I'm Lovin It

Joseph's top two incisors were at last captured on film this weekend while he laughed hysterically at Jay and Rosco playing tug with a new toy. He's sporting quite the space between the two front teeth, which I have to say reminded me of my sister when she was little, but Jay insists that he had a big gap in his top baby teeth too. We went out to our first family breakfast that Joseph could actually partake in....enjoying his first Belgian waffle and sausage patty. And though as a parent I am not proud to admit it, he also tried his first McDonald's french fry today. You can imagine Jay's excitement. Joseph however ended up with some pretty upsetting gas. Coincidence? I think not. Though I still have very fond feelings for the fast food giant.

Joseph's First Set of Wheels

He can't quite push it around the room yet but he can sit on it and beep the horn. This week he tried lots of new food like broccoli, graham crackers, carrots, apples, raisin toast, and muffins. His teeth aren't bothering him as much, but he still hasn't found the perfect toy to put in his mouth and satisfy his chomping desires. His cold is getting better but he's still stuffy and coughy, and yesterday woke up with a new surprise - pink eye! Woo hoo!

On the floor with Dad

Joseph has still been able to play with daddy despite Jay's back troubles....they hang out on the floor and I try to disappear every now and then and return when I hear crying. Joseph's latest favorite thing is to stick his hands in your mouth and feel your teeth. Teeth seems to be his general theme lately, as his own two front teeth have caused a lot of unhappiness in our house and at daycare over the past few days but as of today his daily report listed "much happier" for mood instead of "VERY fussy". Both teeth have broken through the top of his gums and we are now eagerly awaiting their arrival front and center. He's also starting to move around a lot more...not crawling....but as you can see from his latest pose he no longer just sits on his butt. This past weekend I entered the room with a bottle, set it on the floor next to me, and before I could lift Joseph into my lap to feed him he had stuck his butt up into the air in a bear crawl position and tried to catapolt himself towards me, but much to everyone's sadness, fell right on his head. We tried to disguise our laughter.

9 Month Stats

Height: 31 1/4 in (100%)
Weight: 21 lbs 9 oz (70%)
Head: 45 3/4 cm (70%)
Teeth: 2 on the bottom already, and 2 more getting ready to break through on the top!

Joseph is 9 Months Old!

So many changes in our little man between 6 mos and 9 mos! Sitting, rolling around, eating with his hands, clapping, mimicking and of course growing (we'll have our latest stats later this week from the doctor). This weekend Joseph has rolled over onto his tummy in his crib more than a handful of times, and each time I've come into his room to rescue him after listening to his squeaks and squawks over the monitor over his displeasure with trying to sleep on his belly. Yesterday I was petting Rosco, and after Joseph watched me intently for a few minutes, he swatted my hand away and started petting Rosco in the exact manner that I was (as opposed to his usual attempt to grab a fistful of Rosco's ear or hair). And sometimes when you clap your hands or stick your tongue out, he'll do the same thing right back at you. As far as food goes he's starting to enjoy finger food more, so we've started whole peas and are going to try some bananas this week.
Regarding the pictures, I did in fact have Joseph all dressed up in a very nice preppy outfit from babyGap, but of course that was pointless because even though he did not spit up all over it (I had a HUGE bib on him until we sat him down in front of the camera) none of the poses with clothes were all that great, and since he had so much drool on his collar halfway through I decided to go naked for the rest. The amount of drool coming out of the little man's mouth these days is incredible. Today within 30 minutes he'd soaked through his shirt so I have now resorted to putting bibs on him while he plays.

Step on a Crack, Break Daddy's Back

Well we assume those weren't the thoughts going through Joseph's head before Jay starting having his recent bout of back trouble. Seems Jay's vertebrae aren't lined up the way they are supposed to be so he's on bed rest and off little man duty for the next week or two. Hopefully Joseph inherited mamma's vertebrae. ;) Joseph's still loving bathtime, and playing with all of his new toys that are now the dominating decor in our house. He continues to drool like crazy and chew on everything he can get his little hands on. He's fascinated by buttons or strings that hang off your clothes and will chat your ear off all day long with his "ra ra ra" and "ma ma ma" sounds. He's still sleeping 11 or so hours a night and napping off and on during the day. We head to the doctor on tuesday for our latest stats....judging by the strain on my biceps and the tightness of his size 3 diapers I'm going to guess that he is closer to 25lbs than 20....we shall see!

Don't Forget to Hang Up Your Sock...

It's the Simple Things...

It's the simple things that Joseph seems to appreciate most... a diaper placed on his head, the cardboard tube from the inside of a roll of paper towels, and a nice big box. Yes, a box. One that he can sit in and be amused with for minutes and minutes on end. Next we'll be taking out the pots and pans or maybe some laundry for him to play with.

Gifts, gifts and more gifts!

These must be the thoughts running through Joseph's head for the past few weeks. Let's hope he doesn't go through withdrawal come January. ;)

Check out my chompers!

Still just two on the bottom but they are easier to spot now....he chomps on just about everything...toys, food, and your fingers if you are silly enough to stick them in his mouth. This week he's been showing us how to clap and has turned into a bit of an early riser . Jay woke up with him just after 5 this morning, so they are both enjoying their afternoon naps right now. I bet Joseph will wake up first. ;)

So Much Funukah

Joseph opened his very first Chanukah present the other night, and loved every minute of it. It seems that wrapping paper resembles the paper that they put down at the doctor's office and as soon as he heard the first crinkle he was fixated. Now we know the gifts don't matter....it's all about the paper. Though he does seem to enjoy his toy drum. (That's right, I bought him a toy that makes noise. What was I thinking?)

Tis the Season!

Joseph had his picture taken with Santa at Walmart after Thanksgiving....amazingly the first photo taken turned out great! (Santa said he wished he had a picture of us...apparently it was quite comical watching the seven of us jump and dance around) This week Joseph mastered the sippy cup at daycare, though he seems to enjoy chewing on it more than drinking from it. And he loves eating food with his hands...mainly puffs so far but we also tried grapes and will start stocking up on peas and lima beans and all that fun stuff next time we hit the store. Apparently I loved lima beans (though I have no recollection of this) and the only memories I have of peas are my mom discovering one evening after clearing the table that I had been putting them in my mouth and spitting them out in my napkin. I then had to change my methods, and resorted to swallowing them whole to avoid the yucky mushy flavor.

Rub-a-dub-dub Little Man in the Tub

Joseph has changed quite a lot over the last week...he seems more like a toddler than a baby! He now sits up in his bath and plays with his hands, leaning forward and grabbing his duck (he used to just lounge back and kick). You can sit him down on the floor and let him play, you can see his two bottom teeth when he smiles, he grabs his puffs with his hands and puts them into his mouth, he's learning to drink water from a sippy cup at daycare, he makes artwork with his hands, and he is a chatterbox at meal time. He's turning into a JD! (seemed wierd calling an itty bitty baby that before).

Joseph's First Thanksgiving Meal

Well he didn't eat any turkey but he did enjoy some potatoes, yams, and pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, though oddly enough he still seems to prefer food out of a jar. (FYI, Rosco also had a hearty helping of pumpkin pie, and let's just say thank goodness there were 4 of them!) Joseph's also been trying puffs with his lunch every day....he loves moving them around his tray and when he can't figure out how to get them into his hand and then to his mouth, he just bows his head and attempts to slurp it up with his mouth. (He also tried to do the same thing with a drop of formula the other day....quite amusing).

A Couple of Buckeyes

Joseph hung out with Jay in the man room yesterday while I did some shopping. He spends a lot more time awake now, playing with everything and watching everyone. His first tooth is showing when he smiles and the second one is definitely close behind. (He woke up screaming at 10:30 the other night and low and behold there it was, the second tooth!) I meant to buy him some of those gerber graduates puff things that are crunchy but melt in their mouth (so I'm told), but as usual I forgot. I'm pretty sure that half my brain came out along with the placenta and everything else when Joseph was born. ;)

Joseph and the Cookie Monster

Joseph is having fun playing with his toys sitting up, and has a particular fancy for his new friend....the cookie monster. They have a lot in common really: they both sit on their butts, neither of them have very good balance, they both have big eyes, they both laugh a lot, and they are both hard to understand at times.

Happy Halloween!

Daddy's little monster posing for a picture on Halloween while Rosco ran around all crazy-like due to the ball I was taunting him with in my hand while holding the camera in the other. This is the magic I use to get smiles in our pictures. According to Joseph's teachers at daycare he had a fabulous day yesterday, even more so than usual. He didn't cry or get frustrated at all, and played happily with everyone all day long and just rubbed his eyes when he got tired. We think it might be because I started making bigger bottles (which was not intentional, I only did so because his bottles spilled on the way to daycare and there was only enough left for two big bottles instead of three normal ones). So now he's gulping down 8oz bottles, and eating solids three times a day. He can also sit on his own for 5 minutes (or basically until he tries to reach for something) and I think he's even really getting teeth (when I put my finger in his mouth I feel a jagged hard surface along his bottom gums...can't get a good look as he FREAKS OUT whenever I try to open his mouth for a peek...but I'm pretty sure this is teeth this time). And would you believe the little man actually stayed awake until 7:30? I hope it becomes a trend so that once the time changes we can still keep him awake past 6:30!

This is what Joseph looked like before Rosco ran past him.....

Joseph and the Pumpkin Patch

We celebrated Halloween on Saturday by dressing up as a frog and visiting the Barthel Fruit Farm. Though his grin wasn't as big as usual, we did capture a few good photos as Joseph gazed around the pumpkin patch and apple orchard. He was fascinated by the dirt and vines on the ground and the bails of hay stacked up in the fields. Next year maybe he'll be awake late enough to stay up for trick-or-treating!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Listening to a story

Sucking on my toes

Slurping on my hands while eating

Trying to hold my bottle

Playing with Rosco

Sitting up (not quite on his own, but close)

Interacting with the other babies at daycare

Watching TV (typically football or jeopardy)

Going for walks in my stroller

Dancing around the room with mommy or daddy

Splashing around in the bath

Eating oatmeal, yogurt, mangos, green beans, or chicken with apples

So that's what a pink eye looks like

Yes, our home has been breached by pink eye and we are banned from daycare and the office. Joseph doesn't seem too bothered by it, but he is sleeping a lot more during the day. Though right now he is awake and trying to type with me.

A message from the little man:
2jjx 3 mr

To many windows are popping up so I'm going to have to end the fun. And yes, I will clean the keyboard now that we're done.