I Only Know Reverse

But it's a start!

Wrecking Havoc in the Living Room

For the Baby Book: Clapping

Just shy of 10 months:

Clapping

Julian has been waving and high-fiving for a few weeks now, and when he is really excited he busts out the double hand wave.  We've been helping him practice clapping lately, and this afternoon he did it for the first time on his own when Papa said "yay" and started clapping.

Bathtime Fun

Warm Weather PJs and Sleep

We've been having a bit of a cool spell, after the apex of the summer brought on some serious heat.  It was great for the beach, but now I'm ready for hoodies and stew, fall walks, and going outside without breaking into a sweat. I'm enjoying having all the windows open, feeling the breeze, and smelling the fresh cool air.  For Jules this has meant - footie PJs!  I swear nothing is cuter than a baby bum in a one piece PJ. 

Jules has been sleeping through the night fairly regularly since he hit the 9 month mark.  Unfortunately he seems to be adversely affected by the weeks that Papa works nights and is not here to do the bedtime routine.  When we realized that this was a factor (and is causing him to wake up sometime between 1 and 4 pretty freaked out, and then again every hour or so for the rest of the night) we started having a bedtime that we do together every night that Papa is here, so that when it's just me I can do it exactly the same.  So far it's been a tough ride.  I follow the routine, I sing all the songs, read the same stories, we even call Pete so that he can talk to Jules and tell him good night, and sing the Julian lullaby for him - but no dice.  Two nights ago he cried and cried when I put him down, and then was up at 1AM sad and distraught, luckily Papa was home by then and able to snuggle him.  Last night he cried for nearly an hour before he fell asleep - breaking my heart, but he didn't wake up until 7:30AM so that was an improvement.  

I know that he is capable of putting himself to sleep, and in fact sleeps better on his own than with us nowadays, I just don't know how to soothe him when all he wants is his Papa and I can't give him that.  So I'll keep on with the routine, and hopefully he will realize that he can trust me to keep it predictable for him and that Papa will be there when he wakes up in the morning.   

I have to say, this is probably the toughest thing about Pete's work, and we're lucky in that regard.  He's home with us and that's more than many military families have right now.  His wonky schedule is low on the scale of tough life in the military, so we'll just have to keep sticking together and do our best to keep the continuity there for Jules.  For now I'll keep at the solo bedtime routine and try not to lose it when he cries.

A scene from pre-bedtime playfest:

Could you resist this face? I know I can't!:

Playing with Papa

First some serious reading:

Then some serious laughing:

It's Official, Jules is a TV Star

I got a call yesterday asking if Channel 3 news could use Jules for one of their stories, only requirements:  adorableness.  

Juliet Bickford, and her cameraman Mike, showed up this morning to get shots of her putting him in the crib, drinking from a BPA-free bottle, and just cheesing for the camera with Juliet.  All in all he did well, there was a bit of fussing after being put in the crib 6 or so times, but I busted out some Joes O's, and they were able to get some more shots.  

The teasers should air throughout the day on Thursday and Friday leading up to Juliet's stories about buying bottles and cribs using Consumer Reports so keep an eye out!

Goodbyes

It was time to head back up to MD to drop off Jack and Lily this morning.  We were sad to see them go, but everyone had such a blast.  It was awesome to have them here for a whole week, and we can't wait to do it again!

And don't forget kisses for Jack!

Last Day

For our last day we went out with a bang - staying at the beach from 11-6, riding waves, playing games, and building pools and drippy castles.  From there we headed to Tiajuana Flats one of our new favorite places to eat, then to the DQ, onward home and then Jack and Lily headed to a 36 hole Putt-Putt course with Pete.  It was a fantastic day, and it has been so much fun to have Julians Aunt and Uncle hear for a week to get to know him better, and to spend time with him.

Story Time with Aunt Lily

Hanging With Lily

Beach Day 3

More Beach Day Two