New Friends

I've been starting to make playdates for Joshua. It's so nice to have him learn how to play with other children and share toys since he is the only child at home. He did a wonderful job yesterday playing catch with his new little friend Ethan. Joshua would grasp the ball and hand it back to him whenever Ethan let go of it -- just like Daddy taught him over the weekend (when the roles were reversed). Joshua is now able to sit up on the floor without anything supporting his back!

Morning Smile

Joshua is all smiles in the morning. This is a great example of his jolly self as we get ready for Bible Study Fellowship today.

He's growing up so fast! Yesterday, he woke me from our common naptime by starting the music of his mobile - all by himself! As I type this, he's talking softly to himself. Such sweet happy baby sounds.

Holding a Cup

This is another weekend of firsts. Joshua had his first tooth break the surface! He also held a sippy cup all by himself. He really had fun, although very little milk migrated into his belly this time. Lastly, he ate avocado for the first time today. I can't say he is a big fan, despite our raving about how delicious guacamole is. However, he didn't mind it as much as carrots... Next food on the menu is barley cereal.

Evening Walk

I love the gorgeous spring weather we've been having. Joshua, Daisy, and I have been taking stroller walks in the afternoon. Then, in the evening, Mike carries Joshua in this cool backpack carrier for an evening walk. They look adorable together. Joshua is all smiles at the beginning of each walk and sound asleep at the end...

By the way, did I mention that Joshua moves faster than the camera? He likes to take in the whole scene wherever we are!

Never too early...

As you can see, it is never too early to start introducing an instrument! When we play guitar and sing, we don't have a spare person to take pictures of the three of us, but this is a great shot of Mike playing piano with Joshua, our little music lover.

Waking Up in the Cutest Way

Yeah!! I caught a picture of Joshua's wake-up routine. He is a very athletic child, don't you think?

Teething

Joshua has two bottom teeth about to break through. It's exciting to approach this milestone, although I admit is it earlier than I had expected. He has been knawing on unsuspecting knuckles for a couple of weeks and is so happy to have a teething ring in his mouth.

2010 Flower & Patio Show

My very sweet husband brought Joshua and I to the 2010 Flower & Patio Show on Saturday. It was fantastic to see so many gorgeous flowers with my guys. The landscapes were based on novels this year, whish was such an interesting concept. I was so inspired to get my hands in the dirt at home, enjoy the spring sunshine, and grow some flowers of our own. We even took two laps through the gardens. Consequently, Joshua was very sleepy on the way home, as you can see from the picture.

No More Carrots

I can't believe Joshua is already five months old! He is a strapping 17 pounds and 27 1/2 inches long now. Imagine, growing two inches in a single month. I wish I could still do that.
To celebrate his fifth monthaversary, we started introducing new foods to him. He had carrots and made yucky faces and (to be honest) a couple of gaggy sounds. I was suprised since I like carrots so much, but Mike doesn't like carrots. On day 2, Joshua cried out when he saw the carot puree container and definitely didn't enjoy eating it. We sang several choruses of "No More Carrots" and stopped the carrot experiment. He's been eating oatmeal cereal instead for three days now. He likes that even more than the rice cereal that was his first food. Tomorrow, we'll introduce sweet potatoes.

Rolling Over & Talking

This week, we enjoyed a couple of wonderful firsts! For example, Joshua has begun rolling from his tummy to his back. He "pet" Daisy for the first time. God bless her, her only reaction to the hair grasping was to look at me for some assistance. Joshua also said, "Moo" to Mike when they were playing with his little stuffed cow. He's growing so quickly!

Visiting Family

We had a great time visiting family last week for a whirlwind weekend trip. It was the first time Joshua had met his cousins, aunts, and uncles in person. He set a new record for smiling and jolliness. Plus, he was the best baby traveller ever, not even crying during the flights.

As I expected, everyone agreed that Joshua looks just like Mike. It was a pleasure for me to see Memere leaning over Joshua to talk to him, Pepere making him giggle, Ezra and Emma reading to him, Uncles Jeff and Ken snuggling him and making him laugh, and all Melanie's girls teaching him how to play. We all enjoyed singing Wonder Wall along with Ezra's guitar playing.