Small Talk, Big World

Reflections

2012-01-11T23:08:00.000-06:00

As the days go by, I think about blogging quite a bit. Everyday unveils something else that I want to put in a little lock box and keep in my memory bank forever.
I haven't even had the chance to write about Jude's first birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or our latest visit to Virginia. I will get to all of that (in upcoming blogs)... however, tonight I just want to jot down some things that make me smile.

1. I am so please with how well Rhyme and Tempest do around Jude. Surprisingly, Tempest is a little more tolerant of him and she loves to play ball with him! He loves to pat them, pull on them, kiss them, and chase them. Chad has posted a few videos on his YouTube - Kemperspace. (Picture taken with my phone)

2. Jude is signing. I am so glad I decided to work on this with him. The results are really paying off. It also helps that daycare works with the kids on signing. He can say "more", "milk", "all done", "eat", and "please". We are working on "thank-you" now. I love it when he points to food and signs "more, please". We see this sign a lot because he always wants to eat (just like Dad).

3. Serious expressions around new people CRACK me up! He gives people that he does not know a stare down. No smiles. No grins. No nothing. HAHAHA He is starting to change a little, just recently he was cheesing it up around some new people but that is not standard protocol for our little man (yet).

4. Although he may not jump up and run to greet someone unfamiliar, he sure knows how to cheese it up for the camera. He puts a big smile on and even sits still. (Photo courtesy of my Dad - taken the day after Christmas at my parents house.)

5. Bed time is getting easier. Okay, a little easier. He still gets up several times a night (yes, he is 14 months old). However, when it is bed time, we lay him down and cover him up and he goes right to sleep. No more milk to get to sleep. No more rocking to sleep (well, until he wakes up at 11:30 p.m., 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.). I give this one a happy face with a sigh... haha

6. Jude is definitely a reflection of his Daddy. I am not talking about his looks (although people tell me they look just alike - I don't see it. :) I am also not talking about his appetite, I already mentioned that earlier. I am referring to his obsession with watches. One of Jude's favorite "toys" is going to Daddy's watch box and wearing his watches around the house (with his arm in the air to keep it on). SO CUTE!

7. Above, I said that was ONE of his favorite toys - his real favorite toy is his bellybutton. He is constantly pulling up his shirt playing with his belly button.

8. I am not sure if this is common with toddlers, or just a Jude quirk. He is in a phase now where he can't stand to wear his clothes. He somehow manages to get one arm out of his sleeve and ends up looking like he is walking around in a toga. He has managed to get his pajama bottoms off while I was showering one morning (he was in his playpen). And the other day, he got both arms out of his onesie, revealing what looked like a baby tube top! Goofy kid! (Both pictures taken with my phone, the first one - he managed to pull his arm out while I had him strapped in his car seat!)

9. So far, he isn't a picky eater (knock on wood). Although he does seem to prefer a vegetarian life since he spits out almost all of the meat that we feed him. He has just now starting to eat some meat if I mix it in with other things. His favorite meal is spaghetti!

10. I love to listen to him talk. A lot of it is babble that I don't understand but I do understand some words including "Daddy" (sometimes this word even sounds like he has a British accent), "MaMa", "Ball" (sounds like ba), "Becky" (daycare provider), "Baby", and "Puppy".

I could go on and on and on. I better stop though and get to bed. Lord knows, the little man will likely wake me up in about an hour!

Good night! (Apologies for any grammatical and/or spelling errors - too tired to worry about it at this point!)

Walking and Bathtime

2011-10-23T21:57:00.002-05:00

Jude has been walking around furniture since he was about 9 months old. Our pediatrician told us that he would be walking around the 1 year mark. Guess what - Jude's birthday is less than 10 days away and he has been taking off (unsolicited) and taking steps here and there for the past couple of days. These steps usually maxed out at about three. Today Jude became a brave little boy and he let go of the couch and just kept going. He made it AT LEAST 11 steps all by himself! He practiced this new trick repeatedly. He did fall down every time (usually forward) but he caught himself. He was so excited about his new trick that he would just look up, smile, and squeal.

On a slightly different note, Jude makes me laugh because he gets so upset when he has to get OUT of the tub. I even let all of the water out today (after he played for about 30 minutes) and he was still giggling and crawling around in the tub. Well, I only laugh until his little cry turns into a meltdown. :)

Reflections

2011-10-18T21:02:00.007-05:00

As Jude's birthday approaches, I keep reflecting on how fast the first year went. It really is hard to remember every detail! I regret not taking better notes and journalling everything. I have(re) organized his pictures. The changes amaze me. Jude went from a babbling, sleeping 9 pounder to a squealing, giggling, toddling, 24 pound little man in a year.

As I sit here and think about my favorite moments, I realize how long this blog could actually become. I remember his first giggle. Chad was on the phone with Marvin and I kept screaming at him to come to the bedroom... Jude was giggling! I didn't want him to miss it. Other favorite memories include the open mouth drooling kisses. Sometimes you can get several in a row. Jude is such a snuggler... he kisses, he hugs, he snuggles! He is also a hitter, pincher, thrower, and biter (ouch!). He isn't trying to be mean... I think he is just exploring his world and his capabilities. Taking a bottle for the first time, rolling over, scooting, crawling, pulling himself up to a standing position, clapping, are all some other fond memories that I want to lock up in a safe place and never let them fade away. We are even watching him take a couple new steps every night... without holding onto anything. The expression on his face, that look of accomplishment brings me pure joy!

When it comes down to it, I think Jude is pretty perfect. I am slightly biased, but even if you aren't his mother, I tend to think that you would agree with me!

Divided attention

2011-07-30T21:36:00.021-05:00

As I write this, I am watching RANGO! So far, it is a pretty cute movie.

We had a great time with Nichole, Dwayne, and the kids! I didn't get my camera out enough but I got a few shots. I did get some really cute shots of Caroline and Tempest playing with bubbles but those shots were taken with my phone. Besides playing bubbles, we tried to stay cool as the heat index reached 100+ degrees. The guys played golf and the girls were able to go wedding dress shopping with Sheena. Family visited, kids played in the pool, and I even was able to do a little shopping with Nichole! Below are some shots from our visit (sorry for the lack of family/people shots!!!)

Yesterday's photography session at Navy Pier in Chicago was educational, motivational, and fun! Capturing true emotion was able to refresh some things that I already knew and enlighten me to some aspects of photography and to some of my camera settings that I had not yet explored. I can't wait to put it all to the test as I start photographying things (Jude) around home. My two favorite pictures from yesterday...

The picture above was my first attempt at panning! I can't wait untill Jude is playing sports. With a little practice, I think I will be able to get some cool shots in the near future.

Alright RANGO, you have my full attention!

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun & Chasing an Infant!

2011-07-25T19:12:00.008-05:00

Chasing Jude as he crawls around the house to ensure he doesn't reach the girl's food and water bowls, open the stove, fall backwards as he pulls himself up on everything, or fall face first into the mantle, has given me a glimpse of what life is going to be like when he is actually walking! Jude's army crawling started at the beginning of June. It didn't take long (3 weeks maybe) before he was in a full, belly-up crawl. Not only is he crawling but he says two distinct words... Bob and Dada! haha... I am sure he is just making noise at this point but we like to pretend he has an imaginary friend and can holler for Daddy!

Sleeping through the night? HA! He is still up for some snuggling (and eating) about 3 times each night. We tried the "crying it out" twice. It didn't work for us and we can't stand to listen to him get so upset. At least my body is used to getting up. At least I get to snuggle. At least I can sleep in the glider. Yes... I still have my rose colored glasses on!

Let me take those glasses off for a second and complain about one thing. Complaining is not something I like to do, however, time seems to keep moving faster. I can't believe my little man is going to be 1 year old in THREE months! CRAZY! There are so many things I want to do each night (relax), week (blog), month (date night), year (endless list)... so many places I want to go (South America, New Zealand, even just to the mall in Bloomington)... so many people I want to visit (Grandparents, parents, siblings, etc.), that I am not sure time is going to allow it - at least as soon as I want it. And if time does allow... I am not sure finances will. Sigh... :) On a lighter note... we will do what we can, when we can.

A final note and some pictures... then it is my bed time!

Final note: I am SUPER EXCITED about going to a photography class and "safari" this weekend in Chicago. My friend (Joe Young) and I are headed up to Navy Pier. This awesome deal was on Groupon. I can't wait. I am sure I will have lots of "big city" photos to post this weekend.

Last but not least, some pictures (of my best creation yet... and some other stuff)! This first photo is how Chad has successfully put Jude to sleep. He watches Daddy (sitting up) and eventually gets tired enough and rolls over and goes to sleep. Okay... this has only worked once or twice! But still AWESOME and adorable!

Story time with Aunt Kayla! (This book is fantastic... and humorous!)

Before he was on all fours, he was an army crawler. I wanted to put a T-shirt mop on him so he could clean my floors as he navigated around on the hardwood! haha...

He was all smiles in his first parade at Scibbles! I love how attentive he is in this photo! Your right... I love everything about this little man! :)

I should have some photos from our recent visit with Nicole and family next week - although I think I forgot to use my camera most of the time - we were too busy visiting! Those photos are still sitting on my memory card... and some on my phone. :)

Baby Brakes - no where to be found!

2011-06-19T22:11:00.011-05:00

March? Really? That was the last time I blogged? I am pretty disappointed that I can't seem to keep up with my blogging. It isn't like I have a full time job, a mobile baby, and a personal business to keep me busy. I do have lots to say and lots of photos but I will try to keep this breife and MAYBE (just maybe) I will update again next weekend.

This big news is all about Jude (of course)!

Sitting up (no support) - Check!

Rolling over (both directions) - Check!

Eating baby food (fruits and veggies) - Check!

Moving from tummy to sitting up position - Check!

Moving to all fours in preparation for crawling - Check!

Scooting (army crawling) - Check!

Exploring voice (squealing/screaming for fun) - Check!

Just being absolutely adorable - CHECK!

He is going to be crawling any day! My guess is 2 weeks max. We are so excited but we are also trying to baby proof in preparation. Lots to think about (stairs, outlets, fireplace hearth, puppy toys, etc.) Jude is also such an awesome travel buddy. We have been to Boston, Virginia, and Pasadena (CA). He has went up and landed in an airplane 10 times already!

Jude was "diagnosed" (I hate that word) with asthma when he was 6 months. We were supposed to give him a steroid treatment but because of the side effects, we opted out. The pulmonologist requested a follow up visit to discuss the matter and he said that Jude was sounding really good and agreed that we didn't need him on the steroid at this point in time. Whew!

Rhyme and Tempest are adjusting to Jude's mobility. They stare at him as he scoots towards them then they move just before he reaches them. haha! What a game!

Chad is really good at getting Jude to sleep. I don't have much luck with that unless I feed him. hmmm...

Okay... way past my bed time. Hopefully more next week!

Babies, Ouchies, Bellies, and Brody's

2011-03-23T20:25:00.009-05:00

Okay... lots to write about! Where to start??? I will start with today's big news... Congratulations to my cousin Jady on the delivery of a healthy, 8 lb. 3 oz. baby boy! Welcome to the world, Weston Dwight Friese!!! Hopefully I will be able to visit soon and I can post some photos at that point. I have lots of babies to visit:- Mr. Weston, Miss Caroline, Mr. Rowen, and Miss Zoe! Can't wait!

Since the last post, Jude has received his second round of immunizations. 3 shots, 2 legs, 1 scream... and it was over. We got home and I had to capture the bandaids... and his chunky, beefy, adorable legs! haha! Nichole (Chad's sister) is calling Jude "Porkchop II". (Layla was the first Porkchop.)

Jude also started eating cereal from a spoon. We were really curious how much he would like it. As the saying goes... like father, like son... he doesn't judge where or how he gets food just as long as it gets to his mouth and into his belly. He loved it and ate it like he had been eating from a spoon since day one!

Jude and I went to Taylorville to visit Grandma and Grandpa Pickel. While we were there, my Mom came with me out to Val's so I could get some snapshots of Brody for his 3 yer birthday. I think my Mom enjoyed babysitting and visiting with Valerie's Mom. She has been ill... so please say a prayer for her to get healthy ASAP! Brody is such a little ham! LOVE HIM! I am so envious of those eyelashes... HOLY COW! :)

Finally, I made an apple pie recently. It was pretty darn good but I am still looking for a better recipe. I don't want the insides to run out. I think part of the problem is... my patience. Don't get me wrong. I am very patient - except when it comes to eating. (hmmm... Maybe Jude gets it from both sides). Anyway, I want to eat it immediately so I don't wait for it to cool entirely. But, I want to try again. So, if you have an apple pie recipe that you just love, please share!