Yesterday, as I was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, Noah announced, “I made Jude’s hair curly!”

Sure enough, sitting there in his walker with a drooly grin on his face, Jude did look rather coiffed. His thin crop of hair was damp and swirly.

I laughed, then stopped. “Noah, what did you use?”

“Orange juice,” he replied, in a tone that said, “Isn’t it obvious?”

So off we trucked to the bathtub.

Thankfully, it looks like Jude is turning out to be a natural redhead—no orange juice necessary.

Yesterday Noah’s preschool class learned about travel, and the kids were asked to dress as “tacky tourists.”

Noah could not understand why a tourist would not choose to wear a Spider-man costume.

So he sulked a little bit.

Meanwhile, I rummaged through our closet to find some appropriate tourist-wear.

This is exactly how Pete and I dress when we travel:

Eventually I coaxed a smile out of my little boy. But one minute in a beret was enough for him.

I am fully prepared for him to backpack across Europe when he’s 18, dressed as a superhero.

Since it appears this Spider-man phase is NEVER going to end.

February, how I love thee! Let me count the ways:

1. I love your warm, sunny skies and lack of Florida humidity (though today happened to be an exception). Sunshine = outdoor playtime + picnics + good hair days + good mood.

2. I love Valentine’s Day and all its trimmings: cards, hearts, flowers, candy, the color pink, and hugs and kisses from my sweetheart. Any holiday where chocolate is the main gift is A-okay with me.

3. I love being done with the bulk of the tax forms for my bookkeeping job. WAHOO!

4. I love coming to the point where I realize most of my New Year’s resolutions were worthless and I can show myself some grace. And eat more chocolate.

5. I love having a six-month-old and a three and a half-year-old (those half-years make a big difference).

6. I love when people visit us. This is the month when Mickey Mouse and palm trees start to look really appealing.

(At Downtown Disney with Uncle Dan & Aunt Liz)

7. I love dressing my children up like this:

(Noah, age 6 months)

Even when they react like this:

Here’s to a fabulous February!

I am a lover of words who is trapped in Number Country.

It’s a dry and weary land where there is no poetry.

See if you recognize any of these landmarks: Form W-2, Form 1099, Form 941, Form UCT-6. That’s where I’ve been living this month, preparing tax forms for five different organizations. I’m not complaining, since it is the butter on our daily bread, but I will be glad to step back into familiar territory come February 1—the day I put the last of these babies in the mail and hitch my way home to Blogland.

These babies, however, I’m keeping with me:

See you soon.

Love,

Lauren

By the Associated Press

FLORIDA — January 2010 marks the release of the long anticipated upgrade to the Maternal Officer for Mindful Management of the Young, also known as “MOMMY.” MOMMY 2.0, a revitalized version of the previous MOMMY unit, features a new operating system that is already demonstrating improved functionality and efficiency. Experts credit increased power intake as a leading factor in this enhancement.

“It almost sounds counterintuitive in this ‘green era’ of energy conservation, but the more power MOMMY consumes, the better impact MOMMY has on the environment,” one observer shared. “We have found that power sources such as sleep, Scripture, and sunshine are vital to a MOMMY’s performance, improving the atmosphere of the household.”

Unlike MOMMY 1.0, which ran on 5 to 6 hours’ sleep, MOMMY 2.0 charges for a minimum of 8 hours per night, sometimes beginning as early as 9 p.m. Though a MOMMY’s sleep cycle experiences occasional interruption—as is customary when minding small children—the MOMMY is able to recover much more quickly when batteries have already been charging for several hours.

By contrast, elements which deplete the MOMMY’s power supply—such as prolonged computer usage—have been scaled back. Though this does occasionally have a negative impact on the MOMMY’s ability to blog, fans of the upgrade insist that the long-term benefits far outweigh the inconvenience of temporary lapses in blog production.

The MOMMY upgrade also features increased anti-virus measures, such as frequent hand-washing and daily vitamin intake. In addition, MOMMY 2.0 remains SPAM-resistant, preferring fresh, budget-friendly meals to faux ham in a can.

It is important to note that while MOMMY 2.0 is more efficient than its previous version, distributors insist it is far from perfect. “We recognize that MOMMY will never achieve its full potential until recalled by the manufacturer,” said a source. “In the meantime, we hope to continue making upgrades that will benefit the home environment, the human race, and the world.”

Jude, an actual MOMMY 2.0 user, was reached for comment early this morning, saying only, “Goo.”

I have no idea what happened to December. I mean seriously, someone abducted an entire month and left me standing here with a Christmas tree and the last of the cookies. I know I didn’t sleep through it, because frankly, lack of sleep is most likely the problem. Someone snuck past me in my dozy stupor and robbed December out from beneath my nose. I blame the Grinch.

It’s a good thing I took pictures, or else it would all be a blur. Let’s see if any of these jog my memory:

Oh yes. It’s all coming back to me now. The decorations, the celebration, the grandparents, the fun. So much goodness crammed into one month that I’m almost dizzy.

January, I am keeping you on a tight leash.

We celebrated a major milestone last week in the life of young Jude.

Observe.

This is how I left him (for his morning nap):

This is how I found him:

He rolls! He rolls!

Pretty soon I’ll need to start supplementing Jude’s diet with this:

And these:

Oh, and this:

He is, after all, a growing boy.

Jude’s 4-month stats are in:

Height: 26.5″ (90th percentile)

Weight: 18 lb., 12 oz. (95th percentile)

(And cute as ever.)

(click to enlarge)