Show Me Those Pearly Whites

This is best shot I could manage of Josiah's teeth. Yes, plural. He has two now and judging by his behavior the last couple of days and the wake-up call last night, I'd say he has more on the verge.

Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic

I know I'm just marveling at how the child's mind develops, but some days Josiah seems like a genius to me. I'm amazed when he figures out something new. Here are a few examples.

He can read! OK, he can't read (but did anyone see the little girl on the Today show who could read at 13 months?!? Ridiculous), but he can turn the pages, which I think is so impressive.

Yes, I engineered that shot with the timer.

This was a tricky shot too, but I was trying to illustrate him with this drawer. We keep our bibs, socks and hats in here, so whenever I go to get one, he gets really excited. He grabs on to the drawer immediately and rolls it back and forth, very proud of himself.

He's already playing with these rings (another toy labeled for 2+.We took of the top ball because he could probably stick that entirely in his mouth, but rest is good). He can't put them on the base, but he's really good at taking them off. Either one at a time (as pictured above) or the more effective dumping method (seen below).

And he can play the piano. Bang bang!

This was just a sweet smile. I find it funny that his favorite part of this toy is the bag, not the stuffed bugs inside. Or even better the label on the bag.

Fun Afternoon

Mimi and GP drove over for a quick visit on Sunday. It was just a few hours, but we had lots of fun. They got to see Josiah eat, which is always entertaining. He's very vocal about it.

We decided to try out this sippy cup that I found for him. It has a soft top so he can suck on it, but he can also hold it himself. And it doesn't spill. I think it'll work well for us since he doesn't really take a bottle. He did great with it.


Play time with Dad. He's always teaching Josiah fun things...

Like how to stand...

And bang on things (one of Josiah's new favorite things).



Playing with Mimi and the stuffed sea turtle they brought back from Hawaii for him.

"Hey GP, nice watch! Can I eat it?"

Being the center of attention is hard work!

"I need a nap!" Apparently, both his grandfathers have the "sleep touch" with him. I asked Dad just to get him started by walking him a little bit, and he was out cold.

6 Month Stats

We finally had Josiah's six-month check up today.

19 lbs. 2 oz. (90-95%)
26.75 inches (75%)
17.25 head (good thing they don't take this measurement at the cheeks or he'd be off the charts)

I was a little freaked out that he'd only gained a pound since the last visit, but apparently that's very normal, as you can see by the fact his weight percentile didn't change. He's still a chunk.

The doctor was very impressed with his sitting and standing. She said that he won the award for the best six-month sitter she'd seen this week. I expected a trophy or ribbon or something, but I guess we'll be satisfied with the acknowledgment.

Josiah really loved the examining table paper - great waiting room distraction, just had to keep him from eating it.

Big Boy, Little Boy

More Solids

Josiah has been doing great with solids! He really likes his rice cereal and even seems to get excited when he sees it coming. I'm really glad we waited until six months; I don't think he would have taken to it as well earlier.

Watching him eat is so fascinating to me. You can tell he's still a little confused about why I would be taking a picture while he's eating (I certainly didn't used to do that!). Do you like my camera work? I'm holding the camera in my right and feeding with my left. Multitasking is a survival skill for moms.

"C'mon, Mom. I'm a pro at this. I can do it myself."

"See! No problem!"

Mmmm!
Since he downed a large serving at two separate feedings yesterday, I decided we could move on to the next food...

Sweet potatoes! And yes, I made it myself and mixed with a little b milk. My dad loves to tell the story of my mom trying to make me baby food and how I tossed it back at her. But this batch turned out OK. B milk is a good natural sweetener.


His face during the first bite was priceless. "What is this stuff?" Kinda grimace and curiosity mixed. I wouldn't say he loved it, but he finished the bowl.

Our high chair is so colorful! We've now entered a new phase of baby messiness. (And yes, I know this isn't even the worst of it.) I learned that the spit-up is also colorful.

Geocache #2 - Success!

We completed our first successful geocache on Saturday! It was very well hidden I thought. It was in a fake knob on this electrical pole. And it was just a list inside this very tiny canister for everyone to sign their names who found it. Kind of a lame treasure, but at least we were successful!

It was hidden at this great neighborhood park.

We decided to carefully try the baby swing with Josiah.

He loved it! He laughed each time he swung. I think the breeze tickled him.

Then we tried a little see-sawing. Not quite as fun, but then again, everything with Dad is pretty fun.

(Sorry for the focus issues in these pictures.)

A Day With the Gals

Our friends Kate and Lexi came over to play on Friday. They were so sweet to "Baby Josiah," always coming over to give him hugs and kisses.

Here they are putting on a ballerina show for us.

And snuggling up to watch a movie. Kate specifically requested Josiah sit right there.

Starting Solids

We started solids on Thursday with the traditional rice cereal. He did great with it. I think he was surprised that we were actually putting things in his mouth for him and encouraging him to swallow. His propensity to put everything in his mouth comes in handy for eating. He's done even better as we've thickened it.

Here is where we figured out that a bib would be handy.

P.S. We have our 6-month check-up on Friday, so that's why there's no stats yet.

A Special Happy Birthday...

To my dear friend Carrie-Anne.

I've been limiting my birthday posts to just immediate family, but I'm making an exception because this birthday occurs so infrequently. That's right - she's a Leap Day Baby! Happy 7th birthday, friend! I'm very blessed to have known you for four of your seven birthdays. Here's some old-school and new-school memories for ya! There are many more, but these are what I have on file.

6 Months

Unbelievable that it's been half a year already!

Josiah is very curious about the world...

And the camera.

A few things I don't want to forget:

• He's sleeping great from about 6:30-7:30 p.m. until around 7 a.m. (except last night because of teething I think).
  
• Naps are getting longer, but still not perfect. When do you run errands when your child needs to take two 2-hour naps? I've finally started a good nap routine with him, and it's helped a ton (why is the hardest to learn the least complicated?)! He naps longer when he's put to bed awake and chooses to sleep. Yes, a few tears were involved, which I hate, but admittedly, it ultimately helps him sleep consistently.
  
• Other nicknames I forgot to record: Buddy and Kiddo
• He's starting to push up on his knees a little during tummy time.
  
• Favorite songs I sing as part of sleep routine: Blessed Assurance, Amazing Grace, Baby Mine, In Christ Alone, Step by Step
• He's babbling like crazy. We can't pinpoint exactly what consonant he's going for, but it's there.
  
• We put him in the real bath tub for the first time last night because he's learned how to splash. He loved it. We introduced some new toys that were really fun for him.
• Look for an upcoming post about his first solid food experience.
  

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

Who is the cutest little boy of all?

Every time we pass by a mirror we get a big grin out of Josiah. I don't know if he smiles at us smiling or the baby he sees, but it's adorable.

In this one, I'm trying to show off the cute outfit Grammy bought him this weekend. It's very fun, and the best part is it has a zipper closure on the bottom. Sweet! Thanks, Grammy!

A Tooth!

I just felt Josiah's first tooth surfacing! There's not enough to take a picture of yet, but there is definitely a ridge.

I've been hypothesizing that he's been teething for months now because all of the normal indicators are everyday things for him: gumming objects and drooling (well spit-upping). He was slightly cranky last week, but he had a little cold, so I attributed it to that. If that's as cranky as he gets with a cold and teething, I am MUCH blessed!

You hear about these milestones, but it was so exciting to actually experience it. My baby has a tooth!