Six Months Old

Guess who turned six months old yesterday?!

Josiah had his six month check-up, and his needles. He did better than me! He let out a squeal, then was pretty much smiling, until the last needle (there were 3), when he just pouted, very big. The doctor weighed/measured him, and he is still growing-

22 pounds and 29 inches long, and is still in the 95th-97th percentile.

But he is well-proportioned and healthy, so we are happy!

It is so hard to believe that he has been part of our family for half of a year! He is doing so much too! As you can see, he is sitting up quite well, although still leaning a bit.

Josiah is pre-crawling. What I mean is, he is dragging himself across the room quite well, and practicing getting up on his hands, then knees, then hands, then, other days, both! He has even been up on his hands and knees, rocking for several seconds. Although he didn't go anywhere, you could see the wheels turning...

He has started standing, briefly, holding onto something, with one of us close behind him, waiting for the crash!

Such a boy (his dad is proud!). He is pulling his socks off all the time (including in the waiting room at the doctor's office), and then sucking on them. Once, he threw his sock over the side of his crib (see below). Twice, he bit his own big toe after pulling his own sock off. He seems to be rather intrigued with his own feet, as you can see...

(I know this one looks staged, but really, this happens quite regularly in our house!)

Josiah is sleeping for about 10-11 hours each night without waking up, which is great for us! Napping is off and on (we've had some rough spells lately!). He sleeps mostly on his tummy now, and he crawls all around his crib, so I am never quite sure how I will find him. This was a funny position yesterday (his feet were suspended in mid-air, and he actually spent most of his nap this way.

Josiah is sitting in a high chair now, so it is a bit easier to take him out. Last week, we went to Fundy for a (hopefully) final winter walk and to a little restaurant there. Josiah played with toys on the tray the whole time.

And he is now eating solids, a loving them!

(More disgusting meal pictures to follow!)

He loves playing with toys too. He has many favorites already. He also loves playing peek-a-boo, and will initiate it himself by pulling a blanket over his head, then pulling it away fast, or hiding his face, then turning quickly and smiling. I love this age so much, and am enjoying the last few weeks/months when I am actually still faster than him, and know where he is most of the time!

Progress Report

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are still making good progress, but have decided to put the scale away for about a month as we keep going. Sometimes it becomes too much of a focus when we are losing weight, and we'd like some time away from constant weigh-ins, especially now that we are plucking away slowly at those stubborn pounds. We will let you know when our next one is, and still want to share this with you all! Your prayers and encouraging words have been so much appreciated, and feel free to ask how we are doing still (we just can't give numbers for a while!).

Messes

Who knew that someone so tiny could make for so much extra cleaning time!

Here are a few 'messes' created by Josiah lately, in no particular order:

1) Spitting up while on his tummy and smearing it all over the floor with his hands. I think he'll enjoy finger painting.

2) Spitting up in his crib and rolling around in it.

3) The most explosive diaper disaster ever- still too soon to talk about.

4) Involving his hands in the most explosive diaper ever.

5) Spit-up, spit-up, spit-up, now with cereal.

6) Flinging his hands furiously while being fed cereal, sending the spoon and contents flying, multiple times...then grinning.

7) Launching his teething toy into Chris' side dish of gravy at the restaurant.

So, we do a lot of cleaning, and washing, and bathing at our house.

There is almost nothing better than a baby who has just had a bath.

Too bad it doesn't last very long!

More Teeth

Finally, a better view. No more 'gummie' smiles in our house (at least for a few years anyway)!

First Teeth

It took many, many tries, but here are a few pictures that show glimpses of Josiah's two bottom teeth. These were taken last week, so they are even bigger now. Sometimes it looks as though he is showing them off, but never when I have the camera ready!

My Job

Many people ask about my job, and I am beginning to think that the world of psychology is a bit like, dare I say, the weird world of computers. Whenever I talk to someone who works with computers, I try to listen and understand, but I often walk away still unsure of what it is they actually do! I have had similar feedback when people have asked about my job, so I thought I'd give a bit of detail on what I actually do every Monday.

I am a clinical assessor for a psychologist, which means that I administer tests and write reports. Mostly, I do psycho-educational assessments. This may involve people referred by the government (social offices) or human resource companies, wanting to know what their strengths are and what they might be capable of doing for work. Many of the clients have multiple limitations that have prevent them from succeeding. The idea is to get them into the work force, doing something they are capable of and will be good at, and to have a plan that realistically reflects their abilities (many have learning difficulties, etc.).

I administer tests to measure vocabulary/communication skills, learning abilities, skill in areas such as math, reading, comprehension, spelling, writing, general information, memory, and concentration.

Overall, I am really enjoying this job. I love to help people who have not had opportunities in life to see what their true potential is. Most of the people I have worked with so far have been extremely nice and enjoyable to spend the day with (testing runs for an entire day with each client). My boss is very nice, and has been so accommodating to me. In a few months when my maternity leave is done, I will be working two days a week, plus bringing reports home to write, which will end up being about 20 hours a week. Chris will stay home with Josiah on the days that I work. We feel that we are so blessed to be able to do this for now, as we really wanted to have one of us home with Josiah at all times, and this opportunity has allowed us to this!

Hope you all get what I do now, but I won't be offended if you ask again!

Progress Report

Here is the weigh-in (we switched our weigh-in day to Friday from Wednesday, because we find that easier!) for the past two weeks:

Chris- 3 pounds
Total- 23 pounds

Jenn- 3 pounds
Total- 14 pounds

Worth It...

All of the late night feedings, constant feedings, diaper changes, loads of laundry, loads of messes, 'pukey' shirts, and exhaustion are more than worth it when...

...your baby hugs you for the first time!

Josiah has just started to initiate hugs, reaching his little arms out and wrapping them around your neck. Chris had the joy of experiencing the very first one (and second, third, fourth), which he was thrilled about.