Airing Dirty Laundry- Joshua Style

I can't help but share a funny story about Joshua from this morning. I've been chucking all day at the mental picture of it.

For all those who have been concerned about my sleep, Joshua seems to be on a much better pattern lately. I've been waking rested and with energy and have only been needing a small coffee to get me jump started. I much prefer this to our other arrangement (the one where I need toothpicks to hold my eyes open). So, last night, I didn't hear a peep out of the baby from the time I laid him down at 9:00 or so until this morning at 6:20 when I woke up to get ready for the day.

Our rule is that I usually keep his door shut while I shower and get ready for work. If he doesn't see us milling around, he'll play (sometimes quietly and sometimes not) in his crib until we get him, usually around 7:00. Many times he'll end up babbling himself back to sleep for a little while.

This morning he was babbling away while I was getting dressed. And then it was silent. I figured he had fallen back to sleep. So at about 7:15 I went in to check on him and found him waist deep in his laundry from his dirty clothes basket. All I can figure is that he was reaching through the crib slats (face probably squished up against the side of the crib) and fished all of his clothes through the railing. It was impressive---- the whole basket was empty! Now, of course, I did not get the camera to capture this little episode, but I hope my description does it justice. This was just pure fun to watch the proud look on his face when I asked him what he had done. Suffice it to say that tomorrow I'll have a camera ready just in case.

Another new trick that Grandma taught him. When you ask him what you say when you take a drink of water, he now says "aaaaaaaaaaaaaah" with this breathy voice like he actually does when he gets a drink of water. I nearly died last night when I heard him do it.

So I'm not sure whether fishing dirty laundry through crib slats or saying "aaaaaaah" are the real life skills that are going to take him places in his life, but it makes for a great laugh for us. What a character this little guy is turning into. Wonder where he gets that from?

Joshua's first collegiate class...

This one is definitely taking proud parental boasting to the next level...

Tonight, Jason and I enrolled Joshua in his first college class- music prep offered by Susquehanna University. It's for babies between 12-24 months old and is basically a singing circle for the mommies, where the babies occasionally dance and bang on some drum-like instruments that look like lollipops. There is also a part of the class involving bouncing balls to the music, but mostly it's about the parents singing and clapping and the babies looking on in amazement.

This was one of Joshua's first official interactions with other babies, and he did surprisingly well. He's definitely the youngest one in the class by several months, which I know later in life won't make much difference, but for now it spaces the kids out pretty drastically on their skill levels. Most of the other children were walking, although most weren't too far ahead of Josh based on what I saw today.

The highlight seemed to be a very spirited version of Ring Around the Rosie, and he particularly enjoyed the "we all fall down" part where we all crashed to the ground quickly. Then they added a new verse involving cows in the meadow and eating buttercups, which clearly rhymed with "up" and got us up off the ground. I have some studying to do on this one. Who knew there was a second verse? There was also a very funny song that he giggled at with fleas on his toes. I'm not sure if he was laughing at the song or how terribly I was screwing up the words. Regardless, he seemed to enjoy himself and that's all that matters.

He did surprisingly well interacting with the other children and seemed to enjoy the singing and clapping, especially when they sang about him. Apparently this is a weekly ritual (we're a little behind and must have missed all the instruction by missing the first two weeks of class--- everyone else seemed to know all the songs and what was coming next). But each child had a verse of something to the tune of "Do You Know the Muffin Man". One little boy had his first haircut today, so it was "Cohen is the haircut boy...." over and over again which he thought was very funny. (You're singing it in your head, aren't you?) Joshua was the sleepy boy because we had to interrupt his nap to go to music class and he was still rubbing his eyes when it came time for his verse. Elsa was the sneezing girl (of course, this was the one that Joshua picked to sit next to). There were a few others, but those were the highlights of that game.

So this music class will be every Monday until close to Thanksgiving from 5:00-5:30. Interestingly enough, everything is done on about the attention span of the babies, so we do one song for approximately 24 seconds and the switch. So the 30 minutes was packed with songs and I'm feeling a little pressure to do some word learning between now and next Monday! Just kidding- it's just the time with him, exposing him to something new, and giving him a little interaction with other kids close to his age that we thought would be beneficial. And I think it's going to work out nicely.

So, Susquehanna wouldn't have been my first choice (can you say expensive?) but we'll support him no matter where he decides to go.

A few new "skills"...

Check out that devilish little look. Notice how he's pushing the lion sideways. That's how he does it- not standing behind it like it's designed to be used. It's more like a plow than anything. And he'll push through ANYTHING to get where he wants to go. Persistence is a good quality, right?

Good morning all! I find myself with a few quiet moments after a successful "get up, get showered, get coffee, get breakfast" campaign before Joshua awoke. I'm still not done with the coffee yet, but all of the important stuff is done so that I'm ready when he wakes up. Gone are the days of leisurely wake ups and laying around in pajamas all day Saturday. I won't linger on that thought because I do, in fact, miss those days sometimes. There's this window of opportunity with Joshua (and it's been this way since the first day we brought him home from the hospital)--- you either get up and showered BEFORE he wakes (sometimes 5 am, sometimes 7 am) or else you have to wait until his first morning nap which might not be until 10:00 or later. And then you run the risk of the shower waking him and making that nap quite short (translate that into a cranky boy). It's a juggling act, but we're getting better at it. Almost a year later.

So, I have a few earth shattering new skills to report. (It's OK if you sense the sarcasm.)



NOSE RUBBING

Yesterday Joshua and I were able to rub noses on cue for the first time. Judy says he's been doing this for some time, but I've never seen it until yesterday. It was precious- he was so proud of himself. And then he tried to bite me, which he thought was far more funny than rubbing noses. OK, this wasn't too impressive, but I don't want to hold back on you so I'll share it all.



"LOVE" ON CUE

Apparently the word "love" translates to "cuddle" for Joshua (see Linds, it's like "pants" translates to "trousers" in the UK!). Jason will say, "Love Daddy" and he'll come over and basically bury his head into his chest for his way of loving. He's doing that much more regularly now which is pretty neat.



DANCING

I'm not sure where this came from, but dancing is a new favorite activity. All you have to do is ask him to dance, and he bounces up and down on his little legs (still while holding on to something) with a big smile. I have a stupid dancing song that I made up that he apparently knows is the cue to put on his show, so he goes to town as long as I'm singing. It's hysterical.



Plans for the day include an all important trip to Walmart to buy new cookie sheets since I have a fear that MICE might have touched ours beneath our stove. We caught mouse #4 and ended his life on Thursday night (heard the trap snap when we laid down in bed). So hopefully that was the only one who had set up camp in our kitchen. Yuck! Then we're going to do some cleaning and finish that up, laundry for the small person (which interestingly enough I don't mind doing nearly as much as I mind ours...how much sense does that make?) and then the big PSU/Michigan game is on at 3. Let me say that if we don't win this game, I'll be going into hiding for a few weeks.



So, we'll see what other interesting happenings the weekend will hold with the baby. I'll post again as soon as I can.



Fight on State!

Great morning!

I'm so thankful for a great start to the day, and today is shaping up to be a great one. Here's why...

1. Joshua slept all night last night! I've come to take these nights at face value and not think that we're going to get so lucky as to establish a brand new pattern of all night rest. I'm just very thankful for the complete night of sleep. It's funny- in recent months these nights have been so few and far between that I woke up wondering what was wrong when I felt rested. Then I had to race over to his room, tiptoe by the crib and verify that he was, in fact, breathing. What a beautiful thing!

2. I think he's feeling much better after the cold. We have managed to share it with both Jason and Grandma, so that's not so good. But at least the little guy is on the road to recovery. We're still pretty snotty, but he's managing pretty well.

3. Breakfast was not the battle that it normally is. Joshua sat happily in his high chair, ate a little cereal (I think our days of baby cereal are numbered), a whole mini pancake, about a quarter of a banana and then drank his bottle like a champ. Then he got some "o's" while I cleaned up. No fighting and crying makes for a great morning.

4. I'm still using the Ocean drops for his nose (and honestly, I think these are MAGICAL for colds!). Ordinarily this isn't the favorite part of the day for Joshua. And certainly I can understand how he feels. I wouldn't be big on someone shooting drops into my yucky nose either, but I'm convinced that this is what has kept all of the congestion from lingering in his ears and chest like it did the first time he was sick. So, I got creative this morning. One of his favorite things to do when he's playing with daddy is to hang upside down. I have no idea what the thrill is, but he loves it. So in order to keep the drops IN his nose, I turned him upside down. He giggled and smiled and they didn't go running down his face. Awesome! One point for mommy.

5. We had a great giggle fest this morning too (with all of this, you probably think I've been up since 3 am, huh?). Nope! Joshua's new trick is taking off his socks on his own. Sometimes he smacks himself in the face from pulling at his socks so hard, but he generally thinks that's pretty funny. When he pulls off his socks, I usually bite his toes (which he also thinks is funny) while trying to put the socks back on for him. Well this morning he really cracked up in that deep little boy giggle that is just magic to me. So between that and his thrill at watching Elmo and Cookie Monster on Sesame Street for a few minutes before I left for the office, he was a happy guy. There's nothing better.

As I promised, here is the Harvest Fest parade picture and a few others that I thought you all might enjoy.

There must have been something fun (like a firetruck) coming down the street...

Check out my teeth! #5 is just about through on the top too!

Playing with Daddy! (Don't you love my Levis?)

Joshua's response to Aunt Libby...

Hey Lib! Whenever I read your message to "your favorite man" he had this response for you...

"Nnnnnnn-GUH!" (with a big smile)

Then he said... "da-da-da-da-dee".

I have no idea what that means, but you two seem to have a special connection. So perhaps he's speaking in code to you.

Love the comments!!

Comments!!!

I'm nearly doing cartwheels over the comments that have been left on our new little blog site. I feel like a legitimate blogger now! YAY!! Thanks to Aunt Libby for starting it all rolling. You three (Lindsay "Jack", Darla and Aunt Libby)say and Darla, you guys are the best friends ever. You've made my day.

More to come later today...

Thanks guys!

Weekend Review

What a wonderful weekend it was. It's never bad when it's a three day weekend! (The guilt of not being in the office was gone by around noon.) There's a bit of crispness in the air that signals the arrival of fall. And if there was fall addicts anonymous, I might be a likely President of the group. There's just something about mums and pumpkins and the autumn leaves that makes my heart smile. Ask Jason about our trip to Massachusetts a few years ago when I oohed and aahed all the way there about the leaves.

The start of fall also makes me a little reminiscent of this time last year when I was "largely" pregnant and ready to meet our little man. (I don't think that "Mean Megan" had made her appearance yet at this point last year, but she was hiding out ready to bite anyone's head off during weeks 38-40!) There's just something about this time of year- everything seems to be on the horizon with the upcoming holiday seasons, and we have so much to look forward to this year as we really get to enjoy the fall/winter holidays with Joshua.

The big city of Milton, PA celebrates the beginning of fall with Harvest Festival. This was my first time ever truly experiencing this event, but I have to say that people get a little crazy about this. In their defense, there's really nothing else in Milton worth getting too worked up about. There's yard sale day in May, and Harvest Fest in September, so I guess a little wild and crazy behavior is warranted since it's only twice a year. Darla and Jeremy were kind enough to invite us over to watch the parade on Saturday from their yard, and I was thrilled to be able to go and take Joshua. We dressed him up in his little man attire- little Levis jeans, an adorable little Osh Kosh shirt courtesy of Aunt Libby, his little Robeez shoes and his jean jacket. And we had a ball watching the parade. He especially loved the bands and the fire trucks, although the first band woke him out of a dead sleep and he looked extremely confused.

Baby Sydney slept through the entire thing--- but she was decked out too and looked adorable during her nap. I have some pictures that are on our camera, so I'll post them soon. Finish the day with some yummy soup that Darla and Jeremy made, a big PSU victory and play time at home with daddy in the evening. It doesn't get much better than that.

Even with all of the handwashing and disinfecting I'd been doing, on Sunday Joshua started showing signs of picking up my cold...bummer. He's sniffly and snotty today again, and woke up with a pretty nasty fever last night, so hopefully it'll run its course quickly and without trips to the doctors. Poor little guy. He and I slept in the spare room last night because he just needed more mommy cuddles since he didn't feel good. I just didn't have the heart to fight with him to stay in his crib when he was feeling so crummy. Jason will probably be next to pick up the bug. See what I started?

I'll work on getting those Harvest Fest pictures up really soon.

Where's Mommy's Nose?

It's been a few days since I've been able to post. I have my doubts that anyone has been up all night worried about not getting their Joshua fix...

An early fall cold has had the best of me for the past several days. But Jason did receive votes for husband of the year when he used an early return home from work on Thursday to clean our house from top to bottom. What that meant to me, sniffling and sneezing with head pounding, I don't think I can even put into words. Other than that, yesterday I had the pleasure of spending an entire day with Joshua while grandma was out on her annual shopping weekend with her sisters. We had a blast, but it wasn't a great day for finding a few minutes to write.

I do have two new tricks to report. They may seem small, but I believe I warned you all earlier about how everything seems monumental to this first timer. So here goes...

About a week ago, Joshua mastered the art of "putting back". Up to this point, he's been a terrific taker outer, but never quite got the hang of the fact that he could pick the things up and put them back where they came from. He's caught on to his shape sorters and how the different shapes go into different holes. His new favorite part about the ball popper is not the balls popping anymore, but rather chasing the ones that roll across the floor, licking them and then putting them back into the chute to do it all over again. So I'm pretty impressed about that. For a while I was wondering if we were going to forever live under a Fisher Price mountain of everything out of its place, but I have restored hope about our ability to teach him that things CAN and SHOULD go back where he found them.

Secondly, he has always had a knack for finding noses, but never on cue. When he was littler, he enjoyed biting people's noses. There's a precious video (perhaps Jason doesn't think so) of him coming at his nose and biting to the point where he fell over. Thankfully, the nose biting has stopped (especially important due to the 4 teeth and two more popping!). I've been working with him on the "Where's Mommy's nose?" game for weeks and he's been responding with blank stares...until last night. He was in the tub and I asked him where my nose was- he reached up with a soapy hand and squeezed my nose. I was so excited I nearly burst!

Well, the little monkey has just awoken for the day, so mommy duty calls. I'll be back again soon.

It's a Big Coffee Day...

I always considered myself lucky for the cooperative sleeping baby that Jason and I were blessed with when we brought him home from the hospital. My expectations of the sleepless nights and zombie-like state I would exist in were much worse than the reality. Joshua began sleeping through the night pretty regularly at around 8 weeks. Fast forward to now...

Reality hits. The sleepless nights and zombie-like state are just as bad as I would have expected. Since 6 months, Joshua has decided to grace us with these up-all-night parties that I'm not cut out for. Ask any friends from college-- I'm a 9:00 to bed kind of girl, never liked the late night scene and I'm still not a big fan. As you can see from the title, today is another BIG COFFEE day after a terrible night with Joshua. Sadly, I've seen enough of these to realize that there's a pattern developing, and it usually coincides with the appearance of a new tooth or a big developmental milestone. So that's exciting-- I just wish he could wait until the sun comes up to alert us that something new is happening. But my child, with no patience, has to announce these things between 1 and 4 am it seems.

Last night it began around 1:00. The little monster is getting fast and crafty at waking up in the middle of the night- he's on to my tricks! I used to be able to high tail it to his room, replace a lost bink and he'd be back to sleep before he even knew he was awake. Now, by the time I hear the first stir, he's standing up with eyes wide open by the time I get there. And then it's going to be a process to go back to sleep. I try to rub his back to put him back to sleep, and at first he appears to cooperate. But he keeps peeking with one eye just to make sure I haven't left. And if I do- let the waterworks begin. Picking up and rocking is a last resort, because the laying back down becomes a major ordeal. But that's what it came to last night. Between 1 am and 4:30 am, I put that child back to sleep fully 6 different times. And 6 times, when I laid him down in his crib (still snoring mind you, so this is not a groggy child I'm laying down), those eyeballs popped open as if to say, "Nice try Mommy, but I'm not done with you yet."

At 4:30, he was finally down in his crib. My alarm rang for the first time at 5:00. I'm an early riser, but that was greeted with a reaction that I won't post, but it wasn't very nice. 6:00 wasn't much better, and I finally got into the shower at 7 to start the day. Of course, Joshua slept until 8 and then had the nerve to be perky when he woke up. It's a good thing I love him like I do...

Add to all of this drama the fact that I would not go downstairs last night under any circumstances for fear of greeting Mickey and Minnie who apparently have set up shop in our kitchen. So Jason was kind enough to go down to make a bottle for the baby throughout all of this awake time. In terms of reasoning for this fiasco, I saw two more top teeth very close to the surface of Joshua's gums this morning and I also fully expect that his walking will begin any day. So hopefully once he begins walking, his mind will settle enough at night to sleep. And if that's not true, it's at least the best hope I have to hang on to at this point.

Even in the wee hours of the morning, it's hard not to smile at this little guy. We call this his Jimmy Buffet shirt (thanks Darla & Jeremy & Sydney)!

Our War With the Mice...

Dugan Family...3

Mice...1

I've commented in a few past posts about our new live-in pets of the rodent variety. It seems that we saw one in the act last evening and my skin is still crawling.

Last evening, Jason and I were watching football and I was putting Joshua to sleep when we heard the pitter patter of little feet on the kitchen floor. Immediately, we both knew what it was- and neither of us was happy. Jason immediately jumped up (knowing that I wasn't about to) to see whether he could confirm a mouse sighting. Sure enough there the little critter was- running from our pocket doors between the kitchen and dining room to Watson's food dish and then back under the stove. He witnessed this run several times while trying to place traps in strategic locations to end this little event. To no avail. I, at this point, was sitting curled up in a ball on the couch with NO intention of putting my feet on the floor. We even left the traps out all night hoping that he'd get caught, but they were empty this morning.

Which is why we moved on to Plan B...the mouse man. They'll be coming tomorrow afternoon to put down whatever sort of chemicals will apparently begin the demise of the rodents and seal up their entrance points into our house. So that's good news, except for the fact that we need to go home and deal with them for one more night. Honestly, a hotel room isn't looking too bad for tonight. Or perhaps we'll have a family bed night, order a pizza and hole ourselves up upstairs so we don't have to listen to the little critters. I had no idea I was so phobic of mice, but it's been confirmed----- I AM! God bless my husband for his ability to keep it together and deal with the mice. I know he doesn't like them any more than I do, but I can't even think about them being in the house without wanting to jump out of my skin. And my OCD tendencies kick in BIG TIME when I think about how dirty everything is in the kitchen and under the stove where they've been hiding out. (I actually just made a note for the mouse man to look in the stove drawer to make sure there isn't a nest that needs to be cleaned out. I guarantee I won't be looking!)

Joshua continues to do well. I'm convinced that he's growing about an inch every day right now. He's starting to eat better and enjoy finger foods a lot more. Last night I gave him bites of my chicken for the first time and he did better with that than I would have expected. His favorite still seems to be his Yo Baby yogurt, but I suppose he could be eating worse things than yogurt. Perhaps his love of dairy has something to do with the cheese craving I had while pregnant with him?

Still no progress with walking, but he did figure out a new trick with the aid of his lion this morning. Ordinarily he'll only go in straight lines with the lion. He'll plow full steam ahead and until he runs into something and then wait for one of us to turn him around. This morning he started walking circles around our kitchen table (with some tight corners, I might add), so that's progress in being able to negotiate the turns. He's getting a lot more secure on his feet and his confidence is building. Right now he'll take a few lunging steps toward something he REALLY wants, but I have a feeling that will be increasing in frequency very soon.

I'll keep everyone posted about the events of the great mouse war at our house. One more night of the creeps and then I'll have some sort of satisfaction in knowing that the chemicals are there to do them in and the entrance points have been sealed up. And if that doesn't work, I'll be packing up this weekend.

A new favorite picture of ours...

Here's Joshua with his lion and the turns he's learned to manage. Pretty impressive, I'd say!

We Are...

What a weekend it has been! We found ourselves in Lewistown again this weekend for some "Joshua" help while Jason and I enjoyed a wonderful day in Happy Valley for the PSU vs. Notre Dame football game. While this blog is supposed to be dedicated to all things Joshua, I have to take a moment to set the scene for what happened yesterday at Beaver Stadium.

The tradition of the PSU/Notre Dame rivalry is a great story in college football. It's always a great game as both teams battle to defend the legend of their football programs. For the fans, it's a day that we've been waiting for since the 2007 schedule was announced years ago. The tailgating was intense for sure. Everyone had gone all out with their food and drink spreads. People were friendly and outgoing-- there was a greater sense of comradery than usual, at least it seemed that way to me. This was the first ever all stadium "white outs" that had been declared by the university, so as you looked around, all you could see was white. There were the few who just didn't seem to get it--- dressed in navy blue, or something even more bizarre like red or yellow. It's as if they live in a cave and hadn't heard about the white out.

We travelled over with Steph and then met up with Stacie and her friend for some tailgating fare. It's so much fun to set up camp and start cooking. After a while we went out walking to meet up with friends of Jason's and Steph's and then ended up meeting my dad at the group he was with. This tailgate was a bit more "upscale" from our burgers and dogs party, but it was the party where we learned of a pretty smart business venture. Everyone was visiting and talking about the game when two guys came by with a wagon load of food. Apparently some of the State College businesses are capitalizing on the PSU market and are starting tailgate delivery services. Now, in a sea of 150,000+, locating your customers has to be a challenge, but cell phones talked the wagon right to us. We mooched a few ribs and some hot wings, a beer and a whoopie pie and then made our way into the game.

The crowd was unbelievable. Honestly, this game ranked right up there with all of the other big games I've been blessed to experience at Beaver Stadium. At the first PSU touchdown, the atmosphere in the stands was electric. The all stadium white out was incredible and I'm sure will receive a lot of national attention over the coming weeks. Without a doubt, the PSU football atmosphere has got to be one of the most amazing in all of college football.

While we were in State College, mom and Libby spent the day with Joshua and by all accounts had a wonderful time. He apparently behaved like a little gentleman, and I was so thankful. He was fast asleep when we got home at 11:45, but saw fit to wake up around midnight to greet us and spend some quality time with us. Shortly after 3:00 am we managed to get him back to sleep. Not a great ending to the night, but if there's a silver lining to this situation, I had missed him so terribly during the day that snuggling him back to sleep wasn't the worst possible scenario. But at the time, if you had offered me snuggling or sleep I would have chosen sleep without a moment's hesitation.

So today we headed back home to unpack and get Jason into position for the Dolphins kickoff at 1:00. We also had to eliminate another mouse (but we're getting better---- this one was in a closed trap so we didn't have to see it!). We've also located their entrance point- behind our stove, so some steps were taken to make that a little more difficult for our rodent intruders. Luckily I didn't see mouse #3 so I don't have to make good on my threat to move out.

The little man is fast asleep right now, so I'd better use the time wisely and get something done. It's been a wonderful weekend for sure- great football, time with Jason without the baby, visiting with family and now a nice, quiet Sunday at home. Life is pretty good!

Precious Bedtime Ritual...

I'm learning more and more that in mommy land it pays to slow down enough to really enjoy the magical precious moments that we're given with our kids. It hit me hard last night as Joshua and I went through our normal bedtime routine and I thought it worthwhile to post. Maybe it hit me hard last night because Joshua tested every last ounce of patience I had yesterday. He was mischevous and difficult...and I thought about selling him to the circus. There are days like that (and I'd NEVER really sell him to the circus), but I'm glad for the way the night ended.

Now, this night time routine has been going on so long that it's literally clockwork, and both he and I know exactly what's coming next and how long it's going to take. I'm a definite creature of habit, and perhaps I'm creating another one by this ritualistic way of getting ready to settle down for the evening. We go upstairs while singing my own rendition of the "Tubby Time" song that he always smiles at. We get his little duck tub ready to go and get the water warm enough, then watch as it fills up. Then he drops his washcloth into the water and looks amazed as though he can't believe it got wet...just like it did last night. He always looks up at me as though he's pleased with himself that he was able to accomplish this AGAIN. Then we get him undressed, including a few zerberts on the belly and the very important under-the-arm tickle. That's when I get to hear his little boy belly laugh that I just can't get enough of. I do that as long as he'll keep laughing. Then he gets his bath and plays (or rather chews on) his little ducky toy that matches his tub. He babbles to me about whatever the gibberish means to him, but he always looks up at me with great conviction after he's managed to put a string of mabagadabaya together. Someday I'm hoping for a translator. Then I wrap him up like a baby burrito and give him a chance to check out his handsome appearance in the mirror. He always smiles at that too, and he should because he's really cute wrapped up so that his arms and legs can't go anywhere. Honestly, it's the only time of the day that I have the upper hand.

So then the dressing starts (and at this point, the wiggling as well). We sing songs, play with Rex the dinosaur and get all ready for bed time with jammies. I could just soak up the smell of him once he's clean with his hair brushed and teeth brushed. And for about 5 seconds, he's free of drool on his onesie.

Then we read books. There are a few that we couldn't live without. Every night since our bathtime ritual started, we've read The Teeny Tiny Baby. I have it memorized, but I'm already starting to get a little nostalgic when we read it because our teeny tiny boy isn't so tiny anymore. But he loves it. Josh's job is to turn pages, and he's getting to know just when to do it. If I'm reading too slow, he'll start to turn sooner and that's my cue to stick a nickel in it. We've recently found a new book called But Not the Hippopotamus that cracks us both up. It's a rhyming story that he really gets a kick out of. If you have little ones or think you might someday, you have to get this book. There's a whole series by Sandra Boynton that I'll have to get. We always end with Goodnight Moon which I can remember reading before bedtime when I was little.

Now here's my favorite part. Before we head downstairs for a bottle and snuggling, we play a little game in his room. Joshua's comprehension skills are amazing me. Having never done this parenting thing before I have no idea if this is normal or behind schedule or what, but I'm impressed. He literally knows where everything is in his room. So we go around and I ask him where Elmo is...he looks right at it and smiles (sometimes waves if he's feeling friendly). Then we ask about his donkey growth chart that is on the wall. At the word "donkey" he turns to look at it- that always gets a wave. We move around the room and point out everything- Rex, books, crib, light, trucks, Uncle Ziggy (a little fireman guy on his firetruck). And the best part is when I ask him "Where's Mommy?" He looks at me, smiles and then puts his little arms around my neck and lays his head on my shoulder for a hug. My heart just melts.

And that is the moment that makes all the stress and worry and work and sleep deprivation vanish. All that matters are those blue eyes and those little arms around my neck. And I'm in love all over again. To be blessed with this child is more than anything I could have ever imagined. I have no idea what Jason and I have ever done to deserve it, but we don't ask questions.

I'm already looking forward to tonight's bedtime...

Obviously, I'm still a newbie to this...sorry for missing the pics the first time!

Weekend at Banana & Poppy's House

Friday morning, Joshua and I headed out for a trip to Lewistown to visit Nana (who I affectionately refer to as Banana, which mom hates but I can't seem to help) and Poppy as well as Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig. We were busy but the little guy kept up like a champ.

Friday we visited Poppy's office and made a mess of things there. Joshua especially liked Rebecca's basket of goodies! We then went to visit Great Grandma Mary and Great Pappy Ray at the nursing home. Gram really seemed to enjoy seeing Joshua play in her room and seemed to put together that he belonged to me. It was a good day for her - she recognized me even after having not seen us in a few months. That did my heart good.

Saturday we visited Aunt Libby at her house and wrecked things there. There's a reason I sometimes call him Hurricane Joshua. Sometimes we say it nicely and say, "He's curious." Really, he's a hurricane! We walked around Burnham Days for a while and ran into family as well, so that was nice. In the evening, we played in Club Bob and watched some football. The highlights were that PSU had a decided victory for the first game of the year and MICHIGAN LOST! A very good day for a bunch of Nittany Lion fans. Josh was dressed in his PSU t-shirt to cheer them on. We're hoping his first words might be "We are..."!

Sunday we went to church and then did some shopping in the afternoon. The day rounded out with a wonderful lasagna dinner and a walk around mom and dad's development.

Monday morning we packed up and headed home to meet Jason after a wedding in Virginia. I'm sorry to announce that we had a house guest when we returned----- a MOUSE who stared at me in the basement. Not knowing what else to do, I screamed like a little girl and then called Jason on his cell phone to report the intruder. He took care of the situation when he got home, but I would not step foot into the basement again until the critter was gone for good. Let's hope that's the last of them. No mice welcome!

Here are a few pictures of Joshua on our trip... Enjoy!

Getting Started...

It seems often that I find myself sending many emails about the latest adventures in our household as we watch Joshua grow and change. Every day it seems there is something new I want to share with everyone. So perhaps this blog will be a good spot to share some of the happiness in our lives as Joshua learns new tricks, says new words (I can't wait) or does something noteworthy. (You'll have to realize, for this first-time-mommy, EVERYTHING seems noteworthy!

I'll do my best to post regular pictures and share the latest from our world. We'll see how the high tech world does in connecting the far away friends and family.

Thanks for your friendship and support.

Love,
Megan, Jason & Joshua