Josiah Updates

Wow! I can't even believe that Josiah is nearly 5 months old (January 26)...the time has gone faster than I ever could have imagined. Life has been very busy lately...Eric and I are both swamped at work and have had to work at home more nights than not. So, between work, playing with and feeding Josiah, and sleep, there just hasn't been much time for blogging.

Christmas was a lot of fun, and we got to spend some time with my sister, Kim, which was a surprise and such a joy! Josiah wasn't too interested in his presents, but I can only imagine how fun next year will be. This year I felt truly blessed to have such a wonderful addition to our family!

Josiah has been growing like a weed and he brings so much happiness to our lives. At his four month appointment a few weeks ago he was 15 pounds and 25 1/2 inches long...almost double his birth weight, and nearly 4 inches longer!!! He can do so much now; while he continues to be a very serious baby, he will smile when he sees Eric and I, or when he hears our voice. He giggles and laughs, and LOVES peak-a-boo, "noise in the throat" sounds, jumping, flying, and kisses. He is very needy and always wants to see where you are, and prefers to be held. I'm trying really hard to help him understand he doesn't always need to be carried by one of us, that he can entertain himself, and slowly he's learning.

He got an exersaucer for Christmas and loves to play in that...we call it the ADHD machine because of all the toys, lights, and buttons. Even after we've taken off most of the toys that are removable, there are still SO many, but he loves it. We adopted a name from a nice mom at the doctor too, as in their family they referred to it as "the circle of neglect", sad but true. It allows me to get some things done while he's entertained...I say as he sits in it right now!

Josiah is also able to roll over, and is slowly beginning to discover his hands. He can now move sliding toys around on his swing and exersaucer, and will push things that spin. He will put anything in his mouth, and is a big fan of sucking/chewing on his hands. He is fascinated by lights and music, and I hope he will grow up to be musically inclined.

We have been dealing with our first cold this week, and that has been really challenging to see him so sick...stuffy nose, goopy eyes, and sad cough. But we're on the other end, and the one good thing that came out if it is that the doctors FINALLY agreed to try a different reflux medication. So, now instead of Zantac, he is taking Prevacid, and it appears to be working better so far. He does not like naps, and will only take a very few, very short cat naps during the day, no matter what we try. He does sleep decent at night, waking up once in the middle of the night, and once in the early morning, but will usually go back to sleep with out too much of a protest.

Well, this is all I have for now...hopefully it's enough to satisfy. And just for the record, it took me an hour to create this post because Josiah enjoys crying and being held....so we'll probably see you again in 3 months or so!!

Love,

Eric, Ann and Josiah

Garage Pop

One of the joys of a Michigan winter (yes, there are some joys), is garage pop. Those of our warm weather friends may be thinking, "Garage pop? Has she lost her mind? What in the heck is 'garage pop'?" Well, it is when it is cold enough that you can leave your soda/pop in the garage instead of taking up space it the fridge. The wonder of it is that it starts to get all slushy and tastes oh so delicious...and is frozen going down!

Well, we learned today that when the temperatures reach a sub-zero level, garage pop is not so glorious. We came home to find this....(well, I would show you, but Eric already threw it away), so we came home to find a busted open can of Diet Mountain Dew. Then, I slowly looked to the right to the HUGE 36 pack of Diet Pepsi I had just bought at Costco and was sure that there were casualites there as well. Luckily...we only had two gonners....but the rest are slushy and cold ready to drink!

And yes, I am just going to post three and a half months after my last post and pretend like nothing has happened!

Some Random Pictures

Yeah, I know, one day, three posts...don't get used to it, I'm just trying to make up for lost time. Just thought I'd share some cute pictures from along the way...I hope you enjoy!

Eric being...well, Eric...screwin' around with the Moby Wrap

"Get me outta here!" JD's reaction to his first sumbersion bath

The things you learn...when kept warm during bath time, he does much better!

Music time with Auntie Kim

Play time with daddy

These are some awesome onesies my sister made for JD...she tie-died them in espresso and then hand drew the monkey artwork...caffeinated baby...very cool!

So maybe it's not the safest thing, but the hair dryer is one of the few things to calm this boy down when he gets worked up. Eric and I both trying to make the most of JD's quiet time!

Precious

Cuddle time with mommy

Hanging out with Grandma Ruth

French toast muffins with maple glaze, topped with bacon...you know you want one!

Chez Josiah

So, about a week and a half ago, my mom and sister decided that Eric and I needed a night out and a nice dinner. Since they knew that if we went out we wouldn't really be able to relax, wondering how our tiny one was fairing, they decided to suprise with dinner in at Chez Josiah.

I awoke from a nap to my mother informing us that we had reservations in the "Josiah Lounge" in 10 minutes (the lounge turned out to be our living room). We were there served drinks and yummy (bacon) apetizers.




We were then taken to the dining room, which was decorated with beautiful flowers and candles (from our wedding), and we were then served a meal of delicious meal of parmasean monkey bread, flank steak, dutchess potatoes, and sugar peas.




All of that was topped off with dessert, lemon pudding cake with homemade plum sauce. The meal was top notch and couldn't have been outdone by any restaurant.

Their thoughtfulness touched us and we appreciated the meal so much.

My Favorite Things

No, I'm not talking about raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens...I'm talking about my favorite things about Josiah. As I fed JD last night I just sat staring at him in amazement and thought about all the wonderful things I love about him, and felt compelled to share those things with all of you (along with some pictures).

I love:

1. all the different faces he makes as he's drifting off to sleep

2. the way he grabs my finger and holds on as if he's afraid I'm going to leave him

3. the little squeaky noises he makes, just so that we know he's still there

4. his tiny little baby feet and hands

5. his big gray eyes and the way he looks up at me when I'm holding him

6. the way he smiles, even if it is just because he has gas

7. the way he looks like a little frog when you lay him down in his crib to sleep

8. the way he loves to cuddle up close and be held tight

9. his crooked yawn

10. the way he tries to suck his thumb

11. the way that Eric loves him and looks lovingly at him

There are so many more things to list, but these are just a sampling of the things I love about him. He has truly been such a blessing to our lives, I don't know how we got along without him. He's an amazing little person and I can't wait to see what God has in store for him and our new family.

BACON

So, as I've said, while my sister has been here, she's been making us all of our meals. She also knows that Eric LOVES bacon...all things bacon, and therefore she has made as a wide variety of bacon treats. Here are some of the delicious items we've had:

1. Bacon Candy (bacon cooked with brown sugar on top of it)
2. French toast flavored muffins with maple glaze frosting and bacon on top
3. Bacon empanadas
4. Water chestnuts wrapped in bacon in a tangy sauce
5. Bacon salt (which you can put on anything to make it taste like bacon)

And yet to be had...cinnamon rolls unwrapped with a piece of bacon re-wrapped in it. She also made bacon ice cream with her friend before coming to see us...this sounds a bit strange to me, but she swears it was delicious.

If anyone else thinks that any of these items sound delicious, let me know and I'll get you a recipe!

It's me again

Well, I thought it was time to finally give you all some updates, as it's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I've had threats of being disowned from my family, threats of stalking from friends, and phone calls pleading for new pictures. This post will contain no pictures as many of them are on my sisters camera and I need to get the computer and organize our pictures...but really, I promise this time that they will be coming soon.

As for me, I'm finally feeling better...my incision is healing, but it's been a very long road. I'm now able to get down on the floor and play with JD, lay on my side comfortably without feeling like my insides will spill out, get up and down wihtout too much dificulty and walk around with JD...these all seem like small things, but to me are major accomplishments. It took two weeks to get my staples out which was a nightmare, but I felt great after that. About a week ago I was able to progress from sweat pants to jeans...although I reserve them for special ocassions!

JD is doing pretty well, we have our fussy times, but overall he's a good baby. The past two days have been challenging as when he's awake and isn't eating, he's been crying. He is incosolable and seems so unhappy, but I just can't figure out what's wrong. The only thing that calms him down is running the hair dryer, and you better be in a comfortable position, because there's no moving once he's asleep because he'll wake up screaming! Interestingly, it only seems to have been during the day (which I am grateful for), and he does pretty well at night.

I can't believe that JD is a month old already...it seems that we just brought him home. He's getting so big and I can't believe how much he's changed already. I realized that tomorrow will be half way through my 10 week maternity leave and that makes me very sad, it's going to be so hard to leave him. I find that my favorite times with him though are during the night, when it's just he and I and I'm feeding him. He's so calm and I just love looking at his face and I can't believe that this beautiful baby belongs to Eric and I, that we've been so blessed, and that this perfect child is our responsibility. That, the fact that we are responsible for this little life, is still surprising and scary at times, but Eric is great and we are getting through this together.

Having my mom and sister here has been great. My mom left last week, and that was very sad, but I think she likes her grandson so much that we'll be seeing her fairly frequently. My sister is here for about five more days, and she has been amazing, just being suportive, making meals, and making us laugh. We feel so blessed to have been supported by so many friends and family.

I promise to post more pictures soon...but there are at least some updates on our new family.