Beach Trip Take 2

We took Joshua to the beach this weekend. The weather looked beautiful though it was very very windy! Matt and I planned on a relaxing trip to the beach because after all, what could be more relaxing than lying on the beach? Well it turns out sitting on a towel isn't much fun for a little man on the move. Joshua, who looked adorable in his beach outfit, preferred crawling on the beach towels and pulling them up to expose the sand underneath. Mommy and Daddy tried entertaining him in the shade so he wouldn't try to eat the sand, which was hard work. As you can see from the pictures Joshua eventually settled down and we had a few quiet minutes before packing up our gear and heading home.

Crawling

Here is a video of Joshua crawling. It was taken on Easter right after he learned to get around. Enjoy!

New Tricks

Joshua is learning all kinds of new tricks since learning to crawl. He enjoys exercising his new found freedom... and he's getting faster. It's all I can do to set him down on the rug, place clothes in the dryer and run back to catch Joshua before he reaches the kitchen floor. Here is an update on some of his new tricks:

*Joshua likes clapping at himself. He'll crawl somewhere, then sit up and clap at himself looking around for others to clap with him. He's so proud! He does this over and over, even if he's only crawled a foot from where he was sitting. He is so happy!

*Joshua is a fan of the song, Itsy Bitsy Spider. He stops whatever he's doing when I sing it to him, even if I'm not doing the hand signals. This has come in especially handy when I'm changing him.

*Joshua tried his first solid "dry" food on Sunday. Matt and I gave him an apple flavored wagon wheel. He turned it over in his hands before trying a bite. I think he enjoyed it, especially against his sore gums. While it was tasty fun, there was a mishap which hopefully Joshua learned from. At one point he put the entire wagon wheel in his mouth which caused him to gag and he threw up all over his daddy. Yuck!

Rubber Ducky

I love this picture of Joshua in the bath. He really enjoys bath time. He splashes and plays. He has 3 rubber duckies that swim in his bath, though normally they spend more time in his mouth than in the water, until one by one he throws them out of the tub. One of our favorite bath time rituals is for Joshua to moon his daddy right before he gets in the tub. I usually say in a falsetto voice "Hey Daddy..." with Joshua sitting on my arm with his back to his daddy and my hand hiding his bum, and then "Boop!" I move my hand and Joshua flashes his daddy. It's silly, but we all have a good time.

More Teeth!

Joshua is getting more teeth. I noticed Easter weekend that he had a tooth coming in up top and a couple days later another one started right next to it. To be clear he's getting his right front tooth and the one right next to it. The days of his sweet gummy grin are numbered.
**Special thanks to Matt for catching my typo. ;)

Happy Easter!!

Hope everyone had a very Happy Easter. Matt, Joshua, and I were fortunate enough to get to travel home to Bham to see our family. Joshua had a great time visiting everyone and showing off his new skills. Our little man is crawling all over the place. He had a great time playing with his cousins and chasing after Easter eggs. He really enjoyed a talking egg that his aunts Celeste and Elaine gave him.Easter Sunday was especially nice because all of Matt's family went to church together. We took up a row and a half. And we played pass the baby as family took turns holding Joshua.

8 months old and on the move

Joshua is now 8 months old. What a difference a month makes! On Thursday night the light came on and Joshua started crawling. He had been working towards this goal and it finally came together. It's just in time to show off to all the family we'll see over Easter! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of Joshua. We love to cheer him on. In honor of Joshua being 8 months old, here are 8 things you may not know about him.
1. Joshua has started crawling (okay, you know this if you've read the previous paragraph). He has a very serious face and sometimes, despite his best efforts, he ends up moving backwards.
2. Joshua enjoys shaking his head left and right, especially when he's on his back. He laughs and laughs that the world looks so funny when shaken.
3. He has become increasingly twisty when I am trying to change him. Especially if I'm in the car and changing him in my lap.
4. Joshua is such a happy little boy! Grins so big he loses paci (a soothie is still his favorite. He rejects most others). His laugh is so sweet and genuine. When he laughs, which is often, it just lights up a room.5. Joshua has super long eyelashes. It's the one thing he gets complimented most about. Mommy is jealous. I would love to have lashes that long!
6. He still does not enjoy time on his tummy, even in his sleep. Earlier this week, Joshua awoke about 2AM in a full out scream. I went in to check on him and he must have fallen onto his tummy (he is a side sleeper) and then pushed up onto all fours and became stuck. I picked him up, put his paci in his mouth and laid him back down on his side and he was out, instantly. I then told Daddy, he needed to lower the crib from bassinet level, which he did the next night.7. Joahua is ticklish, especially on toes and neck. It's so fun to make him giggle and squirm while playing with his toes or goosing him under his neck.
8. Joshua is proficient at trading his paci as well as toys from hand to hand. He has also recently started clapping. This is a very entertaining trick for him. He has also become better at finding his paci and putting it back in his mouth while asleep in his crib. This is an especially haandy trick that Mommy and Daddy are excited about!

And of course Joshua loves his mommy and daddy. when no one else can make him happy, mommy and daddy are there to soothe him, make him laugh, hug him, and love him. You are our sweet button boy and we love you so!