Hanukkah 2008

Last year during Hanukkah Joshua was 3 months old. Therefore, he was a little young to really enjoy the holiday. At 15 months, Joshua is still pretty young, but he is able to interact a little more. On the first night of Hanukkah, Joshua got a picture board book on Hanukkah. Each page discussed a different night. So, we read 1 page each night that corresponded with the night of Hanukkah. After lighting the candles each night, we gave Joshua a gift. The gifts ranged from books to stuffed animals to toys. One night, we even gave him a dreidel, and Keith and I ate the candy inside. Joshua really enjoyed opening the gifts. Yet, we think he enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper more than the gifts. Next year, it will probably be different and he will wrip the paper off real quick to get to the gift.

If I can't see you...

... it is not happening.
What kid likes getting his face wiped clean? Certainly not Joshua. After he finishes with a meal, we always wipe his mouth and hands with wet wipes. Of course, he hates when we wipe his mouth. Lately, every time that Joshua sees that we are going to wipe his face, he covers his eyes. If he covers his eyes and can't see us, then we really aren't there wiping his face.

Florida Trip

15 months and Keith and I haven't had a night without Joshua. No sleepover at the grandparents, no nights alone yet. As I had been nursing Joshua for all this time, it made it difficult to be away from Joshua. (Together, Joshua and I decided that it was time to stop nursing, and the timing was great). So, Keith and I thought about putting together our first "alone" trip. We wanted to get away but knew that a week away without Joshua would just be too long, so we compromised. We visited the Uhr grandparents in Florida and then went on a 4 night Bahamas cruise without Joshua and left Joshua in Orlando with Keith's parents. That worked really well. The overall trip was fun, and the cruise was great. (Although, Keith was a little sick for part of it). We missed Joshua when we said goodbye and were very excited to see Josh when we got back, but we did really well without him. Joshua behaved well for his grandparents over the 4 days as well. Unfortunately, he got in a molar and a tooth on the bottom, so he was a little fussy during the night, but Joshua did well.

15 Months

15 months and Joshua is still an absolute pleasure. Joshua knows the difference between a hairbrush and a toothbrush and uses both properly for his hair (he is getting more and more) and teeth (he is getting more and more). It kind of amazes me that when I say "brush your hair", he knows and when I say "brush your teeth", he knows that as well. In addition, he knows that all the 12 different hairbrush styles that I use are hairbrushes for the head. (That doesn't mean that he doesn't try to chew on them every once in awhile. Joshua is still a teething toddler after all). Joshua is walking with the assistance of our hands and a walker but not quite ready to take his first unassisted steps. He is still a happy easy baby. Joshua is saying more words all of the time. He is getting a bit pickier with food and we are able to give him more of a variety of foods. (He tried brownies the other day). He uses the "more" sign when he wants more and also says "done" when he is finished eating. Although, it sounds more like "duh".

Blah Blah Blah

Joshua loves talking on the phone. He grabs our cell phones and the house cordless, puts it to his ear and says, "HI". Of course, it sounds more like "I". It doesn't even have to be a phone. The other day, he used a suntan lotion bottle, and quite often, you will find Joshua just putting his hand to his ear and saying "Hi". Yesterday, keith and I watched Joshua have a whole conversation with himself on the phone. We tried to record it, but of course, he wouldn't perform for us.