Little Things: Jude, 19 Months

I got this idea from a friend of a friend, who posts "Little Things" about her kids from time to time in order to remember their behaviors at different stages. We'll see how this goes.

Language:

Jude's communication has really exploded in the past six weeks or so. He says a lot of words now on his own, and copies almost anything we say. A few of his mispronunciations are especially funny. Jude still loves to drink his MUP (milk) and the transition from bottles to cups is going slowly. He also loves to read a BUP (book), especially while drinking mup. He will happily wave goodbye with a big smile while saying DIE! He calls the baby DEEDEE. And he always asks for a DITE of whatever I'm eating. It's funny, because we know he can make the B sound (he says BOBO, BOO, and BUP) but for some words he replaces with a D consistently. Jude loves answering the phone with a cheery HEY-YO. Daddy is now "DADDY-ADDY" and Mama is "MUM". I have no idea where he picked up those names. Jude is also starting to branch out into concepts instead of just things that he can see and touch. He is very clear about when he wants to go UP or NOWN, whether he is ready to get OUT or IN, and whether something should be OPEN or CLOSED. He loves to turn the lights ON and OFF. He will also sometimes admit to being tired, hungry, thirsty, or hot (rarely is he cold).

Sleep:

Jude is officially down to one nap a day, starting around mid-day and usually lasting 2-3 hours. He sleeps for 11-12 hours at night, waking at around 7am (give or take 30 minutes) no matter what time he falls asleep. Sometimes sickness or teething or a bad dream wakes him in the middle of the night, but for the most part he sleeps pretty soundly. Even when he does wake up, he can usually be rocked back to sleep pretty quickly. I can only hope that the new baby sleeps as well as Jude. The bedtime routine includes a bottle of mup and some bups, tooth brushing, diaper change, PJs, and singing a few songs while rocking to calm him. He still sleeps with his binkie and blankie, but is usually willing to leave them in his crib when it's time to get up.

Eating:

Jude usually has a pretty good breakfast (waffles, eggs, fruit, etc.) and another good-sized meal as well as several snacks. He really like pineapple (PI-APPLE) and a dite of whatever Mum is eating (he knows Mum eats the best stuff). He also loves goldfish crackers and cheese. Jude will accept spoon feeding when he's really hungry, but most of the time insists on doing it on his OWN, often with a spoon or fork. We've switched from baby yogurts to the plain whole-milk Nancy's mixed with fruit, and this makes a big mess when Jude feeds himself, but he is getting a lot better. Now almost every bite makes it to his mouth without flipping over. Jude is also less tolerant of sitting in his baby eating chair, and will sometimes insist on eating out of an adult chair. Unfortunately, it can be hard to get him to actually sit down - he's usually kneeling, standing, climbing, or doing anything but sitting.

Activities:

Favorite activities include solving puzzles, watching Elmo, cleaning, and playing outside. We have started taking Jude for walks where he actually walks instead of being carried or pushed. He really loves this, although his companions need to make sure they don't have their own agenda. A walk with Jude usually involves a lot of stopping to pick up rocks and sticks as well as testing the rules to see if he can walk into the road or down a steep hill. On the trails, he always picks the downhill option, and just yesterday invented a game called "RUN" in which he grabs someone's hand, says RUN, and runs downhill as fast as he can, tripping and falling all the way down (that's why he needs the hand). He is also experimenting with jumping off of things, like tables and stairs. Another favorite game is "IN" - where he slides himself back behind the bed in his room while Daddy reads to him, then gets pulled out when he decides he is stuck. Jude also likes to hide and he likes to say BOO when he is done hiding. In the mornings, after his mup and bup with Mama, he likes to go IN (i.e. under) the covers with the DEEDEE. Sometimes Mama and Daddy have to stay OUT, and sometimes we can join him. He also likes to play JUDE DOIT, where he stands on the bed and falls backwards onto the blankets while laughing hysterically. This kid is a serious daredevil, much to Daddy's chagrin.

I'm sure there are a million other things that I should be including here, but this is all I have for now...