Life after "I Do"....

Jude's first trip to the zoo!

2012-02-18T19:27:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, Jude, John, and I went to the Sacramento Zoo for the first time. It wasn't that big, but it was nice to get out of the house. Jude, once again, enjoyed himself. I'm noticing a pattern that he's happy whenever we're out doing something. :)

It was sunny out.

Daddy and Jude looking at the birds.

Mommy and Judebug

Strollin' along

Sleeping Kangaroo. We thought it was dead.

John and Jude playing with the camera. Jude looks just like John in this picture.

Family picture

Watching the otters.

Going down Jude's first slide.

Playing with Daddy.

Sophie the big giraffe's

Gorillas

Random...

2012-02-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

Here are some random pictures that I took with my phone the last week or so.

Show those teeth, buddy!

I added a little red to my hair.

Jude reading his Valentines card.

Ready for the zoo in his new kicks!

Hamming up to the camera at Baby Gymboree yesterday. He moves up to a new class next week!

Bubbles!

Jude and I had lunch with Erin and Jackson yesterday and he was out after playing at Gymboree. We also had a wardrobe change because it was so hot.

Getting ready for Easter!

This is Jude's mirror in the car. Apparently he spits alot.

Jude and buddy Jackson

3 friends

Sweethearts Dinner

2012-02-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

John, Jude, and I headed to the our friends Michele and Russ's house for a "Sweetheart" dinner. They were supposed to have a Superbowl party but their kids were sick so it got cancelled. Michele was really bummed and asked if we could get together this weekend. We were all for it so we, along with 3 other couples and kids, went to their house.

It was a really nice dinner and, as always, we had a fabulous time. There was lots of conversation, laughing, and playing with babies. John and I really love our friends out here. We feel as if they are our family and we spend lots of time with them. We're already planning Easter dinner at our house...

This first picture cracks me up. I was telling Linda just yesterday that seeing all the car seats in one area cracks me up. I forget alot of the time that I'm in this new life that is filed with babies, but I absolutely love it. I wasn't sure I would, but as "they" say, it's different when it's your own. It's also different when your really close to people because then you love theirs as well.

Carseats! And 2 aren't here....

Guys with the boys.

These next few pictures are of us hanging out with the babies. I love seeing them all together.

Jude and Ella are good friends. They interact so well with each other. It constantly cracks Michele and I up. Although Jude is waaayyyyyy to young to have a girlfriend, Michele and I talk about how great it would be if we were the "in-laws". I would actually like my sons in-laws. However, he is far to young and I am so not ready for that stage, so for now they will reamin just friends.

Jude smiling with Sophie in his mouth.

Jude's Swim Lessons

2012-02-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

John got home a little after midnight last night. Wahoooo!!!!!! We are so happy to have him home!! I decided to sit on the sidelines today while Jude and John participated in swim lessons. I know they needed the bonding time and I would be able to take pictures. I took a ton and put 17 of them on here. I did take videos, we just have to figure that out.

Today was the first time Jude was dunked underwater. He went under a few times and never once cried. My big boy had such a good time and had a good nap this afternoon. John really enjoyed it also. Not only will we be going back for next weeks swim lessons, but since John has most of next week off we're going to go to the pool so us 3 can swim. Jude really loves it!

Excited for swimming!

Kick, Jude!

Getting dunked

The baby to the left is 8 months old and has already had 2 haircuts. :)

6 Months Old!!!!

2012-02-09T23:28:00.012-05:00

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old. Where has the time gone? Why is it flying by? It seems like yesterday when I first heard his cry and then saw him for the first time as he was laid on my chest. Six months ago I found out what true, unconditional love feels like. My son has made me the happiest person in the world. He has such a big personality and he makes me laugh every day. I'm looking forward to watching him grow in the next 6 months. I don't think I could be any more blessed. :)

I took Jude to Chipolte for lunch today and he couldn't decide on which toy he wanted to play with. I was cracking up watching him! He kept sticking out his tongue to get the giraffe in his mouth.

I was dying laughing as I took this. I decided to try and bath him without his bathtub. He just laid back, rested his head on his hand, and had the cutest grin on his face.

He was sitting up.....

Then he started to slowly fall......

Boom! Landed on his tummy.

Happy 6 Months, My Sweet Baby Boy!!! You have made me the happiest mommy in the world!!!

Love

I caught him mid-roll

Boink! He landed on his back.

"Hi, Mom. This tummy time thing isn't so bad!"

Baby boy also has 2 teeth! They have both broken through the gums and are continuing to grow. I tried to get a few pictures....

Brown or Green eyes?

His face cracks me up.

John left 2 weeks ago for a work trip. He will be back early Saturday morning around 1am. These 2 weeks have been both challenging and rewarding. Jude and I spent alot of quality time together. He also stayed with his very first babysitter while I went get a haircut, pedicure, manicure, and lunch with friends.

Thanks to Mom, Thelma and Erin for their support these last 2 weeks. They called to check on us, listened to my frustrations, offered advice and their wisdom, and reminded me that I was doing a fantastic job. An awesome support system can make any hard situation easier. Thanks, y'all. :)

FYI: If I don't answer my phone this weekend or next week (John has the week off), it's because we are having some serious and much needed family time!

Random..

2012-02-09T12:18:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, Erin, Jackson, Jude, and I headed to the library to see Mother Goose on the Loose. It's a woman who acts out stories and sings songs. The kids play with instruments and all interact together. It's alot of fun and for once Jude actually ejoyed it. I sang the songs and used his hands to hold the instruments. We'll be going back next week.

Jude has learned how to turn his hat. Now everytime I take him out of the car, this is what I see. Sometimes he even covers his eyes

Getting ready for story time

Having a good time!

2012-02-07T12:59:00.000-05:00

*I read this in my August Moms group and it had me a bit choked up. I've told people before that I don't mind the middle of the night feeding because it's such a bonding time. I love the quiet and Jude staring at me while he eats. If he's awake enough, we just sit smiling at each other. It is one of the most treasured memories I will have of him and of us. So when I read this, I felt like it spoke to me...*

My Baby Boy and Me

It's three AM, they're all asleep,
... and no-one's here to see.
As we rock slowly back and forth,
My baby boy and me.

His little hand is feather light
Tucked up against my chin.
I hold his tiny hand in mine,
and stroke his baby skin.

The house about us creaks and groans,
The clock hands creep around.
He snuggles closer to me still,
And makes his baby sounds.

I love these quiet hours so much,
And cherish every one.
Store memories up inside my heart
For lonely nights to come.

All too soon he'll be grown up,
His need for mama gone.
But until then I still have time
For kisses and for song.

Time for quiet hours like this
With him cuddled in my arms,
Where I wish he'd always stay
Protected, safe and warm.

And yet I know the day will come
When his tiny little hand,
will be bigger than my own.
He'll grow to be a man.

But until then he's mine to love
With no one here to see.
As we rock slowly back and forth,
My baby boy and me.

...Author Unknown

Weekend

2012-02-05T22:52:00.000-05:00

Jude and I had a mostly good weekend. I say "mostly" because of his being up reallyyyyyyy late Friday night into Saturday morning. Yeesh. Kid didn't sleep! Saturday was pretty good, other than completely exhausted. Thankfully, Erin and Randy babysat Jude for 2 hours while I grocery shopped and did little things around the house I haven't been able to do lately. Jude conked out at 7pm and didn't wake up until 6am, but briefly. He went back to sleep until 7am. Thank goodness!! Momma needed her sleep!

Today was really good. We were supposed to go to our friends Superbowl party, but she texted us early this morning that 2 out of 4 people in her family were pretty sick. With that, Jude and I headed to Ikea for some shopping. Mostly, it's such a big store I figured it would take a couple of hours to go through.

Once we got home and the dog walker had left (yes, I have a dog walker. I am much to tired and busy to be walking Riley and he was frustrating me with all of his energy), we hung out for about an hour and decided to go out again. Jude and I then headed to Carters, then strolled to Michael's where I'll be starting my next "crafty" project. ;) I'm not crafty at all. (I'm totally giggling over here, Mom.) Afterwards, we headed to Chipolte for dinner, then came home and off to bed Jude went.

I feel really blessed to have an awesome baby who lets me have the freedom to leave the house and not worry about whether or not he'll have a screaming fit or not. He has been so amazing this week with John gone.

Mango's for breakfast!

He's learning how to hold his sippy cup.

His legs keep breaking free. Haha!

It may be the Superbowl, but we're still gonna represent!

Learning to hold his bottle...

My little stud muffin.

Jude has learned how to spit...

Jude and Playtime!

2012-02-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

Jude and I met up with Melissa and Landon at the mall for a play date. We had lunch, then headed to the kids play area. I assumed I would hold Jude while Landon played. Boy, was I wrong! Jude took one look at the kids running around playing and was hot to run off and play himself! Today I had one of those moments where I was completely surprised by how enthusiastic Jude was. He wanted to participate and was not happy at all sitting in my lap, so we "played". He really enjoyed being by or on the toys to explore. Unfortunately, at this age they learn by putting everything either in or on their mouths. Yuck! Jude also enjoyed just being held in the standing position and would pretend to run when kids ran by him. It was so funny and such an eye opener for me. This kid will be so ready to play when he becomes mobile.

Mommy and Judebug in the play area. He was already moving his legs and trying to run away from me to go play.

I still can't get over how happy he was playing and exploring.

Trying to stand.

I tried to get a video of him playing and smiling, but this is all I could get with the help of Melissa.

I told John about his play experience and we're going to go back with a camera. I guess the play area will be put on our list of activities, even though he's almost 6 months old. He certainly enjoyed it!

Tonight Jude and I are headed to Erin's for dinner. She took pity on me with my husband gone and is going to feed me. I love my friends. :)

Jude Loves Peaches

2012-02-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

Random pics

2012-01-30T12:33:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have already seen some of these, but I'm blogging them anyway. :)

Erin and Jude playing

Go McNeese!

Mmmm...Prunes!

Daddy and Jude playing

Hey Mom!

*swoon*

Jude and Jackson (asleep in his stroller) had lunch together yesterday. Once again, they were so good!

Loving on his sophie the giraffe.

Erin and Jack

Sabina and Jack

Jude found his toes. I wanna kiss those lips!!

Jude was having a conversation with Riley. It was hysterical!

Jude went to his first party ever!

2012-01-29T00:09:00.000-05:00

Jude was invited to his first ever birthday party! Landon turned 1 and we were there to celebrate with him. We had such a wonderful time! Jude enjoyed hanging out with all of our friends, like he always does. We left about 6:45pm because he was getting really tired. As always, the company was awesome!

My little man looking so handsome in his overalls! He loves his sophie the giraffe!

Full outfit

Mommy and Bug

Erin, Randy, and Jackson. Our other couple friends were there also, I just didn't get pictures of them.

It takes a village... I was able to eat in peace because Sabina and Nasson offered to hold him.

Birthday Boy!

Jude having a great time with Nasson.

Cupcakes. Aren't they adorable??!!

Grace's blue tongue.

Time for bed! Though he did score his first gift bag on the way out!

Once again, it was a fabulous time. It's always fun hanging out with our group of friends. I love that Jude is starting to recognize people and can have fun with them while I'm doing something else. Ok, off to bed for me! Jude's been doing the 6am thing the past couple of nights, so good night!

My Favorite Little Man

2012-01-28T13:27:00.002-05:00

So worth waking up for every single morning!

I forgot to put a picture of the dining room in the last post so I snuck it in here.

applesauce

Today, Jude will be attending his very first birthday party with his friends! I'm bringing my camera so I'll blog it. :)

Our New House!

2012-01-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

I just put Jude down for a nap so I was able to get these up today. :) Be prepared, alot of these pictures have some boxes or things we haven't moved back into the garage yet. It's coming along, slowly but surely.

Office. It is considered the "formal living room", but we decided we wanted the office here. Riley loves his new window!

Office

Foyer. The front door is on the right.

Kitchen

Kitchen again. Oops.

I made that curtain thankyouverymuch.

Pantry and view into dining room and living room.

Living room

I love the windows to the backyard. It's completely private so we don't have anyone who can see into our house. Plus Jude loves to be in his jumperoo and look outside.

Master tub. So very nice!

Master bath

Our bedroom. The curtains are short because the landlord didn't want us to take down the blinds so I have to put the rod up higher. I'm searching for longer, cuter curtains now.

Jude's room. So NOT finished. Originally his bed was going to be on the other side, which is why his name isn't correct. Also, the pile of clothes on the floor no longer fits him and needs to go into the container outside.

Backyard

Some pictures during our move

2012-01-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

We've moved! I had a whole blog post in my mind, but now that I am in front of the computer I have no idea what I wanted to say. It's been a few very stressful weeks and after tomorrow, hopefully life will go right back to normal! Jude, John, Riley, and I are doing really well. We're enjoying the new house. We're not completely unpacked but I hope to have house pictures up by the weekend. This post is just a plethora of pictures I've taken throughout the week.

John starting to load the first of 3 truck loads. We had everything except large furniture moved and yet it took 3 truck loads. I guess we have alot of big stuff.

Jude happily playing by himself during the move.

As you can see, us girls are hard at work. :) It was more 'hardly working'. There were 4 guys there so we just stayed out of the way. According to Michele, only I could make a moving party fun. Haha.

Thanks Linda and Dad for the king cake! It was delicious and everyone enjoyed a piece. The joke was whoever got the baby had to have the next baby. John got it. Lol!!

All of our friends eating Chipolte and enjoying each others company. It really was a fun day.

Jude enjoying a piece of king cake. Not!

Sunday I made a gumbo. The move was alot of work and I just wanted to relax the next day.

Jude having a good ole time playing.

Riley was napping, but he's enjoying his new view out of the window.

He was hard at play

Still playing. I love this face! I'm starting to notice we have a very serious child on our hands. He loves to laugh, but he also loves to look around and take everything in. He plays with precision now. It's so fun to watch!

Erin helped me de-stress by sharing her BUCKET of candy with me.

I wanna kiss those lips!

Jude watching TV at Erin and Jackson's house.

The boys interacting with each other. Jackson kept smiling and laughing at Jude, but Jude just stared at him trying to figure him out.

That's all the pictures I've got. We're having another play date tomorrow with Erin and Melissa. A new roof is being put on our house so we've had to leave the past couple of days so one more day of this and we finally get our house back!

Busy, Busy

2012-01-19T16:48:00.000-05:00

We have been super busy the past week. John and I have managed to pack up most of the house and moved the stuff to the other house. Saturday is our "big stuff" moving day. We're hoping to have everything, except the big stuff moved by then. I have already put up curtains and unpacked most boxes in the new house.

We've also been really busy with Jude because poor baby is teething, we think. I could be so wrong about that, but I'm hoping it's teething because the pain will soon go away after a tooth pops out. Temporary relief until the next one. Poor little man has cried more in 2 days than I've ever heard. I thought those few days in Indy were bad, man was I wrong! At least I believe there's a valid reason this time.

Anyway, I don't have a many pictures, just a few to update y'all.

Last few boxes full of kitchen things we needed this week. I'm finished cooking and we're using paper plates and plastic cups. All of the cabinets are bare.

Empty walls

Guest room was the first to be taken apart. John actually brought all the pieces to the new house and set the bed up there.

My poor baby. This was the first time we put him down today (except for his 45 minute nap) and he would play then shove his fingers in his mouth and scream. I finally put more orajel in his mouth and he's happily playing in it now.

My poor baby. I wish I could take away his pain. :(

I had to run to babies r us today (John didn't go to work until later) so I went without Jude. I saw this and I had a sad feeling that I could no longer park there and that I missed being pregnant. It was short lived though. The moment I got home I realized why we're waiting for a long time before another one. Don't ask John, he'll tell you Jude is our first and last.

Cute pics

2012-01-11T18:02:00.000-05:00

Last night I needed to make dinner so I put Jude on his play mat and then went into the kitchen. A few minutes later I went check on him and not only is he completely turned around from where I put him, but he somehow flung his socks off his feet.

His socks were on when I left him to play. Not sure how they ended up there.

I went back into the kitchen and a few minutes went by. When I checked on him again, this is what I found... I wasn't sure how he got there until I took this picture and a moment later he rolled over right onto the wood floor. I wish I had taken a picture, but instead I dropped my phone to make sure he was alright. He was totally fine. Apparently my little man is rolling all over the place and I'm just missing it. :)

Just checking out his surroundings.

Jude had a lunch date with Jackson. The boys are always so good when we're out to lunch.

Target! As always... You would think I'm a shopaholic but every time I'm there it's for formula and diapers.

Video

2012-01-10T20:16:00.000-05:00

Of course he was laughing a whole lot more before I pulled out the camera. ;)

Jude is 5 Months Old!

2012-01-10T14:13:00.000-05:00

Happy 5 Months to the sweetest baby in the world! You have come a long way since your newborn days!

You make your Mommmmaaaaaa (as you like to call me) and Daddy the two happiest people in the world. :)

We're not sure if Jude knows what he's saying or if he's just repeating what he hears every single day, but he's started to say "mmmoooommmmmmaaaaaa". Even John can't deny that his first word is "Momma". Love it!!!

New House!

2012-01-10T12:26:00.002-05:00

I don't have new pictures to show, so this is more of a random post. I won't be posting pictures of the house for security reasons, but I will post pictures of the inside after we've moved in.

First, we signed a lease on a house Saturday! We are already starting to move our stuff into the garage while the landlords tidy up the place. We do the final walk through on Saturday and then we can fully move in.

It's an 1800sqft house, which is much bigger than our current 1230sqft house. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. All the rooms are bigger than what we have now. The master closet is a walk-in and the master bath has a soaking tub and double vanity. Certainly nothing we're used to!

There is a large family room (though this living room is much bigger) and a bigger kitchen. The dining room is off the kitchen open to the formal living room. We're using that as the office. 2 car garage and very nice, secluded backyard. We are very happy with the house and can't wait to finally move in.

We're still in packing mode, though I would say most things are packed and ready to move.

The house we are in now had a couple of offers and one was accepted. All this means for us is no one else will be coming by to look at our house! Thank goodness!

Jude had his 4 month shots last Tuesday. He is a whopping 17lbs and 5oz. He's still in the 75th percentile. When the doctor measured his head he laughed and said Jude had a big head. Haha. At least we know his brain is growing!

Yesterday I signed Jude up for swimming lessons! John and I thought it would be fun to have a family activity to share together. The pool is indoor and a nice 86 degrees. I'm really excited for that to start!

Jude has been having fussy and sleep issues, so we decided to switch his formula again. It's not nearly as bad as the Enfamil incident (I know, Mom, I'm seething with you right now too) but it's enough for me to know something still isn't quite right with my boy.

Otherwise, we are all doing well. John doesn't have to work until late today so I told him I would get up with the baby in the night if he got up with Jude in the morning. I was back in bed by 12:45am and slept until 9am. By the time I woke up Jude was already having his first nap of the day. :)

Random Pictures

2012-01-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

Jude is ready to fly!

Mommy and Jude on the airplane to Indy.

Daddy and Jude on airplane.

Jude enjoyed playing on the ground of the airplane. We don't have any pictures on the flight back because it was way to traumatic for me. He screamed the whole first 3 hour flight, then finally slept the whole second flight.

Christmas outfit.

I just love this picture.

Happy at HoneyBear's.

Looking at his tootsies.

Chipolte lunch date

Mmmm...sweet potatoes!!

Jude's First Christmas

2012-01-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas was pretty good this year. We spent a week in Indianapolis and St. Louis. Jude had kind of a hard week though. Before we left, he was really sick. I don't think he had much time to recover before we headed out. Then there was a 3 hour time change that did NOT agree with him. It also didn't help that some people were saying "I can't wait to feed you sugar, Jude. I can't wait until your mom and dad are gone to feed you sugar". Needless to say, John and I agreed we aren't leaving Jude alone with anyone who said that until he's over a year and a half. Just saying...

It was kind of a rough week, but we managed to get through it.

Christmas morning

Judebug and Mommy

Daddy and Jude

Sister Rosaire and Jude

The BEST part about going home was Jude finally meeting his great aunts. Madonna and I have been writing to each other since we moved and she has spoiled us with boxes of goodies every few weeks. I know how excited she was to finally meet Jude and I couldn't wait until that moment.

Sister Madonna and Jude

I truly wish we had more time to spend with them, but time was not on our side. Jude, John, and I went over to their house for a bit and of course there were 2 huge boxes full of goodies for us. Sister Madonna goes over and beyond for us. It's so wonderful to get her letters in the mail as well. I'm already excited for June so she can spend more time with him.

There were people in the Brays house every single night. Poor Jude didn't get a quiet evening, but he got to meet all of his family!

My friend Natalie, her baby Henry, Jude, and I

Cousin Grant and Jude

Parrain and Jude

After leaving Indy we went to STL and I feel it went much better. I'm not sure if Jude was getting used to the time change or the fact that it was only a 2 hour difference instead of 3. Plus, it was much quieter and Jude had his own room to sleep in. The first night he slept 7 straight hours, which was heaven for us. He still had issues napping but thank goodness for Mom who drove around for hours while he slept in the car.

John and I also had an awesome date night. We didn't get home until almost 10pm so Honey and Bear put Jude down for the night, which was a first for us! It was really nice to have a date night, especially after all the stress of the week!

We're back home and after a few very rough nights Jude seems to be heading in the right direction. He's still waking up way too early and not getting enough sleep, which makes for a very grumpy baby, but at least he's not getting up 3-4 times a night for no reason.

It was really good being able to visit with everyone in Indy and STL. We miss all of you already and can't wait to see you this summer!

Riley's 6th Birthday!!!

2012-01-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Riley's 6th birthday today. I can't believe it's been 6 years already. I feel like he just became apart of our family. If Riley is 6 then that means John and I will be hitting our 6 year anniversary here shortly.

Mom and Judebug cuddling before the "party".

Riley waiting patiently for his dessert while we sing "Happy Birthday".

Family birthday party.

Funny smile.

Going....

Going.....

Gone!

Jude enjoying the festivities.

Another birthday down! Next up will be John's!

Jude's First Taste of Solids!

2012-01-02T13:31:00.000-05:00

It's probably less solids and more watery, but whatevs, it's still food time! We started Jude on oatmeal today. It went pretty good. It wasn't this huge mess I was expecting, he actually kept alot of it in his mouth. Our pediatrician gave us the ok the start solids a few weeks ago. We waited until this week because we were going home for Christmas and I didn't want people to think they had the green light to give Jude whatever they wanted. Thankfully, to my knowledge, he only had formula the whole time. (Though I wouldn't be surprised to find out otherwise judging by Jude's behavior since Indy. :))

"Feed me, Dad!"

Yum! Jude thought it was hilarious when John would do the "VVrroommmm" noise.

Lovin' him some oatmeal.

"More please!"

Got Milk?

He was full about halfway through so we'll try again tomorrow.

I haven't forgotten to blog about Christmas but it's a bit time consuming and time is not on my side right now. :)

Our little Christmas, 2011

2011-12-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

John, Jude, and I celebrated our first Christmas together today. We had a great time and we all received lots of goodies!

Santa left some loot for Jude.

We must have all been good this year.

Thanks, Annie!! Jude loves his doggie!

Jude wasn't sure about the whole "unwrapping" thing.

We love the airplane ornament from Annie!

Of course she didn't forget about ole' Riley...

Jude loved the paper!

Thanks, Nanny Barbara for the ornament!!

And Jude's swimming lessons and swimming shorts! Hopefully he'll be starting class in the next couple of months!

John loved his picture mug of his boys.

One of my many gifts. John spoiled me this year (as he does every year).

We had a great time and now we're just doing some last minute packing and getting ready for our flight tomorrow!

Randomness before the craziness!

2011-12-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

I thought I would do one last random post before the Christmas craziness begins. Santa comes tonight for Jude. We're doing our family Christmas tomorrow since we fly out Saturday. John is also off tomorrow so we're having a family day as well. Jude and I had a great week. Most of you already know that Jude's formula was causing those nightmarish days. I read about the Walmart formula. A few of you know *exactly* how horrible last week was for Jude and I. (Thanks for talking me down and answering my many, many phone calls...you know who y'all are!!) Let's just leave it at I was a mess.... Anyway, he's all better and our week was alot of fun!

Tummy time still sucks at our house. Jude apparently felt defeated and put his head down, thumb in his mouth, and passed out.

Tuesday Jackson came over to play so Erin could get her oil changed in her car. Melissa and Landon also showed up. We had a great play date! Erin brought us lunch and we talked the afternoon away. (Jackson wasn't sleeping, he blinked)

Sweet Landon

Riley wanted in on the fun, but he's too high energy for 3 babies in the house.

"Good Morning, Mom!!!" I usually can't catch his morning smiles, but I got this one!

Erin, the boys, and I headed to Baby Gymboree Wed. It was a blast and the boys had a ton of fun, as usual.

Jude mesmerized by the beach ball.

The boys

Erin and Jackson having fun!

Mommy and Judebug

All of the babies looking at the bubbles.

Jude trying to eat a ball during tummy time.

The boys conked out after class!

John was working today but wanted to know if Jude and I could meet him for lunch. Absolutely!! So we had a fabulous time at lunch and Jude was so happy to see his daddy!

My loves

Mommy and Jude. He was so good during lunch and he fell asleep on the way home.

Jude is now in his swing and I am making smothered chicken for dinner. I am also doing laundry, packing, and getting everything together for Santa to come tonight. I have a feeling Jude is on the "nice" list this year. I'll (hopefully) blog our family Christmas before we leave because I'm sure I'll have alot to blog about when we get back! Merry Christmas to everyone! I wish y'all a happy, healthy, and safe New Year!! Lots of love from California!

29

2011-12-18T00:49:00.000-05:00

29 years old today. o_o

Where have my 20's gone? John had to go out of town yesterday but he should be back either later on tonight or first thing in the morning. Jude and I have been having a wonderful day! We went out to lunch at Chipolte, had lots of play time, and I just put him down for a nap. He is by far the BEST birthday present I have ever recieved. I'm a lucky, lucky woman. :)

Cheese face just like his daddy. Though he did just wake up...

Jude helped me open all my gifts and cards. Look at that stack! Could I be more loved?

Jude holding up my calendar.

Geaux UL!

Jude is doing so well sitting up with a little help. He's growing up!

John got home around 7pm and was eager for me to open my gift from Jude.

My Super Mom card from Jude. *swoon*

Jude reading my card with me.

I love this kid

When I unwrapped the gift, the box said "Zales" and I was wondering where John got the box from .It never occurred to me that he actually bought me something from there. But I had a choked up moment when I opened it. :)

It's Jude's birthstone with a diamond. Love, Love, Love!!!

I had a wonderful birthday! Thanks to everyone for the cards, gifts, phone calls, texts, and birthday wishes on Facebook. I feel very loved and thankful for all of you in my life. :)

Sick Jude :(

2011-12-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

My poor baby is ill. He is having some yucky stomach issues. We're hoping it's just a virus and it's hopefully on it's way out. John and I took him to the doctor yesterday for his 4 month shots and he wasn't able to get them because he was too sick. We have him on pedialyte for the next 24 hours and I'm saying a prayer that it does the trick. Because of all the poop diapers he's having, it's given him a horrible diaper rash. He has been screaming in pain through every diaper change the past couple of days. If he's not better by Monday morning then we have to bring him back to the doctors office. Our pediatrician said if he's not better by then (which he should be if it's just a virus) then they will need to run tests and I really don't want that for my baby. So please say a prayer for my little man that he gets better soon!

We're both tired after a long night. My poor, sick baby.

This was last night. He was having some much needed air time for his bottom. He had a great evening and night, thank goodness!

This smile melts his mommas heart!

Mall Playdate

2011-12-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Michelle, Erin, and I, along with our boys, met at the mall for a little outing. We spent most of our time in the Nordstroms mommy area. It's a nice area that is hidden away from the rest of the bathroom with a comfy couch and chair and a whole changing area for babies. We hung out in there while we fed the babies and talked. We then had lunch in the food court. Afterwards, Jude and I headed home so I could put him down for a nap. It was alot of fun (as it always is with these girls) and we took some pictures. People were stopping to check out our cute babies and we waved at other mom groups doing the same thing we were.

Erin, Michelle, and David. Jackson was sleeping in the stroller behind them.

I look terrible. I took my greasy hair down for the picture and I should have just left it up. Jude loved facing out and seeing all that was going on while walking.

Women were laughing as they walked into the lounge area of the bathroom. We took up alot of room!

Self portrait in the elevator with my little man.

Again, he covered his face with his blanket...

At the end of his 3 hour nap after our play date. This kid loves covering up his face! Cracks me up...

4 Month Pictures

2011-12-12T23:30:00.000-05:00

Just a few random pictures....

Happy Birthday, Nana!

My baby's beautiful smile. (The sign says "Happy Birthday!")

cuteness

Oops, this picture didn't save when I turned it. Oh well.

Happy baby playing with his ball.

Happy 4 Months, Love!

Our mantel is finished. We're not having a Christmas tree this year so this is the only decorating we've done. :)

Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

John and I had a Christmas party for all of our friends who work with John. ;) We had such a fantastic time! Everyone was late, which was kinda funny, but once the party got started it was a blast! About 4:30 I got like 5 texts from all our friends saying they were running late. Of course there were 5 (!!) babies here so I'm sure that was the reason for the lateness. Anyway...lots of fun!

Jude and I pre-party. He's wearing a reindeer hat, it was so cute!

Riley also had a reindeer hat.

Ella and Jack playing.

Jackson had a good ole' nap during the party!

Jude, of course, was in his jumperoo having a blast. Everyone couldn't get over how funny he was in it.

Erin, Jackson, Jude, and I

All of my girls and our babies. There is a a mom/baby missing because they had to leave early because Samantha was getting tired.

Erin, Randy, and Jackson

All the dads and babies. Once again, a dad and baby are missing.

Our family!

Sabina and Nasson. To Riley she is known as the "treat" lady.

Catherine, Pat, and Jack

Party favors I made. It was a "Naughty and Nice" party.

Just a cute picture of Jude this morning. :)

Jude is 4 Months Old!! Gaahh!!

2011-12-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby boy is 4 months old. My God. Where is the time going? We had a great week! We had a few play dates and Jude had a great time at each of them. He amazes me more and more everyday. Jude is starting to pull himself into a sitting position (from laying back on me, not from the floor up). His chest muscles aren't strong enough to hold him up though. We will be starting solids here shortly, though I think we will wait until after the holidays.

Christmas present from the Brays and Lakers. Riley and Jude both fit in it. Hopefully in the spring it will be full of his friends when we go on a picnic or something. :)

We babysat Landon this past weekend. He was so good! He and Jude had fun playing together.

Jude and I had a play date with Erin and Jackson this week. We showed up in our pajamas and I brought over In-N-Out burgers. The boys just hung out while Erin and I talked for hours (as always). :)

St. Nicholas left a gift for Jude in his stocking for St. Nicholas Day. It was an Air Force shirt that John ordered online.

Not sure why but this picture cracks me up. He's such a ham.

The Jumperoo wore him out!!! I laughed for awhile and sent this picture to everyone I know!

Of course you were baby.

Daddy's cheese smile and Judebug

Shopping and lunch date with Erin and Jackson. It was our second play date of the week. We shopped at The Fountains, which is an outdoor shopping area, then headed to The Counter for burgers. Notice the blanket behind Erin, we made a breastfeeding area for her. The boys were so good and they just slept and hung out the whole time. Lets face it, when is Jude never not good?

And off to Target for the 5th time this week. I'm exaggerating. Well...maybe not.

"When God made me He was showing off." Yes He was Jude!

My sweet angel in bed with me. He slept really well that night but was still tired in the morning. I put him in bed with me and we dozed on and off for a while. We alternated between sleeping and playing. Best morning ever!

Yesterday we had a play date with Erin and Jackson (yes, our 3rd for the week) and Michelle and her son, David. Erin and I picked up lunch and headed to Michelle's house. We all had a great time and spent the entire time talking and laughing. Our boys were amazing and seemed to enjoy each other.

Jude was playing in Davids "motorcycle" and loved it!!

Erin holding David and Michelle holding Jackson.

Jude and Jackson napping.

Our 3 boys.

Jude and I had an awesome week. Next week will be just as hectic. Tonight John and I are having a Christmas party for all of our friends and their kids. There should be something like 4-5 babies. It should be fun! I'll blog the party later!

Playing with Jude

2011-12-06T22:12:00.002-05:00

Jude was playing in his Jumperoo and I decided to have a little fun with his taggie. This kid cracks me up. At first he thought it was the funniest thing in the world, but once I put a camera in front of him he concentrated so hard on it he stopped laughing. Oh well, it was still funny. :)

Can you believe this is out on my counter?! *Sigh* He's getting too big too fast!

Jude and his new Jumparoo from Santa

2011-12-02T23:28:00.001-05:00

Notice at the end how his eyes start closing. He is so tired but won't stop jumping. John and I couldn't stop laughing. Even after taking this video, he jumped for another 10 minutes or so before he was really starting to fall asleep.

A year ago today....

2011-12-02T13:02:00.000-05:00

I peed on a stick and got the biggest and best surprise of my life!

Who knew miracles came in such small packages?

Random Jude Pictures...

2011-12-01T21:47:00.002-05:00

I have a few (ok, more than a few) pictures of Jude that I wanted to share. Some of them have been on Facebook, but some of our families don't have FB so I thought I would post them on here. Jude is getting big! He's weighing in at 14lbs and 14oz. He is still sleeping really well at night, usually only waking once to eat then he goes right back to sleep. Jude enjoys standing (with me holding him, obviously :)), his toys, playing airplane with daddy, and snuggling with me whenever he wakes up. He is by far the most amazing child I have ever laid eyes on. John and I spend alot of time playing with him and trying to make him laugh. His smiles are so contagious! We feel very blessed to have Jude as our child and we are looking forward to watching him grow. :)

Jude and Mommy

Another Thanksgiving picture

Daddy's cheese smile with a sleeping Judebug.

Upset with Mommy because he was hungry and I was busy taking pictures :)

Evening mirror play

Bundled up for an afternoon walk with Riley

My view from the front seat of the car. Jude is snuggled up in his blankets while running errands with Mommy.

Napping. This kid loves his face covered while sleeping which makes me so nervous! But it's just like how I like to sleep.

Jude and Daddy going on an afternoon walk.

Our family went out for chinese food one Sunday afternoon and Jude was enjoying watching Daddy eat.

*swoon* This picture melts my heart. This was one of the best parts of my day.

We are having a blast with my baby boy and I can't wait to share more pictures of our lives with him! Jude is sitting on my lap patiently waiting for me to finish so we can go play...gotta go!

No Paternity Test Needed....

2011-11-28T15:03:00.001-05:00

This child belongs to John!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T00:22:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I started the morning off by looking at this beautiful face.

Hi Mom!

John, Jude, and I spent the morning at our friends Michele and Russ's house. Michele made a breakfast casserole and mimosa's. Delish!

Me and Ella. I'm enjoying a tasty mimosa.

After we left their house we headed home where Jude and I took a two hour nap. After I woke up I made a mac and cheese and then we headed to our friends Sabina and Nasson's house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so wonderful because all of our friends, Michele, Russ, their daughters Grace and Ella, Erin, Randy, their son Jackson, Sabina, Nasson, and Sabina's parents were there. It was awesome company and amazing food!

John, Russ, and their babies :)

Jude and Ella

Ms. Grace

Moms and our babies

The fabulous four (or five).

Jude and best friend Jackson

There were a few attempts to get all the kids together....

1st attempt

2nd..

3rd...

4th...

5th... and we're done!

My family :)

It was an awesome Thanksgiving and I am so thankful for all of our friends here who have become like family. Tomorrow I will be joining a gym! Haha let's see how long that lasts....

Thankful

2011-11-24T17:47:00.001-05:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year.

I am thankful for John's job. It provides money in the bank and groceries at the end of every week. It provides a warm (or cool) house in a safe neighborhood. It allows me to be a stay-at-home mom, which I have always wanted to do. I am able to watch my son grow every single day and I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for my friends. The ones near and far. I love keeping in touch with friends in other states and always picking up where we left off. I am thankful for the new friends in CA who have become family. Moving here was very lonely but meeting these new girls, whom I adore, has changed that for me. I am also very thankful that we all had healthy pregnancies and babies and were able to support each other through it all.

I am thankful for John's family. Most of them welcomed me with open arms and treated me with so much love and respect. I adore them as well and feel very blessed to call them family.

I am thankful for my plethora of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I was raised with most of them and I continue to value their opinions and advice. They are the foundation of where I come from.

I am thankful for my siblings. They are some of the best people I know. They stole my heart the moment they were born and I am so blessed to be their big sis.

I am thankful for my parents. I didn't know the word sacrifice until I had my own child. I may not ever know the extent of their sacrifices for me, but I am eternally grateful.

I am thankful for my dog. Riley has the best personality of any canine I know. He may be second fiddle to Jude now, but he is and will always be my 'first born'.

I am thankful for my husband. I didn't know true happiness until I met him. He is my biggest supporter and my best friend in the whole world. John is the person that always has my back. He's respectful, loyal, honest, funny, caring, and so loving. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for Jude. I thank God everyday for thinking so much of me that he decided Jude should be my child. What have I done so right in this world to deserve the most amazing person in this life? What could I have possibly done to be so blessed? Jude has fulfilled my life in a way that no other person could have done. He is my strength and I will spend my life making sure he knows how special, loved, and cherished he is. He and John have completed my life. And for that, I am so thankful.

Thanksgiving 2010. Little did I know I was pregnant and our lives would be changing forever.

Jude's First Trip to Louisiana!

2011-11-21T21:46:00.000-05:00

Jude and I had a fabulous time in Lafayette! John had to work out of town last week so I decided we were going to LA to visit my family. Even though I was so anxious, the airplane rides were fantastic. He slept through most of them and just sat in my lap during the other times. Jude met so many people! I forget how big my family is because I'm so used to it, but watching all the different people holding him has made me realize how big it actually is. I love my family and I wished we lived in Louisiana and this trip didn't make it easy to leave, that's for sure!

Jude and Uncle Zack. I can't believe he graduates in May!

Jude and Aunt Katie watching tv together. She was so wonderful with him. :)

Jude and Nanny Barbara. I was right, she's the perfect Godmother for him. I love you Aunt Barbara!

Jude and Aunt Kare Bear. Karie and I met when we were 12 and have been friends ever since. I can't believe we're at the point in our lives where we have families. I had a great lunch date with you, Kare Bear!

Jude and Annie. I'm happy you were able to come over and visit!

Jude and Poppa. I don't have a picture of Jude and Nana. I forgot to takes lots of pictures, some of these I borrowed from other people. Jude, Nana, and Poppa had a great time. I know they loved seeing him and it was great watching them all together.

Jude and Honey! Now these two, they had themselves a blast! I love watching my mom with my son. It's very special to me.

Jude and Bear. I'm so happy Bear was able to come in town to see us. It's always good to see him. :)

Jude and Uncle Josh. We only saw Josh once but he's busy with his fancy new job. Congrats, buddy!

Jude and Uncle Kyle. My brothers have been hounding me for years to have a baby, so it's funny watching them interact with their nephew.

Jude, Kiley, Connor, Emma, Madden, and Mason. These are some of his cousins. We had a great time visiting with them!

I was able to catch up with a few of my own cousins, which is always a good time!

Jude and William. William took a ton of awesome photos. Thanks!

Jude and Pa-b. Pa-b is Jude's great-grandpa and they loved each other right away!

Jude and Nanny Dean. I may have this wrong, but I think she is Jude's great-great-aunt. She's Pa-bs sister.

Four Generations!

It was such a fun trip! I thought for sure I would come home and have a staycation with Jude, but I had a full night of sleep (finally!!) and was ready to go run errands this morning. We're now ready for Thanksgiving!

3 Months!

2011-11-11T17:39:00.000-05:00

Can you believe Jude is already 3 months old? Me neither. Our boy is getting sweeter and more beautiful everyday. He's developing wonderfully! It is so awesome watching him grow. I love his reactions to new experiences in his environment. He is starting to laugh and play alot these days. Mommy and Daddy crack him up! Mornings are his best time and he plays and plays for a couple of hours. His nap schedule is getting better, but that's all about to change with our trip to Louisiana. :)

Playing with daddy's hat

He loves the mirror in our room. We spend alot of time sitting in front of it singing songs and trying to figure out the people we see. :)

This is Kyle's old toy from like 20 years ago. It's an airplane so of course we wanted it. John put on his newborn aviator hat and we had a good ole' time with the camera. He really enjoys this toy. Jude loves standing (with help) and he tries to run. In this toy he can move his legs really fast and he will spin around.

Captain Jude

3 Months Old! He's sitting easily in his bumbo with awesome head control. :)

Half of a smile

Jude and his new friend Jackson. They were fast friends. :)

Sweetness

We are still continuing to go to our mommy and me Gymboree class. Jude really enjoys it and has lots of fun playing with their toys. I'm sure Santa will be bringing him some of the toys he likes to play with. ;)

John has Veteran's Day off today so he was able to come to class with us. This is the start of class....

Tummy time! Jude usually hates tummy time but he enjoys it in class. I'm not sure if it's all the babies, the mirror, or the plastic balls spinning in front of his face, but he likes it!

Snack time! He was getting a little fussy so John gave him a quick 2oz snack to hold him over. It worked and Jude went right back into play mode.

Jude's favorite toy by a mile! Momma will bring this home way before Santa does! He absolutely loves this toy drum. It has a bunch of beads in it that makes the sound of rain. It is also a drum so when you tap it all the colored beads jump around. Jude can't ever seem to take his eyes off of it.

Class was a success and afterwards we headed to a place called Smashburger for lunch. Jude usually has a good nap after Gymboree so he slept the whole time while John and I had a lunch date. We're getting in some serious family time before we're apart for a week. Now we're back home and we're excited to take our family Christmas pictures tomorrow!

The Best Days of My Life

2011-11-05T23:31:00.002-04:00

I had a hard time going to sleep last night. All of these thoughts kept swirling in my head. I woke John up a few times to ask what/when the best day of his life was. When he returned the question I replied that I have many best days. I started to think about them all and decided that one didn't top the other, they are all some of the best days of my life. I don't have a single best day of my life growing up. I had good days, bad days. Some better or worse than others. But none that stand out as best day ever.

Then I met John. I had never been so happy in my life. I still am that happy. The very first best day of my life was the day we got married. I was so happy, nervous, excited, and scared. Yet, it was the easiest thing in the world. Nothing had ever felt so right in my life. Two years later and I still know it was the best decision I have ever made.

Look how happy I was. If you were to ask me today about being married to my best friend in the whole world, you would get this same smile.

The day I got married was the best day of my life for a long time. Nothing topped that. We led our simple life, Quantico came and went, and we moved to California. Life changing, but nothing too drastic.

Then I peed on a stick and my life changed forever. I will never forget that moment and how I felt while watching the indicator turn into a + sign. My heart was beating really hard and I immediately started to cry. The feeling of knowing I had a baby inside me was surreal but I was instantly in love. Calling John and my family was amazing and it suddenly became the best day of my life.

On December 28, 2010 I was a day shy of 8 weeks pregnant. As I lay back on the table in the doctors office watching our first ultrasound, I am shocked to see this little pea. Of course I had already started to love my baby, but then I heard his heartbeat for the first time. I choked up and had tears rolling down my face and I stared at my first child and heard what became the most amazing sound to a mothers ears. I saw and heard my baby for the first time that day and it was easily the best day of my life.

John and I could not care less of the gender of our child. We wanted a healthy baby. Every time we had a doctor's appointment I held my breath until I heard his heartbeat. It was all that mattered. I was already bonding with my baby, but I really wanted to know the sex. I wanted to lay in bed, rub my belly, and think about him or her. It was hard for me to do that not knowing the baby's gender.

John and I went to the ultrasound place. I had been telling everyone I thought it was a girl. I'm not sure why but I think I had a few dreams and the baby was a girl. Anyway, I'm lying on the table and he puts the monitor on my belly. I immediately see what I think is a penis and say "It's a boy!". He said no, it was the umbilical cord. Oops. So I'm waiting and waiting. My heart is beating strongly, I can feel the baby moving, and I start shaking because I'm so nervous. It was so final. Then I heard the words I will never forget. "There's his penis!". Best. Words. Ever. We were going to have a son! My heart filled with so much love for my baby boy. It was by far the best day of my life!

At our 20 week appointment we found out Jude had a kidney issue. Our doctor said it would probably resolve itself but they scheduled another ultrasound for 30 weeks just to make sure. I fretted those 10 weeks but I knew we weren't going to be given anything we couldn't handle. I was already fiercely overprotective of him and it made me a bit crazy knowing something may not be right and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I just prayed. Alot.

At our 30 week appointment, not only was he spectacular, but the ultrasound lady was able to show me pictures of him. He was pretty much developed, she said. He would be growing in weight until 40 weeks. And then I saw this picture. My heart grew a million times larger once I saw my baby boy's face. It was (and still is) the most beautiful face I have ever seen in my life. I cried because I had pictured him a million times and seeing this amazing face that looked just like his daddy totally became the best day of my life.

I thought I knew love when I got married and all through pregnancy. I didn't know nothin'. I labored for 35 hours total, about 11 of them medicated (thank god). Little did I know I would be meeting the man I had been waiting for my whole life. The man who would truly complete me. I have never loved another person more in my life than I did the moment my baby left my body. Holding him for the first time was life changing. It was absolutely perfect, just as he was. No one could have prepared me for the sheer amount of joy and love I would feel. There are no words to describe it. Easily the best day of my life.

Everyone knows I have two different families, whom I love dearly. :) I was a child who went from dads house to moms house. To dads side of the family to moms side of the family. I always longed for my own family, one I didn't have to leave every other weekend or holidays. A family that I could be with 365 days of the year. When I married John, he became my family. He was the constant in my life. Then Jude came. These are the 2 men who have finished my circle. Right after Jude was born I realized I had a family of my own. I had what I had dreamed of for so long. My family was complete. Best. Day. Ever.

Jude is now 12.5 weeks old. I'm a stay-at-home-mom. (Best job ever.) I spend my days with my little man singing, dancing, going to mommy and me classes, meeting up with friends and other babies. We nap together, eat lunch together, play together. I get overwhelmed, emotional, and frustrated on occasion. And I wouldn't trade any of it. I love every wonderful minute of spending my days with him. Every day is becoming the best day with Jude. I'm watching him grow and learn. I'm here for his first smile and his first laugh. I'm here for his first conversation and all of his other firsts. I'm with him in baby gymboree class while he's learning and developing. In the picture below I'm holding a frisbee like toy with beads in it. He LOVES it!

I take pride in my family. I love waking up to Jude and John laughing and talking. My heart fills with so much love as I hear John singing to Jude. I teased him today about knowing he was a daddy because his shirt was full of spit-up. Watching to two most important men in my life together is amazing. It makes me feel very fulfilled in my life.

I love being a mom. I cherish it. I appreciate it. I'm growing as a person beside my baby, who is also growing. I'm already more patient and I have more love to give than ever before.

I don't have any one best day of my life. There are many and I know there will be plenty more as Jude and our family grows. I feel like the luckiest person alive while I sit here typing on the computer as I watch my son and my husband play together. They are the stability in my life. There is nothing more precious than building a foundation for my son with my husband.

I'm going to go now. My son is in a playful mood and there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be than with my family. :)

Halloween Wardrobe Change!

2011-10-31T21:45:00.000-04:00

We are blessed with a really big family. And with really big families come alot of holiday outfits! Halloween is no different and Jude was sent a few. Of course I bought a few things as well. :)

"BOO" bib

"First Halloween" outfit

Little Monster

He found his feet and can't get enough of them.

This is his "OMG if you change my outfit one more time I'm going to lose it" face. He really was over it.

All in all it was fun changing his clothes into all of his outfits but unfortunately he can only wear one tonight. And which one did he wear? None. He's in a diaper passed out on the couch while the trick-r-treaters are grabbing candy from a bowl I left on a bench on the porch. My baby is napping and missing all of the handing-out candy fun. That's ok though. We had ourselves a Halloween Fashion Show!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T17:57:00.000-04:00

Today is Jude's very first Halloween. Unfortunately, John has to leave overnight for work so we dressed him up last night for fun. We opened up the Halloween candy and pulled out the camera!

The cutest duck I've ever seen...

Duck and Mommy

Kisses for my little quacker!

Riley and his brother :)

Our little monster!

Daddy and the sweet monster

The most beautiful face I've ever seen.

I could kiss those lips!

Night of a Thousand Pumpkins..

2011-10-29T17:08:00.002-04:00

*These pictures were all taken with my phone camera*

John, Jude, Riley, and I went to Folsom for their "Night of a Thousand Pumpkins" festival. It's a small town that closed down their main street and the shops had trick-r-treating for the kids. We had a pretty good time. Jude did not want to be carried in the baby bjorn, which was a bit frustrating because trying to maneuver a stroller on a very crowded street wasn't at all fun. We ended up finding a place to sit to people watch. We had a great time and actually stayed out until 8pm. :)

some of the pumpkins

They had an outdoor movie. People brought chairs, blankets, and there was a popcorn machine for the movie-goers.

Me and Judebug

Posing in front of 10 pumpkins, yet my husband only got 1 in the picture. Hehe.

John making "gggrrrr" sounds with his little cub.

Tired and sucking his thumb!

Today...

2011-10-28T19:47:00.001-04:00

I am not going to worry about bottles,

or taking out the trash,

or doing the laundry.

Today, I am going to

play, relax,

and completely enjoy my son.

I love you, my sweet Judebug. Nothing will ever be more important than you.

Jude's Baptism

2011-10-18T16:27:00.000-04:00

Jude's baptism was wonderful! I'm happy we were able to share this day with some of our family and friends.

Daddy and Jude before the ceremony.

Sign of the cross

Look at that sweet face.

A few of the grandparents.

Parrain and Jude

This isn't the best picture but Jude was smiling in it.

Food!

Many of our friends were able to join us and it was such a fun time mixing family and friends.

Sweet Grace eating a cupcake.

Our Families Visit

2011-10-18T16:15:00.001-04:00

John and I had family who visited this weekend for Jude's baptism. It was wonderful seeing everyone and we had a really good time. David and Thelma has some flight issues, but they finally made it in Thursday night. Parrain (godfather) Bob flew in Thursday morning. Annie and Linda flew into San Fran and they had a mini-vacay. On Friday, John's parents, Bob, Jude, and I all drove to Napa and spent the day with Annie and Linda. We met for lunch where Annie met Jude for the first time.

Annie and Jude

Celebrating 45 years of marriage.

Me and Annie. It was so good to see her!

Best Friends

Nana and Jude

Saturday night we had a Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza! Most everyone carved pumpkins. We had a fabulous time! There was alot of laughing, drinking, and some planking. :)

Bob planking

Thelma carving her pumpkin.

Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza!

John carved a "1" for Jude's first Halloween and I carved a "J" for Jude.

Final product

My baby's sweet face.

Jude's First Pumpkin Patch at 2 Months Old!!

2011-10-09T15:18:00.001-04:00

Happy 2 months to my sweet baby boy!!!

Mommy and Daddy love you soooooo much! Your laughs make us smile :)

Daddy and Jude

Mommy and Jude

Today was Jude's first trip to a pumpkin patch. I believe it's mine also, but I could be wrong. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the weather was perfect!

We ended up bringing home 3 pumpkins.

Jude's first encounter with a goat.

I love my baby boy :)

um...

Jude meeting a fake person.

Daddy and Jude in the corn maze!

He loved when daddy tickled his face with the leaves.

not so much as a hat though...

hiding from daddy

my amazing family

My Little Pickle!

2011-10-06T14:51:00.000-04:00

Could he be any sweeter??

The Oge's Visit

2011-10-02T00:20:00.000-04:00

My dad and Linda flew to Sacramento to visit us. Jude was a big hit and they really enjoyed holding and playing with him. We didn't do much, but with a newborn less is more! :)

Poppa and Jude

Nana and Jude

My sweet baby

"Mommy's Lil' Cupcake"

Our family

Me and the love of my life. This boy owns my heart :)

Poppa, Jude, and Me

My cousin Hope made Jude's baptism outfit. She did an amazing job!!

She smocked airplanes on it. :)

Our First Outing...

2011-09-18T19:49:00.000-04:00

...as a family :) John and I decided to head to an area in Roseville called The Fountains. It's a nice area with restaurants, shops, and alot of outdoor seating. There is also a playground, small train rides, and a water play area all for kids. We had a trial run to see how Jude handled being in public for about an hour. He did really well. Next Sunday we're going to go back and eat lunch at an outdoor burger place so we can bring Riley with us.

Go Saints!

Momma and Jude at The Fountains

Daddy and Jude at The Fountains

Relaxing

John spending family time on the phone. Haha!

Our attempt at a family photo.

Smiling at Mommy

John working while baby sleeps (in the pack-n-play).

My favorite boys.

Random...

2011-09-16T15:34:00.000-04:00

These are some random pictures that John and I have taken the past week or so....

We were all laying in bed hanging out.

Jude loves his baby gym

play time with mommy

a bit blurry, but playing with my bebe

he does not like tummy time at all

Happy One Month, Jude!

2011-09-10T00:57:00.001-04:00

I can't believe you're already a month old. We love you so much and can't imagine our lives without you. You continue to take my breath away every single day.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

I totally choke up when I think how I used to stand in this same spot and show off my growing belly. Now I stand here with my amazing little guy in my arms. : )

Happy 1 month!

Yawn!

Brothers

I can't stop taking pictures

Everyone has their spot!

Winking

The Brays Visit!

2011-09-06T19:18:00.000-04:00

John's mom and dad came into town for a few days to meet their newest grandson. They seemed to have a great time and we are ready for them to come back in October! It was nice having the extra help. I was able to get alot done around the house. :) John went back to work today so it's just Jude and I today. We had a doctor's appointment and my chunky monkey is 10lbs! The doctor walked in laughing and said "Wow Jude, 10lbs already?!" We have a very healthy little boy on our hands. He is continuing to wake up once a night. It's so nice having at least 8 hours of sleep a night, plus a nap during the day. Here are some of the pictures from the weekend.

Jude and Grandma

"What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's"

Brothers

Jude and Momma

Our Family

Grandpa trying to calm a hungry baby!

Grandma, Grandpa, and Jude

The Brays :)

I'm not sure he could be more perfect. ;)

Play time with momma

Riley getting a treat from Grandma

My first week...

2011-08-31T15:26:00.000-04:00

...as a stay at home mom has been a good one. John will not be working tomorrow because his parents will be flying in for a long weekend. I am happy my first week is only 3 days, but it will be back to full force next week! Here are some pictures I've managed to take during my busy days. :)

Jude and Daddy

Jude and Riley hanging out while I cook dinner

He did so well in his bouncer and just watched me sing and dance while cooking dinner.

"Good Mornin' Mom"

My baby boy trying to smile at me.

Jude trying to talk to me. :)

Jude's First Bath

2011-08-28T13:10:00.000-04:00

Jude got his first official bath last night. We had been sponge bathing him because of his umbilical cord, but since that has fallen off it was time for a real bath. He did really well and seemed to somewhat enjoy it. However, he did not like being taken out of the warm water. He cried until we warmed him up. We put a gown and socks on him then swaddled him tight and he was happy again. :)

He looks so tiny here!

My friend blogged about the turtle you see on him. It soaks up the warm water and then you lay it on top of him so he stays warm. Jude squirmed so much it kept falling off, but it seemed to keep him warm when it was on him.

I have a feeling our little man is going to be rolling over sooner than later. He's almost there already!

Remember when I blogged about the maya wrap I bought? My 8lb, 11oz baby is in it and loving it! It took me a bit to figure out how to maneuver him and the sling, but I figured it out and Jude loves it. He usually falls right asleep in it so I have to keep hm out of it during his awake times.

We all had a great night! Jude slept for 6 straight hours until 4am. John fed him and put him back to bed about 4:30 and he didn't wake up again until 8am. In other words, Mom got a whole nights sleep!!! I hope it wasn't a fluke and the same sleep patterns continue. I'm sooo not complaining because we feed him at 9pm and he's asleep in bed about 9:45. He sleeps until 2am, back to bed, up at 6am, back to bed, then we wake him up at 9am. He's a really good sleeper and doesn't have his days and nights mixed up. We are totally blessed with such an amazing baby!!!

My little man

2011-08-27T16:14:00.000-04:00

2 Weeks Old

2011-08-23T19:17:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? Where has the time gone? I have a feeling I'm going to be asking that question a million times throughout the rest of my life. We are all doing well over here. A little sleep deprived, but that's to be expected. We mostly have good nights where he wakes up twice to eat, then usually goes back to sleep. However, there are those other kind of nights too where I want to put my Facebook status as "Sleep? What's that?". Jude is pretty much on a feeding schedule as well, which is nice. We can somewhat plan around that. All 3 of us took a trip to Target today and Jude was so good until John decided he needed to go to the bathroom and of course Jude cried the whole time he was gone. Otherwise, it was a good outing. I'm still very nervous to go out with him by myself, but I'm sure I'll get over that one day.

Anyway, things are good over here in CA. I'm excited for everyone to meet him one day. He's a cool kid and we just love him so much. :)

Newborn Pictures

2011-08-21T14:51:00.000-04:00

The love of our lives.....

Jude's Birth Story

2011-08-19T17:39:00.001-04:00

I know many of you wanted to read my birth story so here it is!

38 week appt: 2cm, 90% effaced, and baby at -1 station.

39 week appt: 2cm, 100% effaced, and baby at almost 0 station.

My doctor stripped my membranes at both appointments, but I felt like my baby boy was never going to come out. I had contractions from about week 35 and I was over it. After my 39 week appointment where I was having pretty bad contractions, I decided to go to yoga and squat him out. That didn’t quite work. I had contractions on and off for the next couple of days but they weren’t anything I could time.

Sunday morning I was feeling pretty crummy and decided to start making meals to freeze. I should have known I was nesting but I never thought about it. I cooked most of the day and realized about 3pm that the contractions could probably be timed. I was right, they were 12 minutes apart. About 7pm John and I decided to take a walk to get things moving. They were still consistent and were about every 10 minutes. I showered and made sure our bags were packed and tried to go to bed about 10pm. However, that did not happen. The contractions were getting worse. Around midnight I had John start timing them because they seemed to be right on top of each other with little breaks in between. After an hour of them being 3-5 minutes apart for a minute long we decided to go to the hospital.

There weren’t any positions that were comfortable and walking was the only way to get through them. We drove to the hospital about 1:30am and the nurse informed me that I was still only at 2cm. She gave me some meds that would either make the contractions worse if it was real labor or it would make them go away if it was false labor. I thought I was being sent home to die because I was in so much pain.

We got home, went to bed, and I breathed through the contractions until about 7am when they practically went away. They were still close together but not intense at all. I was so upset but sent John to work because mom was here just in case anything happened. I slept until about 11am when back labor hit me. I tried taking a bath but the only position I could tolerate was being in the frog position. My mom called my doctor’s nurse and explained the last 12 hours and she told me to come back to L&D. The contractions were so much worse than I ever thought possible. The drive was the worst part.

We got to L&D about 1:30pm and they took one look at me and put me straight into a room. I was 4cm and begging for an epidural. I had to wait about an hour, but when once I had it I was a very happy person. I (half) joked with my mom that the only position that worked was the fetal position. I spent 1:30pm-11:30pm at 4cm. I just knew my water needed to be broken, but they wouldn’t do it. Apparently baby was so low he pushed my bag of water to the side. Finally, around 11:30pm my doctor broke my water. In 2 and ½ hours, I went from 4-10cm. I was ready to push at 2am. During my practice push, my nurse made me stop because baby was coming. She called my doctor (who thankfully was already there) and my sweet baby boy was born at 2:12am after pushing for less than 10 minutes.

It was such a great experience. I'm not sure I could have had a better birth story. It went pretty much as I had hoped. John and Mom were invaluable during that whole experience, including up until today. John and I aren't ready to make baby #2 by any means, but if I were guaranteed the same experience, I would do it over again.

Anyway, that's my story and I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite little man. :)

Crabby Judebug

2011-08-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

John and I gave Jude a bath last night and we decided to keep him in his crab towel to keep him awake for awhile. We put him under the jungle gym and finally got to play with our little man!

Mommy loving on Judebug

Daddy having fun with Jude.

Riley loves his little brother and often gives him kisses on the top of his head.

Could he be any cuter?

Bedtime

Our firstborn