dear God, thank you for a good appointment

Jude had his 18 month appointment today, and the doctor said he's a genius and is ready for grad school. Just kidding...but Jude is doing well. He now weighs a whopping 20 lbs. 14 oz and is 30-some odd- inches long. That puts him in the 1st percentile for weight and the 5th percentile for height - perfect for his growth curve. While my gut (and inability to catch a deep breath) tells me that Baby Deuce will be a bit bigger than Jude, I really hope I can remain calm if he drops down on the growth chart as Jude did. It's crazy to remember all of the energy I spent worrying about Jude's weight - only to see that he's happy, healthy, and cute as can be.

The only concern I wanted to bring up to the doctor is that Jude doesn't seem to be talking as much as his peers. Don't get me wrong, he babbles all the time - but it doesn't seem to me like he says actual words a lot. To prepare for this appointment, I kept an eye on Jude this past week and jotted down any words he said. It turns out that he's talking more than I think he is! Even though his words aren't all very clear (for example, "thank you" is more like, "dah-oh"), our doctor said that as long as he was communicating the thought with a consistent sound that it counted. So in no particular order, here are the words Jude can currently say (and for kicks - how he actually says it):

1. Mom (Mmmm-mmmuh---muhmm)
2. Daddy (Daa-yee! And yes, it's always said with an exclamation point. This is by far his clearest word)
3. All Done (ah-duh)
4. Yes (Des)
5. Church (chooch)
6. Jesus (Jeeeee-suh)
7. Dog (Da)
8. Moooo (Mooooo :))
9. Paci (eye-see)
10. Juice (jooce or joot)
11. Hi (hi. hi. hi. hi. hi. This word seems to get easily stuck on repeat)
12. Thank you (dah-oh)
13. There (der)
14. Hello (hey-yo? He says this when he's pretending to talk on his cell phone)
He also signs All Done, More, Puppy, and Water. We're currently working on Help and Potty. I noticed a big difference in his vocabulary when we started signing with him. I think once he realized that he can communicate what he wants in a way that we understand he took off in learning words.

The doctor was also very impressed with Jude's social skills. He said Jude made great eye contact, and he interacted with the doctor right away. He asked if Jude could hand him the car he was playing with, and Jude happily gave it to him, then pointed at it to ask the doctor to make it go. The doctor asked him a few other questions ("Where's the car? Where's your belly?), which Jude understood and to which he responded.

...And then came the dreaded shots. The nurse let me hold Jude in my lap, for which I was grateful. I'd really been hoping to avoid the look of, "How could you let them do this to me?!" The sweet bug got one shot in each leg. He cried and kind of stiffened the affected leg, and I gave him his paci and some kisses. Once the nurse was finished, she said "Okay buddy, we're all done!" so I signed "all done" for him to let him know no more were coming. I was amazed that he immediately stopped crying. He wanted me to cuddle him for a minute or two before getting him dressed, but was then perfectly fine. Oh, the joys of being able to communicate with your child!

Once the appointment was finished, I was attempting to do damage control to the now demolished office. I asked Jude to hand me his car that was on the floor, and I held out my hand. Jude excitedly ran to me, put his hand in mine, and then grabbed my other hand. He then bowed from the waist and closed his eyes. I momentarily thought, "Is my child bowing to me? I mean, I'm a good Mom, but certainly not that good," and then I realized he wanted to pray.

"Dear God," I said, "Thank you for a good appointment for Jude. Thank you for reassuring Mommy, and thank you for growing him and molding him. Thank you that he knows you and loves you, and God...thank you for his life. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen"

Jude lifted his head up, let go of my hands, and clapped.

Father, thank you for counting and knowing the hairs on Jude's head. Thank you for loving him more than I'm capable of. Thank you for his sweet spirit and his independent nature. And God...thank you for his life. Amen.