It happened!

It happened.  It sure did.  We even had conversations with friends and laughed about the fact that we had not faced "the situation" yet.  But, sure and soon enough, it happened - yup, Jude pooped in the tub.  The poor kid was running a fever and we were giving him a luke-warm bath to help break it (Tylenol wasn't working).  We usually bathe him in the evening.  Jude typically doesn't poo in the evening.  Hence, the lack of "this situation" previously.  Monday morning, we put him in the tub and because the water was slightly cooler than usual, I added bubble bath to help distract and entertain him.  Jude was loving all of the bubbles.  Chad and I were sitting on the edge of the tub talking and watching him.  Then Chad asked the ultimate question - "Is that poop?"  I was afraid to look.  Once we stopped laughing, I got Jude out of the tub and took him into the spare bathroom to give him another bath with no poop water.  Thank God for an amazing husband who cleaned and sanitized the watery, mushy, disgusting, messy tub.  Lesson learned: Stick to the evening bath ritual.

Speaking of rituals, I am starting a new yearly ritual.  Let me explain... while in Virginia, one of the "games" that I asked my sister-in-law and her husband to play was to guess what each of our kids would be when they grew up.  My goal is to ask again every year and see how it changes (hence, the "ritual"). The guesses for January 2012:

Dwayne's guesses:

• Devereaux - Something in Architecture
• Layla - Something in Design/Art
• Caroline - Unsure
• Jude - Unsure

Nichole's guesses:

• Devereaux - Something in Architecture
• Layla - Something in Design/Art
• Caroline - Unsure
• Jude - Unsure 

Miranda's guesses:

• Devereaux - Financial Advisor
• Layla - Interior Designer
• Caroline - Veterinarian Assistant initially followed by a stay at home Mom
• Jude - Astronaut

My guess for Jude, goes back to our first flight home from Virginia.  At Dulles airport in D.C., one of the security guards looked at my ID, handed it back to me, looked at Jude and stated so matter-of-fact: "That boy is going to be an astronaut."  That was all he said.  No smile.  No smirk.  Just a comment.  I found it interesting and couldn't help but smile.  That was the day that Chad and I decided on Jude's Halloween costume.  We will see where his adventure really takes him!  (Jude does LOVE to point at the moon - early indication?)

Caroline - she is such a sweety, a Mommy's girl, and loves animals.  Layla - she is a girly girl, a fashion expert (for a six year old), an a very good artist! Devereaux - he is super fun, very literal, and loves math!

Okay, one more thing before I share an amazing recipe, I have one more stat  that I am putting in this post (more for me than anyone else). I think I have mentioned before that signing has helped immensely in communicating with Jude.  I love to see him sign.  I love to teach him sign.  I love it when he teaches me signs (he learns some at daycare too).  I jotted a list down today of what signs he knows well and what signs he is learning.

• Signs he knows well and uses often: Banana, cracker, apple, baby, monkey, puppy, lion, eat, ball, shirt, giraffe, phone, all done, pig, milk, water, please, thank you, cheese, cereal

• Signs we are still working on: bread, orange, duck/bird (too similar for him to differentiate), cow, bull, flower, balloon, tree, train, plane, sockds, fish, elephant, daddy, mommy, light, bed, sleep

• Words that he says: Mommy, Daddy, ball, Julie, Becky, up (actually up-py), baby, puppy, thank you (sounds like chi chi)

These are all I can remember right now.  "Thank you" is probably the cutest because he signs it and speaks it at the same time.  ADORABLE!  And... one photo of Chad and Jude pointing at pictures and naming who is in each of them.  :)

Okay, now for an awesome recipe that I found in Better Homes and Gardens.  If you are vegetarian or vegan, give this one a shot.  We have also had it with pork roast shoulder on the side that Chad slow cooked with some delicious apple glaze.  If you make it, let me know if you love it as much as I do!

Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces (I cheat and buy organic baby carrots)
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large red onion, peeled, halved, and cut into 1-inch wedges
1 lb red or russet potatoes, cut into cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
2 to 3 TBSP vegetable oil or olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Move oven rack to center of oven.  Preheat oven to 425.  Place all vegetables, garlic, and chickpeas in a large shallow roasting pan.  In a small bowl combine oil, rosemary, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.  Drizzle over vegetables; toss well to coat.
2. Roast, uncovered, about 45 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring twice.  Makes 8 side-dish servings.
3.  ENJOY!
(Note: each serving is 223 calories, 4 grams of fat, 301 mg sodium, 42 g carb, 7 g fiber, 6 g protien)

I'll post more pictures soon!