Birthday Party at Play School

That's my boy, looking at the camera during the blessing.Yea Blue Icing!
Here are a few pics from Joshua's classroom party at day care. It was actually a joint party with the ones and the twos since he just changed classrooms. I was glad his one year old teacher, Miss Terri was there because Joshua just loves her. Oh and I let Joshua pick out his clothes for his birthday and he wanted to wear his "Alabama Roll Tide" T-shirt.
Yummy cupcakes!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Opening Birthday PresentsJoshua's big birthday treat at McGuire's
Happy Birthday Joshua! I can't believe my baby boy is 2! You are a wonderful little boy and you amaze your father and me every day. We feel truly blessed to get to raise you. There are so many interesting qualities that make you who you are. I'm going to list a few because I could write about what a great guy you are for days. Here goes:
>You love to sing! And when you sing, you have one volume - Very Loud! Here are some songs that you enjoy singing and know all the words to: Barney I love you song; Baa, Baa, Black sheep; ABCs (the whole song in the correct order without skipping letters); Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; My Bonnie lies over the ocean (you say 'Be Back' instead of 'Bring back.'); Rock-a-Bye Baby; Baby Bumble Bee; My Little buttercup (from the Three Amigos). Sometimes you start with one song (ABCs) and then loop all the songs you know back to back.
>When we ask you what your name is, you point to yourself and say "Joshua Chatham." Then when we ask you how old you are, you enthusiastically say "I two!" while holding up 4 fingers.
>You LOVE Barney. We talk a lot about Barney first thing in the morning, on the way to play school, on the way home after work, during dinner, bedtime, etc. You also talk about Barney's friends Baby Bop and BJ. You sing the "I Love You" song all the time. You ask "Can we see Barney on TV?" Daddy and Mommy aren't nearly as thrilled as you are but its cute that you really like it.
>You like to talk on the phone. I often call Grandma on the way home from work and pass the phone to you so you can talk to her. Mostly you talk about how much you like Barney and Teddy Bears (I often give you teddygrahams on the way home as a snack).>As you've probably picked up from the previous bullets, you love to talk. I can't even count all the words you know. You also repeat everything you hear. Mommy and Daddy are *learning* to spell out loud - not an easy feat for a couple engineers.
>You love the Alabama Crimson Tide. Anytime you see a logo you say "Alabama Roll Tide!" which is usually followed by "Football! Helmet!" You have a book you've memorized that has all kinds of UA info which you like to talk about. Anytime you hear a crowd cheering you start clapping and say "Yea Alabama! Roll Tide!", regardless of what they are cheering for. Mommy and Daddy could not be prouder. Of course living in Florida has taken its toll on you. The girls in day care have taught you to say "chomp, chomp" anytime you see a gator. Fortunately we don't own any Florida apparel so it doesn't come up much at home.
>You are surprisingly athletic. You can jump, clearing both feet off the ground. You can throw balls, roll balls, and kick balls. You have thrown a football with a spiral a few times. You can stand on your tippy toes and reach everything in the house - ok maybe an exaggeration, but you can get in your sight.
>Stats from your 2 year checkup: You are 35in tall (50th %) and weigh 25.5lbs (almost 25th %). You are ahead on all your milestones. You let the doctor hold you which surprised him. You spent most of the checkup "reading" books on the exam table. You announced "I read book." and proceeded to read several books.
>You are definitely a lefty and have been for some time. How'd that happen?
>You are not a great eater, but your favorite foods are steak, crab claws, and pizza.
>Most of all, we love you very much! Happy Birthday button!Yummy!

I thought it was funny...

In preparation of my baby boy's birthday tomorrow, I was remembering the events of 2 years ago. The last thing Matt and I did before I went into labor was run some errands and have lunch at Zaxby's. So today I called him and asked him what he wanted for lunch. He said it didn't matter so I should pick. "In that case I think we should go to Zaxby's for old times sake." There was a short pause and he replied "I'm not ready for that. In fact I'm putting a moratorium on all visits to Zaxby's for the next 2 weeks!" Ha!

On another note we recently gave Joshua a baby doll, or "educational toy," to practice holding a baby and being gentle with one. Joshua surprised us with being very sweet to "Baby." He holds him with both arms, gives him sweet kisses, puts him in the cradle when he's tired of holding him, he even propped baby up in his superman chair with a book so 'Baby can read book.' Now most of these activities are too much for a newborn, but we were pleased that Joshua never threw Baby or jumped on him.All worn out after dinner.

Joshua's Beach Birthday Party

Here are a few pictures from Joshua's birthday party with Mommy's family at the beach. He had a great time opening the presents. While he did blow out his candles, he really wasn't into eating his cupcake though he did feed mommy some and it was yummy. Special thanks to Aunt Stoppie for making them!Also thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the fun Barney plates and decorations!

Beach Vacation 2010

Relaxing at the beach.
Playing with Jillian.
Higher Daddy! I like the immingming pool.Keep your eyes on the waves Grandma and Grandpa.In the ocean with Mommy.
We just got back from a fun week at the beach with mommy’s family and some friends. We stayed at a house on Seacrest Beach. The beach was wonderful nearly every day, the pool was relaxing and cool, and the weather was perfect, though incredibly hot. Daddy came for a couple days which were fun. And all week mommy and Joshua were showered with love and attention. Joshua got his fill of watching Barney, giving out kisses, and celebrating his birthday – a little early, but surrounded by family (birthday pics will be posted in the next blog). He made new friends with Grayson and Jillian while the Benzaia’s were in town. The week really flew by and we’re a little sad we have to wait another whole year to go back. On the other hand, next year should be twice the fun with 2 birthday boys in the house. Thanks to my family for a great time and for hauling all my stuff (including Joshua) up and down the stairs at the beach, well and everywhere we went!Hangin' with Grandpa.I love my Aunts Elaine, Denise, and Celeste!Mommy, Daddy, and JoshuaThe whole gang.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary! I can’t believe it’s been 6 years. When I was shopping for anniversary cards I saw a funny one that summed up my thoughts. It went something like this “To the man that knows everything about me…” Then you open it up “And married me anyway.” I love you!

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?