Judah Spring 2011

Judah is 15 months!

His personality is blossoming and so obvious so much of the time. He loves to say Hi to people, even if they are so far away they have no idea what is going on. He is outgoing and full of himself.
He is also my snuggler of the two boys. So cuddly!
He also has a buzzed head as noted in the picture.  After buzzing the boys, we realized we like it better on both of them and it is good for the hot weather too, so it will probably be like this for a while. Thankful Matt does it and we don't pay to have it done!
Judah has not gotten any more teeth in recently. Still two on bottom and four on top. I think Micah may have had a mouth-full at this point, but the good thing is that Judah is a very good eater with the 6 teeth that he does have, so there is nothing we would be feeding him if he had more teeth than what we are already feeding him now (pretty much anything). He is also pretty adamant about feeding himself now, which makes things a little easier during mealtimes, but a little messier too.

It is so easy to make Judah smile and laugh. He finds many things to be humorous. He is very ticklish. He is just a pretty happy, easy-going kid (most of the time).
Judah is walking and even running so good. I know he learned earlier on how to withstand little pushes because of his brother, but this has helped him greatly. We can even tell the difference in the baby pool of how well he can catch himself from falling when he gets a little off balance.
He spends time chasing micah everywhere, but when Micah is napping, he also plays quite well on his own. We are pretty sure that Judah may be bigger/tougher/stronger than Micah one day, so it's a good thing they love each other!

Judah has just recently started talking, and he is trying to say everything we tell him to. His biggest, cutest word right now is umbrella. He is also learning some signs so he can talk to us, but it seems they don't always mean what they should mean. "More" often just means food/eat or more of something or get me something. But he is trying and learning.
He loves being outside. He is always going to the front door and getting his shoes and bringing them to us so that we will know he wants them on and wants to go outside. And he gets upset if we don't oblige. He is pretty adventurous inside and outside, and he is pretty comfortable in his abilities to try new things, i.e. going down slides and playing in the water at the pool.

He loves his pacifier and I think it is going to be harder to "break" him of this than it was for Micah. For Micah, we just started when he was 1 leaving it up in his bed and only using it for sleeping...and he was totally fine with that. Hasn't been as easy with Judah...
He sleeps well in the car, but I may change this after we take a trip to the beach and see how he does on a longer trip since we don't try them often.

Judah likes food!

Judah is not a picky eater. He is a picky drinker.
Micah didn't like cold drinks at first, but he transitioned pretty smoothly in the end.
Judah prefers his milk warm. He will drink it cold, and more so if he is thirsty while he is eating food, but he is pretty particular about the warm milk.
Not so with food. I'm not sure if he has tried anything he has not eaten. Again, this is opposite of Micah. If it does not look or sound familiar to Micah, he is unlikely to even try it. If it is edible (or not, actually), Judah with likely eat it.
Since he hasn't been that picky with food, I don't know that it's been as obvious when he really likes something. I mean, he will eat it a little faster, but we were recently given some baby "cookies" and we definitely got the biggest reaction for food that we have gotten from Judah.

 Eager anticipation.

 It's getting closer...

 Pure enjoyment, with eyes that smile...

What?

Teething and Eating

I think there might be some more teeth popping through soon for Judah.
I'll probably be saying that for the next year...
Not sure if it has to do with the teething, but this guy has not been as interested in his bottles as he has been in solid food.
Some new things we've tried: avocados, peaches, pears, and yogurt. He hasn't turned any of them down!
Today, in ONE sitting, he ate a banana (the whole thing), a peach (the whole thing!) and about half a pear! Yep, in one sitting.
I might start calling him porky.

Judah News

Judah is growing and changing and bringing so much joy to our lives!
Judah loves putting things in his mouth. We may have to watch out for him more than we ever did Micah...sometimes it's not so bad, but I'm sure it will get worse...

He has not quite mastered sitting, but we are working on it.

He loves eating! He has really started to get the hang of eating food from a spoon. Bananas are his favorite. He is gaining weight quite well, and he has the thighs to prove it.

He has been rocking up on his knees for a while, but this week started to figure out how to put it all together and create some forward movement.

I think his bottom teeth are real close to popping through.

Even still, he is quite the happy baby! What a joy and a blessing to be this kid's mom and watch daily as he learns how to explore his world.

Pure Enjoyment

I think someone was enjoying his time with his chocolate chip cookies. I think he did actually get some in his mouth, although it doesn't really look like it...

Friday's Fave Five: July 23

  Linked up here.

Seems like I'm only getting this done every other week right now...but when I do it is such a great reminder to me of all that I have to be thankful for and all that has been going on! This week seems to have a theme of trying new things.

1. Sleeping changes. We only have one crib. We decided early on we would just use a pack n play for Judah until Micah was ready to move out of his crib. And when he is ready we have a toddler bed. There is a much bigger and funnier story for another post, but basically we are still putting Micah is the crib at night, but starting to use the toddler bed for naps. My little boy is growing up! These were pics we took late at night after we realized Micah needs more practice in the toddler bed before he goes through the night.

2. Judah trying cereal.  I think it took Micah a couple of weeks to be okay with something foreign being in his mouth. Judah seems to take to the spoon a little better already, but I don't think much cereal has actually been swaddled. But, it's a fun new adventure!

3. Judah wrapped differently. Some friends of ours let us in a a slight variation they do of the swaddle wrap. It's worked great! Actually, as long as my husband does it. He was away last night and the little man fought his way out. He is SO strong! But it is helping to take sleeping to a new level. A through-the-night-sleeping-soundly level!

4. Self-entertainment. I do my best to enjoy my sons and play with them and entertain them. But I also do my best to make sure they know how to do this for themselves. While Micah was in the basement he found some old yard sale stickers and decided he knew the perfect thing to do with them. This occupied a good chunk of time...all by himself...ahhh..

5. Self-feeding. Micah just decided one day recently that it was time to start feeding himself. He gets pretty upset now if we don't let him. It's a little messier and takes a little longer, but it is also great fun to watch him learn and try and master the art of feeding himself!

The boys bring me great joy and delight. And they are growing up oh so very fast! It's new everyday, and that's one of the great things about being a mom!

Snack Time

Micah is really enjoying food! All sorts, and I am SO glad he has not been a real picky eater!
One of my favorite things to watch over the past month or so has been Micah learning to feed himself. No utensils yet! But the art of learning how to grab something with his fingers and then get it in his mouth. Entertaining, eye opening, and at times (when there is other stuff he can get his fingers around but shouldn't be eating) dangerous!
Here he is examining the snacks he has been given. Trying it out in his hand.
Concentrating really hard on getting it just right in between his fingers...and as you can see, the left hand is in a fist, which likely means he has already gotten one in that hand.
Deciding on the left hand, he approaches the mouth, very successfully...
Then switches hands and eats one with the right hand while the left hand is getting ready for the next bite. He has learned early on how to be more efficient with two hands!
This on appears it did not quite make it in the mouth. There seems to be one in the finger area and one stuck lower on the palm...but he seems to be determined to still get them in the mouth!
OK! That seems to be the look here! Got some in, sucking for a bit, and resting my hands. This is hard work!
But then there is a bit of frustration upon realizing that they are all gone.

And so goes snack time...

New Milestones for the Little Guy

A beautiful growing boy, with a beautiful smile, two big (and sharp) teeth, a cute dimple, and lots of life! Think he is definitely going to have mom's eyes, hazel it is.
Micah has learned how to eat quite well. He loves food. He has also learned it is very hard to keep food in his mouth while simultaneously sneezing!
Micah has become very active and much more aware of his toys. This has led to him being very excited to play, while at the same time too tired to even keep his head up. This is what I find when it starts to get a little too quiet in the other room...
Micah is becoming quite the mobile little creature. And he is learning his "what? i'm innocent!" face.
One of Micah's newest discoveries is shoes. He has no fear of feet or shoes. He loves to touch and eat both, so watch out down below.
Micah is learning to read. And seems to be thoroughly enjoying it.
As Micah has become more mobile, he is showing us the things in our house that we need to "baby-proof" or at least be careful of. This is a new favorite.
As you can tell by the licking that followed. Mmmmm, Will Ferrell tastes good...
This is the face that might be seem when Micah is not getting what he wants. And he has a very good grip, as you might notice here. Watch out for those claws!
He is changing everyday, and we are loving every moment of it!