December Fun, Part 1

December was crazy busy, which is why it has taken us until now to try to catch up with posting.  Fall quarter ended for Jenny the first week of December, and then it became the usual mad dash to prepare for holiday travels and gift-giving.  Before we left Seattle, we did get to enjoy the holiday lights at the Zoo, a trip to the climbing gym to celebrate a friend's birthday, and a small dinner party that included some cookie decorating.  Fun stuff!

Jadyn and Daddy on the carousel at Wild Lights at the Zoo

Jadyn's  new solar system puzzle

All done!

Climbing up

About as high as she could make herself go

Decorating cookies

She loved every minute

Joseph's health improved in December, but his killer diaper rash continued, as his first tooth broke through right as he turned 8 months old with another to come a few weeks later.  We may have used more diaper rash cream on this poor guy from mid-November to mid-December than we did on Jadyn her entire first year.  Ouch!  But otherwise, Joseph is pretty much all smiles, commando-crawling and trying to stand.  He can hold himself in a sitting position pretty well now, loves his baths, and enjoys all sorts of fun on the floor -- toys, Jadyn's puzzles, wrapping paper....

He really loves the water, and he barely
fits in his baby bathtub these days!

Looking super cute in pjs Jadyn wore
during her first Christmas season

 

The kids continue to enjoy each other immensely.  Jadyn is almost too aggressive with hugging him; even though he's bigger now, she forgets he's still a baby.  They make each other laugh so much!  What a blessing they are to us....

The Slog Known As November

We lived through a slog known as November back when Jadyn was an infant, but, honestly, we had forgotten the depth of how truly awful it was.  Joseph, sadly, has not been immune to the cold viruses that drag kids down that first fall in daycare, and combine that with his unpleasant reaction to antibiotics, Jadyn enjoying some GI issues of her own, and parents suffering through far too many sleep disruptions, we can safely say this November has been tough for the entire family.  We'll spare you the nasty details and focus instead on some of the higher notes of life since our last post.

Jadyn enjoyed several outings and birthday parties with friends from school.  She still adores parks and running around outside as much as possible; she has learned to pump on a swing, if you get her started with a push.  She has started texting messages to Daddy on Mommy's phone (sheesh) and is getting so incredibly good at puzzles, sounding out words, drawing pictures and doing crafty things, and writing.  She loves helping out with her baby brother as well as playing with older kids.  She's as sassy and opinionated as ever, quick as a flash, and has a great sense of humor.  She'll tell you she is "3 and 3/4" and her birthday is on February 12th.  Daddy has taught her the "50 Nifty United States" song, so she can sing all 50 states in alphabetical order, which has only increased her fascination with maps.  So whenever we talk about other places, she'll want to know which state it's in.  How fun!

Joseph is still trying to figure out how to move forward.  He does an awesome plank pose, drops to his knees, and then rocks back and forth, before pushing back too much with his arms so that his feet and shins slide away from his center, moving him backwards.  It won't be long and he'll be getting anywhere he wants to!  He loves playing in water (his bath, Jadyn's bath, washing hands at the sink), banging toys on surfaces (second only to chewing on things), and jumping in the jumper we finally remembered to make available to him.  We've resurrected the top of the music table (he isn't able to stand on his own yet) for him to play with, and it has entertained Jadyn a bit as well.  He loves being on the swings at the park, and watching Jadyn and Daddy throw t-shirts or other soft objects at each other is hilarious fun for Joseph, too.  He has started saying "mamamamama" specifically when Mom arrives to pick him up at school or comes into a room from a short absence.  He can say "dadadadada" as well.  If he's saying Jadyn, we're having trouble picking it out.  It will come soon, though, no doubt!

 

Playing in the inner tube at school

The kids endured the flights to and from Denver for Thanksgiving quite well, despite both of them being less than 100% at the time.  Our visit was too short, as usual, and it was great to see our friends there.  Jadyn got along famously with Maxine, and Enzo adored Baby Joseph.  Christmas will bring more travels, but for now we'll hunker down and enjoy rainy Seattle for a few weeks.  Hope you had a great November!

Enzo holding Joseph

More Fun Photos and Some Catching Up

So the recent post about Halloween was just a quick one, and we have more to share about our October.

Joseph turned 6 months on October 4th. At his check up, he was 15 pounds, 15 ounces (21st percentile), and 26.25 inches long (40th percentile).  Both are markedly lower percentiles than at his 4 month check up.  When asked if that was a concern, the doctor pointed to him, as he wriggled and writhed non-stop for his visit with her, and said, "It's a simple equation for calories in and calories out.  Look at how much he's moving!  It's no wonder."  And so, that's that.  His massive growth spurt from 2 months to 4 months has moderated, thankfully, and we have noticed that he still fits in most of his 6 month sized clothes.  That keeps us from having to go crazy with clothes shopping; we'll take it.  These two photos were taken within a couple days on either side of Joseph's half-birthday.

This month he has improved his mobility by twisting his body as he rolls over, so that he can use rolling to get from one place to another.  He pushes on heavy stationary objects with his feet and legs to change directions, and he is gaining core strength by trying to sit up from a completely prone position.  His teachers at school regularly comment on how he is "all muscle", and this week he has begun doing pushups -- on his tip-toes, not just on his knees!  Also, he likes to use his feet for things, such as tapping (banging?) his feet on surfaces to hear the noise and lifting objects near his feet toward his hands.  His teachers also say he is a big flirt, noticing all who enter the room, smiling at them and basking in the attention they pay him.  We always knew he was a pretty social kid around us, but apparently he is like that even when we are not with him!  He has adjusted to school pretty well, although, similar to his big sister way back when, Joseph does not nap for very long in the infant room, when there is so much other activity happening around him.  Jenny visits him once a day most days so he can have a milk snack, and sometimes he falls asleep with her, and then she gets to tuck him in to his crib for a nap.  We feel so lucky the kids are close by at least one parent during the work week!  These photos were taken one morning in his classroom....

 

Joseph has wavered between being enthusiastic about eating and mildly tolerating eating.  He is definitely more of a veggie guy: green beans and squash are big hits.  Carrots and pears are OK.  Peaches gave him a bright red bottom (or so we think).  Some days rice cereal is yummy; other days he doesn't really want much of that gruel.  Maybe some new teeth will be poking through soon.  Regardless, he often enjoys sitting at the table with us at meal times, and he has picked up a messy habit of "making raspberries", as seen here (and it gets very messy when he does it with a mouthful of food).

Hanging out -- the Boppy has many uses!

And, of course, the love between siblings is magical....

Trick or Treat!

Just a couple of quick Halloween photos, with hopes to post more October photos and updates soon....  The weather has been wet and windy lately, and Halloween day was no exception.  Though the ground was wet, there wasn't too much rain falling during the actual trick-or-treat adventure, and the temperatures were in the 50's.  Jadyn wanted to be a princess this year, and Joseph was content in a Mommy-chosen dragon costume that kept him warm.  We went around the neighborhood with our neighbors, and Cleo was a vampire!  Even Mommy and Daddy got into the fun and wore some wigs and other accessories.

 

Joseph seemed to enjoy the walk in the dark, and people in costumes didn't really faze him at all; he just goes with the flow.  Jadyn raced from house to house with Cleo and some other kids we acquired along the way, keeping up with older, bigger kids on dark sidewalks and wet porch and steps just fine.  But she is still a little shy at the doors of strangers: "trick or treat" is sometimes very quiet or not even muttered, yet she'll stand there and hold her bag open like the others, in hopes of a treat.  ;-)  After we came in from the trek, she learned about the Halloween ritual of organizing and trading candy from her older friends.  She very reluctantly went to bed late, late, late, tonight, lobbying repeatedly for more candy all evening long.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween as well!

Squeezing Out the Last of Summer

Seattle's September was really quite wonderful, and we kept busy outside as best we could in the great weather.

Enjoying the hammock at Cleo's

Climbing around at Ross Park

Enjoying the zoo with Cleo

Climbing on a sculpture at the zoo

Hay maze at Remlinger Farms

Jadyn loved posing behind these boards!

She learned VERY quickly how to pedal and steer this contraption -- look out!!!

We went to one last Mariners game in late September.  The weather was perfect for a day at the park.  Joseph napped through most of the game -- he had a long first full week at school, with only short naps there, so he was pretty tired.

Joseph returned from the trip to MI "ready to roll."  Once back at home, he started rolling from front to back and back to front, over and over.  Here he is laughing, very proud of himself for rolling over 3 times in a row.  Yay, Joseph!

 

We introduced solid foods a bit before his 1/2 birthday, so we could report on how it was going when we visited Dr. N for his 6-month check up.  He reached for the spoon, enjoyed his gruel, and a few bites in, he whined when he thought the food was gone -- we had taken just a short break so that he could really swallow the food, as he was eating so fast. !!!  Thus far, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and green beans have gone over well.  Applesauce he wasn't so sure about.  We'll try more fruits going forward; we're sure we'll find something he likes.

Jadyn likes to help a little at some meals

Joseph is still toothless, but chews on Sophie like that will change soon. Stay tuned on that one....

And here he is on his first swing ride.  It was Jadyn's idea to share the bucket swing with him.  They had a blast!  Joseph shrieked and squealed during the entire ride, which is no surprise, since he loves his sister soooo much, and he enjoys being in motion, too.