Nicknames: J, munchkin, little bit
Temperament: We had a few weeks this month of what for us was general crabbiness. The laughs weren't quite as often, the smiles took a lot more effort and he just seemed irritable. We thought we might be working on some teeth but our sunny mood has since returned without any signs of oral appendages. I guess everyone is entitled to some down time. While he still loves being out and about and "meeting" new people, we've discovered that evidently he does have a limit. We joined our local YMCA and the nursery workers there say he is just overwhelmed by everything that is going on and gets upset unless someone is holding him. I'm not so sure that him being overwhelmed by a room of 20 infants, toddlers and kids running around is a bad thing but now that we're finally caught up on our shots and he's able to be more active, hopefully he'll get used to being in bigger crowds.
Stats: Between 17 and 17.5 lbs and around 25.5 inches
Looks: His hair has continued to fill out and his widow's peak is maybe getting a little less prominent. The rosy cheeks are pretty much a fixture now despite the humidifier and lots of lotion. He's definitely growing but at his own pace. He's still wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothes for the most part but he needs 9 months in his footed jammies. We'll have to see how much longer it stays cold here but some of the things we bought prior to his arrival may not get worn because they are huge.
Accomplishments: It's been a busy month this month. As I mentioned in my last post, we're now doing solid food twice a day and he loves trying new foods. He's also able to sit up on his own and only falls over when he gets really excited and can't keep his balance. He's started lunging forward trying to reach his toys or the animals as they come by. Sometimes he makes it but most often he topples over. He rolled over for the first time a few months ago but now he's figured out how to roll over and over and over again. If you leave him on the floor you can come back and find him in the next room over. Earlier in the month he had a lot of trouble figuring out how to go from his stomach back to his back and he would get quite upset over the self imposed tummy time but after a little frustration he has got it figured out. He still loves standing at his toys and we caught him letting go with one hand the other day. His balance still has a long way to go before he's standing on his own but if he's sitting on your leg or the boppy he will pull himself up. If you'll hold his hands though he loves to walk across the room.
Things he loved the most: In the last few days he's figured out how to blow "raspberries" and make "B" sounds with his lips and tongue and he finds it endlessly fascinating. No signs of any teeth yet but he still loves chewing on anything and everything he can get his hands on.
Things we loved the most: He'll reach up and touch your cheek while you feed him a bottle and it is so sweet. Of course in the next minute he'll try to pick your nose but just the fact that he deliberately snuggles up to you makes it amazing.
Things he could do without: Rolling over this month was quite the challenge and he would cry and cry when he couldn't figure out how to get back the other way. It caused multiple times of waking up everynight so we weren't fans either.
Things we could do without: The growth spurt, possible teething, rolling over issues or just general sleep regression that took us back to waking up every one to two hours to an upset baby. He started going to bed earlier around 7:30 or 8 but was up at least every two hours after that whimpering. He didn't seem to be sick but something was definitely upsetting him. Thankfully this last week has been better so we're cautiously optimistic that his sleep is improving.
Item/toy he loved the most: Even without teeth, he loved chewing on the frozen washcloths and teething rings. The light up balls that he got for Christmas and his activity table have all been big hits as well.
Items/toy we loved the most: The lullabye theme station on pandora has become a must for our bedtime routine as it mixes a lot of the kid classics with several "adult" songs that are definitely soothing. Often I end up dozing off in the chair as well while we rock which is probably not so good for our sleep habits but is great snuggle time.
Item we all hated: The dry winter air has definitely increased Josh's congestions and true to Dad's rule of "nothing should go up your nose" he absolutely hates the saline drops and the "booger sucker". You would think we were torturing him trying to clear him up and it is quite the struggle.
Surprises: Looking back at this month it is obvious that Josh is starting to become less of a baby and more of his own person which I suppose is fitting since he's closer now to being a toddler than being a newborn. Each month he's obviously changing and growing but the difference is so much more apparent this month.
Momentous events of this month: We had a great first Christmas as a family and enjoyed starting some new traditions of our own. New Years Eve was pretty low key but perfect for us and we can a nice time celebrating with some new friends. We had a great 2010 but we're looking forward to a calmer 2011. In preparation for his swim lessons next month, Scott took Josh to the pool for the first time. Since he enjoys bathtime so much we thought he would love pool and once he got used to all the other kids splashing around he had a great time.
Things we're looking forward to: Well looking forward to it might be a bit strong but I bet by the end of next month we'll have a fully mobile baby. He's already pushing up on all fours when he rolls over and will roll across an entire room if you let him. Crawling, standing and crusing are soon to come. I see more baby proofing in our immediate future.
Other favorite pictures from this month
