Somehow it has been a full year already since Joe was born.
I have a hard time believing it and to be honest there are times when it makes me
sad. Time is flying by so fast and there is part of me that wants him to stay a baby for a tad
bit longer. He's started doing this thing lately where he crawls up on my chest, puts his head on my shoulder, sucks his little thumb and cuddles me. I would be lying if I said I don't
sit there and savor every sweet moment like that. I love it!
It's not like I didn't feel this way with Owen. But with Owen every milestone was something new so we were always looking forward to what was to come. With Joe I'm really trying to
enjoy every single moment. In the back of my mind I know these baby moments only
last for so long. I saw how fast it went with Owen so maybe that part of it
makes me appreciate things a little more now.
Height - 29.75 in. (46th Percentile)
Weight - 19 lb. 14.5 oz. (27th Percentile)
Head Circumference - 18.5 cm (76th percentile)
Favorite Foods - Goldfish, waffles, grilled cheese, pancakes, strawberries, quesadillas,
animal crackers, pizza
Joe is a pretty good eater, as long as it is not fruits or vegetables. The one fruit
he loves is strawberries, but other than that he wants nothing to do with them. I'm not sure
how he even knows, but as soon as one hits his plate, he grabs it, swings his arm over
the side of his tray and drops it right onto the floor. Everything else is fair game though.
He is normally good with trying new foods. We've fed him a lot of things off of our plates
when we've been out and he gobbles it right up. He eats a decent amount too.
I think he eats almost as much as Owen does sometimes!
The one other thing he consistently rejects though is milk. I've tried every day since his
birthday to give him a little cup of milk. He takes one sip, makes a disgusted face and drops
the cup to the floor. I've nursed him exclusively the entire past year. We tried bottles here
and there but he wasn't very receptive and I didn't mind nursing him so I didn't force the
issue. Over the last few months however, he started using a sippy cup for water. I figured
that was great because I would skip the step of having to phase out bottles when he turned one. But unfortunately I have my own hurdle now. I think he's so accustomed to breast milk
that he wants nothing to do with real milk. All I can do is keep trying, but it looks like our
weaning process is going to take a little longer than I anticipated.
Favorite Toys - Lovey, toy cars and trucks, Duplos, walker
Joe has fun playing with toys, but to be honest he has the most fun when he is with Owen.
It doesn't matter what they are doing or what they are playing with, Joe L-O-V-E-S Owen!
He crawls right up to Owen with the biggest smile and practically tackles him trying to let
him know he is there. Depending on his mood, Owen might entertain Joe, but more times
than not he'll jump up onto the couch where Joe can't reach him trying to escape him. I
think in a few short months when Joe is more mobile Owen is going to realize what a
great playmate he has in Joe. I'm super excited for that day to come. I love watching
them together already, so I can only imagine how fun it will be then. In fact Owen
was my little helper as I was taking these pictures. I couldn't get Joe to sit still
so I enlisted Owen to stand behind me and wave a toy to get Joe's
attention. It worked like a charm. Together we got some of the
best smiles of the day showing all 8 of his teeth (4 top, 4 bottom). :)
And speaking of being mobile. Joe is moving around like crazy these days. Long gone
are the days of the army crawl. He is now crawling on his hands and knees and pulling up
on everything he possibly can. He climbs the entire flight of stairs and can do it in lightning
speed. Before I even realize what he's doing, he's halfway up. Thankfully he only climbs up
and doesn't try to come down too often. I've seen him slide down a few steps on his belly
so it seems like he is getting the hang of it, but not enough for me to trust him alone just yet.
His other new trick is walking with his walker. He does it any chance he gets. Practice,
practice, practice. And he's also started letting go of things as he's standing to test out his
balance. I'm sure his first solo steps are in our near future, but I'm not rushing it.
I'm sitting back and watching him take things at his own pace.
Favorite Games - Peekaboo, splashing in the bathtub, loves being tickled
The one thing I wish he would quicken his pace on is moving towards a full night sleep.
We keep getting so close and then I feel like we take a few steps backwards. He started the month back to waking two times per night. I knew he should be able to make it through the
night without eating so we made the decision to let him cry it out. Within just a few days he
was sleeping through the night, but now he's back to waking at 4:30AM again. And the
problem is if I let him cry at that time he wakes up Owen and then we're all up for the day.
So I feed him and try to put him back down. Normally he'll fall back asleep until 6:30AM.
It's so confusing, but eventually we'll get it all figured out.
He's still taking two naps per day, one hour and fifteen minutes each to be exact. It's like
clock work. Somehow his little body knows exactly when it hits that time frame and he
wakes. But the first nap is getting shorter and sometimes he resists it altogether.
It seems early, buy maybe he's moving to just one nap already.
Owen and I are such great company he hates to be asleep. ;)
This past year has been a whirlwind of smiles, giggles and so many fun times. Joe is the
sweetest, most easy going baby and I'm so excited to see what the next year has to bring.
We love you little Joe Joe!
