Posts Tagged ‘The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree’

  • Letter to Jude: Month 26

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    Dear Snoring Monkey,

    I’ve been horrible about updating this blog lately. I have no real excuse. I’ve simply been tired. I’ve been napping when you nap, and occasionally using your down time to catch up on cleaning. (Okay, that happened once. Who’s counting?!?!) We also right in the middle of summer, and you just go, go, go hour after hour, day after day. You run circles around me, literally. Simply put, you tired me out, Jude; but I’m not complaining.

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    Summertime suits you well. We spend our mornings visiting local playgrounds or, if Papa’s home, playing at the beach. Sometimes we cap off playtime with a trip to Charmer’s for a bagel with veggie cream cheese. After nap time we usually play indoors; you love to finger paint and draw, dance and listen to music. If the weather is crummy, or if you’re not feeling well, I make popcorn for us to share, and we snuggle up in bed together and watch The Incredibles.

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    Your favorite books right now are Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, The Peace Book by Todd Parr, and Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.You love ‘reading’ these books on your own, and you love describing what you see on each page while flipping through the books with Papa or me. You’ve (thankfully) gotten through your obsession with The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree, and have moved on to requesting Agony & Irony by the Alkaline Trio. How grateful I am for this progression, I’ll never be able to adequately put into words. Thank you, Jude. Thank you.

    Earlier this month, your Aunt Erin and Uncle Grant came to Chicago and stayed for a week. We met up with them a few times during their vacation and visited Shedd Aquarium with them. That same week, you, Papa, and I stayed at the Belden-Stratford Hotel for a night. We had a great time there, living the high life, and were reluctant to leave. This past month we also purchased a child seat for my bike so that you and I could go for rides together. Sadly, I don’t have much biking skill and was unable to balance you, the seat, and the bike well enough to take you on any rides. BUT! not to worry, sweet boy. Yesterday we returned the seat and ordered a bike trailer for you to ride in. By this time next week (hopefully sooner!), you and I will be cruising all around Rogers Park in style.

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    In other, pointy-er news, your second set of molars are on their way in. So far, I’ve spotted those sharp little buggers on each side of your bottom row of teeth. You’re dealing with them fairly well, though Papa and I have both noticed you chewing on your had a lot lately. Also, there’s the crankiness, but who’s to say that’s from the teeth? It could stem from your refusal to go to bed before 10 the other night, or your subsequent refusal to nap for more than sixty minutes the following afternoon. Thankfully, you went to bed at a decent time this evening, so tomorrow, if the crankiness ensues, we should know what it is we’re dealing with.

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    And on that note, Monkey, I think I’ll sign off and join you in bed. The weather is supposed to be nice again tomorrow, and we have an early playdate scheduled with your girlfriend in Lincoln Park. Sleep tight, Jude. Thanks for another great month.

    Love,
    Mama

  • Christmas in July

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    For a while, Jude was stuck on “VeggieTales Radio.” Then he only wanted to listen to two different VeggieTales Silly Songs… compilation CDs. Now… well, now I’m forced to listen to The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree over and over again, day in and day out. I’ve been suffering for about a week now. I don’t know how much longer I can take it.

    If you asked my husband, he would probably say I’m getting what I deserve. I tend to start listening to Christmas music in the middle of October (or November 1st, at the very latest) each year, much to his dismay. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t hear a Christmas-themed tune until December 24th; because of me, he gets at least two months of non-stop Christmasy goodness every year.

    On the upside, Jude will occasionally tolerate listening to either the Blue or Red Weezer albums. When that happens, I crank up the volume, break out the white-girl dance moves, and pray that Troublemaker will somehow replace Jingle Ka-Chinge as the song that’s stuck in my head.