Growing by Leaps and Bounds: 5 Months

So the other day, I was combing Maestro's hair and even though Judah was nearby watching us from his Ex Saucer, he was doing his fake cough to get my attention. I was finished with Maestro anyhow so I went to pick up Judah. Then Maestro starting meowing at me for continued attention. The same thing happened the other night when Judah was fake coughing at me when I was attempting to make Christmas cards. Maestro was also on the prowl to get my attention by destroying my papers on my desk.

I find this competition for my attention ongoing lately. It keeps me from taking the time to blog. At last though, they are all asleep napping in the living room this Friday evening from a very busy day of work and company..Judah in the Pack and Play, Maestro on one couch, and Tim's head resting in my lap on the other couch.

Judah has been growing by leaps and bounds this month. The big milestone is that he now sits up on his own to play and play he does. His new found interest lies in his blocks of shapes. We dump them out of the bucket, put them back in the bucket, stack them and knock them down, eat them, and roll them. He also enjoys moving around in his jump swing and pealing the bubble wrap off the door frame (that I taped up so he does not knock his head - every mom's dream, right?). He still likes to play with his Ex Saucer, especially now that he can do all activities on it: pushing, pulling, and flipping. He also chews his Binky, twirling it around in his mouth, putting it in backwards, and swinging it in the air.

Judah is also on his way to master crawling. He does get up on his knees now but still needs to coordinate moving his knees and hands while keeping his head up. He does scoot backwards though and you will often find him in a different position then how you left him; he usually ends up in tripod position trying to get up on his feet with his backside in the air as if he is trying to sit up. Even during the night in bed, Judah has started rolling to his sides and sleeping on his belly. In the morning you will find him again in the totally opposite side, end, and position from how you left him, sometimes with his arm hanging out of the crib.

Judah has not only become more coordinated in playing with his toys, but also in interacting with others. He has discovered how to manipulate his cries and coughing to get my attention. It was Tim who discovered that he was doing this when his was holding him one night. As Judah watched me walk away, he started to fake cough, stop, and look at me, and when I did not respond he repeated the cough. Now he does the same thing at nap and bed time with crying. He will cry and if you do not respond, he will start up again. He has also become more social with strangers by smiling, laughing, and reaching out to people. Maestro hates it though when he grabs a fistful of hair or an ear in the process (although Judah just laughs at Maestro). Judah has also started talking to you more and more adding to his repertoire of sounds. He can carry a conversation sometimes for minutes. Then Judah has inherited a trait from his Aunt Rachel by laughing and crying before bed when he is tired. He always is the most silly when we are getting him ready for bed, often causing us to rile him up from tickling and laughing (he is just too darn cute). Then when he has had enough, the giggles turn into cries of tiredness....just like Aunt Rachel!

Judah's ear infection has finally gone but not without leaving us to piece together some sort of routine again. His ear infection (with a growth spurt at the same time) caused him to wake up often during the night. Now that he is sleeping again during the night, we are trying to establish a bed time again around 9:00 or 9:30pm. He hates to miss anything and so naps have also become a chore but slowly we are working into a morning nap and a longer afternoon nap. We are trying to solve this by letting him cry it out more each time. He still eats his rice cereal in the afternoon and is about ready for more food since he keeps longing after ours (and grabbing all the napkins). The rest of the day consists of getting up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, play while we get dressed and showered, nap time, play time, lunch time, go on a walk, and finally nap time again followed by chores at some point. Judah absolutely loves to takes walks whether outside around the neighborhood, on the trail, down to the mailbox, or at the mall; you will find him just looking around the whole time taking in all his surroundings. Finally, the evenings are made up of whatever we have going on followed by his bedtime routine.

Judah is turning into a handsome little man. He is now wearing 6-9 month clothes at 15 pounds plus. His hair is growing thicker as he gets older. He is sitting up in the bath tub now and splashes water all over the bathroom counter and us.

Oh wait - they all three stirred at the same time.

It is hard to believe that November is upon us and the holidays will soon be here. Tim had his November class today with his students, discussing the "Culture and the Arts." He took the kids to various places around town today to experience African drums, tour the Pappa John Sculpture garden, and hop at the local dance theatre. He has been busy working on a lot of Web site stuff for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa and the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute. Occasionally, he still sings in the Worship Team at church.

The Indian summer has allowed me to ride some more on my bike, exploring the new trails around us. Judah and I try to take a walk each day too. I was able to make pies last weekend with a friend (since we had so many requests). My friend Sarah and I had pie making down to a system since we made six apple pies in 2 hours (Yes Amy - you can have some). I was also able to finally freeze some fresh herbs this year from our little garden. I still have been trying out new recipes - making ham loaf, split pea soup, and stew - and so send your favorite ones this way. My craft table is set up with Christmas cards scattered across it as I make this year's cards. And here and there Judah and I will do chores and cleaning around the house. He loves to help with laundry and often times we talk about the colors of the clothes as we fold them.