1 Year Old! Happy Birthday Baby : )

Checking out your new bobby car - from mama and papa

Dearest Joshua Miles,

Today, you are one year old!!!! I can't imagine where this last year has gone, but gone it has...the first year of your life! It has been a wonderful year and privilege to watch you grow and develop. I have been so blessed to be able to take a year off from work to be with you (and your brother) full time in this crucial year. German laws are great when it comes to having babies, the government paid us 67% of my income to stay home and take care of you. But now it is back to work, and until we find sufficient day care, you are coming to the office with mama.

Today we had a lot of your baby friends over for a party in the morning, in total 6 babies (all around a year old) and 6 mamas . Unfortunately, just in time for your birthday, your papa got real sick, a nasty virus. I have been hoping and praying you don't catch it. Anyhow, you made it through the day without catching it. Papa stayed home from work and was quarantined to the bedroom. The first thing you discovered this morning was your bobby car in the living room with a big bow on it. You seemed to like it well enough, even if you haven't figured it out yet.

From our play group you are the youngest, Paula is one month older and Max two months. We have been meeting regularly with the mamas and babies from my birthing class. You are the oldest there, two weeks after you follows Lilo, then Maximilian, 3 weeks after you is Janick and a little more than a month after you came Paul. All these babies came to your babyparty. You didn't like your cake one bit, as I knew you wouldn't, you don't really like anything sweet. The other babies ate some of it, it was a carrot cake sweetened with apple sauce and cream cheese sweetened with agave frosting. The mamas all had double chocolate brownies that I made and chili with cornbread for lunch. In the evening we lit another candle for you and your cake, I hoped you would at least play with it. Instead it landed on the floor : ) Ah well, maybe you will be more in to cake for your second birthday!

Saturday we have a party planned with the Bittls ( Lena, Bernhard, Mareile and Charlie) as well as the Piacentinis (Christian, Tina, Valentino and Marcel) - you get two birthday parties! Hope we don't spoil you totally rotten : )

Lots of love, Your Mama

Showing your sceptical side : )

Gorgeous Boy

11 months and still a baldy!

PLAYING WITH MAMA'S CELL PHONE

Dear little Joshi,

oh where, oh where has all the time gone? It is hard to believe at the end of this month you will be having your first birthday! It's crazy!
Meanwhile here are a few notes on you:
You have started pointing at everything which gets your attention...you always say, da...or des....
and look at me with questioning eyes cause you want to know what it is. You ask the same items in each room with a persistent regularity. You can show mama where her eyes and nose are, but haven't gotten it down to showing us where your nose is yet.

You protest and fight sleep like none other. We believe you have a special talent for staying awake, and even after you fall asleep, staying alert as to whether mama is still next to you or not.
You have started walking a bit, but still prefer to crawl...it is more secure and faster, however you have developed a funny method of crawling on your feet and hands with your butt in the air, so that your knees aren't touching the ground. Or the variation crawling on one foot and one knee. It is hilarious.

CRAWLING JOSHI STYLE

When you don't want to eat what I am giving you, or you are full, you hide your eyes with your hands...you think, if mama can't see me, she can't feed me. This makes me hysterical.
You got your sixth tooth (upper front) finally end of February....you have been using your teeth to bite (crackers, mommy's shoulder, etc....)You have taken to grabbing the spoon with your teeth and not letting go, while grinning ear to ear, you look like popeye the sailor man.

Your absolute favorite foods lately have been plain yogurt and avocados. You usually have plain yogurt for breakfast. You are still not eating anything other than rice crackers by yourself. Anytime I give you food to self feed, it all lands straight on the floor! It would seem you want to have mommy feed you a bit longer still.

NOODLES FOR PLAYING

As for the rest you are just now starting to grow some hair, very slowly....your peach fuzz is getting longer. But for now you are still my little baldy and I love it : )) I love smoozing on your soft little head.

Love, your adoring mama