Since I last wrote, there have been many firsts, especially in the culinary sense. Jude has expanded his palate to include cheddar cheese, egg, Thai spring rolls, red beans, rice, cereal and, his very favorite and much to the detriment of his budding teeth and the kitchen floor, jiggly jello. In fact, many a morning is spent raiding the refrigerator in search of food to appease my son with his bottomless stomach. More input and, in turn, much more output as we go through approximately 30 diapers a week . I also puree a few pounds worth of fruit and veggies, not to mention a tin of formula a week( 31 bottles worth of 6 ozs each). At this rate, if eating were an Olympic sport, Jude will certainly be a rival for Phelp’s eight gold metals.
Speaking of sports, yesterday at the beach Matt threw a squishy palm-sized stress ball to Jude. Midair, Jude snatched it and immediately shoved it toward his mouth. For the rest of the afternoon, Matt and Jude played “catch”. Matt is already talking about Little League.
Another first: playdate last week with Briggs, a ten month old down the street. Usually gregarious and playful, Jude retreated to needy mode at Brigg’s house. It just so happened to be a rainy day and as each clap of thunder roared overhead, Jude’s arms and legs coiled around me tighter and tighter like a corset. Briggs laughed.
Their only interaction was where passifiers were concerned. They both seemed to recognize that the other had a pulsating plug in mouth, so what did they do? Grabbed at each other’s passifiers and switched. A little saliva never hurt anybody. Otherwise, the two boys completely ignored each other.
One afternoon over lunch in a Thai restaurant, Jude kissed the waitress. An attractive woman with delicately painted fingernails and a soft voice, Jude initiated the contact by grinning coyly at her. Within a matter of moments, he was in her arms, smooching her cheek! She spoke to him in low tones as he responded with coos while batting his luscious eye-lashes. Weeks prior to Jude’s conception, I lived in Thailand and maybe as an androgynous floating egg, he was somehow exposed to the beauties of the “land of smiles”. Either way, it was love at first sight. My seven month old was smitten.
How could I forget the two day camping trip to Hammonasset state park in Madison, CT? After ingesting much sand, Jude quickly learned that it's better to stick with food. I kept having to clean out all of his crevices and folds, for the sand has a way of imbedding itself in the trickiest of places to access. Jude and I both loved the early morning sunrises, as we strolled along the shore. We were especially diligent about lathering Jude up in sunscreen and providing much water. He enjoyed the waves lapping at his sausage legs, spraying him with salty water in the face. For us, it was an ideal budget get-away, especially because Jude could scream all he wanted and we never had to worry about disturbing anyone since we were outdoors.
We leave Wednesday for Portland, Oregon. A metaphoric knot sits pregnant in my belly over the thought of leaving Jude to fly cross-country. Waking in the morning to his gummy smile, I cannot imagine an entire week without him. What was life prior to the baby?