2013 Begins

Here are some updates for January 2013.  It was a big month!

Joseph had his 9-month well-baby check up.  He measured 27.25" long (10-25th percentile) and weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces (5-10th percentile) at the visit.  These stats are a little off of his growth curves from his previous visits, though his head circumference of 44.75 cm is right on the 25-50th percentile growth curve he's been on all this first year.  January was a break from teething, diarrhea, and diaper rash, and we're hoping his appetite keeps up with his activity level, so the he shows appropriate weight and length gain at his 12-month well-baby visit.

Activity level....January was a huge month for Joseph.  Just after we returned from our big holiday travels, in the very first week of the month, he figured out how to pull himself to standing.  He was VERY proud of himself for this, squealing with delight at his completely new vantage point.  For the first week or so, he would whimper, whine, or squeak insistently to get our attention that he was ready to be helped back down to the floor.  Within a couple of weeks, he had figured out how to get himself down from standing so he could move to another location in the room.  Nice job, Joseph!  His army-crawl has gotten much faster, and he has also started hands-and-knees crawling.  He can even crawl with an object in hand (or mouth!), trying to get away from us with something considered "contraband," usually laughing and squealing as he tries to get away.  Very cute!

Enjoying a morning at our favorite coffee shop, trying to climb the bags of beans

I'm up -- look out!

See how proud and happy I am of my new feat!

I know I'm not supposed to drink from Jadyn's cups,
but I try to whenever I can get my hands on them.

In the middle of the month, he started running a low-grade fever for week or so, which was sometimes accompanied by decreased appetite, and one day it spiked high enough that he was sent home from school.  (He wasn't really sick at all, and only missed a day.)  An front upper tooth emerged from his gums within a week of that.  So know we are pretty sure what to expect, what we all endure, when Joseph gets new tooth.  Totally different from Jadyn's teething experiences -- makes sense, since they are totally different kids!

Joseph is trying all kinds of food now, and he is very interested in eating as often as we'll include him in a meal, even though sometimes he just shovels bits of finger foods in his mouth, and then stores them in there like a rodent would.  Gross!  When we started him on Cheerios, he gagged on them, until we broke them in half and moistened them.  We also tried some puffs, and these went over pretty well.  By the end of the month, he was handling these sorts of finger foods much better.  Lately, his teachers have reported that he really enjoys eating peas.  Go figure!

Service, please!

Having some finger food at school

Joseph loves music!  He sways back and forth when he hears a tune, either something we sing or from one of his electronic toys.  Pat-a-cake is also great fun these days.  He can make several cool noises with his own mouth and tongue, and he sings "aaaaahhhhh" while tapping his chest, to hear how the tapping alters the sound.  When we visit parks and playgrounds, he loves to be on a swing, either by himself or in a parent's lap.  He seems to understand lots of different words, waving hello and goodbye appropriately, and we think he is signing "all done" now and then (we've been working on a few signs consistent with the ones they use most often at school).

Chillin' on the couch

I really like being on a swing!

Jadyn had a busy month, too.  We went to a play with friends one weekend and to the zoo on the holiday Monday.  Even though it was chilly, we had fun seeing animals and keeping moving.

At the play with Zoe

Enjoying the zoo

Jadyn has also taken quite an interest in cooking.  She helps us make all sorts of things, including croutons, macaroni and cheese, cookie and waffle batter, and even our espresso in the morning.  Now if we could just get her to help with the dishes and the laundry!

Helping Mom make croutons

Ouch!

She did have an interesting fall at school one afternoon, slipping on a raised ledge that was a little too sandy for her to manage, and she hit her face on the way down.  All teeth are intact, thankfully, and the swelling went down quickly.  She's such a trooper!

And here are the two kids, just hanging out, saying hi.  We'll post more photos as the month continues....