Sun kissed.

There are few things as magical as a baby fresh out of bath. Maybe when you spend the whole morning swimming and running and playing and that feeling of warmth from the sun is lingering on your skin. Dan bathed Abraham and then took Jude downstairs with him to "help him with his pooter" so I could have alone time with Abraham. My little boy and I nestled in our usual place, on Daddy's side of the bed. He was so tired from a busy morning and I know it felt heavenly to him, too, in our comfy soft pajamas all cuddled up in the soft down comforter with the cool breeze of our plastic stand-up fan nearby. A little smile emerged on his face as I gently scratched his back and head. He giggled softly and I smiled back. The love and understanding between us was tangible as we looked at each other, not having to say a word. I kept gently scratching his back and running my fingers through his white blonde hair as his little eyelids were closing, but he was still smiling at me as he drifted off. I gently laid him down in his bed and he promptly turned over onto his tummy with his little bottom in the air. I put his newly acquired "Barky" by his side and covered him with our crocheted baby blue blanket. I imagine he'll have sweet dreams today. And I can daydream about the smiling little boy in my arms for years to come!

ABRAHAM @ 15 months

This little boy has the best little personality. He is witty, determined, mischievous, loving, and strong. He has the most heart-melting little smile. He'll look at me (or anybody) with that smile and my heart is his! He is very smart. He says mom, dad, dog, doggy, ball, Tubby, bubble, double, NO, hi, and thank you! He very much has his own opinion about everything. He is also very tough and picks himself back up when he falls, and when he cries he gets over it within seconds and usually all on his own. He is very independent and also very coordinated. Since he was probably about 9 months old he intuitively turns around and scoots backwards when he's getting off a bed, crawling down stairs, going down a curb (even if it's a one-inch curb), or going down the slope of a driveway. He has been walking pretty well since about 13 months old and now he is getting more confident and will walk down driveways normally. He is still reluctant about stairs, thank goodness! In all reality he is very coordinated and has good balance and I think a lot of it is because I have tried to be very hands-off with him and let him tumble and fall so he has learned how to be careful. I was very much a "helicopter mom" with Jude and it's been interesting to see how different their personalities and development is. It's hard to know how much of it is "nature" and how much is "nurture." Anyways, Abraham is seriously such a special little boy. He has so much personality. He loves his mama and daddy so much. He loves to play with Dan. Dan will lay down on the ground and Abraham will come over and and climb on him and bounce on him and give him strawberries (raspberries, I don't know why we call them strawberries). But he always wants to be around his mama. He still nurses a few times a day and when I ask, "do you want to nurse?" he throws down whatever he was playing with and runs over to me with a big smile on his face. He is a great eater. He eats pretty much anything and everything! He eats exactly the same as Jude except I also give him raw milk, homemade yogurt made from raw milk, Kerrygold butter, eggs, and occasionally some other organic meat if we are eating it. He has never eaten any grains or processed foods and he is as healthy as a horse! It is so nice because he has never tasted those artificially sweet and processed foods so to him, berries, bananas, and nectarines or peaches are the biggest treat! 

He loves running around and playing outside. We are visiting my parents right now and he loves to play around the pool. He will grab something walk over the pool and throw it in and then look back at us as his mischievous little smile. Then he will get down on his tummy and reach her and try to grab it out. We put the little puddle jumper life jacket on him and although it's too big for him he fearlessly jumps off the stop in right into the deep part of the pool and actually does a pretty good job swimming around! When he doesn't have his life jacket on he very cautiously walks through the water on the shallow step and splash with the biggest smile on his face. 

 

He gives the absolute BEST kisses! He gives them when you ask but maybe only once every 20 times you ask! He has to be in the kiss-giving mood. If he does, it makes it that much better! He will turn you with his open mouth and go "mmmmm.....muah!!" If I give him a kiss and just keep saying, "mmmm....." He will just wait and wait until I say "muah!!" 

He and Jude love each other and I can definitely see that bond forming, but they also have their fair share of tiffs. They are (constantly) hitting and pushing each other, taking toys from each other, and somehow always seem to find a way to offend the other. Abraham is still a little too young to understand how Jude plays so they still have trouble playing together really well. They certainly have their precious moments where they play and laugh and hug and share and those are PRICELESS!!

We love our little boy so much. He is the perfect addition to our family and I can not imagine life without him!!