Amazing baby....

This morning I had Joel sitting in his bouncy chair in the living room watching Elmo while I worked on the computer at the kitchen table. He was quiet, so I turned around to look at him, and HOLY COW!!!! I wasn't sure how he did it, but somehow he had ended up literally on his head with his feet still inside the seat....just chilling out and watching Elmo without a care in the world! I was going to try and take his picture, but I had to rescue my boy! After watching him for a while today, I think he must have leaned far enough forward that his head had enough momentum to take him all the way over. The most amazing part to me was that he seemed completely unbothered by his position! He is so laid back about some things, and then he freaks out over nothing! I've been busy trying to clean our kitchen, and he has been pretty good about staying occupied and cooperative. Right now he is grumpy and Daddy is trying to feed him and watch the end of the OSU game. I'd better go help before I have TWO grumpy boys on my hands! :o) More later....Good night!

Catching up....

Well, it has been a few days, so I thought I would catch up with everyone about Joel's busy life! He's doing really well and is growing like a weed. He is standing by himself some, but not walking yet. I think he is getting close though. He's very busy and able to get where he is going without any problem! He also has an opinion about most things...especially if he wants to go somewhere and Mommy says no! He also has a temper which, fortunately, doesn't seem to last long. He is particularly drawn to the refrigerator and the little bathroom. I will admit, I have let him play in the fridge while I wash dishes or empty the dishwasher. I figure it isn't hurting anything and it makes him happy, so why not? Today I left him alone on the floor in his room for about two minutes while I ran to grab the cordless phone that was ringing. When I came back, he had opened his little CD player on the floor and was licking the CD he had taken out of it! I was amazed, because half the time I can't get the CD out myself! :0) He was pretty pleased with himself. Needless to say he was not happy about having his fun interrupted! He screams and arches his back, but seems to get over it quickly. He and Bailey are not exactly hitting it off these days. I don't think Bailey was prepared for him to be quite this mobile. She has been good and has not snapped or growled at him, but so far he doesn't seem to have a healthy fear of her. They keep me busy trying to keep the peace! On Sunday we tried taking Joel sledding on the side hill. We didn't have very good timing, since it was time for his nap. He didn't seem to like it too much, but did smile a little bit at the bottom of the hill. Daddy laughed most at Mommy, who managed to slip and fall in Bailey poop while trying to take a picture! YUCK!!! Joel has been going to bed earlier, which is working out well. He is sleeping through the night for the most part again, which is fabulous for us! We are struggling a little bit with naps during the day, but he is sleeping some. We just continue to love him and wait to see what will happen next! Never a dull moment! More later.....

This little look he gives me melts my heart.

Playing with a spatula, eating poofs....life is good! :0)

Because sitting in the bouncy chair just isn't close enough to Elmo....

Not quite so sure about all this.....Mommy and Daddy were WAY more enthusiastic!

That's better!

My baby, careening down the hill! Okay, he was barely moving, but it looks like he is about to tumble head first into the snow!

Busy, busy, busy.....

Joel has been one busy little guy over the last couple of days. He is ALL over the house now; there is no containing him in one room anymore. He loves the bathroom and has eaten more dog food in the last few days than Bailey has! (Okay, he doesn't actually eat it, but I do have to fish it out of his mouth. YUCK!) I swear I keep an eye on him, but he's fast and sneaky! :0) The last day or two he has learned that he can pull open the refrigerator door and he has enjoyed poking around in there. He is very stubborn and determined and throws a spectacular hissy fit if he is interrupted. He has been irritable the last few days. I think he is getting more teeth. Infant's Motrin has been a godsend! Tonight we tried putting him to bed earlier to see if we could avoid the bedtime meltdown that has happened the last few nights. He went down an hour early with absolutely no fuss, so we will see what the night brings. He also took his first step tonight, between the front of the open refrigerator and the door. Not much, but it is a start! I'm going to bed in case he wakes up early. More later...

I love the "busted!" look on his face in this one!

And for his next trick....

I am completely exhausted! Sorry to start out that way, but it was a busy day in our household. Joel is getting more teeth, and he has an attitude going on. He was awake last night from 2:30 until 5:00. He slept until 8:00, but then did not sleep again until 9:30 tonight when he went down for the night. Most of his afternoon was spent screaming. Needless to say, Mommy went to Rite Aide and got some Infant's Motrin to hopefully help his ouchy gums. It seems to be working so far....we'll see how the rest of the night goes! He is very, very busy all day now. It used to be that he was contained mostly in either his room or the living room. Not any more! Now that he is really good at crawling and standing, he is all over the place. He LOVES Bailey's food and water dishes, much to her dislike (and Mom's too!). Bailey continues to be very patient with him, but he pushes his luck a lot. Joel is not walking yet, but he stands pretty well and will walk "like Frankenstein" if you hold his fingers. It won't be long! He continues to love his ATV and he and Rob play with that up and down the hallway most nights. Of course, we can't get through the day without at least one showing of an Elmo DVD! He is fascinated by the laundry and the laptop. I get frustrated with him, but all he has to do is look at me and smile that smile and all is forgiven! He's so adorable that it doesn't matter! Hopefully he doesn't figure that out any time soon! More later....

Reloading for the afternoon's escapades! He was laughing and giggling the whole time he had his bottle....he must have known what was in store for Mommy!

Joel's absolute favorite new activity....pulling the towel off the stove door and pushing it across the floor! He did this for over half an hour earlier today. It kept him busy while I did laundry, so it wasn't all bad!

BUSTED!! In the little bathroom pulling on the drawers AGAIN!!!!

Playing with the magnetic letters on the refrigerator. He soon moved on to pulling off the papers we have stuck to the refrigerator door. We'll need to do something about that....

Attempting to climb the table in our room.

Big Boy outfit.....he looked so darn cute, but his shirt kept coming untucked! Thank God for onsies!

Happy Valentine's Day!

First kiss.....

Yay! Mommy got her first kiss from Joel tonight! :0) I was kissing his neck and blowing "raspberries" on it and he was really giggling hard. When I quit, he looked at me, leaned forward, and gave me a big open-mouth smooch on my cheek. Then he laughed REALLY hard! He is so cute sometimes. We hung out with PawPaw, Grandma, and Aunt Lisa today, and he was really tired when we got home. He was a trooper though and went with us to eat and to the grocery store. He went right down to sleep for Rob, too. Am I dreaming? Hmmmm.....Also, Joel's pictures was in the Crescent News today for the "Smiling Faces" baby paper. He looked adorable! He will be in the Wauseon paper in a couple of weeks. He's famous! (No autographs, please!) Tomorrow we are staying home and having a "Foster Day". Hopefully we get something accomplished! Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm calling these three pictures "What happens when Mommy doesn't comb Joel's hair right away after his bath"! His curls are out of control!!

Curly Top!

Look at that face!

OOPS!!

Okay, so I already posted the OSU pictures! Sorry....I can't figure out how to delete them without messing up the other posts. Mommy needs a nap!

Mr. Independent....

Joel is becoming more and more a little boy and less and less a baby these days! He definitely has a temper and a stubborn streak. He says "DaDa" a lot, and calls me "NaNa" instead of "MaMa". Tonight I gave him a bath before Rob got home. He was playing in the tub with his toys, and wasn't ready to get out, apparently, when I was ready to get him. He screamed and threw his head back. Once I got the slippery boy into the towel, he glared at me, pushed me away, and said "DaDa"! Fortunately he got over it quickly! His hair is really, really curly all over, especially after his bath. I didn't get it combed very well before it dried tonight, and he looks silly! Oh well....once he sleeps on it tonight it should flatten out a little bit! Speaking of sleep, he is doing much better lately with sleeping through the night. Mommy and Daddy are SOOOOOOO happy about that! I can't even remember the last time he woke up before 7:00am. He also has been doing well napping for me during the day. He is so busy, I think he wears himself out! He is all over the house now and I spend most of the day trying to keep him out of the dog food and away from the coffee table. He certainly knows which toy he wants and how he wants to use it. Heaven help you if you try to interfere! :0) He is still a sweet little guy most of the time, but his temper does flare up once in a while. He isn't walking quite yet, but is getting really good at walking when we hold his hands. I did catch him once walking while pushing his ATV, but I haven't seen him do that again. It won't be long! He is still the best part of our lives, no question about that. With his birthday coming up, we have lots of planning to do....More later!

He was hamming it up tonight when I fed him his dinner. He was laughing really hard and giggling like crazy! I love it when he is in such a good mood!

I had these pictures taken for Rob for Valentine's Day. Isn't he cute? :P

GO BUCKS!!!!

Eleven Months and Growing......

Today is Joel's 11-month birthday! I can't believe that in less than a month Joel will be a whole year old. In some ways it seems like he has been with us forever and in some ways it still amazes me every morning when I go in to wake him up. There has never been a little boy more loved by his Mommy and Daddy!! He continues to pull himself up and takes after his Mommy....he's a bit of a klutz! He has a big bruise on his forehead from banging into the coffee table and the little electric furnace we have. It doesn't seem to bother him, though! He just keeps going and going. Poor Bailey is having a hard time keeping one step ahead of him any more. Joel is doing better with sleeping through the night, thank goodness! He isn't walking yet, but I think he is getting close. He's definitely very curious and stubborn about doing what he wants. He keeps me busy all day, no doubt about that! :0) He is in his "big-boy" car seat now, and he is adjusting to that. He also LOVES the little ATV he got for Christmas! He and Rob play "zoom zoom" in the hallway. Joel laughs and laughs when Rob pushes him. His laugh is contagious....and we LOVE that little giggle! Now we need to start birthday planning and getting ready for the big event. We're thinking Elmo........ More later!

Yay!! Bath toys!

"Farmer Joel"....a nod to Great-Grandpa Baldwin.

Ready for fun!!

On your mark....get set....

....weeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! All smiles!

Eleven months old already! It doesn't seem possible, but next month our sweet little boy will turn one. Amazing how time flies by.....

Daddy's Valentine present!

Go Bucks!!