Letters to Joseph-April Part Two

Dear Joseph:
OK, you are TOTALLY crawling now. It’s April 25th and you can scoot! I do notice though, that you really prefer to stand. Today we went over to your cousin Henry’s house and you just watched and watched him walking around. I could tell you were thinking, ‘I could do that’. You then crawled over to me, (I was sitting on the floor), and pushed yourself up on my knee and stood there for a half a second, and then sat right down. So, though you have mastered crawling, it seems to only be a means to get yourself to whatever you can pull yourself up on, so you can practice your real passion, standing. This of course, like most things, may change, but right now I don’t seem to have to be chasing your crawling self all over the house. I wonder though, are you going to be walking soon?!
Then there’s your eating…as I mentioned earlier in the month, I didn’t want to get in a battle with food with you, so we backed off on it. But today Henry was eating some banana bread that Auntie Malia made, so I gave you a little fleck to eat. You opened your mouth for it and seemed to like it, so later on, I decided to give some other food a try. WOO HOO…you opened your mouth over and over for the organic apples and blueberries. I got so excited that you were eating that YOU got excited to eat! I clapped and laughed with each bite and you loved that, so you kept doing it.
OK, on to some mushy stuff. I LOVE you. Every day you bring so much indescribable joy to me and I just hug you tight and give you countless kisses all day long. I hold your little body and rub your little back and think about how lucky I am to have you to be with all the time. Your little soft cheeks and sweet eyes melt me through and through. At night I hold you and snuggle you and give you all the nursing you want. It’s true, you don’t sleep through the night because you know I’m there to give you nourishment anytime you want, but I don’t believe that I’m spoiling you. I believe that I’m giving you sustenance…physically and emotionally. I want you to feel secure in getting all of your needs met…I feel so strongly that with this foundation, it will enable you to be secure and independent always.
So much love peanut,
Mama
P.S. I just have to tell you that pretty much everywhere we go, people comment on how very cute you are. They gush about your cute cheeks, but are also all very taken with your beautiful blue eyes. You’re a charmer!

Success!!!

Today Joseph successfully ingested a half a baby food jar of organic apples and blueberries! He opened his usually closed tight mouth and gobbled up spoonful after spoonful! Hopefully this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship with solid food!

Letters to Joseph-April Part One

Dear Joseph:
April has been so fun so far! We’ve had some sunny days and we’ve been spending time in the yard A LOT! I bring you outside and set you on a piece of Mexican oilcloth and we play with toys. Sometimes you play independently for a while as I garden or drink a beer. Occasionally you grab blades of grass and put them in your mouth, but you don’t get too upset when I fish them out.
You’ve REALLY been into paper lately too. You’d eat the whole Sunday Times if we let you. Pretty much anything you grab goes right into your mouth. Right at the beginning of April we noticed that you were sleeping restlessly and being a little grumpy. As I was putting you into the car on April 2nd…I saw that your first tooth had erupted! Then, later on April 14th, when your Auntie Melissa was visiting us, we spied a little pearl of the next tooth. Both are your two bottom teeth…the first was on your right hand side. I’m afraid you’ve bit me while nursing a few times…I yelp and you look scared and I think you probably won’t do it much more. We’ve given you ice cubes in your netted nibbly and a little Tylenol a few times at night. You’ve been a little irritable at times with the teething, and mostly only want to be held by me when you’re hurting. We had a party for Grandma Joyce’s 60th birthday and you were a little anti-social, crying when anyone else held you. We all started dancing and you fell asleep in the front pack while we rocked out to Proud Mary.
Then there’s eating. We have tried to feed you every kind of appropriate food under the sun, but you are NOT willing to eat. You close your mouth tight and the only time any food gets in your mouth is when you take the spoon yourself and MAYBE a little sneaks its way in. The rest stays on your face. I guess we started trying to feed you back in mid March, and I didn’t write it in the last letter because it hasn’t really worked out yet. We started with rice cereal and have tried avocado, pears, plums, sweet potato, and carrots. Carrots seem to offend you the least and you seem to make a facial mask out of them as well. Me hopes this doesn’t mean that it’ll be a battle to get you to eat as you grow older. We aren’t pushing it, and you will find your way with food in time…you surely aren’t starving as you weigh in at about 18 pounds and nurse like it’s goin’ out of style.
You are so fun and happy…a pleasure to be around. You are getting really good at crawling, usually getting about 3 or 4 feet at a time. Easter was very fun and the Easter Bunny came with a little wooden bunny and a soft bunny rattle.
I bought you your first pair of Salt Water Sandals in anticipation of warmer weather…black, size 5 infant, to give you a little room to grow into them.
More to follow as spring sprungs.
Love you suga bee,
Momma

Letters to Joseph-March

Dear Joseph:
March was an exciting month since we took you on your first airplane ride! You were so great and hardly cried at all…we did have a little leg between Houston and Austin where you cried a lot…we think it was partly because it was super hot on the plane and because it was such a short flight that your ears never got a chance to get used to the altitude. We stripped you down and gave you an ice cube in your netted nibbly. That’s what I call this contraption that is basically a little net bag with a handle…it’s made so that you can suck on fruit and stuff like that without choking. The other day though, Liam stole it from you while there was a teething biscuit in it…he ripped the net open and we had to get another one.
We had a blast in Austin visiting Chris and Camille! Melissa and MacKenzie came down from Dallas to visit too! It was South by Southwest Music Fest and we saw some super great bands...like Bob Schneider and The Polyphonic Spree. We had to seek out all ages, outdoor venues to protect your ears...we put little mini earplugs in your ears and you slept through most everything. Chris and Camille's house is so beautiful and comfortable and we loved it and loved staying there. They were so hospitable and gracious with sharing their busy weekend with us! It was also great for Melissa and Mac to meet you for the first time!
After we came home from Austin, your Dad had to go on a business trip to Portland. Grandma Joyce and I decided to take the train down to meet him there. We had a fun train ride and you played with your sock monkey and wood rattly toys and napped a little.
We walked all around the Pearl District and bought you a summer hat. That night, we cooked crab cakes in the kitchenette. Also that night, March 24th to be exact, you started to crawl. You weren’t totally proficient yet, but you covered ground on your hands and knees. There was also a swivel chair in our hotel room and you liked to be spun around on it.
Another fun thing this month is that you are getting to like being carried on my back. I can put you in the Ergo Carrier and walk all around with you…I can do a little gardening, cleaning, and of course walks with you. As spring is coming along…this is good stuff.
I love you sweet potata,
Momma

Choppin Brocolli at the Mean Eyed Cat

I'm told that the guy behind Joseph and Camille's Aunt Kathy, is Dana Carvey. Adam Sandler was at the bar too. OH, and we saw Steve Earle at the San Jose.