All About Jude: 11 Months

Dear Jude,

One more month and you will be a full year old!  I can hardly believe it!  I'm planning your party and am so excited to celebrate you!  You are becoming busier and busier and leaving me crazy tired at the end of the day!  Despite the fatique, I'm enjoying you more and more and love to see you accomplish new things!

• You weigh 19 pounds 2 ounces.
• You are in size 4 diaper now.
• I am buying you 12 month clothes with some 12-18 month ones thrown in.  They are a bit big, but I want you to get as much wear out of them as possible!
• You stood up in the middle of the room all by yourself the other day!  I keep thinking that you are going to walk before your first birthday, but you haven't so far.
• You have learned the sign for "more" and use it all the time.  You like communicating with us!
• You can say "DaDa", but it's hard to know if you are using it specifically or not.
• Your spit up is almost gone, but now you are eating more independently and are still usually a complete mess because of it!  We just traded one messy habit for another!
• You have been really off your schedule this past month with the holidays.  You did really well despite the hectic life we've been leading, but there were definitely days where it took its toll.
• You are showing more and more of your personality and opinion these days.  You aren't afraid to make it known that you don't like your sister taking your toys or us telling you no.
• You like to make a beeline for the stairs or the bathroom when we forget to close the gate or door.
• At the end of the month, we started introducing whole milk to you.  You don't have a weight problem so we are hoping to make the transition from formula to milk over the next month.
• You still don't like sippy cups.
• You are also picky about two things-- temperature of your milk/formula-- you like it warm and pack-n-plays-- you are not a fan.  You like sleeping in your crib!
• Your top four teeth are coming in.  You are fussier and needier when you aren't feeling well.  You like being held a lot and it is an instant sign that you aren't feeling 100%.
• You are my Bam-Bam and will bang things together in pure joy!
• You love pulling the pots and pans out of the cabinet and pulling the tupperware out of the drawer.
• Your favorite toy is probably Finley's kitchen because you can pull up on it and open the doors by yourself.  You like to pull everything out of it and throw it on the floor.
• You can clap and enjoy doing so!
• You can also wave "hi" and "bye".
• Your hair has gotten darker on top and maybe a bit thicker.  Your hairline still starts pretty far back on your head.
• You looooove to feed Jenny.  It is sooooo annoying!  I have to put her out during your meal times because you'd rather feed her than eat yourself!
• You are definitely understanding more words and do not like being told no.  We have started slapping your little hand when you throw food on the floor and you do not like that one bit!  We know you still aren't really able to exercise self-control, but we are trying to make a clear effort to teach you that this is not okay! HA!
• You have started sitting in the cart all by yourself (no carseat) more and more lately.  You really love looking around and are an easy shopping companion!
• You aren't taking your bottles quite as well as other months because you are so mobile that you will only drink a little and then you're on the go again.
• You haven't figured out that going down the stairs is more than difficult than going up them and you have almost taken a nose dive several times.  You have no fear when it comes to the stairs.
• You are beginning to be more particular about your foods.  You still eat a huge variety, but you are showing some pickiness--- one day you'll eat a banana and the next you won't!  You still like carrots and corn... you don't like green beans and I'm not sure what other vegetables to try right now.  You love meat.  I can give you chicken and you'll eat it up!  You also really, really, really love sausage!
• You still don't really talk... you have sounds, but don't really talk... I don't know if this is a boy thing, a 2nd child thing, or something else, but I'm not too worried!
• You are a happy little guy and continue to be easy going!  Your personality is super sweet and it is fun to see you coming more and more into your own!!!!

Love,

Mommy

Three: Weeks 23 & 24

Grandma Pam

I'm so behind on blogging that quite honestly it makes me not want to blog at all.  Everyday I think I need to blog about this or that, but know I won't because I have too many other things to blog that are seemingly more important.  But sometimes the little day-to-day stories are what it's truly about and even though I feel like I blog too much about my mom, I don't want to forget the following....

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I've found myself wearing my mom's necklace more and more lately.  In fact, it has almost become a permanent fixture... I tend to sleep and shower in it.... not taking it off unless it just really doesn't go with what I'm wearing... which is rare.

I love it.  Yes, it is a reminder of my mom.  A tangible piece of her.  And I like having something of hers that I can touch when I think of her or miss her or wish I could talk to her.

But mostly it is a reminder of God.  A reminder of His promises.  Of His faithfulness.  Of His sovereign plan.  Most times when I touch it, I do so with praise on my lips.  Praising the Savior that is there for me... that fills in what I lack.  That understands my sorrow that she's not here.  That understands my joy that comes with just knowing that I'm in His plan even when it isn't my own.  It's a reminder that life doesn't go the way I would plan.  That His Ways aren't always ones we always get.  And so when I catch a glimpse of it in the mirror, I thank Him for the power He has to change what I can't.  He can change my sorrow into joy.  He can give me peace in the midst of the unknown.  He can comfort me when my grief can't be solved this side of heaven.

So I wear the necklace...

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Finley loves for me to lay down with her before a nap or bedtime.  It's one of her particularities that I gladly give into because it's the time of the day when we bond the most.  It's the time I ask her "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 QUESTIONS!" as she so desires.  We talk about her favorite colors, who her best friend is on that particular day, what she wants to do when she wakes up, what she learned in Bible Study or at church or did at school, etc.  We pray together, sing together, laugh together, love together.... it's my favorite time of the day with her.

My Instagram picture of Finley with praying hands during our pre-naptime ritual

The other day I was laying with her and she reached out and touched my necklace.  "Grandma Pam's necklace, Mommy."  "Yes, it is, sweet girl."  She says to me "Mommy, after my nap, let's go to Grandma Pam's and give her back her necklace.  She'll be so happy to wear it again."  And I smile and remind her that Grandma Pam isn't here and that we can't go see her.  And she asks "Where is Grandma Pam, Mommy?"  and I give the generic, but hopefully correct answer "She's in heaven, honey."  And she says "Oh!  Mommy, someday when we get to heaven we can give it to her and sing Gloria with her and the angels."  

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So now I have another reason to wear the necklace.  I wear it as a reminder to a little girl who can't see or touch or hear or feel the love of her grandmother, but who now imagines her in heaven singing the Lord's praises with the angels.

And I think that might be the best reason to wear it yet.