5 Months

Guess who is 5 months old today? If you answered Joshua, then you are right!



A few highlights of Joshua at 5 months include the following:

- He laughs a lot these days especially when his little feet and chunky thighs are tickled
- He likes to "talk" with us or with himself
- He can sit unsupported for a short amount of time
- Everything goes into his mouth so watch yourself
- He can roll from tummy to back when given the opportunity, that is to say, when Emma is not rolling him this way or that way
- He watches Emma like crazy (and not just out of fear) and gives her big old smiles
- He wants to be involved in everything and is no longer content to sit in the bouncy chair on the floor or lay on the floor; he would much rather be up in the high chair at our level or sitting on somebody's lap
- He loves to blow raspberries, which Emma thinks is just too funny

The bouncy chair and swing have now officially been retired at our house. As of last weekend, Joshua now has a seat of his own after seeing how much he enjoyed the bumbo seat at daycare. This past month, Joshua has experienced the swing outside, the new wagon that he and Emma received for Christmas and the jumperoo. Emma was at least 5 1/2 months or so before she got in the jumperoo and we needed to put a little towel under her bottom to get her head high enough and then a pillow under her feet to reach the ground. That is not the case with this little man, no support needed and while the feet aren't flat on the ground, they do touch and he does get the idea of jumping around. New photos to come soon once they downloaded from the camera!

Pefect 10!

When did big girl Emma replace little Emma? Big girl Emma is already starting to refine her vocabulary. A school bus used to be "big bus", then it was "yellow big bus", and now it is simply a "school bus". Little Emma always wanted to go to "Barbucks" when we passed by on the way to and from daycare but now big girl Emma wants to go to "Starbucks". Big girl Emma can also perform amazing acrobatic feats such as demonstrated in the video below with a perfect somersault on her second attempt. I'd give that a ten! When did she get so big?

Just a Thought

I ran across these photos of Emma around 2 1/2 months old the other day and realized that it would be easy to mistakenly assign these photos to Joshua.



It then occurred to me that if Joshua ever says something about there not being as many baby pictures of him, I can just throw some of Emma's his way as long as her hair is covered and she is wearing something neutral. Of course, we would have to keep him from looking at the date they were taken. Of course I wouldn't ever do that to my little guy and lucky for him, most of Emma's baby clothing was all girl and if she was wearing a cap, it was generally pink.

Wordless Wednesday - "Herding Cats"

Fun in the Snow

We woke up Christmas morning to several inches of snow on the ground. While she hasn't really experienced much snow, Emma must have learned about it somewhere because as soon as Brad opened the door to show her, she shouted out "Snow". On the way to church, we heard several time, "I like snow. It's pretty!". We finally got her out for about 15-20 minutes on Saturday afternoon because it was too cold for her to be out there much longer. Being from the South, we don't own snow boots and hadn't thought to bring her mittens along so to improvise, Emma had a pair of old socks for mittens and plastic bags to keep her feet dry.

Little Orphan Emma

Emma had a great time running and hopping in the snow but wasn't too keen on making a snow angel. The snow was very powdery so no snow balls or snowmen were involved. Emma was not too excited to come inside but a little hot chocolate later and she was again, happy as a little clam.

Guess What I Can Do Now?

I can get from this position...

...into this position!

I took my first step towards independence and protecting myself from my big sister yesterday. Mommy thought it was a fluke but I proved her wrong by turning over three more times and even alternated sides. Since Daddy was at work, I was good enough to demonstrate my new trick for him two more times last night.

Cookie Decorating 101

Okay, this is a little late for this year but just for reference, here is Emma's guide to decorating Christmas cookies.

Step 1. Grab a handful, not a pinch, a handful of sprinkles.
Step 2. Dump sprinkles on cookie.
Step 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as desired and not necessarily on a different cookie.

Making the cookie dough the day before.

Note the tutu required for proper cookie dough preparation!

Super cute assistant! Working hard.
I like making Christmas cookies!
The aftermath!

Joshua - 4 Months Old

Our little big man hit the 4 month mark a few days after celebrating his first Christmas! He continues to grow like a weed and was up to 16 lbs 3 oz (75th percentile) and 25 inches (50th percentile) at his well check-up. He is pretty much out of 3-6 month clothing. We had a moment this morning that was reminiscent of Chris Farley in the movie "Tommy Boy" (re: "Fat Guy in a Little Coat") only it was "Big Man in a Little Shirt". I guess it is time to retire that outfit. Over the past month, the smiles have gotten bigger and more frequent and the little man has an infectious little laugh; the raspberries are coming frequently these days as well. He entertained his sister throughout the Christmas season with his dance moves and loves to dance himself. Joshua recently got to try some rice cereal and tolerates it for now. Overall, he continues to be a very even tempered little boy unless he is tired or not feeling well. Emma still loves her little brother or as she refers to him "My Joshua" or "My brother". Here are some photos of the little guy and his first taste of cereal.