4 Month Progress Report

Our baby boy Joshua turned four months old Saturday. I know everyone says it, but time really does fly.


Our latest big achievement was that he rolled over Friday night. I kept expecting him to roll from his back to his tummy but I just couldn't figure out how he would physically get his body to do it. Then I read that they typically roll tummy to back first. Well, lo and behold, that's exactly what he did.

He's been getting stronger on his tummy and lifting himself up higher and higher. This time he stuck his left arm out trying to reach for a toy and as he strained, he flipped to the left. I was so shocked and proud!! I set him back on his tummy and this time he rolled to the right. I called to Jim in time for him to see this second roll. Then we pulled out the video camera and in typical Josh fashion, he wouldn't do it again.

"Hi. This is my friend.
I will call him George."

I have recently found a clip on YouTube of Elmo. I think it is such a cute song and I'm not sure who enjoys watching it more, me or Joshua. But I'm starting to get in the habit of showing him the clip before his bedtime story.



I also found one of Andrea Bocelli singing Elmo to sleep. I may be adding that one to my frequently played list.

This past week Joshua has really started sticking out his tongue again. Like the babbling, he used to do it but then stopped. It has come back with great fervor and skill.


I learned yesterday that my dad has been purposely trying to teach him to do this.

It's working.

Isn't he so danged cute?!

Joshua is also really starting to become aware of our cats. He watches them walk around and will just stare.

Here he was watching Bailey walk by.

Then Bailey plopped down for some camera posing too.

Joshua's Baptism

Today our little Joshua was baptized. It was such a special day and we were surrounded by family and friends.


Our pastor asked us to choose a verse to read and here is what we chose:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Almost 4 Months

Being his mother, I am of course not biased at all in saying that my son is the cutest boy ever, ever! Right?

Here is Joshua helping out with laundry. He keeps the washer running, so I figured he'd better pitch in with the chores.

What is Joshua doing these days?
He went through a period of talking quite a bit, but then seemed to suddenly stop. I think he was focusing on other new skills he was learning at the time. About a week ago he found his voice again and he is loving it. He babbles and gurgles and coos A LOT. It is the sweetest sound I have ever heard in my life. I could listen to it all day. A couple times he has been talking to himself when I lay him down for a nap. It lasts maybe 5-10 minutes and then he drifts off to sleep. This morning when he woke from his first nap, he was just laying in his crib talking to himself until I came in to get him. I love that he generally wakes up a happy baby.

Apparently Joshua has put on some weight. Everybody comments on what a chunker he is. For a while just his legs were chunky, but his arms are starting to puff up now. His face is just big and round and probably full of acorns - or I really think it's drool. He drools so much!

He is getting really good at holding toys and has learned how to get them in his mouth. We just started putting him in the saucer and he is slowly learning to like that. I got a tip to pack him in with blankets and that seems to be working much better. He is using his legs and pushing up on the saucer. It's pretty amazing.


Joshua is still a really good sleeper. He has been out of the swaddle completely for a week now and we have had no problems. I have seen that he is starting to realize what nap time is and tries to combat it. He gets a horrible look on his face as I lay him down and he cries much harder than ever before. But he still cries for less than five minutes and then he either is just calm for a while until he falls asleep or he passes out pretty quickly. This week, on the days we've been home together, he has been napping really solidly. Especially today he can only be up for an hour and then a switch clicks and he's cranky for bed. Then sleeps without a peep for two hours. This afternoon we had to run to the grocery store so he was up for about an hour and twenty minutes. He was getting fussy and I laid him down the moment we got home. Not a peep and moments later he was dead to the world.

We are working on rolling over. He has not enjoyed tummy time, but he is slowly increasing the amount of time he will tolerate. I noticed him starting to push off with one of his legs while laying on his back as if starting to roll over. So I'm rolling him from his back to his tummy and he seems to be enjoying that.

All in all our boy is healthy and happy!

Here's my new favorite picture of Joshua and Jim.

Please Stand By

I know I said I would try to get some photos posted, but I am a work in progress. I'm trying to find ways to get photos faster to Facebook, Flickr and my blog. I've got two out of three figured out and am just waiting for the blog solution which in imminent.

Sleep Training II - Episode 2

All is well. He slept like an angel again last night. First squawk was around 4:30 am but Joshua didn't give us the full cry until 6:15 am. If he were old enough, I'd probably reward him with ice cream. Instead I'll shower him with kisses and get myself a frozen yogurt. Hee Hee!!

I'll try to post some recent pictures of him later today.

Sleep Training II - Episode 1 Results

Joshua exceeding our expectations - again. We ran through our usual nighttime routine:
6:30 pm - Feed
7:20 pm - Bath
8:00 pm - To Bed
9:30 pm - Dreamfeed
9:50 pm - To Bed

Normally at this last bed time we wrap him up in a tight swaddling blanket complete with Velcro and he did not budge. This time we put Joshua in a sleep sack which is basically like a tank top on top to go over his pajamas, and a blanket sack at the bottom to keep him warm.

Joshua fussed a little I think just because it was something new, but he still settled immediately. I woke up at one point during the night to see it was around 1:00 am. I was impressed that three hours had already gone by without a peep from him. I would be okay with his waking at any point beyond this time because at least he achieved three solid hours. He did finally start to cry at 4:00 am (six hours of sleep!). Jim wondered what we should do since we preferably feed him at 6:30 am, but he does eat at 5:00 am on occasion, so Joshua would probably be aware of his hunger. But within just a couple minutes Joshua was quiet again. Between 4:00 and 6:00 am I heard him squeak a few times, but he really didn't start to cry until 6:00 am (count 'em - eight hours!). So amazing!! What an awesome boy.

Now, what we don't know is how well he really slept. But to be fair, we don't really know how well he slept in the swaddle either. We just know he was consistently quiet from 10:00 pm to anywhere between 5:00-6:30 am. Joshua has been having good and bad days this week and today was leaning on the bad side - just fussy and crying and upset. Jim and I have been trying all week to diagnose what might be the issue and we just haven't figured it out. Maybe it's just a phase, but we're looking for a common thread. So was today's fussiness part of what's been going on the rest of the week? Or was this time related to his quality of sleep last night?

Will tonight go just as smooth?

Tune in tomorrow!

Sleep Training - The Sequal, Episode 1

The time has come. The big agreed-upon weekend. We will be attempting to go through the night without the swaddle. Between Jim and I, there will be five days in a row to be home with the boy following training nights, so here we go. I bought Sleep Sacks to keep him warm. I'll keep you posted.