Baby it's cold outside!

We got our first snowfall here in Indy last night. It looks beautiful and is right in time for Christmas! Jude has been staring out the window all morning and saying "hot", which for him means cold! I decided to bundle us up and go on our first walk in the snow for the year! My child usually refuses to keep his hat, gloves, jacket, and a blanket on, and usually wants out of the stroller about 5 min in, so I did not have high hopes for this walk! Well, he stayed perfectly bundled the entire time, which must mean, Baby it's cold outside!!

Your parents may know a thing or two...

My advice for you today is this- if you still have your parents around listen to them! If they want to teach you something- learn it! And be grateful you still have the chance to do so!
The summer after college, before my big move to Chicago, I stayed with my dad! I am so thankful to have had that summer! My dad and I did all sorts of things together and made some great memories. We cooked a lot, because my dad loved to cook- and was great at it! One day he wanted to show me how to cook a whole chicken. I declined the offer because I was perfectly happy cooking with chicken breasts (and would be for the rest of my life... Or so I thought!) keep in mind I was 20 (and had an aversion to raw meat)!
Let's skip ahead to today. Today I cooked a whole chicken, and have several times before. Not only that, but I made and used the chicken broth too! I can successfully do this, and I actually like to! I would love to be able to tell my children that (and teach them) this is how your grandpa Harry cooked a chicken, instead I'll have to tell them I learned from ehow.com. Not quite as heartwarming!
I lost my dad at 23. I know it is so hard to lose a parent at any age, but that feeling that I got robbed that I lost mine before I got married, had babies, and before my life really started NEVER goes away.
So I can't tell you enough- don't take your parents for granted! Learn from them! Take care of them- because lord knows they have done so much for you! And be thankful for every day you have with them!
Thank you to my mom and my mother in law who do so much for my family! I am eternally grateful!

18 months... Woah

I can hardly believe that my baby is 18 months old! It really has flown by! Judah is the sweetest, funniest, most ornery little guy! He is full of love and shows it! He is also full of spunk and does everything on his own terms, which is extremely frustrating sometimes! He has a passion for dogs, despite the fact that his dad and I really aren't fans, and will befriend every dog at the park. He has several toy dogs and usually has one in tow wherever we go! He kisses them, and all of his other animal friends, multiple times a day and loves to bark at the neighbor dogs! Carlos, his monkey friend is another best pal! Since he is bigger than Jude he is very good to plop down and snuggle on! He is naming (and kissing) family in photographs on the wall, and I think he might say his brother's name, which he calls yigh yigh, about a thousand times a day! Speaking of Riley, he is just such a wonderful and caring big brother and truly is amazing with Judah.
Jude is regularly saying about 15-20 words now and is learning more everyday! It is SO exciting to see him learn and put things together! I am such a proud mama!
He is really into mimicking and loves to fake cough, sneeze, and burp (he kills me!) and even covers his mouth during these fake symptoms!
Jude has a pretty short attention span and does rarely has time to sit. He is on the move constantly and he wears me out just watching him! He is quite the dare devil and pushes himself to try new dangerous things daily. I have finally accepted that I gave birth to the next evil knievel and have learned to let loose a little. I still fear a trip to the ER for a broken limb though!
Judah loves to eat and try new foods., on his terms of course, and usually off of someone else's plate! Why does that make food so much better? At the table we can usually count on about 10 good minutes that he will join us. After that he wants down to run around and take the occasional bite from daddy. When we go out to eat we can count on a little bit longer, but not the whole meal. I am hoping this gets better in time. Jude's new food love is pickles! Every time we open the refrigerator he pulls out the pickle jar and insists on one... Even at 7am! Weirdo! He loves to snack, and while I am trying to cut back on constant snacking it is also a sanity saver sometimes so I just go with it! Fruits are his all time favorite and I usually have to hide veggies, but sometimes he cooperates and eats them!
These days Jude's sleeping is all over the place. He was sleeping very good for the longest time, but recently we have been dealing with wake ups and night terror type things, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy! Talk about scary stuff! He hasn't had one in about a week so I am hoping we are done with them! Somedays he wakes up at 5:45 and some days 7:30. He still takes 2 hour and a half naps each day and goes to bed around 8. This sleep thing is ever changing though so I try to just go with it.
Jude has all of his teeth except for 2 bottom molars. I can not wait for teething to be done! He loves to brush his teeth and just got a new Elmo toothbrush!
My dearest son has a passion for being naked an acts like wearing clothes is the worst thing in the world. He can often be found running around naked with shoes on! Again, a weirdo! He gets pretty ticked that i don't allow him to go out on the balcony naked anymore so that usually turns into quite the dramatic scene. The boy loves to be outside!
Speaking of tantrums, yep, we've got 'em! I keep reminding myself that every toddler has them and they too shall pass! I can not wait until he can communicate what he wants!
Jude could care less if the tv is on but the boy loves to watch Elmo clips on YouTube! We like to snuggle up a few times a day and watch our favorites, and I have to admit that I love this because he is so busy most of the time that I enjoy the moments that he just lays still with me!
I could probably go on and on, as any parent could, but I'll stop now! It is just amazing being a parent! And very hard too! I am so in love with this 24 pound spitfire! I am so lucky to be this smart, adorable, crazy boy's mama! We just have so much fun together!!

Precious Moments

All too soon my boy will be too big to want to snuggle with his mama! I'm soaking it up as much as he'll let me! My cup runneth over!

Big walks

Jude and I love to go on walks together! Lately he prefers to go on foot instead of riding in the stroller, wagon, or carrier. We start by leaving the house then stopping by the neighbors to bark back at the dogs! He LOVES dogs! Then he likes to lead the way to our destination, which is either the park, community garden, or library. It's so crazy how he just knows the way to where he wants to go! Smart little cookie! He always has to pick something during the walk to carry around! A stick, rock, or woodchip usually and then it stays securely clutched in his palm until we return home! We are going to miss these walks when it gets too cold to go out!

Pumpkin patchin'

We went to Stoneycreek farm a couple weekends ago and had so much fun! Jude enjoyed being pulled around in his wagon, searching for the perfect pumpkin, and eating yummy fall snacks! It was chilly, but we bundled up and had a blast!

Handsome

Has there ever been a more handsome little fellow? I think not!

Night of Terrors

Oh my, something crazy happened last night. Jude still wasn't feeling up to par, so we put him to bed early and hoped he would catch up on sleep since he woke up at 4:45 that morning (ugg!). I decided to go to bed early too and was sound asleep by 9:30 (amen), well at about 10:30 Jude woke up screaming. Doug went in so I could keep sleeping! A few minutes passed with no relief to the screaming so I decided to go in. I tried and tried to calm him with no luck. This was strange bc I can always calm him down. We decided to take him out to the living room and turn the light on when I realized that it seemed like he wasn't even coherent. He just wanted to walk around screaming bloody murder. It was breaking my heart! We tried to calm him with Elmo videos and Doug got his favorite fruit snacks (we were desperate!) and he just ignored them both! This was not our boy! Finally I took him outside and the cold snapped him out of it and he seemed like he was now with it! Thankfully I got him to go back to bed within a few minutes of that! I have no idea what that was all about, but my best guess is a night terror! It was so scary to see my baby not respond to anything and be so inconsolable! I hope that NEVER happens again!

Little Sicky

If you have ever met my child than you would know that he must not be feeling well by the picture below. He does not just sit on laps and chill (unless you have some Elmo videos to watch!) he would rather be running! He started running a low grade fever this evening and after his bath he just sat with me wrapped up in a comfy blanket and fell asleep after about 30 min. This boy does not do that... Like ever! I am not sure if it's from his cold, teething, or something else, but there is nothing more sad than a sick baby! Get better my sweets!

A gift from the Grandmas!

So back when Jude was a small babe grandma Carrol brought this neat little bassinet she scored! We loved it but already had something for the same purpose and had no room to store it, so the next time my mom came she took it and said she would repurpose it into something fun! Well months went by and I actually forgot about it, until she visited the other weekend and brought this...
How amazing huh?! I wish I had a before pic, but it turned out really cool! Jude is having a ball playing on it and will for years to come! What a special gift from both of his amazing grandmas!!

Climb baby climb!

It's safe to say that my son is fearless! He has always been advanced when it comes to large motor, but this kid is crazy! He climbs up on everything, pushes stools up to counters so he can see what is up there, is almost climbing over the baby gates and well on his way escaping from his crib (yikes)! I think I need to take him to a monkey gym or something!! Any toy that you can stand on, and even those you can't really, he does! He seriously cracks us up! Oh, and he loves to be naked :) full update to come!

Time Flies!

Wow, alot has happened since I last updated! Too much to cover, but I will summarize! Jude is now 1 year old! He is a little monster, a super sweet and ornrey at the same time kinda monster! He has the funniest personality.He loves to play games and love on his mama and dada! He is the apple of our eyes! He started walking they morning he turned 11 months. He didnt even give us "first steps" moment, more like first run! The crazy kid is moving non stop and only pauses while asleep. I am a tired woman keeping up with him!

  He will nosedive off of anything if you let him and seriously fears nothing and seriously scales the baby gates! I am going to have to figure out how to keep him tamed!

  He "acts" shy when you first meet him, but after about 10 seconds he will gladly go to anyone! He does like to keep mom close by though, who can blame him? ;) He is mostly sweet, but if you take away what he has he will go into meltdown mode. He prefers to play with phones, remotes, and computers rather than his own toys. The goof always insists on carrying around little bottles and pacifiers. I would venture to say that 80% of the time he either has a hylands teething tabs bottle, an orajel tube, or a mentos gum bottle in his hands (along with one or two pacifiers... weirdo!). On walks, running errands, through the house... all the time! I have no idea why, but if it makes him happy then I'm fine with it!

 Hide and seek is his favorite game and he loves to chase and be chased around the house. He is soooo much fun!

He is now sleeping through the night and going to bed at 6:30 and waking up around 6:00. I wish we could shift this back a little bit, but he will not have it. And I must admit, I do like having so much free time after he goes to bed, expecially since the kid ususlly only takes two 30 min naps a day!

He is a good but wacky eater, loves something one day and then the next day will have nothing to do with it! The staples though are, any kind of fruit, steamed carrots, yogurt, cheese, cinnamon life, minestrone soup, black beans, and peanut butter and jelly sandwitches! We are still breastfeeding, but introducing whole milk (well trying to anyway!)

Jude has gotten several teeth over the past few months totaling 8! 6 on top and 2 on the bottom. He looks so much older with teeth. We look forward to brushing our teeth together every day! Jude thinks it is a blast, and I am hoping it stays that way!
He is just the cutest little guy ever.  We have been blessed with a great little boy and while this year has not been easy and I feel as though I have muddled through most of it, I would not change a thing!

Whitney, the Terrible Blogger

It's true. Sadly, I super suck at keeping this blog updated. Could be because I have a crazy toddler running around, or maybe I'm just lazy (when not chasing said toddler). Probably, it's both. But, the good news is... I have realized this, and I'm going to try harder! Plus, I'm doing this on my phone so that's pretty rad! Xo

St. Patty's Day!

So like I said in the previous post we were in Chicago for St. Patty's day for my mother in laws annual party! She makes a big batch of corned beef and has some wonderful people over! It is always a good time! I told myslef to take pictures during the party, but I guess it slipped my mind! SO here are some pics of us and friends before the party! Jude and Aila are just the sweetest babies!

Jude's not so sure about hanging with the Irish Princess!

Love that little hat on him :)

Hilder boys

Mom got Erica and I bottles of wine that is called Mama's Time Out!
I will go to time out anyday!

Erica and our sweet kiddos

Pretty little Aila Rose!

such a big boy!

the boys and grandma!

they love her :)

the happy couple! Jude is sharing his paci! I am trying to teach him to be a gentleman early!

Love these ladies~!

We had a great time and love it when we can make it up to Chicago! Next trip for Aila's FIRST birthday party! HOLY COW!!

9 Months in, 9 Months out!

I have to say that having a 9 month old is too much fun! I am loving the personality and humor my little guy is developing! He is learning new things everyday right before my eyes and I am so very blessed to be able to stay home to witness it! We have had an exciting month by getting out of the house more, going out to eat, and a trip to Chicago this past weekend. We went to Chicago for Gradma's annual St. Patty's party! we drove  on Friday night and left at Jude's bedtime so he slept most of the way which was nice! He woke up when we got there and got to see grandma for a little bit before going back to bed. The next day was the party and we got to see our bff's the Mansavages and Justin! Andy, Erica, and Aila came early so Jude and Aila could play! They are just adorable and will make a very happy couple someday :). The party was a great time and it was good to catch up with all of the Chicago peeps we see every year! They all couldn't belive how big Jude is getting, and to be honest, neither can I! We had delicious corne beef and cabbage for dinner and indulged in a couple of beers too! Jude was a bit fussy and wanted to be held alot by me while we were there, but has been a peach since we've been home so thats good!

So here are the detail of this month:
sleep- has been going ok for most of the month, with Jude going to bed around 6 and waking up around 6 with one night feeding around 1am. Could be worse, but could be better. Then the time changed and suddenly Jude doesnt want to go to bed at 6 anymore, and who can blame him as it is still really bright at that point! So he has been staying up until about 7:30, which is actually really nice bc it is allowing us to be able to do more in the evenings and it gives Doug a little more time with "taco" after work! The past two nights Jude has even slept through the night! I have been loving that!! He naps okay, but still prefers to nap in our bed, which I am trying to break that habit. Here's my conundrum though, when he naps in crib its 20 -30 min tops. When he naps in my bed its 1-2 hours. But maybe if I get consistent with it the crib naps will get longer?! who knows!

food- this kid loves to eat! Everything... including grass, leaves, and woodchips! You have been trying so many new things and loving all of it, Jude! Some of your latest feasts have included scrambled eggs and cheese, black beans, quinoua, chicken, rye bread, and corned beef! You will still eat some purees, but prefer to feed yourself pieces of finger food! We are working on just putting one piece of food in the mouth at a time! Still nursing like a champ too and enjoys having a sippy cup of water and drinking from a glass of water also!

teeth- STILL just those two bottom toofers! Teeth confuse me, so I am not even going to try to predict them anymore :)
talking- says "mama" and "baba" and on the verge of "dada" and "hi"! From here on out he is just going to keep learning and learning!

motor skills- (fine) he has mastered his pincer grasp to feed himself and continues to pick up small objects! If he can find something on the carpet he will pick it up!
(large) he is still pulling himself up on everything and moving from object to object. Still waiting on walking, but to tell you the truth, I am not quite ready for that so he can totally take his time on that one! He got a little car to ride over the weekend and he likes to scoot around on that (and when daddy put him on it *naked* before bath last night he showed us that he likes to pee on it too! HAHA!

personality- this kid kills me with his sweetness and humor! He is my little sweetie and loves to lay his head on my shoulder and give hugs and kisses! I love it! He has the *BEST* laugh in the whole entire world and smile too! He is fearless and I am worried that will one day get us in trouble, but we'll see! He will still go to anyone, but prefers to keep me in his line of vision. He plays shy when someone new comes into the room by putting his head down to avoid eye contact. Then he peeks his head up, gives a big smile, and puts head down again. Then he repeats about 15 times! It's really quite cute! He loves to actually play peek-a-boo too! With blankets and with us when we hide around corners. He anticipates where we are going to pop out next! Smart cookie I tell ya!

I really can't believe that I will have a one year old soon! This has just gone way too fast and so sad to think that this is probably the last of the baby times I will experience. That means that I just need to soak up as much as I can now! We are going on vacation to NC in May and I am sooo excited! I can't wait to see his little baby toes in the sand!