Although Jude turned 8 weeks on Monday, we say he turned two months old today because it’s the 7th. It’s not an exact measure, but a milestone nonetheless. Isn’t he so cute, even with his little scratches on his face?
Our cat, Tiger, last Christmas.
My mom called me this afternoon to give me some bad news, our family cat, Tiger, died today. He was 15 going on 16 years old. We had him since he was a kitten. I feel sad, but Joe reminded me that Tiger had a good life. We were just saying over the Labor Day weekend that Tiger had the secret to a long life: eat lots, sleep lots, and move slow. He was certainly a portly cat, but none happier. He loved sleeping on the back of the couch and he tolerated all the dogs, including Liam. He loved to be petted behind his ears and going outside at night. Even though he was declawed, he would occassionally bring back a mouse for my mom; sometimes dead, sometimes alive. Surely there is a place in heaven for a cat as loved as Tiger. We will miss him and I glad we got to spend one last weekend with him.
A picture of me with Tiger back in 2001.
Have you seen this show on Bravo? I LOVE it! I want to be Tabatha and have a short haircut and tell people off in a British accent. That would be awesome! It’s my new guilty pleasure.
We went to see family over the Labor Day weekend. Although, we didn’t stay the whole weekend since this was our first out of town trip with Jude. Of course, Jude did his best example of colic on Saturday night and cried for at least an hour an a half. Yikes. But we enjoyed our time and maybe next time we’ll try staying longer.
Jude and Uncle Gonzalo
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Mimi loving on Jude.
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Daddy-o admiring a sleep Jude.
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Lastly, a little video for your viewing pleasure. Apparently Joe and I have no problems introducing our son to inappropriate music and movements for our own personal amusement. (Sorry that it is sideways. My camera makes Quicktime videos, so I don’t have the software to edit it to make it right side up. Still enjoyable…just sideways.)
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You didn’t think I would let Jude and Joe have all the bathtime fun. I think Joe and I are working on collection of very embarrasing photos for Jude to be brought out at key times, like when he brings his first girlfriend home or at his wedding. Poor Liam! He hates to be excluded from anything!
Okay, so I guess it is a little odd to post this on the same day that I post a complaint post about being stressed, but in all fairness, I was thinking about this Sunday night, I just didn’t write it up. Then I got stressed out and needed to vent.
Joe and I have been so lucky lately that little blessings keep coming our way. For one, I got more money than expected from AFLAC which will help us to pay for childcare. Joe has recently had some opportunities to make some extra money at work, which will obviously help out, as well. I feel blessed that even though we complain about finances, we can afford to take Liam to the vet, get the brakes on Joe’s car fixed, and go out to eat occassionally. We’ve been lucky to have family help us with the baby and who have provided many wonderful things for him. But, I feel the biggest blessing we have is Jude.
Nothing made that more clear for me, than the other day when I was surfing the net. I like to check out the blog Cake Wrecks. There was a tribute post about a little boy that led me to this site called, Sweet Baby James. The blog was written by James’s parents, who were caring for him, as James was dealing with many medical complications. He died unexpectedly a few days ago; he was almost 16 months old.  I read through the blog and I felt so sad for the family’s loss, even though I did not know them. They had documented many of the successes and progresses with James, as well as, difficult times, including a very recent miscarriage. It made me hug Jude a little tigher and to recognize that I am blessed with a baby that is healthy and free of complications. I was inspired that this family, that was faced with many challenges and obstacles, met them with determination and grace, instead of the bitterness and resentment that would probably fill most of us. That even when in the midst of their greatest pain, they spoke of their thankfulness for the 482 days they had with their son.
So, I know my blessings are more than I can count.
It seems that even when I am not working, work finds a way to stress me out. (I guess I do it to myself, by reading work emails while I am on maternity leave). Actually, it’s the school that is stressing me out. As if my days weren’t busy and stressful enough with a dog that has thrown up every morning for the past three days and a baby that fusses every time we get ready to nurse because the milk is not fast enough and then is too fast. Then of course, I am worried about going back to work and leaving Jude. So, work makes a pretty good scapegoat for all my problems right now (if I could only figure out how to blame work for breastfeeing issues).
I told Joe that I am ready to retire. Believe me, if it were a possibility, I would.
We are so happy that Jude likes his swing again. It’s really helped him to fall asleep for naps. He went through a period when he didn’t want to be in the swing and screamed bloody murder when we put him in it.
Also, on a funny note. Our boys apparently like to share clothes. Here’s Jude with his Tia Baba and Liam later sporting the same shirt.
Jude looks so much like his daddy. It makes me smile to see his daddy when I look at his cute little face.
Jude in Joe's classroom.
As some of you already know, when Jude was about 6 days old, we had Dawn Fry, of Dawn’s Little Moment’s Photography, come to the house and take newborn pictures of him. It was a really fun experience getting to see her set up all the equipment in the house. Although, it was incredibly hot since we turned off the air so the baby would be comfortable in his “nekkid” pictures. Of course, with all those postpartum hormones, I was sweating like crazy.
Jude must have loved being photographed because he decided to poop and pee (twice) on her props. But, ’tis the nature of babies, right? Dawn had a lot of great ideas for different shots, and also just took pictures of us talking to Jude. After a three hour photo session (well, you do have to feed a newborn at some point) I think we came out with a lot of winners.
Yesterday, I received the prints in the mail and they came in a beautiful purple photo box with a lovely note. We are so pleased at how they turned out. I can’t wait to frame them and hang them in the house. She also gave me some picture files on a cd, since I told her I wanted to post a few on the blog. It was a joy work with Dawn and we are so thankful that she came out to the house to do the session…if definitely made things easier on us. If anyone is interested, she wrote about the session on her photo blog and you can read about it from her perspective and also see more pictures.
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