Judah | 18-24 months (October 2013)

It's hard to believe we've reached 2 years already! My boy is still my baby, but he's getting to be such a little man. He'll occasionally choose daddy over mommy now and doesn't cry the second I go up or downstairs to put something away. He loves tractors and trucks, makes grunting noises, and just discovered that it is fun to scream very loudly over and over for no reason. But he's a cuddly boy, too, and loves hugs and snuggles. He's so quick to lay his head on my shoulders and wrap his arms around me when he wants a nap or some mama-comfort and I'm taking in every sweaty, dirty little boy hug, knowing this won't last forever.



Judah is also very animated. One of his funniest mannerisms right now is to furrow his eyebrows in deep concentration, squint, and squat on the ground to carefully examine something in a greatly exaggerated manner. It cracks me up every time. He gets very excited and wants to verbally share everything he sees or does. He isn't quite using sentences yet, but puts words together occasionally, and repeats everything. He seems advanced for a two year old to me, as he can count to three on his own and will finish number sequences up to six if he hears the first few. (Although admittedly, he hears Jael counting all the time and Jael never had anyone else to listen to)



At his two year old well visit, he is 21.6lb and 33 1/2 inches. (5th percentile for weight and 25th for height) According to his ped, if his percentile stays the same like it has been, he should be 5'7" or 5'8". We'll see! He seems to take after my family with the weight and is a wiry little guy, not as chubby of a toddler as Jael was.



He and Jael love to sing together. Jael often makes up randomly worded songs and the other night at supper, I heard Judah singing sweetly, "Jee-jah....Jeeeeee-jah!" (Jesus) They are starting to play together a little bit, but they also fight constantly and get in each other's space every few seconds. I'm hoping that once our house is not so chaotic with the remodel, they'll have more room to play and do their own thing.



Here are a few highlights from the past months:

April 26: Jael: "Mommy! Come quick! JUDAH PEED!!!! Judah peed TWO PEEPS on my floor!" Judah: *staring at the floor in astonishment*

June 4: Oh my children. Heard Judah yelling upstairs because Jael took his toy, she came and sat on the steps to pout, and then I heard her screaming, "JUDAH PEED ON ME!!!" And there was brother at the upstairs balcony (unintentionally) peeing over the side down onto his sister. I was laughing so hard...poor Jael didn't think I was very sympathetic to her plight.

June 7: I painted Jael's toenails today with poor Judah insistently wailing in the background, crying "Pin'! Pin'!" [pink] and pointing to his toes. Jael tried to console him, saying, "I'm sorry, Judah! Daddy said we can't do yours!" ;D

June 8: I'd say today was a big success considering Judah spent the whole day with Daddy for the first time and didn't freak out and I spent an entire day doing adult activities. They went to the park and then to pet the kitties at the shelter while I attended a (fascinating) training on postpartum mood disorders for school.

June 14: My boy takes after his daddy - if it's a competition, he's going to win. ha. My battle to get him to take his ibuprofen was a lost cause. Not even bargaining with his favorite things in the world (nursing and his chewable vitamins) worked.

June 14: Woke up rather groggily this morning to see Judah's face about two inches from mine, insistently waving a pack of wipes and saying, "Pup-pup! Pup-pup!" [poop] At least he knows to ask, I guess. (And of course, when I asked him if he needed a new diaper, he grinned and yelled, "YEAH!!!!!")

July 10: Well, that was a first. Last night I was putting Judah to bed and he stopped nursing, sat up, pointed to his crib, and said, "Judes, Judes - nite-nite!" So I put him down, patted him, and he went to sleep. O_o

August 19: A big milestone occurred at our house today. For the very first time in his twenty-two months of life, Judah slept from when I put him down to bed at night until morning. FIRST.TIME.EVER. 

Jael | 3 y 9m

Jael is nearing the end of her 3rd year and excitedly looking forward to her next birthday, which is going to include pink, purple, and princesses. And, most likely, finally switching her carseat to forward facing. She's getting closer to the height limit and so it'll be a fun milestone!

We've continued to keep up some informal schooling off and on. It's hard to find time between Jeff and I both being in school, plus everything going on with our remodel and trying to get our property under control. Jael misses our free time, which makes me sad. The other day she talked to be about how "I don't think you did school at the old house...you used to read and play lots with me and Judah" - and another time she asked me at the end of the day, "Why didn't you hold me more today, Mommy?" It makes me sad! I can't wait until graduation comes this fall/winter and our house stuff gets under control. I'm hoping to have more intentional time with the kids then. They haven't liked the adjustment of spending two days at Grandma's house and Jael has started getting teary and uncertain when I leave for meetings, so I've taken her along sometimes. (The other day I heard her playing with her duplos and making her little lady people "go to meetings"! ;) )

Jael is almost out of the thumb-sucking habit. We had it nearly overcome when she got sick with a bad cough, so that was a regression. Her princess bandaids on her thumb are working beautifully to help her get over that. We're going to get a special toy when she's all done thumb-sucking.

Jael is very thoughtful and likes to  ask questions. We read about forgiveness for worship one night and I was explaining how we all need to ask forgiveness and even Mommy and Daddy make bad choices sometimes. Jael seriously responded, "Last summer one time you were not very nice to Daddy. Did you tell him you were sorry?" She makes us laugh!

On the challenge front, temper tantrums have returned. I am wondering if my school, being gone more, and the emotional stress of all the change is making things worse. Little things (like Ginny running away or Mommy or Daddy saying "no" about something) tend to trigger huge emotional outbursts. I'm trying to help her process and calm down, but sometimes it's hard with a kicking, screaming child! Time will help, I know. :)

Our media consumption has increased with my schooling - and being so sick this month. We've started allowing one Mr. Rogers episode each week and one Christian kids episode (like Janice's Attic) on Sabbath and we're trying to stick with that, but Jael enjoys Caillou and Kipper as well when she is sick. She had a nasty bug last week and ended up on the couch throwing up the whole day, poor girl. 

Jael's favorite things to do right now are cuddle with Ginny, make picnics or tea parties with her toy food, color and draw, play with paper dolls or magnetic dolls, and play on the porch with Judah.


And apparently I haven't put much on Facebook during the last few months, but here's a couple highlights:

April 8: Yesterday in the car from Jael: "Mommy, if I was inside the toilet in all the water and I got flush-did down and all gone, would you be very very sad?" And when I laughed and told her she wouldn't fit in the toilet, she cheerfully revised her statement, "Judah would! Cause he is a little man. If Judah got flush-did down the toilet, would you be very very sad?"

April 26: Jael: "Mommy! Come quick! JUDAH PEED!!!! Judah peed TWO PEEPS on my floor!" Judah: *staring at the floor in astonishment*

June 4: Oh my children. Heard Judah yelling upstairs because Jael took his toy, she came and sat on the steps to pout, and then I heard her screaming, "JUDAH PEED ON ME!!!" And there was brother at the upstairs balcony (unintentionally) peeing over the side down onto his sister. I was laughing so hard...poor Jael didn't think I was very sympathetic to her plight. 

Judah | 15 - 18 months

Judah finally took off talking in the last month or so, to our excitement. His newest words are "kiki" (kitty), "puh-y" (puppy), and "puh-puhp" (poop poop). Of course. ;P He came roaring out of the bathroom recently where he was keeping Jael company shouting, "PUH-PUHP, MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!" He also frequently says "hot hot", "brrr", "dee'" (deer), "Gamma", "Nenna", "Boppa", "Bamma/Bamman' (Brandon), and "cacka" (cracker). Oh, and "ah-un" (all done) and "ay-en" (amen).

He absolutes loves food and we are working on learning to say no sometimes. Lately we've been dealing with temper tantrums and some hitting, but I am sure he will grow out of it like his sister did as he learns to express himself appropriately. ;) He is very stubborn like his parents and sometimes will refuse to nurse after I tell him he has to ask nicely first and he says "uh-uh". He doesn't always know what "uh-uh" means, except that it has to do with him having his way, so he'll often refuse things he wants on the grounds that it isn't going according to his plans. Silly boy. 

He is also very sweet and loves his baby and kitty. He and Talon are best buds, at least in his mind (see picture). He loves hugs and laying his head on our shoulders when he is tired. We've moved into a good nighttime routine in the last month or two and he finally goes to bed without a fuss, at least the majority of the time. In the very last week (17m3w), he has slept until 5AM a few times and we are hoping he will keep this up as it is a minor miracle in our lives. ;) We'll see. Sleep has never been easy for this little man, at least not since the newborn days. He's still going strong and nursing frequently all day, with no plans to wean anytime soon. I'm hoping we'll be down to an evening/morning nursing session by 2 years, but we'll see.

Daddy has been home the past two weeks between jobs and Judah has decided they are good friends. He asks about Da-Da frequently, especially if Daddy is working up at the shop, and shrieks and yells if he sees him coming down the hill. He also loved tub time with sister and dumping water everywhere, reading stories to himself, anything involving banging and noise, trucks and cars ("vroom", he calls them), and Uncle Brandon.

Jael | 3 years, 7 months

Jeff and I have both noticed how much Jael has moved completely out of the toddler stage and into the grown-up-little-girl stage. She uses all kinds of adult expression (perhaps, indeed, possibly) and is very interested in helping Mama plan out our days and week. We've kept up with preschool work, which she continues to thoroughly enjoy, and she is starting to help with chores like emptying the dishwasher and cleaning her room (which she often does of her own initiative).

She has also started singing mostly on tune and I love to hear her happily singing bits and pieces of her favorite songs, which include "my Steve music" (Steve Green), "Esther Esther Esther" (the Heritage Singers for kids), and "my princess songs" (Sheila Walsh's lullabies for princesses). The other day she came downstairs to tell me that "I forgot to sing my 'when I am afwaid' song last night" and when I put her to bed that evening, I heard her start to sing it to herself.

She is also beginning to show interest in spiritual things; celebrating Passover and Easter this year was more meaningful as she listened intently to the stories and asked questions. Even after the holidays past, she remembers and asks me questions like, "Where were the people when Jesus died? Where were the disciples? Where was Mommy and Daddy and Jael and Judah?" When I told her that some of the disciples were afraid and hiding when Jesus died, she went to check in her Bible story book to verify my accuracy. ;)

Being a big sister can be stressful sometimes, since little brother doesn't have a strong grasp on boundaries yet. Most interventions on her part involved physically dragging brother away, so we are working on asking for help when we need it. But she loves Judah and eagerly gives him hugs and kisses throughout the day, which he doesn't particularly appreciate.


Highlights from Facebook statuses:

Jael accidentally had a nap today and so she has been in bed wide awake for over an hour now, with a big stack of books and her flashlight. I'm not sure which I love more, her sweet little voice "reading" out loud to herself or the fact that my daughter would be so happily entertained by a pile of stories. ;) (February 8)

Jael doesn't like brushing her teeth, so Jeff gave her dire warnings about the consequences of not letting Daddy clean them. Now every night she asks me, "Mommy, are there holes in my teeth yet?" :P (And last night, "I'm going to bwush my tongue so it won't get any holes!") (March 19)

I told Jael and Judah to stay in the dining room and guard the food from the cats while I was making a smoothie in the kitchen. Came back to find two guilty munchkins stuffing their faces with popcorn and muffins. ;D (March 20)

Favorite moments from our seder tonight: Jael reciting "Why is this night different from all other nights?" without any help from me and then tasting the charoset and announcing, "It tastes like bricks!" :D  (March 25)

I have a love/frustration relationship with big sister dynamics. Stopping Jael from dragging Judah away from "danger" in a chokehold (!) - or listening to her scolding another toddler who blocked Judah from the slide at the playground, saying, "No, no, boy! You stop that! It's Judah's turn!" ;P (March 26)

Jael: "Mama, when Judah is a little bigger, I want to have another baby. And I will hold the baby. And kiss the baby. That's why I want one. And...and we will see if this baby will not hit me and push me and throw boots at me like Judah." :D hahaha.... (March 29)

So at church this weekend, Jael saw a baptism. Later that afternoon, she wanted to play with water, so I gave her some pans on the floor with measuring cups etc. Until Jeff and I heard a loud "MEOWW!!!!!!!!!!!", only to see her plunking her cat right into the tub of water and admonishing her, "Ginny, but you have to be baptized!" (April 1) 

My poor daughter must have the intense side of my personality. This afternoon Jael asked me something about heaven and after much clarification, I figured out that she was asking how long we would be there. I explained "forever" as best I could...and she broke down sobbing incoherently about how she wants to come back our house and our kitties because she LIKES it here! She felt much better when she asked if she could have a purple room in heaven and I told her I was quite sure she could. :)  (April 2)

While watching me make lunch, Jael commented seriously that "we eat food, not animals" - followed in a very somber tone with, "Why does God let some people eat the poor animals, Mommy?" The questions a 3-year-old comes up with! (April 6)

While getting ready for church this weekend, Jael informed me that "after you get ready, you need to get my dress on. And get Judah dressed. Daddy can put his own clothes on....but you should pick out some clothes so he knows what he should wear." ;D (April 8)

Jael's 3rd Birthday

3 years old:

(apparently I never finished this and posted it... *sigh* )

Facebook glimpses into Jael's life:  

I was listening to Jael play with her dolls and heard her chattering, "And you get ready, and we get ready, so you get your stuff...cause it almost BWACK FWIDAY!" hahaha...takes after her daddy, that girl.

Thinking it's not a good sign when Judah starts wailing and I hear Jael shout, "I didn't pinch him!"

Cat: *long, extended, half-strangled meow* Jael: "What you saying meow for?" (*insert overly loving hug*) "I know you love me!"

Jael asked me why I was eating coconut yogurt this morning and I told her it was to make me fatter, because I'm too skinny. She burst out giggling, "YOU'RE NOT TOO SKINNY, Mama!" Haha...funny how kids think you're perfect.

Laughing at Jael who just came tiptoeing down the hall with her flashlight (birthday gift), carefully inspecting the hallway and calling, "Daddy! I heared a noise in my ROOM! Tum quickly!"   

Me: "Jael, go see if you can wake up Daddy for supper." Jael: "Okaaaaay." *pause* "I will twy! I will see if him doesn't wike it!"

Jael | 3 years, 4 months

Our first snow! November 2012

Jael had her best holiday season yet, full of anticipation for lighting the menorah candles, setting up the tree, waiting to open presents, reading lots of stories, and a special Christmas eve. She is learning the Hanukkah blessings and played dreidel for the first time this year, although she was less interested in the game and more interested in the gelt. ;) On Christmas eve, she got to have a picnic supper on the living room floor with Judah and watch some old-fashioned classic Disney cartoons, to her delight.

We also began preschool this month (January) and do a couple pages in a workbook, along with a science picture book everyday. She gets very excited about "school" (which sounds more like "skull" in her voice) and asks me all day when we will get to do it. She can count to 10 and is learning her ABCs. She also gets to use Mama's iPod for educational games sometimes, which is a favorite treat.

Jael is learning to be a good big sister, which can be rough sometimes. Brother yells all the time and it is sometimes hard to discern who took the toy first, who hit whom, etc. But fortunately, the storms pass quickly and they are starting to play together a lot more (side by side). They play duplos together, jump on the bed together, lay on the kitties together, and read with me. At nighttime, Jael loves to come sing in our room on the rocking chair and then wants to conclude the evening with "all of us dancing together"  or even better, everyone crawling on the floor in a line back to her bedroom. ;)

She enjoys reading stories with Daddy in the evening and we read from her first Bible (a Hanukkah gift), along with a lesson/storybook. It's been a wonderful introduction to some basic concepts about Jesus and grace; I love to see my girl absorbing the depth of these concepts slowly, in little ways.

In closing, here are our favorite FB statuses from the past few months:

• Jael was looking at an old family photo and asked me where the kitties were, so I told her we didn't have the kitties yet. She pondered and said, "Oh. Them was in your tummy?" We don't have a real grasp on the facts of life yet, it seems!
• Jael and Judah were joyfully streaking around the house naked, playing "dress-up" with play jewelry...until I heard Jael screaming, "JUDAH PEED ON ME!!!!!!! AND MY THPARKLY SHOES!!! AND YOUR HOODIE!!" And the poor boy looked at her and down at his feet in horror, like "What just happened?!" haha.
• I need to get a video of Jael singing when we light the menorah at night. So sweet to hear her earnestly singing about two words behind with half of them missing, "Baruuuuuch...atah! 'donai!" ♥
• Oh children. Jael runs upstairs yelling, "I HAVE TO GO POTTY!!!!!!!!!" Runs back down five seconds later and tells me primly, "Never mind, Mama. I actually just had toots." :D
• It's absolutely pouring snow and we are definitely snowed in! It's a good thing Jeff doesn't have work today, but at least we've got someone on the way to plow our driving. Jael is so excited. "I want to go sledding! Let's go out in the snow!" :D
• Jael runs up to me, throws her arms around me, and says, "I love you my big thweetheart mommy!" ♥

Judah | 12 - 15 Months

Life at Lowe's with sister (December 2012)

Judah hasn't had his 15 month appointment yet, so I'm not sure how his weight has changed, but he remains a little peanut and fits best into his 9 month clothes despite his 15 months of age. ;) He's very mobile, though, and has developed a lot of climbing abilities since his first birthday. His favorite climbing trick at the moment is to get up on chairs in the dining room and bang around the dishes I have set on the table or play with leftovers.

He's also developed a love of books in the past few months. At first, he would only sit still for a few pages, but now he likes to pull out books on his own and sits poring over the pages. He will also get his favorites (Curious George, our Spanish vocabulary books, Elise Wilkins prayer book) and bring them to me with a questioning, "Eh? Eh? Eh?" until I take the book. Then he shrieks excitedly and waves his arms up and down in anticipation of the story. He loves to sit on my lap and make animal sounds for all the animals in the book.

Similarly, this is his automatic response when I ask him if he wants nursies lately. He gets extremely excited and waves his arms up and down. Unlike his sister, he has not been dropping any feedings like I anticipated and still nurses every 1-2 hours during the day if we are home, albeit for only a few minutes at a time. He's a very cuddly boy (loves to give hugs, too, and throws his arms around my neck and even pats my back).

The other central feature of his life right now is his difficulty sleeping. He wakes up anywhere from every 30 minutes to 2 hours all night long. Usually he ends up in bed  with us after midnight sometime and sleeps slightly longer stretches. CIO has not been effective with him (I'm not comfortable pushing it to an extreme) and neither has much of anything else. Our newest attempt is a PNP instead of the crib, since he seems to bang his head on the sides of the crib frequently in his sleep.

He is continuing to do great with solids and feeding himself. His favorite foods are fruits and pasta. Other favorite parts of life include the kitties, Daddy coming home from work, Jael and her antics, books, and most of all, nursies. ;)

Judah is also exploring naughty behavior and how to appropriately draw boundaries. He has refined his yelling skills when sister crosses his boundaries (takes a toy, won't give him space, too many hugs, etc). But he also has started hitting her, both in self-defense and in the delight of watching her yell and run away from him. ;) Modeling better approaches is a work in progress.


He is very dramatic and finds the funniest things to be upset about. I will hear him crying, go to check on him, and discover him attempting to yank his baby monitor off the cord or trying to lift a dumbbell of the ground. He has a hilarious, dramatic crying pose that involves standing and nearly bending halfway over with heart-wrenching sobs - poor little guy!


His words are still limited to mama, dada, up up, and some animal sounds, but he just introduced please ("pssss") with the signing motion as well and gets a huge grin on his face when we ask him, "What do you say?"