Crazy Winter

It seems that it has been a crazy, crazy winter everywhere, and Florida is no different.  Friday was hot and humid. We went to the park that morning sporting shorts and Eli's outta control (a.k.a. awesome) curls.

The afternoon brought rain storms and a cold front.  It went from upper 70's on Friday to highs in the upper 50's for the rest of the weekend.  The boys had to bundle up Saturday morning for Eli's first t-ball practice and game of the season.

Despite all of our efforts to prepare for the season and build excitement, Eli had a moody start on opening day.  He sat out for much of practice, but got back into it and finished strong.  He loved batting practice.  During the game, he had a solid hit and was an awesome fielder.  He was aggressive and chased down almost every hit.  Next week, Coach Doug (a friend of Matt's from law school) says we are going to work on positioning.  Daddy is excited to be helping out as assistant coach this time around.

Oh my goodness, could these kids be any cuter?  Go Red Sox! (You won't hear me say that very often....) It is sure to be a fun season.  And while Eli and Daddy are out having fun on the field, Jude is bound to find all kinds of trouble to get into fun and adventures of his own.

Still a Sweet Baby to Me

Jude hit the 15 month mark last week and is definitely still a sweet, sweet baby.  Toddler, schmoddler.  He's my baby!  This age is simply amazing.  I honestly feel like he learns something new every single day.  He is soaking up everything; making each day an adventure.  It is a joy to watch his personality grow.

He had his doctor's appointment, and he continues to grow and develop well.  He was about 23 1/2 pounds and 30 1/2 inches tall, which puts him around the 30th percentile for weight and 25th for height......and that head is still around the 80th percentile.  Typical in this family.  (They don't get that from me!!) He has finally outgrown his 6-12 month clothes and is wearing 12 month or 12-18 month.  The 4th molar made its debut late last week, so he now has 10 teeth.

Jude's language skills have really taken off since his first birthday. He can say over 20 words (my favorites include: cookie, cracker, Eli, and blueberry) and signs over 15 words (favorites are: train, shoes, baby, stars, and please).  With this combined vocabulary of nearly 40 words, he is becoming quite the little communicator.

Jude understands so much too.  He knows when I'm finished tutoring and walks the students to the door....as if to say, "Bye!  Give me back my Mommy!"  He walks to the bottom of the stairs when you ask if he is ready for "nigh nigh."  He will pucker up for kisses, give high fives, and wave good-bye when asked.  I honestly am so in awe of how well he understands and follows directions.  He knows how to get his point across. Now if we can just break the habit of yelling (screaming?) to get our attention.

Jude adores animals and loves to "read" books about them.  He will point out the animals and make their sounds or sign what they are. This Star Wars loving family is proud to say that Jude's second official animal sound (right after "woof woof" for dog) was Chewbacca. Awesome, right?  When he puts the Darth helmet on, he "doo doo's" the first few notes of Darth Vader's theme music. The latest Star Wars sound is a Yoda voice. Cracks us up!  These days, Jude can be heard trumpeting like an elephant, pounding his chest and hooting like a gorilla, or quacking like a duck.   He loves to sing "Old MacDonald had a Farm" and even does the E-I-E-I-O.  Too stkinkin' cute!

Speaking of music, we have another fan.  Eli was such a big music fan and had a sense of rhythm very early.  Jude is following in his footsteps and plays the drums more than Eli does lately.  He asks for music using his own created sign.  His dance moves are incredible and he has such a variety: spinning, picking up his feet quickly, swaying, the "Stevie Wonder", swinging his arms, kicking, and of course, the booty bounce. We are all fans, but Eli might be his biggest fan.

Along with "Old MacDonald," Jude likes to do the moves to "If You're Happy and You Know It."  He will clap his hands, stomp his feet (my fave!), and pat his head....it helped teach him these body parts. (He also knows the parts of his face and his belly/belly button.)  When fussy, "Hey Jude" and "You are My Sunshine" are often all he needs to hear to calm him down.

Besides music, Jude loves to play outside.  The sandbox is his favorite place, but any playground or yard will do. He loves to explore and wander.  Running as fast as his little turned-in toes can take him; always trying to keep up with big brother. Jude still thinks the world of Eli and wants to play with whatever Eli is playing with at the time. The boy can find a ball anywhere!  He is very into pouring and dumping anything and everything. Loves books too!  He will look at them a lot...doesn't always want to hear the story, but loves to look at the pictures, point things out, and turn the pages.  And of course, he loves all non-toys too....throwing clothes out of dresser drawers, emptying kitchen cabinets.  He leaves a disaster wherever he goes. Paper and pencils are favorites right now.  This might have something to do with me always using them to tutor students each day. My walls are in trouble.

Sleep is still rough. He will sleep through the night one week, and not the next. This week, he has become a party animal and wants to stay up for at least an hour each time he wakes up.  Mama is TIRED!!!  Jude loves his bedtime routine....especially bath time. He has told us several nights that it is nigh nigh time and waves good night to Eli.  I love it when babies tell you they are tired!

Check out that cute booty up in the air!  This is Jude's favorite sleep position. We have been tinkering with the bedtime routine; having Daddy actually put him down, in hopes to help him sleep a bit better.  It was working last week, so hopefully he will be back into a better sleep pattern again soon.  In addition to the sleep issues, he is still super clingy and loves his Mama.  To say he's a "Mama's boy" is putting it mildly.  Cooking dinner is tough when you have a rug rat pushing on your legs with all his might to get you to back away from the sharp knives and hot stove to pick him up.  He's feisty and determined. 

We have begun to see a stubborn and naughty side to Jude.  There are mini tantrums starting and some mischief making.  Today, he threw himself down on the hard floor at the public library....twice.  Such a mess!  He thinks it is funny to whack people with toys like drum sticks or kitchen utensils.  I have to admit that I find myself giggling when he is being naughty.  It is still *kinda* cute at this age.  He had his first timeout last week for hitting.  He was clueless as to what was happening, and it did not prove to be effective. 

Jude loves to eat and is quite an adventurous eater.  He eats a much larger variety of foods than Eli does.  Give him a fork, and he's a happy boy...willing to try anything.  His favorite foods seem to be: pears, tofu, black beans, blueberries, crackers (esp. goldfish), and cookies.  He loves to drink water and hates whole milk.  I have tried some flavoring his milk with vanilla....no luck. Next I will try to warm it a bit. This means that he is still exclusively nursing, and most days I am perfectly fine with it.

 

I can't get enough of this kid.  He has my heart in a big way.  And he's got Dada wrapped around that little finger too.  Every night, when Jude hears Daddy's keys in the door, he runs to the door yelling, "Dada!!"  What a way to be welcomed home! So thankful that our family was blessed with, not one, but two precious little boys.  We are so lucky.

Why do they have to grow up?  Will someone, please, make them stop? 

xoxo

Matt and I have not celebrated Valentine's Day since our first month of dating back in 1995.  Once we found out that neither one of us cared for the holiday, we ditched it and all the pressures that go along with it.  And yes, he does bring me flowers and chocolate chip cookies on random days throughout the year.  Just because. He tells me and shows me he loves me everyday.  We don't need no stinkin' day to tell us otherwise, right?

Well, children change everything. We {kinda sorta} celebrated Valentine's Day this year...because Eli wanted to. I blame it on societal pressures, of course.  Eli wanted to bring valentines to his class, and we didn't want to discourage it. His school helps us by keeping the holidays simple. They don't do parties. Candy is not allowed.  Just cards.  So I figured, we could do something.

After seeing so many absolutely adorable ideas on Pinterest (though most involved a candy treat....), I knew we'd be able to come up with something simple that Eli could actually do.  Making over 25 valentines is hard work for a preschooler!  We settled on symmetry hearts (...and yes, I did explain symmetry to my 5 year old while we worked.)

I pre-cut most of the hearts.  That many hearts is too much for E, and I knew it.  I didn't want him to quit before we started....but he did cut some on his own.  He cut my outline on a few and then free handed some too. The painting was definitely the best part.

Each time he painted half, folded it over, and opened it, he was in awe of the beautiful pattern that had been created.  It was a surprise every time.  He would ooh and ahhh.

And he didn't get bored with it (as he sometimes does with repetitive art projects...) because each one turned out different and unique.  I just *loved* the results!

Eli signed his name on each one and was thrilled to put them into his friends' mailbags the next day.  And of course, we had to give some paint to Jude too.  Kept him happy while I helped E.

On the drive home from school, Eli was excited to get to open his bag of valentines.  From the backseat, he read who each one was from and was shocked at how many he had.  "They must all really like me, Mommy!"  Just too precious!!  And when did he get big enough to read on his own??  At lunch, I cut the boys' food into heart shapes.  Eli was tickled.  "How cute, Mommy!"  And with all of those incredibly precious ideas on Pinterest, I couldn't resist finding an idea or two to inspire a little treat for us at home that day.  Nothing over the top.  No gifts, no flowers, no cards.  Just a sweet little treat.  Eli loved helping in the kitchen, as usual. 

These little cuties are Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies that we baked in our heart muffin pan that we scored from a dollar bin. Very yummy!

So, maybe I caved in to the pressures of celebrating Valentine's Day.  But I think we kept it low-key and commercial-free.  Matt and I still remain quite neutral about the day, but children make the day worth celebrating.  Just a little bit. 

Poor Jude's final molar has still not popped through. I got lots of cuddles from this little Valentine of mine. All day long!

Jedi-in-Training

Eli's obsession with Star Wars has begun.  It was slow to start after watching Episode 4 on his birthday, but since then, we have been watching a movie a week....or so it seems.  His collection of action figures, ships, and light sabers is growing faster than I ever imagined. Most of his action figures and ships are ones from Daddy's childhood or ones Daddy has collected.  Not an afternoon or evening goes by without us being asked (begged?) to play Star Wars with him.  Eli pours over an encyclopedia-type Star Wars book, soaking up any and all that he can.  We can only hope that he gets into his studies this much when he gets older.  He quotes the characters constantly and wants to talk about the movies all the time.  So many questions.  Mommy has had to become a bit of a Star Wars know-it-all to keep up.   

This weekend, he got the treat of seeing Episode I in the theater...in 3D with his Daddy.  Talk about exciting! Of course this meant an afternoon of light saber duals.

As you can see, Jude couldn't resist getting in on the action.  He is always trying to keep up.  When not trying to smack his brother with the light sabers, Jude likes to use them as vacuum cleaners.  Makes sense, right?  Eventually, the fun wore off for the little dude and exploring nature seemed much more interesting.

Eli will take the occasional break from his Jedi training.  In his down time he has been gearing up for t-ball season. He has been practicing his throwing, catching, fielding, and most recently, batting.  It has been a lot of fun watching him learn and improve. (Note all the intense looks of concentration on his face: tongue out for throwing, mouth agape for catching.)

He is going to be ready.  For t-ball.....and any light saber battles he may encounter with the Dark Side.

May the force be with you!  {and Happy Valentine's Day!}

Super Birthdays

Ugh! I always hate it when over a week goes by before I get time to sit at the computer for more than a few minutes at a time.  But I do think that  I got my birthday wish.  Jude has been working on those molars and cut 3 out of 4 in a week....and the final one isn't far behind.  I think we'll be seeing it pop up in the next day or two.  He clingier than ever.  As much as I love the cuddle time, things are not getting done around here, and the blog is pretty low on the list of priorities.

So a very quick run-down.  Grandpa and I did our annual dual birthday celebration as our birthdays are just 3 days apart from one another.

We dined on Ted's Montana Grill and then indulged in homemade ice cream cake thanks to Matt's hard work.  As usual it was amazing.  With our birthdays in early February, they always fall near Super Bowl weekend and this year was no different, so we gathered again on Sunday for the final football game of the season.  We LOVE watching games, having family and friends watch with us, and eating yummy football foods.  These antipasto kabobs did NOT disappoint.

We will have to wait, what?  Seven months for more football.  It always seems like so long.  Here's hoping that next football season works out a little better for our teams. In the mean time, we will just have to find another reason to gather and eat fun snacks and wings.

Gotta dash.  Time to get Jude up from his nap and go get his brother, "Eee-Lah" from school.  I really hope to find time to post a bit more this week. Fingers crossed!

Teeth. Grrrrr!

Poor baby, Jude! (Yes, I still call him a baby even though he is technically a toddler....) 

All 4 molars are coming in.  I had been watching the bottom gums as I could see the outline of each molar, so I figured these were on their way.  Neither one has officially poked through.  Instead a corner of a top molar made its way through first.  This has led me to believe that all 4 molars are coming in.....ever so slowly.  I hate feeling like I'm abusing ibuprofen and acetaminophen, so I broke down and ordered one of these:

Fingers crossed that this works as well as it is touted by those who doubted and now believe.  It is coming all the way from Lithuania, so we are trying to be patient.  I am excited about the idea of it working and getting some uninterrupted sleep again one day soon (not that he'll be sleeping in it!!) Some days he is whinier than others, but I would be too with all that pressure on my gums.  Most of the time, he is using his voice and signs to tell us what he wants.  Dinner time is his hardest time of day.  It is a battle to get dinner on the table lately, and everyday I manage to do it, I feel I've accomplished something big.
 
Jude is definitely finding his voice.  He loves to yell to get our attention these days.  Working on breaking that habit as quickly as possible.  My favorite new word of his is "cook cook."  He learned the day we made cookies.  He watched them bake and sign please hoping to taste some of the "cook cooks."  

 

Now every time I start to make dinner, he runs over and points to the oven light and asks for a "cook cook."  Because of course Mommy makes nothing but cookies.  Haha!  Ask him what he wants to eat....."cook cook!"  (or cack cack a.k.a. cracker).  I love this age....just not the teething.  

This weekend, we made a last minute decision to take the boys to the circus.  Eli was excited, to put it mildly. 


It was a fun way to get out of the house and celebrate a weekend.  Jude always loves an outing and it helps distract him from the pain in his gums.  Since one of Jude's most recent additions to his animal sounds is an elephant, they were his favorite for sure.

Eli liked most all of the acts, especially the strong man and the motorcycle ball.  Of course, Mommy could barely watch the motorcycles going around and around as it makes her way too nervous.  

 

So glad we acted on our impulse.  The boys crashed when we got home and took crazy long naps.  Jude's best in weeks!  


On an unrelated topic, my birthday is tomorrow.  I've come a long way....from counting down the days to forgetting that it is this week.  Being a mom (of 2 busy boys) has definitely made me feel differently about my birthday. I can tell you that I am (not so) secretly hoping for a super gift from Jude:  

4 new teeth. Come on, molars! Please come fast.  I just want to get it over with, and I'm sure Jude agrees.