the life of baby jude

Last weekend, Gaga took me to PA for a Ford family get-together. It was very fun hanging out with all those Fords, especially because there were kids there. But being that I'm not really into playing with others yet, I have to say that my favorite part was not really the company so much as the pool. M&D tried to get me to "swim" last summer but I was having none of it. Of course, I should mention that they only took me a pool once and the water was about 2 degrees. The second time they tried to get me to go in the water, we were at the ocean. Come on, people, I was like 13 months old. What do you want from me? But Aunt Maureen's pool, on the otherhand... now, we're talking! Gaga and I did so many fun things in the pool. There were inner tubes, rafts and everyone wanted to hold me and play with me. Here I am with my cousin, Michele. She's super nice and I practiced kicking me little feet with her. Gaga taught me how to say, "I LOVE THE POOOOOOL!" and I even went so far as to point to it and command that Grandpa go swimming by saying, "Pee-pa, get in the POOL!" He didn't, though. His loss! That pool is so very tiring, though, and makes for a great pre-nap exercise. I fell fast asleep as soon as I got out!


Here is a picture of Great-Grandma Ford and some of her grandkids. Not all of us were there, but it's a pretty good representative. I wish my cousins Izzy and Ava could've come. But that's okay, I still got plenty of attention. Everyone kept telling me how much I look and act like Gaga when he was a kid. Apparently, he too would just plop down and refuse to move when he didn't get his way. At least I got his devilish good looks, too. :-)

I had a very nice time with Gaga's family. They sure are a fun-lovin' bunch. Also, it was nice to have Pee-pa and Uncle Brandon there. They slept in the same camper as us and we drove there with them. Finally, someone in the backseat to keep me company! Love you guys!!

Yesterday was a very beautiful day here in Jersey. I think it was a perfect summer day-- hot, but not too much and nice and sunny! Because of that, it was decided that grocery shopping and cleaning the apartment would be no fun for anyone. Instead, Mama & Gaga took me for a drive. We started out with no end in mind, we just starting driving out west. I had a sippy cup, some crackers, my trains and a mimi, so I was willing to ride in the car forever. We soon realized that we were approaching Lake Hopatcong, and a state park, so Mama suggested stopping while Gaga struggled to remember how to pronounce it. But much to our chagrin, the park as FULL! Can you even believe it? I guess it's a popular place to go, but come on! How full could it be? So we drove back towards the highway and found a very small patch of grass near some water and we decided to stop. There were ducks-- well, just one duck really-- so I got great pleasure out of stalking it and quacking in it's general direction. So we hung out there for a little while, just enjoying the nice breeze. After we all got nice and sweaty, we decided to head home. Mama and I took our shoes off in the car and relaxed. Here I am right before we both fell asleep!

Evie had her 2nd birthday party over the weekend. I sure do love a party! It was a Diego party. Apparently, that's Evie's new favorite show. I don't really know that much about it because I spend all of my TV time watching "Thomas" or "Finding Nemo." But Evie has pretty good taste (hey, she picked me as a friend!) so I trust her. All of my playgroup friends where there- Lucy, Kaileigh, Julia, Sophie, Cooper, Charlie, Callie and even a few other kids that I had never met before. Evie's M&D made delicious food (pigs in my blanket are my new favorite) and had all of Evie's coolest toys out! I spent most of the time playing with Evie's new shopping cart. I had to play with it inside, so I wasn't very social for the first half I was there, but it's a REALLY cool shopping cart. I also thoroughly enjoyed Evie's sandbox. I never knew dumping sand down yourself could be so much fun. I also found great joy in drinking the water out of Evie's water table. I followed every sip with an enthusiastic "Ahhh!" Who cares if there were wood chips and sand in it?


I had a really good time with all of my friends! And since there was a keg of beer there, I think Mama & Gaga had a pretty fun time. They hadn't seen Evie or Lucy's M&D in far too long, so I know they were glad to see their friends. I, for one, am always glad to see my favorite ladies.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVIE!!!


PS-- Here we all are at Evie's first birthday party last year! Can you believe how different we all look?

On Saturday, Mama took me to Maplewoodstock! It's an outdoor fair with booths and food and music. We went with Mama's new friend Chrystine and her little baby, Stephen. He's only 6 weeks old! Just a little guy! So while he snuggled up to his own Mommy, I sat in my stroller and listened to tunes and drank lemonade. All in all, I wasn't that impressed, but I was also hot and tired so maybe that's why. I just thought it was all very neat seeing as though Mama is from Woodstock and Grandpa Robo grew up in Maplewood! I bet he spent lots of time in Memorial Park when he was a little guy like me!

This photo is a bit scandalous. But Mommy insisted that I post it because she thought the naked acrobatics I was doing last week (with Jay Jay in hand, no less) were most amusing. But thanks to Microsoft Picture Manager, I don't have to be embarrassed on the internet.

Let me just say that naked somersaults are way more fun than regular ones. Also fun naked? Pineapple eating.

Sandy Hook, here I come!

I think perhaps I'll be an entertainment reporter when I grow up. Let's hope Al Pacino is still around then.

How do you like the rest of my tricks? Aren't I the smartest?


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It's hot! Yesterday, it was in the 90s and humid, with more of the same today. Thankfully, Gaga got a new air conditioner for my room that keeps me nice and cool at night. Before I go to bed at night, I like to enjoy a nice ice pop to stay cool. This weather is just perfect for them! Last night, Gaga and I sat on the steps and enjoyed. Mama saw us from inside and thought it was just too cute to see us sitting there with our shirts off, so she had to snap some pics. In the picture on the left, Gaga and I are doing "cold." This is where you make very exaggerated gestures and faces while going "Brrrrrrr!" What a refreshing treat. I always drip it all over myself because, well, I'm two. I kept telling Mama, "I made a mess." And I sure did.


I even have tan lines! I guess it IS summer!

On Saturday, Mama took me to Meema's house for some fun in the country. Meema's friends, Uncle Lou & Aunt Lynnie were having a party at their house! It sure was fun. In adddition to the loads of snacks I ate, I also got to do a little jamming. Uncle Lou and his friends all play musical instruments. So they all got together to rock out! They played Beatles songs, REM, you name it! It was pretty serious business-- with wires and microphones and such. The best part was that there was a box of "toddler friendly" instruments on the floor with stuff that I could play. Tamborines, maracas, drums. I played it all! I think they really appreciated what I added to the jam-fest! It's just too bad that Mama didn't remember to bring my harmonica. That would've really knocked their socks off.


Besides playing music, I spent the rest of the afternoon eating chips (and no dinner) and horsing around Lynnie & Lou's yard. I got to sit on Lou's riding lawn mower and played hide and seek until Mama & Meema looked like they were going to pass out. At the end of the night, they built a fire and I stared it, totally zoning from my tiring day outside. Then, we spent the night at Meema's. The only annoying part was that they're still trying to stuff me in that little Pack N' Play. Don't they know I'm a big boy now? The next time I sleep at Meema's house, I better get to sleep in a bed!

I love technology!! In addition to being a big fan of the TV and DVDs, I also love playing on the computer. My favorite website to visit is PBS Kids. I like to go to the Sesame Street section and play Elmo's rhyming game and Grover's dancing game. I'm working on how to properly use a mouse and figure by the time I'm five, I'll be a whiz. Hey, I already have a blog, right?

I also love to chat on the telephone, although this isn't exactly news. I'm hoping for my third birthday I get my own cell phone, so I can schedule all sorts of alarms and dial China and no one will mind. Here I am saying "Hello? Hello?" over and over again. Why is it that no one ever answers?

These pictures were both taken on the 4th of July. The weather was pretty crappy, so we didn't really do much. In the morning, Mama took me to see Aunt Arlene. I had such fun in her apartment and showed her most of my tricks like how I can count and telling her how old I am. Then we went back to the apartment and I snoozed. I heard talk of going to the playground and ice cream and fireworks, but because it rained we just wound up hanging out at the apartment, watching the same two episodes of Thomas over and over again. Oh, and taking silly pictures. Do you like my patriotic tee-shirt?