Orchard

We went out to Fruit Ridge Farm just outside the city last night to do Fall stuff. He picked this apple and immediately tore into it. (You can hear him whispering "apple", then "bite".) He was so thrilled with that piece of fruit; he kept it firmly between his two paws like a chipmunk and didn't stop gnawing on it for an hour, occasionally sharing a bite when asked.

He was dressed like a little lumberjack, and he had a great time riding behind the horses, going through the woods on the wagon, playing in the pumpkin field, picking that apple and chasing a kitty.

He has such a tiny voice right now, I'm going to try not to ever forget how it sounds.

All Stars

Half n' Half

Somebody got his Canadian card in the mail yesterday. He is now officially 76 centimeters tall and a dual citizen.

Aren't you proud Grandma K? :)

Spilled Milk

The first sentence I remember hearing Jude say was when I asked him where his Daddy was in a photo. He pointed at Jono's face and said, "There he is!"

Since then he's said "Light, I see it!" (pointing to a lamp) and "Look at that!" (after something he thinks is cool just happened). There are also plenty of things he says that have no translations.

Yesterday as he finished his supper he tipped his sippy cup over and put pressure on the nozzle so it would release a small puddle of milk onto his tray. He pressed his face down into it, nose and mouth in full contact with the liquid, and slurped it up until it was gone. He raised his head and looked at me, a drop of milk trembling on the end of his nose and another one running down his chin.

"Slurp it," he said.

He followed the same routine another five or six times, saying "slurp it" every time.

I sat there quietly, intrigued. As often as Jono and I are tempted to slurp milk off the table, I'm thinking he must've picked this up at daycare. Either that or we're in denial he's becoming a little boy. He's so nonchalant lately. When one of us walks into the room he casually raises a hand and says, "Oh, hi."

He seems to have picked up on the social cues of an older child.

For now I'll just watch. And laugh.

Upper Peninsula

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
(Photos by Tyler)

Captain Underpants

I turned from folding t-shirts to find him rummaging through my sock and underwear drawer, chattering to himself. Smirking, I went about my business, putting clean laundry back in its place.

A few minutes later I glanced at him again. He had a pair of my strawberry-speckled underpants on his head, a bit of his light-brown hair poking out from a leg hole. He was looking at me, eyes wide and twinkling, hands at his sides, the corners of his mouth waiting for me to notice.

"Hat," he said proudly, a hint of glee in his voice.

I couldn't resist. I went to the drawer, chose a peach-colored pair and put it on my head.

"Hat," I said, echoing him.

Our faces were inches from each other, gazes locked, a pair of underpants on each of our heads. We were giving each other the same intense look and marveling at how hilarious we were.

I was thinking in that moment (and in many moments before and since)...

i love this boy.

(Jude and me, a Spring or two ago)

Stylin'

I've heard it said that it isn't as fun to dress boys as it is to dress girls. Frankly, I love boy stuff. Better than girl stuff. Not that I've ever had any opportunity to buy girl things, but whatever. Don't tell me the items below aren't more irresistible than any tu-tu you've ever seen. Don't tell me.

My friend Ernie has a hat similar to this one, picked by his wife of good taste, Kristen.
I think Jude could pull it off spectacularly.

From Woodland Rogue on Etsy

If we lived in Liverpool I might dress him in this:

But these will do. Based on British flashcards.
(They'd do a whole lot better if they weren't so bloody expensive.)

From Charlie and Sarah on Etsy

OR, Jude and mama could be twinners. A shirt for him, a bag for me:

Charlie and Sarah again, on Etsy

OR we could be twinners again wearing matching shirts.
This may be taking it too far. But I'll admit, I'm going there in my head.




From Happy Family on (where else) Etsy

Hmmm. There is a 2nd birthday coming up. And I suppose I could make a couple of exceptions to his second-hand wardrobe, for the occasion.