Puppies & 4 Month Appointment

First off EVERYONE is always asking me how are the dogs doing with Jude? Do they like him? Do they get along? No matter how many times I tell people how great they do together, how much the pups seem to love Jude, and how Jude loves watching the girls NO ONE seems to believe me. So, here is some photographic evidence to support my claims: 

Bella & Jude Doing Tummy Time 

Jude & Delilah Relaxing On The Couch



















Also, on Wednesday (our Anniversary) we were busy bees! I had a dentist appointment, we had Jude's 4 month appointment, and we went out for our Anniversary lunch. Jude's appointment went well and we were told to start him on Rice Cereal to help build calories and so far it has been going okay. We are feeding him via syringe or bottle right now, because aside from these photos (which make it look like he loves eating by spoon) spoon feeding is not going too well as of yet. We will see how it goes with fruits & veggies... 

After a long day of walking around Savannah Jude and I enjoyed a nice foot soak with bubbles. He was so fascinated and my toes felt great afterward! 

Last, but not least... Jude enjoys watching his Daddy play video games, LOVES his Tig-Tig (Tigger), and is learning to sit up on his own!! :D 

4 Months Old

Our little man turned 4 months old this past Thursday! We couldn't be more proud of him. He has made so many accomplishments, met all of his milestones ahead of time, and is growing so quickly. 

In this month Jude has:

- Flew in a plane

- Been on a 14 hr. car ride

- Sleeps through the night in his crib!

- Plays with toys

- Rolls Over 

- Pushes himself along

- Drools up a storm

- Put Everything in his mouth

We are so proud of our little nugget and cannot wait to see what he does next. 

So proud of our cutie-pa-tootie! 

Keeping Jude Close...

I wonder if at times we keep our children too close or if we expose them too much. I feel like we are either at one extreme or the other most days. In today's society we are posting photos of our children all over the internet and n matter what security features we have those photos can be accessed if a person really wanted to. On the other hand there are those who do not want photos of their children taken in any circumstance (i.e. at school, for yearbooks, etc.) I wonder where the line will be for our dear son Jude. I struggle when people take photos of him that I don't particularly want taken (such as when changing his diaper). I don't think these are appropriate photos that anyone needs to take or have for any reason. 

All of this comes up due to an incident that took place on Sunday. For Father's Day Jude and I took Brian out to his favorite place for lunch (Chipotle). For those of you who have been there you know there is a line process to get your food. So, while waiting in the line a lady behind us (age mid 60's approximately) commented to us how cute our son was, I thanked here and made sure she was able to get a good look at him. I turned back around and was waiting in line when I turned to say something to Brian when I noticed something... The gentleman that the aforementioned lady was with (approximately the same age) was taking a photo of my son with his iPhone. I couldn't believe it and I quickly moved Jude out of camera site and in front of my body. I just didn't know what to do or say. Why would someone take a photo of our son? Someone we didn't know... Someone who will never see us again... What is the purpose? Why doesn't someone know better? 

What would you have done? Should I have said something? I can only hope that the reason this person took this photo is not sinister... 

Breastfeeding Rant:

Okay, I have been breastfeeding my dear son for nearly four months now and I have to take some time to rant on the subject, so here it goes:

So, this whole concept did not go so easily in the beginning and a lot of that was due to stress imparted by the nurses in the recovery room, it feeling painful, me being stressed, and just in general not going perfectly.

At Jude's two week appointment I went to the lactation consultant desperate for some help with feeding my baby. Since that meeting I have been able to feed our baby with the use of a nipple shield which is not typically used for long periods of time, but it works for us. The whole process really took a turn for the better I was starting to save some milk and freeze it. 

So, here comes my rant: 

It's not easy!! All these women who say it comes naturally, is painless, and is the best thing ever are ALL liars!! 

It was a lot of hard work

It is still painful at times

Also, it is not the best thing in the world...

Given all that I wouldn't give it up for anything! I love taking care of our son, I love feeding him, and honestly I love saving the money! 

So, this is what I wish society would do about this whole breastfeeding thing to make my life just a little easier. I would love to at least be able to start feeding my son without a cover over his head and then I will put my cover on! I get it that people don't want to see my boob (well maybe some people do), but it is just a pain in the but to try to get my son latched on, keep covered, and look through the little top hole of my cover. UGH!!  Plus on top of all of this Jude is heavy to be holding and has taken  to wiggling more and more before being fully eating. 

Sorry, just frustrated with the whole concept of feeding my son while I am out and cannot wait till I can give him some baby food while we are out and about. 

Daddy Home, 1st Vacation, and Three Months Old!

Holy Cow! A lot has certainly happened since Jude's two month check-up. 

First Up = Brian came home! He was finally able to meet Jude in person! We were so excited to pick him up at the airport and thankful to another passenger who took pictures and texted them to me afterward! We had a few days back that included a quick check-in at base, a thrown together welcome home ceremony, and finally a welcome home party at our house. We then enjoyed a little bit of my first mother's day and decided to head out that night for our vacation.

Vacation = We drove through the night (which turned out to be a GREAT idea with Jude & the girls) and arrived Monday morning in Tinley Park. We were able to have lunch with my mom that day, head to Gibson the next day for a quick "Hello" and then flew to WA on Wednesday. We really loved and enjoyed our trip to WA and miss it more and more every day. While we were there we saw friends, went to Olympia Farmer's Market, went to some favorite restaurants, went to Pike's Place Market, and checked in on our house. When we returned to IL we spent a few days in Tinley Park (transitioning time zones again), a week in Gibson, and then a week in Tinley Park. Jude was able to meet most of his family members and we were able to welcome home Brian many times over. 

3 Months Old = While on vacation Jude turned 3 months old and will soon (one week) be 4 months old and we will be going to his 4 month appointment on our anniversary (the 25th). Not looking forward to the second round of vaccinations, but will be taking advantage of his sleepiness by going out for an anniversary lunch. 

We were so glad to see all of our family, but thrilled to be home and start some normalcy (as much as the Army & ED provide that is). 

Also, before we left for vacation... we got a new car!! Plenty of room for the whole family!! :D