long lost blogger

We apologize to readers for the lack of blogs in January on Baby Jude. Be assured he is well and cute at 20 months.

packaging and boxes are his favorite!

Thanks to Aunt Jamie for Jude's cute sweater. He is enjoying wearing and playing with his holiday haul.

January was a busy month for Jude's mom and dad. First let's tell you the fun part. We went to London! Kara joined Greg for a long weekend as he wrapped up a business meeting there.

one of the Notting Hill private gardens

Kara felt freaked out about leaving Jude, even in the capable hands of her Grandpa Scott & Nana Jane, and Grandma Carole and Chuck. But good friends reminded her the break would be good for everyone. And it was!

Greg in Southbank

Jude's parents enjoyed sleeping in, seeing plays, and finding the best London restaurant for under 25 pounds.

our hotel in Clerkenwell

Jude's grandparents report that he laughed a lot, played hard, and went to bed fairly easily. We are so grateful to Kara's parents for the help.

The other reason for the blog delay is an unexpected wrinkle after Kara's annual physical. The doctor ordered a scan that found gallstones. Kara is now weighing whether to remove what is apparently an unnecessary organ. There is also a potential kidney issue that has required Kara's time to worry about :-) and get a few more tests. We learned last night everything is probably fine, but they want to check one more thing.

Let's hope February is healthy, happy, and maybe sunny?? even for a few days??

La La La's and Snort Laughs

Little 19 month old Jude is at such a cute stage of life! He seems to learn or master a new skill everyday. Recently during a bath Greg and I tried to teach him to sing La La La. It was adorable to watch him stick out his little tongue and attempt his first La La's. We all laughed as he spent the next few minutes showing off his new phrase.

curious about everything

Kara grabbed the camera to capture some everyday moments for the blog. These photos are from Jude exploring the backyard. Thanks for the snazzy snowsuit Grandpa Henry & Grandma Nancy!

Snow baby

Jude's favorite backyard activity in the winter is to toddle back and forth on the sidewalk. He usually laughs or screams as he takes the tiny steps. Jude also tries to chase George or at least reach him. But George usually stays well clear by taking refuge in the snowy yard where Jude is not steady enough to venture.

my rosy cheeks are even more red than usual

Back to Jude's development...Kara catches the small and the cute moments of our little guy's development. It seems like a small payoff for the countless hours that are not so cute and just feel long and lonely. Recently Kara was chasing Jude around the house in a game. He tried to laugh but snorted first. It was hilarious to hear that sound from our little Jude. And one of the many firsts in our home this winter.

welcome little people

The Little People have entered the Miller house, some would argue they've taken over. You see Jude picked up quite a few toys for Christmas or as recent hand-me-downs.

Thanks for the garage Grandpa Henry & Grandma Nancy!

The Fisher Price Little People line is the one with the parking garage, the airplane, the town. Its an update on the size and shape of the ones that filled many family floors in the 60's, 70's and still get strewn about grandparent homes today.



It is amazing to watch Jude begin to learn how to pretend play. He imitates Kara as she has the mechanic 'talk' to Jude and get in his tow truck.

hours...ok at least 15 minutes..of fun!

The Miller Living Room, aka Little People Land, is really Jude's daytime domain. Behind those baby gates he has bins full of trucks, bears, and shape sorters he quite hasn't sorted out yet. Some toys just too big for bins so they've become part of our living room decor.

my doorway home

Kara doesn't mind a few years of the extra bright accessories. She is happy to have one room in the house where Jude is safe and content when she needs to get things done at home.

toddler towing at your service!

In the bleak midwinter--The Zoo

Why go to the zoo in wintertime? You must not have a toddler.

Even in the chilly cold winter, toddlers still need plenty of fresh air and exercise. The zoo works great because both Kara and Jude enjoy seeing the animals and Kara can let Jude practice walking and even climbing steps, in a safe area with no traffic, other than the occasional zoo tram.

So that's why Kara and Jude visited Brookfield Zoo today in 30 degree temps. The other reason to visit the zoo in winter is because of Jude's cool stroller accessory. The Bugaboo Foot Muff functions more like a sleeping bag.

zoo baby

Here are some highlights of today's trip:

-Kara tossed a frozen snowball near Jude's feet. He giggled and stepped on it. Kara threw some more. Jude squealed and laughed as he ran over and over the snow dust on the sidewalk. The rest of the way back to the car he walked right on the edge of the sidewalks so he could put one foot in the frozen crust of snow.

-Jude in the penguin/bird dome. Jude decided to try and walk up two steps holding only onto the rock wall and railing. It wasn't necessarily a success, but it was cute to see him put so much effort into learning this new skill. He liked the penguin area and its sunny indoor light so much that he asked to go back in...twice.

-The barking baboons. Who knew they yelped like dogs? In the mostly empty zoo..seriously we saw like 2 other families the whole time... someone was barking. Four baboons were crawling around on their giant rock island. They each took turns eating frozen ice pieces, one even very cutely leaned down to eat the snow. But they also made unsual barks.
Since barking is one of the few animal sounds Jude makes on his own, Kara felt it necessary to bark back at the baboons, much to Jude's enjoyment. Unfortunately Jude kept silent and did not add his own yelp this time.

We look forward to more fun animal adventures for Baby Jude.