teacher and a photographer, etc.  

But I toggled through my own blog posts lately and...oy...I have become a one-dimmensional, mommy-blogger.  It's only photos of my kids and updates about my kids and blabbering about my kids.  

So here's one more post and then I'm writing something dimensional tomorrow.  Promise.

This morning Bianca was "reading" a book to Jude and it was pretty much the cutest thing ever.  (Oh dear, I just died a little inside as I typed those words.)

4

Jude Weight Update

{at 5 weeks}

Just got back from the 1 month appt.
Jude is the picture of health!
8 lbs. 3 oz.
This is a great weight gain for him!
Time to chub this kid up!

3

Jude: 1 Month

My baby is one month old today! Can you believe it?
That was quite literally the fastest month of my life.
Maybe because it was so busy with getting this kid's weight on track.
He is perfect. And wonderful. And ours. We just adore him.

Height:
21.5 inches

Weight: 
8 lbs. 3 oz.

Loves: 
Being snuggled very tight or cuddled in lots of blankets.
His swing.
His monkey Wubbanub.

Hates: 
Being cold.
Hats.
 
Quirks:
Always wants his binky, but always pushes it out with his tongue.

This past month's milestones:
First smiles.

A favorite memory from his first month:
Having a camera in my hand when he gave us his very first smiles. The photos are blurry, but I don't care. His little face was so perfectly joyful.

5

Jude update

He is soooooo much better! Once again, I was right and the Pediatrician was wrong (why are doctors so cocky?). I told the stupid Doctor that the weight loss AND bum rash was due to a milk proteins allergy. He wouldn't hear it. So I switched Jude to soy formula on my own. 48 hours later....he's great!

His weight is up. His bum rash is almost gone. I'm a genius. Good times ahead.

He rewarded my Tiger-Mother skills with bestowing on me his first smiles this morning as we snuggled in bed.  There is nothing...NOTHING...more heart-melting than seeing your baby's first smiles, meant just for you.

3

Little facts about Jude

We started calling him Schneebly this week.
I looked at him 3 days ago and he is the spittin' image
of Ned Schneebly from School of Rock.
Can you see it?

- - - - - - -

He sleeps every night in his swing.
He's in love with that thing.

- - - - - - -

He isn't calmed by any other song,
but when I sing La Vie en Rose he is instantly quieted.

- - - - - - -

Jude is now having his bum-bum wiped with soft, flannel.
Trying to beat the wicked bum rash!

- - - - - - -

You guys. I cried TWICE today because Jude was sobbing
because his bum-bum hurts. I'm getting soft.
Heading to the pediatrician tomorrow for sure -
not for my crying, for his bum.

- - - - - - -

I snuggle him and smooch him way more than I did my other kids?
Because he's a boy?  Because he's our last?
Who knows.

- - - - - - -

Although his hair usually looks very white blond,
sometimes we are convinced his hair is strawberry blond.
Another redhead?

- - - - - - -

- - - - - - -

Ella is a freakin' rock star with this kid.
Yesterday she held him for 40 minutes while I made dinner
and soothed his sad crying the entire time.

- - - - - - -

Bianca, on the other hand, considers him her personal toy.
I have to constantly remind her to "get out of his grill".
She means well, but I'm pretty sure
she's trying to literally smother him with her love.

- - - - - - -

Evangeline is largly indifferent at this point.

- - - - - - -

Nobody rocks the
"What you talkin 'bout, Willis?!"
like this kid.
Nobody.

4