Pool time

Scott and Josh are starting swim lessons tomorrow, so last week we introduced Josh to the pool for the first time. Our YMCA has a heated indoor pool that evidently is quite popular in the winter. At first, Josh wasn't too sure what he thought about all the commotion and splashing from the other kids but since he loves baths he settled in pretty quickly.




The kick boards were a big hit








The pool noodles were fun too



Pretty soon he had the back float down. We're sure he'll be the star "shrimp" of the class.


Of course there's always hanging out by the pool trying to meet the ladies with Dad as a wingman.

Month Seven

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

Bon Appetit

Since we came back from Houston, we've been much more focused on getting Josh to try some solid food. He's had a few tastes of things (mostly baby oatmeal and bananas before) but he was always horribly disinterested and quite uncoordinated in trying to eat them. Well waiting a bit made a huge difference. When we sat him down the week after Christmas to offer him some oatmeal and bananas he was all for it. He was Even leaning forward with his mouth open trying to get to the spoon.




His coordination at first wasn't much better with the whole concept of swallowing and any attempts at feeding him resulted in a huge mess. We even tried putting one of Scott's old T-shirts over his head to catch all of the drippings. Over the last few weeks he's gotten much better with swallowing and is always very excited to see what's for breakfast and dinner. I found it pretty easy to make the first round of baby food and spent an afternoon making some for the freezer. So far he's tried bananas, sweet potatoes, applesauce, broccoli, avocado and prunes. So far the avocado and bananas seem to be the favorites. It's fun now that he can recognize food and just this afternoon he leaned over and tried to take a bite of my banana while I sat eating it. Guess our days of dinner on the couch are just about over.

Now that he can sit up well, we've tried a high chair when we went out to eat with friends last weekend. He needed a bit of support but overall he really seemed to enjoy it. We haven't been brave enough to try to feed him while we're out and about yet. This is the results we get after just a few bites, so a whole outfit change is usually necessary by the time we're done. Maybe next month we'll be brave enough to eat out together.

 

Our top 10 of 2010

We had a whirlwind of a year. On the one hand it seems that 2009 was a lifetime ago but on the other this last year has flown by. It's hard to put them in any sort of order given how many momentous events we had this year but our top ten events of 2010 were:


10. We found a great job in the Cincinatti area
9. We both got new cars
8. We found some great renters for our home in Ypsilanti and some good landlords for a rental for us in Ohio
7. We enjoyed a great babymoon in Savannah complete with great Southern food, sunshine and sea kayaking
6. Scott and I celebrated the five year anniversary of our first date
5. We found out that we were having a boy!
4. Our family and friends threw us amazing baby showers to show "Baby P" lots of love
3. I finished my medical training and finally got a "real" job
2. Our sweet baby Josh was born
1. Josh's heart was fixed and we were able to bring him home safe and sound

We are so fortunate to have had so many blessings this year but we're hoping for a less exciting 2011. Happy New Year Everyone.

Our First Christmas

Josh "slept in" a little later than his cousins but we were still up before sunrise to see what Santa had brought us. Josh had been such a good baby this year that Santa brought him a ride on/walk along dinosaur, a talking puppy that plays his favorite song (Heads, shoulders, knees and toes) and his own set of car keys.







Sorry for not realizing our video camera wouldn't let me edit the videos to change the orientation.



He also loved watching his cousins play with their new toys.








Mom and Dad got him a new hiking outfit complete with his own Merrells, zip off hiking pants and drymax onesie to use on our spring vacation.




He wasn't too interested though but if bows or tissue paper was involved he had a good time.



Nana got all of the grandkids matching shirts to wear on Christmas day.






Maybe next year they'll all be a little more cooperative in having their picture taken.






We had a great first Christmas and feel very blessed for all of the miracles and gifts we've had this year.

Twas the Night Before Christmas.

We all traveled to Houston to celebrate Josh's first Christmas. On Christmas eve we got to introduce Josh to my grandparents who loved all over him. In fact I'm not sure he touched the ground for more than a hour the first two days we were there since everyone wanted to hold and snuggle him.

We traditionally get dressed up for Christmas Eve dinner and Josh looked adorable in his Christmas sweater. The Reindeer bib was a concession to our constant drool problem.








He had a great time laughing with Brad and Dave



Joyce was also a big hit and was the best way to make sure we could get a smile for pictures.




Pretty soon though, Josh went on to dream about what Santa might bring him.

Month Six

Have we really had a baby for half of a year? By looking back through the blog it appears that we have - sometimes this is so much better than a baby book (and easier to keep updated). He has changed so much from his newborn pictures and we love seeing his personality develop.

Nicknames: nothing new this month, Munchkin and little bit seem to be the predominate favorites
Temperament: He is still such an extrovert. He's pretty happy most of the time, but he loves it most when there's lots of different people around or when he's riding around in his sling where he can see the world go by. It makes it really easy to run errands with him in tow but we're starting to need to add in some "flirting time" since he usually captures the attention of at least one of the sales people or customers and will "talk" and laugh with them for as long as we'll stand there.
Stats: Nothing official until his six month appointment next week but from what I've measured at home he's a little over 16 pounds and 25 inches
Looks: His hair has been filling in more and is starting to be a little lighter in color. Currently it sticks straight up off the top of his head with all of the extra static electricity we've had lately. The fair skin, chubby cheeks and blue eyes are still in full effect. He looked adorable in his Christmas sweater and coudoroy pants at my office Christmas party and completely enthralled the Ohio State women's basketball/volleyball team (not sure which they were but they were all really tall).

Accomplishments: Well our sleeping through the night phase was short lived but he has been going to bed earlier and napping a little bit better. He'll nap now at 11 and 4 usually for an hour and is generally ready for bed by 8:30 or 9. Unfortunately he's also waking up at least once a night but thankfully he still just wants a quick bottle and diaper change and then he's back to dreamland. He still loves standing with some support and can sit now with just a little help. When he's really motivated he'll extend his arms and push up during his tummy time but he's still not crazy about rolling from his front to the back. Rolling from his back to his front though is a favorite pasttime. He loves to talk and will often string together several syllables. Nothing that makes any sense yet but it's cute to listen to him "talk" to himself especially when he's in his crib in the morning. He'll almost imitate the sounds you make and we've been working on "Ho, Ho, Ho" but we usually just get a "Heh, Heh" in response. He decided he wasn't quite ready for trying solid foods this last month. He tried it a few times but either the taste, texture or both were just not appealing and there wasn't a lot of swallowing going on. He does recognize his bottle now and will reach for it with his mouth open when he's hungry which is really cute. He did try some mushed banana while we were doing our Christmas baking and that seemed much more interesting than just the plain oatmeal. We'll likely try to expand things a little once we're back from our Christmas travels.
Things he loved the most: He loves chewing on anything he can get his hands on. He's also finally taking an interest in the dogs and cats (which is sometimes reciprocated)and he loves to reach out and pet them when they get close enough. The dogs rough housing also sets of fits of giggles. The Christmas tree and Christmas lights are also fascinating now that he recognizes color.
Things we loved the most: Even though nothing he says makes sense, it's been so fun to have him interact with us and respond to the questions we ask him. Everyday he seems to recognize something new.
Things he could do without: He had his first cold this month and while he tolerated all the sneezing and coughing with no change in attitude, we hated hearing him with all the congestion. He sounded so sad with the middle of the night coughing spells.
Things we could do without: He's still so camera shy. We know our times of the gummy grins and baby giggles are limited but they are next to impossible to capture on camera even though he he spends so much time laughing and smiling during the day. The minute you pull out the camera he's all business and we're sad to not have much documentation of his happy personality.
Item/toy he loved the most: He's definitely taking more of an interest in toys this month. He'll interact with all of the activities on the exersaucer and this last week we set up his Leapfrog learning table that was an early Christmas present from Gra. He also got a little Einstein book that talks in English, Spanish and French. He's not too interested in the pictures or words but the flashing light is fascinating (as is Scott's imitation of the French accent).
Items/toy we loved the most: His trapper hat. It has been freezing here in Ohio the last few weeks and we've had a good bit of snow. Luckily he's a hot box to begin with but he looks so cute in his little hat and it keeps his head nice and warm so we're not stuck in the house all the time.
Item we all hated: Cold germs. Thankfully we made it through six months and two hospital stays without any major illness but for the last week some bug has really hit Josh and Scott hard.
Surprises: We knew that pictures with Santa were going to be an overpriced experience but we were amazed at the racket they have going on. Thirty dollars for two pictures and you don't even get to see if you like them before you have to pay for them? Luckily we hadn't waited in line long so we bypassed Santa this year. I know there were a few charity events around earlier this month that we'll try to do next year. At least then the money goes to a good cause.

Momentous events of this month: We celebrated our first Thanksiving with lots of family and friends. Josh loved having everyone around and was so distracted that we could hardly get him to eat or sleep without shutting him up in his room. He was fascinated by his older cousins and laughed and laughed and laughed the entire weekend. We also had Josh's first snow. He obviously hasn't been able to play in it yet but it has made everything look ready for Christmas and makes the subfreezing temperatures we've been dealing with more worthwhile. He also got to travel to Tennessee to drop Gra off for the holidays and was able to meet Aunt Stacy and Uncle Mark and all his cousins there. Evidently he and cousin Seth spent a lot of time texting all of Josh's girlfriends.






For a little comparison here he was at two weeks. Look at how tiny he was.




Things we're looking forward to next month: We are so excited about celebrating Josh's first Christmas. It's hard to believe that this time last year we didn't even know if we were having a boy or a girl. We're traveling to Texas later this week and we can't wait for him to meet Bubba, Papaw and BeaBea (my grandparents). Beign able to sit up will make playing with his new Christmas toys and cousins so much easier and we know he'll be excited about all the action. Hopefully next month will also include some playing in the snow and some more attempts at some different foods as we welcome what will hopefully be a less eventful 2011.

I thought this "always jolly" onsie was appropriate even if we can't catch it on camera



Helping mom with the holiday baking



Wrestling with Charly



Playing with my new Christmas toy from Aunt Stacy and Uncle Mark