Half a Year Down!

Wow, half a year already. Joshua turned 6 months last Sunday. He has been so much fun and full of joy, which is a real blessing. Time is going so fast; I have begun to take time each night to think about my favorite moment of the day in an effort so somehow capture this time. Most likely it will be a blur someday, but at least the effort was made!

He weighed in at 15 lbs 15 oz and is 25 inches long. Our pediatrician thinks he's doing great and I am trying not to stress about the numbers. He's in 5th percentile for height. This makes me think he's going to be a shorty; Which then makes me worry about him being the little guy in the class; Which makes me worried about teasing. Funny how we want to protect our kids as much as possible. However, God says we are beautifully and wonderfully made. As a mommy, I want the best for my kiddo but then have to stop and be reminded that God does too and He is infinitely wiser than me!

Joshua is rolling from his back to his tummy all the time now. He seems to like sleeping on his side and tummy better than his back now. We still put him down on his back but he rolls over immediately. He is sitting up by himself now. His toes must taste yummy because he can't seem to get enough of them. One thing we are very excited about is that he is pretty much sleeping through the night again. For the past two months he's been getting up at 2 am (ish) and 5 am (ish). All of a sudden this week he is sleeping for 11-12 hours straight!!

We are starting veggies tomorrow. This feels behind compared to most parents but in line with what the doc recommended. He's also "learning to poop like a big boy," as Kurt likes to say. He can stink up the house in no time. It is unbelievable considering he is still just on rice cereal and milk. We asked the pediatrician about this early on. He explained (in a lot of detail that will be spared to you) it's just the way his body works and it's likely he will always be a stinker. Ggrreeaattt....

JLZ got to hang out with the boys across the street when their brave mom took on all three boys by herself. Luke turned two a few weeks ago and Ethan is two months younger that Joshua.

Yummy Toes!

Shot this during his nap. If you look closely, you will see his thumb in his mouth. Apparently he wanted to keep the pacifier close by just in case he tired of the thumb.

Wildflowers

Well, it's been a long time since I've written...now I have to try and catch up...We took a little trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in South Austin. We caught the tail end of the height of the bluebonnet season. The wildflowers have had a tough year this year due to lack of rain during the winter. However, your couldn't tell at the center.

mmmm, cereal

Last week, Joshua started on rice cereal. After a week of getting up twice a night, we decided it was time he had a little more to fill his belly. He did really well at first, with some funny faces...





A bit of a puzzled look, trying to figure it out...













A little into the first feeding, he decided he'd rather lick
the cereal off his bib than take it by spoon...




















After loosing the bib, he decided he'd rather do the spoon himself...












And eventually we gave up the spoon all together and put it in a bottle. This is one of those things that all the books tell you not to do, but most parents do anyway...

We've decided to hold off on the spoon feeding for another week. He kept pushing it out with his tongue, so we will try again soon.

"Auntie" Laura comes to visit

The first week inApril, Laura came to visit from Abingdon. Laura was in a very serious car accident last fall and is recuperating very well. I was so thankful for the chance to hang out together. Joshua had fun playing with a new face too. It's fun to have company and get out to do authentic Austin things. It's like being on vacation yourself. We went shopping on Congress Avenue and our new Whole Foods Market. (It's amazing by the way-where else can you spend $80 on a mushroom?) She got to see the bats take flight and walk on town lake trail We ate The "worlds' worst BBQ" at Rudy's and some yummy Indian at the Clay Pit. All in all it was a very fun time. We all need some "Stink" in
our lives.

Spring Training

Joshua started spring training this month. Here he is practicing his baseball in the back yard. He can't really hold the bat yet, but he sure is cute!

We got this cute shot accidentally...Joshua was posing when one of his parents (we won't implicate the guilty) lost their grip on him. I just love the look as he is going down. He was unfazed by the event even though he got a mouth full of grass.

Taking pictures for Papa Roger of his new soccer outfit.

Our latest fun event is going to the park and swinging. The first time he was in it he started laughing! The bottom swing picture is his old man look.



He's still practicing sitting on his own. He's getting pretty good!

Joshua and I have been going to the library for "Lapsit." We sing songs and play with friends. He got his first life lesson last week. He was playing with a toy and another little boy came up and took it from him. He actually started crying! I was pretty surprised he cared. I found him another toy which the boy took away. I picked up a third toy and the kid stole it right out of my hand!! At that point his mom asked from across the room if he was sharing...

It's been taking me a while to update the blog because I'm having a lot of trouble getting pictures posted. Not sure what the deal is. I'm going to try and get rid of some of the old entries. Maybe I need to update more often so I don't have as many pictures to download...

Since these pictures were taken, we had my friend Laura from Abingdon for a visit. We also went to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center last weekend. Our other big news is that Joshua had his first rice cereal tonight. Details to come but I'm not going to get anything posted again until after Easter. Until then...

doh

I discovered this morning at 5 Am that the exersaucer can handle my full weight. Kurt is always on me about not leaving things in the middle of our room. Needless to say I forget sometimes...Joshua woke up early and on my way out of the room I tripped over the exersaucer, landed on top of it, and then rolled off the other side. Doh! I'm just glad the circus music didn't come on...

Exersaucer Excitement

This week we made the exciting purchase of an exersaucer. Although I'm sure Joshua had no idea there was something fun inside the box for him, he kept staring at the box until Kurt came home to help him put it together.


Joshua was a big help putting everything together.
If at first you don't
succeed, read the directions!!








Joshua seems to enjoy his new toy, as long as you don't leave him in it too long. It's amazing to watch him play with new things and you realize how quickly he is figuring things out and becoming a little boy. I didn't expect him to do much with the toys, but he caught on quick.

Dapper in Delaware, part I

Joshua took his second plane trip last weekend to see his family in Delaware and to attend his first wedding. Once again he was well behaved on the plane. Here are some pics and notes from our trip. I ended up dividing it in three sections because blogger seems to not enjoy lots of photos on one entry.


The night we arrived, cousin
Peter decided that cupcakes were necessary to have a "Welcome to Delaware" party for Joshua. (I ate two to make sure he got some... )

Dapper in Delaware, Part II

Mom Mom is having her kitchen worked on so Kurt's sister and family put up with us for the weekend. You guys are wonderful hosts! Chef Robell and his trusty assistant chef took good care of us.

Joshua had fallen asleep in the swing while we were eating dinner. We moved in the other room and I ducked in a little while later to check on him. I found this scene with the cousins all around him watching him sleep-so sweet!




The picture to the right cracks us up; The first shot Sean had his eyes closed so I told him we would have to retake it. The next shot he made sure his eyes weren't closed!!




Kurt was in the wedding of a childhood friend and the added bonus was that most of his family was at the wedding as well. Of course this meant that Joshua got to break out some new duds because he couldn't attend a wedding in plain ole pj's. Once again, I didn't get any shots of the bride and groom but this time it was because the camera battery died-hopefully some of the family crew will hook me up....


Joshua got to meet Karl,
one of the pastors that
officiated at our wedding.




We got to meet up with my college buddy Rebecca and her husband John.

Dapper in Delaware, Part III

Quality time with the family included blowing bubbles in the street. Joshua was taking his early evening nap so he missed out on the bubbles...



More hanging out...

We were also able to grab a quick lunch with some of our ol' Baltimore crew en route to the airport.

We had a great trip and enjoyed seeing everyone!!