Jude Stuff 1

Some things that about Jude...

• We are projecting on him and think that his first 2 words (at 12.5 weeks) have been "hi" and "England".
• He fights sleep real hard for such a little guy - we don't know why. He seems to enjoy sleep when he gets there but doesn't seem to like the process of going to sleep or waking up.
• I'm teaching him to stick his tongue out - an important skill for any child to have and one that I am sure I will regret later.
• He smiles and laughs and talks a lot - it's amazing to see him smile at me - a smile just for me.
• He seems to be a morning person at this stage in his life - he wakes up early and then is just so happy and interactive. He sometimes gets fussy in the evening.
• I've made up several songs for him - my 2 favourites are "cheeky, cheeky, chin, chin...nose" and "Who's the cutiest, cutie pie (or stinky pants, or baby boy, or...)... it's you!"
• Colin makes up lots of songs for him using existing melodies - we started with "Hey Jude" but have moved on to other songs.
• People think that Jude is just gorgeous - super cute. Several people have said that he's not just baby cute - you know how babies are often kind of ugly, but cute because they are babies? Well, Jude is beautiful!

Learning

I am so amazed as I watch my son begin to learn. I know he's been learning from day one, but it's becoming so much more obvious now. I see him learning about cause and effect as he plays. What an amazing idea, that God would create us to learn, He entrusts us to our families as guides. It's a huge responsibility.

We've been thinking about it as he is "talking" more. The other day he said something that had an "s" in it and it sounded so much like a word, though it was not - it caught me off guard and startled me. Then I got to thinking about what an amazing thing it is when a child, who starts from nothing, learns a language - think of it, just by observing and listening, a child learns to communicate!

Colin and I were talking about this the other day, from the moment our children are born, we are willing them to go to the next stage - to be able to focus, to be able to grasp, to be able to hold their heads up, to be able to walk, to be able to talk. There are all these developmental milestones that we are wanting them to achieve. Then there will come a time when we just want them to lie down, be quiet and quit grabbing things!

I never understood what people were talking about when they would say that they miss this phase when the baby is small - when Jude was first born, I couldn't wait until he was bigger and more independent because I felt so helpless and overwhelmed. Now I am beginning to understand - it's going by so fast and he is so amazing. There is something very special about a newborn - about the first months when he is so dependent, I'm sure that I, too, will miss that.

I am excited about him growing up as well though. What kind of person will he be? What memories will we make together as a family? What adventures will he be a part of? We pray for his everyday that he would grow to be the child, the young man and the man that God wants him to be.