Time is Flying!!!!

So I know, I know. It has been quite some time since I've posted. I try but somehow life gets in the way. But here is an update and some new pics of all of us.

Joel loves brushing his teeth. He will barely let me get them before he starts grabbing for the toothbrush to do it himself. He is a vey independant little boy! He officially has five teeth now. (Two top front teeth, two bottom front and one just to the left of his bottom tooth that he got this week.) He is still trying to get his top four side teeth but he's a slow teether so who knows when those will pop through.

In April we spent the weekend in Orlando with some of our friends that Tj works with. We got a smokin' deal into Epcot (can you beat free?!) and so it was a really fun get-away. Here's Joel hanging out in the hotel on momma and dado's bed. He was just so interested in seeing everything. He's such an easygoing kid although he didn't sleep quite as well in the pack-n-play as he does in his bed. And here's a picture of the Rosen family in front of Epcot. It was a really fun day and Joel handled it like a trooper! We can't wait to take him back when he can actually appreciate it. But it was a fun time just the same.

So a couple weeks after our Orlando trip we took a Saturday afternoon and went to Mt. Dora with our friends Rob and Norma. There Tj, Rob and Norma took a Segway tour of Mt. Dora. Joel and obviously couldn't go so we mosied around Mt. Dora looking in all the little shops and grabbed some ice cream. It was a really fun afternoon. Of course after riding the Segway around Tj is trying to figure out how we can justify getting one- eventually. lol

So one morning a week or so ago I went to go get Joel out of bed and he had this full fledged mohak going. I had put him to bed with wet hair and sure enough when he woke up it was sticking straight up. It was one of the funniest things I had seen in a long time. So when Grandma Cindy came to pick him up that morning I had her grab a picture. Of course I could never get his hair to do this intentionally but it was just so cute.

And speaking of cute. My friend Kimberlee and I were wandering around the mall awhile back and saw this cowboy hat. Of course we had to try it on Joel for Papa Lines' sake. And that's all it took, before long he was posing and just hamming it up. Of course our laughing didn't help matters. So here's to our cute cowboy Joel.

So in other news. We found out that Baby Rosen is officially going to be a mister Rosen. I keep meaning to scan in the ultrasound pics but it just hasn't happened yet. I'm about six months now and there's no doubt about it that I am officially pregnant. Joel thinks mommy's belly is a fun place to climb. Needless to say the flight out to AZ will be interesting as far as keeping Joel off my belly. But it will work out. I'm still feeling pretty good and can't really complain.

Joel is still stumbling around although his balance is getting a lot better. He now takes about four or five steps between Tj and me or one or two between an object (like the couch) to us. He thinks he's quite adventerous when he lets go and takes those tentative steps. I can't believe he's starting to walk already!!! He also likes to take objects and pull up on them and walk. For instance he thinks it's a riot to dump the laundry out and tip the basket upside down and push it down the hallway for balance. I suppose for his birthday we may be getting him a toy for that actual purpose so I can claim my laundry baskets back!!!

Joel is a momma's boy (not that I'm complaining!!!) but he loves his dado. Tj plays with Joel when he gets home from work and Joel LOVES it. They'll wrestle around or Tee will toss Joel in the air and Joel just laughs and laughs. Throughout the day he'll call out "Dada, dada, dada, dada." He loves when Tj's home because Tj will call back "Joel, joel, joel". When Tj's gone and Joel calls for him I tell him, "Dado's at work? Dada's at work." He'll then go back to playing or eating or whatever he was doing before he went looking for Tee.

Anyhow, I could go on and on but I'll end this now. We hope that you're all doing well. I'm excited to see all my Arizona family soon! I can't believe how fast that's coming up. We love you all!

Happy Easter from us to you!

Us in our Easter outfits outside church.
April 2007

Getting Ready to go to church with Dado--

Joel and his Easter Basket

Running, Running, Running- Achoo!

This weekend/week has been filled with milestones for Joel.

Our most exciting news is that Joel has said his first word. Drum roll please............................ da da. Yes, mommy is the one who feeds, bathes, dresses, plays, fixes, comforts, gets up at all hours of the night with him but Dado gets the first word. Not that I'm bitter or anything. lol Of course it's not enough that it was his first word but he says it all the time. Lucky Tj!

The other milestone isn't nearly as exciting. Joel has officially gotten his first cold. I knew I was jinxing myself when I was talking with a couple of my friends about a week or two ago about how Joel was almost a year old and still hadn't really ever gotten or cold or been sick. He is now. Poor kid really tries to be happy and play but he feels pretty miserable a lot of the time. He's got it all- sneezing, runny nose, cough, little bit of a fever. Lovely. Luckily the past couple of days he has been sleeping better with the aide of Tylenol. We're just hoping he gets over this soon.

Anyhow, other than that things are pretty low key. We have our ultrasound appointment set for April 18th. So we're looking forward to that and will let y'all know what- if any- results we get from that. Anyhow, Tornado Joel is ripping through the house so I guess I need to go contain him.

Growing, Growing, Growing

So it seems like everyone in our house is growing-Growing-GROWING! Well not so much Tj but the rest of us are.
Joel had a doctor's appointment this week. I knew he was getting big. He weighed in at 22 pounds- it's no wonder my back aches after hauling him around! He was 29 1/4 inches tall. I can't believe how big he is getting. He looks like such a little boy. He went into work with me for a little bit last night and everyone in my department there was amazed at how big he was getting. People still say that he looks just like me- I'm hoping that's a compliment. lol I think he's pretty cute so I take it as a compliment.
Joel is getting quite the personality. He's pretty adventurous. He has started letting go and balancing himself once he's standing. He gets so proud of himself. It makes me smile. Tj even had him taking a few steps the other night. He'd help him balance about an arms length away and then have Joel walk towards him. Sometimes it was a control fall and sometimes they were actual steps. It was exciting! Before long we'll be chasing him as he runs around our apartment.
He's not speaking words yet but that doesn't mean he's not talking or expressing himself! Sometimes he is very vocal- especially when he's being told no. Yes, Joel has learned the art of the fit. Grrrrr- it's a lovely time. Always interesting. We're working on it- so fun! Luckily it's usually when he's tired or hungry that the fits rear their head. So we try and head them off before they show up. I suppose it's just a glimpse of what's to come. But when he throws his fits it makes me wonder where my sweet Joel went. It's a bit ironic though. Joel has begun throwing fits but he's also getting more cuddly. He's never really been one to "rock-a-bye" or cuddle, however now he will. He still has to be in the mood but it's pretty sweet to have him snuggle up to me with his blanket and resting his head on my shoulder. He's such a good boy and we're so blessed to have him.

Climbing up and over!

Joel loves his juice! And he's learned to drink

from his sippy cup straw. Mmm, yummy juice!

Standing with crazy hair!

I also had a doctor's appointment this week. I'm four and a half months pregnant now. I'm fairly certain that it's pretty obvious now. I already have a little belly. I'm not putting weight on as fast as I did with Joel- probably because I'm chasing and hauling Joel this time around!-but still healthy. In the next week or so I'll have my second ultrasound. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the baby will not be shy and let us know if it's a boy baby or a girl baby. But of course the most important part is that the doctor can check out the baby's heart and make sure he or she is growing properly. It's still pretty surreal that it was only a year ago we were going through this with Joel.

So I'm pretty excited. Joel and I are going to be out in Arizona at the end of May. I'm excited for him to see and spend time with his Grandma & Papa, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Plus I am super excited to see Angela's new baby. We can't wait! Tj unfortunately will be working and can't make the trip this time- this is his most busy time of year. Maybe next time.

Joel's First Wedding!

So Joel went to his first wedding yesterday. Tj's boss got married. Of course they insisted that we bring Joel- they love him and think he's the world's best baby! So we brought him. Aside from a few minor outbursts he was pretty good. Both the bride and groom mentioned later that they were so glad that Joel was there because his little outbursts made them smile and kept them from getting over emotional. Glad to be of service! lol And of course he was a hit at the reception! All the girls loved him and he got passed around- which was a little interesting at times because he's starting to get separation anxiety. But overall it was a good night.

Joel dressed to the nines with Norma- the bride.
Pretty dang cute if you ask me!

The Rosen Family
Besides my squinty eyes (the FL sun is bright!!!) it's a pretty good picture of us.
Tj was a groomsman and looks pretty handsome in that tux!

Joel's Ninth Month

So everyone always says that the second nine months go by so much quicker than the first. Well I'd agree. This last month Joel has just gotten so big. He is definitely on his way to being a toddler and is probably more so a toddler than a baby. Sigh-

He officially is cruising to go along with his crawling. He's still pretty cautious though. But anything in his line of sight is fair game. He's so interested in everything especially once he is pulled up to standing. We have seen many a cup pulled over in attempt to see what it is. Luckily they're usually empty! The funniest thing was when I had a travel box of cheerios on the coffee table and Joel dumped them all over. He LOVES cheerios!

Joel has also learned to make a plethora of new noises with his mouth. Of course he still refuses to talk or attempt words like "mama" or "dado" but he loves making "motorcar" noises and his favorite "fart-sounding" noises. Of course those always come during the prayer at church or other inconvenient times but luckily he's cute and everyone just laughs. He also likes to make choking/coughing noises. He swallowed something wrong one night at dinner over at Grandma and Grandpa R's house. When everyone was sure he was okay they started to laugh- and of course since he had an audience he proceeded to perform. What are you going to do?!

He continues to make us laugh every day. He loves pulling himself up on stuff and jumping. His favorite is his crib- when he should be sleeping. He fights naps and bedtime like the plague: he gets that from his dad. So now sleeping time is always an adventure. We're hoping he grows out of it! So here are the latest pics.


Joel all decked out for the ONE winter
day in FL. I think it reached like 47
degrees that morning.

Sleepy Joel!

Joel all decked out and ready to go!

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!