Walking with the Cooks: May 2017

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Happy 11 months, Anna!

Not much has changed over the last month, but we continue to fall more in deeply love with our youngest's personality. She is so happy and loves being able to scoot around and play with toys. Her siblings are still her greatest delight and chief joy. Anna's smile is infectious!

Diaper: size 4/5
Clothing: 12 and 18 month

Likes: tickles and kisses and monkey bites, doing her tricks (clapping, shaking her head, mouth noises), letters in the bathtub

Dislikes: self feeding, being put down when she thought she was getting snuggles (oh the attracities!), using her legs

Eating: Anna is still on a healthy diet of sweet potatoes, squash, prunes and pears, but we enjoy giving her little bits of what we are having for dinner. She doesn't think it is as exciting as we do :) A lot of times we have to touch a new food to her lips before she will acknowledge that it is edible. (It may be that all that forcing antibiotics down over the winter made her a little wary of our motives!) She is loving cheerios and I love that she can munch a little while I fix food.

Sleep: Not a great month, but she has done well the last few nights. She could really do without any more teeth, right?!

Routine: An ideal day (no change)-

7:30 First feeding of the day
9:00 Nap
11:00 Wake
1:00 Nap
3:00 Wake
7:00 Down for bed
9:00-10:00 Nurse and back to bed for the night <--- still doing a dream feed

Physically: Anna's hair is coming in really nicely. I love the shape of her hair! She has four teeth on top and two on the bottom. Her method for sitting up involves rolling through a split. She does it without blinking! Our doctor advised me to give them a call before her 12 month visit if I was worried about her gross motor skills. I made that call at 11 months and she had a hip x-ray that came back normal. She is now on a waiting list at the local physical therapy clinic and we'll see which comes first- progress or an appointment! (The waitlist is why the doctor had me call before her well visit.) She has the cutest little scrunched nose smile :)

Communication: We think Anna has starting saying "night night" along with waving when we make the rounds before putting her to bed. She is very pleased with herself either way, and loves the attention at that time of day.

Next appointment: June 29, 2017 10:30am

Four peas in a {very tight} pod

Strawberry picking

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Happy 5 years, Josiah!

Five years feels so big! Josiah brings such kindness to our family. He is thoughtful and helpful and playful and full of life. His cheeks glow when he is having a good time and he loves to care for little ones. He asks to do his "school" and takes correction well. Josiah is a very solid and helpful presence in our family.

Weight: 47 lbs (90%)
Height: 46.25 in (99%)
Clothing: 6T, shoe size 1

Likes: riding his bike, helping solve a problem, playing construction, making others happy, Star Wars, watching shows (Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Doc McStuffins), leading Lydia, making Anna laugh, helping Sarah accomplish her plans, being tickled, playgrounds (this kid plays hard), coloring with magic draw, tape

Dislikes: missing out on a project (painting the house, making cookies, etc.), not understanding why things can't go his way, waiting

A day in the life:

7:00am: Josiah comes out of his room
Breakfast- usually milk and banana, sometimes cereal, and he really likes a special eggs or pancakes morning!

Morning: We are usually home during the morning and Josiah spends a lot of quality time with Lydia while I do school with Sarah. They have developed a really sweet relationship and he is often incredibly patient with his sisters.

Lunch: Josiah loves a turkey sandwich with cheese and lettuce. He eats tons of fruits and veggies. Most often he chooses grapes and green peppers. He almost always has an apple and a cheese stick at some point during the day. He also loves peppermints!

1:00pm: Nap time! He reads or rests until 2:00 and then plays a game or get a toy from the living room until he can come out at 3:00.

Afternoon: Josiah loves to head outside and ride his bike or pretend with Sarah and Ensley (our neighbor). He would watch TV all afternoon if we let him, so we only let him on weekends :)

Dinner: Usually we are eating as a family. He isn't picky! Favorites are spaghetti, hot dogs, and mac and cheese.

Bedtime: He does most of his bedtime routine by himself these days. We both love ending the day praying with him and singing Good Night Josiah or one of his favorite hymns, like Jesus Paid It All.

Fun facts:
* What does he want to be when he grows up? A house painter and nurse's aid (to help Sarah nurse, of course!)
* Blue dog is still his constant companion and comfort. He also continues to sleep with his fingers in his mouth doing the two-finger-throw-back.
* He watches Star Wars with a reference book open on his lap.
* Last summer we took his training wheels off and he never looked back. He loves it when we take his bike to the track at the high school. He rides hard and fast!

A chronological look at the last year . . . my how he has grown!