15 Month Checkup...

We passed! And here's one for the record books- Joshua didn't have any "marks" or injuries to be written in his chart this morning, so that was a step in the right direction.

Here were the stats from the appointment:

22 lb 5 oz (27th percentile)

31.75" long (75th percentile)

47.8 cm head circumference (70th percentile)

The doctors seem really happy with his growth and said he had improved in the weight category since his 12 month visit, so they were pleased with that progress.

When I posted this last evening, Joshua was "helping"....and it was no help. I would type one thing and he would add a few letters. It was taking forever and I was getting frustrated, so I took that to mean that it was time to play with Joshua instead of type on the computer. Joshua appreciated that I saw things his way.

Joshua is evidently getting quite a memory about the doctor's office. As soon as he saw the nurse and she called his name, he had both arms wrapped around my neck like a boa constrictor and he was trying to CLIMB me. Donna, our favorite nurse at Lewisburg Pediatrics, said that this is pretty typical at the 15 month appointment. They're starting to remember that they usually leave there with bandaids on their legs and a snotty nose from the crying. And she said that unfortunately, it doesn't get much better until after the 2 year appointment.

Joshua showed off his tricks pretty well for Dr. Nissley- he walked and ran, he demonstrated in Russian, he pointed to colors and shapes like a champ in his quiet book. He was impressed with his knowledge and understanding of being able to match shapes and colors so early.

We had three shots to contend with yesterday. I had talked with some of you about my hesitation about the MMR vaccine and the rumors of a link to autism in little boys. Jason and I had a nice talk about it on Monday evening and he said that while he wasn't concerned, we should see what the doctor recommends. Both of us thought that there really wasn't any hard and fast science to the rumors--- and we both had concerns about listening to a former Playboy playmate about her hypotheses on the issue. So I talked to the doctor about it yesterday morning. He explained that the American Academy of Pediatrics continues to support the vaccine between 12-15 months and has found no substantial link between the vaccine itself and autism. It actually seems to be more of a coincidence that the symptoms of autistic tendencies show up in kids around this age, so people have blamed the shot. He said that, although he doesn't see Joshua day in and day out like we do, in his dealings with Joshua he hasn't seen a single thing that leads him to believe that autism is even on the radar for him. So we went ahead with the shot. In my mind, I thought about the fact that if God intends for Joshua to be autistic (or anything else for that matter) getting a vaccine or not getting one isn't going to change anything. Once I wrapped my head around that and let go of it, I was more at ease with the choice. I'm sure Joshua would have preferred NOT to have been stuck the third time yesterday, but that's the way it goes. Sorry little buddy.

The pictures above were from yesterday morning after the appointment. We were "loving" Joshua's bear and monkey---- a lot.

Sorry for the delayed update, but I wanted to get the details in here for you.

We'll talk to you soon!

Toddler Rules

My little prince is fast asleep upstairs and my chores are done enough for some mommy fun time, so here we go. I sincerely wish I could take credit for what I'm about to post, but I can't in good conscience do that. But I have edited a bit to make it fit Joshua's quirks. I read a little blurb about the rules of toddlerhood this morning and thought all of my mommy friends would relate, and those who aren't yet mommies (but many who are anxiously awaiting their turn) deserve an honest portrait of this "career". I'm learning that there's a special code of conduct that all toddlers seem to subscribe to. They follow it unbelievable conviction.

If it's on, I must turn it off.
If it's off, I must turn it on.
If it's folded, I must unfold it.
If it's high, it must be reached.
If it's shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it's pointed, I must run with it as fast as I can.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it's plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it's not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it's in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, licked and then thrown on the floor.
If it's closed, it must be opened.
If it doesn't open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be pulled out.
If it's full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it's empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it's a stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest.
If it's tied, it must be untied.
If it's zipped, I must unzip it.
If it's put away, I must get it out.
If it's out, I don't want it. I must find something else to play with.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it's paper, it must be torn.
If it's hot, I must try to touch it.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it's a phone, I must talk into it, unless there is someone on the other end.
If it's a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it's not food, it must be tasted.
If it's food, it must not be tasted.
If it has a tail, I must yank it.
If Mommy wants me to come, I must run away.
If Mommy wants me to go away, I must cling on for dear life.
If it's sticky, it must go in my hair.
If my shirt is white, something must be spilled on it immediately.

And this, my friends, is Joshua----- to a tee! These rules are followed, one by one, for the 15-16 hours a day that he is awake. It's as if they are a checklist that he must complete.

I'll work on some pictures this evening for you. We're having a friend over for a lasagna dinner tonight, so we'll see what kind of damage Joshua can do to his outfit and hair.

We had a fabulous trip to Lewistown last night to spend some time with Nana and Pap and Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig. All afternoon we were teasing Joshua asking him where Aunt Libby was. He'd go to the door, strain to look outside for her and then come back looking very disappointed that she hadn't yet arrived. Well, when she got there, you should have seen him---- he started shaking his fists and smiling so big, yelling in Russian that he was so happy to see her. (That was my translation, anyway.) I've never seen him react that way before. But it's yet another example of our reality---- he likes Libby better than anyone else. And frankly, why wouldn't he? She's awfully cool.

Well, back to some chores before the little man awakens and begins work on "the list".

I've got my "Mama" back!

These were just a few silly pictures from this morning before work. I especially like the last one- he was coming after the camera!

Joshua's "mama" has come back! Yay! He was also very affectionate this morning before I left for work. He kept pulling on my pant leg and saying "mama". I'd pick him up and then he'd give me a hug and a very wet kiss and then want to be put down. This must have happened 10 times.

He also desperately wanted his "da" this morning, but unfortunately Jason had left for the office before Joshua was awake. He kept pointing upstairs and saying "da" as if to say, "Come on Dad...where are you? You're always a little behind me in getting ready for the day." I think he'll be very happy to see Jason tonight after work.

Affection seems to be the theme these past few days. Last night, Joshua spent a lot of time hugging Watson. This was new to us, but very cute. Watson is a pretty good sport about the whole thing, but he was happy to escape when Joshua was done with him. At one point, Joshua started "petting" Watson pretty hard---- OK, he was swatting at him---- and we told him to tell Watson he was sorry. So he laid his little head on Watson's back and hugged him. So apparently this "sorry" thing is catching on.

That's it for today...more soon.

Sorry it's been so long!

Trying out my new table and chairs that Nana and Pap brought to my house.

What a big boy I am!

I think this is the longest I've ever sat still....

After a bad experience with sitting in some noodles at dinner, Joshua went without pants until bathtime. Gotta love those skinny legs!

A few snapshots before work yesterday...the second was after a big bed jumping session.

Sorry for the delay in posting over the past few days. Things have been a bit wild at the office leaving me no time to do the fun stuff...darn work.

We had a pretty quiet weekend. Joshua enjoyed his visit with Nana and Pap on Saturday morning. It was very sweet when my parents pulled into the driveway. I was holding Joshua at the door and asked him "Who's here?" He smiled and said, "PAP!" He was so proud of himself and I think my dad was pleased. We're still working on Nana and Gram...with little progress.

One thing he is enjoying these days is sitting at his new table and chairs and watching the picture slide show go by on the computer screen. He's liking it when he sees someone he knows- and he'll proudly point and say their name. He especially likes it when "Da" and "Pap" pop up- they're his favorite to say. Sometime in this "pap" phase that we're going through (I think, because it's his newest word, he's wanting to practice it all the time) he's lost "Mama". So now, when I ask him who I am, he'll smile and say "Ma-Pap-Pap". Not exactly what I was going for, but what can I do, right?

Joshua was a perfect angel in church on Sunday morning. Usually it involved scrooching and fussing, but he sat in my lap perfectly through the service on Sunday morning. He ate some puffs and some marshmallows and drank some milk, and then he played with his Quiet Book that Aunt Libby & Uncle Zig got him for Christmas. Libby--- that was a genius move! He did interject some of his own thoughts during the pastor's sermon. It was all in Russian, though, so I don't know that anyone got what he was trying to say. They did, however, get quite a giggle out of it.

Monday, Jason had off because the markets were closed for Martin Luther King Day, so he got to spend the whole day with Joshua. By all accounts they had an awesome time together. They made a quick trip to Walmart, picked out Joshua's very first crayons and coloring book, and also got him his very own dry swiffer that we could shorten the handle on. It's amazing how much this child likes to swiffer, but our one with the vaccum on it was a bit too large to manage.

In other ground breaking news, we're working at weaning from bottles which is going much slower than I had anticipated. So far, we've eliminated one bottle a day and give him his sippy cup with milk in it at that time. He's still taking two bottles of whole milk a day- one around 4:30 and one at bedtime. Slowly but surely I suppose. Joshua doesn't seem to make any changes in his routine quickly, so I'm learning patience for sure.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I'll try not to take so long on our next post. Happy Wednesday everyone!

Bribery & Bed Jumping

I've recently gotten a Parenting magazine with an article about why it's OK to bribe your chidlren into doing what you need them to do. That makes us feel better. Here's why.

Last evening, I had a late appointment at the office, so Jason and Joshua spent the supper hour together at home. I had a pot roast in the crockpot with carrots and potatoes and figured that they would be soft enough for Joshua to have for supper. He ate pretty well, but Jason later told me how he accomplished this feat. He said, "Honey, we're going to have to get the Backyardigans for Joshua's next birthday." I said, "Huh?" And that's when he explained that he had promised Joshua that if he ate another bite he'd make sure the Backyardigans were at his birthday party. Apparently he also used Teddy Grahams as a bribe, which worked well. Immediate reward, so Joshua probably figured, "Cool. One bite of carrot...one bear cookie. One potato...one cookie." I'm pretty sure that under these arrangements, he's going to want Daddy to feed him all the time. I laughed so hard!

I also have to report that I've begun singing a new song every morning when Joshua wakes up. "One little monkey jumping on the bed!" Joshua gets a good chuckle out of the part that goes "Mama called the doctor and the doctor said- NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!" This morning was the third morning in a row that I have found him in his crib jumping up and down when I went to get him. He's not holding on to anything besides Bear, and he's just smiling away and jumping up and down. Lovely. When I mentioned it to Judy this morning, she said that he had done the same thing yesterday at nap time. So something tells me that there may be a few bruises coming courtesy of the crib railings when he bangs his noggin off of the crib. And I'm sure it will also come in perfect timing to have a big goose egg when he goes for his 15 month checkup on the 29th.

In other news, we've now graduated into the 18 month section of the closet without having to roll over the tops of Joshua's pants. So there's some growth going on--- we'll just have to wait and see how he measures up at his check up.

I apologize for not having pictures today. I did snap a few this morning before I left, but the camera batteries have since taken their last breath leaving me with no way to share. So forgive me if you can. More soon.

American Idol!

This picture was taken this morning before work. We were playing in the office and Joshua spotted the camera. He LOVES to look at pictures of himself in the window on the back of the camera. So as soon as he saw it, he was heading for the camera to catch a peek at himself.

This was taken yesterday morning before breakfast. Gotta love that smile!

I thought you might enjoy a couple new pictures from the past few days. Pardon the red eyes on the one photo- these haven't been run through Photoshop to take care of that quite yet.

Here's a funny story from last evening that still makes me chuckle when I think about it. I'm a big American Idol fan, so I've been looking forward to the beginning of the new Idol season since they started announcing it. I hope that some of you are also Idol fans and may have been watching so that this story makes sense. Well last night was it. Joshua was enjoying his night time bottle in my lap when it started. He drifted off to sleep right before the strange bass singing guy came on to audition. Let me jog your memory....he sang "Go Down Moses"....and it wasn't good. As soon as he started singing, Joshua's eyes popped open and he got this goofy grin on his face like "Does that guy think he can SING?" And then he started giggling. At which point I started giggling. And off we went. It was very funny. Evidently Joshua is going to be an Idol fan like we are. If you didn't see this guy, it's worth finding on You Tube to see it. Very bad singing- but it was funny!

Not too much else to report. I'll do my best to keep the pictures coming!

Talk to you all soon!

Velcro...

I'm not sure what stage in toddlerhood this is, but the last day or so, Joshua has turned into velcro! He has been glued to my pant leg the majority of the weekend- literally. Tugging and clinging like he's afraid I'll disappear forever if he's not touching me. It's not that I mind being with him, I'd rather do that than anything in the world, but it does make it a bit complicated to get anything done. Go ahead and try emptying a diaper genie with a knee high munchkin wrapped around your leg. It's not pretty. And just give emptying the dishwasher a shot--- that's a good one.

Our Key Club board meeting was good. Joshua made friends with all of the hotel staff, making special friends with anyone who had a sweeper. He made a bee-line for this one lady right after we got there on Saturday morning. He had no sooner gotten in the room for the meeting when he heard the vacuum start and he HAD to see what was going on. So we stood by and watched while the lady cleaned up the breakfast area.

Our screaming in the dark issue was managed by a very wonderful Key Clubber who I roped into riding in the backseat of the Jeep with Joshua while we went for dinner. Rae and Joshua played happily with my cell phone while I drove. I guess this phobia of the car in the dark will always be manageable as long as I have either a second driver or a Key Clubber to ride in the backseat. Joshua and Rae really seemed to like each other, and Jason and I determined that it's probably because Rae bears a striking resemblance to Aunt Libby. :o)

Funny story- this one about me. When Joshua fell asleep on Saturday night, I went upstairs to our room and laid him down in his pack and play for the night and then went to sleep myself. Jason went out for a little while and enjoyed some down time. When he came back around 1, I was fast asleep, but was awoken and sat STRAIGHT up in bed, heart going a million miles an hour when the TV went off at full blast volume. Apparently he was trying to set the sleep timer when something malfunctioned with the volume. Nothing he tried made any difference. He was trying to unplug the TV, turn it off, etc. to no avail. So picture this- I'm half asleep trying to keep Joshua from waking up. The only thing I could think of was to grab one of Joshua's blankets and hold it up between the TV and his bed...like a BLANKET is really going to make a difference. Finally Jason got the TV turned off, but the stupidity of my solution just gets funnier and funnier. Let's just say that it's good I'm not responsible for making life and death decisions in the middle of the night on a normal basis. I scare myself sometimes.

In other stupid Megan moments, I also got lost coming back from the fire house where we ate dinner on Saturday night with the kids. Yes I have a Garmin. And NO, it doesn't do you any good when you're on the wrong highway going the wrong direction, following someone who you later find out is NOT your husband. Let me just say that a GPS doesn't help much if you don't know the address of where you're going or where you're coming from. I have a feeling Jason may tell this story a little differently, but at least you've heard my version. I must give credit where credit is due- my prince of a husband talked me, Rae and Joshua right back to the hotel, but it was a bit of a stressful moment.

In Joshua news since that's what you all check in here for anyway- we're working on self feeding with utensils a little bit. Mr. Independent is quickly losing interest in being fed, so he's started to try using a spoon by himself. It's not always pretty, but he's getting better. Jason let him feed himself some baby food green beans on Saturday night without any stains on his clothes or daddy's, and yesterday afternoon he polished off a pudding cup like a pro. I'm thinking I may invest in a tarp to put under the high chair. This could get ugly as we start to give him things that aren't sticky enough to stay on the spoon when he turns it upside down!

I'll work on some new pictures for you! Happy Monday everyone.

Joshua & Sydney's PJ Party

In Mommyland, sometimes time gets away from me. So early this week, Sydney's mommy and I finally got our act and our calendars coordinated to have a little Christmas exchange for the kids. It turned out to be after bath time for the kiddos, so they were sporting their very adorable PJ's. I think that Sydney has officially grown about a foot since our last visit!

Joshua seemed to enjoy having another baby to play with, but a few funny things happened that I know you'll all get a kick out of. Darla and I were still chuckling about it last night when we talked. Joshua wanted desperately for Sydney to play with him and his toys. So, like he does with us, he tried to take her hand and lead her to where he wanted to go and play. Well, Sydney isn't quite ready to walk yet, so she just sort of looked at him like "Why are you pulling on my arm?" When Joshua realized that this arm pulling wasn't going to do the trick, he went over to her and tried to pick her up and carry her! That's when she had had enough. I mean, a girl needs to draw the line SOMEWHERE, right? He also kept pulling her bink out of her mouth which has been a trend with him. I'm not sure whether he's picking up on us telling him all the time that "binks are for sleeping babies and you're NOT sleeping" and transferring that rule to EVERY baby he sees, or what, but it was funny. Not to Sydney, but to us. I just hope Sydney wasn't too traumatized by her time with Joshua. Darla assures me that she's fine, but she's probably thinking, "I don't need to go back there until I'm big enough to get away from that kid on my own two feet!" It was adorable and I love getting together with the Bingaman family to let the kids play. Something tells me that it's only going to get better and better as the years go on. What a blessing to have had the babies so close together! God must have known that I needed someone to commiserate with about motherhood who lived closeby!

This is an "on the road" weekend for us. We'll be heading out tomorrow morning for Harrisburg for another Key Club board meeting. I'm sure Joshua will have a fun time playing with the kids and unloading their suitcases. He's getting a bit more difficult to entertain in hotels for our meetings, but this mommy isn't quite ready to go away without him. I know, I know...get a grip, right? But for the time being, the challenge of containing him isn't bigger than the challenge of dealing with being without him overnight. So off we go.

I'll write more on Monday. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

The Many Faces of Joshua...

Funny faces from this morning before work...what a character.

All dressed for church yesterday morning. What a little man in his khakis and sweater!

It was a quiet weekend for us, but I thought you might enjoy these pictures. This morning, Joshua was making the silliest faces and I was lucky to catch two of them. You've got to love the slobber hanging from his chin in the second one. We'll attribute that to the molar he's working on. Poor kid- he just can't catch a break from these teeth!

We may be on the right track with the screaming in the car seat after dark issue I wrote about a while ago. We've been avoiding the whole issue, honestly, so the only times he's been in the car after dark have been Christmas Eve and last night when we ran out to grab a bite of dinner. Both times were without screaming and choking, as long as I was sitting next to him in the back seat. For most of our trip home from Ciro's last night the light was off in the back seat. Don't get me wrong- Joshua wasn't happy about it, but he wasn't choking himself to death either. I shudder to think what it might be like to go somewhere with him with only one driver after dark, but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we must.

We've been trying to teach Joshua how to say "bye". Right now, he waves and says "buh" which I guess is close enough for now. Two points for effort.

I had to giggle at him on Saturday night during his teeth brushing before his bath. I use a finger toothbrush to brush his teeth and he was biting me a good bit on Saturday night when I tried to get my finger in his mouth. I kept saying, "Ouch! That hurts Mommy!" As soon as I'd say that, he would give me a hug and pat my back as if to say, "I'm sorry Mom. It's OK." This would be great if it stopped there, but as soon as I would start to brush his teeth again, he'd chomp down again. And we'd repeat this over and over, each time with a hug and a concerned look from him. It was like he didn't know that HE was the one hurting Mommy. We'll keep working on it.

His jabbering is still going full force with absolutely no recognizable words. He gabbed all the way home from church yesterday and spent the majority of Saturday evening telling off one of our cabinets in the living room. He was pointing and shaking his finger and everything. I wish the video camera would have been running.

Hope you all had a great weekend! More to come this week I'm sure.

Bilingual...

I don't have any new photos to share today, but I'll do my best to catch the little guy doing something adorable this weekend for a Monday update. I did want to share that Joshua apparently has picked up another language in addition to the Russian that he has been speaking for the past few months. Yesterday he started picking up French.

Let me explain. One of his most favorite stories is called "I Love You Stinky Face". One of the pages in there has the mama telling her little boy that if he was a green alien from Mars, she'd love him and pack him a lunch of bugs and spiders and the best creatures he's ever had. And she attaches a note that says, "I love you little greenie. Bon Appetit." Well, yesterday he started saying "teet" after you say "Bon Appetit". It's very cute and he's very proud of himself.

So our son is bilingual. The sad part is that neither one of the languages he knows is English!

Happy Weekend everyone!!

What happens when...

You give a 14 month old a bowl of mashed potatoes?

THIS!

Joshua has been quite interested in attempting to feed himself with his spoon and fork lately, so last night when we sat down to eat our New Year's Day pork and sauerkraut, I thought I'd give him a small bowl of potatoes to work on with his spoon. He took one bite with the utensils and then decided his hands would work better. That's what led to the mess you just witnessed. Jason said it best last night when he said "I don't think his feet should even touch the floor when he's done!" And they didn't. It was straight to the tub with our messy New Years baby! He did eat a few pieces of pork, but mostly he was interested in the potatoes. See Lib, he's your nephew after all! It just took him some time to catch on to how good mashed taties are!

I thought I'd also share a pajama picture from yesterday morning. Like his moose jammies? We had a pajama morning yesterday and just played and played until we couldn't play anymore. We must have built 100 towers out of his stacking blocks and got out every new Christmas toy to play with. It was a great New Years Day for us- very quiet, very uneventful, actually boring by normal standards. But after the running around we had done around Christmas, it was wonderful to just tuck in and enjoy some time at home to start out 2008.