Josiah and Alexis

Josiah is starting to warm up to Alexis. He still gets fussy when she's upset and gets a little needy sometimes, but he's starting to help more with her and play more independently when I need to care for her.

Giving her a snuggle

Helping rock her in the seat

Even giving a kiss! Don't tell her Daddy the boys are kissing on her already! Josiah always makes a "mmm" kissing noise when I tell him to hug or kiss someone. He makes the same noise when I tell him to be sweet to the baby.

I would say he made her smile, but it's actually the smiley sun above her head. But he's smiling at her.

Alleluia

Ridiculous that I managed to do another sideways video, but it's too cute not to post. Alleluia sounds a little like calculator :)
I got the idea to sing this song with him from the Blonde Renstrom clan, though my singing pales in comparison to Daniel's...to say the least!

Our Park Friends

Our small group has started alternating Bible study with serving dinner to anyone who is hungry at a local park. Frank and Bekah do a pizza dinner there on Mondays, so they spread the word among the friends they'd already made. We've had a great group each week, and we've gotten to stay longer now that it's getting warmer and the sun's up later.

I love taking Josiah to hang out with our "park friends." He has a little route he does all over the park. Chip, the man in these pictures, loves following Josiah as he trots around to his normal spots.

I love that Josiah gets to hang out people who are from a different background. Having a kid around always brings some fun and smiles.

Allison took him to sniff the flowers.

And then to hand out fist bumps to the whole group.

Frank and Bekah brought their dog Jesse. Josiah, of course, loved him from a distance, but wasn't so thrilled when he got close.

That day was Detroit's birthday, so we brought him cupcakes with a candle too.

Reading the funnies.

More Caleb

For family members not on Facebook, I'm posting some more Caleb pictures. You can see his hair and more face in these.

Smile!

Snapped this picture of the cutie at the park today. The weather was gorgeous, and the playground was packed because it was also Spring Break. Josiah chose to play off to the side since it was so crowded, completely content with one car that a friend shared with him. This is what he gave me when I asked for a smile. I know, I know, don't you just want to kiss him to pieces?
We're also slowly breaking out the summer clothes. I found the outfit he's wearing at a consignment sale - what a find!

The weather has been so pretty that we ate our taco dinner on the front porch last night. Everything is better outside.

Caleb James Moseley

David and Amy had their baby boy, Caleb James, yesterday (March 14) at 7:10 p.m.
He was 7 lbs., 9 oz. We're so excited about our nephew and Josiah's first cousin. I'm sure these boys will have lots of fun playing together in the future. We can't wait to meet him!

Mom and Dad

Aunt Anna with her newest nephew

Grandparents again!

Full House

One of the reasons my blogging has been a little slower lately is because we have had a full house recently. Last week we got back from North Carolina and started babysitting a friend's two-month-old cutie girl, Alexis. It's just Monday-Friday, from 8ish-1:30ish. It's been an adjustment for all of us. I'm getting back into baby mode - it's a little like riding a bike, I guess - trying to remember all the little tricks and quirks of babies. And I'm figuring out how to care for a baby and toddler simultaneously! I have a renewed respect for all mothers of more than one child. I've been relying on a the sling a lot so we can get outside. I'm also essentially learning how to manage bottles - I never got much practice in that!

Josiah has had a harder time adjusting, but by the end of this week he was doing much better. When Brittnie first dropped off Alexis, I picked her up and Josiah ran to me, asked for "up" and then said "back, back." As in "put the baby back." He's had a few meltdowns, but he's learning how to share his Mama and entertain himself.

(I stole this pic from her mom. Isn't she precious? I just haven't had a time to snap any pictures of her yet.)

Yesterday, our friend Lisa needed help with childcare, so we also watched Silas for the morning, who is a few months younger than Josiah. I think Josiah enjoyed the company. I was anticipating toy-sharing battles, but they did really well. It was a challenge watching three, but God was gracious and everyone did well!

How cute is this?

They both climbed into the chairs on their own and just played together. I had them both in their high chairs for lunch and they'd just "talk" to each other, mimicking each others' baby talk.

Silas isn't walking yet, and we hoped that Josiah will be a positive influence for him in this. Quite the opposite - Josiah starting crawling around to be like Silas. I almost got it on camera in the pic below.

Sharing the push toy. Which Josiah hasn't been interested in in months until someone else used it!

Sunny Days

The weather was beautiful earlier this week, so we got outside quite a bit.
Josiah has gotten really good at getting up and down the equipment and even tackled the big kid slide by himself (with Mommy spotting him).
A little Michael Jordan action for the slide.

Crazy slide hair

And the big slide. He looks so proud of himself.

Did you see me Mama?

He actually got a little flushed from running around. I should have put him in shorts instead of jeans!

And of course, the trucks.

These require lots of concentration.

"Why did you interrupt me? I'm busy here."

Getting Crafty

I'm pretty proud of myself for finishing this fun project. I totally stole the idea from my friend Natalie, and she gave me some good pointers too. I think hers is still cuter. I am NOT very good at crafts, but this seemed doable, plus I'd really wanted to have a table and chairs for Josiah. Here's how it went down:

I mentioned to Mom that I wanted to try this project, and she found a table and chairs at a resale shop. It's already sanded down here, but you can make out some of the elaborate bunny scene detailed on it. The carrot legs are a nice touch.

Attempting to paint with a curious toddler around is a bad idea. Definitely a nap-time project.

I painted them the same color as our nursery. Getting better already.

I made several trips to Hobby Lobby to pick out scrapbook paper. I cut it down to smaller squares, so it would look more quilt-like. I agonized over the paper choices and spacing and colors. I even emailed my friend Laura for approval. I then used Modge Podge to adhere the squares. It was my first time using this magical product, so I was a little nervous. It was easy to use though.


I pointed it out to Josiah the morning after I finished as I was putting him in his high chair. He said "done" without touching his food because he wanted to see it. So I let him christen the table by eating breakfast on it.

It's in his room now, and he LOVES it. He's always going to it and sitting down. He loves pointing out the balls and trucks and stars and cars on the table.

By the way, Modge Podge needs a good 24 hours to dry completely. I nearly adhered that abacus to the table! I'm thinking about adding some light blue highlights to the chairs to make them stand out from the wall. We'll see...

I'd like to restate the fact that I really am not crafty. But if you're looking for some inspiration from someone who is, I suggest checking out my friend Sarah's Create blog. She's got some fantastic ideas.

18 Months

Josiah turned 18 months over a week ago, but I've been busy and we just had our doctor's appointment on Friday.

Height: 32.75 inches (50-75%)
Weight: 25. 1 lbs. (50%)
Head Circumference: 18 3/4 inches (50%)

The weight percentage is interesting to me because he always gets comments from strangers about what a big boy he is, but really it's just all in the cheeks.

A few other things for the memory books:

• I haven't counted his teeth, but he's got a lot.
  
• His favorite foods are bananas, grapes, Ritz crackers (I buy whole wheat, so that I can sleep at night thinking he has something nutritious in him), scrambled eggs and goldfish crackers. He really likes all kinds of fruit, but none of the good stuff is in season. He's still not crazy about meat, but he'll occasionally eat some.
• Favorite toys are anything with wheels and balls. He can spot any car or truck around ("Da! Ackum!" Imagine driving down the highway and hearing over and over.) He does well with his shape sorter too, but we normally direct him to the correct area.
  
• He's not really a climber, but is starting to do really well on playground equipment. He prefers to go down stairs standing up, holding on to someone's hand.
  
• He still loves books. His attention span for many of them is surprising.
  
• He got his first black eye (TV table) and scraped his nose pretty bad (driveway) this month.
  
• He can repeat some of the alphabet after us. He loves to sing after we sing, though never the same song.
  
• He's doing well with a spoon and fork. Not perfect, but good for a toddler.
  
• His vocabulary is growing, but I've lost an official count. I'd say he's picked up a lot more directional words: up, down, out, in, back. Other recent notables: cream cheese (I'm not kidding. hysterical), too cute and of course, calculator.
  
• He says "hi" and "bye-bye" to nearly everyone he see in public places. Most people smile and respond, others don't notice. Which is a shame because it's a real day-brightener. He also points out anyone who is wearing a hat.
  
• Still goes to bed at 7 p.m. most nights. Wake-ups depend on when he hears Jonathan get up, but anywhere from 6:15-7:30 a.m. We've had some friends put him to bed recently, and they all comment on how easy he goes down. Naps are a different story. I think we've finally moved to just one nap. It has been a very gradual process, and not a particularly fun one. It's a long story, but we may switch back for a few weeks.
  

Fist Bump

Calculator

I apologize in advance for my baby voice in this video.

Winking

Amy's Baby Shower

Jonathan's brother David and his wife Amy are expecting a little boy, Caleb James, mid-May (although we thought he might jump the gun a little early for a while). The Pike and Fisher women threw a lovely shower for her last Sunday at the Washington Duke Inn. All the women in these three families, plus Amy's mom and grandmother, were able to make it, and we had a wonderful time sharing stories and celebrating baby Caleb and Amy.

The table setting with adorable stuffed toys at each of the daisy arrangements.

The Pike women: Courtney, Mary Alice, Lindsey and Mrs. Pike
(Jonathan grew up with them and still calls her Mrs. Pike, so despite the fact I met her as an adult, I feel the need to call her Mrs. Pike.)

The Fisher ladies: Mrs. Fisher and Lori

My unbiological sisters and me

Telling some funny story

The "kids"

Amy got some adorable outfits

The whole group

A Duke student's attempt at being artistic, placing the flower arrangement branches in front.