All fun and games

Joshua has been learning and teaching us all kinds of new games. One thing he loves is sitting on the bed with David or me and playing "Whispers." It is very simple. He leans forward, we whisper in his ear, and he thinks it is hilarious. He sits up, leans forward again, and we repeat. Another game he loves is when we put something on his head. He stays very still for a few moments and then leans slightly to the side to see it fall off of his head. Joshua enjoys "Out and In," where he takes things out of their container and puts them back in... over and over. Sometimes he enjoys passing the ball beack and forth, but usually he prefers to shove it in his mouth.

Pillow Potato

Joshua is a very strong sitter these days. He leans around to reach for things, and he rarely falls over. However, since we have a VERY hard tile floor, we still often put pillows behind him just in case. Recently, he has learned about those pillows and realized that they are pretty nice. Now, when I put a pillow behind him, he almost immediately falls backward so that he can lay on it to relax while he plays.

My turn!

Our little vaccuum cleaner has become quite the picky eater. He has reached the point where he refuses to try any food that I offer him. We have been troubleshooting to figure out what he wants. Sometimes it helps for him to hold a spoon while he eats. At other times, it seems like the spoon is the thing that bothers him, so we go with finger foods. What seems to be constant is that we are in a new phase of learning to self-feed, and meals are much longer and much messier affairs... time to lay down the trash bags!

Lesson learned

Today I got Joshua after his nap, gave him his bottle, and changed his diaper as usual. I thought we should sit out on the balcony and play in his new little "pool," which is actually more like an inflatable bathtub with Mickey Mouse on the floor. I didn't want to waste a diaper while I prepared the pool, so I just put on his little swim diaper. I figured he might "use" it a little before he got into the pool, but it would only take me a few minutes. I picked him up only to find that his seat was wet, as was the sweet little lamb rug underneath him. I must confess, I put him on it knowing I could toss it in the washing machine, but I hardly imagined I would need to do so! So the lesson that I learned is that a swim diaper is not sufficient when not in the pool... which makes me wonder how much good it actually does inside the pool!

Peek-a-boo!

Joshua has been delightful... and delighted over the past few days. He wakes up from naps kicking, laughing, and grinning. He gets so excited when he sees David or me, and "peek-a-boo" just sends him over the edge. I don't think any sound can compare to the sound of his laugh!

Ahem!

I mentioned before that Joshua seems to discover one thing and then practice it over and over for about a week. Then it is almost as if he forgets it for awhile. He has done this with "DADADA" and other syllables. His latest verbal, or perhaps I should say oral game is coughing. He will sneeze or cough and then continue to repeat the cough about 20 times in a couple of minutes. It is that pitiful I-am-not-sick-but-doesn't-it-sound-like-I-am attempt that a child might use to stay home from school. It is pretty funny. We think he tries to sneeze on purpose and the cough is what comes out. Then, since we are all laughing at him, he decides he should keep going! He is also into a "semi-razzing phase." He makes a funny noise, puffs up his lips, and somehow ends up with slobber all over his chin. Quite charming!:-)

The sounds of silence

Some days, when the power is off, I notice how peaceful and still it is. There is no refrigerator whirring, no washing machine draining, and somehow less traffic outside. There are no power tools drilling into my brain, and no air conditioners running. It is a really strange sound that you really never hear at home.

There are other days when the sounds of silence include banging on metal and groups of children shrieking as they run around. The sound of lots of street noise like huge truck engines and honking combined with roosters crowing and dogs barking make me wonder what happened to the peacefulness. Somehow, right when Joshua goes to sleep at night, the babies start to cry and women chatter excitedly outside his window.

Here, they don't like the sun at all. I really think the noise level adjusts with the height of the sun. If I walk with Joshua between the hours of 8 and 6, I am scolded. "The sun is too strong," they say. Everyone stays inside if at all possible until sunset, and then the community comes alive.