9 Month Pictures – A Right Of Passage

This is a little late…

Aside from my Uncle Tommy’s pictures, which are great and I’m SO thankful for, I had never taken Elijah for “professional” pictures for any of the typical milestones.  (I put quotes around professional because sometimes I think it is just some goon behind a camera in a closet of a studio.  In case you wondered, I haven’t had great experiences!)  Anyway, I was feeling bad about that, so when my Mom was off of work the week after Christmas and was able to help me watch Josiah, we packed up and went for our “professional” nine month pictures.

As usual, this was at least a somewhat stressful undertaking.  Despite the fact that I was fairly prepared ahead of time, a few mishaps and an overly busy 2 year old meant that by the time my mom came to get us, Josiah and I were still in our PJ’s!  And of course, I tried to put Elijah down for a nap early, so he refused to sleep before leaving, though he did finally fall asleep 15 minutes before time to go…such is life.  Thankfully he doesn’t tend to be a grumpy guy, though he does get red around his eyes when he is tired, as you can see a little in these pictures.  We still made it there with 10 minutes to spare and all was well.

Just as Josiah always was, Elijah was also bedazzled by the studio lights and could hardly be coaxed to give more than a grin, but we did get some great ones.  I didn’t shell out the money for the digital form, so these are scanned.  Hopefully they look ok.

The traditional portrait.

Big boy!

This is the outfit I really wanted him to wear for the pictures, but I didn’t really like how any of them turned out.  He looked like such a little man!

After the photo shoot we met up with Daddy at Chik-fil-a (always a treat) and had a nice, though noisy, lunch together.  By the end of it Mom and I were both worn out from keeping kids under control and cared for (afternoon already!).  Thanks Mom, for watching the boys again that night so that Jacob and I could go out to dinner!

My Vacation

Beware: if talk of a kid’s bathroom habits is not your thing, you may not want to read this!

As you probably know, I basically share a full time position with another Mommy-vet.  We recently decided it would be a good idea to give each other a vacation, so I worked 6 straight working days (spread over a weekend) while she took off, then vice versa.  It was wonderful! 

I had grand plans to send my boys to their sitter once or twice so that I could work hard on catching up around the house and then play with them and potty train Josiah the rest of the time.  I never send them away when I’m available, so I never have completely free time to accomplish things.  This was going to be big for me.  Also, since my week is broken up with work, I hadn’t had the chance to seriously potty train, so I felt like this was do or die, though not to that extreme :)  Well, it didn’t exactly turn out as planned.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the boys got really sick and I was a bit under the weather myself.  Oh well. 

The first two days seemed like it would all be spent just surviving.  There was no progress made on projects, no potty training being done, and no one was having fun, but then things turned around and I really got some things organized, played with the boys, and began to see some real success with Josiah’s potty training.  The weather even cooperated to allow for some great times outdoors, and though we coughed our way through it, we managed to really enjoy ourselves.

So, will I claim that Josiah is potty trained?  Um, no.  He is pretty much pee pee trained (still working on aim) and has poo poo’ed a coupled times on the potty, but he doesn’t tell us he needs to poo and it freaks him out when we grab him up and rush him to the potty when we see “the face”.  So, we are working on that.  It doesn’t help that his normal GI problems and diarrhea from antibiotics have messed things up.  He’ll get it.  The extra good news is that he is mostly staying dry for naps and night sleep!  I’m so proud!

Josiah’s big motivator has been CANDY!  And lots of it.  We have been using Nerds, licorice bites, and gummy Life Savers (which he refers to as “holes”).  He’s so darn cute when he enthusiastically says (while swinging his arm in a full circle and dramatically nodding his head 3 times), “I want lots of holes, lots of licorice, lots of nerds!” every time he potties.  I think his teeth are going to rot out before I can wean him off of the rewards. 

We also had the opportunity to carve out some time for a little fun away from home.  Josiah got to have a playdate with an older friend named Bryce that used to go to his sitter’s house.  He idolizes Bryce and has been looking forward to this for a long time.  We got rained out from the park and ended up at the mall’s indoor playground.  Josiah also scored a Frosty from Wendy’s (which he so graciously fed part of to me) and a pizza dinner.  We had a fun Mommy/son time.  A few days later we went to the Sante Fe Zoo.  It is not exactly a grand zoo, but it was a fun family time close to home and a perfect get-out-of-the-sick-house activity for us.

My little man won’t pose for the camera :(

This little guy has no qualms about posing, though!

This bird came running up when we walked on the boardwalk and started pecking at the rope fence.  Josiah thought it was cool!

Checking out the “barking deer” with Daddy.  Having recently been to the huntin’ camp with Jacob and seeing big deer, Josiah really loved them.

Next up, the Jacksonville Zoo!

So, while it wasn’t quite as productive as I had hoped, my vacation was great.  I love my little boys and I’m glad I could be there for them when they were sick and enjoy them when they were feeling better.  I need another one.

Lovin’ Life At 10 Months

Elijah turned 10 months old today.  As I was cuddling him prior to his nap today, I was telling him that my time with him seems to just be passing me by as his first birthday approaches.  It saddens me, yet each new stage is so fun.  This month he has practiced standing and walking, mimicked us, gotten quite sick, pitched a few fits, and made us laugh daily.  He’s a wonderful little guy who is continuing to blossom.

How could this face not make you smile daily?

As mentioned, Elijah spends a lot of time pulling up and standing.  He mostly stands assisted, but he can stand for a few seconds on his own.  He also cruises along furniture a little bit, but prefers crawling to get there faster.  There is no place in this house that he has not explored, or so it seems.  His current favorite thing to do here is to empty my bottom kitchen drawer that houses my measuring cups and pot holders.  I was washing them each time I replaced them since he mouths them all, but it gets old to do this daily, so now I just put them back and wash them if needed.  Yes, I’m lazy (and I don’t have a dishwasher!).

Such a big boy!  He’s taking advantage of Josiah’s naptime to play with his 4 wheeler that Josiah specifically put on the couch to protect from Elijah :)

Silly boy!

How could I choose just one smile?

I can’t say Elijah makes great efforts to communicate, but he certainly likes to mimic sounds we make.  Pretty much any sound will do, but he doesn’t seem interested in words.  That is, until tonight!  The big news is that he said “Mama” tonight!  I don’t think he knows that it’s me since Josiah calls me “Mommy” and Jacob was saying it to him more as a sound effect, but he did it repetitively and purposely, so it was real.  He also calls “kitty kitty”, or at least his version of it, whenever he sees a cat.

More playtime:I couldn’t get a smiling picture because he was so wiggly, but he loved wearing these!

In my post about his 9 month doctor’s visit I said something about the fact that he hadn’t really been sick or needed antibiotics yet.  Well, I spoke too soon.  The next week both boys developed a nasty cough and were put on antibiotics.  Josiah improved quickly, but Elijah became worse and started wheezing constantly, so he was also started on nebulizer treatments.  We’ve done that multiple times a day for a week now and should be able to stop soon since he is getting better.  He’s so cute because he falls asleep during his treatments.  He has to sit upright for the machine to work so when he falls asleep he slumps over and is totally limp and it is almost more difficult to control him than when he’s awake.  I have the technique down now, though.  Thankfully his ears have stayed clear through it all.

Elijah loves to swing.  He protests when you take him out!       

Elijah hasn’t cut any new teeth this month, but there is one that is close.  Between this and his illness, we’ve struggled a bit with sleep.  It is frustrating since we were enjoying perfect sleep prior to this, yet here we are again.  (He STTN last night!  I feel rested.)  He’s doing pretty well, though, and who can blame a baby for wanting to be able to breathe and be pain free?  As for the fits I mentioned, that little fiery redhead can pitch a fit if you take something he wants away from him!  It was almost comical the first time it happened, but now I’m a little concerned about our future with him :)  He does everything passionately – everything from cuddling to tantrums!  Thankfully he’s good and listens well…so far.

Elijah likes to hang out under Josiah when he’s eating his veggies at night before dinner.  He cleans up all the droppings if I don’t get to them first :)

They each enjoy their playmate.

As for the laughs…he provides many.  He’s so smart and funny that we are constantly cracking up at him.  We all love him so much.  Josiah woke from his nap today, and with Elijah still sleeping in the other room, he told me that he loves Elijah.  So sweet.  They do love each other.  I enjoy seeing Elijah laugh in response to Josiah.  Josiah likes to tackle him and tickle him, which is funny to Elijah at first, but his laughter just eggs Josiah on, and then he takes it too far and laughter turns to fussing.  At least he is trying.

I don’t have many pictures with my little guys.  Here we were on our way back to the pediatrician and I noticed we kind of matched, so I had Jacob take advantage and get a quick picture.

Nine Month Checkup

Elijah had his 9 month checkup on Monday.  He was a trooper and did great.  This time we saw one of the nurse practitioners, so we missed out on Dr. Worthington educating us with her great advice, but it went well anyway.

Here are his stats:

Height             29 inches        75%

Weight            17 lb 14 oz      15%

Head Circ.     43.2 cm           10%

So, he is long and lean!  His weight curve has decreased a bit, but after hearing how incredibly active he is, she chalked it up to that since everything else is fine.  We had just started meats and cheeses last week, so we’ll offer more and more of that type of food to keep up with him.  He’s never been too big of an eater or nurser to start with.

I mentioned to her that he has had several bouts of runny nose but no other symptoms and she said that was great because it means he’s fighting off a lot with no problem and that his immune system is healthy and getting healthier.  I thought that was a positive way to put it because I just looked at it as him getting frequently sick.  But I guess it is true…no ear infections or other cause for antibiotics yet!

We ended the visit with a finger prick to check his iron, which was perfect, and two vaccines.  He sat quietly and watched during the finger prick and for vaccines he did his famous no breath, no noise cry until I could pick him up, then he was fine.  He was a little grumpy later that day and slept like a rock, but he did great.

Overall, we are delighted to have a healthy, very active little boy with skinny genetics!  And, by the way, Josiah was a very good boy for all of this and even helped by getting some laughs from Elijah.  He got a doctor’s kit for Christmas and I think he liked seeing how it is used in real life :)

Our Past And Future A Year At A Time

Wow!  Is it possible that 2011 is over?  Didn’t it just start?  Weren’t we just expecting a newborn, dealing with Josiah’s terrible GI issues, and hoping for more precious time with Deda?  Well, all of those major things are over.  They are in the past.  How is it that time just moves right on by despite what seems to be big events in our lives?  It will always be a mystery, I think. 

I feel like I can hardly remember the blur, but this year has been good overall.  We are in pretty good health despite the frequent mild illnesses that have repetitively passed through our family.  We started 2011 with Josiah being plagued by one minor illness after another on top of his ever nagging and worsening GI issues.  We were also frantically trying to get Josiah settled in his new room and the nursery ready to welcome our sweet newcomer, Elijah.  Then there was my ailing grandfather who was doing relatively well, but on his way to declining faster than any of us realized.  Those three things seemed to be the biggest on our plate.  Well, since January those three things that we were bracing for and dealing with have come and gone.  Josiah’s health has improved well past the point where we were crying nearly daily, though he still has hints of an issue here and there and there is still some concern.  We have welcomed a handsome and fun little guy into our family and dealt with, or in truth are still dealing with, the adjustments that that brings.  He, along with Josiah, has filled our days with so many smiles.  And, sadly, we have said goodbye to our beloved Deda.  Though we continue to mourn him, we are thankful for so many things about his life and passing. 

Jacob has continued to grow his fledgling bee business and now has 50 hives and gets calls from other beekeepers to “hire” his bees.  We also have a fun stash of honey to draw from.  I say “fun” because it isn’t worth enough to live off of yet, but we sure enjoy it!  He’s still doing some lawn care while the transition continues.  My job is working out well in that I basically share a full time position with another working mom.  We even use the same babysitter so she can always count on one of us being there.  We are able to communicate easily with one another to arrange a schedule that work for both of us.

We were hoping to begin building our house this winter, but with all the rush of the year, we were just too slow in getting that underway.  It is just as well because the last thing we need right now is more chaos.  We will be having professional drawings done after the first of the year and the current hope and plan is to have everything ready to break ground in early fall of 2012.  I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much, but there are SO many reasons why we want and honestly need (or at least I have so convinced myself) this.  We’ll see!

All in all, it has actually been a fabulous year!  Who wouldn’t love spending time with two awesome little boys and a fantastic husband?  And Deda’s death, while sad, was also merciful in many ways.  Besides, he was just what I needed while here on earth, so how could I complain?  Also, in general, our health is good.  We have jobs that fill the need and keep us mostly stimulated.  And greatest of all, God is good!  He has the master plan that makes sense to him and will work for the greater good.  Sometimes I get blinded by the present, but when I take the time to look up, stop being anxious about the future, and just have faith that he will care for me, I get really excited for what he has in store.  It should be interesting, to say the least :)

So, what will 2012 bring?  Well, we’re pretty tired, so some rest would be nice!  We are trying to focus more on quality time together and fine tuning our efficiency to remedy that.  I plan to thoroughly enjoy my boys so that their development doesn’t just pass me by.  And maybe a steady flow of vitamin C is in order to help stop this ridiculous trend of sickness we’ve been on!  Other than that we are just planning to slowly plug away at life while expanding the bee business and planning that house.  I’m pretty hopeful and excited about it all, actually.

I hope you all have had a wonderful 2011 and that 2012 is even better! 

For The Love Of Tractors…

…And One Little Boy

Several months ago I started looking into where to take Josiah to look at lots of tractors once the weather turned nice (so much for the nice weather!) and I found out about an antique tractor show in Starke at the beginning of December.  So, several weeks ago, despite freezing temperatures, overcast skies, and occasional light rain, Jacob, Elijah, Mom, Bill, and I loaded up for the short road trip.  All for the delight of one little guy.  Let me tell you, he is one loved boy!  We all froze and came home tired, but he loved it and keeps asking to go back.  (Yes, we are a little redneck but not as redneck as the guy at the end of the post!)

This was by far Josiah’s favorite.  He kept trying to get on it even though there was no seat.  The trailer was full of corn cobs.

Yes, it was that cold!

  Poor guy!  I forgot his gloves so I gave him mine.  That only lasted a second and he decided his pockets were better.

This was after I taught him peek-a-boo while we waited on the men.  He loved it!  So funny watching him try to do it himself!

This man was barefoot with flip flops tattooed on his feet!  I guess that allows him to go into stores where shoes and shirt are required :)  I don’t know if he noticed me taking a picture of his feet.

 

Oh, and there happened to be a horse show next door and while they hadn’t yet started before we left, we did get to see some horses and horse trailers (Josiah’s favorite), too.  We’ll have to look into doing that next.

Week Two Of Christmas

Christmas Eve was spent doing some last minute preparations then heading over to Mom’s for a mini get together.  We had a feast then went to the candlelight service at church.  It was packed and our boys were on the bored side, though the service itself was good.  I think we’ll probably skip that for a few more years.  Afterwards we headed back to Mom’s to open presents.  Tommy took some great pictures of our family, but I’ll have to post those later.  I only have a couple snapshots for now.  I think I’m fried with picture-taking.

We got to spend Christmas day here.  It was nice and relaxing.  We had Christmas morning with just us, then my Dad, Gram, Jesse, and Savannah came over for a way-to-big lunch and Mom joined us after church for present opening.  Sadly Caleb’s family and Denise missed out because of work.

My boys!  I love them like crazy.

 

We didn’t get the boys a whole lot of gifts, mostly books and puzzles, because they really didn’t need much and I knew they’d get lots of gifts elsewhere.  (So many, in fact, that I don’t know where we’ll put them all!)  But we did get Josiah this one special thing… He’s wanted this, a truck and horse trailer, for MONTHS.  We figured any 2 year old that can stay focused on one thing for that long deserves to get it!

The family get together: He’s drenched in sweat because he and Savannah had such a blast playing outside.

I think I spent all of Christmas fetching paper from his mouth.

  Josiah and Elijah got cowboy hats for Christmas!  Oh, and these toys are just a drop in the bucket of what we have.  I think something is going to have to go!