Archive for May, 2008

  • 31 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    My Dusty Bookshelf

    0

    I need to find time to read something more substantial than Charlie Parker Played Be Bop.

    Rachel over at Yestertime just blogged about her son and his constant need for an audience. I kind of laughed when I read her musings. I mean, I get it. Even at just a little more than a year old, Jude just LOVES to interact with whoever is around. He only enjoys playing by himself for a few minutes at a time, and it’s often times hard for me to get a minute to use the bathroom.

    Sometimes I miss being able to pick a book off my bookshelf and sit down to read it. Now I have to settle for two pages here and another three or four pages there. I rarely get through an entire chapter in one sitting, and I can’t tell you what the last book was that I read straight through. Heck, I started reading The Price of Motherhood about a month before Jude was born, and I still haven’t finished it.

    So I’m wondering, does it get better or worse as time goes by? When Jude is three, will I be able to sit down with a cup of coffee and read a few chapters of a book while he plays with some blocks on the floor next to me? Am I destined to never finish another book again? Should I just be happy with getting to read Knuffle Bunny and On the Day You Were Born on a regular basis?

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  • 31 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    More on Phil…

    0

    When Phil lived in Scranton and needed to park downtown, he would drive all around the city until he found a meter to park at that still had time left on it.* From what Robyn tells us, he does this when trying to park his car in Columbus as well.

    *(We didn’t even have to search for a spot when we parked downtown to eat at Abe’s. The first meter we pulled up to had almost an hour and a half left on it! Phil is our cheap, lucky charm.)

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  • 30 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    You Don’t Love Me, You Just Love the Local Jewish Deli

    0

    Our friends Phil and Robyn stopped by for a visit on their way from Ohio to Central America. Yes, apparently Scranton, PA is mid-way between Columbus and Honduras.

    Phil lived in Scranton about five years ago. He introduced us to our favorite breakfast joint, Abe’s Deli. Now whenever I want to entice him to come visit us, I remind him of the yummy goodness and super cheapness of Abe’s Breakfast Special. For just $1.95 (it used to be $1.49) you get two eggs prepared any way you want them, home fries, and toast. For another buck or so, you get fantastic coffee. Phil loves food, and Phil loves being cheap. Abe’s works for him.

    Here’s Phil in July 2007. He still looks like this, except his beard is much bigger.

    ETA picture of Phil and witty comment about his ever-growing beard.

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  • 29 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Some Recent Jude Photos

    2

    Here’s a picture of Jude with one of the pony doors in the background (on the right-hand side):

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    This is a picture of Jude at Nay Aug Park. Moments after this picture was taken, I noticed all the caterpillars crawling around and high-tailed it out of there.

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    And here’s one more from this morning:

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  • 28 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    A Whole New World

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    Since Jude became mobile, we’ve taken up residence in his bedroom upstairs. We have hardwood floors and a fireplace with a stone hearth downstairs, and there just wasn’t any good way to really baby-proof all that we would need to down there, so instead we made his room into a playroom, and all was good.

    … until recently.

    Recently Jude has grown tired of his playroom/cell. He often times cries when I place him on the floor, whereas he used to smile and start crawling around in a wicked fury. He has been giving me these looks that scream , “It’s boring in there! Those toys? Pshhhhtt! I’ve already played with those toys, and they will no longer distract me.” So, what’s a mom and dad to do… well, we just kind of figured it out.

    When we bought this house a little over a year ago, Josh and I were really excited by the wooden gates the previous owners installed at the top and bottom of the stairs and on the then nursery room’s doorway. We took the gates (or pony doors, as I like to call them) off because they made it hard to move our stuff in, and we really didn’t have a need for them, until now. Honestly, we probably should have figured this out a long time ago, but it took until this morning. Josh *just* finished putting the last door on, and now Jude has (pretty much) the run of the upstairs. I think it’s going to make for a much happier baby (and much happier parents!).

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  • 27 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    A Day at the Park

    0

    Josh got home from his trip to San Diego at  9:45am yesterday. Jude and I were SO EXCITED. Josh opened the car door and the kid just couldn’t stop smiling. His eyes lit up and seemed to scream, “Hey! Hey! I know you… I’m so happy you’re home!” In addition to that light in my sweet baboo’s eyes, there was also a little bit of a glare that seemed to plead with his father, “Please don’t leave me alone with this woman for days on end EVER. AGAIN. All the kissing and the snuggling… even a baby needs a break, ya know?”

    We spent the majority of the day outside at the local parks. After lunch with hit up Nay Aug Park for a short walk. We settled down in some shade to let Jude play for a bit, but that was short-lived because, well, there were caterpillars. I don’t do caterpillars. I don’t do bugs. None of them. Not even sweet little lady bugs. So, after a few minutes of me freaking out because Jude almost stepped on one, we headed back to the car.

    After another short family nap, we packed up and headed to the park at South Abington Elementary to have a picnic dinner with our friends the Bader-Sayes. After dinner Josh and Scott took all the boys to the playground to play, and Dem and I went on a short walk. It was great. Sadly, there were caterpillars at South Ab too, but this time I just put Josh on baby duty and let him deal with the little critters. I stood way, way back from it all.

    Everyone was good and tired when we got home. After two quick showers and a bath, the Frank family was ready for bed. Well, Jude was at least. Josh and I stayed up and watched two episodes of The Office on his MacBook Pro. Sleep came quickly after that.

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  • 26 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Longing for Air (and a clean porch)

    1

    I’m sitting in Jude’s room, watching him play, and I have the windows open. There’s a fantastic cool breeze maneuvering through the room. I wish I could just take Jude outside and sit on our porch with him for a while. The problem with this fantasy is that the little guy won’t sit still. He would want to get down and play and then, oh, he’d want to nurse, but then he’d want to play, but don’t forget about that nursing! He would crawl/walk and get into stuff he shouldn’t be getting into, and I would have to keep getting up from my chair to chase him/remove him from whatever danger he had gotten himself into. Before I knew it, I would be wicked tired and would need a nap, and that would be the end of our beautiful May morning on the porch.

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  • 26 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Rest

    0

    Jude is sleeping. He’s lying on his side with both his arm and both his legs extended out in font of him. He kind of looks like a capital E minus the top perpendicular line. I love this time of night.

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  • 25 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Downward Dog

    0

    Well, I’m happy to report that Jude is following in my yoga-loving footsteps. Over the past few days he’s become quite proficient at doing the yoga position downward dog. It’s really amazing. God knows I haven’t been keeping up with my yoga practice at home, so I’m guessing it’s just one of those baby things. He also gets into a child’s pose quite often, though I suspect that’s because he’s a child. (= I hope it sticks… I hope he grows up loving to do yoga with his mama. That would be nice.

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  • 25 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Time with Pop

    0

    Yesterday was a great day for Jude and I. We spend the morning lazing around and then took a drive up to La Tonelteca to hang out with the Bader-Saye family for a bit. After a short nap later in the afternoon, we went to Peacemeal to worship and have dinner. It was a really nice day.

    Today has been pretty cool so far as well. I woke up this morning to a really nice email from my grandpa and decided to call him and see if he wanted to go out for breakfast with Jude and I. He did, so we picked him up and went to Abe’s for their fantastic breakfast special. Abe’s is a kosher Jewish deli. My grandfather had never been there before so, I was explaining the little I know about kosher law to him. At the end of the lesson, Pop asked jokingly asked me if he had to wear a yarmulke. I laughed and said no. Then I mentioned to him that the gentiles LOVE Abe’s… that I always chuckle to myself whenever a priest comes in to eat (and most of the time, there’s at least one priest there). Everyone at Abe’s LOVES my little guy. He flirts with the waitresses and other patrons, smiles big smiles for the owners, and makes friends with whoever talks to him (like, the priest who came in and struck up a conversation with him today, for instance). After breakfast, we all came back to the house… Jude settled in for some milk and a nap, and Pop settled in for some tv watching. At the moment, Jude’s still sleeping, and Pop is still watching tv. When Jude gets up, we’re going to go to my grandfather’s house and from there we’re going to walk to my great aunt and great uncle’s house to visit. They haven’t met Jude yet… I’m sure they’ll be excited to see him.

    Later today we’re getting together with my friend Michelle. I’m thinking we’ll go to Nay Aug to hang out for a bit and maybe come back to the house for some food. Jude and I are also planning to stop by our friend Fred’s house for his going away party. It looks like it’s going to be a busy day!

    Josh comes home tomorrow morning, and I am so, so grateful for that. I miss him terribly, and Jude does too. I really dislike sleeping without him (though having Jude snuggled up next to me helps), and I miss talking to him and hugging him and kissing him. Only 22 hours and 39 minutes to go! Woo hoo!

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