So Happy Together

I remember getting a book called, "The Happiest Baby on the Block" at some point while I was pregnant, but I never read it. It turns out I didn't need to read it, because Joe would naturally be the happiest baby in the whole entire world!


We took our first adventure to the park this past week and although Joe was asleep at first, he woke up after a little while, so we tried out the swing. As usual, Joey tried something new and loved every second of it.



One downer to this week was that one of our best friends moved to DC. J was the first person to visit us in the hospital and the second person to get to hold Joe (after M). Over the past few months, Joe has grown attached to Uncle J and loves to play with him. Luckily, he's only moving about 3 hours away, so he should be able to come visit often. Still, we're going to miss the days of having him only a couple blocks away from us. :(


Ending on an up note, we got another box of clothes/gifts from one of Joe Daddy's Aunts. Joe Daddy was very excited that Joe finally has some Pitt State gear. Joe looks pretty happy about it too.


I love my Joseph! He is so social and happy. He's even sleeping through the night now! I look forward to this weekend -- we've got a cute 4th of July outfit for him to wear and we're thinking of (maybe) going to the shore.


Joe says, "I can't wait to see you in person!"

Happy Father's Day!

I got this book for Joe Daddy as a Father's Day present. It's about a Dad bear and his cub having a day full of adventures together. At the end of the book, the cub falls asleep as the Dad bear pats him on the head. Joe had been fussing for an hour or so, but as soon as Joe Daddy started reading, he calmed down and looked right at the book. As the story progressed, Joe slowly started nodding off. At the end of the book, Joe Daddy patted Joe on the head and Joe drifted right to sleep. It was the sweetest thing in the world and it reminded me that although I can't catch every special memory on camera, I can keep those moments in my heart.


Also, today's the day to give my dad a shout-out up in heaven! Dad, I remember one of the last things you said to me was, "I really hope you find someone great, because you really deserve it." Well, it's a shame you never got to meet my "Catholic friend" that I always told you about, because Joe Daddy was definitely the 'someone great' that you had in mind.


Also, my dad would be so happy to know that I got all the materials together to send in for Joseph's Cherokee Tribal membership and CDIB card. I thought about my dad alot as I filled in the "ancestry chart" from Archilla (on the Dawes Rolls) to Wilson to my dad to me... and now to Joe. I think it takes a few months to process, but as soon as the approval comes back making Joe the newest member of the Cherokee Tribe, we'll have a little ceremony at home and (of course) I'll be sure to take lots of pictures for the blog.
(That's "Happy Father's Day" in Cherokee.)
-

Bumbo, Peekaboo and the Triple Nipple

Joe and his Daddy were getting sad that there haven't been any updates (see above) so we're back! My apologies for the lag.

Joe had another set of pictures taken when Mrs D visited and here are a couple of my favorites!



The last picture shows Joseph sitting in his Bumbo chair. Originally manufactured in South Africa, you can now purchase them at Target. It's become a part of Joe's "daily exercise routine" along with his tummy time surfboard and his rainforest gym. Disclaimer: Never use a Bumbo without constant supervision. Babies have sometimes arched their backs and flipped the Bumbo over backwards, which can be a huge deal if the Bumbo is sitting on a table or other raised surface (causing the baby to possibly fall). But with supervision, the Bumbo is a fun and helpful way for babies to learn to sit up!



Joe Daddy called me into the other room a few days ago and informed me that besides holding and grabbing at things, Joe plays peekaboo now!



Finally, it seems that I failed to mention one thing that we learned at Joey's 2-month doctor's visit. It appears that our Joseph has three nipples! I remember Carrie Underwood saying she had three nipples when she was on American Idol, but that's about all I know about the tripnip. Anybody else know anything? I'm sure it's not a big deal, but it is pretty funny.



Sorry it took so long for this update. I'll do it again soon!

With Love from Oklahoma / Two Months

Joseph had quite a long weekend to celebrate his two month! Newlywed Auntie Em came to P-ton from Edmond to meet/snuggle/bond with Joey. Em is an absolute natural (having two nephews probably helps) and Joe smiled everytime he saw or heard her.


Well... almost every time. Sometimes he looked horrified.


Em brought along her husband, BW. Joe got to meet a fellow red-head!


At some point during the weekend, Em helped me give Joseph his first ever "real" submerged bath. Joe loved it and it made for many great photos. Here's a sample:




We also had a quick visit with Mrs. D who is a nurse in Tulsa and gave us some info about some of the illnesses she commonly saw when she worked in pediatrics. Not to speak on her behalf, but I think she liked little Joey and the feeling was quite mutual.


The biggest event for Joseph was his two month appointment. He weighed in at 15lbs and 2 feet long -- he's now (literally) off the charts! We have joked that I didn't give birth to a baby, I gave birth to a toddler. Even though he's only 2 months old, he's in 3-6 month clothes and I recently had to upgrade to size 2 diapers as well. Doc H said he has a tiny bit of cord stump still attached inside the belly button, but it will fall off eventually and that overall Joe looked fabulous! Finally, Joe had to have his first vaccinations. He was scheduled to get seven of them via 2 shots in each thigh and one oral vaccine. I am spacing them out a little, so instead he got five of them through one shot in each thigh and the oral. He got diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hib, and rotovirus. In one month he'll get the other two shots for pneumococcal and polio to 'catch up'. I am proud to report that no one cried (not even Joe Momma!) Joe ravenously gulped down the oral rotovirus vaccine (Doc H was impressed) and took the two shots like a champ. He fussed momentarily after getting them, but quickly drowned his sorrows in Similac. He got a bandaid on each leg and he was all done! We gave him a bit of Tylenol later in the evening when he got irritable and by the next morning, Joe was good as new. Here are his before-vaccine and after-vaccine pictures.



What a weekend! In just 8 weeks, Joe has had visitors from Nebraska and Oklahoma-- California too if you count Aunt J's visit the week before he was born. I'm happy that I have friends who are willing to come halfway (or all the way!) across the country to see me and meet Joe. Aunt M, Auntie Em, Aunt J and Mrs D might not be 'real' sisters, but they feel like family to me. Who will Joey's next out of state visitor(s) be?

Joe Has Gone Wireless

It happened! Joe lost his cord stump! It kind of shocked me a little because I have never known Joseph without his little black balloon end.



In the past week, Joe has visited CVS, the post office, Joe Daddy's office, and the movies. He is always very well behaved, but a little stunned to see all that there is to see. It's a big world, Joey!


Also, I went to see the boys I used to nanny yesterday for the first time in about 6 months. They were dying to see Joseph -- the younger one could barely sleep the night before! Those boys are so big now. I changed the younger one's diapers and now he's six! Anyway, they put together a big bag of their old toys to give to Joe and I could not have been more impressed with their generosity. I raised them well. :) They will always mean so much to me and Joseph has a better mom because of the practice I got with these two guys. Joe also has a TON of AMAZING toys now!


I would be remiss if I didn't say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE DADDY!!! You're a wonderful husband and father and I couldn't ask for anyone better to be by my side through all the adventures of life. Joseph is the luckiest kid in the whole world because you're his daddy.

Things to Do and People to See

Joseph has officially made it past the quarantine period! He is a happy, healthy little 8 week old and we have slowly begun to take him to new places and be held by new people. So far, he's ventured out to the tow path to see his daddy kayak, he's been to Chevys to watch his mom, dad and Uncle J enjoy Tex-Mex, and also Joseph has gone to Panera to meet up with one of our lovely British friends and her family. Today he's going to take his first trip to the movies so that Joe Momma and Joe Daddy can see the new Pixar film 'Up'. We've heard great things, so we're hoping the movie is as good as everyone has been telling us. Later in the week, Joe will be making his greatly anticipated appearance at Joe Daddy's office.

Here's a little sample of Joe enjoying his ever expanding social circle:




Besides meeting new snugglers, Joe has started to play with a new toy! At 8 weeks he's got better control of his arms and legs, so he's enjoying playing with his rainforest gym. He is a bigger fan of kicking things with his legs and looking up at the lights than hitting things with his hands right now. He seems to favor his right side, so maybe he's going to be right handed?



Lastly, here's Joe Momma and Joe Daddy as little folks. I bet Joe will be a spitting image of his father-- with a little more red in his hair.



Auntie Em (not to be confused with Aunt M) is planning to visit this coming weekend! I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun! I've also heard a rumor that this young lady is going to make an appearance in about a week as well.