a long day of play.

today was mostly good. today jude and i played... A LOT. today i did not get a nap. today i realized that school is going to get significantly more difficult in the next couple of months (and years).

thinking about this fact, i completely balked, wondering if i am really up to the challenge. i feel overwhelmed probably more than i should. i have an incredibly hard time following through with things. i second-guess myself constantly. i wonder whether i am lazy or if i am subject to some deeper-seeded issue. i really, really think i would benefit from therapy. but i always put off calling about it. i feel as though i dream big and when those dreams begin to come to fruition, i turn on my heel and run off in another direction. i will figure this out someday. anyway, speaking of balking at the thought of school... i wondered what life would be like if i got certified to teach kindermusik classes. i seriously considered this today. i mean, i did JUST find out what kindermusik is today, much thanks to my dear aunt daphne, mother of now-1-year-old meguire. i found a class that we are going to this saturday, and i am more excited than i have been in a long time. if we like the preview class and decide to enroll, it will end up costing us approximately $145, but i think/hope it would be worth it. jude is finally at an age where he really interacts with people as well as objects. he responds to stimuli and acts to gain responses also. for anyone who is unfamiliar with kindermusik (maybe i was just out of the loop?) it is a series of classes that promotes well-rounded development using a music-based program. activities are tailored to your child's age and they work to engage your child physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. there are different types of classes available, including one i can't wait to take, a sing and sign class. i bought several books about baby sign language, and will be cracking them open in the next few days. on that note, i will give a quick update on different things jude now understands.

belle



today, jude was sitting on my lap on the couch, facing me. we were talking about this and that when i said "jude, where's belle dog?" to my complete surprise, he turned to look over his left shoulder, then over his right shoulder, finding her curled up in a chair. not only did he purposefully look at her, he looked back to me, then back and her and "talked" to her. i was taken aback. i know that he recognizes, for instance, when i say "bite, bite" to open his mouth for food... but it seems that almost overnight he has started to understand more of the things i say to him. he now stops and looks up at me when i say "jude, no" in a stern voice, although only for a second, before turning back to whatever he is doing. he looks for his daddy, looks toward things that are a distance away when i say "jude, look" and point, and even cries when i pick him up and talk about "sleepies" when he isn't ready for a nap. i feel like he is learning new tricks daily now.

here are some "bite, bite" pictures from today:

i decided to try this stuff...






and for lunch, as promised, kiwi a la carte...


he seemed a bit surprised by the sourness, but overall really liked it.


he played in the ball pit today...










played with bowls...








and had a gratuitous photoshoot...










and read allll about cats...




played in his frog jumper...


decided he no longer wants to wear bibs...


and learned how to play drums on the tabletop...


today was a mostly good day.