These 14 months

Dear Joshua,

You are on the brink of turning 14 months old. It has been a while since my last post, so here is finally another update. So much has been going on. You are so inquisitive and curious about the world around you and so excited about life, it is a pure joy for me to watch you grow. You are all over the place now and understand so much. Unfortunately for me one of your new favorite activities is carrying objects through the apartment and putting them away, somewhere where they don't "belong". If I open a drawer or bag, or put on a shoe, Lord only knows what I will find.
On May 3rd you said vacuum for the first time - sounds like babum....you have a passion for it and love to push it around. You even cuddle with the thing! On May 5th you clapped for the first time! You were so excited to discover you could do it! Now you are getting really good at it. Since then you keep pointing at your hand wanting me to tell you what it is (hand). You are also learning to eat with your spoon. You can spend long stretches over your food just manipulating the spoon and bowl, I even often give you a clean spoon and bowl to play with in your high chair....this is a much cleaner option for mama, then having to clean the entire area you are seated including you! Your favorite food is still yogurt, but you have stopped liking avocados, unless mixed in with something. Meat, potatoes, veggies blended are great, or just veggies is good too. Fruit is not your thing at all. Cereal isn't either unless a good portion of yogurt is in it. You don't like anything sweet, only savory. Getting you to drink water is going better, but the best drink of all (and as far as you are concerned, the only drink) is mama's milk. You are into noodles finally and also true to your Bavarian birth: fresh baked Brezen and Weisswurst.
One thing you have done a few times, which I have found disturbing, is you gag yourself with your spoon. You do it repeatedly...even though your face shows displeasure, you find the sensation oddly fascinating and are compulsed keep doing it....hmmm....Grandma Detroit says it is such a boy thing!

You are becoming more assertive (sometimes even aggressive) about getting what you want. Like yesterday, you wanted the paper towel roll cause this is a new passion of yours. You were yelping for it, so I finally let you play with it, saying okay but it is not for eating, but then you started to eat it....so I took it away. You were hopping mad. I explained to you that it is not for eating and gave you a cooking spoon instead which you immediately chucked on the floor, offended. I ignored it/you. Today you started screeching for the paper towel roll, I distracted you with other things one after another but you kept coming back for more.

Like most kids, you love going outside to play and the playground/sand is so exciting, but for you the biggest kick is walking around, just walking around. Unfortunately for mama you like to walk out of the park, leaving the park and going back in again and again is just too cool! Along the way you stop and look at the flowers on the ground. You squat down and get real close to the daisies and stroke them. You are captivated. You picked one or two today and I asked you if you wanted to give it to mama. You did and were so proud : ) You love to go up to big trees and touch the bark. You notice tiny details that I overlook, until pointed out by you. It is amazing what a clean slate you are and how you so easily take in the multitude of impressions around us.


On Mother's day, papa took you and Leo to the Wasserspielplatz (water playground) in Westpark. Just in your diapers you played in the sand and water, running in and out, in and out, and in and out of the water. You just couldn't get enough. After your diaper weighed about 20 pounds papa took it off and you ran off to play your bucket buck naked : )


I am amazed at how well you can entertain yourself, for good stretches too. This is great for us at the office. You are also so adored by the students and faculty alike and Patricia (my counterpart) loves you. One of the students has started babysitting you at JYM. Sarah and you have a natural affinity for one another and she plays with you, reads to you and takes you on walks or to the park. You make each other laugh.
You even have found your own task at the office. You carry the printed papers from the copier to whoever printed, i.e. to either mama or Patricia. It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing when someone prints something, you drop everything to go take care of your duty! It is one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed.
Anyhow, I am growing as person as I grow as a mother. You are learning so much from me, but I am learning as much if not more from you too.
Love, your Mama
(These pics were taken just outside our apartment)

Following commands

Dear Joshi,

You are understanding sooooo much now, and are starting to be able to carry out commands. No-nos are getting better. Yesterday, I asked you to bring me the remote control (you had it in your hand on the otherside of the room). You came over immediately with a big smile and gave it to me! I was so proud of you.
Today, I asked you to give me a kiss and you did! I asked you again and I got another careful opened mouth kiss.
You also helped feed the bunny rabbit and carried a carrot from the refrigerator to the bunny cage and dropped it in, when I asked you to do so.
Such a smart cookie!

Big smooches,
from your mama.

Springtime and Tempertantrums

Dear Joshi,

Spring is in full swing and I guess I have to come to terms with the fact that you are/will be a temper tantrum baby. You are very strong-willed and when you want something, you want it! If anyone tells you no, or takes it away, you throw a crying fit. This has been going on for a number of weeks now, but since you turned one it has really taken off. If I am holding you and go to put you down and you don't want to be, you throw yourself on my feet and tug and cry. If I try to walk even one step away, you throw yourself on the floor and scream. As much as you are gaining in independence, you are still very attached to mama and cling to me like a little monkey.
You have also started bucking and screaming not to have to go into your baby carriage or sometimes your high chair, even if the second before you were happy about the prospects of going out or eating. We have regular battles on the changing table as well, as often I am in the middle of changing your diaper, you decied we are done and start to turn over, always at the most inconvenient moment. Mommy has to hold you down and that makes you roar.
In general you are very well-behaved, you go for long stretches of being very amiable, charming and darling....and then when least expected, you let your beast-side show....
You get impatient with objects also, when they don't do what you want...like you were trying to put one of your push toys with a stick up in the high chair. You were holding the stick at the very top and your arms weren't long enough, this ticked you off and you were cursing the toy until mama came to help you out. Once the toy was up in the high chair you were happy.
You have taken to taking down the dish towels hanging on the cabinet, you can reach the towel and pull no problem, but the handle is just out of your reach. This was a problem when you tried to hang the towel back up and you couldn't reach. You were yelping about it until mama helped you.
You have discovered that remote controls control the radio and or tv. It is funny to watch you commandingly pointing the remote at the television, like a King, not realizing you have push a button at the same time. Even funnier, you have started carrying the cordless phone around trying to turn on all kinds of things by pointing it.
Today the kitty cat went and sat in front of his cabinet where the treats are. You know this and were trying to open the cabinet for him to get him his treat. I died laughing it was so cute! Mommy of course helped you and got a treat out and let you give it to Erasmus.
Because the weather has been so nice again, we have been going out to the park and you love to play in the sand! Sand is so fascinating for you, you love to pick it up and watch it fall out of your hand, again and again. So far, thankfully, there have been no temper issues at the park.
Love, your mama

The Band

At his second birthday party, Joshi forms his first band with his brother and friends...providing equipment from his new music set

Brothers : )

Diapers on the move!

Joshi is still wobbly when he walks but he is getting pretty stable. Here he is carrying around one of his favorite items, a tube of baby cream.

walking and talking

Dearest Joshi,

You are now walking all over the place, ever since your birthday. Indoors and outdoors. Papa loves how when you get to the doorwell from the hall into the kitchen or living room you stop and slowing go over the mini-step like a ballerina dancer. You are actually very careful in most things you do.

Going back to work, challenging happy to take you with me, but you are doing a great job so far and are able to entertain your self for good stretches of time so mommy can work.

Your latest passion is playing with tubes of baby cream. You have discovered how to open them with your teeth and then you eat the cream, by accident, that is not actually your goal. I have a couple of empty tubes which I allow you to play with cause there is no cream that comes out. You happily play with these for long stretches.

You are into eating non-food things, but act disgusted by actual food. Mama has a hard time understanding why you want to eat the foam edge protection from the coffee table, or a piece of kleenex, but trying new foods disgusts you before you even take it in your mouth.

Your absulute favorite toy and disctraction is the dyson vaccum cleaner, you take an attachment and vacuum and play vacuum the floor and/or furniture along side along side mama. You never tire of this either! Mommy's guitar continues to be your other big excitement. You also like papa's saxophone and mama's clarinet. All super fascinating. You even played your music set while mama played the guitar, backing her up. You were so proud of yourself.

On April 6th you first tried to say the word avocado, twice in a row! And you have said it a few times since, it sounds something like Vaaa Kao
Today (April 13th) you said the word eyes. In general ou definitely talk a lot, you are constantly babbling and chattering in what sounds like a foreign language.

You love to rock out to music and anything at all that makes a rhythm. It is sooooo cute! I try to capture it on film, but that has proven difficult, as you are then distracted by the looming camera.

Love you my sweet pea,
Mama