And We're Off!

I have been trying to get a post up before we go but just haven't gotten to it. What with the laundry, making lists, crossing off items on the list, buying items to make our lives easier, returning said items because they won't really make anything easier, making new lists because I can't read through the crossed out parts, and 50 daily trips to buy more crap for the trip...I just haven't had time! I guess as long as we have the baby and the backpack carrier (and the diapers, and the wipes, and the mattress for his travel bed, and the food, and the bottles, and the toys and the books...and if we happen to remember to bring clothes and toothbrushes we're ahead of the game!) we should be fine.

What have I been trying to post, you ask? Well, a few major accomplishments. First, Joshua has started to become interested in putting food in his mouth! Real food. Off his tray! He's been trying to "help" us feed him by grabbing the spoon and trying to get the spoon into his mouth. Usually he just ends up sliding his hand all the way down the spoon and forcing the food off the end, but it's a start. We chunked up a baby nutrigrain bar the other day and look what he did!

Can you see the remnant of it on his chin? It acutally was in his mouth moments before but he hasn't quite got the hang of chewing yet. Again...it's a start!

Josh has also stopped nursing. He just stopped one day. I think my body was just tired of producing (mmmoooooo) so much, so it sort of quit on him. But I'm pretty proud of myself for nursing almost exclusively for a year. Yay for me & the girls! :) Sorry to any guys who read this blog (not that there are any except for Ben and he won't be upset about boob talk). At Joshua's 12 month check up, Dr. K said we could start him on milk. So we tried. It wasn't good. I think he actually tried to see how far he could actually make the puke go when it came back out, in fact. So we went to rice milk. It was better, but still not good and rice milk doesn't really afford him any protein. So we tried goats milk. And the heavens parted and the angels sang and Joshua put on a pound in a week. Thanks be to the goats!

Speaking of goats....look at my little mountain goat!

PT this week (did I tell you that our OT left the Early Intervention program and we now have a PT instead?) was great. Joshua worked SO hard and really impressed his therapist. She brought a therapy ball and Josh loved rolling around on it.
And after he got tired of rolling around, he simply pulled himself into this postion - Pretty impressive, huh? :)

So, one last kiss from Joshua...

..."and we're off, like a hurd of turtles", as my dad used to say. LOL. That makes me laugh every time. :)

We are leaving Sunday from Toronto and will be back on the 28th. I'll talk to you then!

The Creeper

Yesterday, I put Josh down for his nap and he just wouldn't fall asleep. But he wasn't crying or miserable, he was just playing around and babbling to himself. So I let him lay there. An hour later, he starts to cry. It's really more of a frustrated, angry sound so I went to investigate. When I entered his room, I started laugh. I left (and Joshua completely lost it) to get my camera and came back to take some pictures. This is what I had found:My little bug is now a creeping bug. He started off well below the firetruck and managed to creep up to the top corner and wedge his little head in. He was totally stuck. So I moved him back down to where he should be and left him to cry it out. An hour later, I was back to get him up since he never did go to sleep. Oh well. The pictures made my day.

Auntie Kim is a teacher. Teachers do fun stuff. Like hatch ducklings from eggs in their classrooms! We were invited to Auntie Kim & Uncle Mike's new house last weekend to see the ducklings that Kim was caring for over the weekend. Oh they were so cute!!!
Josh wasn't too sure what to make of them at first. But then he decided to get brave and touch the squirmy, fluffy, quacking thing!We are teaching him to be gentle. He knows what the word means and he really does try! He was very good with the ducks and only grabbed one by the head. Hey, I'd consider that a great accomplishment!

Speaking of Auntie Kim & Uncle Mike, they gave Joshua a great gift for his birthday. A piano! Our little composer is busy all day long banging out song after song. His favorite part of playing the piano is watching mommy dance around like a complete moron when the song comes on. It's positive reinforcement for Joshua and it burns calories for mommy. It's a win-win!


And now for Joshua's next trick, he will perform the very difficult two top teeth at once teething manuver! Are you ready? (drumroll please...)Taa daa!!!!!!!

Thanks for coming to the show folks! Come back again soon. :)

One Year Down...

Joshua's birthday dawned bright and sunny and beautiful. Ben and I sang 'Happy Birthday' to Joshua when he woke up and we remembered together what we were doing the year before. :)

Later in the day, Nana, Auntie Jodi and Tio Jay came over (Jodi and Jay flew in for Joshua's party!) and gave Josh his presents because Nana couldn't wait until the party the next day. :)

Tio Jay & Auntie Jodi gave Joshua some really wonderful books (including Josh's first Star Wars book!). And while Joshua does enjoy books, he enjoys the ribbons and bows that come along with presents even more!

Then it was Nana's turn. She decided that Joshua needed a swing. Thankfully it was a beautiful day and Josh got to give his new swing a test run......and he LOVES it. This kid is a circus performer waiting to happen, I tell you. He loves to be thrown up in the air, loves to be swung, loves to go fast. So a swing was right up his alley.

We ended the day with some fun & games and Joshua went to sleep anticipating the party the next day. :)

The day of the party was a rainy, yucky mess. But Josh was in high spirits as he donned his "1" onesie (hahaha...it was a 1sie!) that I had made and got ready for the party.

Everyone mingled and nibbled and then Josh started to lose it. :( So we grabbed his presents (and the pacifier) and tore some paper as stress relief.

Everyone was so generous with their gifts! Josh got some really cool toys (more on that in another post), more books (this kid loves to turn pages!), and some really cute clothes. He even got a travel journal for his trip to Paris (thanks again, Auntie Carly!)!

Since I didn't really want to press our luck, we put the pacifier away and decided to try cake. Joshua listened as we all sang 'Happy Birthday'...

...posed for the camera...

...had a little conference with Timothy on the best way to eat a cupcake...

...then figured out that Timmy wasn't interested in sharing his eating secrets, Timmy wanted his cupcake!

...and then decided to dig in. He poked it a little bit to see what the heck this was...

but he wouldn't put anything in his mouth so I helped him out a little bit. He tried frosting and cake and then decided he wanted nothing to do with it. I have no idea who's child this is.

He ended up with a pretty bad tummy ache from those two little bites and the rest of the night wasn't good. :(

The next day came and it was time to say goodbye to Tio Jay and Auntie Jodi. But not before Tio read Josh's Star Wars book to him. Josh was very interested (especially when Tio talked like Jabba the Hutt!)

A few days later, in honor of his reaching this very important birthday, Joshua decided to do a few things we had been waiting for. He pushed up on his arms

and then decided it was time to roll over!

He still needs some help getting over sometimes, but we know he can do it! It was very exciting. :)

The day after rolling over, he decided he would try sitting for a while in the doctor's office...

ohmygosh I was so excited! He sat UNASSISTED long enough for me to reach down, get my phone, take a picture, text message it to a few people and put my phone away. He even righted himself when he started to tip over! It was even more exciting than the rolling over! His therapist is extremely pleased and I'm so happy to see all his hard work paying off. :)

At one year, Josh is weighing in at 17 lbs, 10 oz and is 28 inches long! His head is still very, very small (not even on the chart), but we're hoping for some growth soon. :)

Joshua Says...

Please be patient (Auntie Jodi) with mommy. She's trying to get a post up about my birthday party but there are over 200 pictures to go through and choose from! And because of her super duper camera, they're all good so she's having a hard time narrowing it down. For now, how about you just look at me. It'll make you feel better.

Dear Joshua...

Today you are a year old! One year ago today, we met. How is it possible that you're already a year old? One year. 365 days. On the one hand, I think it seems completely impossible that it's only been 365 days because it feels like it's been so much longer than that. I feel like I've always known you. Like there has never been a moment when I couldn't picture your sweet face in my mind. On the other hand, it feels like a year couldn't possibly be enough to hold everything that's happened. Wasn't it just last month that we held you for the first time?

My heart will always remember holding you that first time, my little bug. I was tired and feeling a little wobbly and shaky and then they handed you to me. You didn't cry or wail, you just fussed a little bit and looked around. I remember looking at you and thinking that of course this was you! I knew you already. And I remember looking at your daddy and thinking, "oh my...look what we did!". I remember watching your daddy hold you for the first time. Like he was holding glass. The look on his face was priceless. He was awestruck...and totally in love. I remember asking over and over and over (echo, echo, echo...) how much you weighed. I remember hearing your little cries that sounded like a kitten. I don't remember many other specifics, but I remember feeling peaceful. And so full of joy.

You have been through so much in your first year, my son. Hospitalization (twice), moving (twice), therapy, testing...the list goes on and on! The day you were diagnosed with CMV and then admitted to the hospital was the worst day of my life. I don't think I have ever cried so hard or so long or been in so much pain. Leaving you in the hospital that first night, I thought my heart was going to stop beating. But as Psalm 30:5 says, "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.". Holding you the next morning was so, so sweet. You showed us during that hospital stay what a tough little boy you are. Going through surgery and blood draws and poking and prodding...you did so much better than mommy would've done! Both daddy and I were so proud of you.
Over the past year I've watched your personality develop, and it has been wonderful to witness. The best word to describe you is 'sweet'. You radiate a sweet spirit and disposition. Oh, you have a temper too, but that only rears it's head once in a while. You love to smile at people, and it's your smile that charms them. I hear tell that your father had the same charm when he was a baby. :)

Speaking of your daddy, let's just talk about how much you love him. Oh my, now there's something to behold! Watching you with your daddy makes my heart melt. There is something so special about the way you look at him. He has always been able to calm you down, put you to sleep, make you laugh...but in the past few months you have really started to watch everything he does. You watch everything that he does, listens to everything that he says, and watch him wherever he goes. Those are some big shoes (or hat as the case may be...) to fill, my son, but I know you can do it.
I'm so thankful that daddy works so hard so that I can stay home with you. I love getting you out of your crib after a nap. You cuddle up and squeeze me, like you've missed me over the little while you've been sleeping. I love getting you out of your car seat after we've been out. You smile everytime I open the door. I love watching you figure out a puzzle or learn a new skill - you suck on your tounge when you're really concentrating. I love seeing things through your eyes. You're amazed with cars going up and down the street. You love to watch the branches of the trees in our yard sway in the wind. You are completely entranced watching street lights (or any light at all really). And you love, love, love being outside. It could be raining, snowing, cloudy or sunny, but as long as you can feel the wind on your face, you are happy. When you are happy, life is good. And you're happy often.
There is so much more that I could say to you on this day, little one, but for now, I will leave it at this. Your presence in my life has made it better than I ever thought possible. You are a miracle and an answer to my prayers. Happy First Birthday, Joshua!
Love,
mama