More Fun in MI

The rest of the week was very eventful as well. We spent Wednesday visiting Jen Britton, Ami and Matt Kipf, and Becky and Justin Vinson. It was really nice visiting with all of them and good that we can catch up even if it is only once in a while. Thursday we went to one of Jim's Highschool teachers Annual Christmas party. We were definitely old! But Josh was a huge hit. They throw the party every year to promote math/science programs for high school kids and so it is neat to see all the graduates and what they are all doing now. After that we went to Jimmy and Michelle Smiths. Ava and Josh got to play for a bit but it was pretty late so they crashed early. Josh was starting to hate all the new sleeping environments so he struggled a bit to go to sleep. He kinda had a rough night but we made it through and he was fine all day Friday.

Friday night Jim and I went to GLI (Great Lakes Invitational Hockey Tournament). It is an annual hockey tournament between the Div 1 MI hockey schools and one other team in the league. This year Mich Tech actually did awesome winning 4-1 against Michigan State. Jim actually watched the game. I on the other hand seemed to like seeing old college friends down in the Olympia room. I was definitely bummed as there were only about 5 DZ's... but I guess they all go down there Saturday night.

Saturday was Jim's b-day. We met up with his highschool friend Laura and Dave at teh National Coney Island. That was big fun! I had never officially had a coney dog. We went to DQ growing up to get hot dogs with chili on it. So this "Coney" world is new to me. It was a hot dog with chili. Didn't think there was anything special.

That night we went to dinner with some more of Jim's friends. We got to meet Sarah's fiance Mike and see Mark and Tara. Josh was SO tired by that point so G'ma and G'pa Kirkwood took him home early.

Sunday we made the trip back home. Again Josh did well for the first 5.5 hours. Glad the drive is only 6.5 total! We hope you all had a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!

It's Christmas!!

We are in MI this year for Christmas. We made the drive on Friday when Jim got home from work. It was a smooth first 5.5 hours. But then Josh wanted OUT!!! We got to Grandma and Grandpa Kirkwoods and stayed there for the weekend. Saturday Catherine and I went out with some of my sorority sisters to M-80's in Ferndale which was AWESOME. Jim went to hang out with his friend Mark and Josh got to hang out with G'ma and G'pa. Sunday our friends Anne and Ryan drove down from Lansing for lunch. Monday we went to Abby and Aarons for the Christmas gatherings.

There were SO MANY presents. I think we opened gifts for 3 days. It was crazy. Great G'ma Connie had a lot of fun watching us open the "grab bag" items and making trades. Josh and Izzy made out with a ton of clothes from the relatives. Which works out GREAT cause we didn't have a whole lot for the 12 month size. We had a huge dinner both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day and were able to see almost all of Jim's family members. And of course we had Josh and Izzy where the santa outfits we got them. So cute!

Josh and Izzy played very well together. Izzy is really moving these days. She enjoyed stealing every toy from Josh at the beginning. Josh would just stare at her like, "why would you do that?" By the third day Josh started stealing things back. But they really did well together. They were on opposite schedules for the most part with eating and sleeping, so it seemed we always had a baby to play with.

Finally Christmas is here!!

It seemed like the month of December went on and on and on. Both Jim and I were very busy this month at work. We are both in need of some R&R... And Christmas always seems to help!

Mr. Josh is much happier now that his tooth has pushed all the way through. Monday and Tuesday night were a bit rough as nothing seemed to make him comfortable. We tried Tylenol and the baby ambesol stuff. He HATED the ambesol. The Tylenol did work, it just took a while. But I think he is back to his old independant self. When he doesn't want to do something boy does he let you know. The other night I put him in his usual favorite - the Jumparoo. He looked up at me with the biggest puppy dog eyes and frown I have ever seen him give! His lips did the quiver too! And then the howl. It reminded me of the "Lucy's" on the bus in the movie Rat Race... when they all start crying in unison. MMWWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

He has mastered rolling over to get to the toys he wants and is often pushing up onto his knees. Maybe he will be a crawler??? He still loves to stand and now likes to grab onto the back of the couch or reach for the coffee table. Today I helped him walk from the family room into the kitchen where Dad was... He thought that was SO cool!

He is SUPER ticklish too... and when he talks it is so loud and is pretty much screaming/singing rather than talking. He is starting to make an mmmaa sound. Or maybe it is bbbaa. The big move to the next room at daycare is quickly approaching. All the ladies he started with have moved over there now... It is weird to see him with the new babies... because he used to be the youngest and when I would watch the other babies I would always think, "okay that will be next". Now I am looking at these 2-3 month olds and thinking, "so glad he is out of that stage!" Is that bad?? My friend tells me it just means I am not ready for another baby yet... I responded, "UM NO!"

A tooth???

Well it has finally happened... Joshua is popping out a tooth. But it sure it taking it's time... On Monday I spotted something white in his mouth... so I stuck my finger in... and eventually had to pull his lower lip down. You could just barely see this white bumpy edge of a tooth poking through. I felt it too. But it seems that it just doesn't want to poke all the way through yet. (notice the drool on the shirt and pants... it is everywhere)

Josh has been pretty good though. He gets pretty cranky after daycare and we have been putting him to bed earlier and earlier this week. Last night he was in bed by 6:30pm! And he slept until 8am this morning! I think it is the tooth, but he could be hitting another growth spurt too. He is definitely surpassed the 6 month outfits and well into the 9 month ones. I feel like it is going to be quick though!

We learned another trick for Josh... daycare has been giving him at least 1/4 cup of oatmeal and 1/2 jar of baby food up to 2 times a day. We have been lucky if we can get him to eat half that much on the weekend. Amanda one of his teachers said that she mixes it all up and he gobbles it down. We had been giving him a spoonful of cereal with a dab of baby food on top. So we started mixing it all together Monday night and he just kept opening his mouth and going for more. :) He eats 3 solid meals a day now... Tonight we tried peaches for the first time. He didn't seem to notice. But the Ritz crackers... hilarious to watch him eat them. He is so excited to get them in his hands and to his mouth... but as soon as he tastes the salt he winces! I really wish I knew what he was thinking sometimes!

Not much new for Jim and I. He got a new car - Buick Lucerne last week so we are enjoying the new ride. :) Never thought I would be excited to drive a Buick... but this car is SOOOOO nice! As for me... just trying to keep up at work. Believe it or not we are barely keeping up with demand for DEPEND. ha ha! :) I am playing womens soccer again and our team is really good this year. We have 5 returning players and 4 new players this year. So far we have only lost 2 games out of 6. Which is much better than the years before. I even played goalie one half and didn't let a single shot in. Pretty hilarious to watch me - so scared of the ball! The ref kept yelling "nice hands keep"... i finally realized he was making fun of me using everything but my hands to defend the goal (head/shoulder/chest/feet). But whatever works.

We got the Christmas cards done and sent out... and we are home again this weekend. Love that we have had 3 weekends home! We have done quite a bit around the house... Well okay - Jim has done quite a bit. But I have helped here and there.

Alright - you got some new pics to look at... that is all you really wanted anyway!

I am 7 Months Old!!!

Hi everybody... this is Josh. I am officially 7 months old today and wanted to speak for myself finally... Todays been a good day so far. Mom and Dad gave me cheerios and my favorite food... prunes for dinner! We got to play with my favorite toys - my blocks. They are just the right size for me to pick them up and get them in my mouth. I am getting stronger and stronger every day. Still hate being on my belly, but I am much better at rolling over, so it isn't so bad. I love when Mom and Dad give me their hands... I reach out to grab on and pull myself up to standing... I am working on the crib rails now... and taking a few steps!



I would guess I am about 17.5 lbs and mom constantly says I am growing like a weed, whatever that means. I am getting pretty good at singing/screaming. I usually wait until no one is talking... which sometimes seems like never... but when it is quiet - I let it all out. Grandma/Grandpa Kirkwood and Nanna/Pappy Walsh eagerly listen on the phone for me to show off my mad singin skillz... but I get more interested in the shiny phone than talking... they will just have to wait to hear me in person.



Hmm what else... well my parents have FINALLY figured out how to get me to sleep at night. I seriously was getting annoyed. I mean - all the ladies at daycare were able to get a full night of sleep... I was starting to wonder how I got stuck with the incompetant parents. But low and behold... they got it together... it isn't "Rocket Science". Now if I could only get them to stop feeding me those damn PEAS...



Oh - back to the ladies at daycare. Well... I was the only man in the house from 8-5pm... I had my pick of the ladies of all ages... both old and young. But things have changed... my Casanova days seem to be dwindling... I got two young bucks coming into my territory. Jack and Wyatt. Yeah the girls all think they are "SOOOO CUUUUTE"... but I still got game.


Well - it is WAY past my bedtime... I am out...

Sleeping through the night!!!

Time has really flown by this month. I bought the book "Solve your Child's Sleep Problems" by Dr. Ferber because Jim and I were plain old exhausted. Josh was still getting up 3-4 times a night screaming. The book came right as we left for MN for Thanksgiving... so I spent most of that vacation reading up on infant sleep habits.

We started keeping a log of when Josh went to sleep and when he woke up. The first 2 nights we did this it confirmed that Jim and I were both up with Josh at different times... and it went on all night long. The third night we really tried to keep things consistent (lullaby CD on all night real low, humidifier on, night light on, give him a pacifier and blanket, and leave while he is still awake). And we stopped offering him a bottle at night. Surprisingly the first night he didn't wake us up until 3. Jim and I laid awake waiting to see if he would calm himself down. After 2 minutes he started calming down. We never went in there.

The naps during the day were key. Since Thanksgiving we have noticed that if he gets 2 solid naps during the day and goes to bed between 7:45-8:30pm... he typically will sleep until 7am. If he doesn't get a good nap in... we struggle to get him to sleep well at night.

So - to sum it up... Josh is sleeping through the night. Which means Jim and I are sleeping through the night. It is AWESOME! It is amazing how much more productive I am at work off of 6 continuous hours of sleep. And Josh is SO much happier too! Which is very very important! I am not sure that the book told me anything I hadn't heard or tried, but it did help highlight things that can be counterproductive... like offering a bottle to speed up the going back to sleep process and going in to give him his pacifier. I am wondering how much I will use it in the future cause it has a bunch of sections on the toddler who won't stay in bed for naps, or wants to sleep with mom and dad.