Houston Trip: A break in the Winter

We made a trip to Houston a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful to be with our dear friends, the Arnoults, and to have a much-needed break from the winter.  Jude had not been able to enjoy playing outside since last September, so this was wonderful!

He loved playing in the mulch at the park!

He also loved eating the mulch at the park.

But he loved the swing most of all!

It was so fun to see the boys play together again.

Paden and Jude are 5 months apart - i love these sweet pictures of them!

We went with several friends to the Houston Rodeo on Saturday while there.

Jude loved petting the animals!

His first merry-go-round ride - he was literally gasping for breath he was so excited! :)

Swaddle Note: New Sleeping Position

Did I mention that the first week of dropping the swaddle, Jude slept like this for most naps?

Making it through the Winter

February in New England is the dead of winter, freezing cold, we haven't seen the ground since December, no hope of Spring for another 3 months, and this year we were running out of places for the snow.  There's not a lot of things to do for family fun, and when you've been cooped up inside a tiny apartment with a 12-month old all day, family fun isn't fun when you have to stay inside.  So, we have mostly resorted to becoming mall walkers.  Sigh.  Before you scoff, go back and read the first sentence to remind yourself of our surroundings.  Museums and aquariums are quite pricey for seminary-grad/missionary support raisers - not to mention the fact that Jude is just as impressed with the animals in Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You See? as he would be with the ones at the aquarium.  So for now, those are out.  Parks are out....they're under snow and the windchill is in the single digits.  Mall walking is in.  In fact, the thought of getting a milkshake at Chick-Fil-A and walking Jude around in the stroller while we talk is actually doesn't look so bad.

BUT, every now and then, we get to make just a 2-hour drive to go see my aunt, uncle and cousins in New Hampshire.  It's the first time I've ever been able to live close to them and it's been wonderful having family to celebrate important events with, a place to go crash and relax, and to just spend more time with my wonderful family that I never got to see this much.  So we packed the car and went to New Hampshire for a short weekend at the beginning of February.

We were so excited to take Jude sledding for the first time.  I think he hated it.  His face never did look happy.  I think he was very concerned.

 

 Don't worry - we only did a small part of the hill with him.  Uncle Mike held him while Greg and I sledded down the whole hill.

 It was quite painful being in the front - I felt like someone had a snowblower pointed at me. Notice the snow stuck to my eyebrows and face.

We had a great time visiting with my cousins and their precious little ones.  Here's a picture of Jason and Lily with us.

The Swaddle

Jude as a newborn swaddled in the hospital

Jude at 8-weeks old swaddled in his crib

I have a bit of a confession to make.  I swaddled my child until two weeks shy of his first birthday.  I'm not talking sleep sack ... I mean full-on arm swaddle.  Am I the only one?  I feel like there should be support groups for this.  Jude would just NOT go to sleep without his arms and body bound in the "strait-jacket" as termed by my mother.  So I asked the pediatrician if I was hindering his development, to which he answered: "If he sleeps better swaddled, then swaddle him."  Only there was one problem: my pediatrician had not been to Target.  Target does not sell swaddling blankets for 1-year olds.

Jude at 8-weeks old swaddled in his crib

I bought Jude a size "L" swaddling blanket when he was 3 months old thinking, "I only need one because I'll stop swaddling him in the next month or so." I thought it was rational to buy only one to last me a month.  If only I had known that I'd be using it another 9 months, I would have cleaned the store out and back-ordered another 10.  Because with only ONE and a child who had four naps a day, timing when to wash THE swaddling blanket was a fine-tuned skill.

Size "L" at 3 months ... you can imagine what that same blanket looked like on him 9 months later. 

There are no XL swaddling blankets ... and I was a little embarrassed to ask "do you carry this in 2T?" I thought about sewing my own and starting an etsy shop - only I'm not crafty and it would have to be some secret recovery group..."Do you also need to swaddle your 3-year old? Come see my Etsy shop where you can find swaddling blankets through size pre-teen."  No, this would not work.

So I decided my only option was to get rid of the swaddling blanket rather trying to make a bigger size.  So we did.  I dropped it cold-turkey two weeks before he turned one.  I couldn't bear the thought of confessing to people that I still swaddled my toddler.  

The result?

- 3 days of misery: 15 min naps and lots of crying and flailing arms/legs

- 1 week of not-so-great naps

- Jude starts crawling.

Crawling!  The same week I stopped swaddling him!  Coincidence? Maybe.  But I feel like telling my pedi that the reason my 11-month old couldn't crawl was not because he wasn't interested, but because he spent the majority of his days wrapped like a burrito and limb mobility was shocking in and of itself; therefore, crawling must be terrifying.  For about a week I felt like Child Protective Services might be hiding in my bushes or about to burst through my front door.

But then the dust settled.  His naps settled.  He started standing up in his crib, crawling lightening fast, pulling up on everything and standing up on his own without props.  And then I realized (as every first-time mom does) - my child will survive.  I didn't ruin him for life.  So I swaddled him for the first year of his life ... will he stand next to his 15-year old soccer buddy one day and say, "Man, if only my mom had stopped swaddling me when yours did..." Probably not.  Will his wife need to tuck him in tight one day?  Maybe. :) 

Crazy.  I'm still learning to chill...to realize that a lot of being a first time mom is about survival - you do what keeps you and your baby sane.  For Jude and me ... that was a swaddling blanket for 11 1/2 months.

Saturday Trip: Halibut State Park

We took a little family trip a half mile down the street to Halibut State Park - one of our favorite little spots where we live.  This was Jude's first time in the hiking backpack and he LOVED it - I mean really loved it. So excited that his repeated squeals of delight made him gag himself to the point where he actually vomited! See progression to the right. :)
 

The trails were still pretty icy, but the sun has melted most of the snow over the past couple of days/weeks.  It was SO great to be outside - amazing how 46 degrees feels so warm after the long winter we've had.  I think Jude would ride on his daddy's back all day every day if he could.  He loved every minute of our trip.  Here are my favorite shots.

 

prayers for my little jude man

In celebrating Jude's first year of life, I have thought a good bit recently about who God has created him to be.  It has also caused me to think more about how to specifically pray for him.  

He is STRONG.  He is physically strong, but also strong-willed and independent.  My prayer is that God will shape this strength into courage, boldness and zeal for God's kingdom and cause Jude to submit and yield his heart to the Lord, rather than to live for himself in stubborn pride, ambitious pursuit of success or wealth, or a dominance that exerts strength at the expense of others.

He is TENDER AND SENSITIVE.  From the time he was a newborn, he has been sensitive to loud or sudden noises - being easily scared to tears by my sneezes, or a door shutting, or lots of people cheering and clapping.  He always seems very stoic, quiet and observant in large groups of people - particularly groups of other children.  He seems very cautious of other children and will usually sit and play by himself rather than move towards them.  When he would get scared or something would upset him, he'd squinch his little mouth and nose together and let out the saddest cry.  It is my prayer that rather than causing him to fear or be easily offended, God will use this sensitive side of him to complement his strength by making him compassionate, tender and loving towards others, observant of others needs and concerned about how others feel and desirous of their well-being. 

He is such a HAPPY baby.  When he was around 6-8 months old, we were often at the beach and he would just smile ear to ear at everyone who walked by - the Wal-mart greeter of the beach.  He has such a way of making people feel loved and special by the way he gives out smiles - particularly to the marginalized and "least of these."  It is my prayer that God will use this gift in him to make others feel loved and cared for - that Jude would be drawn to "the least of these" and always seek to love and include those who have been left on the outside.