Merry Christmas!

We made our way out to California for Christmas this year but not before we had a wonderful Christmas celebration at home with my side of the family. We made special arrangements with Santa on Monday and he came early. Joshua wrote a note Monday night and left out cookies and milk. We were able to help him add manners but he really only wanted to say, 'Dear Santa, Bring me presents'. He was thrilled and really understood the Santa concept this year. So, Tuesday we had Christmas morning and Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara were in town to see the kids rip into their presents. Joshua got a 'rocket jet plane with a control and two wheels.' He remarked that Santa got it just right. Mira received a wooden shape sorter. Other gift highlights were LOTS of books, fleece pillow case and bath robe for Joshua, magnetic animal matching game for Mira.

Throughout the day more family arrived and we opened and shared more gifts until dinner time when the house was full. We had a wonderful ham dinner where everyone brought something and then the madness began. We had to clean up and finish packing for our trip.

Wednesday we left the house at 4:30 am for the airport. The roads were ice but there were no delays so we set out. Mira did better on the flight than I expected but still only slept 1 hour of the 6 hour trip. Joshua watched movies and played and also did well. But there was NO FOOD on the plane and by the time we got off Joshua was more tired and more hungry than we realized. He flipped out trying to get in the carseat and then proceeded to fall asleep. At the house, once we got some food and a nap/rest in him he was a whole different boy.

Thursday, we celebrated Christmas in California and Santa came AGAIN. Kirra and Mir both got doll houses and Joshua got a building table. Mira also received a music table and Joshua a scooter. They loved those presents and the MANY others they received. After our Christmas with Grandma and Papa we made our way to Aunt Donna's house for the BIG family Christmas. The party was chaos but the kids did great. Mira was exhausted and finally passed out. She slept through an amazing amount of noise. Joshua was asleep pretty much as soon as he hit the car seat.

Today was much more laid back. We relaxed, playing with the kids new toys and had a Christmas dinner here.

Mira has been having a language explosion. She now says, 'Papa, dog, arf, up, and star'. She knows 'nose and mouth' if you ask her to point to them. She is just loving having Kirra around again to play with as is Joshua. It is really cute to see them toddling around after each other. They are all playing very nicely together.

The children are in bed and I think I am going to relax as well. I uploaded photos from here but not from home yet. I will get to them... Tara :-D

Almost Christmas

Every day (many times a day) Joshua asks, 'Is it Christmas?' or 'Are we to the big box yet?' (referring to the calendar with Christmas circled on it). To which I answer, 'This is Christmas Season but it is not yet Christmas Day' and 'No, we are not to the big box yet but we can count the days.' Joshua is so excited about Christmas this year. He has asked Santa for a "Rocket Jet Plan" and I think Santa will be delivering just what Joshua wants. He has successfully NOT opened the presents that are starting to accumulate under the tree and loves all the signing and crafts and other merriment that go along with the holiday. Tomorrow is his preschool party and we are making cookies. Memaw and Grandad will be watching baby girl so that I can give my full attention to Joshua.

We have had several breakthroughs in preschool recently. He has started singing and participating in circle time and I am ecstatic! He is still having a hard time sitting still and keeping his body parts to himself but I think it goes along with feeling more comfortable and opening up to his class. I think it will improve, we are working on it anyway. So it looks like he has come out from behind the bookcase.

Mira is an excellent walker now. She has started climbing as well. So now we have to be extra careful with the stairs. She has also had a sign language explosion and can use the words, 'more', 'all done', 'bye-bye', 'clap' and 'excitement' successfully. She has some more sounds and words as well including meow, arf and pat. She loves to jabber on while sitting in her high chair, car seat or while toddling around the room. She is a lot more emphatic about her needs too she will come to me if she is tired, hungry or wet and put her arms up to be picked up. She leans over if she wants to nurse. It is awesome to be able to interact with her in a more meaningful way.

We are working on getting Mira to sleep for naps and bed time. She still requires a lot of interaction but I guess it will come in time. She mostly goes down at 7:30 and wakes up between 2-4 then she is up for the day at 6. She has a nap in the morning that is short and one in the afternoon with Joshua that is longer. She reverted a bit food wise while she was sick but we are getting back on the wagon slowly now.

Lots going on for Christmas so I hope to post again soon but certainly after the festivities I will try and make a few comments about it all. Check out my page on facebook to see videos of the kids.

what do you want from Santa?

We took the kids downtown tonight for the Christmas Tree lighting and to see Santa. There was also a little parade. I was so proud of Joshua. I knew that he would not sit on Santa's lap but I asked him if he would stand next to Santa and he said, 'Yes'. AND he did it! He stood next to Santa and told him he wanted a "race jet plane". He was very clear on this point. Mira, since she is already not feeling well, did not take kindly to Santa holding her and screamed. She has an ear infection though so she is just unhappy right now, period.

I can't wait until we are all healthy again!

Sickness

Mira had her 9 mos checkup today. She weighed in at 18 lb (50%) and 26 inches (10-15%) The Dr. commented that she had really thinned out and I pointed out that it was probably because she was walking. She just shook her head at my crazy early walking children. In every way Mira is doing great and the Dr. was pleased with her development.

I kept Joshua out of school today due to his ongoing sickness and had him checked out as well. The Dr. diagnosed either bronchitis or pnuemonia and rather than have him (US) suffer through an x-ray, sent him home with antibiotics that should take care of either and a prescription for using his nebulizer 2x a day. I also talked to her at length about his extreme shyness. She recommended that he see a pediatric behavioral psychologist and we are going to look into doing so. Even if, as she pointed out, it is only to give us new skills to help him in difficult situations. She didn't think that taking him out of preschool was a good solution. I am going to talk to his preschool teacher still but I tend to agree. He likes going to school, I think he needs that kind of interaction or we will not be addressing the issue. So we will see.

Now it is on to naps and such. I hope that Joshua takes another 3 hour nap like he did yesterday. He truly needs it!

Christmas Decorating

Last night, we put up our new Christmas Tree. We ordered it last year after Christmas so this was the first time we had ever seen it! Joshua was so excited all day to put it up. In the morning, we were out buying suits for Jason and out to lunch. Joshua has had a cold and fever so he was actually manageable while we were out. Usually he just moves too fast!

Today, we dug out the ornaments and decorated the tree. Every year, the kids pick out a new ornament. This year, Joshua picked one out at an arts festival over the summer. He was so excited to open his 'new' ornament and put in on. Mira even put hers on. She really examined it before hand though!

The camera status is that we are using our old digital camera (from 1999). It works well but transferring data is problematic because the storage technology is no longer supported. So, it works for now but obviously not ideal. I've been planning to buy a digital SLR for years so this may be the impetus I need to actually get it done BUT that is going to take a bit of research. We still should pick up a digital point and shoot for just the random every day stuff...

No PIctures

Joshua broke our camera yesterday so we will be without pictures until we get that issue resolved. I have some photos from Thanksgiving that I need to post but after that...

Yes I know. This situation is dire.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2008!

Thanksgiving was at our house this year with Nanny, Grandad, Amy and the Gang, Arnaldo and Mr. Mark. It was great and we had enough food to feed an army. Joshua was so excited about the 'Thanksgiving Feast' and couldn't wait for the eating to begin. Although, when it finally started I think he had one bite of food. Crazy boy. He loved that his cousins were here to play.

Tara had surgery on Monday of this week to remove her kidney. She came through just fine and is recovering at home. But, Mom went up there to help out and so she had Thanksgiving dinner with Jill, Tara, Aunt Jo and Uncle Phil. Sounds like it was quite a meal. Tara was released from the hospital Wednesday night so she also was able to join in the feasting.

Yesterday, we drove out the the 'burg to have a mini reunion with some of my high school friends. We met at Chili's and reminisced for three hours. Mira was a star. Everybody just loved her. Joshua was shy but survived. After hanging out there we visited my friend Lisa and her parents and then over to Great God Mommy and Daddy's house (Aunt Carie's Parents). Joshie has been coming down with a cough and by the last house he was a mess. Mira was exhausted and we were ready to go home.

So today the little squirt woke at 5:30 ish. We are working on her sleeping and it is going so-so. She did have a really long nap yesterday before we left. I hope that helps her to get back on track.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Joshie, Mira and I met up with our friends Adriane, Chase and Mattingly at an Extreme Bounce place. You know the kind. They have huge moon bounces all set up indoors to play on. So on the drive there Joshua says, 'Hip Hip Hooray, Hip Hip Hooray, I'm so excited today. Happy, So Very Happy, I have the love of Jesus in my heart' He was piecing together parts of songs from SuperWhy and a couple of Bible Songs. He sings bits of songs all the time now and it is hilarious.

We had Joshua's Thanksgiving Feast at Preschool on Tuesday. The craft was a paper bag Turkey. After a potluck meal together the kids sang songs they had learned. It was a nice morning.

More Updates

We have been having the Ultimate Dance Party in our home the past couple of nights. It starts around 6:30pm and ends at 7ish so don't miss the fun! We just turn on the music and let Joshua dance and move. He loves it and it gives him another opportunity to use up some of that endless energy he has. With cold and rainy weather becoming the norm, we need more creative ways to let him play.

Mira is also getting her groove on. She likes to stand and wiggle and bounce. It is REALLY cute.

To the Park

Today, in between rainy spells, Joshie, Mira and I went to the park down the street. Recently for preschool Joshua had to make a picture out of leaves that he had collected. Joshua, of course, made a rocket. So today on our way to the park we found leaves that looked like something. We found a small yellow leaf with a stem that looked like a mouse, a tulip poplar leaf that looked like a cat's head and a maple leaf that looked like a bird foot print. Joshua picked out another maple leaf that looked to him like an ogre's hand. He played in the puddles and made boats out of the some of the leaves. It was a fun walk and we had a nice time at the park.

Mira's sounds are sounding more word like as she 'talks'. She is standing and walking around the kitchen table. It is fun to see her on the go. Joshua has been enjoying WordWorld on PBS and is surprising us with he letter and letter sound knowledge.

Cutting Hair and other musings

October was a very busy month with Aunt Trina and Kirra out to visit. We did so many fun things and I was able to post lots of pictures but I haven't been diligent about writing in the blog to explain all of the events. At this point, I am not even sure what I left out. I will start with today and work backwards.



The kids are exploding with new skills these days. Joshua continues to drive us batty with his 'terrible threes' but we are expecting it and looking forward to age 4. I don't really want him to get older, just less whiney ;-) How I ended up with a whiney child, I will never understand. In any case, Jason raced auto cross today and place second in the novice category. First place was another BMW Mini with a driver named... Jason. How funny! I stayed home with the kids while he raced. We went to church and there was a luncheon afterward. Plus, we had naps to consider. Over all it was a good and productive day. The leaves are at the tail end of changing colors and falling off. Soon, it will just be cold with no pretty autumn to look at.

Yesterday, I made my first attempt at cutting Joshua's hair. I looked up instructions online and picked up scissors at a beauty supply store. Already, I saved $5 on the cost we usually pay for taking him to the barber. I have to say, I think I did a pretty good job. I obviously need more practice but I am sure I will get plenty! I kept Joshie still with his bucket of Halloween candy and the Incredibles movie. The cut took about 15 minutes. I also helped Jason blend his hair cut later that day. I guess I need to hang my sign out as a barber, too! Cutting hair is something I thought I would NEVER do, having no inclination or talent for it, but here we are.



Friday, we had a very nice LONG walk in the gorgeous weather. It was 70! We wore Joshua out. I really need to do something like that EVERY day with him but with all the other household chores I don't get out as much as I would like. He really needs a good 30+ minutes twice a day of just hard playing in order to be manageable. So, on days that he doesn't get that in, I try and at least get him out for a walk around the nearby streets.



Joshua had another good day at school on Thursday. He was excited to turn in his art assignment to Miss Joan. The task was to collect leaves and create something with them on a piece of paper. Joshua chose a rocket, his favorite thing to make these days. I assisted only with applying glue to the leaves. Otherwise, Joshua did everything else including asking to add paint to his piece of art. I was so proud of him. He often rushes through guided activities like this and this time he was really interested in working on the project. Miss Joan helped Joshua walk in the circle with his classmates, singing the ABC's. She said he was a little weepy. I imagine he probably turned into a wet noodle and whine the entire time. But, he did it and maybe next time will be better. Baby steps. He is definitely participating more and more each time. He still says, 'I don't want to go to school' but I think he is enjoying his time there when he gets there.



Mira ... is no doing 'Peek a Boo' as well as her other tricks. She took several steps today. Grandad is one of her favorite people as is Daddy and she walked to both of them. She said, 'Cat' yesterday. I am not sure if it is her first word. She also says, 'Hi Dada' and 'Bye-bye.' Jason said he heard her say 'Cat' the other day, too. I would be funny for cat to be her first word since dog was Joshua's first word. She communicates her needs better each day. She has a very distinctive short, loud, "AH' sound that she makes when she needs something. She will bring toys to you to for you to play with her. And, if you start a game and stop she will move your hand or body to indicate that she wants you to keep playing.



We are working on sleep with Mira. We have started a bedtime routine of getting pj's on, nursing, reading 2-3 books and turning of the room light. Then we lay her down, pat her back and ... she cries. We do the patting again until she falls asleep and usually she is down until 11 pm. I try to nurse her before I sleep and that has been working reasonably well. She'll sleep until 4 or so. The unfortunate part is that she is waking up now between 5 and 6. That is a little early for me. With the time change, too, it is quite dark at that hour. Because she is up and we have quiet alone time, I have been working on infant potty training with her then. Although I don't like the early hour, my days have been a bit more productive because of getting up then AND I really do like my time with just Mira-baby. Joshie and I get uninterrupted time together when Mira is napping in the morning. We often read stories or play legos then.

Well - I suppose I should end this BOOK that I have written tonight. Tomorrow will bring more adventures and joys to share with you.

A good day at school

A couple weeks back now Joshua had a not so good day at preschool. His class was having a fire drill and he ran away from the group. His teacher had to shout very loudly, 'STOP' to get his attention. Since that day going to preschool has been a challenge. He was sad about his teacher yelling at him and was hesitant to return to school each school day.

Joshua had a Halloween party last Thursday that went really well and I was hopeful about school on Tuesday. He let me leave without a tear and when I returned both his teacher and the assistant praised his good behavior! It was fantastic news to hear. He was even sent home with an, 'I had a wonderful day at school' note. I believe that Joshua will outgrow his shyness and difficulty in social situations. I think that experiences like this one, where his is uncomfortable but reassured that his is still well liked, will help him grow. I am so proud!

Congratulations to Mr. Obama! What a historic day for our country. I am eager to see what lies ahead.

Halloween

Halloween was a hit! Joshua couldn't wait to go trick or treating. All day he was so excited about all the candy he was going to get. Joshua was a ghost, Mira was Pebbles and Kirra was a little puppy. Jason was a ghost buster (Spengler), I was Wilma Flinstone and Trina was a witch. We had the neighbors over for pizza before hand and then went out for about an hour to the four nearest streets. Afterwards, Jason and Joshua snuggled on the couch watching Ghostbusters and Mira and Kirra conked out in bed.

Mira is WALKING!

Yes this is now my 2nd child that has walked at 8.5 months. I thought the first time it was just a fluke! So, Mira has been standing up on her own in the middle of the room for a little bit now. She could get to standing completely on her own without the help of a chair or toy to support her. Only in the last week or so had she started cruising and only when something caught her eye. She has been cruising along the couch and between pieces of furniture. But tonight while I was up in our bedroom and Jason was in the basement playing with Joshua, Mira took 3 steps for Aunt Trina in the living room. Thankfully, as soon as Aunt Trina hollared to me to come down, Mira decided to perform again. Daddy was not so lucky and only got a 1-2 step performance. I guess she decided that she needed to be able to keep up with Kirra and Joshua!

We have been very busy with traveling to visit Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara and exploring the Amish countryside. Right now, I am working fast and furious (ok maybe not but I am definitely working!) to get Halloween costumes completed. I hope it warms up a little bit by Friday when we go out Trick or Treating!

3 yr checkup for Joshua

Thursday was a big day. Joshua had his first field trip with preschool and his annual checkup. The field trip was to a local orchard. We all rode a tractor around the farm to a field where the kids 'picked' little pumpkins just the right size for them. Joshua and Kirra had lots of fun picking out pumpkins. Then, we rode the tractor back to the barn and had a snack of cider and apples. They even showed us how the cider is bottled. Joshua did great on the trip. It was nice to see him interacting with his classmates. He waited SOOO patiently with his hands in his lap for his turn to pick an apple and he even stood up and sang along when the teacher lead them in rhymes.

In the afternoon we had his annual checkup. It was a difficult appointment because Joshua is so shy and does not like anyone touching him. But we got through it. He weighs about 34 pounds and is about 41 inches tall. Even the measurements were a challenge because he just would not participate. So he is about in the 95 percentile for height and 75th for weight. Tall and skinny as usual. The dr said he is looking fine so we are pleased with that.

All the kids are now sick with a cough. The nights have been long as they take turns crying, coughing and just being awake. I hope this passes quickly.

Hand Appointment

Mira had an appoint.... ooooh she just did 'so big' sitting here next to me :-D I love my life :-D


So Mira had a hand appointment yesterday. The dr. determined that there is indeed a bone in the extra thumb and Mira will need surgery to remove it after her first birthday. We will call in January to schedule the surgery in March. It is out patient and she will recover several hours at the hospital and then come home with a cast for 3-4 weeks.

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Last night we celebrated Kirra's (1), Joshua's (3) and Jason's (31) birthdays. We had Amy's gang, the godparents, our neighbors Cyndi & Howard and our friends Kim & Ryan over. It was like a nursery in the house with 7 little ones 3 and under. On top of that there were 4 middle schoolers. It was a fun evening though. Amy's girls, Stephanie and Noella, were having a good time giving Kirra hugs (and stealing her toys). Joshie was running around like a crazy man. Mira was watching it all and Kirra liked the other little people to play with but didn't like the toy stealing.

Mira is sitting with my now, the only one that would wake up at 6 am after such a busy evening, and eating cheerios. She is yawning but I don't see her going down for a nap right now. She is really doing well with finger food and has had bananas, watermelon, plums and now cheerios. She also tried ice cream for the first time on Joshua's birthday and that was a hit (duh!)

On Friday we took the kids to a farm ice cream stand and petting zoo that also had a really cool play set. They loved that! Yesterday, our town was having a street festival and we wondered around there before naps and the party. I know Josh and Kirra liked the costumed dancers in the street and Mira enjoyed and danced to the music.

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua

Joshua is officially 3! Yesterday, he celebrated by having cupcakes with his friends at pre-school. He opened one present before school and then after school he had a pretty typical day with naps and such. We went to the park in the afternoon and when daddy got home we had the meal Joshua chose: chicken nuggets with honey, peas, noodles, apple sauce. After dinner he opened presents and then we had ice cream.

Tomorrow, we will have a birthday celebration for Joshua & Jason with a few friends and family. Not a party though :-)

Mira has started trying little pieces of food and is doing ok on this new skill. She has had eggs, plums, bananas and cereal and is moving the food around and swallowing for the most part. It is pretty funny when the piece comes popping back out whole. She is also enjoying having Aunt Trina and Kirra around. They arrived on Wednesday afternoon.

Joshua was great in the airport when we went to pick them up. He likes that Kirra is walking and there is someone else to play with. We are really going to enjoy their visit!

It is late. I hope to get back on tomorrow and report on the gathering but until then... good night!

In control

or not :-)

Mira is trying out new skills that show she is more in control of her body. She is learning to clap and blow raspberries. She stands unassisted at every chance she gets. And she gets very frustrated when you take a toy away from her.

Joshua has started a new program on the computer called handipoints.com It is a way for us to keep track of the tasks he completes during the day and reward him. He loves the time in 'kitty land' and since we have been using it for a week we have noticed that the very negative behavior has been on a decline. I think the structure is helping. Also, he receives 3 bells at the beginning of the day. He has the ability to loose the bells for any negative behavior without any prior warning (hitting, kicking, spitting, leaving the house, yelling, etc). He can as get them back if he performs some extraordinary task (bringing mommy a diaper without being asked, playing nicely with Mira) Then at the end of the day he can pick one special activity for every bell (Go to the park, eat a treat, play with daddy, read a book, etc). If you want to try handipoints for your kids, please indicate that we referred you (nettie_owens@yahoo.com) so that Joshua can earn a cool robot costume on the site!

Kissy, kissy

The family has been sick. It started with Jason/Joshua and then Mira got it. She has just been a runny mess and crying in spurts. I think that she is getting a little bit better. Today she didn't ooze quite as much but she was still unhappy.

Mira is pulling up consistently at the couch and chair and Jason even saw her let go for a few seconds and stand on her own. She isn't cruising...yet. She is such a mover and shaker that I don't imagine it will be long. She has also added 'kisses' to her repretoire of tricks. She makes a little smacking 'pwch' in your direction. Very cute.

Joshua is doing better and better in school. Today he received a note from his teacher that he played nicely with the other children in his class. He learned the letter 'B' on Tuesday and the shape, 'circle' today. He turned in his first 'homework' assignment a coloring sheet of a bumble bee. It is fun to see him so excited and happy and proud.

growth spurt

Joshua needed new shoes for school so we stopped at the outlets to try and find some. Our first stop was Stride Rite where we measured Joshua's foot. Now keep in mind that the shoes he is currently wearing are 7.5/8... His foot was a size 9.5!! I imagine his toes have been pretty squished. No wonder his shoes were getting harder to put on. So we got a size 10 velcro sneakers and he is all set for school. We'll have to see if any of the other hand me downs will fit him. He is about 40" tall now (I think) I need to remeasure his height, too!

So I guess for his birthday he could use a few pairs of socks :-)

Back to the usual routine

I love the beach. Returning home to our usual routine is always hard. It is so fun to get up and walk on the beach in the morning, come home for breakfast, swim and sit until lunch, eat, nap, play, eat, walk on the beach in the evening. Nothing to do but relax. We returned home on Sunday evening. I left Monday open so that I could do the mountain of laundry and unpacking that always follows our trip.

Saturday and Sunday were perfect beach days. Joshua got comfortable running up to the water and then running up the beach as a wave came in. Jason did carry him out past the breaking waves to float for a little while on Sunday but that was not his favorite. Mira had no problems with the sand so keeping her out of it was the problem. We took the stroller right on to the beach as well as a blanket for her to crawl on. Saturday afternoon my family joined us in swimming and dinner. It was fun to have all the little ones playing in the waves AND to get to float around with the adults. We made tacos and pina coladas to top the evening off.

Joshua had preschool today. He learned the letter A and that there is a difference between upper and lower case letters. He is still reciting Mary had a little lamb and Hickory Dickory Dock from the first couple of classes but he likes to combine them. He is very interested in the hamsters and frogs that they have in the classroom. He likes snack time. He is still very hesitant about participating in circle time but I hope he will warm up to it. Meeting friends and working on his 'shyness' were the two big reasons why I signed him up for preschool.

Mira is all over the place. She is sitting up and pulling up regularly. Because of all her new skills she is starting into a bit of separation anxiety. So, I am not able to plop her in the living room with toys right now. She just crawls right over to the kitchen to find me. Then she fusses at the step until I go get her or she figures out how to crawl up it, which she has done once or twice now. She says 'Ma Ma' with a bit more conviction that she is actually speaking to me and will have a 'conversation' with you if you speaka her language.

At the beach

We've been enjoying our time at the beach in spite it being cooler than usual and overcast. It is supposed to rain soon but this evening is our going out night and we are planning to shop so it won't be a big deal.

Joshua finally got in the water right before we headed back to the beach house today. He had been keeping a good distance up to that point. Jason and I were happy to seehim getting wet and he had a big smile too.

Mira's second front tooth popped through yesterday. There is a photo that makes it look like she has her top teeth, too, but that is not the case. I imagine they aren't too far off. I uploaded a bunch of photos and I'll add more soon. Surf's Up, Dude!!

Surprise!

We are preparing for our annual beach trek. I plopped Mira in the living room, which is baby proofed and ran out to the car to unload one more bag. When I came back in she was STANDING at the big chair, holding on of course. But, what a surprise! Joshua did this at 6 mos and I thought that was early. Mira has been crawling for a month now so I thought she wouldn't need to walk or stand early but I guess I was wrong :-( So, Mira is just under 7 months and following in Joshua's foot steps. Her 2nd tooth is right under the surface, I can see it but it hasn't cut through yet, probably today or tomorrow it will.

Joshua had his 3rd day of school today and learned "Hickory, dickory, dock" and the number 1. He did not have any problems going into the classroom although several of the other children did. He liked that they celebrated one of his classmates birthdays with cupcakes and milk. He said is was 'HIS' birthday. Oh well, only one more month. He recited the poem and showed me his picture of a mouse and a clock on the way home. Right before naptime he told me I was his best friend ever. It was great. In spite of the frustrating defiance that comes with a toddler because he is trying to be so independent, I love his brain and all the things he comes up with these days.

First Day of School, Birthday & Anniversary

Joshua had his first day of preschool last week. The first day the parent's were to stay and the class was reduced to 1.5 hours. Joshua did better than I had expected and was eager to get into the class and play. He did not stand up for circle time but I expected that, too. The second day the parents dropped kids off and stayed in a nearby room. All the kids seemed to do well (no tears!). I imagine that play went well again but I don't know how circle time went because I couldn't see in. They learned "Mary had a little lamb" and made a little lamb. This week class will be 2 hours and then next week will be 2.5. Joshua remembers his teacher's name and says that he is meeting new friends if you ask him about school.

Mira is working on tooth #2 and she and Josh both had a little cold. So, she has not been sleeping well. The last couple of nights have been better. She is really crawling well now and just about to make it over the step between our family room and kitchen.

Our 7th Anniversary was last Tuesday. Mom and Dad came out for that and watched the little ones while Jason and I had a much needed night out! We really have to do that more often. Then Thursday was my birthday. I spent it out with our friends Christine, Yanna & Val (and our babies of course!) and Jason had dinner waiting when I returned. On Saturday, the family came out for playtime and lunch. We tried to go to a children's art festival but it was outdoors and Hannah (the tropical storm) interrupted that. We had a lot of fun anyway watching the kids play in the underwear out in the rain.

First Tooth!

Mira cut her first tooth today! It is her bottom left one in the front. She is really on the move crawling and is also pulling up, almost sitting up, almost crawling up the step into the kitchen. Watch out, here she comes!!

Joshua is cracking us up with the silly things he says like when he repeats (from Incredibles) 'I am Incredaboy!... You are not affiliated with me.' or while reading a magazine, 'Uh Oh' What is wrong Joshua? 'This is not good.' What happened Joshua? 'I ripped a page...' He starts Pre-school for 3 yr olds tomorrow and we are very excited. He is thinking he will get to ride an elevator and eat candy like he did at Vacation Bible School but unfortunately that will not be the case. I think he will enjoy it though.

Happy Labor Day!

Mover and Shaker

Mira is crawling! As of about two days ago Mira started crawling. She really got moving yesterday when I put my computer on the floor to do a video chat. She thought that was great and made a bee line for the computer. Her movement is not fast yet as she moves her hands then moves onto her toes (like a bear crawl) and on to her knees then shifts forward then starts ago. But she can get everywhere on the same level.

She had her 6 month check up last Friday and I have been meaning to post that info. I think she was 16 lb 10 oz and 25 inches long. I usually remember these things but we talked about a lot at that appointment and it has slipped my mind. She is doing great. The dr was impressed with how well she sits and how strong she is. She loves to bounce in her jumperoo and move on the floor. She gets lots of exercise.

Tonight we went to the pool and put Mira under water for the first time. She did ok with the first time under but didn't really care for the second time. She didn't cry but you could tell she didn't like it.

This morning we were so blessed to be able to visit Kim, Ryan, Ellianna and their newest addition, Faith Lily at the hospital. She was born at 9:33 am weighing 7 lb 10 oz. She and Kim are both doing very well. We arrived at 10 am and got in to see them around 11:30. Joshua did great waiting and was interested in the baby. I'll put some photos up soon. We are planning to go back to the hospital tomorrow or Sunday.

Rocky, Rocky

Mira is getting on all fours and rocking! It won't be long before she is all over the place. She already rolls around to get to things she is not supposed to, namely Joshua's toys. She especially likes his duplo blocks. We'll have to get out the quattros for her to play with.

So, Friday Aunt Carie came out and went swimming with us. The kids loved that. So did we! Saturday, Theresa and Richard, cousins on my dad's side, were in town visiting and came out our way. We had a wonderful lunch, ice cream and dinner with them. It is moments like those that I wish we were a hop, skip and a jump from all of our family. Sunday we went to the Farm Fair with Richard (a coworker of Jason's) and his girlfriend Lacey. It was a great time. Josh picked up turtles, petted ducklings, piglets and goats. Once he got started touching the animals he loved it! There was a moon bounce, pig racing, tractor pull and fair food. We stopped for ice cream afterwards and one of our favorite ice cream spots.

Monday, we had an easy day at home and then went to the pool in the afternoon. Joshua was back to hanging on to the side of the pool again. Guess we have to go every day!

Tuesday was errand day and we got Joshie's hair cut. We also took his book lists in for the summer reading program.

Joshua is surprising us with the things that come out of his mouth. Like the other day he told us that he was going to have a baby come out of this belly and that he was going to put milk in his breasts so that he could feed it. He figured all of this out on his own. I love how he puts things together. I guess we need to talk about who can have and feed babies! His lego creations are getting better every day, too. It is hard to remember sometimes that he is only 2 and 9 mos!

Swimming

We went ahead and joined the community pool and have been 3 nights in a row now. Josh, with his swimmies on, goes paddling around the pool. He doesn't seem to mind, anymore, that he can't touch and even let Stacy and Stephanie (our neighbor's daughters) toss him around tonight. I hope to have him jumping in soon. He almost did tonight. He just loves the pool and asks to go everyday.

Mira loves the water, too, but she has been sick this week so I have not been taking her in. When she does get in the water she splashes and kicks. She lets me lay her on her back and doesn't mind when the water gets on her face. When she is 6 mos old we will see how she does going under.

Wall-E

After a very fun and successful time at a puppet show with Memaw, Stephanie and Dylan; I decided that Joshua was reading to watch a movie at the theater. We went to see Wall-E on Saturday and Joshua sat through the whole thing without a problem. Mira also stayed up to watch even though it was her nap time. Afterwards, we had lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then stopped at Lowes so I could buy the new washing machine I have been wanting. It was a good day. We hung out with the neighbors in the evening and then on Sunday after church and nap, we went to swim at our neighbor's house.

We are going to check out the community pool tonight.

Mira is doing great on solid foods and has so far tried sweet potatoes, rice cereal, squash and bananas. She loves to eat! We have also moved the jumper back into the main part of the house because Miss Mira is a jumping bean. The swing will only do now if she is sleepy and ready for a nap. Otherwise she wants to move or play.

Firsts - Happy 5 Months Mira!

Yesterday was a big day for both Joshua and Mira. Mira turned 5 months old yesterday. She is talking so much these days. Lots of umm's, na's, da's and other sounds. She was even trying to push herself to all fours. I know that unlike Joshua, Mira will crawl for a while before she walks. It is just my gut feeling.

After running a TON of errands yesterday (we sold the Accord, FINALLY) Joshua went for his very first dentist appointment. He was talking all about it as we were driving around and even told me that he wanted to be a dentist for Halloween. But, when it came time to be examined, everything changed, as I expected it would and hoped it wouldn't. Joshua does not like meeting new people and especially does not like people touching him so the whole event was very upsetting. Even though they pretty much just counted his teeth and brushed a little flouride on. He is funny though because later in the day if you asked him what he did he would tell you, 'I went to the dentist, today' and if asked how he liked it he said, 'Yeah, I liked it.' I guess he has short term memory loss!

In the evening, during dinner, we tried solid food on Mira. She loved it! She was grabbing the spoon for more! It was great and she ate up the very little amount that I had prepared for her. Her first food was a barley cereal that I made from what we had in the pantry. I picked up rice cereal at the store and sweet potatoes to puree. What a big girl! Guess it should be no surprise, Mira loves to eat!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ellianna

Joshua good friend Ellianna had her 3rd birthday party yesterday. I guess that means that the big three is right around the corner for us, too! Wow, time flies. She had a very nice party in the park near the playground. The weather was hot but since the party was in the morning it was still very nice outside. Mira and I went to Eldersburg later in the day to see my best friend from high school, Reagan. We had a fantastic visit and Mira flirted with everyone in the resturant.


Mira has been rolling onto her belly and onto her back. She pushes herself WAY up on her hands when she is on her belly and her 'talking' is more organized now. She says, 'la la' and I think a 'da da' came out while we were on vacation. She can pretty much sit on her own, she just has the occasional flop back or forth. She has been very interested in our plates and utensils and other eating objects. So, we are going to start her on solids this week. She'll be 5 months on Tuesday.

Joshua has been enjoying the company of all the middle schoolers on our street. We have between 1-4 kids in the house extra on any given moment. It a lot of fun and often feels like camp Joshua.

Cleansing Rain

It is now Thursday. We have been on vacation since Sunday. Sunday was Jason's first autocross and he did great. He finished 3rd out of 5 in his class. From there we headed north to Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara's. Jill was out of town in North Carolina but we had a really nice visit with Tara. On Monday, we had a picnic lunch at a nearby lake and then went to the local high school to fly the cool pump airplane Joshua had received from Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara. Tuesday we were up and out again. We stopped at Wells Beach in Maine and played in a gigantic tidal pool. Joshua loved that. We saw fish, seaweed, a hermit crab and snails. Then it was back in the car to finish our trip out to Bethel, Main and Sunday River Resort. We arrived late Tuesday had dinner and crashed. Wednesday the rest of our gang arrived. We explored the town of Bethel in the morning and then registered for the Mini Meet in the afternoon. We would have gone swimming but we experienced a fantastic thunderstorm on the mountain with hail and everything. This morning we went on a hike up one of the ski slopes and back down. The view was fabulous and the walk was chanllenging but worth every step. I wore Mira in the front pack and Jason and Paul took turns wearing Joshua when he got tired of walking. At the top, we sat on the ski lifts for a break and climbed up a tower for an even better view. The way down was faster but more tricky because it was so steep. Now the kids are down for a nap and I am relaxing. We have had another little storm. They are a daily occurance, this one did not bring hail or even thunder. It was a gentle rain and you could hear the birds chirping in the background. I am enjoying watching the water splat on the porch roof right outside my window. Looks like the sun is peaking its way out now. We will try and go in the pool after nap.

Tomorrow will be the Rallye, BBQ and RC race and Saturday is the Autocross, Funkhana and Banquet. Then we will start making our way back home. Still no moose sightings for us but Mom and Dad saw a bear last night from the resturant at dinnertime.

Prayers, Improv and other stuff

I guess VBS is sinking in for Joshua. Today we were making cookies and Joshua was VERY excited to get to eat one. So when the cookies were FINALLY out of the oven AND cool, he picked one out to eat. He sat down in his chair with the cookie in front of him and said, 'We need to say prayers,' then continued with, 'God is Great. God is good and we thank him for the...' he paused and thought for a moment then finished with, '... COOKIES! Amen.' Then he ate. I just cracked up. In the last week, something has clicked. He is being creative with the things he says and is showing an understanding of the words and their meanings. He is also impersonating as I like to call it lots of objects. He has shown me how a lady bug flies with his hand, how a helicopter flies, with his piece of cheese, how the fire alarm sounds and other noises. He is almost whistling. It is as thought his brain has had a cognitive explosion.

Jason on the other hand seems to be having problems. Yesterday, he was running in the morning with Jack (a first) and going full speed down a steep hill on our community when Jack ran in front of Jason tripping him. Jason hit the ground hard and has road rash and bruises on his arm, hip and leg plus a very bad cut on his finger. He screwed up his iphone in the crash as well. Then tonight while working on his RC car for our trip. He sliced his thumb deeply with the exacto knife. I think I need to put him in a padded room for his protection.

Mira is just being plain cute. She is holding on now when I carry her and likes to talk by moving her mouth and lips as if trying to simulate what we are doing. It is very cute.

Vacation Bible School

We had our first day of vacation bible school today. It is a morning program from 9-12 for a week. I am teaching the 10-12 year olds and have Mira with me while Joshua plays with the other 'too young' kids. It was a lot of fun. Joshua both behaved AND had fun. He and Mira are napping now. I asked him what he learned and he said, 'I had candy.' Well, we'll work on it :-)

Mira is rolling ALL the time! She does it at night and then gets frustrated that she is on her tummy. She is either going to have to learn to sleep on her tummy or learn to roll back over or I am not going to get any sleep!

more rolly polly

After Joshua rolled the first time he rolled again once in a matter of weeks. Mira has rolled over several more times including a time when Jason saw it happen. She is laying on her tummy now as I type having rolled over next to me.

Rolling Over

She did it! She made her way ALL the way over. She has been close to rolling over for a few weeks now and could make it 3/4 of the way or more but just didn't go that final cm. Yesterday though she was frustrated at me with laying her down to tend to Joshua and so in her little screaming frenzy she finally made it all the way. Mira stopped screaming once she made it over since Joshua and I cheered her on. She looked around like, 'How'd I get here?'. It seems that she is either teething or really upset from the shots that she got on Tuesday because she has been in a very bad mood over the last two days. I can see that a tooth is trying to come through and she is shoving her hands in her mouth a lot but it is hard to tell if that is actually what is bothering her.

Today is an errand day, never fun for the little guys but has to be done. We are also planning for our big family vacation. Can't wait to go!

Mira's Four Month Check Up

Mira now weighs 15.2 pounds and is 24.5" long. She is in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th for height. The checkup went fine and she is right on track for developmental milestones. The Dr. asked if we were going to start feeding her solid foods and I said we hadn't yet. I don't feel much motivation to take this step yet. She is doing well on breast milk and we can wait until 6 months or whenever she starts to show an interest in our food.

We ran lots of errands afterwards and Joshua was a good boy in the car, Mira slept. Now we are home and enjoying the cool weather.

Happy Father's Day!

We had a nice relaxing father's day. Joshua had colored a card for Jason and we let him sleep in. After breakfast we were outside playing and saw a little snake on the deck. That was a fun surprise! We had a family nap and then went for a walk along the water. On our walk we saw turtles, geese, ducklings, squirrels and a ground hog. After our walk we check out a new Mexican resturant a couple of towns over.

Last night was Joshua's first night in just underpants (no diaper) and he did it! He was dry! Good Job, Joshua!!

Happy Birthday, Noella!

Today we enjoyed Noella's 2nd Birthday party. We had a nice lunch with presents, swimming and cake. Mira napped while the bigger kids swam. Joshie gets better and better in the water with every dip!

While we were eating dinner, back at home, Mira started just giggling at Joshua. It was so funny! I am really not sure what exactly she was laughing at, most of the time Joshie wasn't even looking at her. But, she does love her big brother tremendously. Joshua is great with Mira, too. He asks us to read stories to her and has even shared his beloved, 'Little Blankie' with her for a few moments.

Mira has taken a very big interest in books and likes to touch and help turn the pages. Looks like we have another book worm in our midst!

I posted pictures from today. I still have lots to post from the party weekend and this past week.

Braving the Heat

We've been trying to make an effort to take a hike every weekend. There are quite a few trails within just a couple of miles of us so it is pretty easy. Joshua 'hikes' for part of the time and then rides in the backpack carrier the rest. I love that he can pretty much run and explore without me trying to hold his hand or correct him all the time. So today we tried to get out of the house as early as possible with the weather being so unbearable. The temp was already in the 80's, humidity was in the 90% range and there was very little breeze. But, the hike was almost entirely in the woods with a lot of foliage. Still, we were just dripping sweat when we finished and pretty grumpy,too. The afternoon called for cool showers and family nap time.

This evening we enjoyed the company of Jason's coworker Richard and his girlfriend Lacey. They also brought her little dog, Otis, along. Jack and Otis were best friends right from the start. Josh loved Otis as well. He was happy to show off for Lacey but did make it through dinner.

Mira's First Swim

Our neighbors, Stephanie & Harry, opened their pool up recently and since the temperatures soared into the 90's with about 100% humidity yesterday (and supposedly again today) we headed over to their house to take a dip in the pool. Joshua, when we last took him, was almost swimming on his own but since it has been a few months I figured there would be a bit of remembering to do. He did great and by the end of the evening we had him reluctently swimming to the pool ladder by himself. Mira we plopped into the water and she was just so relaxed about the whole thing. We have a little floating seat for her and I think she floated around close to an hour. Joshua had a fantastic time as the bigger kids took turns tooling him around the pool. He even went down the slide (and under the water!)... once.





Since moving Mira into the crib we have also begun a little bedtime routine with her of nursing, two stories and then placing her in the crib. She just drifts off to sleep which is like magic to us. She enjoys reading and reaches for the pictures on the pages. She is grabbing at specific objects now and not letting go: the computer power cord, her toes, hair, toys, etc. Her sitting is getting better every day and she is starting to correct her body as it begins to tip one way or another.

Jason let Joshie play with his regular legos and he is having fun with those. He can't always get the little pieces apart but other than that he is building like a pro!

Scary

What a day. It really hasn't been a bad day. Very muggy. We've had thunderstorms this evening. We met Jason for lunch with his coworkers Chuck and Erik but before we made it to lunch that is when the fun started. I was walking with Joshua and Mira up to Kimberly's house to drop off two letters for church. Mira was in the stroller and Joshua was walking and running in front of us. He was doing a good job of staying close so I just let him go. Then in a flash he was running, wasn't looking where he was going and turned his head around just in time to run smack face first into a parked car. He rebounded backwards and hit the back of his head on the side walk. It took him a moment to start crying because he was so startled but I knew it was bad because he did cry. I was expecting broken teeth and a bloody nose but he managed to escape those to things. I carried him and pushed Mira two more houses up to a neighbor that we knew and who was already outside and hollered for ice. Mr. Charlie ran in and got it and by the time he came back out Joshie was fine, no more crying anyway. He has a bruise on his forehead and one on the back of his head. We didn't make to to Kim's. We just went home, I gave Josh tylenol and we headed out to lunch. He seemed fine today, I kept a close eye on him. I am used to Joshua's injuries so most of them do not upset me. Even the ones that are rather bloody but this incident really shook me. He is one tough kid! And... I think he ought to wear a helmet from now on!!

Under the Big Top

Memaw and Grandad took Stephanie, Dylan, Joshua and Mira to the circus yesterday. There were tigers, acrobats, clowns, horses, elephants, and trained dogs among other things. It was fun to watch the kids watching the show. I think even Mira enjoyed all the excitement. Joshua did not like the clown that was standing at the entrance of the tent but once we got around him all was well.

Mira can now move herself 360 degrees just by rolling on her side and back. She hasn't made it all the way over yet but it is fun to watch her wiggle. She is doing alright in the crib. She sleeps about 4 hours and then is up every 2 to eat after that. I've been putting her down for naps in the crib, too. It seems essential to swaddle her to get her to sleep.

I am on a 'green' kick these days and we are looking at ways that we can reduce our waste, gas use and water use. It has been interesting. This week we only had one white bags worth of trash. We'll see if we can keep it up. With raising gas prices the gas usage is going to be critical. Now when Joshua is washing his hands and I turn off the water he says, 'Save the water!'. :-)

Cute and Funny things the kids have done

So, Mira's experiment in sleeping in her crib didn't go too badly last night. She made it 'til around midnight before nursing and moving into her carseat in our room. Then around 4ish she came into bed with me. Tonight, I put her down in her crib around 9pm then swaddled her and shooshed her to sleep.

Mira has been pulling her feet up when rolling on her side. She likes to lay on her back, roll around and talk. She sticks her tongue out of the left side of her mouth and it is really silly looking. Tonight she grabbed her toes for the first time. Maybe they'll make it into her mouth soon!

While on an evening walk with the kids, Jason picked Joshua up because he was having trouble walking on his own two feet. He was holding Joshie cradled like a baby when Josh said, 'Don't squeeze me daddy, you'll make the milk come out of my belly button!'. We both just stopped in our tracks to laugh it was so unexpected.

The weather is cooler today than yesterday after a nice spring thunderstorm last night. I went with Christine, Yana and Val out strawberry picking. Josh picked about 10 berries and did a good job of it before wondering around the rows. I had Mira in a backpack on my back. The berries are great this year and prolific so it didn't take anytime at all to fill our baskets. I made freezer jam tonight and we'll have berries for pies and such, too.

Mira is Baptized

A whirlwind of events and festivities took place these last several days. Let's start with last Thursday, we recovered from being out late the night before for the graduation and Trina and I went shopping sans kids for a few hours. Then Jason and Josh went out to see Indiana Jones. It was nice to have a bit of adult time! Friday, I did a bit of food prep for Saturday and Sunday. Trina, the kids and I went to storytime in the morning and we ordered in pizza for dinner then Jill and Tara arrived. Saturday I put everyone to work on food for Sunday and then we all got ready to go to the big grad party. The party was held at Ron and Christine's as a joint venture. It started at 2 and we had a fantastic day for it. Ron had picked up a keg for the event and we had over 80 people there. They were able to get the keg to float by the end of the evening but there was a lot of beer left.

I think that everyone had a great time. We were so happy to have so many people come to celebrate! Jill, Tara and Trina, brave souls that they are, took the three kids home while I stayed back to help clean up and drive Jason and Josh home around 9:30. I am so thankful that they were here to help!!

Sunday was Mira's baptism day and we had everyone back up this way again for church. Mira did well. She fell asleep during the service and woke up when Pastor Jane place the water on her head. She wasn't happy about waking up that way but fell back to sleep quickly. My mom made the beautiful gown that Mira wore. She looked like a little angel and I cried to see her looking so beautiful. My daughter.

After the service, we had everyone back over to the house for lunch. It was another lovely day and we thoroughly enjoyed the company. After the festivities died down we enjoyed a walk with the JT's, the 'ira's, Jason and Joshua.

Monday, Jill & Tara headed home and we went on a nice long walk along an old rail road trail that has been made accessible for walking, running and biking. We stopped on the way home at my favorite farm resturant for lunch and ice cream then home. After we all took a nice nap we kicked Josh and Trina out of the house so that we could enjoy Kirra on our own. They only stayed away an hour, next time we will lock the door so they can't come back so soon :-)

It was so fun to see the girls together, Kirra and Mira, and to see Joshua playing with both of them. I loved having the house full of family. I wish that we could always be so close and that the kids could grow up together. Maybe it will be possible someday.

For now, I am having empty nest syndrome and just picking at cleaning up the house. We took it easy today after taking Josh, Trina and Kirra to the airport and just watched Bambi.

Mira is currently sleeping alone in her crib for the first time. We tried to start Joshua in the crib at this age. He didn't do so well but I am sure Mira will be fine. She is so laid back. We are also starting the infant potty training with her now and she is getting REALLY close to rolling over. She gets way over on her side but hasn't made that final little bit over yet. She likes to grab things and pull them towards herself and she loves to talk and laugh.

Joshua is enjoying Real Flight Simulator that Uncle Joshua and Daddy showed him this weekend. He can actually get the plane to take off and fly around occasionally.

As usual, pictures will follow when I have a chance to get them all together and posted.

Jason Graduates.

Josh, Trina and Kirra arrived on Tuesday night just after midnight. We had a mostly restful Wednesday as the kids acclimated themselves to each other. The weather was unusual and every time we tried to go outside (because it was sunny) by the time we got our shoes it it would be raining! Jason came home early and Godfather (Chris) came over to watch Joshie then we headed downtown for the graduation ceremony. We met my parents down there. It was a very cool rainy evening and Hopkins had not provided tents for the graduates and their guests. But, just as the ceremony began the rain stopped. The speakers were very good. One acknowledged the sacrifice that is made not only by the graduate but also his family. The other discussed the need for continuous knowledge and requirement to take risks to a advance technology. He also talked on the need to look outside your field for inspiration and answers, that was the president of Bell Labs.



There was a lovely reception afterwards where we enjoyed fresh strawberries, meatballs, cheese, wine and other appetizers. The we headed out to a nearby Irish pub for a celebratory drink. It was a great evening if not memorable.



I am so proud of Jason's accomplishment in spite of a difficult fall for us. Others might have given up but Jason perservered and with my mom's help and the help of other family and friends was able to finish his degree and achieve straight A's. I hope that when Joshua and Mira are older they will recognize the hard work of their father and will be inspired to do likewise.

3 months

Happy 3 month birthday to Mira! It was Thursday but it is never too late to celebrate! I don't have exact numbers but she is between 15-16 pounds and about 23" long. That is just from weighing her with me on the scale. She likes to grab toys now and is enthralled with the caterpillar that we have. It plays musical and has little toys hanging off of it.

Joshua seems to have a little cold now. He is raspy and whiney. I hope he feels better by the weekend. Aunt Trina and Uncle Josh are coming with Kirra on Wednesday and we have lots going on!

I haven't written much but a week and a half ago now Joshua got to see a newborn foal. It was about 12 hours old. There was another foal that was a couple of weeks old. Joshua was just as interested in the tractor that he saw as the horses. We didn't get out for our Mother's day weekend hike but the weekend was very nice anyway. Just a little rainy.

This past weekend we had a yard sale and then Memaw and Grandad came out. We all went together to pick out fabric for Mira's baptism dress while Daddy worked. It was really nice to have them out to visit. On Sunday, I made it to church alone with the kids, a first! Joshua behaved well enough for me to try it again in the future. :-) After church there was a Mother Daughter Luncheon that I stayed for since Jason was working again. Now he is out of town and we are managing on our own. It will just be for tonight and then he will be home very late tomorrow.

Joshua has had 4 days in a row now of being dry after his naps. He is consistently making it to the potty during the day and we are only focusing on nap and nighttime now. Yippee!

Mother's Day Etc

Mother's Day was lovely. We again had Amy and Mom and the accompanying family over for an afternoon tea in the garden. Aunt Jo joined us this year which was so nice. It is great to see so much of her! Grandma was unable to make it though and she was missed. Jason and the kids picked out a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for me along with new gardening gloves, can't get enough of those! I was also treated to a very yummy breakfast Sunday morning and time to work in the garden.

Videos

I have been trying to get a few videos up of the kids. Here is the link:

http://gallery.mac.com/robocoder#gallery

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend and lots of fun things going on. But... I'll write about them later :-)

New Tricks

Mira Jean is adding all sorts of tools to her baby tool belt. She now scooches across the pack n play on her back, mostly when she is frustrated, but it is movement none the less. She is rolling to her side and I don't think rolling over is too far behind. She brings her hands together now to put them in her mouth and chew on her fingers and thumb. She and Daddy have warmed up to each other and they laugh and 'talk' these days. He can get her to laugh in ways that I cannot and it is fun to hear her noises.

Joshua held Mira for the first time yesterday. I sat him in the corner of the couch, propped Mira up on the pillow next to him and took a few pictures. That was about it.

May is a crazy month for us but we have one event down. Grandad retired and had a birthday over the weekend and we had a little bash for him. It was a really good time and the kids did very well. This weekend is Mother's Day and we are having folks over for a Mother's Day tea as we did last year. Then the end of the month is Jason's graduation & party and Mira's baptism & party. Then we get to crash!! :-)

Goin' Campin'...Campin out under the stars...

This week, before we left to go camping on Thursday afternoon, Mira laughed a funny cackle laugh and Joshua enjoyed storytime with Memaw and Stephanie. But, Thursday afternoon we left to go camping. Joshua was super excited since I bought his sleeping bag a week and a half ago and has been having us read "Curious George Goes Camping" every day 5 times a day.

Thursday we headed out to a local state park and set up camp then ate dinner and walked where we could on foot. Driving into the park we saw a deer. We are using my Grandparent's tent and thankfully it was easy to set up. Josh wasted no type starting his search for worms in the dirt with my trowel that we brought from home. We took the swing for Mira which was a very good choice and she spent a lot of time in that. Joshua loved being in the tent and went right to sleep without a problem. Jack made one escape around dinner time and we later changed his hookup but he did come back after running around where we will never know.

Friday, we enjoyed bacon and eggs from the camp stove before heading out to the camp store, playground and our first hike. We started with a two mile hike we had also done before Joshua was born that took us out to a lighthouse and back. It was rated easy and there were lots of other people and pets on the walk with us. Joshua made it over half way before he slowed down so much we had to throw him in the backpack carrier. He was excited to see other dogs, water, butterflies, flowers, and sand. We wore Joshua and Jack out on that hike. So back at camp we ate lunch and headed down for a nap. After a difficult nap (for Joshua) we made a camp fire and dinner. Joshua loved the fire, it was hard to keep him away from it! and enjoyed roasting marshmallows. Bedtime was again easy.

Saturday, we got going on our hike sooner and chose a difficult hike that took us to a beach and back. Soon into our walk, Jason spotted a snake slithering into the root system of a fallen tree. Then just a little bit ahead we saw a garter snake laying across our path. That guy didn't want to move but Jason nudged him with a stick and he finally slithered away. Then a little bit farther up we saw a large black snake sliding away over a log. I was just about ready to turn back at that point but we went on. We saw a marsh, beaver dam, blue herons, lizard, butterflies, a ground hog and ants (a highlight for Josh). This time he made it halfway before we stopped for a snack and put him in the backpack. After the hike we again had lunch and mandatory nap/quiet time, we explored a playground made from used tires at another beach site and had ice cream cones we picked up from the camp store. Saturday's dinner was spaghetti over the campfire and off to bed for Joshua.

It rained Saturday night while we tired to sleep. Joshua slept through the rain but Mira did not like it and Jason and I worried about it coming in the tent all night. We had a little puddle that we sopped up with dirty clothes and were pretty much ok the rest of the night. We just packed up this morning and headed home instead of staying to play on the playground or attempt another short hike because of the mud.

We are all contentedly tired and Joshua is in bed for the night. He had a good nap after a long weekend of sunshine and exercise. It was awesome to be together and trying something new. I can't wait for our next adventure.

Our Walk

The March for Babies yesterday morning was a lot of fun. I carried Mira for the first half and Jason pushed Joshua in the stroller and then we switched. The walk was 4 miles long and we were home by noon. Joshua did get out and walk part of the journey. He was very observant and even found numbers on the road, motorcycles driving toward us and lots of doggies. Mira was awake and alert during the majority of the walk. She even had her photo taken. After the walk, there was food and games. Joshua had his first chance at playing in a big moon bounce. He was a bit skeptical at first and then we couldn't get him out. We ALL took a nap in the afternoon. :-) Gotta love wearing the kids out!





Joshua, in the last several days, has grasped the concept of 'I'. So now we are hearing things like, 'I want that', 'I actually picked it up,' and 'I am done eating'. I think his speech is becoming a lot clearer.

Mira has really found her hands and is trying desperately to suck on her thumb. She will spend a long time at this task while sitting in her swing and all we hear is sloppy, sucking sounds. Her 'coo's are becoming more varied and she is sleeping less and less during the day.

March for Babies

Tomorrow morning we will walk as a family to support the March of Dimes. It is particularly important to us this year with the preterm labor that I experienced with Mira. I am excited that we are walking together and that Aunt Jo is walking with us. I hope that the weather continues to be glorious as it has been this past week. Tonight, we had our neighbors over again for a cookout. The kids in the neighborhood are fantastic with Josh and Mira. Joshua doesn't know he isn't one of the big kids. He wants to do everything they do and they do their best to include him.

Our Team link for the March tomorrow is: http://www.marchforbabies.org/514680 if you would like to help us reach our $500 goal. We are close but not yet there. Thank you to everyone that has contributed so far!

Happy Birthday, Mira - 2 Months Old

Mira had her two month check up today. She weighs 13.6 lbs (90th percentile) and is 23" long (75th percentile). She is right on for milestones. She liked looking at the dr. but wouldn't smile for her. She must have known that 4 shots and one oral vaccine were on their way! Joshua did great at the check up, too, and even said 'hi' to the dr. He has been quite shy up to now with her.

Let's go fly a kite

Mira, Joshua and I went to a kite festival on Saturday. It was lots of fun. We didn't take a kite to fly but instead wondered around watching all the other kites in the sky. Joshua enjoyed following the kites especially the 'whale' (a kite shaped like a shark) and we spent about 1.5 hours walking through the field of kites.

On Friday, Memaw and Grandad came up and we had a cook out with them. Joshua was so excited to see them! On Sunday, we went out to meet Memaw and Nanny for a birthday dinner. Everyone was sick at Memaw's house so we ended up meeting at the resturant. Dinner was yummy and we had Diary Queen afterwards at Memaw's request.

Joshua had three late nights because the weather has been sooo nice we have been staying up late and playing outside with the neighbor kids. We are starting to put him to bed now at 7:30 instead of 7pm. Today we picked up a tent for Josh to have for our upcoming camping trip. He is so excited. He wanted to sleep in it tonight. He is going to have a blast camping.

Tonight we went to sleepytime storytime in our pj's. They hold it once a month at the library. We have really just been having LOTS of fun recently!!

To the Dump

Joshua was so excited today when I told him we were going to the dump. He wanted to ride in a dump truck. I had hoped we'd at least SEE a dump truck but we did not. On the way home, we stopped at a really fun park that has an playground completely surrounded by a fence. It is great because Josh can run around and I don't have to be quite as vigilant about him running off. He had lots of fun playing in the sand, with the other children and on the tall towers. It was great.

The Strasburg Railroad

Yesterday, we drove up to Strasburg for a trip on the steam engine there. The train ride was 9 miles out and back through Pennsylvania Amish country. It was a lot of fun and Joshua was so excited to ride a train. We posted a few photos and are looking forward to going back in June when Thomas the Tank Engine is in town. Here is the website http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/



Today, we enjoyed Yanna's (our friends' daughter) first communion. Mira was passed around and Joshua played with the kids (sans nap) it was a good day.

Mira has found her hands and likes to stare at them watching them open and close. She was very alert and watching everything going on today at the party. I am guessing she will sleep well tonight!!

Hand Specialist

I've been to the hospital where Mira was seen today at least 5 times visiting other's people's children. And even though Mira is a very healthy baby, walking in there with MY child was a sobering experience. We are so fortunate that what Mira is being seen for is relatively simple in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you know the difficulty that some families experience.

Mira's appointment went really well. They were about an hour off schedule to see her but we expected that. She slept through the entire time waiting to see the dr. and then woke up to coo and stare and hold the dr's hands as she was examined. They looked to see that she had full movement of the thumb and that she used both hands equally. They examined her arms, other fingers and asked about her toes. All parts were in good working order. In fact, the extra digit or split thumb that she does have is a relatively minor case. Her dominate thumb is pretty much full sized. When she is over a year old she will have the extra thumb part removed. At that point she will be in a better situation for receiving anesthesia. The only reminder will be a small scar along the side of her thumb. There is still question as to whether or not there is actually a bone in the extra thumb but that will be answered in October when she will be seen again for a checkup. The dr. said that the surgery is fairly simple and quick (30-45 min) but that it is the 'going under' part that is trickier for little ones. Since she is a healthy baby and this thumb does not interfere with her daily life waiting until she is over a year is really the best option.

So, the dr. pretty much confirmed all that we had thought and had been told up to this point. He was very thorough in his exam and explained everything clearly. I think Jason and I were both comfortable with his diagnosis.

Joshua was watched by Mom Mom through all of this and did great. We were gone for about 4 hours. When we got home the weather had cleared up and turned out to be a beautiful day. We spent time out on the swing set before dinner and then joined our neighbors out front for vising and play after dinner.

Race Car and New Play Set

Our neighbors, since their daughters had outgrown it, gave us their gigantic swing set. I thought it was going to take an army of strong men to move the thing. But, Howard arrived Friday evening with one of the large towers attached to a lawn tractor having put wheels on the tower. There is a photo of the scene. I video taped it, too, it was so comical. On Saturday, the rest of the play set made it into our yard. The kids in the neighborhood helped bring all the pieces down and also helped swing on the swings. Joshua is so excited. Sunday morning he didn't even want breakfast. He just wanted to go and play. So, we did.





Jason's new Mini Cooper S arrived on Saturday as well. Now we are all set for the mini meet in July. He just needs his helmet so he can do the auto cross.

Mira is on a smiling kick. She'll smile at anyone that talks to her and she loves to be talked to. She'll through an oooh or ah in periodically, too. Yesterday she started really reaching for her toys while sitting in her swing. Today she reached up and touched my face while I was talking to her.

Videos

We have some videos up now. You can access them through the links to the right, "Family Videos".

Mira is smiling now, a lot. She 'talks' to you and is starting to hold on to items placed in her hands. She was already grabbing Nettie's hair and my necklace and holding on tight! The other day she even laughed in her sleep :-) So cute.

Joshua is getting a new swing set tomorrow. Our neighbors, whose girls have both outgrown the set they have, are giving their old one to us. We can wait!

Happy Easter

Joshua loved Easter! With all that candy, what's not to love! We tried to talk about the meaning of Easter but all Joshua heard was, 'The Easter Bunny brings candy.' We did have a fun time. We dyed eggs on Saturday and colored Easter pictures. He used his new 'cutters' aka scissors from Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara to cut out the pictures we were coloring. On Sunday, we had an Easter egg hunt at home when we woke up. The Easter bunny brought Joshua a new foam airplane that was huge! We went to church at my mom's and they had an egg hunt there, too. After church, Jason and the kids played in the field behind my parent's house throwing the airplane around. Then it was time for Easter dinner, naps and MORE play. Joshua got his exercise that day.

Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray came out to visit this week, too. We were so happy to see them. Joshua was asking when Uncle Ray was coming all morning on Tuessday before they arrived. He called Aunt Beth, "Memaw" even though he knew there was something different.

Yesterday, I took the little ones out to my parent's library for storytime with Stephanie. It is so nice to see Josh and Stephanie playing together now.

Mira is smiling now and really playing attention to what is gong on. She likes to be up where she can see the action. This morning she was batting at the toys hanging down from her play mat. With all her chubs she is quickly out growing her 0-3 month clothing. I think she weighs 11-12 lbs now but I don't know for sure. Her next dr appt isn't for a few weeks but she will see the specialist about her hand in the mean time. We saw the OB who delivered her for my 6 wk checkup today and she got a kick out of how chubby my little girl is. Looks like Mama's milk is working!

Milestones

Today, Mira had two firsts! She found her hand to suck on this evening and then tonight she SMILED! I am sure it was for real. She was looking at a little bear dangling from her bouncy seat and she gave a big grin, then did it again :-) Too bad my camera was downstairs. But I guess there will be lots of smiles ahead.

Last Thursday, we had a visit from Aunt Jo. Mira loves the Peter Rabbit soft book that Aunt Jo brought and will stare at the pages for a long time. She likes you to turn the pages periodically so she can see what comes next :-)

On Sunday, she went to church for the first time. Another baby that was born just 3 days before Mira was also in church for the first time. It was fun to see them together. Miss Mira definitely had Piper beat in the chubs department!

Monday, Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara arrived for a visit. They were at our house 'til today and then Mira, Joshua and I followed them out to Mom's for the day. Stephanie and Noella were home from the sitter's and we took all the kids to a local Nature center. Josh and Stephanie loved all the critters: turtles, snakes, frogs, fish and birds that they could see live and up close. The kids even got to pet a rabbit. It was a lot of fun.

Frisbee

Jason, while out shopping the other day, picked up a frisbee to play with. Joshua love s it! He and Jason have been out every evening tossing it back and forth. To our amazement, Joshua is very good at frisbee. His throwing is great and he can pretty much get it to Jason. He almost caught it tonight, too. We also introduced him to bubble baths. You can see his first bath below. He loves it and looks forward to bath time even more now.



Mira is starting to get out a few 'ooo's along with her grunts and squeaks. She intently stares at toys and faces now and grasps hair, shirts, necklaces or whatever she can find to hold on to.

Alert Time

Mira is having more and more time alert during the day. She likes looking at her toys, being carried around the house and listening to her 'sleep sheep' when she is awake. Joshua has been interacting with Mira more, too. He gives her kisses and touches her. He has to know where she is at all times as well. I asked him what his baby doll's name was and he said, 'Mira Jean' so I guess she already has a name-sake.

Mira had lots of visitors yesterday. My friend Jessica and her boyfriend, Chris, came up to see us and brought a delicious lunch. Then Ron, Christine, Yanna and Val came over in the late afternoon and brought dinner. It was a yummy day :-)

Just the three of us

Joshua, Mira and I have been surviving without Daddy home for the past couple of days. Today we will attempt story time. Thank goodness Mira likes to sleep! I still have time to play with Joshua throughout the day and he has been good about the time I need to spend tending to Mira. We try a good outside to run around for a while each day. I am glad that spring is coming. I don't think I can handle being couped up much longer. The crocuses are peaking through, one has started to bloom and the temperatures have been in the 40's instead of the 20's.

2 week check up

Mira saw the dr today for her 2 week check up. She weighed 10 pounds :-) Taking after her brother and gaining a pound a week. Joshua kept it up for 5 weeks from birth. We'll see how long little Mira sustains her trend :-) The dr was impressed with how she held her head up and tracked faces. She is very strong.

We also had a great visit from Grandma and Papa this past weekend. I'll post photos once we get them downloaded. Joshua was sad to see them leave this morning. He liked the way Papa read books and played games and he liked how Grandma pushed him in the stroller and played puzzles. Mira snuggled with Grandma most of the weekend and was quite content to be held and sleep the entire time.

Photo Shoot

Before Mira was born we had a photographer come out to take pregnancy photos of me with Jason and Joshua. Today, the photographer was back out to take pictures of Mira with all of us and by herself. She was a trooper through it all. She was awake for the beginning and then fell asleep about halfway through. She had just had enough stimulation. The photographer took shots of her naked with her little tushie up in the air and we Jason holding her cradled in his hands. I am sure they turned out great! We'll see in a week or so. We are all pooped from the event. It was a challenge to get Joshua to behave long enough to have his photo taken and then to coordinate that with Mira. Jason and I both needed a strong drink by the time the photographer left.



Joshua received a set of 4 puzzles from Kim, Ryan and Ellie for Christmas that he has really taken an interest in lately. The puzzles each have 12 pieces and no 'frame' to put them in or match the parts to but he can pretty much put each one together on his own. It is one activity that keeps him quiet for quite a long stretch of time.



We went out to dinner the other night with my parents. The meal took about 2 hours and both little ones did great through it. I was very impressed with Joshie's behaviour since he has been a challenge of late. Mira slept through it and Joshua played and ate his chicken and fries quietly.

Time to do a few bills and head to bed. Mira wakes up every 1-2 hours to nurse through the night but twice a night for about 1.5 hours she is up eating, burping and being changed. Usually it is right when we go to bed and then once more about 4 am.

Snowy Day

It snowed a little bit more last night so schools were closed and the library didn't open until noon. Storytime was canceled but we ventured out after nap to try and have Joshie's hair cut and return library books. The barber shop was closed, too. So, when we came home we made snow sundae's with lots of fun toppings. Joshua is enjoying his now but eating everything except the toppings he put on, funny boy.

Mira is sleeping. She was awake and alert this morning for a while and then again after nap. She is already 'tracking' faces, turning towards sounds she recognizes and holding her head up. We had 'story time' at home for Joshua and she enjoyed the books as well, ok so she slept through them but she will enjoy them later :-) Her umbilical cord stump fell off this morning so we will give her a little bath tonight, probably.

We are hoping that Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara will make it down to visit tonight but the weather may prevent that. We'll see!

Mira's First Dr. Appointment

Mira saw our pediatrician yesterday (I think Joshua was thankful it wasn't his turn!) and weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She has already surpassed her birth weight. I imagine today she weighs even more. She is a very good eater and I already notice her becoming less wrinkly and more filled out. Her cheeks are getting bigger. She did great at the dr's and was pronounced, 'Healthy'. :-)

She is a very agreeable baby so far. She had a busy time between 10pm-2am when she likes to eat, poop, eat, eat, spit up, change her clothes.... You get the picture. During the day when she is not eating or pooping, we either hold her or put her in the pack n' play bassinet. She loves it and either looks around or sleeps. I think she likes the noise of the house. We have gotten a couple of 3 hour stretches of sleep from her and have hopes that she will be a better sleeper than her older brother.

Joshua is doing great as a big brother and adjusting really well to the change. The toughest time of night is bed time when he asks for a laundry list of things (more kisses, hugs, stories, water, blankets...you name it). During the day, however, he is most helpful bringing toys and other items, asking about Mira, playing nicely, etc. Daddy and I are doing our best to give Joshua one on one time throughout the day. Visitors have also been very good about saying hello to Joshua first, coming to play with him and bringing him gifts. I think he may think all this fuss is about him becoming a big brother.

Sounds like the boys are ready to go, better sign off!

Joshua has a little sister!

Mira Jean, our brand new beautiful baby girl, was born February 15th at 12:39a. She weighed 7 lbs 7 oz, is 20 in. long, and ended up with 11 fingers :-).



Joshua is not quite sure what to make of her, but he knows he's the "big brudder" and carries the little baby doll Mira gave him...

Daddy and Carie were there helping through the whole thing and experienced the amazing event first hand. Kimberly and Ellianna visited first thing Friday morning; Memaw and Joshua came Friday afternoon to visit shortly (since Joshua's attention wanders easily); Granddad stopped by after work on Friday on his way to join Joshua and Memaw; Christopher (aka The Godfather) came later Friday night (bearing much-needed survival supplies); and Tia Amy and Tio Omar visited with Dylan, Stephanie, and Noella Saturday afternoon.

Mom is still at the hospital with Mira, since the attending doctors want to keep an eye on the baby since she "lost so much weight." Ummm... it's quite normal to lose up to 10% (which is what she lost). Nevertheless, she eats like a fiend (absolutely no problem breastfeeding or taking a bottle), and poops like one too :-) We think they are over-cautious, but they put up a fight so we yielded (at least until tomorrow.) Daddy took over Joshua's care (Memaw had him since Thu. night!), and is now back home with him; hopefully, we'll be on our way to pick Mommy and sister up in the morning.

I posted a few pictures on Flickr, check 'em out!

Bit of a Cough

The sickness Joshua had last Monday seems to have just been car sickness so that is good. Now, he has picked up a cough that is going around. His appetite is a bit less and he is coughing a lot in the middle of the night but last night was better. He is a bit irritable but still active and playful. Looks like we have to just wait this one out.

Today, we are venturing out for some 'stock up' grocery shopping. It is REALLY cold out so I hope we don't freeze!

I picked up the book, 'Happiest Toddler on the Block' from the library. I haven't actually gotten a chance to read it yet but I hope it has some insights with how to help Joshua through this hitting and kicking stage. We had to leave story time on Friday because of his hitting and kicking. He is such a bundle of emotions right now that things escalate very quickly from happy, playful child to Tazmanian Devil faster than you can blink. But, I guess that is the age.

On the flip side, Joshua is really looking forward to being a "Big Brodder" (Big Brother) and likes to tell you about it. He is also really helpful now and likes to pitch in with just about every activity. He sets the table, feeds the animals, picks up his clothes and toys, lets the dog in and out, stirs when I am baking and wipes the table.

For updates on the baby progress check my pregnancy blog nettieann.blogspot.com

Chunks

Joshua and I went this morning to take Godfather to have his wisdom teeth pulled. Just as we were about 15 min from the dr. office Joshua threw up all over the place. It was a mess. Chris hopped in back and cleaned up as best he could but the smell and mess were bad. Josh wasn't acting sick so we continued on our way to the appointment. Chris had his teeth pulled and we made our way back home. I spent the afternoon cleaning up the mess. Ick! Joshua called it 'chunks' and talked about the event for the day but again seemed to be in pretty good spirits. He ate and played and so we figured that it was probably car sickness or something since he only had milk in his tummy.

He spit up a little more right before bed tonight so we will now be monitoring him. I hope it isn't a bug! That is just not something we need to pass around right now!

Zero Tolerance

Joshua has been getting more and more unruly. He has been hitting and kicking when either frustrated or just because. We had been counting to 3, giving time out and then giving a quiet time in his room if the time out didn't work. None of it was working. So, we have turned to 'zero-tolerance' policing. If he hits then he gets two minutes in the time out chair or on the step or whatever happens to be close by wherever we are. The ironic thing is that I was discussing this and suggestions with another mom when Joshua walked up and kicked me in the shin. It is hard not to just shake your head and stare in awe of the audacity. He got a time out.

Other than the normal ups and downs, today was relatively good. He didn't get a nap (he went to bed and just wouldn't sleep) but was very good about walking with me around Ikea this morning. He held my hand and explored all the fun things there were to see. His bathroom issues have been pretty under control recently, too. I got the book 'deceptively delicious' out of the library and have been having fun incorporating more veggies in our meals. We are all eating more vegetables and I think that is a good thing. I can even get Jason to eat squash and cauliflower now (unheard of!)

Finger Update

Joshua's finger, although still a little swollen, seems to be healing fine. The Dr. said that kids have an amazing ability to heal themselves and it is true. We had to stop taping Joshua's two fingers together because they were rubbing and causing sores which were very uncomfortable. He seems to be using that hand again for the most part and we are just keeping an eye on it.

Joshua is deep in the throws of the terrible twos. We love the creative things that he comes up with like tonight when he told us he had 'ice cream face' and then when I asked him how he knew he had ice cream face (he hadn't seen a mirror) he replied 'cause you just know!'. But then, he very defiantly answers no to everything else you ask him driving us up the wall. He is just chock full of emotions that he doesn't yet know how to handle and we are trying our best to help him with that without going crazy ourselves. :-)

A week in review

Last Saturday, we enjoyed an afternoon at Memaw's house celebrating Nanny-Grandma's 88th birthday. Joshua had fun playing with his cousins. Tuesday & Wednesday Memaw was out to visit/help again. Jason has been off Friday-Monday. He and Joshie went to story time Friday and read books about cowboys. They boys also had fun shoveling snow and sledding. It snowed last Thursday and Joshua got to use his new sled from Santa. He loved it! The pictures are already up. This weekend, since Daddy has been around he and Joshua have had lots of time to play, read and hang out together.

Never a dull moment

We went out for my dr appt this evening then out to dinner as we have been doing since the beginning of Nov. It was a nice dinner and Joshua ate really well. Then, when we were cleaning up and Jason was taking Joshua to the bathroom to wash his hands Joshua put his hand in the door to the bathroom on the hinge side. I heard them coming back to the table before I saw them as Joshua was screaming a scream I didn't recognize and Jason was sure he had broken his middle finger on his right hand.

We drove to the nearest hospital's ER which also happens to be the hospital Joshua was born at and the one I will be delivery this baby at. We were in and out in less than an hour and a half and received confirmation that the finger was indeed broken. Joshua had calmed down before we even left the resturant's parking lot but all of the interactions he had with hospital staff (weight, temp check, blood pressure/pulse, wrist bracelet, x-rays, application of splint) sent him into hysterics.

We are home now and Jason is up putting Joshua to bed. He is already adapting and using his left hand. He is back to his antics of running around, climbing and just getting into trouble. Nothing slows the child down! We'll be following up with an orthopedic dr in the next day or so since it is a fracture to see how to best ensure the finger heals properly.



And no, this event didn't send me into labor although it is funny that it should happen within the first hour of me getting off of bed rest. But I guess it's good that we were in the right place!