Rhett had a birthday party last weekend and Mom and Butch and the Jett family were all here for it! It was wonderful to have "Hughes" family here to share a birthday. Rhett was not too interested in demolishing the cake, but respectfully took a taste when I picked it up and offered it to him. It was clearly too sticky and messy for him to hold. He is getting so big and is saying momma and dada now, and "more" in sign language. I estimate he's a little over 20lbs, but getting bigger everyday. I just picked him up last week and thought, wow, he's getting heavy! Oh, and he will eat absolutely anything we feed him...ANYTHING...it is great! He's also a wonderful sleeper. I can just lay him down in his crib and he goes to sleep...what a notion, I know, but this was not the case with precious #1. Rhett is in.to.everything! Jude was never this way. He was uninterested in destroying things or disturbing things too much, but Rhett can tear it up with the best of them. He has the bumps and bruises to prove it! I don't remember Jude EVER having a goose egg on his head (minus the fall off the bleachers and cat scan), but I have lost count of the giant bumps the Rhett has incurred. There's just no stopping this child! He's just inquisitive and awesome...I love him! I also love Jude for his reserved and safe personality! He gets a gold star for being aware of his surroundings....always...and for wanting things a particular way and structured just so. Rhett is walking and has been since he was 10 months old. He took his first steps in IL this summer at 9 months, and was practically running by month 10! Jude walked right at a year. Jude also had many more teeth than Rhett at this age (6). Rhett only has 2 teeth (on the bottom) still. It's so interesting how two children from the same ingredients can be so very different...looks and personality!
Jude LOVES everything music! He has loved the drums since he was tiny, and now he's into drumming on anything that will make noise. He helps Dallas out in the sound booth at church, so now he pretends his toy laptop is soundboard. It's really very creative of him. We are getting him drums for Christmas this year, and I can't wait to see his eyes light up when he sees them for the first time! Rhett is now picking up on the drumming as well. We may have a Martin family band on our hands here.
Jude learned how to swim this summer! He swims all on his own, the entire length of the pool...as many times as you ask him to! He can dive to the bottom for toys and bring them back up for you. He learned in about 2 weeks of solid swimming at the neighborhood pool. He was a brown berry this summer, while Rhett has a fair tone. Rhett wasn't too interested in the water. He definitely was in the water a lot, but not interested in being set free.
We recently took a weekend road trip to Atlanta, GA to watch the Braves play in a playoff series. It was Bobby Cox's last series as the Braves coach, and it was a BLAST. I really can't think of one bad thing about the trip. Sure it was 14 hours in the car each way and we ran out of gas on the way, but it was still so so fun! We visited the Zoo Atlanta, underground Atlanta, Turner Field, The Varsity, Centennial Park, CNN and the Cyclorama. We are investing in memories, and Jude had such a great time! He talks about it all of the time.
Jude Really wants to go to school. He's asks, almost daily, when he can start school. I refrained from sending him this fall, selfishly because I'm not ready to give him up yet, but we are really considering sending him for the winter semester in January. I just know that he would love it. We did come to a compromise though, he started soccer this fall, which mainly consists of standing around and running after a herd of other kids. He's not been to interested (he likes the uniform more than the game). He's really into having shirts with numbers on the back. He likes to look like the real deal. Jude is very particular on clothing. He likes to pick out what he wears, and we usually never match or look appropriate for public (thankfully most of our time is spent playing at home). Jude had his first trip to the Dentist in September, and he did so well. I was very proud of him.
Jude LOVES milk. He has always loved milk. He was a picky eater for a long time, but milk has always been a staple for him. He likes to have it when he goes to bed and first thing when he wakes up. I'm curious to find out if Rhett shares this same love for cow's milk. Surely they will have something in common!
Jude is working on Letters right now. He can write his name, but we are working on letter recognition and writing. He just pointed to a "Q" the other day and said, "that's a Q." I have no idea where he learned that, but he's picking up letters quickly. He's still not interested in television, but I've started turning Sesame Street on in the morning because I think they do a great job with letters and #'s.
I am in awe of these boys, and so thankful for every day I get to spend with them. They are my best buds, and I am one blessed momma!
