"Springing" into 10 Months!

Spring is here in full bloom all around us from the daffodils in our garden to happy birds chirping away getting fat on worms. Warmer, longer, and sunnier days allow us to be outside more and more. And Judah does not want to miss it. He himself has seemed to blossom socially and developmentally this month just like spring-time.

In particular, Judah just took off walking; I tell people he is walking at ten months and I get this surprised look like "already" and "oh my, you have your hands full!" On a Monday (April 13) he took his first step. On Tuesday, he took 4-5 steps by himself. By Wednesday, he was taking 10-12 steps and finally by the next weekend he was walking across the room. Judah just walks constantly across the room from one thing to another. Rarely does he stop to play with a toy but instead goes from one toy to another. It is as if his walking has become his entertainment. Perhaps his favorite thing to walk after is Maestro. He especially likes to walk up to Maestro and attack then proceeding to follow him as he walks away. Like sibling rivalry, Maestro and Judah continue to play this game over and over. Maestro has yet figured out that he should move to higher ground and Judah just thinks it is so funny to chase him and pull his tail or his hair. Judah has officially worn out his first pair of shoes (little black soft soled shoes) with all his walking.

This new means of getting around has allowed Judah to see his world in a whole new way. He can now reach things on tables (and so now I am moving things again out of his reach yet again). He has learned how to open cupboards and cabinets which we quickly put safety locks on. He figured out how to turn on the radio and control the sound. He also discovered the picture frames in our room, pulling them down to look at.

Judah does still play some with his toys, hopping mostly from one toy to another. We are slowly transitioning the toys out with more age appropriate toys. At church, Judah is at the age now to switch to the older nursery but we have yet to do so because he seems to like the people in the younger nursery and knows where to get the toys. He does like to push his car and a walker around the living room at home. Judah observed his first science experiment when I put two pop bottles together full of blue water with a special gadget to allow the water to make a tornado. Other times, we spend our time making forts and playing underneath them.

Judah is a happy little boy who talks and chatters, chatters and talks. Mr. Social often carries a conversation with you as he walks around. This month he officially said his first words (both Tim and I heard him) of "woof" and "cat." Maestro certainly does not go "woof." He does however like to hiss back at Maestro when Maestro is hissing at him. We are practicing the "High 5" signal and he mastered the "So Big" trick, putting his arms in the air. He finally mastered waving hello and goodbye but the wave from the wrist looks like he is posing as the high school prom king. He also lifts his shirt up and exposes his belly giving you just enough time to tickle his belly button. Occasionally he has become a little flirt especially if he thinks people are laughing at him. If we are with a group of adults and something is funny causing us all to laugh, he thinks we are laughing at him and will purposely laugh or try to be silly.

Since the weather has become warmer, Judah has relished all the outdoor activity. We continue to stroll to the park and around the block. Judah took his first ride in the swing at the park; he loved the wind blowing in his hair. In the driveway, Judah has started throwing his balls. Most of all though, Judah loves to help me in the garden by picking my flowers (I just planted), eating dirt, and digging in the mulch. Many a time, I have put him in the Excer Saucer while I plant so that he will stop picking my flowers. Judah is still unsure at times of the grass. He will play with his ball only to have it fall in the grass where he stops short of getting it. We did take some days to go enjoy the flowering trees and flowers at Grays Lake and Waterworks Park this spring. Walking among the blossoms and breathing in the soft sent of flowers, you feel like you are walking in an avenue. Judah got to experience the petals falling around him from the trees and sitting in the daffodils.

The weather has changed so much that we are still going between heat at night to some shorts during the day. Judah though has officially transitioned into big boy pajamas. He has also started sleeping with his green blanket (with silky edges). Bed time has become associated with reading books and then laying him in the crib with his blanket. He especially likes it when you wave it over him first. Then as we tuck him in and say, "good night little Pookie, I love you and love you (from the bedtime story of Goodnight Little Pookie)".


Judah has been in a period of no naps due to teething from the top two teeth still making their way through. At the most, he will take just one nap a day, usually in the morning for a couple of hours. Other days, I try and try to put him down for a nap letting him scream or play in his crib for a half hour or more. So I put him in his swing and put him in front of the television to watch Baby Einstein for thirty minutes. Finally as a last resort, on a few occasions, I have loaded him up to take him for a drive in the car where every time he falls asleep within the first five minutes. In fact one night I used this method at 2:00am in the morning only to have him be awake when I arrived home (grr). By that time, I am so tired myself, that I drive back home and carry him inside in his seat and crash on the couch until he wakes up a half hour later. Also, he has started waking up early in the morning sometime between 3-5am, hungry, as if in another growth spurt.

His teeth are not the only thing that are growing. Judah has outgrown another stack of clothes in time for summer. He is now wearing twelve month clothes. He even seems to have grown just a tad bit taller causing him to hit his head underneath the table. At the table, Judah has really started eating more and more finger foods including transitioning to whole peas, cut green beans, cut carrots, and peach slices. In addition, he started cottage cheese, grapes, potatoes, beef, egg yolk, and lentils.

Tim's workload increased with wrapping up the Youth Leadership Program for the school year with the last few classes of the school season and planning ahead to graduation along with orientating next year's students. He took on additional administrative responsibilities with the Boys and Girls Club in addition to his full schedule including helping out the interim Executive Director. Tim spent about four days in Dallas attending the annual National Leadership Conference.

With the weather turning warmer, we saw more company or traveled ourselves. Judah celebrated his first Easter weekend in Cedar Falls. The following weekend, Grandma Kreis visited a few days, followed by Aunt Amy, and then by the weekend, our friend Christy stayed with us on her way back to Colorado. Then the third week, Uncle Matt and Aunt Hilary hung out a few days with Judah and I since they had a concert in town. And finally we were able to nab Miss Lynn over from campaigning to visit for a day. By the end of the month Papa and Gigi visited us too.

My whole life changed drastically this month as Judah started walking. Most of my time was spent chasing Judah, moving things out of reach, and getting him from something. With what time I did have, Judah and I started herb, vegetable, and flowers seedlings for the garden. Also, we finished up our Thursday night small group sessions for the year. On Friday mornings, Judah and I went downtown to the Des Moines Public Library for story time. And finally, the Reeves came over a few times to play and enjoy the nice weather with us.

Lookout world!

First Easter!

Judah's first Easter celebration was full of eggs, church, and family. We went to the Rittgers farm for Judah's first Easter weekend.

Arriving on Thursday evening, we hung out with family where Judah spent time playing with cousin Jacob. On Friday, we took Judah to his first Good Friday Service at Prairie Lakes Church where he fell asleep and then roamed the halls. On Saturday, Judah met his Great Grandma Anna Rittgers when we went to the Lutheran Home for a visit over lunch. Great Grandma was entertained by Judah playing with her Easter Basket full of the grass and cousin Jacob sitting next to her talking. Then in the evening we celebrated birthdays with both sets of Grandparents.

On Sunday, we celebrated Easter Sunday at Walnut Ridge Church with the Kreis family as we took up an entire row. Afterwards, we headed back out to Lee and Sandy's place for an afternoon full of festivities and a home-cooked feast. After dinner, Judah, mommy, and daddy enjoyed a nice, long quiet nap. Once awake and bundling up from the cold weather, Judah then participated in his first Easter egg hunt where everyone scurried to get candy-filled plastic eggs. Judah on the other hand while hanging onto his bucket and eggs, preferred seeing the horses and sheep for the first time. On Monday, Tim helped Larry build a dock for the back pond. Blowing around, the finally got it finished. Judah then took his first official tractor ride around the pond . Finally we packed up to return home.

And of course, the holiday weekend was complete other fun things. Judah enjoyed his own Easter Baskets full of farm-theme toys from Gigi and Papa and outdoor toys from mommy and daddy including bubbles. He also had fun matching daddy for both the Good Friday Service and Sunday morning. In addition, we colored Easter eggs as a family this year starting a new tradition. Judah really liked to crack the hard-boiled eggs and stick his fingers in the dye. Happy Easter Judah!

Between Seasons of Life: 9 Months!

Between seasons... Just as we experienced a mix of warm, sunny days fragranced by the blooming daffodils and hyacinth of spring and days watching from the heated window at cold wet snow flakes this month, Judah also experienced periods of growth as the seasons of his life changed. This March, Judah went from crawling around the house, to climbing the stairs, to walking between things, to pushing his little car from behind, and finally to taking his first step all by himself. Judah also went from eating pureed solid foods, to a cheerios binge, to finally eating small slices of food. Judah then went from just babbling to saying "DA DA" and "MA MA" only to say "Woof" as well. And at last Judah went from riding in the stroller to eating dirt, playing in the green grass, and enjoying his first ride in the swing at the park.


As Judah was posing for his 9 month pictures, I realized how fast he is growing. He now weighs 17 pounds and 12 ounces (as of March 11 from his 9 month appointment). It probably has something to do with the fact that he somehow finds his leftover cheerios on the floor before we do (I swear Maestro is getting heavy too). We added beans, turkey, egg yolk (which he might be allergic too), green beans, and cottage cheese to his diet. He continues to grow taller at 27 inches and his 9 month clothes are suddenly 3/4 sleeves and high waters. His hair still is getting thicker and longer so much so that with a collar it looks like a mullet. Grandma Kreis mentioned that the now slightly wavy hair is the same color as mine when I was little.

Judah has become quite the communicator and orator this month. This boy is quite the talker and thankfully his ear surgery has permitted him to imitate more sounds instead of screaming. He now to our delight says "DA DA" and "MA MA, " although he learned "DA DA" first (no bitter feelings - but neither is on command yet). He has also started letting you know what he wants by reaching out for an object or holding his arms out to you to be held. Judah has even started throwing a temper tantrum by letting you know when he is not happy that you take something away. Shaking his head no, he will tell you he is not hungry or mimic you telling him no (often a common occurrence when it comes to the cat food). Guess his St. Patrick's Day shirt says it all, "Lucky Charmer."

Judah is more on the move than ever before. He is fast, finding everything imaginable, and very curious. Judah takes more steps on his own or stands up for longer amounts of time without holding onto anything (and even stands on purpose). In addition to walking along things like the couch, he will walk between one piece of furniture to another. His balance has really improved. He has grown a little taller which has allowed him to bang into some of the furniture more or reach on top of things (I keep having to move things a little higher). By the middle of the month (March 11), Judah started to push his bike and walk across the room on his own. And we finally had to get another gate for the bottom of the steps as one day after it got real quiet, I found he had climbed halfway up the steps (by himself). Finally, Judah took his first steps on his own. Judah was standing at his chair but his ball and sock were on another chair about a foot away. Without thinking, he let go and walked to the other chair to retrieve both items (Tim was able to see it as it happened just about the time he got home from work). Ever since, he has walked a few times on his own but usually without thinking to get something.

Judah has become more playful. He loves to be chased and so often you will find me out of breath from crawling behind him and tickling him. Sometimes we play Peek-a-Boo where I will hide behind a corner or Judah will close the upstairs bedroom door and he will crawl over to see me jump out in surprise. Still other times, Judah will help me push his cars/trucks across the room, making motor sounds. And we certainly love to roll the balls or the rings on the floor or in the laundry basket. Judah will sit and play with his Little People Barn more now. Perhaps his favorite toy at the beginning of the month was his ball popper; He will stand up next to it, turn it on, and try really hard to keep the balls from popping. He really smiles as the air blows in his face and the balls escape his grasp. Occasionally he will grab a couple of balls, stand on his own (for quite a long time), and bang them together. Toward the end of the month, Judah really enjoyed walking behind his car moving it from one side of the room to another.

Judah has also enjoyed the arts more. We borrowed a toy we call the "Rock Band" that allows Judah to play instruments, watch himself in the mirror, and dance to music. You will often find him with his tambourine and maraca in hand swaying to the beat. Being interested in shaking things gave us the idea of putting rice and popcorn in his clear bottles so that he can shake them as well as bang momma's bowls together as well. Listening to music has become one of Judah's favorite pastimes.

Judah, who also loves to read books, enjoyed his first trip to the library this month. As soon as we got to the shelf of board books, he stood up and started pulling them off the shelf. Reading to him a few books at a time, he engagingly follows along often helping you turn the pages or interacting the "Touch-n-Feel" spots. At home, we read several of his favorite books like Barnyard Dance (Sandra Bouynton) and Brown Bear, Brown Bear (Eric Carle), before nap time. Occasionally he will chuckle or touch the pictures in delight. Spending time at the library is complete with playing puzzles, games, and even enjoying the vent blowing on our hair. Judah and I have visit story time on Friday mornings as well to hear the songs, stories, and to make new friends.

A few sunny, warm days in March did allow us to get outside to stroll and play. As soon as the thermometer warmed up to 50 degrees, we were outside (yes all bundled up but we were outside). Judah and I started up our walks again as much as the weather permitted. Already Judah and I are walking further than last fall as we stroll to Valley Junction to window shop, through the neighborhood, or on the trail and back. Our friends, Hopelynn and Lexi have joined us a few times at the park and for a walk. On such a day, Judah enjoyed his first swing ride at the park. He kept bouncing as if he wanted to go higher and faster. Judah's first experience in the grass was a little unnerving as he did not know what to think of the spiky grass. For a while he would not move or pull his hand back when he touched the grass. Now that Judah is older, he spends time outside playing in the grass and of course eating dirt. Out of jealousy, Maestro sneaks out to sniff the flowers and roll in the dirt (naughty kitty).


All this running around has unfortunately caused us to pick up some more germs. For the second round this year (since January) Tim and I fought nasty sinus colds while Judah had to be on the nebulizer every 4 hours and antibiotics for RSV. With the crib still at a slant and the vaporizer plugged in, we were stocking up on Kleenex and trying to rest as much as possible for the first few weeks of March. This makes it hard on Judah as it ruins a nap schedule of any kind and lowers his appetite. To help him settle down, we have been putting him back in his swing, sitting it in front of the TV, and turning on Baby Mozart as a distraction. You know he is out of sorts when he falls asleep to the TV. At least his ears were fine, thanks to the ear surgery. It has been a blessing to see him function a little better with balance and. Now that the weather is getting warmer, we have also seen an improvement in his eczema. And Judah also started sleeping through the night better.

This month has been busy for Tim and I as well. Tim has had to fill in the gap for another employee leaving the Boys and Girls Club. In addition, he selected his class for next year while maintaining his current schedule of meetings, technical work, and YLI. He continues to sing at church on Sunday mornings. Tim celebrated his 29th birthday on the 31st by going to lunch at the Drake Diner with Judah and I and his favorite supper of meatloaf. Earlier that week, we also went out on a date to celebrate while Judah hung out with his friend Lexi.

I have been busy washing a lot of sheets as again we have had enjoyed a lot of company this month such as Grandparents, Aunt Rachel, and friends. With the warmer weather, Judah and I have been going on little outings (so much easier to take him out of his car seat instead of hauling it around) such as the Iowa Statehouse. At the beginning of the month, we went to see our friends, the Anderls, in Minnesota for an extended weekend.