trips and fall

We've taken lots of trips this fall. You've heard about baltimore already, but this past weekend we took Jude to Kara's hometown of Champaign. We stayed with our friends Dawn and Cyrus. They now have two kids who were quite excited to meet Jude.

Jude & the pink ladies

Claire and John were too excited to 'take turns' playing with Jude, so our little one got played with...and even read too...from both ends and both sides. He handled it all pretty well and seemed to enjoy being so loved.

They really loved Baby Jude

We enjoyed attending kara's stepsister's wedding and it was especially fun to get dressed up which we don't do very often with a new baby.

Dawn and Cyrus graciously put Jude to bed for us. And the next morning we awoke to a 'treat'. Dawn's daughter Claire had laid out a row of 'gifts' for Jude. There were several drawings and baby toys for him to enjoy.

jude's present row

After the Champaign adventure, Kara and Jude journeyed to Grandma Carole's house to celebrate her birthday. Jude enjoyed talking to his grandma and sleeping.

me and great grandma

so how often do you get a 94 year old relative with a 4 month old relative enjoying each other's company? turns out its several times...when it involves Jude and his great grandmother thelma belt.

Jude & Great grandmother

This time we took Jude to visit her apartment on another day of our Baltimore trip. We had a nice time chatting and watching Jude play.

watching Jude watch us

schedule smedule

I'm happy to report the adjustment to baby jude's new less-scheduled life is going well.

It may sound silly to you, but I've been feeding him on a 2.5-3.5 hour schedule since he was born. It was a major adjustment to step back from that. Mainly because I didn't want to see a child who had to meltdown before mommy understood he was hungry or tired.

There have been a few more inconsolable screamy moments the past few days. But that may have more to do with traveling, missing naps, etc.

I am hopeful today that we have turned a corner and can relax and enjoy baby jude's growth.

Its very nice today that when he fell asleep at the grocery store I can bring him home and let him sleep contentedly, for as long as he wants. and not being doing the math in my head of how I will fit in his feedings before bedtime.

And speaking of bedtimes... that is still in flux. He was falling alseep on his own at 7, a week ago. But now it seems we're back to 8ish again with some consoling required. Regardless of when he goes down, he still is one of the calmest, sweetest babies I know. And yes I'm biased.

i'm a big baby now

Baby Jude is just back from his 4 month checkup. Dr. Claus was so pleased with all his progress. But he had to chuckle to share that Jude gained 4 pounds in two months. So here's the stats on our super baby.

Weight 17.5 lbs 90th percentile

Height 25 3/4 inches 80th percentile

Head circumference 43 1/2 75%

The pediatrician pointed out Jude is nicely proportional, even if he's larger than average. And people on the street comment on that too...I've had people in stores and offices say he's like the Gerber Baby-- perfect looking. Although we have little to do with that, other than taking care of baby jude, it is a nice thing to hear after all the busy days with baby.

So today the doctor said I can stop 'clock watching' with baby jude. I followed his advice and some books for the first few months and kept Jude on a feeding schedule of every 2 1/2 or 3 hours. This helped him get in all his calories in the daytime and sleep through the night. But now I'm cleared to let Jude decide and manage his feeding schedule entirely. This will be a new adventure as we learn to communicate more on this topic.