Happy Birthday, Uncle Parker!

I just wanted give a shout-out to my Uncle Parker for his big 2-6. I love you, and I can't wait to see you at Christmas and for you to hold me for more than 3 seconds.
(Mom cut out the top "Happy" - sorry about that. I've been trying to teach her how to use the camera correctly, but I can't talk yet. Surprisingly though, I had no difficulty typing this message.)

Four Generations

Josiah is blessed to have five great-grandparents who are "alive and kickin.'" We got generation pictures with four of the five this weekend. We'll get one with my grandmother over Christmas.

With the Olive Great-Grands (Sharon's parents)

Four generations of Moseley men.

And four generations with Great-Grandmother Moseley.

We snuck Jonathan out of the hospital to get the picture and woke poor Josiah up from his contented nap in the car seat. You can see he had had enough by this time, but we appreciated his cooperation.

Moseley Family Weekend

Grammy, Granddaddy Moseley and Aunt Anna came down for the weekend. We had lots of fun visiting with family and just watching the baby.

There was some fierce competition for baby-holding time! Josiah tried to be very diplomatic about it.

Daddy got to hold him occasionally, too.

Chillin' with Granddaddy. Josiah slept for a good hour or two in Granddaddy's arms on Saturday night during the Alabama game.

Josiah Museum, Exhibit B

Visiting with Mama Jo at their condo, which has incredible views of the city. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but looking at it now, I realize that my dad's heart is leaping out of his chest (too close to the rail! too close! where is his life jacket?).

Josiah's always very content with his Grammy. They all babysat Josiah on Thursday night, so Jonathan and I could go to our small group. It was nice to actually participate in discussion, but it still felt weird to be away.

Josiah looked so big when his Aunt Anna held him (or she looked so small). Anna got to change diapers and give him a bottle - some good babysitter training! It took five tries to get this picture because Anna kept blinking. We finally decided she should just look at Josiah.

We went to the botanical gardens to enjoy the beautiful weekend weather. Josiah cruised in the Bjorn, very content.

Smile for the camera...

OK, now back to the baby.

The Moseley Great-Grands came up on Saturday as well.

Happy Reformation Day!

Our old Sunday School class used to celebrate Reformation Day on October 31 instead of Halloween (we miss you guys!). We had no Fall Festival and figured trick-or-treating would appear a little selfish this year, so no fun festivities for us really. I did bring him in this outfit to a Halloween parade (aka excuse to show off your kids to your friends), but I forgot my camera. So this is the cutest we got this year, which is still pretty darn cute!

Born an Adult

We actually are bringing to you a blog not about Josiah - shocking, I know, and perhaps a bit disappointing for some. Jonathan's parents are in town and brought down a letter that an old friend had discovered. Jonathan had written this man (the father of someone in Jonathan's dad's previous congregation) a thank you note for giving him $5. We thought it was hilarious and also provided numerous insights into Jonathan's personality.

Note: Jonathan is 11 years old when he wrote this, and I have done absolutely no editing to it.(It is, as far as I can see, grammatically flawless.)

Mr. Wheeler,
Thank you for the five dollars. I imagine I get more money given to me than most kids because of my father’s occupation, but still it isn’t often it happens anyways. I’ve put it in the bank for safekeeping and interest, and soon you will have given me more than five dollars. Thank you again, and I hope you’ve enjoyed your holidays.
Your friend,
Jonathan Moseley

Two Months Old

Josiah had his two-month check-up on Monday. Everything looks great, but he is definitely big (in case the cheeks weren't proof enough). He weighed in at 14 lbs., 9 oz. (95th percentile) and was 24 inches tall (90th percentile). His head was 15.5 inches, so that was only 50th percentile. He was a real trooper for all his shots; he just wailed initially, but then quieted down.

Here are a few more fun two-month facts:
-He is a great smiler! He gives us his best ones on the changing table and sitting up in the Boppy.
-He responds really well to us talking, laughing and singing to him. You can definitely see him trying to imitate us, whether it be smiling or talking (I even think he mimics me sticking out my tongue). I swear he has said a version of "Hi" and "Hey" back to me. He kicks his little legs and gets so excited sometimes. He's got some definite cooing action going on. It just melts us both!
-He's also been enjoying his mobile. He does the same excited dance, and I think he's trying to talk to his "crib friends" as I call them.
-The night after he had his 8-hour sleep, he had a 7-hour stretch, but hasn't done as well since. Oh well...it was nice while it lasted. I still have to get up between 1-3 times a night with him.
-Jonathan put him in the Bjorn facing outward a couple of weeks ago. I was a little mortified, but he held his head up really well. Now, of course, he won't go back to inward facing, but it's still a useful tool for getting him to sleep.

I saw on someone else's blog the idea of taking monthly pictures with a stuffed animal to show how they've grown in comparison. I didn't do it for one month, but I thought I'd give it a shot. He was too sleepy to give me any smiles for this shoot.

I'm a Tar Heel Born...

Josiah has finally gotten big enough for some of his Carolina gear. As I prepared him for this photo shoot, he looked very solemn, almost pouting. I figured it was because he was so depressed over Carolina's pitiful football season. It doesn't help that we now live in diehard football country, so I can understand how he would be discouraged.

So I informed him that basketball season was just about to start, and the Tar Heels were even ranked number #1 in pre-season polls! That cheered him right up - look at that smile!

(Between family and friends who are Carolina friends, he has several Tar Heel outfits. Yes, even the socks have UNC on them. He had already "gone through" that morning the cute sleeper that my friend Laura gave him.)

Sleep in Heavenly Peace...

This is Josiah's "He-Man" sleep position. I know he's gone solid if he's in this position. This was actually at Mom and Dad's in the pack-in-play. The light was just coming in so beautifully...

Mommy-Time

Here is a picture my dad took last weekend. I don't get too many of the two of us so I thought I'd post.

Road Trip to Atlanta

Josiah and I made our first road trip to Atlanta this weekend. Jonathan was on-call all night, and it helps me to be around other people when he has an overnight. Josiah was a champ and slept pretty much the whole way there and back. He has a little break-down that night, but slept really well after that in a new place.

We pretty much just hung out all afternoon and let people come to us.

First, Aunt Sara stopped by. She's my godmother, and she and Mom were particularly tight when their kids were really young. She's used to holding big babies, as her son William was a hunk of child as well (and now he plays for the Seattle Seahawks...hmmm...).

On the left are Gabriella and Diana, who help Mom out around the house and have become sweet friends. Diana informed us that her mother has more pictures of Josiah in her wallet than of her.

Jan and Ted, friends from church, came to visit. Despite the fact that she is from North Carolina, Jan is waving, NOT making a Wolfpack sign. Whether she is or not, she has become one of my heroes - love you, Jan.

Rusty and Ann brought their super-cute grandson Dimitri. He's two and gave us a good picture of what life will be like in a few years.

Before they left, Dimitri had stripped down to his diaper to wade in the hot tub outside.

Josiah chilling with Lindsay, who I grew up with in the youth group. Having two nieces of her own, she was a natural with Josiah.

Mimi spoiled me rotten again, but I must confess, it's kind of nice to be spoiled these days. I came home with chicken salad and London Broil. I would also like to give a shout out to Suz, who made three frozen casseroles for us to take home even though we didn't get to see them during the visit. I'm looking forward to it because she is a great cook!

And Carrie-Anne left the kids with their Dad and spent the morning with me and Jo-Mo. Don't they look cute together? CA likes babies just a little bit :) Our conversation centered around kids and families, so it was a little different than our high school days!

It was a good weekend to catch up with people and introduce them to the little guy.

Enjoying the Season

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1

I had a few good reminders yesterday. I got a phone call from a sweet friend. I was telling her how difficult it was that Josiah will only nap in someone's arms, the Bjorn or his car seat. Her response: "Oh, I wish Matthew (her one-year-old) would still sleep in my arms." Then, in the produce section of SuperTarget, an 84-year-old grandmother stopped to gaze at Josiah. She advised, "Just love him."

So last night, as I was trying to get Josiah to bed, I made a point to rock him in my arms just a few minutes more and savor the moments when he's still a baby who will cuddle up next to me. I supposed it's part of the human condition to be discontent, to alway want a different phase of life than you're in right now. I'm glad I had a few reminders from God to be thankful and joyful in the present stage.

On that note, to all my single and/or couple friends still waiting on children (for some of you, you only have a few days or weeks left!), enjoy your time before kids. People told me this, but I don't think I really understood what they meant. It's hard to really "enjoy" the fact that a grocery store trip doesn't take a day of planning or the freedom to sleep or eat (or do anything else for that matter) whenever you want until it's gone. But try and enjoy it while you can. And someone gently remind me when we're in the toddler or teenage years of this message!

Now enough contemplation - show us some pictures of that child!

Drew and Leslie Came to Visit

Our dear friends from Providence, Drew and Leslie, came all the way from Raleigh to visit. We had a great weekend just hanging out. We went the botanical gardens, church, lunch at Taziki's, and of course, playing with Josiah. It was such a blessing to see them.

The botanical gardens would have been a better place for a picture, but alas, forgot the camera!

A Little Help From My Friends

On Thursday, it was a gorgeous fall day, and we visited the botanical gardens with Kristen, Kate (3), and Lexi (1.75). The girls love babies, so they both helped me push Josiah's stroller. Kristen is a friend from college, and we're very blessed to have her and her family here in Birmingham.

9 to 5

Yes, a classic movie with Dolly Parton, but more relevantly, it's how long Josiah slept last night.

9 p.m.-5 a.m.
Straight...

I was shocked at 2 a.m. or so when I woke up and heard him stirring, but then he went back to sleep. Jonathan woke up at 5 a.m., and didn't hardly believe me when I told him. And yes, I did go check his breathing...

What caused this phenomenon? The right combination of feeding and naps? Has he finally learned to self-soothe himself back to sleep? Was it my switch to a sleeper that night as opposed to his sleep sack or receiving blanket? The cold north wind that blew into town?
I was all set to give myself credit, but I think we'll have to claim the grace of God.

Playing With Dad

Splish Splash

Josiah is enjoying his bath time much more these days. The light from the window was just right for pictures.