Grinning Joshua Photo

Mike caught Joshua's smile on camera yesterday! What a treat. Often, Joshua has a huge grin until someone goes for the camera, but he stops smiling while trying to figure out what that little contraption does...

A Few More Firsts...

This has been a big week for our little guy! Joshua laughed out loud for the first time -thanks to a rousing game of peekabo with his Daddy. He also starts the music in his Baby Easy Chair by pulling the ring by himself. We also went to a movie at the movie theater and watched about half of it before he was ready to walk around. Today, on his first Christmas, he ate a whole meal from a bottle for the first time, too.

Enjoying the Winter Weather

It's amazing how quickly the weather turned from autumn warmth to winter's chill this year! We went for a walk before dinner to enjoy the crisp air. You can tell from Joshua's pink cheeks and happy expression that he enjoyed the walk as much as we did.

First Words

We heard the first phrases from our little guy this week. He frequently says, "Abu dhabi". We aren't sure why he is so fond of the United Arab Emerites, but I did have a good friend in grad school from there. Moreover, he made sounds that we heard as "Hungry" and "Oh, good" today. He's a prodigy, talking at only two months old!

Thanksgiving Holiday

We had a very peaceful Thanksgiving holiday. The day before, we met the Wilson half of the family for a combination Thanksgiving/birthday celebration. Hubert is now 80. It is always a pleasure to see how much Joshua enjoys being held by Uncle Sam, Aunt Amy, Grandpa, and Grandma. Jaoshua particularly enjoyed the funny faces Uncle Sam & Aunt Amy made for his entertainment. A visit with Aunt Maxine was very fun, too.

On Thanskgiving Day, we stayed home to enjoy the traditional meal. Mike played Christmas carols on the piano. We watched a movie, made a game plan for Black Friday, and played with Joshua.

Mike got up herioically early to get to the first sales of Black Friday. Joshua and I went out with him after breakfast for a second round of shopping. Joshua did a great job on the adventure and looked adorable all bundled up.

Dedication

Last weekend, we dedicated Joshua at church! It was a beautiful ceremony and we were so happy Sam could be there to share the special event with us.

I feel so blessed each day to have such a wonderful husband and sweet little boy.

Visit with Memere & Pepere

On Halloween weekend, Memere & Pepere Jones flew all the way out for a week-long visit. Both grandparents were completely enamoured with their sweet new grandson - and vice versa! It was wonderful to have delicious, homemade meals cooked by my mom. We had a good family dinner with both sets of grandparents, plus Aunt Amy & Uncle Sam, during the visit, too. I'm starting to build up my walking time again through shopping with mom... We'll miss them so much.

Mommy's Dress-up Hobby

Ok, so I made the little outfit during my nesting phase and didn't realize how miserable Joshua would be actually WEARING the outfit. I think he's adorable in this elf outfit, but it always makes him cry.

Visit with Friends

During Fall Break, my friends Dana and Dahnya came for a visit to meet our little guy. It was wonderful to see them! We all taught together at Heron High School last year.

Joshua immediately recognized what good moms they are - and snuggled right into their arms. Dahnya was so sweet - she even brought me lunch! It was terrific to see how much Dana's daughter Sami had grown since our last visit, too.

Amazing Daddy & Husband

Mike is an amazing Daddy in addition to being a fantastic husband. He has a magical touch soothing our son when he cries, changes diapers lightening fast, and encourages me so much as I learn about being a new mom. All this on very little sleep.

Now that we're home, Mike is doing all the cooking and cleaning, while I recuperate from the surgery and learn about nursing. He's extraordinary!

Late night feedings

When Joshua is wide awake during the night, this is the adorable face I see.

Joshua is here!

Joshua was born on Monday, October 12th at 1:19pm. He weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces, with a length of 20 inches and a head circumferenceof 13 inches. I never heard anyone quote the head circumference as an important statistic before, but it really is. Let's just say that when people ask whether I had him naturally or by C-section, I can say both.

He is a beautiful baby and has a very good temperament. I like the way he stretches and squeaks when he wakes up. He'll wait patiently with his eyes open until someone picks him up. Typically, he cries to let us know that he's hungry, needs to burp, or has a messy diaper.

Two Weeks until Our Due Date!

It's amazing to realize that we are now two weeks from our due date! Joshua is in position now (and dropped). Friday's ultrasound looked great - he's approximately 6 pounds 12 ounces and very active. We're glad he didn't decide to break any records, like that Indonesian baby in the news this week who weighed 19 pounds at birth. Joshua will be a respectable (and convenient) 7 to 8 pounds.

Sam and Amy got married yesterday and we were so glad Joshua stayed in for the event. The wedding was beautiful, complete with a sunny day be a pond with the trees changing color and heartfelt vows the couple wrote. It was so nice to meet Amy's family and have so many of Sam and Mike's relatives in one spot.

35 Weeks Now!

Wow! I’m 35 weeks pregnant now. It’s amazing how quickly this time has passed. Mike and I keep saying it seems like it was just early January when I was wondering when I’d get pregnant… now Joshua is almost here!

Josh is moving A LOT and is making my whole abdomen move around. Frankly, I don’t know how my students can concentrate on the chemistry discussion when Josh is moving around so much! This weekend, I felt his foot poking out my left side (I couldn’t see the foot shape, but I felt the shape of his foot very distinctly). When I went to the OB’s office last week, I was told that Joshua is head down now. How nice to know that he’s getting in the right position for birth.

I’ve been still feeling so good. I’ve been walking with Mike whenever we can fit in a long walk (like yesterday at Shades State Park or earlier this week on our favorite 5-mile walk around Franklin Colleg from home) and walking 30-minutes daily with Daisy. I nap after work every day, which has kept me feeling happy and sweet. I’m so glad to say that my blood sugar levels have been fantastic – even without taking insulin resistance medicine anymore. Boy, is the endocrinologist pleased.

Joshua's Room is Ready for Him

We finished decorating Joshua’s room for him! Now, the changing table is decked out with the accoutrements to change diapers, the curtains are hung, the dresser has a little lamp to softly light the room during night feedings, the bookcase has books to read to Joshua, and the crib has a beautiful mobile from Grandma Jones. Plus, Mike cleaned the carpet, so the room would be completely fresh for our little boy.

Farm Bureau Baby Shower

The ladies at our Franklin Indiana Farm Bureau Office threw us a Baby Shower two weeks ago! Mike and I had a wonderful time eating, visiting, and playing games. The most challenging game for us was guessing the type of melted candy bar in newborn diapers… Jana made a gorgeous cake for the event with little booties made of marshmallows as decoration. The chicken, cheese ball, veggie tray, chips and dip, mini chocolates, and punch prepared by Alice, Cathy, and Karen were scrumptious. We really enjoyed the evening of fun and appreciated the very generous and thoughtful gifts, like a Winnie the Pooh umbrella stroller, toy chest, and goodie basket of items to take care of Josh.

Little Shoes

This is probably silly to feel so tender-hearted, but I was very touched by these little shoes we got for Joshua. Look how little and cute they are on the doormat beside my foot!

Clean Garage

We hit a major Milestone this weekend! We cleaned the garage so thoroughly (and ruthlessly) that we now have room for a chest freezer. During August, I plan to fill the freezer with casseroles. (Yes, my nesting instinct has kicked in…) Then, we’ll be able to have many healthy and quick dinners after Josh is born by simply warming up a casserole and a veggie. Even better, the Civic can park in the garage over the winter, so Josh won’t travel in a cold, icy car.

Maine Baby Shower Trip

I flew to Maine to visit family & friends in mid-July (July 11-15). What a wonderful trip! Angel and Tom very sweetly came to get me from the airport and drive me to Waterville. With some heavy traffic, I arrived in time for a late family dinner at Cacciatore’s, a fabulous Italian restaurant in Waterville. Boy, was it wonderful to see my parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and (very grown) nieces and nephews!
The next day, I enjoyed a spectacular Baby Shower that Mom organized for me. It was gorgeous in the church hall, including a balloon arch decorating a rocking chair and potted flowers on every table. There was even a special blessing written on the white board for Joshua! Plus, the hall was filled with family and friends I had never had all under one roof before. It was such a wonderful event. My niece Meghan did a superb job as photographer for me to help capture the day on film.
The food was superb, with all my favorite goodies from family reunions, including fruit salad and those scrumptious mini ham sandwiches. The cake was adorable and delicious, decorated with Winnie the Pooh and Friends on a swing set hung from a tree. I can’t even describe how thoughtful and generous the gifts were! We received adorable clothes for Joshua, beautiful handmade afghans and quilts, extremely helpful gift cards, and so many other gifts, too…The remaining days of the trip whipped by so quickly. I walked daily with Angel, laughed in the kitchen with Jeff, Heather, & Ken, visited Grandma at her house, watched movies with Mom and Dad, and went on a fun shopping trip with Mom. One of my favorite moments was hearing Jeff and Ken reminisce about their feelings when they each brought their first children home from the hospital.

July Camping Trips

We spent an extended fourth of July weekend on another fantastic camping trip, at a place called Indiana Dunes. The Great Lakes and surrounding beaches and woods are so incredibly beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed walking and laying on the beach. Guitar music sounded extra good with the sound of waves lapping the shore or the crackle of the campfire. One of the highlights was hiking Mt. Thom. We took the stairs from the campground to the beach. I don't think it's possible to climb the dreaded Mt. Thom from the dune side...
Then, we went home for one night to do laundry and re-pack before heading to my favorite camping spot – Clifty Falls. This trip was terrific, too. We enjoyed the pool this year, in addition to the wildlife, hiking, and relaxing by the fire to sing and play guitar. We tried a fantastic new combination of trails that had us looking so sweaty, another couple said they were going to ask us directions, but they didn’t want to go the way we had been! Daisy absolutely loves camping in the woods here, too. This time, she was intrigued by the raccoons that approached the campsite in the evening.

Herron Baby Shower

On Tuesday, May 26th, two close friends, Dana & Dahnya, threw me a baby shower with co-workers, friends, and students at Herron High School. They were so incredible, thinking of every single detail to arrange a fantastic party to celebrate our little guy’s coming.

The tables and invitations were decorated in little blue footprints, Dana found an adorable New Mom tiara for me to wear, and the goodies that these two angels arranged were delicious. Not just that day, but throughout the pregnancy, Dana and Dahnya have been wonderful with enthusiasm, support, advice, and books to help me prepare.
The guests were so much fun. It was a great mixture of friends from Herron, students, and my brother-in-law’s fiancé Amy. Katie White’s two adorable little girls and Dana’s baby Samantha made the shower seem complete – just like the baby showers I attended when I was growing up.
I am so incredibly blessed to have such a warm community here in Indy. The gifts were so generous and helpful, many of which I hadn’t even considered yet (first piggy bank, growth chart, hand print kit).

Our Son's Baby Room

We aren't finished decorating our son's room yet, but we have a great beginning. Mike did a fabulous job painting. I put the furniture together. I'm looking forward to choosing the wall decorations later this summer ... and putting our son in the crib this fall.

Exciting Day!

Yesterday we had an important milestone! Mike and I were able to feel our baby boy move on the OUTSIDE of the belly!

I've been so looking forward to this event. Our son moves quite a bit each day, so I can feel him and talk to him. Although he seems extra energetic when I eat particular foods (peanut butter, ice cream), listen to louder music, sing, or play games when I teach, he also has a regular schedule of movement. I typically feel him move every day at 7am, 11am 1:30pm, 4pm, and 8:30pm. I'm curious to see his wake/sleep cycle after he's born to see if there is a correlation.