Jude: 24 months

Here's what's going on with Jude at 24 months!

Wearing: 24 month and 2T clothing; size 5 diapers, size 7 shoes 

Growth: At his two year well-check he weighed 29.2 pounds (60%) and was 34 inches (49%). 

Sleeping: he still falls asleep in the car in the morning is it's close to lunch time but only takes one nap usually. He sleeps a few hours in the afternoon and 10 to 12 hours at night. He has been waking at night some. I think it's two year molars. 

Eating:  He is getting a little pickier than he used to be, but will still eat a wide variety. Fruit is still his favorite: bananas, apples, apple sauce, grapes, mandarin oranges, "boo boos" (blueberries), peaches, pineapple, etc. He still loves frozen peas more than any other vegetable and will eat green beans sometimes. His meat eating is very limited still (just like James at this age). He likes scrambled eggs, yogurt, turkey lunchmeat or peanut butter as far as protein goes (but he won't eat them always). He has started eating hotdogs sometimes. He loves string cheese or any kind of cheese. He still really enjoys macaroni and cheese from a box. He doesn't eat a huge amount of carbs which we are actually working on getting more of if they are iron fortified because he is not a big meat eater. He likes cereal, pancakes or waffles, fries, or cheese crackers. He does not like the texture of potatoes just like James and doesn't really eat rolls or bread. He loves sweets of all kinds. His new thing is eating cookies dipped in milk. It's a mess but really cute! He is eating very well with silverware, can drink from a cup without spilling mostly, and does not want to have his   high chair tray and just uses his seat as a booster at the table now. He has also started to bring a toy to the table just like he's seen James do...monkey see, monkey do. He enjoys water, juice, milk, or lemonade to drink. 

Personality: Content, easy-going, extremely active, fearless, playful, independent, rough, friendly, and sneaky. He is into everything now. He is starting to have some little fits lately when things don't go his way but they are mild and totally age-appropritate. He is pretty obedient right now and doesn't seem super strong-willed. When I correct him he usually says "ok" and will stay in time-out usually.  He does throw everything which makes us a little bit crazy (food, toys, water cups, cell phones, etc.)

Teething: He had 16 teeth. And I predict we'll see 2 year molars soon.   

Look: big brown eyes and curly brown hair. :) he is getting more slender but he still has a shorter, stockier build than James. (I think James got the more slender parts of Stephen and I and Jude got the more muscular parts of both of us if that makes sense...)

New "Tricks": He loves music and will sing a lot of the words to quite a few songs, he loves dancing and can jump really well off the ground now, he is starting to enjoy puzzles and can quickly put the shapes in the right spots, he is learning his colors (blue is his favorite), he is counting some (leaving out some numbers), he is enjoying trains and Legos more as his fine motor skills are developing, can still climb anything, running well, he is talking all the time and asking tons of questions. He wants to know what everything is all day long. I love it. He enjoys the pool and is not remotely afraid of the water.  

Favorites: Color: blue; movies: Rio and Monsters Inc; shows: Jake, Little Einsteins, Blaze, Elmo portion of Sesame Street, Monster Jam; toys: trucks, Lego duplos, or whatever James is playing; activities: anything that involves playing outside, he also likes coloring lately; food: cheese, dessert, and fruit; comfort items: pacifiers (he wants one in his hand and one in his mouth while going to sleep). His love of the pacifier has intensified since Joah came and I don't even think I have the heart to try to get it away from him yet; books: Monster Trucks Monster Trucks, Thomas (a book we have that plays the theme song); songs: all music (children's songs, praise and worship, movie theme songs); shoes: he loves his crocs! (But really likes to be barefoot and prefers not wearing clothes too. Unless it's our idea to take his shirt off at a meal and then he wants it! Ha!)

Some pictures celebrating Jude on National Donut Day with donut stops and bowling, from his birthday party, and a small celebration with cake and a present from us on his real birthday:

Jude's Second Birthday Party

We had a Monster themed party the day before Jude turned two under our church's new pavilion. We figured this was a good option rain or shine and also we didn't have to worry about getting the house super clean with a new baby. It was originally going to be just a monster truck party but in recent days Jude really began to also show an interest in Elmo and Cookie Monster from Sesame Street and also developed somewhat of an obsession with Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. Since all of these things are "monsters," we just decorated with a whole variety of his favorite monsters.

Nana Johnson made monster truck outfits for Jude and all the brothers/cousins, I reused/reworked a lot of the checkered flag decor from James' race car party (before Joah was even born trying to get ahead), purchased a monster truck cupcake stand on amazon, we bought Elmo and Monster's Inc. plates (monster trucks are hard to find!), an Elmo Balloon, gave out monster trucks from the Dollar Tree as party favors, etc. I really started collecting a lot of these items before Joah was born, but even with all the preplanning it was still the most dysfunctional I had ever been when it came to a party. We were running late, I forgot the juice for the party, the wind was blowing over the checkered flag decorations (and plates and napkins), the photo banner that I repurposed from James' party was too short to hang between the posts on the pavilion so we couldn't hang it... And with a new baby I had to let go a lot of the little extra touches that I normally do like labeling food with fun, creative names and the like, but it was a good lesson for me. Although I really enjoy making everything super themey, Jude had just as good of a time without everything perfectly coordinating. We also were running late to set things up, so Stephen's parents and sister's family had to help us lay everything out when they arrived. Thankfully we only invited family this year, so it didn't stress me out as bad. Again, this was a good lesson for me. Perfection is not the goal! 

For entertainment they accessed the church playground right by the pavilion and we also had a Little Tikes bouncy castle set up. We tried to have some of Jude's favorite foods as well: pizza ("pats-a"), watermelon, chips, and different types of homemade cookies for our Cookie Monster. I also made Jude a homemade cookie cake which turned out really good, and it was super tasty! I think they had a lot of fun and napped well that afternoon!

Letter to Jude at Two Years Old

Jude,
Today we celebrate two whole years since you came into our family. I simply cannot imagine our family without you in it and all the sunshine, mischief, and joy that you bring us daily.
The first year with you I saw firsthand how my love could multiply and grow to love two very different but equally wonderful little boys. I learned to divide my attention and my time when necessary, but there was never a shortage of love. It just abounded. And my love will always abound for you, sweet boy.
And this second year of life we watched as you experienced so many changes and we marveled at every milestone. We watched this year as you learned to walk and then run, sing, dance, talk in full sentences, blow bubbles, feed yourself, attempt to dress yourself and remove your shoes and diaper any chance you got (stinker!), and most recently become a great big brother to Joah. You made us smile with your squishy cheeks, big brown eyes and curls that bounce as you toddle along, and your sweet, toddler voice that I'd give anything to bottle and hold onto forever. I don't ever want to forget the phrases that are so distinctly you right now: "I do!", "What are you doing?", "What's thaaaaat?", "I don't want it!", "That's funny!" (and then laughing at whatever everyone else is laughing about), and "I coming" as you chase hard after your big brother, James. "A jam" (Monster Jam), "Melmo" (Elmo), "Mike" (Monster's Inc.), and "Rio" quickly became important to us because they were important to you.

 I pray that we will always value the things that are important to you, along with your thoughts and feelings, and the things that you have to say. You are valued. You are valuable. And loved and accepted. And fearfully and wonderfully made. We praise God for the way that He designed you: for your playfulness, your easy-going ways, your independence and determination, your rough and tumble approach to life, and (when you slow down for just a second) your tender love for all of us (usually shown in big open-mouthed, baby kisses) and especially your love and adoration of your brothers. What a gift you have in each other and I pray that you don't ever take it for granted! What a good gift you are to them too. And to us. And to the world.

We look forward to this next year with you and all the days ahead. We are for you, behind you, and loving you silly (always). Happy 2nd Birthday, my Jude-y Bear. I love you forever and ever and ever.
Love, Mama (and Daddy too)




Here are a few two year old pictures we took out in the yard and in front of the house. We had a weekend of celebrating with National Donut Day (the day he was born two years ago) on Friday at two donut stops, bowling with cousins, and lunch at Chickfila. He wore the shirt with suspenders and bow tie that day and again to church on Sunday. Sunday (his actual birthday) we let him open his gift from us and got him a small round cake that looked like Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. 

The monster truck outfit pictures were before his birthday party on Saturday. Pictures from the party to follow! Needless to say, he was thoroughly celebrated!

Comparison Pictures...

All three boys' one month pictures:

 I don't know who, for sure, looks like who but they all look very similar!

Joah

Jude

James

Joah

James

And a picture of the Mama and....

a picture of the Daddy too just for fun!

Joah's first day of church 

James' first day of church 

Jude's first day of church

Joah: One Month

Joah is one month old. This first month with him has flown by quickly just like we knew it would, and suddenly this child that we anticipated for months is now here in our arms and in each everyday moment as if this is the way it has always been. I don't know if a mother ever gets over the instant, indescribable love for their children (no matter how many they have) and the way the heart just instantly grows the very instant you receive each new precious gift. And though you never completely forget the previous, precious days with just one child and then two (and so on), there is still a place that each subsequent child fills, a void that you never felt or knew existed before them, that would forever feel incomplete not to have them there now that they are. Motherhood is the most beautiful gift and even in the overwhelming and frustrating moments I pray that I would never lose sight of the privilege and responsibility that it is. I'm holding tiny hands and wiping tiny faces, but I'm entrusted with tiny, eternal souls. It's a weighty responsibility with eternal value!

I am so thankful for this first month with Joah, and I look forward to all the days ahead with him. Here is a little look at what Joah is like at one month old:

Wearing: beginning to move out of his newborn clothes into 0-3 month clothing now; size one diapers.

Weight and Height: At 2 weeks and four days he was measured at the pediatrician and was 20.5 inches long and 8 pounds 10 ounces. He had gained 20 ounces in 14 days (since our last visit)! I have no idea how much he weighs now but based on that I would guess in the 9 pound range?? He is growing very well, and it looks like he has just gone through a growth spurt! He is looking more chubby and filling out.

Appearance: I think he looks a lot like James as a newborn with Jude's darker features, but I think he is a good combination of both boys. And he is really developing his own look. He still seems to have an olive complexion, lots of dark hair, and it appears that his eyes may stay blue (I feel like Jude's were already changing at this point.)

Eating: Nursing on demand, all the time. With a third baby, I don't even have time to really calculate how many hours between each feeding. He eats several times during the night as well.

Sleeping: on his very best nights he will do a 3.5-4.5 hour stretch from around 10:00 to 2:30 and then another 2-2.5 hour stretch (before we get up with him somewhere in the 5:00-6:00 range). Of course, he is sleeping a ton throughout the day still and there really aren't any consolidated sleep times yet. I am managing to get them all to have overlapping naps most days.  His wakeful periods are still brief; maybe less than an hour each time. He sleeps swaddled in the rock n play sleeper in our room. Right now he makes lots of little grunts and noises in his sleep that make me think he's waking up when he's actually not.

Interactions: he is beginning to become more alert and observant; he looks around the room now and looks really inquisitively at our faces when we talk to him. He smiled at me (a big wide mouth smile) for the first time after a feeding on the morning he turned four weeks old. He seems to like the attention of his brothers and probably prefers their noise to the complete quiet. He really looks intently at the birds that hang from his swing and Baby Einstein toys on his playmat (when his brothers aren't monopolizing it). He is also beginning to cry more lately and let us know when he is unhappy. In the early days he rarely ever even cried.

Outings: we haven't been out a ton this first month and it is harder for me to do this time with three (than when Jude was a newborn). We've been to the grocery store/Walmart several times, Target once, a trip to the library, the park, the doctor's office, James last soccer game, a trip to the McWane Center, waking in the neighborhood and on the middle school track, and church for the first time last week. We haven't eaten out with him yet. Jude's second birthday is this weekend, so he will be out a few more places with his cousins/grandparents this weekend as we celebrate Jude.

Things he seems to like: being held (mostly by Mama), being worn in the ergo carrier (especially when he's fussy in the evenings and it's the only way I can do dinner and bath time when Stephen has visitation and church nights), he is finally starting to like his pacifier but still not as much as either of his big brothers, riding in the car (most of the time), bath time

Things he dislikes: The only major dislikes right now are probably diaper changes and being put down for any long period of time (all of our kids are/were in arms babies)

Health: he has been extremely healthy and we have not had any sickness or concerns so far. The only thing I've noticed is that he is more gassy than probably our other two, needs to be burped more, and wakes up at night with gas pains. I'm trying to work that out with the lactation consultant and make sure it's not something I'm eating. He is a little fussy lately and spitting up some, but nothing that causes me concern with having a big-time reflux baby before him.

Temperament: I hate to compare him to my other two, but he is somewhere in the middle of the two temperament wise, for now anyway. He is not as easy-going as Jude was but not as fussy as James as a newborn either.

Relationship with his brothers: Both boys have been great with him, although Jude had the harder transition being so little. They love to hold him, talk to him, and get diapers for him. They like to watch/help with his bath. Jude loves to point to him, say his name, and asks about him when he's not as visible in the ergo carrier. Although we are working out a new schedule and normal, they are adapting well and really don't appear to be jealous (maybe just a little bored on certain days that we are mostly at home. Hopefully that will improve as he gets a little older and we can do more.)