Washer and Dryer

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little fellow!  How are you?  :-)

This morning you took a pretty big bottle .... 7 ounces of formula when you woke up!  Whoa!  Afterward, you took a little nap.  :-P  I ran your bottles and vacuumed the downstairs.  :-)

You were a little mellow during your physical therapy appointment this morning with Eliza.  You surprised us both with your sitting .... you sat by yourself for over 40 seconds!  Wow!  You are really progressing with your sitting!  You didn't roll during this appointment, and you haven't really rolled since last week.  We'll keep working on that.  :-)

After Eliza left, the Sears delivery guys came with our washer and dryer .... but, the washer doesn't work!  It doesn't turn on!  Geez!  We tried different outlets and reset the breakers to make sure it wasn't the outlet.  But, it's definitely the washer!  So, I called the company, and a new washer will be delivered tomorrow morning, and they'll take away this one that doesn't work.  :-P  You have your Special Infant Care Clinic appointment tomorrow morning at 8:15am, so Mimi is coming to the house to let the Sears people in for the new washer.  

I noticed that you're ticklish on the back of your neck .... it's so cute when you giggle!  You'll tuck your head down and laugh if tickled!  :-)

You played with your toys and did tummy time for the rest of the afternoon.  Uncle Brennan and Aunt Katie came over to visit with you for about an hour.  They were at the beach last week so they haven't seen you in a while.  

We made dinner this evening .... chicken, veggies, and couscous .... we used some of the hot sauce in the welcome packet from Falls River (from saturday).  It was good .... and daddy liked it!  :-)

This evening you fell asleep on the bed with your toys and doing tummy time.  Daddy and I woke you up to change you and to give you one last bottle with 4 tablespoons of rice cereal.  You finished your peas today, so you'll get to start something new tomorrow!  :-)

Well, sleep well tonight .... we see the neonatologist and physical therapists at Wake Med tomorrow morning for your Special Infant Care Clinic appointment.  We'll see what they say about your head shape.  

Sleep tight!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Roosters, Horses, and Peacocks .... Oh My!

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello cutie pie!  What fun we all had yesterday at Alicia's wedding!  :-)

This morning you woke up and played with your toys and did tummy time as daddy and I packed a few things.  We went downstairs to the wonderful smell of a brunch being cooked by Aunt Martha (Kevin's aunt at the Peacock Inn).  She made waffles, bacon, biscuits, a hashbrown casserole, eggs .... yummm .... everything was so good and daddy and I ended up eating way too much!  ;-)  Stephanie, Kevin, and Kevin's dad, aunt, and uncle were all there for brunch.  You played and did tummy time as we ate, but then they all played with you once the meal was over.  :-)  You giggled a lot and liked seeing and meeting all the people.  

The Peacock Inn is located in Newton, NC on a farm.  After we ate, I put you in the carrier and Stephanie and Kevin took us down to see all the animals.  You got to see cows, goats, dogs, a donkey, a mini pony, roosters, horses, and some peacocks!  This was the first time you've seen some of these animals.  :-)  You ended up falling asleep in the carrier, but then you woke up once we were back inside.  Stephanie also gave us a tour of the Inn.  :-)

You played and we visited more.  Then, after another bottle, we hit the road back to Raleigh around 1pm.  We were back home around 3:40(ish)pm and you slept for most of the ride.  

Once home, we changed you and you had a bottle.  You ate some oatmeal and peas.  Then, we all took a quick trip to Target for some wipes (for your little bottom) and more fruits for you to try.  :-)

This evening, we all relaxed from being in a car all day.  You played more and eventually fell asleep on the bed.  Tomorrow, the Sears delivery guys are coming so we'll have our washer and dryer!  Also, Eliza will come over for your physical therapy appointment!  I know she'll be impressed with your tummy time!  Daddy and I are so proud of you!  :-)

Sleep tight my little Joshua!

I love you!

~Mommy

Going To The Chapel

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little fellow!  Today is another road trip!  My college friend, Alicia, is getting married in Maiden, NC, so we're packing the car and getting ready to go!

We packed your things and bed (pack and play) while you were still sleeping this morning.  Once you woke up, we changed you and you ate a little breakfast with daddy.  Right before we left, a lady came to our door with a welcome tote bag from Falls River (the new subdivision we live in).  It had coupons and goodies inside!  We brought it back in the house so we could go through it once we're back in town.  

We hit the road around 9:45am.  We stopped in Mebane for an early lunch at Bojangles.  :-)  I took you out of the car seat so you could stretch, but you weren't hungry then, so you just played.  

We're staying at a Bed and Breakfast that's owned by Kevin's aunt and uncle (you remember Stephanie and Kevin .... your God-parents!).  :-)  So, once we got there, we all changed and got ready for the wedding.  You wore your tuxedo onesie again, combed your hair, and brushed your little erupting tooth.  ;-)  

The wedding was at 5pm, but we got to the church around 3pm so we could visit first.  You got to meet Alicia, Trina (her mom), Jason (the groom), Sherrill, and John Robert (Sherrill's husband) for the first time.  They all held you!  Of course, you already know Stephanie, Kevin, and Emily!  :-)

You got a little fussy before the wedding, so I gave you a bottle and rocked you to sleep in my arms.  I had to take you outside once the wedding started, but once you fell asleep, I came back in and we tip-toed to the balcony (I took my shoes off) to watch the ceremony.  The doors leading into the church from the narthex were already closed, but the balcony was the best seat in the house!  :-)

Afterward, we headed over to the reception!  That's when the party began!  You had another bottle and danced, clapped, and sang to songs.  ;-)  And, of course, everyone held you again!  You stayed awake during the whole reception, and we didn't get back to the Peacock Inn until around 10pm.  But, you still ate your 4 tablespoons of rice cereal and eventually went to bed with little fussing.  You've gotten better the last few nights with sleeping .... I hope that continues.  :-)

Well, tomorrow we'll head back to Raleigh at some point.  You had a lot of fun at the wedding!  

Sleep tight little Joshua!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Forty Two Weeks

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little one!  Today you are forty two weeks old!  Can you believe it?  I can't!  You have 10 weeks until your very first birthday!  :-)

Once again, you slept through the night!  Good job sweetie!  I gave you 4 tablespoons of solid food again last night with your formula.  I wonder if that's making a difference?  Hummmm ....

Well, just as I said yesterday .... today is Family Friday!  To start things off for Family Friday, you had a Daddy Morning .... I had an eye appointment at 8:30am this morning, so I left the house early to make it over there.  You stayed here with daddy, had breakfast, played with toys, did tummy time, and took a little nap.  After the eye doctor's appointment, I made a quick stop at Gigi's to pick up the rest of our framed photos.  We're going to try to place them around the new house and figure out where we want to hang things.  

The doctor's office dilated my eyes, so for the rest of the day daddy did all of the driving.  :-P  We ate lunch together when I got home (we made a pizza), and then we headed over to the mall.  We walked around for about an hour to stretch our legs (it was hot outside so we wanted to stay inside).  Also, we went over to Sears and ordered a washer and dryer set.  :-)  They should be delivered on monday, so after that we won't have to keep borrowing other people's machines.  :-P  

We got back home around mid-afternoon.  You played with your toys and did tummy time.  Daddy and I straightened some things around the house.  Then, for dinner, we went over to (Great) Uncle Laurence's house.  

You got to meet more family while there!  Your Great-Grandfather (my mommy's daddy), and his wife, from Tennessee are in town this weekend.  Since you, daddy, and I are heading to a wedding tomorrow, we went over to see them tonight.  You haven't been able to meet them until now, but they've sent you gifts in the mail and have seen photos of you!  We were able to visit for a few hours.   Everyone thought you were cute, and they took photos of you playing.  :-) Once it got late, we packed you up so we could get you to bed at a decent time.  We still needed to pack things for the wedding for tomorrow, so we put some things aside once you started to doze off.

Tomorrow we head to Maiden, NC for a wedding!  Sleep tight my little Joshua!  :-)

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Quick Power Outage

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello cutie!  Well, you slept through the night!  Woo hoo!  Last night, I gave you 4 tablespoons of barley and 5 ounces of formula.  You fell asleep around 9(ish)pm on me.  When I put you down in your bed, you screamed.  Daddy played with you for a little bit and you played with a rattle and calmed down.  You eventually fell asleep on your own around 9:30(ish)pm.  You started stirring after 6am this morning, but you didn't fully wake up until 7am!  Wow!  By the way, daddy and I fell asleep immediately after you because we were so tired from the previous night!  :-P

Penny was here with you today.  You two went to the park (at the end of the road really close to the house) and you played in the baby swings.  :-)  You apparently really like to swing.  :-)  You also did a lot of floor play time, tummy time, and you took a few naps.  

Daddy had a soccer meeting (he's on the board) tonight, so he had to leave the house before I could get home from work.  So, Mimi came over early and watched you for a little bit until I got home.  Once I got home, the three of us met Grandpa Mike out for dinner.  I brought your new chair cover and you sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time during dinner!  :-)  We attached little toys to it for you to play with.  

We had some bad thunderstorms this evening.  The power flickered in the restaurant a few times.  We all got rained on going back to the car!  When we got back home, I noticed that we had a power outage here.  The time on the stove was blinking.  We got home late, and daddy came home from his meeting about 30 minutes after us.  

Tonight, you played with your toys and did tummy time on the bed.  :-)  Tomorrow, daddy has off, so it's "Family Friday!"  Yippie!

Sleep tight little one!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Separation Anxiety

Dearest Joshua David~

I'm afraid you have developed something that we need to find a way to cure .... separation anxiety.  You will not go to sleep, or stay asleep, without help from daddy or me holding you.  We put you in your bed at midnight this morning (you had fallen asleep on daddy), and then you immediately started to scream!  I held you until 1:44am .... you were sleeping soundly .... I put you back in your bed and you started to scream again!  You would NOT sleep without someone there!  I put you in your crib and you screamed from 2-3am.  We also had given you a bottle and changed you, so you weren't hungry or wet .... but you still screamed!  I finally couldn't take it anymore and picked you up at 3am.  You fell asleep around 3:30am.  Daddy and I both had to wake up at 6am for work today.  You were a "bad" boy this morning, and daddy and I were so tired at work!

You, on the other hand, did a lot of napping with Penny today!  Here's what you all did:

8am:  sleeping - fell asleep by yourself on the floor

10:20am:  walk to the park- you like the swing and met a new friend named Madeline

11am:  floor time and turned over from front to back

11:45am:  sleeping - fell asleep by yourself on the floor

3:45pm:  sleeping - fell asleep by yourself on the floor

4:15pm:  outside - hot and humid

4:40pm:  floor time

I got home late from work this evening.  Daddy made dinner and we ate together while you played.  This evening, you played with your toys and did tummy time.  I gave you 4 tablespoons of barley this evening around 9pm with your formula to see if that would help you sleep through the night better.  I guess we'll see!  

Tomorrow you'll be with Penny again!  Continue to save those cute smiles and precious kisses for me!

Sleep tight (daddy and I are tired!).  :-P

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Coffee And Headache

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little precious!  Well, you were a tad of a "bad" little boy this morning.  You woke up screaming at 4am from your bed.  :-P  Daddy changed you and we gave you a bottle.  Then, you won't go back to sleep when we put you in your bed.  You continued to fuss and wanted to be held the whole time.  If we put you down, you would scream .... if we held you, you'd calm down.  :-P  Daddy ended up holding you on him so you could sleep and didn't put you back in your bed until 6am .... when his alarm went off for work!  Daddy was groggy all day (and in need of coffee) and I had a headache all day.  We need to see what we can do to help you with your sleeping .... for everyone's sake.  :-P

After your morning cry fest, you played a lot and did your tummy time. You took a very small nap in the morning while I cleaned your bottles and did the dishes.  

By lunch time, my headache had gotten stronger, so I was relieved when you took a longer nap .... I took one too!  :-)

Mimi came over after going to the gym this afternoon.  She fed you and then took some more of our laundry.  

Oh, you finished your container of peas!  You have one more though that we can open later.  :-)

We made a quick trip to the grocery store after Mimi left, so we could get things to make a pizza tonight!  The original plan was to make the dough this morning, but I was too tired after your morning wake up call!  Daddy liked the pizza though, so it must have been a success!  :-)

After dinner, daddy cleaned the litter box while I gave you a bath.  :-)  I think your cradle cap is looking better.  

This evening, you played with your toys and did more tummy time on the bed.  You eventually fell asleep on the bed.  Tomorrow, I head back to work, so Penny will be here to play with you.  Save some smiles and kisses for me!

Sleep tight little one!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy