Happy Easter!

We're a little behind in blogging, but we just got back from spending Easter weekend in Atlanta. We had a house full of family/Josiah-admirers. I'll probably post in multiple entries, so here is Josiah's official Easter portrait.

Note: He was pretty happy for most of the weekend, despite his lack of smiling in the pictures. Most of that is due to sleep deprivation, so that's my fault, not his.

My debonair look

Oooo, dry grass, that's a fun toy.

I smell something funny...maybe it's me.

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

Here is a boring non-baby post. I've been trying to do more casseroles lately, since I can prepare them during naps or the night before, so I'm not as rushed at dinner time. This one is from this month's issue of Cooking Light, and it was very tasty. And a different starch for those of you who are stuck in a rut of potatoes, rice or pasta (as we often are). I left off the fresh chives because they're expensive, but we definitely recommend the hot pepper sauce with it.

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 (3-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large egg whites
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
Hot pepper sauce (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine milk and broth in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 4 ingredients (through shrimp). Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until set. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

Easter Basket Special Delivery

We got a special package in the mail yesterday. Grammy and Granddaddy Moseley sent their Easter basket! Grammy always finds fun, special things for Easter baskets, so it's always exciting to see what's inside.

Reunited with the crunchy block.
After he enjoyed so much the one Grammy borrowed for our trip to NC, she went and found the set online for him. When I opened the package and found the crunchy one (there are four and they make different noises), I crunched it for him and his eyes got really big and he lunged for it. He definitely remembered it.

These other blocks are fun too.

They also sent some really wonderful books that tell the Easter story and help focus kids on the true reason for celebrating the holiday. They're called "My Easter Basket" and "Let's Celebrate Jesus on Easter" if you have kids and are looking for some good ones.
They also sent the aforementioned "Hello Ramses" just in time for for NCAA tournament.

The boxes were almost as much fun as the presents.
Not pictured are some great teethers. He actually really chewed on them. Most of the time he just tastes them and throws them down.

The big kids also got some fun things too! As many of you know, Peeps are near and dear to my heart. I'll have to find some people around here to share the broiling tradition. There was also a fun Peep bubble blower, which is probably actually for Josiah, but I was very excited about it. A fun salt & pepper shaker and hand towel, and Jello for making Jiggler eggs, a Moseley tradition.

Thanks for my great Easter basket! I love you!

Too Cool

These glasses last about 4 minutes before Josiah turns them into a toy. They were my attempt to keep the sun out his eyes on our walks. But hey, he still look too cool for a few minutes.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We had a lovely Saturday watching the ACC tournament and doing some yard work. Josiah came outside to supervise a few projects. (Note: He takes off this hat on his own as well.)

"Dad, I think the garden should go a little more to the right. Mommy's tomatoes need more sunlight. And I think we're going to need a little more fertilizer."

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.