Andy & Jessica

Little Jude has learned how to smile intentionally. But, he doesn’t smile as often as I’d like him to. Typically, about 3 times each day(morning, mid-day and evening), he’ll have periods where he smiles for several minutes at a time. We haven’t managed to catch one of his toothless grins on camera yet.

We added some more baby pictures to our online photo album. You can view them by clicking on the “Our Online Photo Album” tab in the links section on the right hand side of this page.

Before Jude came along, I would have welcomed a question from Andy about what I did all day.  Now I dread that same question.  I don’t like the question because I never have an answer about what I did that doesn’t make me feel like a slacker.  Take today for example.  Jude and I got up at 6:30 a.m.  He ate breakfast and then I ate breakfast.  Then we said bye to Andy who went to work.  Then I took a quick shower.  I read Jude some children’s books.  I threw Jude in the Baby Bjorn and worked out a little bit.  Then Andy came home for lunch for a half hour.  I did a couple loads of laundry.  Vacuumed.  Fed Jude a bunch more times, etc.  The days just fly by and I accomplish nearly nothing.  The only things I’m accomplishing involve nourishing Jude and helping his brain develop.  Those things are important, but sometimes I forget that.   

Andy and I have apparently not yet mastered the art of diapering. Andy passed Jude off to me twice today after discovering a large spot of urine on the front of his shirt where Jude was laying. And, even after soaking a diaper, Jude manages quite frequently to work up some pee to squirt out while I’m changing him. Funny that other moms I talk to talk about the one time when their little boy peed on them while diapering. I could talk about the one time when little Jude didn’t pee on me. We saw this coming though. Right after Jude was born, they set him on a table so that Andy could cut his cord. The first thing Jude did was pee all over the table. Andy thinks Jude gets this from my side of the family.

Jude will be 4 weeks old on Monday. He is a good little baby.

What he likes:

1. To be held. He will fall asleep in my arms (even if I’m running around the house) and then often wake up screaming if I dare to lay him down. Andy and I try every night to get Jude to sleep on his own either in the bassinette at the end of our bed or in his crib across the hall. So far, we have not succeeded in getting Jude to sleep more than an hour in either of those locations. To get sleep at night, I have been sleeping with Jude in a twin bed in his room. By the time I go back to work, we’ll have to break this habit.

2. Eating. Jude eats very often. He can be a lazy eater though. Just when I think he’s done because he has dozed off, he informs me with screaming that he wasn’t done yet.

3. His daddy. Jude is crazy about Andy. Jude lights up and smiles when Andy is holding him and talking to him. I’m not jealous (at least not yet).

4. His car seat. Jude tends to fall right asleep and to stay asleep while he’s in the car seat.

5. Lights. He has loved gazing at them ever since we took him on strolls through the hospital hallways.

6. Being lifted high in the air

7. Being swaddled

What he doesn’t like:

1. Diaper changes

2. Baths

3. Changes of clothing

4. Tummy time
His tricks:

1. Jude was only 2-1/2 weeks old when he first rolled over. I hardly would have believed it if it hadn’t happened a second time. The second time was at 3 something in the morning. I had just finished feeding and burping Jude and laid him down on his back on the floor of his room so I could run across the hall to use the bathroom. I came back a minute or two later and he was on his stomach.

2. Last Sunday he found his thumb and began sucking it.

3. Smiling (although it’s hard to know if it is intentional).

We are all back home now. Jude was discharged yesterday morning, and Jessica shortly after. We were home by noon.

We’re still trying to figure out a good routine, though we have to take things an hour at a time for now. Both Jessica and Jude are doing well, and at least Jude is sleeping (we try to get a nap in when we can).