8 Weeks!

The Many Faces of Jude!


Mad Jude!

Happy Jude!


My baby is two months today. How the time flies! I watch him grow more and more each day and it amazes me. Tons of firsts this week that occur:

Jude's First Christmas! What a great, busy, crazy Christmas's it was! Jude was spoiled rotten with the latest Fisher Price toys and cutest clothes on the market! He was a happy boy and traveled from party to party without whining :) He also gave me a very merry Christmas with two nights of 8 hour long stretches! So sweet isn't he!

I heard Jude laugh for the first time. Right, 8 week old's don't laugh however, he was sleeping in my lap and started bursting up laughing. He was dead asleep but laughed! Strange but cute!

John and I have took our first step to our workout! I have vowed to eat everything unhealthy/sweet/fatty/etc in the house so that we can start our workout routine and not be tempted by the fabulous things I buy. . . HAHA. So after a few sausage links, cookies, and spaghettio's, I will move on to the pantry items. Ha. I know I know, I said I was going to clock my routines, and that I will. Once I start them!




My FAVORITE picture of the boys! John was just talking to Jude and Jude couldn't help but talk back. (They were discussing who received the best Xmas gift thus far...)





One of his favorite new toys! Go Zoo!

Your Favorite Family of Four
J,K,J,Uma

7 Weeks!

Remember that kicking baby? Well, I thought he'd come kicking and screaming! Only makes sense. But after thinking about these last 7 weeks, I realize he really must have got it all out of his system in-utero! He's very calm. I can lay him on a mat on the floor and he'll just look around. No screaming and little kicks/movement. He's chill. Speaking of chill. WOW, we had a fun Christmas with the Reardon's on Sunday and Jude was up all day. Well you know, cat naps here and there. But not like his usual. Well, we got home around 7:30 p.m. and he was cranky because he was so tired. Just a little whiny that's all, no real crying. But I knew he was exhausted. So like a good mom I try everything: swaddling, the swing, feeding, burping, walking, bouncing, etc. To my surprise, I laid Jude down wide awake (because I was tired) and what do you know, just laid and fell asleep himself about 10 minutes later. Ha, he didn't need me! Just wanted his bed :)

The swing. Another thing everyone needs! John and I now call the swing THE BABYSITTER. It's the best thing ever. He loves it. Will play in it for 30-45 minutes then fall asleep. Best thing ever!

Mall-Walking Adventures:
Well, Rachel and I have taken our mall-walking hobby back up! As you know, when we were pregnant (very pregnant) we'd meet at the mall and talk about the upcoming arrivals. It was sooo much fun! Well, the last few weeks we've been meeting up with our boys and walking! They love it, we love it. It's great to get out and talk to someone whose is going through the same thing. And I think Jude and Eli really like seeing eachother and talking about all the love they get :) The boys are 2 weeks apart. Our last trip was on Friday and of course we talk about old times (walking 9 months pregnant), the boys, the "big" boys, etc. but then we were wondering how many steps we walked. Over the summer, we'd walk for about 2-2.5 hours. And now that we have little guys, we try for that but take frequent stops to eat, change, just look at, etc. Well, Rachel brought her pedometer and we clocked about 9,000 steps. That's about 3-4 miles! Go us! Then, Rachel had this brilliant idea! The stroller manufacturers need to make some type of wheel rotation counter that can be converted to miles/steps/etc. You get the picture. Not only would people buy this to get in-shape (like us, we'd buy that stroller, we already mall walk) but the stroller manufacturers would be promoting exercise that would take off! I really think it'd be awesome. I mean, they have jogging strollers, well why not make a counter on them. Or have they? I know what you're thinking (because I'm thinking the same)...why not just wear the pedometer? I do not yet have an answer to that question! I'll get back to you! :)

Doctors Appointment Update:
Good news, I'm healthy! Blood pressure is down along with my weight! Life is good. We're expecting the next one here in September. Ha, just kidding!

Shout out to Tim! John and I really appreciate all your support and guidance with church on Sunday. You are the perfect person to be with John. Jude and I tried but found ourselves in the hall way, changing diapers, talking, you know.

Favorites: Just Jude. Everything about him. His smiles are soo sweet, coos, blue eyeballs, stinky milky smell that I can't clean off, little feet, sleeping patterns etc.

Funnies of the week: Let's see, we only blew out one outfit this week! I suppose with age, more funnies will occur!

What we've learned this week: Even though I LOVE Teen Mom/16 and Pregnant, I have got to go to bed when Jude does :/ I decided to watch the hour and a half long finale instead of sleeping an hour and half...made for a long, sleepy next day! Ha.



Really mom? Another bath? How much do I have to weigh to graduate from the sink?!

Uncle Nate!


Love hanging out with cousin Joey!

Yup, I fell asleep during tummy time...

My three favorites. UMA made it this week :)


We haven't forgot about Uma, don't worry.
Love my bath time! (finally, in my real tub!)

Your favorite family of four!
J,K,Uma, and Jude

6 Weeks

Holy cow! Where has the time gone! I know, into shopping. Haha. I can't believe he's 6 weeks already (I know, I say this every week). Well, this week, Jude has become "shopping Jude!" Ha, John says I'm suppose to be a "stay at home mom" and STAY HOME but Jude insists on shopping Jude! And how can I tell him no? I mean, someone has to get this Christmas shopping done! And he's SO great at shopping. Wakes up enough to eat a little, rejuvenate himself, then more shopping! I swear we have the best baby. Just goes with the flow. Good thing he's like John and not me. Also, Uma is slightly obsessed with Christmas music. She asks me to play it for her while we're gone, I can't help but give in. Speaking of Uma, she has rebelled. Once Jude was born, we let her sleep in our room on the floor, but when I go to feed Jude, she runs out and destroys things: pacifiers, wrapped Christmas presents, etc. So now, Uma is forced in her cage at night again :( Maybe with the second child she'll learn she just can't destroy the house at 2 am, because I walk in the kitchen at that time, and get extremely mad then can't go back to sleep. Ugh. She'll figure it out...

Well I have MY 6 week checkup this week. Not that it is about me anymore but hoping that goes good and I can resume (or start rather) my running! I'm thinking about documenting my workouts on here. I'm thinking if I do that, I'll be more inclined to workout. HA. You know, with all my fans reading this, I'll feel fat and guilty if I don't keep up. May work. Or not. We'll see.

Favorites: Our baby is SO happy. Smiles all day long now :) Soo sweet. The other day, I was so tired. I just let him sleep on me for a few hours. I couldn't resist. I figured I won't be able to do this long so why not? We took about a 2 hour long nap. It was great. Cherish those times!

Funnies of the week: Hmm, let's see, well honestly, not much funny stuff has happened this week. He's been great. No major blowouts, etc. Great week. Keep up the good work Jude.

What we have learned: We have learned that Uma is highly jealous. I feel so bad. I will be in a room talking my baby talk to Jude, then Uma will run excited (used to be her baby talk), see that my baby talk is toward Jude, then just put her tail down. It's so sad. I try to talk to her but I know it's not the same for her. She's still adjusting ;/ Poor dog.

Side note: My JINX of last week....well didn't jinx!!!!!! Jude has strangely transformed his sleeping habits over night and I get up ONCE a night. Generally around 4 am and that is it. I did not jinx myself! Crazy. I mean really, what 4 week old gives you 5-7 hours of solid sleep, eats in about 8 minutes, then lays down and falls right back to sleep? I'll tell you, mine! Thank goodness he's like John and loves his sleep. Speaking of sleep....John has volunteered to get up with Jude this Saturday morning. (Okay, he didn't volunteer, I'm making him). It just sounds so nice to sleep past 7.

How I will JINX myself this week: Well, all this talk of a great baby, it's bound to be shot back at me, right? I mean, I'm sure this week he'll be colicky and I'll go crazy. I'll keep you posted.

My 6 week old cutie!


Thank you Reardon's for my SWEET moose outfit! I'm styling now :)

We can not have tummy time with Uma dog being so involved.

Thank you Nana, LOVE my new swing. See I'm smiling!

THIS is how big I am everyone.

Psh, don't know what my mom is talking about, I've been working out, look at this!

Alright, alright, I can see why they call me CHEEKS now! Ha!


I'm a happy boy!

"Shopping Jude" she calls me. I've really got to get a new nickname...

5 Weeks

Ahh, my baby is getting SO big!

Doctor Appt Update: Jude weighs 9 pounds even now! His pediatrician was very pleased! He thinks he's catching up from being on the smaller side inside. Ha. Jude is 20 3/4 inches long (grew an inch). He is in the 25th-27th percentile for everything. But is doing great! I asked the doctor about a red spot on the back of his head, big birth mark! Better there than anywhere else really! Until he's an old man. . . bald! Ha. Oh well.

On a side note, it's sad to me. The Doctor updates are no longer about me :( Lol. It's all about Jude now! Funny to update his doctor appointments!

We had a very busy week! Shopping, shopping, shopping! Gotta get those Christmas presents bought! Thank goodness he's still little and just sleeps the whole time! Jude had his Baptism on Sunday, December 5 and did a great job! No cries at all! He was a sweetie! Don't worry, that will be the majority of the pictures this week!

Favorites of Week 5: We love each other more each day (If that's possible)! He smiles one more time each day making TONS of smiles for mommy. It's the cutest smile too! Croaked sometimes. Melts my heart everytime. I still get teary-eyed sometimes! Jude was also spoiled rotten by Auntie D and all his other family members for that matter! Such a great week really.

Funnies of this Week: Major blowouts multiple times! Makes me sad because of course, he was wearing MY favorite Mizzou onsie :( I mean, if you have kids you know, it's nearly impossible to get that yellow stain out! Ruined. And, not to mention that he did this at Umsl. Last class and he blows it out! HA. Speaking of that, another class done, another A, successful semester. It's amazing, I had my first baby, only missed two classes (out of 16), and got a perfect 100% in the class. Luckily, the professor was great with me missing those two classes! Who said doing class and having a baby would be hard. Piece of cake. Okay, well the hard part was leaving him to go to class...

What we have learned this Week: We have a great baby. Really. I mean we can't compare him to our other children, because we don't have any...but I can compare him to others I know. He's fabulous. He reminds everyone of John! Funny, the last class on Monday, my professor said "He is just so laid back like you Kate." Well, I took my friend Natasha to class to watch him and when my professor said this, we both stared at eachother, laughed, and said, "No, he's like my husband John." Ha, me, laid back? Well that was nice of her.

How will I JINX myself this week: Okay, so I hate to brag, but here goes! This week Jude's sleep schedule has been amazing! I mean truly awesome. Here are the last 5 days:
night one: 5 hours straight
night two: 5 hours straight
night three: 4 hours straight
night four: 5 hours straight
night five: 7 hours straight (right that is not a typo-Jude slept from 9:30-4:45!!!!)
I can only hope he keeps this up and it's not a growth spurt or fluke! I was pleased with 4 hours straight, so when I get anything more, I wake up every 30 minutes to look at the clock and make sure I don't hear him. Nope, never, he's been a great sleeper :0 So that's how I'll jinx myself this week :) See you great nights sleep! Lol.

Pictures! Enjoy my cutie-pie!




Mall walking cutie pies!

Catching some Zzz's with Dad!

4 Weeks!

Oh how the time flies. Every Thursday I think, "WOW X weeks ago..." Then I think about what happened. He's really getting so big in our eyes. Especially when other people hold him. He's huge! But so sweet. He had a great 4th week :) Went and saw Santa! He asked for more chocolate-flavored milk, I asked for a bit more sleep :) All went great! He had his first photo shoot! I have only seen a few of the pictures but they are adorable from what she posted :) I can't wait to see all of them! I'll try and post some on here! Don't' worry you'll know which ones they are! Mine are not that good.

Jude has his one month doctors check-up Friday. I can't wait to see how he's grown! I'm thinking he's a bit over 8 pounds now :(

Favorites of this week: He loves me. I pick him up in the morning and talk to him and he just stares. I'll throw away his diaper in the closet and he'll move his head back to follow me. And I swear Wednesday morning while I was talking to him, he smiled at me. Well I guess that's believe-able but whether it was purposeful or not I'm unsure. I like to think he did that purposefully though :0 I've decided it's not gas (or anything else) but LOVE and purposeful! I have now walked in his room 3 different mornings to a big baby smile! He may not smile tomorrow morning though because I started crying. Ha. The sweetest thing. Sooo cute. It's mutual now, he loves me, I love him. Life is good.

Funnies of Week 4: I have realized just how awesome having a stroller is!!! Becky and I met at Chesterfield Mall, Jude's first of hundreds of mall trips with Becky and I, and man, that silly stroller is amazing. Not only does it carry your baby, but purses, papers, candy, drinks, bags, anything we received we just found a spot for it on the stroller. Everyone should have a stroller! And don't worry, Jude slept nearly the entire time so I had both shades up and he was pretty much non-existent in there! We went to see Santa early so no little kids would be there! It was great.

What we learned in Week 4: I'm learning something everyday about Jude. At night I thought he had a fussy time, but really I think now, I've learned that he's just over-stimulated and over tired. So now I know what to do! I've learned that he almost religiously eats every 2 hours during the day. He'll wake up from a dead sleep ready to eat. He must have an alarm clock set in there to tell him-"hey it's 11 (food), it's 1, it's 3..." But I don't blame him! I eat fantastic food that he must love :) Ha. I've also learned that I can give him a few more minutes in the middle of the night, and he may go back to sleep instead of getting up! This has only happened about 2-3 times but hey, worth a try! He can lift each eyebrow individually! I mean what a cool kid we have! I have most importantly learned to not think about each night and whether he'll give me 3 hours, 4 hours, be up early, etc. I do however, get excited when I get a 4 hour block of sleep :) I think have established a bed time around 10-10:30 also. Phew. I'd like it a bit earlier, but it's working for us for now! Granted we start winding down for bed around 7. Ha.

Photos!!! He's just so darn cute. It was really hard to only pick 5, so I picked more than 5 :)







Great hair isn't it! He got a bath today so it spikes up!

Ahh, wish this wasn't sideways, but him and cousin Joey just being boys.

Cousin Claire holding Jude, uninterested in touching him though :)


Uma loves Jude.

He's hoping to be big and strong...like mommy!

Happy baby!

Your Favorite Family of Four
J,K,Jude,Umadog