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.

Five Months Old

Today, Josiah is five months old. He is definitely keeping us busy as of late.

His newest development is...

Okay, so this picture is quite useless, but do you know how hard it is to see, let alone take a picture of baby teeth?! That's right, teeth. Josiah has cut his first two teeth on the bottom. He has been working hard for days now, chewing/attacking everything in sight, and finally on Monday, we saw the slits in his gums where the teeth were making there way through. By yesterday, we could see the little white ridges poking through. He has been understandably cranky, and trying to shove everything in his mouth even more than usual. When we get too near to him, he actually attacks us, kind of like a little dog or bear cub, with growly noises and everything. Here he is chewing on celery. I thought it would be nice and cold on his gums. I actually thought of the idea because I remember my sister-in-law Melanie giving her kids cold, raw veggies from the fridge when they were teething (great idea Mel!), cut way too big for them to swallow of course! So far, this trick has been the most effective in relieving his little red gums.

Josiah is getting very good at moving around on his back. He can spin in circles, and move backwards pretty far across the floor. It scares me that he is getting around, and I am already looking through our space with new eyes, trying to keep all of those tiny choking hazards off of the floor, since everything he sees goes right into his mouth.

Hair cut number two. The kid grows like a weed and so does his hair. As his big cousin Maren pointed out, it also grows straight up in the air, just like his dad's! I think he will be forever stuck with spiky hair if it continues to grow up, but I like it!

We picked up a walker for Josiah, which he didn't really get at first (and his feet don't entirely reach the floor), but lately he is starting to push himself around, backwards (I'm noticing that all of his movements are backwards!). He loves the walker, and I'm sure will enjoy it more as he figures out to better maneuver it, frontwards.

Josiah is still an amazing baby, who is usually very happy. He loves to laugh, and squeals with delight when we play some of his favorite games. He is extremely ticklish too! I think he has Chris' laugh, so contagious, and from the belly when he really gets going. He loves people, and works his hardest to engage anyone who will listen. We really feel that he is extroverted. He is also developing quite a set of lungs, as he has practiced many variations of screaming (as anyone who has talked to us on the phone in the last month has discovered!). I am enjoying this phase of his life, and can't wait to see what this month holds!

And that's about it for our five month old little guy. Oh, and everybody is right, the time just flies by. I can't believe my baby is this old already!

Happy Birthday!

Chris is now another year older, although probably feeling a whole year younger, because for the past while he thought he was turning 37 instead of 36. That may have had something to do with the fact that I kept telling him he was turning 37- oops!

So yesterday, we had a great day. Josiah and I brought Chris breakfast after our outing (taking Josiah out of the house was part of the treat!). Then, he just hung out for the morning (after a quick work meeting), and played games, and opened presents, then we took birthday cake to share with his parents. After that, we came back home, and had some down time. The boys took naps while I got things ready for the evening. Friends of ours kept Josiah for us, so we could go out for supper. We were thinking of catching a movie too, but the old guy is having back issues this week, so we had to call it an early night :)! It was really nice to get out though. A pretty low key birthday compared to some others, but I think he enjoyed the day!

Not a bad looking guy for being on his way to 40, huh?!