Happy 7 months, Josiah!

Our Josiah is becoming a little man! We are just thrilled with this stage of babyhood and are soaking up the sweet smiles and easygoing play of our little guy. He is so easily delighted, and we rise to the occasion of getting giggles at every opportunity.

Weight: ?
Length: ?
Head: ?
Diaper: size 4 and cloth
Clothing: 12 month, Shoe: size 3 or 4

Likes: rolling and scooting, Sarah snuggles, being tickled, chewing, jumping, eating, riding with Sarah in the stroller, playing hard

Dislikes: being really hungry (it hits him suddenly!), being really tired, having a diaper changed when really hungry or tired, his late afternoon nap

Schedule: We are glad for a little break from normal activities to try to settle back into this routine. This is what we shoot for:

7 am: Wake and nurse/cereal

7-8 am: Wake time
8-11am: Nap
11am: Wake and nurse/cereal
11-12 pm: Wake time
12-3 pm: Nap
3 pm: Wake and nurse/cereal
3-4:30 pm: Wake time
4:30-6 pm: Nap
6-7 pm: Wake time
7 pm: Nurse and down for bed

Sleep: It has been a rough season for sleep the last few weeks. I know it is in large part due to the mornings we are out (often 4/7). He then gets in the habit of waking up after only a little sleep, but needs so much more. A short morning nap usually leads into an early, but good, afternoon nap. He then often refuses his bonus third nap, but is so tired that he is more than ready to go down at 6pm. We sometimes have to fight to keep him up that late! The real kicker has been that he is in the habit of waking up around 6am. It fluctuates between about 5:45am and 7am, but we just don't seem to be able to kick the habit. Starting his day early means that the rest of the day he is already tired and in a kind of sleep deficit. So we roll with the punches and nap when we can :) Again, I am thankful for a few weeks that have lots special events, but fewer mornings out!

Food: Josiah loves his rice and oatmeal cereal. He still nurses really well, so at each feeding he nurses fully, then eats a bowl of cereal. I usually alternate rice and oatmeal. We haven't given him any other food yet (the joy of being the second child!), but I have sweet potatoes baking in the oven right now. They will soon be pureed and becoming his first vegetable and his first food other than cereal and milk. On a related note, he doesn't leak out of his diapers as much, but he sure does have a full grown man stink! It took a few weeks to fully develop. Sarah never had diapers that smelled this bad! :) 

Tricks (physical and verbal): He has really become an active fellow, I think more so than Sarah was at this age. He still loves his jumper and enjoys walks in the double stroller that was passed along to us. Josiah has always been a big fan of tummy time and continues to love time on the floor. "Tummy time" is more of a title than a reality now, as he rolls and scoots all over the floor when we put him down. Usually he sees something and wants to get it, and in doing so shows us a determination that I hope will be a part of his lifelong personality. Dave and I don't think we have seen him purposefully move forward yet in a form that could be called crawling. His movement is more an art of spinning, rolling, and the infamous backwards crawl. This month he also started sitting up. We still sit or put the boppy behind him, but he is getting pretty steady and reliable. Sitting in the high chair at the table big-boy-style is big fun! He has discoved the joy of buzzing his lips and continues to enjoy making all kind of noises: giggles, coos, hums, and the like.

Yesterday (11/3) we discovered his first tooth! Last week he had a few days with a low fever and a red blister on his upper gums. For the first time we could feel things moving around in there. But it passed and since Sarah didn't actually cut her first tooth until her 8th month, we didn't think any more of it. Then yesterday Josiah was chewing on Dave's finger and Dave felt a tooth. It was already all the way through on the BOTTOM (his left). Where did that guy come from?!?! 

Fun facts:         

-I know I say this every month, but his hair really is growing. When it is wet you can kind of rough it up and make it look messy. Isn't it hard to imagine him with hair?!
-Still blue/gray/navy eyes.

-Today I found him laying on his side chewing on one of the vertical crib bars.
-Sarah gets a little jealous of other kids playing with him and becomes super affectionate.
-He and Sarah get to have some real joint play time now where I feel comfortable stepping away. They just delight one another!
-He still does the "two finger throw back" instead of sucking on his thumb. 
-He has a significant amount of ear wax and a potentially blocked right tear duct.

Next appointment: Monday, December 10, 2012, 8:00am for the second round of his flu shot
                                    Monday, February 4, 2013, 10:20am for his 9 month appointment

Siah playing with Sarah's toes.

She had been pretend-feeding him with a play spoon, so Dave let her really feed him. He was thankful for real food after all her taunting. She did a great job!

Typical blanket over face shot.

Loving his Sarah kisses.

Thanksgiving morning walk. This was their first time in the double stroller. They both enjoyed it!

With Dave's Christmas present.

"I'll open it, Dad!"

"Look, guys, I'm playing with the big kid!"

This seems so perfectly Josiah. This is the face I enjoy all day!

On our walk this morning. I may not have captured happy faces, but she had her arm around him and he loved it.

Holding hands :)

This is what happens when we put him down now. We like to say, "you really backed yourself into a corner this time, Siah." :)

Handsome, contemplative fella on Dave's new camera.

His very first bite of cereal. He had that same raised brow when he was born!