Words

Jude's language skills are exploding. It seems like every day he says a new word. Here are a few of his most consistently-used words:

Uh-oh - this was his first "word", and is still the one he uses the most. Sometimes it comes out more like uh-ooo, or ai-ooo, but we still know what he means. When he drops something, he'll repeat uh-ooo over and over until someone picks it up for him (if he's not able to get it himself).

Hi - this one is a real crowd pleaser, especially among the grandma set. It comes with a huge smile.

Da-da - an obvious favorite

Moo - Jude, what does the cow say?

Hoo - Jude, what does the owl say?

Dog-dog - anytime he sees a dog or a picture of a dog

Hug - although the untrained ear might not be able to figure this one out

Bobo - the name of the monkey in his HUG book

Ball - anytime he sees a ball

Du-t - this is how he says "duck"

There are a couple of others he's said a few times, like "house" and "mouse", and sometimes he'll deign to call me "Mama". I can't wait to see what he has to say in a month from now!

I love this photo of Jude and the leaves. He ran and played and fell in leaf piles all afternoon on Wednesday. Wish I could have been there!

The Last Fall Day

The sun shone bright and warm on that last sunny day of our fall. Jude, Gregor, and E Ben jumped in the car and headed out the Gorge, to great-grandmother's house in Hood River.

We raked leaves, went for a hike, and breathed in the changing season.

Jude is finally getting the hang of raking.

On our way back to Portland, we stopped at the Charburger Restaurant, a family favorite that sits on the banks of the Columbia River in the town of Cascade Locks. I introduced Jude to an old friend of mine - Injun Joe, the wooden Indian. Jude was pretty scared, but he still managed to touch Joe on the knee. Joe didn't say a word.

Baby in the Belly

We've been playing "Baby in the Belly" lately around our house. Sometimes we ask Jude "Where's the baby?". He might point to my belly, or to his belly. Sometimes he just wants to stick his finger in my belly button. The other night we used the doll baby, sticking it into a pouch in my zip-up jacket. I don't think he really gets it, but he does love his baby doll...

So, in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet, we are expecting Baby #2. Official due date is May 1, and so we have just completed the first trimester. People have been telling me that mothers always seem much more relaxed when pregnant with their not-first baby. I definitely feel relaxed about some things. I have a funny example. With Jude, we saved every fragment of paper, ultrasound picture, and piece of literature related to pregnancy. For this baby, I haven't even started a folder. We did get a photo from the first ultrasound (which I can't find), but I've had two more ultrasounds since then and completely forgot to ask for a printout. So, I basically have no physical evidence at all of this baby (other than my changes, which are not inconsiderable).

In general, this pregnancy has been easier (so far) than Jude's. I had morning sickness for a few weeks, but not the 20 weeks of sickness with Jude. I've also been really tired and spending a lot of time on the couch. See photo evidence below - luckily Jude is really into reading books these days. I don't remember being this tired last time, but then again I didn't have to spend my non-working time chasing around a toddler. I probably spent just as much time on the couch, but since I had nothing better to do nobody noticed. Pregnancy has been good for my book-reading count. Nine books in September, and ten in October! A new record. I'm taking a little break for the first few days of November.

I'd better save the rest of the details for a later post, since we need enough material for a post a day for the month of November. Luckily the pregnancy is no longer a secret, so I can write about what's really on my mind.

And for those of you trying to do the math, Jude and the new baby will be about 20 months apart if he/she goes full term. Jude's had a real good life so far. I hope he's enjoyed it. Once May hits, it'll never be the same.

Chores at The Ranch

Jude has been spending a lot of time with his Grammie this month. He gets to sleep over her house, but he does have to work for his keep. Here are some photos of Jude doing his chores up at The Ranch.

Raking...

Blowing leaves...

Potting some plants for the winter...

And last but not least, sorting nuts...

Hey Jude Schematic

(credit to loveallthis)

Thanks to a friend, we now have this creative flow chart of Jude's namesake, of Beatles fame. Notice how the "na" repeats.

Halloween Video

Here's a video from last night:

Closed Captions (for Jeff): "Do that to mom, show her, show her how you do that... Halloween 2009: Jude was a pumpkin on the outside, but he's a pirate on the inside."

First Halloween

This year marked Jude's first real Halloween experience. He dressed up as a pumpkin, and we visited 4 separate houses to get candy for our bucket. He's a cute pumpkin, alright. This post marks the first of many that will scar Jude later in life.

I predict this shot will make it into Jude's high school yearbook with the caption, "We love you, pumpkin!"

Trick or treating at the neighbor's house ~ Jude poses with the ladies (Alice, Pocahontas, and The Girl from that one book.)

By the end of the night, Jude was feeling the spirit of All Hallow's Eve. We stayed up past his bedtime to wait for trick-or-treaters. He got a little rambunctious (in retrospect, it might have been his first piece of chocolate.) He chased us around the room with his Derek Jeter bat, a pirate sword, and a hairbrush.

In his excitement, Jude fell down and bit his lip about 7:30. That ended the night, but at least we finished up with some blood and gore!