Rocking Chair

Joshua surprised me yesterday with a new skill. Not only can he walk beautifully now, he can also climb quite well. I had been cooking for a few minutes and went to his room to see how he was playing, only to find him seated comfortably in the rocking chair! Apparently, he uses the nursing stool for a little boost and the back rails as a handhold to climb in. If you hand him a book, he'll sit there for a few minutes- just like he does when Mike or I sit him on a lap to read a book!




His favorite game right now is putting things into containers. He loves stacking cups and filling envelopes. His Weebles now live in the mesh pocket that hangs from the side of his pack-n-play, the letters from his phonics game are often found in visitors purses or my work bag, and putting the rubber blocks into the toybox is now great fun. Also, the trash cans are off limits to prevent throwing away toys or, worse yet, taking trash out to play with it.



The surprise toy of the season is a Santa's Workshop lunchpail with little figurines of a tree, Santa, an elf, Rudolph, a gingerbread man fence, and a present. He plays with those a whole lot, either by himself or bringing them to Mike or me to play. he loves it when we sing a Christmas song about the figurine he brings. We hadn't expected him to be interested in characters yet, but he spotted the set at Kohls on Black Friday and was clear that he wanted it. He's played with the set every day since.





Joshua loves reading together as much as ever. The first thing he does in the morning is grab a book or two and hand them to me to read to him. When he plays by himself, he sits a flip through books when he isn't playing with nesting cups. He gets excited and points to his name on the wall whenever I change his diaper. Joshua also loves making music. He "sings" with some songs, like the Music Machine CD, and loves to tickle the ivories when Mike or I play piano. He also plays his toy piano, jiggles my chicken shake, or rattles some jingle bells throughout the day.

First Birthday Party

We celebrated Joshua's first birthday with a few friends today! Joshua knows Henry from the walks his mom Sarah & I enjoy several times a week. Ethan and Sophie are fairly frequent playdate buddies- both of their moms are friends from Bible Study Fellowship. Although the moms and kids had never met each other before today, we all had a great time together. The kids played very well together, frequently trading and sharing toys. The conversations with my mom friends was super - and pretty much nonstop.

For food, we had toddler finger foods (teddy grahams, goldfish crackers, cheerios, and jello), some of my favorite foods (bread and fondue, hummus and veggies), and cupcakes. The theme of the party was Thomas the Train, so the banner, party hats, plates, and little flags on the cupcakes all featured Thomas. Also, each child got a Thomas ball and a book Joshua and I selected for him of her a couple of weeks ago.

We had a family mini-party last week, too, with Mike and I sharing cupcakes with Joshua and opening presents from family. Joshua was a big fan of cupcakes -- especially the frosting! Kendall, Ezra, and Emma sent a fantastic book about trucks. Joshua has really enjoyed his new toys: the Weebles playhouse and other gifts were so thoughtful and are a big hit! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family, on holidays and always.

Coloring Fun

When Joshua & I were grocery shopping today, I enjoyed chatting with another mom (there's no such thing as a stranger). Apparently, her daughter was coloring in the lines by 18 months. I hadn't even tried coloring with Joshua yet since I thought he would eat the crayons. I sat with him on the floor of the garage today and colored with him! I only needed to mention drawing on paper, not eating the crayons a couple of times before he got the hang of it. Joshua also likes putting crayons back into the box. He's a born organizer.

As you can imagine, I'm saving his first picture!

Yeah, Toilet Paper!

I left the bathroom door open for just a minute, while I went to the kitchen. When I returned, Joshua was gleefully unrolling the toilet paper roll. He had such a marvelous smile, I ran for the camera to capture the moment before stopping him from further unrolling. He is so much fun!

Exploring the House

Joshua loves his new mobility! He can crawl from one end of the house to the other at lightening speed. He also stands and cruises along couches and chairs. One of his favorite places is the kitchen, where he can open drawers I set up with soft things for him (placemats and oven mitts). Daisy has learned to eat in quick bursts since I can only put her food and water dishes down for small amounts of time when Joshua is occupied in some other room.

Like most 10-month-olds, Joshua's other new skill is finding new spots to squeeze into. Apparently, it is an important part of developing a sense of one's size as well as coordination. I caught a picture of him when he was under our coffee table this morning. The cubby is only 18 inches wide! Too bad the camera wasn't fast enough for his proud grin without being fuzzy!

Beefaroni!

Joshua is doing a wonderful job feeding himself finger foods. His favorite are banana bits, beef stew, toast fingers, fresh peach nuggets, watermelon pieces, red jello, and Beefaroni. I like feeding him Beefaroni- the way he gets covered in the deliciousness is so adorable. As you can imagine, the next stop is bathtime!

Creeping & Crawling

Joshua is so mobile now! He loves crawling around the house to explore and play with favorite "toys" in each room. In the kitchen, he likes to dump out Daisy's water dish and splash in the water. In the living room, he knows exactly the right spot to push on the DVD player to get that gratifying beep that occurs when it turns on. He likes to watch the bubbles form in the washing machine, too. He is so full of fun! He'll crawl to Mike & I if we call him, saying "Come along, Joshua!" It makes me smile every time.

Now, he's also pulling himself up beside chairs and window sills, too, not just the wall at the kiddie pool. He creeps along well, letting us know that walking without assistance isn't too far away. He will currently walk with you for a few step if you hold his hands.

Taking pictures of Joshua while he's playing with something has become a little more challenging. He loves getting his picture taken and rushes in for a close-up. So, I have lots of very close face shots and pictures of his bottom as he races toward me!

Visit to the Swimming Pool

Last weekend at the pool, we enjoyed a couple of more firsts for Joshua. On Saturday, he crawled out of the pool and all around the water spout play area! Seeing the other children playing motivated him to take the adventure. He sure has grown-- the spouts used to make him nervous and now he crawls to them to play! Joshua showed his mettle, too. His first crawling technique dragged the tops of his feet, so they got a little bit scraped. The very next day (and each day since), he continued to crawl out of the pool to play with the water spouts. Now, though, he bends he feet and keeps his toes slightly elevated off the cement. His knees are covered with the swim trunks, so he is good to go, now. That's a good problem-solver.

On Sunday, Joshua creeped all the way down the pool wall to play with a little girl and her toys! It was so cute-- the little girl didn't know what to think of this very friendly little boy sharing her bucket, basket, rake, and bouyant sea horses. At home, he has done a little creeping along the couch, but this was the futhest he has gone. Walking without assistance sure isn't too far away...

First Mother's Day

This was a fantastic day! I woke up, as usual, first. I spent a few minutes reading and doing Bible study, then heard Joshua talking to himself in his crib. He gave me a tight head-hug when I picked him up to hug him and bring him into the living room. After he ate, we played quietly until Mike woke up. (This is our daily routine, by the way.)

When Mike came in, he said that they had some surprises for me, so I needed to sit on the couch. Mike handed Joshua an envelop to hand me. It contained my first Mommy card- complete with red palm print signature! It was so moving. Next came another envelop from Mike that Joshua handed to me. That one contained a beautiful, sentimental card with a very thoughtful gift certificate for a fancy manicure/pedicure! I've never done that before, so having a spa day of pampering was a superb idea. My husband is the sweetest man.

We had a wonderful day, filled with my favorite activities: walking outside together, gardening, singing and playing guitar, going out to eat, reading together, playing on the floor with Joshua, and snuggling. I feel so blessed to be Mike's wife and Joshua's mommy!

Happy Easter!

I remember taking Easter photos last year with Mike and a beginning-to-show belly. It was wonderful celebrating the holiday as a trio this year! Joshua had his first Easter basket (yes, he enjoyed the packaging more than the toys). Next year, we plan to start the traditions we will have for him to grow up with: Bunny Rolls, more complete Easter baskets, and an egg hunt.

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.

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.

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!

4 Month Portrait

Yesterday, Joshua and I went to the mall to get his 4th month portaits. He did a great job and enjoyed the charming animal sounds of the photographer as much as I did. He is lots of fun and smiles at people so readily.

First Haircut

Joshua had his first haircut today! He did a marvelous job sitting in the chair. I was so pleased with the very gentle and talented lady who did the trimming and photography. She made the whole experience so fun for both of us.


Isn't it amazing how quickly little ones grow?

Big Boy Booster Seat!

We are amazed thast Joshua is ready for the booster seat already! He loved sitting up at the table when we went out to eat last weekend, so we installed a booster seat at the kitchen table at home. Joshua likes sitting at the table with us as we eat. Okay, he likes sitting in his seat for half a meal and on a parent lap for the second half...

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.

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!

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.