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.

Spring!

Proof that spring is near!

Judah Discovers His Sense of Humor

Being 8 Months during the Long Winter!

Judah started this month by moving from object to object on his feet to trying to stand on his own for at least 10 seconds. He also went from standing on his bike seat to climbing his first step (time for another gate). Free-spirited, curious, and very active, Judah loves to explore as you can see in the pictures. He enjoys playing in the fridge, banging the dishwasher, climbing into the laundry basket, blowing raspberries on the bathroom mirror, unrolling the toilet paper, and of course his all time favorite, chasing and tackling Maestro around the house. Judah is always on the move. You will find him playing with toys in the window sill, on the shelf, on the steps, and the couch. In a room full of toys, he always manages to find that one thing he is not supposed to have. We spend the day chasing Maestro, rolling balls, playing peek-a-boo, and riding his little truck.

Judah has finally mastered clapping. You will find him clapping to music or at daddy (seems to coincide with something funny). He is full of mischief when playing. For example, he likes to play peek-a-boo with mommy as daddy holds him. Also, we crawl around after objects or end up chasing each other around the room. You have to be quick as this one smart, silly boy is usually onto the next thing. You learn to be quick when changing his diaper as he is up before you even know it.

Judah has become more interested in the world of information around him (he must take after his parents). About the only thing Judah will sit still for is to read books. Whenever we are up in the nursery, he likes to look at his books. And before nap time we end up curled up with a blanket reading two or three books. He turns the pages, flips the windows, and scratches the touch-in-feel parts. Judah has also rediscovered his swing as he sits in it to watch a little Baby Einstein's Old McDonald Farm from time to time. You will often catch him laughing at the puppets on the screen. Judah also sent his first status on Facebook on the computer. In addition, he insists on chewing on the cell phone during a conversation often hanging up on the person we are talking too. So daddy found an old lap top and an old cell phone for him to bang around.

Judah started February with a growth spurt that caused him to wake up hungry as early as 4 AM. Recently weighing 16 pounds and 14 ounces and now 27 inches long, Judah has almost outgrown his 9 month clothes. We added yogurt, cheese, and turkey to his diet this month. He continues to enjoy his cheerios though, washing them down with water out of his Sippy cup (Maestro enjoys them too). Now that we are going out to more restaurants, we have to pack up the diaper bag with food, wipes, bibs, and toys.

Even though this month is shorter, February always seems longer and this winter is no exception. Calling it the long winter, Des Moines has almost surpassed history's record snowfall totals with a couple of snow storms this month. Add cold temperatures to the mix and what you get is a serious case of cabin fever. To combat cabin fever, Judah and I have been trying to get out as much as possible. At least once a week we get together with some friends to play. Thursday mornings is play group which has become an outlet for Judah to interact with other kids and play with different toys and me a chance to sit back with some hot chocolate (now a weekly ritual). Judah even celebrated his first Valentine party at playgroup this month where he received his first valentine (from a girl I might add) and helped make some of his own. Thursday evenings we tackle the New Testament Challenge discussion with our POG Small Group. Again, we usually end up at the mall for a stroll every now and then. Cabin fever has brought everyone to the bigger metro as we have had company every weekend this month. Starting with my friend Katie, we also were able to visit with both sets of Grandparents and Aunt Amy.

Tim continues to be busy this month at work with recruitment season for next year's YLI class. He helped design the Boys and Girls Club web site for their new fund raising campaign. His YLI students spent their February class day with the adult Greater Des Moines Leadership for some networking. Again all his efforts have paid off when he received a $10,000 grant from Prairie Meadows for the YLI program as well as the recognition of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Iowa by the Des Moines Register as the recipient of the Aurora Award. Recently, he was named as one of Des Moines' Forty Under 40 by the Business Record, a local newspaper.

Tim continues to sing in the worship team at church. Judah has been going to the nursery now. His first Sunday at the end of January, the nursery workers had to page me twice to come and get him. So now we usually we take Judah in the service for the singing and then check him into the nursery. At small group on Thursday nights, Judah plays on the floor inside the circle of adults. It is funny to occasionally to hear raspberries or have your feet tickled during the middle of the discussion. Our group is going through the New Testament this winter/spring. You can join us for the challenge and daily readings by visiting http://pognewtestamentchallenge.blogspot.com/.

Judah finally finished his ear infection by the beginning of February. However, with four antibiotics under his belt, many sleepless nights, and continued pressure from ear fluid, Judah finally had tubes put into his ears this last Tuesday (Feb 23). Arriving at Mercy North in Ankeny for a 6:30am surgery, Judah (and mom) survived the 15 minute procedure just fine. We read books as we waited and met with the doctors. Post operation he woke up screaming from the confusion of the atheistic. After a while we went home and all took naps (Tim took the day off) from the early morning. He must complete his ear drops and then hopefully the problem will be solved (perhaps then we can sleep again during the night).

Despite sleepless nights, Judah has been napping quite well. He finally is able to fall asleep on his own after about 15 minutes of screaming. Trying to get him to take a short morning nap (usually in the car on the way to someplace) with a longer after nap, we read some books and then I put him in the crib. You will often hear him bounce up and down or chuck his Bink across the room before he finally plops down tired. It is funny to see how he finally plops down in the crib. And if you go in to the room too early he knowingly laughs at you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thanks to my Valentines! I like the tulips you gave me. Also, Judah slept all night last night and Tim made me breakfast this morning of homemade banana muffins, eggs, sausage, potatoes, and grapes. We enjoyed a nice morning at church and then Judah took a long nap this afternoon too. I love you both. Oh and Maestro!

A New Year and Seven Months!

So earlier this month (January 4), I was sitting beside Judah who was on his new steering wheel bike he got for Christmas, watching him sit on his bike and drive with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand moving the shifter up and down (where did he learn that). He then pulled himself up in a standing position, bouncing to the music from the toy followed by sitting back down and putting his feet up as he pretended to ride the bike. I happened to be sitting close enough for him to occasionally reach over and grab me to give me a slobber kiss on the lips and return to driving. Later this month (January 31), I was also sitting near Judah who was playing with the same toy. Only this time he was standing behind the bike pushing it and walking behind it. He would stop, grab me with one hand, and then move to the front of the bike to play with the steering wheel.

Judah has started the New Year on the move. From the moment he is awake to the moment he is asleep, he is one active boy. Judah started the month crawling across the room. He discovered that he can get into things on his own and chase the cat (his sole motivation for this milestone). This new world of discover has allowed him to explore our records, Maestro's toys, the cat water dish, and to mop up the dust on the tile floor among other things. It is fun to watch Judah crawl on all fours especially as he gains speed. Earlier on you would catch him up on his toes doing push-ups before he plopped down on his knees. Also he would half sit up (this is when he still couldn't sit up on his own) in a lounging position with his head turned back looking at you giving you that look like come and get me. Judah never tires of crawling, sitting-up, crawling, and sitting-up again over and over. This is most evident in his pursuit of the cat as he rapidly chases Maestro, Maestro moves as Judah pauses for a fistful of hair, Judah crawls again laughing as he goes, and the process is repeated. When I take his pants off to change his diaper, his poor little knees are all red. Taking several minutes to to wrestle his diaper back on, Judah is off again whether the diaper is on or not.

The moment he mastered crawling, he was already working on the next milestone: standing and walking. Judah has now experienced more bumps, scrapes, and falls from this milestone. One afternoon (January 8) I put Judah down for a nap and as normal he started to fuss. I walked out of the room as I tend to do until he settles down to rock. A minute later it got unusually quiet. I peeked in to see if he had actually fallen asleep. Nope! He had pulled himself up onto his feet and was standing in the crib just laughing at me. Time to lower the crib! And lower the crib we did! By middle of the month (January 14), Judah got his first scrape on his own. And he got it from trying to stand. Tim caught Judah pulling himself on the outside of the steps/railing on the bottom step. Once he was up on his two feet, he moved to the next step, and finally once he accomplished that, he moved to the third step before finally taking a tumble and scraping his finger on the wood railing along the way. Again (January 31), Judah got his first goose egg from a similar experience with the glider footstool. Judah just pulls himself right back up on his feet again and again with any object, moves back and forth between things like chairs, and actually releases his grip at times to reach for things. I have counted him standing on his own for five seconds. Judah wants so bad to stand and move around. Most recently, he even has mastered squatting and standing back up instead of plopping down on his backside. You will often find him on his hands and his feet with his backside in the air pulling himself up from the floor trying to stand without any support.

Judah's ability to move around has given him the opportunity to get in trouble (mainly with the fireplace, chords, vents, and the cat stuff). The other day, Judah got his hand slapped for the first time due to getting into the cat food and water dish. Still he goes after things (January 31) and once again he acted on his fascination with the cat dish. Both Tim and I were nearby telling him "no" and "stop." He did stop, turn and look at us, and then inched a little closer. Finally, he decided he would go just past the dish to pick up Maestro's toy mouse. Turning back, he held the toy mouse right over the water dish and dropped it in the water dish soaking the mouse. His look back at us said it all, "I did not touch it." His need to explore has helped in the need to speed up baby proofing the house. One weekend, Tim and I (Judah watched from the crib) moved my craft corner into the closet for me to be able to leave stuff out but still shut the door. We also put padding on the fireplace stone as well as a baby gate at the top of the stairs. Judah will be in enough trouble without adding to it with unsafe items.

Judah also has also starting clapping and waving (still working on them though). When you play patty cake, he will grab your hands and play along. He likes to listen to music, especially his new tunes from Christmas, and you can get him occasionally to clap along to songs like Pop Goes the Wiesel. Whether in his jumpy swing or in his booster seat, Judah always bounces to the music. In his swing, you will see him step with one leg at a time (I call it the bunny hop) and in his booster seat, his upper body moves to the rhythm. A few times I have gotten out objects to use as drums and we have fun hitting mommy's bowls in beat or drumming on the table. Judah also likes to make his rattles sound to the beat like a tambourine. Sitting on the floor playing, Judah always has his legs moving and kicking as if excited about the next best thing. In front of the mirror, if prompted Judah will wave hello to himself. Judah likes the game of standing in front of the mirror waving and saying hi to his reflection. He also has discovered that it is him touching the mirror as well as the the shiny bowls we play with.

All this movement has really changed up our schedule. Judah takes about 3 hours of naps a day: one hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon or vice versa. He has been starting to get tired earlier in the evening making us wonder if he is ready to sleep twelve hours overnight (maybe?). Judah usually wakes up from anytime after 6:30am in the morning. Allowing time for breakfast of rice cereal and banana, getting dressed, and morning chores like laundry or unloading the dishwasher, Judah is ready for his morning nap about two hours later. Depending on how long he sleeps, this will leave us time to play or run errands to places like Bass Pro Shop (to see the fish and waterfall), walk the malls, or play with friends like Lexi Reeves or on Thursday morning playgroup. Daddy usually joins us at home for lunch and by 2pm, Judah is ready for his afternoon nap. After nap, we are on the move again often playing and finishing the chores we started earlier that day as well as trying to start supper. Judah likes to play with his new toys for a bit longer after supper such as Buster, the Penguin, stacking blocks on the shelf, or banging his rattles around. Judah gets a brief wipe down or a bath when we can splash around and pop bubbles (twice a week) and is off to bed around 8:00pm.

Growing bigger at 17 pounds and 3 ounces, Judah is wearing 9+ month clothes now (except for socks since he always pulls them off). Judah lost some weight from being on the move but lately he has gained it back as we have added carrots, sweet potatoes, avocado, applesauce, and banana to his diet. While he grabs and chews on one spoon, you can sneak in another bite of food with the other spoon. Most often he wants to feed himself and does a good job of taking the spoon from you and sticking it in his mouth (but upside down). Although he went through a phase of not wanting to eat this month (probably due to his ear infection), more recently he has been eating close to a tablespoon of food at most meals again. Also, he enjoys drinking out of the sippy cup of water or milk (or tipping it over) or even mommy's real glass. We have been putting more and more food on the tray like bananas and rice cakes and you can see him coordinate his fingers in a pinching position to pick it up or move it around. On occasion, I distract him with rice cakes dipped in food for him to lick off. Judah has become more engaged in eating so much so that when he is finished you will find him sitting on rice cake or find hair covered with sweet potato (sorry Lexi). Maestro has enjoyed finding the food leftover on the floor and daddy has enjoyed cleaning the floor! Then we end our meal with Judah standing up next to his chair chewing on his seat buckle for dessert.

He has been wearing his warm pajamas a lot during the day this month so his feet stay warm in during the chilly temperatures we have had. His hair is getting thicker and hangs slightly over his ears (no Tim, you cannot cut it). Occasionally when you catch a profile with his fluffy hair, you get a glimpse of Uncle Philip at that age. Judah also bites down on his lower lip giving him the allusion of a mischievous smile. Judah has started saying "blah, blah" more now as well.
Judah also loves to chew his Bink backwards. You often see him twist it around in his mouth, chew on the handle, and throw it around in his hand.

All tuckered out from being on the move and recovering from Christmas excitement, Judah came down with his first cold. Without running a fever and showing no signs of teeth yet, we were a little confused why he kept waking up at night fussy. At first thinking he was cold, we added a onsie layer to his nighttime wardrobe. Then we added Tylenol. Next we went to the doctor and had him checked for strep and ear infection (with no such luck). Meanwhile both Tim and I developed a cold with a cough, sore throat, and runny nose. So after a week of being cooped up for six days straight with colds and frigid temperatures outside, we went to the doctor again. This time Judah had an ear infection which was causing him to wake up at night several times and lower his appetite considerably. A couple of nights both Tim and I have taken shifts with Judah from midnight to five in the morning because he would not sleep (and was really hyper). By week two, Tim got over his cold leaving Judah and I with a congested cough and a runny nose. Judah just finished his second round of antibiotic for his ear infection and we see a specialist regarding his ears. On top of the ear infection, Judah is also on the mend from a case of eczema skin rash all over his legs and underneath his chin thanks to creme that we have been applying three times a day.

The rest of the month Tim and I have been catching up on sleep from chasing Judah, from the frigid cold, and from waking up at night. Tim has been especially busy at work this month picking up the slack from his Director of Operations leaving and from implementing a new teen program for students from East High while resuming his normal tasks like YLI recruitment and programming and web design work. His hard work has paid off as he been named a member of Des Moines Top 40 under 40 through the Business Record this month. Judah and I have explored more places trying to get away from the cold. On Thursday mornings, we attend a playgroup at a nearby church. At least once or twice a week, Judah and I get together with our friends for playtime and lunch. Other times we run errands or go to events like the Branstad rally a few weeks back. At home, Judah and I find projects to do like organizing or painting letters for his name. And yes, it has really taken me a month to write this post!

mmmm... I love Cheerios momma!