Joey: 12 Months

Happy 1st birthday to our Joe! He is such a cute little rascal.

We celebrated his birthday on Saturday, and a couple days ago on his actual birthday, I was trying to get rid of leftovers in the fridge. One of them was one single piece of cake left in the big box it came in. Since it was just one last piece and four days old at that, I decided to throw away the whole thing. That way when Tim got home he wouldn't be giving me a hard time for never getting rid of anything in the fridge. The trash can was already mostly full so I squished the whole box in the top as best I could and left it with the lid open, intending to come back in a little bit and change out the trash bag. (I should have put the box in the recycling but truth be told I was too lazy to clean the cake off.)

Then I went on about my business in the fridge, and when I next happened to look out to the laundry room, guess who I saw standing on tiptoe at the trash can, reaching into the box and stuffing cake into his mouth? I took him away from the trash can, but not before getting a picture of course. I shouldn't let this picture see the light of day, but you know I can't help myself.

Then because I felt bad for the little guy scavenging birthday cake on his birthday, I rescued the last bit of cake from the box and put him in this chair and gave it to him even though we hadn't had lunch. He took a few halfhearted bites and shoved the rest off the tray. I guess it just didn't taste as sweet as the handfuls he filched from the trash. I sure know how to take the fun out of things, don't I?

What else is new with Joey?

He finally got a guy babysitter. I don't know if you recall, but Joey has not responded positively to the two female babysitters he's had, and both times he's preferred their husband/father. I said after that last time that I really should just hire a guy next time, but I hardly ever need babysitters and I mostly avoid having to go anywhere when Tim's not there to help.  Then last week I found myself staring down the specter of having to take all the kids, including a five-year-old with ants in his pants and a restless, squirmy baby to see Delaney's sign language performance in the school Christmas program. I texted my neighbor asking if any of her kids would be willing to babysit and she offered up her oldest boy. I spent the next few days trying to decide if I wanted him to to come with us and be an extra set of hands so that I could watch and record Delaney in peace; or if I wanted to leave him at home with them. My only worry about leaving them at home was the late evening timeframe, which is bedtime. I worried that he would get really tired and fussy without me there to nurse him and put him to bed, and he doesn't take a bottle well. I thought maybe I'd be punishing Joey and the babysitter by leaving them at home, and that would not be fair. I over-analyzed the situation for days, and there did not seem to be any acceptable solution but for the school to NOT have the concert at 6:30, and for my husband to not be out of town.

Tim said I'd be better off leaving them at home, and the funny thing is that after all my analyzing and tormenting myself, I always end up just listening to whatever he says and going, "OK, I'll do that." So I had Ben come over the day before to meet Joey because although we've said hi in passing, they've never gotten acquainted. While we were sitting there on the living room floor with Joey and his toys, Joey handed him one of his shapes which I take to mean, "Let's be friends". I told him that's what Joey likes best, to have you at his level and giving him attention. I also warned him that this house isn't babyproofed much at all, and he's just going to have to watch him. I didn't do much to hide that I thought Joey was going to be a big pain in the butt because I wanted him to be ready for the worst.

The next night went really well. By the time Ben arrived, Joey had nursed well and eaten a good bit of my white bean chili for dinner, so at least he wouldn't be getting hungry any time soon. As I was handing him off before going out the door, Joey leaned toward him, and that gave me so much peace of mind right there. It's so nice not to have to tell myself, It's OK, he'll probably be done crying by the time I back out of the driveway. The whole time I sat there in the school gym with Annie, I thought to myself how glad I was that they were all at home. I'd have been crazy to take them all with me. The program was a short and sweet 45 minutes long (Yes!), and when I got back he told me that the boys had both been really good. All that worrying I did was for nothing. And now I've got a babysitter he actually likes. Until this summer (*sniffle*).

That was a long story. On to 12 month stuff.

We have no major milestones to report. Joey remains a happy crawler, sometimes cruiser, and now sometimes clinging to the wall as he goes along the same way I used to do on the skating rink. He'll also hold one or both of my hands and walk around from time to time. He'll mosey his way around to walking at some point in the next few months, but he's in no hurry. Neither Delaney nor Timmy had taken first steps by their first birthdays either.

He's not saying any words yet, just a lot of adorable nonsensical chatter with lots of "g" sounds and clicking and "ch" sounds too. Sometimes I say "Uh-uh" in a firm voice instead of "no", and today he said the first part of that back to me with an impish grin. "Uh!"

He is starting to mimic the things we do. He gives us things, takes them back. He takes things out of a basket and puts them back. He picks up a brush and puts it up next to his head because he sees us brush our hair. He tries to draw with pens, pencils and crayons too, whenever he gets hold of one which is far too often.

He is super playful and affectionate, especially in that last hour before I put him to bed. It makes it really hard to want to put him to bed because I'd rather just sit on the floor and tickle him while he rolls around; or let him stand there holding my back and look at me over one shoulder and then the other. Then when I pick him up and say it's time for "night-night" he is quiet and calm while I go through the ritual of waving "night-night" to everyone. He still doesn't usually wave back until we're down the hallway out of sight, and it's his palm facing himself.

Our naps and bedtime routine are unchanged from last month. Morning nap happens sometime around 8 a.m. and can last an hour-and-a-half to two hours usually; as long as three hours after a bad night. Afternoon nap starts around 1 and lasts not nearly long enough in my opinion, but around 1.5 hours. Bedtime is 7:30. We wave "night-night," we go to his room (he's still in the guest room), I nurse him in the glider rocker and then I say a prayer and lay him down. I got him a new lovey after we lost the one on our trip to NC, but he hasn't bonded with it. He didn't bond with the old one either. Annie and Timmy loved their loveys (Timmy still loves his), and they are helpful for bedtime. But they are also kind of a pain when they get misplaced. Delaney was a baby who slept well with no lovey, thumb or pacifier, and Joey is the same way most of the time. I still dream feed him before I go to bed around 10 or 10:30, and he's usually good until 6. When he wakes up he cries right away for me to come get him.

He nurses about six to seven times a day now, and depending on his mood, he eats some of whatever meal I'm having. I don't want to try to name his favorite foods because if I do he'll hate them tomorrow.

Just like the others did around this age, Joey's decided Daddy is the favorite. He lunges toward him when he walks in and clings when he tries to give him back to me. When I mentioned to Tim that I was the favorite only when they were babies he teased me saying I should try harder to keep myself relevant. Hmmph.

A visit, a birthday celebration and an early Christmas present:)

Tim's parents flew down from Massachusetts for a quick visit last Thursday, and left Monday morning. I think they were hoping for a break from New England winter, but instead they took it with them. It went from being in the 70s to being in the 40s and 50s right after they got here. Then yesterday after they drove away, right back up to the 70s. They probably hated that, but I for one LOVED getting out the jackets and the hats. It felt like real December and Christmastime.

We went downtown for ice cream after dinner on Friday, and since the ice cream place is also a coffee house we were able to stay warm.

Photo by Tim Sr. Why is that important to know? I don't know, it just is.

Photo by Tim Sr

I believe it was while I was taking the picture below I uttered something like, "Someday I'm going to have a real camera that can take awesome pictures." Foreshadowing.. 

But the iPhone pictures aren't even too bad.

I found this next picture while looking through my phone. Tim must have taken it later that night. Me lying on the floor next to the Christmas tree reading a book and breathing fraser fir-scented air while Annie plays with my hair. That is the essence of contentment for me right there.

The next morning brought a little surprise for me that the kids couldn't wait to tell me about. Chippy had brought me a note and a big present.

I finally got the upgrade I've been wishing for. Oh my! Elation and joy gave way to bewilderment as I opened the box and got a look at all that gear. I have a lot to learn. I was also given my present from Tim Sr to open. It's a book called "Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs." It is basically a dummy's guide to photography. Whenever I have a few minutes I've been reading the lessons and trying to practice them. My two biggest takeaways to begin with are: 1) The only settings you need to take good pictures are P, aperture priority and shutter priority. 2) Forget you have Auto and scene selections. There's a start! The pressure is on to learn everything I can before our Christmas trip to Ohio. For a long time now, I've felt so limited in my ability to capture our memories the way I SEE THEM. Now, if I can really apply myself to learning this hobby, that will change.

Here are some of the first pictures ever taken with my very first DSLR camera. The quality of the photos drops off pretty sharply as the daylight went away.

I had my hair done that morning too. More brunette than ever and grays thoroughly camouflaged. Saturday was a good day!

That evening we celebrated Joey's birthday a few days early since neither his daddy nor his grandparents would be in town for the actual day. 

photo credit: Tim Sr

Quickly posing him while the special hat and bib are in place and visible..

Tim gave him his cake and ice cream with a spoon, and at first he just stared at it and poked it with the spoon. Then one of the girls gave him a taste on her finger to motivate him. He tried harder to get the food on the spoon, but had no success. Then he dropped the spoon and then just dove in to the delight of us all. Pardon the terrible pictures. A good camera does not a good photographer make.

Here he was looking all civilized, giving the spoon the old college try.

Fast forward about 10 minutes -- who needs a spoon when you've got your hands and face?

After birthday cake we gave Joey his birthday presents and then the rest of us exchanged Christmas presents. Joey was so happy to have new things. He's used to the same old hand-me-downs from big brother.

The cutest American Girl doll outfits!

And those are the highlights.

I just want to leave you with a few more of my new camera shots if you've hung in there with me to this point. Uploading pictures to Blogger is now a way more time-consuming process.

The Wheely Bee was a win for Joey. He pushed and pulled that thing around for two days straight, although he's not comfortable using it as a scooter yet. Timmy also loves it and rides it all around the house.

Joey: 11 Months

Here we are already staring his first birthday in the face. I can't believe it. It's a fun time to look back and remember what I was up to this time last year, and the state of mind I was in. The other day I made our reservations for the Polar Express on base and smiled, remembering how I'd made those same reservations last year, thinking I'd have had him by that date. But no, that big ol' belly and I were on the Polar Express. That big ol' belly and I made it to just about everything that I'd thought would end up being Tim, Carolyn and the kids. All my other babies came well before their due dates but Joey had to be different and come five days after his. So this time last year I thought I had only two to three weeks to go, not a whole month.

At 11 months we have no big changes to report. He's still crawling and cruising but not standing on his own yet. He's a very curious little guy who's always trying to get into things he shouldn't be, so I'm thinking perhaps instead of the usual floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree next month, we place one half the size up on a table. I remember one year when my sister Anna was about the same age, my parents did the same thing. He tries to climb everything and I am always thwarting him. He would probably love those Gymboree classes I took Delaney to when she was his age, but he's out of luck there.

When I tell him to say "night-night" to everyone, he waves with his palm facing himself, and makes a little noise. The other night it sounded like he said, "Nigh" as he as waving. He gives hugs and kisses sometimes. The hugs are heavenly, and I'd love for my neck to be encircled by those baby arms forever. The kisses are a little strange and funny, and when he comes at me with his mouth open I'm not sure if he's going to kiss me or try to eat me. He wanted to kiss Timmy a week or so ago, and I told Timmy, "He wants to give you a kiss," so Timmy stood awkwardly still while Joey leaned in. He was not crazy about the wet kiss he planted on his cheek, but he knew he didn't want to be turning down a kiss from baby brother. It is always so wonderful and amazing to me when, after months of lavishing a baby with affection, he turns around and starts to give it back.

Don't be thinking he's that adorable and charming all the time. He's kind of ornery a lot of the time, to tell you the truth. I put up with him because he's cute, and I remind him of that all the time.

The girls push him all around in the Cozy Coupe with his legs dangling because the floor got lost. He doesn't seem to mind.

He is sleeping very well now. He goes to bed at 7. I dream feed him at 10 and I don't hear from him until at least 6. During the day he still takes his morning nap between 7 and 8, and then an afternoon one at around 12 or 1. The length of these naps varies, around one to two hours each. He likes routine a lot, and any changes can throw off his day and make him resist one or both of his naps. I like our routine a lot too, and I do whatever I can to try not to disrupt it.

He's turning into a really good eater too. I buy a few baby food pouches a week just for times when we're eating something he can't have or doesn't like. He doesn't like those very much, but he loves our food. At breakfast he doesn't eat solids because his belly is pretty full of milk. At lunch he eats a little off my plate, and at dinner he eats a significant amount most of the time. (There are still times he wants nothing to do with it.) What are some recent things we've had that Joey likes?.. Chili, refried beans, guacamole, little bits of chicken, grilled cheese, and probably a lot more that I can't remember. A few nights ago he couldn't get enough of the refried beans. He kept lunging toward the spoon impatiently. He still nurses a few times a day too, so I'm sure he's getting plenty of calories on the whole.

One day he refused to take his afternoon nap, and later that day on our way home from an errand I glanced in the mirror and saw him like this. He looked all the world like his dad when he conks out on the la-z-boy.

He's still wearing mostly 12 month clothing, but I'm starting to buy 12-18 since he seems like he's at the upper range of 12 months. 12-18 Carters footie pajamas fit well. He has such tiny feet. He's wearing Robeez in size 6-12 with a little bit of room to grow.

He got his first little cold this month, and one day he had so much snot inside his head that he was having a hard time nursing. It was all loose inside his head and I could hear it moving around as he tried to breathe through his nose. It was then that I decided to give Nosefrida a try. I love this thing, but it is really a last resort because it terrifies him. It cleaned out his nasal passages so quickly and easily. Those bulb syringes are nothing but crap compared to this. Every baby shower gift I buy from here on out is going to include a Nosefrida. It has been around since Annie was a baby if not even longer, but I never had a baby who needed it enough for me to give it a try. I'm still discovering new things, even with it being my fourth time around.

Family Pictures -- Finally!

We finally got new family pictures done last weekend, and I love how they turned out. We had a perfect fall day, and three of the four kids being very cooperative because they know it's in their best interest to make me happy. The location was a spot the photographer had been to before, a tree swing on the riverbank about a minute from downtown Beaufort. Once we were done with pictures we went down the street for dinner and ice cream. It was a really fun evening.

It's just about impossible to narrow it down to a few of my favorites to share here, but I'll do my best. This family of mine is my pride and joy, and these pictures make me so happy.

Four distinct personalities .. We always marvel about how no two of them are anything alike.

Ashley told us to look at one another. Lol, perfect.

Tim and I always say to each other things like, "These kids drive us crazy, but we have the best life." This picture is the embodiment of that feeling for me.

Annie's managed to keep all of her baby teeth for 7 1/2 years and counting. Is that a record?

He just loved that swing. I've got 15 pictures of him laughing his head off on that swing. I love that big dimpled smile of his.

I love those beautiful brown eyes.

Joe is stingy with his smiles. You have to earn them! His scar from falling off the bar stool is healing nicely. When it first happened I couldn't imagine how because it was such a big deep gash. 

My buddy!

I wanted a picture of all of us walking toward the camera; so Ashley had us all line up and then said, "OK, start walking slowly toward me." The result: these three zombie children. Cracks me up.

This looks a little more natural.:)