Fall is Here

Time for pumpkins and other autumnal things. Judah was intrigued by these large gourds and alternately tried to pick them up and sit on them. Judah's obessessed with "sitting" these days--he likes to find a chair-like surface and back into it ever so gingerly and sit. Ready for the potty soon perhaps...?

Judah loves this display at Habitot (baby activity center).

I once tried to pry a baby rake out of his hands and he howled like a wolf in a full moon.

There's a lot of that recently--howling and wailing--ahhh, gotta love toddlerdom.

Smooch!

Here are some photos of you looking cute and delicious.  I can't stop peppering your little chubby cheeks with pecks and smooches.

Must be annoying to have your cheeks pecked and smooched all day long.  And then to have someone shout "Kisses!" in front of your face and plant big ol' wet ones on your lips.

One day, you will be big enough to run away and push my pursed lips aside.  And eventually you will refuse to let me hug you in front of your friends, or otherwise.  But until then, I'm torturing, uh, I mean, peppering you with kisses all day long!  While you are still my baby.

Hi! My Name Is...

Finally!  After carrying this little guy for 10 months (yes, it's really 10, not 9), pushing him out a very small cavity, nursing and tending to him day and night for over a year, he has finally learned my "name"!

Sort of.

For the last 3 weeks or so, he's began to call me "mum, mum, mum" or "mem, mem!"

And always with his arms outstretched, clinging on for dear life, because he's going through a new strong phase of separation anxiety.

Leaving for work in the morning never gets any easier, only harder!

Chicks Dig My Ride

Look who got his first set of wheels?

Judah couldn't wait to show it off to his next-door girlfriend and take her for a spint. Frankly he was much more excited about pushing the bike than sitting in it. Sigh, yet another expensive baby toy that Judah refuses to use the "right" way.

One of THOSE People

BEFORE I had a baby, I used to look at other people's blogs and think--I'm never going to do that.  I'm not going to be one of those people whose blog gets completely taken over with baby, baby, baby, all day, all night, only posts about the baby.

I'm going to continue to have my own separate identity!  I'm not going to be one of those people who has their baby as their FB profile picture.  After all, it's YOUR profile picture, not your kid's!  This used to really annoy me.  And speaking of which, this is my current FB profile pic:

So yes, I realize the proper response to my previous notions is--HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

Clearly I had no idea, no real inkling, no shimmer of insight into how motherhood would change me. I have transferred all of my narcissism and self-absorption from ME to WE, or maybe more accurately, just HE--as anyone who visits this blog regularly has already quite easily surmised.

But really, how can I not fall in love with this big toothy smile and twinkling little eyes?

How We Roll

Every chance he gets, Judah likes to sit on a vehicle with wheels.

I think it's time to buy him his first tricycle!

Nothing quite says you're baby is all grown up, like getting him his first little trike. Sniff, sniff, I miss my baby.

Hamster Wheel for Tots

Now that you're such a good walker, we go to a nearby tots park all the time. It's a great way to burn your energy and make you good and ready for bedtime.

We've met so many little people and their parents there too. Mostly it's just dads who are giving the poor mommies a well-deserved break from the kiddos.

A Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz

You love reading books right before bedtime. I say, "Do you want to read some books?" And you say "Uhhhh!" and point toward your stack on the counter.

Right now you're really into Dr. Seuss' ABC Book. You like to try out the sound of the letter 'b' and 't'. When I say, "Baby barber bubble bumble-bee" you say "buh buh buh".

You love the ending when I say "Zizzer......zazzer.....zuzzzzzzzzzz!" and tickle your tummy. Dr. Seuss was a genius.

MY MOMMYYYYYY!

Judah's become a little possessive of me lately. He was really upset when I held my nephew and kept pulling on Manfred's shirt to pry him away.

Manfred was understandably upset by this giant baby bully, pulling and prodding him.

But even when Michael gets near me, Judah gets very upset and needs to re-assert his supremacy by pawing at my shirt and demanding to nurse. I've created a monster!

Target Monster

Attention all Target shoppers! A Target monster has been spotted on the loose in Aisle 4, 6, 2, 17, basically everywhere.  It sounds like this "Aaaaaaaaah!" (That's the noise Judah  makes when he's feeling good.)

Ever since a new Target opened up literally 2 min from our home, we've been quite frequent shoppers. Judah likes to push the carts (really dirty and gross) and pull things off the aisles--sorry workers, we do try to put them back!

Many of the cashiers already recognize him now--O, it's that baby again.

Look Who's Walking Now!

You started walking right before your first birthday, but it was so gradual I can't really say when it began. When we took these pictures a few weeks back, it was the first time we felt like you definitely found your feet and were exalting in your newfound freedom.

Since you never learned to crawl, but were always insatiably curious, you were hyper-motivated to learn to walk. The period right before you found your legs was pretty torturous for me and your dad. Our backs broke holding your little hands so you could cruise around and we felt so bad everytime you bled all over yourself from falling during brief moments of letting go.

I'll always see this period as one giant metaphor for child-rearing--a balance of freedom and restraint, protection and exposure, blood, guts, tears, and finally...independence!

To borrow a phrase from one of your favorite books--O the places you'll go!

Pelota!

Shhhh, I'm not supposed to be blogging now as I'm under the gun to get something out to the clients. BUT, how I could resist posting a pic of you doing something you love so much.

Every time you see a ball, you MUST have it. It doesn't matter if it's a giant exercise ball, a baby-sized ball, or something you saw for the first time this weekend, a football.  We must have at least 10 different ones we bought for you in the house.  I have a deathly fear of tripping over one while I'm holding you and plummeting to your doom.