Maybe We Should Drive

Barrow Axtero

2011-12-11T12:33:00.002-05:00

There's a new villain in our house, Barrow Axtero. Jude, Captain America, told us, Thor (Mom), Wolverine (Dad), Hulk (Clara), and Iron Man (Lucy) about him this morning. He's a shadow, walks on the ceiling, and he steals pugs only to put them in the trashcan.

I think this inspired Jude's creativity.

Jude sings Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T22:43:00.003-05:00

My media assistant has an ISBN

2011-09-30T22:36:00.002-04:00

So when I came into my new job, I had no idea what my assistant would be like. Would we get along? Would we have the same goals? Would she like gardening, dogs, and food like me? Well, as it turns out, she is 100 shades of awesome. Betty runs circles around me each day, loves the kids, loves having a great library space AND she is a gardening goddess, has a sweet dog, and is ever down for a mini-Twix break.

Betty's main claim to fame is a tutoring program she founded in the media center for the many refugee children we have at our school. The program is wonderful and she describes its inception and challenges in the book. The real jewels are the personal stories of the children who have gone to our school. Not every story is happy, as the child only spends so many hours a week at school, but the insight into their lives is so valuable to me as an educator. Another significant part for me was the degree to which each group of refugees in different. Some remember their country, some were born in refugee camps, some have escaped through jungles, some attended school in the past, and others have never sat in a desk.

I scooped up a copy immediately, and mine was the first book she signed. I work each day alongside an author. Pretty dang cool.

Vids

2011-07-31T22:07:00.002-04:00

One of these videos is from Jude's birthday playdate where the kids create their own eXtreme version of ring-around-the-rosie. The second is Jude taking the slide at the Caniac Carnival.

We moved and other newness

2011-07-31T14:48:00.005-04:00

I haven't been posting as much in general since Jude has been mobile, but lately we've been in a real writing dry spell because we moved! We are back in our North Carolina hometown of Winston-Salem. I have a new media coordinator job in Greensboro, Jon has a new grant evaluation job in Winston, and Jude will start a new preschool in a couple weeks. Yea for new things!

One of the bright spots of the move is our transition out of an apartment and into a house. We did not buy the house we are living in, just renting for now, but we are so happy to have a yard again! We also have a den and a screened in porch that we are very much enjoying. The pugs are especially enjoying the lack of stairs at the new house.

What will we miss most about Raleigh? C&A, our MOB friends, Piebird's peanut butter pie, being close to the beach, Neomonde, the many brunch options, being in Caniac Country, the many offerings at the MVP Sports Factory in Wake Forest, North Hills Farmer's Market, Marbles, someone else mowing the grass, and a Starbucks in my usual Target shopping location. Luckily all of these folks and things aren't that far away.

What are we happy to have back in Winston? The chance to get together with Winston friends (Brian and Deborah!, the Websters!, and many more!), Dewey's, a bit less chaos on the interstate, The Loop, Salem Kitchen/Village Tavern/Salem Tavern, walks at Salem Lake, diners with Greek food, more locally owned and budget friendly places to eat, and Terry's Deli though technically it's in Kernersville, a baseball team in town, and the chance to see some Demon Deacon sports.

These pics are Jude at basketball in Wake Forest at the Factory and Jude in the apartment doing downward dog. The kid loves some yoga.

More to come!

Hey Diddle Diddle

2011-05-23T10:13:00.005-04:00

Jude Laughing

2011-04-19T21:53:00.002-04:00

Jon heard about something called Cute Roulette, and we sat down and watched a few videos. Jude was amused. This was his fave http://youtu.be/qaXmSxcdO5w.

Jude shouts the NHL

2011-04-19T21:19:00.002-04:00

Jude is a big hockey fan. He spends part of everyday pretending to be a Hurricane and wearing his jersey. When we were at the NHL Fan Fair, he got a hockey sticker book and he's loving it. He's got just about all the team logos down.

A little this, a little that

2011-03-26T22:30:00.007-04:00

First, just let me brag on my husband a little. I was sick this week, and, Boy Howdy, I mean sick. Dehydrated and weak, I drug myself out of bed Monday morning and made it to the couch. Jon didn't bat an eye about staying home for a few hours, getting Jude started on the day, taking care of the dogs, and going to the grocery to buy me the biggest jug of Gatorade available. I'm still not sure what happened, virus (though Jude and Jon are both fine) or some type of food poisoning issue, but it was U-G-L-Y. I was so thankful to have Jon here to take care of things and keep the household going. I am so thankful to feel better though my stomach is being a little weird.

Let's see, next I bought Jude a water bottle for soccer with a snack cup in the bottom. A Mom I

know from Little Gym has 2-year-old triplets and runs a monogramming business at night and on the weekends. And no, I have no idea how she does it. It turned out so cute! It's Carolina Hurricanes colors to boot. Jude picked the paper out, but I'm not sure he remembers, so I'm excited to surprise him with it. He's only had a few things with his name on them before.

In other news, in case you didn't hear me talking about it on Plurk, Facebook, Twitter, or screaming from the rooftops, Jon and I learned to curl. We went to a class put on by Triangle Curling Club. It was a blast! They said we would know how to curl before we left, and we did! I can't say that I'm a master or anything, but I can slide that 42 pound rock 140 feet down the ice while balancing on one

foot that is sliding on a piece of Teflon. So awesome! This pic is me throwing with Jon sweeping. There were several jokes when Jon and I were finally able to sweep together. ;) Our team played 3 ends against another team during the lesson and we won 3-0. Prodigies? You betcha.

Jude's been mega-entertaining lately. He's taken to acting like a cat sometimes and asking for "cat juice" and a "cat snack." Tonight he took things up a notch by meowing "Let's Go Canes." Jon and I totally jumped in. Also, we're really working on potty training. Jude has already earned his first reward. He stayed dry all day, and we took him to Chuck E. Cheese's. He's still talking about it. Also, those tickets are goofy. Prizes are 1 cent or 1 ticket. We skipped the line and payed 20 cents for a piece of candy and a sheet of stickers, and Jude was quite content. Now Jude's working on staying dry 3 days in a row to earn a big boy bed i.e. we convert his crib to a toddler bed with rails. He's 2 days in!

Graduate school is finally winding down, and I just might graduate! There have been a number of difficulties with my master's paper, but through a very supportive husband and advisor, I might just squeak in by the deadline. Graduation is on Mother's Day, so I'm kind of emotional about that. I'll save that for another post.

Everything will be ok

2011-03-18T14:38:00.002-04:00

I need this t-shirt and possibly this phrase tattooed on my forearm, so I can reference it daily. :)

Compassion

2011-03-08T20:29:00.007-05:00

Don't beat yourself up!

Don't judge yourself!

Rest, and be kind!

I put a quote from the Buddha on my Facebook page tonight: "If compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." Within a few seconds 2 friends had "liked" my status, and two had commented--all were women and 3 were moms. Now my sample is skewed a bit because more women read and care about my status messages in general, but I think it also has a bit to do with women knowing they should be more forgiving of themselves.

I had lunch with a friend recently, and she too was talking about how bad someone else was making her feel about herself. She was turning the other persons actions inward and then being critical of herself! This was no regular chica; she totally rocks as a mama and does it times two. I was astounded she was so down on herself and for nothing! But then fast-forward to today, and I completely missed a commitment I had made to volunteer this morning at a local school library. I mean just completely spaced out and did not even think about it until 6:40 p.m. I feel completely awful. Feelings of failure, like I can't possibly be redeemed. Like my friend, I put everything on myself despite it being an honest mistake.

Let's see, I'm potty training my kid, both cars need oil changes, trying to work on my master's paper despite red tape and delays at every turn, hunting for jobs, laundry, dishes, classes, making dinner, pug wrangling. What was I expecting? One of the balls was bound to drop, and today it did. Yet, here I sit on a planet that is continuing to turn despite my mistake. Every thing is fine, really. Jude is sleeping, Jon is pug wrangling, and I have time to write this and watch t.v.

I'm working really hard, and have been for the past year, to reset these neural pathways that always send me to self-criticism and judgement. I think I can be reflective and grow and learn from mistakes without taking myself to gallows every time I forget to put the clothes in the dryer.

I think of the Lisa Loeb song, "Wishing Heart." Sorry to go all 90s on ya, but I love that song. At one point she says, "I just want this to be good, I just want this to be good." I feel that so much. You set up everything to run smoothly and to be perfect, and then life happens and you realize you can't think of everything. It's the path of the perfectionist, "Perfectionists often experience intense anxiety, shame, anger or low mood when their standards or goals are not met, and perfectionism may affect people's functioning by causing them to spend too long on tasks, procrastinate or avoid tasks altogether." For me today, I was focusing so much on one area (that's the spending too long on tasks part) and missed my appointment. I won't even tell you how long it takes me to vacuum; it's embarrassing.

Toward the end of the song, Loeb says, "It's not always candy spun from head to heart, And it's not always meant to be, And it's not always up to me." Each of these three things applies on different days in different ways. I just foul things up sometimes. I have to be forgiving. I told my friend Anne a few months ago that, "The world will not end if you f**k up the Play-Doh," as she was having trouble helping out in her daughter's school. So I am trying to take my own advice by continuing to work on completing my compassion.

The White Stripes

2011-03-01T21:01:00.002-05:00

Jude, who is currently very obsessed with playing the Rock Band drums, declared himself to be Meg White all day and Jon was Jack White. (I was still Mom). We haven't broken the news to him that the White Stripes broke up a couple of weeks ago. Just doesn't seem like the time.

Jon and I were able to see the White Stripes in Portland, ME in 2007, the summer we decided to have Jude. They were the soundtrack to 2007 for us. I'm sure I wrote about it somewhere. I have often proclaimed the White Stripes to be my favorite band. Jon even wrote a song about Meg White, which you can listen to. I love creative constraints, and a two-person band has many. Jack White pushed out against the bubble of the band's limits until it popped.

I hate that Jude may never see the White Stripes in concert because it is awesome. How can 2 people make sooo much music? However, we did get to see Ben Folds Five play the entire Reinhold Messner album front-to-back years after the band had broken up but not so many years that it was weird or bad. I have hope!

Jude tricyle

2011-02-28T10:10:00.003-05:00

This is another video from January when we revealed Jude's tricycle to him. Prior to this he had only seen the picture on the box. It's dark at the beginning because it was early in the morning.

NHL Fan Fair

2011-02-28T09:47:00.003-05:00

Thanks to C&A, we were able to go to the NHL Fan Fair, which took place during All-Star game weekend here in Raleigh. Here are some of the highlights, including Jude being used as a human shield. This was in January.

Happy (almost) spring

2011-02-26T10:02:00.005-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts here. I am primarily posting things on Facebook these days since Blogger can be kind of clunky. Things here have been very busy at times with Jon changing jobs and me in school. Other times, we have just been very lazy about posting because we're hanging out together, out and about, or just enjoying being a family in our own little Brasfield world. Here are some pics and video to catch you up.

One video is Jude playing the Rock Band Drums. We've been putting off buying the game because of how expensive it was at one time, but we snagged this one and all the instruments from Craigslist a few weeks ago and haven't looked back. We usually play a few rounds after dinner as a fam.

Another video is Jude reading the alphabet from a book. It's funny because he starts out singing it to the tune that Alpha Pig uses on "Super Why?" but gets a little ahead of himself and goes back to beginning.

There are some pics from around the house, and one of Jude and Tuomo Ruutu #15 on the Carolina Hurricanes. Ruutu is the first player Jude has met from his very favorite sports team. Most days, Jude spends at least part of the day pretending to be Eric Staal, who he will very readily tell you is #12 and the captain. He then assigns roles to whomever else is present--we're Cam Ward, Jeff Skinner, Tim Gleason, Coach Paul Marice, etc.

Jude also likes to pretend we're the Beatles. He's Paul McCartney, Jon is John Lennon, I am George Harrison, and Grandpa is Ringo. Jude's favorites on Beatles Rock Band are "Come Together" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

Just a quick thought.

2011-01-07T19:44:00.001-05:00

Remember when we were worried about speech development? Remember when we didn't know? He told his grandparents he "saw dinosaurs at the museum today." A stranger asked if he drove downtown today, and he said, "When I'm 16, I can drive." He told his daycare provider that the president's name is "Obama," and he was the only kid present who knew. A guy at the airport said, "He must be almost 3." Nope, friend, not even 2 and a half.

I just want to cry with joy.

Singin'

2010-10-07T19:22:00.002-04:00

As you know, Jude loves to sing. Here's a video of him crooning his new favorite song, "Come Together" by the Beatles. Jude is also a big Avett Brothers fan, and I wish so badly he could go to their concert with us tomorrow night. I feel really guilty, but the Avetts don't even go on until about 2 hours after Jude's bedtime. It's for the best, but, Jude, we owe you one.

We've been working really hard in the last couple months to buy all of our fruits, vegetables, eggs, and some meat at a local, growers only farmers market in Raleigh. We want to contribute to the local economy and know where our food is coming from and under what conditions the food was grown. Today we saw a big load of pumpkins at the grocery store, and I pointed them out to Jude. He said, "We get one at farmers market?" I think he's getting the message.

Jon discusses dinner, and Jude dishes on couscous

2010-09-20T18:06:00.003-04:00

For Chris B.

2010-08-25T17:54:00.003-04:00

Singing all the time

2010-08-14T20:25:00.002-04:00

Terrible two's? Ha! Nothing terrible is going on around here! Our little guy is getting so grown up. He loves to sing songs and make up new songs about what he's doing. During breakfast he sang a little ditty about "Claireball, Claireball." (Our nickname for Clara). He also likes to sing a song we heard on TV about a singing bologna sandwich and one about washing his hands.

I would say that Jude's current favorite album is I and Love and You by the Avett Brothers, but he's a big fan of his Yo Gabba Gabba album, Big Bang Boom, and Barenaked Ladies. Also, hearing Jude say, "Barenaked Ladies" is worth a chuckle. It comes out, "bare....kjgijrigrgj...ladies."

We are currently looking around for a little nylon stringed guitar for him to play around on. He really wants to strum Jon's mandolin when Jon is playing guitar, but it's a little too nice for Jude to play with.

Jude is, as ever, loving books. His current favorites are The Lorax, Wild Boars Cook, and Rhyming Dust Bunnies. He's beginning to get pretty interested in Green Eggs and Ham, but our copy is actually Huevos Verdes con Jamon from my days as a Spanish teacher. I don't know how much he understands, but he sure enjoys the rhyming! Speaking of Spanish, Jude is learning to count to 10 in the language, but most of the time he stops at six unless we sing it in a song.

We're still playing around with the potty training. We have a potty in the living room, and Jude goes after his bath. The rest of the day, we just let Jude tell us if he needs to go and he gets stickers for going, trying, and washing his hands. We're going to save the actual training for closer to 27 months. We're hoping to get a good start in before the holidays strike.

We're not really sure how the holidays are going to go this year with a potty training toddler, 2 old cars, 2 pugs that will need to be kenneled or towed with us, and Jon in the midst of a job search that could possibly lead to a move for us. I'll be glad when we can finally buy a newer car. That is definitely what we will be saving for when I am out of school and working. We thought we would buy one in the spring of '09, but then the house didn't sell and the dog almost died, so we continue to patch things up. I'm hoping that our next move leads us to a place where we can settle for a bit and get our feet underneath us again and lay down a few roots. I wouldn't say that our next stop will necessarily be our forever home, but I look forward to not having closets full of boxes that I can't unpack. Jude loves to play outside and I love to garden and Jon loves to cook what comes out of the garden, so we'll be looking for a place with a yard.

At times I feel like we're in a holding pattern, circling our final destination. I'm so happy we're in it together with Jude's sweet little voice singing to us the whole way.

Jude had a party!

2010-07-19T22:35:00.003-04:00

Jude had a birthday party, and it was super neat! I have videos and pictures to post, but I'm super-mega busy this week. Tune in here next week, for all the goodies I haven't put on Facebook.

An assortment of quotes from Jude:

Jude: Dad works at the library.

Amanda: Mama works at the library. Daddy works for the schools.

Jude: I work at the library.

Amanda: What do you do there?

Jude: I read books.

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"Antman drives Dad's car."

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"Look! I see that."

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Jude in the tub referring to a squirter he got from a cereal box: "Shrek wants more bubbles."

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"Where is Michael?" (The little man who came with his firetruck).

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"Want waffle. Want waffle with French Toast on it. Need syrup."

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"Lucy walks on her hands."

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"Jon! Wait!"

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"Coctadiwal" (crocodile)

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"Want purple pen. Purple pen is lost. Want black pen?"

Sometimes you win

2010-06-09T20:11:00.003-04:00

Jude has started sleeping in most mornings and taking at least a 2-hour nap most days, and at first I thought he was growing, but now I think it's all brain development. In the past couple weeks Jude has started singing entire lines of songs and talking up a storm about fire trucks and ladybugs, and everything is coming out more clear. He's in full parrot mode, so he repeats everything we say. He is also really enjoying being in the kitchen while we cook dinner. He likes to sit on the counter, and he is doing a great job standing in the dining room anytime we need to open the oven. "It's too hot!" he says.

We've been taking a Red Cross swim class this week at a local park, and we have had an awesome time. Jude's been learning to blow bubbles in the water, kick on his stomach and reach out, kick while on his back, and how to safely climb out of the pool when not by the ladder. Today he was totally under water for a second a couple of times, and he did great, giving his teacher a high five. (He rarely turns down a high five). The best part about the class is how much fun Jude's been having. He laughs and smiles and tries things. It's been a lot of fun for me, and goodness knows I am not big on the whole pool thing (more of an ocean person). We will be doing this again, for sure. Won't be long before he can take the class without me!

Because of how much he is enjoying the lessons, we signed up for another activity today--soccer. We were at a birthday party last weekend, and some kids were playing soccer in view of the party. Jude had his nose pressed against the window, saying he wanted to play soccer. We have also been passing a soccer field on the way to swim lessons, and he says he wants to play soccer. The class starts later in the summer, and it's inside! It's a parent and child class for little ones, so it's not really soccer so much as just kicking the ball around, kicking the ball in the goal, bubbles, and parachute games. I'm hoping to get some exercise too. We'll see how that goes and decide if we want to do anything in the fall. I'll only have 3 classes in the fall, so we might have the time AND the energy!

6 years

2010-05-22T12:44:00.004-04:00

Today is our 6th anniversary. I'm not so sure what's unique about this anniversary than all the ones before it, but something feels different. I feel proud of this anniversary, and I feel sentimental.

Some of toughest times have come over the last two years, so maybe it's that we've come through those together. When bad things happen, we cling to one another. When joyful things happen, we cling to one another.

When I was growing up, my dad once told me, "You can't change a man." I took this to heart, knowing that I wouldn't marry someone who I thought needed to be molded or shaped in some way. I wanted someone who fit just right from the start. Someone who shared my values, as well as my sense of humor. Jon is that person for me. I wouldn't want to change a thing.

We spent this morning roaming a festival and eating barbecue, and tomorrow we're taking Jude to his first baseball game. I'm so happy to be celebrating our marriage this weekend as a family, doing the things we enjoy together. As Jon said in his card to me this morning, thanks for the first 6 and here's to 60 more.

Like father, like son

2010-05-19T22:17:00.002-04:00

Amanda's 2nd Mother's Day

2010-05-09T17:05:00.003-04:00

This Mother's Day started off beautifully when Jon brought Jude in to tell me good morning. Jon said, "Tell Mom 'Happy Mother's Day,'" and Jude gave me the longest, sweetest hug. I got two sweet cards and a gift card for a pedicure at The Spa. The boys then took me to brunch at Zest. I had the crab meat frittata served with a salad, corn bread, and fresh fruit, Jon had the breakfast casserole served with fresh fruit and a raspberry scone, and Jude had the strawberry pancakes. Breakfast was delicious! There was a special menu for Mother's day, so we are hoping to go back and try some more from their regular menu.

On the way home we got a big surprise-a blowout on the interstate. We called C&A to pick us up when we thought the hubcap was not going to be able to be removed, but Jon muscled through and we were able to call off the rescue. Thanks C&A for coming out. We had an awfully lazy afternoon, followed by a trip to purchase a new tire. Jon made a great dinner, courtesy of Trader Joe's--salmon in a mojito sauce, sweet potatoes, and rice.

The total cost for dinner at home was only $9. We are really trying to track our spending on dinner and what of what we buy we actually eat. We want to reduce our wasted food, spend less eating out, eat more local and organic foods, and eat less processed food. We are having trouble with some of the organics because they go bad so quickly, requiring more trips to the store or farmers market during the week. We'll find a balance in there some where. I'm excited to see how we do.

This is going to be a long one...
In other news, Jon's job may be ending in September, so we are continuing to be more conscious of our spending habits. This is very hard with a 2-year-old whom we love to indulge in! We're hoping Jon can find something in this area. If worse comes to worse, I could probably live somewhere else and finish my last semester online because after the fall I would have all of my on-campus classes finished with only my masters paper and 2 electives to go. I also think I may have just finished my hardest semester, so that is good news too. If anyone is in need of an awesome psychometrician, evaluator, statistician, I know one!

I am currently working in a local middle school to complete my field experience hours. I am glad to be back in a school, but it is so crazy to try to learn an entire staff and meet all my goals in just 150 hours on site. The school has really welcomed me with open arms, and they are being quite patient with my learning process. I am so thankful they took me on, and I look forward to making some positive contributions to improve student learning.

Jude is doing really well, and he is talking sooooo much. He's really into football, tennis balls, basketball, fire trucks, motorcycles, and all things with wheels. He is really ready to turn 2, and get this next year started. He is having a joint birthday party with Tyler on July 17, so let me know if you need any more details now. Save the date--invitations to follow! As always, music and books are part of Jude's everyday, and he is enjoying his kitchen and cooking for his stuffed animals.

Jon's parents will be visiting soon, and we are excited to see them. The flooding in Nashville included their neighborhood, and we are so thankful they were able to go to a safe place and return to a mostly dry house. Water got under their house, and did some damage to the HVAC and duct work, but man-oh-man it could have been way worse. The loss of life is so tragic, and I am so glad people reacted quickly to keep one another safe and help their neighbor.

HOWEVER, if you call the flooding in Nashville "the next Katrina" to my face, I will smack you in the mouth. Sorry. The comparison is ridiculous.

Finally, to end on a nicer note. I am so very thankful to be a mother today. The details of Jude's birth day are forever in my memory, and I remember every moment that was so happy and so desperately scary. We got so much support when he was in the hospital-the longest week of our lives. I think so often of how many folks stepped in and supported us and supported our mothers. This Mother's Day for me was about all the "Moms" who prayed for us, thought of us, read the blog, loved us, and loved Jude. I share this day with you.

Dancing! also egg hunting and a sheep

2010-04-04T20:55:00.004-04:00

We had an absolutely wonderful Easter weekend. Jon was off on Friday, so we had the opportunity to spend a great family day together. We spent the morning hours doing our weekly grocery shopping and had lunch at one our usual spots. After nap, we headed out to a farm in a neighboring county to kick around and see the animals. We played in a huge bin of corn, fed the ducks, explored a fort, and saw all kinds of critters. Jude was particularly smitten with the goats, but he had a run in with a very loud sheep. The sheep walked right up to the fence and gave us his best, "Baaa-aaa." Jude wasn't quite sure how to take it, and he just about climbed up my leg saying, "Hug, hug." I don't blame him--that sheep was loud!

We topped off the day at Backfins, a seafood restaurant in Wake Forest. We started with the crab dip, which was served with house made tortilla chips. The dip was not as good as that at the Village Tavern in Winston-Salem, but it was pretty good. They have a pretty limited menu for entrees and specialize in blue crab. Jon and Jude had the flounder, and I had the shrimp basket. The portions were HUGE. We brought home about half of our food and all left the place stuffed. Jon's onion rings were lightly battered, very nice, but my hush puppies got mixed reviews. The hush puppies could use a little whole kernel corn or onions in the mix to add a little moisture. The flounder was extremely fresh tasting and the batter was really good. The shrimp were also very fresh and very plump!

Saturday morning we went to a friend's house for brunch and an egg hunt. We had a great time, and the kids enjoyed Easter baskets and finding the eggs. We had bagels, a fruit tart, an egg casserole, and fruit. The kiddos had delicious sweet potato pancakes made by our hostess.

Saturday night and Sunday were low key, but we did bake a pecan pie for Chris's birthday. Sunday evening we had dinner with the other Raleigh Brasfields, dining on salad, ham, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, the aforementioned pie, and the aforementioned remaining fruit tart.

All in all, a weekend of lots of food, family, friends, and farm animals.

Jude readin' and peein'

2010-03-13T09:30:00.005-05:00

So Jude can now read his first corporate logo as seen in the video, and he peed in his new potty for the first time! Here's how it went: He walked up to me and said, "Kee." "I said, "Do you have to pee pee?" I took off his diaper and sat him on the potty in front of the TV so he would stay put. A few minutes later he stood up, and Voila! pee pee!

Snowed in

2010-01-31T21:34:00.003-05:00

Well, it snowed down here in Raleigh, our state's capital. As always, the city was utterly unprepared for the 5 inches we got plus sleet, and we were apartment bound all weekend. The state DOT has described the predicted road conditions tomorrow as a nightmare, so we will here tomorrow too. Jude has been under the weather, so he and I had been in most of the week. Feeling a major case of cabin fever, we all ventured out today to play in the snow and walk to the grocery store. C&A also braved the 2 mile stretch between our houses to come visit, eat junk food, and watch "Arrested Development."

If you look closely at the last picture you can see pug prints on the snow. There was a layer of ice on top of the snow, and the pugs weren't heavy enough to break through. They are not enjoying the snow and look forward to being able to smell where they pee again. Apparently it's something super important to dogs.

Juder

2010-01-30T12:30:00.003-05:00

Jude woke up from a nap recently with one sock on his foot and the other on his hand. Jude is also doing a bit of Mr. Potato Head work these days.

The video is Jude demonstrating proper spoon usage.

Christmas Take 1

2009-12-18T20:47:00.005-05:00

We decided Christmas at our house would be today since we are leaving for our tour of the I-65 corridor on Monday. Jude attacked his stocking like he had been planning it for days. He found some books and his first Little People. (As in the little toys, not as in "Little People, Big World").

Jude received a wonderful book from one of Jon's co-workers and several gifts from his daycare provider, Mrs. Kim. She said Jude will be starting the preschool curriculum after Christmas break :)

From mom and dad, Jude got new pj's, a Wonder Pets book, and a huge lion that we named Barry. Barry is, of course, named after Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders. Jon is also a Barry Zito fan, and we can never name a kid Barry. I mean Barry Brasfield. No. No offense to any Barries out there. Yep, I changed the "y" to "i" and added "e-s."

Jude also received a neat-o book from Nana Lou. It is "T'was Night Before Christmas" as read by Nana Lou! Each page is a recording of the text on that page by my mom. The reading is activated by turning to that page in the book. It's mega cool, so I'm uploading a video.

Jude plays guitar and sings

2009-12-16T09:30:00.004-05:00

Jude loves the ornaments on the Christmas tree, especially the one that looks like a guitar that Jon got from my mom. He also really likes the Coca-Cola Polar Bear in the Coke machine. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Also, don't forget to protect your smallest guests this holiday season by having hand sanitizer available. Put poisonous plants and choking hazards out of reach, and plug those outlets!
-Amanda

Mr. Potato Head

2009-11-29T19:24:00.002-05:00

The Brasfield parents came down for Thanksgiving, and we invited them along on a trip Marbles. This video is Jude's meeting with Mr. Potato Head. He would follow that spud any where.

Thanksgiving was delicious. Jon made the turkey, and together we made French bread suasage stuffing and a Derby Pie, ahem, excuse me, a chocolate chip pecan pie. Please do not sue me. C&A provided the sides, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and a pumpkin pie.

Jude had a wonderful day, and he loved the sweet potatoes!

Growing

2009-11-24T21:23:00.003-05:00

Jude grew Saturday night. I know this to be true because that's when his diapers stopped fitting him just right. We finally had to admit it to ourselves, and Jon ran out to buy some size 6 diapers tonight.

Here's a pic of Jude last Thanksgiving for your enjoyment. He was 4 months old.

SOLD!

2009-11-21T13:43:00.005-05:00

It only took 13 months and tons of cash, but our house is finally sold! The folks who bought it loved the colors inside, and I was so happy to hear it because it's one of the reasons we liked the house too. (Plus, we had done some painting).

Clara is on the mend, we hope. I'm not sure that we blogged about it, but Clara gave us a big scare in October when she suddenly stopped eating. Through many doctor appointments and a liver biopsy, we found out her liver had a "toxic insult" of some type and a good portion of her liver cells are dead. We have no idea what she could have eaten that made her sick. Our house is locked down because of the baby, and she is always on a leash outside and well attended. Lucy did not get sick, which means Clara got a hold of something that Lucy did not. Clara is on 2 antibiotics and 2 herbal supplements for her liver. She is doing well, and she eats Purina HA now for her allergies. We're hoping that she will continue to improve though the necrosis in her liver has probably shortened her lifespan. Clara is a special pup--just ask Jude.

The Brasfield Family Thanksgiving Extravaganza Feast and 5K is this week, and we are very excited. Jude ate his first bowl of rice cereal on Thanksgiving last year, so he is in for a real treat this year. We are also looking forward to Christmas time in Kentucky and Tennessee, and we will do our best to see you!

NOTE: If you have babies coming to your holiday festivities this year, be sure to remind guests to wash their hands and have hand sanitizer available. There are lots of nasties going around, and those should not be shared at any time of the year!

Photo by Robert Ross Photography http://www.ross-photography.com/

Keeping our fingers crossed

2009-11-10T15:50:00.003-05:00

About a year ago we were packing our house up for a move a couple of hours east so that Jon could take a new job and I could stay home Jude and start graduate school. Since then, our house has been for sale. We finally have a closing date of next Thursday and the appraisal and inspection are scheduled for this week. We are so very excited, but I am trying not react until those papers are signed!

We will be glad to get rid of those monthly payments, but we are sad about letting go of Winston-Salem. The house was our last claim in the city. We'll go back, I'm sure. I mean, I can't go too terribly long without a Wild Buffalo sandwich from Terry's Deli in Kernersville. We also miss meandering around Old Salem, walking at Salem Lake, the simple lunch from Salem Kitchen, my WMS friends, and Wake football (where we were totally going to buy season tickets when Jude was old enough!)

Not ever going in the house again is sad too. We never really got to enjoy our new HVAC system installed just before we moved. We never opened the fireplace. The saddest thing to me is leaving Jude's room. We picked out the color, a pale yellow called "Summer Wish" for our little July baby. Jon painted the room by himself because I had to stay out of the fumes. My mom came and helped me install the room darkening shades. Jon and I spent a lot of time in there putting together furniture with an Allen wrench. After Jude was born we could get a few moments free of acid reflux screaming if we put him in bed and cranked up the mobile.

We will miss you Winston, and a part of our hearts will always live on Hartley Street.

Oasis

2009-11-09T19:13:00.003-05:00

So this video is long, but if you're a fan of Grandma's Genius or Jude, this video has something for you. Jude just can seem to focus with the music pulling on his heartstrings. He has to dance.

Books

2009-10-18T10:55:00.003-04:00

Jude is really starting to get into interacting with books rather than just listening. Here he is with "The Wonder Pets Save the Three Little Pigs" and "Eyes & Nose, Fingers & Toes."

Thieves

2009-10-02T00:25:00.003-04:00

About a year ago, someone stole our lawn mower out from under our deck. We were awfully mad because it was a really nice, though purchased used, Honda mower. It was paid for, and we suddenly had to pay someone $40 a pop to mow our yard. Because North Carolina stays warm well into October we found ourselves nearly paying for another mower in paying other people to mow the yard because we couldn't dish out the funds all at once to buy another mower and we were just trying to make it until winter so we could save up for a new one next summer.

Well, thieves have struck again, taking with them more than 200 CDs from Jon's car. It was a quick job because they left the stereo and several CDs in the console and Jon's work bag. Why wasn't the car locked? Well, the key to a 1996 Camry doesn't last 13 years, and it is so worn it won't lock the doors or open the trunk. We had been meaning to get a new key made, but life, as they say, was keeping us so busy we didn't make time. We are lucky this time because we ripped a lot of the CDs onto our computer so we didn't have to keep lugging the CDs around. I'm not real sure what this thief plans to do with the entire catalogs of Guster, Barenaked Ladies, and Pearl Jam. Whoever it was must also not realize that the car seat would have gotten some nice cash on eBay.

I guess, in a way, we are naive. We go around trusting others and not stealing, assuming they will do the same. It's harder all the time to face the reality that not everyone has your best interests at heart, and some people don't even act in their own best interest. We'll be locking our car doors from now on, and I guess we'll be burning some CDs in the next few days too. I'm not really clear on how it all works, but I do know that at the end of the movie "Mean Girls," the meanest girl gets hit by a bus, so that guy with our lawn mower better be careful.

Exceeding in all categories

2009-09-03T22:00:00.004-04:00

Jude had his one year evaluation a few weeks ago to take a look at his communication skills and fine and gross motor skills. After what Jude went through birth, we were anxious to find out what the experts saw in their evaluations. Jude was seen by a speech language pathologist and an occupational therapist who evaluated Jude using the Mullen Scale of Early Learning. The scale measures gross motor, visual reception, fine motor, expressive language, and receptive language. We were over-joyed to find out he is above his age in every category. His fine motor skills were particularly high, measuring at about the 20-month level. We are so blessed.

It was recommended that we discontinue Jude's developmental therapy and only see our case worker for the early childhood development team every other month. We decided not to exit the early-intervention services completely in case something comes up and we need services. Jude will be eligible to receive services until he is 3 years old because of his time in the NICU.

In other news, Jude is a walking/running machine. He loves trucks and dogs, and he wants to read books all day long! He loves "Llama Llama Red Pajama" (a gift from Nana K and Pappy), "Llama Llama Misses Momma," "In a People House," and the last page especially of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear."As you can see in the pictures he likes to play in the pans, and he likes to carry his toys around in my lunch box.

Own the beach

2009-08-02T13:18:00.002-04:00

As a finally to Jude-ly, we took Jude to the beach. From Raleigh, Wrightsville Beach is only about 2 hours away, so that's where we went. We decided to go ahead and get a hotel room so we would have a place for Jude to take his afternoon nap and a place to clean up from the sand and surf.

I know that Jude likes water, but what I didn't know was how much Jude was going to love the tide. At one point, Jude and Jon were playing in the waves, and Jon thought Jude might be getting tired so he brought Jude back to the blanket to sit with me. Jon started making his way back to the ocean, and Jude watched him for a moment then started crawling after him! I took a picture of Jude's trail as he went for the water. Jude enjoyed playing in the sand too, but overall he is a water baby!

We had dinner at the South Beach Grill in Wrightsville. It was wonderful. We started with the crab and seafood nachos for two, which were cheesy and delicious and served on freshly fried flour tortillas. Jon had the sweet potato crusted flounder served with garlic mashed potatoes. He said it was great and far exceeded his expectations. I had the char-grilled Mahi with lime butter. It was so light, and it was perfectly paired with quinoa, which really added a nice flowery flavor and a good texture. Fortunately for our figures we had to skip dessert. An interesting aspect of the grill is that they offer a list of signature alcohol-free cocktails. Things like an "Arnold Pomegranate" with iced tea, lemonade, and pomegranite juice. Very refreshing offerings after a hot day at the beach.

New memories

2009-07-28T20:20:00.003-04:00

Things don't always go as you expect them too, and Jude's birth taught us a lot of lessons about that along with lessons about faith, hope, love, and family. On Saturday, we celebrated Jude's birthday, making some great memories to help bring closure to the year that started out in a way no one expected and ended up exceeding our highest hopes.

Thank you to everyone who has watched over our shoulder in Jude's first year. Everyone who has said a prayer, changed a diaper, bought our dinner, babysitted, given hugs and kisses, given advice, offered kind words, and loved us has contributed to the very happy boy we see today.

The Brasfield family will be celebrating the last day of Jude-ly by delivering donations from us and from friends and family members to the Ronald McDonald House in Winston-Salem. We know how lucky we were to leave the NICU with a healthy child after only a week, and we know there are lots of people who are struggling much longer, some who are away from home, to care for their children who are very sick and in the hospital. In raising Jude, I think the memories of his first week of life will fade, but I hope we always hang on to what we learned about the fragility of life and what it feels like when people reach out to help you and to hug you when you need them the most.

A year ago

2009-07-22T15:10:00.004-04:00

WARNING: LOTS OF REFLECTION AND COMMAS AHEAD

A year ago today, Amanda had an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok with Jude. He was a little over a week overdue and the doc was prepping us for an induction.

I'm sure everyone reading this knows what happened between then and now - both the bad and the good, and if you don't, it's in the archive.

In a wonderful development, the pain and fear we experienced when Jude was born with such a poor prognosis has subsided more quickly than I could have ever imagined. With every babble, roll, step, crawl, or drum, the spectre of a child who couldn't care for himself, or worse, disappears a little more. I say this now because, as his birthday approaches, I've never been more aware of the meaning of the term bittersweet.

We all know the good. The sweet. Aside from a bout with nasty, nasty acid reflux, we've been blessed with the most happy, content, inquisitive, calm, independent, fun baby i could have ever hoped for. He walks already, he's strong, he's healthy, he signs to us, he understands things we say, he sleeps twelve hours at night, and he charms everyone who meets him. Under any circumstances, we have a great baby. Under the circumstances of his birth, we have an amazing baby. Although those circumstances don't enter my mind as much any more, I know how lucky we were.

Here's the weird thing: Even when I think back on the birth, it's not the prognosis that brings back bad feelings. It's probably because we know the end of the story, but the fear I had for Jude's life doesn't recall pain. It recalls a tough situation that, through the support of family and friends (and even a few internet strangers), we survived, and through the expertise of caring and skilled doctors and nurses, Jude survived.

The worst feelings are when I think about the end of the pregnancy.

Amanda was the most wonderful pregnant woman. Dutiful in her yoga, her vitamin-taking, her water-drinking, her love for me and the dogs and the unborn Jude. The last month or so of the pregnancy was one of the most fun, free, and exciting times of our marriage to date. The closeness we experienced as a result of our anticipation was enriching. We exercised together every day, we planned and hoped - just like many other parents-to-be.

Amanda wanted to have a natural birth - no painkillers, definitely no induction, and simply the support of her breathing, her husband, and the big birthing ball. As readers of the live-blog know, that didn't (and couldn't) happen.

It may sound silly that thinking of the pregnancy hurts, but if I had to narrow down the entire experience of Jude's borth to one worst thing, it would be the pain Amanda had to go through, both physically and emotionally, during the back labor, extraction, episiotomy, and finally, the realization that the baby she worked so hard to get out had something very, very wrong with him.

I can get past what happened to Jude, because he's fine. He's more than fine. He's thriving, and he'll probably never have any lasting effects from his injuries.

I don't think I'm past what could happen if we ever do this again. I don't know that I can get excited again about prenatal yoga, or driving to the hospital, or any of that, because we got so high on it before, and it came so close to bottoming out. I can't bear to think of Amanda being so excited when I know what pain she went through afterward. I also can't bear to think about being pregnant again without being as excited as before.

This will probably fade too. After all, I can tangibly see that Amanda and I are fine just as well as I can see that Jude is fine. In time, maybe we'll be ready to go through it all again. Maybe not.

Right now though, I want to be done with thinking about that. I want to focus on celebrating a dinosaur-themed birthday with friends and family.

So happy birthday, Captain Judeman! It's been a great year. I'm glad you'll never know how bad the first week of it was.

We love you!

You little coquette

2009-07-19T12:50:00.003-04:00

On a Mother's Day blog post on Triangle.com someone recommended the brunch at Coquette Brasserie at North Hills. It is also one of the top 3 places for brunch in Raleigh on Opentable.com, so I wanted to take the family there to try it out.

The decor is the restaurant is that of a french cafe. Small, marble tables with cafe chairs. A long wooden bar divides the restaurant a third of the way in, and the flooring is comprised of small black and white tiles. We made reservations, but I don't think they would have been necessary at 11 a.m. When we go to a new place with the baby, however, I like to make a reservation to avoid trying to keep him busy until we are seated.

Our server was attentive but never in the way, and she told us that Jude looked like the E-Trade baby from the commercials. Ha! She started us off with a basket of baquettes and a whole wheat bread with whipped butter. Jon ordered the monte cristo sandwich--ham and Gruyere on French toast covered in syrup. The sweet outside and savory inside were a perfect match. The portion wasn't quite big enough for two, but it was certainly too much to finish. I had the quiche du jour, a buttery, creamy, vegetable quiche with a flaky and thick crust. The crust of a quiche can really make it or break it for me, and Coquette's had a tender but firm crust that made it easy to cut and enjoy with the egg. The quiche was served with a mixed greens salad.

There is only a lunch/dinner menu for kids at Coquette, which I consider to be a big flaw, considering how popular the brunch is. It consists of a hamburger, a chicken dish, and grilled cheese. None of these were appropriate for Jude, so we asked if he could have one pancake with the fruit compote. The restaurant accomidated our request and quite graciously only charged us $2 for it. They also ended up giving us two pancakes and served the fruit on the side.

We both ordered water because anything else may have been too much with such rich food. With that as our beverage choice, we left the restaurant paying only $21 including the tip.

We are excited to go back to Coquette, and we always enjoy spending money at a place that seeks to make all guest comfortable, even those under 32" tall.

Jude is walking!

2009-07-12T21:13:00.003-04:00

So Jude started taking steps a while ago, but yesterday he starting taking little walks around the living room!

We bought Jude a new ball

2009-06-28T16:59:00.003-04:00

Presented without commentary.

First in flight

2009-06-15T15:17:00.004-04:00

We spent a whirlwind 4 days in Louisville this week, and let me apologize to anyone we didn't get to see. I wanted to visit you, but we were primarily visiting close family and trying to keep Jude on his schedule as much as possible. As he gets older, we will have more flexibility, and I promise you'll meet him before he turns 16!

We had a great time, and we were worn out by the time we flew home on Saturday. It was Jude's first flight, and though he is a happy kid when not hungry or tired, I was still concerned. We had to fly from Louisville to Baltimore, change planes, and then from Baltimore to RDU. Mom helped us at the airport in Louisville to get our bags checked and get to the security line. Both flights were on time and the weather was perfect. I want to send a shout out to the Dad and 6-year old we shared a row with on the first flight and the lady who worked for the Humane Society and man who was building a house on the coast on the second flight. All of you were wonderful, helpful, entertaining, and kind.

Jude was fantastic on both flights and even fell asleep during the first. He earned his wings, which, by the way, are now adhesive rather than a pin. I find this an unfortunate cutback because keeping adhesive-backed wings on the shirt of a 10-month old is impossible. The pic above is of Jude at the airport.

On our first flight was some 5-piece band that I did not recognize. Any ideas who they could be? They had many tattoos and were definitely too cool for school! They flew Louisville to Baltimore.

GCHS C/O '99 KIT LYLAS

2009-06-15T14:44:00.003-04:00

With the opportunity for a night out, new dress, and a steak dinner I was lured to Paducah for Jon's 10-year high school reunion. No, Jon isn't from Paducah, and no, he didn't go to school there either. Jon spent his high school years living in the tiny hamlet of Fulton, Ky. Wanting to spread his wings, Jon attended high school out of county at the Graves County High School, home of the eagles (get it? "spread his wings"). Needing an appropriate location for more than 100 people to gather, drink, and reminisce, Paducah was chosen as the gathering spot for the reunion.

I had a really nice time and enjoyed meeting Jon's friends who star in so many of his high school stories. It was interesting to watch the evening go from awkward to nostalgic to settling somewhere near comfortable. Once you get married, have kids, get a job, serve the country, get divorced, and pay some bills it's hard not to find something in common with folks you went to high school with even if you never talked back then. Chances are someone in the room has shared the same worries and joys that you have.

One person I talked too seemed a little embarrassed of her current occupation and location, "still" doing this, "still" living there. I hated to hear it, and I just wanted to say, "Haven't you ever seen the Wizard of Oz?!" You may get more than you bargained for!

Some people leave small towns, and some people stay. People have to leave to keep them small, and people have to stay if the town is to survive. I'll never be a supporter of living in your parent's basement until your children start college, but deciding to stay put in a town of 10,000 and contributing to its economy and its well-being and raising your kids where you were raised with the help and support of the people who raised you is sure nothing to be ashamed of.

There's probably more to than this. Folks who feel they never decided anything, or who feel obligated to stay despite their goals being located elsewhere. I just hope the person didn't feel like anyone was disappointed because we were all just happy to see you.

Jude took his first step!!

2009-06-04T23:55:00.001-04:00

After I changed Jude's diaper today, I stood him up, and he took a step with his right foot and a step with his left! A complete step! Happiness!

Save the Date

2009-06-02T14:50:00.003-04:00

We will be celebrating Jude's 1st birthday on his actual birthday, Saturday, July 25, 2009 in Raleigh! If you need more details now, just email me or leave your request in the comments!

The location is reserved and the theme has been chosen--all we need is you!

All because of black beans

2009-05-29T22:37:00.002-04:00

My son wanted my spoon with some black beans in it tonight, so he said, "Mom! Mamamamamama." He said mom for the first time!!! I cried right there at the first table by the door to the patio at Neomonde. A feast of black bean salad, chickpeas, humus, and pita had moved my child to say my name for the first time. It was the sweetest sound.

Wud up?

2009-05-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

We have 10 people subscribed to our blog and 3 followers! Thanks, ya'll!

Prone to claims

2009-05-27T22:03:00.005-04:00

Day 2 in Charleston started out with a call to the grandparents to check the Jude status. He, of course, was having quite the time and wasn't missing us in the slightest.

We headed out to a local bakery and sandwich place for breakfast that was on the way to the Fort Sumter tour we were taking that morning. Finding the local place no longer open for breakfast, we ate at a Starbucks- so much for trying to buy local. Our tour set sail at 9:30 from Liberty Square, beginning with w 35 minute boat ride to the island where Fort Sumter is located. The boat ride has a prerecorded narrator pointing out sights along the way. You are given one hour at the Fort to explore and then another 35 minute boat ride to return.

The fort, originally built to protect the harbor, eventually became the home to the very first shots of the Civil War and its first casualty. The causality came not during the 34 hours of bombardment by angry Charlsetonian seccessors, but rather during a 100 canon salute, which was part of the Union's negotiated surrender. We really enjoyed the trip out to the fort and seeing unexploded canon fire in its walls, but the highlight for me was seeing two dolphins on the boat ride back.

After Fort Sumter we walked from the parking garage by the aquarium into downtown and had lunch at the Blossom Cafe. We started with the special appetizer of the day, a pork spring roll served with a small garnish salad and two dipping sauces. Jon ordered the Blossom Club, a roast beef sandwich with bacon, cheese, and red pepper remoulade. I settled on the lamb sausage pizza with sun dried tomatoes and carolina goat cheese. Jon said the sandwich was, "exactly what he wanted," and he left the restaurant inspired to make sandwiches. Rightly priced, casual, and delicious, the Blossom Cafe hit the spot. It was one of the only meals in Charleston that was not butter based.

We spent the afternoon combing the market and shops in downtown, then headed back to the room for a nap until dinner.

To be fair, Jestine's deserves its own blog post. Named for a woman who worked for one family most of her life and lived to be 112 years old, Jestine's serves up the best low country, authentic, homecookin' that we tasted. Folks start lining up outside before the main dining hour, but service is fast and the line moves quickly considering there are only about 15 tables in the place. Every table starts with pickled cucumber that are perfect palate cleansers. The popular thing to order next is a basket of corn bread, which comes with a sidekick of butter pads soaking in honey. I had he blueplate special, crabcake with macaroni and cheese and the broccoli casserole. Jon had the signature fried chicken that is coated in pecans and served with a horseradish dipping sauce. He chose green beans and red rice on the side. While the red rice wasn't anything special, the rest of the sides were good, yet were very overpowered by how delicious the main dishes were. We took a piece of chocolate cola cake to go. Jestine's was worth waiting in line for.

We took our cola cake to waterfront park to rest up for our Fried Green Ghost Tour of the College of Charleston. April, owner operator of fried green tours was our tour guide. She led us through what is now an Embassy Suites but was formerly the Citadel (a photo is located on this page) and the College of Charleston telling tales of people with half heads and stories to tell. We were "kicking up bones" all around Charleston, which also happens to be the home of one of the first female serial killers and the first woman to be hanged in South Carolina. Lavinia Fisher's story is much like that of Sweeny Todd, in that her husband was in on the murders and the two preyed on those who were innocently looking for a warm meal and place to stay. The tour ended at the King George Inn where we heard our tour guide's only first hand encounter. At the time of the tour, I wasn't scared or even really creeped out, but when you're lying awake in a strange hotel and the room is really quiet and you've just come back after a ghost walk; things are a little more creepy. We loved seeing the C of C campus, and a slight drizzle and Spanish moss hanging from the trees added to the ambiance. The tour we went on is the only haunted walk north of Market Street.

Taco eating

2009-05-27T21:47:00.004-04:00

This is my son. He is eating a taco while listening to Pink Floyd and waving. Enjoy.

Fat Liver and Boney Gumbo

2009-05-23T23:09:00.006-04:00

Charleston Day 1: After briefing mama and papa B. on all the ends and outs of Jude-care, Jon and I left home on our fifth anniversary Friday for trip to Charleston, SC. It's our first trip without the baby and our first night away from him. I left home relieved of the many responsibilities of caring for a 10-month old yet worried about how much I was going to miss all those little hugs.

We arrived in North Charleston at our hotel in the afternoon and rested a bit before heading down I-26 into town. We started out the evening with a carriage ride from Palmetto Carriage Works, "The Big Red Barn" off Market Street. Let me tell you, folks, if you want to get into vacation-mode, take a carriage ride. We waited in the barn for our tour to start where there were a couple of fancy chickens, a baby donkey and its mama, and draft horses and mules. We set out with Ed as our guide and Traveler and Butterfinger pulling us along the streets of the low country. Something about the clip clop of the horses' hooves and Ed's dry, relaxed storytelling that just created an ambiance of relaxation. To keep carriage rides from becoming tangled on Charleston's crowded streets, the city tells each carriage on which tour route they may go. We went on tour route #2, seeing commercial, residential, historical, and spiritual landmarks.

What remains of this city from prior to the Civil War is nothing short of miraculous. The city has seen bombardment for more than 500 days, 5 major fires, hurricanes (most notably Hugo in '89), and an estimated 7.3 magnitude earthquake.

We had dinner at Hank's seafood. A bit on the more expensive side, Hank's specializes in seafood and low country presentation. We started with She Crab Soup, a cheesy and buttery bowl that seemed to set the tone for all of the meals we would consume over the weekend. We also tried the cold smoked slamon on toast with a cucumber salad appetized. It was light compared to the soup and was a good transition from the hot soup and hot weather into the cool of the resturant. I had the Seafood a la Wando, which was a sampler of seafood in a saffron sauce accompanied by a fried grit cake--again, rich and buttery. Jon had the roasted grouper that came recommended by everyone in the place. The grouper is served over risotto. Jon said it was fantastic, but like we found with everything this weekend, became a bit rich by the end.

How do you follow up a meal that features butter? Easy, a praline from a candy shop on Market Street. Sugar, held together with butter with some pecans thrown in for texture. I nibbled on it after dinner, but didn't finish it until 4 p.m. the next afternoon. It made my teeth hurt. Our real dessert was a piece of pecan (pea-can) pie from The Pie Man, Toby Simmons. He was at the outdoor pops concert cutting still warm pies. OH MY! Delicious! (His site is down or I would link it).

After dinner we headed back to North Charleston and saw the new "Star Trek." We enjoyed the movie, and we enjoyed seeing a movie in a theater for the first time since Jude was born. Speaking of the little man, Jude is having a fantastic time with his grandparents. He ate Jello for the first time today and appeared to have experienced some type of nirvana as a result.

My First Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:14:00.008-04:00

Mother's Day began at 12:09 a.m. when Jon and I finally got in bed after a Grandma's Genius show. Jon had a card for me and a card from Jude. In the morning, Jon handled all the baby and doggie duties and made breakfast for me, huevos rancheros, bacon, and tortillas. Que rico!

We dropped off Jude with Chris and Ashley after his nap and had lunch out, did some shopping, sat in the sun, and had some ice cream. After picking Jude up, we went home for naps and then out to dinner and to buy groceries. It was such a wonderful day with time for myself, time with my son, and time with my husband.

I shed some tears today, remembering everything that happened when Jude was born. And then I shed some more thinking about all that he can do. I know it's cliche, but I feel like the luckiest mom (and wife) in the world.

I have lots of pics and a video to share, so I'll get on with it! This week, Jude, Jon, and I watched a demo at the Farmer's Market by CJ and Carla from "Top Chef." They were kind enough to take a picture with us. The top pic is from today, one of Chris with his ride, and our Rachel Ray dinner from a few nights ago. (Honey-lime salmon and black bean, corn and spinach salad). Click to enlarge.

Greyhounds and Grandma's G IV

2009-05-06T15:22:00.005-04:00

Jude is seen here dancing to Grandma's Genius at the Greyhound Friends Cinco de Mayo Open House. In the picture, he is trying to see around the rails of a fence where Jon and Chris were playing. This was the fourth Greyhound Friends Open House for Grandma's Genius, and they promised to have a CD by their fall event.

Update May '09

2009-05-05T21:11:00.002-04:00

In this month of our 5th anniversary, I thought I would list a few recent events:
- Jude is starting to stand without holding on to anything for a few seconds at a time.
- Jude has "talked" more in the past two days than ever and shows no signs of stopping.
- Clara has serious allergies, which we only recently discovered and she is much more spry these days. She is on a new diet and steroids.
- Jude feeds Lucy from his highchair.
- Jon and I will be leaving Jude in the care of his grandparents this month--our first night away since Jude was born. Big step for everyone!
- We are STILL trying to sell our house.
- Jude will be moving from the "Bugs" to the "Birds" at the Little Gym.
- Jon is almost finished with the semester, so he won't have to drive to UNC-G twice a week.
- We are marking 10 years since we graduated from high school this year.
- I received my very first Mother's Day card today from Brian and Deborah; I cried. So sweet. I feel so lucky to be celebrating Mother's Day this year.

That's all the news for now. Feliz Cinco de mayo, which is NOT Mexican Independence Day.

Biblical humor for the win

2009-04-22T16:35:00.005-04:00

On our way home from Hartley Street Tuesday, we saw a beautiful rainbow. Having lived in Hawaii, Jon saw rainbows everyday, but they are more of a rarity for me. The one pictured here came after leaving our house that has been on the market for months, so I'm hoping that it was a sign that the "flood" is over and our house will sell soon. Jon suggested we send Jude out the window to see what he came back with :)

Over the weekend we took Jude to Kidzu in Chapel Hill, a hands-on museum for little ones. It has everything a kid would want to play with and nothing is off limits. The museum is free on Sunday afternoons, so we had an even better time! Afterwards, we enjoyed some Ben & Jerry's while Jude had a bottle.

Easter

2009-04-12T22:01:00.005-04:00

We had a fantastic family day today. C & A made a great lunch with ham, yams, rolls, and salad. Jon and I attempted a Derby Pie for dessert, but it didn't set in the oven. We salvaged it by cutting the part that was done away from the middle, which was a giant puddle of corn syrup, and serving Derby pie bars instead. Ding!

We spent the afternoon in the park and the evening at Tobacco Road. We ate outside on the sidewalk in the comfy patio chairs. The entrees here are big enough to share, and you can see at least two televisions even outside. The atmosphere was relaxed and the evening was breezy.

We capped the day off at Turkish Delights for some baklava (or at least Chris and I did). If you haven't stopped in the purple coffee house on Glenwood, then you are missing out. They have many varieties of baklava, ice cream, coffee, and, like the name says, Turkish Delights.

The best part of the day was being all together and seeing how much Jude enjoyed every moment. He enjoyed it so much that he clapped his hands for the first time today! We were all so thrilled by it that he continued to do it all afternoon for our entertainment, I sure. Jude is also doing the sign for "eat" and the sign for "more." He's super neat-o.

Park and Ride

2009-04-08T20:55:00.007-04:00

We live very close to a park, so Jude and I have started to head there on days when the temperature permits. He loves the swings and climbing on the equipment. Here are some shots and a video from today. I need to buy him some baby shoes for climbing. When we got home, his socks were yellow from pollen.

Click on the pic of Jude in the stroller to enlarge it and see all 6 of his teeth!

Scaling the gate

2009-04-04T14:38:00.003-04:00

Jude has started to get more into extreme sports. This video is his first attempt at baby gate climbing.

Lock up your daughters!

2009-04-01T09:53:00.003-04:00

Jude's top front teeth are coming in, making a grand total of 6 for now. In the bottom pic, he is looking at his new Peek-A-Boo book, which he loves. (Clara likes it too)!

I walk the line

2009-03-26T12:18:00.003-04:00

Jon bought me a card yesterday. Jude started turning pages in books a few weeks ago, so I let him open the card.

Quiet Reflection

2009-03-25T19:40:00.003-04:00

There hasn't been much text with our blog posts recently. We just can't seem to take too much time to reflect in writing. The pictures of Jude climbing, sipping, dancing, etc. speak for themselves. But I was thinking today that we have got to remember to write things down too, and keep a record of what is such a fantastic time for us as Jude's parents.

Jon said yesterday that if he could describe Jude in just a few words they would be happy, determined, curious, and focused.

I think his personality was summed up today when he was dancing to Public Enemy's "Don't Believe the Hype" while smiling and stuffing Puffs into his mouth and eying the woman at the table next to us in Chipotle. The kid is always doing something and having a great time doing it.

Dancing Machine

2009-03-24T12:07:00.003-04:00

Sipping

2009-03-21T09:35:00.003-04:00

Jude has started drinking from a sippy cup, which he seems to really enjoy. He is also enjoying four teeth, cruising along the couch, and chasing the dog.

Sounds of the day

2009-03-10T11:01:00.002-04:00

Here's Jude with today's sound.

Rise up with fists

2009-03-02T11:57:00.003-05:00

No one can keep this kid down, restrained, or contained. On Saturday, just before our babysitter got here, Jude found that if he lifts his leg up onto the barrier, he can scale it. This new found skill allows him to reach his favorite thing--the computer. He is pulling up on anything he can get his hand on. He'll use the coffee table, a pant leg, the dog, anything.

Splish, splash

2009-03-01T11:11:00.002-05:00

Laissez le bon bebe rouler

2009-02-24T15:40:00.006-05:00

Jude had his first Mardi Gras parade today (in our living room). He caught so many beads for showing his big smile. Jude's first visit to NOLA was inutero, so he's hoping to go visit again soon. As soon as the house sells, I'm ready to make reservations at Chez Sheets!

I would love to have some king cake. I wonder where I can find one? I figure we've already got the baby :)

Well, that was fast

2009-02-15T18:50:00.004-05:00

Jude decided crawling wasn't good enough, so today he did this. I have no idea when they're supposed to do this, but we weren't expecting it. I'm going to go ahead and sign him up for next year's NBA slam dunk contest.

Lu

2009-02-13T14:53:00.004-05:00

In my last post, I believe I ended by talking of Lucy's interest in high chair. As you will see in the photos, Lucy has now fully explored the highchair. Upon her investigation, she found it was easy to get in but impossible to get out. She is motivated by Jude's Puffs. Once he tries to eat the Puffs, they get sticky and stick to his hands, bib, and the high chair. I'm typically able to get most of them, but Lu seeks out any I may have missed.

Jude is also enjoying the highchair, and he likes to use the bars to get up onto his knees.

Crawling

2009-02-06T17:52:00.002-05:00

Jude has taken his first steps toward being a full time crawler. He took a few "steps" on Tuesday, and at the gym today he crawled all over the mat. He crawled more there, I think, because he was on a slick mat that let his knees glide and he didn't have to pick them up. I'm going to try him in the kitchen later to see if he likes crawling in there.

Our experiment in letting him put himself to sleep is going very well. So far, it has assisted with 3 nights of sleeping all night. We are so proud of him, and we are happy to be rested!

As you can see, we have also transferred from the Bumbo to the highchair. He loves having the tray in front of him, so he can bang things on it or eat Puffs off of it. I think it's only a matter of time before we find Lucy standing on it--she is intrigued.

"He's just a big dude"

2009-01-31T10:04:00.003-05:00

Why is Jude still getting up in the wee hours for a snack?
"He's probably hungry. He's just a big dude," said our pediatrician at Jude's 6-month check up on Tuesday. Measuring in the 95th percentile for weight at 20 lbs. 4 oz., Jude is off the chart for height at 28 3/4 inches long.
Our doctor has encouraged us to continue to offer him a variety of new foods and textures since all previous attempts have gone so well. He is eating cereal, fruits, veggies, and even had some chicken this week. Jude also tried chewing something for the first time with the Gerber graduate puffs. The little Cheerio-like pieces also offer him good practice working his fine motor skills.
We met with a developmental therapist this week who will be following Jude's case, but she does not see a need for regular therapy. She will be coming in once a month to see him and check his milestones, but she was not particularly concerned with anything. The best part of her visit was learning some exercises Jude and I can do to help him think more about crawling and developing the muscle memory to do so.
This week, we have also started working on Jude being able to soothe himself to sleep. With his terrible acid reflux bout, we got into rocking him to sleep and holding him alot. Now he has trouble falling asleep without our intervention. In our move toward more sleep independence and better sleep, we hold Jude until he is grogy and he takes it home. This did not go well the first few times, but now he's down to about 10 minutes to fall asleep during the day. The big exception is the nighttime routine, which I think is going to take much longer to adjust. I know he can do it!

All he has is his two front teeth

2009-01-29T15:04:00.003-05:00

Jude would like to announce his newest addition, his other front tooth on the bottom! I don't have a picture of it yet because it's not quite tall enough, but I'll be working on it. We have part of the living room blocked off because Jude is very interested in the computer and all of its wires and lights. As you can see, the barriers will be useless soon.

Jude commando crawling

2009-01-28T13:40:00.003-05:00

Jon!

2009-01-21T07:54:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday!
We love you!
Amanda, Jude, Lucy and Clara

First Snow!

2009-01-20T14:20:00.002-05:00

Snow Day

2009-01-20T08:52:00.004-05:00

It's snowing so much here that Jon got to stay home! They are predicting 1"-3" here, and it is still snowing at 9 a.m. Jude had a great night last night, sleeping from 8 p.m.-6:30a.m. After his morning meal he went right back to bed until 8:15! We'll take Jude out later to experience his first snow, but for now we are all bundled inside watching the inauguration coverage, also a first for Jude. Here are some pics of the snow and Jude's tooth (click to enlarge).

Little Gym Bug

2009-01-16T16:58:00.005-05:00

Jude is now a Little Gym "Bug." We took our trial class today at The Little Gym of North Raleigh and enjoyed it very much. We joined a circle of other 4-10 month olds and stretched, sang, and banged sticks together. The class begins with some organized playing and ends with free play on the gym equipment. The most interesting thing about the class is the vast variety of skills. From the just now holding his head up 4-month old to the starting to walk 10-month old. We sat next to a "bug" who is a week older than Jude but who is not yet scooting at all and seldom lays on his belly. And we have our little guy who, dressed in camo today, did the army crawl all over the slick gym mat. They all develop so differently that I feel odd even comparing them. We started looking into these classes before we left Winston so that Jude would have interactions with others kids and get some additional brain stimulation. It's not until Jude starts talking and starts school that we'll know if the two foci on his MRI are of any consequence. The activities in the class are supposed to promote development, and though everything appears "normal," we figure they won't hurt.

Jude had a great time and was all tuckered out, falling asleep on the way home. We begin the spring semester on the 30th.

UPDATE: We have a break through! A tooth has emerged in Jude's bottom gum! His new nickname is Chester Toothsworth.

God rest ye merry, Judeman (IV)

2009-01-11T09:25:00.004-05:00

Jude's tour of Kentucky also included a stop in Taylorsville with Nana Lou and G & P. We also made a stop at Becca and John's to visit their new arrival and see all the beautiful home improvements they've made. Jude also had some QT with his friends from NOLA, Chrissy and Carter.

I'm dreaming of a Jude Christmas (III)

2009-01-10T10:23:00.004-05:00

Now for Christmas with the Brasfields and the Pulleys. Jude enjoyed his GranJan and Grandpa, rocked out to some live music, and met his cousins.

Jude Christmas II

2009-01-09T13:44:00.003-05:00

First we have all the boys, Jude, Jarius, and Jaylin. Then Jay. Next is Uncle Rob, Aunt Gus, and Jarius. Finally a pic with Aunt Kelly.

Christmas with Jude I

2009-01-08T14:39:00.003-05:00

Bronchiolitis

2009-01-06T11:39:00.003-05:00

So the plan was to post lots of pictures of Jude enjoying his Christmas gifts, but no such luck. The USB for the printer and the one for the camera are MIA in the boxes in our new apartment, so I can't upload anything. Jon and I have searched, but were interrupted in the unpacking process when Jude came down with bronchiolitis, a nasty virus that has really made Jude feel terrible. He is congested and his breathing sounds like a rusty cotton gin. He went to the doctor last Friday for diagnoses, and the virus peaked on Sunday night when he started crying and panicking. We couldn't get him calmed down and he was the color of a tomato, so we started heading toward the closest ER about 5 minutes away. He was snotting and snorting and gasping. We were scared. Luckily, the car ride was exactly what he needed because the cool night air and vibrations calmed him down on the way. By the time we made it to the door, he was breathing better and was back to his pale self.

Since then, Jude has steadily, yet slowly improved. He was very tired yesterday and didn't eat well, but he was looking better. Today, he is eating better, drank some apple juice, and is playing well. We've tried to continue his new solid foods through the illness, but he has so much congestion that he gets strangled too easily. He is also unable to stay asleep while napping and naps in my arms during the day. Every time I try to lay him down he has a coughing fit. At night, he sleeps for 3-4 hours at a time. He had been sleeping about 9p-6a, so this every few hours thing is hard when he won't nap on his own during the day. Mom needs a nap! The unpacking and such is on slow mo until Jude is feeling better.

Jude's sickness has not slowed his playtime down much, as he is scooting and rolling all over the living room. Most of the time he is trying to get to the dogs' water bowl or to play with the tags on their harnesses. This baby is mobile and on a mission!

Moving

2008-12-15T09:10:00.004-05:00

Phase I of the move is complete thanks to C & A and good weather. Jude is asleep, the dogs are asleep, Jon is at work, and I am about to make cookies in the new oven. The view from our apartment is nice, and I think we're going to like living in Raleigh. Jon took me out to dinner last night for my birthday, and really pulled one over on me. I told him I wanted to be surprised, and it didn't matter to me where we went to eat. We started the evening window shopping at Triangle Town Center at my suggestion. We then went out to the car to go to our next destination, my surprise dinner. Jon told me it wasn't too far from where we were. We pulled out of our parking space, drove about 15 feet and pulled into another space! We were going to eat at Twisted Fork, and he totally faked me out. Dinner was great. We started things off with the crab dip and yogurt crackers, which was rich and delicious. I had the filet mignon, and Jon enjoyed the buffalo chicken sandwich. We split a butterscotch blondie for dessert that was served with coffee ice cream and caramel. Yum!

Jude's First Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T14:14:00.005-05:00

Jude had his first cereal today, which he seemed to enjoy. He also Skyped with Gran Jan and Grandpa, and he took a nap. It was an overall successful day!

Changes

2008-11-24T19:54:00.004-05:00

Jude is now four months old and doing great. He is rolling around everywhere, and loves to smile and laugh. He likes for us to hold him up while he steps with his legs, and he will begin eating cereal before we know it.

We wanted to let everyone know that Jon was recently hired on as the evaluator for the magnet school assistance program grant for Wake County School System, and we will be moving to Raleigh, NC in December. Jon will continue working on his Ph.D. at UNC-G, and I am going to stay home with Jude. I am applying to a Master’s program in Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill and plan on starting that in the fall of ‘09.

Our current challenge is getting our house packed and ready to sell, and, of course, selling it! (3BR, 2BA!) We are going to miss Winston-Salem and all of the friends we have made here. However, we are so excited to be near Chris and Ashley and start this new adventure!

yyxc vvvvvv n

2008-11-21T15:26:00.003-05:00

Jude typed the heading of this post. He is very talented. Above is how he spent the morning. We had a two hour delay because of "snow."

Jude!

2008-11-12T20:38:00.001-05:00

Jude got a Bumbo!

Huzzah!

2008-11-10T20:45:00.001-05:00

Holy cow!

2008-11-08T09:51:00.001-05:00

Jude rolled over! Back to front! Woo Hoo!

Grandma's G and Greyhounds Part III

2008-11-07T20:34:00.003-05:00

The semi-annual greyhound gathering in Oak Ridge is a staple gig for Grandma's Genius. This year's event was special, as it marked Jude's very first Grandma's Genius show. It was also the first time Jude had touched grass. He was amazed...

Pappy carves a pumpkin

2008-11-01T16:52:00.004-04:00

My dad was in town this week and carved Jude his first Halloween pumpkin--a pirate!

AHHH!

2008-10-27T21:46:00.001-04:00

Jude rolled from his back to his side!

Tootheses

2008-10-26T09:00:00.005-04:00

Our 3 month old is teething! He is chewing and drooling and fussy and all that mess! It's fantastic.

Update: 3:53 p.m. Jude has discovered his feet! He was holding his right big toe in his hand :)

Update: 8:38 p.m. There is a very good chance that Jude will learn to turn over this week! His hips are willing, but his torso isn't following. . .yet.

Capt. Judeman

2008-10-17T20:39:00.006-04:00

Here are a few recent pics. One of Jude in an outfit from Nana Lou--the first outfit we received after we found out we were having a boy. And a pic of Jon and Jude after a tough morning of watching college football.

He's also on the couch reppin' those 'Toppers. Jude is doing well holding up his head, and we bought him a new mirror to look at while he does that. Jude has spent most of his evening listening to music.

Yippee!!!

2008-10-11T12:20:00.001-04:00

Jude went to bed last night at about 10:45 and I woke up before him at 6:30!!! Yea, Jude!

Photos by Brendan

2008-10-05T09:48:00.003-04:00

B came to see us last weekend and meet Jude for the first time. While he was here, he gave us the wonderful gift of some beautiful pictures of Jude.

Adventures in Teaching

2008-09-29T21:24:00.003-04:00

One of my 6th grade students wrote the following about a three-headed monster he drew in class:
"Mr. Bubbles is just like your average monster. He is feared by many, but he is really mean. Don't let the name fool you--he is impervious to pain. The middle head, the boss, the left one, the brain, the right one is down right nasty. Every day they terrorize villages. Once or twice he'll have to fight King Kong, Godzilla, and things like that. But once he gets his paycheck he goes home to his wife and kids, Mrs. Bubbles and Bubble Jr. That's the Day in the Life of my Monster."

Sounds like a movie trailer to me folks. Coming soon: "Mr. Bubbles: Impervious to Pain."