three little monkeys

This past Saturday, Jude got to make his third trip to the Baton Rouge Zoo.  We were invited by two AWESOME ladies that served in Discovery with me, and of course their two kiddos, Natalie and Dade.  This was the first zoo trip that Jude actually didn't cry through and stayed awake for most of it.  The weather forecast was threatening with a 70% chance of rain.. YUCK!  But the morning was sunny and a little warm...  And of course, we had to bring "the blanket" for our sanity.

Jude was checking out the cheetah.  

Jessica and her little sweet pea, Natalie.  Nat insisted on calling Jude "Baby Jude" which is so funny because ever since he was born, every little one has called him that.  It was too sweet.

"Baby Jude" at the elephant, or hefalump, exhibit.

My sweetie looks good in yellow with his curly auburn hair.

At the otter pond.  Dade and Jude were more interested with each other than the otters.  Natalie was so sweet to Jude and wanted to show him the otters.  Then we finally managed to get a group picture with all three kiddos.  Getting them to all look at the camera for the picture was really just too much to ask.

Jude was VERY interested in the aquariums.  But not so interested in the reptile exhibit.

Yay... I finally got in a few pictures with my sweet boy.  And yes, the matching outfits were intentional. We are a southern Louisiana family, so why wouldn't we wear our purple and gold on an LSU game day.  We were at the Tiger Baseball game in spirit Saturday!  Lane and Uncle Jim were there in the flesh to watch them beat Arkansas on Sunday!!  GEAUX TIGERS!!

And, for those of you that know me and those of you that don't, of course I had the perfect shoes for the occasion.  What LSU ensemble would be complete without some Tigress flip-flops?!

We eventually made it about half way through the zoo and stopped at the overcrowded Flamingo Cafe for some lunch.  While were there, another Watts Family showed up.  It was a great opportunity to get some pictures of Jude with his cousin Kenadi.  Believe it or not, these pictures capture a rare moment since Jude has developed a little "jealousy" over Kenadi's new position as baby in the family.

Before we left the cafe, the clouds got dark and the wind got cool.  Everyone decided it was best to call it a day before we got stuck in the middle of the zoo during a rain storm.  We jetted to the front and it started sprinkling on the way.  Wouldn't ya know it, the rain blew over about 30 minutes later.  Oh well! It was a great day!!!

a WILD hair

We all know that Jude is well known for his wild, red curls!  Lately, his natural ringlets have gotten a little out of hand..  That's kinda my fault because I think his hair is too beautiful to cut!  Plus I think this "wild hair" of Jude's more than fits his little personality: WILD

I think he gets his wild spirit from his Daddy...   That's why those two always seem to be two peas in a pod.  It makes me so happy to see the strong connection between my two guys.

We also made it to the zoo today, those pictures are coming soon!  

Hope you have an AWESOME WEEKEND!!

XOXO,

Angel and Jude

a tune up..

This morning Jude saw his pulmonary specialist.  And everything went pretty well.  Jude reached 100% on his oxygen saturation levels.. and he stayed there!!! YAY!  A first since Jude had congestive heart failure TWO YEARS AGO!!  Also, to add to Mommy's delight, there was no wait.  Normally there is a 2-3 hour wait to see him.  Back to the oxygen.. even though Jude's saturation levels were at 100%, the doctor said that Jude will probably stay on oxygen at night until the age of 6 or 7 due to his sleep apnea and changes in his facial structure that will occur due to growth.  This did dishearten me a little because I was looking forward to saying Bye Bye to the oxygen tanks and concentrator.  After talking with the doctor, we decided to get Jude going on a little "tune up" this year.  He wants to coordinate with the GI specialist and do a bronchoscopy along with the endoscopy.  (One to look at his airways, to other to look at his esophagus)  We are also going to try to coordinate a  pediatric dentist and his urologist if needed at the same time.  We are having a little trouble finding a dentist that takes cases at OLOL.  We are also waiting on an appointment with the urologist to find out if he wants in on the action as well.  The good news is that these are all pretty non invasive procedures.  The not so good news is that Jude will have to be put to sleep and will probably need a central line done AGAIN.  This will also be a stay at the Lake but it should only be overnight.  This should all happen in about 6 weeks or so.  I know this may seem like a lot, but actually it's not that bad.  It's just a routine check to make sure that everything is going well since Jude is at such a risk for things to not be going well.

Other than all that stuff,  Jude is really doing great.  He's just a little WILD lately and we are kind of having a little trouble getting him to sleep at night at a decent hour.  We get him to bed and sleep just doesn't happen.  Suggestions for remedying this sleep thing are greatly appreciated.  ;)

This Saturday, we have a plan to go to the zoo with some of our friends since Daddy is working.  So I'm sure I will have some new pictures to post from that day.  Prayers that the rain stays away are also greatly appreciated...   Until then, lots of hugs and kisses from everyone's favorite little redhead!!!

XOXO,
Angel and Jude

Mac & Cheese, PLEASE

Well, this past weekend, I was away serving at the Discovery Weekend.  I left Thursday morning and returned Sunday morning; it was the longest I had ever been away from Jude.  His Maw Maw Lucy and Maw Maw Katie took care of him while Lane was at work; and of course he got sick right after I left.  His poor tummy gave him a pretty rough weekend and the pediatrician restricted him from solids until it cleared up.  Thank goodness, he was back to himself when I got home.  And we have started feeding him again.  We tried a new food, macaroni and cheese, and Jude made a happy bowl.  His daddy came in from work and fed him dinner first thing...   Jude is making so much progress with his feeds.  It has been a good evening.

He is so proud of himself for eating all his dinner!!

Bubbles for My Boy

Sunday before last, the weather was so beautiful that we couldn't help to be outdoors.  I knew I would be leaving to go on a weekend retreat so I wanted to make sure that I spent some quality time with my boys.    So out we went.  Jude loves being outdoors in the sun and wind...

Jude asks for "more bub bub"...

He wants to try...

What better way to spend a pretty day with Jude than blowing some bubbles.  Jude loves bubbles almost as much as he loves his Mommy and Daddy.  In fact, "bubble" is the first word Jude has used intentionally.  

"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."    

Proverbs 25:11

We are so proud of our little man and all the progress he makes.