Butternut Squash and Boo's!

My favorite veggie! 

 Keep watching til the end...apparently mommy's "boo's" are funny and scary!

Punkins!

Judah loves all things orange; it is obvious that it's one of his favorite colors (in addition to yellow). While sometimes this can be negative (i.e., Tennessee Vols, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, etc.), most times it's a positive thing--especially this time of year! Although Judah seemed to enjoy his first trip to a pumpkin patch, his mommy and daddy enjoyed it much more! I had no idea that we would actually get to pick our pumpkins off the vine...way cool. Of course, Judah was the cutest punkin' of all!

Hats with Straps, Anyone?

Well, this could be a problem this winter....

Judah looking adorable in his hat before our morning walk

 Look mom, I've learned to take it off myself!

The look that makes mom laugh hysterically

Clearly, he's doing this all the time now because this is how found him when I went to get him out of his stroller on a different day...little stinker :-)

Play Date!

Although I'm not terribly fond of the term, "play date," that truly is what commenced last week...my friend and I set a date for our boys to meet and "play." Friend and co-worker, Alison Bernard, recently adopted a baby boy from Ethiopia. In fact, we were in Ethiopia meeting our boys (who are just one month apart, by the way) at the same time this past summer! We used different agencies and as you have read, our "free" time in Ethiopia was limited, so unfortunately Alison and I did not get to meet up while in Ethiopia. I'm embarrassed to say that it has taken us three months to plan this "date," but hey--we're both new moms so we've been pretty busy :-) Anyways, Judah had so much fun with his new friend, Truman. There was hair pulling and toy stealing (by Judah only), but we think fun was had by all! I mean seriously, are these not the two cutest babies you've ever seen?! Yep, that's my Judah eating his truck :-)

Post-cuteness Epilogue #1 :
What are the chances that your desktop computer and your camera are broken at the same time?! Pretty sure it's slim chances, but I happen to be included in those odds. Anyways, because of faulty equipment I am super behind on my blogging. There has been lots of October excitement for Judah that mommy has yet to capture in our little electronic journal here...a trip to Alabama to meet his aunt, uncle, cousins, Pop, great-grandparents, and BFFs; a trip to the pumpkin patch; lots of new foods he's tasted for the first time--the list goes on and on.
Our computer is up and running now (for the moment) and our camera is currently at the Canon Service Center with plans to return home (fixed, I hope!) in about a week. Anyways, I've had to rely on my old camera as well as other people to take pictures and send to me--so bear with me, I hope to catch up soon!

Epilogue #2 (with more cuteness): Our little man is now 7 months old! Happy Birthday BooBoo!

Beach Baby!

This past weekend, Jeff and I loaded up Judah and Allie, packed our Jeep full, and headed east to Wrightsville Beach, NC. Our first family vacation with Judah was awesome; the only complaint was that it wasn't long enough! Our dear friends, the Geer's, joined us with their precious 3 month-old son, Carson. It was good for Judah to get in some play-time with one of his best buds. And Carson was patient as Judah stole his toys and pulled his hair :-) Although a little chilly, the weather was perfect for us! Our little beach cottage, even more perfect!
Perhaps I did have high expectations that after seeing the beach for the first time, Judah would show that he loved it as much as his mommy. Although there were no shouts of joy, he contently went for strolls along the shore (thank goodness for the Bob stroller!) and he chilled on the beach for several hours. However, he seemed rather indifferent when he heard the crashing waves, smelled the sea salt, and felt the sand for the first time with his toes....probably has something to do with the fact that he is 6 months old?! Anyways, indifferent is better than dislike, and I have a feeling the next time we take him to the beach, he will glean full appreciation of the fact that it is "heaven on earth" just like mommy says! All in all, I think he really liked it and it was a WONDERFUL weekend get-away for our little family!

Judah enjoying his teething rings as Daddy enjoys his morning coffee on the front porch

Strolling in the Bobs with his bud, Carson

First time his toes hit the sand....he didn't notice, but Mommy did!

Beach bum

What's up, everybody?!

Daddy is so fun!

Family pic at a great restaurant. And of course, Sophie the giraffe, made the picture!

Rocking with Daddy after dinner

Sunset with Mommy on the porch

Early morning stroll

The ocean makes me sleepy!

Brunching it along the Cape Fear River in Wilmington

180

Degrees, that is. Our little man is learning how to get where he wants to go...independently...way too soon! I really think he may be crawling any day now. Just this week, he's learned to pull his knees under him, only to slide back down to his comfortable position of cobra (for all you yogi's out there :-) after a few seconds. And it is amazing how I find him in his crib when he wakes from his naps. We don't have a video monitor so it's always a fun surprise to see where he's going to be and which way his head will be facing...and yes, sometimes it's a complete 180! Below are pics from the first time I saw that he knew how to "move." They are from a few weeks ago (I know, bad mommy) and the progression of pics will have to do, because I had the camera and not the video recorder in my hand at the time.

Why is mom always flashing this light in my eyes?

It makes me tired

Hey, what's back there?!

Let's find out

I think it's my favorite play mat

Yes!

I'll use the pole to help me turn around (my little problem-solver :-) 

Almost there!

Yay!

So tired, I'm rolling over to rest 

Half-Birthday!

Our baby boy had half of a birthday on Saturday...that's right, Judah Wells Nix is now 6 months old! When I briefly become sad about how fast time is flying by and how quickly he is growing up, I am reminded to be thankful that we were able to celebrate his six months of life TOGETHER as a family of three. I am thankful that I am touching his soft skin, hearing his laughter, and smelling his sweet scent. I am thankful that within two months of meeting him, he knows I am Mommy and Jeff is Daddy. I am thankful that he looks to us for assurance when in doubt. I am thankful that he is strong, alert, and very inquisitive. I am thankful that he eats well and makes lots of noises when doing so. I am thankful that he sleeps through the night and still takes multiple naps during the day. I am thankful for all of the "firsts" that we've gotten to experience because we met him at such a young age~something we never thought we would be blessed to see, due to the nature of adoption. Here are just a few highlights of the firsts:

Rolling over

Sitting up

Eating cereal

Eating first veggies

Attending church for the first time

Making raspberries with his lips...since he discovered this sound, it's nonstop! More video to come...

Hopefully Judah will thank us one day for his 6-month birthday present....attending his first college football game, featuring the National Champions~Mommy and Daddy's alma mater, The University of Alabama! Unfortunately, it was not on UA's beautiful campus (tailgating on the Quad will have to happen when he's a little older :-), but the Tide rolled onto Duke's campus, which happens to be 15 minutes from our house in North Carolina. It was super hot on Saturday with no shade in the stadium, so we only stayed until half-time...appropriate for his half-birthday I guess:-).

All decked out in crimson and ready to head to the game at Duke

KK and MeMe (my BFF's, Nancy, mom) join us for the game!

Judah and Daddy in front of Duke Chapel

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT 6 MONTHS, LITTLE MAN!