Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Dear Jude,

You're one! You survived, we survived - let's celebrate! Except you're sick with a 100+ fever and only happy strapped on my back in the kinderpack while I rock back and forth. Luckily I can sway and type. These are the types of skills you gain when you have four kids.

But sad sick birthday crankiness aside, you're a pretty awesome little kid.

Loves: Food, almost all food but especially fruit. The only thing you have really rejected was you're birthday cheesecake. It made you cry. But I think we'll try again when the fever is gone and that might change.  Oh, and green beans. Those are suspicious. But tomatoes, beans and pb&js are some other favorites and you've finally decided you like eggs. But not as much as blueberries. If you see blueberries, you immediately reject all other foods. We normally pick a bunch and they last in our freezer until march or april but we're already out because you eat them daily.

Other things you love include baths, but not being forced to sit down in the tub. Cars and pushing things around. Anything - boxes, carts, tables, chairs. If you can push it, you will. That's true about climbing as well. You love to climb. You've been kinda fussy inside lately, probably because I keep stopping you from climbing all the things and opening all the drawers and lazy suson and spilling all my food and just generally impose limits on all your fun plans. So inside you like to be held or worn unless of course your big siblings are entertaining you. Otherwise, you prefer to be outside. You love to be outside. You love the sandbox and have finally stopped eating sand. You love to push toys around. You love to go up and down the little set of stairs to the yard. I hold my breathe each time expecting you to fall because you insist on climbing down face first but you haven't ever falled. You love to follow the big kids around and will climb up the hill all the way to the tree house, climbing dome or chicken coop just to see what they are up to without even glancing back at me.

Which is funny because at other times you are super clingy. You don't like church nursery anymore unless I am sitting down and talking to someone without even attempting to look in the direction of the door. You like to play with daddy as long as I'm not in the room then you are a fair weather friend. I know it's just a phase and before long you'll be prefering other to mommy but for now I appreciate the love. You really love your siblings though. They can make you smile and laugh when nothing else seems to work. And you love to make them laugh. You've recently turned into a little comedian and you love it when they laugh at your antics and you'll repeat it to make them laugh again. And even if the action itself isn't that funny the second (or third or fourth time), when they know you're doing it to make them laugh, it makes it funny and everyone obliges you by cracking up.

You want to be in on all the action. You love to be out and about, are a great road-tripper and don't seem to realize you aren't a big kid yet.

You love to play peek-a-boo, to be tickled, to clap and copy people pointing. You love to share you food with us even if we don't want it (we have to take it and at least pretend to eat it or you just keep insisting). You're starting to love books - both being read to on my lap or just sitting by yourself and flipping the pages.

You started walking last week but prefer to crawl still, most often the bear crawl. No need to damage your knees! You can say da-da but don't really say it much.

You're starting to sleep through the night which is nice. I didn't realize how nice until the last few days when you haven't because you're sick. I'm ready to go back to that. You still take two naps but can do one if we are on the go a lot that day which is quite a nice stage.

The last few weeks you've really seemed to grow up and I love watching your little brain work. You love your car ramp toy and your ball pounding toy and like to do them over and over again. You also spent about 10 minutes yesterday putting pegs into your peg car and dumping them out again. We have another little game we play together where you walk your bouncy ball over to the laundry basket and drop it in and I clap for you. It's a fun one.

My favorite thing you do is when I pick you up, you rest your head on my shoulder and pat my back. You have me wrapped around your finger and you know it. We call you Jude the Dude, Jude-y (probably should probably stop that one soon), Little Pookie and Baby boy. I might stop that last one externally but not internally, you're my baby and you always will be. You're everyone's favorite Jude! Happy Birthday!