Big Shoes To Fill

Joshua was checking out Daddy's new boots and I slipped his little feet into them. He even tried walking in them at one point and eventually managed to wiggle his little feet back out of them.

Just a beautiful picture of Joshua playing upside down.

The Toddler's Creed

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back.
If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged.
I am toddler!

~ Author Unkown ~

Where Is Joshua?

We found one of daddy's work shirts that slipped between the chairs in the living room and I started playing with Joshua. Before I managed to grab the camera he would pull the shirt just right and end up with his head in the sleeve...silly boy. He has always loved Peek-A-Boo since he was little so now I try and get him to recognize that I am looking for him and want to see if he will try hiding under the shirt or blanket. He has never liked things over his head though so we may not make it that far until he is older.

Two Top Teeth . . . . . . .

Joshua is drooling like crazy and spending a lot of time trying to chew on my arms and legs when we are playing during the day. He never had massive drooling episodes or need to chew on to many things, but now he wants to chew on everything and there are little drool drops all over the living room floor and down the hallways. He looks so adorable with his little teeth showing now.

Mommy's New Website

Mommy decided to start writing about what she is doing to get healthy.

http://beinghealthyisajourney.blogspot.com/

Clapping

Joshua showing off his "advanced motor skills". He does pretty good at this and then he thinks it's really cool to toss the blocks around.

Picking Out Colors

I've been working with Joshua to pick out correct colors. He does it quite often. Today his main goal was just handing me the blocks more than anything.

Stripping

I think the small thunder storm that rolled through Kyle last night disturbed Joshua's sleep. He woke up at 2:30 and refused to go back to sleep even though I had nursed him. So I took him to his playroom to play were he immediately saw his rocking horse and had to ride it. While he was on it he started to pull his arm out of his pajamas. I helped him pull the second arm out and then I had a half naked baby on a rocking horse.

How Much Sleep?

Joshua should be getting 14hrs of sleep in a 24hr time period. 11-12 of which should be at night. He did 8.5 hrs on Monday and Tuesday, but something was going on last night. He went down very easily, but then woke up at 2:30am and would not go back down...so we ended up in his new playroom for 2.5hrs of him playing around. Then at 5:00am he decided he as tired again....so we went to my bed where he slept for two more hours. At least he is attempting to sleep longer than before.

Getting A Playroom

Joshua is getting a playroom for ALL of his toys. It is the old guest bedroom. This weekend we will be hanging the large mirror up in the garage for weight lifting so it won't be in the room anymore. I can now sit in there and do my ironing while Joshua plays. Should probably look into those small TV's with a DVD player on it for the room so that either he can watch a Baby Einstein DVD or I can watch something.

I AM MOM

This quote is so true to my life. I try to make home-cooked meals every night so that my family is getting the absolute best that they can, but life, as busy as it is does not always give me that option. My hair is not always perfect, thus the reason I chopped all of my hair off, I no longer had the time to spend blowing it dry, straightening it, pinning it up just right. My time with my growing son has been the most important thing to me.

NOTHING is more important.

No More Toothless Grins

Joshua's Nine Month Pediatric Appointment

I have a PERFECT baby according to the RN and MD. Joshua did amazing with his iron test....they pricked his little finger and took two drops of blood. Joshua didn't even make a peep and actually tried to grab the little vial that they were putting the blood into. They put two little band aids on his finger which he then proceeded to put into his mouth and chew on until the band aid fell off. He crawled all around the exam room and tried to keep the MD out while standing against the door. They tested his Pincer Grasp....with a raisin....which of course Joshua passed with flying colors and even tried to eat good thing the RN is quick. He has advanced motor skills and can clap two blocks together when holding them....which he thought was very funny when he dropped them between his legs....he would do it over and over and just laugh and laugh. He had to show off by walking across the room for the MD, but still refused to show off his new chompers.

His iron test came back while we waited and he is on the low normal side and we need to incorporate more iron rich foods into his diet. So last night for dinner he got a bowl of lentils and rice, which he gobbled up. He needs to take some baby vitamins to help boost his iron...why they can't make that stuff taste like the gummy ones you get when you are a school kid I don't know, but Joshua takes them great right into his mouth....no mixing it in a bottle or into his food.

His weight dropped in the percentiles, but the MD said that is very normal for a breastfed baby. They see the babies chunky to start off and then thin out as they become mobile, which is not the case for formula fed babies. She said that they tend to chunk up fast and stay that way even when they are mobile. This made me feel good knowing that even though I have not always loved breastfeeding Joshua I have done a wonderful job giving him the best start at a life free of adult obesity.

To be safe in this massive season of flu I went ahead and had Joshua get his first flu vaccine. Had to hold his hands because he is a grabber and tried to grab the syringe. No tears or crying for him.

I asked what else I could do to get Joshua to sleep through the night beside not feeding him anymore. The MD stressed naps. I mentioned that I can get Joshua to sleep, but he will wake up with the transition to his crib, and won't sleep unless I hold him. She suggested that if he will sleep while I lay down with him that I should nurse him in bed and have him nap that way. So, after his appointment I was able to get him down for 45 minutes in his playpen and then we both laid down at 3:30 for a 2.5 hour nap. He slept from 9:30pm to 5:00am so maybe the naps are a good thing. I will try the napping in our bed with me for a little bit and then try to transition him back to his crib for naps since I have to stay in bed with him so he won't wake up and crawl off the bed.

Our next appointment will not be until November 23, unless he is sick before then, but I doubt we will be going in before then...he is such a healthy little guy that we've NEVER had to go to the doctor unless it is for his well-baby check-ups.

He's Ready . . . . .

. . . . . . for school. I grabbed his little backpack and filled it with a couple diapers, his wipe case, my nursing wrap, some snacks, and lunch as we headed out the door to look at some furniture. I put it on him to see what he would do. He stood up and then sat down and started to crawl around with it on his back. I think he will handle going to school with the rest of them in four years.

Playing With Daddy......Instead of Sleeping

Today's Thoughtful Quote

Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter,
and those who matter don't mind.
- Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

Napping on Sunday

Joshua getting a much needed nap in his playpen in nothing but a shirt and his diaper.

Clapping With Daddy

Daddy and Joshua were sitting on the floor this afternoon and Daddy started to clap and sing to Joshua who in turn copied him by clapping his little hands as well. I love capturing moments like this when Joshua, and Daddy for that matter, are completely unaware of the camera being out and snapping away.

Riding His Horse

Joshua had been following me around while I tried to finish putting together the items we were taking to Mexico and he came across his horse in the guest bedroom and started patting its head....so I brought it out into the living room and set him in it while I finished folding his laundry.

Joshua loves watching his Baby McDonald DVD and when they were playing the "Old McDonald Song" he started to rock the horse and dance to the music. Then he just leaned back and watched the show.

Two Top Teeth

I got a picture of Joshua's top two teeth and I didn't have to stick my fingers in his mouth. He was laughing up a storm today while playing with the camera strap and I got it while he was laughing.

9 Months Old

It feels like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. He is growing up so quickly. Sometimes I want to hit a pause button on life and at other times I want to hit a fast-forward button.

In just the past couple of months he's had quite a few new accomplishments....sitting on his own, crawling, getting himself back to sitting after crawling to where he wants to go, pulling himself up using furniture, the closest available person, etc....he's grown a fascination with sitting himself back down from standing up....no more falling backward and hitting his head....he just plops down onto his bum. He is starting to crawl up onto things so I have to watch him a lot closer. He has a fascination with his "puppy" and will crawl to the back door so that he can "talk" to Tex.

Joshua is sleeping through the night most nights now or will occasionally wake up once to be rocked back to sleep since I have stopped feeding him at night and no he is not starving. He gets three big solid meals and snacks during the day on top of nursing about 3-4 times in a 24hr time period.

Then:
Now:

Video of Bottom Teeth

We took some video of us trying to look at his teeth.

Sleeping While Eating

I caught Joshua nodding off during breakfast today. Small nap...then woke up to continue chomping away on his food.

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month

Reasons breastfeeding is good for Mom:

• Breastfeeding causes normal contractions that help the mother’s uterus return to its pre-pregnant state. (maybe why I never looked like I was still pregnant after Joshua was born).
• For each 12 months of breastfeeding, the mother's risk for breast cancer is reduced by 4.3% and 7% for each pregnancy.
• Nighttime feedings do not require the preparation of warming a bottle.
• Mother burns an extra 600 calories a day.
• Breast milk is free. Artificial milk costs between $900-$4,700 the first year. Additional food costs for a breastfeeding mother runs approximately $120 per year.
• Breast milk is portable and does not require extra planning before leaving the house.
• Breastfeeding triggers the release of oxytocin (commonly called the maternal hormone), which helps relax both mother and infant and enhances bonding.

Reasons Breastfeeding is good for Baby:

• Breast milk is "species specific", made by nature to meet your infant’s nutritional needs. When an infant is born early, the mother’s milk has increased properties to meet the special infant’s nutritional needs.
• Breastfeeding protects against SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), and infants who are breastfed have lower incidence of ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory infections and necrotizing entercolitis.
• Breastfeeding protects against diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and immune system diseases in adulthood.
• Breastfed infants digest human milk quickly. This leads to more frequent feedings and better protection for the infant. They get a new coating of breast milk with each feeding to protect them from illness.
• Breastfed infants have better oral development.
• Breast milk is safe for your infant. There is no risk of contamination at the manufacturing site.
• Breastfeeding can calm an infant quickly. You can breastfeed right after procedures such as lab tests or vaccinations.

www.breastmilkcounts.com

Stand Up, Sit Down, Stand Up, Sit Down

Joshua practicing standing up and sitting down.

Door Stoppers

Joshua found the door stops in the main hallway. He uses them like a boxer uses a speed bag. He is finding all kinds of new things in the house now that he is crawling. He finds things that you never think about on a day to day basis, but then you start to see things as if they are new by seeing them through his eyes.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

Joshua's wild hair before we gave him a haircut.

Joshua slid down and laid his head on his frog while he watched one of his DVD's.

Playing with his walk/ride toy we bought him.

New Toy

How Mommy Gets A Shower

Some days Joshua won't go down for a nap so that I can take a shower and get ready for the day, so I've been sticking him in his pack-n-play and turning on one of his Baby Einstein DVD's. Well, one day I fed him, he refused to go to sleep in his crib, so I put him in the living room.

I showered up and got all ready. When I was finished I walked out to the living room and found him all passed out.

and in his little hand in this one...his little farmer....grasped in his hand for dear life.

Too Tired

Does it count as a nap if he naps in his highchair? Today for breakfast Joshua was just super fussy and was slowly eating at the same time I was eating my cereal. I took one bite and went to give him a bite....this is what I found:

and half his breakfast still sitting here

Eating Lunch

Joshua had hotdog bits and sweet potatoes for lunch.

Two Bottom Teeth

Joshua still is very protective of his little teeth, but now both bottom teeth have broken through and are showing. It could take a few weeks for them to be fully out where people will notice and he won't cover them with his tongue, but they are very sharp. Hoping the top ones will come in soon since we have been looking at them for months now.

No More Water!!!

After Joshua took a bath with me in the garden tub in our room I drained out the water and he likes to slide around and go to the drain and close it. He also ends up with this little frog butt look as he sits there. He loves baths in my tub because the walls of the tub are higher and he can splash so much more.

2009-2010 District Convention - Day Three

Joshua wouldn't leave his musical toy in the car, at least it only makes noise when you wind it up.

At lunch we went to the assembly hall and let Joshua crawl around. He had had enough of us holding him all weekend long and was starting to get upset.

When I set him down on the floor a bunch of older kids came and crowded around him all asking if he could walk around. He just sat there and stared at them.

After all of his crawling around I put him back into his sling and we walked around a bit, went up to visit with Silina and Jacob, who were feeding Javen his lunch and he fell asleep.

2009-2010 District Convention - Day Two

Joshua sitting in his chair playing with his binky.

Mommy holding Joshua in his sling.

Joshua and Javen playing at lunch time....tried to wear them out for the second half of the day.

The Guys: Raul, Joshua, Jacob, and Javen

All of us: Joshua, Raul, Chavon, Silina, Jacob, and Javen

Joshua trying to get into Daddy's briefcase