Judah Turns One

Today is Judah's first birthday. We've officially survived one year of being a family of 4 (and some days I'm shocked that we've made it this far). This kid keeps me on my toes more than what I ever thought a one year old could do. When Curtis turned 1, I was already pregnant with Judah and I think God just gave me extra grace with having a child that wasn't constantly into everything and could be entertained by putting him in his pack and play in front of the TV for a while so I could rest. Things are very different with Judah. Like I said, into everything, and always moving. That pack and play thing only works for a minute or 2 before he's ready to be out and playing again. But it's fun watching him learn and discover new things. Fun watching him test his limits. I watched him walk down then steps in Curtis' room today, grabbing on to the rails, moving his little feet until they have just the right place to go, watching his excited face every time he made it to the bottom, it was a lot of fun, and nerve wracking, but I'm having to learn to get over that with Judah. He is my little dare devil, even more so that Curtis, which I didn't think was possible. Curtis is a cautious dare devil. He only does things when he knows I am there to get him out of whatever situation he's stuck in. And maybe Judah will eventually be like that when he's more aware of himself, but for now, adventure, exploring and risk taking are his life. Turning my back for a few seconds to scramble an egg, or put coffee on or throw something in the trash usually means he's crawled up on the end table or the kitchen table before I turn back around. We are spending a lot of our days in Curtis' room lately due to this, because he can be contained in there. I'm looking forward to when the rain stops so we can spend our days outside where he can climb and explore all he wants.

A year ago, I was just finding out how much my heart could love. I think every mom of a second baby wonders if her heart could possibly love a second child as much as the first, and it's been wonderful finding that out. He is so very different than Curtis but I love him just the same. It's been so wonderful this past year watching them, seeing their friendship begin, seeing them begin to play and get in trouble together. I know one day, I might not like that so much, but I love that they will always be best friends, will always have each other to count on. I pray that God will continue to grow that friendship. 

So I officially don't have an infant anymore, but not quite a toddler, at least for a few more weeks. It's been a wonderful year and I am looking forward to many more to see the boy and eventual man Judah will grow to be. 

A few birthday pictures

Judah's First Birthday Party

Last week we went to visit my family in NC. It was a pretty good trip. The boys did much better than Christmas time. Judah actually slept some of the nights, not all but some. Curtis actually ate, not much but some. They both had a blast playing with their cousins. Curtis talked about Papa all the way their and all the way home and still asks where Papa is. He definitely loves his Papa. It was great seeing my family, seeing Grandma, hanging out with Jonathan and Melissa and the girls, and getting some time with Brenna and her kids. 

We originally made the trip to celebrate our friend, Jude's first birthday, but sadly, Judah was sick Saturday with a fever so we didn't get to go to his party. But Sunday, we celebrated him. Some of the Perez's came, we ate pizza and cupcakes, both of which Judah loved. It was so fun watching him devour his little cupcake. It was the first time eating any sugar so he definitely loved it. We had an Easter egg hunt, wonderful entertainment for the kiddos. Curtis was more interested in chasing people with sticks and Judah was fascinated with the eggs, opening and closing them and trying to eat them. It was a wonderful day and I'm so happy we got to celebrate with my family. 

Next month, Isaac's family comes to town and we will celebrate Judah's first birthday and Isaac's 30th birthday with them. We're looking forward to that as well. It's always wonderful to have them here.

Here's a few pictures from the day.

He loved the cake

Jude wasn't too sure about the festivities

These 2 are best friends. Curtis is trying to sneak a little kiss.

His cheesin face

Beautiful Prudence

Future best friends

Judah has recently learned to give kisses, more like trying to bite my nose

Judah is 11 Months

My littlest little is 11 months old, so close to 1 year. Every month bring so many changes and brings him more and more into his own little personality. This past month has been the most evident of how different he is from his brother, especially from how Curtis was at this age.

The biggest change this month is his constant climbing on everything. I don't know if it's just that Curtis didn't want to climb this early, or he just didn't have anyone to learn from. But Judah has definitely learned from Curtis and climbs on everything, the end table, the toy organizer, the bottom shelf of our accent table, the couch if he's really motivated, up the slide, up the steps, everything he can. He also is much more curious, or maybe just likes to mess in things more, I don't know. We have child locks on the kitchen cabinets, but he reaches in anyway and gets anything little he can get out, and anything that doesn't come out like Isaac's Nana's china or my glass pyrex measuring cups and picks them up and drops them. We've had to buy magnet locks to be installed soon. The other thing is I'm pretty sure this kid is gonna be nursing forever. Thankfully, he does fine without me and I think will eat and drink enough once I go back to work, but he demands to nurse when he's with me. Weaning has almost completely stopped because if he wants to nurse, and I'm holding him, he buries his face in my chest and pulls on my shirt and starts biting at me. If I set him down or turn him around or try and distract him and just screams, so I nurse him. Some days he follows my weaning schedule or not nursing unless it's before naptime, but most days, he is pretty demanding and I'm pretty sure me going back to work will exacerbate it more rather than make him wean. Which is fine, I had planned on nursing him till at least 18 months but hopefully by then he'll be ready to wean.

More and more, Judah and Curtis are becoming friends. Sometimes they'll sit for a minute and roll a car back and forth or Judah will chase Curtis around the kitchen. Curtis has started entertaining Judah when Judah gets upset, which is really cute. I love hearing them "talk" and laugh with each other. It's going to be a wonderful thing to watch over the next few years and their lifetime.

Visiting the Gibson's

I heard once that in adulthood, if you have a good friend, or best friend for longer than 5 years, they will remain your best friend all through life. I am a very blessed woman because I don't just have one of those. God has blessed me with 3 friends who I keep in touch with, talk with frequently and get to visit with every few months. These are women who, no matter where I live, or what's going on in our lives, I know I can always count on them and they will always be my best friends. 

One of those lady's is Jess. We met almost 11 years ago in freshmen orientation. I'm pretty sure God had her there just for me. We were both in the nursing learning community, and became best friends through living in the same dorm and taking several classes together. Then she decided she didn't want to be a nurse and completely changed majors. But our friendship was already there, and God allowed us to stick together even after that. 11 years later, we're both married and have kids and live in different states but she is still one of my most favorite people and one of my very best friends. 

Visiting her was such a nice little get away. Usually Curtis does not do well travelling, so going anywhere is very stressful and without Isaac, I actually don't enjoy it at all. But Curtis did well, he ate, he slept, and he loved on Jess' little one, Will, which was unexpected and very appreciated because I was afraid he'd bully him like he tends to do. We got to catch up on life and watch our littles become friends. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon and morning, than with my best friend and her kid sharing a cup of coffee and chasing the littles around.

We also had a nice little treat of all 3 kids being asleep by around 7 and we got to enjoy dinner and conversation kid free. I never get to do things with other adults kid free, so that was much needed and a wonderful break.

I hate that we live so far away, but 3 hours really isn't bad, so I am thankful for getting to see each other every few months when she is out of school.

Here's a few pictures from our time.

Having fun playing on Aunt Jess' bed, jumping and crawling/falling off

Becoming friends

Such a brave and fearless little boy

A little bit of wrestling

Some mirror fun

Judah left Will a spoon on the floor

Getting in to some mischief together

He loves that monkey

Aunt Jess has such a good kid house

Judah is 10 months

Our Little Bug is 10 months old. It doesn't seem possible that in just 2 months we'll be celebrating his 1 year birthday. He just seems to be growing so fast. He is walking along on the furniture and pushing chairs and bigger toys to help him walk across the floor. He eats most things I put in front of him, although I've learned he does not like to eat when he first wakes up. He's gonna be one of those people, I think, who don't eat breakfast, or at least not right when he gets up. That's sometime I will have to get used to because it's pretty much the first thing I do every day and Curtis eats first thing in the morning. He's still nursing, although I've weaned one feeding in the morning and almost have weaned one of his afternoon feedings. I'm pushing him 3-4 hours in between feedings, with giving him solids and water, in the hopes that he will be ready in May for me to go back to work.

Him and Curtis are quickly becoming good little friends. He follows Curtis every where. I have some fun pictures of their "brother mischief" they are learning to get in to together. Luckily, it's nothing too bad yet, but I know it's coming once he starts walking. But it's so obvious how much Judah already loves and looks up to Curtis, and most of the time, Curtis is really sweet with him. They do like to wrestle though. It's a fine line of letting them be boys and begin to learn to wrestle and saving Judah from bonking his head too hard or being crushed by Curtis. But it's fun to watch them. 

He seems to be getting more and more independent each day, which is what I'm working towards. I am finally being able to keep up with dishes during the day and make meals in short bursts while Judah entertains himself with a book, or some cars and kitchen stuff.

He's definitely not sleeping through the night yet and seems to have gone through a sleep regression lately, which I know is developmentally appropriate, but it's rough. Since he's not nursing as much during the day, and so busy burning calories during the day, he wakes up wanting to nurse and is usually up 2-3 times every night. I'm looking forward to this stage being over with. I've never been one of those mama's who loves getting up and nursing their little during the night or who will miss those quiet, sweet times. Yes, it is sweet when he falls asleep nursing or falls asleep on my shoulder, but I like sleep, and really need it to function and be a good mom, so I really can't wait till the time when I can get a full nights sleep.

This month we'll continue working on weaning, with the goal of completely taking away 3 feedings. I'm also gonna be working on him taking at least one nap with me putting him down awake. That will not be easy, so we'll see how it goes :)

Here's a few pictures from the past month. 

This was right before Judah started screaming. He was not very happy with these pictures.

My little Broncos fans

Some brother mischief, they like bothering Baxter together while Baxter is in his crate.

Trying to figure out how to drink/eat a smoothie, which is Curtis' new favorite snack

One of Curtis' favorite places, climbing into the window sill

Judah actually has a lot of fun with this. I was pretty strict at first to make Curtis stop, but when I saw that usually Judah laughs and smiles, I figured I would let them play.

One of Judah's favorite past times, such a guilty look

My life, with the dog in the center

My matchy boys (and husband)

Possibly one of my favorite pictures ever

Judah is 9 Months

Today my Little Man is 9 months old. Every time I turn around it seems like time just speeds up and changes everything. Part of me wants to slow it down, but part of me loves these new stages of independence he is gaining. He crawls like a champ, pulls up on everything and walks some on the furniture. He loves his big brother so much and just wants so badly to play with him. He follows Curtis around a lot, even sometimes, in his own infant way, tries to comfort Curtis when he's sad. Curtis does not always want to play with him and in typical older brother fashion, kind of terrorizes him, laying down on him, pulling him down to keep him from following, and putting all of the toys in the pack n play to keep Judah from playing with them. We're working on the mutual love thing. But it's wonderful to see that they are beginning to work on a friendship. Judah still doesn't sleep through the night, but has given me a few nights of waking only once, which is a much welcomed break from 2 or 3 times. He has 6 teeth now which makes nursing interesting to say the least. He loves food and his puffs. He eats most things I put in front of him, which is a relief. He's learning to occupy himself some, not needing me to play with him or not needing me to hold him all the time. These are the stages of independence I am loving. After seemingly, having a baby on my hip for over 2 years, it's nice to have a little break and I love watching him explore his world and learn and discover new things. He loves being outside and today, really enjoyed playing in the dirt. He does eat just about anything he sees on the ground or floor which has been bad a few times, causing some gagging and throwing up, but I've learned to fish things out of his mouth and hands if I catch it in time.

We're another month closer to 1 year and it doesn't even seem possible that I'm going to have 2 toddlers soon. I follow a blogger who calls her toddler sons The Vandals because they terrorize her house. I kind of think that once Judah can walk and the boys can really start to be friends, that will be there nickname as well, because, independently, they get in to everything. I can only imagine what the next year will bring when they can pal around and get in to even more. But I can't wait to see!

I did Curtis' 9 month pictures in his Papa Creeds hat and daddy's tie. Now it's Judah's turn. The 2 boys look nothing a like, but I do love the pictures. One thing they had in common, they both hated wearing the hat!

This is Curtis' just to compare

Another Year, Another Million Babies Dead: Roe v Wade's Anniversary

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Since the infamous verdict in 1973, there have been over 54 million abortions performed legally in the United States. 54 million government approved murders. 54 million babies dead. Roughly 27 million girls legally killed, 27 million boys legally killed. Please, let that sink in. 54 million children have been killed while we sit around and allow it to happen. This is a tragedy. 

For most of the American people, January 22nd means absolutely nothing. It's just another day. For some, it's a day to celebrate, but for those of us who fight for life, it's a day to mourn. Tomorrow, I will mourn for every one of those lives. I mourn for the mother's who so regret their decision to murder their babies. I mourn for the mother's who live with addictions and depression and are haunted by the memories of the choice they made. I mourn for the mothers who were forced in to that decision, whether by a husband, their own mother or father, or their own tragic circumstances where they didn't see any way out. I mourn for the father's who didn't have a choice in the matter because they were told it wasn't their life, wasn't their uterus, wasn't their choice to make. I mourn for those father's who's hearts break on the anniversary of their baby's death because they so wanted that child. I mourn the grandparents who begged their daughter's to not abort their grandchild but they chose to anyway. I mourn for the empty arms and empty cribs. 54 million.

Those of us in the church, we are not innocent. Do we open our doors to the young, single pregnant woman who comes in, looking for love, looking for acceptance, looking for help? Or do we judge her for what she chose to do. Do we judge women who, in the past chose abortion, but now are silent and hurting, dying inside because they don't know who to turn to with the pain of what they chose? 

Church, our job is to love these women where they are. Jesus did not tell us to go fix ourselves and then come to Him. He said, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." We are to introduce this Jesus to the women who come seeking help. They need to know that we don't judge them. They don't have to be perfect or clean, or whole to come to Jesus. They just need to have an open and desperate heart. Judging them, turning them away, trying to cover up or hide their sin, that's not what Jesus did in the Bible and it's not what we should do. 

We are at a crucial time in our nation's history. The veil has been lifted from the abortion industry and people have begun to see the evil that's there. But the change will not happen in the legislature. Let me say that again. It doesn't matter who we vote for president. It doesn't matter who we vote for congress. The change will not come from our legislature. The change has to come form within the church. Christians, we are surrounded by a culture of death. Life is not valued, and the most vulnerable life is too easily discarded. We have to be the ones to stand up for that life. We have to be the ones to show women they are loved. To come along side young couples and help the to know they can have a child and raise a child and their lives will not end. We have to teach these young men and women how to grow up and take responsibility for the choices they made. And we have to value life. No Christian has an excuse. This is the most fundamental thing God has given us is life. Every Christian can do something, whether it's stand outside of a Planned Parenthood and loving on the women who go in, even if they go through with the abortion, or working/volunteering at a CPC in the clinic, stuffing envelopes, walking for life, in the call center, teaching parenting classes, or by adopting/fostering so the women who truly aren't ready to be mother's can still carry to term and give their baby life, donating to a CPC so they can continue to run. There are so many ways to stand up for life. Please, Christian, don't let another 1.2 million babies die without doing something to stop it. Now is the time.