8 Months

Here we go again...I'm another month older on my journey to becoming a whole year old. Grab a seat and let me tell you what I've been up to. Hang on tight... this month I've been a jet-setter!

I took my first trip on a plane. Mom says I did an awesome job! Even though I was tired, I managed to hold back the tears until I saw my Grammy. I totally let loose on my last leg of the trip (a 45 minute car ride to her house). Equally as divine, I was a gem on the way back home. (My brother was another story.)

Any day now my 4th tooth will be sprouting through my gums like a spring flower. In the last 2 weeks alone I've had 3 teeth come in. The pain has made me a bit irritable. I've been wearing a bib 24-7 due to all of my drool. In the middle of the night I've been crying out in pain. I can't help it, IT HURTS! My mom has been a sport through all of it though. She gets up and rocks or nurses me back to sleep. (I have been giving her breaks... there are many nights that I sleep from 7:30 PM to 7:00 AM.)

Eating is still a forte of mine. I eat like a champ. Sure, I have my preferences....but I'll eat just about anything. I've even started to feed myself some puffs and biter biscuits. My pincer grasp is getting quite impressive, if I say so myself. (I eat a regular dose of prunes....to keep me regular, if you know what I mean.)

Even though I'm eating a ton, my weight gain is under control. I'm still wearing 6-12 month clothes...although, like my brother, I prefer to be naked. A rough estimate of my weight is between 19 and 20 lbs. I'm no rocket scientist.... my scale isn't as accurate as the doctors'. You'll have to wait another month or so for the real deal.

My favorite passtime is still watching my older brother Jude. He's so facinating... but I'm starting to really make a voice for myself. I'm completely amused by people mimicking my voice. I'll often make a noise and wait for someone to return my call. (I guess it's a bit like the way birds call back and forth... and there sure is a lot of that going on this spring.) My mom says that I've even started to say mum.... but I'm not so sure about that.

Gone are the days of the baby bathtub. When I was in MI, at Grammy's house there was no tiny tub for me. I used the big boy tub and rather liked it. So, to heck with the plastic blue tub... I'm riding solo. I like to just lay back and let my mommy wash me as if I were at a full service spa.

Getting a picture of me with my sign of the month is troubling for my parents.... When the sign is within reach I just have to get my hands on it. I don't know what the big deal is. Here are some bloopers from this month's photo shoot....








My mom finally gave up and just took the sign away....





Once again, Jude thought I was having way too much fun. He wanted in on the photo shoot!


Here he is giving me one of his famous hugs... I wuv my brudder too!


Aren't we all so handsome? I wuv my daddy too...

Fun Zone

Feeling more like winter than spring, today we headed to Fun Zone with Andrea and Olivia. Jude loves to jump and today was no exception.


He did a great job navigating all of the obstacles...

Olivia had no problem getting around the place... she's such a terrific climber!

They had a couple of other things that Jude was interested in....
and of course, a Cozy Coupe....
Toward the end of our play time, Andrea took Levi so that I could encourage Jude to try some of the big ladders. He did awesome all by himself....

Don't Get Too Cozy in My Coupe

Quick Mom, let me have a turn before Jude sees me.... Levi was all smiles when he finally got a chance to take a spin. His turn lasted long enough for me to snap a few photo's... but Jude was on to us....he came right over to lay claim to his car.

Double Stroller

Now that it's getting dark later at night, we've been getting out for our evening strolls. Levi's not a huge fan of the jogging stroller yet. Jude also prefers to ride in the "blue stroller." Hopefully soon, we'll get a double jogger so that they can ride side by side.
The new definition for double stroller.....

Accident

Jude has begun playing with a little role play. It's interesting to see what he comes up with. Just when we think he's done just about everything he can with the Cozy Coupe, he thinks up something else. Here he is pretending that his car has been in an accident.

His latest invention, which I haven't caught on camera yet, is the sleeping car. When driving around in the van, Jude will yell out whatever it is that he is seeing. "Sleeping car, Mommy... that car is sleeping," Jude yells excitedly as we pass a car covered with a blanket (car cover). We're just waiting for him to ask for a blanket for the Cozy Coupe.

Levi loves checking out the entertainment....

American Idol

Levi may be a bit young to be the next American Idol, but hopefully the show will still be around by the time he's ready to make his debut. He just loves playing with his little karaoke boombox.

Swing

Liv gave Levi a little push...




This morning we headed to the playground to run off some pent up energy. Levi got to try the swing for the first time. He loved it!

Trip to MI

Bright and early April 9, we were off to Boston to begin our trip. Jude was so excited that it didn't even phase him when he was awoken at 5:30 am.... "We're going to fly in an airplane today," he say's without even a blink.

Luckily, we were informed by some friends that Joel could get a "Gate Assist" ticket to help me get through security with the two boys. Jude loved the moving stairs and the moving walkways.


Right next to our gate was the play area....



It didn't take long for Jude to make himself at home at Grammy's house. Thanks for letting us use your cars Uncle Dave!
Levi loved having a few new toys to put in his mouth too...


Grampy came over on Saturday and Sunday. He makes delicious BBQ burgers! They are so lean that you could eat them and think that you're eating steak....YUM!
Jude had a fantastic time with Grampy at the Griffin school playground....




We made quite a few trips to Grandma Eleanor and Grandpa Chuck's house. Each time they had added toys to their collection. Jude knows right where to find all of the toys (which are mostly cars and trucks of course).

Levi was frantic when we took him away from Grandma... he loved teething on her necklace.


Sun, rain, snow.... it doesn't matter what the weather, Jude loves the beach. Lucky for us, there was no snow this April. Lake Michigan isn't exactly warm this time of year though....

Watch the progression of events here:


Here goes nothin'...
pants were too wet!
and the sweatshirt!
and the t-shirt! and last but not least....the diaper!
Levi just sits back and enjoys his entertainment....






Jude got a chance to discover the playground at Chinook Pier....
He got distracted by the water so close by...so we went for a walk. (A little too early in the year for the musical fountain.)

Harbor and Washington streets are both under construction. Jude loved to watch all of the machines hard at work. (This forklift was parked nearby.)


And back to the playground... taking a look at the train.



Wednesday, Grandma and Grandpa Rycenga came over to help us celebrate Uncle Goozer's birthday (Uncle Matt).




Grammy got a new trampoline! Jude loves to JUMP...."Jumpin' on the nut, Jumpin' on the nut!" Jude's coined that phrase... who knows how it came about? It all started at Marsey's house....and boy has it stuck! (It was tough for me to get a picture... he just couldn't stop to pose for the camera. What's new?)

(We're in the process of putting the safety nets up...)



Watching the entertainment from above, Charles Levi and Grandpa Charles get a kick out of Jude.


Thank goodness for the princess books... Goldbug got to take a short break. He wasn't too far away though, he had to come to MI with us.


What a ham... he's always smiling for the camera!


Grandma and Papa made the drive to Grand Haven to visit with the boys too... It was so good to see them!



Papa helped Jude organize a car lot on the chest....


Jude wanted to take them on a walk by the water....







We all enjoyed a wonderful Sunday dinner and a fabulous chocolate torte for dessert. Thanks again Ruth, it was scrumptious!





While in MI, Levi sprouted his first 2 teeth. He looks so different!


April 19, another early morning start.... This is the tunnel at the Detroit Airport between terminals. Jude was dancing to the music while riding on the moving walkway.


The fateful fountain.... It had already been a long morning by the time we reached Detroit. Jude had so much fun watching the fountain skip and jump. Being bogged down with Levi in a carrier, a stroller, and 2 carry on bags, I wasn't fast enough to stop Jude from giving the fountain a big hug. He proceeded through the airport crying, "I want to get naked!" After many strange looks, I realized that I had a spare sweatshirt in one of my carry-ons. Thank goodness I had a dry top for him to wear!

What a great trip! Thanks to everyone who helped us make this trip so memorable!