Joshua Update

Joshua had a near potty success on Tuesday. We went in the bathroom and Joshua said he wanted to potty with no diaper so I took it off and we waited. It wasn't long before he started to pee, but as soon as he did he stood up so he actually ended up going on his shorts, socks, shoes, and a magazine he'd been playing with. He was upset at first but we celebrated it and said it was an accident and we were so proud of him. It wasn't long before he say walking around happily saying 'I pee-pee in potty" which was a nearly accurate statement. Yea! We called all the grandparents so they could celebrate too.

He had his follow up visit with the ENT and all is well so we are ready to go on vacation next week and swim and have a good time!

We decided to out to eat for dinner at Bonefish Grill which is a favorite of Mommy and Daddy. At one point Matt left the table to use the restroom and Joshua asked me "Where Daddy go?" I told him Daddy had to potty so he turned toward Matt and said (loudly)"Wash hands Daddy! Daddy, wash hands!" We got a big laugh out of this, though the restaurant was so loud Matt didn't hear him. We are proud of our button's attention to good hygiene.

Lastly here are a few pics of Joshua's big boy room. There are some finishing touches going on, but you get the idea. Perhaps after vacation we will actually start using it.

Tubes in ears

Joshua had tubes placed in both his ears on Tuesday. Mommy and Daddy were very nervous but the staff took great care of our baby boy. Before the surgery Joshua, Mommy, and Daddy were in a pediatric prep room that was full of books which Joshua really enjoyed reading as various staff members came by to say hello and tell us their role in the procedure (anesthesiologist, nurses, doctor, etc.) Shortly before they took him to surgery they gave him some oral medicine to relax him and it really worked. We were reading a book to him about a bear and on every other page the bear got in a situation where he fell down. After Joshua was relaxed he would point at the bear and laugh like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen and say “The bear fell down!” He was so happy that when a nurse came in to take him away he didn’t fuss or anything, he simply hugged his sock monkey and chatted as she carried him away.

The staff had warned us that Joshua would be fussy/ disoriented when he woke up and they weren’t kidding. When they brought us into recovery he was crying and bucking and flopping his head around and his eyes weren’t even open. Eventually he would semi-calm down and open his eyes but that would start off a new round of tears and squirming. He didn’t really calm down until we had him in the car heading home. He drank his sippy cup of apple juice and went to sleep. Later Daddy made him some waffles which he loves to eat. Joshua spent most of the day in his mommy’s arms, but by late afternoon he was back to himself except he fell down more than usual – probably adjusting to the pressure change in his head.

We’ve noticed in the days following that his eating has improved. We’re not sure if it’s due to him feeling better or is he’s having a growth spurt. Either way it’s a welcome change. Joshua hates the drops we have to put in his ears as well as the oral antibiotic he’s taking – at least when Mommy and Daddy are there. When we have to give him drops, it takes both Matt and me to hold him down because he is kicking, crying, and shaking his head. No amount of love or promises of treats would help. I was talking to his teacher on Friday and said “I bet you’re glad you won’t have to give him anymore drops.” That’s when she told me what an angel he is. Apparently when it was medicine time Joshua would climb into her lap and lie on his side and point to his ear and say “Drops in here!” Then roll to the other side and repeat. Needless to say I was shocked so Friday evening I said “Let’s do drops like Miss Terri.” He agreed and laid in my lap while I administered the drops. On the one hand I’m glad he’s so well behaved in public, but on the other hand why can’t he give mommy a break? Oh well, we are glad our little guy is feeling better.

Baby #2

I haven't posted much about the pregnancy lately, but all is well with Mommy and Baby #2. He still doesn't have a name, but the list is getting shorter... as is the time we have left to make a decision. This little guy is active all the time. Matt has asked if I can tell what his sleep patterns are and so far I think he's awake and active all the time. He's also super strong. I've put Matt's hand on my belly when the baby is really moving around and he's always shocked. I think we're going to have our hands full with this lil' guy.

A lot of people ask me "What does Joshua think about all this?" The truth is, I know he doesn't really have a clue. You can ask him "Where's baby brother?" and he'll kiss my belly. And he includes baby brother in his bedtime prayers, but other than that I think it's a pretty foreign concept. My lap is getting pretty crowded which aggravates him sometimes and he'll push on my tummy trying to make room. Daddy has taken over the bedtime routine which is good because I'll probably be occupied with feeding Baby brother and getting him ready for bed. It's a special guy time for them. I'm a little jealous of their quiet time together, but then I get to relax, read a book, or go to sleep early which makes me appreciate the down time. Also I have to brag on daddy and say he gives the best foot rubs and back rubs, absolutely spoiling Mommy. Thanks Daddy! We love you!Joshua's pointing at Baby Brother.

July News

We spent the 4th of July in town and took Joshua to Downtown Milton to watch the fireworks. It was a perfect evening outside and despite the crowd, we got a great parking spot (always important to a preggie). This was the first time Joshua had seen fireworks and he was scared of the noise. But as long as he was sitting in his Daddy’s lap with a death grip on Daddy’s shirt, he was happy and enjoyed them.

We took Joshua to an ENT and confirmed that he needs tubes in his ears. We have that scheduled for next week so we can get this out of the way before vacation. He sat in Daddy’s lap while the doctor checked him out and was a really good boy. Mommy and Daddy are anxious, but it will be a good thing when this is behind us and Joshua is well.

Joshua had a new first yesterday. He picked out his clothes -- or at least his top (he didn't want to wear shorts, but his mommy made him). I laid out Joshua's clothes like I do every morning and while I was lotioning him we were talking about the colors on his shirt. He said "No, I want that" and pointed to the cradle of clothes in our room. At first I said "Let's wear this" while holding up what I had picked out, but he starting crying and saying "no no no" so I let him down. He carefully looked at the pile of clothes and selected a shirt with a big smile. He was so proud of himself. When I told the ladies at his daycare they all cheered for him and he was a happy boy.

This happened again this morning only this time he pulled out some footed fleece pajamas. He was terribly upset that I wouldn’t let him wear them. I must be a mean mommy for not letting him wear winter clothes in July when the heat index is around 105! From now on there will be two options and the other clothes will be hidden/ put away.Where's Baby Brother?

Pool Pictures

Here are a few pool pictures from Huntsville.

TN Aquarium and Helen Keller

We decided to take a family vacation over a 4-day weekend. Matt, Joshua, and I drove up to Birmingham after work on Friday to see Grandaddy (Matt’s dad). The next morning Mommy met up with her godparents to go to Tuscumbia for the Helen Keller festival (I’ll explain why at the end of the blog) while Joshua and Daddy explored Grandaddy’s lot for a new house and then drove to Huntsville to see Grandottie and JerryPop. Mommy had a great time visiting with her parents, sisters, godparents, Denise and Shirley. We toured Ivy Green (Helen Keller’s birthplace), Wilson Lock and Dam, and Pope’s Tavern (a Civil War site). I got to reminisce with my family about trips we made here growing up. Also we got to celebrate Mom and Dad’s 39th anniversary and Mary Rose and Brian’s 37th anniversary. Joshua and Daddy got to spend quality time with Grandottie, JerryPop, Aunt Morgan, Uncle Jason, and cousins Sammy, Gracie, and Nick. On Sunday, Mommy, Daddy, Grandottie, and Joshua headed to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium. Joshua really got into watching to fish and telling them “bye bye fishes” when we moved on to the next exhibit. He hugged the glass to ooh and ahh over all that he saw. Matt and I were so pleased that he seemed to have a great time. On Monday we went swimming at the pool, wished Grandottie and JerryPop a happy anniversary, and then headed back to Bham to have dinner with Grandaddy and wish him a happy birthday. We returned home on Tuesday to relax before heading back to work. It was a great trip and we enjoyed seeing everyone soo much!**The story behind Ivy Green** When we were growing up, mom used to take her 4 girls to visit her friend Elaine VandenBurgh and her 3 kids in Florence, AL. The V's had twin girls the same age as my twin sisters and a little boy the same age as my younger sister. Let me first say there is not a lot to do in NW Alabama, especially when you are looking for inexpensive fun. One of the places our moms used to like to visit was Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller. This wouldn't have been so bad if we went once or twice, but we went a lot over the years. It went from educational to torture in a short time. Steph got really proficient at reenacting HK at the water pump and telling HK jokes to the point that mom said "If you can't act any better than this, we just won't go." To which Steph (and us) replied "Thank you!" Another place we used to visit was Wilson Lock and Dam to watch boats go up the TN River. In hindsight this was really dangerous considering we kids used to entertain ourselves by sticking our heads, arms, legs, over the edge to pretend we were falling in to freak out the outnumbered moms. Keep in mind we would have been ages 9, 9, 9, 9, 7, 5, and 5. It made for good memories and a nice place for a picnic lunch.Steph and Chad's dramatic reinactment

Another Ear Infection

Joshua has another ear infection in both ears. He’s been a sickie lately with goopy eyes and a runny nose, but it appeared to be a cold and there was no fever and the ped’s office called in some eye drops so we watched him. Matt and I noticed Joshua tugging a little at an ear when he was going to sleep and waking up in the morning. I asked Joshua in the morning “Does your ear hurt?” to which he nodded. I really thought I had a breakthrough in figuring out the ear infection and even Matt was excited so I decided to test my theory. I asked “Does your nose hurt?” Then Joshua nodded and touched his nose. Then I asked “Well do your toes hurt?” And he responded by touching his toes and saying “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” and looked up at me and smiled. So much for my breakthrough, it apparently was a game. I still took him to the ped’s office and found out both of his ears were rotten so besides prescribing a shot and antibiotics, the doctor also gave us a referral to the ENT who will likely want tubes in his ears. We will go in a couple weeks. I’m a little sad because I know it will be traumatic for Joshua, but it will be good when he is well. The pediatrician was really nice and gave Joshua a Thomas the Train sticker. Joshua waved and gave him a hi-five. The shots were not too bad and the nurse gave Joshua a sucker. He apparently didn’t have any hard feelings abut the shots and waved and told her “bye-bye” when we were leaving.**Side note: This picture was taken a few days later when he was feeling better. It's just such a fun picture, I wanted to post it.

Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day! Joshua, Baby #2, and I are blessed to have such a wonderful husband and father. Joshua adores his daddy and talks so much about him that Baby #2 can’t wait to meet him. Something Joshua always does when we are backing out of the garage on the way to work/daycare is he waves to the house and says “Bye bye Daddy!” and blows him a kiss, even though Matt is inside usually putting the dogs in their room and locking the doors. Another sweet thing Joshua does in the afternoons is any time my phone rings he asks “Daddy call?” and then wants to talk to him. He’s always a little disappointed if it’s someone else. Then as soon as he hears Matt open the door when he gets home, Joshua runs to the front door chanting “Daddy home! Daddy home!” It’s quite the reception! Happy Father’s Day Matt! We love you!!

First Fight

As part of our morning routine, after I woke Joshua up, I held him in my arms and gave him a sippy cup of milk to drink. While he was drinking he was leaning against my tummy at just the right spot and his brother kicked him. First he just cut his eyes to the side to glare at my tummy (did I mention he's not much of a morning person?). Then the baby kicked in the same spot again. This time Joshua, still drinking from his sippy cup leaned in to push back. It cracked Matt and I up. And so it begins...

Busy Days/ Joshua Stories

We have been busy the last few weeks. Joshua and Mommy have both been sick. And Mommy and Daddy have been busy preparing for baby #2. I think we've been too tired to come up with a nickname, but I guess there is time. Most of that preparation has really involved fixing up a big boy room for Joshua. I am in my third trimester and overall am doing great, though I'm pretty tired. Joshua is growing and learning so much. He likes to point at mommy's belly and say "baby" and give his brother a kiss. He also loves to say "Yea Alabama! Roll Roll Tide!" His favorite two books, which have each been read at least 500 times in the last month are 2 Alabama books. Now for a few Joshua stories... **Umm, for the record, we don't usually potty in the living room, but this was when the potty was brand new and Joshua really wanted to try it out, while reading an Alabama book.**

Something he recently started doing was getting picky about what "bites" he would eat. When Matt and I were feeding him cereal, we would offer a spoonful of cereal and he would say "Not that bite" and he'd point to the cereal "That bite!" So we'd spoon another bite of cereal and often times he would eat the bite and other times he'd look at it and say "No, not that bite, that bite!" and he'd point at the cereal. Of course there is no way to reason with him and say "It's all the same." We were just glad he was eating some breakfast.Yesterday I was on the floor reading books with Joshua and he needed a diaper. I told him "Do you want a diaper? Help mommy up." Usually he likes to "pull" me up and feel so proud of himself, but yesterday he walked a few steps in front of me and shook his finger and said "Get up Mommy!" It wasn't the friendly tactic I was hoping for - more like a drill sergeant.Over the weekend Matt and I were working on some projects around the house and watching Joshua. At one point I slipped off to go to the bathroom. Joshua didn't notice at first, but when he did he came running. Normally I leave the bathroom door cracked so he can come in and sit on his potty if he wants to, but this time I shut the door. Obviously he wasn't expecting it and ran into the door. When I opened the door he was sprawled out on the ground crying with the sippy cup, football, and stuffed animal he was carrying nearby. I said "You're okay." But he kept rubbing his head and saying "It went boom! It went boom!"