Twenty-Two in Twenty-Twelve

This morning I volunteered in our church nursery~snuggling with babies as young as 4 months old. Good therapy :-) That experience~ coupled with the fact that today is the 18th and Judah is 22 months old~  is making me quite nostalgic this afternoon. As I rocked a little baby boy to sleep this morning after giving him his bottle, a flood of emotions came rushing over me remembering what it was like to hold our sweet Judah for the first time when he, too, was a mere four months old. Here he is at that age, in case you've forgotten.

We are still forever grateful that we saw his picture for the first time when he was 6 weeks old then brought him home with us just three months later. It's really been amazing to see how this baby from a far land became forever woven into every fabric of our lives. Our son. Our little miracle.

It's been a while since I've given a "Judah update" and since I'm not journaling these anywhere else but this blog, I guess it's about time. They'll be totally random and probably not 22 of them to match his birthday like I normally do~but just some fun updates and some things I absolutely love about Judah. This is such a fun age!

Judah, you are growing and changing every day. Your Daddy and I are so proud of the little boy you are becoming. Thank you for being you and for loving us. It just doesn't get any sweeter....

You still eat pretty much anything; and for that, we are grateful. Meat is not your favorite (I think it's the texture) but we find ways to coax and sneak it in. Peer pressure/follow the leader really works with you (i.e., you'll eat it if mommy and daddy are eating it). And again, we are grateful for that. I'd say your favorite things currently are Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal, Chicken/Apple Sausage (Applegate organic is delicious!), Yogurt, Raisins, Pasta, Risotto, and Tacos with refried beans....oh, and Juice. How can I forget? Even though you get juice very infrequently and it's just a splash with mostly water, you love it and haven't forgotten about it since your first taste. After asking for it, you are not very happy when I tell you your choices are "water and milk."

Despite your great appetite, you are still a skinny-minnie. (Must. invest. in. belts.) You are just so tall with such an itty-bitty waist. The doctor says not to worry; it's just those Ethiopian genetics :-)

Your second-year molars are beginning to arrive, and you (nor mommy or daddy) are very happy about it. So painful! We are all ready for the teething to be completed!!!

You like to think you're grown up and can leave the house all by yourself. You will either grab my purse and sling it over your shoulder, put my sunglasses on, or (my favorite) put one of your father's pagers on your pants and proudly wave and proclaim "Bye!" while heading to the door. You are usually headed to the store or to work. Boring but familiar, I guess ;-) Fortunately, you haven't totally escaped the building yet.

You have really nice manners. You almost always say "please" and "thank you" and are beginning to say "excuse me" when you need someone (or some thing) to move out of your way. Keep this up!

You are extremely ambitious with your gross motor skills. Your new favorite word and action is "flip" and I must say you have a pretty good forward roll. And you are still trying to swing and climb on everything imaginable. Because of this, I have enrolled you in a 10-week indoor gym class that begins in two weeks. Should be fun!

You love stickers! I mean, LOVE. This should come in handy when we begin potty-training soon :-)

You've recently begun placing your toys in a line occasionally to make a "choo choo." I know this is your almost-two-year-old need to create order in your sometimes chaotic world, but you can keep thinking it's your need to just play "train." Oh, and I'm sorry your mommy is a pyschologist.

You love balls and can now label each kind. Football and Baseball are the two front-runners. I REALLY hope the former prevails! Baseball makes mommy yawn. You are also beginning to master the function of each kind of ball. You say "kick" for soccer ball, "touchdown" and "catch" for football, and my new favorite~"air" when you want someone to toss it high like a basketball. You will soon learn that "air balls" are not very favorable :-)

You are beginning to master the concept of a "friend." It is really so sweet when you say it. And when I tell you "we're going to play with our friends," you begin to name them all.

You grunt really loudly when you give hugs, even when you're not squeezing very hard...or just putting your arms around air, for that matter. 

When someone asks me your birth date, you march proudly around the room when I exclaim March 18th. You will soon learn that march is both a month and an action verb :-)

You still really love being outside, even when it's cold. You are noticing so much about nature and I love seeing it through your eyes. You always show me the "moon" and you're beginning to say "wind" when you feel a breeze and "brrr" when it's cold.

You have a new love for singing. Thanks to your cousin, Finley, your new favorite is song is Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight, Tonight." I often hear you singing "la, la, la" and "whoa, oh, oh" in your crib. On a more educational note, you also really like to sing your ABC's and can sometimes make it to E all by yourself!

And on that same note, you can count to 4~independently and spontaneously! A few days ago, you pointed and counted the four different colored stripes on your PJs. I wish I had it on video. And you are borderline obsessed with "two" of something, always asking for and labeling "two." Guess that means you'll be super excited about your upcoming birthday!

You think Noah (the ark-builder) is Santa, exclaiming "ho ho ho" when you see him. I can see the resemblance, but we are working on this distinction.

Happy 22 Months, Judah-bean!