Josiah at One

This year has gone by really quickly for us but has undoubtedly been the longest year of Josiah's life :).

It does seem like yesterday that we welcomed Josiah John into our lives but he's experienced quite a bit in 12 months. Since last September, Josiah's taken two long (but fun) family car trips to Texas and back, he's camped in a tent and a cabin, stuck his toes in the Atlantic Ocean and "swam" in rivers, lakes, and pools, flown to Phoenix, and figured out how to roll over, sit up, pull-up, drink from a bottle, crawl, wave, clap, rock on his horse, get our attention, express his dislike, laugh out loud, and smile smile smile. He's gained 12 pounds and grown a lot taller, has 8 teeth and great head of white-blond hair, just long enough to be shaggy around his ears and curl a (very) little in the back. He's a really sweet and very friendly baby with the most open and happy smile for everyone he meets. For each child, and with each child, the family context and parental attention changes some, and we have been blessed that Josiah is pretty independent and easy going, but demanding enough to get our attention and hold his own with his siblings. It's been fun, especially in recent months, to see his unique personality develop.

Josiah doesn't really like:

• sleeping - he's gotten better and makes it through most nights without our assitance, but never without a couple almost awake fusses. He's gotten to be a good, regular, two-nap-a- day kid, though.


• being alone - he's never real happy about being left in a room to play on his own - though he does play pretty well on his own if he can see you nearby (sadly, he is rarely left alone by his brother and sister...)


• too much attention from his siblings - Asher especially, but also Serena, often get carried away in their affection and "playing" with Josiah. Countless times a day I'll hear an angry squawk and not even need to investigate before I say, "Asher, leave your brother alone!" Having said this... he does love his big brother and sister - see the next list


• fruit - with the exception of bananas all the time and a few other fruits on occasion, unlike his brother and sister, he prefers his carbs


• the tiger mask - cries in real fear when Asher approaches wearing it (this does not keep Asher from doing so)


• swimming - we thought he did at first, but that pretty much wore off over the summer


• climbing the stairs - he can and does do it, but fusses the whole time

Josiah loves:

• human interaction - he really loves to be talked to, smiled at, played with and rewards you (or any random stranger) with a huge grin


• bouncing on the trampoline (sitting down) and rocking on the horse


• chewing on crayons


• pulling tissues out of the box


• balloons on strings


• the motorized/talking Lightening McQueen car


• tomato sauces- on pizza, pasta, etc


• his pacifiers - a must-have for sleeping that we're going to start limiting to the bed


• music - he really seems to enjoy it, claps along, bounces some


• crawling -all my kids do, they're in no hurry to walk anywhere

Some unique Josiah things:

• twirls/waves his hands when he wants something or is excited about something- sometimes very insistently


• has started "hugging" by laying his head briefly against your shoulder when you pick him up


• rubs his eyes often and pretty vigorously, particularly when he's sleepy


• prone to respitory crud, seems to get a cold easily


• doesn't laugh out loud a ton, but will really get going if you tickle his thighs or his chest


• is a great growler - What does a lion say? Raugghh What does a tiger say? Raugghh What does a cow say? Raugghh (we're still working on this)


• Waits until the right beat to clap on "If you're happy and you know it"


• says/ has said dada and mama and maybe nana and definitely "dis" (this), but not really consistently or often and in respones to prompting but not with evidence of meaning for him - he doesn't talk a whole bunch, which isn't surprising given the two older chatterboxes around all the time (although Serena swears he said "funky" the other day


• Josiah still has "crazy toes" - they're really long and flexible, often, when relaxed, he'll be "pointing" with his big toe


• he's a pretty busy guy with a mischievous glint in his eye. I'll admit I'm a little bit nervous about the "trouble" year 2 could bring :)

All in all, long year or short, we feel blessed to have Josiah in our family and look forward to watching him grow and change.