Jude ate all of his rice cereal!

Jude did much better with his rice cereal last night when we added just a touch of Peach baby food. I think he just needed a little flavor. I haven't tried the rice cereal myself (and am not planning on it) but it just looks pretty gross. We kind of think it looks like mush for any other Big Brother fans out there. (Ryan was glad A Baller won, but my mom thinks he was crazy- creepy eyes and all, in case you were wondering)

The baptisim is all set for May 18th now and we can't wait to have all our family and friends together. I hope it is a really special day. I would joke that there may be a snowstorm, but with this winter it could really be true. Stupid midwest. I love the seasons, but I just know we are going to switch right from 50s to the 80s for summer- completely missing my favorite temps. But it could be worse- I could be without power from the hurricanes again (or lying on the beach- I am NOT bitter).

I met Gordon Ramsay!

I MET GORDON RAMSAY!!!! It was pretty cool. He was at Macy's signing his new cookbook. Play by play: Ryan and I said hello (I called him Gordon (figured first name basis) and Ryan called him chef (he probably loved that)), we got to shake hands with him, and he gave me a double take (it wasn't just me that thought that- Ryan said it too). I said I loved the show and he informed us he isn't always that mean. Ryan asked for him to call him a donkey- he just said "what is it with that word?" and then told us to get out of there.... love it!

I guess Ryan knows someone that asked if she could get a kiss, and he actually kissed her on the cheek! Guess I missed that opportunity. Next time! I have a picture on my cell phone, but because we are what I call frugal, we can't upload it to share.

Still enjoying the webcam

We are still loving the webcam. A few nights ago Jude and Malia got to say hi to each other, or as Malia said it "Hhhhhhi" (in a soft whisper right in to the computer screen). Malia also tried feeding Jude some play food through the computer screen. It was really cute. The Grandmas and Grandpas also saw him last night and can't believe how much he has grown. I can't believe it either. I pick out an outfit for him to wear in the morning, kind of thinking it will be too big but I might as well try it, and then.... it fits perfectly!

He has discovered that if he blows through his lips then it really gets that spit going. As if it wasn't enough to just drool down his shirt, now he also likes to spray the spit everywhere. As you can see in the pictures he is standing up in his excersaucer, and sitting up in his Bumbo chair. Stitch loves it when he is in the Bumbo because he is at her level. She will walk right up to him and give him a kiss! I am not sure if it is a loving or mean kiss, but it is still kind of cute.

We can't wait for it to get warmer again. We were having fun getting back from daycare and taking a walk to meet dad at the train station. Stitch liked that she finally got out too. I think she did a record of 10 potty stops the last trip (she is making up for all of the short trips we took her on over the fridgid winter).

Wish us luck- Ryan and I just found out that our favorite chef (and favorite reality show personality) is in town- Gordon Ramsay!!!! We HAVE to meet him. He is at Macy's signing his book. I think we may just have to buy it..... who needs money for diapers :)

Happy 5 month birthday Jude!

So Jude has offically graduated to trying food! We gave him just a little rice cereal last night before his bottle, and he seemed to do fairly well. Especially considering that he has never eaten from a spoon before. He got most of it down, but just kind of mashed it around in his mouth wondering what this strange thing was.

Jude got his first school picture already. We are hoping that it turned out okay. He is always smiling for us, but I am not sure how he did for a stranger. It is a fun week at daycare- Monday was crazy hair day (Ryan wouldn't let me put gel in his hair to make a mohawk- babies and their sensitive skin), and today was backwards day. Jude is decked out in a polo shirt and khaki pants- backwards of course. "cris cross will make you jump, jump, jump." Purple day on Friday was a little hard- everything looked girly, so we found purple socks and will put those on him so he can still be part of the fun!

I am having a good week at my work too- Wednesday is administrative professional day and my work is celebrating the whole week! I never got the one day at any other job, let alone the whole week! We got donughts, drawings for prizes and for free days off of work, etc.

Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather. I know we are. Oh, and Jude says happy birthday to his aunt Melody, and Uncle Qadree.

Malia is home!

This past weekend was very exciting. Malia is now home!!! It seems like she has always known us- playing with her cousin Garrett (doing a little hugging and maybe a few body slams in to the ground), letting her aunt/godmother hold her at The Mall, and just melting our hearts with her smile. I also got to see my other goddaughter, Aislinn. She is so precious and tiny! I forget that babies can be that small. I must love her a lot, because I couldn't stop staring in to her little eyes even though she did poop in my hands!

I don't know what else to say about Jude the Dude- he is just as perfect as ever. I think he was glad to get back to daycare after the crazy weekend. He is really growing- he takes focus on an object and reaches out and grabs it! I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is really a good step! He also LOVES his new Bumbo chair. He just sits up in it and looks around - you can just see the wheels turning. I went through his closet and dresser and took out all of the clothes that he doesn't fit into anymore- and boy were there a lot. Too bad I didn't do it eariler to give to my cousing, Don, who just had a baby boy (Samuel John Scheibel). Jude is just trying to keep growing so he can fit in all of his cute summer shorts, shirts, and even a rash guard for when he rips into those waves!

Tuesday nights with TiVo

The only reason I can update the blog tonight is because we have a dual tuner TiVo and a normal TiVo hooked up in our house.... big night tonight- Biggest Loser, American Idol, Hell's Kitchen, Big Brother, and results of Dancing with the Stars!!!! What is a house to do? Sad I know, but it is all of our favorites in one night. We are excited that the writer's strike is over and we can watch something other than reality tv (although I won't hide that I love that too).

Jude is doing great - he is still the favorite at daycare. He is smiling and laughing away as you can see in the pictures. We took him downtown shopping on Saturday and just walked around enjoying the nice weather. He cheered Bucky and Nicole on at the Shamrock Shuffle run last weekend by Soldier Field (although after standing out in the drizzle we somehow missed crossing the finish line). You can tell he likes the fresh air after being locked up all winter with his crazy mom. We will probably start him on food soon- exciting but a little nervous too! He is up to 6 oz and daycare thinks he should maybe go up to 8 oz. I guess he is very vocal (that is what we call crabby) when he finishes his bottle.

Shelley, Malia, Mom and Dad are winding up their time in China. The adoption should be finalized and they should be in Hong Kong at Disney. Aislinn sounds like she is doing well still- sleeping like a normal baby should (we still love you Garrett). And more baby news- my cousin Donnie (Don) and his wife Amber just had their baby boy- Samuel John Scheibel. Holidays are going to be crazy!!! I was glad to hear Grandma is doing better. She is in a walking cast and can put some pressure on it. She is going to be able to make it out to the airport to great Malia. I am getting excited- only a few more days!

I met Erica!

So, for most of you, this won't be a big deal, but this past weekend I got to meet Erica Vetrini (from The Apprentice and from In the Loop; with IVillage) at a fashion show at Union Station. In the Loop was a show I watched every day, or TiVoed if I took Jude to our Tuesday movie day, during my maternity leave. It was a fun daytime talk show that filmed in Chicago but aired throughout the country. I almost got to take Jude to be in the studio audience but the show got cancelled. Anyway, she was really nice and down to earth. She loved Jude, of course. The fashion expo/show was pretty cool, but as Ryan put it- if a bomb went off, half of the beautiful people in Chicago would have died (we did not include ourselves in that statement- well... Jude). Jude was a trouper, as always. He looked adorable in a yellow zip up sweater, and got everyone thinking Ryan and Bucky were his cute gay parents.

We are counting down the days until we travel to Minnesota to see Aislinn, and to meet Malia and Shelley (and my parents) at the airport. We were able to get the webcam working and talked to them/saw them in their hotel room all the way across the world. Malia looked like she wasn't sure who was talking to her, but even Ryan and I can't believe that we can do that. It just seems so "futuristic." It was great to see her playing with her toys, drinking her apple juice, and smiling away. We did it with Aislinn and Garrett, too. We could even hear Aislinn with her adorable hickups.