Wow, a month has already past since my last update. As always Joseph is growing by leaps and bounds everyday, it's such a wonderful experience to be able to watch him learn new things.
He has managed to stand on his own for a few seconds at a time but is still a little hesitant. He has gotten very good at the walking up and down the side of the table.
He also loves to stand up against his little car and climb on it. Joe pointed out today that he has two little cars and he loves playing with them both, we think we see a little mechanic in the making.
On one of our walks I thought he had fallen asleep, upon further inspection I found he was actually just watching the ground closely.
He made it up the steps for the first time, it took awhile but he made it up all 14 steps.
We have been playing a lot with blocks and towers. For some reason the block on top is always the most tempting, it just too bad he hasn't figured out how to grab the block gently.
You may not be able to see but these are his little teeth on the day they sprouted. He is getting both on the bottom and seems to thoroughly enjoy leaving little tooth marks on my arm.
Today during our outdoor time Joseph, Joe, Joe's mom and I were sitting in the front yard while Joseph played with a Dandelion seed head. We got into a discussion on whether a dandelion becomes it's own seed head or if one was male and one was female. I admit I was pretty set on the idea that one was male and one was female.
To think, had Joe's mom not said anything I would have taught Joseph about the male and female dandelions. It is amazing how something that we see everyday can still hold surprises and teach us something new.
My, what a big week we have had! I have been focusing on outdoor time. Luckily we have plenty of wildlife around here to keep us entertained.
First we saw Joseph's first bunny. The right picture is of a momma dear that was hanging out in front of the house on morning. We got to watch her and her two fawns drink water. This morning we also saw a young buck which I didn't get a picture of.
Look who started climbing this week! I can't believe how fast he is learning everything!
We also started learning how to brush our teeth... he's doing great. I guess I should specify the correct brush next time though.
After a lot of time spent talking about how nice it would be to hang clothes out, Joe found a way to make it a reality! In nearly four years of marriage and 5 different houses we have never had a clothes line. As you can see it started as two posts and a couple bungee cords.
It's not pictured here, but we bought a retractable line which doubles the hanging space. It's so great being able to hang clothes out in the fresh air, I wish we could do it year round.
This week Joseph and I are trying to spend more time outside. Here we were playing in the tub of water. He is still pretty hesitant to crawl on the grass.
There are a lot of sand burrs and cacti in the back and side yards so we have been enjoying using this little push car to get around. I am pretty surprised at how well it handles the hills. Also he seems to enjoy riding in it.
We also had a picnic. Even though we had apples which he enjoys he was very distracted by all the sights and sounds. There was a small flock of birds across the road which I am still working on identifying. The closest I have found is a meadowlark but I am still not convinced.
Is there anything better than taking a nap with your favorite blankie after a long day of exploring?
I haven't posted in a while. We took a trip out of state to help Joe's aunt and uncle move and didn't have computer access. So here's what we have been doing...
Joe got a new chainsaw last week. While he was out cutting firewood Joseph and I were inside playing on the crunchy packing paper.
He got a new frozen teether. He loved it and it fit his little mouth perfectly. We are still waiting on the first tooth but tonight we noticed what appears to be a small bump on his gums!
I packed his suitcase, and when I wasn't looking he would unpack it.
Into the car seat and away we go!
Our little chauffeur.
And back home! He used to love to eat the giraffe's tale, but he found the ear and now seems to prefer that.
Today we explored sounds. We filled Ziploc bags with things we had around the house such as bells, plastic caps, change and buttons.
Filling the Ziploc bags with air made it easy for Joseph to shake and hear the different sounds each bag made.
He had fun shaking the bags but couldn't settle for just one and kept dropping one to grab another. Recently he has started to work on grasping items with fewer fingers and has been experimenting with controlling his wrists. This was a great activity to practice both.
This morning Joseph and I hung out in the yard. We haven't spent a lot of time out side since in the past I didn't feel that he would enjoy laying on the ground. Now that he has become more mobile and able to sit on his own I am excited to start exploring the great outdoors with him! I think my favorite part was when he recognized that birds were chirping over head, and took an interest in trying to locate the sound. He is such a curious and thoughtful little guy.
He enjoyed looking at the dandelion. We practiced smelling without eating. I think he was a little surprised by the smell at first, but he seemed like he wanted to keep smelling it.
This flower we practiced using our sense of touch. This flower was great for that because it had a soft fuzzy stem and a rough center. He really liked to rub the center of the flower.
Who knew that using our senses and playing outside could be so fun?
One night as Joe was browsing Amazon he came across some chalkboard contact paper. We put it on an old coffee table that we had been using to keep Joseph out of the office area.
Joseph wasn't too interested in holding the chalk at first... but with a little prodding from Daddy he warmed up to it.
At first he thought we were trying to give him a yummy snack.
But then his artistic abilities started to shine.
To be fair, Daddy did help out a little bit, in fact I think he had more fun than Joseph this time.
