how time flies when you're having fun!

wow! so it has been over two weeks since my last post! where did those days go?! i remember after posting my last update i was already wanting to post again like the next day but i kept telling myself "no, wait until there is a real milestone!" well, those milestones came and went and i totally lapsed in posting about them so now i don't know on which days they occurred! sad, i know...

but, on the bright side, those milestones HAVE occurred and are being perfected with each passing day. so, in the past two weeks...

jude has finally had his "ah-ha" moment with his hands. it was actually less than a week after i last wrote when his hand passed in front of his face and he kind of looked in the direction it went and since then every time one of them is in front of his face he just stares and stares... and then puts it in his mouth. haha. the hand to eye to mouth, and eye to hand to mouth are his favorite new series of development. sometimes his touch reflex to grab then results in him unknowingly flailing a soft toy or rattle around until he spots it and then directs it to his mouth for tasting. other times he watches, for instance, his toys dangling from his carseat, reaches toward them until he at last gets a good grip on one, and then proceeds to bring it toward his mouth. i read an article about whether or not to discourage babies/toddlers from taste-testing everything and believe it or not, it is actually a good learning tool for them to mouth everything. well, obviously not EVERYTHING, but things you can monitor and clean. like their toys, blankets, clothes, etc. they aren't just tasting, they are using their tongue and mouth as an exploratory tool like their fingers. which jude also loves to keep near his mouth at all times. one of my biggest peeves, because of this, is people who grab his hands without first santizing their own and especially people who kiss his hands or allow him to put his hands in/around their mouths. it makes me wonder if people are unaware of how dirty the human mouth is! once he is a bit older, it won't be so much of a worry but right now he is busily developing a fragile immune system and simply doesn't need the extra germs and bacteria. and for heaven's sake, it is flu season!!!

grumbling aside, i am happy to say that in the past two weeks, jude's first cold is not on the list of milestones. i attribute his pretty excellent immunity thusfar to breastfeeding and avoiding contact with too many people and public places due to the H1N1 catastrophy. the very last thing i want for him is to get sick. i am not exactly the horrible germaphone i was during his first 8 weeks, but i am still a proud believer in handwashing and germ-x. so, if you want to hold or play with my baby, use it! you can never be too careful.

oh, and jude has finally rolled over. i was really starting to get worried about this since he doesn't get much time to himself between me, my mom, and zach everyday, but he has once again proved his proficiency. just yesterday i laid him on his tummy on a playmat and he immediately rolled over to his back like he had been doing it for years. when i rolled him back over, he spit up, so i abandoned the attempt for an extended practice session. zach saw him roll over a few weeks ago, but this was the first time on a completely flat surface that he accomplished it. exciting.

we still don't have an out loud chuckle or real giggle, although he does squeal with delight and make "ha" sounds when he thinks something is funny or exciting. he is still very verbal, and getting moreso each day. tummy time is one of his favorite times for squealing and making excited sounds, and the morning and nighttime are his favorite times for conversations. he spends a lot of time quietly observing his surroundings, and attempting to mimick sounds i make to him. music and loud sounds such as rattling now quiet him and interest him. which helps if he gets restless in the car. he still prefers the simpler baby songs to complex music, and because of this he really seems to like the early Beatles' songs. and tv... oh gosh. already. i keep reassuring myself that it is only because of the flashing lights (another favorite of jude's) and differing sounds, but he will actually sit and watch the tv as if in a trance. i sat him up next to his boppy on the couch and he watched Madagascar 2 for about 10 minutes. i have been trying to limit how much exposure he has to the tv, but right now i must say it's pretty cute. :)

he is determined to grow up so fast! now that his head is almost completely steady when he is upright he thinks it is time to sit up. when laid on his back, he does little crunches in attempt to bring himself to a sitting position, and when he is propped up at an angle, with a little help from me of course, he can pull himself upright. he loves to sit like a big boy and i guess explore his world from a new point of view. it's amazing.

along with new views of exploration, it appears as though his eyesight is getting better and more extensive. for a couple of weeks he has been really interested in bright colors and no longer just black and white or contrasting ones. he seems to prefer red right now and like i mentioned earlier he really digs flashing lights of any color. the brighter, the better now. and he can see small things now, and studies them very hard. he is also noticing my mom's dog when she walks past his line of sight.

and speaking of all this visual exploration, as i said it is so neat the way it ties into his sense of touch. what he sees he now wants to touch or hold. and he is improving his motor skills each day. at first, it was more of a shaky movement in the direction of whatever he had spotted, but his hands are getting more steady and his aim more accurate. i can't wait until he figures out how to purposefully make sounds with his toys.

above all else, however, he still prefers faces to toys. he notices the camera when i take a picture now but once he realizes my face is behind it, he forgets about it and concentrates on me. he is really grinning so much, and sometimes when he just looks up and smiles at me for no reason at all, it still makes me want to cry.