Flowers for Mommy

 Early this summer when the gardenia bush was in bloom, the boys would pick me a flower after waving "bye" to Daddy as he went to work. As the summer went on the flowers faded and were harder to find. One morning Sam was able to find one, but Luke and Josh decided to draw me one instead :)

8 months

You are sitting up a little on your own but you are still testing out your balance so you fall over in a random direction after a minute or so.

You are using a pincher grasp for your puffs. You just figured that one out this week!

You are so smiley and cuddly.

You've slept through the night a few times here and there.

You visited NC for the first time!

Your first 4th of July was quite an event. We all got exposed to COVID and had to get tested when we got home. The test itself wasn't your favorite (who wants a cotton swab q-tip stuck up their nose...in each side), but listening to Laurie Berkner's Song and Story Kitchen for the hour and a half we were in line was fun.

What does a tractor say?

7 months

The highlight of this month was a really sweet stay-cation the first week of Daddy's summer.

You had your first picnic in the backyard and your first hike at Victory Lake at Berry. You love being outside. You used to grunt when the wind would blow- we used to joke that the wind was offending you :) But just this month you've started loving being outside. One time when your older brothers were playing outside I stuck my head out while I was holding you to tell them something and then came back in and you started crying, I think because you thought you were going to get to go outside. You actually eat better outside than at the table.

You enjoyed playing with the big boys over the break too (you even got to play Paw Patrol with your own pup Rocky). You love watching your brothers and they love playing with you and making you laugh. Luke loves to pour out all of your toys in your lap when you're in the bouncy and see which toy you choose.

We're doing church remotely from our bedroom because of corona, so you get to come to "big church" with us if you're up from your nap, which has been sweet.

We had been in a challenging season with your sleep/eat routine but over the course of the stay-cation we kind of had a breakthrough and found something that seems to be working really well.

We stretched you to a four hour feeding routine during the day (7-11-3-6:30-10:00 and then one in the middle of the night) a few weeks before the end of the semester because you were just eating 2-3 minutes on the three hour routine, and then the week of our stay-cation we finally found a sleep routine that seems to be working- hooray! You wake up around 7, nap around 9 for about an hour and then again around 1 for 1.5-2 hours, and then go down for a catnap around 4:30 (you usually kick around until around 5 and then sleep until 5:30). Finding a routine that works is a sweet answer to prayer. You still wake up in the six o'clock hour sometimes, but sweet Daddy rocks you until it's time to eat.

We switched to the woombie swaddle with both arms in after one day when you all of a sudden started getting both arms out of the miracle swaddle. If you get your arms out, you can't get yourself to sleep and just lie there playing. We had tried the miracle swaddle with one arm out but you could only ever sleep 45 minutes with an arm out. We just tried the woombie at night (we'd been doing the woombie for naps and miracle swaddle at night), and you did amazing. It didn't even faze you!

You slept through the night two nights ago for the first time! I wonder if it's just a one time thing?

You are sitting by yourself for a few seconds now and you can roll your hips over if I help you halfway.

Your favorite foods are green beans, carrots, oatmeal, peas, spinach/zucchini/peas, and watermelon. You're not a huge fan of sweet potatoes, chicken (except for your hands that we like to call chicken fingers), or peanut butter.

You still love to bounce in your bouncy seat. We got the exesaucer out thinking you'd love the bounce but so far it's been a little overwhelming. Maybe it'll grow on you.

You LOVE tags. If you're about to lose it after your bath, I just distract you with the tag on your towel and you're set. You love the tag on your bib too. And you still like to pull the pee-pee cloth off during diaper changes (I try to distract you with other fun things like toys or a cloth bib with a TAG).

You've grown up so much in the last month. Your sweet personality is really coming out. You've become really smiley and still give the sweetest cuddles.

First Solid Food!

You tried oatmeal on your six month birthday for the first time! Your brothers were so excited about it. They both ate oatmeal with you and wore bibs just like you too.

The whole experience was a little overwhelming to you. You ate a few bites and smeared a good bit on your face trying to eat your hands at the same time and then you were done.

I got some grunts of disapproval as I tried to wipe your face- not your favorite thing.

We love our big boy baby! Happy six months!

4 months

Your favorite book is Pat the Bunny Goes to the Zoo. You are super left handed at the moment and use it predominantly so your favorite page is the last one with the lion because it's the only animal you can pat on the left page of the book.

You  started eating twice at night again. I'm not sure if it's a sleep regression or just a need to tweak our routine. You've been waking up around 7:30 and then eating around 8 and every three hours after that, taking three 1-2 hour naps and then settling for the night around 6:30, then waking for your dream feed (that you're supposed to be asleep for, haha) and then again around 1-2 and 4-5.

You are a pro at tummy time. Even Dr. Davis was impressed!

You love your little green ball rattle.

Your face lights up whenever your brothers play with you (unless you've reached your limit and then your giggles turn to a cry). Your brothers LOVE you.

You love to kick those legs- especially in your bouncy seat. Luke likes to sing, "Can you kick, kick, kick?!" You've started holding weight on your legs just in the past couple of weeks too.

You went to your first birthday party- Sam's! I wasn't sure if it'd be too overwhelming for you, but you seemed to enjoy it and just chilled on Uncle Blake and Granddad's lap for a while and even took decent naps!

You don't mind the car anymore- hooray!

You are such a chill baby. You're happy watching us or playing with your cute hands most of the time. You give us the cutest smiles.

Sam has started calling you "Josh-shoe".

According to Luke, you're still a "stink bug" or "skunk" because you have your hands in your mouth so much.

You did not like your last round of shots. You were really pitiful for a couple days afterwards, poor guy, and ran a 102 fever for a day.

We love our Baby Josh!

3 (almost 4) months

You are mostly just waking once for a 1,2 or 3 o'clock feed and then wake up between 6 and 7. You're staying awake 1-1.5 hours during the day and are so good at going down for naps but their length is pretty unpredictable.

You love watching your brothers. You are such a content little man unless you're really tired. You just sit and enjoy being with everyone whether you're in a bouncy, your swing, a lap or your playmat. You are such a precious gift. Your eyes and smile make my day.

Your least favorite activity is probably riding in the car.

You went to nursery at church for the first time. They loved your big blue eyes.

You get baths Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Mommy's been giving them to you in the mornings, which has been working pretty well. I usually get a cute little smile and some leg kicks in the water at the beginning.

Luke and I noticed you reaching for your parrot on your playmat  this morning! You are opening and closing your hand more, including your thumb. You like to grab onto my shirt sometimes as I'm carrying you.

Your favorite talk time is right after a good feed, but overall eating isn't your favorite activity. Six-eight minutes is a good feed for you, but you eat as fast as 4 minutes sometimes.