Judah - An Update

There are few words to describe just how delightful Judah is. After almost 1.5  years of baby blues (I hesitate to say PPD because I am unsure if that’s what it was), I emerged from the haze to find that I am undeniably irrevocably head over heels in love with this little boy. It sounds odd to say, because prior to feeling like myself I LOVED Judah, he was such a source of happiness for our family and for me, and I treasured every aspect of his little self, but the spontaneous feelings of in-love-ness weren’t as present. I was suffering. I mourned the loss of Liliana as my baby. I just wasn’t myself.

Oh but now I understand entirely how each subsequent baby will somehow mysteriously expand my heart and make it capable of love beyond what I knew I was capable of, because somehow I love each of my children so much that when I think about it, it’s hard to breath for how much I love them. (And don’t even get me started on how each baby makes me even MORE in love with my husband!).

I mean, seriously, how adorable is he? Of course I forgot his suit when
we were headed to a symphony after basketball, so he got to wear his favorite clothes to the Christmas symphony

Judah is SUCH a joy! I spend so many nights watching him sleep with his angelic blond hair and long eyelashes. He is tender, articulate, and passionate. Of course he has a penchant for the odd tantrum and he finds it hard to share his favorite toys, but I chalk that up to normal behavior. What really gets me about him is his empathy and sensitivity. If he is disobeying me I tell him that he is making my heart hurt and he RUNS to me, covering my face with kisses and saying “sorry mommy, sorry mommy.” It makes it frighteningly easy to discipline him because his sense of guilt is very strong if he is informed that he is hurting someone he loves. Almost every night I hear the pitter-patter of his feet as he comes to crawl in our bed, but we always let him. I’ll wake up to him stroking my arms or with his little around Joe’s neck. These are the days!

So thrilled with his Christmas tool set from St. Nick

Modelling the gloves for Daddy on fight night

A beautiful thing about our boy is his sensitivity to and love for his great-grandfather, "Papa", who has Alzheimer's disease. He is very protective of Papa and always concerned about something he is doing. At night he prayers for "Papa's broken brain feel better." It is so sweet.

A valentine's day snuggle

He has had quite the year. Since being 18 months old he has learned to talk in sentences, use the toilet, shoot basketballs/pucks/soccer balls, play pass, jump, feed himself, dress himself, do somersaults, and even pray. These early years of major development always astound me.

He gave up naps incredibly early....the odd day though he just can't fight it

Judah certainly has his quirks. He is obsessed with basketball and will only wear his basketball shorts and shirt when we are home. He also must sleep in them, and so we put them over his pyjamas. He knows that he is not allowed to wear them out in the cold and so he carries them with him. Recently I have started putting them in a little backpack because they were getting very dirty getting dragged around everywhere. It is a hugely dramatic moment when I inform him that we must wash his shorts and shirt. He stands there with his head against the glass door of the washing machine watching his shorts go around and around on speed cycle. The odd time I can lure him away with a show or snack.

Forced to wear a snow suit in -20, so his basketball shorts were in his pocket

He is also incredibly sensitive to scary things and if something is dark he is afraid of bad guys or ghosts. This is new territory for us as Liliana didn’t have a phase like this. We have to work hard at being patient when it makes the bedtime routine longer than it needs to be or he won’t play alone because he scared of “bad guys down there.”

I never want to forget how Judah adores his older sister. He is always concerned for her well-being and we often hear him say, “you be cawful weeanna!”He follows her around like a little puppy dog wanting to play with her. The odd time he’ll be rewarded with a character to participate in her game. He just lights up. I’ve stumbled across them snuggling, and he’ll be stroking her face or she’ll be “reading” him a book. Those are the little moments that make my heart sing.

I am treasuring these moments of having him with me all day every day. The other night as Joe and I were falling asleep I whispered that I don’t ever want Judah to grow up. He is just so darling and dear. Thank you, our dear son, for being such a delightful 2 year old. We are so grateful for the gift you are to our family!

(A little video of Judah's new counting talent)