Our Little Buckeye

It's officially fall and Joseph is quite stylish this season. In addition to all of his studly sportswear we have some pretty cute outfits and costumes to wear for Halloween thanks to all of the grandparents. In anticipation of the eventual plummet of temperatures here in Milwaukee I've also been doing some shopping, and I've learned from my friends that online is the way to go (at least for Joseph's clothes, I'm not sold yet as it relates to my own wardrobe). You can still find bargains and for most places if you google coupon codes you can get free shipping or an additional 10% off just about anything. Some of you may be thinking "welcome to the Internet Jessica" while others may be wondering "why wouldn't you just get off you butt and go to the store?" While I do still enjoy a trip to the mall, when time is tight it's just so much easier to do it from my couch at home (again you're thinking "welcome to the Internet Jessica").
My favorite online find is Piperlime, a shoe store that is actually part of the Gap family. They offer free shipping and free returns all the time and I'd been hearing so much about Robeez that I decided to order a pair for Joseph in hopes that we would be able to keep his feet covered as it got colder. And though they are a bit big on him now, I have to say I think all the hype is true (I ordered the 6-12mos size and am trying to resist the temptation of ordering the smaller size. Though my brain tells me that he will grow out of them soon the shopper in me says "buy them you fool"). They stay on his feet and I don't think he'll be able to pull them off like he does his socks.
Now, shouldn't Piperlime or Robeez offer me something in return for my unsolicited advertisement?

Bear Down

Since Joseph kicked off the football season in Steelers attire, yesterday he sported his Bears outfit in style. Though he loves tv he didn't catch much of the games yesterday as he slept the majority of the afternoon and night. It appears as though he has a tooth pretty close to the surface of his lower gums so maybe we'll have a first tooth soon! Foodwise he's been enjoying rice cereal, oatmeal, beans, peas, and now carrots...next up is squash!

A House Divided

Joseph experienced his first football Sunday in high definition last weekend, and while he didn't stay awake for all of the games he did see the Steelers claim victory and the Bears bow their heads in defeat.

Joseph's First Vegetable!

Joseph before green beans....

Joseph during green beans....

Joseph after green beans...

Sleepy in Seattle

Joseph made his longest journey thus far this weekend, out to Seattle to visit our friends the Remfreys. He made his way to some of the most scenic spots in town, though we couldn't keep him awake long enough for this beautiful view from Kerry Park on Queen Anne hill.

What are these?

Joseph has discovered his feet...wonderful toys that go with him wherever he goes, and he just can't get enough of them. (Thankfully he has not yet discovered his penis, as I hear that causes quite a mess while changing poopy diapers.) And while we're on the subject of poop, our little man is currently experiencing the joys of diarrhea. Not really joyous, I'm being entirely sarcastic. The first day of the runs he screamed like crazy everytime you put him on the changing pad. But now since purchasing the extra thick Desatin and painting his entire butt white with paste his rash is mostly gone and he's back to being his usual happy self while naked. In addition to the runny butt, he's also had a runny nose and watery eyes. It seems as though he is not only the lucky recipient of my good looks but also my allergies.

Kiss Me I'm Irish

At least part Irish anyway. Despite the rain we did enjoy ourselves at Irish Fest last weekend, though Joseph and I quickly headed for home once the downpour started. As it hasn't really stopped raining over the past week, it is no longer rain versus sun that determines whether we go outdoors, but rather how much rain is coming down and how quickly the clothes become soaked. But back to Irish Fest....we enjoyed watching the bagpipers march by, had a taste of the rueben rolls, and indulged ourselves with desserts in the Tipperary Tea Room. Foodwise it's no Festa Italiana or State Fair, but it's still one of our favorite Milwaukee festivals.

A Glimpse into the Life of Joseph Dominic

Of course he does....but that's not the point of the picture....it's so we can show you how big the little man is getting. He's almost the same size as our friend's one year old!

Playing in his exersaucer....what a great new toy! (likely invented by a woman trying to figure out how to occupy her baby while bringing groceries into the house or cooking dinner

Trying to eat rice cereal with his hands...he doesn't realize it's the mushy stuff on the spoon and not his fingers that taste good

Enjoying the aftermath of his bath...he's quite a happy little fellow...especially when naked

Mmmmm Cereal

At least that seems to be Joseph's reaction when eating the bland mushy substance. We started feeding him cereal on Wednesday night, and he seemed to enjoy it right away (after the initial confusion captured in the photo passed). By Thursday he was wolfing it down like a pro. It is quite messy, because he tries to use his hands to put the cereal in his mouth, so it gets on his hands which then gets all over the bouncy seat, his legs, his stomach.....I think we need to wear a smock while eating. Or start taking baths every night. I thought we wouldn't have to do that until we introduced him to pasta.

4 Months Old!

Joseph turned 4 months old on Monday, and decided it was time to learn how to roll over! Just a couple minutes after I left the house, Jay called to say that our little man had rolled over from his back to his tummy. (and he apparently looked quite confused) He did it a couple more times after that, and now we're waiting to see it happen again. Today at his doctor appointment he weighed in at 15lbs 12.5oz (70%) and 27in (97%), with a head that is 43cm around (70%). I thought he seemed rather tall compared to the other babies at daycare, and it turns out I was right. Though I was wrong about any signs of teeth....we apparently still have some waiting to do on those. The second rounds of vaccinations were fun (just kidding, they weren't fun at all), but hopefully they will cause him to sleep through the night. He's been waking up every night for the past week so daddy has been making the late night journey back and forth between the rooms. We sure do love daddy!

Gotta Love the Cows

Joseph attended his first Wisconsin State Fair today. He got to watch us eat cream puffs, and grilled cheese, and flavored milk....but more exciting for him was seeing all the cows, pigs, and sheep. He probably smelled them too.

Sitting in the Kitchen

Now that Joseph can sit while supported, we can actually place him in his chair while washing bottles or getting dinner ready, and as you can see he becomes quite fascinated by the big yellow blob in front of him. Next week we have our 4 month checkup....we'll find out how much he weighs and how tall he is!

A-O, O-A

Pop Quiz: What popular 80s sitcom originated the quote above?

I should have saved the "Joey Bag A Donuts" title for this outfit don't you think? We took him out friday night to BW3s with us where he sported his little striped pants and watched us eat dinner. Amazingly he stayed awake for a 3 hour stretch and when Jay placed him in his crib around 8:30 he went to sleep without any fussing. Last night he went back to the usual crying before bedtime so it must have just been a fluke (or mayhaps it was the aroma of spicy garlic that put him in such a good mood). This morning we took a nice walk down to a local cafe for breakfast and almost made it back to the house before bottle time.....but not quite. I think we set a new record for speed walking with a stroller.

Joey Bag A Donuts

Joseph went to his first Milwaukee festival last weekend, Festa Italiana! Though he didn't get to enjoy the spumoni milkshake or arancini, I think he still had a good time. Jay's been fondly calling him "Joey Bag A Donuts" all week, though I still prefer Joseph or JD. He seems to be over his cold, and is back to sleeping through the night again for the most part. His hands are constantly in his mouth and covered in drool, so we're waiting to see if he turns out to be an early teether. We packed away all of his smaller 0-3mos clothes and are moving on to the larger 0-3 mos stuff....and we moved up a size in diapers too! At the end of next week we're going to start cereal, so you can look forward to seeing his first spoon experiences online soon!

Joseph and His Swing

Joseph chills out in the evenings by spending some time in his swing, a past time that he has come to enjoy. We visited the doctor yesterday just to make sure he didn't have anything more serious than a cold (I was completely conflicted and indecisive on whether we should go, but so as not to seem like a complete moron to the receptionist I decided to keep the appointment). No ear infection, and it's not in his lungs so he's all good. Hopefully Jay and I will be all good soon too...as we've all taken on different varieties of the virus. Our first family cold, what fun! Joseph woke up most nights this week for a bottle (due to his cold I'm hoping!), but last night he slept through until 6:15 so we're all pretty happy this morning!

This is How We Sleep

We stopped swaddling Joseph at bedtime (previously we had stopped during the day, but kept doing it at night), and this is now his preferred sleeping position. When he wakes up, he stretches both arms above his head with fists clenched, and crosses his ankles and raises his knees towards his tummy. This is sometimes accompanied by a fart. Then he moves on to stretching his legs all the way out as far as they can go. And then of course would come the crying if we don't get the bottle ready fast enough. He either has his first cold, or his first allergy attack, because the past two mornings he has been pretty stuffed up and sneezing quite a bit. He still seems pretty happy though, except for when you use the booger tool to get the snot out of his nose. I probably wouldn't enjoy the booger tool either, blowing and picking your nose is much more fun.

Playing with Daddy

Joseph was all smiles last night while playing with daddy....in fact he was all smiles when I picked him up from daycare too! He survived the week and everything went pretty smoothly. He ate well while he was there, he was ok playing by himself, and he just had one day where he had trouble taking his naps. So far the two most challenging aspects are that he doesn't always wake up in the morning when you need him too (boo hoo right?) and no matter what time we pick him up it seems as though he's just about ready for his bottle (hence a screaming car ride home). He's still sleeping through most nights, with a couple nights each week where he wakes up around 4:30 for a quick bottle and then back to bed. All and all it's been a pretty good week!

Look Who's 3 Months Old!

Playing in the Pool

We had our first pool experience with the little man in Minnesota where the weather is beautiful and the water is even better! Joseph seemed to enjoy himself and the baby raft, but not the wet swim pants after he got out of the pool (no one likes wet pants I suppose). He slept until 6am this morning, but on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday he awoke at 4am, so we're hoping that was just a temporary thing. ;) He's also been chugging down bottles, eating over 30 ounces a day! Even though we still have a few weeks to go I've already stocked up on cereal and baby food at home....can't wait to try it and see the look on his face!

First Day at Daycare

Today was the big day, the first day at daycare. We dropped him off just after 8am this morning and when we arrived he was ready for his morning nap, so Jay cuddled him for a little while, placed him in his crib, and off to work we went. No screaming, just the normal fussiness he gets when tired. According to his teachers he was pretty happy all day, until around 3:15 just before I arrived to pick him up (of course). ;) He had been awake for two hours straight and was apparently exhausted because he fell asleep as soon as the car started rolling. Or perhaps he was exhausted from the 10 minutes of screaming as I spoke with his teachers and searched for my car keys which I had misplaced under his butt in the car seat....

Twelve Weeks Old Today!

Photos taken while practicing propping Joseph up into a sitting position in preparation for our 3 mos pictures that we hope to have taken next week. His head control gets better every day, though he still looks like a bobble head on occasion. He's also started rolling onto his side in his crib and on his play mat. Today he was completely mesmerized by the reflecting mirror above his head while sitting in his swing....a pretty funny sight.

We visited daycare this week, and met his teacher along with the other babies in the room. He seemed ok with his surroundings, but his first day will be Monday so we'll find out then for sure!

And yes, I realize the overalls look a bit ridiculous. I was dressing him up to try on all his clothes and see what he's grown into so far. I think we'll be sticking with a onesie for our upcoming photo shoot.

Happy Baby!

Little Joseph loves to pose for the camera! Though this is not how he looked around 8PM last night....he had the biggest crying fit that he's had in a long while. But after he was done, he slept for over 9 hrs! We stopped using the swaddle blankets a few days ago, and instead are putting him in sleepsacks. About half the time he goes to sleep in his crib when you place him in there and turn on his mobile or aquarium crib toy. The other half of the time we still rock or bounce him. He continues to get longer and grow into more onesies and shirts, but pants and shorts don't fit him because all of the waists are too big. Looks like he'll be pant-less for his 3 mos pictures coming up in a few weeks. ;)

Joseph's Favorite Activity

Other than sleeping and eating of course, Joseph's latest favorite activity is to play with the baby einstein gym shown here. He whacks the hanging toys and talks while he does it. It's pretty cute to watch. He continues to sleep through the night.....and we've experienced another first...puking up our bottle. He was acting hungry and so I decided to make another 2 ounces to see if he wanted it, which he did so I of course gave it to him, and then while eating he vomited over both of us. I now know that just because he wants something doesn't mean he can have it!

Happy Father's Day!

Check Out My Blue Eyes

Holy Cow!

Joseph weighed in at 12lbs 1oz and measured 23 3/4 inches at his checkup yesterday! The doctor says he's doing good, and is in the 70% (above average) for height and 50% for weight (average). Our little man actually did very well during the hour we were there, until of course the very end when he was stunned by the 4 shots straight to the thigh (there was a fifth which was oral). After the first shot a look of shock and confusion passed over his face, followed quickly by a bright red face and choking sobs. He calmed down within 5 minutes, was a bit fussy for the rest of the day, but then slept the entire night away from 9:30-5:30! (common after vaccinations apparently).

The Experienced Traveler

Joseph is now an experienced traveler of the air. He went on his first flight this weekend on Midwest Express traveling to Pittsburgh (just over an hour flight from Milwaukee), and I am happy to report that he did very well both there and back. No crying or fussing on the plane, just sleeping and eatting (the sling works wonders). Sadly he was not able to enjoy the chocolate chip cookies, but perhaps when he's older if they haven't been bought out by ATA he'll be able to experience the warm gooey treats. For those of you that do not frequent the Pittsburgh airport, the first photo shown here was taken per Jay's request. As you can see, Joseph can get quite a handle on objects these days, grabbing his rattle, objects dangling from his play gym, my hair....anything he can grasp. He also seems to semi-enjoy bathtime. He doesn't scream, or smile, but he appears at one with the bath. And he fits into some of his 0-3 mos outfits now! Length and weight will be taken on tuesday at our 2 month checkup!

"C" is for Changing Pad

The one place that you can put Joseph where you know he'll always be happy is on his changing pad (now watch, for the rest of the day he'll scream bloody murder everytime I change him). Some might think it's strange to have the camera read to go while changing a diaper, but for us it's quite normal. Fortunately for everyone we wait until after we're done changing him, else Jay might have been tempted to share with you the enormous poop from the other morning. He called me into the room to see it. As if I hadn't seen poop before. ;)

Now Presenting the Professor

Recall how I mentioned that Joseph really only gets cranky when he's tired? Well immediately following that posting he followed suit by crying quite heavily the remainder of the day before each nap and going to bed. We could tell he was absolutely exhausted because as soon as you could get him to calm down he'd completely zonk out or go into "the stare". It seems to be a late afternoon/early evening thing as he did it today also.

And so I present you with a picture of Professor Fussypants. That's right, that's what we call him when he acts cranky. Not sure why or where it came from, but we both started saying it shortly after he was born during his crying spells. It's a term of endearment really. I'm sure he'll enjoy it when he's older.

The Joy of Sleep

Joseph seems to be consistently sleeping for seven hour stretches at night, follow by another 3 or so hour stretch after filling his stomach. On friday night he slept from 10-5! More commonly he sleeps from around 7:30-2:30 and then again until after 6. He seems bigger everyday, and will get weighed at the doctor end of next week for his 2 month checkup. He's quite a chipper little fellow, with his only unhappy time being when he gets tired. But even this only lasts about 15min each time, and after he's bounced or rocked he's out for the count.

A Few Family Photos

A few family shots taken before Jay left for his business trip that I thought everyone might enjoy....we'll have new photos soon now that the camera...errr...I mean dad....is back. ;)