Well, here we are almost at the close of week one of our hoilday vacation here in Indiana. It's been relaxing...once we got over the time change. Sunday night was aweful! Judah only slept for 6 hours when he usually gets 10-12. Matt and I were both exhausted, so it made it very hard to *happily and patiently* tend to Judah's needs. But, we are past that; and Judah is perfectly on Indiana time now. I do not, however, look forward to trying to change him back to CA time...as it is now, he'll be waking at 5 am when we go back. :-O A kind lady that Brenda works with loaned alot of stuff her grandaughter uses for Judah. One was a portable crib. We were stoked about it...until we figured out Judah could stand up in it and shake it nearly to pieces! I also think it was so unfamiliar that it was distracting him from normal sleep...which affected OUR sleep. So we went to Target and bought an "Esparza Household" pack n play. It's the same one we have at home. Judah has slept SO much better since then. He shocked us by showing us he can even pull up in a mesh sided pack n play, but at least he can't shake it badly.
It's been dreary and rainy since we got here, but it adds to the wintry feel. I got out and took a 20 min walk while it was spritzing outside yesterday, and it was nice and refreshing. I've been battling consistent irritating nausea all week, mainly in the afternoon/evening. I GOT MY ARBY'S though and was a completely new woman afterwards. We will be visiting again before we leave. ;-) I also got me some Sonic. Yeah buddy! I also feel that my belly is starting to get that first trimester pudge-feeling. The "My body doesn't look pregnant yet, but I'm not my normal slim self anymore" feeling. I know I don't look pudgy to everyone else, but the waist of my pants is a little more snug and flexing my abs doesn't change the look of my tummy anymore. Those of you who have been pregnant or closely watched a preggie know what I'm talking about. Can I get a shout out?
There are many gifts under the tree already. Matt and I are going to go on a dinner/shopping date hopefully today or tomorrow. I'm thinking Chik-fil-A. Gotta get all the non-CA restaurants in while we can. Mmm...chicken ceasar wrap. We have a few gifts yet to purchase, and yes we are nuts for going shopping so close to Christmas. But hey, it adds a little spice to the holiday. Judah got to open one gift last night because we need more options for sleepware here. Sometimes it's a touch too warm for a fleece sleeper. The PJ's? Some adorable t-shirt pants/tops with dinosaurs on them. I've had my eye on them for quite some time at Target, so I am thrilled that Brenda chose them (not knowing what I would have picked)!
Judah & Aunt Melody.
Playing piano with Mamaw.
Judah also is around stairs that are "safe" as in carpeted and inside a house. He surprised us all by climbing all 14 steps on his first try!
Highchair Happiness (and a cool colored photo Melody took that shows Judah's orange nose even more). :-P
Judah 9 mo check up: 18.13 lbs. (20% for weight down from 80% last time...he moves around more!), 95% for head size (still a big head!), 28" long (average). He's as healthy as can be. :-) All four teeth on the bottom are through, and one on the top side JUST popped through last night. He'll have the other top side tooth pop through soon as well. When it tooths it teeths in that kids mouth!
I hope you all are enjoying these days leading up to Christmas!
So this week's new trick is to stand up in his crib. He does it OFTEN. So much so that it is hard to get him to go to bed/nap. And just today, he pulled up on the coffee table...and then cruised to get Matt's soup. Any bets on how soon he'll be walking?
We're up late tonight finishing up things before we leave for the holidays. It's about 10:30. And out of NOWHERE...ok out of the sky...we got hail! I was thinkin' to myself, "I knew it was supposed to rain, but that is some heavy rain...and rain usually doesn't ping off our windows." So I took some pictures. It's the second time I've encountered a random hail storm in CA. The first was on a sunny day at Master's -- I still don't understand where that hail came from. At least I know tonight's hail came from a cloudy sky. Perfectly pea-sized if you ask me.
Ok, off we go to bed...well ok after a few more tasks...
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? My dad's egg nog milkshakes (I have yet to have an "adult" one because I've been underage or pregnant on the years we've had them)
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa is not welcome here. We like to give our own gifts.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White all the way.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? We don't really decorate yet...once we are more settled (as in moved to Maryland) we will probably start.
5. When do you put your decorations up? See above.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Mashed potatoes/gravy and rolls.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Choosing and chopping down trees with my family and grandparents (but now fake trees rule the roost); sleeping with my sisters on Christmas Eve in our new Christmas pj's.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? When I was around 4 I think. My mom sat Autumn and I down and told us. Autumn cried. I didn't care.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nope. But we opened some on Thanksgiving this year.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? It *will* be white/blue/silver themed sprinkled with all the ornaments from my grandmother.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? If I've no place to go and it's warm inside, let it snow.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, but I much prefer roller skating.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Several: my "Snow Queen" porcelain doll, an adopt-a-dolphin, Swarovski crystal snowflake ornaments, my Pampered Chef soup pot, the scarf I just got from Autumn...and so many more!
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Egg nog milkshakes. Pumpkin Pie w/ whipped cream.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Pancake breakfast; new Christmas pj's; pouring the sparkling cider with my grandmother before New Year's midnight.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Both.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O Come O Come Emmanuel
So today begins the last week before our long Christmas vacation to Indiana. It'll be a busy week! Laundry and packing. Judah's 9 mo appt. My first prenatal appt. Garage sale with Rich and Diane. Hopefully see Todd while he's in town. Christmas party at a fellow student's house. At least I'm fully over whatever sickness I had last week, and the morning sickness doesn't seem to be bad (maybe even easier than with Judah). I am just so thankful to know ahead of time that Indiana will be relaxing...save for maybe the COLD weather. But hey, at least if it snows 4 feet we don't have anywhere to be by a certain day. :-P
Judah has decided to become a gymnast. Sometimes he shocks me by where he gets all by himself. And I know it'll only get more interesting as he grows more!
Ta da! In one side and out the front!
On a sad note, I seem to be having the same cravings I did with Judah...namely Arby's. Come to find out on Saturday when my dear husband took time out from his studying for finals to go get me Arby's...they don't exist in Salinas anymore!!! The closest one is at least 30 minutes away in Gilroy. ::stunned and hopeless:: At least I can get gummi bears at Safeway...
...to start a pregnancy. Just as my irritating-but-not-dibilitating all day sickness kicked in, my body decided to get sick. The nurse thinks it is flu, but I think it could be that and/or some kind of intestinal irritation. It is NOT fun -- nagging slight fever, coughing, congestion, extra nausea, tender and bloaty abdomen, a load of exhaustion. And taking Target brand's cold/flu relief liquid is like drinking a bag of Hall's cough drops...which I can't stand. But the stuff works. I just hope it's all over soon. I'd settle happily with just the all day sickness.
At least the nurse was able to quench my slight fear that it could be lysteria since there have been recent cases of it from Jamba Juice...and we had Jamba on Sunday. She said lysteria is much worse with an uncontrolable fever. I go next Friday for my first prenatal appointment, so I look forward to that day to find out if all truly is well and good to go. Hmm, makes me wonder if technology itself, though a gift from God by way of His blessing of intelligence, actually makes us weaker in faith. Women used to have NOTHING to assure them their baby was ok until it was born -- talk about trusting God's control!
Anyway, on a brighter (and maybe scarier) note, Judah is pulling up more and more. Today alone he's pulled up on his toy turtle, the laundry hamper, the coffee table (yipe!), and his crib. Gone are the days of ever leaving him in his crib with the railing down. Matt went in to check on him because he was whining a while after we put him to bed. Judah was standing there, one hand on the side rail and the other on the front rail. TOTALLY could have flipped over and out. Thank you, Lord, for protecting him and giving us a warning! Whew! So maybe he really will skip hands/knees crawling and go straight from dragging to walking...
Matt's 5th quarter is about to end. That means there are only three left. Time. Has. Flown.
So, we've waited a while since introducing beef. Now we tried chicken. Homemade. I'm pretty sure him sticking his tongue out and scraping the chicken off with his lips indicates a dislike of texture, not taste. I did taste it, and the puree chicken does seem to paste itself to the tongue. As Matt said, "Judah doesn't give a cluck about chicken." We're gonna try store bought. If that doesn't work, we'll try egg yolk. He's gotta learn to eat protein sometime. :-P
One of Judah's stocking stuffers were these "little dipper" things. They are utensils with big fat handles and this weird grooved end. Picture a spoons bowl flattened and with several grooves on each side. This way, a child can grip the handle well and just dip the eating end in food. The grooves allow food to stick well. We tried it out for the first time tonight. I wasn't expecting much...but was quite surprised!
Whirlwind. Four days is not nearly enough time for a visit to Little Rock...especially when you are introducing your son to lots of family and friends and you haven't been "home" for almost a year. That's the longest I've ever been away from home. It was a great time though. Here's a run down and then a smattering of pictures.
Wed: Arrive at 9:00 pm. Promptly eat Sonic, that blessed place. Thurs: Thanksgiving all afternoon. Christmas that night. Fri: Italian lunch (woah nelly good!). Bonfire at the Simers where we got to see Paul & Tracie!!! Sat: Sister-Time with Hope all morning which involved getting mine and Matt's rings detailed and a hair trim for me. Both are simply amazing results! New Year's ham-n-beans with cornbread and pie. Thea-Time. Dinner at Rachel's with Thea, Julienne, and Judah. Rachel's soup was delish and Jewl's pie divine. You really DON'T need a home ec degree to be a successful chef. (But so I don't discount my degree, it does help immensely!) Sun: Church. Larry's Pizza with parents and Hope -- a novel idea for a pizza shop. Relaxing and packing. Wendy's. Mon: Morning flight home.
Judah's first plane ride -- the ticket counter guy was so nice that he moved us to the bulk head AND gave us an extre *free* seat for Judah! Woo hoo! (Not so much on the way home...) He was perfect on the way there. As the plane went up, his eyelids went down. He was pleasant at all times while awake.
Dawn & Matt (pre-haircut). Nonie & Gramps.
Lisa & Jamie (cousins). Autumn & Andy.
Autumn's new vase from me. Hope's new knitted scarf from Autumn.
Judah's first "fake Christmas." Judah's getting so big!
Note Judah's expression to Noah in the left pic (click to enlarge). Judah & Noah. Hugs from Hailey.
What do the big boys do at Italian Lunch (Matt & Andy). Driving home to catch the Razorback game. Judah's first Christmas Tree encounter.
First, how cute is this picture? And how stong he is!
I expected yesterday and today to be spent alone at home preparing suitcases and house for our departure tomorrow. God had different plans...which I totally loved!
I get a call from Diane yesterday at 8:30, odd for that time of day. She had to come to Salinas to take her granddaughter to the doctor, but couldn't have her own 2 yr old around LeeLee. So she needed an emergency babysitter -- which I've always given open invitation too. So Rachel came over yesterday and we had a blast from about 9:00 to 1:00. She found some of Judah's toys and didn't even notice Diane had left! It was rather enjoyable to have a 2 yr old and 8 mo old to care for, to my suprise. I thought it would be more difficult. But I even got dusting, windexing, bathrooms, and laundry done while she was here! Not to mention feeding her and Judah lunch and playing with them. It was brought up though that I only had Rachel for a few hours...not every day all day as if she were my own. ;-) It was still fun to pretend though.
But that wasn't all.
Just a few minutes after my phone conversation with Diane, I get another random call for early in the morning. It registered as Jodee's phone, but it was Jason calling. My first reaction was that something had gone terribly wrong with baby Zach. But then Jason asks, "So, you guys live in Monterey, right?" AAAAH! They are "in the area" for Thanksgiving (from Kentucky) and drove down and spent all afternoon and dinner time with us. It was so precious to see old college buddies and their baby boy. Zach is just adorable -- and has the most gorgeous blue eyes! They're like Jodee's and look so pristine and perfect that they almost seem to be glass marbles. So you can imagine how good he looks in the color blue! His hair is so soft that it really is peach fuzzish. And to think Judah used to be that small and LIGHT. Sheesh! Good news: Judah seems to be fine with children of any age as long as they are not close to his own age (crawling babblers). I can't wait to see them again at Christmas when we are in Indiana!
Bad News: Note in the picture of Jodee and I with our boys (click to enlarge) Judah has a rash around his mouth. X-nay on the homemade blueberry baby food.
I'm caught up with what I had scheduled for Tuesday's tasks, which is wonderful and I think a blessing from the Lord. He threw two HUGE but awesome kinks in my day yesterday from 9:00 to 6:30, and yet I still am not worried or stressed about getting everything done before we leave tomorrow morning. And here I sit blogging...... ;-)
There is so much to be thankful for that I'm not sure I'll even have time to post it all this week! So Happy Thanksgiving and let your heart overflow with praise for all God has given us!
The other night we were finishing up Judah's bath. The last thing we do is wash his bottom half while he stands in the tub (Matt holding him of course). We were about to lift him out and dry him off when he put one leg up on the side of the tub...and peed on his leg. Do puppies pee on their legs too? Or is this a learned thing to raise a leg and NOT pee on your leg? :-P
Judah is proficient at waving hi/bye and giving kisses. He has to be in certain positions though.
He enjoys water now and is drinking more every few days. He loves his sippie cup -- especially to gnaw on. Next step: learn to tip it up by himself to actually get something out.
I broke down and bought the boy some adorable tennis shoes I've been eyeing for months.
He gets around everywhere now...he can drag himself (still working on all fours crawling) down the hallway and back in a few minutes. Granted, he moves in a zig zag pattern because he uses one leg to push off, reaches a wall, then uses the other leg to push off to redirect himself. This means he can more quickly disappear. I fear how fast he will be when he can really crawl!
I've started making his baby food and freezing it in ice cube trays. TOTALLY the way to go, moms out there. Get the KidCo electric food mill. Talk about awesome! Corn has been his most recent new food. Next up: mango and chicken.
Last night we went to a party where there was a 10.5 month old girl Amelia. Every time she'd babble at him or throw a look his way, he'd whimper pitifully and have the cutest little sad face. He eventually got used to her...and then was all smiles when she left the party. Wonder how next week will go when there are multitudes of children. :-}
Tooth #2 is through. He's got his two front teeth for Chistmas. He's taken to biting while nursing. Ouch. I'll leave it at that.
We think he thinks discipline is a game, smiling and even sometimes laughing at no and firm squeezes or pats. Lord, please help us figure him out QUICKLY!
Have any other 8 month old babies been able to focus on a single strand of brown hair and pick it up to play with it? Judah does it all the time and it doesn't seem like that's normal for a young baby. He can even find single hairs on a dark background. Maybe the orange nose comes with superb eye sight. ;-)
He still kicks his high chair tray repeatedly though he has bruises on the tops of both feet. Maybe we should put his new shoes on him everytime we feed him for protection from himself.
He adores being read to and his favorite song is a numbers song we learned from a kid DVD Diane has. If I sing that song, he'll sit quietly while I even trim his nails! It's the wonder song!
He is just a bundle of joy -- Growing more every day physically and intellectually. It is so fascinating to watch a human being develop the connection between knowledge and action. "I want to go there, so I will do this to get there." "I heard no, so I'll stop long enough to acknowledge but don't intend to really obey." "I want the cell phone. I have the cell phone. I want to touch the buttons which are hidden. So I shall squeeze the life out of the thing." "I see momma has another spoonful ready, so I will open my mouth to let her know I'm ready." Simply amazing! And to think...we all started out this way!
1) It has been 6 days since my last post. 2) It is semi-late and I am tired which means I can tend to ramble when typing. 3) This was a busier week than normal.
It seems as though my posts are becoming a once-a-week thing. Maybe it's just me though. We were so busy last weekend! Two parties (Fri, Mon) with the usual Hollister Sunday. Monday was my PartyLite party. It was small but fun...and I was shocked to learn how much just the few ladies bought! I am glad we had the fellowship, glad they were pleased with the products, and glad that I was able to get a few Christmas gifts and some things for us. It was fun to load up and pay less than half of the total cost of everything I got!
Then we had a couple friends over for dinner and a movie on Thursday. What movie? Cars...Andrew and Elizabeth had seen it and said it was funny. Guess what? It is! We returned it tonight, but watched it three maybe four times while we had it. Rich and Diane watched it with us today and thought it was funny. And, this may shock some of you because I have a humor side of me most don't know about. My favorite line in the movie? Well, Lighting tells the others that Hudson had "three Piston Cups." Then Mater says, "He did what in his cup?!?" ::giggle:: I'm sorry. It's just funny. It probably helps that Mater is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy and therefore has a massively thick Southern, no...Redneck accent. "He's won three Piston Cups!!!" "He did what in his cup?!?" ::giggle again::
Matt was off on Friday, so we did some browsing/shopping on Friday and Saturday. We've located the dining room set we want, so now we are going to work towards purchasing it. It's quite different looking -- two tones of wood, modern with a touch of casual (NOT country, Momma...don't care what the description says). I've also finally nailed down what I want to go ON this table. I've been pondering for a while what I want to do about our dinnerware. Having three different sets and not enough of each to serve a crowd can be frustrating. So, I have decided upon plum Fiestaware. Purple really is a universal color! I'd go into the details my brain has come up with, but I shall spare you the time. I've already rambled enough and have more to go. Just trust me on this one! Hopefully, I'll find someone at church who could stand to have a yard sale so that we can tack our stuff onto it!
Anyway, on Saturday we found several clothing items at Kohls for each of us -- yeah for Veteran's Day sales! Another reason why we want to do a yard sale -- the new clothes we found have given us the freedom to get rid of older clothes. And personally, I think we look a little more our age and up-to-date with the new clothes. We did have some sad partings with a few old closet friends. Remember that blue and yellow watercolor flowers dress I wore in Florida when I gave my testimony in Spanish? Or how about that earthtoned block design dress Rachel convinced me to get on a class trip? The spaghetti strap red sundress with the criss-cross back? And...and...::sniffle:: That periwinkle/blue flowery dress I got from Autumn? I always have loved that dress. But, no. The two flowery dressed were dubbed too young and the earthtoned dress a "sandwich board" by my wonderfully honest husband. I am left with 3 dresses...no wait. I just went and checked to be sure. Make that four dresses -- my honeymoon dress (which fits better now than it did then!), my little black dress, my white sundress I wore to Paul and Tracie's wedding, and ::whispers:: the periwinkle/blue flowery dress. I can't say goodbye to that one. Not yet. Ok ok. Enough about my dresses. Matt said adios to the "shoes I bought my Freshman year when I was out of my parents' house and spent way too much money on one thing." Purging is so refreshing. I'm all about consolidating!
Man oh man. In the midst of all the hub-bub this week, Judah is just growing by leaps and bounds! He's got a second tooth that's coming in rapid fast. He is getting around *too* easily on the floor. Examples: Twice we've placed him in the middle of the room and left for a few mintues. One time I came back and he was over chewing on a dining room chair leg. The other time Matt caught him in the hallway trying to get at a socket. Oh, not to mention the morning we left him to play with toys, came back and he was in this position...Getting at the Brita box, feet flying in the air, just a-restin' on his belly on top of that turtle. He WAS sitting over in his boppy pillow in the background.
Babyproofing is a number one priority for this week. I'm pretty sure he'll be crawling by Thanksgiving. He babbles more, waves more, expresses his will more, squeals more, bites more (ouch!), and walks more! Here's a video of Matt helping him walk. Any bets on how long he'll be crawling before he starts walking?
He's just adorable. He's getting a little softer, as in less firm, to the touch but he's still not a chubby baby. I don't think he will be. He's just a hunk of baby-love. He's in 9-12 month clothes now, which means he can fit into a cute outfit Jaclyn gave him (with crazy nap-hair)...and his belly and head are about the same circumference. :-P
I am toe-tingling excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I actually get to start making a list to pack for Thanksgiving (which nicely enough will be the same list for Christmas!). I just...there are just no...speechless is what I am when I think about everyone getting to meet Judah, both those who met him as a small baby and those who have not yet seen him in person!
So ends my rambling for now. I'm tired...as I'm sure you are after reading so much. But it was fun, was it not? Why is it that when I am tired and I SO talkative when typing but not so much vocally? Hmm...
**Edit: I read through this after publishing. The last sentence is proof I'm tired. G'night!**
Judah's first visit to the park followed by what was supposed to be a little taste of PBJ...he chomped down and sucked so hard I coudl barely get it out of his mouth and then we had to dig out a piece of bread that was still in there. Silly kid. I'm glad he's not allergic to peanuts!
"Are you ready son?" "Yes, Daddy, I am!" -- "Ok, Momma, here we go!"
Weee!
"I made it to the bottom! That was fun!"
PB lips and jelly cheek. Can life get any better? He submits that it cannot!
That's what life is doing...just moving along at a pleasant pace with slow days mixed in with busy days. Today we're having one of the pastors for lunch -- a Southern Brunch lunch. I hope the gravy turns out like it always does! Then tonight I'm going to his wife's Logenburger party. Sunday is a semi-birthday party for little Rachel and lunch with a group of people. Monday is my PartyLite party. Whew! It's good to have pockets of busy days!
I've been having back/neck muscle issues lately, so last night (after two big tests this week) Matt gave me a wonderful back, arms, hands, and feet massage. I think it's the longest and best massage I've ever had. I never realize how much I use my hands every day until they get massaged and I think about all I do with them. And with the feet (tip for wives everywhere), I asked if he would mind using my favorite peppermint plum lotion. He went to get it off the shelf and started rubbing my feet with it...I thought it felt a little odd and realized he had picked up the peppermint plum foot scrub instead. :-D A wonderful mistake! He used a warm wrag to wipe it off after scrubbing and then massaged with the lotion. So, get four tubes of all the same scent but different product (foot scrub, foot soak, lotion); and send your hubby by himself to get the "lotion" to massage your feet. You will probably end up with a mini-pedicure! Thank you so much, Dear, for your relaxing love!
I stayed up LATE last night...12:45. I was inspired two days ago to write another poem based on my "life verse." To see what I wrote, go to Sanctifying Truth.
