Fun in the Sun...

It was HOT here today! Late in the afternoon, after Joel took a glorious three-hour nap!, Rob set up his water table and his pool in the front yard for some outside fun. Joel and Bailey both needed some outside time....the walls were closing in, I think! For some reason, Joel was not too interested in the pool today, but he was all about splashing in the water table! He was distracted by the lawnmower....he LOVES that thing and if he sees it he has to touch it! I videotaped him playing with it to show him when he is 12 or 13 and complaining about mowing the yard! :0) We were the neighborhood entertainment for a while, then I brought Joel in and gave him his dinner and his bath. He was a little grumpy despite his long nap earlier, so he went to sleep really easily and has been out for about an hour and a half already. It sure makes for a pleasant evening when he isn't screaming at bedtime! More later....

Mr. Sunshine!

I really like these pictures of Joel. My sister took them yesterday at her inlaws house. They have gorgeous gardens and it was a beautiful day, so why not! These are three of my favorites. He doesn't look it in these pictures, but he was actually a little grumpy. He only slept about 20 minutes all day yesterday, but he went to bed like a dream so I won't complain! Enjoy....

Meeting Elmo!

I finally remembered to post the picture of Joel meeting Elmo at the Toledo Zoo. He was so cute! I'm not so sure that he would have let Elmo hold him, though!

Welcome Baby Owen!

Joel has a new buddy! :0) Owen Daniel McFarlen was born today to my friend Megan and Kevin in Tennessee. I just saw the first pictures of him, and he is adorable! When I first saw the pictures, Joel was sitting on my lap at the computer. I said, "Look Joel, there's your buddy Owen." He smiled and giggled, so I guess he must approve! Congratulations to the McFarlen Family! Can't wait to meet the little guy in person!

Doctor's Appointment....

Joel had his 15-month check up with Dr. Foldvary today. He weighs 26 pounds, and is 31 3/4 inches tall. His head measures 20 3/4". His height and weight is right where it should be. Dr. Foldvary said that he is "big boned" and that he might be a big guy. Seriously? He looks so tiny to me! We will see, I guess... Anyway, it is a good thing Daddy went along today because he had to get three shots. He was fairly cooperative up to that point, so we can't complain! Dr. Foldvary's only concern was the fact that Joel does not say anything yet, other than the occasional "Mama" or "Dada". He is not worried too much at all, and said that a language delay could be due to his prematurity, the fact that he is a boy and they generally talk later, or the fact that he is an only child and doesn't have another child to "teach" language. He did observe that Joel is very vocal, and predicted that he will be talking soon. We don't think there is a big problem at all, since he is very vocal and makes the "B" sound for Bailey. It will come! Anyway, all is well and Joel is now sleeping, so I am going to play on the computer.......More later!

Reading his favorite book, "I Love You All The Time", with Daddy.

Happy First Day of Summer!

Mr. Personality!

I love these two pictures of Joel, just "chillin' out" in his Elmo and rocking chairs! He looks so funny....like a mini-adult! His personality is becoming more and more defined every day. He is walking all over...practically running, in fact! He plays peek-a-boo and loves pulling everything our of the kitchen cupboards! He continues to drive Bailey absolutely crazy, and she has learned that one line of defense is just to knock him over. She's in trouble once he gets better balance! We love him more and more every day, if that is even possible! He has a check up tomorrow with the pediatrician, so I'm sure there will be an update then. More later...

Isn't this cute? It was taken at the zoo the other day when we were there with Lisa. A local bank had some kind of kids' thing going on, and they took free pictures of the kids dressed like what they wanted to be when they grow up. The only outfits small enough for Joel were the pilot and a cowboy. We opted for the pilot! The whole thing was velcro, which I might consider sewing into some of his real clothes! :0) Elmo was also at the zoo that day....I'll try to post a picture if I remember. Joel's face is priceless!

Sooooooo sleepy!

Mr. Big Blue Eyes!

The Terrible Twos....9 Months Early!

Oh my, oh my, Mr. Joel has discovered his temper in the last few days.....and it hasn't been pretty! In his defense, I think he is getting some back teeth and has been running a small fever with that, but his attitude has been less than stellar! He has developed a fascination with electrical outlets, and loves to unplug and replug anything he can get his hands on. Keeping him from getting electrocuted is a full-time job for me! He does NOT like being told "no", and has started a theatrical performance when he is unhappy: he throws himself on the ground, face buried in the carpet, and cries like his little heart is broken! (See picture below.) Hopefully this is not a preview of the "terrible twos". He did not nap much at all today and fell asleep quickly with his bottle. He looks so sweet and innocent all curled up in his bed! Almost makes you forget all the screaming.....More later...

This one makes me smile!

Joel with his driving toy. Just this week he started turning the steering wheel instead of just pulling on the shifter. He looks like he really knows what he is doing! He's a bit of a wild man behind the wheel, though! :0)

This is Joel's new favorite spot...behind the recliner, surrounded by all of Bailey's toys, reading a book! He wedges himself back there and entertains himself for 15-20 minutes at a time. He looks so serious while he turns the pages. He loves his books, that's for sure!

Bailey Comes Home!

I wish everyone could have seen the look on Joel's face this afternoon when he woke from from a nap and I brought him out to the living room to see that Bailey was home. He smiled SO big and laughed and clapped his hands. He seemed completely amazed that she was there....and she actually let him pet her! Now, lest anyone think that this is a truce, within half and hour she was barking in his face and he was throwing Cheerios at her, so we are back to normal that way! :0) After Tuesday, I'll take all the bad behavior I can get as long as Bailey is okay! (Don't ask me that in a couple of days!) Our son is a ham....now when he walks he turns around, smiles, and claps for himself! He thinks he's pretty big stuff! He is quickly becoming a little boy instead of a baby. PawPaw keeps saying he's going to shave his head.....I THINK NOT!!! Those curls stay as long as possible! He was so tired tonight. He spent part of the day with Aunt Lisa while I had the van worked on AGAIN, and I think she wore him out. More later....

On the Move.....

These are some of the pictures I took yesterday of Joel's first real attempts at walking. They aren't very clear, but you get the idea! The balloon was from Rob's birthday....Joel loves mylar balloons! Today was a traumatic day in the Foster household. Our beloved Bailey was very, very sick and I thought for sure we were going to lose her. She ended up having surgery late this afternoon for bladder stones and will have to stay at the vet for a few days to recover. She did well with the surgery, so hopefully she will recover quickly. The vet said that she is in really good shape for her age (14), which we are very grateful for. Joel spent most of the day looking for her. He crawled into the room where she usually lays and kept peeking up on the bed. At one point he had one of her toys and was crawling down the hallway saying, "Ba! Ba!" It was almost like he was calling for her. He kept sitting in front of her food dish. I think he was confused and trying to lure her out by touching her stuff! We will ALL be glad when she is able to come home. More later.....

Walking!!!!

What a big day for a little boy! This afternoon I was playing with Joel on the living room floor and he was in a really good mood. I picked him up and sat him in the little rocking chair. The next thing I knew, he stood up and walked all the way across the living room! He was sooooo funny.....he had the biggest smile and was laughing the whole time! Several more times I stood him up and he took off again. He can't seem to stand up directly from the floor, but it will come soon enough! He's growing up SO fast! Now he plays peek-a-boo, and he is completely fascinated with anything that has buttons (remote, phone, adding machine, calculator......) He is so much fun and makes me smile a hundred times a day. More later...

Fifteen Months Old....

So unhappy about the bear! :0( I had worked up quite a sweat just to get these pictures. Maybe the bear is done....?

Happy, if not entirely cooperative!

Simply Adorable!

Such a big (and ornery!) boy!

Memorial Day Parade in Wauseon....

PawPaw and Joel waiting for the parade.

Big stuff....taking a walk with Grandma! I love his smile!