Mother's Day

During the same trip to Buffalo we were going to celebrate my first Mothers' Day. The plans were made to have brunch withthe family at a nice restauraunt on the river. Joshua decided to take a nap before we left which allowed Sara, and everyone else, time to get ready baby-free. Unfortunately as departure time was getting closer Joshua was not waking up. Now until the trip to Buffalo Joshua would not nap for more than 45 minutes at a time, so I was expecting he'd wake up at any moment. I told everyone to go and we'd meet them . . . or so I thought. Th elittle man kept sleeping through. Several cell phone calls to and from the rest of my dining famil, later I gave up. I changed out of my dress and sat on the bedroom floor watching my little man sleep. The quiet time was actually a nice way to spend Mother's Day. I thought back on the previous year and how my life had changed. Just watching Joshua sleep was the best reminder of the gift he is to me.

Graduation

This May we also made a trip to Buffalo to see Aunt Jenny graduate from UB with her MA. Joshua of course had to make sure he was stylin' in new threads for the event.

While the rest of the family was seated in the auditorium we peeked out the back door to see the line of graduates. With luck Aunt Jenny was on our side and very close to the front so we were able to congratulate her and give her a quick hug before the ceremony. Afterwards we returned to grandma's house for a party where Joshua got some quality time with his newest girlfriend Colleen.

Joshua also got to meet Bill. It was just about bedtime but he still managed to say hello and get in a quick picture. Despite his respectable occupation, Mom would not leave the two alone for long fearing Bill would show him the ropes hitting every bar down Deleware in Uncle Tim's absence. You three will have to wait a few more years for Joshua to be ready to celebrate St. Patty's Day.

Theatre Student Association Party

Each May the William and Mary students parody all the shows, professors, and department happenings through a series of skits. We all made it up for all the students to see Joshua and for us to find prosepctive babysitters. During one of the skits of a professor and his use of balls, Joshua crashed the stage to make his debut appearance and ensure that the students shared with him.
Joshua also made sure that mommy knows she's the most important person in his life. Daddy would like to point out that Sara still looks great in backlight.

Spring time at last

Despite the warm tease in March and the cold snap recently, it appears that Spring is here to stay. Today was sunny and hot - just a glimpse of what the upcoming Virginia summer will bring. We've been taking advantage of the weather and getting sun therapy during walks and playtime in the grass. I've been getting some gardening in while Joshua hangs out in the playpen. Although he's now standing and finds it fun to pull up and peek over the edge as he chews on the fabric.


We started itsy bitsy yoga last week. classes are on Wednesday morning and full of singing, poses, crawling, rolling, palying, and cheering. Joshua loved to see and play with other kids, but was a little unsure once we officially got started. He watched most of the time and crawled the farthest I've seen so far when he wanted his mommy and I was on the other side of the room. (Yes he started crawling the day before). We've been practicing at home, and perhaps this week he'll particiapte a little more.


We're looking forward to our trip to Buffalo in a week and a half to see Aunt Jenny graduate from UB with an MA. Perhaps we'll also get to see some old friends like Maura and Dave, Matt and Dana, or meet some new ones including Karen, Max, and Felicity. So stay tuned for more pictures and stories.

Happy Easter

Joshua got dressed in his Easter outfit and behaved quite well in church. When we got home we noticed that the Easter Bunny had stopped by. Percy was gaurding the Easter baskets from Luther and Roma.

There was no guessing. Joshua knew exactly which basket was his - Elmo with the bunny ears. His hands and feet wouldn't stop twirling around until he could get his hands on his basket. He immediately pulled out the sippy cup, threw the clothes across the room and tried to roll the mango to Luther.

Later that afternoon we had Easter dinner with the Brooks' family (our adoptive Virginia grandparents). The teeneaged boys were great babysitters and Joshua never went a minute without entertainment.

Papas' visit

Right after Grandpa left, Papa came to visit for a couple of days. The boys had lots of fun and never stopped giggling the whole time. While Papa was here Joshua stood independently and tried to take a mini step. Of course the rest of the weekend the two of them were working on walking. By the end we weren't sure who had the steradier gait.

Almost all of the pictures from Papa's visit were taken with his camera, but we did capture one.

Grandpa Mehler's visit

Michael is out of town for the week in Pheonix for the USITT conference so Grandpa Mehler came in town to help out while I was at work.

The weather was beautiful and we all took advantage. Grandpa took Joshua out on the back deck and they had a picnic and they were secretly discussing how to make the best mud pies. Joshua was experimenting with the best process of making mud pies as he played in the grass with both his hands and feet.

Joshua loved his Grandpa Mehler's visit and he also loved being outdoors. While we tackled the front garden Joshua would sit in his jumpy seat on the shaded porch. He would giggle whenever Grandpa Mehler would play with Luther or when he would water the garden.

Unfortunately like all family visits, it was too short. We look forward to his next visit and perhaps getting into a little more trouble.

Socks!!

Everytime we go grocery shopping, some little old lady comes up to Joshua as he's hanging out in the Baby Bjorn and says, "oh poor sweetie, your feet are chilly," as if to drop the largest hint in the entire world that I'm a bad mom for leaving my child barefoot. Ok have they forgotten what it was like to try and get socks on a child who has not only found his feet, but also figured out how to get socks off? It's a challenge every morning - can mom get the second sock on before Joshua takes the first one off.

So needless to say I've given up on that battle. That is until we found the knee sock. These were a gift from some brilliant family member with three children of her own (Thank you Marq). Try and try as he might, those knee socks just won't come off. So ha to you little old ladies in the grocery store, his feet are covered. If he were in shorts, Joshua would look like he was wearing liederhosen.

8 months old

Joshua turned 8 months on Wednesday. He is now cruising along furniture - usually to try and pet the cat. Joshua has also learned the joy of eating Cheerios. The first day we put some on his tray he stared at them, the next day he pushed them around, and the follwoing day some made it into his mouth. he was quite perplexed with the new texture, but has now come to chew the Cheerios with his front teeth.

Once he started to feed himself, there was no stopping him. One day with a bowl full of cereal and peas Joshua decided he wanted to help feed himself breakfast. Having had plenty of rest the night before and no morning plans, I decided why not let him try to feed himself. His hand made it into the bowl and he first felt the texture of the cereal and then brought a fistful of mush to his mouth. He squealed with excitement and put his hands on his head. After most of the food was gone, he grabbed the bowl and tried to "drink" the rest. Thank goodness he was wearing pea colored clothes.

He was quite excited when we were headed straight for a bath after breakfast.

More Teeth

It has been a rough weekend while Joshua is working on his top teeth. His gums were swollen, red, and from his crying I'm assuming sore. We knew he was out of sorts when he didn't want anything in his mouth. He didn't want to eat even his favorite foods. The top left one has poked through a little bit and this morning he was back to chewing. Hopefully the right is not too far behind and we can get through this all at once.

Giggles

Joshua is a wonderful and happy baby, but rarely giggles or laughs out loud. One evening after a bath I needed my giggle fix so I started to "eat" his belly. Hopefully Blogger will allow me to post the video. Don't feel guilty watching it over and over - I still do.

Alas I am not that computer savy, or Blogger does not support video. If I have sparked interest let me know and I can email it to you.

Return to sender

I tried to be Martha Stewart and failed. I made cute Valentines in the shape of a heart that held a picture of Joshua. once folded, they became their own envelope. I folded, sealed, addressed, and stamped them all. And then they all returned to me in a large envelope from the post office. Apparently there is a minimum size requirement for letters, and these Valentine's didn't make the mark. So I've learned, and may resend them all in the appropriate sized envelope. In case they do not make it back out here is the picture enclosed. He is chewing on his Whoozit teething ring with the heart up. I couldn't put him in pink because too many people already refer to him as a she. So a red onesie, black pants and a white sweater.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Keep in mind, small Valentines are for the lunchbag mailboxes on your school desk.

My First Tent

Ok we give up trying to catch up with blogging. I have started several posts to cover the holidays and they may just come later. I'm sorry for those of you in need of the Joshua on Santa's lap picture.

Every morning when Joshua and I get up I get him changed and dressed and then put him on his playmat while I shower (yes there is a gate securely closed at the top of the stairs). Joshua's playmat has a star at the top that lights up and plays music whenever it is moved. When Joshua was first introduced to Mr. Star as we have so lovingly come to call him, he would stare in amazement. Then he learned if he kicked his feet it would move the overhead mobile and Mr. Star would start to play again. Since that time he's been reaching for the star (yes I meant the bad pun). He is now able to bat at the star to start the music.

One morning after showering I go to check on Joshua and find he has found a new way to reach Mr. Star. He created his first tent. With the playmat pulled over him, Joshua could batat Mr. Star without having to reach far at all. If you look closely you can see Mr. Star on the floor to Joshua's left. It appears that once Mr. Star was no longer a challenge he moved on to Whoozit.

December

The weather is actually getting colder & Joshua is getting into some of his warm clothes finally. We're also trying to prepare him for Chicago & Buffalo, which will more than likely be much colder than Richmond.
Joshua is also becoming more and more smitten with kitten. And, surprisingly, she comes to visit him often. Sometimes it's to share his playpen, but she even like being pet (if grabbing a tiny fist full of fur is petting) by Joshua.

Joshua is trying to understand all the changes to the house, and his wardrobe. We keep trying to prepare him for Christmas Eve and morning with the multitude of Mehlers & Drozdeks. He promises to keep his wits about him - or at least his little Santa hat.

Turkey!

It was a busy November, with visits from Grandma, then Aunt Jenny, and then Papa. Joshua also got a new exersaucer-jumpy seat (which he shared with Akira).

He loves to chew on its various parts & has learned the joys of bouncing.

If only Josh could eat some. He'd been watching us eat for a while now, studying our every chew and swallow, then chewing along and reaching for our cups.
So, it only seemed fitting to start him on some solid foods (if you call watery rice cereal with applesauce 'solid') near Thanksgiving. Next year, he'll get to sample to whole thing, but thing year he just got to pretend.
It was a very special Thanksgiving because Aunt Jenny came down for a visit and Francis, Gin, Akira, & Aida Grace all came up from Williamsburg for a feast.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Papa came to spend time with little Josh and helped Sara make holiday cookies.

Our lil' Pumpkin

Joshua had his three month pictures taken yesterday (15 weeks to be exact). Our appointment was scheduled for 10am. Wanting to be fresh for the photo shoot Joshua slept in the car ride over to Portrait Innovations. When we arrived I changed him into his first of three outfits. The little guy would not hold still. There were so many lights and brightly colored toys and other objects to look at. Any fears of him pouting and crying quickly vanished as he was propped up on the Boppy and the ladies started talking to him. He was just smiling and flirting at everyone. He enjoyed every minute of his time in front of the camera.

His third outfit change was into his Halloween costume. Yes we decided to dress him as a pumpkin. One, becuase we would never be able to dress him as such again, and two he looked so cute. We hope you enjoy the pictures of our lil' pumpkin. It is truly amazing he kept all his outfits drool free as he is now the raspberry blowing champ.

Fall Fashion

While the weather here in Virginia is cooling off, fall fashion is just warming up. Joshua has to fully grow into some of these outfits, but he still wanted to show you the latest trends in babywear. Enjoy the fashion show.







He wore this outfit to church, and finally looks like he is related to his NY cousins despite the blond hair and blue eyes.













He couldn't resist the light blue hoodie outfit from Aunt Jenny. It was perfect for our chilly afternoon walk and the intermittent drizzle.











Stripes are quite hip this fall, and Joshua was sporting the rainbow here on his way to meet William and Mary faculty. Note the pants are reversible; perfect for that liast minute wardrobe change.








Baby Gap's earth toned camouflage pant complements the colors of the fall. The orange zip up jacket is perfect for the chilly mornings and cool evenings. The snap-up inseam makes diaper changes . . well . . a snap!

College Football

So while Sara returned to work, Michael and Pap Bob introduced Joshua to football. The all settled down on a cold and dreary Saturday (thanks to Hurricane Ernesto) to catch some ball on the TV. Joshua was so excited to finally get to wear his Ohio State gear he received from Uncle Marc. What do you think about that Uncle Jack, and Uncle Ray?

Joshua was just beside himself with the well oiled machine called Ohio State. He drooled so much at the thought of one day playing for the team that he soon had to be changed into other clothes.

Pics Part 2

New York Cousins - and all sitting still!

Aunt Marq

Uncle Jack

Grandma Joy

Nana and Grandpa

Baptism Pictures

Not all the pictures would upload on the last blog so here they are.

Dressed in his whites before mass.

Dipped in th font by Deacon Chris.

Godparents Sean and Wendy.

Happy Uncle Sean.

Joshua and Mama.