Joel 8 Months

Okay so Manda is a super slacker but keeping up with an active mobile 8 month old proved to be quite a task. Add to that we got some very unexpected news and it made for quite the month.

It's official. Joel is going to be a big brother. Now granted it won't be by much but yes, the our family is growing by one come August. So be on the look out for more news as we get it.

Joel became VERY active in his eighth month. He got to be quite the expert in crawling and was only limited by the speed his little hands and knees could take him and the doors mom and dad shut. He was pulling himself up on anything and everything he could but was often frustrated because while he learned to pull himself up he hadn't quite figured out how to get down.

He also became very interested in what mom and dad were doing and was quite the "helper". He reminded mommy of when she needed to vacuum- as he would find objects on the floor and attempt to put them in his mouth. He would "help" mommy with the laundry by tipping the basket over in an attempt to pull himself up. And he would "help" us childproof the house by finding any and every danger and bringing it to our attention. I feel like I say no alot! But he's slowly learning and so am I.

Joel also began to get a more consistent diet of baby vegatables and other fun food that isn't in liquid form. All this eating was aided in the fact that he got his two top teeth in- and mommy lost about a week and a half of sleep to prove it. They were the most difficult of the teething process thus far but he is very proud of them and likes to show them off.

He also started getting a nightly bath as he now enjoys playing in the water. He's still not a fan of getting his face wet or laying down but he likes to splash and crawl around in the tub. His favorite toys are his ducky and mommy's spatulas and turkey baster!

And then we were on to month nine!



We determined the best way for Joel to help me
with the laundry was if he caught it while I took
it out of the dryer.

Joel playing in the bathtub with Dado!

Joel exploring.

Joel helping mom with the vacuum.
He's not super fond of the noise but
he loves to pull himself up on it.
And check out those chompers!!!

Monthly Update.

This has been a busy month for us. Christmas came and went and now we've just been trying to get back into the groove of life. Joel is of course just loving life. Tj's parents went out of town for a week in January and so we had a couple of women from church helped watch him. They all were so impressed with what an easygoing baby he is.

Anyhow, here are some pictures of his latest milestones.

In typical Joel fashion just content playing.

He is a bit of a momma's boy but he loves everyone.

He's just so easygoing.

He loves coming home but also loves seeing

Grandma and Grandpa Rosen,

all his friends at church,

and Uncle Matt and Auntie RayRay.

Joel's new teeth. His two bottom teeth popped through.

There was a bit of a learning curve as he figured

out that his new teeth are sharp!

Joel now appreciates his bath time.

He has a couple of toys that he likes to play with in the bath.

He loves to see the bubbles as the toy fills with water.

Caught!

I walked in and found him pulled up on his crib.

Needless to say we lowered his crib immediately!

He hasn't done it again but it's just a matter of time.

Joel playing with Dado. He loves dado and Tj can get him laughing harder than just about anyone else. He has the funniest laugh. There are few things in this world that can compare with a good belly laugh from a baby.

Feeding Time!

So Joel now officially has one "real" meal everyday. He has decided that baby food isn't THAT bad and will actually eat it all without spitting it out. Yay!! (That means less mess for me.) He also loves these biscuits although 3/4 of it usually ends up in his lap rather than his tummy!

"Mom, what are you doing?!"

Joel eating on his biscuit.

Bit off more than he could chew.

Trying to figure out what to do now.

His new teeth help him eat.

Messy Smile!!

On The Move!

Joel is officially on the move. He may not be exactly graceful but he's a mover! He can get to where he needs to go- although it may take him a little while. He usually is the motivation to get to where he wants to go. Yeah, he usually reaches for a toy and pushes it just out of his own reach so then he has to move a little further and the process starts over.


Taking a moment from his crawling to pose.

Playing with his toys.

More reaching!

Doing the stink-bug. Sometimes when he is trying

to crawl he pushes up on his feet. It won't be long

before he's standing. Oh no!!!

Look at me Grow.

Things here are going well. I can't believe how fast time has gone. It's amazing that Joel just turned 7 months. At his last doctor's appointment he was 19 lbs 27 inches. He had his shots and while he did get a bump on his leg he seemed to be okay. So much better than the first time!

He continues to grow and get smarter every day. It's amazing how much his vocabulary has grown. And now he'll mimic the sounds I make. So I'll make each of the vowel sounds repeatedly. And then he'll do it. It's funny because now sometimes he'll "talk" himself to sleep. We'll hear him in his bed babbling and then he'll fall asleep. Crazy kid.

Tj continues to stay busy. Vintage takes up a lot of time. But he loves flying and still likes the people he works with. He's made some good friends there. When he's not working he is Joel's favorite toy. Joel loves playing with his Dad and Tj seems to enjoy playing with Joel.

Anyhow, here are some recent pictures of Joel.


Joel is now pushing up on his hands and knees
and will even rock back and forth. Sometimes
he lunges forward so you have to make sure his
path is clear. Any day now we expect him to
start crawling. Ready, set, go!

Joel is still teething. Look at those

gums! Sometimes he bites so hard

on whatever he can find it makes him

cry. It's so sad! We all just want

these teeth to cut through!

Joel has mastered the art of sitting

up. He's content playing on the floor

with his toys or his books. He's such

a happy kid and so easy going.

Playing with Dad. He still loves to
stand and now he'll bounce too.
He doesn't pull himself up yet but
if you let go he will balance for a few
seconds before he wobbles and fall.

Christmas

Joel's First Christmas!

Joel's with all the gifts. Merry Christmas!

Joel and Mommy looking at a book.

Playing with his new toy. So much fun!

Opening gifts with Dado.

New Jammies!

Look what I can do Ma!

Joel's Newest Feat

It's time for Joel's breakfast.

Lifting his bottle to feed himself.

Almost there!

Made it!

So part of me is really excited that he's learned to feed himself. But in all honesty part of me is a little sad. He's growing so quickly. I know it's just part of life but it's hard to believe that my baby is becoming less of a baby everyday. However, I received the advice that to raise independent children you should never do anything that they can do for themselves. So I let him grow and suppress the urge to do everything for him especially once he can do it for himself. And in the meantime I just try and enjoy every day knowing that tomorrow will bring something new and different but just as exciting.

Getting Big, Growing Up

So yeah, I realized this week that Joel really is getting big. It's incredible how much he's growing. I know every mom must believe that her baby is amazing and now I realize why. It's unbelievable to see them go from a helpless newborn who relies on you for literally everything to them slowly gaining their independence and their personality emerging. Joel has always been a good baby and even now he's just really easygoing. I think he makes me laugh every day.
He has discovered his tongue and thinks it's funny to chew on it. He's also learned how to bounce. It's pretty amusing. His newest noise this week is grunting~ although it's not just limited to when he's filling his diaper. He's getting really strong too. Toys he couldn't push or pull on two weeks ago he now has no problem with. It's pretty surreal.
Anyhow, here are some pics from this week.

Joel's favorite teethers right now are carrots.
Of course once his teeth finally cut he won't be able to use
those but for now he loves them.

Hanging Out Watching Momma.
It's kind of nice because he is actually getting preferences.
And right now he seems to prefer momma.
It's fun now but I don't think it will take long for the novelty to wear off.

Joel is getting really strong.

He'll now pull himself up when he's laying propped against pillows.

He also will lean down to pick stuff up when he's standing in your

lap and then pull himself back to standing. It's pretty fun!

Thanksgiving Update.

So here we are the day after Thanksgiving. Where has time gone?! I can't even believe how quickly the last year has gone. There have been SO many changes this year. Tj got his pilot job at Vintage along with Director of Security and Director of Training. Tj's parents moved to Florida. And of course the biggest change being Joel joining our family. I cannot even believe how much has changed and I can't imagine what life was like before. Anyhow, below are some of the newest pics of our Joel-o-potamus.

Joel on his 6 month birthday.

He is learning to sit up by himself- but he still falls to one side most times.

He's still cutting his canines- it's a lovely time.

He's still talking up a storm and loves raising his voice.

He also loves music and singing: his favorite songs are BINGO and the walking walking song.

We've also introduced him to Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer.

He loves hanging out in his Exersaucer and loves pushing the buttons.

(Thanks Davina!)

Joel hanging out at Grandpa's picnic.

Joel loves spending time outside.

Joel and his friend Alyssa

Alyssa, Rebecca and Davina came and had dinner with Joel and me.

Joel loved playing with his friends.

Fighter Eye Joel.

Joel woke up with his eye mostly glued shut.

Tj thought it was funny- so he took a picture.

Lucky for us Joel wakes up pretty happy most mornings.

Also lucky for us he has started sleeping through the night.

Okay, so that's a brief update on things going on here. We're excited about the holiday season that is now beginning. We can't wait to introduce Joel to Christmas songs, the Nativity story, lights and all the other fun and exciting parts of Christmas. I will try and keep this updated with everything going on. We love you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

First Haircut

Okay, so I know I have been SUPER bad about posting. Life is crazy. So here's another mass posting of the newest pics starting with Joel's first haircut!



Halloween

Tennessee Travels

So last Wednesday we went to Tennessee with Tj's boss and his fiance to their chalet in Tennessee. It was just outside of Pigeon Forge and was such a great get away. We drove the ten hours up there- which I was a bit weary about since it was the longest road trip with Joel by far. Of course Joel handled it like a champ. He quit nursing about three weeks ago so as long as we warmed his bottle at each stop he was good to go.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the smoky mountains were beautiful. I always forget how much I miss mountains until I'm up in them. The cabin we stayed at was almost at the top of the mountain and while getting there was a bit of an adventure (about half the road was unpaved) the view was amazing. It was so relaxing and it was nice to spend so much time with Tj and have Tj spend time with Joel.

We got to see quite a bit of the area. We spent a lot of time in Pigeon Forge. We also visited Gatlinburg, hiked up to Laurel Falls and attempted to go to Cade's Cove. Unfortunately I forgot a bottle on that trip and about 3/4 of the way there Joel decided he was starving and had a melt down. I learned my lesson and brought a bottle just about everywhere else we went- just in case!

It was a nice trip and about as relaxing as I think I'll get as "mommy" until Joel's about 8 or 12. Although now that he's taking a bottle Tj gets to help with the feedings. I still usually don't get to sleep through the night but I get a longer amount of sleep than before. I'll take what I can get! It was a fun time but now it's back to the same old grind.

Here are pics from our trip.


Us at Laurel Falls.
It's kind of a bad picture because of the glare
but you can see the falls pretty well.


Joel and Mommy playing.


We went over a particularly rough patch
and Joel was a little startled.
Talk about clinging for dear life!


Joel and daddy napping at the cabin.

Catch Up

Okay so I've meant to update this for almost a month. But yeah, I haven't so here we go. This will basically be just pictures to update you on how Joel is growing. He had a doctor's appointment on September 26. He was 17 pounds 8 ounces and 27 3/4 inches. I can't believe how fast he is growing.
He is now sitting up better and loves to look around- especially when he goes somewhere new. He is gaining better control of his hands although he still hits himself in the head a lot when he has something in his hands. He's found how to pull his pacifier out of his mouth and hold on to it. He's still trying to figure out how to put it back in though. He also has found how to put his hands in his mouth. Nice! Luckily he likes to play with his hands but doesn't use them to fall asleep. We're hoping it's a passing phase! He also loves to grab at stuff. It makes changing his diaper fun. I usually have to make sure the counter is all cleared off or he'll start grabbing and knocking stuff over. It's so fun!
Joel still has yet to roll over but he will twist himself around in his bed. We'll come in and he's all turned around. I have no idea how he does it. Crazy kid! He's also learning to raise his voice and squeal. He thinks it's so funny- luckily it's still a novelty and he doesn't do it too often.
Anyhow, he's just such a good kid. He just makes life so fun. Sometimes absolutely crazy and sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind. But when he smiles at me or cuddles me it just wraps me all the tighter around that little slobbery finger of his.

Joel still doesn't love tummy time
but he tolerates it more when he's propped up on his boppy.



Here's Joel after his second set of shots.
I remembered to give him his Tylenol BEFORE his shots.
He was a lot happier than the first time!
Shots- 1 Joel-1




Joel is loving his bouncy seat. It has become one of his favorite places.
He's found how to prop his feet up and use it to propel himself.
(We have to make sure to strap him in so he doesn't fall out!)
This is also where he usually gets fed.
So far he's had mashed potatoes, squash, peaches,
applesauce and his favorite- carrots cooked with roast.