Baby Joshua at swimming lessons

Baby Joshua splashin' in the tub

Swimming Lessons

Today was Joshua's first swimming lesson and he did very well. We got there late but jumped right in and started trying to get him to kick, he didn't but that's ok. Then we got a toy to try to get the to reach for and he did that, put something in front of him in the water or not and he will reach for it. This encourages them to put their arms out in front of them like they will do when they start swimming. Then we got in a circle and did three songs, the wheels on the bus, the hokey pokey and ring around the rosey. We did lots of movement, lifting him in and out of the water, moving him from side to side, front to back and splashing. Normally they wait until the second class but since all the babies were doing so well we actually had our first dunk. We did 4 choruses of ring around the rosey and each time dunked them a little more. In the first it was to their shoulders, then to their chin, then to their nose and then a full dunk. He did pretty well even though he was suprised he didn't cry, just complained a little bit but then he was fine. He didn't cry until we took him out of the water, he just loves the water.

There are about 12 parents & babies in the class. I'd say Joshua is the youngest or one baby girl might be younger than him but the oldest is no more than 2. So he'll do this class next summer too and then should be able to move to the toddler class. The younger babies were actually more content in the water than the toddlers. Jamie came and took pictures and video, I'll add the video later.

8 Months!

I have started working on a slideshow for Joshua's birthday and every time I see his newborn pictures I want to cry. Just 8 months ago he was this tiny little 7 pound baby in the NICU hooked up to wires and looking so helpless. Now he's not so helpless and has a very healthy set of lungs. I want to turn back time or at the very least pause it. Sometimes I just watch him sleep, my sweet innocent angel and I wonder how did he get so big so fast. Ok, enough of that. Here are some updates.

Eating
He is doing much better with baby food. He eats about 1 jar or container a day spilt into two feedings. In the morning he gets half a container and in the afternoon another half. Usually of two different things. I'm still trying out new things on him, new combinations. The new things he's had: mango, blueberry, cherry, orange & strawberry. Soon he's going to be trying: apricot, blackberry, plum & grape. He will now eat apple & sweet potato as well as pear & squash but try to get him to eat any veggie without a fruit mixed in it, forget it.

Sitting
He's doing better but still not all the way there yet. He can sit with his hands on the floor or on his legs to support him and for a few seconds he can sit without that support. Hopefully it won't be much longer before he can do it without support.

He's not interested in crawling or standing. He still doesn't really like to be on his stomach so I'm not sure he will crawl, he may just skip it as I did. He will stand for a few seconds but that's about it.

Sleeping
His naps are still catnaps although lately there have been a few long naps too. It seems that if he can manage to roll over while he's asleep he will nap longer, sometimes anyway. Nights are really all over the place. Some nights he'll sleep 12 hours without waking and others he'll sleep 9 with a lot of waking. Never really know what the night will bring but I am grateful for all the sleep I get.

He has finally started jumping in his jumperoo. He loves to kick so I knew it was only a matter of time before he was jumping. I'm not sure he knows what he's doing but all of a sudden he will go crazy and start bouncing up and down, it's so cute & funny!

This Saturday he starts swimming lessons. For the next 6 Saturday mornings we'll be at the YMCA for 30 minute lessons. He loves the water, we've been in the pool a lot so I'm hoping that works to our advantage.

That's about all I can think of right now. Joshua is stirring so I will probably have to go attend to him then it's bedtime for me.

Birthday Party Update

One of the Noah's Ark themes isn't available anymore so it looks like I have to pick this one. I am thinking about ordering it soon just in case it too becomes unavailable. I am also looking at other things I want to order so here's where you get to chime in with your opinion. Pick one of these high chair cover sets. It comes with the banner, floor mat & a plastic bib. Unfortunately none of them exactly match the theme, they don't have one that does. The t-shirts are $15 and I can't see spending that much for one when I can get one from Wal-Mart a lot cheaper. Same goes for the hats which he probably won't wear very long anyway.

1
2

Invitations

I am now researching invitations for Joshua's birthday party. Opinions, please!

Animals 1
Animals 2

baby laughter

Milestones!

This was a pretty big weekend for Joshua. We didn't do anything special to celebrate the 4th but it still turned out to be a great weekend. So far he hasn't been doing that well with solid food. Well on Friday he tried apple & blueberry for the first time and seemed to like it pretty well. Saturday he seemed to like it even more so I thought I would try to give him what was left in the container on Sunday since if he didn't eat it I would have to toss it anyway. There was more than half the container so at least 2oz and HE ATE IT ALL! I am so happy and proud!! Not only did he eat it, he gobbled it up and made very little mess. For the first time, it was a pleasure feeding him!

I have been working with him for the past couple of months on sitting up. Well today he sat up unassisted for a minute! He is definately grasping the concept! Lately he hadn't been sleeping through the night all that well but last night he slept 12 hours once again! I guess all that work learning to sit up and eat solid food is tiring. Hopefully, now that he has started mastering these new skills, he will go back to his regular sleeping pattern.

Party Planning

I know I already posted this but I think I fixed it so you can post comments now. So now you can actually tell me which one you like best.

Noah's Ark

Whimsical Ark

Joshua loves his toes!

Trying to Sit-Up

Joshua - 7 months old

Beach Weekend

Someone said that I'm going to turn Joshua into a beach bum, that would be fine with me! I'd love for him to love the beach and the ocean. Nothing says summer to me like the beach. Actually he's only been on the beach a total of 3 times and none of them was longer than 30 minutes.

Friday we spent with my mom and Joshua was so good! We went to see his honorary great grandmother Bernice who is in her 90's. I have to get a picture of him with her, he really likes her and her puppy Mikey a Shih Tzu. We spent the rest of the time just hanging out, we would have gone swimming except that I left my swimsuit at home! I remembered when we got about 30 minutes away from the house that I hadn't taken it off the hanger and put it in the suitcase. It was too late. So on Saturday I had to buy one, full price. Oh well, now I will wear the heck out of it. We went to dinner at a local pizza place near my mom and Joshua was charming the waitresses. Everyone LOVES his sunglasses! All weekend long I kept getting comments about my cool dude.

Saturday we met some friends and their kids, we had lunch at Margaritaville at Broadway at the Beach. If you've never been to one you should go, they are all over the southeast. There's also a Cheeseburger in Paradise in North Myrtle Beach, it's a little more toned down if you don't like a big restaurant. We may check that one out next time. I just wished Joshua liked going out to eat more, I guess I have to catch him at the right time. Friday night he slept through most of dinner but Saturday only part of lunch and at dinner he was so tired because we wore him out that day. One day a couple of weeks ago we went out to dinner and he slept through some if it and when he woke up he was in a great mood. He started laughing and laughed back and forth with me, something he'd never done before!

Saturday afternoon our friends and their kids came over to our resort and went swimming with us at the pool. We all had a great time. I think Joshua has fallen in love, with an older woman. A 4 year old girl with blonde hair. He couldn't stop staring at her and smiling. It was so cute! I wish I'd gotten pictures but some were taken just not with my camera. I didn't get any when we went out on the beach after they left either, unfortunately. From now on the camera is staying in the beach/pool bag.

We took Joshua out to the beach and we all got in the water. We went out past the breakers, the water was pretty calm so we didn't have to go far. Just where the waves start to form but before they get big and crash. I put him on the canvas float we had and he was having a good time until the waves started crashing where we were. He got water in his face and was not happy, he hates that. Hopefully he'll get over it soon since I think he'll be going under water at swimming lessons. So after two waves breaking and him getting splashed in the face we decided to go back. I had the raft out in front of me when a wave broke and took me straight into shore! It was so much fun! We weren't far out but we were far enough out that I rode that wave a good way!

He was so tired that night from the swimming and the ocean that he fell asleep in his clothes and slept 8 hours that way before waking up and needing to be changed. The next day he slept the whole way from the beach to Jamie's mom's and then fell asleep on my lap, something he never does unless he falls asleep nursing. Then he slept all the way home and again fell asleep in without being nursed. Guess we wore him out.

Party Planning

Yes, I've started seriously planning Joshua's 1st birthday party. I am not thinking about the fact that he's growing up but that party planning is fun! I really think I want to do Noah's Ark as the theme. His naming certificate has a beautiful drawing of Noah's Ark on it so I think that's a good tie-in to it. Also this may be the only time I get to pick the theme as next year he may have things he actually likes. One of Jamie's high school classmates makes beautiful cakes so I have already talked to her about doing Joshua's cake and she has penciled in the day after Thanksgiving for the party. It will either be that day or the day after that and will probably be at my mother-in-law's house. Which is good since the woman doing the cake lives nearby.

Here are the two Noah's Ark party supply themes I'm looking at. Please tell me which one you like best. I don't know how to make comments work so just e-mail me or tell me on Facebook.

Noah's Ark - This one actually says Happy 1st Birthday where the other one doesn't.

Whimsical Ark - I think this one is cuter, less cartoony.

Here are some cake photos. Which one do you like?

Cake

Cake 2

Cake 3

Cake 4

7 Months!!

OMG, where has the time gone? Seriously, my baby is 7 months old today! Holy cow! Here's an update.

Eating - He's doing better with solid foods. Yesterday morning he eagerly ate about a teaspoon maybe 2 of bananas. Later that afternoon when I tried to give him sweet potato it was a no go. Even when he opened his mouth and I managed to get some in, it came back out. Today he wasn't that interested in the bananas but once I got some in his mouth he ate them. He was more interested in the cat walking around and even the walls than eating. I think the cat was hoping she'd get some food out of it but I don't think she'd like pureed banana. I did buy him puffs and he's had a few, not sure what to think of them but I think they're pretty good. I gave one to the cat, she looked at it like 'What's this?' It's not seafood, chicken or turkey so she didn't know what to do with it.

So far he has had: sweet potato, butternut squash, peas, pears, peaches, apples, bananas, rice cereal & oatmeal. The only ones left to try are green beans & carrots. I already bought some combo 2nd foods so he'll be trying apples & cherries, apples & blueberries and mango. Once I know for sure he's not allergic to banana I'll be able to get more combos of stuff he's already had like pears, apples & banana and stuff he hasn't had like apple strawberry banana, apricots with mixed fruit, banana mixed berry and banana orange medley. He'll also be trying: garden veggie (has spinach), mixed veggie (has potato), sweet potato & corn, oatmeal with pears & cinnamon, apple vanilla mixed grain, banana peach granola and papaya. We are waiting until 9 months to start meats so he won't be having any dinners until then and that's after he has his 9 month check-up. Maybe mac & cheese but we'll see how all the others go.

Sitting - Well he's not doing it yet. Not unassisted anyway. I'm practicing with him everyday though so he'll get it soon. He is pretty good at sitting hunched over holding his ankles or with his hands on the floor to support him but he'll only stay like that a few minutes before getting fussy.

Thankfully he's still sleeping through the night (knock on wood) except for a few nights this past week but most nights he sleeps 12 hours with maybe one wake up for his paci. He doesn't nap much though, he has become a cat napper. He takes 3-5 30 minute cat naps a day which make it kind of hard to get anything done. Other than that he's growing like a weed. Now wearing all 6-9 month or 9 month clothes and in size 3 diapers, so far I like the Pampers Cruisers.

A Day In My Life

So my life lately has been pretty hectic. Joshua is teething and it's driving both of us nuts. He is super clingly and fussy. Here's what my day was like today which is pretty typical of what days have been like recently. He woke up at 7 and I fed & changed him. He was back asleep by 8 and slept 'till 9. He then pretty much ate every 2 hours and afterwards fell asleep for 30 minutes. It wouldn't matter if he slept on my lap or somewhere else, after 30 minutes he wakes up. For one of his afternoon feeds I fed him in my bedroom and after he was asleep I laid him down on the bed next to me and after 30 minutes he woke up.

When he's not asleep or eating he wants to be in my lap. I can get away with putting him down either on the floor on his play mat, in his chair, swing or jumperoo for a few minutes. On the floor he will play for a while and then roll over. He then gets upset that he rolled over and starts to fuss. Sometimes he will roll himself back over (usually only to roll again) but most of the time he just lays on his tummy fussing until I roll him back over and if I don't he starts to cry. The swing or his chair will last for about 20 minutes until he gets bored. The jumperoo is usually shorter because he can't reach some of the toys without turning and doesn't know how to turn or jump although he loves it when I jump it for him.

At times he wants to eat in between too or snack but then he's fussy and I don't really know what else to do to make him happy. It's too hot outside to take him for a walk like I might have done earlier in the year and nothing else works. Half the time he pops on and off while fussing. I know his teeth are driving him crazy and I do give him teething tablets or tylenol if I think he needs it.

So I don't get much done. By the time Jamie comes home I am drained. Today he didn't get home until 6 and I had no patience left. I think another part of Joshua's problem is he hasn't mastered sitting up yet, I've heard that once he can sit up he'll be happier, who knows. I am still working with him on it but even when he does sit up supporting himself with his hands on the floor it's only for a few seconds. Hopefully he'll get it soon.

He's also not crazy about solid food. Today he wanted very little to do with it. I tried to feed him peaches this morning but he wasn't interested. This afernoon I tried bananas for the first time and he wasn't having them either. I'm trying not to worry about it since I know he doesn't really need it. Maybe once he can have finger foods he'll do better with it. So that's been my life lately. I hope those teeth come in soon, I can only see the very tips of them but they're there.

Baby Joshua plays peek-a-boo

Baby Joshua in the pool

Baby Joshua at the beach

Baby Joshua in the pool