Jude :: 15 months

You may have noticed I stopped doing the monthly posts.  I feel like the milestones start to mush together after a year and instead of doing a post every month, I have decided that after a year, every three months is sufficient. :-)  That said - time for an update!

But my 15 month-old is wild, crazy, mischievous, and so.much.fun.

First of all - he became a big brother the day before he turned 15 months and this transition has been better than I expected.  I have already experienced occasional moment where I am holding baby brother (Isaac) and Jude wants to be held and I just can't hold two babies, so that makes it hard.  I've decided at this point, it is important to make sure Jude knows he isn't being pushed aside or that he isn't less important, so if I'm not nursing Isaac or something, I slip him in the bouncy to give Jude some of my full attention when he needs it.  I know this will get more and more complicated, but I also hope that Jude will grow to understand and love what it is to have a brother at the same time. :-)

On the wild and crazy front, Jude is running, climbing, jumping (kind of) and just this adorable little tornado that tears through my house.  He's very much in an exploring stage.  Figuring out how things work, figuring out what the boundaries are, and testing those boundaries.  I find myself saying "NO" more often now than ever, but that's our stage!

He's talking more, but still babbles a lot - saying something very very important that nobody can understand. :-)  He has said strawberry, dog, duck, kitty cat, baby, open, that, more, book, ball, banana... and I'm sure more random words that I'm missing.  I find they come and go.  But he talks non-stop.  I'm sure it will be hilarious when he starts using actual words and sentences.  :-)

He's getting very good at identifying body parts.  Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, hair, feet, toes, hands, etc... smart boy!  He also is good at identifying a few animals and what noises they make.  Among our favorites are dog, cat, cow, duck, elephant, and monkey.

He is no longer taking a bottle at night.  We stopped that somewhere between 13 and 14 months and he does perfectly fine!  Our routine includes, bath, brushing our teeth, reading some books, saying prayers,  kisses, then night-night!  He does pretty good with this most of the time. :-)  Although during the routine he likes to play his game of "come and catch me" - running away when we tell him to brush his teeth, etc.  He thinks it's hilarious.

Jude Michael - you continue to be such a joy in our lives!!  I can't wait to see you grow in your role as a big brother.  I can't wait to see that relationship blossom.  You make us laugh every day and continue to amaze us as you learn about the world!

Love you, bubba!

Mama