New Shoes

Joey got new shoes! Not just new shoes, but his first shoes! I'd been wanting to get him some for awhile for when we are outdoors. He likes to walk around holding on to our fingers and I usually let him, but then the tips of his toes get all scraped up. It's really sad! Plus we've been going to the play ground more and more and I can let him walk around more with some shoesies.

I found these cuties at Target yesterday and thought I'd put them on him while he was in his high chair so he wouldn't be as apt to yank them off. Right. He promptly yanked one off and once I got it back on he really had to inspect those suckers. He really didn't seem to mind them as much as I thought he would.

When I got to the checkout at the store I said "Oh man, these don't have the shoelaces!" And Summer said "Yeah, I noticed that but I figured you knew." I had thought they were inside the toes and I just had to lace them myself, but it turns out they have elastic to hold them on. Then I thought it was kinda *ahem* gay to not have shoelaces for my little boy's tennies. But I was already at the checkout and bought them anyway. Now, of course, I think they are just too stinkin cute!

"Hey Ma, I'm not too sure about these "tennies", but if you say so..."

Happy Belated Rosh Hashanah

We celebrated the Jewish New Year last week with Josh's mom. I didn't attend services with Josh and his mom but I was present and accounted for when it was dinner time. Hey, we are each spiritual in our own ways and if I find my peace in a relish tray and home cooking, then so be it. ;) Edie's big ol standard poodle, Caeser, was so excited to see Joseph. Joseph was pretty unsettled by the big dog at first but soon warmed up to him.

Once he was comfortable around Caeser, he would stick his hand out and let Caeser lick it. Then Cesear became more bold and gave his face some licks throughout the night. It was really funny! Gross...but funny! Joseph was pretty intrigued by him as long as he was safe in his highchair!

And oh yes, the matzoh ball soup. The creme de la creme. Homemade chicken soup with a big ol perfect matzoh ball smack in the center! We were so excited to give Joseph his first matzoh ball. He loved it, of course. What isn't to love about homemade chicken soup!?

The next best part of Edie's dinners is the challah (pronounced halla). This is the most delish, moist, homemade bread ever! My fav is to drizzle honey on it - oooooooh child!

This picture is just funny! I am such a mean mommy. My poor baby wants me to get him and I snap a picture. He forgave me though and it's all good.

Joseph is named after Edie's dad. He was a great man and I am so blessed to have gotten to know him as well as I did. I truly loved him and miss him a lot. We will LOVE telling Joseph all the crazy things he used to say and do! He had big blue eyes, a great sense of humor and a huge smile...all of which little Joseph matches perfectly.

Joey and his Bubby snuggled up with a book before dessert...then Joseph grabbed her glass and spilled tea everywhere. Ha! I am sure big Joey spilled a glass or two in his day also. All in all, we had a great dinner and got the leftovers! I'd call it a success...and I am so at peace. ;)

My Child is a Mess

Any guesses for what Joseph got a hold of? I know I can't be the only mom whose child has had a nice bite of this mystery treat. Here is a hint: it's not chocolate. He found a chunk of mud from the stroller wheels! And promptly put it in his mouth! Agh! You should have seen his mouth a few seconds before I could grab the camera. The whole inside of his mouth was black and he gave me the biggest, muddy grin you've ever seen. As I was running in a circle trying to decide weather to get the camera or a papertowel, he swallowed and kept right on smiling. I think the little bugger liked it! He took a few swigs of milk after I took this picture. I found a moth in his hand today...but I think I got it before he ate any. I hope! Sheesh...

The Crocodile Death Roll and Other Daily Adventures

I've asked for a book for my birthday called The Mommy Diaries: Finding Yourself in the Daily Adventure. It's like Chicken Soup for the Soul from what I've heard. I read about it on the MOPS website - Mothers of Preschoolers. They have meetings, nationwide I think, and I was checking into my local chapter...but they were full for childcare during the meetings. Anyway, their theme for this session ("Adventures in Mothering") is based on this book. So, I thought it would be fun to get it and read it in case an opening becomes available.

Anyway, everyday is a new adventure over here. Joseph is turning into one "exciting" little boy. My least favorite new move is this crocodile death roll that he does on the changing table. What is this all about?! Goodness gracious...if I could change one thing...that would be it. I try to offer a distraction or throw an elbow in there and that will sometimes work. If it's a mandatory change (i.e. a poopie diaper) then he gets thrown on the floor and an unfortunate straddling-restraining, ugly, ugly scene ensues. Hey, a gal's gotta go what a gal's gotta do.

Joseph has started waving and kissing. He hasn't actually kissed me or Josh yet, we're waiting, but he kisses his reflection and he loves to kiss his animals. He loves his little Glow Worm friend and will really smooch on him (or her). We were at the park the other day and a mom and her little girl said goodbye to us. I said goodbye back and waved to them and Joseph waved right at them! It was the first unprompted wave and I was so excited when I saw it!

For a good laugh...the other day Joey found his pee-pee. Privates. Pork and beans. He has never shown much interest in it before but this time, that was the most entertaining little thing ever! He laughed and laughed then would flick it again and laugh some more. Josh and I were rolling!! I am glad we can appreciate this little guy instead of being mortified by these instances. He is such a clown!

Let me close with that little gem! I'll talk to you all soon.
Hugs to all

Fresh and Sassy!

Ha! I got the chop! I feel so fresh and sassy with my new hair cut. I wonder what took me so long to get it done! I love the feeling of a bare neck. It's so light and airy! When I get up first thing in the morning I don't have to search my nightstand for a pony tail holder. Before, I always had to have my hair out of my face but now I can just push the front behind my ears and charge on!

I splurged and got highlights as well. They are a nice warm caramel color. It blends great and adds a little something extra to my plain brown natural color. I tried for the longest time (about a 19 months) to do my part in keeping costs down around here - by not starting back getting colored. But I loved being blonde, and it makes me feel pretty! And darn it, I deserve it! Actually, the JCPenney Salon where I went is priced great. They have the different levels of stylists but my gal was the lowest level. I loved her! She gave the BEST scalp massage and we had a good time cuttin' up and carrying on while she did my hair.

Everyone should feel pretty and have a great haircut. If you're in the area, go see Tiffany at JCPenney Salon at Stonebriar! It'll change your life! (Famous last words!)

Joseph and the Swing

Joseph loves to swing! I purchased him one of those red and blue Little Tykes swing, but we don't have anywhere to hang it! The tree in the backyard doesn't have any branches than can support it, or they go straight up so there is not a good place to hook it on to. I didn't necessarily want it in the front yard, so that's out. I told Josh he needs to hurry and build me a pergola over the back porch and then we can hang it there! He didn't like the sound of "hurry" and/or "build" in the same sentence! Ha. We may just have to invest in a little swing set sometime soon. Maybe for a sweet 10 month old's upcoming one year birthday? Maybe? ;)

In the meantime, we love trekking over to the park and swinging there. The only thing I hate is that the swings are in the sun. So if it is a hot day then it's not really that much fun. But with these cooler days, we've been going quite a bit. A couple of days ago we went to swing and someone had poured a Nickelodean style slime/silly putty type of nasty stuff all over the baby swings. We started to try to clean it up but with the heat of the day and the sun, it was a huge mess. A nice couple with a one year old came and helped us and they had baby wipes with them, so after a bunch of scrubbing and scraping we got them all fixed up. Thank goodness because we went back to swing the next day - and had nice clean swings!

Some more of that slime stuff was on the jungle gym and a mom that was there with two 5-ish year olds saw it and hollered "Owen, watch out for that yellow gooey stuff there! Don't get into it, ok?! Answer me! It looks gross, stay out of it!" I was already laughing, because what did those two five year old do? They went straight to it and started playing with it! From my experience with it the day before I knew what a mess it was, and the boys started laughing and yelling "Gross, it's sticking to me...I can't get it off...aghhhh!" The mom looked at me and shook her head and said "I knew better than that..." and then spent the next 10 minutes trying to get it off of their hands. Even I knew better than to point out the fun looking neon yellow gooey stuff to two little boys! ;)

So without further ado...our little swinger wants to say hello to you in this little video clip below!

Thought It Was But It Snot

Get it? Haha - thought is was but it's not. Snot. Say it fast - okay, never mind.

My poor Joey-pizza-rollie is sick! He's caught his first full blown cold. I've been dreading this day and it has now come. A summer cold, too! Who would have thought?! He seems to be feeling pretty bad yesterday and today so hopefully this is the worst and it'll get better from here on. Lots of crying and LOTS of snot. I haven't aspirated him yet since it's still so runny, but I got my eye on that snot - you better believe it. Plus, I hate aspirating. That is one of the worst things a mom has to do. I feel so bad for him and for me! Yesterday was rough. I had nerves that were so short someone could look at me wrong and I got frustrated. Joseph didn't want his diapers changed, nose wiped, clothes changed - aghhh. You'd think he was a nine month old or something. Ha. And heaven forbid I let that snot run down his face and he rubs his hands in it and gives himself pink eye. Then I get it, then Josh gets it, then Joseph gets it again, then our eyeballs fall out and we can't take care of ourselves and then our moms have to come live with us...Noooooo!! Damn the pinkeye!!

Today I feel much better so I can be a much better mom. ;) As much of a cuddler as he is, he doesn't really want to cuddle out this cold. I was surprised. Anyway, hopefully some Tylenol and some good sleep will help kick this. At least he hasn't lost his appetite. He had cheerios with me this morning. Forget all those other puffs, carrot flavored wheat wagon wheel things, corn stars and whatever else Gerber makes...he wants the good ol' cheerios! Cheerios and a cardboard box equals FUN!




Update on the sickling:
He woke up from his nap and sounded really bad, so I aspirated him. I hate it! It looks so traumatizing. I feel like he will hate me forever, then he cuddles up on my shoulder after it's over. Poor baby needed some love. I called the Dr. and they said give him some Triaminic. Get well soon, son!!

Make This If You Want to Say "Yum!"

I got my love of "stoups" from my mom, who I am pretty sure got it from her mom. Mom always had a pot of beans or hearty veggie soup on the stove on Sunday - with cornbread of course - and we'd eat on it all week. You know the rule...it's always better the next day. And I don't care what the temperature is outside...I can eat two bowls for lunch on any day.

So, I found a 'keeper' from Rachel Ray. I made this Tomato-Vegetable-Pasta Stoup a while back and just found a container of it in my freezer. It's what I had for lunch today so in turn, it's what Joseph had for lunch today too. He loved it! I love it when he loves my cooking! Not that a nine month old has that developed of a palette, or any refined taste to speak off...but come on, getting a nine month old to eat big people food? Roasted red peppers and chickpeas? He's no dummy. He knows whats good. I mean, look at this face...doesn't that just scream YUMMM?!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 zucchini, grated
2 carrots, grated
1 onion chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas
2 jars roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 pound penne rigate
1/4 cup store bought pesto
I added ground turkey in my batch and it was the perfect touch!

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add zucchini, carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf, then season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, about 8 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, chickpeas and red peppers; cover the pot and bring to a boil. When the broth begins to boil, add pasta and cook 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in pesto, and water if too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and discard bay leaf.

Peek A Boo, I See You!

Hurrican Ike: "Worst We Ever Had"

Ike was a big one. I had quite a bit of family down there in the big thick of it. I can't imagine going through that. They said it was the worse noise you could imagine when it was going over...then days and days and days of mess to clean up. My Grandma, Uncle Ray and Aunt Sheri live next door to each other just east of Houston. They were not under a mandatory evacuation so they boarded up the windows and rode out the storm at Uncle Ray's. Uncle Ray has a generator so they could run the a/c, and the stove is gas. After the storm hit they had no power or water for several days. Grandma had a big window busted out and they lost a big tree between the houses. But other than that, there was just debris and limbs everywhere. They said it was the worst hurricane ever. I can't even imagine! Uncle Ray helped clean up the neighborhood with his chain saw and trailer. On last Tuesday they got electricity and Thursday the phone lines were back up. And one store opened and had a huge line but they could get much needed things. My Cousin Kristina works at the lumber yard and said they were swamped! Uncle Ray threw some briskets on the grill and had everyone over for a "Ike didn't get us" party. :)

Cousin LeStella used to live on Bolivar Peninsula. They moved up to Wimberly but kept the house on Bolivar and of course were on the island when the hurricane was coming. They were evacuated and last I talked to her, she said it was safe to assume they lost everything. After seeing pictures of Bolivar from the air I agree. It was pretty much leveled. Thank god they have another house to go to...but what a mess to have to deal with.

Cousin Maura lives in Katy and Cousin Loriana in Houston. Both fared "okay" and only had no power for a couple of days, I think.

Tammy and Michael were supposed to go to the beach on Thursday before it hit and had to cancel. Thank goodness for vacation insurance so they could get their money back on the beach house. I wonder if it's still there?

And here in Plano, we got a day of sprinkling and some wind. We ran around all day getting some errands done, and only got a little wet towards the end of the day when it rained the hardest - which wasn't even that hard. We did put away the patio furniture "just in case", but it ended up being a big ol pain to move in and out of the garage since there were no high winds in our neighborhood. Better safe than sorry, eh?

Today at Kroger I bought a bag of groceries to donate to the Ike victims. Lord knows they need groceries a lot more than I do. I hope everyone is recovering as best as they can and getting back to normal. The pictures I saw online left me just shaking my head. But shoot, at least Houston is above sea level so we didn't see another Katrina situation. And I'm glad all my family was spared and are all safe.

Our Friends

This is Blake and boy is he a cute kid. He is one of Joseph best buds! They love to play together and it's so sweet to watch them. They remind me of a couple of puppies because of the way they tumble around and sniff each other out. They follow each other around the house and of course, love to "share" toys. The toy that someone else has is always cooler than the one you have.

And our sweet little Ashlyn is a whole other little bundle of joy. She has such good manners and is way cuter than any little girl should ever be. I think I could eat her up with a spoonful of cool whip.

But then Ashlyn and mom Tiffany had to get home for nap time and these boys were so sad to see her leave! They smooshed up against the door to say "goodbye, come back soon!"

Can you tell which one is the serious one and which is the goofball? They'll be a good influence on each other in balancing out those traits. It's such a joy to watch these little guys interact and play. You know?! Each day is a little more exciting than the one before. I can't wait until Joseph is walking! Won't be long now, I suppose. :)

Banana Joe

Our Banana Joe is such a silly boy! He likes to eat bananas with a fork, and he likes to hang his cup on the side of his high chair.

I mean, who ever heard of eating bananas with a fork? And that cup...that's not where that goes!

But I can't talk him out of much, especially when he has his mind set to something. And these are two things that he insists on. And pooping in his diapers...I just can't convince him to use the toilet. I tell him how wonderful it is, but he just laughs at me.

But boy are those bananas good! And really he keeps his cup shoved there because he doesn't know what he is supposed to do with that thing. Actually he doesn't "keep" it there, it just bounced into that spot on accident.

But boy are those bananas good!

Baby Korey

Welcome Korey David! He said hello to the world Tuesday September 16 at 5:23 and weighed in at 7lbs 2oz, one day before Kelly was to be induced!

Baby Joseph and I went downtown to big Baylor to see the new baby. We got to see a poop, a feeding, and lots of sweet scrunched up new born baby faces. He looked at me for awhile with big beautiful dark eyes, but I think he was looking for dinner so I handed him off to his mom.

What a light, sweet little bundle of joy. It's hard to believe that they were that small once upon a time. Joseph was even a few ounces less. I felt like I could have held him all day.

The gap in age seems big right now, but soon enough Joseph and Korey will be running around playing hide and seek, soccer, and chasing the girls. What a sweet baby boy...

Joseph Says Good Morning

This little video is from early August but I just came across it tonight. I had to share! I filmed it going to get Joseph one morning after he woke up. I love seeing that smiling face in the morning!

Praise the Sleep Fairies

The sandman came to visit us and was very generous with his sand! And much thanks to my supreme mommying skills. I got mad skillz for sho. I've been reading a lot about baby sleep cycles and about all kinds of baby sleep methods - and getting tips from other mom's who have had this trouble, and came up with what worked best for me. Seems like it works for Joseph too.

My first clue was that now a days he wasn't able to relax. It seemed like his brain was going and going and he was constantly looking around. So we hung up blankets over his window and turned off the night light and like a little charm he started snoozing like the good ol days. A tip from Kristen that worked for baby Ethan (a month younger than Joseph) was to let him nap about an hour 1/2 after he woke up in the morning. I had been putting him down for his first nap much later. This seems to really have knocked it out of the park. He started taking longer naps and without waking up in the middle at all!! Like I said, PRAISE THE SLEEP FAIRIES!

Mommies need this special alone time to recharge and get adult things done. You know?! Like have a cigarette and a shot of whiskey. Or a mimosa - or at least read a book or blog. ;)

At night he started sleeping better as well. It's crazy how much info is out there, and the range from one extreme to the other. It's intriguing see how many different types of parenting styles there are, and how it forms us each differently. I've tried to keep an open mind but have discovered what feels right and what doesn't, and each month that goes by my mommy intuition speaks to me louder and louder. I am starting to feel really comfortable with that little voice in my head!

So speaking of sleep...Joseph fell asleep in the car the other day and looked so darn precious. Then in an attempt to wake him up for dinner I laid him on the floor - thinking the light and TV would bring him around. Before he stirred I got the opportunity to clip his talons, I mean nails. If he were a bird of prey those things could rip a hunk of meat to shreds. Good thing he isn't then and is just my sweet little baby.

Guess What We Tried...

Joseph got a little cheerio snack the other day. He liked them!

And thank goodness I finally got my damn camera back from Best Buy so I could capture all the cheerioness. By the way, this whole broken camera experience has been horrible and I plan to write a nasty letter to them. I am good at that consumer complaint/complement stuff.

But back to Joseph...look at that sweet little cheerio hand! Those cheerios were sticking to everything.

And...THERE is the Joseph face I was waiting for!

P.S. Those cheerios may not have gotten stuck on his face by themselves. His mommy may have done it because it was funny. But look, he thought it was funny too!

We're All Ladies Here

I've gone and become a part of an association. I got a wild hair! This would be my first association so I guess I am officially part of the community now. Jen joined last year and spread the word and Kelly and I joined with her this year. It's the Stonebridge Ranch Ladies Association (SRLA) working to benefit Collin County but focused mostly in McKinney. I am super excited! It looks like a great mix of fun and community service - like last night. We met at Landon Wineries on the square in downtown McKinney for wine tasting. Before the bottles were uncorked, though, we had two organizations speak to thank the SLRA for what they do and to educate us on their cause. The first one was a camp for autistic children which SRLA provided "scholarships" for four children to attend. The other speakers were with a school called Serenity High, which most of us hadn't even heard about.

Serenity High is one of a few (if not just two) of this type of school in Texas - another being in Houston - but Serenity High is Texas' only public recovery high school and kids come from all over in hopes of getting in. It was modeled after Minnesota's Sobriety High. Apparently Minnesota leaves all the other states in their dust when it comes to drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation. And one of the presentors was none other than Neil Sperry! I didn't realize that he was involved in this part of the community! He has a personal tie with drug addiction and is one of the founding memebers of the high school. If you are not familiar with Neil Sperry, he is one of Texas' top gardeners - check out the Neil Sperry link above to find out more. I really get a kick out of his dry, to-the-point demeanor and his WEALTH of knowledge!

He took off too fast at the end for me to bombard him with gardening questions...but that may not have been SLRA ettiquette anyway since he was there to talk about his wonderful school - you know, I'd hate to get kicked out at my first meeting. ;) Last night also benefitted the food pantry. They asked for powered milk and peanut butter. And also gently used towels for...I can't remember which place! Some member I am. So I got to raid our linen closet for the rejects. At first I didn't think I was old enough to have any extra towels but after I got to digging I found some that I guess were from college.

Anyway, SRLA helps fund many community outreach projects and I can't wait to see what this year brings. We meet the second Monday of each month so Josh is going to work with me to leave work earlier than normal so I can go do my thang. I am very excited! Of course I'll keep you posted!

Sleep Begets Sleep

Challenges in Mommyhood: Things that make me not want to have another baby.
Essay One, Challenge One
By Heather

Just kidding about that "essay stuff". I just felt like pretending I was a professional writer or something. I don't think that even sounded all that professional. Hmph.

Is there a far away land where all the babies sleep like perfect little angels? Take naps on a perfect little schedule? Sleep through the night without wanting to get up and play...at 4am? Go to sleep without wanting to be rocked for 2 hours? If you know of this land, or even live there; then I don't think I want to talk to you right now. But congratu-stinkin-lations on your wonderful little life in Perfectville. Send me a postcard so I can see what it's like!

If sleeping was like eating around here, we would ALL be wonderful sleepers...HA! Joseph will eat anything and seems to like anything, so I win that one. He is the happiest most non-crying baby ever, so I win that one. He is funny and silly and pretty much always has a great time, so I win that one. And he has the stinkiest, yucko diapers ever, so I win that one too. But naps - I guess I can't win them all. But I really want to! I'm so close!

So what I have to say to YOU, Mr. Sleep-Nap Fairy (or rather Miss Fairy) is you have not won this one! I will prevail, whether it takes days, weeks or months (please oh please don't be months) my child will take a good nap, in his own bed, for at least an hour, at least twice a day. I see you laughing at me, with my love for your sweet fairy sleep poem...oh the betrayal!

Well, my rocking chair is greased, lambie blankie in hand, full bottle ready, the blanket hanging on the window blocking out light is secure, night light turned off...our afternoon nap is fast approaching. Hear my battle cry "This house will sleep again!"

A Dental Poem

I had my appointment today for my fillings. As we left it from a couple of weeks ago (when I was in for my cleaning) I was going to have two cavities filled and one was on a wisdom tooth. I was also going to have a tiny chip on the surface of one of my front teeth fixed up. After my cleaning when I went to the front desk to make my apppointment for the fillings, the guy told me to allow for TWO hours! I just knew that wasn't right. I have horrible teeth...I've been getting fillings my whole life! I am an old pro at this! I assumed he was just estimating long. But I started to get really nervous none the less.

Like I told my girlfriends; I've been through childbirth and almost a whole year of babyhood, but a few fillings leaves me shaking in my socks. Even though I am an "old pro" doesn't mean I don't hate it and get shaky and anxious feeling. So, I am practicing my cleansing breathes when I went to the desk to check in and she said "two composites and a wisdom tooth removal, right?"

Hahaha! Uh, no! I told her there was a miscommunication and I was NOT there for surgery that day! She went to talk to Dr. Li and came back to tell me that I was just going to get fillings today. So the coo-coo from before read the chart wrong and scheduled me for a removal! He also called me three times yesterday to remind me of my appointment. Once he left a message, once I missed the call and he didn't leave a message, and the last time I answered and told him to leave me alone! Not really. But you better believe I got my eye on that kid!

I am back now (as I wouldn't be blogging from the dentist chair, now would I?) and pleased as punch that it didn't hurt, I only gagged once, I am barely numb, and it didn't even take an hour from the time I walked in to the office to the time walked back in my house. We fooled that old wisdom tooth!

Also asked about Joey Pizza Rolly's little chipped tooth and she said it'll be fine. I knew it would but still wanted that professional a-ok. It has a little sharp part on it (doesn't bother him) and she said he'd either wear it down or hit it again and that would take care of it! Indeed it would!

I went to the dentist.
I had to get drilled.
The worst noise in the world,
as my tooth was filled.

I wore protective shades.
The dentist worked fast.
As my anxiety fades,
the fillings are now past.

The yahoo at the front desk
wasn't there today.
Thank lord baby jesus
that he was away!

Still have all my teeth!
Didn't get them this round!
I need those wisdom teeth
for all the wisdom they've found!

Joey Pizza Rolly

Where have I been? Why haven't I been blogging? I feel so lost and alone! Ah, yes...my fingers are starting to feel right at home here on my keyboard. I almost feel like singing! I feel like this is what was missing from my days! Seriously though, where have I been that I can't make the time for a little blog post? I'll place blame on the little monkey I have running around my house!

We had a good nine month wellness visit last week. We were telling Joseph all morning that he was going to see his friend with the bow tie and when we got to the Dr's office, he wasn't wearing one! Joseph seemed to manage okay, although I know he was really expecting his Dr. friend to be wearing his most famous article of clothing. I was anyway.

The official stats are:
Weight: 19 lbs - 30th percentile
Height: 27 7/8 - 50th percentile

We've got ourselves a good ol' average kiddo!

So here is a rundown on the monkey business from the past couple of weeks:

• first busted lip
• first tongue bite
• first bread, cheese, chicken, and french fries
• enjoys playing with sippy cup but hasn't mastered the suck - This is really cute! Tonight he would give the cup a little jiggle and watch the water move inside. He was very intrested in that!
  
• first chipped tooth - I don't even know how he did it. But sure enough he will go on through childhood with a cute little snaggle tooth.
• moved the crib mattress down another notch

The best part of the past couple of weeks has been the great weather! We've been getting out everyday several times a day. Joseph really enjoys hangnig out in the yard and going on walks in the evenings. I think fall is right around the corner! We welcome it with open arms! I sat with Joseph in the backyard yesterday morning and fished my first piece of grass out of his mouth. Fun times...

Talk to you soon!!