Happy 23-Month Birthday, Joshua!

I can't believe this is the last month my little boy will be only one! I'm celebrating each day of his life - what a life he's had so far! I praise God for him everyday, good or bad.Joshua started off his day with his typical "I will help Daddy get ready" routine as I fed Caleb. When he came into our room, he announced "Good morning!" I love hearing that cheerful little voice. Then we began our morning in the office/play room after breakfast.He fell asleep for an early nap today, but he seemed super tired so I didn't try to keep him awake until the afternoon. Yesterday he took a spill and bumped his head on a mini-cement wall. You can see the mark on the right half of his forehead (toward the left of the picture), but it doesn't look nearly as bad as I thought it might. After a few minutes, he didn't even notice. With boys, I know we'll have more boo-boos (a word that he now says)! After lunch (which he didn't try a bite of), we headed outside to play in the garage. He sat down in his chair with his baby as I was putting Caleb in the baby swing. He looks so serious and so gentle in the picture below...I love it. He is such a sweet boy! I love how he's tucked his baby in to snuggle. What a good big brother he is...and some day a good father just like his daddy!His smiles are my favorite, though. They light up his entire face. (And ours, of course!)
He started a new game where he would make a funny face and after I would mimick it, he would laugh. He could play this for a long time... it's adorable.Then we moved onto driving his car. He loves to say "beep beep, honk honk" as he blows the horn (that barely sounds a noise). He can really move in that car now, though. I remember when he didn't even know how to get in it let alone control it. It amazes me that he only started walking in 2008, and now he's saying more and more and learning more and more and motoring all over. We are blessed!I think he looks like his Daddy in this picture below. Notice how he's leaning his arm on the side of the car and is looking more laid back, driving with one hand. This one below would be more like me. Doesn't it look like he's shouting "what of it?" with his arms out and face out the front. I giggled and giggled at this picture. He was actually excited because his little friend Evan (a young boy about 7 years old who lives two houses down from us) stopped over before heading to our next door neighbor's pool. He always says "Joshua! Joshua! High five!" and plays with him for a little bit when he's passing by and sees us outside. Joshua loves Evan, and Evan seems to truly enjoy being around Joshua, too.Next we moved onto the bike. I think Joshua has had a recent growth spurt again because his feet now hit the pedals. I think it's time for Daddy to get a bike so we can all go out some evening.We've pretty much made our decision on preschool, so long as there's still a spot left in the one we decided upon. While we liked the one program and curriculum better than the other, one was less than half the price of the other. And for two days a week, two hours each day, that money was a BIG difference. Since both are close and they're very similar, we're going to try the one and see how he does. Our goal is to get him acclimated to other children and be in a different environment than our house with me. It makes me sad thinking about being apart for him, but it's only a little bit and I think it will be good for him. Now we have to decide on what we're doing for his birthday party since he'll turn the big 2 just one month from today!Joshua now tells us when he has to go poo-poo or has just gone, but he doesn't do well naked on his potty so far. We'll keep trying, though. Right now life seems hectic with a new little one, and potty training is something I want to devote a lot of attention to once we really get started. But, I think he's showing us he's ready. He uses silverware some for food, but it still frustrates him when he can't get it on the utensil. We praise him when it goes well, and then he wants to use it more. The problem is that he rarely eats much, so it's more difficult to teach than I thought it would be.Joshua amazes me with something new everyday almost. He's making new connections, saying new words, doing more things himself, comprehending more...it's incredible to watch him grow! He's also so good with his brother and so loving. He's a neat kiddo! In the picture below, he and I were playing basketball outside and then he went to toss it in the garage to Caleb. He didn't throw it when I said "Oh, no, Caleb can't play ball yet. Some day!"I love his little face below. He's hot and soon asked for a drink and to go inside (still calling it outside). He has adorable little lips, big red cheeks, long eye lashes covering his adorable blue eyes...I think he's so cute (although as a momma, I'm biased, I know!)I love my little boy so much. I remember how much of an adjustment it was having a baby, from quitting working full time to not sleeping through the night for the first time (that I remember!) to not being able to go out and do things like we used to. All the sacrifice is so worth the rewards of such an amazing kiddo. Happy 23 month birthday!

Our Strong Little Smiler

Sometimes I feel bad that I post so much about Joshua and don't have as much to say about Caleb. I love Caleb to pieces, but Joshua's at such a fun age and is doing all sorts of new things that I want to write them down immediately. So, here's a post dedicated to Caleb.

After I posted about him sleeping like a champ, he was up every two hours the following night. I won't jinx myself again. He is doing well for the most part, though, eating between 2.5-3 hours during the day and usually 3-5 hours at night.

He also smiled at Daddy for the first time yesterday...a full blown ear-to-ear cheese with a coo afterwards. He smiles at me a lot, and he often smiles at Joshua, who just loves to be near his little brother. For some reason, he loves when I saw "ohhh" to him...I guess because he can coo back and it sounds similar.

He also doesn't look nearly as yellow to me, so I think the jaundice is behind us.

He has been moving forward every time I put him on his belly. And significantly foward...it makes me worry about giving him belly-time. Can his head handle his feet propelling him forward? It's bizarre to me. He's soooo strong!

Finally, he's still a poop-machine. Normally I wouldn't post about such things, but someday we'll look back at this and laugh. The other day he was passing gas really loudly and Joshua yelled out "Tooters!" which cracked me up! My silly boys! I love them sooo much!

Steady, As She Goes

This is a new favorite song/video for Joshua. He constantly asks for it and grins from ear-to-ear (along with his dancing) when we play it. I asked Shawn how he found it, and he said he was looking for something else and came across it and Joshua immediately went nuts over it. When I first saw it, I wasn't sure it was such a good video because the one guy is being mean to the others. But, I realized that what Joshua likes is the music itself. I do think it's interesting that each soap box car is created to mirror the part the member plays in the band. Joshua dances and dances to music...that he likes. And there are songs that we like that he doesn't and vice versa, which intrigues me. Mom said how he has such a good beat and rhythm already. She thinks maybe he'll grow up to be a drummer. I would love it! (I think...). It will be interesting to see if the garage he loves to be in now will someday turn into his music studio.

A Good Friday

This past Friday was one of the best days I've had in awhile. Joshua was happy literally all day. We giggled and had fun, playing on the floor with the baby next to us and doing other things. I vacuumed the carpets, chasing the Bean who squealed with delight. He followed me every where I went. When he ate and was sitting at the table, I mopped the entire first floor and downstairs (I had already swept them the day before). As he played on the sun porch, I scrubbed my entire kitchen in preparation of a day of cooking with my sister Becky yesterday - we made chicken cordon bleu, ham & scalloped potatoes, BBQ chicken, zesty pork chops, seasoned sirloin roast, and orange chicken & sweet potato casserole that we stuck in the freezer. When he napped, I wrote a small copy job and napped myself with Caleb. When he was interested in my attention, we had a great time. He was helpful and obedient and fun.

He got out both pairs of shoes and brought them to me. I asked him to put one pair back where he found them, thinking to myself "now, he doesn't understand what you just said...you need to go show him." But, as I followed him to his room, he put his sneakers back on the shelf where he had gotten them...no follow-up necessary. Wow!

During the day, we also worked on learning to clean up toys after we're finished playing with them. He was starting to get the concept a little. I would ask him to put Elmo back in his toy bin, and he immediately did. I asked him to put his shapes back in the bucket when he moved on to a new toy, and he did. He didn't understand what all the toys were, and he didn't initiate cleaning up on his own (yet!) but he did put things away when he was asked. It was a good start!

That night Daddy mowed the yard after work, I called Grandma (who was at Aunt Jen's house) to see if she wanted to go for a walk. So, Joshua & I met up with her, Jen and the four kids and we went for a walk to the park and walked around there. It was nice, and Joshua loves to be outside.

This past weekend we've also started time outs and have a place on each floor where he will sit for a minute if he defiantly disobeys or does something really wrong. So far, he's sat three times and it seems to be working. Overall, though, this entire weekend he's been such a good boy and such a joy to be around. He's smiled and said "Hi, Mama! Hi, baby! Hi, Bee-bup!" He's such a sweet boy. There are hard days being a mom...there are days you want to rip out your own hair...and then there are days like Friday and this weekend where you wouldn't trade your life for anyone else's for all the tea in China.

Doctor's Follow-up

This past week, Joshua's cold turned into a very nasty cough and his breathing still seemed off to me. Finally on Thursday, almost a week after Shawn had taken him to the pediatrician, I called and scheduled a follow-up visit. Thankfully his ears looked good and his lungs sounded fine then (which I agreed that at that moment he didn't sound wheezy, unlike the day before). The doctor explained that it was good we were giving him breathing treatments because they were doing their job. If he was still sick this coming week, it means he has a sinus infection. If he gets over it, it was just a nasty cold (which he seems way better to us and the cough has decreased significantly). My main concern was that he lost weight...from a naked 25 lbs 9 oz to 25 lbs 1 oz with his diaper on. But, the notes from Friday's visit hadn't made it into Joshua's chart yet since it was in a different building, so they didn't notice and I didn't realize to ask until after it was too late. I think with him feeling better, though, he's been eating a little better, and we have another visit scheduled for his 2-year-old check-up next month. So, we'll see what he weighs then.

Our funny moment was when we were getting him dressed to leave. He can put his arms through the holes in his shirt and pull it down. He also will pick up his legs for his shorts, but needs just a little help in getting himself dressed. I was in a hurry as I pulled up his shorts and started to grab his shoes and was surprised that he was starting to whine a little "eh, eh." Then I looked down....both legs had gotten into the same leg opening in his pants. They were tighter than tight and he couldn't walk over to me to get his shoes on. Haaaa!!! Poor guy! I took off his pants and helped get them on the right way and then put his shoes on. Go team!

E-I-E-I-OOOOO

While I'm feeding Caleb, I sometimes stick on a video for 20 minutes for Joshua to have something fun to do. His video on farmyard friends sings "Old MacDonald," and the other morning I heard him singing E-I-E-I-O....in tune!!! Then, he had his little leap frog radio that Cousin Jordon lent him (thanks!) and it has the tune on there but no words. He started singing along with the tune 'E-I-E-I-O!'

He also loves the song "This Old Man" which he played for Grandma & Grandpa Dziedzic yesterday...over and over again. They came to meet Caleb and brought a beautiful blanket she made for him, along with a Golden Book for Joshua with farm animals, which he loves. It was nice to see them.

So, our little boy can sing in tune, and he's not even 2-years-old! (I don't know what age is normal for that, but I was impressed...as a mom, I think you're always impressed by your kiddos.)

Ni-ice

The other morning I woke up and was feeding Caleb in bed. When Joshua was done helping Daddy with his morning routine, he came into our room and climbed up in bed next to me. Then he started gently patting my arm and then rubbing my back with his hand, just like I would normally do to him if we were sitting next to each other. It was so sweet. I said, "Oh Joshua, you're so nice!" and then he kept doing it everytime we were near each other and said "ni-ice!"

I love how he's understanding more and more and talking more and more. He keeps life so interesting these days! The other day he did something really well and I said "Great job! High five!" and he slapped me five. Then a little later he did something else and came up to me and said "high five" with his hand already up waiting to be hit. Haaaa!!! Soooo cute!

More Sleepy Time Tales

A Total Knock Out

Joshua is doing the cutest things lately. The other day I was watching the news as dinner was in the oven and we were waiting for Shawn to arrive. We had played most of the day outside, and Joshua was evidently tired. As I was holding Caleb, I was stroking Joshua's hair and telling him what a good boy he had been. When I heard the oven buzzer and Daddy's car pulling in, I said to Joshua "time for dinner!" I didn't realize that the Bean had fallen asleep...STANDING! His legs kept buckling underneath him, but he was fast asleep with his head leaning on the couch. So sweet!

Buzzzzzz.....zzzzzzz

On Sunday he was fighting us on taking his nap. It was long past due, but he treasures every second he can spend with "Da-da!" Finally, Shawn and I were unwinding in our family room, and Joshua was playing with Daddy's cordless screwdriver (Shawn had taken the bit out of it so it would be safe). We kept hearing the sound of it going so we kept talking away. Pretty soon we both looked down and realized Joshua had fallen asleep with his finger on the trigger. Shawn gently got the tool out of his hand and laid him down to sleep.

A New Fashion in Sleepwear
Joshua has started taking random things with him to bed. He never goes to sleep without his blankey. Ever. Ever since we went to the hospital to have Caleb, he also takes with him the tiny puppy Nonie got him one of the times he was in the hospital and the Hush puppy Aunt Missy bought him...twice (he loved up the first one so much that it got a hole and beans started coming out). Now, he's adding to that collection his Crocs and...his yellow construction hat. ???? Silly Bean!

Rest for the Weary
Meanwhile, Caleb is sleeping like a champ. He's waking up every 4-5 hours to eat, which has us awake for a little over an hour with diaper changes, etc. But, I'll take it! That means that in the average night I'm only waking up twice. And, he's doing pretty well in the pack-n-play (although last night at 3 am I finally brought him to bed with us. Soon enough we'll be comfortable enough to move him into the crib that's been waiting for him. But, for now, having him in our room has been really nice for me.

Who Needs Sunshine?
This past week Joshua has been getting up at the crack of dawn (literally) to come into our room and make sure Daddy hasn't left yet for work. I usually take him back to bed, which he willingly goes to. However, the second Daddy's feet hit the floor (around 6ish), Joshua is up and ready to start the day. He used to cry when Daddy left, but now he says "bye-bye!" and goes about his day. Shawn is really good to include him in his morning routine. They have really bonded, and I think that's great. I do, however, think it's time to look into something to block out the sunlight that shines directly through his blinds and valance into his room, making 5 am seem like noon.

Hic-cup, Hee-hee

Any time Caleb makes a noise, Joshua laughs and laughs. He especially enjoys Caleb's hiccups for some reason and giggles with delight when he hears those little noises. When Caleb coos, he also laughs. He is so intrigued by his little brother. He goes up and tries to touch him and then remembers that he's limited to touching his toes. So, he often says 'baby! toes!' It's really sweet. If Caleb is crying for any reason, Joshua immediately comes to get me and says 'baby! baby!' and is distressed until I pick Caleb up. He is such a good big brother. He is always saying 'hi' to the little guy, too. My favorite, though, is now that he's trying to say Caleb's name. It sounds like 'bee-bup.' He can say "okay!" so I'm trying to tell him that Ca- sounds like kay, but he insists his name is 'bee-bup.' It makes me smile every time I hear it.

Caleb also enjoys his brother's company. When Joshua laughs, Caleb has been known to grin. He watches for him as much as he can as well. He doesn't mind when Joshua gets close and doesn't seem to notice his toes being played with. And, occasionally when Joshua cries, Caleb joins in. I can already tell the special bond they will have and I think it's so neat. While I would have enjoyed having a girl, I'm now so glad that I had two boys. They bring such an interesting dynamic to our home, and I wouldn't trade either one for the world.

Current Events

Bye, bye
This is the subheadline because Joshua says "bye-bye" to every object we pass. We go for a walk just about everyday in our neighborhood and he will spot a car and then say "bye-bye, car." Then he'll see an airplane and say "bye-bye, airplane" and so on. The other day he said "bye-bye, cow" and then you could see his wheels turning as he said "bye-bye, cow, MOOOO!!!" Ha! Gotta say it in their language to understand!

Bye-bye, Rodeo
On Tuesday night we said "bye-bye" to the Rodeo as Shawn sold it on Ebay. This vehicle was a beast in the snow, but we don't need three vehicles as much as we could use the cash.

Hello, New Sidewalk!
During the last week of July, we finally got our long-awaited new sidewalks (repairing the damage that was caused by the tree removers). It looks good, even though we managed to kill our grass around it. Our lawn/yard is a never-ending battle that we seem to lose. Oh well, our children come first. I've called a couple places to get a quote on someone else doing our trimming this fall. We'll see if we can afford it.

Falling Into a New Season
The weather here has been in the 70s with a nice breeze, and we've had our windows open to enjoy the fresh air. I've also noticed some spiders here and there, and for some reason it just feels like fall already. I know it's only mid-August, but school is just around the corner for me. We've also toured two pre-schools and we're in the process of choosing which one, which also makes it feel like fall. There's just a different feel to the season (it's my absolute favorite!), and it seems like it's coming early this year. I remember the year Joshua was born it seemed to come late as it was still sweltering until I went into the hospital. This year, though, it is really pleasant for being August. And, I must admit that the mum that Shawn accidentally cut to the ground is more beautiful than years past. It is the perfect size and ready to bloom. So, those tears were for nothing...as they usually are. After all, God is in control of our lives, even to the smallest detail.

A New Arrival
We had a nice package from Grandma & Grandpa Ginder with a baby doll for Joshua in it. The baby is the perfect size for him and it came with diapers and a bottle. Joshua immediately poked its eyes and then quickly cried out "toes!" Haaa!!! I love that he remembers he can only play with the baby's toes. (And, this has given him a new fascination with his own toes - after all, they MUST be special. He started trying to suck his big toe the other day. YUCK!) Thanks for the gift...addressed to Joshua in care of Sharon. Hee hee!

A Bedtime Story (or two)

On Friday night, we got both boys dressed in their pajamas. Joshua immediately went to Caleb and said "a towel." Shawn & I giggled - Caleb's PJ's were a terry cloth material that did resemble a towel. It's amusing to see what connections Joshua makes these days. He's a fascinating kiddo! And as of Friday he weighed 25 lbs 9 oz.

Then last night, Joshua said "night night. See you morning!" Soooo sweet! Then he said "bye bye" to Daddy as he was leaving his room. We've been giving Joshua breathing treatments as his cold sounds awful and he's laboring to take deep breaths. Please pray he makes it through this cold on his own!

Finally, I'm proud to say that last night for the first time ever, Caleb spent the night in the pack 'n play in our room in between feedings. He did a great job of sleeping, and we slept so much better without him in bed in between us. We kept our room very warm, though, so we'll have to find a happy medium. Caleb was also extraordinarily tired from a busy day yesterday of me trying to make him nap on his own without being held (which he didn't give into). But, I'll take him being up literally all day long to have some sleep at night. Hooray for Caleb (and us!).

A Happy Song

I heard this song for the first time last night when Shawn & Joshua were dancing to it in the office. It reminds Shawn (and me!) of our honeymoon in Jamaica. Joshua was thrilled as he and Daddy were dancing, and even Caleb started smiling when it was playing. After we tried putting the boys to bed (I say "tried" because Caleb was up within 10 minutes), Shawn & I had a romantic dance among the toys to this song, and we talked about wanting to go back to Jamaica again... of course, without the boys (as much as we love them). Some day! I'm blessed to be married to the love of my life and have two boys who smile to the same songs we enjoy. This clip is about 4 minutes too long, but we enjoy the beginning of it. Hope you like it, too!

08.08.08 - Happy One Month Birthday, Caleb!

Today has certainly been full of crazy 8's! This morning Joshua's breathing seemed erratic, so I called the pediatrician to get him seen. I just couldn't tell if it's from his congestion or if it's turned into a lung issue, and I didn't want to overdose him on breathing treatments if it wasn't necessary. I already had a one-month well-baby check-up for Caleb at 10:40 a.m. and asked if Joshua's could be close to that. They had nothing available until the afternoon at the North Point office, so I asked about their second office, Kissel Hill. They had an 11:00 a.m. there with Dr. Hanna, who had seen him before for his breathing issues. I called Shawn to see if he could take off to take Joshua since I couldn't be in two places at once. He said it wasn't a problem so I called the office back and booked it with the same receptionist I had just talked to.

When Caleb & I arrived at North Point, the gal behind the desk told me that my appointment was with Dr. Hanna at 4:45 pm. Nope! Luckily, I had the card with me where they write the appointment time and doctor's name. He was to be seen there at 10:40 a.m. with Dr. Reilly. She said that this appointment was cancelled. I told her it wasn't cancelled but I had made another appointment for Joshua - my other son - with Dr. Hanna at 11:00 a.m. and my husband was on his way there with him now. She said that they were trying to "help" us and cancelled this one without telling us. By that point, I was annoyed and told her that their "help" wasn't needed and I was ready to see Dr. Reilly with Caleb. After waiting 20 minutes, we were taken back. Both doctors apologized to us, and poor Shawn had not a clue why. Ha! I think their doctors are among the best in the county, but I'm not sure they're receptionists/schedulers/some of the nurses should have made it past elementary school.

Anyway, Joshua has a bad cold but his lungs are fine. Dr. Hanna told Shawn that as he sounds like he's laboring to breath, go ahead and give him a treatment. This will most likely happen when he's too hot. Okay! (Please pray it doesn't get any worse!).

Meanwhile, Caleb weighs a whopping 9 lbs 13 oz and has jumped from the 50th percentile for height and weight up to the 75th. Wow! We no longer have to wake him to eat, and he can tell us when he's hungry. She did, however, strongly recommend that we not sleep with the baby and start getting him to soothe himself in his crib. Please pray that goes well! We can also start trying to give him a bottle of breast milk so that he's used to this when school starts the end of this month and Daddy has to give him one. Lastly, she noted that he still looks yellow, which I agreed. I told her that I've been calling and was told not to worry about it. She sent us for more bloodwork STAT and told us that one of her colleagues will call us with the results. They called and said that it was 13.2 last time and it's 10.4 this time, so it's coming down. Anything under 15 is considered okay, but I don't think there's supposed to be any.

Caleb is starting to smile (the picture below shows just a little grin...I snapped the picture too soon!). The doctor said he should be and should watch people and also pay attention to noises like talking and move to look and see what's going on. He should also be getting stronger and putting his head up, etc. So, I guess he's right on target!

Thus, both boys are doing well for the most part but can still use your prayers. Happy 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year!

A Cold from Down Under (& I Don't Mean Australia)

Please pray for Joshua. He has a terrible cold. Daddy slept with him last night because he was up all night with a snotty nose. Today he keeps saying "nose! nose!" and crying. Poor kiddo! Please pray for a quick recovery and that his breathing isn't affected.

Skip the One, Missing the Seven

Joshua definitely counts now, but he never says "one." We usually start with one and he chimes in with the two, three...etc. However, he started counting himself today on the stairs and he started with "two!" He'll go the whole way through to eight (how many stairs we have to get to the first floor) except that he also doesn't say "seven." It's really adorable to listen to..."two, free, four, pi-ive, seeks...(pause)...EAT!"

I realized yesterday that he's saying more actual words, and we're not comprehending them yet because of his lack of enunciation. For example, as I was nursing Caleb, he pulled out a book of "Baby's First 100 Words" that we often look at together and sat at my feet with the pages open. He pointed to a smiley face and said "Fahz" then to the orange and said "ahhrrr" and then to the fish and said "feesh" and then to the flower and said "flawrr" and to the small puppy and said "foo-foo-foo" (or woof-woof backwards). He also will point to birds and say "brrt - teat - teat!" So, as he's gibbering away now, I think he's saying real words but needs practice on saying them correctly. On the other hand, his mispronunciations are so adorable that we'll miss them when they're gone. He also laughs when we laugh at a joke and is Mr. Repeat. He was watching a video on Farmyard Friends (he loves cows!) and says "apples, wheat, eggs, corn" after the video does, as well as the animals and their sounds. I do think he should be talking more, though. But, I'm sure it will come.

We're looking into preschools for him for this fall. There are a couple near our house that come recommended that have a two-day a week, two-hours each of those days for two-year-olds. They learn about shapes and colors and how to share, but mostly I think this will give him an opportunity to be around other children and get to play in a new environment. It will also give me time for work/school, hopefully so I can lavish my attention on him when he's not in school (and Caleb, too!).

These pictures are from a week ago or so now...I look exhausted. But, I love my boys!

Double the Stroller for Double the Fun

On Monday morning I called Jen bright and early and asked if she and her kiddos would want to join us in going to the park. I told her that I secretly wanted to use her double stroller to see if I could handle it and maneuver it. She said sure, and we left shortly thereafter. I'm impressed that Joshua is no longer afraid of going down the slide and doesn't wait for me to help him anymore. He was playing away and having a great time! And, the stroller was fairly easy to handle, although it is much heavier than my single one. But, after reading all sorts of reviews on Amazon.com and looking at the weight, the one we ordered like hers is the same weight as most of the others out there.

When it was time to feed Caleb, we headed back to her house and once he had finished eating, we let the kids play outside in her backyard and got pizza for lunch. Joshua went down her big slide all by himself, too! I was impressed (and nervous!). He did a great job, and it wore him out. We came home after lunch and he took a nice long nap. That night we ordered our stroller and it arrived today! Funny thing is, we could have paid an extra $100 to make sure it would arrive by Friday and opted not to - and then it arrives the next day! Daddy put it together and we took a nice long walk as a family. Hooray for being semi-mobile again! No more walks with the snuggli around the neighborhood! :) :) :)

Here are the boys enjoying some time outdoors. Joshua is carrying the bubbles we played with in our backyard and Caleb is soaking up the morning sunshine on a blanket. Aren't they both precious?

Caleb's First Outing

I love this picture of Caleb with his big blue eyes and expressive face. Today was his first real outing as we went to church for the first half of the service (I'm not quite sure where to feed Caleb since people are in and out of our nursery...and since he needed to eat at 11:00 am we left just before then.) Technically, we're not supposed to take him out until he's six weeks old, but we went just before the service started and left early and I wore him in the snuggli the whole time so people couldn't get in his face without being all up in my grill.
I can't believe how strong Caleb is! On Friday I gave him belly time on his birdie mat as the Bean was sleeping and I was cleaning up toys. All the sudden I realized his head was off the mat - his little legs were propelling him forward! Joshua didn't do that until after he was sitting up and eating solid foods! And Caleb lifts his head fiercely but still can't control it on his own - we have to be really careful with him. He can kick out of swaddling and is still giving his arms and hands sucking blisters even after eating all the time and taking a pacifier occasionally. He looks so skinny to me and yellow still, but the pediatrician's office assured me that as long as he's having wet and soiled diapers, we're on target. Okay!

This picture is only four days older than the others, but I think he changes every day! Caleb is also a Momma's boy so far. Joshua was that way until after he came home from the NICU, too, so it will be interesting to see when he starts favoring Daddy like the Bean. Lastly, Caleb is starting to smile a little, we think. We catch him every once in awhile, and he did it for my mom on Saturday, too, when she visisted us after being on vacation for a week. Joshua was really missing her and kept saying "ma-maw!" when we got in the car because we often head to her house. He was so excited when she came in the door!!! Anyway, Caleb's smiles are random and not on cue, but I think he's starting already, if that's possible. What an amazing little baby we have! If we could only get him to sleep by himself at night in between feedings...

A Day to Celebrate!

A big happy birthday goes out to my sweet niece, Grace! Here she is with my sister Jen and our little Caleb in the hospital. Today we swung by Grandma's house (where she was having a swimming party) to drop off her gift, a Webkinz, which she leaped for joy over. She showed me her newly pierced ears and asked me to tell Uncle Shawn, Joshua & Caleb that her ears were pierced and that she loved them. Too cute! I can't believe she'll be heading off to full-time first grade this fall!And happy anniversary to Uncle Kevin & Aunt Missy! I couldn't find any pictures from their wedding (which I know I have somewhere) except this one of Shawn & me. Ha! Hope you also had a happy day!

You're a Tool, Baby!

On Saturday night, Nonie & Poppy and Aunt Alicia & Jordon came over for dinner, bringing with them Chinese takeout. Yum! The food was delicious, and we truly enjoyed the company (thanks so much!). Of course, I forgot to take pictures! So, here's one of Nonie & the boys one of the days she came over to help out. And below is the only one I could find of Poppy, Jordon & Aunt Alicia - from this past New Year's Eve (the one party you can take kids to!). Anyway, as we were sitting and eating dinner on Saturday night, Jordon reached over and gave Joshua some of his food 'so he wouldn't go hungry.' Joshua smiled and ate it. Jordon then said, "you're a tool, baby!" to Joshua which sounded semi-gangsta' to me and absolutely cracked me up! I repeated it, smiling, and Alicia said "he's saying that he's 'cool, baby.'" Haaaa! Jordon continued saying, "Yeah, you're awesome, baby!"

So cute! Nonie said that she and Alicia were discussing why Jordon likes Joshua so much. And, it's obvious that he does. If Joshua is crying, Jordon will do something silly to make him laugh. They play well together, and Jordon for being four years older than the Bean still includes him. It's so sweet to watch. They think that maybe Joshua reminds Jordon of his half-brother from his dad. Maybe? Of course, I think it's just because Joshua is "way cool, baby!" but then again, I'm biased!

We had a great time! Thanks for dinner! And thanks for lending us the baby swing!