Judah's Latest Accomplishments

It seems as though Judah decided overnight that he was going to expand his abilities.  He is now able to do so many things that would make any parent proud.  

 Judah has become a fork using master!  He loves to use his fork to eat anything and everything and since doing so, it seems as though his taste buds have expanded too.  This makes mommy's life so much easier on so many levels!

Judah now also loves to use straws!  He thinks its the coolest thing when we go out to a restaurant and he gets to drink from Mommy or Daddy's cup.  Usually what we are drinking is a little bit sweeter too.

The ABC's are coming together quite nicely for him as well.  I believe he only skips D, H, I, and sometimes Z.   He even likes to help sing the very ending of the song and has his own little rendition that ends with "next time won't you sing with mommy?"

One of Judah's favorite things to do now is tackle really long words like "calculator" and "refrigerator", which he surprisingly says very clearly and articulately.

Not only has Judah been expanding his vocabulary, but also the length of his sentences.  His longest sentence to date is "I love you, so much!"

He always knows how to hold a book the correct way and never holds it upside down.  Additionally he likes to "read" books and recite all the words he knows.

Along the same lines Judah loves to sing and sing the actual lyrics to songs.  So far is greatest achievement is singing "I stand alone on the...b-i-b-l-e."

As far as being a helper, Judah has a favorite task that he even requests to do, throwing away his own diaper!  He does this task successfully each time, but will sometimes get distracted by other things and not return to finish getting dressed : )

Lastly, but definitely not least, Judah has figured out how to use his toys in more correct ways.  There is one particular toy that has five little animals that pop up when you either slide, press, switch, turn, or flip the little knob.  He had struggled with this toy for a long time, but one recent day he manipulated them all with the greatest of ease, making it look like he had done this many times before.  He amazes me!

"TAR"

Judah has gone through many phases of liking things such as toys and books in his little life so far, but the longest lasting "obsession," if you will, has been with his love for the guitar, which he so lovingly calls "TAR!"  Everyday after Timm gets home from work Judah will run over to the door and acknowledge that his Daddy has come home, but immediately after the short greeting, Judah presents the same question without fail, "tar?" So, Timm will retrieve his acoustic guitar, which he has been diligently learning how to play better and better, just so that our son may get the most enjoyment out of the instrument as he can. The most beautiful thing about this encounter is that Judah must play his guitar alongside Daddy and sway to the music each and every time.  Now I will leave you with some pictures of their "jam sessions" together. Enjoy!

"Daddy, Tar?"

Here Judah is trying out Daddy's guitar.  For a toddler, he's quite good at strumming.

Judah getting into his classic rocker pose and of course in the appropriate attire.

Here Daddy and Judah begin another "jam session" together with Judah's new guitar from his Grammie.

Notice Judah's great form.

Here Judah ends with a rocking guitar solo.

Judah Translation, Special Names, & Songs

Translations

Judah is becoming absolutely amazing with his talking abilities.  There are a few words among his growing vocabulary that may be hard to decipher to the novice Judah listener.  Here are a handful of those words kindly translated for your future understanding: 

Bee-an-nana = Banana

Hello Di-dit-tee! = Hello Kitty

Ra-lo-va-lee = Ravioli

 Tar = Guitar
Tay-yon = Crayon
Pem = Pen
Dipe = Diaper

Special Names

Judah, through the past few months, has also begun naming his belongings.  I find these names to be unique and unquestionably adorable.  Some of his special names for his things are:

Bray = His favorite Blankie

Happy = Police Officer Lego Toy

Peep Peep = Little Soft Chickadee Toy 

Ouchies = Rolling Alligator Toy

Songs

Lately, Judah loves to sing a variety of songs in his own special way.  Currently he sings "ABC, ABC!" for the ABC song (occassionally he'll say EFG, but that's rare).  He also loves Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and only sings the words "Up Above" (I think that is his favorite line).  Finally he also loves to sing The B-I-B-L-E by singing "B-I-B-I-B-I!"

Judah's Train: 5 Steps to Fun

STEP 1: 

APPROACH THE TRAIN

STEP 2: 

PLAY WITH SOME COOL FEATURE OF THE TRAIN 

(such as the block shoot to the caboose)

STEP 3:
BOARD THE TRAIN

STEP 4:
MAKE A REDICULOUSLY EXCITED FACE BECAUSE YOU KNOW
YOUR MOMMY CAN'T SAY NO TO THAT

STEP 5: 

MAKE MOMMY PUSH YOU AROUND ON THE TRAIN

AS MANY TIMES AS HER BACK CAN TAKE IT

"Ralovali"

One of Judah's newest favorite meals is classic cheese ravioli smothered in Italian red spaghetti sauce.  His adoration of this new food has also sparked a love for its name, which he so excitedly calls "RALOVALI!".  So not only does Judah love eating this food, love saying the name of this food, but he loves wearing this food! : )

Eating "ralovali" takes great skill and balance.

Notice the strategic placement of food product in his hair and left ear.

Judah's New Hair

We took Judah to get his first full fledged haircut today and it went quite smoothly.  We really had no clue how the haircut would turn out or what to expect with Judah's behavior, but just in case we brought out our "old faithful": MILK!  Surprisingly, Judah let the hair dresser (who just happens to be my stylist) spray his hair and start to cut, but after about 3 minutes in he started to fuss.  Once we got him his milk he was just fine and sat wonderfully.  The haircut lasted for over 10 minutes and I couldn't have asked for a better more well behaved little boy.  So proud of my handsome son!

Playtime with a Friend

This week I had the pleasure of babysitting my friend's toddler, Josiah, who is the same age as Judah  With anytime babysitting someone for the first time, one never knows what to expect, but at this venture it was smooth sailing.  I was very pleasantly entertained with two funny, energetic boys with mostly good (even nearly perfect) behavior.  I was able to snap a couple shots from their time together, but boy were they fast running around.  It was very cute and quite a site to see.

"Hmm, what should we do today, Josiah?"

"I know.  Let's wear hats!"

"Then take them off like this!"

"Then we'll tickle each other!"

"And then, finally end the day with a hug." Awww.

Kitchen Buddy

Generally I don't let Judah into the kitchen, mainly to ever avoid him from burning himself when I use the hot stove or oven, but on those few occasions he does get to stay in the kitchen with me, he is content and happy as can be rearranging my pots and pans and making as much noise as possible in the process.

Eating with Judah

I am not a huge fan of messy faces, but I have to admit I am biased when it comes my son.  I just think his messy face is oh so cute.  This precious picture depicts Judah eating his lunch one day while being enthralled by whatever was outside the window and not caring about anything except for his food and entertainment.

Side Note:  Seems I may not have internet access too much longer or at least very limited use, but I will do my best to continue to update everyone on my pregnancy, the new baby, and my beautiful son and wonderful husband just as very best I can.  Thanks for reading!

Judah's Favorite Blankie

Judah has become very attached to a particular blanket that I had traded for on Etsy a while back. I decided to trade for this piece because I knew it would be incredibly soft.  I had to pick the least girlish print and this is what I came up with.  Judah adores things that are snuggly soft and on this particular morning he didn't want to let go of it at all, it was so cute.  So on this day it accompanied him to breakfast.

That Funny Face

Judah has the sweetest face on Earth.  Don't you agree?

Tasting his own "homemade food" gets Judah so pumped!

Tasting real food gets him pumped too!

"I must get close to the camera!"

Mom's personal favorite: That sweet smile.

Pony Boy

One of Judah's favorite songs is "Pony Boy."  It is just a quick little rhyme that you sing while you bounce your child up and down on your knees as they smile.  He or she usually gets a big rush out of the very last bounce when you say "WHOA!" and give them a little drop between your knees.  It goes like this:

"Pony boy pony boy, won't you be my pony boy    

Here we go, to and fro, riding across the plains

Giddeeyup Giddeeyup Giddeeyup, WHOA!"

Here is Daddy and Judah getting ready to sing the song.

He loves it so much!

Judah has another favorite place he likes to bounce during the song, its on our legs.  What a work out!

Often Judah will climb on our feet unexpectedly and say "Pone" and that's our signal to sing the song!

"Pound It!"

One of Judah's favorite new phrases is "pound", as in when you say "pound it" and do a little fist bump. Since he's learned this new trick (from Grandfather Freitas), there is not a day or hour that goes by without seeing Judah raise his fist in the air and hearing him say "Pound!"

Judah Lately

SO MUCH IS NEW!

I can't believe how much my little boy has changed in literally a matter of  a few weeks! 

• He has gained so many new words in his vocabulary that I have lost count completely. 
• Judah loves his sign language and is starting to put two signs together to create his first sentences including "More food." & "Mommy more."  
• He also likes to put two words together now too, such as "No, Momma!" (when I put his socks on), "Momma down" (when he wants to get down), "Hi baby" (for some reason he always like to say hi to "baby", whoever that might be, because he's not looking at my stomach.)
• Judah uses everything from toys to stuffed animals to food as his pretend phone.
• He is beginning to express himself in so many new ways including whenever he wants to get down or out of something he will say "Down" as clear as bell and he tells us when he has a poop in his diaper by saying "Poop"  and then points to his diaper.  Potty training soon?
•  He is walking up a storm!
• One of his favorite things to do is hug his stuffed animals and say "Awwwww."
• As much as  he loves knocking over his towers he loves to build with his blocks too, stacking them one by one (four high has been his highest yet).
• Judah says his name clear as a bell now and recognizes it on his wall and sometimes toybox.
• We like to go through the alphabet with him on a regular basis and he repeats every single letter.  
• He likes to do the same with numbers. But his favorite numbers seem to be "eight", "nine", and "TEN"!
• He is beginning to perfect his animal sounds and body parts.  Occasionally he'll stop whatever he's doing and point to my "Noooooo" (my nose).
• Speaking of nose he now says "Bleh" for "Bless You" and sometimes he'll even say the "you" part.
• Whenever Judah sees food he wants, he automatically says "AMEN!" 
• Judah loves to draw with a pen on paper.  Pens & pencils are some of his favorite things ever.
• He likes to pretend cook and "taste the spoon" and serve me some too.
• My personal favorite.  He started saying "I love you" in both sign and verbally.  Both need perfecting but the meaning is still the same. "Ah-wu!"

So that is just a brief summary of all the new accomplishments on his list of milestones.

One piece of information that is new, but unfortunate is that we officially found out Judah has a peanut allergy.  It is only to peanuts and no other nut, and thankfully it is only very mild, but still worthy of carrying around an epipen.  Hopefully we'll never have to use it.

That seems to be it for now in Judah's world! Bye!

Autonomy

Lately, I have been letting Judah have a little more free reign around the house.  As he grows he is ever more curious and must satiate his desire to see what is behind or inside everything.  Unfortunately I am somewhat of a neat freak, which makes it hard to let go and see parts of the apartment get occasionally destroyed, but, with a baby that is obviously kind of hard to prevent.  In spite of my need to be tidy I have been trying to loosen up a bit and let Judah "discover" things on his own in hopes that it will help him learn about his environment and to help him grow intellectually.  Not to mention I have been trying to let him feed himself with a spoon.  You can only imagine how that turns out; but how else will he learn right? Alas, let's see what he's been getting into...

"Breakfast time, on my own!"

Judah in the beginning stages of emptying his toy box.

Inspecting the contents of the unloaded goodies.

Sharing with mommy his discovery of the red scooper spoon.

Night befalls and even after a bath and pajama change, it doesn't end there.

Emptying the bookcase: a classic baby discovery move.

"Mommy's favorite thing to do before bed is clean up every toy in my room.  Or is it kiss me goodnight?"

Yes it is kissing you goodnight sweetie, but I still love you soooo much! I love you, Judah!

Oh, Canada!

Okay, so my blog break is officially over. I finally revamped my blog, again!  Change is good right?  I am also feeling more like myself, after the roller coaster I just went through a few months ago. Summer break is winding down, but it has been one to surely remember.  Judah has become significantly more mobile these days, as well as more vocal.  Timm is preparing to enter his third year of professional teaching in his own classroom and is about to embark on the journey of getting his Masters degree.  I am continuing to stay at home watching Judah and am ever working towards living a balanced life, so that I am able to serve my household, the church, and most importantly the Lord the best that I possibly am able.
     Needless to say, the highlight of our Summer was our fantastic trip to the northern country of North America, CANADA!  The Lord knew what He was doing when He allowed us to travel up that way.  We met some incredible people and reconnected with others who we hadn't seen in quite a while.  Over the course of two weeks, our trip included sleeping in four different locations, all being people's houses that we were friends with, so not once did we stay in a hotel.  All the locations were in different towns, but we stayed in just two provinces: New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island.  In total we drove about 30 hours hopping from each location and just driving around site seeing. Timm, Judah, & I had a blast and will never forget the memories and friends we made here this Summer.

Myself, Julie, & Beth in NB.

Caleb exhibiting the Crack Door!

Posing for a magazine ;)

I will miss them!

Attempting to shoot a bow and arrow at camp Emmanuel.

Go boys, get those bulls eyes!

Really awesome rainbow I snapped a shot of while Timm was driving.

Judah using his new found mobility to try and play the piano at Blayre and Josh's.

The FudgeeO experience, thanks to Ben Canfield.

Playing Monopoly 3 nights in a row, awesome time.  That empty chair is where I sat ;)

Josh doing his victory dance.

Judah and I in front of the Green Gables house.

Beautiful PEI scenery.

The red rock is unique to Prince Edward Island. So beautiful.

Judah playing Ben's guitar.

Judah really is a good strummer.

Like father like son.

Ben getting ready to jump off a bridge. A popular pass time.

 

Timm in mid jump.

Blayre and Vivienne.

Ben making Judah laugh hysterically.  He really liked Ben.

At Boston Pizza in PEI, just before we left for the Halls.

Covered bridge, unique to NB.

Us inside the covered bridge.  It was really cool and rustic.

The castle bridge in Sussex, really neat.

One of the many murals in Sussex.

Judah doing "Book" in sign language.

Reversing Falls.

Famous war tower in NB. I cannot remember the name of it though.

Judah loving the camera at Vito's Restaurant.

Silliness at the Leblanc's. Haha, Beth.

You get the idea.

All in all I guess you could say we had a good time ;)