Oh Virginia

I drove home this evening from doing this and that with my brights on. Yes, I'm that person. Although the moon was shining bright and peeking out through the clouds as best it could, it was still so so dark. Also so so beautiful. I guess I blame this bad habit on growing up in Canada where every town and city street is typically lined with industrial grade lamp posts so you can actually see (long, dark winters people). My car is really low to the ground so I figure my brights don't really bug anyone anyways even though Dan is sure they do. Please. It's fine.

When it is really really dark you can see the fireflies better. I get to live somewhere with fireflies (!) - this will never fail to excite me. And the trees here. They aren't the pine and evergreens I am used to, but they are equally beautiful. Their plume is wide and round with lime green leaves in the spring turning richer and deeper as the days get longer, turning into summer. Oh it really is beautiful. And then the fall. What a treat to see this part of the world in the fall. 

Last summer, to put it delicately, sucked. A new mom who had no extended family around with what was probably a colicky baby who just didn't know it at the time. And hot. Oh, so so hot. This summer I'm feeling it though. Patience got her groove back, baby! This summer I feel the outside pulling me to come play and explore with my little sidekick even on the hot days. Usually it starts with an early morning walk to the park to take inventory of the wood chips and planes, and then from there we are off. Well, I guess we actually go back home for a nap after that but you get the idea. Summer you have been well received and if you decide to be an Indian one no complaints here. (Although, for this cdn girl even your fall feels like summer but shhh! don't tell anyone!)

Having Jude in a land far far away from everything familiar to me has helped me to accept this place as my new home. This is Jude's home and now I want to know it inside out and backwards*.

*which will not include Civil War history though, I just can't do it... even though it practically happened in my backyard...

Friday

at the park this morning sitting on the bench, as he does

Hello, hello! What's this, two posts in ONE week. I must be taking crazy pills. I thought I would take a few paragraphs or so to ramble on about mostly nothing. And first on that list will be East Coast living. It is kind of a pain in the you know what. Living on the East Coast while having lots of West Coast connections is like being elderly before your time. I feel like all my West Coast people are continually sleeping in and staying up late and it just isn't fair. And it's boring. And I get a lot of calls at about, um, midnight from sisters and well wishers. I am a geriatric in bed already so they go to voice mail, but also my voicemail isn't working right now so don't leave one, fyi. Totally boring. I will always be jealous of my West Coast people. Party animals.

Today Jude and I had a delightful morning at Theater In The Woods. It was so cute! We were a little late to the play but still had a marvelous time. Jude was surprisingly attentive. The only thing that seemed to pull him this way or that was the sound of planes overhead. That kid, he lives for planes. He now points at them and then waves 'bye-bye'. He especially liked the clapping parts of the play because if there is anything Jude can do well, it is clapping. We will for sure go back. Such a nice morning! 

Then to kill some time before his nap while spending the least amount of $$ as possible we stopped in at the GoodWill. One of my favorite places. He always wants to play on The Island of Misfit Toys though. That's what we like to call the thrift store toy area. It's kind of gross but if I don't have him in a cart I can't stop him. This point has been reached! Life will never be the same. So he plays with the misfit toys now and looooves it. Then I bathe him in Purelle to keep the Hepatitis at bay.  So gross.

I almost bought him this little car but then my more sensible side stepped in and stopped me. Because where the eff am I gonna put that thing? Without a backyard that thing would be so annoying to haul around all the time. And it does have Hepatitis on it so I obviously don't want it in my house all the live long day either. He sure is making a cute face though. Awe, maybe I should have got it for him? He does have his shots, after all.

Anyway, have a wonderful weekend and I wish I was right there with you, you party animals. 

Over the weekend...

It's not that I don't want to be posting here. It's just this summer we have a sweet toddler on our hands. Last summer he was an infant, and frankly, a little boring, and this summer! Whoo-hooo! He is so much fun. So far he doesn't even seem to mind the hot humidity we live in. He did not get those genes from me. Who's child is this anyways? However, I am trying to change my ways. This summer it is my goal to love the hot sticky heat. To let it give me a big, wet, french kiss every time I go outside and to kiss it right back. Kind of disgusting, I know, but hey, that's Virginia. And isn't Virgina for Lovers anyways? Come here honey!

And over the weekend I took that first plunge. I finally said yes to a hot and humid summer date with Virginia. We took Jude to the Nationals game (technically DC, I know) and it was really fun. It was a rotten game for the home team because the pitcher they paid $13 million (!!!) for is having a rough season so it really didn't matter that much that we didn't get to see a whole lot of the game. We did get to see a lot of the stadium walk ways. Jude thoroughly enjoyed walking around and pointing at things. I think he liked the new surroundings? Maybe he would have had just as much fun walking on the sidewalks in our complex, but I'm not entertaining that. No, not for one second - I'm dating this bloody hot state and dates mean doing things. It was a great first date and just as I expected, I was covered in that sloppy kiss by the end of it. And by the way Virginia, you kind of kiss like "Brad the Bad Kisser". I feel your pain Charlotte.

Now lets move on. I haven't given a proper update of what our little Judie Pants has been up to in months! Besides walking and pointing he does do some rather charming things. Such as...

Kisses! If he is in the mood and you pucker up he may come and give you a kiss. Oh those kisses. I think they could bring about world peace. So, so sweet. He knows what "let's go" means. He heads for the front door, pointing and stamping his feet with glee in hopes of more walking and pointing outside. He loooooves being outside. Also, he dances to music. Usually this means stomping his feet in place with a smile on his face and occasionally bopping his head. Putting things inside of things- he could probably do this at least all morning long. Anything that could be a receptacle is and in goes my chap stick, blocks, phone charger.... anything. I am hoping this means he has his fathers mild case of OCD because I love it when Dan immediately tidies up everything when he gets home from work. Sure, sometimes it makes me feel like a mild slob but that's a small sacrifice. Now Jude, lets work on putting mommies clothes away, shall we? And Jude is a pretty happy kid. Almost always wakes up happy and laughs and laughs all throughout the day. He especially loves to close the door of the room you are in and then if you knock on the door and open it he just goes ga-ga. Kind of like hide-and-go-seek but behind closed doors. Oh Jude. You are such a doll. Sometimes I think the only possible child that could be cuter than you would have been our Good Lord and Savior himself, The Baby Jesus. Only possibility, really. Or your child,  cause I mean, I know how you feel about your baby!! These kids!

Okay, that's it folks. I'll upload some pictures asap so it can seem like this actually happened. 

xoxo

Home

grainy photo courtesy of my butt

We made it! One wonderful visit and ear infection later and we are at home with our favorite person. Vacations are the best. It took a couple of days for me to get the hang of doing absolutely everything for Jude cause boring Dan had to stay home to work, but once I was in my groove I could have stayed for months! Although I often feel Facetime is practically real life, Dan still wanted us to come home. Kidding. I'm not as cold as I pretend, I missed him too. So did Jude. The first day home Jude was sooooo happy and giddy and full of laughs. We are taking that as an "I missed Daddy" sign, because, you know, he can't talk.... or was it an "I'm so glad you finally got me on antibiotics for this ear infection, mother" sign? Tough call. Anyways, here we are, home. And you know it - that humidity hit me like a wall. Nothing says welcome home like wetness! I'm actually not minding it so much though - my nose and my feet needed it. The delicate features do well in the moisture.

I was debriefing with my older sister today and we ended up talking about church stuff. The usual - grievances, positive change, Mormon Stories... plus some bonus material. We started talking about my experience over the past year since Jude has been born. I don't know about you, but there was almost nothing we could do to help Jude be a better sleeper besides waiting for time to pass. Cry It Out, Pat the Back, The Books That Make You Feel Like An Idiot Because It Doesn't Work.... you name it. This kid would not give up. So there we remained as sleep deprived zombies for quite some time - and me more than Dan, because boobs. We became vigilant nap observers. None of this skipping his naps because of anything, even church. And looking back at it all, I really believe the nap observance was probably the one thing that did help Jude sleep better. So I've missed a lot of church due to this little dude and his need for the snooze. And it kind of helped me to unwind a little (more). To relax and tune out all that cultural static so I could actually listen to the voice inside myself. So there it is. Thank you Jude. Thank you for helping me unwind that screw. A screw should never be wound too tight - all it's gonna do there is snap.

I want to be sure of things, of myself. I want to enjoy my moments.

Blurry Days

My BIL, via my sisters Instagram, commented that Jude is growing up all blurry. And he's right. This dang kid is almost never sitting still. Maybe it is a little fitting as well because we all know just how fast time flies when you have kids. Pretty blurry if I do say so myself. And I post the best ones of the series! I read somewhere about someone who takes videos of her kids and then does a screen shot to capture the best image. I tried that and it takes forever, or, my fingers are too clumsy and stubby to actually press all those buttons at exactly the right time. Headache is all that is. So here is my blurry baby boy, once again. He will stay still for a few minutes if I put snacks out for him on his perch in the kitchen. Sometimes he will stay there for minutes on end pointing at the planes in the sky and the dogs that walk by. I always try to time it so he is at his perch when Dan pulls up on his bike from work. Jude especially loves that. He holds on to the ledge and stomps his feet with glee. It is pretty cute.

Jude will also stay still (and whine and grunt) when he gets stuck in the toy bin. He goes after certain toys and sometimes they are at the bottom. He almost always gets stuck during this endeavor. It makes us laugh so hard. Kids are so funny. Granted I only have one 14 month old child and after working full time for almost 6 years I feel like I'm on vacation 24/7, so my opinion might come from a different place than yours, but having a kid is way better than I thought it would be. If only he would stop making everything so blurry.

And oh! Jude is up! He's singing his songs beckoning me to come get him. We have to go run around suburbia getting things done before he and I head out west for 2 weeks of cousin time. If little Lucy has anything to do with it Jude is going to return a rascal :).

Grumpy Gus

I don't know how to upload camera pictures any better than this and it is driving me CRAZY. Somebody, please. I don't have any editing software but want to make a collage or something of the like from my iPhone pictures. A plea for help, please teach me. But anyways! Arrrgh. Lets get on with this then.

top left- Jude has been a Grumpy Gus for the past couple of days and for an instant he cheered up and it was probably because he saw a plane or something. Maybe even a vulture, I can't remember. Poor kid.

top right- I think he is a Grumpy Gus because he is teething, but I'm not too sure cause heaven forbid I try to look in is mouth or brush his teeth for that matter. Good grief, brushing a toddlers teeth is going to  be the end of me. I'd say we get a successful brush in there maybe every other day and that is not for lack of trying. The rest of the time he just gnaws on the tooth brush. Sometimes I even count that as a success brush even though he only gnaws the handle and not the bristles. The things I count as a success these days never fail to surprise me. What's that, you had half a cherry tomato? YOU ATE YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FOR THE DAY! I WIN! Kids. 

bottom left- Grumpy Gus playing with the recycling. Kid loves him some cardboard. Why do we even have toys? It is really weird to see Jude being all grumpy and out of sorts because he has never been like this before. Even when his other teeth were coming in he was in much better spirits. Is he sick? I don't know. He is trying to transition to1 nap a day as well so maybe that's putting him in an extra funky funk? If the last two days has taught me anything it is that a funky Jude is a no fun Jude. 

bottom right- We have some amazing friends who invited us up to their parents lake house for the weekend and it was a dream. I took Jude out on the tube- I expected him to smile and giggle but instead he simply looked around with a really solem face and pointed at things. We also ate way too much. I need to stop doing that. 

So that's that. Just some pictures from my phone that I want to format better but don't know how. I really can't stand 30 Rock, but the only way to describe how this makes me feel is blerg.

A recipe on a Wednesday

Jude had some oatmeal for breakfast the other day and he only ate about a quarter of his small bowl. I knew just what the problem was. I'm positive that if he could talk instead of just flailing his limbs and grunting, he would tell me that he finds oatmeal to be slimy, as does his mother. I hate that oatmeal is slimy and I wish I could stomach it better because what a great start to your day. Not me though. Even when I close my eyes and pretend it is actually 'silky' I can only last a few days on oats and then I nearly puke if I try to choke down another bowl. So Pinterest, yes, you did it again. I made some baked oatmeal muffins and both Jude and I love them! I don't know if Dan loved them, I haven't asked him. He did take one in his lunch today though. And the chocolate chips on there are mostly for me. I eat them and then give Jude the rest of the muffin. He doesn't know what he's missing and also, Mommy Tax. One thing though, do not expect these muffins to actually taste like, say Costco Muffins. They don't. They do however taste like a bowl of oatmeal and have a similar consistency, minus the slime. A win-win for those like me... such a cross to bear, but bear it I must. Baked Oatmeal Muffins (adapted from this recipe) 1/2 a bananna 1 C unsweetened apple sauce 1 egg 1/2 TBSP cinnamon 1/2 TBSP baking powder 2 TBSP stevia 1 healthy glug of maple syrup 2 TBSP chia or flax seed 1 1/4 c milk of your choice 2.5 c oats (not instant) Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except the oats in a blender and blend the heck out of them. Pour mixture into a bowl and fold in oats. Lin muffin tin with liners and pour batter in. This recipe made exactly 1 dozen for me. Because I couldn't help myself, I put mini chocolate chips on top. You could put anything on top, really. Bake for 30 minutes. Next, on my friends recommendation, I'm gonna try out some traditional fresh Muesli. Apparently it is not just a box of cereal in the store that you add milk too. No, the oats are soaked overnight in liquid (many options here) and you eat them soaked, but raw, in the morning (!!!) often with yogurt. I need to get on this. I think the slime factor would be minimal with this method. This is all pretty boring, I know. But the quest for slime free oatmeal has been difficult and long so I'm sure you can imagine that I'm a little bit more than excited about this whole new world that awaits me. Yum yum!

Prep for Mothers Day ...and maybe Christmas too.

Just when I thought I was going to start taking Blogging a little more seriously I go MIA for the week. Ha. Life is full of good intentions.

So what has been going on.... lots of Jude walking all over the place. He is still full of baby shuffles and wobbles and someone get me a bandage for my bleeding heart already. This kid, I tell you. He just kills me. Our hearts are full. Having a little person to love and to be loved by is like nothing I have ever experienced before. Of course, like any other parent, I say stay little my little person. I want this baby love to last forever but I know it won't so darned if I don't make the most of it. When I hold him close I close my eyes and just let it ooze into every open space there is and then drip down so maybe I can save some for later. It helps me peacefully deal with all the wrongs and seems to make the rights even better. Yeah, we clean up a lot of poop and food squished into everywhere and everything and there is so much laundry to do and sleep is a joke and ugly plastic toys he loves but it actually is worth it. My cold heart is melting. Alert the authorities!

It seems like Jude is happening at a pretty great time. Done is childhood, done is being a teenager, done are those enticing and exciting twenties and now, to do: Jude. At least for me this is how it goes and I like it, a lot. With disappointment I have felt that all the fun and exciting things were slowing down but now I can do it again. With my baby! I mean, not that I want to live through him, but I want to live beside him. Forever and always. But don't get me wrong, I have limits which include no basement habitation after age 40. Healthy limits.

This whole parenthood business, shucks, it makes me feel like Virginia O'Hanlon when she received her famous response of "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". These babies, they fill you with hope, like Santa Claus.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                          ~Francis P. Church                  

I'm just blabbing here.

This kid is full of wonder these days. Friday evening we walked and walked around the block and he just kept going and going. And pointing, pointing at everything. He is nearly walking on his own, but not quite yet. We don't mind. There is absolutely nothing sweeter than a Jude Paw in your hand. We had grand plans this weekend but then we realized how exhausted we were and chose a walk around the mall instead. I guess the farm we were going to visit will still be there for next time. Kids are exhausting and I only have one. Good grief. I took no shortage of naps over the weekend and still I am wiped right out. And Dan still hasn't cashed his coupon so I even got a Sunday sleep in, oh yeah. The threats continue though. 

In Sunday School yesterday we were talking about "Gifts of the Spirit". We spent some time talking about the gift of knowing the "diversities of operations" and everything everyone was saying just sounded weird and really far fetched. I raised my hand to tell them all what I thought it meant but probably because of my shortness or because I'm a woman, I wasn't called on. I'm getting over it. But what I think "diversities of operations" really has to do with is arithmetic. It's really referring to orders of operations. I think some people who have the Gift of the Holy Ghost are really good at knowing they should multiply and divide before addition and subtraction and that exponents always take precedence. In fact, I may be one who possesses this gift. What's your special gift? 

Toddler Pancakes

Listen guys. This recipe is still in the works and it is not yet how I want it to be. Buuuuuttttt you keep asking for it so against my better judgement I'm going to give you what I deem the imperfect version. If you have suggestions or end up making them and 'adapting' the recipe as the Food Bloggers like to put it, please share. One word of warning. Under no circumstances should you add chia seeds. I kind of knew that they are a natural thickener because I recently pinned a chia seed jam recipe that I am really excited about but the whole idea of chia seed as thickener was still pretty new so like an idiot trying to put the most nutrients into my child as possible I threw some in this batch. Basically that was an incredible run on sentence telling you the exact same thing as the previous sentence. See, I'm nervous about this recipe because it's not quite right yet and it's showing in my writing.

The first time I made these I just poured and added cooked vegetables and then how about a splash of vanilla! I did not take notes. The second time I didn't take notes either. This last time I took notes and then made them too thick but couldn't really change that. So this is what I think the first and second batches consisted of.

Jude Cakes (I changed the name, feel free to add your kiddos name in there, they'll love it)

2 C cooked squash, cubed (I cube mine and steam it as roasting the squash in my oven right now would heat up my whole house and cause me to sweat a lot, ewe)
1 1/4 C oats (I think I used old fashioned, don't make me go check, just use what you have)
1 1/2 C fresh spinach, pack it about medium (what does medium pack mean? I'm not sure but it feels right)
1 banana
2 eggs
1-2 C milk/mylk
water, as needed
2 tsp vanilla

Put all that good stuff in a powerful blender or food processor and let it blend and blend until smooth. I put about one cup of milk in and then add more as needed. I get a little tired of adding lots of milk so somewhere in there I'll switch to water. I know, vague much? Just remember you asked for it. I prefer when the batter is a little thin as these are very moist pancakes and if they are a little thin they cook through better. I make my pancakes with about a two inch diameter and cook the heck out of them on my griddle. About 3ish minutes per side. And the yield here is huge. Be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen flipping your Jude Cakes. Once these cute little green things have cooled I put them between some parchment paper I cut into squares and then into a container for freezing. To reheat I pop them in the toaster until they are heated through. My Walmart special toaster tells me that is about a '4' on the toasting dial. Jude will eat these plain and I like them too. We have yet to adorn them with toppings because someone is a way messy eater and I get sick of peeling Jude Cakes off someones butt because someone always sits on a few pieces. Lest we add syrup to that situation.

There. The imperfect recipe is all yours. No complaining. In the words of my mother "like it or lump it!". (but may your Jude Cakes have no lumps)

Shuffle Steps

Of course stuff like this happens when Dan is out of town. I had salmon and yams for dinner but didn't think this little dude would be very interested, so he had 'Jude Cakes' (aka Toddler Pancakes) and cottage cheese, and oranges, and corn, and green smoothie... However. As I sat on the kitchen floor with my plate of orange food and butter (it's true), Jude satisfied playing with a plastic Easter Egg, his radar went off. Mom's eating! Over he came, laughing, and insisting on some baby tax. I gave him the salmon because the last few times he tried it his pink little tongue pushed it out of his mouth followed by large scowls. However. This time he wanted more. The butter, I think. I kept moving my plate and he was laughing and laughing about it and probably didn't even realize that while reaching for my omega-3-fatty-acids he took a few ency wincy shuffle steps. AHHHOHMYGOODNESS! I about died right then and there. Of course Dan is out of town and missed it. hashtagsadface.  I feel it in my bones- this little one is going to take off running a lot sooner than he should, in my opinion.

A One-One!

It's been too long my friends. So sorry- I'm sure you have no idea how you can keep going day to day without a little Jude update in your lives. An update you shall have! There is so much to say about this little nugget. For instance, this little boy up and turned ONE last week! I can't believe it myself. We crammed as many people as we could into our apartment to fete this little one. We had kids running around, food everywhere, and adults trying to eat in the most awkward of places. It was fun and Jude only had one melt down. After some mommy cuddles away from the masses he calmed down and was ready for some birthday cupcake. He loved it. He ate it very carefully and was not happy when I attempted to take it away. I have the hardest time giving this kid crap food- I mean, I make a great crap cupcake but still. Please continue to sigh, I'm sure when I have another kid it will be sucking on a Dorito long before its first birthday. I'm allowed to be a neurotic first time mom- you were too.

Now. Lets talk about 12 months!

• FUN, Jude is so much fun. He loves to discover new things and show them to us.
• Loves animals. We even got a bird feeder so he could stare at the nasty pigeons in the mornings. That's called love.
• Knows what "mama" and "dada" mean now... or more correctly, I finally believe he knows what those words mean.
• His favorite place is in the bathroom opening our drawers and throwing our stuff all around. Most of the time this is cute, sometimes it is not so cute.
• Will sometimes shy away from new people with a sly little grin on his face. 
• Points at everything!
• Has started to make sounds involving the "g" sound.
• Eating is trial and error. We give him lots of table food but he usually isn't too interested in it. So on we continue with his favorites: corn, cheese, sweet potatoes, bananas, oranges, strawberries, green smoothies, yogurt,  and something I like to call "toddler pancakes" (blended veggies with an egg and a banana thinned out and cooked like a pancake). 
• He is slowing down with the nursing. I have such a hard time deciding if I am going to wean him sooner than he would like so I can start working part time. Ahhh. Decisions!
• Loves being out side.
• Is most giggly when he is really tired.
• Has eight teeth. 
• Is so close to walking. He will walk around a room holding just one of your hands and he giggles the whole time. 

That's our Jude at one year. He is such a sweet heart. Come visit and see for yourself :)!!

Wednesday

Long time no blog! How you doin'? Dan and I have been knee deep in sick baby. Sick babies are so sad. We thought his fever broke yesterday afternoon, but boy we were wrong. Instead his temperature just took a dive, turning his lips blue, and then went right back up as he was about to go to bed. Poor little nugget. So far he has been fever free since he woke up so I'm hoping this is the end of it. If it's not the end, at least he looks happier.. we'll take what we can get.

Go away sickness and don't come back! Don't you know Jude has a birthday to celebrate? PEOPLE, he will have graced this good land for 52 weeks on Monday. Wow. Now, because my baby is growing up I'm probably going to have to have another one. Mostly because who wants to read a blog with an older baby on it? Yawn. We all know that little babies are much more blogable than older babies. I can't help myself from being drawn to the blogs with the tiny babies on them versus those featuring larger babies. I'm just sayin'... and can you? That's what I thought. In no way do I mean to discriminate as I'm a firm believer that all children are adorable and special and amazing... but those tiny toes and froggy legs...premium blog material! Jude better be an interesting larger baby or I'll be all "help yourself to the crisper drawer for lunch sweetie, Mommies reading a tiny baby blog".  I kid! Kind of.

His hair. I know, something needs to be done. I just can't bring myself to do it. Any suggestions? You should see the back, mullet material. And it's awesome. I much prefer a little boy with a shaggy head of hair but am coming to the conclusion that maybe that grow out phase will have to wait until these sweet wispy strands are replaced with something a little more sturdy. Please, does that even seem logical? We need some hair help over here.

And that is our Wednesday. Finally a healthy boy who is turning one who probably needs a hair cut.

xo

Just Some Rambles

Judie Pants is a very busy little boy. Nearly a year old and already he seems to be done with his mother. Well, not really- when he bangs that big head of his all he wants is me. And I guess there is still the milk thing. He does love to play games with me so maybe I'm getting a little carried away here. A busy busy boy whose future I can already see. It shall include but not be limited to: getting into everything, quickly.

March 2012, Mama and her Blob (boob too ;), I know you were thinking it)

He used to be such a little blob. Sleeping, eating, and the occasional stares into space or the ceiling fan. Now Judie Pants moves like the wind. He is fast and full of destruction. Still no walking but he cruises along anything he can get his little paws on and can stand on his own for quite a few consecutive seconds. Of course, I think he is the smartest little guy out there and I often tell him "Jude, you practically cured Cancer just then!".

He's too fast for my iPhone to capture even. You get the picture. And we must do something with Dan's collection here as soon as possible.... he's learning how to open those suckers up! A dangerous skill indeed. 

One to the One {pictures added!}

It's that time again... time for another Jude update! I know I am always ranting about the cuteness of my child and that every parent feels that way, so thank you for indulging me. Really, I know that every baby out there is the cutest, even the not so cute ones are the cutest. There seems to be something about soft skin, wispy hair, chubby bums, and slobbery kisses that universally up a cute factor like nobodies business.

This time he hit the ELEVEN month mark. Good Lord.

• Jude for sure has pointing down and also enjoys clasping both of his hands together above his head. 
• He finally got the whole sippy cup thing and can chug like a champ, gasping for air and coming up red faced. 
• I am maybe convinced that he knows what "mama" means but know I am a tough crowd. 
• Learned how to flush the toilet and is a proficient turner offer of light switches. Also learned about toilet paper. 
• Pulls himself up on anything he possibly can and cruises- his favorite is when he can go in circles. Because of this cruising he always looks a little banged up. I swear I did not give him any of the bumps, bruises, or scratches he is currently sporting on his forehead. His balance is definitely improving but still much is desired. I fear a TBI every time my eyes are off of him because I'm blinking for crying out loud. 
• When he's tired he takes his index fingers and hooks them into the collar of his shirt/onesie/pj's.
• Loves his eye sore of an activity table and knows exactly where to put the balls and where they come out. 
• Continually tries new foods but isn't really into all the stuff we eat yet... I think this is more our fault? 
• Has mastered spitting out food he doesn't like- typically in slow motion which can be somewhat adorable. 
• Is up to a total of 6 teeth. We did not even notice the last one that grew in until today- perhaps why he has been giving his death cry around 11pm each night?
• Started to crawl on all fours but still prefers the army crawl.
• Will take off his left shoe any opportunity he is given. Only his left shoe. Weird.
• Loves to Skype and Facetime (come one come all!).
• Has discovered "stranger danger" or likes to "make strange" as we Canadians put it. Makes the gym daycare a little difficult these days. Child, you are going to be fine, play with your peers.
• Loves to watch other kids and grab their faces. 
• Needs a hair cut so badly but I just can't.

These past few months have been really interactive months with Jude which equals fun. We (more correct, I) can't wait for the spring and summer so we can be outdoors more enjoying free events in the park.

Oh little Jude... next month you will be a whole year old. Wow. Lets take your 11th month of life nice and slow- lots of long walks, peek-a-booing, and endless babbles. I'll continue with the stop growing kisses in a meager attempt to keep you little forever. I don't want to forget anything.

he also whines for what he wants now

and discovered toilet paper.. we laughed and took pictures because isn't it a right of passage kind of thing? only the first time though!

A Gem

hashtagthrowbackthursday //  hashtagbabyjude

Hashtags are weird. I enjoy them, but still there is something strange about it all. Is the point of them simply to see whose weirdest hashtag can trend or are they really for organization. I can't decide. Looking into the depths of my phone I found this sweet little Jude picture and had to post it for the wide blog world to see on the eve of Throw Back Thursday. Babies are really great- when you are ready for them. Amen, and amen. But can one ever be ready for something that never wants to sleep because life is so exciting? Probably not but it can still be great.

1,2,10! Ten Months! {with photographs}

Tick tock goes the clock and another month has already passed us by. Wow. Poor Jude was a sick little baby when he woke up to his tenth month of life, so I thought I would nurse him back to health before I took his pictures. Little Jude had a high fever and then was absolutely covered in some kind of rash. From what the Internet could tell me, I'm pretty sure that he had Roseola. Isn't diagnosing via Internet fun? Perhaps slightly dangerous, yes, but it also makes you feel like the medical professional you never were. After many phone calls to his doctor we knew there was no point for him to see the pediatrician as we just had to wait the virus out. It seems that this little stinker butt is almost feeling 100% besides a latent runny nose and some red eyes. But now the mama is sick :(. Oh well. And I'm not going to blame it on winter because when I get sick my immune system seems to be no respecter of seasons. Summer colds? The worst.

So ten months. Ten months is really really fun. Jude is such a sweet little baby. He is a careful eater of Cheerios. He takes one in his little pinchers, bites half of it off, stares at the other half and then finishes it off. The cutest way to eat a Cheerio ever. Jude boy loves his food. Cheerios, cheese, squash, green beans, oranges, avocado, corn, quinoa, oatmeal, yogurt, puffs... and a sample of whatever you are eating, please. I think he eats more than just that but those are his current favorites. And am I the only one who thinks it is weird to give a small baby meat? We have tried some chicken here and there but I am conflicted and am not really sure why. Sometimes he will eat some kidney beans and I think I am going to do some lentils for him this week. How much protein does he actually need?

Jude loves crawling up the stairs. He perfected the ascent about 10 days ago. He likes to mutter to himself as he climbs and only sometimes gets off task. And dude can pull himself up on anything. He has recently started to "cruise" a little bit, but not much. We borrowed one of those pusher walker toys from some friends and Jude really likes it. He needs some help getting up on it, but loves to push it around - the look on his face when he is "walking" is so sweet, I think he is really satisfied with himself.

One of his favorite toys these days are his stacking cups. He loves to have a tower to knock down and will sometimes try to build it back up. And of course he is infatuated with boxes of any size. Taking out the recycling is such a conflicting thing these days. So if you come over, there may or may not be a number of empty boxes and/or milk jugs hanging around, don't trip!

Jude is also in love with his index fingers. He is starting to point at things but also I don't think he really knows what pointing means. He just likes to stick out his index finger and admire it for the most part. He thinks it is hilarious when you touch your own index finger to his, in E.T. fashion and he just started touching both of his together. Fascinating things here folks.

And we cannot forget babbling Jude. His favorite sounds to make are "ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba-ba, th-th-th, ssssss" and then he likes to blow air out of his mouth, making it catch on his lips on the way out. I don't really know how to describe that last one but man it is cute. When Jude is in the mood he will typically repeat any sound you make, over and over again. Dan is convinced that Jude knows what "ma-ma" means, but I'm still not too sure.

Of course Jude is typically all smiles and giggles. He gives his smiles away freely and easily. He still does his sweet scrunchy nose smile when he is really excited or meeting someone new who makes faces at him. I think he is a ham and don't know if he will have a serious bone in his body or not.

Okay, you made it through all the baby goop and are probably rolling your eyes, but people! Babies are kind of awesome and so much fun.... even if they are still rotten sleepers. Jude.