Parks and Games

The cooler weather has been nice, minus all of the rain that came with it. It was such a nice day last Thursday that we went to the park with Star and Sophia. We fed the ducks and geese for awhile. Josephine's mouth didn't close, she just stared at them. I think she enjoyed it. We walked/strolled down the trails. Josephine got to swing for a little while too. But then came nap time and we had to leave. Here's a picture of Josephine in the swing.



We had a big gang over for the UT football game. I don't remember seeing much of the game because of the six babies/kids in the living room : ) Here's a picture of the 'Lil Gang.



Thaxton (7 wks), Josephine (9 mo), Drinnen (4 mo), Emily (2 yr), Elizabeth (4 yr), and Naomi (4 mo). Notice that Drinnen is the same size as Josephine? Actually, he's bigger.

Here is Drinnen letting Josephine know who's boss!



Josephine Update:

• Josephine is eating mostly finger foods now. However, that means that meals take about 45 minutes or so. Today for lunch she had a whole wheat tortilla (half), green beans (cut into small pieces of course), Cherios, and pears (baby food). She loves baked potatoes and broccoli too. She also had Oatmeal for breakfast a few times.
• We tried the experiment: If we don't stop feeding her, will she quit on her own? The answer is no, she won't stop on her own. I finally cut her off after over an hour of constant eating last night. She slept well, though.
• She is taking things out of boxes and putting them back in. She has a certain toy that makes sounds when something hits the bottom and she finally started taking the blocks in and out. I've been wondering how long it would take her to figure it out.
• She's been sleeping better the past couple nights. She even slept for 10 hours straight last night. It was a miracle. She had been waking up 3-4 times a night, sometimes more. I think that it might be that she was hungry on those nights.
• Did I mention "touchdown" last entry? Josephine will raise both of her hands when we say "touchdown!". Granny taught her that on vacation.
• Josephine loves to watch the fish in the fishtank. She stands there and smiles and beats on the table and tank. She's not old enough to understand that she terrifies the fish when she does that. : )

We're trying to make a trip to the zoo, but it rains each time. Hopefully we'll get to go this week or weekend.

North Myrtle Beach Vacation

Josephine took her third trip to the beach last week! We went with Granny and Papaw (my parents) to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We've been there many times before, although usually earlier in the year. The weather was cooler and less humid. Most days it was
a good temperature for Josephine to get in the water. She loved the beach. She spent a lot more time on it this trip than when we were at Hunting Island. She ate less sand this time too. Josephine had a great time with Granny and Papaw. Although, I'm not sure who had more fun -- Josephine or the Grandparents : )

We didn't do much other than go down to the beach or play in the pool, although it was a bit chilly for the pool. Josephine spent a lot of time walking in the surf. She walked for at least 15 minutes without stopping one day. Of course we had her by the hands, but she was leading the way. She had her "beach face" on. Bottom lip sticking out, eyebrows down, and determined to get where she wanted. Seagulls were a big hit. One time she made it a point to walk in front of where a group of people were sitting and showing off for them. She's so funny.

We would go down to the beach inbetween naps, which usually meant Josephine went to the beach twice a day. We'd have to lather on the sunscreen for the first trip. Sand sticks well to sunscreen. The late afternoon trip was late enough in the day that she could just go in her swim diaper. People kept thinking she was a boy with it on because it was blue. Since we went to the beach twice a day, that meant two baths a day also. No complaints from Josephine! She loves to "splash splash" in the pool, ocean, AND tub.

Josephine learned to raise her hands above her head when we say "touchdown!". It is very cute to watch. She's so proud of herself. Granny worked with her all week so that she could do it for Daddy when she got home.

Josephine discovered Cherios this week. She loves them and gets very excited when she sees them. I gave her a cup with a special top on it so that she could reach in and pull some out, but when you hold it upside down none fall out. She enjoys the cup too. Even with the cup, she makes a huge mess with them. Cherios go everywhere.

She understands the words "ocean", "sit down" and, "hungry" (or any other word referring to eating or food). And of course "touchdown".

A new trick that she also learned is to stick out her tongue. It started with eating Cherios (I'm not sure why), but she'll do it anytime now. So many tricks, so little time.

9 Months Old

OK, so I forgot about her 9-Month pictures. We had a great session at Portrait Innovations. Both Josephine and Naomi did really well (for the most part : ). Trying to get their picutre taken together was a bit of a challenge though. Josephine wanted to tackle Naomi (out of love, of course) or Naomi would cry or Josephine wouldn't smile. We have a couple cute ones, though. I'll let Aunt Moug post the pictures she likes of Naomi on her blog site.

First Football Game

Josephine enjoyed her first UT football game last Saturday. Nathan has been looking forward to this day since we found out I was pregnant a year and a half ago. She and Naomi enjoyed watching Smokey sing Rocky Top. Well, Naomi did anyway. Josephine was a little weirded out by it.

We've managed to get a new living room this weekend. We got a new TV, TV stand, couches, and tables. I'm currently waiting on them to deliver the couches, but we had the new TV for the game. High definition is very nice!

Josephine and I will be going to the beach with my parents next week so it will probably be a couple weeks before the next blog entry unless Josephine does something miraculous. At least, more miraculous than she does on a daily basis. : )

Josephine Update:

• Josephine will wave "hello" and say "hi". We figured that just about sums her up. She is such a people person! She seems much more contented and happy when she's around other people. On the flip side, she really enjoys playing by herself at home, especially if we've been gone for a long time. I think it's a good balance.
• She's still cruising around going from one piece of furniture to another. Although, she's getting a little cocky and is starting to get hurt more often--usually hitting her head. That's how she learns.
• With this more adventurous spirit she getting into things that she shouldn't, such as eletrical cords and sockets (covered, of course). She understands what "no" means very well. Most of the time she starts crying. It's so pitiful it's hard not to laugh. Other times she sees it as a game and keeps doing it until we move her.
• I've finally found a food she doesn't like -- celery. I steamed and pureed it, but she doesn't like it. She'll eat cantaloupe (sp?) if you give her tiny pieces, but spits it out if it's pureed. Guess it's a texture thing. Sweet potatoes and cereal are still her favorites.
• It's surprising to realize how many words, especially people's names, Josephine knows. She knows all her family's names. She even knows the difference between Elizabeth, Emily, and Drinnen (friends of ours).
• She still has her funny crawl. She'll do a crab/spider crawl on her feet some of the time. Other times she'll use both knees. Other times she'll use her right knee and left foot. She can be very fast if there's something she really wants.