Appy!

Tomorrow is the end of Joshua's birth-month. I make note of it because it really feels like we have been celebrating him all month. I have had so much fun! Yesterday I took cookies to Mother's Day Out. They will have one day each month to celebrate the birthdays from that month. It just so happens that Joshua's was the only birthday in September.

Anyway, on Joshua's actual birthday, he said "Appy boh-day" a couple of times. Since then, it has been "appy" no matter how much we try to stress the word "birthday."

Parent: "Joshua, say 'Happy Birthday!'
Joshua: "Appy!!"
Parent: "Great! BIRTH-day!"
Joshua: "Appy!!"
Parent: "Look at me. 'B-irth-D-ay'"
Joshua: "Appy!!"

So there were "appy" cards strung from the mantle, "appy" cookies, and "appy" pictures on the wall. (David printed out pictures from the past year of Joshua's life and put them on the wall of the dining room. We have loved looking at them!) I have a feeling there will be many of these little talking stories in the coming months that we won't want to forget!

Helpful and hurtful

Ellie has been sitting well by herself, but I still like to put a pillow or two around her if I am going to be up and about while she is playing on the floor. I guess the other day I forgot to put the pillows out, so Joshua did it for me. Only, why stop at two pillows when there are five pillows in the room? I thought it was very sweet that he laid them out for Ellie. As I was praising his gesture, he snatched the giraffe right out of her hand. I considered taking a picture of the face that followed, but I thought it would be too mean. If you have ever been around Ellie when her feelings are hurt, you know the face!

Ah-poh-dee

This is a commonly used phrase/word for Joshua. The meanings we know so far include "alligator, elevator, apple juice, applesauce, and have patience." Sometimes, he says it very clearly, but it very clearly means something that I can't guess! It is so fun to hear all of the words Joshua is learning. David realized that he actually thinks the elevator is an alligator. When we approach an elevator, Joshua says his word for it, and then he claps his hands the way we taught him an alligator mouth closes.

On another communication note, Joshua is quite the conversation-maker. David and I will be talking in the car or house, and Joshua will repeatedly say, "Uh-huh, " in his most grown-up voice. It is funny; especially because I don't think we really say "uh-huh" all that often... but maybe we do!

Toddler's Day Out

Also known as "Mother's Day Out, " but I am now positive that we send Joshua for his sake, and not for mine! At least at this point, with Ellie at her current stage, I don't do much more during the time that Joshua is at "school" than I do on a normal day. However, I know that it is good for him to be around other little kiddos his own age. He always leaves a little sad and comes home extremely happy and ready to chat. Joshua doesn't sleep at all during nap time, but then he takes his normal nap 2 hours late, so that is pretty nice! Joshua now has a new backpack, and while he loves seeing it and carrying it, he doesn't love the fact that carrying it means he is on his way to school to play with his friends. You might laugh and think, "Why in the world would he need a back pack?" Well, he doesn't, but I need him to have a backpack so that I can put things on his back! It got a little ridiculous: Ellie on one hip, purse over my shoulder, Joshua's big bag overflowing on another shoulder, lunch box in hand, holding Joshua's hand, and usually chasing the sippy cup he dropped from time to time. Yikes. I like his back pack. :-)

Happy 2nd!

Our precious Joshua turned 2 yesterday! We had such a fun weekend with grandparents and Aunt Ashley celebrating him. Weekend festivities began with a trip to the zoo with Granddaddy on Friday afternoon. Everyone else joined us on Saturday for hot dogs and cake. Joshua was a bit out of sorts, and it turned out that he was actually sick. :-( He was a trooper, and he ended up eating half of his hot dog and opening many of his presents. On Sunday morning, Joshua had muffins, spared the Children's Ministry his fever by staying home, and said good-bye to Grandpa. We went to the Waco Cultural Arts Festival... I think that is what it was called... for about 10 minutes before we decided that it was too much for our sweet little sick boy. However, in that 10 minutes, Joshua colored a birthday rock that he enjoyed several times throughout the day! (And to think that David wondered if we should even keep it!) We love our son so much, and we are so thankful for him! (Pictures to follow later!)

Getting ready for the day

Clean diapers: check!
Breakfast: Check!
Taking a break before the clothes part :)

Saturday!

When Ellie wakes up first, she sits with Joshua in his crib for a minute.

Mornings are a juggling act, especially since Ellie started eating from a spoon. We have a pretty decent rhythm, and it goes something like this:

• Joshua talks for a little while; I go in and get him. He tells me about things, and then he gets out of bed. He asks for crackers, and when I say, "no crackers for breakfast," he asks for cereal. Every. Morning. :) I gauge from his mood whether it is worth the diaper change battle right away. Sometimes, I go for it. Other times, I wait until after he has eaten. He hasn't realized that it feels great to shed that 5 pound overnight diaper!
• We go into the kitchen, and Joshua gets a bowl for his cereal. He eats cereal and yogurt most mornings with the occasional scrambled egg. During the breakfast moments, enter: Ellie
• She hears Joshua, and she starts to talk. Joshua is very insistent that she needs to get up!
• Diaper change for Ellie; she usually gets dressed for the day
• bottle and food for Ellie at the table with Joshua
• Everyone finishes, and we move on to getting Joshua dressed (Mommy has been showered and dressed for hours... ready for game time!)
• gather a sippy cup for Joshua, a car toy and burp cloth for Ellie
  
• We are in the car by 8:30 most mornings for our daily outing!

Bowhead!

Trying out the big bow

Very proud of the noise she can make by hitting that plastic bowl!

Until this week, my daughter has been virtually bow-free. I think Ellie a headband bow to church one morning, and that is about it. It was kind of on principle that I protected her from those things that look so large they might cover her face or make it difficult to hold her head up... I mean, really! Well, even though Ellie is getting LOTS of new hair, the term "lots" is relative, so I decided to give bows a try... little bows. I bought a little variety pack last week, and the headband made a big dent around her sweet head, so that was a fail. On Monday, I went into a store looking into nap pads for Joshua's school, and of course, I ended up buying headbands and bows. (In my defense, I did not buy the nap pad!) I must say that I am hooked! I think Ellie looks so pretty! I bought two little tiny bows and one bigger one, and then I returned the bigger one the next day. Ellie just kept looking at the ceiling to see what was on her; it was pretty funny! The little bows don't seem to bother her, although she pulled the headband down over her eyes once.

Look at me!

Practicing standing

Hmmm... sometimes those are in my mouth, but now they seem so far away!

Big girl!!

Well, somehow Ellie is officially sitting up! For the baby book's sake, it is hard to say when it first happened. Over the past couple of weeks, I realized she could sit with very little support, then with no-support-but-don't-go-too-far-because-she-needs-help-balancing, and now, I can walk around and do things while Ellie sits there and plays! (However, I must stay in the room, or she will let me have it!) I thought these milestones came quickly with Joshua, but I had no idea everything would happen faster the second time around! Ellie is all smiles, and we are having so much fun watching her personality blossom.

At the park with a 2 year-old

Ellie's in the swing I want!

Finally Mommy got her out.

Happy swinging...

But I don't want to take a picture!

Joshua is not two yet... not according to his birth certificate. According to his behavior, yes, we have a two year-old! Don't get me wrong; I am not complaining. He is terrific, but the ways that his temperament has changed over the past month have been pretty clear and surprising.

Oh, the fun that is to come!

Joshua helping Mommy bathe Ellie

Ellie's ability to sit has opened a new realm of possibilities for Joshua. Ellie grins at Joshua, and he loves to sit and play with her! We sat together one evening, and the entire next day Joshua patted the floor next to him saying, "yit!" to Ellie. (He also likes for Mommy and Daddy to yit with him. We are working on the "peez" part...)

Role Play

This is another sweet new thing for Joshua. All of a sudden, he is taking care of his Baylor Bear. Bear got to eat breakfast just in time for the big game on Saturday! He even got a 3 second nap, I think. The only problem for Joshua is that he couldn't figure out how to open the banana...

More Little Drummer Boy

In case you wondered if Joshua is still into drumming...

More stages

Ellie has reached that clingy stage in her development... well, one of the many, I imagine. I say that because as she has become more clingy and needy, so, too, has Joshua. Imagine that! When I leave the room, Ellie shrieks like I just broke her heart. Never mind peaceful swinging during dinner time, she wants to be held... or better yet, eat at the exact same time as the rest of us. Not that I can blame her, it is no fun to eat alone... but you should have seen me with the kids by myself the other evening at the dinner hour. (Joshua does pretty well on his own these days, but he still needs some help.)

Anyway, I realized that Joshua was unusually needy. He wants to cuddle more, and he will charge David and me to give us a big bear hug spontaneously. (Talk about trust... he really takes us by surprise sometimes, but we have caught him every time up to this point!) Sometimes I think his desire to cling is simply because he sees Ellie shriek and get a response. Other times, I think that he has reached yet a new level of awareness of who he is who we are.

Stroller seasons

Yesterday, I took the kids out in the jogging stroller for the first time in a few weeks. They sit side by side, which I think they both prefer. (Until Ellie is a little older and we have to draw an imaginary line, right?) Anyway, we went to the Cameron Park area to run and go to the zoo. (I know, pity the other people at the zoo, but if I am going to be outside with both kids, I might as well get a run out of it!) I noticed some changes in the kids during our outing. Ellie was a little bit more fidgety, and she stayed awake the whole time. Every other time we made this trip, which was weekly over the summer, she took a little cat nap. Joshua was a little less restless. He would usually sit forward and grip the bar in front of him while pointing out every duck, squirrel, bird, and dog. Yesterday, he leaned back, crossed his ankles, and pointed out the big trucks along with all of those fun animals. Every now and then, Joshua sat up for a few minutes to look at something. When he leaned back, he gestured for me to arrange the cushion behind him because it had shifted. It made me smile!